YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE, NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE.
I’m a few days late with this since I was on vacation. However, I wanted to share the list of 2022 Anthony Award nominees because there are some excellent books on this list. Don’t forget to check the Web Store for these titles. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
Attendees at Bouchercon in Minneapolis, Sept. 8-11, will vote on the books. Winners will be announced on Saturday, Sept. 10. Congratulations to all of the nominees!
John Charles from The Poisoned Pen recently hosted cozy mystery authors Jenn McKinlay and Emmeline Duncan. McKinlay’s fourteenth Cupcake Bakery mystery is Strawberried Alive. Double Shot Death is Duncan’s second Ground Rules mystery. You can order copies of both books through the Web Store, including signed copies of Strawberried Alive. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
Here’s the description of Strawberried Alive.
The crew from the Fairy Tale Cupcakes shop risks getting burned when they set out to find a murderer who is terrorizing their town
Life is smooth as buttercream at the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery, and newlyweds Mel and Joe are stopping to smell the flours. But things start to crumble one night when an unknown gunman takes a shot at Mel. Though the bullets miss their mark, the cupcake crew goes on high alert to figure out who would want to kill a small-town baker, and why.
When more business owners are attacked, things turn fatal, and locals begin to wonder if the killer could be one of their own. Every shop owner in town starts to fear it’s only a matter of time before they too become victims of the mystery murderer. Despite the cupcake crew’s superb baking skills, it will be anything but a piece of cake to catch the killer, as they try to prevent anyone else from being berried.
Jenn McKinlay is the award-winning New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series. Her work has been translated into multiple languages in countries all over the world. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets, and her husband’s guitars.
Here’s the summary of Emmeline Duncan’s Double Shot Death.
With its entrepreneurial, 20-something protagonist, focus on a hipster-run food truck pod in Portland, Oregon, and real-world issues involving homelessness and gentrification, this second Ground Rules Mystery is a modern, fresh-voiced, and witty cozy featuring a sleuth who can make a perfect cup of coffee!
Fresh Brewed Murder is a fresh, updated cozy mystery that offers strong appeal to Millennial and Gen Z readers.
Sage Caplin is taking her Portland coffee cart on the road to a sustainable music festival, but murder is an unwanted special guest…
At Campathon, an annual eco-friendly festival held on a farm outside of Portland, fans celebrate the Pacific Northwest’s music scene in quintessential PDX style—with gourmet food carts, reusable utensils…and lots of coffee. How else to get through three days of nonstop entertainment? Sage has scored a coveted place for her Ground Rules coffee cart thanks to her new-ish boyfriend, Bax, who’s friendly with Maya, one of the musicians performing.
The festivities begin with a stream of customers, friends, and acquaintances stopping by for Ground Rules’ world-class blends, expertly brewed by Sage and her newest barista. But there are tensions between Maya and her former bandmates, who are on the cusp of making it big, and with Ian, the band’s manager. When Sage stumbles upon Ian’s dead body in the nearby woods—his hand still clutching one of her coffee mugs—it’s clear that someone’s grudge boiled over into murder. Can Sage work out who’s responsible before another innocent life fades out, and the curtain falls on Campathon, and maybe her own future, for good?
Emmeline Duncan is the Portland, Oregon-based author of the Ground Rules Mystery Series, as well as YA novels written under the name Kelly Garrett. She is a 2020 Oregon Literary Fellow, a board member of the Northwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, and co-organizer of the Friends of Mystery’s Bloody Thursday lecture series. She’s also a member of Sisters-In-Crime, Willamette Writers, and SCBWI. Visit her online at EmmelineDuncan.com, on Instagram and Facebook as @writeremmelineduncan, and on twitter as @duncanemmeline.
Enjoy the conversation.
Jack Carr’s In the Blood is the fifth Terminal List novel. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed him to The Poisoned Pen to talk about his past and his latest book. You can order a signed copy of it through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3a7dPdP
Here’s the summary of In the Blood.
“‹”Take my word for it, James Reece is one rowdy motherf***er. Get ready!” —Chris Pratt, star of The Terminal List, coming to Amazon Prime
The #1 New York Times bestselling Terminal List series continues as James Reece embarks on a global journey of vengeance.
A woman boards a plane in the African country of Burkina Faso having just completed a targeted assassination for the state of Israel. Two minutes later, her plane is blown out of the sky.
Over 6,000 miles away, former Navy SEAL James Reece watches the names and pictures of the victims on cable news. One face triggers a distant memory of a Mossad operative attached to the CIA years earlier in Iraq—a woman with ties to the intelligence services of two nations…a woman Reece thought he would never see again.
