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

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

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

Daniel Silva was recently at the Poisoned Pen on his book tour for The Black Widow.

Now, he’s in The New York Times, “By the Book”, answering questions. https://nyti.ms/2bYfIZv

Enjoy the interview, and, then, if you’re looking for a signed copy, stop by the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2a7ZApU

Bob Rivers recently did a publishing profile of Poisoned Pen Press that was published in The Strand Magazine. Entitled, “Poisoned Pen Press: Bucking the Trend and Going Strong”, it’s an excellent profile of the press, its history, its authors, and its spirit.

Read the entire profile here. https://bit.ly/2bF8Hi7

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.

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.

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’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 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.

Congratulations to Sara Paretsky and Christine Carbo, winners of the Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction. Find out more about that prize here, https://pinckleyprizes.org/index.php?page=prizes

Sara Paretsky’s award is for her body of work, and Christine Carbo’s is for her debut novel, The Wild Inside. Signed copies of both of the above books are available through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Are you an Agatha Christie fan?   According to Variety, BBC One is moving ahead with plans for seven more adaptations of her work following the success of “And Then There Were None.” You can read about it here.  https://bit.ly/2bDNp4K

And, of course, you can order Agatha Christie mysteries though the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2bQebmZ

Is there anything better than discovering a debut author? Erik Storey was at the Poisoned Pen with his first novel, Nothing Short of Dying.

Can we entice you with the description from the Web Store? “Hailed by bestselling writer William Kent Krueger as “the year’s best thriller debut,” this furiously paced ride into harm’s way features a drifter with lethal skills, whose mission to rescue his abducted sister pits him against a ruthless meth kingpin and his army of killers.

Sixteen years. That’s how long Clyde Barr has been away from Colorado’s thick forests, alpine deserts, and craggy peaks, running from a past filled with haunting memories. But now he’s back, having roamed across three continents as a hunter, adventurer, soldier of fortune, and most recently, unjustly imprisoned convict. And once again, his past is reaching out to claim him.

By the light of a flickering campfire, Clyde receives a frantic phone call from his sister Jen. No sooner has she pleaded with him to come rescue her than the line goes dead. Clyde doesn’t know how much time he has, or where Jen is located, or even who has her. All he knows is that nothing short of dying will stop him from saving her.

Joining Clyde in his against-all-odds quest is a young woman named Allie whose motivations for running this gauntlet are fascinatingly complex. As the duo races against the clock, it is Allie who gets Clyde to see what he has become and what he can still be.

Vivid with the hues and scents of Colorado’s backcountry, and thought-provoking in its exploration of how past, present, and future collide to test resolve, Nothing Short of Dying is, above all, a propulsive, action-driven race against the clock.”

Of course, we have signed copies available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2bRvHGT

And, we’d love to have you “meet” Erik Storey. We have a Livestream event of his program. https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/6210700