Every author brings their own tone to the book “Distractions” posts. It’s interesting to see the books they highlight. R. J. Lee, author of the Bridge to Death cozy mysteries shares his suggestions today. You can find his books, and his book suggestions, through the Web Store. While his mysteries are cozies, and any reader can enjoy them, if you play bridge, you might really want to check out Lee’s books. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

R. J. Lee follows in the mystery-writing footsteps of his father, R. Keene Lee, who wrote fighter pilot and detective stories for Fiction House, publishers of Wings Magazine and other pulp fiction periodicals in the late ’40s and ’50s. Lee was born and grew up in the Mississippi River port of Natchez but also spent thirty years living in the Crescent City of New Orleans. A graduate of the University of the South (Sewanee) where he studied creative writing under Sewanee Review editor, Andrew Lytle, Lee now resides in Oxford, Mississippi.

Lee kicks off his Distractions post with a beloved author. Check it out.

*****

DISTRACTIONS (FOR POISONED PEN COLUMN)

The pandemic would seem to be something a professional author should be used to. After all, we do a lot of sheltering in place on our own, whether single or married, with or without children to deal with as well. But the thing is, many of us try to fit in a bit of travel to get fresh angles on settings for our scenes; bits of dialogue we can rework at our pleasure.  And the pandemic has cut that off, too.

So, I’ve been left with working on the fourth cozy mystery in my current contract with Kensington; and reading a few other authors when I need to take a break from my universe that I must inhabit for a living. I have three novels that I have been dipping in and out of for those breaks, each one a different genre and each appealing to a different part of my brain.

First, there is AFTER THE FUNERAL: A HERCULE POIROT MYSTERY by Agatha Christie, of course. (Harper Collins)  

I first became interested in Christie’s work while I was living and working in Europe right after college graduation. I was teaching on an Army base as Civilian Personnel and had access to the base library.  There, I checked out and read every Christie mystery they had; and when I returned to the States the next year, I caught up with the rest in the New Orleans library system. Since I am now a cozy mystery writer, I find it refreshing to reread a Christie mystery because reading is writing. While I do not plagiarize, I get a great deal of benefit from seeing how another mystery writer gets characters from place to place and solves the problems inherent in pacing: one must unspool enough to keep the reader interested but not so much that the reader guesses the solution too soon (or perhaps at all.)

In AFTER THE FUNERAL, Christie’s setting is classic, the characters archetypal. The Abernethie family of Enderby Hall has gathered for the reading of the will. That is often the starting point for many cozies: someone has already died, and money/property are at stake. In this case, a particular relative named Cora suspects that the dead benefactor was actually murdered; but before she gets to delve deeply into the matter, she, too, is dispatched. At that point, the redoubtable Hercule Poirot is introduced to help solve the crimes and prevent others from happening.

Christie was perhaps superior in providing twists at the end of her novels, and I have endeavored to do the same with my series. Although it had been decades since I had read AFTER THE FUNERAL, I found that the solution did not occur to me until very late in the novel—perhaps a testament to how well Christie always covered her tracks. Not only that, but between the time I had first read the mystery and now, DOWNTON ABBEY had captured the imagination of the American viewing public.  Thus, my affection for things British had only grown, and I felt like I was taking a little vacation to the UK.

Next, I’ve been having a great deal of fun indulging my fascination with the world of film in the form of ROTTEN MOVIES WE LOVE by the editor of ROTTEN TOMATOES (Running Press Adult).

There are different categories, lovingly and sarcastically treated within—but the emphasis is on movies that are so bad, they are actually entertaining in some perverse way. Some of the movies will be familiar to the average American, while others will be revelations—again, not necessarily in a complimentary fashion. For instance, though Tom Hanks has won two Oscars and has been nominated for others, not every film he made was a winner. THE “˜BURBS is a case in point. This “˜trying too hard to be zany’ comedy about the suburbs also trapped Carrie Fisher within its celluloid walls, and I remember seeing it when it first came out. About the only thing I can remember is things exploding (as in bombs), but it was not supposed to be one of those action-adventure-adrenalin features.  (But the bomb part was appropriate.)

There are 101 films critically reviewed in this tome, some with tongue-in cheek, and others with tongue stuck straight out, but it’s the sort of reading that can make you blush at some guilty pleasure of a movie you’ve enjoyed. I have a collection of 350 films at home that I can watch when the mood strikes me, and almost none of them would appear in this collection. One or two might, however, because like the title suggest, some of these movies are so rotten, they are irresistible. Besides, the pandemic is so stressful that it is sometimes a relief to watch something that is irredeemable and going nowhere fast.

Finally, I have met the author of the third novel I’ve read recently—Connor Judson Garrett—at a book festival in January.  His work—FALLING UP IN THE CITY OF ANGELS—(Lucid Press) has a CATCHER IN THE RYE echo about it, although the subject matter is somewhat more literary.

Young Tony is an aspiring writer who moves from his native city of Atlanta to Southern California (Santa Barbara, Malibu, Venice Beach) in search of his dream. Although he hasn’t much money to undertake his adventure, he has going for him the energy that being a perfectionist and a romantic can provide those who have not sustained too many blows to the ego. Garrett’s style is dense, almost poetic at times, and encourages introspection while reading. It is a different universe than the one I must create for my mysteries, which demand justification for every little detail.

