Fiction Review

There’s always so much to talk about when authors appear at The Poisoned Pen. Steve Berry, author of The Warsaw Protocol, was the first author to appear at the bookstore after Clive Cussler’s death. He and Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, discussed Cussler’s kindness to other authors, his contributions to the International Thrillers Writers, and Thrillerfest itself. Then, of course, they talked about Poland and Berry’s book, The Warsaw Protocol. You can order signed copies of that book, and copies of his other books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/32UZtFA

Here’s the description of the latest Cotton Malone book.

In New York Times bestseller Steve Berry’s latest Cotton Malone adventure, one by one the seven precious relics of the Arma Christi, the weapons of Christ, are disappearing from sanctuaries across the world.

After former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone witnesses the theft of one of them, he learns from his old boss, Stephanie Nelle, that a private auction is about to be held where incriminating information on the president of Poland will be offered to the highest bidder—blackmail that both the United States and Russia want, but for vastly different reasons.

The price of admission to that auction is one of the relics, so Malone is first sent to a castle in Poland to steal the Holy Lance, a thousand-year-old spear sacred to not only Christians but to the Polish people, and then on to the auction itself. But nothing goes as planned and Malone is thrust into a bloody battle between three nations over information that, if exposed, could change the balance of power in Europe.

From the tranquil canals of Bruges, to the elegant rooms of Wawel Castle, to deep beneath the earth into an ancient Polish salt mine, Malone is caught in the middle of a deadly war—the outcome of which turns on a secret known as the Warsaw Protocol.

*****

You’ll want to eavesdrop on the conversation.

I’m going to leave you hanging. You’re going to have to read Betty Webb’s article at CrimeReads to find out how DNA and Webb’s sixth book in the Gunn Zoo mystery series, The Panda of Death, are related. The article is called “Fact, Fiction, and a DNA Surprise”. Check it out here. https://bit.ly/3cBfFjZ

You’ll have the chance to talk to Betty Webb about that article, the Gunn Zoo series, and her Lena Jones series. She’ll be at The Poisoned Pen on Saturday, March 7 at 2 PM to sign The Panda of Death. That book, and her other books, are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2uhnpCs

Is there anything much cuter than the cover of The Panda of Death?

California zookeeper Theodora Bentley is now happily married to Sheriff Joe Rejas. The Gunn Zoo is celebrating the arrival of Poonya, an adorable red panda, who forms a strong bond with Teddy. All appears fairytale blissful in the small Monterey Bay village of Gunn Landing until Teddy’s mother-in-law, mystery writer Colleen Rejas, has discovered through DNA testing that Joe has sired a son he knew nothing about. Dylan Coyle, 18, arrives to meet his biological family… and then is arrested for murder.

By the end of the book, besides solving the crime, Teddy and Colleen have learned that the term “family” does not always mean blood kin. It often includes those who—although no blood relationship—are still held close in our hearts.

*****

And, just for me, ask Betty about Paris.

There’s so much to love about Russ Thomas’ debut. First, a title called Firewatching is the Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen. And, it’s a police procedural! It’s a little late to mention that Thomas will be at The Pen on Thursday, March 5 at 7 PM, joining John McMahon (The Evil Men Do), and Don Bentley (Without Sanction). You can order copies of all the books through the Web Store, https://store.poisonedpen.com/, but you can order signed copies of that hot debut here. https://bit.ly/2uXnM9u

The troubled characters in Firewatching reminded me of Ann Cleeves’ characters. If you read it, see what you think.

“A pitch-perfect blend of the best of the old and the best of the new–all the traditional strengths and charms are here, with a fresh and relevant twenty first-century edge. I loved it.”–Lee Child

A taut and ambitious police procedural debut introducing Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler, a cold case reviewer who lands a high-profile murder investigation, only to find the main suspect is his recent one-night stand . . .

