SJ Bennett is up to the fourth book in Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series. It was launched with The Windsor Knot. You can order all the books in the series through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/409rZkN

The latest book in the series is A Death in Diamonds. While author Dana Stabenow reviews the new book below, it’s also recommended by staff of The Poisoned Pen, including owner Barbara Peters, John Charles, and blogger Lesa Holstine. Here’s the link to order the new book. https://bit.ly/409rZkN

Here’s Dana Stabenow’s review of A Death in Diamonds.

A Death in Diamonds

by S.J. Bennett

It’s 1957, twelve years after the end of World War II, and the second Elizabeth sits on the throne of England, a woman of thirty who swore to God to serve her nation her whole life long, a husband who struggles with finding a role as her consort, and two children. Who takes precedence, the woman, the wife, or the queen? (Spoiler alert: The Queen. Always and ever, the Queen.)

She is also, in this construct, a pretty good detective. Her public appearances abroad are being sabotaged, which sabotage could only be organized by someone within her closest circle. There has also been a double murder in Chelsea, one of the victims a member of a high end stable of prostitutes hired because of their resemblances to famous women, including her sister Margaret. Worse, the circumstances of the murders may implicate someone in the royal family. 

Scotland Yard seems neither as enthusiastic or as capable as they should be in their pursuit of the murderers and Elizabeth is unfortunately beset by courtiers inherited from her father (nicknamed “the mustaches”) who are outwardly determined to protect her from every ill wind. She becomes aware that their tender concern might be more about concealing their master plan to keep the Queen from moving the throne into the twentieth century, instead keeping it and the United Kingdom safely mired in the imperial past.

The thing about the sabotage of her state visits was that it was an act against her job. It was a job she had sworn to do for the rest of her life, in Westminster Abbey, surrounded by the great and the good and watched by millions on television and, more importantly, God, and nobody on earth could take it more seriously than she did.

Bennett does a great job of writing about Elizabeth the woman as an attractive and intelligent and real human being, and ably depicts what must have been the constant tension between her public and private lives. There are other great characters, too, including Detective Sergeant Darbishire and typist and disgraced war hero Joan McGraw. The notes exchanged by Elizabeth and Joan are coded masterpieces worthy of Bletchley, Joan’s alma mater. MI5 gets involved and as is their wont manages to confuse everyone, except Elizabeth, of course.

Bennett does a wonderful job of mixing fact with fiction, displaying a level of craft comparable to the always superb Jane Austen mysteries by Stephanie Barron. Here Elizabeth, a jazz fan, is introduced to Duke Ellington.

The Queen beamed at him. “How wonderful to meet you, Mr. Ellington.”
“Likewise, ma’am.”
“Is this your first visit to London?” Philip asked him.
“No, sir…I remember I played four-hand piano with your uncle, the Duke of Kent.”
“Was he any good?”
“Not bad, for a prince.”

That meeting did happen, a year later, as Bennett says in her Afternotes. Like James R. Benn in his Billy Boyle series, Bennet writes a great and informative acknowledgment. Interesting  characters who all learn and grow over the course of the narrative, some truly awful bad guys, lots of great settings (love the French bringing Elizabeth the Mona Lisa while she’s sitting at a banquet in the Louvre so she can see it for the first time), and a solid plot that makes nothing but sense, especially Elizabeth’s solving of it and identifying the murderer. Just remember, it’s all about the women. Elizabeth does, and enacts a truly Solomonian and entirely Elizabethan (twentieth century style) justice on the perpetrators. It is certainly justice for what they tried to do to Joan, and I want to believe that is part of the Queen’s motivation. Recommended.

Jayne Ann Krentz makes regular appearances at The Poisoned Pen, but she hasn’t appeared live here since 2019. On Sunday, Jan. 12, Krentz will be here at 2 PM. She’ll discuss and sign her third book in her Lost Night Series, Shattering Dawn. You can still order copies of the first two books in the series, Sleep No More and The Night Island. https://bit.ly/3WbFHT7.

You can order signed copies of Krentz’ latest book, Shattering Dawn, through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3PrgHUb

An unsettling investigation teaches two deeply suspicious people how to trust in the next thrilling novel of the Lost Night Files trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz.

Amelia Rivers, a member of the Lost Night Files podcast team, hires private investigator Gideon Sweetwater to catch the stalker who has been watching her. Amelia suspects the stalker may be connected to the shadowy organization responsible for the night that she and her two friends lost to amnesia—a night that upended their lives and left them with paranormal talents.

