PoisonedBlogger

Looking for a thriller? How about Mindy Mejia’s Everything You Want Me to Be?

Just check out the summary from the Web Page.

People‘s Best New Books Pick

The Wall Street Journal‘s Best New Mysteries

“Fans of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl will devour this fast-paced story.”—InStyle

“Readers drawn to this compelling psychological thriller because of its shared elements with Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl (2012) will be pleasantly surprised to discover that Mejia’s confident storytelling pulls those themes into an altogether different exploration of manipulation and identity.” —Booklist (starred review)

2017’s Best Fiction Books—Bustle

12 Books Gone Girl Fans Should Have on Their Wish List —BookBub

“Full of twists and turns, Everything You Want Me to Be reconstructs a year in the life of a dangerously mesmerizing young woman, during which a small town’s darkest secrets come to the forefront…and she inches closer and closer to her death.

High school senior Hattie Hoffman has spent her whole life playing many parts: the good student, the good daughter, the good citizen. When she’s found brutally stabbed to death on the opening night of her high school play, the tragedy rips through the fabric of her small town community. Local sheriff Del Goodman, a family friend of the Hoffmans, vows to find her killer, but trying to solve her murder yields more questions than answers. It seems that Hattie’s acting talents ran far beyond the stage. Told from three points of view—Del, Hattie, and the new English teacher whose marriage is crumbling—Everything You Want Me to Be weaves the story of Hattie’s last school year and the events that drew her ever closer to her death.

Evocative and razor-sharp, Everything You Want Me to Be challenges you to test the lines between innocence and culpability, identity and deception. Does love lead to self-discovery—or destruction?”

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, interviewed Mindy Mejia, and you can watch the interview on Livestream. https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/6902845

If you’d like to buy a signed copy of Everything You Want Me to Be, check the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2k72wUO

Westerns usually have the good versus evil theme in common with detective stories. Just check out the summary of Jeff Guinn’s Silver City.

“Cash McLendon faces stone-cold enforcer Killer Boots in an Old West showdown, in New York Times bestselling author Jeff Guinn’s riveting follow-up to Buffalo Trail, winner of the TCU Texas Book Award.

Cash McLendon, reluctant hero of the epic Indian battle at Adobe Walls, has journeyed to Mountain View in the Arizona Territory with one goal: to convince Gabrielle Tirrito that he’s a changed man and win her back from schoolteacher Joe Saint. As they’re about to depart by stage for their new life in San Francisco, Gabrielle is kidnapped by enforcer Killer Boots, who is working on orders from crooked St. Louis businessman Rupert Douglass. Cash, once married to Douglass’s troubled daughter, fled the city when she died of accidental overdose—and Douglass vowed he’d track Cash down and make him pay.
Now McLendon, accompanied by Joe Saint and Major Mulkins, hits the trail in pursuit of Gabrielle and Killer Boots, hoping to make a trade before it’s too late.”

Jeff Guinn was recently at The Poisoned Pen, interviewed by Patrick Millikin.

If you would like to see the event, you can watch it on Livestream. https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/6902823

You can order a signed copy of Silver City through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2jkhNoj

Sometimes, afternoon programs at The Poisoned Pen become tea and conversation with the author. This time, it was Clare Mackintosh who was at the bookstore for a sneak preview of her book, I See You.

We have a number of photos.

Would you like to see the event? You can watch it via Livestream. https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/6902722

And, if you would like a signed copy of I See You, you can order it through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2jnJrPA

Gregg Hurwitz is on tour for The Nowhere Man, the second Orphan X novel, and he appeared at The Poisoned Pen.

We have photos from the program.

If you missed the program, and would like to see it, you can watch it on Livestream. https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/6899396

You can still buy a signed copy of Gregg Hurwitz’ The Nowhere Man through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2kDwkvt

Two Poisoned Pen Press authors, Donis Casey (The Return of the Raven Mocker) and Frederick Ramsay (Copper Kettle), were recently at The Poisoned Pen to talk about their new books.

The books by both authors are set in the same period, 1918-1920. Here are a few photos of the event. The authors were interviewed by Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen.

