Martin Walker has appeared at The Poisoned Pen for every one of his books. A Murder in Springtime is the latest Bruno, Chief of Police novel. If you watch the video, he can enjoy Walker’s reading about cooking. That’s always such an enjoyable part of the novels. You can order a signed copy of the book through the Webstore, https://tinyurl.com/mwuydyvf.
Here’s the description of A Murder in Springtime.
In the next installment of the Bruno, Chief of Police series, a newcomer to St. Denis is found dead at the home of one of Bruno’s best friends—and for once, Bruno feels as though he is too close to the case to investigate, until it becomes clear that he’s the only person who can solve the crime.
“Bruno is a hero for our troubled times.” —Daily Mail
After Bruno sees he’s missed several phone calls from his longtime neighbor Pamela, he has no idea what to expect. He’s shocked to hear that she’s found her new lodger on her back patio, brutally murdered. Bruno knows that Pamela isn’t capable of killing anyone, but then who’s the culprit? And what’s the motive? The victim had only just moved to town to take a job at the local nursing home. She had no enemies in the village—but no friends, either.
Bruno decides that he can’t be impartial where Pamela is involved, so the force assigns the case instead to their rising star rookie, Fabien. Bruno is happy for Fabien to take the lead. Lately, Bruno’s been distracted: by his faltering relationship, by a meddlesome film crew that’s descended on the Dordogne, by a group of opinionated small business owners Bruno wants to help to organize a logistically complicated night market. He can’t seem to catch a break.
But when Fabien realizes that the victim is connected to his own past, Bruno steps back in to help. The village has never felt more crowded, and the clock is ticking: Will Bruno and Fabien be able to catch a killer?
After a long career working in international journalism and for think tanks, MARTIN WALKER now gardens, cooks, explores vineyards, writes, travels, and has never been busier. He divides his time between Washington D.C. and the Dordogne.
Critic Lone Cogdill recently reviewed Rachel Howzell Hall’s latest book, Mist and Malice. Her review first appeared in the SouthFlorida Sun Sentinel, but she shares it with us now. You can order a copy of the book through the Webstore, https://tinyurl.com/5n7f2af7.
Book reviews: Sonny Rush is a detective to watch in gripping ‘Mist and Malice’
‘Mist and Malice: A Haven Thriller’ by Rachel Howzell Hall; Thomas & Mercer; 344 pages; $28.99
Malice seeps through every aspect of the seaside town of Haven, California, the new home of Alyson “Sonny” Rush, a former L.A. police detective turned private investigator in Rachel Howzell Hall’s “Mist and Malice.”
It didn’t take long for Sonny to find out that Haven was a misnomer. Mist and fog made it impossible to see, at first glance, the corruption and misdeeds lurking in this town of only 1,000 people, six of whom are Black including Sonny, her mother and godfather.
In this second outing with Sonny, the author digs deep for a bracing story about how those we trust the most can be those we should trust the least and those we count on to protect us can turn on the vulnerable.
Still reeling from the events in “Fog and Fury,” Sonny is pulled into the search for teenage runaway Honor Butler, who shows up on her door one night with an unbelievable story about where she’s been. Later, the body of a day laborer is found in the woods near Sonny’s home.
Sonny is a strong investigator, her skills honed after a decade with the LAPD. She’s eager to put her skills to work for her godfather, Ivan Poole, a former police detective who is now her boss. Hall delivers a labyrinth plot examining Sonny’s personal and professional life, which often intersect.
In “Mist and Malice,” Hall looks at immigration, family bonds and racism as she shows the dark side of small towns. To fully appreciate “Mist and Malice,” it’s best to start with “Fog and Fury” as several plot threads carry over into this second novel, with some being resolved and showing the impact on Sonny.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed Jacyln Goldis back to the bookstore for a virtual event. Goldis’ new book is The Last Time We Saw Her. You can order a copy of the book through the Webstore, https://tinyurl.com/zu3289ab
Here’s the description of The Last Time We Saw Her.
Ten years ago, a teenage summer camper disappeared while searching for a rumored treasure on a remote island. Now, the long-buried truth of what happened to her and the long-lost gold threatens the lives of her friends in this thriller from the critically acclaimed author of The Chateau.
Ten years ago, a group of American teenage summer campers went to a lush and isolated Azores island for a hiking and heritage trip. But when a clue to a local legend of buried treasure emerged, the summer devolved into a frenzied hunt and culminated in the disappearance—and rumored murder—of “it girl” camper, Sydney. She was never seen again and the treasure never found.
Now, a decade later, Sydney’s closest circle returns to honor her memory: Sydney’s sister and fellow camper, Olivia; a group of childhood camp friends; and their beloved counselors. They’ve all agreed to participate in a documentary probing what really happened to Sydney.
