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PoisonedBlogger The Poisoned Pen Bookstore recently hosted an event with the Arizona Chapter of Pen America. The event was in honor of International Press Freedom Day. If you watch the video, you’ll learn about Pen America. This event featured a group of Arizona journalists who have become authors. Includes Christina Estes, Leo Banks, John Washington , Pam Hait and Steve Krafft.
You’ll want to check out the video of the event.
Patrick King from The Poisoned Pen recently welcomed Sarah Pinborough back to the bookstore after seven years. There are signed copies of Pinborough’s limited stenciled edge edition of We Live Here Now available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4ktyhUV
Here’s the description of We Live Here Now.
Limited edition printing with stenciled edges
Award-winning author of New York Times bestselling breakout novel (and hit Netflix show) Behind Her Eyes returns with a haunting Gothic novel about a house—and a marriage—gone terribly wrong.
After an accident that nearly kills her, Emily and her husband, Freddie, move from London to a beautiful Dartmoor country house called Larkin Lodge. The house is gorgeous, striking—and to Emily, something about it feels deeply wrong.
Old boards creak at night, fires go out, and books fall from the shelves, and all of it stems from the terrible presence she feels in the third-floor room. But these things happen only when Emily’s alone, so are they happening at all? She’s still medically fragile; her postsepsis condition can cause hallucinatory side effects, which means she can’t fully trust her own senses. Freddie doesn’t notice anything odd and is happy with their chance at a fresh start.
Emily, however, starts to believe that the house is being haunted by someone who was murdered in it, though she can find no evidence of a wrongful death. As bizarre events pile up and her marriage starts to crumble, Emily becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about Larkin Lodge.
But if the house has secrets, so do Emily and her husband.
And they live here now.
Sarah Pinborough is the award-winning, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes and 13 Minutes. She lives in London.
Enjoy the discussion with Sarah Pinborough.
Patrick Millikin and Jen Johans recently interviewed Arvind Ethan David about his graphic novel adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s Trouble Is My Business. David has an interesting background. You’ll have to check out the video and David’s biography. Check the Webstore for copies of David’s latest book. https://bit.ly/4k9Bqd1
Here’s the description of Raymond Chandler’s Trouble Is My Business.
A brilliant graphic novel adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s classic noir tale featuring iconic private eye Philip Marlowe
“Inspired. . . . This trio brings [Chandler’s] words to vivid life. . . . A triumph of teamwork.”—Air Mail
In 1940s Los Angeles, a sour-faced millionaire hires Philip Marlowe, a hard-boiled, harder-drinking detective, to scare off a suspected gold digger who has gotten her claws into his even wealthier stepson. Marlowe takes the case but quickly discovers that the woman, Harriett Huntress, isn’t just after gold: she’s playing a long, cold game of revenge…
Marlowe forms an alliance with George, the client’s chauffeur-cum-bodyguard-cum-fixer. George is a Black, Dartmouth-educated veteran with a sniper’s skills and his own agenda, and the two uneasy allies find themselves on the wrong end of a brace of hired killers and an enigmatic casino boss. . . . It quickly becomes clear that Marlowe, sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong, is just asking for trouble. But that’s the thing. Trouble is his business.
RAYMOND THORNTON CHANDLER (1888 – 1959) was the master practitioner of American hard-boiled crime fiction. Although he was born in Chicago, Chandler spent most of his boyhood and youth in England, where he attended Dulwich College and later worked as a freelance journalist for The Westminster Gazette and The Spectator. During World War I, Chandler served in France with the First Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, transferring later to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). In 1919 he returned to the United States, settling in California, where he eventually became director of a number of independent oil companies. The Depression put an end to his career, and in 1933, at the age of forty-five, he turned to writing fiction, publishing his first stories in Black Mask. Chandler’s detective stories often starred the brash but honorable Philip Marlowe (introduced in 1939 in his first novel, The Big Sleep) and were noted for their literate presentation and dead-on critical eye. Never a prolific writer, Chandler published only one collection of stories and seven novels in his lifetime. Some of Chandler’s novels, like The Big Sleep, were made into classic movies that helped define the film noir style. In the last year of his life he was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America. He died in La Jolla, California, on March 26, 1959.
