Fiction Review

Daniel Silva, author of House of Spies, was just here at The Poisoned Pen, where he was interviewed by Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore.

House of Spies is currently the Hot Book of the Week for the bookstore. You might want to buy a signed copy. https://bit.ly/2vyW2CH

Check out the description of House of Spies.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Black Widow comes the thrilling new summer blockbuster featuring legendary spy, assassin and art restorer Gabriel Allon.

A heart-stopping tale of suspense, Daniel Silva’s runaway bestseller, The Black Widow, was one of 2016’s biggest novels. Now, in House of Spies, Gabriel Allon is back and out for revenge ““ determined to hunt down the world’s most dangerous terrorist, a shadowy ISIS mastermind known only as Saladin.

Four months after the deadliest attack on the American homeland since 9/11, terrorists leave a trail of carnage through London’s glittering West End. The attack is a brilliant feat of planning and secrecy, but with one loose thread.

The thread leads Gabriel Allon and his team of operatives to the south of France and to the gilded doorstep of Jean-Luc Martel and Olivia Watson. A beautiful former British fashion model, Olivia pretends not to know that the true source of Martel’s enormous wealth is drugs. And Martel, likewise, turns a blind eye to the fact he is doing business with a man whose objective is the very destruction of the West. Together, under Gabriel’s skilled hand, they will become an unlikely pair of heroes in the global war on terror.

Written in seductive and elegant prose, the story moves swiftly from the glamour of Saint-Tropez to the grit of Casablanca and, finally, to an electrifying climax that will leave readers breathless long after they turn the final page.

But House of Spies is more than just riveting entertainment; it is a dazzling tale of avarice and redemption, set against the backdrop of the great conflict of our times. And it proves once again why Daniel Silva is “quite simply the best” (Kansas City Star).

Marcus Sakey’s book release for Afterlife is at The Poisoned Pen tonight at 7 PM. In fact, there’s a mention of the bookstore in Hillel Italie’s recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle. https://bit.ly/2vft8Iu

I’m a little late with this post, but you can still purchase signed copies of Afterlife through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2tnzS9R

Here’s the description of the book.

Soon to be a major motion picture from Imagine Entertainment and producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.

Between life and death lies an epic war, a relentless manhunt through two worlds…and an unforgettable love story.

The last thing FBI agent Will Brody remembers is the explosion—a thousand shards of glass surfing a lethal shock wave.

He wakes without a scratch.

The building is in ruins. His team is gone. Outside, Chicago is dark. Cars lie abandoned. No planes cross the sky. He’s relieved to spot other people—until he sees they’re carrying machetes.

Welcome to the afterlife.

Claire McCoy stands over the body of Will Brody. As head of an FBI task force, she hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks. A terrorist has claimed eighteen lives and thrown the nation into panic.

Against this horror, something reckless and beautiful happened. She fell in love…with Will Brody.

But the line between life and death is narrower than any of us suspect—and all that matters to Will and Claire is getting back to each other.

From the author of the million-copy bestselling Brilliance Trilogy comes a mind-bending thriller that explores our most haunting and fundamental question: What if death is just the beginning?

Michael Connelly introduces a new character in next week’s book release, The Late Show. You can pre-order signed copies through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2tSGPOV

Here’s the description.

Introducing Renee Ballard, a fierce young detective fighting to prove herself on the LAPD’s toughest beat, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly.

Renee Ballard works the night shift in Hollywood–also known as the Late Show–beginning many investigations but finishing none, as each morning she turns everything over to the day shift. A once up-and-coming detective, she’s been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor.

But one night she catches two assignments she doesn’t want to part with: the brutal beating of a prostitute left for dead in a parking lot and the killing of a young woman in a nightclub shooting. Ballard is determined not to give up at dawn. Against orders and her partner’s wishes, she works both cases by day while maintaining her shift by night. As the investigations entwine, they pull her closer to her own demons and the reason she won’t give up her job, no matter what the department throws at her.

*****

And, here’s the link if you’d like to read Janet Maslin’s introduction to the new character in The New York Times. https://nyti.ms/2u1ttAG

Beatriz Williams was just at The Poisoned Pen to discuss her new release, Cocoa Beach.

Signed copies of Cocoa Beach are  available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2tchFfv

Here’s the description.

The New York Times bestselling author of A Certain Age transports readers to sunny Florida in this lush and enthralling historical novel—an enchanting blend of love, suspense, betrayal, and redemption set among the rumrunners and scoundrels of Prohibition-era Cocoa Beach.

Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. While an ambulance driver for the Red Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets—secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she left behind.

Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband’s estate. Despite the evidence, Virginia does not believe Simon perished in the fire that destroyed the seaside home he built for her and their young daughter. Separated from her husband since the early days of their marriage, the headstrong Virginia plans to uncover the truth, for the sake of the daughter Simon never met.

