Fiction Review

Help Wanted: Poison Squad

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Help Wanted: Healthy young men to allow themselves to be poisoned. Free room and board. That could have been the advertisement in 1902 when Dr. Harvey Wiley started the experiments that would lead to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration.

Check out the information about the program, and the poisonings, in Natalie Zarrelli’s article for Atlas Obscura. https://bit.ly/2c7zTUt

Shannon Baker’s Stripped Bare

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Stripped Bare, the first Kate Fox mystery, appears on Shannon Baker’s website as ” A modern western described as Longmire meets The Good Wife.”

Stripped Bare

The Tucson author will be at The Poisoned Pen at 7 PM on Thursday, Oct. 13, along with Kevin Wolf and Margaret Mizushima. You can get a sneak preview of Stripped Bare, though, on Criminal Element’s website, where they have an excerpt. https://bit.ly/2cilA1k

Once you’ve read the excerpt, you can either wait until October or you can purchase a signed copy now through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2cilXZE

J.A. Jance in The Phoenix New Times

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One of the Poisoned Pen’s author events just appeared in The Phoenix New Times under “21 Best Things to Do Sept. 1-7.” Thanks to Michael Senft for the following article about J.A. Jance’s upcoming appearance.

jance-2013
Photo – Mary Ann Halpin Studios

By Michael Senft

Bestselling mystery author J.A. Jance divides her time between Arizona and Seattle, depending on the series she’s working on. She’s back in Arizona at 7 p.m. on Tuesday for a release party for her latest Joanna Brady novel, Downfall. She will sign copies at the Poisoned Pen, 4014 North Goldwater Boulevard in Scottsdale.

Downfall finds the Bisbee sheriff caught in a tight re-election campaign while investigating the possible murder of two women who fell to their deaths from a local mountain.

Downfall is currently available for pre-order for $26.99, and hits stores on September 6. Admission is free, but purchase of Downfall is requested. Call 480-947-2974 or visit poisonedpen.com for more information.

Murder in New Orleans

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In September, Bouchercon is in New Orleans. If you’re not familiar with the convention, according to the website, “Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, is a celebration of the mystery genre. It is the largest annual meeting in the world for mystery lovers.” Mystery fans will be meeting authors, talking mystery, and enjoying the city. Many will also be interested in the crimes and mysteries of New Orleans itself.

Lauren Delaney George tells a story from 1920s New Orleans on Atlas Obscura. It’s slightly graphic, so be prepared if you read the story of The Trunk Murders. https://bit.ly/2coBrMV

Marcia Clark and Samantha Brinkman

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Marcia Clark’s Samantha Brinkman Series has landed with NBC. The first in the series, the bestselling and critically acclaimed novel BLOOD DEFENSE, launched this May, and the second in the series, MORAL DEFENSE, will launch this November 8.

So, mark your calendars now because Marcia Clark will be appearing at The Poisoned Pen on Thursday, Nov. 3.

Here’s the publicity release for the book from Clark’s publisher.

 

Moral Defense

MORAL DEFENSE by Marcia Clark (On-Sale November 8, 2016)

Author and lawyer Marcia Clark has been back in headlines this year due to FX’s The People vs. O.J. Simpson (actress Sarah Paulson was just nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of Clark) and ESPN’s documentary, OJ: Made in America. The seasoned crime writer of four previous novels also launched a new series that both long-time devoted fans and new readers are relishing. Blood Defense, which introduced ambitious and hard-hitting criminal defense attorney Samantha Brinkman, was a #1 Kindle bestseller and received wide critical praise as a “top-notch whodunit” (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review), a “page-turner featuring a ballsy protagonist” (Booklist), and a “great suspense novel” (WorkingMother.com).

Now, Clark follows up with a new Samantha Brinkman legal thriller, full of surprises and complications, not to mention moral ambiguities, entitled MORAL DEFENSE (Thomas & Mercer: November 8, 2016; published simultaneously in hardcover, paperback and e-book).

Defense attorney Samantha Brinkman usually doesn’t give a second thought to skirting—or even breaking—the rules of law and order when it comes to winning for her clients. In MORAL DEFENSE, she’s hired to represent Cassie Sonnenberg, a teenager whose family has just been brutally murdered. Her father and brother were stabbed to death and her mother was left barely clinging to life in their own home. As Sam builds the case to protect her client, she discovers details about the girl and her family that don’t add up. Why did Cassie survive? Is she hiding something? Sam finds herself identifying with Cassie as she uncovers startling similarities between the enigmatic teen’s upbringing and her own troubled childhood. The case has become personal, and Sam is forced to make some tough choices. How far will she have to go to win?

More and more readers are discovering the winning combination of Marcia Clark’s sharp writing, skillful plotting, and intriguing characters with her extensive courtroom knowledge and experience. Clark began her law career as a defense attorney and handles defense work currently, so she knows firsthand all the ins and outs of the defense side. And after years working as a prosecutor, she’s having a blast writing from the perspective of a character who can bend the rules to win her cases.