Garrett can indulge quirks and tangents that do not have to be tied up neatly at the end or even while Tony’s journey is underway. It is an intense exercise in trying to hurdle the high bar while encountering the reality of learning how to get off the ground and then land on one’s feet without too much in the way of injury. I am so much farther along in life than Tony is, but I can remember the obstacles of my earlier years; and Garrett brings them back to me with his extremely effective prose.

*****

Quite a bit of variety in R.J. Lee’s selections. Now, let me introduce you to his books. Again, you can find the two published, along with the forthcoming book in the series, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/306LrBd

Grand Slam Murders was the first in the Bridge to Death series.

After four bridge players are poisoned, newspaper reporter Wendy Winchester sets out to catch a killer who’s not playing with a full deck . . .
 
When the four wealthy widows who make up the venerable Rosalie Bridge Club never get up from their card table, this quiet Mississippi town has its first quadruple homicide. Who put cyanide in their sugar bowl? An aspiring member and kibitzer with the exclusive club, Wendy takes a personal interest in finding justice for the ladies.
 
She also has a professional motivation. A frustrated society columnist for the Rosalie Citizen, she’s ready to deal herself a better hand as an investigative reporter. This could be her big break. Plus, she has a card or two up her sleeve: her sometimes boyfriend is a detective and her dad is the local chief of police.
 
Partnering up with the men in her life, Wendy starts shuffling through suspects and turning over secrets long held close to the chest by the ladies. But when a wild card tries to take her out of the game, Wendy decides it’s time to up the ante before she’s the next one to go down . . 

*****

Playing the Devil was just released last month.

Reporter and bridge player Wendy Winchester once again plays ace detective when a country club member is murdered in a hot tub . . .
 
Now an investigative reporter for the Rosalie Citizen in the Mississippi River port of Rosalie, Wendy still likes to unwind over a game of cards. Following the demise of the Rosalie Bridge Club, she’s started her own group at the Rosalie Country Club. During the first meeting of the Country Club Bridge Players, the dummy has barely been laid down when another dummy gets in a scuffle at the bar across the room. Bridge player Carly Ogle’s husband Brent is at it again.
 
After the club’s new female golf pro breaks up the fight, Brent storms off to soak in a hot tub. But Carly soon finds the bullying Brent dead in the water, clubbed over the head with the pestle the barkeep uses to crush leaves for mint juleps.
 
Racist, sexist, homophobic, and an all-around lout, Brent made enough enemies to fill a bridge tournament. So Wendy has to play her cards right to get the story—and stay out of hot water long enough to put the squeeze on the killer . . .

*****

Are you hooked? Cold Reading Murder will be released in February. Keep it in mind for your pre-orders in a few months.

In the third Bridge to Death Mystery by R.J. Lee, Bridge expert and small town investigative reporter Wendy Winchester must put her amateur sleuthing skills to the test while investigating the death of a flamboyant psychic…

Bridge expert and investigative reporter Wendy Winchester knows a thing or two about navigating life along the Mississippi River, but murder isn’t something she foresees…

Who could have predicted it? The daughter of Police Chief Bax Winchester married to a cop–Detective Ross Rierson. It’s a beautiful wedding, and the newlyweds are in bliss–even if they do have to postpone their Hawaiian honeymoon for now. In the meantime, Wendy is teaching a group of newbies the game of bridge so they can join the Rosalie Country Club Bridge Bunch.

One of the newcomers, flamboyant psychic Aurelia Spangler, invites the group to meet at her new home. The historic Overview mansion sits atop the High Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, and the local lore is that it’s possibly haunted, definitely cursed by the original builder, who fell down the stairs to his death. Unfortunately, the house is about to claim another life.

Following a night of bridge practice and cold readings by their clairvoyant host, Aurelia is found dead in her home by Wendy, a suicide note and cocaine residue by her corpse. But Wendy, an investigative reporter for the Rosalie Citizen, doesn’t buy it. The scene seems phonier than Aurelia’s act, and now Wendy needs to call the bluff of a cold-blooded killer playing a psychic bid…

I do subscribe to the L.A. Times, so I hope you’re able to read the article I’m sharing, Mary McNamara’s Column: “Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell are getting me through COVID-19. They can help you too.” Here’s the link. https://lat.ms/330g1hq

Laurie R. King is a friend of The Poisoned Pen. She’s written blog posts here, including her “Distractions” post. https://bit.ly/3f2ojIg It’s great to be able to share this homage to her books.

Here’s just one paragraph from McNamara that will give you a clue as to how much she appreciates King’s books. “But no Sherlock character save the original have I loved so well or so long as Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell. The young, Jewish, half-American, half-British, theology scholar-left-handed knife thrower-wealthy bluestocking-brilliant investigator who, at age 15, meets the the world’s first consulting detective as he’s languishing among his Sussex bees and marries him pretty much the moment she turns 21.”

If you haven’t discovered Laurie R. King’s Russell/Holmes books, you can start at the beginning with The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. King’s books are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2yDn27l

Here’s the summary of The Beekeeper’s Apprentice.