And, if you would like to “attend” the program, you can watch it via Livestream.

https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/6902748

Signed copies of both books are available through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

It’s that time of year when the books nominated for various mystery awards receive recognition. Yesterday, the Agatha Award nominees were announced. The Agatha Awards honor traditional mysteries written in the style of Agatha Christie. The awards will be presented at the Malice Domestic banquet on April 29. Congratulations to all of the nominees.

Best Contemporary Novel

Body on the Bayou by Ellen Byron (Crooked Lane Books)
Quiet Neighbors by Catriona McPherson (Midnight Ink)
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
Fogged Inn by Barbara Ross (Kensington)
Say No More by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Forge Books)

Best Historical Novel

Whispers Beyond the Veil by Jessica Estevao (Berkley)
Get Me to the Grave on Time by D.E. Ireland (Grainger Press)
Delivering the Truth by Edith Maxwell (Midnight Ink)
The Reek of Red Herrings by Catriona McPherson (Minotaur Books)
Murder in Morningside Heights by Victoria Thompson (Berkley)

Best First Novel

Terror in Taffeta by Marla Cooper (Minotaur)
Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon (Henery Press)
The Semester of Our Discontent by Cynthia Kuhn (Henery Press)
Decanting a Murder by Nadine Nettmann (Midnight Ink)
Design for Dying by Renee Patrick (Forge Books)

Best Nonfiction

Mastering Suspense, Structure, and Plot: How to Write Gripping Stories that Keep Readers on the Edge of Their Seats by Jane K. Cleland (Writer’s Digest Books)
A Good Man with a Dog: A Game Warden’s 25 Years in the Maine Woods by Roger Guay with Kate Clark Flora (Skyhorse Publishing)
Sara Paretsky: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Margaret Kinsman (McFarland Books)

Best Short Story

“Double Jinx: A Bellissimo Casino Crime Caper Short Story” by Gretchen Archer (Henery Press)
“The Best-Laid Plans” by Barb Goffman in Malice Domestic 11: Murder Most Conventional (Wildside Press)
“The Mayor and the Midwife” by Edith Maxwell in Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon Anthology 2016 (Down & Out Books)
“The Last Blue Glass” by B.K. Stevens in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
“Parallel Play” by Art Taylor in Chesapeake Crimes: Storm Warning (Wildside Press)

Best Children/Young Adult

Trapped: A Mei-hua Adventure by P.A. DeVoe (Drum Tower Press)
Spy Ski School by Stuart Gibbs (Simon & Schuster)
Tag, You’re Dead by J C Lane (Poisoned Pen Press)
The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos (Balzer & Bray)
The Secret of the Puzzle Box: The Code Busters Club by Penny Warner (Darby Creek)

Don’t forget to check the Web Store if you’d like to buy a copy of any of the nominees. https://store.poisonedpen.com

Clare Mackintosh’ I See You really isn’t released until February 21. And, The Poisoned Pen won’t release signed copies until that date.

But, almost a month ahead of time, an audience at The Poisoned Pen was lucky enough to meet the author, and hear Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, interview her. And, you can watch that event now, via Livestream. https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/6902722

Here’s the summary of the book from the Web Page.

“The author of the New York Times bestseller I Let You Go propels readers into a dark and claustrophobic thriller, in which a normal, everyday woman becomes trapped in the confines of her normal, everyday world…

Every morning and evening, Zoe Walker takes the same route to the train station, waits at a certain place on the platform, finds her favorite spot in the car, never suspecting that someone is watching her…

It all starts with a classified ad. During her commute home one night, while glancing through her local paper, Zoe sees her own face staring back at her; a grainy photo along with a phone number and a listing for a website called FindTheOne.com.

Other women begin appearing in the same ad, a different one every day, and Zoe realizes they’ve become the victims of increasingly violent crimes—including murder. With the help of a determined cop, she uncovers the ad’s twisted purpose…A discovery that turns her paranoia into full-blown panic. Zoe is sure that someone close to her has set her up as the next target.

