Marcia Clark was the most recent guest author at The Poisoned Pen. She’s the last guest author of 2024, so you might want to catch her discussion of her latest book, a nonfiction book called Trial by Ambush. There are still a few signed copies available through the Webstore, but it’s too late to get them before the holidays. If you want a copy, you need to know you’ll get it in 2025. https://bit.ly/41y4moG.
Here’s the summary of Trial by Ambush.
In this dramatic true account about the power of sensationalized crime, one woman’s case is exposed for its sexism, flagrant disregard for the truth, and, ultimately, the dangers posed by an unbridled prosecution.
Unwanted and neglected from birth, Barbara Graham had to overcome the odds just to survive. Her beauty was both a blessing and a curse—offering her too many options of all the wrong kind. Her innate sensitivity left her vulnerable to the harsh realities of the street, where she was left to fend for herself before she reached double digits. Her record of petty crimes spoke to a life that constantly teetered on the brink of disaster.
But in 1953, a catastrophic twist of fate would catapult her out of obscurity and into the headlines.
When a robbery spiraled out of control and escalated into a brutal murder, Barbara became the centerpiece of a media circus. Her beauty enraptured the press, and they were quick to portray her as a villainous femme fatale despite abundant evidence to the contrary—a fiction the prosecution eagerly promoted.
The frenzy of public interest and willful distortion paved a treacherous path for Barbara Graham. In Trial by Ambush, author and criminal lawyer Marcia Clark investigates the case exposing the fallacies in the demonizing picture they painted and the critical evidence that was never revealed.
California native Marcia Clark is the author of Final Judgment, Snap Judgment, Moral Defense, and Blood Defense, all part of the Samantha Brinkman series. A practicing criminal lawyer since 1979, Clark joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office in 1981, where she served as prosecutor for the trials of Robert John Bardo, convicted of killing actress Rebecca Schaeffer, and, most notably, O. J. Simpson. The bestselling Without a Doubt, which she cowrote, chronicles her work on the Simpson trial. Clark has been a frequent commentator on a variety of shows and networks, including Today, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and MSNBC, as well as a legal correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.
James R. Benn has nineteen Billy Boyle World War II mysteries, and you can find the current one, along with the backlist through The Poisoned Pen’s Webstore. https://bit.ly/41CsiHv. Dana Stabenow recently reviewed the latest in the series, The Phantom Patrol. There are signed copies still in stock. You might want to consider copies for yourself or a loved one with planned arrival after the holidays.
Here’s Stabenow’s review of The Phantom Patrol.
Six months after D-Day, Captain Billy Boyle, Eisenhower’s special agent, is in Paris laying a trap for a group called the Syndicat made up of deserters from everyone’s armies who are stealing everything that isn’t nailed down (which is most everything in the aftermath of the invasion and the liberation of France et al) and selling it for profit.
Except…maybe that isn’t all that is going on, and where Billy’s concerned it usually isn’t. All the usual suspects, Kaz, Mike, Harding, Uncle Ike himself are present and accounted for, along with new characters including J.D. Salinger, at present an agent for the Army’s Office of Special Intelligence
“Hey, Captain Boyle,” Salinger said. “I wish you hadn’t plugged that guy. We could have interrogated him.” “There was a lot of shooting,” I said. “I thought asking nicely wouldn’t be very effective.”
and a delightfully extended cameo appearance by Major David Niven*, inadvertently seconded from General Montgomery’s staff.
“What the hell! Has Monty sent reinforcements?” asked a GI taking cover in the doorway. “For this little dustup? I doubt you need our help, Private,” Niven said. “How long as it been going on?” “Since dawn, sir,” he said. “Say, ain’t you…?” “Yes, I am. Basil Rathbone, at your service. Now, where can I find your intelligence section?”
Billy is under fire for most of the narrative and the sound of bullets singing past his ears is a great motivator to discover just what the hell is going on, how it relates to his investigation of art thefts, and who the real target is. Naturally, no one at a command level including his boss, Major Harding, believes him when he figures it out and he is left to stop the perps himself, with only Kaz and some, ah, volunteers as backup.
I scrambled to my feet, fear sending me flying forward in one, two, three great strides before I dove and hit the ground. The explosion was a loud pop as the igniter charges went off and released the burning phosphorus at white-hot temperatures. I jumped up and ran as soon as I realized the truck had absorbed the hit from the Willie Peter, which normally would have spread nearly twenty yeards in every direction. I don’t know what went wrong, but I was glad I’d gotten out quickly.
