Fiction Review

Deb Lewis from The Poisoned Pen has some June book selections, ones she enjoyed. There should be links from each book, but you can also check out all of them at the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

A Terribly Nasty Business by Julia Seales 

 A spectacular follow-up to her debut in A Most Agreeable Murder, our heroine Beatrice is once again solving crimes—this time in chic London and in her own inimitable style. Filled with sly wit and clever twists, this mystery proves that murder is never easy to solve in a class-conscious society. If Jane Austen had turned her hand to writing mysteries, this would be the result.  

Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Dukess

American Cath finds a mysterious ticket while sorting through her recently departed mother’s belongings: a pass to Murder Week in a small English village. Flanked by her two best friends, she sets off to uncover the story behind her mother’s curious purchase—and ends up discovering more about her mother, and herself, in this charming, escapist read.  

Signed copies available, event June 14

Death At The White Hart by Chris Chibnall

A small English village. An unexpected killing—the owner of the town pub. A very public murder of a man who knew everyone’s secrets. A straight-up twisty British police procedural, with plenty of breadcrumbs to keep the pages turning. Highly recommend this one.  

The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart 

 Mark—known in the assassin world as The Pale Horse—retired from his career as the world’s deadliest killer in Hart’s previous book, Assassins Anonymous. While that book was clever, this one is a step up: the repeat characters are fully fleshed out, the pacing is rapid, and the story is infused with heart. Mark and his fellow reformed assassins, bound by a code loosely based on the Alcoholics Anonymous program, are forced to save one of their own on a deadly black-ops island—without breaking their vow not to kill.  

Signed copies available, event June 17 

Next To Heaven by James Frey

Next to Heaven is a page-turning whodunit about the murder of depraved and dashing playboy–retired athlete Alexander “The Great.” With no shortage of disagreeable suspects and no end to the outlandish events, it’s a beach read in a designer trench coat—written so tongue-in-cheek you’ll find yourself Googling which current rich celeb the characters might be based on. Recommended for readers who like their mysteries messy, their characters messier, and their plotlines outrageously unhinged. Sex, drugs, orgies, and murder included.  

Be patient at the beginning of the video. There are a few sound difficulties for those of us trying to listen to the event.

Once again, Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, held the release party for Craig Johnson’s new book, Return to Sender. Johnson talked about his new book, but he also mentioned next year’s collection of short stories, and a few other books he’s writing. You can order a signed copy of Return to Sender through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/43lEBbB

Here’s the description of Return to Sender.

Walt Longmire is back after the escapades of First Frost and encounters one of his most baffling cases in Wyoming’s brutal and unforgiving Red Desert.

When Blair McGowan, the mail person with the longest postal route in the country of over three hundred mile a day, goes missing the question becomes—where do you look for her? The Postal Inspector for the State of Wyoming elicits Sheriff Longmire to mount an investigation into her disappearance and Walt does everything but mail it in; posing as a letter-carrier himself, the good sheriff follows her trail and finds himself enveloped in the intrigue of an otherworldly cult.

Packed to the brim with twists and turns, the 21st novel in the New York Times bestselling Longmire series pushes Walt to his absolute limits, forcing him to wrestle with the impossible question: What good are your morals, if you’re marked for the dead letter office?

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Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is the recipient of two awards from the Western Writers of America, the Spur Award for fiction and the Owen Wister Award, as well as the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s Reading the West Book Award for fiction. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population 26.

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Craig Johnson is quite a storyteller. Enjoy the video.

This week, Scarlett St. Clair launched the preorder campaign for her July 8 release, Terror at the Gates. You can order a signed copy of the book through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4kgGBYs

Here is the description of Terror at the Gates, the first in a new series.

The first in a seductive new romantasy series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair. Banished and betrayed, Lilith rises from the shadows of her past to claim forbidden power—and a destiny written in blood and desire.

She is the beginning and the end.

She is peace and chaos.

She is terror knocking at the gates.

Estranged from her powerful family, Lilith Leviathan finds refuge in Nineveh, a district in the city of Eden devoted to sin. There, she uses her magic to steal for a living, attracting the attention of the five governing families as well as the church, which expects women to remain pious and silent. When Lilith comes into possession of a beautiful blade, she thinks all her worries are over…until her usual buyer dies while inspecting it.

Frantic, Lilith turns to the only man who can help her: Zahariev, head of the Zareth family and ruler of Nineveh. His currency is information, and his power is extortion, though he’s always had a soft spot for Lilith. But when the dagger appears, he isn’t sure he can protect her from what’s to come.

Together, they embark on a mission to discover the true power running their world. As their lives intertwine, Lilith realizes Zahariev is more than just a friend, but their devotion to each other is a threat—to the truth, to the church, and to those who want to tear it all down.