Reece enlists friends new and old across the globe to track down her killer, unaware that he may be walking into a deadly trap.
Jack Carr is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and former Navy SEAL. He lives with his wife and three children in Park City, Utah. He is the author of The Terminal List, True Believer, Savage Son, The Devil’s Hand, and In the Blood. He is also the host of the Danger Close Podcast. Visit him at OfficialJackCarr.com and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @JackCarrUSA.
Jack Carr is an excellent storyteller. Enjoy the event.
Dervla McTiernan came in from Perth, Australia, and she appeared in person for The Poisoned Pen. The Murder Rule is her first standalone novel. TJ Newman hosted McTiernan for the event. You can order a copy of The Murder Rule through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3sG6BE7
Here’s the description of The Murder Rule.
For fans of the compulsive psychological suspense of Ruth Ware and Tana French, a mother daughter story—one running from a horrible truth, and the other fighting to reveal it—that twists and turns in shocking ways, from the internationally bestselling author of The Scholar and The Ruin.
First Rule: Make them like you.
Second Rule: Make them need you.
Third Rule: Make them pay.
They think I’m a young, idealistic law student, that I’m passionate about reforming a corrupt and brutal system.
They think I’m working hard to impress them.
They think I’m here to save an innocent man on death row.
They’re wrong. I’m going to bury him.
International #1 bestseller Dervla McTiernan’s first two novels, The Rúin and The Scholar, were critically acclaimed around the world. Dervla has won multiple prizes, including a Ned Kelly Award, Davitt Awards, a Barry Award and an International Thriller Writers Award, and has been shortlisted for numerous others. Dervla’s third book, The Good Turn, went straight to #1 in the bestseller charts, confirming her place as one of Australia’s best and most popular crime writers.
It’s been a few years since Dervla McTiernan has been in the U.S. Enjoy the conversation with her.
In the Midmonth BookNotes, you’ll read about the latest in romance and women’s fiction (and much more!) selected by our own resident expert, John Charles. The May issue features new releases by Emma Bamford, Natalie Jenner and Holly Black, among others.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently hosted Linwood Barclay for his U.S. national book launch for Take Your Breath Away. You can order copies through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3wySEZF
Here’s the description of Take Your Breath Away.
A missing woman. A husband suspected. The truth will . . .
TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY
From the New York Times bestselling author of Find You First and Elevator Pitch comes a gripping psychological thriller about a formerly missing woman who has suddenly returned under mysterious circumstances.
One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most everyone assumed Andy had got away with murder—it’s always the husband, isn’t it?—but the police could never build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom—he drank too much to numb the pain, was abandoned by all his friends save one, nearly lost his business, and became a pariah in the place he once called home.
Now, six years later, Andy has finally put his life back together. He sold the house he once shared with Brie and moved away. To tell the truth, he wasn’t sad to hear that the old place was razed and a new house built on the site. He’s settled down with a new partner, Jayne, and life is good.
But Andy’s peaceful world is about to shatter. One day, a woman shows up at his old address, screaming, “Where’s my house? What’s happened to my house?” And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman—who bears a striking resemblance to Brie—is gone. The police are notified and old questions—and dark suspicions—resurface.
Could Brie really be alive after all these years? If so, where has she been? It soon becomes clear that Andy’s future and the lives of those closest to him depend on discovering what the hell is going on. The trick will be whether he can stay alive long enough to unearth the answers.
Linwood Barclay is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty previous novels, and two thrillers for children. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages. He wrote the screenplay adaptation for his novel Never Saw it Coming and his book The Accident has been made into a TV series in France. His novel No Time for Goodbye was a global bestseller. A native of Connecticut, he now lives in Toronto with his wife, Neetha.
Enjoy this conversation between two friends, Linwood Barclay and Barbara Peters.
Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees of the 2021 Bram Stoker Awards. Check the Web Store for titles. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) has announced the winners for the 2021 Bram Stoker Awards.
Superior Achievement in a Novel
Superior Achievement in a First Novel
Due to a tie in fifth place, there are six nominees in this category.
Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel
Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection
Superior Achievement in an Anthology
Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction
Superior Achievement in Short Non-Fiction
Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection
Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel
Superior Achievement in a Screenplay
Congratulations to Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press author Sulari Gentill. Her latest novel, The Woman in the Library, is the top pick on the June list for LibraryReads. You can order a copy in hardcover or paperback through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3MsIXTi
LibraryReads’ website says, “LibraryReads is the monthly nationwide library staff picks list for adult fiction and non-fiction. Our goal is to help connect readers to as many books as possible, while drawing upon the incredible power that public library staff has in helping to build word-of-mouth for new books, and the important role that libraries play in creating audiences for all kinds of authors.
