Fiction Review

It might be close to the end of the month, but The Poisoned Pen still has a great schedule of authors who will be appearing virtually for Facebook Live events. Here’s the slate of authors, but check the website regularly for time changes, updates, or new events. Then, check the Web Store to order the new books by your favorite authors, or maybe favorite books by them. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

It’s a special virtual event when John Grisham has a new book out. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, and then Ace Atkins, author of The Revelators, talked with Grisham about his career and his books, including his latest one, A Time for Mercy. I won’t promise anything because all signed copies may be gone, but you can still purchase a copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2H5pITf

Here’s the summary of A Time for Mercy.

Jake Brigance is back! The hero of A Time to Kill, one of the most popular novels of our time,  returns in a courtroom drama that The New York Times says is “riveting” and “suspenseful.”
 
Clanton, Mississippi. 1990. Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a deeply divisive trial when the court appoints him attorney for Drew Gamble, a timid sixteen-year-old boy accused of murdering a local deputy. Many in Clanton want a swift trial and the death penalty, but Brigance digs in and discovers that there is more to the story than meets the eye. Jake’s fierce commitment to saving Drew from the gas chamber puts his career, his financial security, and the safety of his family on the line.
 
In what may be the most personal and accomplished legal thriller of John Grisham’s storied career, we deepen our acquaintance with the iconic Southern town of Clanton and the vivid cast of characters that so many readers know and cherish. The result is a richly rewarding novel that is both timely and timeless, full of wit, drama, and—most of all—heart.
 
Bursting with all the courthouse scheming, small-town intrigue, and stunning plot twists that have become the hallmarks of the master of the legal thriller, A Time for Mercy is John Grisham’s most powerful courtroom drama yet.
 
There is a time to kill and a time for justice. Now comes A Time for Mercy.

*****

John Grisham and Ace Atkins share a connection to Oxford, Mississippi. If you’re a fan of Grisham’s books, you’ll appreciate this conversation.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, interviewed author Stuart Turton in a recent virtual event. He’s the author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. His latest novel, The Devil and the Dark Water is inspired by a true event. Turton and Peters discuss that historical event. You can order copies of Turton’s new book through the Web Store. It comes with a signed book plate and a special tote bag. https://bit.ly/3502hmi

Here’s the description of Turton’s The Devil and the Dark Water.

“[An] outstanding whodunit…Fans of impossible crime fiction won’t want to miss this one.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

The extraordinary new thriller from Stuart Turton, author of the bestselling murder mystery The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, winner of the Costa Best First Novel Award.

A murder on the high seas. A remarkable detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.

It’s 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Travelling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent.

But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered. Anyone could be to blame. Even a demon.

And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel.

With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board.

For fans of Steven King, The Devil and the Dark Water brings a chilling new spin to the Sherlock Holmes detective duo in a thriller of supernatural horror, occult suspicion, and paranormal mystery on the high seas.

*****

Enjoy the virtual event.

As Patrick Millikin from The Poisoned Pen says, the title of Ian Rankin’s new Rebus novel, A Song for the Dark Times, seems very appropriate. Rankin looked at some photos of Edinburgh, and described Edinburgh during COVID-19. If you’ve wondered about the city, you’ll want to watch this video as Patrick and Rankin discuss Edinburgh, while he discusses the book with Barbara Peters.

You can order A Song for the Dark Times through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2MyxBgY

“He’s gone…”

When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, John Rebus knows it’s not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days.

Rebus fears the worst ““ and knows from his lifetime in the police that his daughter will be the prime suspect.

He wasn’t the best father ““ the job always came first ““ but now his daughter needs him more than ever.  But is he going as a father or a detective?

As he leaves at dawn to drive to the windswept coast ““ and a small town with big secrets ““ he wonders whether this might be the first time in his life where the truth is the one thing he doesn’t want to find…

A thrilling new Rebus novel about crime, punishment, and redemption, from the Edgar Award-winning “genius” of the genre (Lee Child, bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series)

*****

I think you’ll enjoy this virtual event.

