Fiction Review

Paula Munier is a little overshadowed by Bear, that beautiful dog in her author’s photo, isn’t she? Personally, I think the author of the Mercy Carr mysteries planned it that way. Munier’s books are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/373HChB

Paula Munier is the author of the bestselling Plot Perfect, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, Writing with Quiet Hands, and Fixing Freddie: A True Story of a Boy, a Mom, and a Very, Very Bad Beagle. She was inspired to write A Borrowing of Bones, the first Mercy and Elvis mystery, by the hero working dogs she met through MissionK9Rescue, her own Newfoundland retriever mix rescue Bear, and a lifelong passion for crime fiction. She lives in New Hampshire with her family, Bear, and a torbie tabby named Ursula.

Munier hasn’t really needed distractions lately, so she wrote a lengthy piece with book “Distractions”. You can find all but one of her suggestions in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/ Her final suggestion is a special book, a little costly and hard to find for most of us. Even so, it’s worth sharing.

*****

Books are my life. Literally. Dr. Seuss at six was my gateway drug to a childhood spent reading every book I could land my hands on and an adulthood spent writing, editing, and selling books as an author, acquisitions editor, and literary agent. I read for pleasure, I read for inspiration, I read for comfort and companionship—and I read for a living.

It would take more than a pandemic to get me to stop reading. On the contrary, the pandemic gives me permission to spend even more of my time reading—and to read what truly engages and moves me. Partly because we’re up here in Nowhere, New Hampshire (as my youngest calls it) with my elderly parents, two rescue dogs, a rescue cat, and a new rescue puppy for the duration. No food delivery, no restaurants, no retail therapy. Nothing but woods for miles around. But I can always escape into a good book….

Here’s a sampling of the stories that have helped me through these perilous times:

THE CUTTING SEASON, by Attica Locke

I came too late to the Attica Locke fan club, but I made up for it by reading all of her novels in a sweet streak just as we dug in for the new shelter-in-place order. All great stories, especially her Highway 59 mysteries, but my first read remains my favorite: The Cutting Season, a 2013 mystery set on a “landmark” plantation in  Louisiana’s sugar cane country that reads like it was ripped from today’s headlines about race relations and revisionist history in the South. If you haven’t read Attica Locke, now’s the time.

WHEN THINGS FALL APART by Pema Chodron

I’ve read practically everything this beloved Buddhist nun and teacher has written, but I find myself turning to her humility and humanity all over again whenever I despair of our fate as a country, as a species, and as a planet. Which happens more often than not these days. The Compassion Book and Living Beautifully are wonderful, too, but this is the book I recommend—and reread—the most. The sub-title of this book says it all: Heart advice for difficult times. Who doesn’t need a little of that right now?

AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones

I’d been meaning to read this Oprah’s Book Club selection ever since I met Tayari Jones at the Writers Digest Conference a few year back and was so impressed by her and her novel Silver Sparrow. Lockdown gave me the time—and I loved loved loved this story of a marriage torn asunder by circumstances beyond the couple’s control—and how they deal with it and with each other, for better or for worse. A classic.

MAIGRET’S PICKPOCKET by Georges Simenon

I chose Maigret’s Pickpocket just because it’s the one I’m reading right now. You should know that I read Maigret novels the way other people knit sweaters or bake bread or chant mantras—to calm my mind, to pound away stress, to commune with the divine. Only my god is the pipe-smoking Inspector Jules Maigret of the Paris Prefecture, who leaves the City of Light just a little brighter every book by fighting the good fight against the dark underbelly of its storied streets with his trademark wisdom, deep understanding of human nature, and Gallic pessimism. I don’t know if I’ve actually read all of the Maigret oeuvre—Simenon wrote so many he called himself the Henry Ford of novelists—but if I haven’t, I should have by the time this is all over.

(This one is not available through the Web Store. We can only drool over it.)

THE GLOBE ILLUSTRATED SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare is my go-to when I feel bad about the human race. Somehow his timeless tales of people struggling with love, jealousy, greed, revenge, violence, and more always make me feel better about being human. One of the silver linings of this pandemic is all of the Shakespeare you can now see online, and I’ve been watching both live and filmed performances of his plays and rereading them in tandem. My idea of a good time. I know, I know, I’m such a nerd.