As you will be, because this battle ain’t half over yet. This is perhaps Benn’s best fight scene in all 19 books (although, Sicily and Billy going up against the Panzer division is a close second). His investigation takes Billy and gang to the front lines at the very beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, where Benn does not stint on the horrors of war. The slaughter of US soldiers in the act of surrendering is hard to read, as is the death of [spoiler], whom I liked entirely too well to see the end of, dammit.
I consider myself fairly well read on the events of World War II but Benn always finds something I never heard of. Here it is the Einheit Stielau commando unit, the Nazi force that fielded English-speaking soldiers dressed in American uniforms to spread confusion and fear among the Allied ranks while killing as many of them as possible, whose mission the author turns distinctly to his plot’s advantage.
I really liked Benn’s last Billy Boyle novel, Proud Sorrows, which is a WWII country house murder removed from the scene of battle. The Phantom Patrol may be Benn’s best book set in war. But you should read them all, starting with Billy Boyle, and do not miss the acknowledgements pages in the backs of all the novels. I mean, he doesn’t really have to make much up.
*If you have yet to read David Niven’s two autobiographies, The Moon’s a Balloon and Bring on the Empty Horses, allow me to urge you to do so. They are hands down the best Hollywood biographies you’ll ever read, and I’m guessing by far the most honest.
Author Dana Stabenow recently reviewed A Grave in the Woods by Martin Walker. There are signed copies of this Bruno, Chief of Police novel available in the Webstore, along with Walker’s other books. But, don’t expect them by December 25. Shipping deadlines mean it’s too late. But, give it to yourself or someone else as a gift after the holidays! https://bit.ly/47rtL3v.
Here’s Stabenow’s review of A Grave in the Woods.
Of Martin Walker’s 17 Bruno novels, all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed (especially the food) this feels like the one that was written straight from the heart. The past is always very much present in these books, but here a secret grave revealing the raped and murdered corpses of two young German women and a murdered Italian officer from the last year of World War II feels somehow more real and more immediate than anything he has written before. Fabiola, the local doctor, in her words.
“My tentative initial conclusion is that each of these women died as a result of a broken neck, cause unknown.” She turned off the microphone and placed a hand on the skull that lolled to one side. Then she stood silently for a long moment before turning to face Bruno and the other men with cold fury in her eyes. “…the fact that they were naked and their necks deliberately broken provokes the inevitable assumption that they were raped and murdered, like so many women in so many wars in so much of our human history…” The four men stood silently as she left, their eyes downcast, not glancing at one another and not following Fabiola as she walked toward the bridge…
The discovery provokes a response from the citizens of St. Denis, its department, France, Italy, and Germany that surprises everyone, but which the mayor as is his wont turns to St. Denis’ advantage by creating a memorial to all the dead of that war. Which action also greatly interferes with Bruno, still in recovery from his wounds from the previous book, investigating a cryptocurrency crime (is there anything other than crime in stories, fact or fiction, about cryptocurrency?) involving a young American divorcée newly moved to France. Which crime of course has international implications and makes J.J. and the general especially cranky.
Later, at dinner at the baron’s, when singers Rod and Amélie debut a song about the newly discovered dead in the hearing of the children and grandchildren of the people who fought the war to end all wars, Bruno himself is provoked to long and deep thought.
Mon Dieu, how that war lives in us, its heirs, Bruno thought. How much it gave the Americans the conviction that they had a duty to save the world. And how it gave the Russians a mission to save, not socialism, but the historic sense of Russia as the land that had saved Europe from the Mongol hordes in medieval times and saved them again from the Nazis in the twentieth century. We live still in the shadow of that war, seek to learn its lessons, talk of a better world in which such grief and loss and torment can never return.
Cue any headline of news of Europe today. As always, an enjoyable read (with whackamole love interest Isabella mercifully restricted to a single phone call) and a breakneck denouement in the middle of an epic flood, but also a thoughtful look at the history of present day realities in Europe, the place that has given and taken so much from the rest of us over the last two millennia. Recommended.
A Snake in the Barley is the fifteenth book in Candace Robb’s Owen Archer series. She appeared virtually for The Poisoned Pen to talk about the latest book, but Barbara Peters and Patrick Millikin from the bookstore both mentioned Robb’s earlier books in the series. You can order the latest book, and the earlier ones in the series, through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3Bmflqp
Here is the description of A Snake in the Barley.
Where is taverner Tom Merchet? Owen Archer unearths a series of troubling secrets and a dangerous foe intent on retribution when his good friend goes missing.
“A standout . . . Robb reinforces her place among the top writers of medieval historicals” – Publishers Weekly Starred Review
York, 1377. Owen Archer is determined to find his friend, taverner Tom Merchet, who has been missing for five days. His wife, Bess, is frantic with worry.
