Fiction Review

I probably don’t even need to say more than that – authors Lisa Gardner and Gregg Hurwitz were recently at The Poisoned Pen. Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, moderated the conversation. Gardner is the author of When You See Me, a thriller featuring three of her characters, including D.D. Warren. Gregg Hurwitz’ Into the Fire is his latest Orphan X thriller. You can order signed copies of both or either novel through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

First, here’s the description of When You See Me.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner unites three of her most beloved characters—Detective D. D. Warren, Flora Dane, and Kimberly Quincy—in a twisty new thriller, as they investigate a mysterious murder from the past…which points to a dangerous and chilling present-day crime.

FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy and Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren have built a task force to follow the digital bread crumbs left behind by deceased serial kidnapper Jacob Ness. When a disturbing piece of evidence is discovered in the hills of Georgia, they bring Flora Dane and true-crime savant Keith Edgar to a small town where something seems to be deeply wrong. What at first looks like a Gothic eeriness soon hardens into something much more sinister…and they discover that for all the evil Jacob committed while alive, his worst secret is still to be revealed. Quincy and DD must summon their considerable skills and experience to crack the most disturbing case of their careers—and Flora must face her own past directly in the hope of saving others.

*****

Check out Into the Fire.

“Read the Orphan X series. You’ll thank me later.” —David Baldacci

The New York Times bestselling Orphan X returns – just when Evan Smoak thinks he’s done, his deadliest job yet pulls him back Into The Fire…

Evan Smoak lives by his own code. 

Once he was known as Orphan X. Trained as an off-the-books government assassin and spoken about only in whispers, Evan Smoak was one of the most talented ““ and most feared ““ men in the Program. But he broke free and reinvented himself as The Nowhere Man, a figure shrouded in mystery, known for helping the truly desperate.  

If anyone is truly desperate, it’s Max Merriweather. 

Max is at the end of his rope. His cousin has been brutally murdered, leaving Max an envelope that contains nothing but a mysterious key. However, someone really wants that key, badly enough that Max ““ and anyone he turns to ““ is in deadly danger. What seems like a simple job for The Nowhere Man turns out to be anything but. Behind every threat he takes out, a deadlier one emerges and Evan Smoak must put himself in greater danger than ever before as he heads once more Into The Fire.

*****

Now, you can check out The Poisoned Pen event with Lisa Gardner and Gregg Hurwitz.

You may have read about the controversy over Jeanine Cummins’ novel, American Dirt. With all the talk and even threats, the publisher has cancelled the rest of the author’s book tour. However, booksellers at The Poisoned Pen selected the book as the February Fantastic New Fiction Book of the Month. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, says American Dirt remains the store’s selection. You can still order it through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2GIvc2r

She sent along a letter from a bookseller at Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi, saying she completely agrees with his comments. Peters encouraged the publication of the letter below.

*****

Highly praised, heavily criticized.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins has lately been at the center of a steadily growing storm in the book world, certainly fueled by Oprah picking this new release as her next selection for @oprahsbookclub.

Despite the criticism and the marketing hyperbole many see at fault here, American Dirt is a book Lemuria believes in. I feel comfortable saying this so plainly because some of our booksellers felt deeply moved when they first read it. And at the end of the day, that’s what Lemuria is, a bunch of booksellers who read widely and passionately and who love to share that passion with our community.

The booksellers here don’t all read the same things, and we certainly don’t all share the same opinions, but our differences as readers make our bookstore better. Some of us love poetry and some of us love page-turners, and John sure as hell loves Jim Harrison. We’re booksellers and we love all different kinds of books. 

At the end of 2019, we made the decision to pick American Dirt as one of our January First Editions Club selections, and we still stand by that decision. I think it’s a testament to our club that in 2019 we also selected Valeria Luiselli’s striking and enigmatic novel Lost Children Archive for our First Editions Club. Recently, Luiselli has voiced criticism of American Dirt and the selection of that novel for Oprah’s Book Club.

As a store, we can recognize Luiselli’s earnest criticism while still standing behind our selection of American Dirt for our First Editions Club. As a reader, I can celebrate Lost Children Archive for receiving the Andrew Carnegie Medal, and I can still acknowledge that some of the best booksellers I know thought Jeanine Cummins opened their eyes to an experience beyond their own.  

We work hard to have passionate, thoughtful, and above all, authentic feelings about what we read. But, that doesn’t in any way diminish or invalidate those who feel differently. Books are powerful and so very important, and so are the real and open conversations readers have about them. So stop by Lemuria and find a bookseller. Let’s talk.

