It’s no April Fool’s joke that Matthew Quirk will discuss his latest book, Hour of the Assassin, for a Poisoned Pen virtual event on Wednesday, April 1 at 6 PM MST.

And, even if you can’t attend an in-person event right now, you can still order a signed copy of Quirk’s latest book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2RP7yZj If you pre-order books, it helps the author, so you might want to consider ordering Hour of the Assassin now.

Matthew Quirk will be discussing Hour of the Assassin with Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen via Skype and it will be broadcast live on our Facebook Channel. Watch in real time and submit questions for Matthew, or catch it later on FB or Youtube!

Here’s the description of Hour of the Assassin.

“Quirk has earned his spot in the front ranks of thriller writers. Opens with a bang and keeps exploding for three hundred pages.” —David Baldacci, New York Times bestselling author of A Minute to Midnight

Framed and on the run for his life, a former Secret Service agent discovers how far some men will go to grasp the highest office in the land in this electrifying tale from the author of The Night Agent—a propulsive political thriller reminiscent of the best early Baldacci and Grisham novels.

As a Secret Service agent, Nick Averose spent a decade protecting the most powerful men and women in America and developed a unique gift: the ability to think like an assassin. Now, he uses that skill in a little-known but crucial job. As a “red teamer,” he poses as a threat, testing the security around our highest officials to find vulnerabilities—before our enemies can. He is a mock killer, capable of slipping past even the best defenses.

His latest assignment is to assess the security surrounding the former CIA director at his DC area home. But soon after he breaches the man’s study, the home’s inner sanctum, Nick finds himself entangled in a vicious crime that will shake Washington to its foundations—as all the evidence points to Nick.

Nick knows he’s the perfect scapegoat. But who is framing him, and why? To clear his name, he must find the truth—a search that leads to a dark conspiracy whose roots stretch back decades. The prize is the most powerful position in the world: the Oval Office.

To save himself and the people he loves, Nick must stop the men who rule Washington before they bury him along with their secrets. 

“This one is a gritty, intense political thriller, filled with nuance and dire exploits. Totally entertaining. A treat from start to finish. —Steve Berry, author of The Malta Exchange

Don Winslow may have been forced to cancel his book tour for his new book, Broken, but he’ll be available for Poisoned Pen fans and readers with a virtual event. The “virtual” event will happen on Monday, April 6th at 5pm. Don Winslow will discuss his work with Patrick Millikin and Barbara Peters via Facebook Live. Tune in to watch it in real time, or catch it anytime thereafter. It will also be added to the Youtube Channel. 

Don Winslow will be signing copies of Broken as originally planned, and we’re still accepting orders for signed first edition copies!  Make sure you pre-order a copy of Broken through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2UH0ehJ

Here’s the description of Broken.

“One of America’s greatest storytellers.” ““ Stephen King

No matter how you come into this world, you come out broken . . . 

In six intense short novels connected by the themes of crime, corruption, vengeance, justice, loss, betrayal, guilt and redemption, Broken is #1 international bestseller Don Winslow at his nerve-shattering, heart-stopping, heartbreaking best. In Broken, he creates a world of high-level thieves and low-life crooks, obsessed cops struggling with life on and off the job, private detectives, dope dealers, bounty hunters and fugitives, the lost souls driving without headlights through the dark night on the American criminal highway.

With his trademark blend of insight, humanity, humor, action and the highest level of literary craftsmanship, Winslow delivers a collection of tales that will become classics of crime fiction.

*****

When Winslow was forced to cancel the actual book tour, the headline in Deadline read, “Coronavirus Scare Prompts Don Winslow To Cancel “˜Broken’ Book Tour.” Fortunately, he’s doing the virtual book tour, and now you can even watch the event the day before release date for Broken.

You’ll probably appreciate this comment in Mike Fleming Jr.’s article in Deadline. Fleming quotes Don Winslow. “I remember when my career started and no one showed up to see me on tour. One bookseller, Barbara Peters of Poisoned Pen, actually bought a copy of my book from her own store because she felt so bad for me. Independent bookstores stayed with me until my “˜overnight success’ in my mid-50s. I will always be grateful to independent bookstores and I don’t make this decision lightly because I know they will be deeply impacted. Ultimately there is nothing more important than the safety of everyone during this difficult time and that is why I made this decision. However, I truly feel like several of the short novels in Broken represent my best work as a writer and I hope people will seek out and order the book.”

*****

Consider supporting The Poisoned Pen and an author who supports independent bookstores. Check the Web Store, and pre-order a copy of Broken. https://bit.ly/2UH0ehJ

Colin Dexter (Inspector Morse). Elizabeth George (Inspector Lynley). Caroline Graham (Inspector Barnaby). James Runcie (Grantchester). G.K. Chesteron (Father Brown). The characters might be more familiar to fans of English village mysteries than the authors are. In Olivia Rutigliano’s recent article for CrimeReads, she talks about “Quaint English Village Murder Mystery TV Shows with a Million Seasons, For Your Binge-Watching Pleasure During These Hard Times”. You can find the article here. https://bit.ly/2UBaCHX

After you’ve escaped into some of these TV shows, you might want to explore the written world created by the authors. Check The Poisoned Pen’s Web Store for their books, and make your pleasure last even longer. https://store.poisonedpen.com

The Poisoned Pen still has a Hot Book of the Week, William Boyle’s City of Margins. And, you can still order a signed copy of the book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2QLAlfQ Don’t forget! Because the book is more than $25, there’s free shipping if ordered before April 15 to addresses in the United States.

