Fiction Review

Mystery Writers of America announced the winners of the 2025 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published or produced in 2024. Congratulations to all! It’s never too late to check the Webstore for copies of the winning books. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

BEST NOVEL
The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell (Penguin Random House – Doubleday)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Holy City by Henry Wise (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL 
The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle (Harlequin Trade Publishing – Park Row Books)
 
BEST FACT CRIME
The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective by Steven Johnson (Penguin Random House – Crown)
 
BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL
James Sallis: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Nathan Ashman (McFarland Publishing)
 
 BEST SHORT STORY
“Eat My Moose,” Conjunctions: 82, Works & Days by Erika Krouse (Bard College)

BEST JUVENILE
Mysteries of Trash and Treasure: The Stolen Key by Margaret Peterson Haddix HarperCollins – Quill Tree Books)
 
BEST YOUNG ADULT

49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards (Sourcebooks – Sourcebooks Fire)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY
“Episode One” – Monsieur Spade, Written by Tom Fontana & Scott Frank (AMC)

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OTHER AWARDS
 
ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD – Endowed by the family of Robert L. Fish.
“The Jews on Elm Street,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September-October 2024 by Anna Stolley Persky (Dell Magazines)
 
THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD – Presented on behalf of Simon & Schuster
The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)

THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD – Presented on behalf of G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 
The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho Press – Soho Crime)
 
THE LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL AWARD – Endowed by the estate of Lilian Jackson Braun.
The Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina Bivald (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)
 
SPECIAL AWARDS

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED ON JANUARY 15, 2025 

GRAND MASTER
Laura Lippman
John Sandford
 
RAVEN AWARD
Face in a Book Bookstore & Gifts, El Dorado Hills, CA
 
ELLERY QUEEN AWARD
Peter Wolverton, St. Martin’s Press

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, said Brad Taylor and Don Bentley have both appeared at the bookstore for all their books, even if it was only virtually. Bentley acted as guest host to discuss Brad Taylor’s latest Pike Logan book, Into the Gray Zone. There are signed copies of the book available in the Webstoe. https://bit.ly/4iC8B7f

Here’s the description of Into the Gray Zone.

“A knockout punch of a novel.” —Mark Greaney

Pike Logan uncovers a geopolitical scheme that has spiraled out of control in India in this latest pulse-pounding thriller from New York Times bestselling author and former special forces officer Brad Taylor. 

While on a routine security assessment in India, Taskforce operator Pike Logan foils an attempted attack on a meeting between the CIA and India’s intelligence service. Both government agencies believe it’s nothing more than a minor terrorist attack, but Pike suspects that something much more sinister is at play. After another terrorist operation at the Taj Mahal, he begins to believe that outside powers are attacking India in the gray zone between peace and war, leveraging terrorist groups for nothing more than economic gain. But the separatists conducting the operations have their own agenda.

After a massive slaughter and kidnapping of hostages during an elaborate Indian pre-wedding party, two global powers are destabilized, and only Pike Logan and his team can de-escalate the tension by rescuing the captives. What follows is a race against the clock that winds through the bustling markets of Old Delhi, the luxurious resorts of Goa, and the epic halls of the Taj Mahal. It will take everything that Logan and the taskforce have to foil an intricate plot that leaves countless lives in the balance.

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Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), is a twenty-one-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, including eight years with the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment—Delta, popularly known as Delta Force. Taylor retired after serving more than two decades and participating in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as classified operations around the globe. His final military post was as assistant professor of military science at The Citadel. Brad is a New York Times bestselling author of eighteen Pike Logan thrillers and is a security consultant on asymmetric threats for various agencies. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife and two daughters.

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Enjoy the conversation with Brad Taylor and Don Bentley.

Maha Khan Phillips spoke with Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, at 1 AM in London. Phillips’ The Museum Detective is an archaeological mystery dealing with Pakistan, not Egypt as in many historical mysteries involving archaeology. Copies of the series debut can be ordered through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3EPGOCC

Here’s the description of The Museum Detective.

Inspired by a real-life antiquities scandal in Pakistan, this gripping series debut introduces archaeologist Dr. Gul Delani, whose investigation into the discovery of a mummy gets complicated—and personal—when it collides with her years-long search for a missing family member. Perfect for fans of Sue Grafton and Elsa Hart.

When Dr. Gul Delani receives a call in the middle of the night from the Sindh police, she thinks they may have finally found her niece, Mahnaz—a precocious, politically conscious teenage girl who went missing three years prior. Gul has been racked with grief since Mahnaz’s disappearance and distracts herself through work: a talented curator at the Museum of Heritage and History in Karachi, she is one of the country’s leading experts in archaeology and ancient civilizations, a hard-won position for a woman.

