I’m aging myself when I say I read all the mysteries by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo in the early ’70s. Amish Raj Mulmi’s wrote an article for Scroll.in, “Before Lisbeth Salander: The couple that invented Nordic with the Martin Beck series of books”. If you’re interested in the history of Scandinavian crime writing, or crime fiction in general, you’ll want to read this article. https://bit.ly/2MgQsOX

While there’s a slight delay in getting copies of Roseanna, the first in the Martin Beck series, most of the others are easily available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2ASTJzA

Curious? Here’s the summary of Roseanna.

With a New Introduction by Henning Mankell. The masterful first novel in the Martin Beck series of mysteries by the internationally renowned crime writing duo Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (“the best writers of police procedurals in the world”), finds Beck hunting for the murderer of a lonely traveler.

On a July afternoon, a young woman’s body is dredged from Sweden’s beautiful Lake Vattern. With no clues Beck begins an investigation not only to uncover a murderer but also to discover who the victim was. Three months later, all Beck knows is that her name was Roseanna and that she could have been strangled by any one of eighty-five people on a cruise. As the melancholic Beck narrows the list of suspects, he is drawn increasingly to the enigma of the victim, a free-spirited traveler with a penchant for casual sex, and to the psychopathology of a murderer with a distinctive–indeed, terrifying–sense of propriety.

Yesterday, I mentioned that Nick Petrie was going to appear with Matthew Quirk at The Poisoned Pen on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7 PM. Quirk’s latest novel is The Night Agent. You can order his books, including a signed copy of The Night Agent, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2RP7yZj

Here’s the description of The Night Agent.

“Plenty of breathless one-more-chapter, stay-up-late suspense wrapped around a meaty and timely story … irresistible.”
   — Lee Child

To find a Russian mole in the White House, an FBI agent must question everything. . . and trust no one

To save America from a catastrophic betrayal, an idealistic young FBI agent must stop a Russian mole in the White House in this exhilarating political thriller reminiscent of the early novels of John Grisham and David Baldacci.

No one was more surprised than FBI Agent Peter Sutherland when he’s tapped to work in the White House Situation Room. From his earliest days as a surveillance specialist, Peter has scrupulously done everything by the book, hoping his record will help him escape the taint of his past. When Peter was a boy, his father, a section chief in FBI counterintelligence, was suspected of selling secrets to the Russians—a catastrophic breach that had cost him his career, his reputation, and eventually his life. 

Peter knows intimately how one broken rule can cost lives. Nowhere is he more vigilant than in this room, the sanctum of America’s secrets. Staffing the night action desk, his job is monitoring an emergency line for a call that has not—and might never—come. 

Until tonight.

At 1:05 a.m. the phone rings. A terrified young woman named Rose tells Peter that her aunt and uncle have just been murdered and that the killer is still in the house with her. Before their deaths, they gave her this phone number with urgent instructions: “Tell them OSPREY was right. It’s happening. . . “

The call thrusts Peter into the heart of a conspiracy years in the making, involving a Russian mole at the highest levels of the government. Anyone in the White House could be the traitor. Anyone could be corrupted. To save the nation, Peter must take the rules into his own hands and do the right thing, no matter the cost. He plunges into a desperate hunt for the traitor—a treacherous odyssey that pits him and Rose against some of Russia’s most skilled and ruthless operatives and the full force of the FBI itself. 

Peter knows that the wider a secret is broadcast, the more dangerous it gets for the people at the center. With the fate of the country on the line, he and Rose must evade seasoned assassins and maneuver past jolting betrayals to find the shocking truth—and stop the threat from inside before it’s too late.

*****

Do you want a hint as to what you might hear on Thursday night? The Real Book Spy asked Matthew Quirk five questions earlier this week. You can find that interview here. https://bit.ly/2D9zTkU

Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7 PM, the Poisoned Pen will host Nick Petrie, author of the Peter Ash novels, and Matthew Quirk, author of The Night Agent. Petrie will discuss and sign his latest, Tear It Down. Tear It Down is the current Hot Book of the Week at the Poisoned Pen. You can order signed copies of the books by both authors through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the summary of Petrie’s Tear It Down.

