Fiction Review

Now’s the time to order Martin Edwards’ The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books. https://bit.ly/2u0TCfF

Here’s the summary.

This book tells the story of crime fiction published during the first half of the twentieth century. The diversity of this much-loved genre is breathtaking, and so much greater than many critics have suggested. To illustrate this, the leading expert on classic crime discusses one hundred books ranging from The Hound of the Baskervilles to Strangers on a Train which highlight the entertaining plots, the literary achievements, and the social significance of vintage crime fiction. This book serves as a companion to the acclaimed British Library Crime Classics series but it tells a very diverse story. It presents the development of crime fiction-from Sherlock Holmes to the end of the golden age-in an accessible, informative and engaging style.

Readers who enjoy classic crime will make fascinating discoveries and learn about forgotten gems as well as bestselling authors. Even the most widely read connoisseurs will find books (and trivia) with which they are unfamiliar-as well as unexpected choices to debate. Classic crime is a richly varied and deeply pleasurable genre that is enjoying a world-wide renaissance as dozens of neglected novels and stories are resurrected for modern readers to enjoy. The overriding aim of this book is to provide a launch point that enables readers to embark on their own voyages of discovery.

*****

And, here are some of the reviews.

“Written as a companion to the British Library’s Crime Classics series of reprints, this descriptive critical catalogue of 100 crime and mystery novels (mostly British) published in the first half of the 20th century is irresistible for aficionados and a reliable reading list for newcomers. Edwards’ picks, most published during detective fiction’s golden age between the two world wars, range chronologically from Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) to Julian Symons’s The 31st of February (1950) and include, in addition to many of the usual suspects, a few outliers sure to enliven debates among diehard fans. He groups his selections into 24 chapters that cover numerous aspects of the literature—the great detectives, the fair-play mystery (epitomized by Ronald Knox’s The Body in the Silo), the miraculous or locked-room mystery (a specialty of John Dickson Carr), country house and manor murder mysteries, and so on—and whose ordering shows classic tropes giving way to newer approaches more resonant with modern times. A crime novelist in his own right, Edwards (The Golden Age of Murder) brings a specialist’s discerning eye to discussions of each book’s significance, and without giving away key plot points. This is an exemplary reference book sure to lead readers to gems of mystery and detective fiction.”
Publishers’ Weekly (starred review)

“A fascinating guide.”
Roland White, The Sunday Times

“”Erudite, but accessible and never less than very readable. It’s thought provoking too and I reappraised some books which I’d previously dismissed. I’d normally expect that a book like this would be read over a week or more, but I was surprised that I found myself succumbing to the ‘just another chapter’ syndrome and I read right through in little more than a couple of days.”
Susan Magee, Bookbag

“Martin Edwards…has had the neat idea of producing a sort of extended menu of murderous treats for those for whom no library is complete without a pile of corpses beside the French windows…nothing if not encyclopaedic…You’re not elected both Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association and President of the Detection Club without knowing where 10,000 bodies are buried, who murdered each of them, and why. No-one could doubt the extent of Edwards’ knowledge. He writes about countryside murders, holiday murders, shooting-party murders and murders by serial killers with equal expertise.”
Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday

“I found many old friends here, but also fascinating writers and books new to me. It was a great pleasure reading it and I know I’ll be hunting out some of the books described here for years to come. The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books deserves a home on the shelf of every aficionado of golden age crime.”
A Reading Life blog

“A brilliant book, with great content, but also lovely design (the picture segment filled with dust jackets was wonderful)…a must have read for all classic crime aficionados, a book you can read from cover to cover (with laptop nearby for all those important google searches) or alternatively dip in to, to discover a new author or title.”
Crossexamining Crime blog

