Fiction Review

John Sandford was enthusiastic about his conversation with author John Connolly, visiting from Ireland, and on book tour for A Book of Bones. He said he is a long-time fan. If you’re a fan, or just discovering Connolly’s books, you can find them in the Web Store. Signed copies of A Book of Bones are available. https://bit.ly/2BwhX2A

Here’s the description of A Book of Bones.

“Complex, pulse-pounding…Connolly’s nuanced characterizations and facility at creating spooky atmospherics make it easy to suspend disbelief about the threat of cosmic horror from other dimensions.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Private Investigator Charlie Parker returns in this heart-pounding thriller as he seeks revenge against the darkest forces in the world, from the internationally bestselling author of the acclaimed The Woman in the Woods.

He is our best hope.

He is our last hope.

On a lonely moor in northern England, the body of a young woman is discovered. In the south, a girl lies buried beneath a Saxon mound. To the southeast, the ruins of a priory hide a human skull.

Each is a sacrifice, a summons. And something in the darkness has heard the call.

Charlie Parker has also heard it and from the forests of Maine to the deserts of the Mexican border, from the canals of Amsterdam to the streets of London, he will track those who would cast the world into darkness.

Parker fears no evil—but evil fears him.

With John Connolly’s signature “blend of crime and supernatural horror” (Crime Reads), A Book of Bones is a terrifying and suspenseful thrill ride that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

*****

Please join the audience as they welcome John Connolly to The Poisoned Pen.

If you only recognize the names of Jane Harper and Kerry Greenwood when you think of Australian authors, you’re missing out. Every year, I mention the winners of the Ned Kelly Awards. But, this year, The Poisoned Pen will host four authors from Australia, including Ned Kelly Award winner, Sulari Gentill. The event takes place on Tuesday, November 5 at 7 PM. The four authors received a grant to do a short tour in the U.S. They will all be at Bouchercon, the world’s largest mystery convention, held in Dallas this year, at the end of October. Then, they’ll be at The Poisoned Pen.

I’ve interviewed Sulari Gentill several times for Poisoned Pen’s blog. Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press is her U.S. publisher. Her blog pieces are a joy to read. If you’d like a little background, you should check out “Sulari Gentill: In the Hot Seat” from 2016. Her answer as to where she takes visitors is still one of my favorite answers to that question. https://bit.ly/1Vw5ZL2 Gentill will be signing A Murder Unmentioned when she’s at the bookstore.

I haven’t met or interviewed the other three Australian authors who will be on the tour. You can order the books by all four authors through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/ You might want to read the blurbs ahead of time. If you’re interested in historical mysteries set in Australia, three of the authors write those. If you want to look for a thrilling read, check out all the books.

Robert Gott will be signing The Holiday Murders, set in Melbourne in 1943.

Jock Serong has two books, On the Java Ridge and Preservation.

Emma Viskic’s Resurrection Bay was a finalist for the CWA Gold Dagger and the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Awards.

You might want to plan now for the Tuesday, November 5 program so you can welcome our Australian guests to The Poisoned Pen.

Authors James R. Benn and Martin Limon recently joined Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, for a far-ranging conversation about time periods, settings, characters, and labeling genres. Benn is on book tour for When Hell Struck Twelve. Limon’s latest book is G.I. Confidential. Both books are the fourteenth in the series. You can order signed copies through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

You can eavesdrop on the conversation, if you’d like.

As I said, James R. Benn’s latest Billy Boyle mystery is When Hell Struck Twelve. Here’s the description.

In the 14th Billy Boyle mystery, US Army detective Billy Boyle and Lieutenant Kazimierz travel into the heart of Nazi-occupied Paris on a dangerous mission: ensure a traitor to the French Resistance unwittingly carries out a high-stakes deception campaign.   August, 1944: US Army detective Billy Boyle is assigned to track down a French traitor, code-named Atlantik, who is delivering classified Allied plans to German leaders in occupied Paris. The Resistance is also hot on his trail and out for blood, after Atlantik’s previous betrayals led to the death of many of their members. But the plans Atlantik carries were leaked on purpose, a ruse devised to obscure the Allied army’s real intentions to bypass Paris in a race to the German border. Now Billy and Kaz are assigned to the Resistance with orders to not let them capture the traitor: the deception campaign is too important. Playing a delicate game, the chase must be close enough to spur the traitor on and visible enough to ensure the Germans trust Atlantik. The outcome of the war may well depend on it.