Here’s what you need to know about City of Margins.

A vivid new cast of characters collide in gritty 1990s Brooklyn, in this latest from acclaimed neo-noir author William Boyle.

In City of Margins, the lives of several lost souls intersect in Southern Brooklyn in the early 1990s. There’s Donnie Parascandolo, a disgraced ex-cop with blood on his hands; Ava Bifulco, a widow whose daily work grind is her whole life; Nick, Ava’s son, a grubby high school teacher who dreams of a shortcut to success; Mikey Baldini, a college dropout who’s returned to the old neighborhood, purposeless and drifting; Donna Rotante, Donnie’s ex-wife, still reeling from the suicide of their teenage son; Mikey’s mother, Rosemarie, also a widow, who hopes Mikey won’t fall into the trap of strong arm work; and Antonina Divino, a high school girl with designs on breaking free from Brooklyn. Uniting them are the dead: Mikey’s old man, killed over a gambling debt, and Donnie and Donna’s poor son, Gabe.

These characters cross paths in unexpected ways, guided by coincidence and the pull of blood. There are new things to be found in the rubble of their lives, too. The promise of something different beyond the barriers that have been set out for them. This is a story of revenge and retribution, of facing down the ghosts of the past, of untold desires, of yearning and forgiveness and synchronicity, of the great distance of lives lived in dangerous proximity to each other. City of Margins is a Technicolor noir melodrama pieced together in broken glass.

The Lefty Awards are usually presented at Left Coast Crime. This year, the conference was abruptly cut short, and voting had to be handled in a different manner. Voting has concluded, and the winners of the awards have been announced. Check the Web Store for copies of the books by the winners and nominees. https://store.poisonedpen.com

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the 2020 Lefty Awards!

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel

The nominees are

• Ellen Byron, Fatal Cajun Festival (Crooked Lane Books)
• Leslie Karst, Murder from Scratch (Crooked Lane Books)
• Cynthia Kuhn, The Subject of Malice (Henery Press)
• Catriona McPherson, Scot & Soda (Midnight Ink)
• Wendall Thomas, Drowned Under (Poisoned Pen Press)

And, the winner is: Catriona McPerson, Scot & Soda.

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel

The nominees are

• Susanna Calkins, Murder Knocks Twice (Minotaur Books)
• L.A. Chandlar, The Pearl Dagger (Kensington Books)
• Dianne Freeman, A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder (Kensington Books)
• Jennifer Kincheloe, The Body in Griffith Park (Seventh Street Books)
• Sujata Massey, The Satapur Moonstone (Soho Crime)

And, the winner is: Sujata Massey, The Satapur Moonstone

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel

The nominees are

• Tori Eldridge, The Ninja Daughter (Agora Books)
• Angie Kim, Miracle Creek (Sarah Crichton Books)
• Tara Laskowski, One Night Gone (Graydon House)
• John Vercher, Three-Fifths (Agora Books)
• Carl Vonderau, Murderabilia (Midnight Ink)

And, the winner is: Carl Vonderau, Murderabilia

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel

The nominees are

• Steph Cha, Your House Will Pay (Ecco)
• Tracy Clark, Borrowed Time (Kensington Books)
• Matt Coyle, Lost Tomorrows (Oceanview Publishing)
• Rachel Howzell Hall, They All Fall Down (Forge Books)
• Attica Locke, Heaven, My Home (Mulholland Books)

And, the winner is: Matt Coyle, Lost Tomorrows

Again, congratulations to all the winners and nominees!

With The Poisoned Pen closed to foot traffic, the bookstore is still offering you the chance to hear authors discuss their latest books. After you’ve watched the event on Facebook Live, most of them will be posted on the store’s YouTube channel. You can not only still see the author, but, you can still order signed copies of many of the books through the Web Store. They may take a little while to arrive, but most of us now have the time to wait for the book, and savor it when it does. Check out the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

Check out the schedule of authors who will be participating in Virtual Events, usually discussions with Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen.

Check out our Virtual Events!

There are several reasons to discuss the 19th Temperance Brennan novel, A Conspiracy of Bones. First, author Kathy Reichs will discuss it in a virtual event on Thursday, March 26 from 5:00-6:00 PM MST. Kathy Reichs will be in conversation with Barbara Peters via Facebook Live. Tune in to watch it in real time, or catch it anytime thereafter. It will also be added to the Poisoned Pen’s Youtube Channel.   You can order signed copies of A Conspiracy of Bones, and copies of Reichs’ other books, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2Ur6QRh

The second reason to discuss the book? Marilyn Stasio reviews it in her current column in The New York Times. You can check out her review here. https://nyti.ms/3beGj0k

And, here’s the actual reason to discuss A Conspiracy of Bones; the book itself.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with a new riveting novel featuring her vastly popular character forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who must use all her tradecraft to discover the identity of a faceless corpse, its connection to a decade-old missing child case, and why the dead man had her cell phone number.

