The latest Joe Gunther novel, Archer Mayor’s Bomber’s Moon, is the Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen. You can order Mayor’s books, including signed copies of Bomber’s Moon, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/357hQrz
Here’s the description of Bomber’s Moon.
The murder of a small-time drug dealer snowballs into the most complex case ever faced by Joe Gunther and his VBI team.
It is said a bright and clear bomber’s moon is the best asset to finding one’s target. But beware what you wish for: What you can see at night can also see you. Often with dire consequences.
Bomber’s Moon is Archer Mayor’s latest entry in the Joe Gunther series and it may just be his best yet.
Two young women form the heart of this tale. One, an investigative reporter, the other a private investigator. Uneasy allies from completely different walks of life, they work together—around and sometimes against Joe Gunther and his VBI cops—in an attempt to connect the murders of a small town drug dealer, a smart, engaging, fatally flawed thief, and the tangled, political, increasingly dark goings on at a prestigious prep school.
While Gunther and the VBI set about solving the two murders, Sally Kravitz and Rachel Reiling combine their talents and resources to go where the police cannot, from working undercover at Thorndike Academy, to having clandestine meetings with criminals for their insider’s knowledge of Vermont’s unexpectedly illicit underbelly.
But there is a third element at work. A malevolent force, the common link in all this death and chaos, is hard at work sowing mayhem to protect its ancient, vicious, very dark roots.
Marilyn Stasio’s recent column in The New York Times almost reads as if it’s a recap of recent author appearances at The Poisoned Pen. You can read reviews of James Sallis’ Sarah Jane and John Sandford’s Bloody Genius. She also reviewed Martin Edwards’ Gallows Court. He’ll be at the bookstore on Tuesday, October 29 at 7 PM to discuss that book. You can order signed copies of the books through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com
Joe Hill, author of Full Throttle, helped The Poisoned Pen celebrate its 30th anniversary on Oct. 3. The tickets for his appearance sold out quickly. You can still order signed copies of the book through the Web Store, though. https://bit.ly/2OpPcJ7
Barbara Peters, owner of bookstore, introduced Joe Hill and Leslie Klinger, author and editor, to the audience.
Barbara Peters and Joe Hill
Leslie Klinger and Joe Hill
Klinger, whose latest book is The New Annotated H.P. Lovecraft: Beyond Arkham, led the conversation with Hill, who also read from his latest book.
Even if you didn’t get a chance to attend, you can watch the event through the video.
Michael Connelly is doing a very short book tour for his latest Bosch/Ballard book, The Night Fire. If you can’t make it to the special event on Monday, October 21 at 10:15 a.m., you can still order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2RtzGgK
Here’s the information about the special event.
Michael Connelly signs THE NIGHT FIRE!
Monday, October 21st at 10:15 a.m.
Special VIP Pre-publication event!
Short program followed by book signing
Venue: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore,
4014 N Goldwater Blvd, Scottsdale AZ 85251
Limited seating available!
CONTACT: Patrick Millikin Phone – 480-947-2974 Email
$36.00 VIP ticket includes one copy of THE NIGHT FIRE plus coffee and pastries from Arcadia Farms!
We’re sorry but no companion tickets will be available for this event. All attendees must have full price ticket.
Start your week off with a special meet-and-greet with bestselling author, Michael Connelly! To help us celebrate our 30th anniversary here at the Pen, Mike will be kicking off his very short US tour for THE NIGHT FIRE with us. Some of remember hosting Connelly for his very first book THE BLACK ECHO back in 1992 and it’s always an honor to have him back!
*****
Here’s the description of the forthcoming book, The Night Fire.
The bond between Bosch and Ballard tightens as they become a formidable investigative team. And they soon arrive at a worrying question: Did Thompson steal the murder book to work the case in retirement, or to make sure it never got solved?
*****
You might enjoy hearing Connelly talk about Bosch and Ballard.
And, one quick, fun video in which Michael Connelly talks about writing superstitions.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, says 70 percent of the store’s customers are from outside of Arizona. That means many of you who read the blog and order books may have never seen the actual physical bookstore. With the earlier article in the Arizona Republic about the bookstore’s 30th anniversary, Carly Bowling from the newspaper took a number of photos.
Here’s a virtual tour of the bookstore, using Bowling’s pictures.
