Fiction Review

What a treat! Not only was there a birthday celebration for Anne Perry at The Poisoned Pen, but she talked about two recent books, Dark Tide Rising, and A Christmas Revelation. You can order signed copies of these two, and copies of Perry’s other books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2DEi5ju

You’re welcome to join in the celebration, too. Watch the video of the event.

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If you don’t have time to watch the video, here are the summaries of the two books. First, Dark Tide Rising.

“Riveting . . . one of the series’ more powerful recent entries.”—Publishers Weekly

When a ransom exchange turns deadly in this thrilling mystery from New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry, Commander William Monk faces an unthinkable possibility: betrayal by his own men.

Jacob’s Island is a broken-down waterside slum, a place of perpetual gloom where Monk is just as likely to lose a man to the mud and tides as to the criminals who hide in the shadows. Kidnappers have chosen this warren of tunnels and alleys as the site of a ransom exchange for Kate Exeter, the wife of wealthy real estate developer Harry Exeter. Harry asks the Thames River Police to secretly accompany him to the spot and ensure that no harm comes to him or his captive wife. But on arrival, Monk and five of his best men are attacked from all sides, and Monk is left wondering who could have given away their plans.

As Monk follows leads from Kate’s worried cousin and a crafty clerk at the bank where Exeter gathered the ransom money, it seems undeniable that one of his own men has betrayed him. Delving into their pasts, he realizes how little he knows about the people he works with every day, including his right-hand man John Hooper, the one colleague Monk has always been certain he can count on—but who is also hiding a dreadful secret. As the case runs into a series of deadly obstructions, Monk must choose between his own safety and the chance to solve the mystery—and to figure out where his men’s loyalty really lies.

Praise for Dark Tide Rising

“Perry makes cunning work of the plot, which raises issues of trust and loyalty while driving home a grim message about the vulnerability of women who entrust their fortunes to unscrupulous men.”—The New York Times Book Review

“One of the most successful of prolific Perry’s recent Victorian melodramas. The opening chapters are appropriately portentous, the mystification is authentic, and if the final surprise isn’t exactly a shock, it’s so well-prepared that even readers who don’t gasp will nod in satisfaction.”—Kirkus Reviews

*****

Now, A Christmas Revelation.

“Perry’s Victorian-era holiday mysteries [are] an annual treat.”—The Wall Street Journal

In this intriguing, uplifting holiday mystery from bestselling author Anne Perry, an orphan boy investigates a woman’s kidnapping—and discovers there’s more at stake than a disappearance.

It wouldn’t quite be Christmas without a holiday mystery decorated with all the Victorian trimmings, as only New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry can render it. Now the tradition continues as mayhem is once again found under the mistletoe, and intrigue stalks the cobblestone streets and gaslit parlors of old London Town.

Formerly a river urchin living on the banks of the Thames, nine-year-old Worm has never experienced a family Christmas. But thanks to a job at Hester Monk’s clinic in Portpool Lane, he’s found a makeshift family in kindly volunteer Miss Claudine Burroughs and curmudgeonly old bookkeeper Squeaky Robinson.

When Worm witnesses the abduction of a beautiful woman by a pair of ruffians just days before Christmas, he frantically turns to Squeaky for help. A one-time brothel owner, Squeaky knows the perils of interfering in nasty business, but he can’t bear to disappoint Worm—or leave the boy to attempt a rescue on his own. What neither of the would-be saviors expects, however, is that the damsel in distress already has her dilemma well in hand . . . and is taking steps to bring her captors to justice for crimes far worse than kidnapping. But the rogues, as cunning as they are deadly, are not to be underestimated. The aid of cynical old Squeaky and hopeful young Worm just might make the difference between a merry triumph over evil and a terrible yuletide tragedy.

Steven Axelrod, author of the Henry Kennis mysteries, was recently interviewed in Bookreporter. Axelrod’s books are published by Poisoned Pen Press, which means you can order them through the Web Store, including signed copies of the current one, Nantucket Counterfeit. https://bit.ly/2QIkVqI

Here’s the link to the interview in Bookreporter. https://bit.ly/2RR4g4e

The summary of Nantucket Counterfeit is below.

The fifth Henry Kennis mystery takes us into the closed, gossip-riddled, back-stabbing world of Nantucket’s community theater.