Because author Archer Mayor questioned The Poisoned Pen’s owner, Barbara Peters, about the Crime column for The New York Times just before Marilyn Stasio’s column appeared on Sunday, it’s the perfect time to discuss it. As Peters answered, the column now runs just twice a month. The current column covers some well-known characters in crime novels, Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache, Ann Cleeves’ Vera Stanhope, Stuart Nevill’s Gerry Fegan. Ariana Franklin’s “Mistress of the Art of Death” was well-known before the author’s death. Now, her daughter, Samantha Norman, finishes the series. You can read about the characters’ latest adventures here. https://nyti.ms/36NFSuZ

Then, check the Web Store for the books you would like to order. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Isabella Maldonado, author of the Veranda Cruz mysteries, now launches a new series with The Cipher. Release date for The Cipher is Nov. 1, but if you’re interested, it always helps the author if you pre-order the book. You can order Maldonado’s books, including The Cipher, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2GSYMWr

But, before we talk about The Cipher, Isabella Maldonado agreed to talk about her book “Distractions” this year. First, here’s an introduction to Maldonado.

ISABELLA MALDONADO wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. The first Latina to attain the rank of captain in her department, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During her career, her varied assignments included hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander. Selected to attend the prestigious FBI National Academy in Quantico, she uses her extensive law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing. THE CIPHER, the first book in her new series featuring FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera, will be published on November 1, 2020. www.isabellamaldonado.com

Here’s Isabella Maldonado talking about her “Distractions”. I think you’ll enjoy this piece.

******

GOING ON A BOOK FLIGHT

by Isabella Maldonado

Back in the pre-Covid days of yore, I enjoyed going to restaurants to try a “wine flight,” preferably accompanied by a “cheese flight,” in which I could try out wonderful new flavors to stimulate my palate and discover a new favorite. After putting the final touches on a new manuscript, I decided to celebrate by taking a “book flight.” This four-book tasting menu, all authored by women of color, provided both an escape and much needed intellectual stimulation (sorry, TV reruns) that is otherwise sadly lacking and—bonus—no calories!

After enjoying these delectable varietals (a wine term I learned a few years back) I’m excited to share them. Along with my comments, I am recommending wine and cheese pairings to enjoy with each title. Bon appétit and happy reading!

LITTLE SECRETS by Jennifer Hillier

This delightful book is a masterful stemwinder of a tale. From the first few lines, Hillier gives you the sense that a freight train is headed straight at you, and there’s no way to jump off the tracks. I barreled along, turning the pages quickly, unable to stop. The mysteries behind the complex characters are gradually revealed in a series of twists, making me thrilled that Hillier did what she does best: Pull the wool over my eyes!

Recommended pairing: Chardonnay and Gouda

BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD by Attica Locke

My favorite thing about this extraordinary work is the gorgeous use of language by an incredibly talented author who knows how to weave time and place into a riveting story. When a black Texas Ranger takes on the local chapter of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, bullets are bound to fly, and Locke creates such richly drawn characters that her mystery-thriller transcends the genre.

Recommended pairing: Port and Stilton

LAND OF SHADOWS by Rachel Howzell Hall

Howzell Hall has a strong voice that is a pleasure to read. I found myself drawn to the sassy attitude and persistence of LAPD detective Elouise “Lou” Norton, who investigates a murder that might be related to the disappearance of her sister thirty years earlier.

The back story behind the case is slowly revealed in carefully placed flashbacks that enrich the depth of the tale. The emotional ending lends resonance to a story that brings many disparate threads and mysteries to a satisfying close.

Recommended pairing: Pinot Noir and Camembert

TINY IMPERFECTIONS by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans

This wonderful, fun-filled romp was a great way to round out my four-book sampler. If you enjoyed Crazy Rich Asians and The Devil Wears Prada, you’ll love this smart, funny rom com. I fell in love with Josie Bordelon’s loving, interfering family and friends. Her emotional journey is peppered with laughs and poignant moments. This one HAS to become a movie!

Recommended pairing: Champagne and Brie

Thank you for joining me on my “book flight.” Oh, and if you decide to delve into THE CIPHER, I recommend pairing it with Cabernet and Manchego. Cheers!

