John Charles recently welcomed Jill Beissel and Jenn McKinlay for an event at The Poisoned Pen. Beissel’s new book is Glitter and Gold. Jenn McKinlay’s latest book, Witches of Dubious Origin, has been called a “enchanting cozy fantasy”. There are signed copies of both books available in the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the description of Glitter and Gold.

A suspenseful, female-driven adventure mystery set in the Arizona wilderness, Glitter & Gold explores friendship, betrayal, and a deadly treasure hunt—perfect for fans of Danielle Trussoni.

After her mother’s death, Delaney Byrne faces escalating debts and a sister to support. Their home is burglarized, hinting at her mother’s obsession with a hidden treasure in Arizona’s mountains. When her estranged best friend, Joss, proposes one final treasure hunt, Delaney is skeptical but desperate.

As they delve into the wilderness, Delaney and Joss navigate a maze of old betrayals and hidden dangers. Each clue they uncover draws them closer to the treasure but deeper into risk. Delaney vows not to repeat her mother’s mistakes, but the mountain’s perils are relentless, and trust is scarce.

Blending the high-stakes intrigue of Jane Harper’s The Dry with the atmospheric danger of Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game, Glitter & Gold is an adventure mystery about survival, buried secrets, and the price of chasing fortune and family across unforgiving terrain.

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Jill Beissel is a seasoned writer hailing from Phoenix. By day, she crafts compelling advertising copy; by night, she delves into fictional worlds.

Her stories explore the intricate dance between mothers and daughters and unravel the layers of female friendships, all set against atmospheric backdrops that keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Outside her worlds of words, Jill enjoys moments with her husband and two young kids, loses herself in riveting reads, sips on coffee, and secretly hopes for more rain showers in Phoenix—a true pluviophile in the heart of the desert.

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Heres the summary of Witches of Dubious Origin.

When a librarian discovers she’s descended from a long line of powerful witches, she’ll need all of her bookish knowledge to harness her family’s magic, in this enchanting cozy fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.

Zoe Ziakas enjoys a quiet life, working as a librarian in her quaint New England town. When a mysterious black book with an unbreakable latch is delivered to the library, Zoe has a strange feeling the tome is somehow calling to her. She decides to consult the Museum of Literature, home to volumes of indecipherable secrets, some possessing dark magic that must be guarded.

Here, among their most dangerous collection, the Books of Dubious Origin, Zoe discovers that she is the last descendant of a family of witches and this little black book is their grimoire. Zoe knows she must decode the family’s spell book and solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and her grandmother. However, the book’s potential power draws all things magical to it, and Zoe finds herself under the constant watch of a pesky raven, while being chased by undead Vikings, ghost pirates, and assorted ghouls.

With assistance from the eccentric staff of the Books of Dubious Origin department—including their annoyingly smart and handsome containment specialist, Jasper Griffin—Zoe must confront her past and the legacy of her family. But as their adventure unfolds, she’ll have to decide whether or not she’s ready to embrace her destiny.

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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.

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Enjoy the conversation with Jill Beissel and Jenn McKinlay.

John Charles recently welcomed Ellery Adams and Colleen Cambridge to The Poisoned Pen. Both authors have multiple series, but they appeared to discuss their new books. Adams’ latest one is The Tattered Cover. Cambridge’s new book is Two Truths and a Murder. There are signed copies of both books available in the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

The Tattered Cover is in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series.

It was a dark, rainy night at Nora Pennington’s Miracle Books when a mysterious death brings the Secret, Book, and Scone Society into the Halloween season on the trail of a murderer . . .

As the residents of Miracle Springs, North Carolina, select their costumes, plan parties, and get excited for a night of tricks or treats, Nora joins in on the festivities by hosting medium memoirist Lara Luz at the bookstore. Charismatic and compelling, Lara mesmerizes the audience with her life story. Struck by a bolt of lightning as a child, she was pronounced dead only to be resurrected with the ability to connect with those on the other side.