In the new edge-of-your-seat adventure from national bestselling author Nick Petrie, Peter Ash pursues one case–and stumbles into another–in the City of the Blues.

Iraq war veteran Peter Ash is restless in the home he shares with June Cassidy in Washington State. June knows Peter needs to be on the move, so she sends him to Memphis to help her friend Wanda Wyatt, a photographer and war correspondent who’s been receiving peculiar threats. When Peter arrives in Memphis, however, he finds the situation has gone downhill fast–someone has just driven a dump truck into Wanda’s living room. But neither Wanda nor Peter can figure out why.

At the same time, a young homeless street musician finds himself roped into a plan to rob a jewelry store. The heist doesn’t go as planned, and the young man finds himself holding a sack full of Rolexes and running for his life. When his getaway car breaks down, he steals a new one at gunpoint–Peter’s 1968 green Chevrolet pickup truck. 

Peter likes the skinny kid’s smarts and attitude, but he soon discovers that the desperate musician is in far worse trouble than he knows. And Wanda’s troubles are only beginning. Peter finds himself stuck between Memphis gangsters–looking for Rolexes and revenge–and a Mississippi ex-con and his hog-butcher brother looking for a valuable piece of family history that goes all the way back to the Civil War.

*****

Curious? Do you want to hear a little more before the event on Thursday night? Doug Miles recently interviewed Nick Petrie, discussing Tear It Down on “Talk Across America”. https://youtu.be/VEFExoyU3X4

The New York Times Fiction Best Seller list contains some familiar names for Sunday, January 20. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs’ just appeared at The Poisoned Pen. Their latest Pendergast novel, Verses for the Dead, debuts at #2. Michael Connelly’s Dark Sacred Night is still on the list after nine weeks. Did you get your signed copies at a Poisoned Pen event, or through the Web Store? https://store.poisonedpen.com

Here’s one to watch for. Tami Hoag’s latest thriller, The Boy, debuts at #11. Hoag will be at The Poisoned Pen on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 7 PM, appearing with Taylor Adams, author of No Exit. You might want to pre-order your signed copy of The Boy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2CkeeFe

Here’s the description of The Boy.

An unfathomable loss or an unthinkable crime? #1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag keeps you guessing in her most harrowing thriller yet.

A panic-stricken woman runs in the dead of night, battered and bloodied, desperate to find help . . .

When Detective Nick Fourcade enters the home of Genevieve Gauthier outside the sleepy town of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana, the bloody crime scene that awaits him is both the most brutal and the most confusing he’s ever seen. Genevieve’s seven-year-old son, KJ, has been murdered by an alleged intruder, yet Genevieve is alive and well, a witness inexplicably left behind to tell the tale. There is no evidence of forced entry, not a clue that points to a motive. Meanwhile, Nick’s wife, Detective Annie Broussard, sits in the emergency room with the grieving Genevieve. A mother herself, Annie understands the emotional devastation this woman is going through, but as a detective she’s troubled by a story that makes little sense. Who would murder a child and leave the only witness behind?

When the very next day KJ’s sometimes babysitter, twelve-year-old Nora Florette, is reported missing, the town is up in arms, fearing a maniac is preying on their children. With pressure mounting from a tough, no-nonsense new sheriff, the media, and the parents of Bayou Breaux, Nick and Annie dig deep into the dual mysteries. But sifting through Genevieve Gauthier’s tangled web of lovers and sorting through a cast of local lowlifes brings more questions than answers. Is someone from Genevieve’s past or present responsible for the death of her son? Is the missing teenager, Nora, a victim, or something worse? Then everything changes when Genevieve’s past as a convicted criminal comes to light. 

The spotlight falls heavily on the grieving mother who is both victim and accused. Could she have killed her own child to free herself from the burden of motherhood, or is the loss of her beloved boy pushing her to the edge of insanity? Could she have something to do with the disappearance of Nora Florette, or is the troubled teenager the key to the murder? How far will Nick and Annie have to go to uncover the dark truth of the boy?