*****

So, break out the Cabernet and Manchego, and prepare for The Cipher.

To a cunning serial killer, she was the one that got away. Until now…

FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera escaped a serial killer’s trap at sixteen. Years later, when she’s jumped in a Virginia park, a video of the attack goes viral. Legions of new fans are not the only ones impressed with her fighting skills. The man who abducted her eleven years ago is watching. Determined to reclaim his lost prize, he commits a grisly murder designed to pull her into the investigation…but his games are just beginning. And he’s using the internet to invite the public to play along.

His coded riddles may have made him a depraved social media superstar—an enigmatic cyber-ghost dubbed “the Cipher”—but to Nina he’s a monster who preys on the vulnerable. Partnered with the FBI’s preeminent mind hunter, Dr. Jeffrey Wade, who is haunted by his own past, Nina tracks the predator across the country. Clue by clue, victim by victim, Nina races to stop a deadly killer while the world watches.

Cozy mystery authors Victoria Laurie and Vicki Delany, who also writes as Eva Gates, recently made a joint virtual appearance for The Poisoned Pen. Laurie’s latest Cat & Gilley Life Coach Mystery is To Coach a Killer. Delany’s latest mystery written as Eva Gates is her fortieth book. A Death Long Overdue is the seventh Lighthouse Library Mystery. Both authors talked with John Charles about their backstory and their latest books. You can order them through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the summary of To Coach a Killer.

Soaking up a luxurious new chapter alongside her saucy bestie, Cat Cooper plans on emerging as the premier life coach in East Hampton by summertime. All she has to do is survive an offseason replete with desolate beaches, slow business, and murder . . .
 
As the Hamptons drags through early spring, Cat’s shot at becoming the toast of the town in time for Memorial Day is dwindling—and fast. The only client she can find has been housebound for decades and claims to be the victim of a devasting curse. Then there’s the matter of Detective Shepherd’s intense jealousy over Maks Grinkov, the handsome bad boy who approaches Cat with an unusual offer she can’t stop thinking about. Havoc finally breaks loose when a string of murders rocks the coastal community, landing Maks on the hook as the culprit . . .
 
While the body count rises, Cat goes from life coaching to sleuthing for the truth about Maks’s less-than-wholesome background. But after digging deeper, she questions if Detective Shepherd had an unwitting hand in a related homicide case after tangling with the wrong people. With a storm approaching shore and no one to trust, Cat and her sharp-tongued best friend, Gilley, must solve a client’s curse and a series of violent deaths before a killer sends them all sailing to their doom . . .

*****

Check out the description of Vicki Delany’s (Eva Gates’) A Death Long Overdue.

When her former director is found dead in the water, librarian Lucy Richardson will have to get to the bottom of the mystery before the killer ends her tale.

It’s summertime in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Bertie James’s college class is having their 40th anniversary reunion. The opening night reception is held at the Lighthouse Library and Lucy and her colleagues have assembled an exhibit of library artifacts showing how libraries have changed over the years. After the reception, some of the women take a walk down the boardwalk to the pier, using flashlights to illuminate the dark path, but what’s scarier than the dark is finding the former director of the Lighthouse Library floating lifeless in the water.

Helena Sanchez, the former director, wasn’t much loved and spent the party being rude to almost everyone there. As a result, Lucy finds herself in deep water as she rocks the boat, questioning several suspects. But she’ll have to batten down the hatches and fast before she’s left high and dry…and right in the killer’s crosshairs.

*****

Now, you can enjoy the conversation, including the comments about cozy mysteries.

Archer Mayor has a bizarre publishing history, but he has continued to write his Joe Gunther novels. The Orphan’s Guilt, his thirty-first book is available through the Web Store. There might even be a few signed copies left. https://bit.ly/357hQrz

Here’s the description of The Orphan’s Guilt.

In Archer Mayor’s intriguing new Vermont-based mystery, The Orphan’s Guilt, a straightforward traffic stop snowballs into a homicide investigation after Joe Gunther and his fellow investigators peel back layer upon layer of history and personal heartbreak to learn a decades-old hidden truth.