There’s nothing good about this pandemic, but there is one consolation: So many books—and for once we may have the time.

*****

And, I hope you have the time to try Paula Munier’s mysteries featuring veteran Mercy Carr and her bomb-sniffing dog, Elvis. As I said, you can find them in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/373HChB

A Borrowing of Bones is the first in the series.

The instant USA Today bestseller!

The first in a gripping new series by Paula Munier, A Borrowing of Bones is full of complex twists, introducing a wonderful new voice for mystery readers and dog lovers.

Grief and guilt are the ghosts that haunt you when you survive what others do not….

After their last deployment, when she got shot, her fiancé Martinez got killed and his bomb-sniffing dog Elvis got depressed, soldier Mercy Carr and Elvis were both sent home, her late lover’s last words ringing in her ears: “Take care of my partner.”

Together the two former military police—one twenty-nine-year-old two-legged female with wounds deeper than skin and one handsome five-year-old four-legged Malinois with canine PTSD—march off their grief mile after mile in the beautiful remote Vermont wilderness.

Even on the Fourth of July weekend, when all of Northshire celebrates with fun and frolic and fireworks, it’s just another walk in the woods for Mercy and Elvis—until the dog alerts to explosives and they find a squalling baby abandoned near a shallow grave filled with what appear to be human bones.

U.S. Game Warden Troy Warner and his search and rescue Newfoundland Susie Bear respond to Mercy’s 911 call, and the four must work together to track down a missing mother, solve a cold-case murder, and keep the citizens of Northshire safe on potentially the most incendiary Independence Day since the American Revolution.

It’s a call to action Mercy and Elvis cannot ignore, no matter what the cost.

*****

The second book in the series, Blind Search, is out in hardcover. If you’d rather wait for the paperback, you can pre-order it before the October release.

Former Army MP Mercy Carr and her retired bomb-sniffing dog Elvis are back in Blind Search, the sequel to the page-turning, critically acclaimed A Borrowing of Bones

It’s October, hunting season in the Green Mountains—and the Vermont wilderness has never been more beautiful or more dangerous. Especially for nine-year-old Henry, who’s lost in the woods. Again. Only this time he sees something terrible. When a young woman is found shot through the heart with a fatal arrow, Mercy thinks that something is murder. But Henry, a math genius whose autism often silences him when he should speak up most, is not talking.

Now there’s a murderer hiding among the hunters in the forest—and Mercy and Elvis must team up with their crime-solving friends, game warden Troy Warner and search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear, to find the killer—before the killer finds Henry. When an early season blizzard hits the mountains, cutting them off from the rest of the world, the race is on to solve the crime, apprehend the murderer, and keep the boy safe until the snowplows get through.

Inspired by the true search-and-rescue case of an autistic boy who got lost in the Vermont wilderness, Paula Munier’s mystery is a compelling roller coaster ride through the worst of winter—and human nature.

*****

Here’s a teaser. Although you’ll have to wait until March for The Hiding Place, you might want to know what’s coming next in the series.

Mercy and Elvis are back in The Hiding Place, the most enthralling entry yet in USA Today bestselling Paula Munier’s award-winning Mercy Carr mystery series. When the man who killed her grandfather breaks out of prison and comes after her grandmother, Mercy must unearth the long-buried scandals that threaten to tear her family apart. And she may have to do it without her beloved canine partner Elvis, if the sniffer dog’s former handler has his way….

Some people take their secrets with them to the grave. Others leave them behind on their deathbeds, riddles for the survivors to solve.

When her late grandfather’s deputy calls Mercy to his deathbed, she and Elvis inherit the cold case that haunted him—and may have killed him. But finding Beth Kilgore 20 years after she disappeared is more than a lost cause. It’s a Pandora’s box releasing a rain of evil on the very people Mercy and Elvis hold most dear.

