John Charles from The Poisoned Pen recently hosted two authors. Sheila Roberts is the author of A Little Christmas Spirit. Gerhardt Roberts’ book is called Safe Harbor. You can order copies of both books through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the description of A Little Christmas Spirit.

“Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a Sheila Roberts story . . . a heartwarming confection that’s as sweet as a sugarplum, and as deeply moving as snowfall.” —Susan Wiggs

The best Christmas gifts—family, friendship and second chances—are all waiting to be unwrapped in this sparkling new novel from USA TODAY bestselling author Sheila Roberts.

Single mom Lexie Bell hopes to make this first Christmas in their new home special for her six-year-old son, Brock. Festive lights and homemade fudge, check. Friendly neighbors? Uh, no. The reclusive widower next door is more grinchy than nice. But maybe he just needs a reminder of what matters most. At least sharing some holiday cheer with him will distract her from her own lack of romance…

Stanley Mann lost his Christmas spirit when he lost his wife and he sees no point in looking for it. Until she shows up in his dreams and informs him it’s time to ditch his scroogey attitude. Stanley digs in his heels, but she’s determined to haunt him until he wakes up and rediscovers the joys of the season. He can start by being a little more neighborly to the single mom next door. In spite of his protests, he’s soon making snowmen and decorating Christmas trees. How will it all end?

Merrily, of course. A certain Christmas ghost is going to make sure of that!

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Sheila Roberts lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels have been published in several languages. Her book, Angel Lane, was an Amazon Top Ten Romance pick for 2009. Her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas, was made into a movie for the Lifetime Movie Network and her novel, The Nine Lives of Christmas, was made into a movie for Hallmark . You can visit Sheila on Twitter and Facebook or at her website (https://www.sheilasplace.com).

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Gerhardt Roberts’ Safe Harbor is described here.

In World War II Berlin, Jews such as Erich Reinhold, who can pass for Aryan, and his sweetheart, Nessa Baumgartner, go underground. In a city where Jewish life is being snuffed out, they soon find themselves in a world of false identification papers and forged ration cards, risking their lives to help others escape to freedom. Safety is a foreign word, danger is everywhere and love is a luxury they can’t afford. But maybe, in spite of danger and separation, they will find their safe harbor.

Enjoy the conversation with the Roberts.

The Poisoned Pen had never hosted Sir Jeffrey Archer for an event. He discusses his latest crime novel, Over My Dead Body. Although it’s part of the William Warwick series, he has said the book also stands alone as a story featuring four cold cases. Hopefully, you can still order signed copies of the book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3AKIEg5

Here’s the summary of Over My Dead Body.

THE SIGNATURE EDITION. ORDER NOW TO RECEIVE YOUR STUNNING LIMITED EDITION HARDBACK.*While stocks last. First print run only* 

An unputdownable story of murder, revenge and betrayal from international number one bestseller Jeffrey Archer.

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Jeffrey Archer, whose novels include the Clifton Chronicles, the William Warwick novels and Kane and Abel, has topped bestseller lists around the world, with sales of over 275 million copies. He is the only author ever to have been a #1 bestseller in fiction, short stories and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries). A member of the House of Lords for over a quarter of a century, the author is married to Dame Mary Archer, and they have two sons, two granddaughters and two grandsons.

Enjoy the conversation about history, literature and Sir Jeffrey Archer’s books.

According to Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, Ed Tarkington’s latest novel, The Fortunate Ones, shares some common elements with Ashley Winstead’s In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, so she put them together for a recent conversation. You can order the novels from both authors through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the summary of The Fortunate Ones.

The perfect read for fans of The White Lotus or Succession

“As a novelist, Tarkington is the real deal. I can’t wait to see this story reach a wide audience.”
—Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife

When Charlie Boykin was young, he thought his life with his single mother on the working-class side of Nashville was perfectly fine. But when his mother arranges for him to be admitted as a scholarship student to an elite private school, he is suddenly introduced to what the world can feel like to someone cushioned by money. That world, he discovers, is an almost irresistible place where one can bend—and break—rules and still end up untarnished. As he gets drawn into a friendship with a charismatic upperclassman, Archer Creigh, and an affluent family that treats him like an adopted son, Charlie quickly adapts to life in the upper echelons of Nashville society. Under their charming and alcohol-soaked spell, how can he not relax and enjoy it all—the lack of anxiety over money, the easy summers spent poolside at perfectly appointed mansions, the lavish parties, the freedom to make mistakes knowing that everything can be glossed over or fixed?

But over time, Charlie is increasingly pulled into covering for Archer’s constant deceits and his casual bigotry. At what point will the attraction of wealth and prestige wear off enough for Charlie to take a stand—and will he?

