Fiction Review

August Thomas’ debut thriller, Liar’s Candle, is the Hot Book of the Week at the Poisoned Pen. Signed copies are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2HFJSye

Here’s the summary of Liar’s Candle.

n this brilliant debut thriller, reminiscent of the works of John le Carre and Olen Steinhauer and infused with the authenticity of the author’s travels, a young American State Department intern based in Turkey becomes “the woman who knows too much” and is marked for death.

Penny Kessler, an intern at the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, wakes up in a hospital on the morning of July 5th to find herself at the center of an international crisis. The day before, the Embassy was the target of a devastating terrorist attack that killed hundreds of Penny’s friends and colleagues. Not only has a photograph of Penny as she emerged from the rubble become the event’s defining image, but for reasons she doesn’t understand, her bosses believe she’s a crucial witness.

Suddenly, everyone is intensely interested in what Penny knows. But what does she know? And whom can she trust? As she struggles to piece together her memories, she discovers that Zach Robson, the young diplomat she’d been falling for all summer, went missing during the attack. And one of the CIA’s most powerful officials, Christina Ekdahl, wants people to believe Zach was a traitor.

What actually happened?

Penny barely has time to ask before she discovers that her own government wants her dead. Soon, with only a single ally—a rookie intelligence officer fresh out of the Navy—she is running a perilous gauntlet, ruthlessly pursued by Turkey’s most powerful forces and by the CIA.

To survive, Penny must furiously improvise. Tradecraft takes a lifetime to master. She has less than thirty-six hours. And she’s only twenty-one years old. This is her first real test—one she can’t fail.

On Saturday evening, the Agatha Awards were announced. Congratulations to all the winners and  nominees. The Agathas are named for Agatha Christie, and they honor traditional mysteries. The attendees at Malice Domestic 30 voted in five categories for works first published in the United States in 2017. Check the Web Store if you’re looking for copies of these titles. https://store.poisonedpen.com

Before the Agathas were given out, Malice Domestic honored Nancy Pickard for Lifetime Achievement. The Point Award winner was Brenda Blythan, who stars in “Vera”. Louise Penny was recognized as guest of honor.

The Agatha Awards went to:

Best Children’s/Young Adult –

Sydney Mackenzie Knocks ‘Em Dead by Cindy Callaghan

Best Non-Fiction –

From Holmes to Sherlock: The Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon by Matthias Bostrom

Best Short Story –

“The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn” by Gigi Pandian

Best First Novel –

Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Historical Novel –

In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen

Best Contemporary Novel –

Glass Houses by Louise Penny

 

Congratulations to all of the Agatha Award winners.

Reuters staff recently reported that George R.R. Martin’s fans will not be seeing The Winds of Winter in 2018. Game of Throne fans may be disappointed with Martin’s announcement. However, according to the article, Martin announced there will be a 1,000 page history of the kings of Westeros. The first of two volumes is scheduled for a November release. https://reut.rs/2vM1ffy

Fire and Blood can be pre-ordered through the Poisoned Pen’s Web Store. https://bit.ly/2Hw1zEJ

Here’s the description.

The thrilling history of the Targaryens comes to life in this masterly work by the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the inspiration for HBO’s Game of Thrones.
 
With all the fire and fury fans have come to expect from internationally bestselling author George R. R. Martin, this is the first volume of the definitive two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros.

Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire and Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.

What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why did it become so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What is the origin of Daenerys’s three dragon eggs? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel and featuring more than eighty all-new black-and-white illustrations by artist Doug Wheatley. Readers have glimpsed small parts of this narrative in such volumes as The World of Ice & Fire, but now, for the first time, the full tapestry of Targaryen history is revealed.

With all the scope and grandeur of Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire and Blood is the ultimate game of thrones, giving readers a whole new appreciation for the dynamic, often bloody, and always fascinating history of Westeros.

Most of us weren’t at the black tie affair that is the Edgar Awards ceremony, but we can still share in the celebration of the winners. You can search for any of these titles in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Mystery Writers of America announced the winners for the 2018 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2017.

