Fiction Review

Author Paige Shelton was guest host at The Poisoned Pen, interviewing Jenn McKinlay and Tracy Sierra. Jenn McKinlay’s latest book is the sixteenth in the Library Lover’s mystery series, Booking for Trouble. Tracy Sierra’s new book is Warning Signs. You can order signed copies of both books in the Website. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the description of Booking for Trouble.

It’s all hands on deck when a dead body is found near the small town of Briar Creek in this Library Lover’s Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of A Merry Little Murder Plot.

Just off the shores of the coastal Connecticut town of Briar Creek are two small islands, which library director Lindsey Norris visits with her new book-boat, inspired by the bookmobiles she’s seen traveling across the country. Nothing, not even the infamous feud between the families who own the Split Islands, can stop Lindsey from getting books into the hands of readers. But when Lindsey and her boat captain husband, Mike Sullivan, discover a body on the rocky outcropping of one of the islands, Lindsey’s new library venture quickly becomes a murder investigation.

At news of the crime, hostilities between the two families are reignited. Long buried secrets are revealed, tensions spark, and suspects abound. As Lindsey navigates treacherous waters (both literal and metaphorical), she must use her research skills and community ties to solve the murder and bring peace to the islands before her book-boat dreams are sunk.

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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 books, pets, and her husband’s guitars.

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Tracy Sierra’s Warning Signs is described below.

Twelve-year-old Zach is cautiously optimistic. His father Bram, whose business is in dire need of cash, has put together a father-son backcountry ski weekend to wine and dine his biggest investors. Schooled in outdoor survival by his mother, Zach is eager to prove himself to the hypercritical Bram. Maybe if Zach shows how useful he is, he can earn his father’s love.

But Zach knows to be on high alert around Bram, and he sees the way the group ignores the increasingly threatening conditions. For the first time in his beloved mountains, he is faced with the unknown, convinced that something watches their cabin from the treeline. Something that leaves behind strange tracks and picks its prey clean.

As the adults recklessly test the limits of the outdoors, Zach worries he might be in even more danger than he realized. Could the men around him prove more violent than the unforgiving weather, and the strange creature lurking in the dark? Zach will have to rely on his wits if he hopes to make it home safely. But he knows all too well that the wilderness can be unpredictable even at the best of times. And at the worst? Deadly.

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Tracy Sierra was born and raised in the Colorado mountains. She is an attorney who currently lives in New England in a colonial-era home. When not writing, she spends time with her husband and two children. Nightwatching, her debut novel, was selected as a Fallon Book Club pick. Warning Signs is her second novel.

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Enjoy the conversation with Jenn McKinlay and Tracy Sierra.

Thank you to critic Oline Cogdill for sharing her review of Mark Greaney’s The Hard Line. Cogdill’s review of the latest in the Gray Man series was originally published in the South Florida Sun Sentinel. You can still order a signed copy through The Poisoned Pen’s Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/575wu495

Here’s Cogdill’s review.

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Book review: Government conspiracies, betrayals and high-tech weaponry abound in ‘The Hard Line’

‘The Hard Line’ by Mark Greaney; Berkley; 496 pages; $31

With his outstanding “The Hard Line,” Mark Greaney’s trademark style — his intense plotting emphasizing fast-and-furious action that taps into the changing political environment — continues to reshape the espionage genre. It is the 15th installment in his popular “Gray Man” series.

While his novels are plot-heavy, the author doesn’t skimp on fully fleshed-out characters who match the action. Greaney puts his characters into nail-biting jeopardy, only to pull them out — sometimes — but in realistic ways.

The Gray Man is Courtland “Court” Gentry, a freelance assassin and, now, an ex-CIA agent. Court and his far-flung group of operatives are working out of a nondescript office park in Norfolk, Virginia, that they call the Ghost Town, run by a former CIA deputy director. They are an “off-the-books direct action team,” and boy, are they active. While their methods and results are not discreet, Court and his team take jobs the agency cannot publicly do.