The Twentieth-Anniversary Edition of the First Novel of the Acclaimed Mary Russell Series by Edgar Award”“Winning Author Laurie R. King.

An Agatha Award Best Novel Nominee “¢ Named One of the Century’s Best 100 Mysteries by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association

In 1915, Sherlock Holmes is retired and quietly engaged in the study of honeybees in Sussex when a young woman literally stumbles onto him on the Sussex Downs. Fifteen years old, gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned, the young Mary Russell displays an intellect to impress even Sherlock Holmes. Under his reluctant tutelage, this very modern, twentieth-century woman proves a deft protégée and a fitting partner for the Victorian detective. They are soon called to Wales to help Scotland Yard find the kidnapped daughter of an American senator, a case of international significance with clues that dip deep into Holmes’s past. Full of brilliant deduction, disguises, and danger, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, the first book of the Mary Russell”“Sherlock Holmes mysteries, is “remarkably beguiling” (The Boston Globe).

*****

Here’s the latest Russell/Holmes adventure, Riviera Gold. Signed copies are still available.

Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes turn the Riviera upside down to crack their most captivating case yet in the New York Times bestselling series that Lee Child called “the most sustained feat of imagination in mystery fiction today.”

It’s summertime on the Riviera, and the Jazz Age has come to France’s once-sleepy beaches. From their music-filled terraces, American expatriates gaze along the coastline at the lights of Monte Carlo, where fortunes are won, lost, stolen, and sometimes hidden away. When Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes arrive, they find their partnership pulled between youthful pleasures and old sins, hot sun and cool jazz, new affections and enduring loyalties.

Russell falls into easy friendship with an enthralling American couple, Sara and Gerald Murphy, whose golden life on the Riviera has begun to attract famous writers and artists—and some of the scoundrels linked with Monte Carlo’s underworld. The Murphy set will go on to inspire everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Pablo Picasso, but in this summer of 1925, their importance for Russell lies in one of their circle’s recent additions: the Holmeses’ former housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson, who hasn’t been seen since she fled England under a cloud of false murder accusations.

When a beautiful young man is found dead in Mrs. Hudson’s front room, she becomes the prime suspect in yet another murder. Russell is certain of Mrs. Hudson’s innocence; Holmes is not. But the old woman’s colorful past has been a source of tension between them before, and now the dangerous players who control Monte Carlo’s gilded casinos may stop at nothing to keep the pair away from what Mrs. Hudson’s youthful history could bring to light.

The Riviera is a place where treasure can be false, where love can destroy, and where life, as Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes will discover, can be cheap—even when it is made of solid gold.

Paula Munier is a little overshadowed by Bear, that beautiful dog in her author’s photo, isn’t she? Personally, I think the author of the Mercy Carr mysteries planned it that way. Munier’s books are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/373HChB

Paula Munier is the author of the bestselling Plot Perfect, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, Writing with Quiet Hands, and Fixing Freddie: A True Story of a Boy, a Mom, and a Very, Very Bad Beagle. She was inspired to write A Borrowing of Bones, the first Mercy and Elvis mystery, by the hero working dogs she met through MissionK9Rescue, her own Newfoundland retriever mix rescue Bear, and a lifelong passion for crime fiction. She lives in New Hampshire with her family, Bear, and a torbie tabby named Ursula.

Munier hasn’t really needed distractions lately, so she wrote a lengthy piece with book “Distractions”. You can find all but one of her suggestions in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/ Her final suggestion is a special book, a little costly and hard to find for most of us. Even so, it’s worth sharing.

*****

Books are my life. Literally. Dr. Seuss at six was my gateway drug to a childhood spent reading every book I could land my hands on and an adulthood spent writing, editing, and selling books as an author, acquisitions editor, and literary agent. I read for pleasure, I read for inspiration, I read for comfort and companionship—and I read for a living.

It would take more than a pandemic to get me to stop reading. On the contrary, the pandemic gives me permission to spend even more of my time reading—and to read what truly engages and moves me. Partly because we’re up here in Nowhere, New Hampshire (as my youngest calls it) with my elderly parents, two rescue dogs, a rescue cat, and a new rescue puppy for the duration. No food delivery, no restaurants, no retail therapy. Nothing but woods for miles around. But I can always escape into a good book….

Here’s a sampling of the stories that have helped me through these perilous times:

THE CUTTING SEASON, by Attica Locke

I came too late to the Attica Locke fan club, but I made up for it by reading all of her novels in a sweet streak just as we dug in for the new shelter-in-place order. All great stories, especially her Highway 59 mysteries, but my first read remains my favorite: The Cutting Season, a 2013 mystery set on a “landmark” plantation in  Louisiana’s sugar cane country that reads like it was ripped from today’s headlines about race relations and revisionist history in the South. If you haven’t read Attica Locke, now’s the time.

WHEN THINGS FALL APART by Pema Chodron

I’ve read practically everything this beloved Buddhist nun and teacher has written, but I find myself turning to her humility and humanity all over again whenever I despair of our fate as a country, as a species, and as a planet. Which happens more often than not these days. The Compassion Book and Living Beautifully are wonderful, too, but this is the book I recommend—and reread—the most. The sub-title of this book says it all: Heart advice for difficult times. Who doesn’t need a little of that right now?

AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones

I’d been meaning to read this Oprah’s Book Club selection ever since I met Tayari Jones at the Writers Digest Conference a few year back and was so impressed by her and her novel Silver Sparrow. Lockdown gave me the time—and I loved loved loved this story of a marriage torn asunder by circumstances beyond the couple’s control—and how they deal with it and with each other, for better or for worse. A classic.

MAIGRET’S PICKPOCKET by Georges Simenon

I chose Maigret’s Pickpocket just because it’s the one I’m reading right now. You should know that I read Maigret novels the way other people knit sweaters or bake bread or chant mantras—to calm my mind, to pound away stress, to commune with the divine. Only my god is the pipe-smoking Inspector Jules Maigret of the Paris Prefecture, who leaves the City of Light just a little brighter every book by fighting the good fight against the dark underbelly of its storied streets with his trademark wisdom, deep understanding of human nature, and Gallic pessimism. I don’t know if I’ve actually read all of the Maigret oeuvre—Simenon wrote so many he called himself the Henry Ford of novelists—but if I haven’t, I should have by the time this is all over.

(This one is not available through the Web Store. We can only drool over it.)

THE GLOBE ILLUSTRATED SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare is my go-to when I feel bad about the human race. Somehow his timeless tales of people struggling with love, jealousy, greed, revenge, violence, and more always make me feel better about being human. One of the silver linings of this pandemic is all of the Shakespeare you can now see online, and I’ve been watching both live and filmed performances of his plays and rereading them in tandem. My idea of a good time. I know, I know, I’m such a nerd.

There’s nothing good about this pandemic, but there is one consolation: So many books—and for once we may have the time.

*****

And, I hope you have the time to try Paula Munier’s mysteries featuring veteran Mercy Carr and her bomb-sniffing dog, Elvis. As I said, you can find them in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/373HChB

A Borrowing of Bones is the first in the series.

The instant USA Today bestseller!

The first in a gripping new series by Paula Munier, A Borrowing of Bones is full of complex twists, introducing a wonderful new voice for mystery readers and dog lovers.

Grief and guilt are the ghosts that haunt you when you survive what others do not….

After their last deployment, when she got shot, her fiancé Martinez got killed and his bomb-sniffing dog Elvis got depressed, soldier Mercy Carr and Elvis were both sent home, her late lover’s last words ringing in her ears: “Take care of my partner.”

Together the two former military police—one twenty-nine-year-old two-legged female with wounds deeper than skin and one handsome five-year-old four-legged Malinois with canine PTSD—march off their grief mile after mile in the beautiful remote Vermont wilderness.

Even on the Fourth of July weekend, when all of Northshire celebrates with fun and frolic and fireworks, it’s just another walk in the woods for Mercy and Elvis—until the dog alerts to explosives and they find a squalling baby abandoned near a shallow grave filled with what appear to be human bones.

U.S. Game Warden Troy Warner and his search and rescue Newfoundland Susie Bear respond to Mercy’s 911 call, and the four must work together to track down a missing mother, solve a cold-case murder, and keep the citizens of Northshire safe on potentially the most incendiary Independence Day since the American Revolution.

It’s a call to action Mercy and Elvis cannot ignore, no matter what the cost.

*****

The second book in the series, Blind Search, is out in hardcover. If you’d rather wait for the paperback, you can pre-order it before the October release.

Former Army MP Mercy Carr and her retired bomb-sniffing dog Elvis are back in Blind Search, the sequel to the page-turning, critically acclaimed A Borrowing of Bones

It’s October, hunting season in the Green Mountains—and the Vermont wilderness has never been more beautiful or more dangerous. Especially for nine-year-old Henry, who’s lost in the woods. Again. Only this time he sees something terrible. When a young woman is found shot through the heart with a fatal arrow, Mercy thinks that something is murder. But Henry, a math genius whose autism often silences him when he should speak up most, is not talking.

Now there’s a murderer hiding among the hunters in the forest—and Mercy and Elvis must team up with their crime-solving friends, game warden Troy Warner and search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear, to find the killer—before the killer finds Henry. When an early season blizzard hits the mountains, cutting them off from the rest of the world, the race is on to solve the crime, apprehend the murderer, and keep the boy safe until the snowplows get through.

Inspired by the true search-and-rescue case of an autistic boy who got lost in the Vermont wilderness, Paula Munier’s mystery is a compelling roller coaster ride through the worst of winter—and human nature.

*****

Here’s a teaser. Although you’ll have to wait until March for The Hiding Place, you might want to know what’s coming next in the series.

Mercy and Elvis are back in The Hiding Place, the most enthralling entry yet in USA Today bestselling Paula Munier’s award-winning Mercy Carr mystery series. When the man who killed her grandfather breaks out of prison and comes after her grandmother, Mercy must unearth the long-buried scandals that threaten to tear her family apart. And she may have to do it without her beloved canine partner Elvis, if the sniffer dog’s former handler has his way….

Some people take their secrets with them to the grave. Others leave them behind on their deathbeds, riddles for the survivors to solve.

When her late grandfather’s deputy calls Mercy to his deathbed, she and Elvis inherit the cold case that haunted him—and may have killed him. But finding Beth Kilgore 20 years after she disappeared is more than a lost cause. It’s a Pandora’s box releasing a rain of evil on the very people Mercy and Elvis hold most dear.