“The all-conquering success of his massively enjoyable Golden Age of Murder must have created a problem for the writer Martin Edwards (currently chair of the Crime Writers Association): how to follow a book which appeared to write the last word on a great era of crime fiction? Well, the multi-talented Edwards (who is no mean practitioner of the crime novel himself) has produced another volume which will be catnip to admirers of the genre ““ not to mention a shopping list of novels which is going to have aficionados repeatedly reaching into their pockets. The approach in The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books is to take books which (in Edwards’ view) illuminate and epitomise the field. And as added value, Edwards sets his choices within pithily written introductions to the variety of areas in which the books operate (e.g., the justice system and ‘Murder at the Manor’). While most of the classic novels and writers one might expect are here, the real pleasure lies in the eclectic choice of books discussed. Now forgotten names abound, and Edwards’ enthusiasm always communicates itself (though it never slips into unqualified encomiums — he is quick to point out when certain writers’ social attitudes would not work in modern crime fiction ““ though, as he says, we are given inter alia key insight into these eras). If you have the slightest interest in the British golden age of crime fiction, The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books is an essential purchase.”
Barry Forshaw, Crime Time

*****

You might want to order a copy!

Did you miss C.J. Box at The Poisoned Pen? He’s on book tour for Paradise Valley. You can still order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2uXmk2q

Even if you missed the event, you can see the photos.

I know it’s a month off. T. Jefferson Parker will be at The Poisoned Pen on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 7 PM, joining William Kent Krueger. Parker will be here to discuss and sign his new book, The Room of White Fire. You can pre-order a signed copy now. https://bit.ly/2tY0cYl

Here’s the summary.

For fans of Michael Connelly and C. J. Box: a stirring thriller from New York Times bestseller and award winner T. Jefferson Parker. In The Room of White Fire, a P.I. must hunt down a soldier who is damaged by war, dangerous, and on the run.

A young soldier escaped from a mental institution.
A P.I. carrying his own wounds hired to track that soldier down.
A race against the clock to bring the soldier home before he reveals the secret that haunts him.

Roland Ford—once a cop, then a marine, now a private investigator—is good at finding people. But when he’s asked to locate Air Force veteran Clay Hickman, he realizes he’s been drawn into something deep and dark. He knows war, having served as a Marine in first Fallujah; he also knows personal pain, as only two years have passed since his wife, Justine, died. What he doesn’t know is why a shroud of secrecy hangs over the disappearance of Clay Hickman—and why he’s getting a different story from everyone involved.

To begin with, there’s Sequoia, the teenage woman who helped Clay escape; she’s smart enough to fend off Ford’s questions but impetuous enough to be on the run with an armed man. Then there’s Paige Hulet, Clay’s doctor, who clearly cares deeply for his welfare but is impossible to read, even as she inspires in Ford the first desire he has felt since his wife’s death. And there’s Briggs Spencer, the proprietor of the mental institution who is as enigmatic as he is brash, and ambitious to the point of being ruthless. What could Clay possibly know to make this search so desperate?

What began as just a job becomes a life-or-death obsession for Ford, pitting him against immensely powerful and treacherous people and forcing him to contend with chilling questions about truth, justice, and the American way.

*****

Why am I mentioning this so early? Parker had a terrific piece on CriminalElement.com. It’s called “My Favorite Crime Novels and Movies”. https://bit.ly/2tXsbYt  It’s a piece to make you check off your own favorites. And, if it sends you to the Web Store to order a crime novel or two, that’s okay with us. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

And, mark down August 31 on your calendar. Maybe you can ask T. Jefferson Parker about some of his choices.

Gin Phillips, author of Fierce Kingdom, will be at The Poisoned Pen on Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 7 PM. You can pre-order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2tPrjRf

Here’s the description of the book.

“Expertly made thriller . . . clever and irresistible.” —The New York Times

An electrifying novel about the primal and unyielding bond between a mother and her son, and the lengths she’ll go to protect him.

The zoo is nearly empty as Joan and her four-year-old son soak up the last few moments of playtime. They are happy, and the day has been close to perfect. But what Joan sees as she hustles her son toward the exit gate minutes before closing time sends her sprinting back into the zoo, her child in her arms. And for the next three hours—the entire scope of the novel—she keeps on running.