That’s both difficult and oddly simple for Court, whose shadowy existence is so undercover that many doubt the Gray Man exists. Woe to them. Greaney has shaped Court as a kind of superman, able to get out of seemingly impossible danger. Yet, Greaney makes each escape believable in its own way. This dichotomy moves this series, and is a major aspect of “The Hard Line.”

While Court is an admitted nomad, he believes in family, the one you’re related to by blood and the one you’re connected to by the blood you spill together. This sense of family infuses various undertakings in “The Hard Line,” which begins with a father trying to avenge his estranged son’s death, leading to a son wanting justice for his father.

In between, Court follows the threats aimed at security experts and intelligence operatives across the globe. For some, the most danger erupts in their own neighborhoods. Of course, complicated government conspiracies, betrayals and high-tech weaponry abound.

Longtime readers of Greaney know not to shy away from his lengthy novels, which generally run around 500 pages. The crisp writing moves the story at nearly head-spinning pace. The list of characters with brief descriptions at the beginning isn’t just helpful, it’s necessary.

The explosive “The Hard Line” delivers a breathless energy from the first sentence to the last, continuing Greaney’s string of hard-charging, involving thrillers.

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You can also watch Jack Stewart interview Mark Greaney at The Poisoned Pen.

Patrick Millikin welcomed Caitlin Rother back to The Poisoned Pen for a virtual appearance. Caitlin Rother writes true crime and fiction. Rother’s latest thriller is Hooked. You can order Hooked through the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/3bbxxh49

Here’s the description of Hooked.

In this suspenseful thriller by Caitlin Rother, a journalist and cop fight a sexual attraction as they join forces to expose a layered scheme of dark and dangerous secrets.

When investigative reporter Katrina Chopin and surfing homicide detective Ken Goode lock eyes, there’s an immediate attraction. Sparks fly as they bond over cocktails, sharing their common experiences of being orphans and losing loved ones to suicide.

But the next time they meet, it’s from opposing sides of a high-profile case. Two biotech execs, whose company is developing a groundbreaking sexual enhancement drug, turn up dead in the wealthy seaside enclave of La Jolla Farms, where Goode can readily see that the forensic evidence doesn’t add up.

As they work their own angles, sometimes together and sometimes at odds, their growing attraction threatens to cost them their jobs—and their lives. As Katrina and Goode pursue answers behind these mysterious events, a secret stalker taunts Katrina with details of her tragic past, which takes her to the brink of death. But once the duo rips the mask away from this beautiful paradise, the corrupt underbelly behind all that glitters is revealed.

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New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother, an award-winning investigative reporter for nineteen years, has published sixteen books, from crime novels to crime narrative nonfiction and memoir. Rother’s journalistic work has been published by Cosmopolitan, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and The Daily Beast. Her more than 250 media appearances include 20/20, People Magazine Investigates, Crime Watch Daily, Australia’s World News, and numerous shows on Netflix, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, HLN, and REELZ. A popular speaker, the author also works as a writing-research coach and consultant. For fun, she binges on limited series, sings and plays keyboards in a jazzy bluesy trio with her partner, and swims in the ocean. Rother holds a BS in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MS in journalism from Northwestern University. To learn more, please visit https://caitlinrother.com.

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Enjoy the conversation with Caitlin Rother.

Because author Douglas Preston is a good friend to The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, I’m sharing part of his recent newsletter. Some of it pertains directly to the bookstore.

All of the message below is a direct quote from the newsletter.

The Bronze Skull

Greetings Readers!

I wanted to share something special with you.

I have written a thriller with my daughter, Aletheia, entitled PARADOX, which will be released on April 21. To mark the debut of this fantastic new literary partnership, the Poisoned Pen Bookstore is offering a specially printed, limited first edition of PARADOX, personally signed by both of us. This edition is available for pre-order at the regular retail price, plus shipping.

