Following her award nominations, Beth Cato will be appearing at the Poisoned Pen to discuss Breath of Earth, her alternate history set in San Francisco in 1906. She’ll be at the Poisoned Pen on Monday, August 22 at 7 PM.

AZCentral.com just published an excellent interview with Cato by Michael Senft. Here’s the link if you would like to read it. https://bit.ly/2aTgMuh

Even if you can’t get to the Poisoned Pen on August 22, you can order a signed copy of Beth Cato’s Breath of Earth through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2aUIrRn

Rhys Bowen recently appeared at The Poisoned Pen to discuss her latest Royal Spyness book, Crowned and Dangerous.

For those of you who were unable to be at the bookstore that night, the program is published on Livestream if you’d like to watch it.

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Don’t forget, you can get signed copies of Crowned and Dangerous through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

Kristopher Zgorski is the writer/owner of the blog BOLO Books, https://bolobooks.com/. “The blog name comes from the common police acronym meaning “be on the look out.” (or “be on the lookout” ““ depending on your source). This is especially appropriate in this case, as this blog will focus on books in the mystery and thriller genre.” Kristopher recently joined the team at the eZine Shots (based in the UK) as a US contributor and his reviews often re-run in Crimespree Magazine. He also has a regular column ““ Central Booking ““ in Deadly Pleasures Magazine.

Kristopher and I, along with fellow blogger Dru Ann Love, have worked on a couple projects together on our blogs. When he asked if I still wanted some book suggestions for “Every Summer Has a Story”, I was eager to see what he would suggest for readers.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I can still remember reading this book over the July 4^th weekend in 2004. I was instantly gripped by the writing within this novel and the group of young boarding school students who inhabit it. To this day, The Secret History remains the “modern” book I have read the most times (only Jane Eyre exceeds this). I try to revisit it every other year or so and every time I find something new that impresses me.

The “In Death” Series by JD Robb

Everybody knows that JD Robb is the crime fiction pen name of Nora Roberts. This series makes for perfect summer reading. Almost every book in the very long-running series (I think we are up to 50+ novels at this point) is compulsively readable without becoming too demanding. The characters (including the villains) are always fascinating. And Nora’s romantic side shows through in some of the sexiest scenes found in crime fiction.

The Burn Palace by Stephen Dobyns

Perfect for those that love a book they can get lost in, The Burn Palace is almost impossible to describe. It’s the story of a town filled with corruption and mysticism. Imagine Stephen King writing a novel with Harper Lee and having James Michener heading up the research team. Dobyns’ prose reads like poetry, where every word is chosen for maximum impact. By the end, readers will feel like they know these characters and will be sad to have to let them go.

Thank you, Kristopher.

These items, including the unabridged audio book of Stephen Dobyns’ The Burn Palace, are available through The Poisoned Pen’s Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/    Don’t forget to check with us when looking to purchase books.

The best way to find new authors or crime novels is still to talk with the staff at The Poisoned Pen. They’ll be glad to talk to you about your interests and help you find books you might like. But, if you can’t get into the store from where you live, or it’s the middle of the night and you’re looking for something new, try my favorite website, Stop, You’re Killing Me! https://www.stopyourekillingme.com

Looking for a list of award winners? You’ll find the Edgars, Agathas, Macavities, and others listed. You can only remember the name of the character you like, but not the author? The index for the site is by author or character. Are you looking for a mystery set in the 1920s? Try the Historical Index. Find mysteries set in Oklahoma or Greece. That’s the Location Index. There’s a Genre Index to help you find Police Procedurals or Thrillers.

For those of us who enjoy reading crime novels in order, though, there’s nothing like clicking on an author’s name, finding the complete list of a series, award nominations and wins, and everything is in order.

If you love crime novels, and are always looking for more, check out https://www.stopyourekillingme.com

You may have seen them on Reddit, but, if not, Atlas Obscura (www.atlasobscura.com) recently shared them in an article. Here’s the story of Abigail Goldman’s miniature crime scene dioramas. Or, as she says, a “Dieorama”. https://bit.ly/2b8eCJH

Megan Abbott’s thriller, You Will Know Me, is one of the hottest books out there right now. Her timing is perfect with the Summer Olympics – a novel that centers on a gymnast’s family.