The timing couldn’t be worse when the man who murdered her grandfather escapes from prison and a fellow Army vet turns up claiming that Elvis is his dog, not hers. With her grandmother Patience gone missing, and Elvis’s future uncertain, Mercy faces the prospect of losing her most treasured allies, the only ones she believes truly love and understand her.

She needs help, and that means forgiving Vermont Game Warden Troy Warner long enough to enlist his aid. With time running out for Patience, Mercy and Elvis must team up with Troy and his search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear to unravel the secrets of the past and save her grandmother—before it’s too late.

Once again, Paula Munier crafts a terrific mystery thriller filled with intrigue, action, resilient characters, the mountains of Vermont, and two amazing dogs.

Let’s introduce you to a debut author. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently talked with Anna Downes, a British author who lives in Australia. She’s the author of The Safe Place. You can order copies of the book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2WU2yUC

Here’s the description of The Safe Place.

Superbly tense and oozing with atmosphere, Anna Downes’s debut, The Safe Place, is the perfect summer suspense, with the modern gothic feel of Ruth Ware and the morally complex family dynamics of Lisa Jewell.

Welcome to paradise…will you ever be able to leave?

Emily is a mess.

Emily Proudman just lost her acting agent, her job, and her apartment in one miserable day.

Emily is desperate.

Scott Denny, a successful and charismatic CEO, has a problem that neither his business acumen nor vast wealth can fix. Until he meets Emily.

Emily is perfect.

Scott offers Emily a summer job as a housekeeper on his remote, beautiful French estate. Enchanted by his lovely wife Nina, and his eccentric young daughter, Aurelia, Emily falls headlong into this oasis of wine-soaked days by the pool. But soon Emily realizes that Scott and Nina are hiding dangerous secrets, and if she doesn’t play along, the consequences could be deadly.

*****

Enjoy the virtual author event here.

Years and years ago, I was lucky enough to see the Rock Bottom Remainders in concert in Greenwich Village. Who are the Rock Bottom Remainders? Well, the group changes, but Stephen King, Amy Tan, Ridley Pearson, Greg Iles, Dave Barry, and Mitch Albom are some of the members. You can see others, including a few guests, in the following video.

We’re not asking for charity or donations on this blog. It’s a Saturday during a worldwide pandemic, a perfect time to share a fun video with some of your favorite authors in a role you might never have seen. Enjoy!

Oh, one of Catherine Bruns’ book suggestions will bring back memories for many of you. And, if you love Italian food as I do, her Italian Chef Mysteries might strike a chord as well. You can find her books, and her book “Distractions” in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns lives in Upstate New York with an all-male household that consists of her very patient husband, three sons, and several spoiled pets. Catherine has a B.A. in both English and Performing Arts and is a former newspaper reporter and press release writer. In her spare time, she loves to bake, read, and attend live theater performances. Over the past five years, she’s written fifteen mystery novels plus several novellas and has many more stories waiting to be told. Readers are invited to visit her website at www.catherinebruns.net

*****

For me, there’s nothing like curling up with a good book to pass the evening or serve as an escape from real life. Before the pandemic, I was hard pressed to find time for reading or as I like to call it, “me time.” In addition to family obligations, I work full time and have a driving commute of two hours a day. I also write three books a year for two different publishers which means that I am always on deadline for something—either a finished manuscript or a set of edits. 

Since March, I’ve been working my day job from home, which has allotted me some extra time.  I’ve been trying to set aside at least a half hour each night to read for pleasure. Since my gym has been closed the last four months and I sorely need exercise, I take long walks outside with my Kindle in hand.   

My reading preferences have always been a bit of a mixed bag. I love cozy mysteries and thrillers, but there’s a number of comfort reads in different genres that I often revisit.  Like writing, they help distract me from the real world. They’re the epitome of comfort foods—something that I’ve experienced many times but never tire of. Familiar, enjoyable, and they always make me feel good.

