Many readers may not associate The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, Poisoned Pen Press, or Poisoned Pen authors with the West. You’d be wrong. Along with an essay about the state of Western writing and history, True West Magazine recently published their Best of the West 2019. https://truewestmagazine.com/best-west-2019-western-books/

Congratulations are in order. Under the Best Fiction category, Poisoned Pen Press author Ann Parker won Best Mystery for A Dying Note: A Silver Rush Mystery.

Two books from Poisoned Pen Press were honored under 20th to 21st Century Western Mystery Fiction. Congratulations to Reavis Z. Wortham for Gold Dust: A Red River Mystery, and Steven F. Havill for Lies Come Easy.

Poisoned Pen Press was named Best Regional Publisher of Westerns, and The Poisoned Pen Bookstore was named Best Specialized Bookstore.

Check out the article in True West Magazine. https://truewestmagazine.com/best-west-2019-western-books/

Then, look for the authors’ books in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

A book from Poisoned Pen Press, P.F. Chisholm’s A Suspicion of Silver, is the current Hot Book of the Week. You can order a signed copy, or other books in the Sir Robert Carey series, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2EoAMrP

Author Dana Stabenow says readers of A Suspicion of Silver are “In for a real treat”.  Here are Stabenow’s comments from her website. https://stabenow.com/2018/12/10/24496/

“A wrong-side-of-the-blanket cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, perspicaciously able, perennially broke, persistently in love with the married Lady Elizabeth Widdrington, Sir Robert is fresh off saving James the VI/I’s life from a double assassination attempt. With the whole-hearted if covert backing of Sir Robert Cecil he is now tasked by James to catch and kill the would-be assassin, a thoroughly creepy serial killer, and along the way if he can figure out how the the German silver miners in Keswick are stiffing the queen out of her share of the take, so much the better. It doesn’t help matters that his surly Sergeant, Henry Dodd, is missing and presumed dead.

“Chisholm displays a masterful hand in drawing several plot lines from the previous novels to a resoundingly satisfying conclusion, and in setting a terrific hook on the last page. Mickey Spillane, who famously said “The last line sells the next book,” would have given her a standing ovation for this one. I have never loved Sir Robert more.”

*****

Here’s part of a 5 Star review on Net Galley.

“In the previous episode in this excellent historical series, Sir Robert Carey had just foiled a heinous plot to kill King James of Scotland. Now he is in pursuit of the perpetrator who managed to escape over the border. It’s possible he has gone to ground in his home turf, a copper mine run by his family in England … This series gets better with each book and this is the best one so far, although it is definitely advisable to read them in order. Chisholm is so good at depicting the feel of a time and place and the historical details feel spot on, even when describing the operation of a 16th century copper mine and smelter.”

*****

And, here’s what it says about A Suspicion of Silver on the Web Site. 

Edinburgh, 1593. The new year begins. 

Sir Robert Carey has just foiled a double plot against King James. He rides for Leith hunting the would-be assassin now identified as Joachim Hochstetter, also known as Jonathan Hepburn. Has he taken ship for the Continent, or ridden nearly 130 miles south and west into England? There at Keswick, his family, originally from Augsburg, runs a mining operation that pays a royalty to Queen Elizabeth in gold. It’s ruled by the widow Radagunda Hochstetter, his mother. 

Sir Robert’s other problem? His dour, difficult, and now treasonous henchman, Sergeant Henry Dodd, has disappeared somewhere on the snowy moors. Why can’t anyone find Dodd’s body? 

Before going after Hochstetter, Carey must escort Dodd’s widow back to her home at Gilsland. It’s a complex operation involving a cart, Widow Ridley and Skinabake Armstrong. That’s the man who sold Janet Dodd to Wee Colin, the Elliot headman, on her way to Edinburgh before Dodd disappeared. 

If Hochstetter goes to ground in Keswick, how far will the colony of German miners go to protect Radagunda’s favourite child? He may be an outlaw in Scotland, and King James certainly wants his head, but Carey has no official authorization to kill the man in England. 

Predictably, the Hochstetter family is politely obstructive. But something else is going on. What in the name of everything unholy is that well-known reiver, Wattie Graham of Netherby, doing so far over the border in peaceful Keswick? 