Perfect for fans of:

• Frenemies to lovers
• Slow burn but the sexual tension is…toe-curling
• He falls first
• Neo-noir mafia fantasy vibes

“In this sumptuous and steamy dark fantasy, bestseller St. Clair reimagines Eden as an intensely patriarchal, über-religious society… Determined to make her own way, (Lilith) relies on her power over men’s desire to steal the things she needs—but, for some reason, gorgeous Zahariev is constantly in her path and swooping in to clean up her messes… A promising series launch.” – Publishers Weekly

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#1 New York Times bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and the author of the Hades X Persephone Saga, the Adrian X Isolde series, fairy tale retellings, and When Stars Come Out.

She has a master’s degree in library science and information studies and a bachelor’s in English writing. She is obsessed with Greek mythology, murder mysteries, and the afterlife. For information on books, tour dates, and content, please visit scarlettstclair.com.

The Poisoned Pen Bookstore recently hosted an event with the Arizona Chapter of Pen America. The event was in honor of International Press Freedom Day. If you watch the video, you’ll learn about Pen America. This event featured a group of Arizona journalists who have become authors. Includes Christina Estes, Leo Banks, John Washington , Pam Hait and Steve Krafft.

You’ll want to check out the video of the event.

Patrick King from The Poisoned Pen recently welcomed Sarah Pinborough back to the bookstore after seven years. There are signed copies of Pinborough’s limited stenciled edge edition of We Live Here Now available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4ktyhUV

Here’s the description of We Live Here Now.

Limited edition printing with stenciled edges

Award-winning author of New York Times bestselling breakout novel (and hit Netflix show) Behind Her Eyes returns with a haunting Gothic novel about a house—and a marriage—gone terribly wrong.

After an accident that nearly kills her, Emily and her husband, Freddie, move from London to a beautiful Dartmoor country house called Larkin Lodge. The house is gorgeous, striking—and to Emily, something about it feels deeply wrong.

Old boards creak at night, fires go out, and books fall from the shelves, and all of it stems from the terrible presence she feels in the third-floor room. But these things happen only when Emily’s alone, so are they happening at all? She’s still medically fragile; her postsepsis condition can cause hallucinatory side effects, which means she can’t fully trust her own senses. Freddie doesn’t notice anything odd and is happy with their chance at a fresh start.

Emily, however, starts to believe that the house is being haunted by someone who was murdered in it, though she can find no evidence of a wrongful death. As bizarre events pile up and her marriage starts to crumble, Emily becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about Larkin Lodge.

But if the house has secrets, so do Emily and her husband.

And they live here now.

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Sarah Pinborough is the award-winning, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes and 13 Minutes. She lives in London.

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Enjoy the discussion with Sarah Pinborough.

Patrick Millikin and Jen Johans recently interviewed Arvind Ethan David about his graphic novel adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s Trouble Is My Business. David has an interesting background. You’ll have to check out the video and David’s biography. Check the Webstore for copies of David’s latest book. https://bit.ly/4k9Bqd1

Here’s the description of Raymond Chandler’s Trouble Is My Business.

A brilliant graphic novel adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s classic noir tale featuring iconic private eye Philip Marlowe

“Inspired. . . . This trio brings [Chandler’s] words to vivid life. . . . A triumph of teamwork.”—Air Mail

In 1940s Los Angeles, a sour-faced millionaire hires Philip Marlowe, a hard-boiled, harder-drinking detective, to scare off a suspected gold digger who has gotten her claws into his even wealthier stepson. Marlowe takes the case but quickly discovers that the woman, Harriett Huntress, isn’t just after gold: she’s playing a long, cold game of revenge…

Marlowe forms an alliance with George, the client’s chauffeur-cum-bodyguard-cum-fixer. George is a Black, Dartmouth-educated veteran with a sniper’s skills and his own agenda, and the two uneasy allies find themselves on the wrong end of a brace of hired killers and an enigmatic casino boss. . . . It quickly becomes clear that Marlowe, sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong, is just asking for trouble. But that’s the thing. Trouble is his business.

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RAYMOND THORNTON CHANDLER (1888 – 1959) was the master practitioner of American hard-boiled crime fiction. Although he was born in Chicago, Chandler spent most of his boyhood and youth in England, where he attended Dulwich College and later worked as a freelance journalist for The Westminster Gazette and The Spectator. During World War I, Chandler served in France with the First Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, transferring later to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). In 1919 he returned to the United States, settling in California, where he eventually became director of a number of independent oil companies. The Depression put an end to his career, and in 1933, at the age of forty-five, he turned to writing fiction, publishing his first stories in Black Mask. Chandler’s detective stories often starred the brash but honorable Philip Marlowe (introduced in 1939 in his first novel, The Big Sleep) and were noted for their literate presentation and dead-on critical eye. Never a prolific writer, Chandler published only one collection of stories and seven novels in his lifetime. Some of Chandler’s novels, like The Big Sleep, were made into classic movies that helped define the film noir style. In the last year of his life he was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America. He died in La Jolla, California, on March 26, 1959.

