Fiction Review

Laura Lippman’s Murder Takes a Vacation is The Poisoned Pen’s Cozy Crimes Subscription Book of the Month. If you want a copy, you should order it now from the Webstore. https://bit.ly/43OdhSj

We’re lucky to have Oline Cogdill’s review of Murder Takes a Vacation, reviewed in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Book review: A river cruise is more than a getaway in energetically entertaining ‘Murder Takes a Vacation’

‘Murder Takes a Vacation’ by Laura Lippman; William Morrow; 272 pages; $30

Travel broadens our horizons, as the adage goes. It educates us in the ways of the world and changes us, sometimes in small ways, other times in large, unexpected ways. All that, and a lot more, happens to Muriel Blossom, the Baltimore widow whose adventures fuel Laura Lippman’s energetically entertaining “Murder Takes a Vacation.”

In this stand-alone novel, Lippman manages to combine a light amateur sleuth story with a harder-edged thriller, combining both types of mysteries, which seldom intersect, into a cohesive, solid plot.

“Murder Takes a Vacation” is an homage to the joys of travel, of discovering new passions, of never giving up — with a bit of a nod to “The Maltese Falcon.” It also is a valentine to aging well, to older women who often feel invisible, and a plea to not fade away.

Muriel Blossom — she prefers to be called Mrs. Blossom, as Lippman does throughout — has been a widow for a decade. At 68 years old, she feels she’s led a good life and, when her husband was alive, “even an excellent one,” but it’s also been “a rooted-to-the ground kind of existence.” She’s lived in Baltimore and more recently Phoenix, helping her daughter with the children. But now her daughter’s family is moving to Japan, where her son-in-law has accepted a promotion, and Mrs. Blossom wasn’t invited. Feeling more than a little adrift, Mrs. Blossom decides to return to Baltimore. But before that move, her life changes again when she finds an $8 million lottery ticket in a convenience store parking lot. No one claims the ticket.

To celebrate, Mrs. Blossom books a river cruise in France, planning a few days in Paris before her lifelong best friend, Elinor, joins her for a seven-day tour. Because she can, she is treating Elinor to the trip. Mrs. Blossom’s meticulous planning should assure smooth sailing, and it starts well when she’s upgraded on her transatlantic flight. Another surprise — she strikes up a friendship with Allan Turner, a charming, fellow traveler. Mrs. Blossom believes romance is a thing of the past, figuring that her plus size and age are drawbacks. But Allan seems romantically interested. They spend a wonderful time in London after they miss their connecting flight to Paris, tentatively making plans to have dinner in Baltimore.

Then Allan is found dead in Paris, where he is not supposed to be. Mrs. Blossom can’t seem to shake a young man, Danny Johnson, who keeps following her around in Paris, insisting on showing certain sights. And her hotel room is searched. All that happens before she sets sail.

Lippman superbly keeps “Murder Takes a Vacation” on course, adding realistic tension, dialogue and events that could happen to anyone. More experienced travelers might be aware of stranger danger and know how to avoid Danny. But Mrs. Blossom is more naive than worldly, not used to traveling and certainly not in a strange country, or by herself. She is not self-conscious about her size but she is about eating in restaurants solo.

Mrs. Blossom knows to call private investigator Tess Monaghan, the heroine of Lippman’s 12-novel series who makes clever cameo appearances. Mrs. Blossom worked as an assistant to Tess, frequently doing surveillance, knowing that older women often seem invisible to others.

Mrs. Blossom is a charming, appealing character, who would make a great travel companion and a true friend. Her emotional growth and new outlook on life are realistic.

Like in real life, this is a cruise that ends too soon. Readers will wish Mrs. Blossom much luck as she begins her new life when the cruise docks.

