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Zibby Owens is an author and publisher. She recently brought authors Betty Cayouette, Sarah Sawyer, Tara Schuster, Annabel Monaghan and Maggie Smith to The Poisoned Pen as part of her Zibby Retreat: Scottsdale. Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, welcomed the authors to talk about their books with Owens, and then sign them. You can order their books through the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/.
Enjoy the conversation with Zibby Owens and the authors.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed authors David McCloskey and Taylor Moore for the last bookstore event for October. McCloskey’s new book is The Seventh Floor. Taylor Moore’s latest is Cold Trail, the fourth Garrett Kohl book. Signed copies of both books are available in the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/.
Here’s the description of The Seventh Floor.
A Russian arrives in Singapore with a secret to sell. When the Russian is killed and Sam Joseph, the CIA officer dispatched for the meet, goes missing, operational chief Artemis Procter is made a scapegoat for the disaster and run out of the service. Months later, Sam appears at Procter’s doorstep with an explosive secret: there is a Russian mole burrowed deep within the highest ranks of the CIA.
As Procter and Sam investigate, they arrive at a shortlist of suspects made up of both Procter’s closest friends and fiercest enemies. The hunt requires Procter to dredge up her checkered past in the service of the CIA, placing the pair in the sights of a savvy Russian spymaster who will protect Moscow’s mole in Langley at all costs. What happens when friendships forged by sweat and blood—from the Farm to Afghanistan and the executive “Seventh Floor” of CIA’s Langley headquarters—are put to the ultimate test? What can we truly know about the people we love the most?
Taking readers from Langley to Moscow to Paris and beyond, The Seventh Floor explores the nature of friendship in a faithless business, and what it means to love a place that does not love you back.
David McCloskey is the author of the novels Damascus Station and Moscow X. He’s a former CIA analyst and a former consultant at McKinsey & Company. While at the CIA, he worked in field stations across the Middle East. He lives in Texas.
Here’s the summary of Cold Trail.
In the fourth pulse-pounding thriller in the series, DEA Special Agent Garrett Kohl must find out what’s truly tainted in the energy industry and uncover a deep-rooted plot in order to protect his new business, beloved ranch, and family. Perfect for fans of C. J. Box and Jack Carr.
On leave from the DEA, Garrett Kohl is ready to settle down and build a stable foundation for his family. But that’s easier said than done. In order to give his girlfriend, Lacey, and adopted son, Asadi, the life they deserve, and get out from under crippling debt, some risks have to be taken. And shocking alliances have to be formed.
First, Garrett partners with an old nemesis to form his new energy venture: Savage Exploration. Then his estranged, aloof sister, Grace, reemerges, keen on brokering a contract to connect the Kohl Ranch energy play to a pipeline on the Texas coast. But the company’s earlier success is endangered when an explosion at a nearby natural gas plant injures several workers. Garrett begins to suspect foul play and embarks on a winding investigation, teaming up with his old war buddy, Kai Stoddard, and reaching out to his CIA contacts, uncovering a sinister conspiracy overseas.
From an ex-CIA intelligence officer and consultant for the Department of Defense, this exhilarating thriller follows a man’s turbulent journey to fight for his family and hold on to the land that he calls home, culminating in an explosive final showdown that he never could have expected.
Taylor Moore is the author of Cold Trail, Ricochet, Firestorm, and Down Range, which was nominated for the Barry Award for Best First Novel, named a Strand Magazine Best Mystery of the year, and selected for the Texas Library Association’s Lariat Reading List. He is a sixth-generation Texan who grew up on a farm and ranch northwest of Houston and is a former CIA Intelligence Officer who worked in both analysis and operations and later consulted for the Department of Defense in Theater Security Cooperation, Force Protection, and Counternarcotics. He now lives in the Texas Panhandle with his wife and two children, where he is a full-time author, screenwriter, and speaker.
Enjoy the conversation with David McCloskey and Taylor Moore.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed Olivia Blacke for release date for A New Lease on Death. Peters said this new book reminds her some of Carolyn Hart’s books. If you want a copy of A New Lease on Death, you’ll have to order it through the Website. The Pen has already sold out of it twice. https://bit.ly/4hmNAOB.