Our publisher has also launched a sweepstakes to give away the massive bronze skull pictured above. Just fill out the entry form at this link. You don’t have to buy anything. The sweepstakes are open to anyone in the US and Canada (except Quebec).

And now, let me tell you a little about PARADOX.

The story opens with an act of shocking desecration to one of the holiest relics in Christendom: someone has stolen a tiny piece of skull from the severed head of St. John the Baptist, displayed in a glass reliquary case in the Basilica di San Silvestro in Rome. From there, the narrative leaps to the ritualistic murder of a paranoid old prosector in Colorado, followed by the torture and dismemberment of a controversial exobiologist.

What could possibly connect these events?

They converge in a tale that is… how best to describe it?…reality-reframing and deeply unsettling. The title PARADOX derives, as some of you might have guessed, from the Fermi Paradox. Enough said. If you’d like a taste, you can read the first seven chapters of PARADOX by clicking the link below:

Password: FERMI.

And for audiobook readers, here’s a link to those first seven chapters read by Stephanie Németh-Parker.

With my best,

Doug

Jennifer K. Breedlove’s debut mystery, Murder Will Out, is the winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award . John Charles welcomed her to The Poisoned Pen to discuss this debut. There are signed copies available in the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/54nm5ewm

Here’s the description of Murder Will Out.

Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award winner Jennifer K. Breedlove brings coastal Maine to life in Murder Will Out, a lighter, modern gothic mystery that’s as atmospheric as it is heart-warming.

Come for the memories. Stay for the murder…

Little North Island, off the coast of Maine, is so beautiful it could be a postcard. Organist Willow Stone cherishes her memories of childhood summers spent on the island with her godmother Sue… even though her visits ended abruptly, and she hasn’t seen or heard from her godmother in over fifteen years. Until a letter from Sue—and word of Sue’s death—brings Willow back to the picturesque island.

The islanders rarely mention Sue without also bringing up Cameron House, and the controversy around Sue’s unexpected inheritance of the sprawling mansion. When Willow overhears someone threatening the next heir to the property, she starts to question whether Sue’s death was really an accident, and can’t help but wonder whether someone on this sleepy island is willing to stop at nothing—even murder—to claim Cameron House for their own.

Through Willow’s eyes, as well as those of others on the island, a mystery unfolds that keeps drawing Willow back to Cameron House and the very real ghosts that walk its corridors.

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JENNIFER K. BREEDLOVE is a Chicago area composer, conductor, author, editor, and educator. A frequent visitor to Downeast Maine since childhood, she has an enduring affection for the wild beauty of the coastal islands and the warmth of the people who make their homes there. Her debut novel, Murder Will Out, won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award, and was also a finalist for the Killer Nashville Claymore award.

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Enjoy the discussion of Breedlove’s dive into writing.

Oliviia Fierro was guest host when Mary Kubica recently appeared at The Poisoned Pen. There are additional copies of Kubica’s latest thriller, It’s Not Her, on order through the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/kn95r3zz

Here’s the description of It’s Not Her.

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

“A gripping thrill ride.” —Jeneva Rose
“Tantalizing, terrifying and all too real.” —Shari Lapena
“Cancel your plans, you won’t be able to put this one down.” —Chris Whitaker
“Wickedly smart and incredibly twisted.” —Ashley Elston
“Terrifying.” —Megan Miranda

Two families at a secluded lake resort are at the center of a chilling crime in this twisty thriller from the bestselling author of Local Woman Missing 

A scream shatters the silence…
Courtney Gray’s peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law dead in their lakeside cottage. Her niece Reese is missing. Her nephew Wyatt is asleep upstairs—unharmed.

A town full of secrets…
As police swarm the quiet resort, dark truths about Courtney’s family—and the town itself—begin to surface. Is Reese a victim… or the killer?

