Fiction Review

Janet Skeslien Charles is the author of the hot book, The Paris Library. It’s the #1 Pick for February 2021 for Indie Next, and the #! pick for LibraryReads, selected by librarians. One of Mark Pryor’s Hugo Marston mysteries is called The Paris Librarian. With both books involving the American Library in Paris, Pryor was the perfect person to lead the conversation about Charles’ book. It might take a little time to get a copy of The Paris Library. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen said it was moving quickly. You can order it through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3b6XhiZ

Here’s The Paris Library.

#1 LibraryReads Pick

Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by Library Journal and Goodreads

“‹“‹Based on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family, and the power of literature to bring us together, perfect for fans of The Lilac Girls and The Paris Wife.

Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.

Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.

A powerful novel that explores the consequences of our choices and the relationships that make us who we are—family, friends, and favorite authors—The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest of places.

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Janet Skeslien Charles is the award-winning author of Moonlight in Odessa, which was published in ten languages. Her shorter work has appeared in revues such as Slice and Montana Noir. Janet first became interested in the incredible true story of the librarians who stood up to the Nazi “Book Protector” when she worked as the program’s manager at the American Library in Paris. Her novel The Paris Library will be published in seventeen countries. She divides her time between Montana and Paris. Visit her at JSkeslienCharles.com or connect with her on Twitter @skesliencharles.

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Here’s the fascinating conversation about The Paris Library, writing, and Paris itself.

There’s a combination worth eavesdropping on, Michael Koryta in conversation with Lee Child. The occasion was the virtual release of Koryta’s Hot Book of the Week, Never Far Away. The Poisoned Pen hosted the event, and Lee Child stepped in for a conversation with Koryta. You can still order copies of Never Far Away through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2wy0eIj

Here’s Never Far Away.

New York Times bestselling “master” of American thriller writing Michael Koryta returns with an electrifying new novel about a mother seeking to reconnect with her children after a terrible trial tears their family apart

Nina Morgan’s bloodstained car was found a decade ago on a lonely Florida road. Forensic evidence suggested she’d been murdered, although her body was never found. Her disappearance left her infant children to the care of their father.

Once a pilot, mother, wife, and witness to a gruesome crime, Nina had to flee her old life to save her family. She reinvented herself as Leah Trenton, a guide in the Allagash Wilderness in northern Maine. She never expected to see her children again, but now tragedy has returned them to her—only they have no idea that she’s their mother—and delivered all of them back into danger. “Aunt Leah” will need some help, and an old ally has a suggestion: an enigmatic young hitman named Dax Blackwell.

Never Far Away is a thrilling collision between old sins and new dreams, where the wills and ingenuity of a broken family will be tested against all odds.

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Here’s a conversation you’ll want to hear, Michael Koryta and Lee Child.

Just check out the upcoming virtual events at The Poisoned Pen. Once you do, you’ll want to order books by your favorite authors. You can find the books in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

And, you can find the schedule of upcoming events right here.

From time to time, I’ve linked to Marilyn Stasio’s Crime Column in The New York Times. Yesterday, the newspaper announced Sarah Weinman will be the new crime columnist. Here is the announcement from The New York Times.

New York Times : Sarah Weinman Becomes New Columnist for Crime Fiction as Marilyn Stasio Retires 02/12/2021 | 05:08am EST We are delighted to announce that Sarah Weinman will be the new crime columnist for The New York Times Book Review. She was, of course, the most obvious suspect: Weinman is the author of ‘The Real Lolita: A Lost Girl, An Unthinkable Crime, and a Scandalous Masterpiece,’ and the editor of the anthologies ‘Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit & Obsession’ (Ecco), ‘Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940s & 50s’ (Library of America) and ‘Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives’ (Penguin). A National Magazine Award finalist for Reporting, Weinman has written for The Times, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post, New York magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications, while her fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and various anthologies. Weinman also writes the ‘Crime Lady’ newsletter, covering crime fiction, true crime and all points in between. Her next book – about William F. Buckley’s ill-fated advocacy for a Death Row prisoner – will be published by Ecco in 2022. Marilyn Stasio, who has written her extremely popular twice-monthly column since 1988, will continue to contribute reviews to The Times on crime, true crime and other related subjects. ‘Long before I came to work at The Times, I turned to Marilyn’s column for reading recommendations,’ says Tina Jordan, Stasio’s editor and the deputy editor of the Book Review. ‘She covered the fictional murder-and-mayhem landscape so thoroughly – not just books by big-name authors, but books in translation, books from small presses.’ In a 2017 interview with The Times on the occasion of Stasio’s 30th anniversary at the Book Review, Weinman noted that Stasio’s seriousness and longevity had transformed her into someone whom people ‘revere and fear.’Sarah Weinman’s first column appears online today and in our Feb. 14th issue.

Curious? You can order Sarah Weinman’s books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2PPeH7g

You can tell Dana Stabenow and The Poisoned Pen Bookstore owner Barbara Peters are friends, both from the enjoyment they take in their conversation, and the location of the recent virtual event, Peters’ home. The occasion is the publication of Stabenow’s latest Liam Campbell mystery, Spoils of the Dead. Signed copies of that book, and copies of Stabenow’s others, are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2F9m0Bq

Here’s the summary of Spoils of the Dead.