-Guy

*****

If you’re more curious now, here’s the summary of American Dirt.

#1 New York Times Bestseller
OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK

“Extraordinary.”
—Stephen King

“This book is not simply the great American novel; it’s the great novel of las Americas. It’s the great world novel! This is the international story of our times. Masterful.”
—Sandra Cisneros

También de este lado hay sueños. On this side, too, there are dreams.

Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.

Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy—two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia—trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to? 

American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed. It is a literary achievement filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.

Already being hailed as “a Grapes of Wrath for our times” and “a new American classic,” Jeanine Cummins’s American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.

When The Poisoned Pen Bookstore owner Barbara Peters recently interviewed debut thriller writer Chad Dundas, he revealed his family history. With writers, a librarian, and a teacher in his family, he was born to be a writer. The Blaze, his first thriller, was a featured book during January at the bookstore. You can still buy a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2v9WGf2

Here’s the description of The Blaze.

“In Dundas’ assured hands, one man’s search for answers makes for a lyrical, riveting meditation on memory.”–EW

One man knows the connection between two extraordinary acts of arson, fifteen years apart, in his Montana hometown–if only he could remember it.

Having lost much of his memory from a traumatic brain injury sustained in Iraq, army veteran Matthew Rose is called back to Montana after his father’s death to settle his affairs, and hopefully to settle the past as well. It’s not only a blank to him, but a mystery. Why as a teen did he suddenly become sullen and vacant, abandoning the activities and people that had meant most to him? How did he, the son of hippy activists, wind up enlisting in the first place?

Then on his first night back, Matthew sees a house go up in flames, and it turns out a local college student has died inside. And this event sparks a memory of a different fire, an unsolved crime from long ago, a part of Matthew’s past that might lead to all the answers he’s been searching for. What he finds will connect the old fire and the new, a series of long-unsolved mysteries, and a ruthless act of murder.

*****

You can see the entire event with Chad Dundas here.

Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press author Ann Parker has been writing a mystery series set in the Old West since 2003. The titles in her Silver Rush series have been award winners and nominees. You can find signed copies of the most recent book in that series, Mortal Music, along with her other books, in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/31eKfuj

This background makes Parker an excellent choice to write the article, “Women Writers are Bringing New Mystery to the Old West” for CrimeReads. Here’s the article. https://crimereads.com/women-writers-westerns/

And, here’s the information about the seventh book in Parker’s series, Mortal Music.

In this new adventure in the award-winning Silver Rush mystery series, pianist Inez Stannert must track down a murderer before he silences a famous vocalist—forever…

All Inez Stannert wants for Christmas is for the struggling music store she owns in San Francisco to be a success. When diva Theia Carrington Drake asks Inez to be her accompanist for several high-profile personal appearances, Inez is thrilled. This is the chance she was waiting for—a way to make some extra money and bring her store into the limelight of the city’s polite society to enhance her business.

But things are far from pitch perfect. An unknown threat is stalking Theia; her pet bird is found slain, and her signature gown is destroyed. Soon, Inez realizes that a murderer is stalking the city’s opera halls, and that it’s only a matter of time before Theia is his next victim. She’ll have to enlist the help of private investigator Wolter Roeland de Bruijn and uncover the killer before Theia’s celebrated voice is silenced—permanently.

Other Titles in the Silver Rush Mysteries Series:
Silver Lies
Iron Ties
Leaden Skies
What Gold Buys
A Dying Note

Joseph Finder takes on the opioid crisis in his latest Nate Heller thriller, House on Fire. He said when his research angers him, it becomes a subject for Nate Heller. Before you listen to him talk about that subject, you can check out his new book in the Web Store. There are copies of his books, including signed copies of House on Fire. https://bit.ly/3aR5Ihi

Here’s the summary of House on Fire.

In New York Times bestselling author Joseph Finder’s electrifying new thriller, private investigator Nick Heller infiltrates a powerful wealthy family hiding something sinister.

Nick Heller is at the top of his game when he receives some devastating news: his old army buddy Sean has died of an overdose. Sean, who once saved Nick’s life, got addicted to opioids after returning home wounded from war. 

Then at Sean’s funeral, a stranger approaches Nick with a job, and maybe also a way for Nick to hold someone accountable.

The woman is the daughter of a pharmaceutical kingpin worth billions. Now she wants to become a whistleblower, exposing her father and his company for burying evidence that its biggest money-maker was dangerously addictive. It was a lie that killed hundreds of thousands of people, including Sean. 

