Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently hosted Lee Child and his brother Andrew Child for the virtual launch of the twenty-fifth Jack Reacher novel, The Sentinel. You can still order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3jFov2u
Here’s the summary of the latest Jack Reacher novel.
Jack Reacher is back! The “utterly addictive” (The New York Times) series continues as the acclaimed #1 bestselling author Lee Child teams up with his brother, Andrew Child, fellow thriller writer extraordinaire.
“One of the many great things about Jack Reacher is that he’s larger than life while remaining relatable and believable. The Sentinel shows that two Childs are even better than one.”—James Patterson
As always, Reacher has no particular place to go, and all the time in the world to get there. One morning he ends up in a town near Pleasantville, Tennessee.
But there’s nothing pleasant about the place.
In broad daylight Reacher spots a hapless soul walking into an ambush. “It was four against one” . . . so Reacher intervenes, with his own trademark brand of conflict resolution.
The man he saves is Rusty Rutherford, an unassuming IT manager, recently fired after a cyberattack locked up the town’s data, records, information . . . and secrets. Rutherford wants to stay put, look innocent, and clear his name.
Reacher is intrigued. There’s more to the story. The bad guys who jumped Rutherford are part of something serious and deadly, involving a conspiracy, a cover-up, and murder—all centered on a mousy little guy in a coffee-stained shirt who has no idea what he’s up against.
Rule one: if you don’t know the trouble you’re in, keep Reacher by your side.
Patrick Millikin of The Poisoned Pen recently hosted Stuart Neville, author of The Traveller and Other Stories, and Luca Veste, author of The Silence. Their books can be ordered through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
Here’s the description of Neville’s The Traveller and Other Stories.
A darkly glittering collection of Northern Irish noir by Stuart Neville, Los Angeles Times Book Prize”“winning author
Since his debut novel, the modern classic The Ghosts of Belfast, was published a decade ago, Stuart Neville has published eight other critically acclaimed novels and achieved international recognition as one of crime fiction’s great living writers.
Now for the first time Neville offers readers a collection of his short fiction—twelve chilling stories that traverse and blend the genres of noir, horror, and speculative fiction, and which bring the history and lore of Neville’s native Northern Ireland to glittering life. The collection concludes with the longawaited novella The Traveller, the companion piece to The Ghosts of Belfast and Collusion.
Complete with a foreword from Irish crime fiction legend John Connolly, this volume is the perfect indulgence for fans of ghost stories and noir, and is a must-have for devotees of Neville’s prizewinning Belfast novels.
*****
Check out Luca Veste’s psychological thriller, The Silence.
From the author of The Bone Keeper comes The Silence, another sinister psychological thriller of secrets, revenge, and a lurking serial killer.
We killed a stranger and covered it up.
It was supposed to be our last weekend away as friends, before marriage and respectability beckoned. But what happened that Saturday changed everything.
The six of us promised we would never tell anyone about the body we buried, even when we realized our victim was a serial killer.
But now the silence has been broken. And the killing has started again…
A twisted thriller that asks if we ever truly know our friends, and just how high price is for our silence.
*****
Enjoy the virtual conversation at The Poisoned Pen.
Jacqueline Winspear’s memoir, This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing, is due out November 10. You can pre-order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2JDLy0W
You can also enjoy the virtual event on November 7 on The Poisoned Pen’s Facebook page.
If you didn’t read Jacqueline Winspear’s recent newsletter providing a little background for This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing, you might want to read it now.
Hello!
My late mother would probably roll her eyes at what I am about to write, which amounts to a confession regarding a childhood trait of mine that was the cause of much embarrassment for her. You see, I was a rather nosey kid and I’m not really sorry about it. I would ask my elders all sorts of questions, interrogating them about anything that occurred to me regarding “the olden days.” I remember asking one of my mother’s friends about her childhood in the olden days, and she said, “Not so much of the ‘olden’ if you don’t mind!” My mother raised her eyebrows and gave me that, “Wait until I get you home” look—I seemed to get that look a lot when I’d overstepped the mark with my questions. That’s me, looking every inch the “inquiring” little imp!I was all ears when someone uttered the words, “Well in my day…” before going on to tell a story about life in another time and place. If I was at someone’s house and there were sepia photographs on the mantelpiece or on top of an old upright piano, I would stare into them, taking account of every detail. Sometimes I thought people hung onto old pianos just to have a place to display their family portraits. I would look at photos and wonder what made that person look away from the camera at someone in the distance, or I’d be curious about why that child was frowning at the photographer. Asking questions brought the past alive for me in a very direct and colorful way. People told me things they might have kept to themselves—and I have recounted some of those stories in my upcoming memoir, This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing, which will be published on November 10th. Not long to go now!
