Tuesday, Nov. 25 is release date for Traci Hall’s cozy mystery, Murder at the Scottish Games. The mystery is the seventh in Hall’s Scottish Shire mystery series. A copy can be pre-ordered through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/47XJMAP
Critic Oline Cogdill recently reviewed if for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Thank you, Oline, for sharing the review.
LOTS OF SCOTTISH LORE
‘Murder at the Scottish Games’ by Traci Hall; Kensington; 304 pages; $17.95
Sports can bring out the best — and just as often — the worst in people. The stakes are tripled, and the score even more important, when the sport is wrapped up in tradition, history and family reputation, as is the case in Traci Hall’s lively “Murder at the Scottish Games.”
Hall keeps her light plot churning with bits of humor, a town filled with suspects and lots of Scottish lore.
The Highland Games have come to Nairn, Scotland, and that’s good news for local businesses, especially for Paislee Shaw, who owns a sweater and yarn shop. It’s almost as if Paislee is printing money the way tourists are shopping in her Cashmere Crush store. For extra help, Paislee hires Rhona Smythe, whose salary will go to her parents to pay off her many speeding tickets.
Everyone in Nairn seems to have Highland Games fever. The new dog-herding event is expected to be a big hit. Rhona is in the Highland Dance and her boyfriend, Artie Whittle, is participating in several events, including the caber toss, in which he will throw a tapered log measuring about 16 feet long. Nothing could go wrong there — until someone tampers with the log. A fatality and rumors of steroid use put a damper on the event.
A strength of “Murder at the Scottish Games” is how Hall makes Paislee’s involvement as an amateur sleuth organic to the plot. Paislee’s instincts and eye for detail go further than matching yarn colors. Her home life, including her grumpy grandfather and brooding 13-year-old son Brody, and her interest in D.I. Mack Zeffer add to the believable story.
Hall’s view of Scotland, punctuated by occasional bits of dialect, will make readers want to book a trip there.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, said they are fortunate that Jack Viertal and his son, Josh, will both be able to sign copies of The Glass Eel, the bookstores’s First Mystery selection for September. Copies can be ordered through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/43J72jr
Here’s the description of The Glass Eel.
Caterpillar Island is off the central coast of Maine—beloved vacationland of lobster bakes and quaint fried clam shacks, kayaking and country houses. At night, though, by the light of a headlamp, the island is alive with cash, guns, and poachers. Oxy addicts, struggling retirees, and unemployable deadbeats dip their nets in the creeks to catch elvers—two-inch-long baby eels that fetch $2000 a pound on the international black market.
Into this dark and dangerous world falls Jeanette King, who has, up to this moment, been earning her meager living mainly by picking and packaging peekytoe crab meat for shipment to New York and Boston. As Jeanette gets drawn into a fast-moving story of risk and violent consequences, she enlists the aid of a local policeman and an Indigenous activist. Together they try to set things right for the people and the planet. But the deeper they dig, the more dangerous things get. An ensuing procession of colorful locals, corrupt state politicians, and treacherous outsiders weaves a tale that reveals the underbelly of a deadly business.
J. J. Viertel is the pseudonym used by the father-son writing team of Jack and Josh Viertel who live in Maine and New York. When they aren’t writing crime thrillers together, they each have their own careers: Jack creates Broadway plays and musicals and Josh creates organic farms. Josh is a fly fisherman and bow hunter and Jack is a scuba diver and barbecue chef. In addition to writing, they play the blues together.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed Mike Maden to the bookstore. Maden’s latest book in the Cussler universe in Clive Cussler Quantum Tempest. You can order signed copies through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/47Rk4Oi
Here’s the description of Clive Cussler Quantum Tempest.
Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon face a ghost ship, deadly assassins and a threat from Cabrillo’s own past in their race to stop the launch of the world’s deadliest machine in this electrifying new entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.
There’s a tempest brewing in Central America. A government crackdown on cartels leaves most of the drug lords locked up in an impregnable prison. In response, Amador Fierro, a brilliant, tech-savvy crime boss forges the seven largest cartels into an allegiance called La Liga. If they are to defeat the U.S. led offensive, they will need a powerful weapon. Thus is born Project Q: an Artificial General Intelligence computer that, when finished, will grant Fierro such overwhelming control of America.
