What do you give the reader who has everything? How about a membership in one of The Poisoned Pen’s Book Clubs? Every month, a member will receive a signed first edition. Are they cozy mystery fans? Science Fiction/Fantasy readers? Do they like first mysteries? There might be a book club for someone you love.
It’s that time of year to gift someone you love, or give a gift to yourself. Check out the website for details, and the answers to questions you might have. https://poisonedpen.com/book-clubs/
If you’re a fan of David Baldacci’s books, you’ll enjoy the virtual debut of his latest Atlee Pine novel, Daylight. He and Barbara Peters talked about writing, the settings of his novels, and a wide range of subjects. Before you watch the event, you can check out the Web Store with his books, including signed copies of Daylight. https://bit.ly/3pNAuPD
Here’s the summary of Daylight.
FBI Agent Atlee Pine’s search for her sister Mercy clashes with military investigator John Puller’s high-stakes case, leading them both deep into a global conspiracy — from which neither of them will escape unscathed.
For many long years, Atlee Pine was tormented by uncertainty after her twin sister, Mercy, was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Now, just as Atlee is pressured to end her investigation into Mercy’s disappearance, she finally gets her most promising breakthrough yet: the identity of her sister’s kidnapper, Ito Vincenzo.
With time running out, Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum race to Vincenzo’s last known location in Trenton, New Jersey — and unknowingly stumble straight into John Puller’s case, blowing his arrest during a drug ring investigation involving a military installation.
Stunningly, Pine and Puller’s joint investigation uncovers a connection between Vincenzo’s family and a breathtaking scheme that strikes at the very heart of global democracy. Peeling back the layers of deceit, lies and cover-ups, Atlee finally discovers the truth about what happened to Mercy. And that truth will shock Pine to her very core.
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Here’s the virtual event from The Poisoned Pen. Enjoy!
The photos below are only eight days worth of virtual events on The Poisoned Pen’s Facebook page, but what a book-filled eight days! Mark your calendars for events you want to see, and pre-order your favorite authors’ books through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
In a recent virtual event, Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, introduced Boyd Morrison who worked with Clive Cussler on Oregon Files books. Marauder is the second in a series of adventures the two wrote together. Morrison then discussed books and background with Don Bentley, author of the forthcoming book, The Outside Man, a Matt Drake Thriller. You can order a signed copy of Morrison’s Marauder, and pre-order The Outside Man through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
Here are short bios of Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison.
Clive Cussler was the author of more than seventy books in five bestselling series, including Dirk Pitt, NUMA Files, Oregon Files, Isaac Bell, and Sam and Remi Fargo. His life nearly parallels that of his hero Dirk Pitt. Whether searching for lost aircraft or leading expeditions to find famous shipwrecks, he and his NUMA crew of volunteers discovered and surveyed more than seventy-five lost ships of historic significance, including the long-lost Confederate submarine Hunley, which was raised in 2000 with much publicity. Like Pitt, Cussler collected classic automobiles. His collection features more than one hundred examples of custom coachwork. Cussler and his wife made their home in Arizona.
Boyd Morrison is the coauthor with Cussler of the Oregon Files novels Piranha, The Emperor’s Revenge, Typhoon Fury, and Shadow Tyrants, and the author of six other books. He is also an actor and engineer, with a doctorate in engineering from Virginia Tech, who has worked on NASA’s space station project at Johnson Space Center and developed several patents at Thomson/RCA. In 2003, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by becoming a Jeopardy! Champion. He lives in Seattle.
Here’s the summary of Marauder.
It is up to Juan Cabrillo and the crew of his ship, the Oregon, to stop a terrorist plot to release a deadly chemical weapon across the globe in the explosive new novel in Clive Cussler’s #1 New York Times bestselling series.
While interrupting an attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker, Juan Cabrillo and his team discover something even more dangerous: a ruthless billionaire’s dying wish has allowed a paralyzing chemical to end up in the hands of a terrorist group. When an Oregon crew member falls victim to the poison, Juan Cabrillo will stop at nothing to find an antidote before it is too late. He and his team must connect an ancient mystery with a cunning modern enemy in order to save millions of innocent lives, including their own.
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You might enjoy the conversation in the virtual event.
RV Raman wanted to write a traditional mystery set in his home country of India. However, with his first mystery, he didn’t feel ready to follow in the steps of Agatha Christie. He tells that story in his recent piece for CrimeReads.com, “Bringing the Traditional Murder Mystery to India”, available here, https://bit.ly/3pEXtMT.
However, now, he’s ready, and he introduces his Harith Athreya series with A Will to Kill. You can order it through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/36QnWP0
Here’s an introduction to RV Raman, followed by a summary of A Will to Kill.