The timing couldn’t be worse when the man who murdered her grandfather escapes from prison and a fellow Army vet turns up claiming that Elvis is his dog, not hers. With her grandmother Patience gone missing, and Elvis’s future uncertain, Mercy faces the prospect of losing her most treasured allies, the only ones she believes truly love and understand her.

She needs help, and that means forgiving Vermont Game Warden Troy Warner long enough to enlist his aid. With time running out for Patience, Mercy and Elvis must team up with Troy and his search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear to unravel the secrets of the past and save her grandmother—before it’s too late.

Once again, Paula Munier crafts a terrific mystery thriller filled with intrigue, action, resilient characters, the mountains of Vermont, and two amazing dogs.

Let’s introduce you to a debut author. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently talked with Anna Downes, a British author who lives in Australia. She’s the author of The Safe Place. You can order copies of the book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2WU2yUC

Here’s the description of The Safe Place.

Superbly tense and oozing with atmosphere, Anna Downes’s debut, The Safe Place, is the perfect summer suspense, with the modern gothic feel of Ruth Ware and the morally complex family dynamics of Lisa Jewell.

Welcome to paradise…will you ever be able to leave?

Emily is a mess.

Emily Proudman just lost her acting agent, her job, and her apartment in one miserable day.

Emily is desperate.

Scott Denny, a successful and charismatic CEO, has a problem that neither his business acumen nor vast wealth can fix. Until he meets Emily.

Emily is perfect.

Scott offers Emily a summer job as a housekeeper on his remote, beautiful French estate. Enchanted by his lovely wife Nina, and his eccentric young daughter, Aurelia, Emily falls headlong into this oasis of wine-soaked days by the pool. But soon Emily realizes that Scott and Nina are hiding dangerous secrets, and if she doesn’t play along, the consequences could be deadly.

*****

Enjoy the virtual author event here.

Years and years ago, I was lucky enough to see the Rock Bottom Remainders in concert in Greenwich Village. Who are the Rock Bottom Remainders? Well, the group changes, but Stephen King, Amy Tan, Ridley Pearson, Greg Iles, Dave Barry, and Mitch Albom are some of the members. You can see others, including a few guests, in the following video.

We’re not asking for charity or donations on this blog. It’s a Saturday during a worldwide pandemic, a perfect time to share a fun video with some of your favorite authors in a role you might never have seen. Enjoy!

Oh, one of Catherine Bruns’ book suggestions will bring back memories for many of you. And, if you love Italian food as I do, her Italian Chef Mysteries might strike a chord as well. You can find her books, and her book “Distractions” in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns lives in Upstate New York with an all-male household that consists of her very patient husband, three sons, and several spoiled pets. Catherine has a B.A. in both English and Performing Arts and is a former newspaper reporter and press release writer. In her spare time, she loves to bake, read, and attend live theater performances. Over the past five years, she’s written fifteen mystery novels plus several novellas and has many more stories waiting to be told. Readers are invited to visit her website at www.catherinebruns.net

*****

For me, there’s nothing like curling up with a good book to pass the evening or serve as an escape from real life. Before the pandemic, I was hard pressed to find time for reading or as I like to call it, “me time.” In addition to family obligations, I work full time and have a driving commute of two hours a day. I also write three books a year for two different publishers which means that I am always on deadline for something—either a finished manuscript or a set of edits. 

Since March, I’ve been working my day job from home, which has allotted me some extra time.  I’ve been trying to set aside at least a half hour each night to read for pleasure. Since my gym has been closed the last four months and I sorely need exercise, I take long walks outside with my Kindle in hand.   

My reading preferences have always been a bit of a mixed bag. I love cozy mysteries and thrillers, but there’s a number of comfort reads in different genres that I often revisit.  Like writing, they help distract me from the real world. They’re the epitome of comfort foods—something that I’ve experienced many times but never tire of. Familiar, enjoyable, and they always make me feel good.

The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I’ve been a huge fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books since I was a little girl. Laura and her family are living in De Smet, South Dakota and “quarantined” during the terrible winter of 1880 when they encounter seven months of blizzards. Trains can’t get through because of the weather conditions and the Ingalls family is trapped inside their home. In some ways their experience is eerily similar to the pandemic. They manage to survive by twisting sticks of hay to burn for fuel and eating coarse bread made from wheat that they grind daily. Some might argue this isn’t a comfort read but for me it’s a story of faith, hope and courage.

Clouds in My Coffee by Julie Mulhern

I adore the Country Club Mysteries but I’m far behind and need to catch up soon. This is the third book in the series (there are currently eleven out) and set in the 1970’s. I grew up during that decade and feel it was an era that people either loved or hated. I happened to love it, and reading these books filled with 70s references is like revisiting my childhood. Ellison Russell is a strong protagonist from a privileged family and finds herself constantly stumbling over dead bodies. Frances, Ellison’s snobbish and scary socialite mother, is easy to hate but she might be my favorite character. She brings so much flavor to a series which is already full of delightful dry wit and humor. If you want to lose yourself in a book, why not lose yourself in another decade along with Mr. Coffee, Tab and bell bottom pants?