Joan’s intimate knowledge of her son and of the zoo itself—the hidden pathways and under-renovation exhibits, the best spots on the carousel and overstocked snack machines—is all that keeps them a step ahead of danger.

A masterful thrill ride and an exploration of motherhood itself—from its tender moments of grace to its savage power—Fierce Kingdom asks where the boundary is between our animal instinct to survive and our human duty to protect one another. For whom should a mother risk her life?

*****

Curious? Jennifer Senior discussed Fierce Kingdom in her article in “Books of the Times” for The New York Times. Check out “Hunted at the Zoo in Fierce Kingdom“. https://nyti.ms/2uEtHO0

Marcia Muller’s latest Sharon McCone mystery, The Color of Fear, is the Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen. You can pre-order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2vhAgat

Here’s the description of the book.

In New York Times bestselling author Marcia Muller’s captivating new mystery, private detective Sharon McCone’s investigation hits closer to home than ever before…

THE COLOR OF FEAR

When a knock on the door in the middle of the night wakes Sharon, she’s wholly unprepared for the horrifying news: her father has been the victim of a vicious, racially-motivated attack.

A nationally recognized Shoshone artist, Elwood had been visiting Sharon for the holidays, browsing for gifts in San Francisco’s exclusive Marina district when he was set upon by a mob of angry young men. Now he lies in a coma, hovering between life and death.

With little progress on the investigation from the overworked, short-handed police, Sharon resolves to track down Elwood’s attackers herself. But when Sharon begins receiving hate-filled, racist threats from a shadowy group, it becomes clear that her pursuit of justice may be putting her own life in jeopardy…

How can any photo top this one from the Poisoned Pen evening when Linda Fairstein discussed her new Alex Cooper book, Deadfall,  with Marcia Clark?

Signed copies of Fairstein’s Deadfall are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2tRct0S

Here’s the description of the book.

Hunting a killer within New York’s urban jungle becomes the biggest case of Alexandra Cooper’s career in New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein’s latest riveting thriller.

A wild heart beats within New York City. Amid concrete and skyscrapers, the Wildlife Conservation Society works to preserve and protect the animal kingdom both within and beyond the borders of the five boroughs. But dangerous creatures don’t always have claws and fangs, as Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper and NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace know all too well. Predators lurk close to home, and in the aftermath of the shocking assassination of an iconic public figure—someone Alex has worked with for years—the trio must unravel the motive behind the shooting to discover who is the bigger snake: the killer or the victim.

The murder investigation provides more questions than answers, as a tangled mess of secrets slowly comes to light. From street gangs to secret societies, from big-game hunting to the illegal animal trade, from New York City zoos to the highest offices in city government, Alex has her work cut out for her—especially since the task force handling the investigation, led by the US Attorney, seems to be more against her than with her. As tensions rise between Alex and the feds, she must determine just how far she is willing to go to uncover the truth—and uphold the integrity of the office she has so proudly served.

Deadfall proves once again why Linda Fairstein is hailed as “a champion teller of detective tales” (USA Today).

*****

Here are a few more photos from that evening to whet your appetite for other Poisoned Pen events. You really should come if you’re in the Phoenix area.

If you didn’t make it to the program, though, you can watch it via The Poisoned Pen’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/The-Poisoned-Pen-Bookstore-238297496213972/

J. Todd Scott, author of The Far Empty, recently interviewed Ace Atkins and David Bell at The Poisoned Pen. Atkins (The Fallen) and Bell (Bring Her Home) are on book tour.

You can order signed copies of the books through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com

The event was even an ice cream social at the bookstore.

In the Livestream of Glen Erik Hamilton’s appearance at The Poisoned Pen, Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, invited one of the employees, Patrick King, to ask Hamilton a question. I’m right there with Patrick. Hamilton’s previous books, Past Crimes and Hard Cold Winter are two of my favorite books of recent years.