A display celebrating Banned Book Week at Poisoned Pen Bookstore, September 24, 2019. CARLY BOWLING/THE REPUBLIC
Barbara G. Peters started Poisoned Pen Bookstore 30 years ago. CARLY BOWLING/THE REPUBLIC
Barbara G. Peters started Poisoned Pen Bookstore 30 years ago. CARLY BOWLING/THE REPUBLIC
Poisoned Pen Bookstore is known for the many author events it hosts. CARLY BOWLING/THE REPUBLIC
Poisoned Pen Bookstore sells books to customers all over the world, September 24, 2019. CARLY BOWLING/THE REPUBLIC
Posters of book covers, photos famous visitors and a large paper dragon are just some of the items decorating Poisoned Pen Bookstore, September 24, 2019. CARLY BOWLING/THE REPUBLIC
Virgil Flowers is back, and The Poisoned Pen has him. In fact, John Sandford’s latest book, Bloody Genius, is the current Hot Book of the Week at the bookstore. You can order Sandford’s books, including a signed copy of Bloody Genius, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2Dncbl0
Here’s the description of Bloody Genius.
Virgil Flowers will have to watch his back–and his mouth–as he investigates a college culture war turned deadly in another one of Sandford’s “madly entertaining Virgil Flowers mysteries” (New York Times Book Review).
At the local state university, two feuding departments have faced off on the battleground of science and medicine. Each carries their views to extremes that may seem absurd, but highly educated people of sound mind and good intentions can reasonably disagree, right?
Then a renowned and confrontational scholar winds up dead, and Virgil Flowers is brought in to investigate . . . and as he probes the recent ideological unrest, he soon comes to realize he’s dealing with people who, on this one particular issue, are functionally crazy. Among this group of wildly impassioned, diametrically opposed zealots lurks a killer, and it will be up to Virgil to sort the murderer from the mere maniacs.
T. Greenwood’s latest novel, Keeping Lucy, is based on true events. You’ll learn more about that when you watch the video as Patrick Millikin from The Poisoned Pen talks about the book with Greenwood. You can order a signed copy of Keeping Lucy, and copies of Greenwood’s other books, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2mcbjug
Here’s the description of Keeping Lucy.
PopSugar’s 30 Must-Read Books of 2019 Good Housekeeping’s 25 Best New Books for Summer 2019 Better Homes & Gardens 13 New Books We Can’t Wait to Read This Summer
The heartbreaking and uplifting story, inspired by incredible true events, of how far one mother must go to protect her daughter.
Dover, Massachusetts, 1969. Ginny Richardson’s heart was torn open when her baby girl, Lucy, born with Down Syndrome, was taken from her. Under pressure from his powerful family, her husband, Ab, sent Lucy away to Willowridge, a special school for the “feeble-minded.” Ab tried to convince Ginny it was for the best. That they should grieve for their daughter as though she were dead. That they should try to move on.
But two years later, when Ginny’s best friend, Marsha, shows her a series of articles exposing Willowridge as a hell-on-earth–its squalid hallways filled with neglected children–she knows she can’t leave her daughter there. With Ginny’s six-year-old son in tow, Ginny and Marsha drive to the school to see Lucy for themselves. What they find sets their course on a heart-racing journey across state lines—turning Ginny into a fugitive.
For the first time, Ginny must test her own strength and face the world head-on as she fights Ab and his domineering father for the right to keep Lucy. Racing from Massachusetts to the beaches of Atlantic City, through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to a roadside mermaid show in Florida, Keeping Lucy is a searing portrait of just how far a mother’s love can take her.
“A heartfelt tale of true friendship, a mother’s unstoppable love, and the immeasurable fortitude of women.” – Booklist
*****
Here’s the video of the T. Greenwood event at The Poisoned Pen.
If the name Paddy Hirsch is familiar to you, and not from his Justice Flanagan thrillers, it may be because he’s an NPR reporter and producer. But, he appeared at The Poisoned Pen on an unusual night for Scottsdale, Arizona. There was a downpour; the store flooded, and Hirsch helped with the mopping up.
However, he was actually at the bookstore to discuss his second book in his historical thriller series. He takes readers back to early 19th century New York City in Hudson’s Kill. You can order copies of both books in the series through the Web Store. The Devil’s Half Mile is the first book. There are signed copies available of Hudson’s Kill. https://bit.ly/2mbfu9E
Here’s the summary of Hudson’s Kill.
Set in 1803 New York, Hudson’s Kill is the riveting next historical thriller from NPR reporter and producer Paddy Hirsch, perfect for fans of The Alienist and Gangs of New York.
New York in 1803 is rife with tension as the city expands, and whoever knows where the city will build can control it. And violence builds as a mysterious provocateur pits the city’s black and Irish gangs against each other.
When a young black girl is found stabbed to death, both Justy Flanagan, now a City Marshal, and Kerry O’Toole, now a school teacher, decide separately to go after the killer. They each find their way to a shadowy community on the fringes of the growing city, where they uncover a craven political conspiracy bound up with a criminal enterprise that is stunning in its depravity.