A truth no one saw coming…
With everyone hiding something, Courtney races to uncover the terrible mystery. But the closer she gets, the harder it is to know who—or what—to trust.

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Enjoy the conversation with bestselling author Mary Kubica.

No, James Rollins and Steve Berry are not the same person. Rollins jokes about it because he said they get that comment. The two authors appeared virtually for The Poisoned Pen so Rollins could interview Berry about his twentieth Cotton Malone book, The Devil’s Bible. There are still a few signed copies available in the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/36d2z6sv

Here’s the description of The Devil’s Bible.

From celebrated New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry comes the latest Cotton Malone adventure, a tale of mystery and intrigue stretching back over four centuries.

Former Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone, is called to Sweden when the younger sister of King Wilhelm I is kidnapped. The ransom demand? Hand over an 800-year-old book, the Codex Gigas—the largest illuminated medieval manuscript in the world. Claimed as war loot from Bohemia in 1648, it’s been kept in Stockholm for nearly 400 years.  Along the way it also acquired another more mysterious moniker … The Devil’s Bible.

Now the Czech Republic wants the codex back, and Sweden has agreed to return it, but forces are at work to stop that deal from happening. The likely instigator? Russia. Who is also top of the list for possible kidnappers. It’s up to Cotton and Cassiopeia Vitt to locate the king’s sister, secure the codex, and thwart the Russians. Yet nothing is as it seems.

Trusted allies become hostile enemies. Long-standing enemies suddenly shift into partners. Making matters worse, an array of conflicting personalities re-emerge from Cotton’s past, transforming an already chaotic international situation into something far more personal and deadly.

From the cobbled streets of Stockholm with its placid waterways and picturesque islands, to the hostile skies over the Baltic Sea, and finally onto a fabled 16th century Swedish warship, Cotton and Cassiopeia come face-to-face with the unthinkable—changing both of their lives forever

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Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of nineteen Cotton Malone novels, six stand-alone thrillers, two Luke Daniels adventures, and several works of short fiction. He has over twenty-six million books in print, translated into forty-one languages. With his wife, Elizabeth, he is the founder of History Matters, an organization dedicated to historical preservation. He serves as an emeritus member of the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board and was a founding member of International Thriller Writers, formerly serving as its co-president.

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Enjoy the conversation with Steve Berry and James Rollins, especially the discussion of The Devil’s Bible itself.

Guest host Jack Stewart welcomed Mark Greaney to The Poisoned Pen. Greaney’s latest Gray Man novel is The Hard Line. There are signed copies of The Hard Line available in the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/575wu495

Here’s the description of The Hard Line.

The Gray Man, the world’s deadliest assassin and apex predator, discovers he’s really the prey in the most shocking entry of this #1 New York Times bestselling series.

Family means different things to different people, but in the Gray Man’s world, family is defined by blood—the blood you share with some and the blood you shed with others.

Court Gentry’s current family operates out of an office park in Norfolk, Virginia. The Ghost Town is an off-the-books direct action team run by Matt Hanley, former CIA Deputy Director. They take on the jobs the Agency needs handled “discretely,” and those jobs are rolling in.

Somewhere at the top of the US Intelligence apparatus, security experts and intelligence operations worldwide are threatened. 

It starts with a blown safe house in Tunis. Then Court himself barely escapes from an ambush in the jungles of Nicaragua. Now key members of the U.S. counterintelligence community are being assassinated in their own neighborhoods. With the feds compromised, it’s up to Court and his team to stop the hit squads. 

But eliminating professional kill teams may be the least of the Gray Man’s worries when he finds himself targeted by the legendary assassin codenamed Whetstone—a man driven out of retirement by a very personal quest to rain down hellfire on Court and everyone he’s ever loved, starting with the father he hasn’t seen in twenty years.