The group reunites in paradise and retraces their old haunts, hiking along crater lakes and submerging in thermal hot springs. But not everyone has innocent motives for returning to the island. And when the documentary filming reveals explosive truths and fresh hints resurrect the tantalizing treasure hunt, the group begins to implode. Old feuds reignite—and then one of them turns up dead.
Which means that a murderer has surfaced…again.
Jaclyn Goldis is a graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and NYU School of Law. She practiced estate planning law at a large Chicago firm for seven years before leaving her job to travel the world and write novels. After culling her possessions into only what would fit in a backpack, she traveled for over a year until settling near the beach, where she can often be found writing from cafés. She is the author of The Chateau, The Main Character, The Safari, and The Last Time We Saw Her.
Goldis’ new book is set on an Azores Island, and it’s fascinating to hear Barbara Peters talk about the Azores. You’ll want to watch the event.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, said Brett Battles and Graham Brown could appear together for the author appearance because both their books deal with seagoing adventures. Brett Battles’ Stuart Woods’ Deep Waters puts Stone Barrington on an ocean going yacht. Clive Cussler’s Cold Fire brings a NUMA Files book. You can order signed copies of both books through the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
Here’s the description of Stuart Woods’ Deep Waters.
In the latest action-packed adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Stone Barrington must avenge attacks on two of his dear friends.
When Stone Barrington meets one of his clients, Trenton Sidney, for a sunset drink on Trenton’s new yacht, the last thing he expects is to be a victim of a shipwreck. As one of the four survivors of the incident but with little memory of the sinking, Stone finds himself diving straight back into work. His first task? To reach out to the beneficiaries in Trenton’s will.
But when new evidence that points to foul play comes to light, Stone must probe the tragedy in more ways than one in order to uncover the identity of the perpetrator . . . before they find another lethal way to get themselves out of deep water.
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.
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. Three-time Barry Award nominee, his novel The Deceived won the award for Best Thriller in 2009.
Here’s the description of Clive Cussler’s Cold Fire.
When a NATO weapon that could ensure peace or start World War Three vanishes in the Arctic, Kurt Austin and NUMA race to recover it before it falls into enemy hands in the latest novel in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series created by the “grand master of adventure” Clive Cussler.
In the frigid air high above the Arctic Ocean an American C-17 carrying a cutting-edge laser of immense power, successfully shoots down a ballistic missile nearly four hundred miles away. Before the celebration can even begin, the aircraft goes dark, vanishing off radar and disappearing into mist at the top of the world.
As the details emerge it becomes obvious that the aircraft has been hijacked, the crew murdered at their stations. Its last known heading would take it directly to Russia, but the CIA insisted it never arrived. An odd signal suggests it crashed into the Arctic Ocean halfway between Norway and the North Pole. In a tense meeting the President asks how deep the waters are in that area. Not deep enough, is the answer.
Russian ships are seen putting out to sea in large numbers. Chinese vessels are spotted north of Norway. The only American asset in the area is a small research vessel operated by NUMA. The President orders NUMA to send it into the fray. Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala lead the search but soon find that all is not as it seems. The Chinese were waiting for the planes arrival, the Russians had expected it to land on their territory and now all three are closing in on a shooting war to keep the others from finding the missing plane.
With the rules of engagement suspended and lives hanging in the balance, Kurt and the NUMA special projects team pull on the threads connecting the mystery only to discover the great nations of the world being manipulated by a single man with a deadly plan of revenge.
Clive Cussler was the author of more than eighty books in five bestselling series, including Dirk Pitt®, NUMA Files®, Oregon Files®, Isaac Bell®, and Sam and Remi Fargo®. His life nearly paralleled that of his hero Dirk Pitt. Whether searching for lost aircraft or leading expeditions to find famous shipwrecks, he and his NUMA crew of volunteers discovered and surveyed more than seventy-five lost ships of historic significance, including the long-lost Civil War submarine Hunley, which was raised in 2000 with much publicity. Cussler passed away in February 2020.
Graham Brown is the author of Black Rain, Black Sun, Clive Cussler Condor’s Fury, and Clive Cussler’s Dark Vector, and the coauthor with Cussler of Devil’s Gate, The Storm, Zero Hour, Ghost Ship, The Pharaoh’s Secret, Nighthawk, The Rising Sea, Sea of Greed, Journey of the Pharaohs, and Fast Ice. He is a pilot and an attorney.
Enjoy the conversation with Brett Battles and Graham Brown.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed Rob Hart for a virtual event, although his new book, Three Hitmen and aBaby, doesn’t come out until Tuesday. This is the third book in his Assassins Anonymous series. As Peters said, Hart modeled his books on Alcoholics Anonymous, but the books feature assassins. You can order a signed book through the Webstore, https://tinyurl.com/mv54mmft
Here’s the description of the latest book, Three Hitmen and a Baby.