Gideon suspects that Amelia is either paranoid or an outright con artist, but he can’t resist the chemistry between them. He takes the case despite his skepticism. For her part, Amelia has second thoughts about the wisdom of employing the mysterious Mr. Sweetwater. She is wary of the powerful attraction between them, and deeply uneasy about the nightmarish paintings on the walls of his home. She senses they were inspired by his own dreamscapes.

Amelia knows she doesn’t have time to find another investigator, and Gideon is forced to reckon with the truth when he disrupts what was intended to be Amelia’s kidnapping. Now the pair is on the run, with no choice but to return to the haunting ruins of the old hotel where Amelia’s lost night occurred. They are desperate to stop a killer and the people who are conducting illegal experiments with a dangerous drug that is designed to enhance psychic abilities. If they are to survive, they will have to trust each other and the passion that bonds them.

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Jayne Ann Krentz is the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She has written contemporary romantic suspense novels under that name and futuristic and historical romance novels under the pseudonyms Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick, respectively.

Yesterday, I mentioned that John Charles is hosting a Historicon on Saturday, January 11 at 2 PM. Three of the authors who will appear are published by Kensington. Their books are available through the Webstore, and signed copies of their latest mysteries will be available. https://store.poisonedpen.com/.

Dianne Freeman’s latest mystery is An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder.

The current book is the seventh in the Countess of Harleigh mysteries that began with A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder. You can order the earlier books through the Webstore, too. Here’s the summary of the new book.

Filled with Victorian-era intrigue for readers of Rhys Bowen, Deanna Raybourn, Tasha Alexander, and Julia Seales, Dianne Freeman’s Agatha Award-winning series takes a delightful jaunt to the City of Light as Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, encounters a murder scene at the Paris Exposition.

Frances and her husband, George, have two points of interest in Paris. One is an impromptu holiday to visit the Paris Exposition. The other is personal. George’s Aunt Julia has requested her nephew’s help in looking into the suspicious death of renowned artist Paul Ducasse. Though Julia is not entirely forthcoming about her reasons, she is clearly a woman mourning a lost love.

At the exposition, swarming with tourists, tragedy casts a pall on the festivities. A footbridge collapses. Julia is among the casualties. However, she was not just another fateful victim. Julia was stabbed to death amid the chaos. With an official investigation at a standstill, George and Frances realize that to solve the case they must dig into Julia’s life—as well as Paul’s—and question everything and everyone in Julia’s coterie of artists and secrets.

They have no shortage of suspects. There is Paul’s inscrutable widow, Gabrielle. Paul’s art dealer and manager, Lucien. Julia’s friend Martine, a sculptress with a jealous streak. And art jurist, Monsieur Beaufoy. The investigation takes a turn when it’s revealed that George has inherited control of Julia’s estate—and another of her secrets. While George investigates, Frances safeguards their new legacy, and is drawn further into danger by a killer determined to keep the past buried.

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Clara McKenna’s sixth Stella and Lyndy mystery is Murder at Glenloch Hill. This series kicked off with Murder at Morrington Hall.

Set in Edwardian Britain, American transplant Stella, and British aristocrat, Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst take a weekend trip to the Scottish countryside and learn how sinister bad sportsmanship can be when a prestigious golf tournament becomes a deadly game of murder . . .

Along with cheering on her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Freddie Kentfield, at The British Open in Scotland, Stella embraces the chance to connect with her distant cousins, the McEwens, at their grand estate, Glenloch Hill. But she and Lyndy don’t receive the warm welcome they expect when their arrival is marred by missing luggage, evasive hosts, and the perceived mistreatment of a young laundry maid. Adding to the tense atmosphere, Freddie’s roguish father, Sir Edwin, appears at the manor uninvited, his presence casting a shadow over the events—and stirring up more unanswered questions . . .

As golf clubs swing on the green, so do Lyndy’s fists in an uncharacteristic outburst. Chaotic circumstances take a dark turn when Sir Edwin is found bludgeoned outside the laundry house—the maid waiting beside the body, no murder weapon in sight—and all eyes on Lyndy . . .

Suddenly caught in a whirlwind of kilts, elite golfers, and deadly rumors, Stella rushes to protect Lyndy’s innocence and save herself from real danger. But can she both navigate the unspoken rules at Glenloch Hill and survive a cutthroat competition against a killer who will stop at nothing to win?

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Rob Osler launches a new series with The Case of the Missing Maid.

