Did you miss James Rollins’ recent visit to The Poisoned Pen? He appeared on release day for his latest Sigma Force novel, Crucible. There was a champagne toast, and a discussion with Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore. You can order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2t0Yumn
Here’s the summary of Crucible.
In the race to save one of their own, Sigma Force must wrestle with the deepest spiritual mysteries of mankind in this mind-expanding adventure from the #1 New York Times bestselling author, told with his trademark blend of cutting edge science, historical mystery, and pulse-pounding action.
Arriving home on Christmas Eve, Commander Gray Pierce discovers his house ransacked, his pregnant lover missing, and his best friend’s wife, Kat, unconscious on the kitchen floor. With no shred of evidence to follow, his one hope to find the woman he loves and his unborn child is Kat, the only witness to what happened. But the injured woman is in a semi-comatose state and cannot speak—until a brilliant neurologist offers a radical approach to “unlock” her mind long enough to ask a few questions.
What Pierce learns from Kat sets Sigma Force on a frantic quest for answers that are connected to mysteries reaching back to the Spanish Inquisition and to one of the most reviled and blood-soaked books in human history—a Medieval text known as the Malleus Maleficarum, the Hammer of Witches. What they uncover hidden deep in the past will reveal a frightening truth in the present and a future on the brink of annihilation, and force them to confront the ultimate question: What does it mean to have a soul?
*****
Here’s your opportunity to “attend” the James Rollins event. It was recorded.
In less than a week, Jane Harper, Australian author of The Dry, will be here at The Poisoned Pen. Harper’s on tour for her latest book, The Lost Man. She appears at the bookstore on Thursday, February 7 at 7 PM when she’ll discuss and sign her latest book. You can order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2HGHSdO
Two brothers meet in the remote Australian outback when the third brother is found dead, in this stunning new standalone novel from New York Times bestseller Jane Harper
Brothers Nathan and Bub Bright meet for the first time in months at the remote fence line separating their cattle ranches in the lonely outback.
Their third brother, Cameron, lies dead at their feet.
In an isolated belt of Australia, their homes a three-hour drive apart, the brothers were one another’s nearest neighbors. Cameron was the middle child, the one who ran the family homestead. But something made him head out alone under the unrelenting sun.
Nathan, Bub and Nathan’s son return to Cameron’s ranch and to those left behind by his passing: his wife, his daughters, and his mother, as well as their long-time employee and two recently hired seasonal workers.
While they grieve Cameron’s loss, suspicion starts to take hold, and Nathan is forced to examine secrets the family would rather leave in the past. Because if someone forced Cameron to his death, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects.
A powerful and brutal story of suspense set against a formidable landscape, The Lost Man confirms Jane Harper, author of The Dry and Force of Nature, is one of the best new voices in writing today.
The current Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen introduces a new series. Gytha Lodge’s She Lies in Wait is a suspense novel. In fact, I’m keeping you in suspense by not telling you what it’s about yet. Instead, I’ll mention you can order a copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2MIEhKN
Here’s the summary of She Lies in Wait.
Six friends. One killer. Who do you trust? A teen girl is missing after a night of partying; thirty years later, the discovery of her body reopens a cold case in an absorbing novel featuring a small-town cop determined to finally get to the truth—for fans of Tana French and Kate Atkinson.
“What a marvel! A corkscrew-twisty, knife-sharp thriller—yet it doubles as a tender ode to loss and longing. Prepare to be haunted.”—A. J. Finn, author of the New York Times bestseller The Woman in the Window
On a scorching July night in 1983, a group of teenagers goes camping in the forest. Bright and brilliant, they are destined for great things, and the youngest of the group—Aurora Jackson—is delighted to be allowed to tag along. The evening starts like any other—they drink, they dance, they fight, they kiss. Some of them slip off into the woods in pairs, others are left jealous and heartbroken. But by morning, Aurora has disappeared. Her friends claim that she was safe the last time they saw her, right before she went to sleep. An exhaustive investigation is launched, but no trace of the teenager is ever found.