Chairman Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon are the only ones standing in his way, but they have their own problems. While two members of the team are unreachable in the Darien Gap searching for an Iranian Quds Force base, the Oregon crew have a mole in their midst. Meanwhile, other dark forces are at play, competing for the all consuming power at hand.
The race to stop the launching of Project Q will come down to the wire, but it’s a race neither Juan Cabrillo, nor the western world, can afford to lose.
Clive Cussler was the author of more than eighty books in five bestselling series, including Dirk Pitt®, NUMA Files®, Oregon Files®, Isaac Bell®, and Sam and Remi Fargo®. His life nearly paralleled that of his hero Dirk Pitt. Whether searching for lost aircraft or leading expeditions to find famous shipwrecks, he and his NUMA crew of volunteers discovered and surveyed more than seventy-five lost ships of historic significance, including the long-lost Civil War submarine Hunley, which was raised in 2000 with much publicity. Cussler passed away in February 2020.
Mike Maden is the author of Clive Cussler Ghost Soldier, Clive Cussler Fire Strike, Clive Cussler’s Hellburner, the critically acclaimed Drone series, and four novels in Tom Clancy’s #1 New York Times bestselling Jack Ryan Jr. series. He holds both a master’s and Ph.D. in political science from the University of California at Davis, specializing in international relations and comparative politics. He has lectured and consulted on the topics of war and the Middle East, among others. Maden has served as a political consultant and campaign manager in state and national elections, and hosted his own local weekly radio show for a year.
Enjoy the conversation, including the discussion of motivation.
Author Jenn McKinlay hosted her fellow Jungle Red Writers, Rhys Bowen and Julia Spencer-Fleming, at The Poisoned Pen.it was release date for Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness mystery, From Cradle to Grave. At Midnight Comes the Cry is Julia Spencer-Fleming’s tenth Fergusson/Van Alstyne mystery. There are signed copies of both books available in the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
Here’s the summary of From Cradle to Grave.
Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Rannoch is just like any other new mother, balancing responsibilities of being 34th in line for the British throne and solving the shocking deaths of several young men, in this new Royal Spyness novel from the queen of historical mystery, Rhys Bowen.
Georgie may be figuring out what it means to be a new mother but she does know one thing for sure: she absolutely despises the strict nanny who was foisted upon her by her meddlesome sister-in-law. In search of a new nanny, Georgie travels to London to see her old friend ZouZou only to find her about to depart for a funeral, after the unexpected death of a young man in her social circle. It quickly becomes clear there’s more than one mysterious death around town, when another friend reveals he’s also just returned from the funeral of a school friend, who seemingly died in a boating accident. But when word arrives that the son of family friend has also died tragically and unexpectedly, Georgie is certain it can’t be a coincidence. Yet the victims don’t seem to have any connection to one another.
ZouZou shares Georgie’s suspicions that the deaths were not an accident and begs Georgie to solve the case. As Georgie delves deeper, she can’t help worrying that her own husband, Darcy, may be next. It seems likely there is a serial killer at work and Darcy fits the bill to be their next victim. Will Georgie solve the murders before it’s too late for Darcy, and manage to find the perfect nanny all at the same time?
Rhys Bowen, a New York Times bestselling author, has been nominated for every major award in mystery writing, including the Edgar®, and has won many, including both the Agatha and Anthony awards. She is also the author of the Molly Murphy Mysteries, set in turn-of-the-century New York, and the Constable Evans Mysteries, set in Wales, as well as two international bestselling stand-alone novels. She was born in England and now divides her time between Northern California and Arizona.
Here’s the description of At Midnight Comes the Cry.
New York Times bestseller Julia Spencer-Fleming returns to her beloved Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series
It’s Christmas time in Millers Kill, and Reverend Clare Fergusson and her husband Russ van Alstyne – newly resigned from his position as chief of police – plan to enjoy it with their baby boy. On their list: visiting Santa, decorating the tree, and attending the church Christmas pageant. But when a beloved holiday parade is crashed by white supremacists, Clare and Russ find themselves sucked into a parallel world of militias, machinations and murder.