Lara performs a reading for a select group of bookstore patrons when the encroaching storm knocks out the power. In the sudden darkness, howling cold winds intensify, and Lara clutches her heart, collapsing dead without warning. But Nora doesn’t believe she died of natural causes. Not one member of the psychic’s reading group—which includes the town’s widower pharmacist, an urgent care nurse, a mystery author, and even truculent Deputy Hollowell—were admirers of Lara.

Nora confirms this when she stumbles upon Lara’s journal in the aftermath of her death. For within its leathery bound pages are the medium and her clients’ deepest and darkest secrets, written in code. Now, Nora and the Secret, Book, and Scone Society must sift through the suspects and their motives to uncover which one of them is a killer before he or she is tempted to strike again . . .

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Ellery Adams is the USA Today & New York Times bestselling author of over forty mystery novels. Ellery grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound but now writes from her home in central North Carolina. She considers herself “baked in the North and buttered in the South.” She loves rescue animals, jigsaw puzzles, coffee, black licorice, college football, reading on rainy days, wood-burning fires, and porch swings. To see her complete bibliography, as well as reading guides and bibliotherapy lists, please visit ElleryAdamsMysteries.com or find Ellery on Instagram @elleryadams.

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Colleen Cambridge’s Two Truths and a Murder is the latest in her Phyllida Bright mystery series.

Agatha Christie’s trusted housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, has become an amateur sleuth in her own right, using her little grey cells to solve crimes. When a party game leads to murder, she decides to crash the investigation in this latest sparkling mystery from Colleen Cambridge.

While her famous employer is happily back home at Mallowan Hall, wrestling with her Belgian detective’s dilemma on board the Orient Express, Phyllida is finding her local renown as a sleuth has put her in high demand. A distraught Vera Rollingbroke suspects her husband of infidelity and has invited Phyllida to a dinner party to observe his behavior, particularly in regard to one Genevra Blastwick.

What she does observe at the party is that Genevra craves attention, in contrast to her shy sister Ethel. Genevra introduces a game called Two Truths and a Lie, and one of her questionable statements is that she once witnessed a murder. At this bold claim, the guests react with disbelief and pepper her with questions. Genevra remains cagey, withholding details, but insists this is not her lie.

The next morning Phyllida learns poor Ethel was purposely run down by a motorcar the previous night while inexplicably walking home alone from the party. She fears Genevra may have been the target, which means someone at the party is a killer—twice over. A chilling thought. With Genevra in potential danger—and Inspector Cork proceeding ponderously as usual—Phyllida takes it upon herself to unmask the killer. With two murders to solve, she will need to grill Genevra and the guests as well as re-examine any past sudden deaths or disappearances. And if she’s smart, she’ll look twice before crossing the road . .

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Colleen Cambridge is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the American in Paris Mysteries, the Lincoln’s White House Mystery series, and the Phyllida Bright Mysteries, the first of which, Murder at Mallowan Hall, was an Agatha Award finalist and an Indie Next Pick. The first American in Paris Mystery, Mastering the Art of French Murder, was both an Indie Next Pick and a LibraryReads selection. An accomplished historian whose meticulously researched novels appeal to fans of historical fiction and mysteries alike, she also writes under the pennames C.M. Gleason, Colleen Gleason, and Alex Mandon. She lives in the Midwest and can be found online at ColleenCambridge.com.

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Enjoy the conversation with Ellery Adams and Colleen Cambridge.

Patrick King, science fiction and fantasy selector for The Poisoned Pen, recently hosted a virtual event with Mary Robinette Kowal and Sam J. Killer, authors of crime fiction set in a science fiction universe. There are copies of the Saga Double, Apprehension/Red Star Hustle available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/48Icjem

Here’s a little background.

Red Star Hustle Aran, a happy-go-lucky high-class escort, is on the run after he’s framed for the assassination of his famous filmmaker client. The last thing he needs is to fall for the studly and noble clone of a murderous puppet monarch while he’s trying to stay one step ahead of an ace bounty hunter, who is trying to keep a fatal secret from her toxic boss/mom, which means she can’t stop to worry about a little thing like whether her target might actually be innocent. Set within a universe of epic mech battles, and billions of human-made wormholes that make traveling to a distant star as easy as walking through a door or scheduling car service. This science fiction thriller by Nebula Award–winning author Sam J. Miller is a crisscross of heartbreak, addiction struggles, queer messiness, and resisting evil empires, coming together in a space-hopping fight with the whole damn galaxy.