Justy and Kerry have to fight to save themselves and the city, and only then can they bring the girl’s killer to justice.
*****
You’ll want to listen to Barbara Peters, owner of The Pen, Patrick Millikin, and Paddy Hirsch discuss Hudson’s Kill.
Readers of the blog probably don’t realize I don’t live in Arizona. I appreciate the opportunity to see authors, favorites and debut authors, via the videos as much as you do. The events are always enlightening and entertaining. As Barbara Peters, The Poisoned Pen Bookstore owner, says, they seldom discuss the books, but viewers may learn all about the events, the research, and the people involved in a book.
That was certainly the case when Peters and Patrick Millikin recently hosted authors S.J. Rozan and James Sallis. Rozan is in book tour for Paper Son, a Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery with an unexpected setting, Mississippi. Sallis, who appears regularly at The Pen with his band, Three-Legged Dog, is almost an author in residence. In an earlier post, I said his novel, Sarah Jane, is one of the best books I read this year. Books by both authors are available through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
Here’s the description of Paper Son.
The latest Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery takes the acclaimed detective duo into the Deep South to investigate a murder within the Chinese community.
The Most Southern Place on Earth: that’s what they call the Mississippi Delta. It’s not a place Lydia Chin, an American-born Chinese private detective from Chinatown, NYC, ever thought she’d have reason to go. But when her mother tells her a cousin Lydia didn’t know she had is in jail in Clarksdale, Mississippi—and that Lydia has to rush down south and get him out—Lydia finds herself rolling down Highway 61 with Bill Smith, her partner, behind the wheel.
From the river levees to the refinement of Oxford, from old cotton gins to new computer scams, Lydia soon finds that nothing in Mississippi is as she expected it to be. Including her cousin’s legal troubles—or possibly even his innocence. Can she uncover the truth in a place more foreign to her than any she’s ever seen?
*****
Here’s the summary of James Sallis’ Sarah Jane.
A spare, sparkling tour de force about one woman’s journey to becoming a cop, by master of noir James Sallis, author of Drive.
Sarah Jane Pullman is a good cop with a complicated past. From her small-town chicken-farming roots through her runaway adolescence, court-ordered Army stint, ill-advised marriage and years slinging scrambled eggs over greasy spoon griddles, Sarah Jane unfolds her life story, a parable about memory, atonement, and finding shape in chaos. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she is named the de facto sheriff of a rural town, investigating the mysterious disappearance of the sheriff whose shoes she’s filling—and the even more mysterious realities of the life he was hiding from his own colleagues and closest friends. This kaleidoscopic character study sparkles in every dark and bright detail—a virtuoso work by a master of both the noir and the tender aspects of human nature.
*****
Now, please check out the video. You never know what you’ll discover!
Although The Poisoned Pen Bookstore will be celebrating its 30th anniversary throughout the year, it’s not every day that the local newspaper, The Arizona Republic, covers the event. The following article was written by Kerry Lengel, but was initially only available to online subscribers of the paper. Thank you to Robert Rosenwald for this copy. Congratulations to everyone at The Poisoned Pen!
On its 30th anniversary, Poisoned Pen Bookstore has more to celebrate than just surviving.
The Poisoned Pen Bookstore marks its 30th anniversary on Oct. 3, but there won’t be much time to celebrate, because the Scottsdale stalwart will be hosting a sold-out event for horror writer Joe Hill and his new collection of short stories, “Full Throttle.”
And as far as owner Barbara G. Peters is concerned, that’s just as it should be. Her insistence on keeping the spotlight on the authors is one of the reasons her homey bookshop has survived the rise and fall of Borders and continues to thrive in the age of Amazon.
“It took me years to get publishers to send authors to Phoenix,” Peters says. “They thought it was just a flyover place with a few cows and no readers. So we started out small, but now we have a huge list of celebrity authors, many of whom start their book tours here, because we are so successful.”
It’s the “˜home bookstore’ of Diana Gabaldon and Clive Cussler
Diana Gabaldon at her Paradise Valley home on May 14, 2014. (Photo: Rob Schumacher/The Republic)
At the top of that list is Scottsdale favorite daughter Diana Gabaldon, creator of the epic “Outlander” series of time-traveling romance. She and other best-selling writers sign truckloads of first editions for Poisoned Pen, making it a neighborhood bookstore with global reach: Peters says 70% of her customers are outside Arizona — and 20% outside the U.S.A.