But there is no news of Mahnaz. Instead, Gul is summoned to a narcotics investigation in a remote desert region in western Pakistan. In her wildest dreams, Gul couldn’t have imagined what she’d find there: amid a drug bust gone wrong, there is a mummy—life-size, seemingly authentic, its sarcophagus decorated with symbols from Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. The discovery confounds everyone. It is both too good to be true, and for Gul, too precious to leave in careless or corrupt hands.

Aided by her team of unlikely misfits, Gul will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of it, even as her quest for the truth puts her in the throes of a dangerous conspiracy and threatens to collide with her ongoing search for Mahnaz. A portrait of a city fueled by corruption and a woman relentlessly in pursuit of justice, The Museum Detective is an exciting, gritty new crime thriller that announces a whip-smart and brilliant sleuth and builds to a stunning, emotional conclusion that readers won’t soon forget.

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Maha Khan Phillips was born in Karachi, Pakistan. She is the author of Beautiful from This Angle, The Mystery of the Aagnee Ruby, and The Curse of Mohenjodaro. She is a multiple award-winning financial journalist and editor who writes across a number of different journals and magazines. She lives in London with her husband and son and frequently visits Pakistan, where she has a keen interest in exploring archaeological sites.

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Enjoy the conversation with Maha Khan Phillips.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, introduced Emily Sullivan as a debut mystery author. She’s written romances so Peters said she’s turned to “the dark side”. Sullivan’s A Death on Corfu is the Pen’s May Historical Mystery of the Month. There are signed copies of the book available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/42IufSU

Here’s the description of A Death on Corfu.

Living in Greece at the turn of the twentieth century, widow Minnie Harper struggles to find her place in a swiftly changing world. But when a local woman is murdered, her resolve is put to the test in a race to shed light on the truth . . .

The first in a new series for readers of Tasha Alexander, Deanna Raybourn, Anna Lee Huber, and Rhys Bowen.

Minnie Harper isn’t used to putting herself first. Not after she moved away from England only to be left raising two children alone on the Greek Island of Corfu following her husband’s unexpected death. But with her daughter begging to be sent to school abroad and her son grasping at his own independence, Minnie realizes she must prepare for the next stage of her life.

When famous mystery author Stephen Dorian settles into a neighboring villa to escape writer’s block and hidden scandals, she is intrigued at first by the handsome Londoner—until he proves to be nothing more than a boorish grump. Determined to avoid the man as much as possible, Minnie is shocked when he offers her a well-paid job as his typist. She isn’t in a position to turn down work, even from a man she has sworn to hate.

But before Minnie can fully regret her decision to take the job, she makes a horrifying discovery that changes everything. A young maid has been murdered, and local authorities aren’t moving fast enough to bring justice to the terrible crime. Unwilling to allow the death to fade into obscurity like the stories of so many other women deemed unworthy by society, Minnie launches an investigation of her own—and reluctantly accepts Stephen’s help. As she embarks on a dangerous search for answers that reveals another side of Corfu, unsettling questions take shape about her employer-turned-confidant and the culprit who just might do whatever it takes to strike again . . .

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Emily Sullivan is the author of multiple critically-acclaimed historical romances, including A Rogue to Remember and Duchess Material. She lives in New England with her family where she enjoys reading about history and writing about rebellious women. A Death on Corfu is her first mystery. She can be found online at EmilySullivanBooks.com.

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Enjoy the conversation with Emily Sullivan.

Deb Lewis from The Poisoned Pen has some favorite May releases. Check them out, and check the Webstore for copies of the books. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb

This is the second book by Slocumb featuring cello prodigy Curtis Wilson—one of the most endearing characters I’ve come across in years. In The Violin Conspiracy, Curtis had to solve the mystery of his missing violin. In The Dark Maestro, the stakes are even higher: his budding career is on the line, and he must go after the people who want his family dead.  

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers

 The host of the Crime Junkie podcast has done it again—writing a twisty, adrenaline-fueled story of two sisters in search of the truth, no matter what it takes. 

Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen

Another laugh out loud look at America today, wrapped around a mystery by a master storyteller. Signed copies available! 

The Doorman by Chris Pavone 

Known for his award-winning books Two Nights in Lisbon and The Expats, Pavone takes a close look in this new novel at the world of privilege and power. At the center is the doorman of an exclusive apartment complex—a character who sees more than he lets on. 

The Busybody Book Club  by Freya Sampson

A cozy paperback original filled with lovable characters and an unexpected murder. This one will have you smiling all the way through. If you’ve ever belonged to a book club, you’ll definitely recognize a few of these characters! I love the publisher’s tagline:
“They can’t even agree on what to read—so how are they going to solve a murder?” A fun escape.  