About the author

Earlier this year, the Mystery Writers of America named Laura Lippman and John Sandford as 2025 Grand Masters, an honor that recognizes their work. Lippman debuted in 1997 with “Baltimore Blues,” which introduced Tess Monaghan, a reporter-turned-private investigator. Lippman’s bibliography includes 12 books in the Tess series, 13 standalone novels, a short story collection, two essay collections, and a children’s book with her daughter. The Grand Master interview with Lippman and Sanford may be viewed at YouTube.com.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed Linwood Barclay for a virtual event at the bookstore. Because Barclay lives in Canada, the bookstore doesn’t have signed copies of Whistle, but they do have Canadian author bookmarks. You can order copies of the book through the Webstore, https://bit.ly/43lPzxM. His latest book has elements of horror and supernatural.

Here’s the description of Whistle.

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

“Terrific.”— Stephen King on Whistle

New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay enters new territory with a supernatural chiller in which a woman and her young son move to a small town looking for a fresh start, only to be haunted by disturbing events and strange visions when they find a mysterious train set in a storage shed.

Evil has a one track mind….

Annie Blunt has had an unimaginably terrible year. First, her husband was killed in a tragic hit-and-run accident, then one of the children’s books she’s built her writing and illustrating career on ignited a major scandal. Desperate for a fresh start, she moves with her son Charlie to a charming small town in upstate New York where they can begin to heal.

But Annie’s year is about to get worse.

Bored and lonely in their isolated new surroundings, Charlie is thrilled when he finds a forgotten train set in a locked shed on their property. Annie is glad to see Charlie happy, but there’s something unsettling about his new toy. Strange sounds wake Annie in the night—she could swear she hears a train, but there isn’t an active track for miles—and bizarre things begin happening in the neighborhood. Worse, Annie can’t seem to stop drawing a disturbing new character that has no place in a children’s book.

Grief can do strange things to the mind, but Annie is beginning to think she’s walked out of one nightmare straight into another, only this one is far more terrifying…

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Linwood Barclay is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous previous novels and two thrillers for children. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages. He wrote the screenplay adaptation for his novel Never Saw It Coming and his books The Accident and No Time for Goodbye have been made into TV series in France. No Time for Goodbye was a global bestseller. A native of Connecticut, he now lives in Toronto with his wife, Neetha.

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Enjoy Barclay’s discussion of Whistle.

Are you ready for a sneak peek at William Kent Krueger’s twenty-first Cork O’Connor mystery, Apostle’s Cove? Release date is Sept. 2. Krueger will be at The Poisoned Pen for the release that day, at 7 PM. You can pre-order signed copies of the book through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3T3qcKY

Krueger recently sent out a newsletter, “News About Spirit Crossing and Apostle’s Cove”. You can pre-order a paperback copy of Spirit Crossing. https://bit.ly/43pjd5a

Here’s what Krueger said about Apostle’s Cove in his newsletter.

 About Apostle’s Cove

The New York Times bestselling Cork O’Connor Mystery series — a “master class in suspense and atmospheric storytelling” (The Real Book Spy) — continues with Cork O’Connor revisiting a case from his past and confronting mysterious deaths in the present.

A few nights before Halloween, as Cork O’Connor gloomily ruminates on his upcoming birthday, he receives a call from his son, Stephen, who is working for a nonprofit dedicated to securing freedom for unjustly incarcerated inmates. Stephen tells his father that decades ago, as the newly elected sheriff of Tamarack County, Cork was responsible for sending an Ojibwe man named Axel Boshey to prison for a brutal murder that Stephen is certain he did not commit.

Cork feels compelled to reinvestigate the crime, but that is easier said than done. Not only is it a closed case, but Axel Boshey is, inexplicably, refusing to help. The deeper Cork digs, the clearer it becomes that there are those in Tamarack County who are willing once again to commit murder to keep him from finding the truth.

At the same time, Cork’s seven-year-old grandson has his own theory about the investigation: the Windigo, that mythic cannibal ogre, has come to Tamarack County…and it won’t leave until it has sated its hunger for human blood.