*****

Martin Limon’s G.I. Confidential is a Sueno and Bascom mystery.

US Army CID Agents George Sueño and Ernie Bascom become entangled with a pushy tabloid reporter as they investigate a series of violent bank robberies throughout South Korea.

South Korea, 1970s: A rash of armed robberies at local Korean banks doesn’t concern the American military—until a fatality occurs, and proof surfaces that US soldiers are behind the crimes. The case has been assigned to CID Agents Jake Burrows and Felix Slabem, but they certainly won’t do anything that might make 8th United States Army look bad. So Sergeants George Sueño and Ernie Bascom have decided to step in and investigate the robberies—and murder—themselves.

George and Ernie have their own problems to worry about, namely Katie Byrd Worthington, a pesky reporter for the Overseas Observer—an unsanctioned English-language tabloid that has found strong roots in South Korea. Katie has published a story that implicates Army higher-ups in both sex trafficking and treason, and the pressure is on for the CID to disprove her claims. But what if they aren’t false? As George and Ernie dig deeper into the case, they find themselves the targets of a very unflattering publicity campaign, but perhaps also something much more dangerous.

Any author who writes a book called Boxing the Octopus might know a little bit about crime and humor. Tim Maleeny recently wrote an article for CrimeReads called “The Art of Blending Crime and Humor”. You can find the article here. https://bit.ly/32tDBjK

Maleeny will be at The Poisoned Pen on Tuesday, November 5 at 7 PM to talk about his latest release, Boxing the Octopus. You can order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2P1wRFM

Here’s the description of Boxing the Octopus.

If you’re gonna box an octopus, best bring some extra arms

At the height of tourist season, an armored car drives off a crowded pier and sinks to the bottom of San Francisco Bay. By the time divers find the wreck, the cash is gone and the driver has vanished. The police are convinced it’s an inside job, but local merchant Vera Young, whose boyfriend drove the armored car, claims it was much more than a simple heist.

Vera swears the missing driver is innocent and wants him found before the police can throw him in jail. Private investigator Cape Weathers reluctantly takes the case but warns Vera that her boyfriend is likely guilty-or dead. What starts as a manhunt uncovers a criminal conspiracy of money laundering, illegal drug testing, and a network of corporations willing to do anything to protect their stock price. It’s a case that Cape can’t get his arms around, and his relationship with Vera is getting complicated while the list of people who want him dead is getting longer.

Boxing The Octopus is a runaway tour of San Francisco’s underworld which reminds us that when things get out of hand, having eight arms is always better than two.

*****

On Tuesday, November 5, Tim Maleeny will be joined by Michael Stanley and four authors from Australia – Sulari Gentill, Robert Gott, Jock Serong, and Ema Viskic. It’s a special opportunity because the Australian authors received a grant to do a short tour of the U.S. You might want to consider an evening at The Poisoned Pen.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the ticketed event at The Poisoned Pen with Michael Connelly, a short program and a book signing. https://poisonedpen.com/2019/10/06/michael-connelly-a-ticketed-event/

All of the details are in that post. The last I knew, there were a few tickets still available, but I can’t promise.

If you can’t make it to the event, you can still order a signed copy of Connelly’s new book, The Night Fire. Check the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2RtzGgK

At least, you might want to take time to read Carolyn Kellogg’s excellent interview in The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/2BhHsED

The third book in Annie Hogsett’s Somebody’s Bound to Wind Up Dead mystery series has just been released from Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press. Hogsett takes readers back to Cleveland in The Devil’s Own Game. You can order all of the books in the series through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2nV6Lt4

Here’s the description of the latest book.

The murder is the message

What you don’t see is what you get. When a sniper targets a blind man walking along the lagoon of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the bullet is a wake-up call aimed straight for Allie Harper and Tom Bennington, shattering their illusion that the Mondo Mega Jackpot Nightmare is over.

