Hot Book of the Week – City of Margins

The Poisoned Pen still has a Hot Book of the Week, William Boyle’s City of Margins. And, you can still order a signed copy of the book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2QLAlfQ Don’t forget! Because the book is more than $25, there’s free shipping if ordered before April 15 to addresses in the United States.

Here’s what you need to know about City of Margins.

A vivid new cast of characters collide in gritty 1990s Brooklyn, in this latest from acclaimed neo-noir author William Boyle.

In City of Margins, the lives of several lost souls intersect in Southern Brooklyn in the early 1990s. There’s Donnie Parascandolo, a disgraced ex-cop with blood on his hands; Ava Bifulco, a widow whose daily work grind is her whole life; Nick, Ava’s son, a grubby high school teacher who dreams of a shortcut to success; Mikey Baldini, a college dropout who’s returned to the old neighborhood, purposeless and drifting; Donna Rotante, Donnie’s ex-wife, still reeling from the suicide of their teenage son; Mikey’s mother, Rosemarie, also a widow, who hopes Mikey won’t fall into the trap of strong arm work; and Antonina Divino, a high school girl with designs on breaking free from Brooklyn. Uniting them are the dead: Mikey’s old man, killed over a gambling debt, and Donnie and Donna’s poor son, Gabe.

These characters cross paths in unexpected ways, guided by coincidence and the pull of blood. There are new things to be found in the rubble of their lives, too. The promise of something different beyond the barriers that have been set out for them. This is a story of revenge and retribution, of facing down the ghosts of the past, of untold desires, of yearning and forgiveness and synchronicity, of the great distance of lives lived in dangerous proximity to each other. City of Margins is a Technicolor noir melodrama pieced together in broken glass.

The 2020 Lefty Awards

The Lefty Awards are usually presented at Left Coast Crime. This year, the conference was abruptly cut short, and voting had to be handled in a different manner. Voting has concluded, and the winners of the awards have been announced. Check the Web Store for copies of the books by the winners and nominees. https://store.poisonedpen.com

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the 2020 Lefty Awards!


Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel

The nominees are

  • Ellen Byron, Fatal Cajun Festival (Crooked Lane Books)
  • Leslie Karst, Murder from Scratch (Crooked Lane Books)
  • Cynthia Kuhn, The Subject of Malice (Henery Press)
  • Catriona McPherson, Scot & Soda (Midnight Ink)
  • Wendall Thomas, Drowned Under (Poisoned Pen Press)

And, the winner is: Catriona McPerson, Scot & Soda.


Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel

The nominees are

  • Susanna Calkins, Murder Knocks Twice (Minotaur Books)
  • L.A. Chandlar, The Pearl Dagger (Kensington Books)
  • Dianne Freeman, A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder (Kensington Books)
  • Jennifer Kincheloe, The Body in Griffith Park (Seventh Street Books)
  • Sujata Massey, The Satapur Moonstone (Soho Crime)

And, the winner is: Sujata Massey, The Satapur Moonstone


Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel

The nominees are

  • Tori Eldridge, The Ninja Daughter (Agora Books)
  • Angie Kim, Miracle Creek (Sarah Crichton Books)
  • Tara Laskowski, One Night Gone (Graydon House)
  • John Vercher, Three-Fifths (Agora Books)
  • Carl Vonderau, Murderabilia (Midnight Ink)

And, the winner is: Carl Vonderau, Murderabilia

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel

The nominees are

  • Steph Cha, Your House Will Pay (Ecco)
  • Tracy Clark, Borrowed Time (Kensington Books)
  • Matt Coyle, Lost Tomorrows (Oceanview Publishing)
  • Rachel Howzell Hall, They All Fall Down (Forge Books)
  • Attica Locke, Heaven, My Home (Mulholland Books)

And, the winner is: Matt Coyle, Lost Tomorrows

Again, congratulations to all the winners and nominees!

The Poisoned Pen's Virtual Events

With The Poisoned Pen closed to foot traffic, the bookstore is still offering you the chance to hear authors discuss their latest books. After you’ve watched the event on Facebook Live, most of them will be posted on the store’s YouTube channel. You can not only still see the author, but, you can still order signed copies of many of the books through the Web Store. They may take a little while to arrive, but most of us now have the time to wait for the book, and savor it when it does. Check out the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

Check out the schedule of authors who will be participating in Virtual Events, usually discussions with Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen.

Check out our Virtual Events!