Here’s the description of A New Lease on Death.
Death is only the beginning in Olivia Blacke’s A New Lease on Death, a darkly funny supernatural mystery that introduces an unlikely crime-solving duo.
Ruby Young’s new Boston apartment comes with all the usual perks. Windows facing the brick wall of the next-door building. Heat that barely works. A malfunctioning buzzer. Noisy neighbors. A dead body on the sidewalk outside. And of course, a ghost.
Since Cordelia Graves died in her apartment a few months ago, she’s kept up her residency, despite being bored out of her (non-tangible) skull and frustrated by her new roommate. When her across-the-hall neighbor, Jake Macintyre, is shot and killed in an apparent mugging gone wrong outside their building, Cordelia is convinced there’s more to it and is determined to bring his killer to justice.
Unfortunately, Cordelia, being dead herself, can’t solve the mystery alone. She has to enlist the help of the obnoxiously perky, living tenant of her apartment. Ruby is twenty, annoying, and has never met a houseplant she couldn’t kill. But she also can do everything Cordelia can’t, from interviewing suspects to researching Jake on the library computers that go up in a puff of smoke if Cordelia gets too close. As the roommates form an unlikely friendship and get closer to the truth about Jake’s death, they also start to uncover other dangerous secrets.
OLIVIA BLACKE (she/her) had her first encounter with a ghost when she was only five years old, but her first involvement with an active crime scene wasn’t until much later, when she accidentally stepped into a chalk outline on a Manhattan sidewalk. Armed with a Criminology and Criminal Justice degree, she finally found a way to channel her love of the supernatural and passion for writing into darkly humorous supernatural mysteries. She is also the author of the Record Shop Mysteries and the Brooklyn Murder Mysteries. She still wants to be a unicorn when she grows up.
Enjoy the conversation with Blacke about her books.
Can you believe it’s less than two months until Christmas? John Charles from The Poisoned Pen recently welcomed three authors who wrote Christmas stories. Jenn McKinlay’s new Library Lover’s Mystery is A Merry Little Murder Plot. Karen Schaler’s latest book is Every Day is Christmas. Jaqueline Snow’s new book is Christmas Sweater Weather. You can order these books through the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/.
Check out the authors’ books. Here’s the summary of A Merry Little Murder Plot.
‘Tis the season in Briar Creek, and this year festivities become fatalities in the newest Library Lover’s Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Fatal First Edition.
During the most wonderful time of the year, famous author Helen Monroe arrives in Briar Creek to be the writer in residence, but her “bah humbug” attitude excludes her from the many holiday celebrations the town residents enjoy. To try to spread some Christmas cheer, library director Lindsey Norris invites the new writer in town to join her crafternoon club. Helen politely refuses and when an altercation happens between Helen and another patron, Lindsey begins to suspect the author has been keeping to herself for a reason.
Another newcomer, Jackie Lewis, reveals she’s visiting Briar Creek to be near Helen because she believes they are destined to meet. Having dealt with a stalker in the past, Lindsey feels compelled to tell Helen about Jackie, as she suspects that Helen is unaware her “number one” fan is in town.
When Jackie’s body is later discovered in the town park beneath the holiday-light display with a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript in her hand, the reclusive novelist becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her self-proclaimed mega-fan. Helen’s frosty demeanor melts when Lindsey offers her help, and now the librarian and her crafternoon pals must prove the author innocent before “The End” becomes Helen’s final sentence.
Jenn McKinlay is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series. Her work has been translated into multiple languages in countries all over the world. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets, and her husband’s guitars.
Here’s the description of Karen Schaler’s Every Day is Christmas.
From the Emmy Award-winning writer of Hallmark, Netflix, and Lifetime Christmas movies and beloved Christmas romance books comes a heartwarming holiday romance filled with love, second chances, and Christmas magic.