Welcome back to Assassins Anonymous, where family is everything and danger lurks around every corner.
Assassins Anonymous isn’t just a weekly recovery meeting for reformed killers—it’s also a family.
When Valencia receives troubling news that her brother has gone missing, she wants rush off to LA to find him. But she can’t bring her baby girl, Lucia. Enter the other members of Assassins Anonymous—Mark, Astrid, and Booker, who offer to watch the toddler while she’s gone. After all, they’re three of the deadliest, most highly skilled people on the planet; what could go wrong?
Turns out, a lot. Shortly after Valencia leaves, Mark is summoned to the lair of Zmeya, a Russian mob boss calling in a deadly favor—she wants him to kill Astrid, his protege and friend. Mark refuses, but Zmeya reveals that she knows the identity of Mark’s ex-girlfriend . . . and his son. Either Astrid goes, or they do.
Meanwhile, Lucia spikes a dangerously high fever, and when Booker and Astrid take her to urgent care, they realize too late, that their fabricated identities are a real liability. Also, they don’t know Valencia’s last name, let alone Lucia’s. They can hardly blame the staff for calling the NYPD.
Suddenly the splintered group is on the run from both the Russian mob and the police, dodging bad guys and do-gooders while trying to find refuge in a city full of surveillance cameras—all without killing anyone. That is, until Zmeya captures Sara and Bennett, and Mark is ready to throw his sobriety out the window.
Rob Hart is the author of The Medusa Protocol, Assassins Anonymous, The Paradox Hotel, The Warehouse, and the Ash McKenna crime series, and the co-author of Scott Free with James Patterson. He’s worked as a book publisher, a reporter, a political communications director, and a commissioner for the city of New York. Hart lives in Jersey City.
Patrick King recently welcomed Scott Graham back to the Poisoned Pen. Graham’s latest mystery, Great Sand DunesMassacre, is the tenth book in his National Parks series. You can order a signed copy through the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/2wyyy7jh
Here’s the description of Great Sands Dune Massacre.
Some grudges run so deep they can kill.
“A wild, rich mystery.”—NINA SIMON, Mother-Daughter Murder Night
Archaeologist Chuck Bender witnesses a shocking death while conducting a survey at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, yet local cops quickly declare the bizarre incident an accident. But when Chuck discovers a series of mysterious artifacts that threaten the lives of film students in the park—including his daughter Rosie—he will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
Is a killer quietly stalking Great Sand Dunes? Are the students the next target? And why does no one seem to care about the young man whose brutal killing started it all? Together, Chuck and Rosie must unravel a devious web of deception and deceit—before one death turns into a massacre.
Great Sand Dunes Massacre is the tenth book in Scott Graham‘s acclaimed National Park Mystery Series. Graham is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys backpacking, mountaineering, and whitewater rafting. He lives with his wife in Durango, Colorado.
James Rollins introduced Joseph Eckert, a debut author. Eckert’s book, The Traveler, is a time travel book. So many readers are fans of time travel novels, and Barbara Peters, owner of the Poisoned Pen, credits or blames Diana Gabaldon for that interest. You can order a signed copy of the debut novel through the Webstore, https://tinyurl.com/3fuuu3dd
Here’s the description of The Traveler.
The Traveler is the story of a reluctant time-traveler and his extraordinary son, and the bond between them that even millennia cannot break. An adventure full of heartbreak, hope, and futures beyond imagination.
It’s a day like any other when Scott Treder first jumps forward through time. One moment, he’s on his way to work, fingers drumming the steering wheel. The next, he’s tumbling headlong down the road, his car gone, a dozen panicked voicemails from his wife waiting on his cell.
7:51am. Monday, April 13th.
A blink of an eye.
7:52am. Tuesday, April 14th.
An entire 24 hours, gone.
This one moment—this first spontaneous slip—marks a change in the course not only of Scott’s future, but that of the world. From this point on, at precisely 7:52am every morning, Scott inexplicably travels forward in time in ever-doubling intervals. First one day lost in a blink, then two, then four, until weeks, even years, are passing him by in an instant.
Meanwhile, his wife is left alone to pick up the pieces of the life they once shared together, and, before long, Lyle, Scott’s genius seven-year-old son, will surpass him in age.
Because while his dad is rocketing forward in time, Lyle is growing up–graduating early, studying at Berkeley, becoming the foremost scholar of quantum physics, all in an attempt to bring his father back…
Meet an extraordinary father and son in this captivating, heart-wrenching speculative debut.
Joseph Eckert grew up in Northern Wisconsin before heading to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study history. He later attended the University of Iowa and received a master’s in political science. He’s been writing speculative fiction since high school and remains most interested in placing believable characters in unbelievable situations. Joseph currently lives in Greater Seattle with his wife, daughter, and grumpy old cat.