Meanwhile, single mom and officer Hadley Knox has her hands full juggling her kids and her police work. She doesn’t want to worry about her former partner – and sometimes lover – Kevin Flynn, but when he takes leave from the Syracuse PD and disappears, she can’t help her growing panic that something has gone very wrong. Novice lawyer Joy Zhào is keeping secrets from her superiors at the state Attorney General’s Office. She knows they wouldn’t condone her off-the-books investigation, but she’s convinced a threatening alt-right conspiracy is brewing – and catching the perpetrators could jump start her career.
NYS Forest Ranger Paul Terrance is looking for his uncle, a veteran of the park service gone inexplicably missing. He doesn’t think much of an ex-cop and out-of-town officer showing up in his patch of the woods, but he’s heard the disturbing rumors of dangerous men in the mountains.
In New York Times Julia Spencer-Fleming’s latest novel, as Christmas approaches, these five people will discover their suspicions hang on a single twisting thread, leading to the forbidding High Peaks of the Adirondacks. As the December days shorten and the nights grow long, a disparate group of would-be heroes need to unwind a murderous plot before time runs out.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING is the New York Times bestselling author of One Was a Soldier, and an Agatha, Anthony, Dilys, Barry, Macavity, and Gumshoe Award winner. She studied acting and history at Ithaca College and received her J.D. at the University of Maine School of Law. Her books have been shortlisted for the Edgar, Nero Wolfe, and Romantic Times RC awards. Julia lives in a 190-year-old farmhouse in southern Maine.
Peter James appeared for a virtual event at The Poisoned Pen, discussing the twenty-first Roy Grace novel, The Hawk is Dead. Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, discussed James’ character as well as the BritBox series featuring the character. There are copies available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/483uIjI
Here’s the description of The Hawk is Dead.
Roy Grace never dreamed a murder investigation would take him deep into Buckingham Palace . . .
Her Majesty, Queen Camilla, is aboard the Royal Train heading to a charity event in Sussex when disaster strikes – the train is derailed.
A tragic accident or a planned attack?
When, minutes later, a trusted aide is shot dead by a sniper, the police have their answer.
Despite all the evidence, Roy Grace is not convinced The Queen was the intended target. But he finds himself alone in his suspicions.
Fighting against the scepticism of his colleagues and the Palace itself, Grace pursues his own investigation. But when there is a second murder, the stakes rise even higher, and Grace is at risk of being embroiled in a very public catastrophe – and in mortal danger.
Roy Grace is back with his most difficult case yet in the gripping new instalment from number one bestselling author Peter James.
PETER JAMES is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author best known for his crime thrillers featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, who Queen Camilla recently named as her favourite fictional detective. Praised by critics and much loved by crime and thriller fans for his fast-paced page-turners full of unexpected plot twists, sinister characters, and accurate portrayal of modern-day policing, he has won more than 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award and the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger.
His books have sold over 23 million copies worldwide, achieved 21 Sunday Times No 1s, and have been translated into 38 languages. His Roy Grace novels are currently filming their 6th season for the hit ITV drama, Grace, starring John Simm as the troubled Brighton copper and available to view on ITVX and on Britbox.
Seven of his novels have been adapted into hit stage plays, with his most recent, Picture You Dead, now on national tour in the UK. His plays have have been named as “The most successful stage franchise since Agatha Christie.
T. Jefferson Parker recently appeared at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore to discuss his latest book, Wild Instinct. You can order signed copies of the book through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/43vpj3M. You can also view the conversation Parker had with the bookstore’s owner Barbara Peters.
Now, critic Oline Cogdill shared her review of Wild Instinct. It first appeared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Thank you, Oline.
Book review: Man, nature and murder collide in new series ‘Wild Instinct’
‘Wild Instinct’ by T. Jefferson Parker; Minotaur; 336 pages; $29
Edgar Award winner T. Jefferson Parker’s hard-hitting novels combine smart police procedurals with characters who are battling criminals as much as their own demons. While that combination is a well-known trope in mysteries, Parker makes each novel fresh and energetic. And California is a well-known terrain for mysteries, but Parker generally explores the state’s Orange County and its environs, sometimes dipping down to Mexico.