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Mark Greaney‘s research for the Gray Man novels, including Midnight Black, The Chaos Agent, Burner, Sierra Six, Relentless, One Minute Out, Mission Critical, Agent in Place, Gunmetal Gray, Back Blast, Dead Eye, Ballistic, On Target, and The Gray Man, has taken him to more than thirty-five countries, and he has trained alongside military and law enforcement in the use of firearms, battlefield medicine, and close-range combative tactics. With Marine Lt. Col. Rip Rawlings, he wrote the New York Times bestseller Red Metal. He is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers Tom Clancy Support and Defend, Tom Clancy Full Force and Effect, Tom Clancy Commander in Chief, and Tom Clancy True Faith and Allegiance. With Tom Clancy, he coauthored Locked On, Threat Vector, and Command Authority.

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Enjoy the conversation with Mark Greaney and Jack Stewart.

Critic Oline Cogdill shared her review of Gregg Hurwitz’ Antihero. The review was originally published in the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Thanks to Hurwitz’ appearance at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, there are signed copies of Antihero available in the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/yeyp84a5

Thanks to Cogdill for this review.

Book review: Gregg Hurwitz’s ‘Antihero’ adds new depth to hard-hitting, high-tech Orphan X mythology

‘Antihero: An Orphan X Novel’ by Gregg Hurwitz; Minotaur; 416 pages; $30

Evan Smoak — the protagonist of Gregg Hurwitz’ highly entertaining, action-packed series — can be considered both a hero and an “Antihero.” Hurwitz continues his high standards of mixing hard-hitting drama and high-tech equipment with an in-depth, at times emotional, character study in “Antihero,” the 11th installment in this popular series.

Evan’s world comes with provocative backstory that Hurwitz continues to build on with each novel, though new readers will appreciate that each can stand on its own. Evan is Orphan X who, at age 12, was trained by the U.S. Department of Defense to be an assassin. From the beginning, his handler told him the hard part would not be making him a killer — it would be keeping him human. The novels explore Evan’s personal battle with his violent nature while embracing his humanity.

To save himself, Evan put himself in danger by leaving the Orphan program to reinvent himself as “the Nowhere Man.” He’s still an assassin, though he doesn’t always resort to killing. Instead, he’s dedicated to helping people who were “being terrorized … who had nowhere else to turn,” completely pro bono.

“Antihero” plunges Evan into his mission, as he is out to rescue Anca Dumitrescu, a young woman who has been kidnapped and is being tortured in the Bronx. He leaves the safety of his high-tech Los Angeles apartment, which is more like a hideout, for the East Coast. Evan’s “mission” puts him back in touch with uncontrollable billionaire Luke Devine, once his target but now a quasi-ally. Politically connected on a global basis, the erratic Luke’s “force field of influence complicated the world.” To contend with Luke, Evan has to become “more complicated himself.”

Hurwitz ladles intense action that erupts immediately from the first line of “Antihero,” as Evan focuses only on saving Anca, heedless of any injuries to himself, while utilizing every ultra-sophisticated machinery available. No matter how out-there those weapons and equipment seem — and these are indeed high-tech — Hurwitz keeps every detail grounded in reality.

The plot’s thriller aspects are balanced by Evan’s personality. His persona as X and Nowhere Man has led to a stoic, solitary existence, often denying himself pleasures and friendships. He still may not exactly have friends, but he has allies, people he cares about and on whom he can count. One person puts a fleet of helicopters and private planes at his disposal — it does help to have wealthy people on your side. A young woman, who is a computer expert and a former Orphan operative, has become Evan’s surrogate daughter, and he genuinely cares about her dog, which he rescued. He knows emotions are “messy,” requiring courage that he’s not sure he has.

Evan knows that feelings are dangerous in his line of work, but the broader danger is that he could lose his soul if he remains unfeeling. He also is learning to give into pleasure. He delights in buying a pair of mega-expensive, “decadent” boots, and it’s the first time he has bought anything because “it caught his fancy.” Readers will cheer this on. He loves exorbitant vodka, so refined it is beyond the highest of top shelves, but he limits himself to the one perfect drink.