Deb Lewis from The Poisoned Pen has some June book selections, ones she enjoyed. There should be links from each book, but you can also check out all of them at the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

A Terribly Nasty Business by Julia Seales 

 A spectacular follow-up to her debut in A Most Agreeable Murder, our heroine Beatrice is once again solving crimes—this time in chic London and in her own inimitable style. Filled with sly wit and clever twists, this mystery proves that murder is never easy to solve in a class-conscious society. If Jane Austen had turned her hand to writing mysteries, this would be the result.  

Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Dukess

American Cath finds a mysterious ticket while sorting through her recently departed mother’s belongings: a pass to Murder Week in a small English village. Flanked by her two best friends, she sets off to uncover the story behind her mother’s curious purchase—and ends up discovering more about her mother, and herself, in this charming, escapist read.  

Signed copies available, event June 14

Death At The White Hart by Chris Chibnall

A small English village. An unexpected killing—the owner of the town pub. A very public murder of a man who knew everyone’s secrets. A straight-up twisty British police procedural, with plenty of breadcrumbs to keep the pages turning. Highly recommend this one.  

The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart 

 Mark—known in the assassin world as The Pale Horse—retired from his career as the world’s deadliest killer in Hart’s previous book, Assassins Anonymous. While that book was clever, this one is a step up: the repeat characters are fully fleshed out, the pacing is rapid, and the story is infused with heart. Mark and his fellow reformed assassins, bound by a code loosely based on the Alcoholics Anonymous program, are forced to save one of their own on a deadly black-ops island—without breaking their vow not to kill.  

Signed copies available, event June 17 

Next To Heaven by James Frey

Next to Heaven is a page-turning whodunit about the murder of depraved and dashing playboy–retired athlete Alexander “The Great.” With no shortage of disagreeable suspects and no end to the outlandish events, it’s a beach read in a designer trench coat—written so tongue-in-cheek you’ll find yourself Googling which current rich celeb the characters might be based on. Recommended for readers who like their mysteries messy, their characters messier, and their plotlines outrageously unhinged. Sex, drugs, orgies, and murder included.  

Be patient at the beginning of the video. There are a few sound difficulties for those of us trying to listen to the event.

Once again, Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, held the release party for Craig Johnson’s new book, Return to Sender. Johnson talked about his new book, but he also mentioned next year’s collection of short stories, and a few other books he’s writing. You can order a signed copy of Return to Sender through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/43lEBbB

Here’s the description of Return to Sender.

Walt Longmire is back after the escapades of First Frost and encounters one of his most baffling cases in Wyoming’s brutal and unforgiving Red Desert.

When Blair McGowan, the mail person with the longest postal route in the country of over three hundred mile a day, goes missing the question becomes—where do you look for her? The Postal Inspector for the State of Wyoming elicits Sheriff Longmire to mount an investigation into her disappearance and Walt does everything but mail it in; posing as a letter-carrier himself, the good sheriff follows her trail and finds himself enveloped in the intrigue of an otherworldly cult.

Packed to the brim with twists and turns, the 21st novel in the New York Times bestselling Longmire series pushes Walt to his absolute limits, forcing him to wrestle with the impossible question: What good are your morals, if you’re marked for the dead letter office?

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Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is the recipient of two awards from the Western Writers of America, the Spur Award for fiction and the Owen Wister Award, as well as the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s Reading the West Book Award for fiction. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population 26.

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Craig Johnson is quite a storyteller. Enjoy the video.

This week, Scarlett St. Clair launched the preorder campaign for her July 8 release, Terror at the Gates. You can order a signed copy of the book through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4kgGBYs

Here is the description of Terror at the Gates, the first in a new series.

The first in a seductive new romantasy series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair. Banished and betrayed, Lilith rises from the shadows of her past to claim forbidden power—and a destiny written in blood and desire.

She is the beginning and the end.

She is peace and chaos.

She is terror knocking at the gates.

Estranged from her powerful family, Lilith Leviathan finds refuge in Nineveh, a district in the city of Eden devoted to sin. There, she uses her magic to steal for a living, attracting the attention of the five governing families as well as the church, which expects women to remain pious and silent. When Lilith comes into possession of a beautiful blade, she thinks all her worries are over…until her usual buyer dies while inspecting it.