RV Raman is the author of the Inspector Ranade and Inspector Dhruvi thrillers, published in India, which are loosely based on his corporate career spanning three decades and four continents. His latest book, published by Agora Books in October 2020, A WILL TO KILL, is the first in the Harith Athreya series, and is an Agatha Christie-esque whodunit, set in India. In addition to writing, he teaches business strategy at the Indian Institute of Management. Find him at www.rvraman.com and onTwitter @RVRaman_
For fans of Knives Out, a book that embodies all the things we love about Agatha Christie—a haunted manor house, estranged relatives a will, and a murder— set in modern-day India, and the first in a series from author RV Raman. Aging and wheelchair-bound patriarch Bhaskar Fernandez has finally reclaimed his family property after a bitter legal battle, and now wants to reunite his aggrieved relatives. So, he invites them to remote Greybrooke Manor in the misty Nilgiris —a mansion that has played host to several sudden deaths; a colonial edifice that stands alone in a valley that is said to be haunted by the ghost of an Englishman. But Bhaskar has other, more practical problems to deal with. He knows that his family is waiting for him to die to regain the family fortune, and to safeguard himself against violence during the house party, he writes two conflicting wills. Which one of them comes into force depends on how he dies. Into this tinderbox, he brings Harith Athreya, a seasoned investigator. When a landslide occurs, temporarily isolating them all at the mansion, and resulting in a murder, Athreya finds that murder is not the only thing the mist conceals. WILL TO KILL is the first Harith Athreya mystery.
Tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 6 PM (8 PM ET), David Baldacci and The Poisoned Pen celebrate the virtual launch for his new book Daylight. The virtual launch will be on the Poisoned Pen’s Facebook page. Signed copies are in the store right now, so you’ll want to order one while they’re available. It’s also the Hot Book of the Week, so check out the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2HvV1oG
David Baldacci. Daylight (Grand Central, $29.00 Signed). FBI Agent Atlee Pine’s search for her sister Mercy clashes with military investigator John Puller’s high-stakes case, leading them both deep into a global conspiracy — from which neither of them will escape unscathed.
For many long years, Atlee Pine was tormented by uncertainty after her twin sister, Mercy, was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Now, just as Atlee is pressured to end her investigation into Mercy’s disappearance, she finally gets her most promising breakthrough yet: the identity of her sister’s kidnapper, Ito Vincenzo.
With time running out, Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum race to Vincenzo’s last known location in Trenton, New Jersey — and unknowingly stumble straight into John Puller’s case, blowing his arrest during a drug ring investigation involving a military installation.
Stunningly, Pine and Puller’s joint investigation uncovers a connection between Vincenzo’s family and a breathtaking scheme that strikes at the very heart of global democracy. Peeling back the layers of deceit, lies and cover-ups, Atlee finally discovers the truth about what happened to Mercy. And that truth will shock Pine to her very core.
David Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, “because every mom needs a break now and then.”)
David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996. The feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 41 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. David has also published seven novels for younger readers.
A lifelong Virginian, David received his Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, after which he practiced law in Washington, D.C.
In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist, and his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family’s Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy programs in the United States. In 2008 the Foundation partnered with Feeding America to launch Feeding Body & Mind, a program to address the connection between literacy, poverty and hunger. Through Feeding Body & Mind, more than 1 million new and gently used books have been collected and distributed through food banks to families in need.
David and his family live in Virginia.
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Do you want a teaser for tonight’s program? Check out the video from Novel Suspects.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently spoke with C.J. Box about the new TV show, “Big Sky”, based on his book, The Highway, and the Cassie Dewell novels. Box said he provides the source material for the series. They also talked about the next Joe Pickett book, Dark Sky. Dark Sky comes out March 2, and it will debut at The Poisoned Pen. You can pre-order Dark Sky, and Box’ other books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2zWvYIM
Here’s the introduction to Dark Sky.
Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett must accompany a Silicon Valley CEO on a hunting trip–but soon learns that he himself may be the hunted–in the thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author C. J. Box.
When the governor of Wyoming gives Joe Pickett the thankless task of taking a tech baron on an elk hunting trip, Joe reluctantly treks into the wilderness with his high-profile charge. But as they venture into the woods, a man-hunter is hot on their heels, driven by a desire for revenge. Finding himself without a weapon, a horse, or a way to communicate, Joe must rely on his wits and his knowledge of the outdoors to protect himself and his companion.
Meanwhile, Joe’s closest friend, Nate Romanowski, and his own daughter Sheridan learn of the threat to Joe’s life and follow him into the woods. In a stunning final showdown, the three of them come up against the worst that nature–and man–have to offer.
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There were a few technical difficulties, but here’s the conversation between C.J. Box and Barbara Peters.