Apprehension A family vacation arranged by Bonnyjean, a grieving mother, her son-in-law Jax, and her six-year-old grandson Tristan, quickly becomes disastrous as Tristan is kidnapped by a terrorist operation that is hoping to affect the planet’s upcoming elections between rival parties. They believe Bonnyjean was given a secret by the double agent who died in her arms. However, not only is this a deadly misunderstanding, but it’s also a dangerous one as Bonnyjean was last on Nahatanau when she was a special forces operative. Unfortunately, that was over thirty years ago, but she won’t let the years nor her bad hip get in the way of rescuing her grandson. Beloved Hugo Award–winning author Mary Robinette Kowal has crafted an intricate mystery of mistaken identity on an alien planet.

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Sam J. Miller’s books have been called “must reads” and “bests of the year” by USATODAY, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, and Oprah Daily, among others, and have been translated into nine languages. They’ve also been banned in Florida and stolen by AI. His work has won the Nebula, Locus, Shirley Jackson, and Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards, as well as the Astounding Award. He’s also the last in a long line of butchers. Sam lives in New York City, and at SamJMiller.com.

Mary Robinette Kowalis the author of the bestselling Lady Astronaut Universe, The Spare Man, Ghost Talkers,andThe Glamourist Histories series. She is part of the award-winning podcast Writing Excuses and a four-time Hugo Award winner. Her short fiction appears in Uncanny, Tor, and Asimov’s. Mary Robinette, a professional puppeteer, lives in Tennessee. Visit at MaryRobinetteKowal.com.

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Enjoy the conversation.

Pat King recently welcomed two authors for a live chat at The Poisoned Pen. Both Kathleen Donnelly and Margaret Mizushima appeared to talk about their new mysteries featuring K-9 rescue dogs. Kathleen Donnelly’s Colorado K-9 Rescue is the first in a new series. Margaret Mizushima’s Dying Cry is the tenth in her Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series. You can order signed copies of either book through the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the summary of Colorado K-9 Rescue.

A kidnapper’s twisted game is on.

And a trusty K-9 won’t let him succeed.

Years after being abducted, Mckenna Parker’s worst nightmare has come true—her kidnapper is out on parole. And he’s after her again. Now an FBI victim specialist, she and her crisis canine, Mocha, have been assigned to a case with FBI agent Evan Knox. Together they must find two local girls who disappeared. As passionate as Mckenna is about helping others, Evan is ambitious about his career. Both have sworn off love. But when Mckenna vanishes into the mountain wilderness, it’s Evan—with Mocha’s amazing help—who braves danger at all costs.

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Award-winning author Kathleen Donnelly is a retired K-9 handler for a private narcotics dog detection company. She enjoys using her K-9 experience to craft realism into her fictional stories. Kathleen lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and her four-legged co-workers. Visit Kathleen on her website at www.kathleendonnelly.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/AuthorKathleenDonnelly, follow her on Twitter @KatK9writer or find her on Instagram @authorkathleendonnelly

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Check out the description of Margaret Mizushima’s Drying Cry.

A killer lurks in Colorado’s snowy high country in Dying Cry, the tenth thrilling installment of award-winning author Margaret Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 mystery series.

Newlyweds Mattie and Cole Walker are teaching Cole’s daughters how to snowshoe in a remote canyon when a shattering scream pierces the air. They know that somewhere ahead, someone has been injured or worse. Cole takes the girls while Mattie and Robo go deeper into the canyon to search for the source of the scream. 

From a distance, Mattie and Robo see a shadowy figure at the base of a cliff, but a rockslide buries the person under layers of stone and shale before they can provide help. Desperate to uncover the individual in case they’re still alive under the rock, their efforts are in vain. The victim is already dead. When they investigate the canyon rim from which the person fell, they discover evidence that indicates the fall was no accident. To make matters worse, the victim was one of Cole’s friends. 