Maureen Corrigan reviewed the book on Fresh Air for NPR. https://n.pr/2b6k5n8

Here’s just a paragraph from the description at Poisoned Pen’s Web Store. “How far will you go to achieve a dream? That’s the question a celebrated coach poses to Katie and Eric Knox after he sees their daughter Devon, a gymnastics prodigy and Olympic hopeful, compete. For the Knoxes there are no limits–until a violent death rocks their close-knit gymnastics community and everything they have worked so hard for is suddenly at risk.”

Signed copies of You Will Know Me are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2b4qD4A

Traditionally, the dog days of summer end on August 11. So, we should observe those days now with a few mysteries involving dogs. And, of course, you can pick up books by all of these authors through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

Let’s start with David Rosenfelt’s Outfoxed. Andy Carpenter might be a defense attorney, but his true passion is the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization that he runs. While he’s working with prisoners and dogs, one of the prisoners escapes, using Boomer, a fox terrier, to assist. When the man is caught, and accused of murder, Andy has a new client, and a new dog.

And, wait until you see the cover of Rosenfelt’s next book, due out Oct. 18. The Poisoned Pen will have signed copies of The Twelve Dogs of Christmas. Adorable cover, isn’t it?

In Scent of Murder, James O. Born introduces Deputy Tim Hallett, assigned to a special K-9 unit with his partner, a Belgian Malinois named Rocky. Born writes a gritty police thriller, but one that shows the unique partnership and loyalty between police officers and their canine companions.

Killing Trail is Margaret Mizushima’s first Timber Creek K-9 mystery. Our blurb reads, “When a young girl is found dead in the mountains outside Timber Creek, life-long resident Officer Mattie Cobb and her partner, K-9 police dog Robo, are assigned to the case that has rocked the small Colorado town.” Mattie works with Cole Walker, a local veterinarian and a single father whose daughter may hold the key to the mystery. If you like Killing Trail, watch for the second book in the series, Stalking Ground. Release date is September 23.

Laurien Berenson usually takes her amateur sleuth, Melanie Travis, into the world of dog shows. In Live and Let Growl, Melanie heads to central Kentucky with Aunt Peg who is judging at the Kentuckiana Dog Show Cluster. She enjoys meeting one of Aunt Peg’s friends, Ellie Gates Wanamaker, who once showed Standard Poodles. But, when Miss Ellie meets with an “accident”, and the pedigreed family prefers to keep it quiet, Melanie is on the trail.

I have to end with that charming Chet and Bernie series by Spencer Quinn. Chet, the dog, is the narrator of the series about his investigations with Bernie Little, Chet’s best friend. Most of the books are set in Arizona, including the latest one, Sense and Sensibility. “In the latest entry in the immensely popular Chet and Bernie mystery series, Private Investigator Bernie Little and his canine companion Chet return home to encounter some alarming developments. First off, Bernie’s wall safe—normally hidden behind the waterfall picture in the office—is gone, and with it Bernie’s grandfather’s watch, their most valuable possession. And next door, old Mr. Parsons is under investigation for being in possession of a saguaro cactus illegally transplanted from the desert. Bernie and Chet go deep into the desert to investigate.”

If you associate the dog days of summer with hot, sultry days, too hot to do anything, you might want to think about reading a mystery featuring a dog. There are plenty to pick from!

Are you a fan of Don Winslow’s books? Hollywood certainly is. And, the author of The Power of the Dog and The Cartel is now on the move. Here’s an article discussing his future books and the Hollywood connection. https://bit.ly/2b5XlUH

Intrigued? I’m sure you realize you can get copies of Winslow’s books through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter appears on The New York Times Bestseller list on August 14. I mentioned earlier that you can get a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2agsAen

Now, you can hear Blake Crouch in a short clip talk about his first discovery about storytelling. It’s from Penguin Random House Authorcuts, used by permission.

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