Fiction Review

David Baldacci’s latest novel, End Game, is the Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen. There are signed copies available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2ivkGQL

Here’s the description of the new book.

#1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci returns with his most breathtaking thriller yet…

Will Robie and Jessica Reel are two of the most lethal people alive. They’re the ones the government calls in when the utmost secrecy is required to take out those who plot violence and mass destruction against the United States. And through every mission, one man has always had their backs: their handler, code-named Blue Man.

But now, Blue Man is missing.

Last seen in rural Colorado, Blue Man had taken a rare vacation to go fly fishing in his hometown when he disappeared off the grid. With no communications since, the team can’t help but fear the worst.

Sent to investigate, Robie and Reel arrive in the small town of Grand to discover that it has its own share of problems. A stagnant local economy and a woefully understaffed police force have made this small community a magnet for crime, drugs, and a growing number of militant fringe groups.

But lying in wait in Grand is an even more insidious and sweeping threat, one that may shake the very foundations of America. And when Robie and Reel find themselves up against an adversary with superior firepower and a home-court advantage, they’ll be lucky if they make it out alive, with or without Blue Man . . .

PHENOMENAL PRAISE FOR DAVID BALDACCI’S #1 NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLING WILL ROBIE SERIES:

“Robie and Reel are complex characters, and anything they do is a pleasure to follow…Baldacci knows how to get readers to turn the pages.” —Associated Press

What do authors do when they’re in town for an event at The Poisoned Pen, and they have free time? Well, authors Laurie King and Ellen Crosby went shopping at the Desert Botanical Gardens with bookstore owner Barbara Peters. Actually, they were at the Chocolate and Chili Festival there.

Check out those bags that Laurie and Barbara are carrying.

Lee Child’s current Jack Reacher novel, The Midnight Line,  has been receiving very good reviews, including Janet Maslin’s “A Gentler Jack Reacher Emerges in Lee Child’s Latest Novel” in “Books of the Times” in The New York Times. https://nyti.ms/2hTslYL There are signed copies of The Midnight Line available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2hwMCT7

Now, Lee Child addresses the topic of dialogue and research in his writing. You can watch the short clip on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpDPPV3AUNQ&t=

Fans of Poisoned Pen Press and British Library Crime Classics will recognize Martin Edwards as an author and editor. He won an Edgar Award in 2016, as well as the Agatha, Macavity, and H.R.F. Keating Awards for The Golden Age of Murder. This year, he brought us The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books. You can check the Web Store, and find many of his books. https://bit.ly/2AJFr1q

But, Martin Edwards wasn’t always so successful. He recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of his blog, “Do You Write Under Your Own Name?”, https://doyouwriteunderyourownname.blogspot.com

Edwards was kind enough to adapt his reflective anniversary post for us. Thank you, Martin.

After ten years of blogging, it’s a good moment to reflect. Actually, the ten-year anniversary was a few weeks ago, but life has been too hectic to allow many moments of reflection. When I started my blog “Do You Write Under Your Own Name?”- the first post was on 13 October 2007 – my prime aim was to share my enthusiasm for crime writing. As part of this, I wanted to give  to anyone who was an interested an insight into the joys and frustrations of the professional life of a mid-list crime writer, someone who had been around for quite a long time, without becoming remotely famous. Hence the blog’s title. I’ve often been asked if I write under my name, and it’s a polite way of making it clear that the person asking the question has never heard of me.

In 2007, I had no idea of what the future held for me as a writer, but I did tell the story of my first TV option, and the fact that the dizzying excitement  ultimately faded when it became clear that the show would never be made. Ten years on, I’ve had half a dozen TV options, covering the Harry Devlin series, the Lake District series, and even The Golden Age of Murder, but still none of the scripts has actually made it on to the screen. It’s frustrating (though option fees are definitely a consolation), but it’s a common situation, and the only sensible reaction is to be philosophical. You can’t be lucky all the time. And overall, I’ve been extraordinarily lucky.