AN ENIGMATIC STRANGER.
Who is the elusive Widow Cobb that Tom was seen visiting? And who is the man spotted following Tom before he vanished? As Owen hunts for clues, Bess decides to visit the widow’s lodgings and makes a terrifying discovery.
RETRIBUTION IS BREWING . . .
Owen digs up past sins and long-buried secrets that answer some of the questions surrounding Tom’s disappearance. But who is the sly and malevolent figure intent on destroying his friend, and why? A shocking confession will rock Owen to his core . . .
An action-packed, evocative and masterfully plotted medieval mystery in the critically acclaimed Owen Archer series, perfect for fans of C.J. Sansom, Ellis Peters and Paul Doherty.
Candace Robb has read and researched medieval history for many years, having studied for a Ph.D. in Medieval & Anglo-Saxon Literature. She divides her time between Seattle and the UK, frequently visiting York to research the series. She is the author of eleven previous Owen Archer mysteries and three Kate Clifford medieval mysteries.
Enjoy the fascinating conversation about British history and the medieval mystery.
Most of you will recognize the name of our guest reviewer, Dana Stabenow. Stabenow is the author of the award-winning, bestselling Kate Shugak series. The first book in the series, A Cold Day for Murder, received an Edgar Award. Now, Stabenow is reviewing some of the backlist from The Poisoned Pen. Check the Webstore here to order a copy of Lindsay Jayne Ashford’s The Woman on the Orient Express.https://bit.ly/4gqCcA1.
Full disclosure: I distrust most novels that feature real world famous people. The writers are too often excessively deferential toward their main character, resulting in more of a hagiography than a novel about a real person.
But I’m happy to report that this is not that book. It’s 1928 and Agatha Christie is on the run from her failed first marriage and the crushing attention from the press that came with it. She is planning to escape to the Caribbean and then she sees an article about Leonard Woolley’s archeological discoveries in Syria. So she boards the fabled Orient Express train from Paris to Istanbul, with Damascus as her final destination.
I do love me a great setting, and Ashford might have been the set designer for the 1974 film of the Christie novel.
The excitement of boarding the train gave way to exquisite relief as she climbed up a tapestry-covered ladder and slipped between damask sheets…
The headwaiter seated Agatha with her back to the engine and asked whether she would prefer Indian or Chinese tea. He went to fetch it while she perused the menu: eggs Benedict, kedgeree, or pancakes with maple syrup?…The newspaper, carefully ironed, was laid out beside silver cutlery that glinted where the sun caught it…
I mean, lead me to it. But Agatha isn’t the only single woman traveling on the Orient Express.
As she lifted the monogrammed porcelain cup to her lips, she spotted a girl at the table opposite.
In fact there are two other women traveling alone on that journey, all bound for Damascus, and each of them have deep-held secrets that will radically change all three of their lives, some for the better, and some…not.
She thought abut how she had pleaded with Archie to stay when he told her about his affair. How she had begged him to give their marriage another chance, to stay for three more months before making a decision. She remembered awful that had been, how cold he was toward her and the rows they had had. Things had become to bad that if she entered a room, he would get up and leave…Eventually, she saw that by trying to cling to him, all she had done was prolong the agony. There were no half measures with Archie.I can’t stand not having what I want, and I can’t stand not being happy. Everybody can’t be happy–somebody has got be unhappy. He’d said it time and again during those three months.
Which tells us everything we need to know about Archie, but all three women are suffering from one man-related malady or another. Suffice it to say that the male character you would least expect to show up does, and does so in whole-hearted and heart-warming style.
Ashford waxes even more lyrical about the desert landscape of the Middle East than she does about the Wagon-Lits service on board the train.
“Oh, look!” Katharine knelt up in bed, her nose against the glass. “It’s the Cilician Gates!…It’s the pass through the Taurus Mountains. Alexander the Great brough his army through here in 333 BC, and Saint Paul passed through his way to visit the Galatians. The train always stops to let people get out and admire the view.”… “It’s like standing on the rim of the world!” Nancy took Agatha’s arm. The rock beneath their feet dropped almost vertically. They were looking out at a vast plain, hazy with mist in the early sunshine…As she gazed at the vast plain below, the colors changed before her eyes, from a milky violet blue to smoky gray to a pale yellow green.
and
There was something about being in the desert, at daybreak, with the colors of the dawn–pale pinks, corals, and blues–and the pure, cool air that gave everything a sense of wonder…This was what she had dreamed of. Here, in this barren landscape, she was truly away from everything–with the silent morning air, the rising sun, the sand for a seat, and the taste of sausages and tea.