On the day Allie—sassy, lonely, broke—met Tom—smart, hot, blind—he won $500 million trying to show a kid that gambling doesn’t pay. Romance—and multiple murders—ensued, along with a new, opulent lifestyle that the couple had never dreamed possible. Then a ruthless man of formidable skills and resources hacked into the security system in their rented 9,000 square-foot lakeside mansion, and they learned just how far someone who begrudges their good fortune would go to destroy them. Now they know the past six months of peace and quiet were the calm before a rising storm of mayhem and revenge.

The new game begins tonight. An old devil. A new devil. And a new case for The T&A Detective Agency. (Yes. They should have put Allie’s initial first.) Tom and Allie aren’t on the case long before they discover a strong lead that takes them into the heights of Cleveland’s upper-crust, where husbands and wives weave webs of betrayal with unfathomable sums of money at the center. As the threats”“and murders—multiply, Allie, Tom, and the T&A must fight to beat the devil’s own game. Will they get out alive?

Somebody’s Bound to Wind Up Dead series:
Too Lucky to Live (Book 1)
Murder to the Metal (Book 2)
The Devil’s Own Game (Book 3)

Praise for Annie Hogsett:
“The original voice, humor, and unusual premise will appeal to Janet Evanovich readers.” —Library Journal STARRED review for Too Lucky to Live
“Fast pacing, multiple plot twists, and humor, including a Stephanie Plum-like main character, enliven the story and keep the pages turning.” —Booklist for Too Lucky to Live
“The bittersweet mystery, with the open-ended threat of a villainous mastermind, is reminiscent of P.J. Tracy’s early ‘Monkeewrench’ novels.” —Library Journal for Murder to the Metal

*****

The reviews mention that original main character. The mysteries, and the characters themselves, sometimes come as a surprise to Hogsett. She talks about the surprises that come to the author in a recent article for Bookreporter.com. You might want to check out Annie Hogsett’s piece, “When a Mystery Blindsides You” https://bit.ly/32n9zOt.

Anne Perry recently launched a new series set in pre-World War II Europe, and you can be there, via video. The first book in the series, Death in Focus, is available through the Web Store. You can also pre-order Perry’s annual Christmas book, A Christmas Gathering. https://bit.ly/2oJJzhL

Because Death in Focus is just out, here’s the summary of that book.

In the start of an all-new mystery series set in pre”“World War II Europe, an intrepid young photographer carries her dead lover’s final, world-shattering message into the heart of Berlin as Hitler ascends to power.

On vacation from London on the beautiful Italian coast, twenty-eight-year-old Elena Standish and her older sister, Margot, have finally been able to move on from the lasting trauma of the Great War, in which the newly married Margot lost her husband and the sisters their beloved brother. Touring with her camera in hand, Elena has found new inspiration in the striking Italian landscape, and she’s met an equally striking man named Ian. When Ian has to leave unexpectedly, Elena—usually the more practical of the sisters—finds she’s not ready to part from him, and the two share a spontaneous train trip home to England. But a shocking sequence of events disrupts their itinerary, forcing Elena to personally deliver a message to Berlin on Ian’s behalf, one that could change the fate of Europe.

Back home, Elena’s diplomat father and her secretive grandfather—once head of MI6, unbeknownst to his family—are involved in their own international machinations. Worried when Elena still hasn’t returned from Italy, her grandfather starts to connect the dots between her change in plans and an incident in Berlin, where Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich are on the rise. It seems the message Elena delivered has forced her into a dangerous predicament, and her grandfather’s old contacts from MI6 may be the only people who can get her out alive—if Elena can tell the difference between her allies and her enemies.

New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry merges family secrets with suspense on the world stage, as darkness bubbles under the surface of a Europe on the brink of change. In these complicated times, Elena emerges as a strong new heroine who learns quickly that when nothing is certain, she can rely only on herself.

Advance praise for Death in Focus

“Masterful! It’s exceedingly rare for an author to have the talent to blend classic elements of a thriller with compelling family dynamics and geopolitical intrigue, but Anne Perry pulls it off like the consummate pro that she is. And, on top of all that, Death in Focus is written in her unique literary voice. I guarantee you’ll love Elena Standish. Brava!” —Jeffery Deaver, author of The Never Game

*****

You are there, now, for the conversation between Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, and Anne Perry.