ARVIND ETHAN DAVID is a Stoker Award nominated graphic novelist who has also written chart-topping Audiodramas (The Crimes of Dorian Gray, Earworms), television (Anansi Boys) and plays (The Boy with Wings). Arvind is also a producer of film and theater, including the Emmy & Grammy award winning musical Jagged Little Pill. Arvind’s career started when he adapted the Douglas Adams novel Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency as his college play and Adams came to see it. Years later, Arvind brought Dirk Gently to a global audience as a Netflix/AMC TV series.
Check out the fascinating conversation.
Have patience when viewing Patrick Millikin’s conversation with Michael McGarrity for The Poisoned Pen. There were a few technical issues to begin the video. The two talked about McGarrity’s books before getting to Night in the City. Signed copies of Night in the City are available through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4j9VfQ0
Here’s the summary of Night in the City.
Sam Monroe thought his steamy love affair with Manhattan socialite Laura Nielson was dead and buried, but when she didn’t show up after unexpectedly calling him late at night and asking to meet, he decides to investigate. He finds her naked on her penthouse balcony, strangled, his dog tags wrapped around her neck. With a bull’s-eye on his back as the prime suspect, Sam begins a search for the killer that reveals Laura’s involvement with several men, some with ties to a well-known crime family.
As circumstantial evidence mounts against him, the cops close in, especially a heavy-handed rogue patrolman carrying a grudge against Sam and looking for serious payback. Forced to operate in the shadows, he relies on the unofficial help of several coworkers in the DA’s office and Debora Jean Ryan, a private investigator who offers to assist but has an agenda that she refuses to disclose. As they probe Laura’s past looking for clues, they must also figure out Laura’s mysterious trip out west, the death of a young man in New Jersey during her childhood, and who is making attempts on his life.
From the crime-ridden precincts of Lower Manhattan, the mean streets of Spanish Harlem, and the lofty mansions along Millionaires’ Row, Night in the City is classic crime noir fiction at its best that wonderfully evokes the vibrant world of 1950s New York. Michael McGarrity again proves himself to be one of the most accomplished writers of mysteries working today.
Michael McGarrity is the author of the nationally best-selling Kevin Kerney crime novels, which he concluded in Head Wounds, the acclaimed American West trilogy, and his recent novel, The Long Ago. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Check out the conversation with Michael McGarrity.
Patrick King from The Poisoned Pen welcomed Tori Eldridge to the bookstore to discuss the first in her new series. Kaua’i Storm introduces a National Park Ranger, Makalani Pahukula . You can order signed copies of the book through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4ktcltm
Here’s the summary of Kaua’i Storm.
Returning to Kaua‘i, park ranger Makalani finds her family divided and their way of life at risk in this rich and emotional adventure by the bestselling author of the Lily Wong series.
After ten years as a national park ranger in Oregon, Makalani Pahukula is back on Kaua‘i for her grandmother’s birthday. Having been gone for so long, Makalani finds the disconnect with her people and her struggles have never been more profound. Neither has her need to reacquaint herself with everything she left behind. When she reaches the homestead, she finds a bickering family and the disconcerting news that her cousins—a failed college football player and a rebellious teenage girl—have gone missing.
Makalani hopes they just ran off, too careless to realize the worry they’ve caused. But when hunters find a dead body in the Ke?lia Forest Reserve, Makalani fears something ominous is at play, and the search for her cousins grows more desperate. Although her help may not be welcomed by family and locals, Makalani is determined to solve a mystery that poses a greater risk than anyone imagines.
The investigation will open her heart, reawaken her love for the land she calls home, and strengthen her bond with her family. Because no matter how long she’s been away, for Makalani, Hawai‘i is in her blood.