Part tripartite romance, part travelogue, partly a short version of Bonehead Archeology, and a thoroughly enjoyable read, after which you will as I did google for images of the Cilician Gates and Bahr al Milh and Ukhaidir.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, asked Ian K. Smith to talk about his background writing nonfiction about nutrition and diet. He also discussed his Ashe Cayne novels set in Chicago where he lives. Signed copies of his current one, Eagle Rock, is available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4fnMrEt.
Here’s the summary of Eagle Rock.
Billionaire Elliott Kantor, who ruled over a mammoth real estate portfolio in Chicago, was a creature of habit. His trainer came to his house three mornings every week for a five-thirty workout. By six-thirty he was in the car and his driver drove him down into the city where he’d get a shave and trim from his barber every morning, then head over to his offices on Wacker. He always ate breakfast at his desk, had two young assistants who tended to his every whim and demand, then spent all day in and out of meetings growing a business that had already made him one of the wealthiest men in the country.
There were few surprises in his world. Or so everyone thought, until Kantor died in his sleep at age 77, leaving behind a vast fortune and grieving wife, son, and five grandchildren.
When Simon Kantor enlists Ashe Cayne to explore his father’s death, the probing private investigator learns there was plenty of “activities” Elliott participated in after hours, including a sex traffic ring. And as Ashe and readers will discover this is only the beginning, and as our hero dives deeper and deeper into Elliott’s hidden world, this may be the end for the intrepid Mr. Cayne.
Ian K. Smith is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Shred: The Revolutionary Diet, as well as Super Shred: The Big Results Diet, Blast the Sugar Out!, The Clean 20, and many other books. His novels include the award-winning The Blackbird Papers and The Ancient Nine, as well as the first three Ashe Cayne Novels: The Unspoken, Wolf Point, and The Overnights. Dr. Smith is a graduate of Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.
Enjoy Ian K. Smith’s first in-person appearance at The Poisoned Pen.
We just shared Oline Cogdill’s list of Best Mysteries of 2024. Now, with her permission, we’re sharing her Best Debuts and Story Collections of 2024. First, debuts, in alphabetical order. (Links to the Webstore for your convenience are included.)
A couple expecting their first child in two weeks moves to a small Cotswolds town they’ve never visited and into a house they only saw online in The Expectant Detectives. There, they are caught up in the murder of a local shop owner. Wry humor bounces on each page. To say the couple is unprepared for parenthood is an understatement. https://bit.ly/3ZqAbgr.
Two sisters whose lives stalled the night their mother disappeared without a trace 15 years ago face a new uncertain future when her skeleton is found in Knife River. The sisters’ investigation superbly mixes with a thoughtful look at family bonds as the two women begin to appreciate each other while dealing with grief and their mental health strides. https://bit.ly/3ZKm3jv.
A private detective is hired to find a missing businessman suspected of stealing millions of dollars from his construction firm. Twice the Trouble packs in the action as it explores the streets of Orlando, its myriad neighborhoods and the nearby small towns. Central Florida has long needed a new voice in mysteries. https://bit.ly/41nmsJC.
Smoke Kings is a bold, provocative and at times uncomfortable look at race, loyalty and the consequences of revenge as four friends decide to avenge the racially motivated murder of a teenager. They plan to kidnap the descendants of those who committed hate crimes, then force them to make reparations to the victims’ family. https://bit.ly/49fEVcg.
Sometimes, you don’t get what you want, but you get what you need. In Booked for Murder, a woman puts aside her failed career as an actress to move to a small Georgia town where her recently deceased aunt has left her a bookstore. Small-town grudges and feuds abound. https://bit.ly/4ijl9S5.
Blood in the Cut is a confident, hard-charging look at South Florida gentrification, family ties, Cuban-American culture and the changing landscape of Miami with a deep tour of the Everglades. A young man seeks redemption for his criminal past while grappling with who he is and how the three years he spent in prison have changed him. https://bit.ly/4g4Xxz2.
SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS
A rockin’ collection wrapped around the Australian band AC/DC’s album “Back in Black”. https://bit.ly/41idSMq.
The title alone predicts excellence, and the latest in this annual collection of “The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024” delivers with superior tales by top and emerging writers. These include Megan Abbott, Tananarive Due, Jordan Harper, Gar Anthony Haywood, Toni LP Kelner, Lisa Unger, among others. https://bit.ly/4irjJ85.
These 11 stories use Hanukkah to shadow events that occur around the Jewish holiday rather than its religious significance. Hanukkah — like most holidays that invite family gatherings, personal reflection and uncomfortable realities — can bring out the best and worst in people. Savor the dark, yet energetic stories in Eight Very Bad Nights as you light the menorah. https://bit.ly/3ZkqTCu.
