Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed Hank Philippi Ryan back to the bookstore. Peters said One Wrong Word is Ryan’s best novel yet. There are signed copies of One Wrong Word available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3V4KENW. If you watch the video, you’ll enjoy the unexpected author appearances from several of Hank’s friends.

Here’s the description of One Wrong Word.

A heart-racing new psychological thriller from USA Today bestselling and multiple award-winning author, Hank Phillippi Ryan.

One wrong word can ruin your life. And no one knows that better than savvy crisis management expert Arden Ward. Problem is, she’s now forced to handle a shocking crisis of her own. Unfairly accused of having an affair with a powerful client, Arden’s life and dreams are about to crash and burn. Then, Arden is given an ultimatum. She has just two weeks to save her career and her reputation.

Is Cordelia Bannister the answer to her prayers?

Cordelia needs Arden’s help for her husband Ned, a Boston real estate mogul. Though he was recently acquitted in a fatal drunk driving accident, his reputation is ruined, and the fallout is devastating not only to the Bannisters’ lives, but the lives of their two adorable children.

Arden devotes her skill and determination—and maybe her final days on the job—to helping this shattered family, but soon, revelations begin to emerge about what really happened the night of the accident. And then—another car crash throws Ned back into the spotlight.

This case is Arden’s final chance to protect her own future and clear her name. But the more she tries to untangle the truth, the more she’s haunted by one disturbing question—what if she’s also protecting a killer?

Gossip. Lies. Rumors. Words like that can hurt you. And Arden knows the reality. Sometimes one wrong word can kill.

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USA Today bestselling author HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN has won five Agatha Awards in addition to Anthony, Macavity, Daphne du Maurier, and Mary Higgins Clark Awards. As on-air investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV, she’s won 37 Emmys and many more journalism honors, and her work has resulted in new laws, criminals sent to prison, homes saved from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in restitution for victims and consumers. A past president of National Sisters in Crime and founder of MWA University, her novels include Trust Me, The Murder List, the Charlotte McNally series (starting with Prime Time), and the Jane Ryland series (which begins with The Other Woman). Ryan lives in Boston with her husband.

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One Wrong Word is Hank Phillippi Ryan’s fifteenth book. Enjoy the conversation about the process and writing, as well as her latest book.

Patrick King recently welcomed retired Brigadier General A.J. Tata to The Poisoned Pen so Tata could talk about his third Garrett Sinclair novel. Signed copies of The Phalanx Code are available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3wHNApA

Here’s the summary of The Phalanx Code.

Garrett Sinclair escapes from prison to rescue his team from the manipulations of two tech moguls and learns of a devastating family secret in the process.

Influential tech magnate Mitch Drewson calls on Sinclair and the Dagger team to protect his Project Optimus. An ambitious endeavor that empowers citizens to protect their financial and personal data in the face of increasingly authoritarian federal governments, Project Optimus is a threat to Aurelius Blanc’s Phalanx Corporation. Blanc’s data collection and media application are enabling a global security threat, creating a technofascism that monitors the activity of everyone with a smartphone, tablet, computer, or any web-connected device.

When Phalanx assassin squads overrun an Optimus server farm in California and attack an Optimus coder named Blair Campbell, who happens to be the president’s daughter, Sinclair must deploy a group of warriors to save Blair and protect the remainder of the Optimus team so they can finish their important work—a project that includes deciphering the mysterious Phalanx Code, suspected to be Phalanx’s kill list of Optimus employees.

With Phalanx squads hunting him and those he loves, Sinclair must determine who he can trust while a part of his past comes back to haunt him and threaten everything he holds dear. Nonstop action and authentic detail make this the most compelling, high-stakes entry in the Sinclair series yet.

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A. J. TATA, Brigadier General, U.S. Army (Retired), most recently performed the duties of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Pentagon. He also commanded combat units in the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and the 10th Mountain Division. His last combat tour was in Afghanistan in 2007 where he earned the Combat Action Badge and Bronze Star Medal. He is the author of numerous national bestselling novels, including books from The Captain Jake Mahegan and Threat Series. He is a Newsmax national security contributor and a frequent foreign policy guest commentator on Fox News and CNN.