John Connolly is on tour for this week’s Hot Book of the Week, A Book of Bones. He’ll be at The Poisoned Pen on Friday, October 18 at 7 PM, where he’ll be hosted by John Sandford. Even if you can’t make it, you can order a signed copy of A Book of Bones through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2MdULvW

Here’s the description of A Book of Bones.

“Complex, pulse-pounding…Connolly’s nuanced characterizations and facility at creating spooky atmospherics make it easy to suspend disbelief about the threat of cosmic horror from other dimensions.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Private Investigator Charlie Parker returns in this heart-pounding thriller as he seeks revenge against the darkest forces in the world, from the internationally bestselling author of the acclaimed The Woman in the Woods.

He is our best hope.

He is our last hope.

On a lonely moor in northern England, the body of a young woman is discovered. In the south, a girl lies buried beneath a Saxon mound. To the southeast, the ruins of a priory hide a human skull.

Each is a sacrifice, a summons. And something in the darkness has heard the call.

Charlie Parker has also heard it and from the forests of Maine to the deserts of the Mexican border, from the canals of Amsterdam to the streets of London, he will track those who would cast the world into darkness.

Parker fears no evil—but evil fears him.

With John Connolly’s signature “blend of crime and supernatural horror” (Crime Reads), A Book of Bones is a terrifying and suspenseful thrill ride that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Well, mostly. Mark Coggins isn’t a Poisoned Pen Press author, but he’s a long-time friend of The Poisoned Pen Bookstore. Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, recently hosted four authors at a Poisoned Pen Press Party. She actually split the group in two to make it easier to talk with them. Thomas Kies, Mark Coggins, Dennis Palumbo and Warren C. Easley participated. You can find their books in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Now, if you would like to “attend” the Poisoned Pen Press party, you can watch the video.

Deborah Crombie is doing a limited book tour for her eighteenth Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James book, A Bitter Feast, but, of course she came to The Poisoned Pen. This is also the mystery for October’s British Crime Club. You can still order a signed copy of the book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/32fmP7O

Here’s the description of A Bitter Feast.

“Crombie’s characters are rich, emotionally textured, fully human. They are the remarkable creations of a remarkable writer.”—Louise Penny

New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie returns with a mesmerizing entry in her “excellent” (Miami Herald) series, in which Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are pulled into a dangerous web of secrets, lies, and murder that simmers beneath the surface of a tranquil Cotswolds village.

Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, have been invited for a relaxing weekend in the Cotswolds, one of Britain’s most enchanting regions, famous for its rolling hills, golden cottages, and picturesque villages.

Duncan, Gemma, and their children are guests at Beck House, the family estate of Melody Talbot, Gemma’s detective sergeant. The Talbot family is wealthy, prominent, and powerful—Melody’s father is the publisher of one of London’s largest and most influential newspapers. The centerpiece of this glorious fall getaway is a posh charity harvest luncheon catered by up-and-coming chef Viv Holland. After fifteen years in London’s cut-throat food scene, Viv has returned to the Gloucestershire valleys of her childhood and quickly made a name for herself with her innovative meals based on traditional cuisine but using fresh local ingredients. Attended by the local well-to-do as well as national press food bloggers and restaurant critics, the event could make Viv a star.

But a tragic car accident and a series of mysterious deaths rock the estate and pull Duncan and Gemma into the investigation. It soon becomes clear that the killer has a connection with Viv’s pub—or, perhaps, with Beck House itself.

Does the truth lie in the past? Or is it closer to home, tied up in the tangled relationships and bitter resentments between the staff at Beck House and Viv’s new pub? Or is it more personal, entwined with secrets hidden by Viv and those closest to her?

*****

If you’re an Anglophile or a fan of Crombie’s books, or want to learn more about British cuisine, you’ll want to pick up A Bitter Feast. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, has hosted Deborah Crombie for all of her books, and she’s interviewed her at conferences as well. Now, you can also enjoy the latest book conversation between the two.