There was the elderly gentleman who described the time he was the only witness to a meeting between Winston Churchill and General “Ike” Eisenhower in the summer of 1944—I was on the edge of my seat as he described his job and why he was tasked with keeping the meeting a secret. And there was the grandmother of a childhood friend, a very dignified woman who appreciated my love of books and allowed me to look at any book that caught my attention in her library. My eyes widened the day I saw a personal inscription from a very famous author, only for my friend’s grandmother to inform me, “I was once her secretary.” Had I known about degrees of separation then, I would have been jettisoned to the moon. I’m sure you recognize these two men!
I’m often asked how I go about the “research” for my writing, whether I’m working on a novel, an essay or short story, and the truth is research starts with asking questions; delving deep into a subject and then asking more questions—a process of inquiry that takes the writer on a journey of discovery. The challenge is in knowing when to stop, when enough is enough, though as far as I’m concerned, everything I gather is “inventory” for me to access at any time. The Imperial War Museum, London, where I have spent many hours using the archive.
Sometimes I will read a book simply to find that one little snippet of information that will provide the seedling from which to grow a whole scene, or develop a character, or a plot point. However, as you will notice when you read This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing, much of the research for my stories is in remembering—after all, memories are inventory too. For my fiction, I’ll take perhaps a nugget of family history then weave a different kind of story. Drawing upon my late parents’ experiences during wartime has helped give color and texture to my writing. In my memoir you’ll read another story about my father, one that inspired the next book in the Maisie Dobbs’ series (The Consequences of Fear, to be published March 23, 2021). You heard it here first, though you’ll have to read the memoir to discover the other story about my Dad.
I began writing my memoir many years ago, stashing an earlier, very different version in a drawer because I couldn’t quite bend the words to my will. Now publication day is almost here for This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing, so I’m excited, yet also filled with trepidation. As any writer will tell you, whether you are a first time author or have published a raft of books, publication day can be daunting. Yes, it’s thrilling, but scary too—the book you’ve worked on for a long time is now “out there” and you just hope that readers will enjoy the story you felt compelled to write. I’d just arrived home rather bedraggled after driving for seven hours—to find early copies of my memoir had arrived. Exciting day!
Until the next time…With all good wishes,Jacqueline
PS: You can read more about This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing, along with an excerpt here: www.thistimenextyearbook.com
Are you ready for November? The Poisoned Pen Bookstore has some exciting virtual events coming up. As always, doublecheck the schedule. But, if you want a book, you should pre-order it now through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
We’re thrilled to publish a first-in-series special edition reissue of The Rock Hole by Reavis Wortham, winner of the 2020 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. The new edition includes an introduction by author Joe R. Lansdale, an author interview, and a reading group guide. It’s available through the Poisoned Pen’s Web Store at https://bit.ly/2yinlUS
The Thin Blue Line meets Sulfur Springs by William Kent Krueger in The Rock Hole. This is a gripping police procedural set in idyllic small town Texas where a chilling crime spree is unfolding and the drug culture and political unrest of the 1960s is creeping closer and closer.
When your family’s safety is threatened, what wouldn’t you do to protect them?
Lamar County, Texas: Summer, 1964. Life is idyllic for ten-year-old Top Parker, who has come to live with his grandparents in the rural community of Center Springs. Yet while Top runs the woods and countryside with his near twin cousin, Pepper, his Grandpa Ned—also known as Constable Ned in these parts—witnesses the spreading menace of a deranged killer. Out of his element, Ned reaches out to neighboring law enforcement and then the FBI.
Local news sources tag the budding serial killer “The Skinner,” and the label is chillingly accurate. Beginning with the torture and killing of small animals, the monster quickly moves to humans, displaying their mutilated corpses as gruesome trophies, with no apparent pattern to grab hold of. Lamar County cowers. Meanwhile, Constable Ned is convinced that a vendetta is involved, and though the why of it is murky, he can no longer deny that something horrific and dangerous is heading for the Parkers. Now the law can’t help him, and he must use whatever means necessary to protect himself and his family.
Do you know Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen? It’s a website, https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com, where mystery authors talk about their books and share recipes. Once you’ve seen the website, you might want to check for the authors’ books in Poisoned Pen’s Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
Covid may have shut down trick-or-treating in many places in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean you have to neglect treats themselves. Author Mary Jane Maffini even includes recipes for dog treats. Maddie Day, Maffini, Daryl Wood Gerber, and Leslie Budewitz are some of the authors who recently included recipes, along with photos.