The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I’ve been a huge fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books since I was a little girl. Laura and her family are living in De Smet, South Dakota and “quarantined” during the terrible winter of 1880 when they encounter seven months of blizzards. Trains can’t get through because of the weather conditions and the Ingalls family is trapped inside their home. In some ways their experience is eerily similar to the pandemic. They manage to survive by twisting sticks of hay to burn for fuel and eating coarse bread made from wheat that they grind daily. Some might argue this isn’t a comfort read but for me it’s a story of faith, hope and courage.

Clouds in My Coffee by Julie Mulhern

I adore the Country Club Mysteries but I’m far behind and need to catch up soon. This is the third book in the series (there are currently eleven out) and set in the 1970’s. I grew up during that decade and feel it was an era that people either loved or hated. I happened to love it, and reading these books filled with 70s references is like revisiting my childhood. Ellison Russell is a strong protagonist from a privileged family and finds herself constantly stumbling over dead bodies. Frances, Ellison’s snobbish and scary socialite mother, is easy to hate but she might be my favorite character. She brings so much flavor to a series which is already full of delightful dry wit and humor. If you want to lose yourself in a book, why not lose yourself in another decade along with Mr. Coffee, Tab and bell bottom pants?

Those Girls by Chevy Stevens 

This book was recommended during a writer’s workshop I attended at Bouchercon last year. The instructor read a portion of it out loud and I was immediately hooked. Three poverty-stricken sisters are at the mercy of their abusive father and must leave their farm in Canada one night when the unthinkable happens. The Campbell sisters go on the run hoping for a better life but are soon trapped in an even more terrifying situation, and barely escape with their lives. The sisters change their names and try to forget the past, but it finally catches up with them 18 years later. If you like edge of the seat thrillers, you will enjoy this ride.

*****

As I said, you can order Catherine Bruns’ book “Distractions” through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/ You can go directly to her page in the store to order her Italian Chef Mysteries. https://bit.ly/330DGi7

Penne Dreadful is the first in the series from Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press.

First book in a new series from USA Today bestselling author Catherin Bruns! Penne Dreadful, the first in the Italian Chef Mystery books, finds Tessa Esposito embroiled in a hot investigation.

Tomato sauce isn’t the only thing that runs red…A delicious new cozy mystery that is:For fans of Joanne Fluke and Susan FurlongFor readers of cozy mysteries and food mysteriesIncludes delicious recipes

Local Italian chef Tessa Esposito is struggling to get back on her feet following her husband’s fatal accident. And when the police knock on Tessa’s door, things just get worse. They’ve discovered Dylan’s death wasn’t an accident after all, and they need Tessa to start filling in the blanks. Who would want her beloved husband dead, and why?

With the investigation running cold, Tessa decides it’s time to save her sanity by reconnecting with her first love—cooking. And maybe the best way back into the kitchen is to infiltrate Dylan’s favorite local pizza parlor, which also happens to be the last place he was seen before he died. Tessa has never been a fan of detective novels, but even she can see that the anchovies aren’t the only thing that stink inside the small family business. And with suspects around every corner, Tessa finds that her husband’s many secrets might land her in hot water.

*****

The second title, It Cannoli Be Murder, will be released Tuesday, July 28. You can pre-order it now.

A delicious new title in a new series from USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns! Tessa’s biscotti have always been killer, but never as deadly as in this addition to the Italian Chef mystery books!

It’s time to serve some just desserts…

• For fans of Joanne Fluke and Susan Furlong
• For readers of cozy mysteries and food mysteries
• Includes delicious recipes!

Six months after her husband’s death, Tessa Esposito is hoping to drum up reservations for her restaurant’s grand opening. And since a signing with bestselling author, Preston Rigotta, is sure to draw a crowd, Tessa agrees to cater her cousin’s bookstore event—whipping up some of her famous Italian desserts. But the event soon takes a sour turn when Preston’s publicist, an old high school rival, arrives and begins to whisk up their old grudges.

That night, a fight breaks out in front of the crowd, and it becomes clear there’s bad blood in Harvest Park. And when the publicist is found dead on the bookstore floor the next morning, a stray cannolo at her side, Tessa knows who will be framed as the prime suspect.