The acclaimed author of the Anthony, Agatha, Macavity, and Lefty Award-nominated Devil’s Chew Toy delights with the first in a new historical mystery series set in turn-of-the-19th-century Chicago, as America is entering its Progressive Era and Harriet Morrow, a bike-riding, trousers-wearing lesbian, has just begun her new job as the first female detective at the Windy City’s Prescott Agency…

Chicago, 1898. Rough-around-the-edges Harriet Morrow has long been drawn to the idea of whizzing around the city on her bicycle as a professional detective, solving crimes for a living without having to take a husband. Just twenty-one with a younger brother to support, she seizes the chance when the prestigious Prescott Agency hires her as its first woman operative. The move sparks controversy—with skeptical male colleagues, a high-strung office secretary, and her boss, Mr. Theodore Prescott, all waiting for her to unravel under the pressure . . .

Only an hour into the job, Harriet has an assignment: Discover the whereabouts of a missing maid from one of the most extravagant mansions on Prairie Avenue. Owner Pearl Bartlett has a reputation for sending operatives on wild goose chases around her grand estate, but Harriet believes the stunningly beautiful Agnes Wozniak has indeed vanished under mysterious circumstances—possibly a victim of kidnapping, possibly a victim of something worse . . .

With Mr. Prescott pushing a hard deadline, Harriet’s burgeoning career depends on working through a labyrinth of eccentric characters and murky motives in a race to discover who made Agnes disappear. When her search leads to Chicago’s Polish community and a new friendship in Agnes’s charming older sister, Barbara, clues scattered across the city slowly reveal just how much depends on Harriet’s inexperienced investigation for answers . . . and the deep danger that awaits once she learns the truth.

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Mark your calendar so you can meet the authors on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 2 PM.

John Charles is hosting a Historicon with four authors on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 2 PM. Tomorrow, I’ll discuss the books by the other three authors, but today’s post highlights Jeri Westerson, author of The Isolated Seance and The Mummy of Mayfair. You can order copies of both books, and Westerson’s King’s Fool mysteries and Crispin Guest historical ones through the Webstore. Westerson will be promoting The Mummy of Mayfair on Jan. 11, so there are signed copies available. https://bit.ly/421aoOv.

Westerson kicked off her Irregular Detective mysteries with The Isolated Seance.

*Westerson, Jeri. The Isolated Seance ($18.99). Lesa reviews: “What happens to Sherlock Holmes’s street urchins, the Baker Street Irregulars, when they outgrow their usefulness? Timothy Badger follows in the footsteps of his mentor and becomes a consulting detective. As much as Badger tries, he only occasionally stumbles on a clue, so he partners with Benjamin Watson, a Black man who has turned his hand to a little of everything. They’re desperate for a successful case when Holmes sends Thomas Brent to them. Brent was valet to Horace Quinn until the night Quinn held a séance in his house. The oil lamp went out, and by the time Brent found a light, Quinn was dead with a knife in his chest. It’s a tough case for the duo as they’re followed by a determined woman reporter and trace a suspect to a Travellers’ camp; while investigating, Badger ends up in jail and has to be bailed out by Holmes. Westerson writes about Victorian street life and desperation in a pastiche relieved by humor.”

She also writes the 14th Century Crispin Guest mysteries and the Henry VIII era King’s Fool series and brings us the sequel to that on January 11 with Rebellious Grace (Severn $29.95).

Elvis Cole, a fan favorite, is back in Robert Crais’ The Big Empty. You’ll want to pre-order a copy through the Webstore after you read Oline Cogdill’s review. https://bit.ly/4h4a4mF.

Oline Cogdill, special correspondent for “The Sun Sentinel”, shared her review. Crais’ Elvis Cole retruns, at least, in ‘The Big Empty’.

The Big Empty’ by Robert Crais. Putnam, 400 pages, $30 

Readers expecting an annual installment of a beloved mystery series may feel a void when those characters are missing for a couple of years, like Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole novels, the last of which was “Racing The Light” in 2022.

So welcome back, Elvis, and, of course, his partner Joe Pike — do NOT call him a sidekick — as Crais reunites his private detectives in the lean and agile “The Big Empty.”  Crais’ brand of melding sly humor with a hard-boiled story driven by the smart-mouthed Elvis and the taciturn yet lethal Pike hasn’t stalled during the three-year absence.

In “The Big Empty,” L.A. private eye Elvis is hired by Traci Beller, a 23-year-old influencer whose prowess in baking has brought her 8.2 million followers. “The Muffin Girl,” as fans call Traci, already has a series of cookbooks and merchandise but is poised for even more success.

