Fiction Review

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed Brendan Slocumb to the bookstore. Last year, Slocumb’s debut was The Violin Conspiracy. Symphony of Secrets is not a sequel, but music lovers might still want to order a signed copy through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3VXAvkH

Here’s the description of Symphony of Secrets.

A gripping page-turner from the celebrated author of book club favorite The Violin Conspiracy: Music professor Bern Hendricks discovers a shocking secret about the most famous American composer of all time—his music may have been stolen from a Black Jazz Age prodigy named Josephine Reed. Determined to uncover the truth that a powerful organization wants to keep hidden, Bern will stop at nothing to right history’s wrongs and give Josephine the recognition she deserves.

“A maestro of musical mystery … Slocumb’s writing is invigorating, and the detail in his character work makes the main characters in both time periods easy to root for. . . . Thrilling.” —The New York Times

“At once a celebration of music and also a cautionary tale about legacy, privilege, and creative genius.” —Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid

Bern Hendricks has just received the call of a lifetime. As one of the world’s preeminent experts on the famed twentieth-century composer Frederick Delaney, Bern knows everything there is to know about the man behind the music. When Mallory Roberts, a board member of the distinguished Delaney Foundation and direct descendant of the man himself, asks for Bern’s help authenticating a newly discovered piece, which may be his famous lost opera, RED, he jumps at the chance. With the help of his tech-savvy acquaintance Eboni, Bern soon discovers that the truth is far more complicated than history would have them believe.

In 1920s Manhattan, Josephine Reed is living on the streets and frequenting jazz clubs when she meets the struggling musician Fred Delaney. But where young Delaney struggles, Josephine soars. She’s a natural prodigy who hears beautiful music in the sounds of the world around her. With Josephine as his silent partner, Delaney’s career takes off—but who is the real genius here?

In the present day, Bern and Eboni begin to uncover more clues that indicate Delaney may have had help in composing his most successful work. Armed with more questions than answers and caught in the crosshairs of a powerful organization who will stop at nothing to keep their secret hidden, Bern and Eboni will move heaven and earth in their dogged quest to right history’s wrongs.

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Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and holds a degree in music education (with concentrations in violin and viola) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. For more than twenty years he has been a public and private school music educator and has performed with orchestras throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.

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Here’s the conversation with Brendan Slocumb and Barbara Peters.

You have to watch the video of Dave Barry, interviewed by Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen. Dave Barry was at the bookstore to talk about his latest humorous novel, Swamp Story. Barry is a storyteller, and you have to hear him. You can also order a signed copy of Swamp Story through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3popQmN

Here’s the description of Swamp Story.

Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times bestselling author and actual Florida ManDave Barry returns with a Florida caper full of oddballs and more twists and turns than a snake slithering away from a gator.

Jesse Braddock is trapped in a tiny cabin deep in the Everglades with her infant daughter and her ex-boyfriend, a wannabe reality TV star who turned out to be a lot prettier on the outside than on the inside. Broke and desperate for a way out, Jesse stumbles across a long-lost treasure, which could solve all her problems—if she can figure out how to keep it. The problem is, some very bad men are also looking for the treasure, and they know Jesse has it.

Meanwhile, Ken Bortle of Bortle Brothers Bait and Beer has hatched a scheme to lure tourists to his failing store by making viral videos of the “Everglades Melon Monster.” The Monster is in fact an unemployed alcoholic newspaperman named Phil wearing a Dora the Explorer costume head. Incredibly, this plan actually works, inspiring a horde of TikTokers to swarm into the swamp in search of the monster at the same time villains are on the hunt for Jesse’s treasure. Amid this mayhem, a presidential hopeful arrives in the Everglades to start his campaign. Needless to say, it does not go as planned. In fact, nothing in this story goes as planned. This is, after all, Florida.

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Dave Barry is the author of more bestsellers than you can count on two hands, including Lessons from Lucy, Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys, Dave Barry Turns Forty, and Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up. A wildly popular syndicated columnist best known for his booger jokes, Barry won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for commentary. He lives in Miami.

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Dave Barry is just as funny as ever. You really should watch the video.

The nominees for the 2023 Anthony Awards and the 2023 Thriller Awards were recently announced. Check out the list. Then, check the Webstore for copies of those books that interest you. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Congratulations to all of the nominees!

Bouchercon, the world mystery convention, has announced the 2023 Anthony Award nominees.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held in San Diego on September 2.  

BEST HARDCOVER

• Like A Sister by Kellye Garrett (Mulholland Books)
• The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias (Mulholland Books)
• The Bullet that Missed  by Richard Osman (Pamela Dorman Books)
• A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
• The Maid  by Nita Prose (Ballantine Books)
• Secret Identity by Alex Segura (Flatiron Books)

BEST FIRST NOVEL

• Don’t Know Tough by Eli Cranor (Soho Crime)  
• Shutter by Ramona Emerson (Soho Crime)
• The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra (Pegasus Books)  
• Devil’s Chew Toy by Rob Osler (Crooked Lane Books)
• The Maid by Nita Prose (Ballantine Books)  

BEST HUMOROUS NOVEL

• Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron (Berkley Books)  
• Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow (Berkley Books)  
• A Streetcar Named Murder by T.G. Herren (Crooked Lane Books)  
• Scot in a Trap by Catriona McPherson (Severn House)
• Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel V. Reyes (Crooked Lane Books)  