It’s sweltering in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Temperance Brennan, still recovering from neurosurgery following an aneurysm, is battling nightmares, migraines, and what she thinks might be hallucinations when she receives a series of mysterious text messages, each containing a new picture of a corpse that is missing its face and hands. Immediately, she’s anxious to know who the dead man is, and why the images were sent to her.

An identified corpse soon turns up, only partly answering her questions.

To win answers to the others, including the man’s identity, she must go rogue, working mostly outside the system. That’s because Tempe’s new boss holds a fierce grudge against her and is determined to keep her out of the case. Tempe bulls forward anyway, even as she begins questioning her instincts. But the clues she discovers are disturbing and confusing. Was the faceless man a spy? A trafficker? A target for assassination by the government? And why was he carrying the name of a child missing for almost a decade?

With help from a number of law enforcement associates including her Montreal beau Andrew Ryan and the always-ready-with-a-smart-quip, ex-homicide investigator Skinny Slidell, and utilizing new cutting-edge forensic methods, Tempe draws closer to the astonishing truth.

But the more she uncovers, the darker and more twisted the picture becomes…

Steven F. Havill, author of the new Posadas County mystery, Less Than a Moment, was recently interviewed by Michael Barson for Bookreporter.com. Barson introduces Havill with this opening paragraph.

“Steven F. Havill is the author of a series of mysteries set in fictional Posadas County, New Mexico, the 24th installment of which, LESS THAN A MOMENT, is now in stores. In this interview, Havill explains why he decided — over the course of the series — to replace his almost-70-year-old protagonist, Sheriff Bill Gastner, with a younger generation of law enforcement officers, Bob Torrez and Estelle Reyes-Guzman; how New Mexico is drastically different now than it was when he moved there in 1965; his opinions on the evolution of the publishing industry from the early ’90s (when he began writing the Posadas County mysteries) to today; and why he got such a kick out of one reader who commented on enjoying his books.” Check out the rest of the interview here. https://bit.ly/3bck7UG

The Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press mystery, Less Than a Moment, and Havill’s other books, are available to order through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2PXJ77g

Here’s the description of the latest Posadas County mystery.

In less than a moment, unexplained intentions, then murder, upend life in Posadas County, New Mexico

Posadas County, sitting along New Mexico’s southern border, has enjoyed a surge in visitors, jobs, and prosperity since rancher Miles Waddell used much of his inherited half billion to create an internationally renowned astronomy complex atop Torrance Mesa. Passion, not profit, drives Waddell. Yet benefits include a narrow gauge train linking the village of Posadas to NightZone. It’s a boon to employees and for nature lovers, hikers, and birders as well as star gazers.

A ripple of unease is felt across the county with the arrival of developer—no, speculator—Kyle Thompson. Why did he and his wife quietly purchase a large scrubby acreage to the north of NightZone? Any light pollution would jeopardize Waddell’s success. “Lights are like cancer cells. One comes, others follow.”

Unease grows with a drive-by shoot-up at the Posadas Register, its 25 shots wounding a reporter and the paper’s editor. Sheriff Bob Torrez and Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman see a connection to NightZone…and worse, a connection with Torrez’s own nephew. Why?

And then murder strikes…

These are difficult times for everyone, including The Poisoned Pen Bookstore and staff. The Pen is now closed to browsers but open for curbside pickup and phone or internet orders. Our events are being reimagined as virtual through mid April. Further virtual or postponed events will be announced as we work through the rest of April and evaluate May. We are balancing everyone’s safety with supporting authors faced with reaching out to fans in new ways.

Don’t hesitate to order books or audiobooks through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/ You do know you can order order audiobooks from the Pen, don’t you? If it says “Buy Audiobook” under a title, you can just click on that and it will take you to Libro.fm where you can order your book on audio through The Poisoned Pen.

Looking for something to do while you’re stuck at home? How about listening to a Podcast of your favorite author? There are a number of them available at the Pen’s site, https://poisonedpen.podbean.com. James Rollins, Michael Koryta, Douglas Preston, and Gregg Hurwitz are just a few of the authors who have recently talked with Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore.

If you prefer to watch the authors, check out the Facebook Live events recorded on the Facebook page for the bookstore. https://www.facebook.com/thepoisonedpenbookstore/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

Or, you can try the bookstore’s YouTube Channel where there a number of recent and past events. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTbRuLNmD8EhT4WrGGMVW-w

Don’t worry. The Poisoned Pen Bookstore will find ways to continue to bring you books and authors. And, the blog isn’t going anyplace. There will still be announcements, reviews, award postings, and an interview or two. Maybe you want to build it into your daily routine to stop by and read what’s happening. We’ll be here and online on Facebook and Twitter. Check us out.