Frantic, Lilith turns to the only man who can help her: Zahariev, head of the Zareth family and ruler of Nineveh. His currency is information, and his power is extortion, though he’s always had a soft spot for Lilith. But when the dagger appears, he isn’t sure he can protect her from what’s to come.

Together, they embark on a mission to discover the true power running their world. As their lives intertwine, Lilith realizes Zahariev is more than just a friend, but their devotion to each other is a threat—to the truth, to the church, and to those who want to tear it all down.

Perfect for fans of:

• Frenemies to lovers
• Slow burn but the sexual tension is…toe-curling
• He falls first
• Neo-noir mafia fantasy vibes

“In this sumptuous and steamy dark fantasy, bestseller St. Clair reimagines Eden as an intensely patriarchal, über-religious society… Determined to make her own way, (Lilith) relies on her power over men’s desire to steal the things she needs—but, for some reason, gorgeous Zahariev is constantly in her path and swooping in to clean up her messes… A promising series launch.” – Publishers Weekly

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#1 New York Times bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and the author of the Hades X Persephone Saga, the Adrian X Isolde series, fairy tale retellings, and When Stars Come Out.

She has a master’s degree in library science and information studies and a bachelor’s in English writing. She is obsessed with Greek mythology, murder mysteries, and the afterlife. For information on books, tour dates, and content, please visit scarlettstclair.com.

The Poisoned Pen Bookstore recently hosted an event with the Arizona Chapter of Pen America. The event was in honor of International Press Freedom Day. If you watch the video, you’ll learn about Pen America. This event featured a group of Arizona journalists who have become authors. Includes Christina Estes, Leo Banks, John Washington , Pam Hait and Steve Krafft.

You’ll want to check out the video of the event.

Patrick King from The Poisoned Pen recently welcomed Sarah Pinborough back to the bookstore after seven years. There are signed copies of Pinborough’s limited stenciled edge edition of We Live Here Now available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4ktyhUV

Here’s the description of We Live Here Now.

Limited edition printing with stenciled edges

Award-winning author of New York Times bestselling breakout novel (and hit Netflix show) Behind Her Eyes returns with a haunting Gothic novel about a house—and a marriage—gone terribly wrong.

After an accident that nearly kills her, Emily and her husband, Freddie, move from London to a beautiful Dartmoor country house called Larkin Lodge. The house is gorgeous, striking—and to Emily, something about it feels deeply wrong.

Old boards creak at night, fires go out, and books fall from the shelves, and all of it stems from the terrible presence she feels in the third-floor room. But these things happen only when Emily’s alone, so are they happening at all? She’s still medically fragile; her postsepsis condition can cause hallucinatory side effects, which means she can’t fully trust her own senses. Freddie doesn’t notice anything odd and is happy with their chance at a fresh start.

Emily, however, starts to believe that the house is being haunted by someone who was murdered in it, though she can find no evidence of a wrongful death. As bizarre events pile up and her marriage starts to crumble, Emily becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about Larkin Lodge.

But if the house has secrets, so do Emily and her husband.

And they live here now.

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Sarah Pinborough is the award-winning, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes and 13 Minutes. She lives in London.

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Enjoy the discussion with Sarah Pinborough.

Patrick Millikin and Jen Johans recently interviewed Arvind Ethan David about his graphic novel adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s Trouble Is My Business. David has an interesting background. You’ll have to check out the video and David’s biography. Check the Webstore for copies of David’s latest book. https://bit.ly/4k9Bqd1

Here’s the description of Raymond Chandler’s Trouble Is My Business.