BEST NOVEL

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown & Co./Mulholland Books)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper (HarperCollins ““ Ecco)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Unseeing by Anna Mazzola (Sourcebooks ““ Sourcebooks Landmark)

BEST FACT CRIME

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (Penguin Random House ““ Doubleday)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

Chester B. Himes: A Biography by Lawrence P. Jackson (W.W. Norton & Company)

BEST SHORT STORY

“Spring Break” ““ New Haven Noir by John Crowley (Akashic Books)

BEST JUVENILE

Vanished! By James Ponti (Simon & Schuster ““ Aladdin)

BEST YOUNG ADULT

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Simon & Schuster ““ Atheneum Books for Young

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

“Somebody to Love” ““ Fargo, Teleplay by Noah Hawley (FX Networks/MGM)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD

“The Queen of Secrets” – New Haven Noir by Lisa D. Gray (Akashic Books)

GRAND MASTER

Jane Langton
William Link
Peter Lovesey

RAVEN AWARD

Kristopher Zgorski, BOLO Books
The Raven Bookstore, Lawrence Kansas

ELLERY QUEEN AWARD

Robert Pépin

* * * * * *

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD

The Widow’s House by Carol Goodman (HarperCollins ““ William Morrow Paperbacks)

Robert Dugoni has always been popular at the Poisoned Pen. He’s back, Saturday, April 28 at 2 PM to talk about and sign his latest novel, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. Signed copies of this book, and copies of Dugoni’s others, are also available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2JxAtto

Here’s the summary of The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell.

Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni’s coming-of-age story is, according to Booklist, “a novel that, if it doesn’t cross entirely over into John Irving territory, certainly nestles in close to the border.”

Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates; “God’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered, buoyed by his mother’s devout faith, his father’s practical wisdom, and his two other misfit friends.

Sam believed it was God who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was God’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls.

Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design—especially not the tragedy that caused him to turn his back on his friends, his hometown, and the life he’d always known. Running from the pain, eyes closed, served little purpose. Now, as he looks back on his life, Sam embarks on a journey that will take him halfway around the world. This time, his eyes are wide open—bringing into clear view what changed him, defined him, and made him so afraid, until he can finally see what truly matters.

Let’s face it. While this week brings the Edgar Awards and Malice Domestic with the Agatha Awards, the biggest news in the crime world yesterday was the arrest of the suspect believed to be the “East Area Rapist” or the “Golden State Killer” in California. The attorneys are crediting DNA. Many of the true crime aficionados are crediting Michelle McNamara and her unrelenting investigation. The late journalist is the author of the bestseller, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. There are copies available in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2r1lD6u

There are several other titles available for order at the same link. And, you can also find a few other titles by searching East Area Rapist. https://bit.ly/2HRNzEm

We’ll have news of award winners coming up this weekend when the awards are presented. In the meantime, DNA, McNamara’s book, and the arrest of a suspect for crimes committed thirty to forty years ago, are the hot topic.

The current Hot Book of the Week at the Poisoned Pen is Jon Talton’s The Bomb Shelter. Signed copies, along with copies of Talton’s other books, can be ordered through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2vFQj31

Here’s the description of the book.

The past never rests easy in Arizona.

Forty years ago, a Phoenix reporter was killed by a car bomb in one of America’s most notorious crimes. Three men went to prison – but was there more to the story of Charles Page’s assassination? More than three low-level players? Did a kingpin order the hit and get away with it? And what was the real motive? Despite the work of teams of journalists and law and legal professionals, no one yet knows why.

It’s a case custom-made for David Mapstone, the historian-turned-sheriff’s deputy. And suddenly Mapstone’s boss, newly re-elected Sheriff Mike Peralta, promises to reopen the investigation into the only murder of an American journalist, in the US, in modern times. Why?