For readers of Wiley Cash, Ann Patchett, and Pat Conroy, The Fortunate Ones is an immersive, elegantly written story that conveys both the seductiveness of this world and the corruption of the people who see their ascent to the top as their birthright.

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Ed Tarkington’s debut novel Only Love Can Break Your Heart was an ABA Indies Introduce selection, an Indie Next pick, a Book of the Month Club Main Selection, and a Southern Independent Booksellers Association bestseller. A regular contributor to Chapter16.org, his articles, essays, and stories have appeared in a variety of publications, including the Nashville Scene, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Knoxville News-Sentinel, and Lit Hub. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

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Here’s Ashley Winstead’s In My Dreams I Hold a Knife.

“[A] mordant debut novel….examines what it means to covet the lives of others, no matter the cost.”—The New York Times

“Tense, twisty, and packed with shocks.”—Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Survive The Night

Six friends.
One college reunion.
One unsolved murder.

Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has planned her triumphant return to her southern, elite Duquette University, down to the envious whispers that are sure to follow in her wake. Everyone is going to see the girl she wants them to see—confident, beautiful, indifferent. Not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather Shelby’s murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she’d been closest to since freshman year.

But not everyone is ready to move on. Not everyone left Duquette ten years ago, and not everyone can let Heather’s murder go unsolved. Someone is determined to trap the real killer, to make the guilty pay. When the six friends are reunited, they will be forced to confront what happened that night—and the years’ worth of secrets each of them would do anything to keep hidden.

Told in racing dual timelines, with a dark campus setting and a darker look at friendship, love, obsession, and ambition, In My Dreams I Hold A Knife is an addictive, propulsive read you won’t be able to put down.

“Beautiful writing, juicy secrets, complex female characters, and drumbeat suspense—what more could you want from a debut thriller?”—Andrea Bartz, author of Reese’s Book Club pick We Were Never Here

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Ashley Winstead directs communications for a national philanthropy. She holds a Ph.D. in contemporary American literature and a B.A. in English and Art History. She lives in Houston, TX.

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Here’s the conversation between Ed Tarkington and Ashley Winstead.

The Neighbor’s Secret by L. Alison Heller is the current Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen. Heller recently discussed women’s fiction and suspense with Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore. There are still copies of the book available, and the copies will come with signed bookplates. You can order them through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3AL2LL1

Here’s the summary of The Neighbor’s Secret.

“Addictive, suspenseful and masterfully written…will delight fans of Big Little Lies.” —Michele Campbell”[A] witty, hyperlocal mystery…With a light, Liane Moriarty-esque touch…” —New York Times L. Alison Heller, whose work has been praised by Liane Moriarty as “warm, witty…refreshingly true to life,” explores the ultimate sacrifices of parenting in The Neighbor’s Secret, a propulsive and juicy novel filled with gripping twists and instantly recognizable characters. How well do you really know your neighbors? With its sprawling yards and excellent schools, Cottonwood Estates is the perfect place to raise children. The Cottonwood Book Club serves as the subdivision’s eyes and ears, meeting once a month for discussion, gossip, and cocktails. If their selections trend toward twisty thrillers and salacious murder mysteries, it’s only because the members feel secure that such evil has no place in their own cul-de-sacs. Or does it? What happened to Lena’s family fifteen years ago was a tragic accident, and she will never admit otherwise. Devoted wife and mother Annie refuses to acknowledge—even to herself—the weight of a past shame. And new resident Jen wants friends, but as always, worry about her troubled son gets in the way. When late-night acts of vandalism target the women of the book club in increasingly violent and personal ways, they will be forced to decide how far to go to keep their secrets. At least they all agree on what’s most important: protecting their children at any cost—even if it means someone has to die.

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L. Alison Heller is a lawyer and author of contemporary women’s fiction novels THE NEVER NEVER SISTERS and THE LOVE WARS.

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Here’s the conversation between L. Alison Heller and Barbara Peters.

Every day brings the possibility of another entertaining virtual event at The Poisoned Pen. Check out the schedule of events that rounds out the month of October. Then, check the Web Store to see about buying a copy of a book by your favorite author or a new author. You might even find a signed copy or a gift coming with a purchase. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here are the upcoming events at The Poisoned Pen.

If you watch the livestream of the virtual event with Peter Lovesey, you’ll see an amusing behind-the-scenes moment with Patrick Millikin and Robert Rosenwald before the actual program with Lovesey and Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen. But, any event featuring Peter Lovesey is wonderful, so you’ll want to watch. Diamond and the Eye is the twentieth Detective Peter Diamond mystery. The event was put together for this book, but, fortunately, Lovesey and Peters reminisce about the past and other books. You can order a copy of Diamond and the Eye through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3DE1VSg

Here’s the summary of Diamond and the Eye.