James Rollins
Kathy Reichs
William Kent Krueger
Matthew Quirk
Don Winslow
Julia Spencer-Fleming
C.S. Harris
Jack Carr
Cara Black

Kathy Reichs & A Conspiracy of Bones

There are several reasons to discuss the 19th Temperance Brennan novel, A Conspiracy of Bones. First, author Kathy Reichs will discuss it in a virtual event on Thursday, March 26 from 5:00-6:00 PM MST. Kathy Reichs will be in conversation with Barbara Peters via Facebook Live. Tune in to watch it in real time, or catch it anytime thereafter. It will also be added to the Poisoned Pen’s Youtube Channel.   You can order signed copies of A Conspiracy of Bones, and copies of Reichs’ other books, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2Ur6QRh

The second reason to discuss the book? Marilyn Stasio reviews it in her current column in The New York Times. You can check out her review here. https://nyti.ms/3beGj0k

And, here’s the actual reason to discuss A Conspiracy of Bones; the book itself.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with a new riveting novel featuring her vastly popular character forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who must use all her tradecraft to discover the identity of a faceless corpse, its connection to a decade-old missing child case, and why the dead man had her cell phone number.

It’s sweltering in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Temperance Brennan, still recovering from neurosurgery following an aneurysm, is battling nightmares, migraines, and what she thinks might be hallucinations when she receives a series of mysterious text messages, each containing a new picture of a corpse that is missing its face and hands. Immediately, she’s anxious to know who the dead man is, and why the images were sent to her.

An identified corpse soon turns up, only partly answering her questions.

To win answers to the others, including the man’s identity, she must go rogue, working mostly outside the system. That’s because Tempe’s new boss holds a fierce grudge against her and is determined to keep her out of the case. Tempe bulls forward anyway, even as she begins questioning her instincts. But the clues she discovers are disturbing and confusing. Was the faceless man a spy? A trafficker? A target for assassination by the government? And why was he carrying the name of a child missing for almost a decade?

With help from a number of law enforcement associates including her Montreal beau Andrew Ryan and the always-ready-with-a-smart-quip, ex-homicide investigator Skinny Slidell, and utilizing new cutting-edge forensic methods, Tempe draws closer to the astonishing truth.

But the more she uncovers, the darker and more twisted the picture becomes…

Steven F. Havill & Less Than a Moment

Steven F. Havill, author of the new Posadas County mystery, Less Than a Moment, was recently interviewed by Michael Barson for Bookreporter.com. Barson introduces Havill with this opening paragraph.

Steven F. Havill is the author of a series of mysteries set in fictional Posadas County, New Mexico, the 24th installment of which, LESS THAN A MOMENT, is now in stores. In this interview, Havill explains why he decided — over the course of the series — to replace his almost-70-year-old protagonist, Sheriff Bill Gastner, with a younger generation of law enforcement officers, Bob Torrez and Estelle Reyes-Guzman; how New Mexico is drastically different now than it was when he moved there in 1965; his opinions on the evolution of the publishing industry from the early ’90s (when he began writing the Posadas County mysteries) to today; and why he got such a kick out of one reader who commented on enjoying his books.” Check out the rest of the interview here. https://bit.ly/3bck7UG

The Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press mystery, Less Than a Moment, and Havill’s other books, are available to order through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2PXJ77g

Here’s the description of the latest Posadas County mystery.

In less than a moment, unexplained intentions, then murder, upend life in Posadas County, New Mexico

Posadas County, sitting along New Mexico’s southern border, has enjoyed a surge in visitors, jobs, and prosperity since rancher Miles Waddell used much of his inherited half billion to create an internationally renowned astronomy complex atop Torrance Mesa. Passion, not profit, drives Waddell. Yet benefits include a narrow gauge train linking the village of Posadas to NightZone. It’s a boon to employees and for nature lovers, hikers, and birders as well as star gazers.

A ripple of unease is felt across the county with the arrival of developer—no, speculator—Kyle Thompson. Why did he and his wife quietly purchase a large scrubby acreage to the north of NightZone? Any light pollution would jeopardize Waddell’s success. “Lights are like cancer cells. One comes, others follow.”

Unease grows with a drive-by shoot-up at the Posadas Register, its 25 shots wounding a reporter and the paper’s editor. Sheriff Bob Torrez and Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman see a connection to NightZone…and worse, a connection with Torrez’s own nephew. Why?