The Timber Creek County investigative team springs into action, uncovering a trail of greed that leads to a killer who threatens Mattie’s cherished new family and tests her with the most difficult task she’s faced in her duty as a K-9 handler.

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Margaret Mizushima served as past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and was elected Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She and her husband recently moved from Colorado, where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals, to a home in the Pacific Northwest.

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Enjoy the conversation with Kathleen Donnelly and Margaret Mizushima.

Pat King, Science Fiction and Fantasy selector for The Poisoned Pen, welcomed Adrian Tchaikovsky for a virtual event. Tchaikovsky’s new novella, Lives of Bitter Rain, is available through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4hk32eD

Here’s the description of Lives of Bitter Rain.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE HUGO AWARD FOR BEST SERIES 2025

City-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring ‘Perfection’ and ‘Correctness’ to an imperfect world. But before these ruthless Tyrant Philosophers send in their legions, they despatch Outreach – the rain before the storm.

Outreach is that part of the Pal machine responsible for diplomacy – converting enemies into friends, achieving through words what an army of five thousand could not, urging the oppressed to overthrow the bloody-handed priests, evil necromancers and greedy despots that subjugate them.

Angilly, twelve-years-old, a child of Pal soldiers stationed in occupied Jarokir, does not know it yet, but a sequence of accidents and questionable life choices will lead her to Outreach. As she travels from Jarrokir to Bracinta, Cazarkand, Lemas, The Holy Regalate of Stouk and finally, Usmai, she’ll learn that the price of her nation’s success is paid in compromise and lost chances, and that the falling rain will always be bitter.

LIVES OF BITTER RAIN is a novella in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s award-winning Tyrant Philosopher series. It is a prequel to the third novel in the sequence, DAYS OF SHATTERED FAITH.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky is a British science-fiction and fantasy writer known for a wide-variety of work including the Children of Time, Final Architecture, Dogs of War, Tyrant Philosophers and Shadows of the Apt series, as well as standalone books such as Elder Race, Doors of Eden, Spiderlight and many others. Children of Time and its series has won the Arthur C Clarke and BSFA awards, and his other works have won the British Fantasy, British Science Fiction and Sidewise Awards.

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Enjoy the conversation with Tchaikovsky.

Michael Connelly will be in Scottsdale, appearing for The Poisoned Pen, on Thursday, Oct. 23 for a live offsite event. His new Lincoln Lawyer novel is The Proving Ground. He’s appearing at The Scottsdale United Methodist Church, 4140 North Miller Road, Scottsdale. No tickets are required. The event is free and open to the public. You can buy books at the event, or you can order a signed copy through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4qkuEES

Critic Oline Cogdill has shared her review of The Proving Ground. It originally appeared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Book review: The Lincoln Lawyer is back in Michael Connelly’s engrossing ‘The Proving Ground’

The Proving Ground: A Lincoln Lawyer Novel’ by Michael Connelly; Little, Brown; 400 pages; $32

Attorney Mickey Haller — known as Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer character — believes “the proving ground” is the courtroom, where he makes his “final stand” on a case, and was at one time “sacred ground” to him.

“But now it seemed that nothing was sacred anymore. Not the rules of law, and not those who practiced it,” Mickey says.

That statement, both cynical and yet also oddly respectful of the legal profession, is indicative of the vagaries of the law and of Mickey Haller, who makes his eighth appearance in Connelly’s engrossing “The Proving Ground.”

As usual, Connelly’s book titles take on several meanings. The proving ground can refer to the courtroom, the incubation of a computer program, and how Mickey must prove he can manage his new career path to his clients and to himself. (The character is well-known from the 2011 movie starring Matthew McConaughey and an ongoing Netflix series.)

Mickey is no longer the Lincoln Lawyer, though it seems that everyone in Los Angeles knows him by that appellation. Mickey has given up lucrative criminal law in favor of civil law, which can be profitable but the payoff is slower. He still has a Lincoln, but only one and it’s “under a tarp” in his warehouse. These days he drives a Bolt.

