Authors Jon Land and Heather Graham — noted for thrillers and romantic suspense, respectively — are incredibly prolific and have reputations for reliably great plotting, tension and characters.

That they've teamed up to write a new novel must delight and intrigue fans of each. The book is called "The Rising" and tells the increasingly twisted story of two talented high school students — football hero Alex Chinn and his friend Samantha Dixon, a scholar who dreams of a career at NASA. But things go dark and deadly at top speed, and the young lovers find themselves on the run without knowing who has targeted them or why.

"The Rising" hits bookstores Tuesday and, fortuitously, that's the day Land and Graham will discuss and sign copies in a release party event at Bank Square Books in Mystic.

Heather Graham and Jon Land, 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Bank Square Books, 53 West Main St., Mystic; free; (860) 536-3795.