Those Girls by Chevy Stevens 

This book was recommended during a writer’s workshop I attended at Bouchercon last year. The instructor read a portion of it out loud and I was immediately hooked. Three poverty-stricken sisters are at the mercy of their abusive father and must leave their farm in Canada one night when the unthinkable happens. The Campbell sisters go on the run hoping for a better life but are soon trapped in an even more terrifying situation, and barely escape with their lives. The sisters change their names and try to forget the past, but it finally catches up with them 18 years later. If you like edge of the seat thrillers, you will enjoy this ride.

*****

As I said, you can order Catherine Bruns’ book “Distractions” through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/ You can go directly to her page in the store to order her Italian Chef Mysteries. https://bit.ly/330DGi7

Penne Dreadful is the first in the series from Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press.

First book in a new series from USA Today bestselling author Catherin Bruns! Penne Dreadful, the first in the Italian Chef Mystery books, finds Tessa Esposito embroiled in a hot investigation.

Tomato sauce isn’t the only thing that runs red…A delicious new cozy mystery that is:For fans of Joanne Fluke and Susan FurlongFor readers of cozy mysteries and food mysteriesIncludes delicious recipes

Local Italian chef Tessa Esposito is struggling to get back on her feet following her husband’s fatal accident. And when the police knock on Tessa’s door, things just get worse. They’ve discovered Dylan’s death wasn’t an accident after all, and they need Tessa to start filling in the blanks. Who would want her beloved husband dead, and why?

With the investigation running cold, Tessa decides it’s time to save her sanity by reconnecting with her first love—cooking. And maybe the best way back into the kitchen is to infiltrate Dylan’s favorite local pizza parlor, which also happens to be the last place he was seen before he died. Tessa has never been a fan of detective novels, but even she can see that the anchovies aren’t the only thing that stink inside the small family business. And with suspects around every corner, Tessa finds that her husband’s many secrets might land her in hot water.

*****

The second title, It Cannoli Be Murder, will be released Tuesday, July 28. You can pre-order it now.

A delicious new title in a new series from USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns! Tessa’s biscotti have always been killer, but never as deadly as in this addition to the Italian Chef mystery books!

It’s time to serve some just desserts…

• For fans of Joanne Fluke and Susan Furlong
• For readers of cozy mysteries and food mysteries
• Includes delicious recipes!

Six months after her husband’s death, Tessa Esposito is hoping to drum up reservations for her restaurant’s grand opening. And since a signing with bestselling author, Preston Rigotta, is sure to draw a crowd, Tessa agrees to cater her cousin’s bookstore event—whipping up some of her famous Italian desserts. But the event soon takes a sour turn when Preston’s publicist, an old high school rival, arrives and begins to whisk up their old grudges.

That night, a fight breaks out in front of the crowd, and it becomes clear there’s bad blood in Harvest Park. And when the publicist is found dead on the bookstore floor the next morning, a stray cannolo at her side, Tessa knows who will be framed as the prime suspect.

To clear both her cousin’s and her own name, Tessa must investigate the murder. But Preston’s publicist has many secrets to hide, and in the end, the truth is bittersweet…

The second book in the Italian Chef Cozy Mystery series! As Italian Chef Tessa plays the role of a female detective in this murder mystery, she’ll have to follow a string of clues before the case boils over.

I hope you’re enjoying the virtual author events presented by The Poisoned Pen. Although bookstore staff and authors miss seeing people in person, these events allow readers to see and hear authors they might never have seen.

You’ll want to watch the conversation Patrick Millikin moderated with authors Ace Atkins and J. Todd Scott. Ace Atkins’ latest Quinn Colson novel, the tenth in the series, is The Revelators. J. Todd Scott’s Lost River is a standalone. You can order signed copies of both books through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the summary of The Revelators for all of us who have been waiting a year after the cliffhanger in The Shameless.

In this gripping new crime novel from the New York Times-bestselling author, Quinn Colson returns to take down a criminal syndicate that has ravaged his community, threatened his family, and tried to have him killed.

Shot up and left for dead, Sheriff Quinn Colson has revenge on his mind. With the help of his new wife Maggie, rehabilitation, and sheer force of will, he’s walking again, eager to resume his work as a southern lawman and track down those responsible for his attempted murder. But someone is standing in his way: an interim sheriff, appointed by the newly elected Governor Vardaman, the man who Quinn knows ordered his murder. Vardaman sits at the top of the state’s power structure–both legal and criminal–and little does he know, Quinn is still working to take him down.

Quinn will enlist the help of his most trusted friends, including federal agent Jon Holliday, U.S. Marshal Lillie Virgil, and Nat Wilikins, an undercover agent now working for crime queen Fannie Hathcock. Since Quinn’s been gone, the criminal element in north Mississippi has flourished, with Hathcock enjoying unbridled freedom. Now as a bustling factory shuts down, a labor leader ends up dead, and Quinn’s own nephew goes missing, everything looks to be unraveling. Even an old friend from Quinn’s past, Donnie Varner, is out of jail and up to his own ways.

Quinn Colson and company have been planning for years, and now they’re finally ready to bust apart a criminal empire running on a rigged system for far too long. This is the Battle of Jericho, the epic showdown that’s been years in the making. Eventually, the war will end–for better or worse.