In “The Proving Ground,” Mickey’s client is a mother whose 16-year-old daughter was murdered by her boyfriend when she tried to end the relationship. Mickey has filed a negligence suit against Tidalwaiv Technologies, which devised a chatbot companion for teenagers, especially teenage boys. Mickey asserts that the chatbot creators ignored ethics and guardrails to conceive a misogynistic Artificial Intelligence model that targeted impressionable teen boys. Hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake, but the mother has instructed Mickey not to settle just for money, no matter the figure. She wants a public apology and an assurance that safeguards will be put in place.

Among Connelly’s strengths: weaving current issues into his superb plots and making even the most complicated subjects understandable. One can’t get more timely than AI, nor more complex. Mickey admits the intricacies of AI are beyond him, so Connelly brings back Jack McEvoy, who was first introduced as a reporter in “The Poet” (1996) and is now author of three nonfiction books, each dealing with technological advances. “Advances that were taken advantage of by criminals and other unscrupulous people,” Jack says, introducing himself to Mickey.

Jack wants to work on the case with Mickey and his team. He requests no pay, but envisions a book, perhaps a movie, once the case is resolved. Jack does prove invaluable as the team wades through the swamp of AI minutia while making the reader understand the details of AI.

“The Proving Ground” moves briskly as devious attorneys, shadowy surveillance teams, witness intimidation and suspense fuel the plot. Connelly has always been able to make courtroom scenes vibrant, as he does in “The Proving Ground.”

Connelly has published two novels this year: “The Proving Ground” and “Nightshade” (which came out earlier this year and launched his new Catalina Series with Detective Stilwell, the second of which is planned for spring 2026).

Connelly’s precise look at the law and his return to Mickey Haller are most welcome.

Behind the plot

Michael Connelly often references his other characters in his novels, giving the reader the feeling that his characters inhabit the same universe, as their careers put them in close proximity in Los Angeles. Connelly’s perennial character, Harry Bosch, is Mickey Haller’s half-brother. Harry, his police officer daughter Maddie and Detective Renée Ballard make a cameo appearance in “The Proving Ground,” letting readers know what they’ve been up to.

Charles Todd’s latest Inspector Ian Rutledge novel is A Christmas Witness. You can order it as a gift for yourself or someone else through The Poisoned Pen’s Webstore. https://bit.ly/3IYxD4W Release date is Oct. 21.

Cogdill’s review first appeared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Book review: Return of detective Ian Rutledge in ‘A Christmas Witness’ is an early holiday gift

‘A Christmas Witness’ by Charles Todd; Mysterious Press; 216 pages; $23.99

Charles Todd presents an early holiday gift with “A Christmas Witness,” his latest Ian Rutledge novella.

Todd penned the first 25 Ian novels with his mother, Caroline. Written under the name Charles Todd and normally published annually, the duo’s books gave readers a glimpse of the trauma of World War I as seen by Ian, who after the war became a Scotland Yard detective. The series was paused when Caroline Todd passed away in 2021. (The co-authors’ second series about WWI nurse Bess Crawford also was paused.)

“A Christmas Witness” reestablishes the Rutledge series. Todd sets his story in 1921 and fills it with evocative scenery, a look at the change in British culture that WWI brought, and realistic characters.

“A Christmas Witness” finds Ian recently promoted to chief inspector. Still getting used to the new position, the detective will soon be moving into his new office. He’s planning to spend the Christmas holidays with his sister and her husband. But despite these plans, Ian is acutely aware of how alone, and lonely, he is. Ian also continues to struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or being shell-shocked, as it was called in the early part of the 20th century. He must continue to keep this secret because it is considered cowardice to admit this.

Because he is one of the few single men in the department, Ian is asked to travel to Kent to investigate Lord Braxton’s claim that a horse and rider tried to run him down, leaving him with a brain injury. WWI always will prey on Ian’s mind and Lord Braxton’s service as a high-ranking colonel in the war enters the investigation as the lord is convinced that someone will kill him before Christmas Day.