Sir Robert is tested to the utmost in chasing the traitor (underground), solving a murder, arranging a duel – and then his courtship of another man’s wife takes a deadly turn.

Poisoned Pen Press author Jane Tesh recently did a Q&A with Michael Barson for Bookreporter.com. Tesh’s Death by Dragonfly is the sixth in her Grace Street Mystery series. You can order it, as well as her other titles, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2EdC8EL

You can read the interview here. https://bit.ly/2zSwAMV

Here’s the summary of Death By Dragonfly.

Flamboyant actor Leo Pierson’s Art Nouveau treasures have been stolen, including a one-of-a-kind Lalique glass dragonfly he claims is cursed. David Randall, 302 Grace Street’s private eye, agrees to recover the valuables before he realizes murder has raised its ugly head in the Parkland art community. Samuel Gallant of the museum board is missing, until Randall and his landlord/consultant Camden find Gallant’s body stuffed in a museum closet. When another board member suffers a fatal accident and the art critic for the Parkland Herald is attacked, Randall suspects the stolen dragonfly is indeed cursed. He investigates Richard Mason, curator of the Little Gallery, whose artwork consists of ugly mechanical sculptures, and Nancy Piper, finance manager at the Parkland Art Museum. 

Meanwhile, Camden struggles against psychic visions he’s had since birth, taking pills to limit sudden intense visions. His wife, Ellin, fends off Matt Grabber, a television celebrity healer threatening to take over her Psychic Service Network and using his two large pythons to emphasize his bid. The pythons take a liking to Camden, upping his stress level, while he takes more pills hoping his visions – and the snakes – disappear. Kit, a new tenant at Grace Street, is a young rock star who is also psychic. As Camden becomes more addicted, Kit becomes an early warning system, alerting Randall to the next attack. 

Randall works to solve the murders, find the jeweled collection, help Cam, deter Grabber and his pythons, romance the young lovely Kary, and avoid stray curses. A spirit on the Other Side surprisingly requests his help, a spirit with ties to the stolen pieces of Art Nouveau.

Jonathan Lethem appeared at The Poisoned Pen while on book tour for The Feral Detective. There are still signed copies of the book available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2QoaSuI

Here’s the summary of The Feral Detective.

Jonathan Lethem’s first detective novel since Motherless Brooklyn

“One of America’s greatest storytellers.” —Washington Post

Phoebe Siegler first meets Charles Heist in a shabby trailer on the eastern edge of Los Angeles. She’s looking for her friend’s missing daughter, Arabella, and hires Heist to help. A laconic loner who keeps his pet opossum in a desk drawer, Heist intrigues the sarcastic and garrulous Phoebe. Reluctantly, he agrees to help. The unlikely pair navigate the enclaves of desert-dwelling vagabonds and find that Arabella is in serious trouble—caught in the middle of a violent standoff that only Heist, mysteriously, can end. Phoebe’s trip to the desert was always going to be strange, but it was never supposed to be dangerous. . . .

Jonathan Lethem’s first detective novel since Motherless Brooklyn, The Feral Detective is a singular achievement by one of our greatest writers.

*****

Patrick Millikin from The Poisoned Pen had the chance to interview Lethem. You can watch the interview here.

The Poisoned Pen recently hosted Michael Connelly and Bryan Gruley. Robert Anglen, a reporter for the Arizona Republic, led the conversation. Connelly’s latest book is Dark Sacred Night, while Gruley’s is Bleak Harbor. Signed copies of both books are available through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Now, would you like to see the event? You can watch it from YouTube.

Dana Stabenow kicks off a new mystery series with Death of an Eye, the current Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen. She will also appear at the bookstore, this afternoon, Saturday, Dec. 8 at 2 PM, joining Laurie R. King and Leslie Klinger who will sign For the Sake of the Game. Signed copies of the books by all of the authors are available through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the summary of Death of an Eye.

Alexandria, 47BCE: Cleopatra shares the throne with her brother Ptolemy under the auspices of Julius Caesar, by whom Cleopatra is heavily pregnant with child. A shipment of new coin meant to reset the shaky Egyptian economy has been stolen, the Queen’s Eye has been murdered and Queen Cleopatra turns to childhood friend Tetisheri to find the missing shipment and bring the murderer to justice.