A Bath antiques dealer has disappeared, and detective Peter Diamond has been saddled with the “help” of a hardboiled Philip Marlowe wannabe private investigator in cracking the case. MWA Grand Master Peter Lovesey’s 20th installment in the award-winning series will have readers laughing from the first page.

If there’s one thing detective Bath Peter Diamond has no patience for, it’s a dumb git trying to get involved in one of his investigations—for example, a Philip Marlowe-wannabee private investigator like the self-styled Johnny Getz (his card claims he Getz results). But fate has saddled Diamond with this trial. A Bath antiques dealer, Septimus “Seppy” Hubbard, has disappeared without a trace, and his daughter, Ruby, has hired Johnny Getz to find him. When a dead body is discovered in Seppy’s locked-up store, the missing persons case becomes a murder investigation, and now Diamond has to collaborate with the insufferable private eye.

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Peter Lovesey is the author of more than forty highly praised mystery novels. He has been named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and has been awarded the CWA Gold and Silver Daggers, the Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement, the Strand Magazine Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards, and many other honors. He lives in Shrewsbury, England.

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You really should watch the virtual event when you have the time.

Congratulations are in order to Phoenix author Christina Estes. Unfortunately, we’ll all have to wait until 2023 to read her debut novel, but you should expect her to appear and sign books at The Poisoned Pen. Here’s the news release about her book and the Tony Hillerman Prize.

CHRISTINA ESTES OF PHOENIX WINS 2020 TONY HILLERMAN PRIZE

10/9/21 ““ Minotaur Books announced that Christina Estes’ novel Off the Air has won the 2020 Tony Hillerman Prize for a best first mystery novel. Minotaur Books is planning to publish Estes’ debut in 2023.

Estes is an Emmy award-winning reporter who lives in Phoenix, and is also a founding member of Sisters in Crime Grand Canyon Writers. Off the Air is the story of a local TV news reporter who gets the scoop of a lifetime while investigating the murder of a popular radio talk show host. But the killer is determined to keep her silent.

Joseph Brosnan, who oversees the Hillerman Prize program for Minotaur, said, “We’re so excited to publish Off the Air. Christina’s novel was a treat to read, and both Hillerman and mystery fans are going to love it.”

The Hillerman Prize is awarded annually to the best debut crime fiction set in the Southwest. Previous winners include Samantha Jayne Allen’s Pay Dirt Road, Carol Potenza’s Hearts of the Missing, John Fortunato’s Dark Reservations, CB McKenzie’s Bad Country (nominated for the Edgar Award for best first mystery novel), Andrew Hunt’s City of Saints; Tricia Fields’ The Territory; Roy Chaney’s The Ragged End of Nowhere;and Christine Barber’s The Replacement Child. 

Tony Hillerman’s Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee mysteries, set on the Navajo reservation, were the first “regional” mysteries to become national bestsellers. Hillerman’s work has been praised by reviewers and the Navajo Nation for its ability to combine Navajo traditions and beliefs with a well-told mystery story. Hillerman’s writing reflects his appreciation for the natural wonders and stark beauty of the American Southwest and its people, particularly the Navajo.  His books have been translated into many languages and frequently make the New York Times bestseller list. At age 83, Hillerman passed away on October 26, 2008.

In 2013, Leaphorn and Chee returned in Spider Woman’s Daughter by Anne Hillerman, Tony Hillerman’s daughter, who has now added six books to the popular series. In 2004, she launched the first Tony Hillerman Writers Conference. The awarding of the Hillerman Prize became a feature of the conference, before becoming a part of the annual Western Writers of America conference in 2017.

Minotaur Books is an imprint of St. Martin’s Press, which is a subsidiary of Macmillan.

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Check the Web Store for books by the previous winners of the Tony Hillerman Prize. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

And, join the virtual event Thursday, October 14 at 7 PM PT when James McGrath Morris discusses his new biography Tony HIllerman: A Life.

Candace Robb brings back Owen Archer in the thirteenth book in the series, The Riverwoman’s Dragon. She recently discussed York, England, British history, and her series with Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen. You can order a signed copy of The Riverwoman’s Dragon through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3AramOI

Here’s the summary of The Riverwoman’s Dragon.

When the wise woman Magda Digby is suspected of murder, Owen Archer sets out to prove her innocence in this intricately plotted medieval mystery.

May, 1375. Owen Archer returns from London to find York in chaos. While the citizens are living in terror of the pestilence which is spreading throughout the land, a new physician has arrived, whipping up fear and suspicion against traditional healers and midwives. With the backing of the new archbishop, he is especially hostile towards Magda Digby, the wise woman who has helped and healed the people of York for many years. At the same time, Magda is uneasy about the arrival of two long-lost kinsfolk. Though they say they are seeking her help, she senses a hidden agenda.