Enjoy the conversation and introduction to Joseph Eckert.
Patrick Millikin from The Poisoned Pen always enjoys his interviews with Walter Mosley. Millikin said Ghalen is one of the books at his top of his list of favorites by Mosley. There are signed copies of Ghalen available in the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/4ccee68m
Here’s the summary of Ghalen: A Romance in Black.
A stellar addition to the Amistad list: a beautiful coming-of-age novel from MWA Grand Master and PEN and Edgar Award-winner Walter Mosley that explores love in all forms—romantic, familial, and platonic, centered on one Black family, including a neurodivergent man, and the found bonds that helps ground them.
One of the most acclaimed writers working today, Walter Mosley spins magic once again in this beautiful novel that explores the lives of Black characters and one remarkable family through a lens both universal and unique. It touches on the lives of those whose deepest thoughts and motivations are seldom explored—including the neurodivergent, the incarcerated, and the immigrant tortured by their past—characters who will stay with you and change how you see the world.
Ghalen, a brilliant young Black man, is the son of two seemingly mismatched parents. His mother, a gifted scientist, whose own mother expected her to exceed all the achievements in her family, and his father, a gentle cook at a small vegan restaurant, whose idiosyncratic nature shows the young woman a radically different love and understanding of life, despite his inexperience and lack of education.
His parents’ grand love story starts it all off, setting us up to follow Ghalen and his family so deeply, that each new twist and turn feels personal.
The journey through Ghalen’s coming-of-age tale, as he ventures out into the world, is marked with peaks and valleys and such a drive that you can’t help but strap in for it all, while not wanting it to end.
Lush and cinematic, with the narrative drive and indelible power of Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead and Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting, Ghalen is one of this bestselling, prize-winning writer’s finest achievements.
What you will find:
Masterful Storytelling
Rarely Centered Perspectives
An Unconventional Love Story
Visceral Coming-of-Age
Perfect for fans of Demon Copperhead or The Bee Sting
Walter Mosley is one of America’s most celebrated writers. He was given the 2020 National Book Award’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and honored with the Anisfield-Wolf Award, a Grammy, a PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award, the Robert Kirsch Award, numerous Edgars and several NAACP Image Awards. He is the author of more than sixty critically acclaimed books that cover a wide range of ideas, genres, and forms including fiction (literary, mystery, and science fiction), political monographs, writing guides including Elements of Fiction, a memoir in paintings, and the young adult novel 47. His work has been translated into twenty-five languages. He has published fiction and nonfiction in The New Yorker, Playboy, and The Nation. As an executive producer, he adapted his novel, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, for AppleTV+ and serves as a writer and executive producer for FX’s Snowfall.
In 2020 he was a recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and from the National Book Foundation. In 2013, he was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame, and he is the winner of numerous awards, including an Edgar Award, an O. Henry Award, the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award, PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a Grammy Award, and several NAACP Image Awards. His work has been translated into twenty-five languages.
You’ll want to listen to this discussion with a master.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed Lisa See to the bookstore. The two have been doing these programs for 35 years, since See was writing mysteries. See’s latest book is Daughters of the Sun and Moon. There are signed copies of the book available in the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/49f98zjk
Here’s the description of Daughters of the Sun and Moon.
From beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, the story of three Chinese women whose unexpected friendship helps them survive and, despite the odds, thrive, in the turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles.
In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty, and violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent. These characteristics should bring her great rewards, beginning with her arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, has grown up hungry and with dirt between her toes. In a moment of desperation, Petal’s father sells her to buy money for rice seed, and she is loaded onto a ship to the Gold Mountain—America—where she is once again sold. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. She is educated, speaks fluent English, and has been endowed with a face of great beauty, yet her failed footbinding as a child has left her with a limp that lessens her value in the eyes of many.
Each woman has her own desires. Dove wants to love and be loved, Petal desires freedom, and Moon seeks justice. Together they face a larger society that wishes them not one ounce of good will. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in Los Angeles, and this eventually leads to the Night of Horrors during which all three women are challenged in ways they could not have imagined. Brought together by hardship and heartbreak, they must use their bravery, endurance, and ability to “eat bitterness” to discover their voices, find freedom, and connect through solace and friendship. Together they are daughters of the sun and moon.
Lisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, The Island of Sea Women, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, Shanghai Girls, China Dolls, and Dreams of Joy, which debuted at #1. She is also the author of On Gold Mountain, which tells the story of her Chinese American family’s settlement in Los Angeles. See was the recipient of the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Association of Southern California and the Historymaker’s Award from the Chinese American Museum. She was also named National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women.