A brilliant graphic novel adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s classic noir tale featuring iconic private eye Philip Marlowe

“Inspired. . . . This trio brings [Chandler’s] words to vivid life. . . . A triumph of teamwork.”—Air Mail

In 1940s Los Angeles, a sour-faced millionaire hires Philip Marlowe, a hard-boiled, harder-drinking detective, to scare off a suspected gold digger who has gotten her claws into his even wealthier stepson. Marlowe takes the case but quickly discovers that the woman, Harriett Huntress, isn’t just after gold: she’s playing a long, cold game of revenge…

Marlowe forms an alliance with George, the client’s chauffeur-cum-bodyguard-cum-fixer. George is a Black, Dartmouth-educated veteran with a sniper’s skills and his own agenda, and the two uneasy allies find themselves on the wrong end of a brace of hired killers and an enigmatic casino boss. . . . It quickly becomes clear that Marlowe, sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong, is just asking for trouble. But that’s the thing. Trouble is his business.

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RAYMOND THORNTON CHANDLER (1888 – 1959) was the master practitioner of American hard-boiled crime fiction. Although he was born in Chicago, Chandler spent most of his boyhood and youth in England, where he attended Dulwich College and later worked as a freelance journalist for The Westminster Gazette and The Spectator. During World War I, Chandler served in France with the First Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, transferring later to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). In 1919 he returned to the United States, settling in California, where he eventually became director of a number of independent oil companies. The Depression put an end to his career, and in 1933, at the age of forty-five, he turned to writing fiction, publishing his first stories in Black Mask. Chandler’s detective stories often starred the brash but honorable Philip Marlowe (introduced in 1939 in his first novel, The Big Sleep) and were noted for their literate presentation and dead-on critical eye. Never a prolific writer, Chandler published only one collection of stories and seven novels in his lifetime. Some of Chandler’s novels, like The Big Sleep, were made into classic movies that helped define the film noir style. In the last year of his life he was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America. He died in La Jolla, California, on March 26, 1959.

ARVIND ETHAN DAVID is a Stoker Award nominated graphic novelist who has also written chart-topping Audiodramas (The Crimes of Dorian Gray, Earworms), television (Anansi Boys) and plays (The Boy with Wings).  Arvind is also a producer of film and theater, including the Emmy & Grammy award winning musical Jagged Little Pill. Arvind’s career started when he adapted the Douglas Adams novel Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency as his college play and Adams came to see it. Years later, Arvind brought Dirk Gently to a global audience as a Netflix/AMC TV series.

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Check out the fascinating conversation.

Have patience when viewing Patrick Millikin’s conversation with Michael McGarrity for The Poisoned Pen. There were a few technical issues to begin the video. The two talked about McGarrity’s books before getting to Night in the City. Signed copies of Night in the City are available through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4j9VfQ0

Here’s the summary of Night in the City.

Sam Monroe thought his steamy love affair with Manhattan socialite Laura Nielson was dead and buried, but when she didn’t show up after unexpectedly calling him late at night and asking to meet, he decides to investigate. He finds her naked on her penthouse balcony, strangled, his dog tags wrapped around her neck. With a bull’s-eye on his back as the prime suspect, Sam begins a search for the killer that reveals Laura’s involvement with several men, some with ties to a well-known crime family.
As circumstantial evidence mounts against him, the cops close in, especially a heavy-handed rogue patrolman carrying a grudge against Sam and looking for serious payback. Forced to operate in the shadows, he relies on the unofficial help of several coworkers in the DA’s office and Debora Jean Ryan, a private investigator who offers to assist but has an agenda that she refuses to disclose. As they probe Laura’s past looking for clues, they must also figure out Laura’s mysterious trip out west, the death of a young man in New Jersey during her childhood, and who is making attempts on his life.
From the crime-ridden precincts of Lower Manhattan, the mean streets of Spanish Harlem, and the lofty mansions along Millionaires’ Row, Night in the City is classic crime noir fiction at its best that wonderfully evokes the vibrant world of 1950s New York. Michael McGarrity again proves himself to be one of the most accomplished writers of mysteries working today.

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Michael McGarrity is the author of the nationally best-selling Kevin Kerney crime novels, which he concluded in Head Wounds, the acclaimed American West trilogy, and his recent novel, The Long Ago. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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Check out the conversation with Michael McGarrity.