“Rather than picking “the best” of anything, LibraryReads represents collective favorites—the books library staff loved reading and cannot wait to share.”
For June, The Woman in the Library tops the list. Since I wrote the starred review for Library Journal, let me share that review.
Writer Freddie Kincaid studies the people sharing her table at the Boston Public Library, naming them “Freud Girl,” “Heroic Chin,” and “Handsome Man.” They hear a scream and learn that a woman has been murdered—that’s when Freddie says one of them is a killer. The subsequent story is Freddie’s account of her growing friendship with those three, attacks on two of them, and the growing awareness that one is attacking the others. But Hannah Tignone, a best-selling Australian author, is actually writing the story of Freddie and her new friends. The story within a story alternates Hannah’s writing with letters written to her by a wannabe author, Leo, who suggests changes to Hannah’s plot and characters. Freddie’s account of trying to discover which of her new friends is a killer is an engrossing mystery. At the same time, Hannah’s communication from the FBI allows the reader a glimpse into the life of a writer with a fanatical correspondent.
VERDICT Ned Kelly Award winner Gentill (Crossing the Lines) presents a complex, riveting story within a story. The fictional story of an author writing about another writer with messy, complicated friendships and suspicion is an innovative literary mystery.
Reviewed by Lesa Holstine , May 01, 2022
Here’s the summary of The Woman in the Library.
In every person’s story, there is something to hide…
The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.
Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.
After setting out to study astrophysics, graduating in law and then abandoning her legal career to write books, SULARI GENTILL now grows French black truffles on her farm in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains of Australia.
Gentill’s Rowland Sinclair mysteries have won and/or been shortlisted for the Davitt Award and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and her stand-alone metafiction thriller, After She Wrote Him won the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Novel in 2018. Her tenth Sinclair novel, A Testament of Character, was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Best Crime Novel in 2021.
Chris Bohjalian’s recent in-person appearance at The Poisoned Pen was his first one ever. That gave Barbara Peters, the owner of the bookstore, the chance to talk with him about his latest book, The Lioness, as well as Bohjalian’s earlier books. There are signed copies of The Lioness available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3wmcGGA
Here’s the description of The Lioness.
A luxurious African safari turns deadly for a Hollywood starlet and her entourage in this riveting historical thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant.
“The best possible combination of Hemingway and Agatha Christie — a gorgeously written story about the landscape and risks of Africa, whose edge-of-your-seat plot makes it impossible to put down.”
—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here
Tanzania, 1964. When Katie Barstow, A-list actress, and her new husband, David Hill, decide to bring their Hollywood friends to the Serengeti for their honeymoon, they envision giraffes gently eating leaves from the tall acacia trees, great swarms of wildebeests crossing the Mara River, and herds of zebras storming the sandy plains. Their glamorous guests—including Katie’s best friend, Carmen Tedesco, and Terrance Dutton, the celebrated Black actor who stars alongside Katie in the highly controversial film Tender Madness—will spend their days taking photos, and their evenings drinking chilled gin and tonics back at camp, as the local Tanzanian guides warm water for their baths. The wealthy Americans expect civilized adventure: fresh ice from the kerosene-powered ice maker, dinners of cooked gazelle meat, and plenty of stories to tell over lunch back on Rodeo Drive.
What Katie and her glittering entourage do not expect is this: a kidnapping gone wrong, their guides bleeding out in the dirt, and a team of Russian mercenaries herding their hostages into Land Rovers, guns to their heads. As the powerful sun gives way to night, the gunmen shove them into abandoned huts and Katie Barstow, Hollywood royalty, prays for a simple thing: to see the sun rise one more time. A blistering story of fame, race, love, and death set in a world on the cusp of great change, The Lioness is a vibrant masterpiece from one of our finest storytellers.
CHRIS BOHJALIAN is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three books, including Hour of the Witch, The Red Lotus, Midwives, and The Flight Attendant, which has been made into an HBO Max limited series starring Kaley Cuoco. His other books include The Guest Room; Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands; The Sandcastle Girls; Skeletons at the Feast; and The Double Bind. His novels Secrets of Eden, Midwives, and Past the Bleachers were made into movies, and his work has been translated into more than thirty-five languages. He is also a playwright (Wingspan and Midwives). He lives in Vermont and can be found at chrisbohjalian.com or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Litsy, and Goodreads, @chrisbohjalian
Even if you don’t listen to the entire event, you should listen to the beginning of the video when he talks about his voice, and then talks later about COVID.
You don’t want to miss any of the events coming up in the next few days at The Poisoned Pen. Here’s the schedule for this week. Check out these authors’ books in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