When financier Gerald Cartwright disappeared from his home six years ago, it was assumed he’d gone on the run from his creditors. But then a skeleton is found bricked up in the cellar of Cartwright’s burned-out mansion, and it becomes clear Gerald never left alive.

As the sole representative of South Yorkshire’s Cold Case Review Unit, Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler is not expected to get results, but he knows this is the case that might finally kick start his floundering career. Luckily, he already has a suspect. Unluckily, that suspect is Cartwright’s son, the man Tyler slept with the night before.

Keeping his possible conflict-of-interest under wraps, Tyler digs into the case alongside Amina Rabbani, an ambitious young Muslim constable and a fellow outsider seeking to prove herself on the force. Soon their investigation will come up against close-lipped townsfolk, an elderly woman with dementia who’s receiving mysterious threats referencing a past she can’t remember, and an escalating series of conflagrations set by a troubled soul intent on watching the world burn . . .

Jason Pinter, author of Hide Away, is about to go on book tour. In fact, he’ll be at The Poisoned Pen on Monday, March 9 at 7 PM, joining Phillip Margolin, author of A Reasonable Doubt, and Matt Goldman, author of The Shallows. They will all be signing their books, available through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

But, Jason Pinter is also the parent of small children. And, he recently wrote about that, talking with other crime writers as to how they juggle parenting and writing crime novels. You can find the article on CrimeReads as “How to Be a Crime Novelist and a Parent…Without Losing Your Mind or Your Moral Compass.” https://bit.ly/32NZpHN

If you’re not interested in the trials and tribulations of a crime writer, you can still check out Pinter’s Hide Away, the first Rachel Marin thriller.

“Pinter is in fine form with Hide Away. You’ll burn through the pages.” —David Baldacci

From the bestselling author of the Henry Parker series comes a page-turning thriller about a vigilante who’s desperate to protect her secrets—and bring a killer to justice.

On the surface, Rachel Marin is an ordinary single mother; on the inside, she’s a fierce, brilliant vigilante. After an unspeakable crime shatters her life, she changes her identity and moves to a small town in Illinois, hoping to spare her children from further trauma…or worse. But crime follows her everywhere.

When the former mayor winds up dead, Rachel can’t help but get involved. Where local detectives see suicide, she sees murder. They resent her for butting in—especially since she’s always one step ahead. But her investigative genius may be her undoing: the deeper she digs, the harder it is to keep her own secrets buried.

Her persistence makes her the target of both the cops and a killer. Meanwhile, the terrifying truth about her past threatens to come to light, and Rachel learns the hard way that she can’t trust anyone. Surrounded by danger, she must keep her steely resolve, protect her family, and stay one step ahead, or else she may become the next victim.

James Ellroy recently wrote a piece for The Guardian in which he talks about writing The Black Dahlia. The article is in their “How I Wrote” column. It’s hard to become more involved in a case than Ellroy was. The introduction to the article says, “The death of wannabe starlet Elizabeth Short became entwined in Ellroy’s mind with the murder of his mother ““ and inspired his bestselling novel.” You can read Ellroy’s piece here. https://bit.ly/2TDlyoa

You can find Ellroy’s book about the unsolved murder in the Web Store, along with his other books. https://bit.ly/2KUNy3y

Here’s the summary of The Black Dahlia.

The highly acclaimed novel based on America’s most infamous unsolved murder case. Dive into 1940s Los Angeles as two cops spiral out of control in their hunt for The Black Dahlia’s killer in this powerful thriller that is “brutal and at the same time believable” (New York Times).

On January 15, 1947, the torture-ravished body of a beautiful young woman is found in a Los Angeles vacant lot. The victim makes headlines as the Black Dahlia — and so begins the greatest manhunt in California history. Caught up in the investigation are Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard: Warrants Squad cops, friends, and rivals in love with the same woman. But both are obsessed with the Dahlia — driven by dark needs to know everything about her past, to capture her killer, to possess the woman even in death. Their quest will take them on a hellish journey through the underbelly of postwar Hollywood, to the core of the dead girl’s twisted life, past the extremes of their own psyches — into a region of total madness.