Tori Eldridge is the Hawaiian, Chinese, and Norwegian author of the Lily Wong mysteries, Dance Among the Flames, and numerous short stories. Born in Honolulu, she graduated from Punahou School with classmate Barack Obama before performing as an actress, singer, and dancer on Broadway, television, and film, and earning a fifth-degree black belt in To-Shin Do ninja martial arts. Her literary works have garnered Anthony, Lefty, and Macavity Award nominations and the 2021 Crimson Scribe for Best Book of the Year. Tori lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, near her precious mo‘opuna (grandchildren). For more information about Tori, her book club extras, and her reading ‘ohana, visit www.torieldridge.com.
Tori Eldridge is an excellent storyteller. You’ll want to listen to this discussion.
Christina Estes acted ad guest host for Eliza Reid who appeared at The Poisoned Pen to discuss her new book. There are signed hardcovers and paperbacks of Death on the Island available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4jXYEm1
Here’s the summary of Death on the Island.
Trapped on a remote island by a howling storm, nine people sit down to dinner.
One of them is about to die.
A group of international players has gathered in a tiny village off the coast of Iceland for a diplomatic dinner. There’s Kristján, the mayor reeling from a personal tragedy. Graeme, the ambassador with an agenda to push. Jane, his wife, along for the ride on another one of her husband’s many business trips. And several others, from Iceland and from abroad, each with their own reason for being there, their own loyalties and grievances. By the end of the night, one of them will be dead. And it will be up to the ambassador’s wife, Jane, to figure out how—and why.
What Jane soon comes to realize is that small communities can be the most dangerous of them all… and no one in their group is safe. With secrets around every corner and violent weather trapping the finite list of suspects together on the island, this locked-room mystery by internationally bestselling author Eliza Reid brings Agatha Christie and Nordic noir together in a brand-new twist.
Eliza Reid is a bestselling writer, public speaker, gender equality advocate, and cofounder of the acclaimed Iceland Writers Retreat. She was born and raised in Canada but has lived in Iceland for more than twenty years. Her first book, Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World, was an instant bestseller in Canada and Iceland, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Pick, and translated into numerous languages. From 2016 to 2024, Eliza served in the unofficial role of First Lady while her husband was President of Iceland. Eliza lives in the outskirts of Reykjavik with her husband and four children.
Eliza Reid, the former First Lady of Iceland, is a fascinating speaker. Enjoy the conversation with her.
Sam Dingman from KJZZ acted as guest host at The Poisoned Pen for Dave Barry. Barry’s memoir is Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up. There are signed copies of the book available through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4mdCsWF
Here’s the description of Class Clown.
America’s most beloved wiseass finally tells his life story with all the humor you’d expect from a man who made a career out of making fun of pretty much everything.
How does the son of a Presbyterian minister wind up winning a Pulitzer Prize for writing a wildly inaccurate newspaper column read by millions of people?
In Class Clown, Dave Barry takes us on a hilarious ride, starting with a childhood largely spent throwing rocks for entertainment—there was no internet—and preparing for nuclear war by hiding under a classroom desk. After literally getting elected class clown in high school, he went to college, where, as an English major, he read snippets of great literature when he was not busy playing in a rock band (it was the sixties).
He began his journalism career at a small-town Pennsylvania newspaper where he learned the most important rule of local journalism: never confuse a goose with a duck. His journey then took a detour into the business world, where as a writing consultant he spent years trying, with limited success, to get corporate folks to, for God’s sake, get the point. Somehow from there he wound up as a humor columnist for TheMiami Herald, where his boss was a wild man who encouraged him to write about anything that struck him as amusing and to never worry about alienating anyone.
His columns were not popular with everyone: He managed to alienate a vast army of Neil Diamond fans, and the entire state of Indiana. But he also developed a loyal following of readers who alerted him to the threat of exploding toilets, not to mention the fire hazards posed by strawberry pop-tarts and Rollerblade Barbie, which he demonstrated to the nation on the David Letterman show. He led his readers on a crusade against telemarketers that ultimately caused the national telemarketers association to stop answering its own phones because it was getting—irony alert—too many unwanted calls. He has also run for president multiple times, although so far without success.