“A Christmas Witness” works as a solid police procedural and an emotional homage to Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Todd’s skill at returning to his perennial character without missing a beat adds to the strong plot of “A Christmas Witness.” It’s good to have this established character back.

Karla K. Morton and Alan Birkelbach are both former Texas State Poet Laureates. They appeared together at The Poisoned Pen to discuss and read from The National Parks: A Century of Grace. There are additional copies on their way to the bookstore. You can order a copy through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4qcjSAo

Here’s the summary of The National Parks: A Century of Grace.

Poets Karla K. Morton and Alan Birkelbach began this journey to celebrate our national parks’ one hundredth anniversary, but for these two poets the sojourns quickly became something greater than that. In their words, “As humans we have this tendency to look at a piece of land and see real estate. [But] when concrete covers all our natural spaces, not only do we lose earth’s creatures, we also lose the great teacher of our souls. You cannot sit beneath trees taller than the Statue of Liberty, or gaze upon vistas untouched since their creation, without feeling the awe and wonder of what the natural world has to offer. You cannot experience such beauty without being wholly changed. Our great-great-great-grandchildren deserve these untouched gifts.”

This journey, illustrated with gorgeous color photos of all of America’s grand national parks, is a feast for the eyes and heart. In the end, it is a plea for us to save these wonders for all future generations.

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Award-winning 2010 Texas Poet Laureate KARLA K. MORTON has twelve poetry collections. A national Wrangler Award winner, twice an Indie National Book Award winner, a Betsy Colquitt Award winner, and an E2C Grant recipient, Morton is widely published. She is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and Academy of American Poets. ALAN BIRKELBACH, a Texas native and author of eleven poetry books, is the 2005 Texas Poet Laureate. He is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and Academy of American Poets. Twice an Indie Book Award finalist, he is also a winner of a Spur Award for Best Western Poem from the prestigious Western Writers of America.

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Enjoy the event from The Poisoned Pen.

Jamie Lee Curtis was guest host for The Poisoned Pen’s virtual event with Patricia Cornwell. Cornwell’s latest Scarpetta novel is Sharp Focus. By now, there may not be any signed copies left, but you can still order a copy through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4mXaYnh

Here’s the description of Sharp Focus.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell “at the very top of her game,” a serial killer wreaks havoc on Northern Virginia, appearing as a ghostly apparition before striking—and Scarpetta must avoid becoming their next victim, with SCARPETTA soon to be a streaming series starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis. (David Baldacci)

NO ONE IS SAFE FROM THE SERIAL KILLER

NOT EVEN SCARPETTA…

During?the early hours of Christmas?morning, chief medical examiner?Dr.?Kay?Scarpetta receives?a chilling call. The Phantom Slasher?has struck again. 

The?serial killer has?terrorized?Northern Virginia for months. His pattern is?to stalk with a sophisticated technology that enables him to invade his victims’ homes and watch their every move.?They wake up to?a ghost-like hologram before being murdered?in their beds. 

Scarpetta?is summoned to?Mercy Island, the site of?a notorious?psychiatric hospital where two people have been brutalized, one of them from?Scarpetta’s?past. It soon becomes apparent that she?could be next… 

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Patricia Cornwell is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and widely considered one of the world’s top crime writers. In 1990,Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. An auspicious debut, it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity Awards, as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventures—the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Growing into an international phenomenon, the Scarpetta series won Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.

Today, Cornwell’s novels and iconic characters are known around the world. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written the definitive nonfiction account of Jack the Ripper’s identity, cookbooks, a children’s book, a biography of Ruth Graham, and three other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano, Andy Brazil, and Captain Calli Chase. Cornwell continues exploring the latest space-age technologies and threats relevant to contemporary life. Her interests range from the morgue to artificial intelligence and include visits to Interpol, the Pentagon, the U.S. Secret Service, and NASA.

Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston.

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Enjoy the conversation with two friends, Patricia Cornwell and Jamie Lee Curtis.