*****

If you tend to get caught up in research and history as I do, you can also read about The Black Dahlia case on the FBI’s site. https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/the-black-dahlia

Phillip Margolin appears at The Poisoned Pen on Monday, March 9 at 7 PM to discuss and sign his third Robin Lockwood novel, A Reasonable Doubt. He’ll be joined by Jason Pinter, author of Hide Away, and Matt Goldman, author of the Nils Shapiro books, including The Shallows. Their books can all be purchased through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

But, today the featured title is A Reasonable Doubt because Adam Wagner did a GifNote for CriminalElement featuring that title. His GifNotes are visual summaries of books. You can find A Reasonable Doubt here. https://bit.ly/38eTpsw

And, you can find A Reasonable Doubt and its summary right here.

A magician linked to three murders and suspicious deaths years ago disappears in the middle of his new act in New York Timesbestseller Phillip Margolin’s latest thriller featuring Robin Lockwood

Robin Lockwood is a young criminal defense attorney and partner in a prominent law firm in Portland, Oregon. A former MMA fighter and Yale Law graduate, she joined the firm of legal legend Regina Barrister not long before Regina was forced into retirement by early onset Alzheimer’s.  

One of Regina’s former clients, Robert Chesterfield, shows up in the law office with an odd request—he’s seeking help from his old attorney in acquiring patent protection for an illusion. Chesterfield is a professional magician of some reknown and he has a major new trick he’s about to debut. This is out of the scope of the law firm’s expertise, but when Robin Lockwood looks into his previous relationship with the firm, she learns that twenty years ago he was arrested for two murders, one attempted murder, and was involved in the potentially suspicious death of his very rich wife. At the time, Regina Barrister defended him with ease, after which he resumed his career as a magician in Las Vegas.  

Now, decades later, he debuts his new trick—only to disappear at the end. He’s a man with more than one dark past and many enemies—is his disappearance tied to one of the many people who have good reason to hate him? Was he killed and his body disposed of, or did he use his considerable skills to engineer his own disappearance?

Robin Lockwood must unravel the tangled skein of murder and bloody mischief to learn how it all ties together.

Did you miss the coconut layer cake at The Poisoned Pen the other day when Joanne Fluke was guest author? Even if you missed the event, you can still get a signed copy of her latest Hannah Swensen mystery, Coconut Layer Cake Murder, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/32DybDv

You can also get “recipes to die for” at CrimeReads, where they have Fluke’s recipes for Cinnamon and Raisin Snap Cookies, Pineapple and Walnut Muffins, and Raspberry Danish. https://crimereads.com/joanne-fluke-has-some-recipes-to-die-for/

If you really only care about the mystery, here’s the description of Coconut Layer Cake Murder.

Bakery owner Hannah Swensen is leaving Lake Eden to help a friend in sunny California. But an unexpected phone call swiftly brings her back to a cold Minnesota winter . . . and murder . . .

When Hannah learns that her sister Michelle’s boyfriend, Detective Lonnie Murphy, is the prime suspect in a murder case, she goes straight from a movie studio sound stage to the Los Angeles airport.
 
Back in frigid Minnesota, she discovers that proving Lonnie’s innocence will be harder than figuring out what went wrong with a recipe. Lonnie remembers only parts of the night he went out to a local bar and ended up driving a very impaired woman home. He knows he helped her to her bedroom, but he doesn’t recall anything else until he woke up on her couch the following morning. When he went to the bedroom to check on her, he was shocked to discover she was dead.
 
Hannah doesn’t know what to believe—only that exonerating a suspect who can’t remember is almost impossible, especially since Lonnie’s brother, Detective Rick Murphy, and Lonnie’s partner, Chief Detective Mike Kingston, have been taken off the case. Before everything comes crashing down on Lonnie like a heaping slice of coconut layer cake, it’ll be up to Hannah to rack up enough clues to toast a flaky killer . . .