“That all just kind of happened, thanks to “˜Outlander’ and Diana, thanks to Clive Cussler, Sue Grafton and Doug Preston,” she says. “We’re their home bookstore, and they have fans all over the world.”
“Out of thirty years of books and launch events, one thing that sticks out is the memory of pre-signing 4,000 books in two hours,” Gabaldon says. “Mind you, signing at that rate means having a crew of five people helping you — all of them skillful, coordinated, dexterous, cheerful and untiring. Fortunately, the entire staff at the Pen meets those requirements, and we all survived the effort without so much as a paper cut.”
Poisoned Pen Press will republish classic crime fiction
A display celebrating Banned Book Week at Poisoned Pen Bookstore, September 24, 2019. (Photo: Carly Bowling/The Republic)
Peters does more than sell books. As executive editor of Poisoned Pen Press, she helps to shape them, working with award-winning writers including the British crime novelist and critic Martin Edwards and Arizona’s own James Sallis, whose noirish “Drive” was made into a 2011 film starring Ryan Gosling.
In January, the press became the mystery imprint for Chicago-based Sourcebooks, with Peters staying on as editor. She says selling to a larger (but still independent) publisher gives the “boutique” label the resources to take on bigger projects (and print runs).
“I’m working like 16 hours a day, which at my age is pretty good, trying to keep it all straight,” says Peters, who is 78.
A triumph out of tragedy
It’s a feel-good success story that started out as a real-life horror story. That’s because Peters opened Poisoned Pen with money from a medical malpractice judgment after a botched surgery left her partially paralyzed.
Barbara G. Peters started Poisoned Pen Bookstore 30 years ago. (Photo: Carly Bowling/The Republic)
Born and raised in the Chicago area, Peters had earned two master’s degrees, worked at the Library of Congress, and was studying to become a lawyer in Virginia when she was with diagnosed with breast cancer.
But after starting a double mastectomy in 1981, doctors discovered the diagnosis was mistaken, she says. Then, during a second surgery for breast reconstruction, complications nearly killed her and left her paralyzed below the waist, although she has since recovered the use of one of her legs.
“It was horrible, but I survived it, and my life has been much better since,” she says in typical matter-of-fact fashion.
“˜We were ahead of the curve’
After winning a sizable cash judgment in court, Peters had the resources to reinvent her life, and in 1989 she moved to Arizona, where her parents were living, and opened the Poisoned Pen with her future husband, Robert L. Rosenwald.
It was a specialty shop focused on mysteries, although the focus has expanded over the years to include historical fiction and the literature of the Southwest.
Tourists exploring the Scottsdale arts district would wander in and remark that they wished their own hometown had a bookshop like hers, Peters says. She started taking down names.
“We sent out newsletters, thousands of them, with order forms, and people sent checks,” she says. “Overseas people, we had their fax numbers. It was much harder to collect money because credit cards weren’t so international and PayPal wasn’t up. But the point is, by the time this whole new age (of Internet commerce) came along, we were actually way ahead of the curve. …
“Publishing is so completely dysfunctional and irrational that I just couldn’t resist trying things, and every time I tried things, we got bigger.”
Barbara G. Peters says 70 percent of Poisoned Pen Bookstore’s customers are from outside of Arizona, September 24, 2019. (Photo: Carly Bowling/The Republic)
“˜The best editor working in mysteries’
Not every experiment panned out. In 2005 she opened a second store in downtown Phoenix but was forced to close two years later.
Poisoned Pen Press, on the other hand, has succeeded beyond her wildest dreams.
It was her husband who took the lead on opening a publishing house in 1997. A “techie,” Rosenwald got interested in print-on-demand technology and saw a market for republishing out-of-print mysteries, Peters says. Soon enough, they were giving emerging authors their first big break — and regularly garnering starred reviews from Publishers Weekly.
“She makes my voice better, truer, rather than trying to impose her own,” he says. “She’s the best editor working in mysteries today. And I know because I started with the late Ruth Cavin at St. Martin’s, who was a legend.”
Peters says she learned those skills “on the job.”
“The bookstore was a great training ground,” she says. “As a result of talking to authors for 30 years, there’s not much I don’t know about how they work and what they think is important.”
Poisoned Pen staff will inherit the bookstore
Last year, while working out the details of the sale to Sourcebooks, Peters started the nonprofit Poisoned Pen Foundation to develop and promote local writing talent, building on the current partnership with Gabaldon.
As for the bookstore, Peters says she has made arrangements to leave it to her employees after she dies.
“And I’ve told them if they decide I’m just not capable of being the CEO anymore, they need to tell me, and then I’ll fade away,” she says. “But I don’t have any plans to retire, because it’s so much fun. What else can I do?”