Did you miss Brad Taylor when he was here earlier this month, touring for the latest Pike Logan thriller? You can still order a signed copy of Daughter of War through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2Ch7R5C

Here’s the description of Daughter of War.

Former Special Forces Officer and New York Times bestselling author Brad Taylor delivers a heart-pounding thriller featuring Taskforce operators Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill as they come face to face with a conspiracy where nothing is as it seems.

Hot on the trail of a North Korean looking to sell sensitive US intelligence to the Syrian regime, Pike Logan and the Taskforce stumble upon something much graver: the sale of a lethal substance called Red Mercury.

Unbeknownst to the Taskforce, the Syrians plan to use the weapon of mass destruction against American and Kurdish forces, and blame the attack on terrorists, causing western nations to reassess their participation in the murky cauldron of the Syrian civil war.  

Meanwhile, North Korea has its own devastating agenda: a double-cross that will dwarf the attack in Syria even as it lays the blame on the Syrian government. Leveraging Switzerland’s fame for secrecy and its vast network of military bunkers, now repurposed by private investors for the clandestine storage of wealth, North Korea will use Red Mercury to devastate the West’s ability to deliver further sanctions against the rogue regime. 

As the Taskforce begins to unravel the plot, a young refugee unwittingly holds the key to the conspiracy. Hunted across Europe for reasons she cannot fathom, she is the one person who can stop the attack–if she can live long enough for Pike and Jennifer to find her.

*****

And, here’s where you can pretend you’re part of the live audience that watched Barbara Peters, owner of the Poisoned Pen, in conversation with Brad Taylor.

The Poisoned Pen is hosting Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanent, authors of An Anonymous Girl on Wednesday, January 16 at 7 PM. Before you read more, maybe you want to take the “Morality Quiz”. “The quiz is very similar to the morality study main character Jessica Farris sneaks her way into in the book.” Here’s the link to the fun quiz. https://www.yourmoralitycompass.com/quiz

*****

Once you’ve played, you can pre-order a signed copy of An Anonymous Girl through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2CHeoYz

Here’s the description of the book.

The next novel of psychological suspense and obsession from the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us

Seeking women ages 18″“32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed.  

When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave. 

Question #1: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?

But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking…and what she’s hiding. 

Question #2: Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?  

As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.

Question #3: Should a punishment always fit the crime? 

From the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us comes an electrifying new novel about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone.

Praise for The Wife Between Us:

“A fiendishly smart cat-and-mouse thriller” —New York Times Book Review

“[A] seamless thriller that will keep readers on their toes to the very end…Readers will enjoy the dizzying back-and-forth as they attempt to figure out just who to root for and as the suspense ratchets up to one hell of a conclusion.” —Booklist

Did you miss the Verses for the Dead event hosted by Barbara Peters, owner of the Poisoned Pen? Douglas Preston appeared live with her, while Lincoln Child joined the group via Skype. Here’s the picture shared in the most recent newsletter. It’s Douglas Preston collapsing, exhausted, after signing the last thousand copies of Verses for the Dead.

If you’d like to order a signed copy of the latest Pendergast novel, check the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2QGIdMQ

Here’s the description of Verses for the Dead.

Preston & Child return with their #1 bestselling series, confronting FBI Special Agent Pendergast with the one challenge he never expected: a partner.
After an overhaul of leadership at the FBI’s New York field office, A. X. L. Pendergast is abruptly forced to accept an unthinkable condition of continued employment: the famously rogue agent must now work with a partner.
Pendergast and his new colleague, junior agent Coldmoon, are assigned to investigate a rash of killings in Miami Beach, where a bloodthirsty psychopath is cutting out the hearts of his victims and leaving them with cryptic handwritten letters at local gravestones. The graves are unconnected save in one bizarre way: all belong to women who committed suicide.
But the seeming lack of connection between the old suicides and the new murders is soon the least of Pendergast’s worries. Because as he digs deeper, he realizes the brutal new crimes may be just the tip of the iceberg: a conspiracy of death that reaches back decades.