He became a book author and joined a literary rock band, which was not good at playing music but did once perform with Bruce Springsteen, who sang backup to Dave. As for his literary merits, Dave writes: “I’ll never have the critical acclaim of, say, Marcel Proust. But was Marcel Proust ever on Carson? Did he ever steal a hotel sign for Oprah?”
Class Clown isn’t just a memoir; it’s a vibrant celebration of a life rich with humor, absurdity, joy, and sadness. Dave says the most important wisdom imparted by his Midwestern parents was never to take anything too seriously. This laughter-filled book is proof that he learned that lesson well.
Dave Barry is the author of more bestsellers than you can count on two hands, including Swamp Story, Lessons from Lucy, Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys, Dave Barry Turns Forty, and Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up. A wildly popular syndicated columnist best known for his booger jokes, Barry won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for commentary. He lives in Miami.
If you enjoy Dave Barry’s humor, you’ll enjoy the event at The Pen.
John Charle recently welcomed Julie Soto and debut author Deidra Duncan for a virtual event at The Poisoned Pen. Soto is the author of The Thrashers and Duncan’s first book is Love Sick. You can order copies of both books through the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
Here’s the summary of The Thrashers.
Either you’re in or you’re out.
Welcome to the Thrashers, the elite friend group at New Helvetia High.
They’re everything everyone wants to be.
Jodi Dillon was never meant to be one of them. Julian, Lucy, Paige, and the infamous Zack Thrasher are rich, sophisticated, and love attention. Jodi feels out of place, but Zack’s her childhood best friend, so she’s in.
Then Emily Mills, who desperately wanted to be a Thrasher, dies—and the whispers about the Thrashers begin. As Emily’s journal surfaces, detectives close in, and Jodi faces an impossible choice: betray her friends or protect herself.
But as eerie messages and strange occurrences escalate, it becomes clear—Emily isn’t done with them yet.
A twisty thrill-ride of unforgettable drama and suspense that “encapsulates the vulnerability of adolescents playing adult games” (Ali Hazelwood) from USA Today bestselling author Julie Soto, The Thrashers will keep you up at night desperate to read just one more page.
“A tour-de-force YA debut from Julie Soto.” – Alexa Donne
“For fans of Karen McManus and Kara Thomas, The Thrashers had me holding my breath, sweaty-palming my e-reader, and dying to flip each page to see what would happen next.” – Susan Lee
“Expertly plotted and full of flawed, morally gray characters you still can’t help rooting for, The Thrashers is one of the best books I’ve read this year.” – Evelyn Skye
JULIE SOTO (she/her) is a USA Today bestselling author, playwright, and actress originally from Sacramento, CA. Her musical Generation Me won the 2017 New York Musical Festival’s Best Musical award, as well as Best Book for her script. She is a musical theater geek, fandom nerd, and the author of many spicy fan fictions. Julie now lives in Fort Bragg, CA, with her dog, Charlie. She is probably drinking coffee as you read this.
Here’s Deidra Duncan’s debut novel, Love Sick.
“Heartfelt and smart, Love Sick is just what the doctor ordered.”—Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Breakup Tour
Their bedside manner needs a little work…
Love may be the best medicine, but first-year resident Grace Rose isn’t prescribing it anytime soon. Not since her ex broke her heart in med school, and especially not since hearing the rumor that she slept her way into the OB-GYN program. (Spoiler alert: So not true.) With her social anxiety already in full spiral, Grace is determined to set the record straight. But after a tense first encounter with fellow resident Julian Santini—with his annoying good looks and witty charm—she realizes that her reputation may never fully recover.
Julian didn’t mean to offend Grace. After all, he’s just as fed up with the toxic “BrOB-GYN” culture as she is. He’s got his own drama to triage anyway—like proving that he earned his spot in this residency, not simply lucked into it. Still, something about Grace gets under his skin…and not always in a bad way.
Forced to work together through grueling shifts and sleepless nights, Grace and Julian try to cut back on the bickering for the sake of their training. Before long, however, a different kind of tension exposes the cracks in their truce. With their hearts in critical condition, will they accept that love is the best remedy of all?