If you’d told me ten years ago what would happen in my writing life over the next decade, I’d have suspected a cruel hoax. Back then, I wasn’t even a member of the Detection Club, let alone its President, archivist, and author of The Golden Age of Murder. And I was nowhere near joining the committee of the CWA – my day job made it impossible – let alone becoming its Chair. I’d never won a literary award, and now I’ve picked up a totally unexpected number here and in the US, as well as various shortlistings. I’d never even set foot in the British Library, whereas in the past year I’ve been interviewed there by Mark Lawson, conducted a week-end master class there, plotted a murder mystery for their pop-up shop, and compiled my tenth BL anthology, as well as publishing The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books and clocking up more than 40 intros to the Classic Crime series.

The past three years, in particular, have been amazing, and it’s hard to figure out exactly what has made the difference. Some of it must be down to the fact that, although I’m still a practising lawyer, I now spend much less time on the law, and much of the energy I devoted to the day job (and endless commuting) is now directed towards writing-related activities. I’ve found, as many writers found before me, that there are all sorts of fascinating opportunities out there

Since I returned to the UK from the Toronto Bouchercon last month, I’ve taken part in literary festivals in Lancaster and in Dalton-in-Furness (the ancient capital of Furness might just feature in the next Lake District Mystery!) and given library talks in York, Beeston, and West Bridgford and a bookshop talk in Bramhall. I’ve  hosted the CWA Daggers Awards and the Detection Club’s main annual dinner, survived a CWA board meeting without provoking my admirable colleagues to launch a coup d’etat, enjoyed an excellent lunch with the CWA’s Northern Chapter, and given a talk in London to a marvellous group of American crime fans, as well as signing a pile of copies of the CWA anthology Mystery Tour at Goldsboro Books and piles of other books in Foyles and Waterstones. It’s been a mad whirl of activity, but hugely enjoyable.

And I hope that if there are any writers, or would-be writers, reading this who are struggling with confidence at present, my story may offer them a bit of encouragement. Despite all the pitfalls, it’s a privilege to live a writer’s life, and I hate to see talented authors become so discouraged that they give up, something that happens far too often.

Writing is, as I said at the Dagger awards, a tough game, and setbacks are many. I’m still very, very far from being a Big Name among authors. But surely the point about writing is to try to make the most of your skills and your opportunities, and hope that an occasional lucky break will compensate for all the knock-backs, however numerous the latter. Above all, the key is to have a good time, no matter how many well-meaning people keep wanting to know if you write under your own name!

I don’t know that I’ve ever repeated an event twice in a week, but The Poisoned Pen’s Holiday Party is worth publicizing twice. Yesterday, Barbara Peters sent out her newsletter with a little more information about the Holiday Party. Here’s Barbara’s note and invitation to all of you.

The authors will discuss their books in three groups with food sampling breaks in between

Did you miss Diana Gabaldon’s appearance for the 25th Anniversary Edition of Dragonfly in Amber? You can still get a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2hx0CQD

We also have photos of the event, with permission to share them. Can you find yourself in the crowd, if you attended?

If you didn’t attend, you probably want to see pictures of Diana Gabaldon. We have a couple of her with some of her readers.

Did you miss the event when Natasha Pulley was at The Poisoned Pen to discuss and sign her latest novel, The Bedlam Stacks? You can still order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2i9CReh

We do have a few photos to share.

Here’s the summary of the book.

The eagerly anticipated new novel from the author of THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET–a treacherous quest in the magical landscape of nineteenth-century Peru.

In 1859, ex-East India Company smuggler Merrick Tremayne is trapped at home in Cornwall after sustaining an injury that almost cost him his leg. On the sprawling, crumbling grounds of the old house, something is wrong; a statue moves, his grandfather’s pines explode, and his brother accuses him of madness.

When the India Office recruits Merrick for an expedition to fetch quinine–essential for the treatment of malaria–from deep within Peru, he knows it’s a terrible idea. Nearly every able-bodied expeditionary who’s made the attempt has died, and he can barely walk. But Merrick is desperate to escape everything at home, so he sets off, against his better judgment, for a tiny mission colony on the edge of the Amazon where a salt line on the ground separates town from forest. Anyone who crosses is killed by something that watches from the trees, but somewhere beyond the salt are the quinine woods, and the way around is blocked.

Surrounded by local stories of lost time, cursed woods, and living rock, Merrick must separate truth from fairytale and find out what befell the last expeditions; why the villagers are forbidden to go into the forest; and what is happening to Raphael, the young priest who seems to have known Merrick’s grandfather, who visited Peru many decades before.The Bedlam Stacksis the story of a profound friendship that grows in a place that seems just this side of magical.

