Fiction Review

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed Allison Epstein, author of Fagin the Thief, and Laura Samotin, who served as guest host. There are signed copies of Fagin the Thief available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/43n1Tyh. Fagin the Thief was the February Historical Fiction selection for The Poisoned Pen.

Here’s the summary of Fagin the Thief.

A thrilling reimagining of the world of Charles Dickens, as seen through the eyes of the infamous Jacob Fagin, London’s most gifted pickpocket, liar, and rogue.

“Fagin the Thief takes one of literature’s greatest rogues and gives him a soul, a backstory, and a spotlight. Layered and clever, Epstein’s story is as ambitious as it is deeply satisfying.” –Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions for You

Long before Oliver Twist stumbled onto the scene, Jacob Fagin was scratching out a life for himself in the dark alleys of nineteenth-century London. Born in the Jewish enclave of Stepney shortly after his father was executed as a thief, Jacob’s whole world is his open-minded mother, Leah. But Jacob’s prospects are forever altered when a light-fingered pickpocket takes Jacob under his wing and teaches him a trade that pays far better than the neighborhood boys could possibly dream.

Striking out on his own, Jacob familiarizes himself with London’s highest value neighborhoods while forging his own path in the shadows. But everything changes when he adopts an aspiring teenage thief named Bill Sikes, whose mercurial temper poses a danger to himself and anyone foolish enough to cross him. Along the way, Jacob’s found family expands to include his closest friend, Nancy, and his greatest protégé, the Artful Dodger. But as Bill’s ambition soars and a major robbery goes awry, Jacob is forced to decide what he really stands for—and what a life is worth.

Colorfully written and wickedly funny, Allison Epstein breathes fresh life into the teeming streets of Dickensian London–reclaiming one of Victorian literature’s most notorious villains in an unforgettable new adventure.

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ALLISON EPSTEIN earned her M.F.A. in fiction from Northwestern University and a B.A. in creative writing from the University of Michigan. A Michigan native, she now lives in Chicago. When not writing, she enjoys good theater, bad puns, and fancy jackets. She is the author of the historical novels A Tip for the Hangman and Let the Dead Bury the Dead.

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Enjoy the conversation with Ellison Epstein.

The Poisoned Pen Bookstore just received a new supply of Joseph Finder’s The Oligarch’s Daughter. It’s signed, and comes with an exclusive map insert. You can order these special copies through the Webstore, https://bit.ly/3Q2XAzY

To further entice you to read The Oligarch’s Daughter, we’re sharing a review by author Dana Stabenow.

The Oligarch’s Daughter

by Joseph Finder

Until that day, Grant had never killed anyone.

Mickey Spillane says the first line sells the rest of the book. Finder hit it out of the park with that one. Grant Anderson, né Philip Brightman, has been on the run from the FBI and the CIA but mostly from his in-laws for five years. The latter finally catch up with him and then it’s off to the races as all three groups of people chase after him from New Hampshire to Pennsylvania to Washington D.C. When he’s not stumbling through the Appalachians on foot he’s driving cars rented and stolen at high speeds and trusting all the wrong people. I was sure he was going to die on every other page.

But that’s only half the story, as how he got into this mess in the first place is interlarded with the chase scenes. Of course it’s all about a woman, and talk about picking the wrong one, which will leave you puzzled about the ending and wondering what happened to the girl friend. Breakneck pacing in this narrative, and if you ever wanted to you’ll think twice about trying to disappear by the end. It ain’t easy being invisible today.

Gillian McAllister’s Famous Last Words was published this week. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed hr for a virtual event for the bookstore. Peters admitted there are twists in the book that makes it hard to discuss. But, you can order a copy through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3EVyHUN

Here’s what can be said about Famous Last Words.

“This novel blindsided me with twists and surprises that had me gasping…and with a poignancy about relationships and love that one rarely finds in the genre. A brilliant, brilliant book.” —Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

From the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes an addictive thriller about a new mother’s world upended when her husband commits a terrifying crime. How well does she truly know the man she loves? And what danger does she face if her entire life has been built on a lie?

It is June 21^st, the longest day of the year, and new mother Camilla’s life is about to change forever. After months of maternity leave, she will drop her infant daughter off at daycare for the first time and return to her job as a literary agent. Finally. But, when she wakes, her husband Luke isn’t there, and in his place is a cryptic note.