Looking for a fun Halloween recipe? Check out the October posts at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen; then look for the authors’ books at the Pen.
When readers think of The Poisoned Pen, they tend to think of crime fiction. However, the bookstore sells all genres of fiction and nonfiction. In fact, Patrick King from the bookstore recently hosted Rebecca Roanhorse during debut week for the first book in her new trilogy, Black Sun. You can order Roanhorse’s books, including signed copies of Black Sun, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3dMJoao
Here’s the summary of Black Sun.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.
A god will return When the earth and sky converge Under the black sun
In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.
Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.
Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created an epic adventure exploring the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and their broken pasts in the most original series debut of the decade.
*****
Here’s the recent virtual event featuring Rebecca Roanhorse.
Sara Johnson is the author of the Alexa Glock Forensics Mysteries set in New Zealand. Molten Mud Murders introduced Alexa Glock a year ago. The latest book in the series, The Bones Remember, is now available through the Web Store as well. https://bit.ly/3kiQ96x
Sara E. Johnson lives in Durham, North Carolina. She worked as a middle school reading specialist and local newspaper contributor before her husband lured her to New Zealand for a year. Her first novel, Molten Mud Murder, is the result.
Johnson is going to reveal the backstory behind The Bones Remember.
*****
Jaws Down Under by Sara Johnson
Fur seals, especially plump pups, are what lure the great white sharks to Stewart Island, New Zealand. Its remoteness is what lured my husband and me. It’s a large island ““ 650 square miles ““ but there are only sixteen miles of road. The rest is national park wilderness. It’s the perfect setting for my second Alexa Glock forensics mystery, The Bones Remember, which was released in September.
“Do you want to shark cage dive while we’re there?” my husband asked.
“What?”
“It’s a great white shark hot spot.”
Gulp.
In The Bones Remember, Alexa’s friend Mary asks her to go cage diving too. Not happening, Alexa replies.
We were living in New Zealand for nine months, and determined to explore its nooks and crannies, even if that meant an hour-long ferry crossing to reach Stewart Island. The Mäori, New Zealand’s indigenous people, call the winds whipping the strait separating the South Island and Stewart Island hau-mate, or death wind. Our ferry was canceled twice because of roller coaster seas.
Alexa Glock arrives by ferry too ““ rather seasick ““ to investigate the remains of a missing hunter. Her expertise in teeth will help her identify him. ‘Through tapering rain, she could see the ferry leaving, causing her a flutter of panic. Stranded on a remote island. And Then There Were None, and all that.’
Oban, the island’s only settlement, overlooks Halfmoon Bay like a cat on a windowsill. The bay is dotted with well-loved fishing boats, dauntless shabby pleasure craft, and a curious lack of kayaks skimming its crystalline depths.
My husband and I asked the owner of the lodge about renting kayaks. “Might not want to do that,” she said.
This was in 2014, seven years after the first shark cage diving companies opened on the island. Anywhere from 60 to 120 great white sharks migrate seasonally to the island’s waters, making it the perfect place ““ if you don’t mind rough seas and cold water ““ to dangle eye to eye with Jaws.
Our stay there was as tourists, skimming the surface of a picturesque island. It has been through research and writing The Bones Remember that I learned the caging industry has riven the islanders.
Locals, who have always coexisted with the sharks and rarely seen them, believe luring sharks to boats using bait and chum (a noxious slurry of blood and minced fish guts) has changed the sharks’ behaviors.
In a 2016 Guardian article, a local MÄori elder said, “It is quite amazing the level of interaction between humans and sharks now. We see them all the time and not just one, sometimes three or four surrounding our boats.”
I discovered a Stop Shark Cage Diving on Stewart Island Facebook page. “Sharp-cornered steel cages dropped daily into a protected animals’ environment; berley poured into the water followed by hunks of tuna on rope tossed repeatedly into the sharks’ natural feeding ground. What a horrible example of interacting with nature: Sharks injured by contact with steel cages; sharks teased and baited and fed; sharks taught year after year that humans in water and the sound of boat engines equate a quick easy meal. We want this operation GONE.”
The page has over 2000 Likes. In another article, a local says, “We are waiting for the first maiming, for the first death because of the law of this land.”
The New Zealand courts have struggled with the legality of cage diving operations. First it was legal. Then it was illegal. As of 2019, it’s legal again. There is one dive company still operating in the Stewart Island waters, and to date there have been no fatalities.