“This is a beautiful story about love, forgiveness, second chances, and the true meaning of Christmas.” —Karen Cowee, Librarian
Alexis Taylor is a savvy money manager who’s too busy for love—and definitely too busy for Christmas. She only has one holiday tradition – breaking up with her boyfriends right before Christmas.
But this Christmas, everything changes when Alexis gets a holiday visit of a lifetime. As Alexis’s past, present, and future collide, she’s forced to risk the one thing she has always guarded…her heart.
Can this Christmas finally melt Alexis’s icy walls and bring her the love she never thought she needed?
This uplifting story of redemption, family, and true love is a must-read for anyone looking to experience the magic of the season. With Karen Schaler’s signature warmth and humor, it’s the perfect holiday escape for Christmas and romance lovers.
Here’s the summary of Christmas Sweater Weather by Jaqueline Snowe.
Charlotte Calhoun has avoided Hayden Porter, her older brother’s sexy-as-sin best friend, ever since that mortifying night when he flat-out rejected her. Fine. Except this Christmas season, they’re thrown together at a snowy ski resort for her brother’s bachelor party, complete with mistletoe, cozy fireplaces, and adjoining rooms. She can tell herself to get over Hayden, but holiday cheer is turning to holiday lust every time he is within ten feet of her.
Between being a full-time single father and his high-pressure college coaching job, a romantic relationship is off the table for Hayden. But he’s fought his attraction to Charlotte for as long as he can. A one-night stand is starting to sound like a good idea—as long as her brother never finds out. But with two long weeks until the wedding, hiding their growing feelings is going to take a Christmas miracle.
Enjoy the conversation with the authors about books and Christmas books.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed Richard Chizmar to the bookstore. He made his first appearance at the bookstore to discuss his book, Memorials. There are signed copies of that book available through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4dXcVMh.
Here’s the description of Memorials.
A group of students encounter a supernatural terror while on a road trip through Appalachia in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the “unforgettable and scary” (Harlan Coben) Chasing the Boogeyman.
1983: Three students from a small college embark on a week-long road trip to film a documentary on roadside memorials for their American Studies class. The project starts out as a fun adventure with long stretches of empty road and nightly campfires where they begin to open up with one another.
But as they venture deeper into the Appalachian backwoods, the atmosphere begins to darken. They notice more and more of the memorials feature a strange, unsettling symbol hinting at a sinister secret. Paranoia sets in when it appears they are being followed. Their vehicle is tampered with overnight and some of the locals appear to be anything but welcoming. Before long, the students can’t help but wonder if these roadside deaths were really random accidents…or is something terrifying at work here?
Richard Chizmar is the coauthor (with Stephen King) of the New York Times bestselling novella Gwendy’s Button Box and Gwendy’s Final Task, and the solo novella Gwendy’s Magic Feather. Recent books include the New York Times bestsellers Becoming the Boogeyman and Chasing the Boogeyman, The Girl on the Porch, The Long Way Home, his fourth short story collection, and Widow’s Point, a chilling tale about a haunted lighthouse cowritten with his son Billy Chizmar, which was recently made into a feature film. His short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, including Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories. He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA’s Board of Trustees award. Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, speaker, panelist, and guest of honor. Follow him on Twitter @RichardChizmar, or visit his website at RichardChizmar.com.
Since this is the 35th anniversary of The Poisoned Pen, so many of the recent conversations are nostalgic. And Chizmar talks about falling in love with Stephen King’s writing. Enjoy this conversation.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed authors Tasha Alexander and Andrew Child to the bookstore. Alexander’s latest Lady Emily mystery is Death by Misadventure. Andrew Child’s latest Jack Reacher novel is In Too Deep. There are signed copies of both books available in the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
Here’s the description of Death by Misadventure.
In the latest installment of Tasha Alexander’s New York Times bestselling series, Lady Emily must solve a string of high stakes “accidents” while trapped in a lavish villa in the Bavarian Alps.