Then it starts. Breaking news: there’s a hostage situation developing in London. The police arrive, and tell her Luke is involved. But he isn’t a hostage. Her husband – doting father, eternal optimist – is the gunman.

What she does next is crucial. Because only she knows what the note he left behind that morning says… 

Famous Last Words is the story of a crime, a marriage, and more secrets than Camilla ever could have imagined. This novel cements Gillian McAllister’s reputation as “the best at putting her characters in impossible situations and making her readers not only contemplate but feel what it would be like to find themselves in those situations.” (Emily Henry)

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Gillian McAllister is the New York Times bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club Pick Wrong Place Wrong Time, Famous Last WordAnother Missing Person, Everything but the Truth, The Choice, The Good Sister, The Evidence Against You, How to Disappear, and the Richard & Judy Book Club pick That Night. She graduated with an English degree before working as a lawyer. She lives in Birmingham, England, where she now writes full-time. She is also the creator and co-host of the popular Honest Authors podcast. 

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Enjoy the conversation with Gillian McAllister.

Deb Lewis from The Poisoned Pen selected some favorite March releases. If you’re ready to step into the next month, you can pre-order these books through the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

ALL THE OTHER MOTHERS HATE ME by Sarah Harman/Putnam

Meet Flo, a former girl band singer who has lost her career, her marriage, her morals and her ambition. She drinks too much, hooks up too much, is fanatic about her exotic appearance and works part time delivering party balloons. The one thing Flo is sure of is her love for her 10 year old son Dylan. When one of Dylan’s classmates disappears on a school trip and Dylan is the prime suspect, things get lively as this clueless “chaos monster” is driven to action: she realizes she must find the missing boy to clear her son Dylan’s name. Be prepared to laugh and cry along the way, with Flo the new detective in this hilarious debut. Evanovich fans, don’t miss this one!  https://bit.ly/41iTsRI

KILLS WELL WITH OTHERS by Deanna Raybourn/Berkley

I enjoyed the previous book in this series, KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE, and fell in love with the 4 women operatives who work for The Museum, a secret organization that restores stolen art to their rightful owners. The women, recruited when young and honed to be the best assassins in the world are so likeable, relatable and so so deadly. KILLS WELL picks back up with a new assignment to lure our team out of retirement when an assassin comes hunting for them, giving us all a chance to enjoy their lives, loves and skills. Reading the first is not required to read the second, but I recommend it.  https://bit.ly/4gZ0BfK

COUNT MY LIES by Sophie Stava/Gallery

A little white lie leads to a fabulous dream job for our protagonist. A nanny to a fabulous wealthy family, with lots of lies of their own. Read it all in one sitting. Thriller, very twisty!  https://bit.ly/4bfhfGG

FINLAY DONOVAN DIGS HER OWN GRAVE  by Elle Cosimano/St Martins

The fifth novel in this series brings Elle Cosimano back to her old neighborhood, thinking she is ready for a break from the mystery solving business.But a crime close to home says is not done with her yet. Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich, Ali Hazelwood and Charlaine Harris. Limited number of signed copies available. https://bit.ly/3D2UDNb

Patrick Millikin welcomed Deon Meyer for a virtual event for The Poisoned Pen. Meyer’s latest novel is Leo. You can order copies through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/414qoxi

Here’s the description of Leo.

“Deon Meyer is one of the unsung masters.”—Michael Connelly

“Deon Meyer’s name on the cover is a guarantee of crime writing at its best.”—Tess Gerritsen

In a corrupt South Africa, the criminals are as likely to be in government—or even in the police—as on the streets.

Two decorated detectives must put their careers on the line to find the link between three seemingly-unrelated homicides in the latest thriller in the #1 internationally bestselling series

Detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido are languishing in Stellenbosch. Run-of-the-mill police work in the leafy university town is a far cry from their previous life in Cape Town fighting crime and government corruption at the highest level. Then a student is found dead on a mountain trail, and the key suspect, a local businessman, is found murdered in what looks like a professional hit delivering a message—suffocated by fast-action filler foam sprayed down his throat.

On the other side of the country, a beautiful wildlife guide is recruited by a group of special forces soldiers to act as a honeytrap, part of a dangerous multi-million-dollar heist that goes tragically wrong. A single link connects the murdered businessman to the special forces, making Benny and Vaughn’s case all the more mysterious. Another former soldier is soon killed, as is an agent of the country’s disgraced former president; and then the heist crew reorganizes with an even more audacious theft in mind.