Simon’s brother and sister welcome her with open arms and introduce her to a dazzling new world of citrus groves, white beaches, bootleggers, and Prohibition agents. But Virginia senses a predatory presence lurking beneath the irresistible, hedonistic surface of this coastal oasis. The more she learns about Simon and his mysterious business interests, the more she fears that the dangers that surrounded Simon now threaten her and their daughter’s life as well.

*****

Even better than the description, though, you can watch and listen as Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, interviews Beatriz Williams on Livestream. https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/7600220

Congratulations to author Robert Dugoni.

In late June in Seattle, Wash., Galen Maynard (l.), Amazon publishing associate publisher, and Gracie Doyle (r.), Thomas & Mercer editorial director, presented author Robert Dugoni (c.) with an award to celebrate over one million copies sold of ‘My Sister’s Grave.’

Bob will appear at The Poisoned Pen on Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 7 PM to introduce and sign his new book, Close to Home.

My Sister’s Grave is available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2uoBW1D

Here’s the description of the book.

Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House—a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder—is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers.

When Sarah’s remains are finally discovered near their hometown in the northern Cascade mountains of Washington State, Tracy is determined to get the answers she’s been seeking. As she searches for the real killer, she unearths dark, long-kept secrets that will forever change her relationship to her past—and open the door to deadly danger.

Keith McCafferty was just at The Poisoned Pen, on book tour for his sixth Sean Stranahan mystery, Cold Hearted River.

Signed copies are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2tJzIbe

There’s a terrific photo that goes with the event.

This is Keith McCafferty presenting Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, with a new handtied fly for her collection, one each for his Sean Stranahan novels. This one is called Papa’s McGinty, honoring Ernest Hemingway, whose lost fishing gear forms part of the story for Cold Hearted River.

If you’d like to watch the entire program, it’s available on Livestream. https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/7597355

As I mentioned, Kathy Reichs was just at The Poisoned Pen to discuss her standalone, Two Nights. That novel is currently our Hot Book of the Week, and a signed copy can be purchased through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2tbC6UW

Even if you weren’t able to make it to the bookstore, you can still watch the event on Livestream, as Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, hosts Kathy Reichs. https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/7512829

Check it out!

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” Daphne du Maurier’s opening line to Rebecca is one of the most famous openings in literature.

(Rebecca, and du Maurier’s other books are available through the Web Store.) https://bit.ly/2tZPOPu

Why do so many readers love du Maurier’s work? Follow that obsession in Parul Sehgal’s article in The New York Times, “In Praise of Daphne du Maurier”. https://nyti.ms/2uQ1m4g

Bill Crider’s 24th Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery, Dead, to Begin With, is due out Aug. 8. You can pre-order it through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2sQQSA2

Here’s the summary from the Web Store.

Sheriff Dan Rhodes is back again in Bill Crider’s thrilling Dead, to Begin With.

Readers will cheer Rhodes along as he sorts through a tangle of old secrets and personal relationships en route to the satisfying solution.” Publishers Weekly

In Clearview, Texas, a wealthy recluse has joined the community and is leading the restoration of an old opera house. When he falls to his death, Sheriff Dan Rhodes suspects that he’s been murdered, but there doesn’t seem to be a motive. Who would want to kill someone who’s helping the town and hasn’t been around long enough to make any enemies?

The Sheriff’s suspicion proves to be true, however, and he begins to look for motives buried in the past, meanwhile having to deal with people fighting over baseball cards at a yard sale, writers who want to talk to him about his sex life, and the Clearview Ghost Hunters, headed up by Seepy Benton, who believes that the old theater is haunted. Clearview might be a small town, but there’s no shortage of excitement.

*****

And, here’s my favorite feature from Criminal Element, Adam Wagner’s .GIFNotes Guide to Dead, To Begin With. https://bit.ly/2sQtqDj

Congratulations to Poisoned Pen Press for the mention in Michael Dirda’s article in The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/2sQtliO

Dirda mentions The Incredible Crime by Lois Austen-Leigh. It’s available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2utXfeT

And, just to tempt you, here’s the description of the book.

Prince’s College, Cambridge, is a peaceful and scholarly community, enlivened by Prudence Pinsent, the Master’s daughter. Spirited, beautiful, and thoroughly unconventional, Prudence is a remarkable young woman.

One fine morning she sets out for Suffolk to join her cousin Lord Wellende for a few days’ hunting. On the way Prudence encounters Captain Studde of the coastguard – who is pursuing a quarry of his own.

Studde is on the trail of a drug smuggling ring that connects Wellende Hall with the cloistered world of Cambridge. It falls to Prudence to unravel the identity of the smugglers – who may be forced to kill, to protect their secret.

This witty and entertaining crime novel has not been republished since the 1930s. This new edition includes an introduction by Kirsten T. Saxton, professor of English at Mills College, California.