In the winter of 1906, Lady Emily and husband Colin are invited to the opulent home of Baroness Ursula von Duchtel in the Bavarian alps. Outside is a mountainous winter wonderland with a view of Mad King Ludwig’s fairy tale castle. Inside, the villa hosts a magnificent but eclectic art collection—as well as an equally eclectic collection of fellow guests, among them a musician, an art dealer, a coquette from the demi-monde, and Kaspar, the Baroness’ boorish son-in-law, whom, it begins to appear, someone wants dead.
Almost forty years earlier, Niels, a young German lord, sings to himself in the forest surrounding those same alps, capturing the attention of a not-yet-mad King Ludwig. Niels and the king become fast friends, their relationship deepening into something more as their time together stretches on. But while King Ludwig is content to live out a fantasy where their responsibilities don’t matter and the outside world doesn’t affect them, Niels knows that their bliss cannot last forever…
Decades later, Emily continues to investigate Kaspar’s increasingly lethal “mishaps” when tragedy strikes, ensnaring the guests in a web of fear and suspicion. It’s up to Emily to sift through old secrets and motivations, some stretching far into the past, to unmask the killer.
TASHA ALEXANDER is the author of the New York Times bestselling Lady Emily mystery series. The daughter of two philosophy professors, she studied English literature and medieval history at the University of Notre Dame. She and her husband, novelist Andrew Grant, live on a ranch in southeastern Wyoming.
Here’s the summary of the new Jack Reacher, In Too Deep.
The gripping new Jack Reacher thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child
Reacher had no idea where he was. No idea how he had gotten there. But someone must have brought him. And shackled him. And whoever had done those things was going to rue the day. That was for damn sure.
Jack Reacher wakes up alone, in the dark, handcuffed to a makeshift bed. His right arm has suffered some major damage. His few possessions are gone. He has no memory of getting there.
The last thing Reacher can recall is the car he hitched a ride in getting run off the road. The driver was killed.
His captors assume Reacher was the driver’s accomplice and patch up his wounds as they plan to make him talk.
A plan that will backfire spectacularly . . .
Lee Child is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Jack Reacher series and the complete Jack Reacher story collection, No Middle Name. Foreign rights in the Reacher series have been sold in one hundred territories. A native of England and a former television director, Lee Child lives in New York City and Wyoming.
Andrew Child, who also writes as Andrew Grant, is the author of RUN, False Positive, False Friend, False Witness, Invisible, and Too Close to Home. Child and his wife, the novelist Tasha Alexander, live on a wildlife preserve in Wyoming. He is the #1 bestselling co-author of the Jack Reacher novels The Sentinel, Better Off Dead, No Plan B, and The Secret.
Enjoy the conversation with Tasha Alexander and Andrew Child.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, said they’re trying to spend their thirty-fifth anniversary month with authors who have been them for all those years. Robert Dugoni is one of those authors. His latest book is Beyond Reasonable Doubt. There are signed copies of that in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4dRwTI8.
Here’s the description of Beyond Reasonable Doubt.
A master manipulator accused of murder. An attorney sworn to defend her. Keera Duggan returns in a riveting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.
When Jenna Bernstein, disgraced wunderkind CEO of a controversial biotech company, is accused of murdering her former partner and lover, she turns to Seattle attorney Keera Duggan to defend her. Keera is more than a master chess player who brings her intuitive moves into court—she’s Jenna’s childhood friend. But considering their history, Keera knows that where Jenna goes, trouble follows.
Five years earlier, Keera’s father successfully defended Jenna when she was tried for the killing of her company’s chief scientist who threatened to go public with allegations of corporate fraud. Keera knows Jenna too well. When she was a kid, Keera saw Jenna for what she was: a manipulative and frighteningly controlling sociopath. Now, with only circumstantial evidence against Jenna, Keera is willing to bury any trepidation she might have to defend a woman she believes, this time, to be innocent.
As the investigation gets underway and disturbing questions arise, Keera puts her trust in a client who swears that this time she’s telling nothing but the truth. If this is all just another devious game, Keera might be working to set a murderer free.