Following leads as they fly at them, not sure exactly who to trust and struggling to connect the dots as the motives don’t seem to add up, Benny and Vaughn find their case increasingly points to the corruption polluting the country. They know the clock is ticking—and Benny also has to be at the altar on time for his anxiously-anticipated wedding day.

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DEON MEYER is the internationally acclaimed, prizewinning author of fourteen thrillers, including The Dark Flood, The Last Hunt, The Woman in the Blue Cloak, Fever, Icarus, Cobra, Seven Days, and the Barry Award-winning Thirteen Hours. His books have been published in twenty-eight languages. He lives in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

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Enjoy the conversation with Deon Meyer.

Patrick Millikin welcomed Sara Gran back to The Poisoned Pen for her fifth appearance at the bookstore. They started by talking about Dreamland Books, her publishing company. But, then they went on to talk about the background of Little Mysteries, her latest book. There are signed copies of Little Mysteries available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4k7mlJb.

Here’s the summary of Little Mysteries.

Who destroyed Professor Wolf’s prize-winning tomatoes? What’s behind the mysterious goings-on at Killington Manor? And why does life sometimes feel like we’re stuck in a mystery, with few clues and no solutions? In her first collection of short stories, Sara Gran explores what detective stories mean and why we need them. If you love mysteries, and wonder why, this book is for you. Featuring both new characters and characters from the beloved Claire DeWitt series.

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Enjoy the conversation about mysteries and Sara Gran’s books.

Dead in the Frame is the fifth book in the Pentecost and Parker series by Stephen Spotswood. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed Spotswood for a virtual event. There are still signed copies of Dead in the Frame available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4hOQnQm.

Here’s the description of Dead in the Frame.

The most dramatic installment yet in the Nero Award–winning Pentecost and Parker series, as Will scrambles to solve a shocking murder before Lillian takes the fall for the crime.

NEW YORK CITY, 1947: Wealthy financier and ghoulish connoisseur of crime, Jessup Quincannon, is dead, and famed detective Lillian Pentecost is under arrest for his murder. Means, motive, and a mountain of evidence leave everyone believing she’s guilty. Everyone, that is, except Willowjean “Will” Parker, who knows for a fact her boss is innocent. She just doesn’t know if she can prove it.

With Lillian locked away in the House of D—New York City’s infamous women’s prison—Will is left to root out the real killer. Was it a member of Quincannon’s murder-obsessed Black Museum Club? Maybe it was his jilted lover? Or his beautiful, certainly-sociopathic bodyguard? And what about the mob hit-man who just happened to disappear after the shots were fired? 

With the city barreling toward the trial of the century, each day brings fresh headlines and hints of long-buried scandals from Lillian’s past. Will is desperate to get her boss out from behind bars before her reputation is destroyed. Because the House of D is no kind place, especially for a woman with multiple sclerosis. Or one with so many enemies. Her health failing and being targeted by someone who wants her dead, Lillian needs to survive long enough to take the stand. 

With time running out on both sides of the prison walls, Will and Lillian must wager everything to uncover who put their thumb on the scales and a bullet in Quincannon’s head. Before Lady Justice brings her sword down, ending Pentecost and Parker’s adventures once and for all.

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STEPHEN SPOTSWOOD is an award-winning playwright, journalist, and educator. As a journalist, he has spent much of the last two decades writing about the aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the struggles of wounded veterans. His dramatic work has been widely produced across the United States, and he is the winner of the 2021 Nero Award for best American mystery. He makes his home in Washington, DC with his wife, young adult author Jessica Spotswood.

Enjoy the conversation with Stephen Spotswood.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, loves Mike Lawson’s eighteenth Joe DeMarco thriller, Untouchable. Release date is March 7, but you can order signed copies through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4i5pVBS.

Author Dana Stabenow took time to review Untouchable.

A wholly original plot involving a US president who really should break his habit of doodling, a low level government employee who sees something she shouldn’t, an intelligence director who has way too much power and way too many yes men and women working for him, a good cop even if she is only a year in, an ex-Speaker who positively lusts after getting his job back, and Joe DeMarco, a fixer who cleans up Congressional messes. 

This isn’t one but DeMarco’s job is taking out the ex-Speaker’s dirty laundry and he does as he is bid, which is mostly finding people to ask questions of, which nearly gets him killed, not to mention the three other victims in his wake. (He really needs to learn how to spot a tail.) The action is non-stop and by the end DeMarco, the son of a mob hitman, channels his dead father to see justice done, or at least justice as it would be called by Teddy Roosevelt. 