Yesterday, I introduced author Angela Crider Neary with holiday selections that were a tribute to her father, Bill Crider. Today, Neary has another recommendation to make. Thank you, Angela, for writing two posts.

*****

Rhys Bowen’s The Twelve Clues of Christmas

One of my favorite cozy mystery series is Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series.  The heroine of these books, Lady Georgiana Rannoch (Georgie), comes from royal lineage and is thirty-fourth in line for the throne, but when her brother cuts off her allowance, she is forced to make ends meet by taking unskilled jobs like working at a cosmetics counter, housekeeping, or even spying for the Queen.  To the chagrin of her family, she prefers this manner of supporting herself rather than marrying someone she doesn’t love for money.  Georgie always makes the most of her situation without complaint and with a relatable, modern, and down-to-earth attitude.  When the Christmas installment in the series, The Twelve Clues of Christmas, was released, I was eager to soak in the mystery, along with the holiday vibe.

For Christmas, Georgie abandons the thought of spending the holiday with her brother and sister-in-law at their drab and freezing family castle in Scotland, and escapes to a quaint Dickensian village where she has found a position as hostess at an upper-class house party.  Georgie begins the holiday enjoying traditional Christmas customs, as well as festive food and drink, but soon, mysterious accidents begin to happen.  With a death occurring each day in tandem with the twelve days of Christmas, the party guests begin to get nervous, and Georgie wonders if the deaths are simply tragic accidents, or something more sinister.

 
My favorite part about the story is that it surrounds you in an atmosphere of cozy old-fashioned English Christmas cheer wrapped in a blanket of twinkling snow, notwithstanding the eerie specter of murder lurking around each corner.  Appearances from Georgie’s libidinous mother, her ex-policeman grandfather, and her true love, Darcy, make the story all the more merry.  Complete with a country house setting and quirky characters, this Agatha Christie-esque whodunit is a perfect mood-setter for the holidays. 

*****

Are you still looking for a gift for someone? There are signed copies of Rhys Bowen’s The Twelve Clues of Christmas, as well as some of her other books, available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2LV4U1i

The book also includes an English Christmas companion, full of holiday recipes, games, and more!

Angela Crider Neary is an attorney by day and cat detective writer by night. She is an avid mystery reader and especially enjoys reading novels set in interesting locales. She was inspired to write her first mystery novella, LI’L TOM AND THE PUSSYFOOT DETECTIVE BUREAU: THE CASE OF THE PARROTS DESAPARECIDOS, by one of her favorite areas in San Francisco, Telegraph Hill. Angela’s books can be ordered through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2SpJrgC

Today is the first of two postings featuring Angela Crider Neary’s selections. As I mentioned earlier, two years ago, Bill Crider was the first author to volunteer to write a post about his favorite Christmas book. Angela wrote one post as a tribute to her late father. Although his holiday books are not available through the Web Store, many of his other books are. https://bit.ly/2Qwx9FZ   I thought this was a perfect post to honor Bill Crider. Thank you, Angela.

*****

Bill Crider’s Christmas Sherlock Holmes short stories –

Lesa had perfect timing when she invited the submission of summaries of favorite Christmas stories, as I had just finished re-reading two of my father, Bill Crider’s, Christmas Sherlock Holmes stories.  I always love reading Dad’s works because I can see signs of him in his writing – the little nuggets revealing his interests and personality.  I can often envision him reading the story to me, himself, although the Holmes stories are not written in his typical Texas voice.

 
“The Adventure of the Christmas Ghosts” originally appeared in Holmes for the Holidays, and “The Adventure of the Christmas Bear” appeared in More Holmes for the Holidays.  They were both reprinted in a collection of short stories by Bill Crider, Eight Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.  