ARVIND ETHAN DAVID is a Stoker Award nominated graphic novelist who has also written chart-topping Audiodramas (The Crimes of Dorian Gray, Earworms), television (Anansi Boys) and plays (The Boy with Wings).  Arvind is also a producer of film and theater, including the Emmy & Grammy award winning musical Jagged Little Pill. Arvind’s career started when he adapted the Douglas Adams novel Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency as his college play and Adams came to see it. Years later, Arvind brought Dirk Gently to a global audience as a Netflix/AMC TV series.

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Check out the fascinating conversation.

Have patience when viewing Patrick Millikin’s conversation with Michael McGarrity for The Poisoned Pen. There were a few technical issues to begin the video. The two talked about McGarrity’s books before getting to Night in the City. Signed copies of Night in the City are available through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4j9VfQ0

Here’s the summary of Night in the City.

Sam Monroe thought his steamy love affair with Manhattan socialite Laura Nielson was dead and buried, but when she didn’t show up after unexpectedly calling him late at night and asking to meet, he decides to investigate. He finds her naked on her penthouse balcony, strangled, his dog tags wrapped around her neck. With a bull’s-eye on his back as the prime suspect, Sam begins a search for the killer that reveals Laura’s involvement with several men, some with ties to a well-known crime family.
As circumstantial evidence mounts against him, the cops close in, especially a heavy-handed rogue patrolman carrying a grudge against Sam and looking for serious payback. Forced to operate in the shadows, he relies on the unofficial help of several coworkers in the DA’s office and Debora Jean Ryan, a private investigator who offers to assist but has an agenda that she refuses to disclose. As they probe Laura’s past looking for clues, they must also figure out Laura’s mysterious trip out west, the death of a young man in New Jersey during her childhood, and who is making attempts on his life.
From the crime-ridden precincts of Lower Manhattan, the mean streets of Spanish Harlem, and the lofty mansions along Millionaires’ Row, Night in the City is classic crime noir fiction at its best that wonderfully evokes the vibrant world of 1950s New York. Michael McGarrity again proves himself to be one of the most accomplished writers of mysteries working today.

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Michael McGarrity is the author of the nationally best-selling Kevin Kerney crime novels, which he concluded in Head Wounds, the acclaimed American West trilogy, and his recent novel, The Long Ago. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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Check out the conversation with Michael McGarrity.

Patrick King from The Poisoned Pen welcomed Tori Eldridge to the bookstore to discuss the first in her new series. Kaua’i Storm introduces a National Park Ranger, Makalani Pahukula . You can order signed copies of the book through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4ktcltm

Here’s the summary of Kaua’i Storm.

Returning to Kaua‘i, park ranger Makalani finds her family divided and their way of life at risk in this rich and emotional adventure by the bestselling author of the Lily Wong series.

After ten years as a national park ranger in Oregon, Makalani Pahukula is back on Kaua‘i for her grandmother’s birthday. Having been gone for so long, Makalani finds the disconnect with her people and her struggles have never been more profound. Neither has her need to reacquaint herself with everything she left behind. When she reaches the homestead, she finds a bickering family and the disconcerting news that her cousins—a failed college football player and a rebellious teenage girl—have gone missing.

Makalani hopes they just ran off, too careless to realize the worry they’ve caused. But when hunters find a dead body in the Ke?lia Forest Reserve, Makalani fears something ominous is at play, and the search for her cousins grows more desperate. Although her help may not be welcomed by family and locals, Makalani is determined to solve a mystery that poses a greater risk than anyone imagines.

The investigation will open her heart, reawaken her love for the land she calls home, and strengthen her bond with her family. Because no matter how long she’s been away, for Makalani, Hawai‘i is in her blood.

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Tori Eldridge is the Hawaiian, Chinese, and Norwegian author of the Lily Wong mysteries, Dance Among the Flames, and numerous short stories. Born in Honolulu, she graduated from Punahou School with classmate Barack Obama before performing as an actress, singer, and dancer on Broadway, television, and film, and earning a fifth-degree black belt in To-Shin Do ninja martial arts. Her literary works have garnered Anthony, Lefty, and Macavity Award nominations and the 2021 Crimson Scribe for Best Book of the Year. Tori lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, near her precious mo‘opuna (grandchildren). For more information about Tori, her book club extras, and her reading ‘ohana, visit www.torieldridge.com.