To clear both her cousin’s and her own name, Tessa must investigate the murder. But Preston’s publicist has many secrets to hide, and in the end, the truth is bittersweet…

The second book in the Italian Chef Cozy Mystery series! As Italian Chef Tessa plays the role of a female detective in this murder mystery, she’ll have to follow a string of clues before the case boils over.

I hope you’re enjoying the virtual author events presented by The Poisoned Pen. Although bookstore staff and authors miss seeing people in person, these events allow readers to see and hear authors they might never have seen.

You’ll want to watch the conversation Patrick Millikin moderated with authors Ace Atkins and J. Todd Scott. Ace Atkins’ latest Quinn Colson novel, the tenth in the series, is The Revelators. J. Todd Scott’s Lost River is a standalone. You can order signed copies of both books through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the summary of The Revelators for all of us who have been waiting a year after the cliffhanger in The Shameless.

In this gripping new crime novel from the New York Times-bestselling author, Quinn Colson returns to take down a criminal syndicate that has ravaged his community, threatened his family, and tried to have him killed.

Shot up and left for dead, Sheriff Quinn Colson has revenge on his mind. With the help of his new wife Maggie, rehabilitation, and sheer force of will, he’s walking again, eager to resume his work as a southern lawman and track down those responsible for his attempted murder. But someone is standing in his way: an interim sheriff, appointed by the newly elected Governor Vardaman, the man who Quinn knows ordered his murder. Vardaman sits at the top of the state’s power structure–both legal and criminal–and little does he know, Quinn is still working to take him down.

Quinn will enlist the help of his most trusted friends, including federal agent Jon Holliday, U.S. Marshal Lillie Virgil, and Nat Wilikins, an undercover agent now working for crime queen Fannie Hathcock. Since Quinn’s been gone, the criminal element in north Mississippi has flourished, with Hathcock enjoying unbridled freedom. Now as a bustling factory shuts down, a labor leader ends up dead, and Quinn’s own nephew goes missing, everything looks to be unraveling. Even an old friend from Quinn’s past, Donnie Varner, is out of jail and up to his own ways.

Quinn Colson and company have been planning for years, and now they’re finally ready to bust apart a criminal empire running on a rigged system for far too long. This is the Battle of Jericho, the epic showdown that’s been years in the making. Eventually, the war will end–for better or worse.

*****

Here’s the description of Lost River.

A blistering crime novel of the opioid epidemic–and its cops, villains, and victims–written by a twenty-five-year veteran of the DEA.

Angel, Kentucky: Just another one of America’s forgotten places, where opportunities vanished long ago, and the opioid crisis has reached a fever pitch. When this small town is rocked by the vicious killing of an entire infamous local crime family, the bloody aftermath brings together three people already struggling with Angel’s drug epidemic: Trey, a young medic-in-training with secrets to hide; Special Agent Casey Alexander, a DEA agent who won’t let the local law or small-town way of doing things stand in her way; and Paul Mayfield, a former police chief who’s had to watch his own young wife succumb to addiction.

Over the course of twenty-four hours, loyalties are tested, the corrupt are exposed, and the horrible truth of the largest drug operation in the region is revealed. And though Angel will never be the same again, a lucky few may still find hope.

*****

I hope you take time to watch the conversation.

These upcoming virtual events round out the month of July. Mark your calendars now. You should continue to check back on the website, though. It’s quite possible The Poisoned Pen will sneak another event or two into the schedule.

Take a look at the events. If you’re wise, you’ll preorder copies of your favorite authors’ books early to ensure you’ll get one. You can order books through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Enjoy the virtual events on the Pen’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/thepoisonedpenbookstore/

Michael Barson recently interviewed author Michael Brandman for Bookreporter.com. They talked about the Buddy Steel novels and Brandman’s Buddy Steel e-book short story, “Stealth”. You can find the interview here. https://bit.ly/2Cmu1Yf

Michael Brandman is the author of three Jesse Stone novels, each based on characters created by Robert B. Parker, all on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

With his longtime partner, Tom Selleck, he produced and co-wrote nine Jesse Stone movies and three Westerns.

His and Emanuel Azenberg’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead won the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion Award for Best Picture.