Do you want your daughter or granddaughter to grow up to love mysteries as much as you do? Linda Fairstein, a former sex-crimes prosecutor, and author of the Alexandra Cooper crime novels and Devlin Quick mysteries for middle-school readers, has a new book for that audience, Digging for Trouble. But, she recently wrote an article for The Washington Post telling where she developed her love of mysteries. It’s “Why Nancy Drew is an ideal role model.” https://wapo.st/2jjSZ08

Fairstein’s book and the Nancy Drew mysteries are available through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

If you’re looking for mysteries for your eight to twelve-year-old, check them out. Here’s the summary of Digging for Trouble.

Twelve-year-old supersleuth Devlin Quick heads to Montana to dig out dinosaur bones, but instead she uncovers a mystery in this second book in the thrilling series from New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein

After successfully apprehending a map thief at the beginning of summer, Dev is going to spend the second half of her summer vacation in Montana with her best friend, Katie, exploring the outdoors and NOT getting into trouble. But after participating in a dinosaur dig, Katie and Dev suspect that someone bad is in the Badlands when Katie’s found fossils are switched out for old rocks. The good news? With Mom back in New York, no one can stop Devlin from investigating! But the fossil thief isn’t the only danger here, as snakes, scorpions, and bears abound, making Montana a treacherous place for finding answers.

And when the mystery takes Dev and Katie back to Manhattan—to the Museum of Natural History—the case gets even more complicated, even with Dev’s friend Booker there to help. Dev has to use her brains, brawn, and yes, okay, the lessons learned from her police commissioner mother if she wants to dig up the truth once and for all. This is the perfect read for fans of Nancy Drew and Theodore Boone.

It’s not too early to invite you to the holiday party at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore. Barbara Peters and author Doris Casey will host the holiday party on Sunday, November 19 at 2 PM, and it’s free to attend.

We have a wonderful slate of authors scheduled to appear. They’ll talk about their books, and then do a signing.

Rhys Bowen signs THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST ($24.99)

Kate Carlisle signs EAVES OF DESTRUCTION ($7.99)

Timothy Hallinan signs FOOL’S RIVER ($26.95) and FIELDS WHERE THEY LAY ($15.95)

Carolyn G. Hart signs GHOST ON THE CASE ($26)

Jenn McKinlay signs DEATH IN THE STACKS ($25)

And, Daryl Gerber Wood signs A DEADLY ECLAIR ($26.99)

Can’t make it next Sunday? You can always order signed copies through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com (But, you’ll have more fun if you can make it to The Poisoned Pen.)

John Lawton takes readers back to 1958 in his latest novel, Friends and Traitors, the Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen. Here’s the link to order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2ma7yVl

Here’s the summary of the book.

John Lawton’s Inspector Troy novels are regularly singled out as a crime series of exceptional quality, by critics and readers alike.Friends and Traitors is the eighth novel in the series—which can be read in any order—a story of betrayal, espionage, and the dangers of love.

London, 1958. Chief Superintendent Frederick Troy of Scotland Yard, newly promoted after good service during Nikita Khrushchev’s visit to Britain, is not looking forward to a European trip with his older brother, Rod. Rod has decided to take his entire family on “the Grand Tour” for his fifty-first birthday: a whirlwind of restaurants, galleries, and concert halls from Paris to Florence to Vienna to Amsterdam. But Frederick Troy only gets as far as Vienna. It is there that he crossespaths with an old acquaintance, a man who always seems to be followed by trouble: British spy turned Soviet agent Guy Burgess. Suffice it to say that Troy is more than surprised when Burgess, who has escaped from the bosom of Moscow for a quick visit to Vienna, tells him something extraordinary: “I want to come home.” Troy knows this news will cause a ruckus in London—but even Troy doesn’t expect an MI5 man to be gunned down as a result, and Troy himself suspected of doing the deed. Ashe fights to prove his innocence, Troy is haunted by more than just Burgess’s past liaisons—there is a scandal that goes up to the highest ranks of Westminster, affecting spooks and politicians alike. And the stakes become all the higher for Troy when he reencounters a woman he first met in the Ritz hotel during a blackout—falling in love is a handicap when playing the game of spies.