These chilling yet poignant 13 linked stories in Highway Thirteen deliver a unique look at how a small Australian community reels from the aftermath of a killer. The murderer, who died in prison, is named but never shown. Instead, the focus is on the aftermath of havoc, evil and, especially, the trauma of those left behind. https://bit.ly/41rLdED.
Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel Correspondent, puts a great deal of thought and effort into her selections for Best Mysteries of the Year. She’s allowing us to share this year’s post. You can find links to the Webstore for each book.
2024 wraps up another stellar year for crime fiction. Rich plots, diverse and fully realized characters, and vivid settings punctuated these stories. The landscapes ranged from metropolitan cities to rural areas. The emphasis on family relationships were a major part of myriad mysteries.
Once again, narrowing down the favorites in crime fiction of 2024 was difficult, and devising this list truly is an act of love. Happy reading.
Cogdill’s #1 pick is one I’ve seen on a number of lists this year, including Goodreads pick as Mystery of the Year.
In The God of the Woods, a wealthy family’s sense of entitlement, troubled history, two missing children and a dark woods lead to an unpredictable path of intense suspense in this tightly coiled novel that seamlessly moves from the 1950s to 1975. Moore’s nonlinear plot follows a banking family from the time they bought land for a camp in the Adirondacks, showing how each generation used and discarded the people who worked for them. Readers will want to wander into these woods. https://bit.ly/4g1zBga.
The Waiting finely illustrates the Bosch legacy that Michael Connelly has constructed. Retired L.A.P.D. Detective Harry Bosch, his smart, tenacious daughter Maddie Bosch, now a police officer with ambitions of becoming a detective, and Renée Ballard’s cold case unit each take center stage. This valentine to Los Angeles takes readers to various neighborhoods while delving into the City of Angels’ past, including its crime history. https://bit.ly/4gnCmZ2.
An expert at solving puzzles is hired by the Imperial family of Japan to open the legendary Dragon Box, which has been sealed since it was built in 1868. No one has survived attempts to open the box loaded with lethal traps. The plot of The PuzzleBox combines Asian culture, female samurai and lots of puzzles. https://bit.ly/481u31U.
Miss Marple meets the Bad Seed in Havoc when a meddling old woman and a malicious 8-year-old boy wreak chaos in a shabby-chic Egyptian hotel. The vivid setting is matched by the fully fleshed out characters and mischievous pranks that accelerate. https://bit.ly/41llUnA.
Attica Locke wraps up her trilogy about Black Texas Ranger Darren Matthews by mining his emotional landscape in Guide Me Home. He wrestles with his inner demons as he tries to prove to himself that he’s the kind of man he believes he is. In this final outing, Darren considers the twin uncles who raised him, the Rangers who gave him a career and his manipulative mother — and why he is estranged from each. https://bit.ly/4gprYA2.
Alex Segura returns to the comic book world with Alter Ego, an evocative look at how art is created, finance, sexism and the joy of loving your profession and the pain when it doesn’t love you back. A comic book artist turned filmmaker is offered the chance to be the lead artist on the reboot of “The Legendary Lynx,” the female superhero who had a limited but vital publication during the 1970s. Questions of who actually came up with the Lynx become lethal. https://bit.ly/4g1do1K.
A Black retired cop turned private investigator has been out of the game so long people think he’s dead. Then he’s hired by a woman to find her missing executive husband in Don’t Let the Devil Ride, the launch of a new series set in Memphis. This global story sharply moves from Memphis, Turkey and Paris, involving the cult of Elvis, an antiques dealer, a scam artist, Russian and French criminals and a Southern evangelist. https://bit.ly/4cI5PuJ.
In The Hitchcock Hotel, an uber Alfred Hitchcock fan — whose name also is Alfred — has built his life and business around his obsession with the filmmaker. His eponymous hotel that bears a striking resemblance to the Bates’ house in “Psycho” is filled with trinkets and clues from Hitchcock’s films. What could go wrong when he invites his closest college friends for a four-day weekend? A unique riff on the locked-room mystery. You can check in, but checking out is another matter. https://bit.ly/4eg1wba.
In The Rivals, a private investigator obsessed with mystery fiction works for a company that verifies the identities of online dates. She’s caught up in corporate espionage and an AI conspiracy while dealing with her traditional Chinese mother. https://bit.ly/3ZC5pCu.
Land schemes and heirs’ property rights, especially those that target lower-income communities, are the foundation of What You Leave Behind. With a thought-provoking, timely plot, the novel is about racism, grief, rebuilding your life when your world has fallen apart and putting aside preconceived notions, set in the Gullah-Geechee culture. https://bit.ly/3VuC62m.