And now that man on the train—the one smiling at Zoe from across the car—could be more than just a friendly stranger. He could be someone who has deliberately chosen her and is ready to make his next move…”

*****

Enjoy watching the Livestream event. Then, if you’re interested, order a signed copy of I See You through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2jnJrPA They’ll be sent out after the release date of Feb. 21.

Did you miss the announcement of the 2017 Edgar Award nominees the other day? The Mystery Writers of America makes the announcement annually right around Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday. Congratulations to all the nominees.

BEST NOVEL

The Ex by Alafair Burke (HarperCollins Publishers ““ Harper)
Where It Hurts by Reed Farrel Coleman (Penguin Random House ““ G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye (Penguin Random House ““ G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
What Remains of Me by Alison Gaylin (HarperCollins Publishers ““ William Morrow)
Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (Hachette Book Group ““ Grand Central Publishing)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry (Penguin Random House ““ Penguin Books)
Dodgers by Bill Beverly (Crown Publishing Group)
IQ by Joe Ide (Little, Brown & Company ““ Mulholland Books)
The Drifter by Nicholas Petrie (Penguin Random House ““ G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
Dancing with the Tiger by Lili Wright (Penguin Random House ““ G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
The Lost Girls by Heather Young (HarperCollins Publishers ““ William Morrow)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

Shot in Detroit by Patricia Abbott (Polis Books)
Come Twilight by Tyler Dilts (Amazon Publishing ““ Thomas & Mercer)
The 7th Canon by Robert Dugoni (Amazon Publishing ““ Thomas & Mercer)
Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty (Prometheus Books ““ Seventh Street Books)
A Brilliant Death by Robin Yocum (Prometheus Books ““ Seventh Street Books)
Heart of Stone by James W. Ziskin (Prometheus Books ““ Seventh Street Books)

BEST FACT CRIME

Morgue: A Life in Death by Dr. Vincent DiMaio & Ron Franscell (St. Martin’s Press)
The Lynching: The Epic Courtroom Battle that Brought Down the Klan by Laurence Leamer (HarperCollins Publishers ““ William Morrow)
Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane: A True Story of Victorian Law and Disorder: The Unsolved Murder That Shocked Victorian England by Paul Thomas Murphy (Pegasus Books)
While the City Slept: A Love Lost to Violence and a Young Man’s Descent into Madness by Eli Sanders (Penguin Random House ““ Viking Books)
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer by Kate Summerscale (Penguin Random House ““ Penguin Press)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

Alfred Hitchcock: A Brief Life by Peter Ackroyd (Penguin Random House ““ Nan A. Talese)
Encyclopedia of Nordic Crime: Works and Authors of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden Since 1967 by Mitzi M. Brunsdale (McFarland & Company)
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin (W.W. Norton – Liveright)
Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man Who Wrote Dracula by David J. Skal (W.W. Norton – Liveright)

BEST SHORT STORY

“Oxford Girl” ““ Mississippi Noir by Megan Abbott (Akashic Books)
“A Paler Shade of Death” ““ St. Louis Noir by Laura Benedict (Akashic Books)
“Autumn at the Automat” ““ In Sunlight or in Shadow by Lawrence Block (Pegasus Books)
“The Music Room” ““ In Sunlight or in Shadow by Stephen King (Pegasus Books)
“The Crawl Space” ““ Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by Joyce Carol Oates (Dell Magazines)

BEST JUVENILE

Summerlost by Ally Condie (Penguin Young Readers Group ““ Dutton BFYR)
OCDaniel by Wesley King (Simon & Schuster ““ Paula Wiseman Books)
The Bad Kid by Sarah Lariviere (Simon & Schuster ““ Simon & Schuster BFYR)
Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand (Simon & Schuster ““ Simon & Schuster BFYR)
Framed! by James Ponti (Simon & Schuster ““ Aladdin)
Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry by Susan Vaught (Simon & Schuster ““ Paula Wiseman Books)

BEST YOUNG ADULT

Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger (Simon & Schuster ““ Simon Pulse)
The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry (Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group ““ Henry Holt BFYR)
Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse (Hachette Book Group ““ Little, Brown BFYR)
My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier (Soho Press ““ Soho Teen)
Thieving Weasels by Billy Taylor (Penguin Random House ““ Penguin Young Readers ““ Dial Books)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