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

 Sometimes, reading a book feels like work—trying to understand the hidden motivations and emotions behind each character’s choices. And sometimes, the writing is so beautiful it takes your breath away and leaves you wanting to talk to someone about what you’ve just read. Wrap yourself in this one: do the work, and be rewarded with tenderness, love, loss, and hope. Signed copies available!  

Reviewer Oline Cogdill calls Carl Hiaasen’s forthcoming novel, Fever Beach, “vintage Hiaasen”. And, you can order a signed copy of Fever Beach through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3YnGPUT. Release date is May 13.

Thank you, Oline, for the review, printed first in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Book review: Vintage Carl Hiaasen attitude guides his new ‘Fever Beach’ about ‘dumb as a post’ white supremacist

‘Fever Beach’ by Carl Hiaasen. Knopf, 384 pages, $30

Few absurd aspects of life in Florida have escaped Carl Hiaasen’s wry wit and razor-sharp social commentary. Dumb developers, dumber politicians, disrespectful tourists, smarmy millionaires, smarmier billionaires, stupid crooks — all are fodder for Hiaasen.

You name any bad or weird behavior, Hiaasen has skewered it. His novels often seem more like documentaries than fiction. (Anyone who thinks an incident is too bizarre or over-the-top or could never happen, just think again and use Google.)

That vintage Hiaasen attitude guides “Fever Beach,” his first adult novel since “Squeeze Me” in 2020. Quasi-heroes, dumb criminals, nasty entitled people, a testament to Florida’s environment and situations that could be ripped from today’s and tomorrow’s headlines find a home in “Fever Beach.”

As usual, there’s a plot but it’s more like a series of cohesive vignettes. And laugh-out-loud moments. Lots of them.

The phrase “dumb as a post” doesn’t begin to describe white supremacist Dale Figgo. How dumb is he? He’s been kicked out of the Proud Boys, and the Oath Keepers will have nothing to do with him. Both groups believe him stupid and incompetent because he defaced the wrong statue. His mother thinks he’s “the definition of a dolt.” Another character thinks he’s “too dumb to be dangerous.” The nicest thing his so-called best friend calls him is “a certified blockhead.”

Determined to continue his hate-mongering, Dale starts his own group — the name of which we shouldn’t mention. He attracts 17 members with the same brainpower as Dale. They meet at Florida’s isolated Fever Beach, leaving trash and debris and spoiling the once-pristine beach. Dale, given to frequent malapropism, has plans, not good plans, not well thought-out plans, but plans.

He doesn’t know it but he’s up against two people secretly working against him. Twilly Spree, who appeared in Hiaasen’s “Sick Puppy” (2000), has extreme anger management issues when he sees wrongdoing, whether against a vulnerable person, an animal or the environment. Twilly, who’s a bit of an ecowarrior, does “enjoy ruining a bad guy’s day.” And he can afford revenge, as he inherited millions.

Twilly teams up with Viva Morales, a new Floridian wanting a fresh start after her dreadful ex-husband took all her money. Her new life isn’t going well. The only place she could afford to rent is a room in Dale’s townhouse. She didn’t know about his bigotry when she signed the lease. At least she has sole access to the washer-dryer as Dale, who she despises, believes it has “software that could read and report the seditious slogans on his tank tops.” The only job she could find is with the Mink Foundation, a so-called philanthropic organization run by a sleazy couple who donate millions “with the goal of getting as many buildings as possible” named after them. The foundation hides the Minks’ bribing of politicians, funding bigotry groups and ideas that destroy the land.

Twilly’s concrete plans to wreak havoc on Dale and his group are fairly successful with a hefty dose of humor. Viva is his willing accomplice.

Hiaasen keeps “Fever Beach” on an accelerated pace that includes an ill-advised trip to a Key West drag show, orange groves destroyed to make room for development, teenage hookers, and lots of plastic surgery. Naturally, there’s a corrupt politician whose latest disaster is starting a program patterned after Habitat for Humanity only with children building the houses with little adult supervision. What could go wrong when a rebellious pre-teen is handed a loaded nail gun?

As a social critic, Hiaasen uses well-placed humor to examine current events and the direction of society — both of which will continue to be relevant in the future, as his 1986 debut “Tourist Season” still is.

“Fever Beach” proves that five years is too long to go without Hiaasen’s whip-smart writing.

Mark your calendars, and order your signed copy of the new book from Doug Preston and Lincoln Child.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, sent out this email yesterday.

Doug Preston & Lincoln Child

in the book launch for

Badlands

Tuesday, June 3

7:00 PM

(this is 7 PM PDT outside of AZ)

Doug will be in the store, Linc will zoom in

Our copies are signed by both authors and come with a set of trading cards as usual

Join us live or on FB or on YT

You Agent Pendergast fans will be thrilled to know that there is the same high concept, high action, and swerve into the supernatural in this terrific new Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson thriller than in the Agent Pendergast series. Plus the setting in the badlands and ancient canyons of Northern New Mexico make this a winner for readers of Tony and Anne Hillerman.