In each outing, Hurwitz edges deeper in both action and Evan’s psychological growth. “Antihero” is another stellar adventure.

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You can also watch Gregg Hurwitz’ conversation with John Sandford at The Poisoned Pen.

John Charles recently hosted Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Susan Walter at The Poisoned Pen. Phillips’ new book is And the Crowd Went Wild. Susan Walter’s latest book is Murder at 30,000 Feet. You can order signed copies through the Webstore, https://store.poisonedpen.com/.

Here’s Phillips’ And the Crowd Went Wild.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips is back with the latest novel in her beloved Chicago Stars series, featuring a romance between a star quarterback and one of the country’s most beautiful—and misunderstood—actresses.

After a mortifying—and very public—humiliation, Dancy Flynn is desperate to find sanctuary far from the crowd. But where can a washed-up sex symbol hide? How about making an unannounced appearance at the secluded lake house of the sweet, sensitive high school boyfriend she hasn’t seen in almost twenty years?

But Chicago Stars quarterback Clint Garrett is no longer the kid Dancy remembers. Now he’s a gridiron superhero, still holding a massive grudge against her for breaking his teenage heart. With no room in his life for either complexity or distractions, he banishes Dancy to a refurbished old railroad caboose tucked away in the woods…and out of his sight.

Except Dancy’s not good at staying invisible. Her efforts to rebuild her career clash with Clint’s desperation to regain his focus, all made more challenging by a rescue dog, a local woman in trouble, a meddling mother, an ex with an agenda…and the sizzle of rekindled emotions. 

As Dancy attempts to get her life on track and Clint tries to get his groove back, can these two one-time lovers navigate their rocky pasts and complicated present to find themselves…and each other? 

Tropes include:

• second-chance romance
• enemies to lovers
• forced proximity
• childhood sweethearts

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Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books have been published in over thirty languages. Guided by the motto, “Life is better with happily-ever-afters,” she loves writing about love in all its forms. Among her accomplishments, Susan created the sports romance with her novel Fancy Pants. She is best known for her Chicago Stars and Wynette, Texas series, as well as multiple stand-alone books. Visit Susan’s website at www.susanelizabethphillips.com.

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Murder at 30,000 Feet is described here.

Under the cover of turbulence, a killer strikes. With nowhere to land and nowhere to hide, who will save the passengers from this nightmare at 30,000 feet?

It’s a ticket to paradise. Flight 868 with nonstop service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over a dozen tipsy passengers are off to a destination wedding. A team of high school baseball players are headed to a tournament. The plane is packed with people eager to escape their lives, and others who can’t wait to return to their beloved home.

But sweet anticipation turns to terror when a lightning strike short-circuits the avionics and plunges the plane into darkness. When the lights come back on, a passenger is found brutally murdered, with only a bewildered air marshal to solve the crime. He soon realizes that several passengers are harboring dark secrets, but the identity of the murderer eludes him. There’s only one certainty: the killer is on the plane.

Thousands of feet above the earth with thunderstorms closing in, the danger outside is as grave as the mounting threat within. Can the captain outrun the storm? Or will the murderer among them bring the plane down first?

Passion, betrayal, and murder collide in this high-stakes, locked-room mystery. A must-read for fans of T.J. Newman and Jeneva Rose.

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Susan Walter is a recovering screenwriter and film director who started writing books to kill people because it was frowned upon in real life. Her first two novels are set in the movie business, but then she discovered there are places that are even more dangerous and is now murdering people on airplanes, on ski hills, and in safe houses while on the run from organized crime. When not writing (and also maybe while writing) Susan can be found streaming Red Sox baseball and drinking too much coffee. For more information, visit www.SusanWalterWriter.com.

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Enjoy the convversation with Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Susan Walter.