Charles Finch might regret that his latest Charles Lenox mystery, The Last Passenger, deals with a body found on a train. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, invited author Karen Odden, an expert on the subject of Victorian trains, to question Finch. You can order a signed copy of The Last Passenger, or copies of Finch’s other books, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2wTAsyM

Here’s the description of The Last Passenger.

“Bravo, Mr. Finch, and keep them coming! More Lenox, please.” —Louise Penny, bestselling author of A Better Man

From bestselling author Charles Finch comes the third and final in a prequel trilogy to his lauded Charles Lenox series.

London, 1855. A young and eager Charles Lenox faces his toughest case yet: a murder without a single clue. Slumped in a third-class car at Paddington Station is the body of a handsome young gentleman. He has no luggage, empty pockets, and no sign of identification on his person. And putting together the clues to the mystery of the man’s identity only raises more questions, when Lenox discovers that the crime has a significant connection to America.

As he seeks to solve this impossible case, the young Lenox must confront an equally troublesome problem in his personal life. Kitty Ashbrook, beautiful and cultured, appears to be his soulmate—but love comes with obstacles of its own. In tandem, this fiendish early case and passionate, deeply felt affair will irrevocably shape the brilliant detective and thoughtful gentleman Lenox is destined to become.

Written in Charles Finch’s unmistakably witty and graceful voice, The Last Passenger is a cunning, thrilling, and deeply satisfying conclusion to this trilogy of prequels to his bestselling Charles Lenox series.

*****

Railroads, Finch’s books, Odden’s mysteries. You can hear about all of those subjects in the conversation.

Clive Cussler, an author whose works were beloved by so many readers, died on Monday, February 24, 2020.

The Poisoned Pen was privileged to be the source for all things Cussler. The bookstore handled his signed books and hosted events both at the bookstore and off-premises. He will be missed. For those of you looking for signed copies, please call the bookstore to find out what stock is still available. Phone:(480) 947-2974 or Toll Free (888) 560-9919

We would like to acknowledge Clive Cussler’s life and death by sharing the official statement from his publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

#1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling “Grandmaster of Adventure” and publishing legend Clive Cussler died on Monday, February 24, 2020 at his home in Scottsdale, AZ. He was 88. 

Clive Cussler was born on July 15, 1931. For over four decades, his exceptional adventure novels have enraptured millions of readers around the world. Cussler’s fans have met Dirk Pitt, the director of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (which exists not only in fiction, but is also a veritable organization of which Cussler was chairman); Sam and Remi Fargo, the husband-and-wife treasure hunters; Isaac Bell, the twentieth-century chief investigator; Kurt Austin, team leader of NUMA’s Special Assignments division; and Juan Cabrillo, chairman of the mysterious Corporation that is based on the Oregon. These dynamic characters were all, in one way or another, an extension of Cussler himself. With a penchant for exploration and limitless curiosity about everything from marine biology to antique automobiles, it’s no wonder that Cussler was called the “Grandmaster of Adventure.” 

Born in 1931, Clive Cussler started writing after years in the Air Force and working as a copywriter and creative director at advertising agencies. His first novel, the Edgar Award nominated The Mediterranean Caper, was published in 1973, setting off a legendary career that has resulted in 84 books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages in over 100 countries. In addition to writing his five perennially bestselling fiction series, Cussler is also the author of five non-fiction titles and two children’s books. Almost every single one of his books has been an instant bestseller, including eleven #1 New York Times bestsellers (Flood Tide, Valhalla Rising, Polar Shift, The Jungle, The Thief, The Storm, Havana Storm, The Gangster, The Emperor’s Revenge, The Cutthroat, and The Rising Sea) as well as the #1 non-fiction bestseller, The Sea Hunters. 