Good characters with every elected government official confirming every suspicion you ever had about living and working in D.C. and a narrative that just won’t stop, including a last scene that Mickey Spillane, who famously said “The last line sells the next book” would have given an A+. Here’s a book you’ll stay up late to finish. You have been warned.

Dana

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Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed Mark Greaney and Jack Stewart for a recent event at the bookstore. Jack Stewart was host for Mark Greaney on release day for Midnight Black, the latest Gray Man novel. There are signed copies of Midnight Black available through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3X8PEkP.

Here’s the summary of Midnight Black.

With his lover imprisoned in a Russian gulag, the Gray Man will stop at nothing to free her in this latest entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

A winter sunrise over the great plains of Russia is no cause for celebration. The temperature barely rises above zero, and the guards at Penal Colony IK22 are determined to take their misery out on the prisoners—chief among them, one Zoya Zakharova. Once a master spy for Russian foreign intelligence, then the partner and lover of the Gray Man, she has information the Kremlin wants, and they don’t care what they have to do to get it.

But if they think a thousand miles of frozen wasteland and the combined power of the Russian police state is enough to protect them, they don’t know the Gray Man. He’s coming, and no one’s safe.

Mark Greaney‘s research for the Gray Man novels, including The Chaos Agent, Burner, Sierra Six, Relentless, One Minute Out, Mission Critical, Agent in Place, Gunmetal Gray, Back Blast, Dead Eye, Ballistic, On Target, and The Gray Man, has taken him to more than thirty-five countries, and he has trained alongside military and law enforcement in the use of firearms, battlefield medicine, and close-range combative tactics. With Marine Lt. Col. Rip Rawlings, he wrote the New York Times bestseller Red Metal. He is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers Tom Clancy Support and Defend, Tom Clancy Full Force and Effect, Tom Clancy Commander in Chief, and Tom Clancy True Faith and Allegiance. With Tom Clancy, he coauthored Locked On, Threat Vector, and Command Authority.

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Enjoy the conversation with Mark Greaney.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, calls Jane Yang’s novel, The Lotus Shoes, “an excellent book”. After reading author Dana Stabenow’s review, you might want to order a copy through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4i72cRX.

Check out Stabenow’s review of The Lotus Shoes.

It’s China in the 1880s. Little Flower is a farmer’s daughter whose father has just died who is sold by her mother as a slave to serve Linjing, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy family.  Little Flower and Linjing are not destined to be friends. Little Flower is a genius at embroidery and much praised by Linjing’s mother, so naturally Linjing hates Little Flower and abuses her every chance she gets.

And that’s even before we get into the foot binding. Little Flower’s mother bound her feet to better her chances of making a good marriage. Linjing’s father is determined to embrace Western ways and has made Linjing a betrothal to a man whose family wishes him to leave his bride’s feet unbound.

“Linjing’s foot-binding ceremony should not go ahead.”
My grandmother slammed her teacup onto the table so hard that it cracked. “Do you wish to dishonor our ancestors? Golden lilies are the hallmark of every well-bred girl. No genteel mother-in-law will have a girl with big feet.”
“I have secured a betrothal for Linjing.”
“What’s wrong with the prospective groom?”

Linjing of course takes her dismay out on Little Flower by having Little Flower’s feet unbound, a process as awful and painful as the binding was in the first place.

And it goes downhill from there. Linjing’s family falls apart and she is shipped off to the Chinese equivalent of a convent, which might have proved a humbling experience for anyone else but not for Linjing. She insists that Little Flower come with her, she destroys Little Flower’s chance at marriage, she won’t free her when her indenture is over, she causes Little Flower’s hand to be broken with a wooden mallet, and in a supreme act of malice she damn near gets her killed when the man they both love choses Little Flower over her.

I don’t entirely buy Linjing’s near-deathbed conversion (Little Flower’s near-deathbed, please note) but this book is an all too realistic look at the lot of women in China before the empire fell, and it is not pretty, not at all. Wives were property, their only power coming from their sons, but only if they succeeded in producing one. If they didn’t…

In the end Little Flower and Linjing escape from their lives to something approaching better ones, but this book made me think a lot about Mao. Maybe there had to be a Mao to shake Chinese culture free of a such a past. Recommended, but be warned that this novel will leave you shaken and grieving for all those little girls who had no choice in what happened to their bodies or their lives.

Dana

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