*****

And, here’s your opportunity to watch the event, even if you weren’t able to be there.

James Lee Burke’s latest Dave Robicheaux novel, The New Iberia Blues, is the latest Hot Book of the Week at the Poisoned Pen. You can order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2SJ8gVl

There’s so much to share about this book, beyond the description. But, I’ll start with that.

The shocking death of a young woman leads Detective Dave Robicheaux into the dark corners of Hollywood, the mafia, and the backwoods of Louisiana in this gripping mystery from “modern master” (Publishers Weekly) James Lee Burke. 

Detective Dave Robicheaux’s world isn’t filled with too many happy stories, but Desmond Cormier’s rags-to-riches tale is certainly one of them. Robicheaux first met Cormier on the streets of New Orleans, when the young, undersized boy had foolish dreams of becoming a Hollywood director.

Twenty-five years later, when Robicheaux knocks on Cormier’s door, it isn’t to congratulate him on his Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. Robicheaux has discovered the body of a young woman who’s been crucified, wearing only a small chain on her ankle. She disappeared near Cormier’s Cyrpemort Point estate, and Robicheaux, along with young deputy, Sean McClain, are looking for answers. Neither Cormier nor his enigmatic actor friend Antoine Butterworth are saying much, but Robicheaux knows better.

As always, Clete Purcel and Davie’s daughter, Alafair, have Robicheaux’s back. Clete witnesses the escape of Texas inmate, Hugo Tillinger, who may hold the key to Robicheaux’s case. As they wade further into the investigation, they end up in the crosshairs of the mob, the deranged Chester Wimple, and the dark ghosts Robicheaux has been running from for years. Ultimately, it’s up to Robicheaux to stop them all, but he’ll have to summon a light he’s never seen or felt to save himself, and those he loves.

Stephen King hailed New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke “as good as he ever was.” Now, with The New Iberia Blues, Burke proves that he “remains the heavyweight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed” (Michael Connelly).

*****

On Facebook, James Lee Burke shared a conversation from Authors on the Air on the Global Radio Network. He’s in conversation with Reavis Z. Wortham, Poisoned Pen Press author of Gold Dust. https://bit.ly/2H45DMx

And, The Real Book Spy recently shared “Five Questions with James Lee Burke”. https://bit.ly/2CZyzB6

Poisoned Pen’s Hot Book of the Week, the topic of a conversation for Authors on the Air, and an interview with The Real Book Spy. All reasons you might want to pick up a signed copy of The New Iberia Blues.

According to CrimeReads editors, this is the list of the most anticipated crime books of 2019. https://bit.ly/2Ri38KY You’ll want to check it out, and then check the calendar for Poisoned Pen events. Many of the authors on the list are already scheduled to appear at the Pen, or will be scheduled when their books are released. Here’s the calendar link. https://www.poisonedpenevents.com/

Last night, Thomas Perry was here. His novel, The Burglar, is on the list. You can still order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2FdR5bs

We’ve already mentioned that Lyndsay Faye will be here Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 7 PM. You might want to pre-order The Paragon Hotel. https://bit.ly/2Rvwghl

Wednesday, January 16 at 7 PM, the Pen hosts authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Their novel, An Anonymous Girl is on the list. You can order a signed copy. https://bit.ly/2sfLecZ

That’s just two weeks of author appearances at the Poisoned Pen. If you’re looking for exciting reading for the next year, check that list, match it up with author appearances, and check the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Brian Garfield, the Edgar Award-winning author of Hopscotch, who was best known as the author of Death Wish, died at the end of December. The New York Times published the obituary of the prolific suspense writer. https://nyti.ms/2RAYI1h According to his literary agent, Garfield was the only person to have served both as president of Mystery Writers of America and Western Writers of America.

Although some of Garfield’s works are carried in the Web Store, they come with a cautionary note that they may be slow to be obtained. https://bit.ly/2SHJpkH