Thirty years later, Aurora’s body is unearthed in a hideaway that only the six friends knew about, and Jonah Sheens is put in charge of solving the long-cold case. Back in 1983, as a young cop in their small town, he had known the teenagers—including Aurora—personally, even before taking part in the search. Now he’s determined to finally get to the truth of what happened that night. Sheens’s investigation brings the members of the camping party back to the forest, where they will be confronted once again with the events that left one of them dead, and all of them profoundly changed forever.
This searing, psychologically captivating novel marks the arrival of a dazzling new talent, and the start of a new series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens.
Praise for She Lies in Wait
“This enjoyably chilling suspense tale . . . conveys both the thrills and the dangers of being a teenager on the brink of adult independence. . . . The fascination of this story is in the character studies of the surviving children, all grown up now and participants in a dark mystery that they all wish had never seen the light of day.”—The New York Times Book Review
“The mystery intrigues and twists, offering enough red herrings and moments of police procedural to please fans of the genre.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Neatly plotted and nicely atmospheric . . . This British import is plausible and eminently satisfying. Encore, please.”—Booklis
Last week, I mentioned it’s time for the mystery award announcements. This week, Malice Domestic has announced the nominees for the 2019 Agatha Awards. The awards will be presented May 4 during Malice Domestic 31. Congratulations to all of the nominees.
Mardi Gras Murder by Ellen Byron (Crooked Lane Books) Beyond the Truth by
Bruce Robert Coffin (Witness Impulse) Cry Wolf by
Annette Dashofy (Henery Press) Kingdom of the Blind by
Louise Penny (Minotaur) Trust Me by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Forge)
Best Historical Novel
Four
Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen
(Berkley) The Gold Pawn by
LA Chandlar (Kensington) The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey (Soho Crime) Turning the Tide by
Edith Maxwell (Midnight Ink) Murder on Union Square by
Victoria Thompson (Berkley)
Best First Novel
A
Ladies Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne
Freeman (Kensington) Little Comfort by
Edwin Hill (Kensington) What Doesn’t Kill You by
Aimee Hix (Midnight Ink) Deadly Solution by Keenan Powell (Level Best Books) Curses Boiled Again by
Shari Randall (St. Martin’s)
Best Short Story
“All
God’s Sparrows” by Leslie Budewitz
(Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine) “A Postcard for the Dead” by Susanna Calkins in Florida
Happens (Three Rooms Press) “Bug Appetit” by Barb Goffman (Ellery
Queen Mystery Magazine) “The Case of the Vanishing
Professor” by
Tara Laskowski (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine) “English 398: Fiction
Workshop” by
Art Taylor (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
Best Young Adult Mystery
Potion
Problems (Just Add Magic) by Cindy Callaghan
(Aladdin) Winterhouse by Ben Guterson (Henry Holt) A Side of Sabotageby C.M.
Surrisi (Carolrhoda Books)
Best Nonfiction
Mastering
Plot Twists by Jane Cleland
(Writer’s Digest Books) Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy J Cohen (Orange Grove Press) Conan Doyle for the Defense by Margalit Fox (Random House) Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life by
Laura Thompson (Pegasus Books) Wicked Women of Ohio by Jane Ann Turzillo (History Press)
It will be a “thrilling” night Wednesday, January 30 when Joseph Finder and Gregg Hurwitz appear at The Poisoned Pen. Finder’s on book tour for Judgment, and Hurwitz is touring for Out of the Dark, the latest Orphan X novel. The authors will discuss and sign their books at 7 PM on Wednesday. Of course, you can always order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com
Here’s a sneak peek at both books. First, Finder’s Judgment.
New York Times bestselling author Joseph Finder returns with an explosive new thrillerabout a female judge and the one personal misstep that could lead to her–and her family’s–downfall.
It was nothing more than a one-night stand. Juliana Brody, a judge in the Superior Court of Massachusetts, is rumored to be in consideration for the federal circuit, maybe someday the highest court in the land. At a conference in a Chicago hotel, she meets a gentle, vulnerable man and has an unforgettable night with him—something she’d never done before. They part with an explicit understanding that this must never happen again.