Robert Dugoni is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Amazon Charts bestselling author of several series, including Tracy Crosswhite, Charles Jenkins, David Sloane, and Keera Duggan. His stand-alone novels include Damage Control, The 7th Canon, The World Played Chess, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, which was named Suspense Magazine’s 2018 Book of the Year and won Dugoni an AudioFile Earphones Award for his narration. The Washington Post named his nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary a Best Book of the Year. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Book Award for fiction and a multi-time winner for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has been a finalist for many other awards. Dugoni’s books are sold in more than twenty-five countries and have been translated into more than thirty languages, reaching over ten million readers worldwide. He lives in Seattle. Visit his website at robertdugonibooks.com.
Enjoy the anniversary conversation with Robert Dugoni.
John Charles recently welcomed two romance writers for a virtual event at The Poisoned Pen. Jenna Levine is the author of A Legend in the Baking. Jamie Wesley’s new book is My Vampire Plus-One. You can order copies of both books through the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/.
Here’s the description of A Legend in the Baking.
In A Legend in the Baking, the new romance from Jamie Wesley, a cupcake-baking football player gets assistance from a social media maven—and his best friend’s little sister—to help promote his new bakeryafter accidentally going viral online.
August Hodges was supposed to be the silent partner in Sugar Blitz Cupcakes. Emphasis on silent. That is until his impromptu feminist rant about how women bakers are the backbone of the industry and baking cupcakes isn’t a threat to masculinity goes viral, making him the hottest bachelor in town. With a new location in the works, August and his partners decide to capitalize on this perfect opportunity to help cement their place in the community. But the hiring of his best friend’s younger sister, the woman who has haunted some of his best dreams for years, was as much of a shock as his new-found fame.
Social media manager Sloane Dell fell hard for her brother’s best friend the moment she met him more than a decade ago, but that teenage infatuation cost her dearly. Still, she accepts her brother’s request to revamp the bakery’s social media presence to take advantage of August’s newfound popularity, knowing it’s the big break her fledgling career needs. She’ll just ignore the fact that August is still August, i.e. sexier and sweeter than any man has a right to be. And that he drives her crazy with his resistance to all her ideas.
They vow to leave the past in the past. But when an explosive make-out session makes it clear their attraction burns hotter than ever, Sloane and August are forced to reconsider what it means to take a risk and chase your dreams.
As they’re both about to find out, all’s fair in love and cupcakes.
Jamie Wesley has been reading romance novels since she was about 12 when her mother left a romance novel, which a friend had given her, on the nightstand. Jamie read it instead, and the rest is history. Her books include Fake It Till You Bake It, the One-on-One series, and Camp Firefly Falls. When she’s not writing or reading romance, Jamie can be found watching TV, rooting for her favorite sports teams, and/or planning her next trip to Walt Disney World.
Check out the summary of My Vampire Plus-One.
Nothing sucks more than fake dating a vampire in this paranormal romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of My Roommate Is a Vampire.
Amelia Collins is by definition successful. She would even go so far as to say successfully single. But not according to her family, and she’s tired of the constant questions about her nonexistent dating life. When an invitation to yet another family wedding arrives, she decides to get everyone off her back once and for all by finding someone–anyone–to pose as her date.
After a chance encounter with Reginald Cleaves, Amelia decides he’s perfect for her purposes. He’s a bit strange, but that’s fine; it’ll discourage tough questions from her family. (And it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s very handsome.) For centuries-old vampire Reggie, posing as her plus-one sounds like the ultimate fun. And if it helps his ruse of pretending to be human, so much the better.
As Amelia and Reggie practice their fauxmance, it becomes clear that Reggie is as loyal to her as the day is long, and that Amelia’s first impressions could not have been more wrong. Suddenly, being in a real relationship with Reggie sounds pretty fang-tastic.
By day, Jenna Levine works to increase access to affordable housing in the American South. By night, she writes romance novels where ridiculous things happen to beautiful people. When Jenna isn’t writing, she can usually be found crying over k-dramas, starting knitting projects she won’t finish, or spending time with her family and small army of cats.
Enjoy the conversation with Jenna Levine and Jamie Wesley.