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Enjoy the conversation with A.J. Tata.

John Charles welcomed bestselling author Christina Dodd back to The Poisoned Pen. Her latest book is Every Single Secret. There are signed copies of it available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3SYeL6Q Since the publication of her first book, she has had about sixty books published.

Here’s the summary of Every Single Secret.

From New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd comes a twisty emotional thriller about a woman’s perilous quest for revenge, perfect for fans of Sandra Brown, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Lisa Jewell.

Never whisper the truth.  Never reveal the past.

In an isolated lighthouse on the California coast, Rowan Winterbourne lives a solitary life with only her secrets for company. For she has a mission that drives her—to avenge herself against Gregory Torval, the powerful drug and arms dealer who murdered her mother and vowed to eliminate everyone in her family.

Then Joe Grantham arrives at her door and, for the first time, Rowan lets her guard down—a dangerous mistake when he blackmails her to go with him to Torval’s private island. There Torval’s decadent birthday celebration rages, and while Joe pursues his own agenda, she’ll provide the perfect distraction.

On Raptor Island, Torval’s will is law and Joe, the closest she has to an ally, is an enigma she can’t trust. One false move, one careless word, and Rowan will die. As dark truths are uncovered, one by one, Rowan recognizes her last chance for the revenge has come. But is it worth everything she must sacrifice to get out alive?

“If Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley are on your Mount Rushmore of suspense writers, Dodd’s latest release definitely needs a spot on your shelf.”— E! News on Forget What You Know

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New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd writes “edge-of-the-seat suspense” (Iris Johansen) with “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (ALA Booklist). Her fifty-eight books have been called “scary, sexy, and smartly written” by Booklist and, much to her mother’s delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list at www.christinadodd.com.

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Enjoy Christina Dodd’s conversation with John Charles.

Lisa See was guest host for The Poisoned Pen when she discussed The Fox Wife with author Yangsze Choo. There are a few signed copies left in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4c5KXxW

Here’s the description of The Fox Wife.

Some people think foxes are similar to ghosts because we go around collecting qi, but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . .

Manchuria, 1908.
In the last years of the dying Qing Empire, a courtesan is found frozen in a doorway. Her death is clouded by rumors of foxes, which are believed to lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and handsome men. Bao, a detective with an uncanny ability to sniff out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman’s identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they’ve remained tantalizingly out of reach—until, perhaps, now.

Meanwhile, a family who owns a famous Chinese medicine shop can cure ailments but can’t escape the curse that afflicts them—their eldest sons die before their twenty-fourth birthdays. When a disruptively winsome servant named Snow enters their household, the family’s luck seems to change—or does it?

Snow is a creature of many secrets, but most of all she’s a mother seeking vengeance for her lost child. Hunting a murderer, she will follow the trail from northern China to Japan, while Bao follows doggedly behind. Navigating the myths and misconceptions of fox spirits, both Snow and Bao will encounter old friends and new foes, even as more deaths occur.

New York Times bestselling author Yangsze Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and
spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. Epic in scope and full of singular, unforgettable characters, The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about old loves and second chances, the depths of maternal love, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.

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Yangsze Choo is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ghost Bride (now a Netflix Original series) and The Night Tiger, a Reese’s Book Club Pick, and a Big Jubilee Read selection for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. She lives in California with her family and loves to eat and read (often at the same time). The Fox Wife and all previous novels would not have been possible without large quantities of dark chocolate.

Yangsze is happy to visit book clubs via Zoom! You can find her on her website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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Choo is a fascinating conversationalist. Enjoy the video.

John Charles from The Poisoned Pen recently welcomed Anna Lee Huber to talk about her new historical novel of the Titanic, Sisters of Fortune. There are additional copies of Sisters of Fortune on order through the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/yukwf4t9

Here’s the summary of Sisters of Fortune.