John Rust is arrested for drunk driving by a Vermont state trooper. Looking to find mitigating circumstances, John’s lawyer hires private eye Sally Kravitz to look into the recent death of John’s younger brother, purportedly from a childhood brain injury years earlier. But what was the nature of that injury, and might its mechanism point more to murder than to natural causes? That debate brings in Joe Gunther and his team.

Gunther’s efforts quickly uncover an ancient tale of avarice, betrayal, and vengeance that swirled around the Rust boys growing up. Their parents and the people they consorted with—forgotten, relentless, but now jolted to action by this simple set of circumstances—emerge with a destructive passion. All while the presumably innocent John Rust mysteriously vanishes with no explanation.

*****

If you live away from Vermont, you might not have had the chance to hear Archer Mayor. Enjoy the virtual event!

Oh, this is a virtual event that Lee Child or Jack Reacher’s fans will want to watch. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, kicks off the conversation between Lee Child and Heather Martin, author of The Reacher Guy. They talk about Child’s memory, and the witnesses to his life, and what is actually true. There are signed copies of this biography available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3lx7Nnj

Here’s the background of The Reacher Guy.

An exquisitely written and nuanced biography of an exceptional individual and writer who has created the # 1 international bestselling hero Jack Reacher, revered by dedicated and loyal readers worldwide. 

Lee Child has a great public persona: he is gracious and generous with readers and fans. But Jim Grant is a reticent and very private man. 

This rags-to-riches literary and social biography is based principally on disarmingly frank personal conversations and correspondence with the author since 2016 and privileged access to archival materials. It consists almost entirely of original material, and is the nearest thing the world is likely to get to the autobiography he does not intend to write. 

There are a handful of great Lee Child/Reacher stories that have been recycled over and over again. They are so good that no one has bothered to look beyond them. This book revisits (and sometimes revises) those irresistible stories, but goes back further and digs deeper. The emphasis on chronology, accuracy and specificity is unprecedented.  

The Lee Child origin myth is much loved. But mostly it sees him springing fully formed from the brow of Granada Television. There are glancing references to Aston Villa and the schoolyard, but no one has examined the social and historical detail or looked closely at where Lee really came from: the people, places and period.

This is the first time someone has described the Lee Child arc: from peaceful obscurity in the Yorkshire Dales and Upstate New York to cult figure, no. 1 in America, rock star, celebrity and publishing institution through to backlash, the changing zeitgeist, and intimations of retirement. The analysis of the emotional power and significance of Lee’s work in the final chapters—the themes of happiness, addiction, dependency, loneliness, and existential absurdity—and the first-hand retrospective accounts of his life and second-act career are all exclusive to this definitive biography.

*****

You’ll want to watch this virtual event.

Val McDermid’s latest Karen Pirie book, Still Life, is The Poisoned Pen’s October British Crime Novel of the month. McDermid spoke to Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, from Edinburgh, on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the store. Peters said Val McDermid has been with them almost from the beginning. You can order copies of her books, including Still Life, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2AHVqg1

Here’s the summary of Still Life.

Val McDermid is the award-winning, international bestselling author of more than thirty novels and has been hailed as Britain’s Queen of Crime. InStill Life, McDermid returns to her propulsive series featuring DCI Karen Pirie, who finds herself investigating the shadowy world of forgery, where things are never what they seem.

When a lobster fisherman discovers a dead body in Scotland’s Firth of Forth, Karen is called into investigate. She quickly discovers that the case will require untangling a complicated web—including a historic disappearance, art forgery, and secret identities—that seems to orbit around a painting copyist who can mimic anyone from Holbein to Hockney. Meanwhile, a traffic crash leads to the discovery of a skeleton in a suburban garage. Needless to say, Karen has her plate full. Meanwhile,the man responsible for the death of the love of her life is being released from prison, reopening old wounds just as she was getting back on her feet.

Tightly plotted and intensely gripping,Still Life is Val McDermid at her best, and new and longtime readers alike will delight in the latest addition to this superior series.

*****

Now, you can watch the virtual event with Val McDermid.