But Traci also has an emptiness that brought her to Elvis. Ten years ago her father, Thomas, disappeared without a trace. The van for his heating and air-conditioning company, which  he owned with his brother, was never found following his last job. No trace of Thomas has ever been found, despite other high-profile detective agencies Traci has hired. Traci also has never quite forgiven her mother for seeming to move on so quickly after Thomas vanished. Her mother calls Thomas’ disappearance Traci’s “curse.”

Elvis finds ignored witnesses while retracing Thomas’ last steps as he and ex-Marine Pike uncover a conspiracy that leads to an ex-con, her daughter and a group of criminals.

“The Big Empty” is vintage Crais, with a plot that starts simple then turns dark, taking myriad twists leading to an unpredictable finale. Elvis still revels in his snarky humor — yes, he still uses the Mickey Mouse landline in his office — but also is completely serious and professional at his job. As for Joe Pike — let’s just say he’s the person you want on your side. The friendship and respect Elvis and Pike have for each other continues to be a driving force. The action is believable, yet restrained.

Crais set a solid course for Elvis beginning with his 1987 debut “The Monkey’s Raincoat,” which was nominated for an Edgar Award. “The Big Empty,” Elvis’s 20th outing, continues Crais’ high standards.

BEHIND THE PLOT: Robert Crais’ journey to Elvis began when he wrote scripts for TV series such as “Hill Street Blues” (which brought him an Emmy nomination), “Cagney & Lacey,” “Miami Vice” and numerous series pilots and movies of the week. Crais was inspired to create Elvis Cole, using elements of his own life, following the death of his father in 1985, according to his website. “The Monkey’s Raincoat” received the Anthony and Macavity Awards, was nominated for the Edgar Award and is listed on “100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century” by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. “The Monkey’s Raincoat” launched Crais’ penchant for mixing dry humor with hard-boiled action as well as a sense of poignancy, such as the scene in which Elvis helps a middle-aged woman write her first check after her husband’s disappearance.

Originally Published: December 31, 2024 at 10:10 AM EST

Dana Stabenow recently read and reviewed Agatha Christie’s Marple by Mark Aldridge. You can still order a copy of this nonfiction book through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4gTrG57.

Here’s Stabenow’s review of the book.

I’m no Christie scholar, or even a Miss Marple one, but I am a Jane fan, much more than an Hercule one as I found Poirot’s ego and affectations hard to take.* I’ve read all the Marple books and I think all the short stories. I’ve seen some of all the Marple television series but every single one of the episodes starring Joan Hickson multiple times.

This book is a worthy effort to collect all the stories around the Marple stories and put them into a timeline that lasts, good lord, nearly a century now. It includes interviews with friends and family and editors and agents, excerpts from the very few interviews Christie would consent to during her lifetime, and memories from cast and crew of almost all of the productions. There are lovely little discursions in the various chapters on the novels, as here from the story about At Bertram’s Hotel.

The real star of the novel is Bertram’s itself. It has often been argued that the hotel was based on Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair, while Dorothy Olding thought it might have been the Connaught in the same area…One person who believed the hotel to be Brown’s was Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien, who was inspired to stay in the hotel after reading the novel, where he encountered his own mystery: the sound of of footsteps in the corridor. Deciding to investigate, he then found himself locked out of his room.

Aldridge makes a solemn promise at the beginning not to spoil any of the plots and he doesn’t let the reviewers he quotes spoil, either, but you’ll still get a picture of how Christie’s work was received at time of publication. There is also a sense of the evolution of how crime fiction was thought of then and now, from critics initially viewing it solely as frothy entertainment to accepting it as a respectable art form. Not to mention a cultural phenomenon.

*Always with the exception of my all time favorite Christie novel, Murder on the Orient Express, of course. If you haven’t seen the 1974 film starring the best ensemble cast of any film ever on any size screen, do so at once.

It’s worth waiting to read Deb Lewis’ January reviews. You can order or pre-order all the books she mentions through the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/. And, watch for those authors’ event links who will be appearing at The Poisoned Pen soon.

The Lost House by Melissa Larsen  $28,00

Agnes adored her grandfather, loved him more than her father, to be honest. When a true crime podcaster reaches out to her family to investigate why her grandfather fled Iceland, presumed to be the murderer of his wife and baby daughter, Agnes travels from sunny San Francisco to dark and chilly rural Iceland to find out the truth. Family secrets revealed, and the long shadows of previous crimes come to light. I love this kind of mystery, where each conversation brings you a little closer to the truth, and reveals a little more about Agnes to herself. http://Website link to buy.