In 1997, Cussler was awarded the Doctor of Letters degree by SUNY Maritime College for his non-fiction work, The Sea Hunters, the first time in the college’s history that such a degree was bestowed. Cussler has also been awarded the Naval Heritage Award from the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation, NOGI Award, Lowell Thomas Award, Strand Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and other notable accolades. 

Cussler was the Founder and Chairman of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), which dedicates itself to American maritime and naval history. First conceptualized in his fiction, the real-life organization is prolific, with its volunteers discovering more than sixty shipwreck sites and numerous other notable underwater wrecks, including the first submarine to sink a ship in battle, the Confederacy’s Hunley, and its victim, the Union’s Housatonic; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, which was sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the renowned Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron; the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, Texas; and the Carpathia, which sank almost six years to the day after plucking Titanic‘s survivors from the sea. 

Cussler was also known for his outstanding collection of antique automobiles, a passion that he catalogued in his books Built for Adventure and Built to Thrill. Like his protagonists, Cussler’s taste is unparalleled when it comes to classic cars, and his full collection is unrivalled. 

A longtime Arizona resident, he was preceded by his first wife, Barbara, and is survived by his second wife, Janet, his three children Teri, Dirk and Dayna, four grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. Plans for a memorial service are in the works. 

Clive’ last collaboration with Graham Brown, Journey of the Pharaohs, publishes on March 10. Graham has agreed to sign the Poisoned Pen copies. Other collaborations are forthcoming, and we will update on plans for those.

Graham Moore’s latest novel, The Holdout, is not only the Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen, it’s hot in the media world as well. Deadline broke the news that the book has been purchased by Hulu. According to the article, https://bit.ly/2Puy7km, “In a competitive situation involving multiple bidders, Hulu has landed The Holdout, a legal thriller drama from Oscar-winning writer Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) based on his latest novel.”

“Moore executive produces with Timberman and Beverly of Timberman-Beverly.”

“Moore’s The Holdout “takes a searing look at the U.S. justice system, media scrutiny, and racism,” per Publisher’s Weekly. Moore is a New York Times bestselling author, whose novels have been published in 25 languages to date. As a screenwriter, he won an adapted screenplay Oscar and a BAFTA for The Imitation Game.“

You can ask Moore questions about The Holdout on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 2 PM when he appears at The Poisoned Pen to sign copies of the book. Can’t make it? Order signed copies of it, or copies of his other books, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2HWiz4B

Here’s what you might want to know about The Holdout.

One juror changed the verdict. What if she was wrong?From the Academy Award”“winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and bestselling author of The Last Days of Night. . . .

“Exhilarating . . . a fiendishly slippery game of cat-and-mouse suspense and a provocative, urgent inquiry into American justice (and injustice) in the twenty-first century.”—A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

It’s the most sensational case of the decade. Fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, heiress to a billion-dollar real estate fortune, vanishes on her way home from school, and her teacher, Bobby Nock, a twenty-five-year-old African American man, is the prime suspect. The subsequent trial taps straight into America’s most pressing preoccupations: race, class, sex, law enforcement, and the lurid sins of the rich and famous. It’s an open-and-shut case for the prosecution, and a quick conviction seems all but guaranteed—until Maya Seale, a young woman on the jury, convinced of Nock’s innocence, persuades the rest of the jurors to return the verdict of not guilty, a controversial decision that will change all their lives forever.

Flash forward ten years. A true-crime docuseries reassembles the jury, with particular focus on Maya, now a defense attorney herself. When one of the jurors is found dead in Maya’s hotel room, all evidence points to her as the killer. Now, she must prove her own innocence—by getting to the bottom of a case that is far from closed.

As the present-day murder investigation weaves together with the story of what really happened during their deliberation, told by each of the jurors in turn, the secrets they have all been keeping threaten to come out—with drastic consequences for all involved.