The promise triggers new murders. The crimes are reenactments of Phoenix’s mob-riddled past, where gangsters rubbed elbows with the city’s elite amid crosscurrents of corrupt cops, political payoffs, gambling, prostitution, and murder, all shielded by the sunshine image of a resort city. But who is committing them? A former soldier who is an explosives expert and deadly with a knife? A woman with screen-siren looks and extraordinary computer skills? Or someone out of Phoenix’s seamy, swinging Seventies with secrets to keep, even though the major power brokers are dead?

Mapstone will need all the help he can get. He enlists a PhD candidate and Black Lives Matter activist to help him comb through sealed archives of the original bombing. Mapstone’s wife, Lindsey, a top hacker, rejoins the Sheriff’s Office and plays a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with the perp or perps – one that goes from the digital to the real and risky world. Somewhere in the house of mirrors surrounding the Page case they must find the key that connects the past to the present.

In this swiftly paced, compelling new novel by journalist Jon Talton, the ninth in the David Mapstone series, a big city is trying to keep its darkest history off-limits.

*****

The Bomb Shelter is about the murder of a journalist. Talton’s book, Deadline Man, was also about a journalist. And, who better to review that book than a fellow journalist and mystery writer, Bruce DeSilva? He wrote a piece on his own site called, “A Very Tardy Review of Jon Talton’s Gripping Newspaper Mystery, “Deadline Man”. You can read it here. https://bit.ly/2HoihBx

Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects, starring Amy Adams, will be a limited series on HBO beginning in July. It’s always best to read the book first, and there are copies of Sharp Objects and Flynn’s other books in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2HSyi3G

The trailer was just released, if you’d like to see it.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgljcMqPG98?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Last year when Jill Orr’s The Good Byline came out, I interviewed her for my personal blog. She’ll be at the Poisoned Pen on Thursday, April 26 at 2 PM, so it’s the perfect time to introduce her to you. She’s be talking about and signing her new Riley Ellison mystery, The Bad Break. You can order signed copies through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2IQD4xY

I’m glad Jill found time in her schedule to answer questions, to sit “In the Hot Seat”.

Jill, would you introduce yourself to the Poisoned Pen blog readers?

My name is Jill Orr and I am the author of the Riley Ellison mystery series, which features an obituary-obsessed millennial heroine. Originally from Chicago, I now live in Columbia, Missouri with my husband and two children.

Tell us about Riley Ellison.

Twenty-four year old Riley Ellison lives in the small town of Tuttle Corner, VA, where everybody knows your name— and your business. This hasn’t worked out especially well for Riley. Her odd preoccupation with obituaries combined with a very public meltdown over her grandfather’s suspicious death and her inability to pick up the pieces after being dumped by her longtime boyfriend have caused the residents of Tuttle Corner to unofficially change her name from Riley Ellison to Riley Bless Her Heart. But Riley is nothing if not an optimist, so she’s working hard to make changes and live her best life. She just doesn’t always get it right.

Tell us about The Bad Break without spoilers.

The Bad Break opens when a local cardiologist is found dead and Riley is tasked with writing his obituary for the local newspaper. When it’s revealed the good doctor was murdered (and may not have been so good after all), Riley ends up covering the murder investigation as well. Desperate to prove to her boss, her co-workers, and herself that she is up to job, Riley gets reckless in her search for the truth and blurs the line between reporter and investigator. As her professional life spirals out of control, her personal life takes some hits as well. Just when she thinks she knows what to do to fix it all, the killer finds her. . .  and has a very different solution in mind.

Can you tell us what might be happening with Riley in the third book in the series?

In book three, a high-profile double murder brings national attention to the small community of Tuttle Corner, VA. The sheriff hasn’t made any arrests, but Rosalee, the enigmatic French owner of Tuttle’s favorite cafe, is already being treated like a suspect by the swarm of out-of-town press looking for a juicy headline. Riley and Holman think Rosalee is being framed and are determined to tell her side of the story—if only they could find her. Riley’s investigation provokes powerful people with dubious business interests in Tuttle Corner that make her question everything she thought she knew about Rosalee’s past, present, and future. And when Holman and Riley finally find Rosalee, they realize their problems are only just beginning.