And then murder strikes…

The Poisoned Pen

These are difficult times for everyone, including The Poisoned Pen Bookstore and staff. The Pen is now closed to browsers but open for curbside pickup and phone or internet orders. Our events are being reimagined as virtual through mid April. Further virtual or postponed events will be announced as we work through the rest of April and evaluate May. We are balancing everyone’s safety with supporting authors faced with reaching out to fans in new ways.

Don’t hesitate to order books or audiobooks through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/ You do know you can order order audiobooks from the Pen, don’t you? If it says “Buy Audiobook” under a title, you can just click on that and it will take you to Libro.fm where you can order your book on audio through The Poisoned Pen.

Looking for something to do while you’re stuck at home? How about listening to a Podcast of your favorite author? There are a number of them available at the Pen’s site, https://poisonedpen.podbean.com. James Rollins, Michael Koryta, Douglas Preston, and Gregg Hurwitz are just a few of the authors who have recently talked with Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore.

If you prefer to watch the authors, check out the Facebook Live events recorded on the Facebook page for the bookstore. https://www.facebook.com/thepoisonedpenbookstore/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

Or, you can try the bookstore’s YouTube Channel where there a number of recent and past events. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTbRuLNmD8EhT4WrGGMVW-w

Don’t worry. The Poisoned Pen Bookstore will find ways to continue to bring you books and authors. And, the blog isn’t going anyplace. There will still be announcements, reviews, award postings, and an interview or two. Maybe you want to build it into your daily routine to stop by and read what’s happening. We’ll be here and online on Facebook and Twitter. Check us out.

James Rollins & A Virtual Event

Because James Rollins had to return to Arizona to sign more copies of his new book, The Last Odyssey, The Poisoned Pen has a great deal to offer you. First, you can listen to a Podcast preview of The Last Odyssey James Rollins recorded. Then, on Wednesday, March 25, when Rollins returns to sign more copies, he and Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, will have a virtual event, a conversation on Facebook on The Poisoned Pen’s page, at 7 PM.

Then, of course, we always encourage you to buy copies of the books, including a signed copy of The Last Odyssey, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2t0Yumn

“Our copies come with an exclusive collectible and FREE SHIPPING to a US Address! If you’ve previously ordered the book, your shipping charge will be refunded.  ““ Patrick M. @ The Poisoned Pen (Mar11-20)”

Here’s the summary of The Last Odyssey.

To save the world and our future, Sigma Force must embark on a dangerous odyssey into an ancient past whose horrors are all too present in this page-turning thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins that combines cutting-edge science, historical mystery, mythology, and pulse-pounding action.

For eons, the city of Troy—whose legendary fall was detailed in Homer’s Iliad—was believed to be myth, until archaeologists in the nineteenth century uncovered its ancient walls buried beneath the sands. If Troy was real, how much of Homer’s twin tales of gods and monsters, curses and miracles—The Iliad and The Odyssey—could also be true and awaiting discovery?

In the frozen tundra of Greenland, a group of modern-day researchers stumble on a shocking find: a medieval ship buried a half-mile below the ice. The ship’s hold contains a collection of even older artifacts—tools of war—dating back to the Bronze Age. Inside the captain’s cabin is a magnificent treasure that is as priceless as it is miraculous: a clockwork gold map imbedded with an intricate silver astrolabe. The mechanism was crafted by a group of Muslim inventors—the BanÅ« MÅ«sā brothers—considered by many to be the Da Vincis of the Arab world—brilliant scientists who inspired Leonardo’s own work.

Once activated, the moving map traces the path of Odysseus’s famous ship as it sailed away from Troy. But the route detours as the map opens to reveal a fiery river leading to a hidden realm underneath the Mediterranean Sea. It is the subterranean world of Tartarus, the Greek name for Hell. In mythology, Tartarus was where the wicked were punished and the monstrous Titans of old, imprisoned.

When word of Tartarus spreads—and of the cache of miraculous weapons said to be hidden there—tensions explode in this volatile region where Turks battle Kurds, terrorists wage war, and civilians suffer untold horrors. The phantasmagoric horrors found in Homer’s tales are all too real—and could be unleashed upon the world. Whoever possesses them can use their awesome power to control the future of humanity.

Now, Sigma Force must go where humans fear to tread. To prevent a tyrant from igniting a global war, they must cross the very gates of Hell.

The Hot Gothic Novel of the Week

The current Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen is a gothic novel, Rebecca James’ The Woman in the Mirror. For those in the United States who order it before April 15, there’s free shipping. But, wherever you are in the world, check the Web Store for the book. https://bit.ly/2WkyrWT

Gothic novels are making a resurgence, so you’ll want to check out The Woman in the Mirror.