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Tori Eldridge is an excellent storyteller. You’ll want to listen to this discussion.

Christina Estes acted ad guest host for Eliza Reid who appeared at The Poisoned Pen to discuss her new book. There are signed hardcovers and paperbacks of Death on the Island available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4jXYEm1

Here’s the summary of Death on the Island.

Trapped on a remote island by a howling storm, nine people sit down to dinner.

One of them is about to die.

A group of international players has gathered in a tiny village off the coast of Iceland for a diplomatic dinner. There’s Kristján, the mayor reeling from a personal tragedy. Graeme, the ambassador with an agenda to push. Jane, his wife, along for the ride on another one of her husband’s many business trips. And several others, from Iceland and from abroad, each with their own reason for being there, their own loyalties and grievances. By the end of the night, one of them will be dead. And it will be up to the ambassador’s wife, Jane, to figure out how—and why.

What Jane soon comes to realize is that small communities can be the most dangerous of them all… and no one in their group is safe. With secrets around every corner and violent weather trapping the finite list of suspects together on the island, this locked-room mystery by internationally bestselling author Eliza Reid brings Agatha Christie and Nordic noir together in a brand-new twist.

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Eliza Reid is a bestselling writer, public speaker, gender equality advocate, and cofounder of the acclaimed Iceland Writers Retreat. She was born and raised in Canada but has lived in Iceland for more than twenty years. Her first book, Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World, was an instant bestseller in Canada and Iceland, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Pick, and translated into numerous languages. From 2016 to 2024, Eliza served in the unofficial role of First Lady while her husband was President of Iceland. Eliza lives in the outskirts of Reykjavik with her husband and four children.

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Eliza Reid, the former First Lady of Iceland, is a fascinating speaker. Enjoy the conversation with her.

Sam Dingman from KJZZ acted as guest host at The Poisoned Pen for Dave Barry. Barry’s memoir is Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up. There are signed copies of the book available through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4mdCsWF

Here’s the description of Class Clown.

America’s most beloved wiseass finally tells his life story with all the humor you’d expect from a man who made a career out of making fun of pretty much everything.

How does the son of a Presbyterian minister wind up winning a Pulitzer Prize for writing a wildly inaccurate newspaper column read by millions of people?

In Class Clown, Dave Barry takes us on a hilarious ride, starting with a childhood largely spent throwing rocks for entertainment—there was no internet—and preparing for nuclear war by hiding under a classroom desk. After literally getting elected class clown in high school, he went to college, where, as an English major, he read snippets of great literature when he was not busy playing in a rock band (it was the sixties).

He began his journalism career at a small-town Pennsylvania newspaper where he learned the most important rule of local journalism: never confuse a goose with a duck. His journey then took a detour into the business world, where as a writing consultant he spent years trying, with limited success, to get corporate folks to, for God’s sake, get the point. Somehow from there he wound up as a humor columnist for TheMiami Herald, where his boss was a wild man who encouraged him to write about anything that struck him as amusing and to never worry about alienating anyone.

His columns were not popular with everyone: He managed to alienate a vast army of Neil Diamond fans, and the entire state of Indiana. But he also developed a loyal following of readers who alerted him to the threat of exploding toilets, not to mention the fire hazards posed by strawberry pop-tarts and Rollerblade Barbie, which he demonstrated to the nation on the David Letterman show. He led his readers on a crusade against telemarketers that ultimately caused the national telemarketers association to stop answering its own phones because it was getting—irony alert—too many unwanted calls. He has also run for president multiple times, although so far without success.

He became a book author and joined a literary rock band, which was not good at playing music but did once perform with Bruce Springsteen, who sang backup to Dave. As for his literary merits, Dave writes: “I’ll never have the critical acclaim of, say, Marcel Proust. But was Marcel Proust ever on Carson? Did he ever steal a hotel sign for Oprah?”

Class Clown isn’t just a memoir; it’s a vibrant celebration of a life rich with humor, absurdity, joy, and sadness. Dave says the most important wisdom imparted by his Midwestern parents was never to take anything too seriously. This laughter-filled book is proof that he learned that lesson well.

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Dave Barry is the author of more bestsellers than you can count on two hands, including Swamp Story, Lessons from Lucy, Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys, Dave Barry Turns Forty, and Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up. A wildly popular syndicated columnist best known for his booger jokes, Barry won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for commentary. He lives in Miami.

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If you enjoy Dave Barry’s humor, you’ll enjoy the event at The Pen.