As a wife, mother, blogger, writer, tell us about juggling your schedule to find time to write.

My kids are both in school so I write when they’re out of the house. The hours between 2:30 and 8pm are reserved for driving them around town to their various activities (and listening to podcasts and audiobooks) but after that I’ll often end up working for another couple of hours. I write when I can, so sometimes I have long stretches and sometimes I have twenty-minutes here and there. I take the time where I can get it!

If someone comes to visit, where do you take them to show off Columbia, Missouri?

Oh, I love this question! Shakespeare’s Pizza is a must, as is Booches for the best burgers you’ve ever had served on little slips of wax paper. I like to take people for a walk through the quad on Mizzou’s campus (where I went to undergrad and graduate school), and if it’s football season I love to take friends to tailgate and cheer on the Missouri Tigers! Columbia also has a super cool downtown and it’s always fun to walk around the little shops and restaurants down there. In addition, Columbia is a town of great festivals, so depending on the time of year, there is always the possibility of a fab festival happening around town!

What authors have inspired you?

There are so many, but the ones that top my list are authors who are able to combine humor and heart like Maria Semple, Janet Evanovich, Darynda Jones, Lisa Lutz, Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot, and Alan Bradley. I also love essayists Lisa Kogan and Colin Nissan when I want some non-fiction humor.

What’s on your TBR pile right now?

I’m still working my way through Alan Bradley’s highly entertaining Flavia de Luce series, which I adore. Next up in the queue is the first book in the Stella Reynolds mysteries by Libby Kirsch and a standalone called How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. I also just put The Last Equation of Issac Severy by Nova Jacobs on my list based on the recommendation from the Poisoned Pen blog!

What did you read as a child? What was your favorite book? Or, if you prefer, who was your favorite character?

As a young child, I had a particular affection for Ramona Quimby. (I still do.) And I guess I must have been a series reader from the start because I also loved the Betsy-Tacy books, the Sweet Valley High series, Encyclopedia Brown, of course Nancy Drew, anything by Judy Blume, all of Roald Dahl’s books. . .  I could go on and on. I read a lot as a kid!

Name an author or a book that you wish had received more attention.

The Sisters of Alameda Street by Lorena Hughes. This is a beautiful family saga—and a great mystery— about family secrets, lies, betrayal, and love set in 1960s Ecuador.

Thank you, Jill. You can find Jill’s website at https://jillorrauthor.com. And, of course, you can find her at the Poisoned Pen on Thursday at 2 PM.

Steve Hamilton’s Alex McKnight character returns in the eleventh book in the series with the August 2018 release of Dead Man Running. Don’t worry. You’ll be able to order a copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2vvYdf9

Here’s the description.

Alex McKnight–hero of Steve Hamilton’s bestselling, award-winning, and beloved private eye series–is back in a high-stakes, nail-biting thriller, facing the most dangerous enemy he’s ever encountered.

On the Mediterranean Sea, a vacationer logs on to the security-camera feed from his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. Something about his living room seems not quite right–the room is bright, when he’s certain he’d left the curtains closed. Rewinding through the feed, he sees an intruder. When he shifts to the bedroom camera, he sees the dead body.

Martin T. Livermore is the key suspect in the abduction and murder of at least five women, but he’s never been this sloppy before. When the FBI finally catches him in Scottsdale, he declares he’ll only talk to one person: a retired police officer from Detroit, now a private investigator living in the tiny town of Paradise, Michigan. A man named Alex McKnight.

Livermore means nothing to McKnight, but it soon becomes clear McKnight means something to Livermore…and that Livermore’s capture was only the beginning of an elaborate, twisted plot with McKnight at the center. In a hunt that will take him across the country and to the edge of his limits, McKnight fights to stop a vicious killer before he can exact his ultimate revenge. And his grand finale will cut closer to home than he ever could have imagined.

*****

And, a tip of the hat to The Real Book Spy who revealed the cover and talked about the release of Dead Man Running. https://bit.ly/2K3SoZt