But back home in Boston, Juliana realizes that this was no random encounter. The man from Chicago proves to have an integral role in a case she’s presiding over–a sex-discrimination case that’s received national attention. Juliana discovers that she’s been entrapped, her night of infidelity captured on video. Strings are being pulled in high places, a terrifying unfolding conspiracy that will turn her life upside down. But soon it becomes clear that personal humiliation, even the possible destruction of her career, are the least of her concerns, as her own life and the lives of her family are put in mortal jeopardy.
In the end, turning the tables on her adversaries will require her to be as ruthless as they are.
*****
Now, for an actual “sneak peek”, you can check out The Real Spy Guy and his “Five Questions with Joseph Finder”, https://bit.ly/2RXMIIj
“A shocking stunner in every way. The perfect thriller.” —Robert Crais
When darkness closes in—he’s your last, best hope. Evan Smoak returns in Gregg Hurwitz’s #1 international bestselling Orphan X series.
Taken from a group home at age twelve, Evan Smoak was raised and trained as part of the Orphan Program, an off-the-books operation designed to create deniable intelligence assets—i.e. assassins. Evan was Orphan X. He broke with the Program, using everything he learned to disappear and reinvent himself as the Nowhere Man, a man who helps the truly desperate when no one else can. But now Evan’s past is catching up to him.
Someone at the very highest level of government has been trying to eliminate every trace of the Orphan Program by killing all the remaining Orphans and their trainers. After Evan’s mentor and the only father he ever knew was killed, he decided to strike back. His target is the man who started the Program and who is now the most heavily guarded person in the world: the President of the United States.
But President Bennett knows that Orphan X is after him and, using weapons of his own, he’s decided to counter-attack. Bennett activates the one man who has the skills and experience to track down and take out Orphan X—the first recruit of the Program, Orphan A.
With Evan devoting all his skills, resources, and intelligence to find a way through the layers of security that surround the President, suddenly he also has to protect himself against the deadliest of opponents. It’s Orphan vs. Orphan with the future of the country—even the world—on the line.
John Lescroart is on book tour right now for his latest Dismas Hardy legal thriller, The Rule of Law. You can order a signed copy of it, or a copy of any of his books that are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2DCwhZ7
Here’s the summary of The Rule of Law.
In “master of the legal thriller” (Chicago Sun-Times) John Lescroart’s electrifying new novel, attorney Dismas Hardy is called to defend the least likely suspect of his career: his longtime, trusted assistant who is suddenly being charged as an accessory to murder.
Dismas Hardy knows something is amiss with his trusted secretary, Phyllis. Her out-of-character behavior and sudden disappearances concern Hardy, especially when he learns that her convict brother—a man who had served twenty-five years in prison for armed robbery and attempted murder—has just been released.
Things take a shocking turn when Phyllis is suddenly arrested at work for allegedly being an accessory to the murder of Hector Valdez, a coyote who’d been smuggling women into this country from El Salvador and Mexico. That is, until recently, when he was shot to death—on the very same day that Phyllis first disappeared from work. The connection between Phyllis, her brother, and Hector’s murder is not something Dismas can easily understand, but if his cherished colleague has any chance of going free, he needs to put all the pieces together—and fast.
Proving that he is truly “one of the best thriller writers to come down the pike” (USA TODAY), John Lescroart crafts yet another whip-smart, engrossing novel filled with shocking twists and turns that will keep you on your toes until the very last page.
*****
You have the opportunity to watch the event via YouTube if you missed it, or if you want to see it again. But, I also wanted to mention a podcast that is totally different. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, has been doing occasional podcasts with authors. John Lescroart is one she talked with for a podcast. Here’s the link to the podcasts on the bookstore’s page. Check it out because you might find a favorite author there. https://poisonedpen.com/podcast/
Now, you can watch the actual John Lescroart event, if you want.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, recently hosted thriller authors Tami Hoag and Taylor Adams. Hoag is the author of The Boy, while Adams’ latest book is No Exit. You can find signed copies of their books in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com
Here’s the summary of Tami Hong’s The Boy.