Readers of The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abé will be captivated as the USA Today bestselling author expertly weaves real historical figures and events into this vivid, surprising, emotionally powerful novel about longing for independence and love—and the moments that irrevocably change even the best laid plans. Based on the true story of the Fortune sisters, three young women each at a crossroads when they boarded the RMS Titanic in the spring of 1912 –and how that maiden voyage would transform their lives in profound and unexpected ways.

“Lush with sumptuous historical details and riveting as the events of that fateful voyage unfurl, readers will love this one!” —Madeline Martin, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Keeper of Hidden Books and The Last Bookshop in London

April,1912: It’s the perfect finale to a Grand Tour of Europe—sailing home on the largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built. For the Fortune sisters, the voyage offers a chance to reflect on the treasures of the past they’ve seen—magnificent castles and museums in Italy and France, the ruins of Greece and the Middle East—and contemplate the futures that await them.

For Alice, there’s foreboding mixed with her excitement. A fortune teller in Egypt gave her a dire warning about traveling at sea. And the freedom she has enjoyed on her travels contrasts with her fiancé’s plans for her return—a cossetted existence she’s no longer sure she wants.

Flora is also returning to a fiancé, a well-to-do banker of whom her parents heartily approve, as befits their most dutiful daughter. Yet the closer the wedding looms, the less sure Flora feels. Another man—charming, exasperating, completely unsuitable—occupies her thoughts, daring her to follow her own desires rather than settling for the wishes of others.

Youngest sister Mabel knows her parents arranged this Grand Tour to separate her from a jazz musician. But the secret truth is that Mabel has little interest in marrying at all, preferring to explore ideas of suffrage and reform—even if it forces a rift with her family.

Each sister grapples with the choices before her as the grand vessel glides through the Atlantic waters. Until, on an infamous night, fate intervenes, forever altering their lives . . .

“Filled with luscious detail of the Titanic’s maiden voyage and spot on depictions of its many passengers…absolutely riveting until the very last page!”—Shelley Noble, New York Times Bestselling author of The Tiffany Girls

“Vividly detailed and painstakingly researched, Sisters of Fortune threads fact and fiction into a compelling story.” —Bryn Turnbull, author of The Paris Deception and The Woman Before Wallis

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Anna Lee Huber is the Daphne award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction and mysteries, including the Lady Darby Mysteries and the Verity Kent Mysteries. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in music and minored in psychology. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, she currently resides in Indiana with her family.

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Enjoy John Charles’ conversation with Anna Lee Huber.

Murder at la Villette is Cara Black’s 21st Aimee Leduc Investigation. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed Cara, and they started by talking about Black’s guided tours in the footsteps of Aimee Leduc. There are signed copies of Murder at la Villette available through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3ImiEh9

Here’s the description of Murder at la Villette.

Parisian private investigator Aimée Leduc has been framed for the murder of her daughter’s father—now she’s on the lam, and must find the real killer to clear her name in this thrilling 21st installment of Cara Black’s New York Times bestselling mystery series.

Parisian private investigator Aimée Leduc doesn’t know that her life is about to be upended. Her ex, Melac, has been hounding her to move their daughter, Chloé, to Brittany. Aimée is fed up with his threats to take her to court and has stopped answering his calls. Which is why she doesn’t know he’s waiting for her by the Bassin de la Villette as she leaves a client’s office late one night. When she finds him there, bleeding in the canal, he has just been stabbed by an assailant, who knocks Aimée unconscious and plants the bloody knife in her hands.

Now Aimée is in police custody, debilitated by a concussion, with overwhelming evidence pointing to her as Melac’s killer. She must figure out who murdered Melac—not an easy job, given the target on his back as a former homicide investigator. Cut off from her typical network and forced to operate under multiple layers of cover, Aimée must go deep into the underbelly of Paris’s 19th arrondissement, where she rubs shoulders with biker gangs, paranoid journalists, grieving parents, and frustratingly tight-lipped ex-cops on her hunt for justice.