He has produced more than forty motion pictures including films written by Arthur Miller, Stephen Sondheim, Neil Simon, David Mamet, Horton Foote, Wendy Wasserstein; David Hare, and Athol Fugard.

He is the father of two sons and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the actress Joanna Miles.

You can find Brandman’s Buddy Steel books in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3jhrhvE

Wild Card is the most recent book in the series.

“…another irreverent, complex lawman.” —Library Journal

Follow Buddy Steel on his most difficult and dangerous investigation yet as he stumbles upon corruption in his own backyard.

When San Remo County Acting Sheriff Buddy Steel is deputized by the California Coastal Commission to investigate a reclusive Russian billionaire who has repeatedly violated state law by obstructing public access to his vast beachfront property, he makes a shocking discovery. And learns that the politicos, some with a history of corruption, some just chicken, will not back up enforcement.

This makes Buddy, a former LAPD cop dragged home by his Sheriff father’s ALS diagnosis to “temporarily” head the department, dig in his heels and face down the Russian’s imported goon squad. It can and will get uglier.

At the same time a string of random murders in the county’s normally sleepy town of Freedom, a wealthy enclave up the coast from Los Angeles, places the Sheriff’s Department on high alert as it seeks to apprehend a serial killer whose crimes are so perfectly executed they leave no forensic evidence.

Buddy enlists an old adversary in his war with the Russian. She’s a legal shark from L.A., a savvy negotiator—and former lover. He needs to carry this fight to court. And he needs more backup—from the Sheriff’s Department staff, not the Sheriff, who resists being sidelined. Nor Freedom’s mayor, Buddy’s stepmother.

Unconventional and meticulously obtuse in his methodology, wild card cynic Buddy Steel barrels his way through the myriad obstacles that defy him. He may not want the job but his quest for serving the law is relentless.

Wild Card is the third in the Buddy Steel series by Hollywood ace Michael Brandman who, among his other credits, has both written New York Times bestsellers in the Robert B. Parker Jesse Stone series and brought Jesse to the screen in nine films starring Tom Selleck.

*****

Or, if you want to start at the beginning of the series, you can pre-order a copy of Missing Persons. The first book will be re-released in September. (It’s not that far away.)

Even in a town called Freedom, justice has its price

LAPD homicide detective Buddy Steel finds himself detoured from his own life when his ailing father, Sheriff Burton Steel, calls him home to Freedom to take over as deputy. Though relations between father and son have always been strained, Buddy reluctantly agrees to the arrangement.

When he begins investigating the possible disappearance of a famous local televangelist’s wife, he is met with outright antagonism. While the highly-secured husband insists that his wife is simply visiting a relative, the housekeeper who reported her missing fears she may have been murdered. And no one, from family members to ministry security and staff to the prosecutor’s office seems inclined to help Buddy in his investigation. In fact, many go out of their way to stop him.

But the more he pokes and prods, the more he realizes that the Bible-thumping family and their television empire may be an elaborate cover for a less-than-holy enterprise. But how far up does the corruption reach—and will Buddy pay the ultimate price for refusing to look the other way?

If you’re a dog person, you’re going to love the covers of Laurien Berenson’s Melanie Travis mysteries. If you’re a reader, you’ll enjoy her post about books. So, we’re lucky she was willing to talk about what she’s been reading during the pandemic. You can find Berenson’s books in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/30kLmJ1

Laurien Berenson is an Agatha and Macavity nominee, winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, and four-time winner of the Maxwell Award, presented by the Dog Writers Association of America. She and her husband live on a farm in Kentucky surrounded by dogs and horses. Readers can visit her website at: www.LaurienBerenson.com.

*****

You can find all the books Berenson selects through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

*****

I’ve spent entirely too much time inside my house over the last few months. It’s reached the point where even my dog thinks I should be getting out more. Having now resigned myself to living in pants with elastic waistbands, I’ve decided to look on the bright side and celebrate all the extra time I’m able to spend reading.

Ever since I was a small child, I’ve been a voracious reader. My TBR pile regularly overflows its shelf and become a stack on the floor. To me, there’s almost nothing more exciting than opening a new book, starting a new story, and discovering where an author’s creativity is going to take me this time.  