Not so in The Bones Remember. When a shark-ravaged body washes up on Ringaringa Beach, Alexa believes the inevitable has happened. Blame it on the apex predator.
Or not. Read The Bones Remember to find out.
My husband and I ended up birding instead of shark cage diving. I’m glad we spent our time with wekas, bellbirds, and kakas. Alexa Glock believes we should leave the sharks in peace, and I do too.
*****
Here’s The Bones Remember.
A new title in the Alexa Glock Forensics Mysteries. When bodies wash up on the beach, is man or animal the culprit? It’ll take everything forensic specialist Alexa Glock has to seek out the truth. Because lips may lie, but teeth never do…These thrilling New Zealand mysteries are:Perfect for Fans of Kathy Reichs and Candice FoxFor readers of forensic mysteries and international mysteriesFor lovers of police procedurals and marine science
At first, Alexa Glock’s initial case as a traveling forensic investigator seems straightforward—her expertise in teeth helps her identify the skeletal remains of a hunter found on the remote Stewart Island in New Zealand. But when she realizes the bullet lodged in his skull was not self-inflicted, and then a second, shark-ravaged body washes up on Ringaringa Beach, it’s clear that something dangerous is lurking in the beautiful waters surrounding the island.
The disturbing sight seems to confirm what locals have hashed out in the pub: shark cage-diving, lucrative for owners and popular with tourists, has changed the great white sharks’ behavior, turning them into man-eaters. Tensions between cagers and locals mount as Alexa—christened the “shark lady”—dives into the harrowing case. While measuring bite patterns, she makes a shocking discovery that just might lead her to who—or what—is behind both deaths.
Alexa Glock, an expert in teeth and bones, finds herself playing shark detective in the newest book of Sara E. Johnson’s acclaimed forensic mysteries. But she’ll soon learn that there are dark things lurking beneath the water, something far worse than a natural born predator…
Alexa Glock Forensic Mysteries: Molten Mud Murder The Bones Remember
By now, we all know when a book series is adapted for television, they won’t be the same. That may mean, though, that when ABC’s Big Sky comes out, that C.J. Box’s books will become better known outside of the world of crime fiction readers. The first show in the series is based on Box’s book, The Highway. You can find The Highway, and Box’s other books in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3jaOiiM
Here’s the summary of The Highway.
The inspiration for the new ABC series Big Sky. Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, the New York Times bestselling author of Back of Beyond and Breaking Point and the creator of the Joe Pickett series is back.
“If CJ Box isn’t already on your list, put him there.”–USA Today
When two sisters set out across a remote stretch of Montana road to visit their friend, little do they know it will be the last time anyone might ever hear from them again. The girls—and their car—simply vanish. Former police investigator Cody Hoyt has just lost his job and has fallen off the wagon after a long stretch of sobriety. Convinced by his son and his former rookie partner, Cassie Dewell, he begins the drive south to the girls’ last known location.
As Cody makes his way to the lonely stretch of Montana highway where they went missing, Cassie discovers that Gracie and Danielle Sullivan aren’t the first girls who have disappeared in this area. This majestic landscape is the hunting ground for a killer whose viciousness is outmatched only by his intelligence. And he might not be working alone. Time is running out for Gracie and Danielle…Can Cassie overcome her doubts and lack of experience and use her innate skill? Can Cody Hoyt battle his own demons and find this killer before another victim vanishes on the highway?
*****
Are you ready for the trailer for the TV show, Big Sky?
Laura Jensen Walker has an unusual backstory for a mystery series. However, I’m going to let her tell you about it. So I don’t spoil her post, I’m not going to include her author’s biography until after the piece. However, she is the author of The Bookish Baker Mysteries. The first one, Murder Most Sweet, was released in September. Her first Faith Chapel Mystery, Hope, Faith, & a Corpse will be out in January. You can order Walker’s books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/37rvXMd
Here’s Laura Jensen Walker’s surprising backstory.
*****
Breasts and Backstory in the Bookish Baker Series
Guest Blog by Laura Jensen Walker
Happy Anniversary! You have cancer. I was diagnosed with breast cancer the day after my first wedding anniversary at age thirty-five. My mom was holding one hand, my new husband the other, when the doctor gave me the bad news after my biopsy. I burst into tears at the word “cancer” thinking it was a death sentence. After starting and stopping school several times over the years I had finally just graduated from college with a degree in journalism and was eager to start my professional writing career. I was also in the honeymoon stage of my marriage to Mr. Right after too many years of Mr. Wrongs.