“Episode 1 ““ From the Ashes of Tragedy” ““ The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Teleplay by Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (FX Network)
“The Abominable Bride” ““ Sherlock, Teleplay by Mark Gatiss & Steven Moffat (Hartswood Films/Masterpiece)
“Episode 1 ““ Dark Road” ““ Vera, Teleplay by Martha Hillier (Acorn TV)
“A Blade of Grass” ““ Penny Dreadful, Teleplay by John Logan (Showtime)
“Return 0″ ““ Person of Interest, Teleplay by Jonathan Nolan & Denise The (CBS/Warner Brothers)
“The Bicameral Mind” ““ Westworld, Teleplay by Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy (HBO/Warner Bros. Television)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD

“The Truth of the Moment” ““ Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by E. Gabriel Flores (Dell Magazines)

GRAND MASTER

Max Allan Collins
Ellen Hart

RAVEN AWARD

Dru Ann Love

ELLERY QUEEN AWARD

Neil Nyren

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER – MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD

The Other Sister by Dianne Dixon (Sourcebooks ““ Sourcebooks Landmark)
Quiet Neighbors by Catriona McPherson (Llewellyn Worldwide ““ Midnight Ink)
Say No More by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Tor/Forge Books ““ Forge Books)
Blue Moon by Wendy Corsi Staub (HarperCollins Publishers ““ William Morrow)
The Shattered Tree by Charles Todd (HarperCollins Publishers ““ William Morrow)

 

Don’t forget to check the Web Store if you’re looking for copies of any of the books. https://store.poisonedpen.com

Gregg Hurwitz was recently at The Poisoned Pen, on tour for his second Orphan X novel, The Nowhere Man.

Here’s the summary from the Web Store.

“Spoken about only in whispers, the Nowhere Man can only be reached by the truly desperate, he can – He will do anything to save them.

Evan Smoak is the Nowhere Man.

Taken from a group home at twelve, Evan 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.

But his new life is interrupted when a surprise attack comes from an unlikely angle and Evan is caught unaware. Captured, drugged, and spirited off to a remote location, he finds himself heavily guarded and cut off from everything he knows. His captors think they have him trapped and helpless in a virtual cage but they don’t know who they’re dealing with – or that they’ve trapped themselves inside that cage with one of the deadliest and most resourceful men on earth.

Continuing his electrifying series featuring Evan Smoak, Gregg Hurwitz delivers a blistering, compelling new novel in the series launched with the instant international bestseller, Orphan X.”

Sound interesting? Would you like to hear Gregg Hurwitz discuss the book? Through Livestream, you can see and hear him talk about The Nowhere Man with bookstore owner Barbara Peters. https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/6899396

And, don’t forget. You can buy a signed copy of The Nowhere Man through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2jmMKUA

Penguin Random House regularly posts Author Shorts, brief clips of authors talking about writing and life. Today’s post features Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader, and the latest novel, The Fifth Petal.

Here’s the summary of The Fifth Petal, as it appears in the Web Store.

Beloved author Brunonia Barry returns to the world of THE LACE READER with this spellbinding new thriller, a complex brew of suspense, seduction and murder.

When a teenage boy dies suspiciously on Halloween night, Salem’s chief of police, John Rafferty, now married to gifted lace reader Towner Whitney, wonders if there is a connection between his death and Salem’s most notorious cold case, a triple homicide dubbed “The Goddess Murders,” in which three young women, all descended from accused Salem witches, were slashed on Halloween night in 1989. He finds unexpected help in Callie Cahill, the daughter of one of the victims newly returned to town. Neither believes that the main suspect, Rose Whelan, respected local historian, is guilty of murder or witchcraft.

But exonerating Rose might mean crossing paths with a dangerous force. Were the women victims of an all-too-human vengeance, or was the devil raised in Salem that night? And if they cannot discover what truly happened, will evil rise again?

*****

Here’s Brunonia Barry, discussing her public library, Salem witchcraft, and her earliest writing.

https://youtu.be/3oneHvEp5WU

If you would like a signed copy of The Fifth Petal, check the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2jWkybV