My favorite books are those that whisk me away from everyday life. Ones that offer an enthralling journey, or give me a glimpse into lives and places that are different than those I’ve experienced. Here are several books that accomplished that goal beautifully.

Murder in an Irish Pub

Carlene O’Connor’s Irish Village cozy series always make me laugh. Especially now, what a wonderful diversion that is. Shiobhan O’Sullivan is both witty and wise as she solves crime while deftly wrangling the lives of her five younger siblings. Set in Kilbane, Ireland, this book is steeped in Irish mysticism and folklore. O’Connor does a wonderful job of bringing the Irish countryside to brilliant,  entertaining life. Bring on the next adventure! I’m already waiting for it.

Pumpkin Spice Peril (Jenn McKinlay).

This Cupcake Bakery series is now twelve books strong and it’s easy to understand why. I love the realistic relationships among the four main characters (Melanie Cooper, her fiancé Joe DeLaura, Angie Harper and her husband, Tate). The friendship between bakers Melanie and Angie rings particularly true—I wish these two women were my best friends. This book centers around the local art scene in Old Town Scottsdale. When a talented glass artist dies after eating Melanie’s cupcakes, Melanie has no choice but to investigate. An intriguing mystery and mouthwatering recipes. What’s not to like?

Dangerous to Know (Renee Patrick).

I know next to nothing about the movie industry, and even less about Hollywood in 1938–but Renee Patrick’s vivid prose drew me in and immediately made me feel at home. I loved the cameo appearances by real people (most notably Marlene Dietrich and costume designer Edith Head.) When a nightclub pianist with friends in high places disappears, social secretary Lillian Frost is tasked with locating him. Instead she stumbles over his dead body. Rife with old Hollywood glamour, this book is bubbly and fun and better than an afternoon at the movies. 

*****

Laurien Berenson’s books are available in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/ Game of Dog Bones, the most recent Melanie Travis Canine Mystery, was released at the end of June. Just look at that face!

Standard Poodle owner Melanie Travis is an excellent judge of dogs—and people. But what happens when an unnamed killer emerges at one of the fiercest all-breed competitions ever?
 
As Greenwich, Connecticut, slows down during a bitterly cold February, Melanie and her spunky Aunt Peg head to the city that never sleeps for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. Aunt Peg can’t wait to demonstrate her judging chops on national TV, even after being hounded by frustrating mishaps—all seemingly orchestrated by Victor Durbin, an ousted Paugussett Poodle Club member with a bone to pick. But the bright lights of the show ring grow dim when Victor is found murdered, and she’s the one topping the suspect list . . .
 
Driven to solve the crime on her aunt’s behalf, Melanie fetches hair-raising clues about the victim. Victor didn’t score many friends with his unethical breeding practices, sketchy puppy café, and penchant for mercilessly scamming others to get ahead. He burned so many bridges that his own business partner admits to being delighted by news of his death. It appears Victor finally toyed with the wrong person, and as Melanie digs up more chilling evidence, she realizes that exonerating Aunt Peg means confronting a murderer who’s in it to win it . . .

*****

Howloween Murder will be released August 25. Pre-orders always help the author, the bookstore, and you, so don’t hesitate to order the mystery now.

As the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, counts down to a spooky celebration on October 31st, a horrifying murder leaves Melanie Travis pawing for clues in a hair-raising game of trick-or-treat . . .

With just a few days left before Halloween, everyone at Howard Academy is anticipating the guaranteed sugar high they’ll experience from gorging on Harriet Bloom’s famous marshmallow puffs. The private school’s annual costume party revolves around the headmaster’s assistant and her seemingly supernatural batches of gooey goodies. So, it’s a shock when Harriet’s elderly neighbor is suddenly found dead with the beloved dessert in his hand. In a snap, police start questioning whether Harriet modified her top-secret recipe to include a hefty dose of lethal poison . . .
 
