You may have read Diane Johnson’s recent review in The New York Times, “Behind the Kidnapping Case that Inspired Lolita”. She reviews two books. The nonfiction account is Sarah Weinman’s The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World. https://nyti.ms/2NldOqy

Weinman will be at The Poisoned Pen on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 7 PM to discuss and sign her book. If you can’t make it that evening, signed copies are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2PPeH7g

Here’s the summary of Weinman’s The Real Lolita.

“The Real Lolita is a tour de force of literary detective work. Not only does it shed new light on the terrifying true saga that influenced Nabokov’s masterpiece, it restores the forgotten victim to our consciousness.” —David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon

Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet, very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner.

Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner’s full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.

Sally Horner’s story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel’s creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.

I’ve heard Walter Mosley say he doesn’t like his work to be pigeonholed. The current Hot Book of the Week at the Poisoned Pen, his John Woman, is one of those titles. You can order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2NXhTQU

Here’s the description of John Woman.

A convention-defying novel by bestselling writer Walter Mosley, John Woman recounts the transformation of an unassuming boy named Cornelius Jones into John Woman, an unconventional history professor—while the legacy of a hideous crime lurks in the shadows.

At twelve years old, Cornelius, the son of an Italian-American woman and an older black man from Mississippi named Herman, secretly takes over his father’s job at a silent film theater in New York’s East Village. Five years later, as Herman lives out his last days, he shares his wisdom with his son, explaining that the person who controls the narrative of history controls their own fate. After his father dies and his mother disappears, Cornelius sets about reinventing himself—as Professor John Woman, a man who will spread Herman’s teachings into the classrooms of his unorthodox southwestern university and beyond. But there are other individuals who are attempting to influence the narrative of John Woman, and who might know something about the facts of his hidden past.

Engaging with some of the most provocative ideas of recent intellectual history, John Woman is a compulsively readable, deliciously unexpected novel about the way we tell stories, and whether the stories we tell have the power to change the world.

Mary Robinette Kowal was at the Poisoned Pen in August with her first two Lady Astronaut novels, The Calculating Stars and The Fated Sky.  Those books, and others by Kowal, are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2OxQemJ

You might want to pick them up now. According to Andrew Liptak in The Verge, Kowal just signed a six-figure deal with Tor Books to add two more novels to the series, and to write a sci-fi murder mystery novel. Details here. https://bit.ly/2MIJxNc

For those unfamiliar with the series, here’s the summary of the first book, The Calculating Stars.

Mary Robinette Kowal’s science fiction debut, The Calculating Stars, explores the premise behind her award-winning “Lady Astronaut of Mars.” 

Goodreads—Most Popular Books Published in July 2018 (#66)
The Verge—12 fantastic science fiction and fantasy novels for July 2018 
Unbound Worlds—Best SciFi and Fantasy Books of July 2018
Den of Geek—Best Science Fiction Books of June 2018
Omnivoracious—15 Highly Anticipated SFF Reads for Summer 2018

On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.

Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too.

Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.

Bouchercon is the largest mystery convention in the world. It recently took place in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Bookreporter.com had a few authors report back. You’ll probably recognize several of the names. Linwood Barclay, Laura Benedict, Lou Berney, Alison Gaylin, William Kent Krueger, Clair Lamb, Carla Neggers, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Alex Segura, Wendy Corsi Staub, Sarah Weinman, and Kate White.

If you check out the piece, you can learn a little about panels, a lot about the bar at mystery conferences, and discover a few new book titles. Check out the piece here. https://bit.ly/2xhakvc

Then, if any of the books appeal to you, check out the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Are you a fan of Kate Atkinson’s books? The author of Life After Life and A God in Ruins now brings us Transcription, a story of espionage during World War II. You can order Atkinson’s books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2p9zWWi

Transcription is a popular topic this week. Janet Maslin reviews the book in The New York Times. https://nyti.ms/2NebkKt

The Guardian even has a podcast. Lisa Allardice and Sian Cain sit down with Atkinson to discuss her latest book. https://bit.ly/2OtoPCv

Now is the time to discover Kate Atkinson, if you haven’t yet.

A debut police procedural is the Hot Book of the Week at the Poisoned Pen. It’s Caz Frear’s Sweet Little Lies. You can order a signed copy through the Web Store, or you can come to the bookstore today, Sat., Sept. 15 at 2 PM, hear the author, and have her personalize your book. https://bit.ly/2xa3bN2

Here’s the summary of Sweet Little Lies.

In this gripping debut procedural, a young London policewoman must probe dark secrets buried deep in her own family’s past to solve a murder and a long-ago disappearance.