All Nick has to do is find the document that proves the family knew the drug’s dangers. But Nick soon realizes that the sins of the patriarch are just the beginning. 

Beneath the surface are barely concealed cabals and conspiracies: a twisting story of family intrigue and lethal corporate machinations. In a deadly game of chess that pits Nick against a family dynasty, against brothers and sisters with schemes of their own, Nick learns how far his enemy is willing to go to protect its name and its wealth.

*****

You can hear Finder discuss House on Fire, the research and the dynamics in the video below.

Does it surprise you that The Phantom of the Opera is the Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen? If you’re in the Phoenix area, and catch this piece early enough, you’ll still be able to attend the book discussion. Patrick Millikin will lead the discussion on Wednesday, January 29 from 2-3 PM. Even if you can’t attend, you can order a copy of the book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2Gv5AGj

Why The Phantom of the Opera? It’s the first in the new Haunted Library Horror Classics presented by the Horror Writers Association, published by Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press. The information is below.

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.

The Poisoned Pen hosted a historical mystery evening recently. Even the moderator, Dianne Freeman, is the author of a historical mystery series, The Countess of Harleigh mysteries. She introduced and questioned Ann Parker, author of the Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press Silver Rush mysteries, and Rosemary Simpson, author of the Gilded Age Mysteries. Parker’s latest is Mortal Music, and Simpson’s new book, the fourth in her series, is Death Brings a Shadow. Books by both authors, including signed copies of their latest books, can be found in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

You can enjoy the event here.

Mortal Music is the seventh in Ann Parker’s Silver Rush series.

n this new adventure in the award-winning Silver Rush mystery series, pianist Inez Stannert must track down a murderer before he silences a famous vocalist—forever…

All Inez Stannert wants for Christmas is for the struggling music store she owns in San Francisco to be a success. When diva Theia Carrington Drake asks Inez to be her accompanist for several high-profile personal appearances, Inez is thrilled. This is the chance she was waiting for—a way to make some extra money and bring her store into the limelight of the city’s polite society to enhance her business. 

But things are far from pitch perfect. An unknown threat is stalking Theia; her pet bird is found slain, and her signature gown is destroyed. Soon, Inez realizes that a murderer is stalking the city’s opera halls, and that it’s only a matter of time before Theia is his next victim. She’ll have to enlist the help of private investigator Wolter Roeland de Bruijn and uncover the killer before Theia’s celebrated voice is silenced—permanently.

Other Titles in the Silver Rush Mysteries Series:
Silver Lies
Iron Ties
Leaden Skies
What Gold Buys
A Dying Note

Here’s the description of Rosemary Simpson’s Death Brings a Shadow.

Investigators Prudence MacKenzie and ex-Pinkerton Geoffrey Hunter discover all that glitters is not gold in the Gilded Age, whether on the island of Manhattan or an island off the coast of Georgia …

DEATH BRINGS A SHADOW

In spring 1889, Prudence and Geoffrey set sail from New York Harbor on a private yacht bound for Bradford Island, where her friend Eleanor Dickson is to be wed. The Sea Islands along the Georgia coast serve as a winter playground for the likes of the Carnegies, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and Dicksons. Despite her Yankee pedigree, Eleanor is marrying a Southern gentleman, Teddy Bennett, and Prudence is thrilled to be the maid of honor.

But days before the wedding, the bride is nowhere to be found. A frantic search of the island turns up her drowned corpse in an alligator-infested swamp. Prudence is devastated, but as they prepare the body for burial, she and Geoffrey discover evidence of bruising that indicates Eleanor was held under—most dishonorably murdered.
 
Determined to seek justice for her beloved friend, Prudence begins to investigate with Geoffrey’s help and is quickly led into a morass of voodoo spells and dark deeds from the days of slavery. As Prudence and Geoffrey pursue a killer, they soon discover that Eleanor will not be the last to die on Bradford Island …

Chris Hauty, author of Deep State was just at The Poisoned Pen. Joe Ide, author of the IQ novels, including the latest one, Hi Five, will be at the bookstore on Thursday, January 30 at 7 PM. That makes it the perfect time to refer you to Sarah Lyall’s article in The New York Times, “Four High-Octane New Thrillers”, with her comments about the books by Hauty and Ide. https://nyti.ms/2RKpm63 Check for all four books in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

Ide’s upcoming appearance means you might want a preview of his latest book. You can reserve a signed copy of Hi Five. https://bit.ly/2DFQpKc