Melanie knows her tenured colleague would never intentionally serve cyanide-laced puffs to a defenseless old man. But as explosive neighborhood gossip reveals a potential culprit, it also brings her closer to sealing her own doom. Because on an evening ruled by masked revelers, bizarre getups, and hidden identities, Halloween might just be the perfect opportunity for a cold-hearted killer to get away with murder once again—this time sending a nosy, unsuspecting sleuth to an early grave!

Wait until you hear the conversation between author Jack Carr and Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen. He’s so enthusiastic about writing, and so grateful to, and enthusiastic about author Brad Thor. Carr’s third book, Savage Son, was released in April. Signed copies are still available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2DWEvxX

Here’s the information about Savage Son.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER

“A great book…it’s f*cking riveting!” —Joe Rogan

“A rare gut-punch writer, full of grit and insight, who we will be happily reading for years to come.” —Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times bestselling author of the Orphan X series

In this third high-octane thriller in the “seriously good” (Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Terminal List series, former Navy SEAL James Reece must infiltrate the Russian mafia and turn the hunters into the hunted.

Deep in the wilds of Siberia, a woman is on the run, pursued by a man harboring secrets—a man intent on killing her.

A traitorous CIA officer has found refuge with the Russian mafia with designs on ensuring a certain former Navy SEAL sniper is put in the ground.

Half a world away, James Reece is recovering from brain surgery in the Montana wilderness, slowly putting his life back together with the help of investigative journalist Katie Buranek and his longtime friend and SEAL teammate Raife Hastings. Unbeknownst to them, the Russian mafia has set their sights on Reece in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

In his most visceral and heart-pounding thriller yet, Jack Carr explores the darkest instincts of humanity through the eyes of a man who has seen both the best and the worst of it.

*****

But, Carr was also talking about Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath books. The Poisoned Pen will do the virtual release for Thor’s book, Near Dark, on Monday, July 20.

You might want to order a signed copy of Near Dark now while they’re available. https://bit.ly/3ha63On

Here’s the summary of Near Dark.

Scot Harvath returns in the newest thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor.

The world’s largest bounty has just been placed upon America’s top spy. His only hope for survival is to outwit, outrun, and outlast his enemies long enough to get to the truth.

But for Scot Harvath to accomplish his most dangerous mission ever—one that has already claimed the lives of the people closest to him, including his new wife—he’s going to need help—a lot of it.

Not knowing whom he can trust, Harvath finds an unlikely ally in Norwegian intelligence operative Sølvi Kolstad. Just as smart, just as deadly, and just as determined, she not only has the skills, but also the broken, troubled past to match Harvath’s own.

*****

I think you’ll enjoy this conversation with Jack Carr and Barbara Peters.

If you’d prefer to listen to the podcast, it’s available as well.

With the announcement that Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans are going to star in “The Gray Man” feature film for Netflix (https://bit.ly/3h7qOua), you might want to pick up a copy of Mark Greaney’s first book in the series, The Gray Man. The Deadline article says, “Fresh from a robust earnings report that saw it add 10 million subscribers during the pandemic, Netflix has just set its most financially ambitious feature film so far. Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans are set to star in The Gray Man, with Joe & Anthony Russo directing their first blockbuster since setting the all-time global box office record with Avengers: Endgame two years ago. The intention here is to create a new franchise with a James Bond-level of scale and a budget upwards of $200 million.”

Although the movie certainly won’t be the same as the book, why not start where it all began? Mark Greaney’s books, including The Gray Man, can be ordered through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2o92azg

Here’s the summary of The Gray Man.

THE FIRST GRAY MAN NOVEL FROM #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR MARK GREANEY

“Hard, fast, and unflinching—exactly what a thriller should be.”—Lee Child

To those who lurk in the shadows, he’s known as the Gray Man. He is a legend in the covert realm, moving silently from job to job, accomplishing the impossible and then fading away. And he always hits his target. Always.

But there are forces more lethal than Gentry in the world. Forces like money. And power. And there are men who hold these as the only currency worth fighting for. And in their eyes, Gentry has just outlived his usefulness.

But Court Gentry is going to prove that, for him, there’s no gray area between killing for a living and killing to stay alive…