A former getaway driver is pulled out of retirement to help find a female mob boss based in L.A. in Double Barrel Bluff. Ever notice that retirement doesn’t exist in these novels? The kidnappers are clueless, thinking they have kidnapped a wealthy female tourist. They have no idea what they’ve gotten themselves into. https://bit.ly/4inrewO.
A woman who wants too much from life but has achieved so little may finally have found the love of her life — a successful financial adviser who takes her on their first getaway. Their Airbnb has great views of Manhattan but they are two of the only three Black people on the block where numerous posters and flyers about the “missing white woman” are plastered throughout the charming neighborhood. The plot of Missing White Woman touches on racism, social media and true-crime fanatics. https://bit.ly/41mS1TX.
The search for a dormant serial killer drives the plot of California Bear, but the heart of this story is the loving relationship between a father and his daughter and how he will sacrifice anything to show his support of her. The plot centers on an unconventional police procedural, solid character studies including that of one bright teenager, and an emotional look at families. https://bit.ly/3HtU8ub.
A solid police procedural, Agony Hill excavates how the changing times of 1962 affect the landscape of a small Vermont town and its residents. The murder of a despised farmer jumpstarts this new series that shows how the residents are interconnected. The challenge of rural life adds to the superb tension. https://bit.ly/3ONlNJW.
Set in a chicken processing plant in northwest Arkansas, Eli Cranor’s third novel concentrates on the use and abuse of power, delving into the issues of workers’ safety and the perpetuation of poverty. Yet Broiler reveals deeper themes than pitting the haves vs. the have-nots. At the heart, two women must each find their inner strength. https://bit.ly/49sEPij.
The death of a young mother plunges her dysfunctional family into a morass of grief, guilt and an uncertain future in I Dreamed of Falling, a suspenseful family thriller. The economic decline of a small town emerges as an allegory for the characters’ ennui about their lives. https://bit.ly/3B3nOym.
Two sisters fear a dismal future if they don’t escape from their small Missouri town in Safe and Sound. Leaving will be the scariest action the sisters will ever take as they are still haunted by the disappearance six years before of their cousin Grace, who had firm plans, even a secured college scholarship. The story touches on small-town malaise, sisterly love, ambition and how some people can be threatened by another’s modest goals. https://bit.ly/4g1fXko.
Jonathan Santlofer, who is a highly respected artist, paints a broad canvas as he steeps his plot in contemporary and historical art concerns, including Nazi-looting and the efforts of Resistance fighters to smuggle valuable art out of occupied Paris. Briskly plotted, The Lost van Gogh also delves into character studies of Luke and Alexis. Each of their families were involved in high-profile art crimes. https://bit.ly/3Vs5lm6.
S.J. Rozan and debut author John Shen Yen Nee team up for The Murder of Mr. Ma, a clever homage to Holmes set in 1924 London. Well-known Judge Dee Ren Jie has come to London to investigate the murder of Mr. Ma, whom he knew during WWI while serving in the Chinese Labour Corps. Vivid details about the period include the rampant prejudice against the Chinese that affected business, housing and other aspects of life in London, including the growing interest in Chinese antiques and goods. Dee wryly observes, “The current fashion for our art does not, it seems, translate to a fashion for our persons.” https://bit.ly/3xBlSv8.
There’s a tie for Number Twenty.
Trouble Island is a historical novel inspired by a real island in the middle of Lake Erie that became a stop-off for criminals running between the U.S. and Canada in 1932. The murder of a Prohibition gangster’s wife prompts her maid to investigate. https://bit.ly/3ZmmIpH.
New York City in 1911 makes an evocative background for this portrait of early 20th Century author Edith Wharton, a close look at New York high society and publishing, precarious even then. Female authors were treated differently, their talents often underrated. The idea that a woman such as Edith Wharton dare negotiate her royalties was shocking. Above all, The Wharton Plot is a very personal look at this famous novelist, her struggles as a writer, her crumbling marriage and her rather solitude life. https://bit.ly/3ZgYZr2.
Check back tomorrow for Oline Cogdill’s picks for debuts and short story collections.
Oline Cogdill is a Raven Award winner and mystery critic. This article is used with her permission.
Meet Deb Lewis, shown above with Craig Johnson, author of the Longmire books. Deb is the newest member of The Poisoned Pen staff. She’s a former publishing sales rep. British mysteries, western mysteries. historical fiction and sci-fi fantasy are her favorites and she would love to hear your recommendations. Deb can be reached at Deb@poisonedpen.com.