Horst Refn, the widely disliked and resented Artistic Director of the Nantucket Theater Lab, has been found stuffed into the meat freezer in his basement. Most of the actors, all the technical crew, and quite a few of the Theater Lab Board members, whom Refn was scamming and blackmailing, are suspects in his murder. The island’s Police Chief Henry Kennis has to pick his way through a social minefield as he searches for the killer.

At the same time, daughter’s new boyfriend, football star Hector Cruz, has been accused of sexting her. Carrie knows the offending pictures didn’t come from him, and Henry has to prove it before the boy gets suspended, which means probing into the family secrets of Hector’s father, a firebrand agitprop playwright, who happens to be a prime suspect in Refn’s murder.

Every story is a fiction, every identity proves false, and every statement a lie. The counterfeit bills found at the scene of the crime are the most obvious symbol of the deceptions and distractions that obscure the investigation. The truth lies buried in the past, in Refn’s earlier crimes and the victims who came to Nantucket seeking revenge.

When the culprit has been revealed, the last masks torn off, and final murder foiled – live, on stage, during the opening night of Who Dun It, the eerily prescient opening drama of the Theater Lab Season – Jane says to Henry, “Is everything counterfeit?” He smiles. “Almost.”

Laurie R. King’s latest newsletter includes information about a giveaway. It ends November 17, so there’s not much time. The good news is, if you don’t win, you can always order King’s books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2yDn27l

Here’s Laurie R. King’s latest newsletter, as shared by Barbara Peters, owner of the Poisoned Pen.

Hello all! Writing historical novels as I do, I see even today how thoroughly the Great War changed the 20thcentury, and our own as well. The war ended 100 years ago today, the guns going through a final orgy of violence as if not to waste a bullet…and men died. To commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War, my US publishers are giving away ten copies of my book that is most about the War, Justice Hall. It’s set in the closing days of 1923, when Russell and Holmes have a case literally fall into their arms—a mystery that reaches back to the Great War, when young Lieutenant Gabriel Hughenfort was one of the 700,000 British soldiers who died in service of King and country. But it’s not until they arrive at Justice Hall, a Duke’s home of unearthly perfection, that they fully understand the irony of the family motto: Justicia fortitudo mea est: “Righteousness is my strength.” TO ENTER PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE’S  JUSTICE HALL SWEEPSTAKES,  CLICK HERE. Deadline November 17 (For US readers only, sorry.) *** Travels with Laurie Where will I be next year?  In March, at Left Coast Crime in Vancouver, BC. This is always a hugely entertaining conference—join me there! And at the end of October, it’ll be BoucherCon in Dallas. Closer in—on December 8, in fact—I’ll be at Scottsdale’s Poisoned Pen Books with two of my best friends, Les Klinger and Dana Stabenow, to celebrate both Dana’s gorgeous new novel about Cleopatra, Death of an Eye, and the new collection Les and I edited: For the Sake of the Game With amazing stories by Peter S. Beagle, Rhys Bowen, Reed Farrel Coleman, Jamie Freveletti, Alan Gordon, Gregg Hurwitz, Toni L. P. Kelner, William Kotzwinkle & Joe Servello, Harley Jane Kozak, D. P. Lyle, Weston Ochse, Zoe Sharp, Duane Swierczynski, and F. Paul Wilson. If you can’t make it, you can order a signed copy from The Poisoned Pen—or get an unsigned one from your local Indie, or Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. I hope to see some of you in Scottsdale—or maybe next year at one of the Cons.  In the meantime, I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving, with all the trimmings!

Today, I’m going to do a throwback blog post. Tim Hallinan will be at the Poisoned Pen on Tuesday, November 13 at 7 PM. He’ll be talking about the seventh Junior Bender mystery, Nighttown. You can order signed copies of that book, or copies of Timothy Hallinan’s other books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2PXW4z7

But, I really want to mention another one of Hallinan’s books. Two years ago, on Dec. 1, 2016, Bill Crider wrote a post for the blog. We lost Bill Crider this year, so it’s a tribute to Crider and Tim Hallinan to rerun this post. Bill wrote about his favorite Christmas mystery.

“My new favorite Christmas crime novel is Tim Hallinan’s Fields Where They Lay.  The narrator is a semi-reformed thief named Junior Bender, who’s hired by a thug to figure  out what’s going on with with an elaborate caper being carried out in a dying shopping mall three days before Christmas.  Bender has to find the solution . . . or else.

Junior has issues with Christmas, so that’s another problem.  Something’s going on with his girlfriend, too,  and the constant Christmas music in the mall doesn’t make him feel merry and bright, either.