Grey’s Anatomy meets The Hating Game in this delicious, laugh out loud rom-com set in the world of a tight-knit group of OB-GYN residents—written by a practicing physician.
For fans of:
DEIDRA DUNCAN is a board-certified OB/GYN and lover of all things angsty and romantic. Based in Florida, she spends her days either delivering babies or lounging in the sun with her kids and husband. deidraduncan.com
Enjoy the conversation with Julie Soto and Deidra Duncan.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently submitted some summer book suggestions to https://www.nextavenue.org/summer-reading-titles-shine/. Patricia Corrigan asked five independent booksellers for their summer recommendations in her article, “Summer Reading Titles Shine.” Peters said I could include her suggestions here. You’ll want to check the Webstore for those books. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
“Barbara Peters knows something about murder mysteries. As a retirement hobby, in October 1989 she opened The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona. Then, in 1997, with her husband Robert Rosenwald, Peters established Poisoned Pen Press, which has won numerous Raven and Quill Awards from the Mystery Writers of America.”
“I began The Poisoned Pen as a tiny mystery bookstore, but today it’s broadened out into mostly fiction, including classics, romance, fantasy and sci-fi,” Peters told Next Avenue. The shop presents almost 600 author events a year, most of them available for live-streaming.
Peters’ top pick for summer reading is “The Blue Horse: A Porter Beck Mystery” by Bruce Borgos. Peters said the book offers “a briskly paced and surprising plot, once again stretching beyond local borders.”
Peters also likes “Nightshade” by Michael Connelly, an author who has been hailed by Real Book Spy as “the undisputed master of the modern crime novel.” The book introduces a new detective, Peters said, “whose beat is Catalina Island, a low-key posting — until it isn’t.”
Laurie King’s new book “Knave of Diamonds” is “a new chapter in the story of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes that embroils Russell in the infamous disappearance of the Irish Crown Jewels from an impregnable safe in Dublin Castle after her black-sheep Uncle Jake knocks at the couple’s door,” said Peters. “Vivid characters, reliable history and a strong plot, compellingly written, characterize this long-running series.”
For later this summer, Peters urged readers to watch for “You Belong Here” by Megan Miranda, due out July 29, and also the paperback edition of “Last Seen” by J.T. Ellison, available August 1. Peters reported, “These two authors reliably thrust strong women into danger!”
Jen Johans from The Poisoned Pen recently welcomed two authors from Toronto for a virtual event at the bookstore. Nita Prose, author of The Maid and other mysteries was guest host for Sue Hincenbergs, whose debut novel is The Retirement Plan.You can still order copies of The Retirement Plan through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3EYV783
Here’s the description of The Retirement Plan.
“The perfect cocktail of well-plotted, good-hearted, murderous fun.” —Nina Simon, bestselling author of Mother-Daughter Murder Night
THEY’D KILL TO BE WIDOWS.
Three best friends turn to murder to collect on their husbands’ life insurance policies… But the husbands have a plan of their own in this darkly funny debut that will delight readers from the first laugh to the final twist.
After thirty years of friendship, Pam dreams of her perfect retirement with Nancy, Shalisa, Marlene, and their husbands—until their husbands pool their funds for an investment that goes terribly wrong. Suddenly, their golden years are looking as dreary as their marriages.
But when the women discover their husbands have seven-figure life insurance policies, a new dream forms. And this time, they need a hitman.
Meanwhile, their husbands are working on their own secret retirement scheme and when things begin to go sideways, they fear it’s backfired. The husbands scramble to stay alive…but soon realize they may not be quick enough to outmaneuver their wives.
Sue Hincenbergs is a former television producer who has worked on multiple award-winning programs. She lives in Toronto with her (very much alive) husband, her scruffy, middle-aged rescue dog, Kramer, and the rooms full of the stuff her three sons left behind when they moved out. The porch light is always on in case one comes by for a visit. The Retirement Plan is her first novel.
Enjoy the conversation with Sue Hincenbergs and Nita Prose.