Recent podcasts include a conversation with The Detection Club in England, Barbara Peters and C.J. Box in conversation, and Sujata Massey talking with Nev March about March’s debut novel set in India. There’s a wealth of conversations on the podcasts. Once you listen to them, you might want to check out the books in the Web Store. https://poisonedpen.com/
I have nothing to write about – no new virtual events at The Poisoned Pen, no Hot Book of the Week. So, I’m going to write about one of my two favorite storytellers (Craig Johnson, author of the Longmire books is the other). Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rick Bragg has a new collection of essays, Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South. You can order it through the Web Store. Or, if you really want a treat, buy the audiobook and listen to Bragg himself read it to you. https://bit.ly/3eXKpgw
I can give you the summary of Where I Come From.
From the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of All Over but the Shoutin’ and The Best Cook in the World, a collection of his irresistible columns from Southern Living and Garden & Gun
A collection of wide-ranging and endearingly personal columns by the celebrated author, newspaper columnist, and Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg, culled from his best-loved pieces in Southern Living and Garden & Gun.
From his love of Tupperware (“My Affair with Tupperware”) to the decline of country music, from the legacy of Harper Lee to the metamorphosis of the pickup truck, the best way to kill fire ants, the unbridled excess of Fat Tuesday, and why any self-respecting southern man worth his salt should carry a good knife, Where I Come From is an ode to the stories and the history of the Deep South, written with tenderness, wit, and deep affection–a book that will be treasured by fans old and new.
*****
Or, I can give you my comments about Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South.
If you read Southern Living, you’ve probably read most of the essays in Rick Bragg’s book Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South. I’m not from the South. I’m not from the mill towns and hills and country that Bragg describes with so much love. But, it doesn’t really matter because his poetic descriptions of his home and family bring me to tears. And, sometimes I nod when I think of my grandfather who was a farmer and wore his bib overalls, and my grandmother in her housedress. Those salt-of-the-earth relatives and Sunday dinners live in memories, whether you’re from Alabama or northern Ohio.
Rick Bragg is a little younger than I am, but I laughed at his memories of the old black-and-white monster movies,Frankenstein and The Mummy. He’s right when he admits the ones that still scare him are the ones about creatures that grow to “insane proportions”. He doesn’t mention Them by name, but he mentions the giant ants. I’m still haunted by the sound of those creatures at the beginning of the movie.
Food. Rick Bragg can describe food so that you want to jump in the car and head south. Fortunately, I’ve lived places where I could get good biscuits and gravy, and good sweet tea. I agree with him. I don’t understand people who don’t appreciate a tomato sandwich on white bread with mayo, salt and pepper. You don’t get those kind of good tomatoes much any more, the ones that make you stand over the sink and eat that sandwich. He appreciates the city so much that there are three chapters about the food in New Orleans.
There’s a section that is a tribute to the deceased. He wrote two essays about Harper Lee, one about his friend, Pat Conroy. But, the longest essay in that section is about a dog, a stray that showed up, and stayed, and protected the property from animals and deliverymen. There are a lot of people who will acknowledge that a favorite animal deserves an essay or two.
And, personally, as someone who loved the country music of Johnny Cash and the Carter Family, Patsy Cline, and Marty Robbins, I agree with Bragg about the decline of country music. But, he could have written an entire book on that subject.
Rick Bragg’s essays make me smile and cry. I had no plans to go home for Thanksgiving this year, but he makes me yearn to be there in a year when no one should be visiting family this holiday. When it comes right down to it, that’s what Rick Bragg does best. He brings back memories of family and the past. He doesn’t stir up memories of “the Deep South”, of Southern rights and Confederacy and flags. He stirs up memories of the people and food and stories that mean home, no matter where you’re from. Where I Come From really means the roots and people we come from, no matter who we are. That’s what Rick Bragg does best.
JP Pomare, author of In the Clearing, recently discussed his book with Betty Webb. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, asked Webb to read the book because Webb wrote two books about Arizona’s cult. Pomare explains his interest and the history of a cult that led to his book. You can order a copy of In the Clearing through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2Ueevmo
Here’s the summary of In the Clearing.
A ticking-clock thriller that braids together the stories of a girl raised in a terrifying cult, and of an overprotective single mother whose fears for her child are about to come true.
Amy has only ever known what life is like in the Clearing, with her brothers and sisters–until a newcomer, a younger girl, joins the “family” and offers a glimpse of the outside world. Freya is living an isolated life with her son and their dog, going to great lengths to keep contact with the outside world like an “everyday mum” while being utterly terrified by it. When a news breaks of a missing girl–a child the same age as Freya’s son, Billy–Amy and Freya’s stories intertwine, and the secrets of the past will crawl inexorably into the present.
*****
Here’s the conversation with JP Pomare and Betty Webb.