Deb contributed to the Staff Picks for December. Here are her selections, with links to the Webstore.
We Three Queens
(Berkley, Nov 2024)
On the heels of her event with Poisoned Pen, this installment of the Royal Spyness mysteries by Rhys Bowen is a delight and should definitely be on my shelf. https://bit.ly/3CxiHHs.
Booked For Murder
(Minotaur Books, Dec 2024)
First in a new series: and written by PJ Nelson (a pseudonym for who?) this book has all the elements for a cozy winter read: a young heroine returning to a small town to run a quaint bookstore inherited from her departed dear Aunt, threatening phone calls, a mysterious fire, ghostly visits, a handsome fireman and a handsome police detective, and plenty of plots twists and turns to keep the pages moving. I have a feeling I will want to read all of The Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery series. https://bit.ly/4ijl9S5.
Witchcraft For Wayward Girls
(Penguin, Jan 2025)
Horror master Grady Hendrix does it again in this emotionally rich tale about wayward, pregnant teens and the controlling adults in the 1970’s House “protecting” them. A found book about witchcraft and an emerging coven of hormonal teens: what could possibly go wrong? The contrast between powerful and powerless, in the hands of a master. https://bit.ly/3Vs6dYd.
The Rivals and The Verifiers
(Vintage paperback, Dec 2024)
The Rivals is a sequel to Jane’s surprise hit from 2022: The Verifiers. Once again, we get a thoroughly modern take on the spy game, with lots of nods to spy and thriller tropes that true mystery fans will appreciate. Such a fun series! https://bit.ly/3ZC5pCu.
The Stolen Queen
(Penguin, Jan 2025)
NYT bestselling author Fiona Davis delivers a top notch historical mystery with a missing Met artifact, an Egyptian curse and two strong women determined to discover the truth. https://bit.ly/41Exniz.
Watch for more reviews from Deb, as well as other people in the near future.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, recently welcomed five authors for Legacy Night at the bookstore. All the authors have picked up a series that was originated by another author. You can find their books in the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
Don Bentley, the evening’s moderator, is the author of Vince Flynn: Capture or Kill, a Mitch Rapp story.
Mitch Rapp faces an Iranian foe bent on destabilizing the Middle East in the newest thriller from Vince Flynn’s #1 New York Times bestselling series that answers the question Vince Flynn fans have been asking for thirteen years: what role did Mitch Rapp play in the operation to Capture or Kill Osama bin Laden?
April 2011: On a remote mountaintop overlooking the remains of the Iranian nuclear weapons program, Azad Ashani witnesses a Quds Force demonstration of a capability meant to upend America’s war in the Middle East. Ashani, director of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security and Irene Kennedy’s former back channel to the Iranian government, recognizes the demonstration’s true significance, and the nation-ending conflict it will provoke. Alone, Ashani stands no chance of preventing this rush to madness.
But with the help of one man, he just might.
In Washington, DC, CIA director Irene Kennedy briefs the president that the operational window to kill or capture Osama bin Laden at his recently discovered compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan is rapidly closing. But before he’ll authorize a commando raid on Pakistani soil, the president demands irrefutable proof of bin Laden’s presence.
Proof he trusts just one man to provide.
Preventing a looming war in the Middle East while delivering justice for the nearly 3,000 Americans killed on 9/11 would be a big ask for anyone.
Mitch Rapp isn’t just anyone.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn (1966–2013) created one of contemporary fiction’s most popular heroes: CIA counterterrorist agent Mitch Rapp, featured in thirteen of Flynn’s acclaimed political thrillers. All of his novels are New York Times bestsellers, including his stand-alone debut novel, Term Limits.
Don Bentley is the New York Times bestselling author of multiple books in several series including the Matt Drake novels, the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Jr. series, and now the Mitch Rapp series. Don is a former FBI Special Agent, SWAT team member, and Army Apache helicopter pilot. Learn more at DonBentleyBooks.com.
Andrews and Wilson discussed Tom Clancy: Defense Protocol, the new Jack Ryan novel.
The stakes are sky-high when a power-mad Chinese president threatens Taiwan in the #1 New York Times bestselling Jack Ryan series.
For decades, Taiwan has been a thorn in the side of the Chinese government. An independent nation to the rest of the world, it is considered a rogue province by the PRC. Previous governments have tried to conquer the island using economic force and diplomatic pressure, but new Chinese President Li Jian Jun is done fooling around. He’s devised a secret military operation to take the island. Only one man knows how to stop Li’s mad and bloody plan for reunification and that’s Minister of Defense Qin Haiyu. Fearing for his life and the safety of his family, Qin covertly makes contact with the CIA in Beijing and signals his desire to defect to the West.