*****

Here’s the description of Lost River.

A blistering crime novel of the opioid epidemic–and its cops, villains, and victims–written by a twenty-five-year veteran of the DEA.

Angel, Kentucky: Just another one of America’s forgotten places, where opportunities vanished long ago, and the opioid crisis has reached a fever pitch. When this small town is rocked by the vicious killing of an entire infamous local crime family, the bloody aftermath brings together three people already struggling with Angel’s drug epidemic: Trey, a young medic-in-training with secrets to hide; Special Agent Casey Alexander, a DEA agent who won’t let the local law or small-town way of doing things stand in her way; and Paul Mayfield, a former police chief who’s had to watch his own young wife succumb to addiction.

Over the course of twenty-four hours, loyalties are tested, the corrupt are exposed, and the horrible truth of the largest drug operation in the region is revealed. And though Angel will never be the same again, a lucky few may still find hope.

*****

I hope you take time to watch the conversation.

These upcoming virtual events round out the month of July. Mark your calendars now. You should continue to check back on the website, though. It’s quite possible The Poisoned Pen will sneak another event or two into the schedule.

Take a look at the events. If you’re wise, you’ll preorder copies of your favorite authors’ books early to ensure you’ll get one. You can order books through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Enjoy the virtual events on the Pen’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/thepoisonedpenbookstore/

Michael Barson recently interviewed author Michael Brandman for Bookreporter.com. They talked about the Buddy Steel novels and Brandman’s Buddy Steel e-book short story, “Stealth”. You can find the interview here. https://bit.ly/2Cmu1Yf

Michael Brandman is the author of three Jesse Stone novels, each based on characters created by Robert B. Parker, all on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

With his longtime partner, Tom Selleck, he produced and co-wrote nine Jesse Stone movies and three Westerns.

His and Emanuel Azenberg’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead won the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion Award for Best Picture.

He has produced more than forty motion pictures including films written by Arthur Miller, Stephen Sondheim, Neil Simon, David Mamet, Horton Foote, Wendy Wasserstein; David Hare, and Athol Fugard.

He is the father of two sons and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the actress Joanna Miles.

You can find Brandman’s Buddy Steel books in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3jhrhvE

Wild Card is the most recent book in the series.

“…another irreverent, complex lawman.” —Library Journal

Follow Buddy Steel on his most difficult and dangerous investigation yet as he stumbles upon corruption in his own backyard.

When San Remo County Acting Sheriff Buddy Steel is deputized by the California Coastal Commission to investigate a reclusive Russian billionaire who has repeatedly violated state law by obstructing public access to his vast beachfront property, he makes a shocking discovery. And learns that the politicos, some with a history of corruption, some just chicken, will not back up enforcement.

This makes Buddy, a former LAPD cop dragged home by his Sheriff father’s ALS diagnosis to “temporarily” head the department, dig in his heels and face down the Russian’s imported goon squad. It can and will get uglier.

At the same time a string of random murders in the county’s normally sleepy town of Freedom, a wealthy enclave up the coast from Los Angeles, places the Sheriff’s Department on high alert as it seeks to apprehend a serial killer whose crimes are so perfectly executed they leave no forensic evidence.

Buddy enlists an old adversary in his war with the Russian. She’s a legal shark from L.A., a savvy negotiator—and former lover. He needs to carry this fight to court. And he needs more backup—from the Sheriff’s Department staff, not the Sheriff, who resists being sidelined. Nor Freedom’s mayor, Buddy’s stepmother.

Unconventional and meticulously obtuse in his methodology, wild card cynic Buddy Steel barrels his way through the myriad obstacles that defy him. He may not want the job but his quest for serving the law is relentless.

Wild Card is the third in the Buddy Steel series by Hollywood ace Michael Brandman who, among his other credits, has both written New York Times bestsellers in the Robert B. Parker Jesse Stone series and brought Jesse to the screen in nine films starring Tom Selleck.

*****

Or, if you want to start at the beginning of the series, you can pre-order a copy of Missing Persons. The first book will be re-released in September. (It’s not that far away.)

Even in a town called Freedom, justice has its price

LAPD homicide detective Buddy Steel finds himself detoured from his own life when his ailing father, Sheriff Burton Steel, calls him home to Freedom to take over as deputy. Though relations between father and son have always been strained, Buddy reluctantly agrees to the arrangement.

When he begins investigating the possible disappearance of a famous local televangelist’s wife, he is met with outright antagonism. While the highly-secured husband insists that his wife is simply visiting a relative, the housekeeper who reported her missing fears she may have been murdered. And no one, from family members to ministry security and staff to the prosecutor’s office seems inclined to help Buddy in his investigation. In fact, many go out of their way to stop him.

But the more he pokes and prods, the more he realizes that the Bible-thumping family and their television empire may be an elaborate cover for a less-than-holy enterprise. But how far up does the corruption reach—and will Buddy pay the ultimate price for refusing to look the other way?