The new Van Shaw novel is Every Day Above Ground. All three books are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2tEdGUQ

Here are a few photos from the event.

You can watch the interview on Livestream. https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/7619172  On the Livestream, you can also see Jeff Abbott discuss his latest book, Blame. Jeff’s not available to tour for this book because his house caught fire after it was struck by lightning. But, you can still order signed copies of the book. https://bit.ly/2eOooWh

On Saturday, July 29 at 2 PM, The Poisoned Pen will host the couple that write under the name J.C. Eaton. Their first book together is Booked 4 Murder, available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2vBgDal

I recently had the chance to interview the Arizona couple.

J.C., would you introduce “yourselves”?

Ann is a former teacher and middle school principal from upstate New York who got the writing bug early on with her time travel mysteries for teens. When she realized she could conquer her fear of heights and small, enclosed places by creating fearless characters, she took all the chances she could with her writing. In real life, she won’t even stay in a hotel room past the third floor!

Jim is a retired winery tasting room manager who also taught for a number of years at a vocational school. His background in construction, thanks to the U.S. Navy, really helped. Up until he and Ann paired up to become “J.C. Eaton,” Jim’s writing was mainly informational in the form of workshop materials about the wine industry.

Ann and Jim are both foster failures and have one Chiweenie dog and five (yes, Five!) cats. They also own two vacuum cleaners, three different mops and more Clorox wipes than Costco can stock in a month!

Tell us about Sophie Kimball and her mother.

Sophie (Phee) is a people pleaser but she’s also independent and somewhat acerbic in her approach to life. This makes for an interesting dynamic between her and her mother, Harriet Plunkett, who can best be described as a “steamroller.” When Harriet gets an idea in her head, there’s no stopping her, but Phee’s  learned how to manage her mother while still holding on to her sanity. She doesn’t give in on everything. One of our favorite scenes was the dumpster diving one that culminates with Phee throwing out her mother’s yellow plastic gloves, even though they can be re-used according to Harriet.

Without spoilers, tell us about Booked 4 Murder.

When the Booked 4 Murder book club in the retirement community of Sun City West, Arizona, began to read an obscure novel by an unknown author, they noticed a chilling pattern ““ one by one their club members were dropping like flies.  The ladies in the club became convinced the book was cursed.  And one lady, Harriet Plunkett, was certain her daughter, Sophie (Phee) Kimball, could get to the bottom of the matter by investigating.  Phee lived in Mankato, Minnesota and worked for the police department for over a decade. That was reason enough for Harriet to insist her daughter use her vacation time to investigate. Even though Phee was in accounts receivable, Harriet believed something must’ve rubbed off on her daughter.  Needless to say, Phee complies and the sleuthing begins.

Hyperbole clearly dominates the book. We wanted likeable and familiar characters that our readers could relate to, but needed to “˜stretch’ the limits with slapstick and acerbic humor as well.  The most fun for us was creating the dialogue and the crowd scenes. Oops, don’t want to spoil it.

On your website, you say you moved to Arizona and realized the community you were living in was the perfect background for murder mysteries. What made it perfect?

It was Jim who immediately noticed the potential about writing a cozy mystery set in Sun City West.  At one point he said to Ann, “This is an un-tapped gold mine. Have you ever really listened carefully to the conversations you hear in the dog park? We could take those, exaggerate them and come up with a hilarious murder mystery.”  Then, he pointed out something obvious ““ Sun City West is host to a zillion clubs ““ scrapbooking, knitting, sewing, painting, ceramics, zymurgy, karaoke, theater, square dancing, line dancing, tap dancing, tennis, pickle ball, and the list goes on and on… What if the couple was to stage a different mystery that focused on a particular club? Again, Jim said, “There’s enough fodder here to get us into the next decade.”

I lived in Arizona, so I recognized some of the locations in your book. Where do you like to take guests when they come to Arizona to visit?