You need not have read one of the earlier Kellys to dive into this but you will for sure want to grab a copy of the last, Diablo Mesa ($18.99) as well.

 I was riveted to the pages of Badlands and you will be too from the horrifying open scenes right to the climax.

Why would two women, years apart, disrobe and lay down to die under the scorching sun in the same New Mexican desert? That’s the question Preston and Child pose for forensic anthropologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson, both stationed in Santa Fe.

After the skeletal remains of high school science teacher Molly Vine are spotted by a drone, Corrie Swanson is assigned to investigate. She finds that Vine apparently died five years earlier, after venturing into an area that the Navajo believed to be the home of skinwalkers!

A spearpoint found under Vine’s bones leads her to consult her friend and colleague Kelly. The FBI canvasses the area and discovers the older remains of geological consultant Mandy Driver, leading Swanson and Kelly to theorize that the deaths might be connected to the Gallinas, an Indigenous tribe who were wiped out in the 13th century. The tribe, thought to have moved north from Mexico into the hoodoos and wild canyons of northern NM where fracking is ongoing under protest, disappeared centuries ago.

“Preston and Child once again use real history as the starting point for their hair-raising plot, which makes a series of tantalizing turns before culminating in an encounter with the supernatural. This is on a par with the best of the authors’ Pendergast series.,” says one reviewer. I agree.

I wonder if Doug will need to make an apology to the University of NM faculty after publication….

Click here to order a signed copy, Badlands.

Congratulations to the 2025 Agatha Award winners. The awards were presented this past weekend at Malice Domestic. Check the Webstore for copies of the books. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Best Contemporary Novel: Gigi Pandian for A Midnight Puzzle

Best First Novel: K.T. Nguyen for You Know What You Did 

Best Non-Fiction: Phyllis M. Betz for Writing the Cozy Mystery: Authors’ Perspectives on Their Craft

Best Children’s/YA: K.A. Jackson for Sasquatch of Harriman Lake

Best Historical Novel: Amanda Flower for To Slip the Bonds of Earth

Best Short Story: Barb Goffman for “The Postman Always Flirts Twice” in Agatha and Derringer Get Cozy

Will Thomas returned to The Poisoned Pen Bookstore for a virtual event. His latest book is Season of Death. Barbara Peters, owner of the Pen, asked Thomas about the appeal of Victorian England as a setting. If that time period appeals to you, you can order a copy of his latest book, Season of Death, through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3Et6V2a

Here’s the description of Season of Death.

In late Victorian England, private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn find themselves in the middle of the deadly chaos when powerful forces align to take over London’s criminal underworld.

Private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker, along with his partner Thomas Llewelyn, has a long, accomplished history – he’s worked with all aspects of society, from the highest (including the Crown and the government) to the lowest (various forces in London’s underworld). He’s been the target of murder attempts, character assassination, bombings and attacks upon his closest associates but never has he and his agency partner Thomas Llewelyn faced such destruction and potential disaster.

The sudden collapse of a railway tunnel in the East End of London kills dozens and shuts down services all over the city. Meanwhile, a mysterious beggar calling herself “Dutch” guides Barker and Llewelyn to an attempt by a powerful aristocrat to take over London’s criminal underworld. With a missing heiress and a riot at a women’s shelter acting as distractions designed to stop the duo from getting to the truth, Barker must relentlessly fight to reach the trust while Llewelyn wonders how a simple beggar woman can be the catalyst for such destruction.

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Will Thomas is Managing Director of Vision for Learning and CEO of The Institute of Educational Coaching. Will holds a Masters degree in Mentoring and Counselling and is an accredited coach. He works regularly with teachers, leaders and learners to support their progress.

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Enjoy the conversation with Will Thomas.

Today is Independent Bookstore Day, and The Poisoned Pen invites readers to share the day with the staff.

Stop by and celebrate with the staff

Barbara Peters, the Pen’s owner, will be handing out candy and reading suggestions from 11 to 12. The booksellers will be available all day for more. It will be a good day to take selfies in the store. Also the Cook Book Club meets at 11:00 AM and members bring recipes to share so that’s extra delicious. You don’t need to have read the recommended book to attend.

There is some special swag for you to snag

AND all day we offer a 25% off SALE excluding books in the Locked Case, the Signed Collectibles Section, and books already on general sale

All in-store purchases will be noted at the end of the day and one winner will receive a $50 Gift Card

The Pen staff hopes to see you. Hours are 10 AM to 6 PM.