The sharply plotted “Wild Instinct” launches a new series about former Marine Lew Gale, who is now an Orange County sheriff’s detective. His skills as an expert sniper in Afghanistan and his background as a hunter often are called on. Lew doesn’t want his latest assignment — hunting down a mountain lion that may have killed prominent real-estate developer Bennet Tarlow, whose body was found on land his family had donated for a vast wilderness park.
Lew uses his instincts about the wild to let the lion escape, believing it’s too old to have killed. He’s right. Bennet was shot. Lew and his new partner, Daniela Mendez, now have a different investigation.
Bennet “was a social creature,” frequently photographed in glossy magazines; a bachelor who dated a lot; a man who seemingly had many friends. But “a guy with that much money and power” has to have enemies, reflects Daniela.
Lew has a history with the Tarlow family. He had worked part time for them years prior and had a favorable impression of them. Bennet “was a nice guy,” Lew remembers.
The investigation leads back to the Tarlows’ recent land plans. Lew’s views about the family are tainted when it’s learned a huge development is being planned on land connected to the Indigenous Acjachemen tribe, from which Lew is descended.
Ancestral land being co-opted by developers has become a common theme, but Parker handles it with aplomb, bringing a sophisticated approach to “Wild Instinct” that readers have come to expect from him. Lew and Daniela emerge immediately as three-dimensional characters. And the Southern California atmosphere seeps through each aspect of the book, from the outdoors to neighborhoods and inside homes.
Parker has another solid series with “Wild Instinct.”
Lev AC Rosen brings back Evander Mills in the fourth crime novel to feature him, Mirage City. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, hosted Rosen for the virtual event. There are still a few signed copies of Mirage City available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/47XodyX
Here’s the description of Mirage City.
Lev AC Rosen delivers a new and captivating 1950s mystery in this dazzling, award-winning series
Private Investigator Evander “Andy” Mills’ next case takes him out of his comfort zone in San Francisco—and much to his dismay, back home to Los Angeles. After a secretive queer rights organization called the Mattachine Society enlists Andy to find some missing members, he must dodge not only motorcycle gangs and mysterious forces, but his own mother, too.
Avoiding her proves to be a challenge when the case leads Andy to the psychiatric clinic she works at. Worlds collide, buried secrets are dug up, and Andy realizes he’s going to have to make some hard choices. With secrets, drugs, and doctors swirling around him, time is running out for Andy to locate the missing and get them to safety. And for him to make it back to San Francisco in one piece.
LEV AC ROSEN writes books for people of all ages, including the Evander Mills series, which began with the Macavity Award-winning Lavender House and continues with The Bell in the Fog and Rough Pages. His most recent young adult novels are Emmett, Lion’s Legacy, and Camp. Rosen’s books have been nominated for Anthony and Lambda Awards and have been selected for best-of lists from the Today show, Amazon, Library Journal, Buzzfeed, Autostraddle, Forbes, and many others. He lives in NYC with his husband and a very small cat.
Enjoy the discussion of San Francisco and Rosen’s writing.
Jen Johans welcomed film critic Sheila O’Malley for a virtual event to discuss her first book, Frankenstein: Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro. Copies can be ordered through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3XttyZU
Here’s the description of Frankenstein: Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro.
Explore the enchanting artistry and visionary storytelling behind Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo del Toro, where stunning visuals and insightful commentary reveal the creative process and craftsmanship that bring Mary Shelley’s gothic masterpiece to life like never before.
Dive into the mesmerizing world of the highly anticipated film Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo del Toro, with the exclusive Art and Making of Frankenstein. This stunning volume offers an extensive behind-the-scenes look at the creative genius of del Toro and his collaborators—including his all-star cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz and more—and showcases breathtaking concept art, an array of period-specific props, locations, costumes, and deep insights into the filmmaking process. Discover the visionary interpretations of classic characters, the meticulous craftsmanship that brings them to life, and the rich thematic layers that define this reimagining of Mary Shelley’s timeless tale. Combining in-depth commentary with unparalleled set access, this insightful book will provide a deeper understanding of Del Toro’s legendary creative process. Exclusive interviews with the director, cast, and production crew are paired with candid set photos, exclusive storyboards, costumes, and concept artwork. This book is a must-have for fans of del Toro, film enthusiasts, and art lovers alike. Immerse yourself in the darkly enchanting universe of Frankenstein and witness the magic of storytelling through the lens of one of cinema’s most imaginative directors. The book will also contain del Toro’s own developmental sketches of the monster from his legendary notebooks and over twelve unique ephemera items inserted by hand into each book.