The White Tank Mountains and Lake Pleasant are two of our favorite places. Also, the basement in the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg. They’ve actually re-created an entire nineteenth century western city ““ a must see!  Oh, and we really enjoy taking visitors to the creepy Mystery Castle in Phoenix.  

You’ve both written before, but not together. How do you share or split the writing duties?

It’s not exactly an even split but it does vary with each book.  Ditched 4 Murder is really Jim’s book. Ann says his “sticky fingers are all over it,” while Staged 4 Murder has her imprint on it. Jim is the one who comes up with the plotline and all its twists and turns. Ann likes to work on the descriptions. Both of us discuss where we’re headed next, do our own writing, get together, review it, modify it and re-write it together. The toughest obstacle for us was POV. Ann won out with first person but Jim didn’t sulk too long.

Tell us about your most interesting job before you started to write.

For Ann, it was the sixteen years she spent as a middle school principal in Geneva, New York.  She absolutely loved her students and their unbridled energy. Also their quirks and passions.

Even though Jim enjoyed his winery job, he got the biggest kick out of supervising the middle school dances with Ann every Friday night. That was their “night life.”

You may have different answers to this question. What authors inspired you?

For Ann ““ Charles Dickens, Daphne du Maurier , J.D. Salinger, Camilo Jose Cela

For Jim ““ Mark Twain, Clive Cussler, Robert B. Parker, Katherine Neville

You probably have different answers to this one as well. What were your favorite books as a child?

For Ann ““ Nancy Drew Mysteries of course! Plus, two out of print novels – The Pink Dress, and The City Under the Back Steps.  Also,  Anne of Green Gables.

For Jim ““ The Hardy Boys Mysteries, Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer

What are you working on now?

We’re currently writing The Wine Trail Mysteries, set in New York’s Finger Lakes. The first novel, A Riesling To Die, is set for release by Kensington in March 2018. Look for Norrie Ellington and Two Witches Winery! (Thank you, Kensington!)

We want our Sophie Kimball Mysteries to continue and have more planned.  

Also, we’ve got a new series in the works with Camel Press. Since our sleuth is a detective and not an amateur, it’s not really a cozy mystery but cozy enough for us.  

Thank you, Jim & Ann!

 

Linda Fairstein, author of the 19th Alex Cooper novel, Deadfall, will be at The Poisoned Pen event at the Doubletree Hilton, 5401 N. Scottsdale Rd., on Wednesday, July 26 at 7 PM. She’ll be joined by Marcia Clark. Signed copies of Deadfall, this week’s Hot Book, are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2uR7Hjl

Here’s the summary of the book.

Hunting a killer within New York’s urban jungle becomes the biggest case of Alexandra Cooper’s career in New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein’s latest riveting thriller.

A wild heart beats within New York City. Amid concrete and skyscrapers, the Wildlife Conservation Society works to preserve and protect the animal kingdom both within and beyond the borders of the five boroughs. But dangerous creatures don’t always have claws and fangs, as Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper and NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace know all too well. Predators lurk close to home, and in the aftermath of the shocking assassination of an iconic public figure—someone Alex has worked with for years—the trio must unravel the motive behind the shooting to discover who is the bigger snake: the killer or the victim.

The murder investigation provides more questions than answers, as a tangled mess of secrets slowly comes to light. From street gangs to secret societies, from big-game hunting to the illegal animal trade, from New York City zoos to the highest offices in city government, Alex has her work cut out for her—especially since the task force handling the investigation, led by the US Attorney, seems to be more against her than with her. As tensions rise between Alex and the feds, she must determine just how far she is willing to go to uncover the truth—and uphold the integrity of the office she has so proudly served.

Deadfall proves once again why Linda Fairstein is hailed as “a champion teller of detective tales” (USA Today).

*****

For a sneak preview of the program, and a little more, you might want to check out the CBS Sunday Morning interview with Lesley Stahl. Watch for the monthly meeting of crime fiction authors! https://www.cbsnews.com/videos/crime-author-linda-fairstein/