If you’re a dog person, you’re going to love the covers of Laurien Berenson’s Melanie Travis mysteries. If you’re a reader, you’ll enjoy her post about books. So, we’re lucky she was willing to talk about what she’s been reading during the pandemic. You can find Berenson’s books in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/30kLmJ1

Laurien Berenson is an Agatha and Macavity nominee, winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, and four-time winner of the Maxwell Award, presented by the Dog Writers Association of America. She and her husband live on a farm in Kentucky surrounded by dogs and horses. Readers can visit her website at: www.LaurienBerenson.com.

*****

You can find all the books Berenson selects through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

*****

I’ve spent entirely too much time inside my house over the last few months. It’s reached the point where even my dog thinks I should be getting out more. Having now resigned myself to living in pants with elastic waistbands, I’ve decided to look on the bright side and celebrate all the extra time I’m able to spend reading.

Ever since I was a small child, I’ve been a voracious reader. My TBR pile regularly overflows its shelf and become a stack on the floor. To me, there’s almost nothing more exciting than opening a new book, starting a new story, and discovering where an author’s creativity is going to take me this time.  

My favorite books are those that whisk me away from everyday life. Ones that offer an enthralling journey, or give me a glimpse into lives and places that are different than those I’ve experienced. Here are several books that accomplished that goal beautifully.

Murder in an Irish Pub

Carlene O’Connor’s Irish Village cozy series always make me laugh. Especially now, what a wonderful diversion that is. Shiobhan O’Sullivan is both witty and wise as she solves crime while deftly wrangling the lives of her five younger siblings. Set in Kilbane, Ireland, this book is steeped in Irish mysticism and folklore. O’Connor does a wonderful job of bringing the Irish countryside to brilliant,  entertaining life. Bring on the next adventure! I’m already waiting for it.

Pumpkin Spice Peril (Jenn McKinlay).

This Cupcake Bakery series is now twelve books strong and it’s easy to understand why. I love the realistic relationships among the four main characters (Melanie Cooper, her fiancé Joe DeLaura, Angie Harper and her husband, Tate). The friendship between bakers Melanie and Angie rings particularly true—I wish these two women were my best friends. This book centers around the local art scene in Old Town Scottsdale. When a talented glass artist dies after eating Melanie’s cupcakes, Melanie has no choice but to investigate. An intriguing mystery and mouthwatering recipes. What’s not to like?

Dangerous to Know (Renee Patrick).

I know next to nothing about the movie industry, and even less about Hollywood in 1938–but Renee Patrick’s vivid prose drew me in and immediately made me feel at home. I loved the cameo appearances by real people (most notably Marlene Dietrich and costume designer Edith Head.) When a nightclub pianist with friends in high places disappears, social secretary Lillian Frost is tasked with locating him. Instead she stumbles over his dead body. Rife with old Hollywood glamour, this book is bubbly and fun and better than an afternoon at the movies. 

*****

Laurien Berenson’s books are available in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/ Game of Dog Bones, the most recent Melanie Travis Canine Mystery, was released at the end of June. Just look at that face!

Standard Poodle owner Melanie Travis is an excellent judge of dogs—and people. But what happens when an unnamed killer emerges at one of the fiercest all-breed competitions ever?
 
As Greenwich, Connecticut, slows down during a bitterly cold February, Melanie and her spunky Aunt Peg head to the city that never sleeps for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. Aunt Peg can’t wait to demonstrate her judging chops on national TV, even after being hounded by frustrating mishaps—all seemingly orchestrated by Victor Durbin, an ousted Paugussett Poodle Club member with a bone to pick. But the bright lights of the show ring grow dim when Victor is found murdered, and she’s the one topping the suspect list . . .
 
Driven to solve the crime on her aunt’s behalf, Melanie fetches hair-raising clues about the victim. Victor didn’t score many friends with his unethical breeding practices, sketchy puppy café, and penchant for mercilessly scamming others to get ahead. He burned so many bridges that his own business partner admits to being delighted by news of his death. It appears Victor finally toyed with the wrong person, and as Melanie digs up more chilling evidence, she realizes that exonerating Aunt Peg means confronting a murderer who’s in it to win it . . .

*****

Howloween Murder will be released August 25. Pre-orders always help the author, the bookstore, and you, so don’t hesitate to order the mystery now.

As the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, counts down to a spooky celebration on October 31st, a horrifying murder leaves Melanie Travis pawing for clues in a hair-raising game of trick-or-treat . . .

With just a few days left before Halloween, everyone at Howard Academy is anticipating the guaranteed sugar high they’ll experience from gorging on Harriet Bloom’s famous marshmallow puffs. The private school’s annual costume party revolves around the headmaster’s assistant and her seemingly supernatural batches of gooey goodies. So, it’s a shock when Harriet’s elderly neighbor is suddenly found dead with the beloved dessert in his hand. In a snap, police start questioning whether Harriet modified her top-secret recipe to include a hefty dose of lethal poison . . .
 
Melanie knows her tenured colleague would never intentionally serve cyanide-laced puffs to a defenseless old man. But as explosive neighborhood gossip reveals a potential culprit, it also brings her closer to sealing her own doom. Because on an evening ruled by masked revelers, bizarre getups, and hidden identities, Halloween might just be the perfect opportunity for a cold-hearted killer to get away with murder once again—this time sending a nosy, unsuspecting sleuth to an early grave!