Magda’s troubles deepen when she discovers a body in the river near her home ““ and finds herself under suspicion of murder. Days later, fire rips through a warehouse in the city. Amongst the charred debris lies the body of a man ““ not burned, but stabbed in the back. Could there be a connection to the corpse in the river?

Determined to prove Magda’s innocence, Owen sets out to find answers ““ but the more he uncovers, the deeper the mystery becomes . . .

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Candace Robb has read and researched medieval history for many years, having studied for a Ph.D. in Medieval & Anglo-Saxon Literature. She divides her time between Seattle and the UK, frequently visiting York to research the series. She is the author of twelve previous Owen Archer mysteries, three Kate Clifford medieval mysteries, and the Margaret Kerr trilogy.

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Enjoy the conversation about York and The Riverwoman’s Dragon.

Lisa Unger, author of Last Girl Ghosted, recently appeared with a virtual event for The Poisoned Pen. Karin Slaughter acted as co-host, or as Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, called her, co-conspirator. You can order a signed copy of Last Girl Ghosted through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2WQJrKs

Here’s the summary of Last Girl Ghosted.

“You won’t be able to stop turning the pages!” —Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

Think twice before you swipe.

Secrets, obsession and vengeance converge in this riveting thriller about an online dating match turned deadly cat-and-mouse game, from the New York Times bestselling author of Confessions on the 7:45

She met him through a dating app. An intriguing picture on a screen, a date at a downtown bar. What she thought might be just a quick hookup quickly became much more. She fell for him—hard. It happens sometimes, a powerful connection with a perfect stranger takes you by surprise. Could it be love?

But then, just as things were getting real, he stood her up. Then he disappeared—profiles deleted, phone disconnected. She was ghosted.

Maybe it was her fault. She shared too much, too fast. But isn’t that always what women think—that they’re the ones to blame? Soon she learns there were others. Girls who thought they were in love. Girls who later went missing. She had been looking for a connection, but now she’s looking for answers. Chasing a digital trail into his dark past—and hers—she finds herself on a dangerous hunt. And she’s not sure whether she’s the predator—or the prey.

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Lisa Unger is a NYT and internationally bestselling author. Her books are published in 26 languages, with millions of copies sold worldwide. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, an honor held by only a few writers including Agatha Christie. Her work has been named on “Best Book” lists from Today, People, GMA, EW, Amazon, IndieBound and many others. She has written for the NYT, WSJ, NPR, and Travel+Leisure. She lives in Florida with her family.

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Enjoy the recent virtual event featuring Lisa Unger.

Espionage, divided loyalties, Scotland. There’s a reason Diana Gabaldon is the host for Susanna Kearsley’s virtual event celebrating the publication of Kearsley’s The Vanished Days. You can order a copy of the novel through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2AQkAys

Here’s the summary of The Vanished Days.

“I’ve loved every one of Susanna’s books! Bedrock research and a butterfly’s delicate touch with characters—historical fiction that sucks you in and won’t let go!” —Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Outlander

From international bestselling author Susanna Kearsley comes a historical tale of intrigue and revolution in Scotland, where the exile of King James brought plots, machinations, suspicion and untold bravery to light. Told partially in flashbacks, The Vanished Days weaves in and out of the timeline of the author’s beloved New York Times bestseller The Winter Sea, unraveling an investigation into a young widow’s secrets to unveil a plot that resonates to the highest echelons of Scotland’s social and political leaders.

In the autumn of 1707, old enemies from the Highlands to the Borders are finding common ground as they join to protest the new Union with England. At the same time, the French are preparing to launch an invasion to bring the young exiled Jacobite king back to Scotland to reclaim his throne, and in Edinburgh the streets are filled with discontent and danger.

Queen Anne’s commissioners, seeking to calm the situation, have begun paying out money sent up from London to settle the losses and wages owed to those Scots who took part in the disastrous Darien expedition eight years earlier—an ill-fated venture that left Scotland all but bankrupt.

When the young widow of a Darien sailor comes forward to collect her husband’s wages, her claim is challenged. One of the men assigned to investigate has only days to decide if she’s honest, or if his own feelings are blinding him to the truth.

Set at the cusp of the eighteenth century, in the midst of the Jacobite Rebellion, The Vanished Days is a brilliantly told story of espionage, loyalties divided, boundless courage and enduring love.

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New York Times, USA Today, and Globe and Mail bestselling author Susanna Kearsley is a former museum curator who loves restoring the lost voices of real people to the page, often in twin-stranded stories that interweave present and past. Her award-winning novels have been published in translation in more than 25 countries. She lives near Toronto.

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Enjoy the conversation between Susanna Kearsley and Diana Gabaldon.