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Cara Black is the author of twenty-one books in the New York Times bestselling Aimée Leduc series as well as the thrillers Three Hours in Paris, a national bestseller, and Night Flight to Paris. She has received multiple nominations for the Anthony and Macavity Awards, and her books have been translated into German, Norwegian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, and Hebrew. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and visits Paris frequently.

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Enjoy the discussion of Cara Black’s books.

Patrick King recently welcomed Jonathan Mayo to The Poisoned Pen. Mayo’s latest book is Smart, Wrong, and Lucky: The Origin Stories of Baseball’s Unexpected Stars. You can find autographed copies of the book in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3uXRN87

Here’s the description of Smart, Wrong, And Lucky.

A fascinating look at how MLB teams find diamonds in the rough

In the plainest of terms, baseball scouts are tasked with seeing the future—a distant future, at that. Baseball’s long developmental arc leaves room for plenty of twists and turns on the way to The Show. Some prospects shoot like arrows toward their projected potential, while others fizzle out or chart an unexpected course.

Joey Votto was a lightly scouted high schooler out of Ontario, Canada. Charlie Blackmon was once coveted for his left arm more than his offensive potential. Mookie Betts “lost interest in the draft” as he went unselected round after round. Jacob deGrom refused to relinquish his role as a shortstop. Lorenzo Cain never even put on a baseball glove until high school—and then wore it on the wrong hand.

Smart, Wrong, and Lucky explores how first impressions measure up to their aftermaths: the draft, years of progression, and for a talented few, major league success. MLB.com writer Jonathan Mayo profiles a diverse range of modern stars and looks at them through the eyes of those who noticed them first as prospects.

Featuring exclusive interviews with scouts, players, coaches, and more, this fascinating collection of origin stories is an ode to baseball’s endless possibilities.

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Jonathan Mayo has been a writer for MLB.com since 1999, focusing on the MLB Draft and minor league prospects since 2003. This is his second book, having authored Facing Clemens: Hitters on Confronting Baseball’s Most Intimidating Pitcher in 2008. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Sara, and has two children, Ziv and Elena.

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Enjoy the chatter before the regular program with Jonathan Mayo.

Of course, The Poisoned Pen kicks off March with a slew of events. Check these early ones out, and then checked the Webstore to pre-order copies of the books. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Let’s end February on a high note. C.J. Box recently appeared for an off-site event for The Poisoned Pen. Fans flew in from all over, including Kansas City and Los Angeles for release date of Three-Inch Teeth. Signed copies of Box’s Hot Book of the Week, Three-Inch Teeth, are sold out. There is a possibility of getting more signed copies, but no promises. Check the Webstore for copies. https://bit.ly/42Tk9Ne

Here are a few pictures from the event.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, said they’ve been together for all of Box’s books, although he only came down to sign books during Covid. Some of the conversation was about their history together, but Box did talk about his life in Wyoming.

Here’s the summary of Three-Inch Teeth.

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett faces two different kinds of rampaging beasts—one animal, one human—in this riveting new novel from #1 New York Times bestseller C.J. Box.

A rogue grizzly bear has gone on a rampage—killing, among others, the potential fiancé of Joe’s daughter. At the same time, Dallas Cates, who Joe helped lock up years ago, is released from prison with a special list tattooed on his skin. He wants revenge on the people who sent him away: the six people he blames for the deaths of his entire family and the loss of his reputation and property.

Using the grizzly attacks as cover, Cates sets out to methodically check off his list. The problem is, both Nate Romanowski and Joe Pickett are on it.

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C. J. Box is the author of twenty-four Joe Pickett novels, eight stand-alone novels, and a story collection. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and two Barry awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38, the Western Heritage Award for Literature, and two Spur Awards. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He has been executive producer of Joe Pickett on Paramount+ as well as Big Sky, both of which are based on his novels.

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Enjoy the conversation with C.J. Box.