Now a New York Times bestseller
An unfathomable loss or an unthinkable crime? #1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag keeps you guessing in her most harrowing thriller yet.
A panic-stricken woman runs in the dead of night, battered and bloodied, desperate to find help . . .
When Detective Nick Fourcade enters the home of Genevieve Gauthier outside the sleepy town of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana, the bloody crime scene that awaits him is both the most brutal and the most confusing he’s ever seen. Genevieve’s seven-year-old son, KJ, has been murdered by an alleged intruder, yet Genevieve is alive and well, a witness inexplicably left behind to tell the tale. There is no evidence of forced entry, not a clue that points to a motive. Meanwhile, Nick’s wife, Detective Annie Broussard, sits in the emergency room with the grieving Genevieve. A mother herself, Annie understands the emotional devastation this woman is going through, but as a detective she’s troubled by a story that makes little sense. Who would murder a child and leave the only witness behind?
When the very next day KJ’s sometimes babysitter, twelve-year-old Nora Florette, is reported missing, the town is up in arms, fearing a maniac is preying on their children. With pressure mounting from a tough, no-nonsense new sheriff, the media, and the parents of Bayou Breaux, Nick and Annie dig deep into the dual mysteries. But sifting through Genevieve Gauthier’s tangled web of lovers and sorting through a cast of local lowlifes brings more questions than answers. Is someone from Genevieve’s past or present responsible for the death of her son? Is the missing teenager, Nora, a victim, or something worse? Then everything changes when Genevieve’s past as a convicted criminal comes to light.
The spotlight falls heavily on the grieving mother who is both victim and accused. Could she have killed her own child to free herself from the burden of motherhood, or is the loss of her beloved boy pushing her to the edge of insanity? Could she have something to do with the disappearance of Nora Florette, or is the troubled teenager the key to the murder? How far will Nick and Annie have to go to uncover the dark truth of the boy?
*****
Here’s Taylor Adams’ No Exit.
“What a box of tricks! This full-throttle thriller, dark and driving, rivals Agatha Christie for sheer ingenuity and James Patterson for flat-out speed. Swift, sharp, and relentless.”— A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
A brilliant, edgy thriller about four strangers, a blizzard, a kidnapped child, and a determined young woman desperate to unmask and outwit a vicious psychopath.
A kidnapped little girl locked in a stranger’s van. No help for miles. What would you do?
On her way to Utah to see her dying mother, college student Darby Thorne gets caught in a fierce blizzard in the mountains of Colorado. With the roads impassable, she’s forced to wait out the storm at a remote highway rest stop. Inside are some vending machines, a coffee maker, and four complete strangers.
Desperate to find a signal to call home, Darby goes back out into the storm . . . and makes a horrifying discovery. In the back of the van parked next to her car, a little girl is locked in an animal crate.
Who is the child? Why has she been taken? And how can Darby save her?
There is no cell phone reception, no telephone, and no way out. One of her fellow travelers is a kidnapper. But which one?
Trapped in an increasingly dangerous situation, with a child’s life and her own on the line, Darby must find a way to break the girl out of the van and escape.
But who can she trust?
With exquisitely controlled pacing, Taylor Adams diabolically ratchets up the tension with every page. Full of terrifying twists and hairpin turns, No Exit will have you on the edge of your seat and leave you breathless.
*****
Best of all, you can watch the entire conversation from The Poisoned Pen.