One woman. Five personalities. Private investigator IQ is back to piece together a Newport Beach murder with an eyewitness who gives “people person” a whole new meaning.
Christiana is the daughter of the biggest arms dealer on the West Coast, Angus Byrne. She’s also the sole witness and number one suspect in the murder of her boyfriend, found dead in her Newport Beach boutique. Isaiah Quintabe is coerced into taking the case to prove her innocence. If he can’t, Angus will harm the brilliant PI’s new girlfriend, ending her career.
The catch: Christiana has multiple personalities. Among them, a naïve, beautiful shopkeeper, an obnoxious drummer in a rock band, and a wanton seductress.
Isaiah’s dilemma: no one personality saw the entire incident. To find out what really happened the night of the murder, Isaiah must piece together clues from each of the personalities . . . before the cops close in on him.

As a fan of English village mysteries, I recognize so many of the common tropes. So does mystery author Maureen Johnson. She wrote one of the cleverest pieces I’ve seen lately in CrimeReads, “Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village”. You can enjoy it here. https://bit.ly/2RoM30C

Then, you can look for Johnson’s Truly Devious series in the Web Store. She’s just concluded the series with The Hand on the Wall. https://bit.ly/30Z6QLh

New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson delivers the witty and pulse-pounding conclusion to the Truly Devious series as Stevie Bell solves the mystery that has haunted Ellingham Academy for over 75 years.

Ellingham Academy must be cursed. Three people are now dead. One, a victim of either a prank gone wrong or a murder. Another, dead by misadventure. And now, an accident in Burlington has claimed another life. All three in the wrong place at the wrong time. All at the exact moment of Stevie’s greatest triumph . . . 

She knows who Truly Devious is. She’s solved it. The greatest case of the century.

At least, she thinks she has. With this latest tragedy, it’s hard to concentrate on the past. Not only has someone died in town, but David disappeared of his own free will and is up to something. Stevie is sure that somehow—somehow—all these things connect. The three deaths in the present. The deaths in the past. The missing Alice Ellingham and the missing David Eastman. Somewhere in this place of riddles and puzzles there must be answers.

Then another accident occurs as a massive storm heads toward Vermont. This is too much for the parents and administrators. Ellingham Academy is evacuated. Obviously, it’s time for Stevie to do something stupid. It’s time to stay on the mountain and face the storm—and a murderer.

In the tantalizing finale to the Truly Devious trilogy, New York Timesbestselling author Maureen Johnson expertly tangles her dual narrative threads and ignites an explosive end for all who’ve walked through Ellingham Academy.

Praise for the Truly Devious series:

“Readers, hang tight: there’s one more round to come, and if the signs are right, it’ll be to die for.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The Agatha Christie-like ecosystem pairs with lacerating contemporary wit, and alternating past and present scenes makes for a multilayered, modern detective story.” —New York Times Book Review

“Remember the first time reading Harry Potter and knowing it was special? There’s that same sense of magic in the introduction of teen Sherlock-in-training Stevie Bell.” —USA Today (four stars)

“Be still, my Agatha-Christie-loving beating heart.” —Bustle

Chris Hauty is a debut author and author of one of The Poisoned Pen’s Hot Books of the Week, Deep State. Bookstore owner Barbara Peters interviewed him when he was at the Pen on book tour. You can find signed copies of Deep State in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2RmQ6KQ

Here’s the summary of Deep State.

THE INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER 

“Deep State is a propulsive, page-turning, compelling, fragmentation grenade of a debut thriller.” —C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wolf Pack and The Bitterroots

“The plot…rings eerily true…will keep you turning the pages well into the night.” —Jack Carr, former Navy SEAL and acclaimed author of The Terminal List and True Believer

In this white-knuckled, timely, and whip-smart debut thriller, a deadly plot against the president’s life emerges from the shadows of the Deep State.

Recently elected President Richard Monroe—populist, controversial, and divisive—is at the center of an increasingly polarized Washington, DC. Never has the partisan drama been so tense or the paranoia so rampant. In the midst of contentious political turf wars, the White House chief of staff is found dead in his house. A tenacious intern discovers a single, ominous clue that suggests he died from something other than natural causes, and that a wide-ranging conspiracy is running beneath the surface of everyday events: powerful government figures are scheming to undermine the rule of law—and democracy itself. Allies are exposed as enemies, once-dependable authorities fall under suspicion, and no one seems to be who they say they are. The unthinkable is happening. The Deep State is real. Who will die to keep its secrets and who will kill to uncover the truth?

*****

You can “meet” debut author Chris Hauty through the following interview.