Your father is a liar. But is he a killer?
Even liars tell the truth . . . sometimes.

Twenty-six-year-old Cat Kinsella overcame a troubled childhood to become a Detective Constable with the Metropolitan Police Force, but she’s never been able to banish these ghosts. When she’s called to the scene of a murder in Islington, not far from the pub her estranged father still runs, she discovers that Alice Lapaine, a young housewife who didn’t get out much, has been found strangled.

Cat and her team immediately suspect Alice’s husband, until she receives a mysterious phone call that links the victim to Maryanne Doyle, a teenage girl who went missing in Ireland eighteen years earlier. The call raises uneasy memories for Cat—her family met Maryanne while on holiday, right before she vanished. Though she was only a child, Cat knew that her charming but dissolute father wasn’t telling the truth when he denied knowing anything about Maryanne or her disappearance. Did her father do something to the teenage girl all those years ago? Could he have harmed Alice now? And how can you trust a liar even if he might be telling the truth?

Determined to close the two cases, Cat rushes headlong into the investigation, crossing ethical lines and trampling professional codes. But in looking into the past, she might not like what she finds. . . .

*****

Curious? Don’t forget there was an interview with Caz Frear earlier in the week. Here’s the link if you’d like to read it. https://bit.ly/2oZ2DVW

The recent Poisoned Pen conference was held to celebrate thirty years of Ian Rankin’s publication in the United States. Although Rankin does not have a new book out yet, the bookstore imported copies of Rebus’s Scotland: A Personal Journey. Signed copies are available through the Web Store. If you’re a fan of Rebus or Rankin, you might want to order it. At the moment, Ian Rankin says it’s as close as we’ll get to a memoir. https://bit.ly/2MyxBgY

Here’s a short summary of Rebus’s Scotland.

Ian Rankin’s guide to the places in Scotland that have provided inspiration for his bestselling Inspector Rebus novels.

‘His novels are playing a significant part in redefining Scotland’s image of itself in literature’ INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

In REBUS’S SCOTLAND Ian Rankin uncovers the Scotland that the tourist never sees, highlighting the places that inspired the settings for the Inspector Rebus novels. Rankin also reveals the story of Rebus and how he came into being, who he is, and what his – and Rankin’s – Scotland is like. With over 100 evocative photographs, specially commissioned to reflect the text, REBUS’S SCOTLAND is the perfect gift for anyone interested in Scotland or in the novels of Ian Rankin.

*****

Actually, there’s a podcast to share from the conference. As featured guest and keynote speaker, Ian Rankin talked about “Scottish Crime Fiction”. He’s an expert on the subject, and it’s a fascinating presentation. We hope you enjoy it.

https://poisonedpen.com/recording_1/

Craig Johnson is currently on tour for his latest Longmire book, Depth of Winter. In fact, he’s supposed to be in North Carolina tomorrow, but Hurricane Florence changed his plans. However, his event for Poisoned Pen was filmed for YouTube, and you can watch it, whether you missed him in Phoenix, or you’re going to miss him in North Carolina. You can also order a signed copy of Depth of Winter through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2Qmogf5

Before you watch the video, here’s a short summary of Depth of Winter.

The new novel in Craig Johnson’s beloved New York Times bestselling Longmire series.

Welcome to Walt Longmire’s worst nightmare. In Craig Johnson’s latest mystery, Depth of Winter, an international hit man and the head of one of the most vicious drug cartels in Mexico has kidnapped Walt’s beloved daughter, Cady, to auction her off to his worst enemies, of which there are many. The American government is of limited help and the Mexican one even less. Walt heads into the one-hundred-and-ten degree heat of the Northern Mexican desert alone, one man against an army.

*****

Now, check out Poisoned Pen bookstore owner Barbara Peters’ interview with Craig Johnson.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR3L8f5AuRw&w=560&h=315]

Did you know John Straley was writer laureate for the state of Alaska from 2006 to 2008? I found out all kinds of things at Poisoned Pen’s recent conference. You can find Straley’s books, including signed copies of his most recent Cecil Younger mystery, Baby’s First Felony, in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2QlxFn6

Straley agreed to answer three questions for Triple Play.

Favorite three crime novels read this year.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

Ghostman by Roger Hobbs

Favorite crime fiction author, as of today.

Walter Mosley

What’s in the pipeline for you right now?

I’ve submitted a book for the Cold Storage Alaska series. Then, there will be another Cecil Younger book. It will start when he’s in jail.

*****

John Straley’s website is www.johnstraley.com