There’s another Christmas story in the book, and it’s told to Bender by none other than Santa Claus.  Sure, it’s a mall Santa, but that counts.  It’s a powerful story, and its ending ties in with the title of the book, which is, as I’m sure you know, a line from a famous carol, “The First Noel.”

A whole lot is going on in this fast-paced novel.  It’s tough, it’s funny, and like all of Hallinan’s books, it has heart.  The ending is as satisfactory as any fan of Christmas could ask for, so this isn’t just my new favorite Christmas book.  It’s one of my favorite books of the year.”

*****

I thought it was perfect timing to remind readers how much Bill Crider loved Fields Where They Lay. If you’re going to be at The Poisoned Pen on Tuesday evening, maybe you’ll want to buy a copy of that book as well, and have Tim Hallinan sign it.

Would you like to show your love for The Poisoned Pen Bookstore? The Love Your Bookstore Challenge is running now until November 16.

“As a booklover, bookstores have shaped you, whether you were a child learning to read or an adult looking for connections through the written word. We want to celebrate bookstores from coast to coast because we know that booklovers are in every city in the country. From Kodiak to Key West, from Seattle to Sarasota, there are readers everywhere! Celebrate your favorite bookstore by posting a photo from inside the store with a favorite book (or bookseller!) and use #loveyourbookstore in the caption to share the love!”

You can share your pictures on Instagram or Twitter. Here’s all the information. https://www.loveyourbookstore.com/

Barbara Peters, owner of the Poisoned Pen, said in her recent newsletter that she’s going to ply Tim Hallinan with sangria and ask him questions about burglary. She “says” the questions are about security, not how to do it. Hallinan will be at the Poisoned Pen on Tuesday, November 13 at 7 PM to discuss and sign his latest book featuring burglar Junior Bender, Nighttown. Can’t make it? You can order Hallinan’s books, including a signed copy of Nighttown, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2PhmM9h

Of course, there will be a summary of Nighttown at the end of this piece. First, though, you might want to read Marilyn Stasio’s remarks about the book in her recent column. She says, “This one’s good for what ails you.” https://nyti.ms/2yLoWDA

Here’s the description of Tim Hallinan’s Nighttown.

Reluctant P.I. to the perfidious, Junior Bender, may be L.A.’s smoothest operator but when he breaks one of the cardinal rules of burglary (don’t take scores that you’re being paid way too much for) he finds himself once again on the wrong side of, well, the wrong side. 

Los Angeles burglar Junior Bender has a rule about never taking a job that pays too well: in the criminal underworld, if you’re offered more money than a job is worth, someone is going to end up dead. But he’s bending his rule this one time because he and his girlfriend, Ronnie, are in desperate need of cash to hire a kidnapper to snatch Ronnie’s two-year-old son back from her ex. The whole thing is pretty complicated and has Junior on edge.

The parameters of the job do nothing to calm his nerves. A nameless woman in an orange wig has offered Junior fifty grand—twenty-five up front—to break into the abandoned house of a recently deceased 97-year-old recluse, Daisy Horton, and steal a doll from her collection. Junior knows no doll is worth 50K, so he figures there must be something hidden inside the doll that can get him in a heap of trouble. It doesn’t take long for Junior to realize he’s not the only one looking for the doll. When an old friend ends up murdered, Junior decides he will stop at nothing to figure out who the woman in the orange wig is, and why she wants the doll badly enough to leave a trail of bodies in her wake.

Cleopatra is the subject of Dana Stabenow’s new mystery series, The Eye of Isis Mysteries. The first book, Death of an Eye, will be released as an ebook on December 6. But Stabenow will be at the Poisoned Pen on Saturday, Dec. 8 to sign the physical book. She’s joined by Laurie R. King and Leslie Klinger. You can pre-order a signed copy of Death of an Eye through the Web Store. You can also order copies of Stabenow’s other books. https://bit.ly/2F9m0Bq.

While you’re waiting for Death of an Eye, you can read Dana Stabenow’s ongoing remarks about Cleopatra. She’s sharing the link from her website as she answers the question, “Why Cleopatra?”. https://stabenow.com/2018/11/05/why-cleopatra-continued/

If you missed the earlier article, you can catch it here. https://bit.ly/2P3gsli

Here’s the description of Death of an Eye.