Rebecca James unveils a chilling modern gothic novel of a family consumed by the shadows and secrets of its past in The Woman in the Mirror.

For more than two centuries, Winterbourne Hall has stood atop a bluff overseeing the English countryside of Cornwall and the sea beyond. 

In 1947, Londoner Alice Miller accepts a post as governess at Winterbourne, looking after Captain Jonathan de Grey’s twin children. Falling under the de Greys’ spell, Alice believes the family will heal her own past sorrows. But then the twins’ adoration becomes deceitful and taunting. Their father, ever distant, turns spiteful and cruel. The manor itself seems to lash out. Alice finds her surroundings subtly altered, her air slightly chilled. Something malicious resents her presence, something clouding her senses and threatening her very sanity.

In present day New York, art gallery curator Rachel Wright has learned she is a descendant of the de Greys and heir to Winterbourne. Adopted as an infant, she never knew her birth parents or her lineage. At long last, Rachel will find answers to questions about her identity that have haunted her entire life. But what she finds in Cornwall is a devastating tragic legacy that has afflicted generations of de Greys. A legacy borne from greed and deceit, twisted by madness, and suffused with unrequited love and unequivocal rage.

Harlan Coben in Conversation with Barbara Peters

Tuesday, March 17 is release date for Harlan Coben’s latest standalone, The Boy from the Woods. Although the Coronavirus has interfered with his plans to be at The Poisoned Pen, he has signed copies of his book, and they’ll be available through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

And, the Pen has a special event planned. If you’re self-isolating at home, spend the time online with Harlan Coben and Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore.

Join Harlan and Barbara, Wednesday, March 18, 5:00 PM PDT for a Facebook Live chat on Poisoned Pen Bookstore’s Facebook page. Can’t make it? It can be viewed any time thereafter, and on Poisoned Pen’s YouTube channel from March 19. They will be able to address a few questions from the video audience. Email yours early to sales@poisonedpen.com.


 Harlan Coben The Boy from the Woods (click title to order)
 The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
4014 N Goldwater Blvd Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Found as a feral child running free in the Ramapo Mountain State Forest near the suburb of Westville, NJ, with no memory of his past but able to speak English, the boy appropriately named Wilde has returned to the woods to live as an adult after being raised in foster care. He’s happiest by himself, innocent of his own history. 

Then a child, Naomi Pine, goes missing. Not even her father takes this seriously, but celebrity TV lawyer Hester Crimstein has learned through her grandson that Naomi was relentlessly bullied at school. She insists that Wilde put his unique skills to work to find Naomi. As another teen goes missing, journalists and creepy security experts soon come calling, and Wilde, navigating his return to Westville, must uncover-and survive-a terrible secret. 

Coben fans spend a lot of time in suburbs, not all of them in NJ, with his characters but from time to time he enjoys leading us all into a more primal landscape as in his 2008 novel The Woods

 | The Poisoned Pen Bookstore |480-947-2974 | sales@poisonedpen.com |www.poisonedpen.com

Gothic Horror Fiction

In her recent article in The New York Times, Danielle Trussoni ended her column, “Gothic Horror Fiction, Old and New”, with the comment “Escapism at its best”. That’s exactly what we need right now, escapism. You can read Trussoni’s column here. https://nyti.ms/3cZ6Tfw

One of the books she discusses is the Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press edition of The Phantom of the Opera. You can find it in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/38SnWN2

Here’s the summary of the new release.

The first in the Haunted Library Horror Classics series presented by the Horror Writers Association. An unabridged edition of the novel that inspired the famous Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. 

Deep beneath the Paris Opera House, a masked man lives in silence…

Every night at the Palais Garnier, hundreds of guests sit on the edge of velvet-covered seats, waiting for prima donna La Carlotta to take the stage. But when her voice fails her, La Carlotta is replaced with unknown understudy Christine Daaé, a young soprano whose vibrant singing fills every corner of the house and wins her a slew of admirers, including an old childhood friend who soon professes his love for her. But unknown to Christine is another man, who lurks out of sight behind the heavy curtains of the opera, who can move about the building undetected, who will do anything to make sure Christine will keep singing just for him…

This curated edition of The Phantom of the Opera, based on the original 1911 English translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, brings an iconic story of love and obsession to today’s readers and illuminates the timeless appeal of Leroux’s masterpiece.