“The Adventure of the Christmas Ghosts”

It’s December 22nd and the halls of 221B Baker Street have not been decked due to Sherlock Holmes’s lack of holiday sentimentality. When Franklin Scrooge, the great nephew of Ebeneezer, arrives, Holmes immediately deduces that Scrooge had been losing sleep. It seems that Scrooge has been having problems, similar to those of his great uncle, with ghosts.  Could it be that Scrooge’s visions arise from something he ate, or will the logic-minded Holmes find himself confronting a question he would, in normal circumstances, perfunctorily dismiss, “Do you believe in ghosts?” 

“The Adventure of the Christmas Bear”

Sherlock Holmes finds himself grumpy and bored with the Christmas season, as it hasn’t offered him a chance to exercise his intellect. This affliction is soon cured, however, when Oscar Wilde shows up at 221B Baker Street.  Holmes becomes more cheerful upon Wilde’s revelation that he believes someone is trying to kill him. After the two debate whether truth lies strictly in the facts or whether truth can remain beyond the reach of facts, Wilde tells Holmes of his prior visions of bears and that they have often been a prelude to violence against him. Wilde has recently seen someone who looks like a bear and who has made an attempt on his life. Holmes sets out to solve a case involving an American Buffalo hunter, a Wild West show, a Christmas play, and, of course, bears, set against the icy backdrop of a London Christmas.  But will the answer lie in art or facts?  

I was impressed by Dad’s ability to mimic the tone of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and I liked how he weaved the historical characters of Oscar Wilde and Buffalo Bill into “Christmas Bear.”  I later found myself reading up on Wilde and Bill, since reading fiction for me often leads to a history lesson.  In “Christmas Ghosts,” I enjoyed how Dad incorporated the Dickens characters into the story with an interesting spin on what really might have caused Ebenezer’s rehabilitation.  I may just have to re-read A Christmas Carol this year.  I will be making Dad’s Christmas Holmes stories a part of my annual holiday reading tradition.

*****

What’s Ridley Pearson up to nowadays? According to Shelf Awareness, he’s written a new graphic novel in the Super Sons series, directed at middle school readers. https://www.shelf-awareness.com/dedicatedshelf/2018-12-03/ridley_pearson:_super_sons:_the_polarshield_project.html

Here’s the description of Ridley Pearson’s Super Sons: The Polarshield Project.

The polar ice caps have nearly melted away, causing devastation to coastal cities. Erratic, deadly weather forces everyone inland, tearing families apart. Earth is facing its greatest crisis–and Superman and Batman are nowhere to be found.

Jon Kent and Damian “Ian” Wayne are opposite in every way except one–they are the sons of the World’s Greatest Heroes! To uncover a global conspiracy, this unlikely dynamic duo will need to learn to trust each other and work together to save the Earth. But who is the mysterious Candace, and what secrets does she hold that could be the key to everything?

From New York Times best-selling author Ridley Pearson (Kingdom Keepers) and artist Ile Gonzalez comes the first book in an epic new series that follows the Super Sons of Superman and Batman as they struggle to find their place in a rapidly changing world!

*****

You can pre-order Super Sons: The Polarshield Project, or order Ridley Pearson’s other books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2KSrrsG

Richard Lipez recently reviewed Val McDermid’s fifth Karen Pirie cold case mystery, Broken Ground. The article in The Washington Post provided some background for the series and McDermid’s writing. The review itself is an excellent way to discover this series if you haven’t yet read it. https://wapo.st/2QbN6SI

Of course, The Poisoned Pen carries Broken Ground and McDermid’s other works. You can order them through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2TZmoe2

Here’s the description of Broken Ground.

Internationally bestselling author Val McDermid is one of our finest crime writers, and her gripping, masterfully plotted novels have garnered millions of readers from around the globe. InBroken Ground, cold case detective Karen Pirie faces her hardest challenge yet.

Six feet under in a Highland peat bog lies Alice Somerville’s inheritance, buried by her grandfather at the end of World War II. But when Alice finally uncovers it, she finds an unwanted surprise—a body with a bullet hole between the eyes. Meanwhile, DCI Pirie is called in to unravel a case where nothing is quite as it seems. And as she gets closer to the truth, it becomes clear that not everyone shares her desire for justice. Or even the idea of what justice is.

An engrossing, twisty thriller, Broken Ground reaffirms Val McDermid’s place as one of the best crime writers of her generation.