Laura Childs. Lorna Barrett. Susan Wittig Albert. Miranda James. If you recognize those names, you’re probably a fan of cozy mysteries. If you come to the Poisoned Pen when Kate Carlisle, Jenn McKinlay, or Paige Shelton appear there, you probably enjoy cozy mysteries. You can find books by all of these authors in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com
Hillary Kelly didn’t really know too much about cozy mysteries and the popularity about cats in mysteries until she was in a hospital gift shop. She talks about cozy mysteries, authors and background, in an article called “Crime-Solving Cats and Cozy Mysteries Are a Publishing Juggernaut”. If you’re a fan of cozies, or want to learn more about them, you might want to check it out in Vulture.com. https://bit.ly/2DBwNGV
Sheila Campbell is a founding partner of Wild Blue Yonder. She spends a couple months a year in France, and leads group tours for Politics & Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C. She’ll be at The Poisoned Pen on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 7 PM to talk about tours.
Jan Carbett, a long-time customer at The Poisoned Pen took one of the tours, and offered to write a short post about the trip. (She caught my attention, and I”m looking at one of the tours in 2019.)
Thank you, Jan!
*****
Early in 2017 The Poisoned Pen newsletter had a short paragraph about trips to Paris, France with two different authors. One, Mark Pryor, was a mystery author.
I had
always wanted to go to Paris and I loved mysteries. I’ve been a PP customer for
20+years. So I read his books, loved them and sent an email to Sheila Campbell
and started thinking about going. I trusted going on this trip because of my
long association with the Poisoned Pen. Sheila was very patient with all my
questions and concerns and answered every one. It would be my first trip
out of country all by myself with only myself to rely on to reach my
destination, get to my hotel and meet the rest of the group.
It was
FABULOUS! Several days we had a choice of two sets of activities led by either
Sheila or Donna and each evening we all met for a delicious wine & cheese
gathering to hear about the other half of the day’s trip and tell about our
own.
Our author,
Mark Pryor, took all of us out on walks where he had set a couple of his books
and to where some of the murders had taken place. He also showed us the street
and building he had set as his main character’s home and the real cafe he chose
as his character’s favorite hangout.
His
family was there with him and we saw them several times also. They gave us some
insight into what it is like having a successful writer in the family.
I am so
glad I went. This coming Tuesday, January 29 at 7 pm both Donna and Sheila will
be at The Poisoned Pen to talk about their business and I am looking forward to
joining them. I hope readers of this blog will also come and let us know you
read it in this blog.
It’s award season, or at least the time when awards are announced. Once you’ve checked out this list of nominees, check the Web Store for the books. https://store.poisonedpen.com
Deadly Pleasures Magazine recently announced the nominees for the 2019 Barry Awards. Winners will be announced on October 31 at the Dallas Bouchercon Opening Ceremonies. Congratulations to all the nominees.
Best Novel Lou Berney, NOVEMBER ROAD (Morrow) Michael Connelly, DARK SACRED NIGHT (Little, Brown) Allen Eskens, THE SHADOWS WE HIDE (Mulholland) Craig Johnson, DEPTH OF WINTER (Viking) Mindy Mejia, LEAVE NO TRACE (Atria) Abir Mukherjee, A NECESSARY EVIL (Pegasus)
Best First Novel Oyinkan Braithwaite, MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER (Doubleday) Karen Cleveland, NEED TO KNOW (Ballantine) John Copenhaver, DODGING AND BURNING (Pegasus) Caz Frear, SWEET LITTLE LIES (Harper) James A. McLaughlin, BEARSKIN (Ecco) C. J. Tudor, THE CHALK MAN (Crown)
Best Paperback Original Christine Carbo, A SHARP SOLITUDE (Atria) David Mark, DEAD PRETTY (Blue Rider Press) Dervla McTiernan, THE RUIN (Penguin) Sherry Thomas, THE HOLLOW OF FEAR (Berkley) Emma Viskic, RESURRECTION BAY (Pushkin Vertigo) Best Thriller Jack Carr, THE TERMINAL LIST (Atria) Dan Fesperman, SAFE HOUSES (Knopf) Mick Herron, LONDON RULES (Soho) Anthony Horowitz, FOREVER AND A DAY (Harper) Nick Petrie, LIGHT IT UP (Putnam) James Swain, THE KING TIDES (Thomas & Mercer)