How could this all be taken away?
Thankfully, the only things taken away were a breast, some lymph nodes, the contents of my stomach, some pounds I’d been trying to lose for years, and later, temporarily, my hair. Today, I am grateful to be 28-years cancer free.
Five years ago I chose to go flat and have my second breast removed due to some pre-cancerous lumps and my genetic predisposition to get cancer again. No thanks, I’d rather live. Twenty years ago I wrote about my cancer journey in Thanks for the Mammogram!the non-fiction book of my heart.
This fall, in time for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, my publisher rereleased Thanks for the Mammogram in a revised, updated version for a new audience of women. My prayer is that it will provide encouragement, hope, and a healthy dose of laughter to those going through breast cancer.
This fall is also when my first cozy mystery, Murder Most Sweet, debuted. As a former journalist, my authorial career began with non-fiction books years ago. Fiction has always been my greatest love, however, so I’m grateful and thrilled to be back writing it once again after more than a decade away. I’m even more thrilled to be writing mysteries—my favorite genre.
When I decided to write cozies, I wanted to see a character like me; a breast cancer survivor who chose to go flat. My protagonist, Teddie St. John, is a strong, funny single woman in her forties who doesn’t let her flat state stop her from anything, including leading a fun, well-rounded life as an author and baker. Her lack of breasts doesn’t define Teddie, it’s just a part of who she is.
I also wanted to show that Teddie’s breastlessness doesn’t stop her from being attractive and desirable. Luckily, I was married to a supportive husband when I went through breast cancer all those years ago. Not everyone is so lucky. As I traveled the country on the cancer speaking circuit back in the day, I met single women in their thirties and forties who were concerned that their lack of breasts might hinder their romantic prospects. I also met women whose husbands had left them because they had a mastectomy. Jerks. (There’s a stronger word I usually use to describe those men, but in deference to my cozy readers, I’m keeping it G-rated.)
In honor of those survivor women I met, and because of my own backstory with breast cancer, I wanted to create a strong, engaging character in her early forties whose breast cancer and subsequent breastlessness doesn’t prevent her from living her best life. Or from catching the eye of a dashing Brit.
Breasts don’t make a woman.
I hope readers will be captivated by my fun, resilient writer and baker Teddie St. John in my first Bookish Baker Mystery, Murder Most Sweet. And since it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I also hope readers will remember to get their mammograms!
Before you can say “Wisconsin kringle,” Teddie becomes a murder suspect. Everyone in town knows all too well that the distinctive scarf was hers. When a second murder shocks the community, Teddie stands accused of not one, but two, murders. With the help of her Three Musketeers friends Sharon and Char, can Teddie clear her name and deliver a killer’s just desserts?
Bio
Laura Jensen Walker has loved mysteries ever since she read Trixie Belden in the fourth grade. A former journalist, Laura is the author of several chick-lit novels and humorous non-fiction books.She lives in Northern California with her Renaissance-man husband and their canine daughter Mellie and is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Murder Most Sweet is Laura’s first mystery. Her second, Hope, Faith, & a Corpse, releases in January 2020. Find out more about Laura at www.laurajensenwalker.com and follow her on Twitter @LauraJensenWal1.
*****
You can order Murder Most Sweet now, and pre-order Hope, Faith, & a Corpse. Thanks for the Mammogram! is also available through the Web Store.
In the tradition of M. C. Beaton, Hope Taylor, pastor of a small-town California church, tries to find out who sent a church elder to Heaven.
Hope Taylor arrives in Apple Springs to start her new life as the first female pastor of Faith Chapel Episcopal Church. The northern California town’s quaint cottages, bungalows, and shops promise a fresh start for the 42-year-old widow and Bogie, her scruffy black Labrador. But where is Father Christopher? The kindly old rector who hired Pastor Hope was supposed to meet her upon her arrival, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Hope’s faith springs eternal, so she explores the little white church hoping to find Father Christopher. But when she enters the columbarium, she instead finds church elder Stanley King–his skull crushed by a fallen burial urn.
Hope had made Stanley’s acquaintance before, and had struggled to take a charitable view of his character. Stanley was as wicked as he was wealthy, as petty as he was pious. His soul may have been holy, but his behavior was wholly rotten. The last time Hope had seen him, he had shouted drunkenly that she would preach at Faith Chapel over his dead body.
Many of the townsfolk witnessed the altercation, so Hope finds herself as the prime suspect in Stanley’s murder. With Bogie’s four-footed assistance, Hope is determined to find the real killer and clear her name…even if it will require a bit of divine intervention.