Newenham is an ice-bound bush town with a six-bed jail, a busted ATM and a saloon that does double-duty as a courtroom. It’s a wide-enough patch to warrant a state police presence, though, and Trooper Liam Campbell is it. Campbell has been exiled from Anchorage to Newenham in disgrace, busted down from sergeant to trooper in the aftermath of a mistake that cost a family of five their lives, to spend some time in the wilderness. Campbell didn’t expect the job to be simple and it hasn’t. From the (literally) cutthroat business of commercial fishing, to the paranoid misanthropy of the back-country prospector, to drug dealers, serial killers, and caches of forgotten war gold, he has had his hands full. Now he has a dead archaeologist, murdered at their own dig site, who claimed to be on the verge of a momentous discovery. Fans of the icy frontier, of mystery tinged with a frisson of romance, of laconic lawmen with good intentions, of tai chi and small aircraft piloting take note: Liam Campbell is for you.

Dana Stabenow, born in Alaska and raised on a 75-foot fish tender, is the author of the award-winning, bestselling Kate Shugak series. The first book in the series, A Cold Day for Murder, received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. 

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Enjoy the virtual event featuring Dana Stabenow.

John Hart, author of The Unwilling, recently appeared for a virtual event for The Poisoned Pen. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, introduces him as the winner of back-to-back Edgar Awards. Then, bestselling author Tami Hoag takes over the interview. The bookstore just received autographed copies of Hart’s new book. You can order his books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/37judUr

Here’s the background of The Unwilling.

“We the unwilling, led by the unqualified to kill the unfortunate, die for the ungrateful.” —Unknown Soldier

Set in the South at the height of the Vietnam War, The Unwilling combines crime, suspense and searing glimpses into the human mind and soul in New York Times bestselling author John Hart’s singular style.

Gibby’s older brothers have already been to war. One died there. The other came back misunderstood and hard, a decorated killer now freshly released from a three-year stint in prison.

Jason won’t speak of the war or of his time behind bars, but he wants a relationship with the younger brother he hasn’t known for years. Determined to make that connection, he coaxes Gibby into a day at the lake: long hours of sunshine and whisky and older women.

But the day turns ugly when the four encounter a prison transfer bus on a stretch of empty road. Beautiful but drunk, one of the women taunts the prisoners, leading to a riot on the bus. The woman finds it funny in the moment, but is savagely murdered soon after.

Given his violent history, suspicion turns first to Jason; but when the second woman is kidnapped, the police suspect Gibby, too. Determined to prove Jason innocent, Gibby must avoid the cops and dive deep into his brother’s hidden life, a dark world of heroin, guns and outlaw motorcycle gangs.

What he discovers there is a truth more disturbing than he could have imagined: not just the identity of the killer and the reasons for Tyra’s murder, but the forces that shaped his brother in Vietnam, the reason he was framed, and why the most dangerous man alive wants him back in prison.

This is crime fiction at its most raw, an exploration of family and the past, of prison and war and the indelible marks they leave.

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Here’s the video of the virtual event with John Hart and Tami Hoag.

Jane Harper, bestselling author of The Dry, and now author of The Survivors, recently took time to talk about her new book with Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen. You can order a copies of Harper’s books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2HGHSdO

Before you check out the virtual event, or the podcast, here’s the summary of The Survivors.

Coming home dredges up deeply buried secrets in The Survivors, a thrilling mystery by New York Times bestselling author Jane Harper

Kieran Elliott’s life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.

Kieran’s parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.

When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away…

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Here’s the virtual event to watch.

If you prefer, you can listen to The Poisoned Pen podcast.

Congratulations to Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press author Mary Anna Evans. Her Faye Longchamp Archaeological Mystery, Catacombs, won a gold medal in the category “Maverick” for the Will Rogers Medallion Awards. We seldom talk about westerns, but here’s the background of this award.

“Will Rogers was a respected writer and cowboy entertainer whose work embodied and demonstrated the traditions and values of the American cowboy.  The Will Rogers Medallion Award was originally created to recognize quality works of cowboy poetry that honored the Will Rogers heritage, but has expanded to include other works of Western literature and film.”

You can find the list of award winners here – https://www.willrogersmedallionaward.net/new-release. I’m sure you’ll recognize another book or two, such as Craig Johnson’s award-winning Longmire title, Land of Wolves.

You can order Mary Anna Evans’ books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2IrcqLo

Here’s the summary of Catacombs.

What secrets lie deep beneath the surface?

A deafening explosion rocks a historic Oklahoma City hotel, sending archaeologist Faye Longchamp-Mantooth crashing to the marble floor of the lobby. She’s unhurt but shaken—after all, any time something blows up in Oklahoma City, the first word on everyone’s lips is the same: bomb.

Faye is in town for a conference celebrating indigenous arts, but is soon distracted by the aftermath of the explosion, which cracks open the old hotel’s floor to reveal subterranean chambers that had housed Chinese immigrants a century before. Faye is fascinated by the tunnels, which are a time capsule back to the early 20th century—but when the bodies of three children are discovered deep beneath the city, her sense of discovery turns to one of dread…

You’ll want to check out this coming week’s virtual events that will appear live on The Poisoned Pen’s Facebook page. You might also want to order books by your favorite author or authors now, through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s five days worth of events to enjoy.

Are you a fan of Sherlock Holmes? Are you a fan of the original by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or all of the authors who followed to write about Holmes and Watson? Two of The Poisoned Pen’s favorite authors, Leslie Klinger and Laurie King, who write about Holmes and his world, are quoted in Alison Flood’s article in The Guardian, “‘I think I’ve written more Sherlock Holmes than even Conan Doyle’: the ongoing fight to reimagine Holmes.” You’ll want to check it out here. https://bit.ly/3jnSxZK

Once you’ve read the article, you might want to explore some of the books mentioned. Check for them in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/