To get Qin out, John Clark creates an international task force reminiscent of Rainbow Six and goes undercover in mainland China. Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Katie Ryan is deployed to the tip of the spear on the destroyer USS Jason Dunham to defend Taiwan. Threatened by an encircling Chinese armada, she’s under pressure to find a flaw in the invaders’ plan for her father to exploit.
For his part, President Jack Ryan may have the power of the entire US military at his disposal, but what he really needs are Li’s secret plans from Defense Minister Qin so he can stave off a war. Because America’s Defense Protocol could lead to a game of mutual destruction that could cost the lives of thousands of young soldiers, sailors, special operators as well as his daughter.
Thirty-five years ago, Tom Clancy was a Maryland insurance broker with a passion for naval history. Years before, he had been an English major at Baltimore’s Loyola College and had always dreamed of writing a novel. His first effort, The Hunt for Red October, sold briskly as a result of rave reviews, then catapulted onto the New York Times bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it “the perfect yarn.” From that day forward, Clancy established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp suspense. He passed away in October 2013.
Navy veterans Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson (Andrews & Wilson) are the writing team behind the bestselling Tier One, Sons of Valor, and Shepherds book series. Brian is a nuclear engineer and Park Leadership Fellow who served as an officer on a fast-attack submarine. Jeff is a vascular surgeon and jet pilot who conducted combat operations with an East Coast–based SEAL team. In addition to writing books, they have multiple film & television projects under development with partners at Skydance, Walden Media, Picturestart, Sony, Endeavor Content, and Imagine Entertainment.
Brett Battles talked about Stuart Woods: Golden Hour.
Former CIA operative Teddy Fay returns for another heart-pounding Hollywood-fueled adventure in this latest installment in the New York Times bestselling series.
Teddy Fay is ready to embark on the European press tour of Peter Barrington’s latest film Storm’s Eye, when he receives an unexpected visit from Lance Cabot, director of the CIA. Several CIA agents have been turning up dead. The commonality? They were all part of a mission Teddy was involved in: Golden Hour. Lance wants Teddy to use his trip as a cover to investigate who is behind these killings.
From Venice and Budapest to their last stop at a film festival in Berlin, Teddy must dodge excited fans, enamored women, and a few too many assassins who seem dead set on tracking down Golden Hour agents. And if Teddy doesn’t work fast enough, his identity—and life—might just be the next target in the killer’s ruthless plot for revenge.
Stuart Woods was the author of more than ninety novels, including the #1 New York Times bestselling Stone Barrington series. A native of Georgia and an avid sailor and pilot, he began his writing career in the advertising industry, Chiefs, his debut in 1981, won the Edgar Award. Woods passed away in 2022. StuartWoods.com
Brett Battles is the New York Times bestselling author of more than forty novels, including the Jonathan Quinn, Rewinder, Project Eden, and Night Man Chronicles series. He is a three-time Barry Award nominee, winning for Best Thriller in 2009 for his novel The Deceived.
While Bentley wrote about Jack Ryan, M P Woodward discussed Tom Clancy: Shadow State about Jack Ryan, Jr.
Surviving a helicopter crash in the Vietnamese Highlands is only the start of the challenges facing Jack Ryan, Jr., in the latest propulsive thriller of this #1 New York Times bestselling series.
The vibrant economy of the new Vietnam is a shiny lure for Western capital. Companies are racing to uncover ideal opportunities. Not wanting to be left behind, Hendley Associates has sent their best analyst, Jack Ryan, Jr., to mine for investment gold. And he may have found some in a rare earth mining company—GeoTech.
But a trip with a Hendley colleague to the Highlands to observe the company’s operations takes a treacherous turn when their helicopter is shot down. Some things haven’t changed, and Vietnam is still the plaything of powerful neighbors. The Chinese are determined to keep Jack from finding the truth about what exactly is being processed at the isolated factory.
Now Jack is in a race for his life. He’s got to stay one step ahead of a pack of killers while supporting his wounded friend. He’ll get no help from the government, because in the jungle, it’s the shadow state that rules.
Tom Clancy was the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than eighteen books. He died in October 2013.
M. P. Woodward is a veteran of both US intelligence ops and the entertainment industry. As a naval intelligence officer with the US Pacific Command, he scripted scenario moves and countermoves for US war game exercises in the Middle East. In multiple deployments to the Persian Gulf and Far East, he worked alongside US Special Forces, CIA, and NSA. After leaving the Navy, Woodward ran international distribution marketing for Amazon Prime Video. Today, he is a full-time writer based in Washington State.
If you’re a fan of these series and the authors, you’ll enjoy the event.