Power of Persuasion by Stacey Abrams, writing as Selena Montgomery 

Politics, public service, an unlikely romance and AI all combine together in this re-introduced story for Abrams fans. She never disappoints. http://Website link to buy

She Doesn’t Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke  $17.00 

This delightful paperback adult debut by Jenny Elder Moke is the perfect mashup of romance and mystery: a locked room murder on an isolated island full of lust, longing, duplicity and a hunky Australian. The main character, bestselling author Kate, receives a mysterious invitation to her former fiance’s wedding, and chaos ensues. Every romance trope and setup are skillfully woven into the plot: poisonings, drownings, secret passages and wild animal chases included. Can Kate solve the murder before the murder is pinned on her?  Great fun. http://Website link to buy
Event Jan 14 

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer   $20.00

Aa instant bestseller when published in November 2024, this follow up from the author of Braiding Sweetgrass, is a bold challenge to us all to re-orientate ourselves from a hungry society to one build around gratitude, reciprocity and community, as it is in the indigenous natural world. So inspiring. https://tinyurl.com/c5z9nc58

And for those of us who cannot wait for the next installment of CBS’s TRACKER, the book that started it all: 

The Never Game by Jeffrey Deaver $10.99

The son of a survivalist family, Colter Shaw is an expert tracker. Now he makes a living as a “reward seeker,” traveling the country to help police solve crimes and locate missing persons for private citizens. http://Website link to buy

While The Poisoned Pen is closed on January 1, you can always check out the Webstore for books to order in the future. https://store.poisonedpen.com/.

Watch this space in 2025 for more reviews from Dana Stabenow and Deb Lewis, as well as events from The Pen. I hope you’ll come back in this new year! Happy New Year!

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, called Sally Smith’s A Case of Mice and Murder “A brilliant English mystery debut”, one of her favorites of 2024. Author Dana Stabenow loved it. You might want to pre-order a copy through the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/5cfdjeds.

Here’s Stabenow’s review of A Case of Mice and Murder(The Trials of Gabriel Ward).

For any fan of British police procedurals, even if the crime is set in 1901 and the current London police are less Dalgliesh and more Dalziel, only not as smart.

And it wouldn’t matter anyway because the murder happens in the Temple, that cloistered fifteen acres in the heart of London where British law was studied and practiced, and still is, and where the police are not allowed to enter, and still aren’t. Yes, you read that right.

But back to 1901, where the Lord Chief Justice is murdered, his body left where Sir Gabriel Ward, barrister, stumbles across it on his way into work one morning. To his further horror, Gabriel is placed in charge of the investigation, with a not-so-veiled threat of being dispossessed of his chambers if he refuses.

Which is going to interfere with his defense of publisher Herbert Moore, who four years before printed a children’s book, Millie the Temple Church Mouse, which has become an unexpected hit, relieved all of Moore & Sons’ debts, and provided a comfortable living for him and his family, not to mention has supported the Temple Church by vastly increasing its congregation.

Millie the Mouse, born in a hole in the round nave of the Temple Church to loving mouse parents, had grown up to become, thanks to her early exposure to the beauties of the Temple services, a devout mouse dedicated to performing acts of kindness for the congregation. These acts, necessarily limited in scope by her species and size, nonetheless assumed saintly proportions in the hands of Miss Cadamy.

(One gets the distinct feeling that Smith had even more fun writing the story of Millie than she did the story of Gabriel.)

The difficulty lies in the authorship of the book, which was left on Moore & Sons doorstep in a plain brown wrapper with no identification of its author other than a name, Harriet Cadamy, that Moore could not trace to any living person. Now a claimant to the rodentiary throne has materialized and Moore & Sons are being sued.

And now Gabriel, with the assistance of an inexperienced but promising young constable who nevertheless shows promise, vide his name, Wright, is set to the additional and equally onerous task of ferreting out the Lord Chief Justice’s murderer. Which, never fear, he does, although it certainly pries him out of his comfort zone, and out of the Temple, which he hasn’t left in forty years.

The scenes in court are worthy of Michael Gilbert

Mr. Justice Anderson, a judge of great experience and little patience, entered, and looked characteristically at the clock in order to convey that not a moment of court time was to be wasted.

And not forgetting the scenes in chambers.

She…leaned across the desk, her bosom perilously close to the inkwell. Gabriel backed against his bookshelves.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, and a pretty good mystery, too. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.