Alexandria, 47BCE: Cleopatra shares the throne with her brother Ptolemy under the auspices of Julius Caesar, by whom Cleopatra is heavily pregnant with child. A shipment of new coin meant to reset the shaky Egyptian economy has been stolen, the Queen’s Eye has been murdered and Queen Cleopatra turns to childhood friend Tetisheri to find the missing shipment and bring the murderer to justice.

Jason Kiel recently interviewed debut author Amina Akhtar for Phoenix New Times, https://bit.ly/2SRXXi2. The author of #FashionVictim is a long way from New York City in her present home in Cottonwood, Arizona, but she still uses her knowledge of the fashion industry for her darkly comic novel. Akhtar will be at the Poisoned Pen on Monday, November 12 at 7 PM to discuss and sign her book. Signed copies of #FashionVictim are available through the Web Store if you can’t make it Monday night. https://bit.ly/2JN237h

Here’s the summary of #FashionVictim.

“A new fashionably vicious read.”—Martha Stewart Living
“A diabolical page-turner . . . impossible to put down.”—Forbes
“Darkly funny.”—Fashionista
“As awesome as it sounds.”—Book Riot

A thrilling take on the fashion world,#FashionVictim isDexter meetsThe Devil Wears Prada.

Fashion editor Anya St. Clair is on the verge of greatness. Her wardrobe is to die for. Her social media is killer. And her career path is littered with the bodies of anyone who got in her way. She’s worked hard to get where she is, but she doesn’t have everything.

Not like Sarah Taft. Anya’s obsession sits one desk away. Beautiful, stylish, and rich, she was born to be a fashion world icon. From her beach-wave blonde hair to her on-trend nail art, she’s a walking editorial spread. And Anya wants to be her friend. Her best friend. Her only friend.

But when Sarah becomes her top competition for a promotion, Anya’s plan to win her friendship goes into overdrive. In order to beat Sarah…she’ll have to become her. Friendly competition may turn fatal, but as they say in fashion:One day you’re in, and the next day you’re dead.

It was all about Arizona when Marshall Trimble, Arizona’s state historian, chatted with Jon Talton. Trimble is the author of Arizona Oddities and Talton wrote A Brief History of Phoenix. Signed copies of both books, and copies of their others, are available through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Interested in the odd facts about Phoenix and Arizona? You can watch the entire event online.

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Poisoned Pen Press author Eileen Brady was recently interviewed in Bookreporter.com. Brady, the author of Penned, will appear at the Poisoned Pen on Saturday, November 10 at 2 PM, along with Ellen Crosby, author of Harvest of Secrets. Signed copies of both books are available to order through the Web Store.  https://store.poisonedpen.com/

You can read the interview with Eileen Brady here. https://bit.ly/2P8Otkm

Check out the summary of Penned.

Dr. Kate Turner, DVM, is seven months into her one-year contract to cover for a Hudson Valley vet taking a year-long world cruise. She’s getting used to the hospital and house-call workload but not to the sometimes dangerous, if not deadly, critters – animal and human – she meets.

Eighty-something-year-old Gloria LaGuardia has been installed at an assisted living center by her niece. They bump into Kate at the Oak Falls annual Halloween street bash. And while Gloria’s conversation indicates some mental confusion – she asks a couple dressed as rabbits if they are real or not – she’s still sharp. And she says, “Someone evil is here. I saw him.”

Saw who? Will this chance meeting draw Kate into the path of Carl Wolf, a notorious fugitive twenty-one years on the FBI’s Most Wanted List? Is Wolf hiding in plain sight in or around Oak Falls?

When Gloria, once an artist endowed with a sharp eye, is murdered, Kate doesn’t know what to think. But author Tucker Weinstein approaches her at Gloria’s funeral and indicates he believes the old woman. Further, he’s devoting a chapter in his book to Carl Wolf.

The FBI doesn’t appear interested. Gloria’s family just wants to move on. But publicity-hungry Tucker mentions Kate in a newspaper interview that goes viral. She’s overloaded with new clients like Billy, a Nubian stud goat living penned up with alpaca, llamas, and more goats on a local farm producing milk, wool, and cheese, and a grumpy Chihuahua dressed up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Yet she senses someone is now following her. An undercover FBI agent? Carl Wolf on the prowl?

Determined not to be a victim, Kate digs deep into the arson/murder Wolf committed long ago. Are the clues to unmasking him hidden in the past, or closer than she thinks?

*****

Eileen Brady’s website is https://www.eileenbradymysteries.com/