GOTHIC CLASSIC: The story that birthed an entire genre, Frankenstein is the quintessential gothic masterpiece. Now, experience as never before through the unique vision of Director Guillermo del Toro, who has dreamt his whole life of making this film.
VISIONARY DIRECTOR: Known as the master of monsters, Guillermo del Toro’s unique blend of beauty and horror make a perfect marriage with the tale of Victor Frankenstein’s tragic, thrilling and human Monster.
BREATHTAKING VISUALS: This deluxe coffee table book will feature exclusive storyboards, concept art, behind-the-scenes photography, and film stills to go along with interviews and insights from the creative teams.
Sheila O’Malley is a film critic and culture writer. She has been reviewing films for Rogerebert.com since 2013, and has also written for Film Comment, The New York Times, Sight & Sound, and the Criterion Collection. She’s a member of the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics.
Guillermo del Toro is the acclaimed director of The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth, Pinocchio, and Crimson Peak. His Strain novels are international best sellers. His films have won numerous awards, including Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director for The Shape of Water.
Patrick Millikin welcomed Eli Frankel to The Poisoned Pen to discuss Sisters in Death: The Black Dahlia, the Prairie Heiress, and Their Hunter. He talked about his own interest in The Black Dahlia case. There are signed copies of the book available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3LH02NJ
Here’s the description of Sisters in Death.
Instant USA Today Bestseller
Who killed the Black Dahlia? In this eye-opening shocker, an award-winning producer, true-crime researcher, and Hollywood insider finally solves the greatest – and most gruesome – murder mystery of the twentieth century just before its 80th anniversary.
In January 1947, the bisected body of Elizabeth Short, completely drained of blood, was discovered in an undeveloped lot in Los Angeles. Its gruesome mutilations led to a firestorm of publicity, city-wide panic, and an unprecedented number of investigative paths led by the LAPD—all dead ends. The Black Dahlia murder remained an unsolved mystery for over seventy years.
Six years earlier and sixteen hundred miles away, another woman’s life had ended in a similarly horrific manner. Leila Welsh was an ambitious, educated, popular, and socially connected beauty. Though raised modestly on a prairie farm, she was heiress to her Kansas City family’s status and wealth. On a winter morning in 1941, Leila’s butchered body was found in her bedroom bearing the marks of unspeakable trauma.
One victim faded into obscurity. The other became notorious. Both had in common a killer whose sadistic mind was a labyrinth of dark secrets.
Eli Frankel reveals for the first time a key fact about the Black Dahlia crime scene, never before shared with the public, that leads inexorably to the stunning identification of a criminal who was at the same time amateurish and fiendish, skilled and lucky, sophisticated and brutish. Drawing on newly discovered documents, law enforcement files, interviews with the last surviving participants, the victims’ own letters, trial transcripts, military records, and more, this epic true-crime saga puts together the missing pieces of a legendary puzzle.
In Sisters in Death, the Black Dahlia cold case is finally closed.
Eli Frankel has served as a production company owner, Emmy-nominated executive producer, network executive, showrunner, editor, camera operator, writer, and director of multiple series for broadcast television, cable television, and streaming networks. He created and executive produced MGM/Epix’s award winning Manson Family documentary series “Helter Skelter,” NBCU’s “Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian,” and Netflix’s “Skin Decision” and has worked on series including “Survivor,” “Amazing Race,” “Big Brother,” and many more. A former CBS executive and graduate of the University of Southern California’s distinguished School of Cinema/Television film production program, he wrote, directed, and co-produced the feature film 21, which was selected for the Independent Feature Film Market at the New York Film Festival and won the best picture award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. As an avid true crime researcher and writer, he devoted more than five years to solving the mystery of who killed the Black Dahlia. He lives in Los Angeles and can be reached at eli-frankel.com.
True crime fans will want to watch this conversation.