BEST HISTORICAL NOVEL

• The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks (Minotaur Books)
• In Place of Fear by Catriona McPherson (Mobius)
• Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris (William Morrow & Company)
• Danger on the Atlantic by Erica Ruth Neubauer (Kensington Publishing Corporation)
• Under a Veiled Moon by Karen Odden (Crooked Lane Books)
• Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen (Forge)

BEST PAPERRBACK/EBOOK/AUDIOBOOK

• Real Bad Things by Kelly J. Ford (Thomas & Mercer Audio)
• Dead Drop by James L’Etoile (Level Best Books)
• The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey (Thomas & Mercer)
• Hush Hush by Gabriel Valjan (Historia)
• In the Dark We Forget by Sandra SG Wong (HarperCollins Publishers)

BEST CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

• In Myrtle Peril by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Algonquin Young Readers)
• Daybreak on Raven Island by Fleur Bradley (Viking Books for Young Readers)  
• #shedeservedit by Greg Herren (Bold Strokes Books)
• The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Sourcebooks Fire)
• Vanish Me by Lee Matthew Goldberg (Wise Wolf Books)
• Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade by Nancy Springer (Wednesday Books)

BEST SHORT STORY

• “Still Crazy After All These Years” by E.A. Aymar (Paranoia Blues: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Paul Simon) (Down & Out Books)  
• “The Impediment” by Bruce Robert Coffin (Deadly Nightshade: Best New England Crime Stories 2022)(Crime Spell Books)
• “Beauty and the Beyotch” by Barb Goffman (Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, Feb. 2022, Issue 29)
• “The Estate Sale” by Curtis Ippolito (Vautrin Magazine, Summer 2022)
• “C.O.D.” by Gabriel Valjan (Low Down Dirty Vote Volume 3: The Color of My Vote)(Berry Content Corporation)  

BEST CRITICAL/NON-FICTION

• The Alaskan Blonde: Sex, Secrets and the Hollywood Story That Shocked America by James T. Bartlett (Territory Books)
• The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and their Creators by Martin Edwards (Collins Crime Club)
• American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper by Daniel Stashower (Minotaur Books)
• Promophobia: Taking the Mystery out of Promoting Crime Fiction by Diane Vallere (Sisters in Crime)  
• Scoundrel: How a Convicted Murderer Persuaded the Women Who Loved Him, the Conservative Establishment. and the Courts to Set Him Free by Sarah Weinman (Ecco Press)
• Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley (Pegasus Crime)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

• Low Down Dirty Vote Volume 3: The Color of My Vote ed. by Mysti Berry (Berry Content Corporation)  
• Lawyers, Guns, and Money: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Warren Zevon ed. byLibby Cudmore and Art Taylor (Down & Out Books)  
• Land of 10,000 Thrills: Bouchercon Anthology 2022 ed. by Greg Herren (Down & Out Books)
• Paranoia Blues: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Paul Simon ed. by Josh Pachter (Down & Out Books)  
• Crime Hits Home: A Collection of Stories from Crime Fiction’s Top Authors ed. by S.J. Rozan (Hanover Square Press)

International Thriller Writers announced the nominees for the 2023 Thriller Awards.

Best Hardcover Novel:
•The Violence, by Delilah S. Dawson (Del Rey)
•Things We Do in the Dark, by Jennifer Hillier (Minotaur)
•The Fervor, by Alma Katsu (Putnam)
•The Children on the Hill, by Jennifer McMahon (Simon & Schuster)
•Two Nights in Lisbon, by Chris Pavone (MCD)
•Sundial, by Catriona Ward (Macmillan)

Best Audiobook:
•Young Rich Widows, by Kimberly Belle, Fargo Layne, Cate Holahan, and Vanessa Lillie; narrated by Dina Pearlman, Karissa Vacker, Helen Laser, and Ariel Blake (Audible)

•The Lies I Tell, by Julie Clark; narrated by Anna Caputo and Amanda Dolan (Audible)
•The Photo Thief, by J.L. Delozier; narrated by Rachel L. Jacobs and Jeffrey Kafer (CamCat)
•Things We Do in the Dark, by Jennifer Hillier; narrated by Carla Vega (Macmillan Audio)
•The Silent Woman, by Minka Kent; narrated by Christine Lakin and Kate Rudd (Blackstone)

Best First Novel:
•The Resemblance, by Lauren Nossett (Flatiron)
•Blood Sugar, by Sascha Rothchild (Putnam)
•Dirt Creek (aka Dirt Town), by Hayley Scrivenor (Flatiron)
•A Flicker in the Dark, by Stacy Willingham (Minotaur)
•The Fields, by Erin Young (Flatiron)

Best Paperback Original Novel:
•The Lies I Told, by Mary Burton (Montlake)
•No Place to Run, by Mark Edwards (Thomas & Mercer)
•Unmissing, by Minka Kent (Thomas & Mercer)
•The Housemaid, by Freida McFadden (Grand Central)
•Anywhere You Run, by Wanda Morris (Morrow)
•The Couple Upstairs, by Holly Wainwright (Pan Macmillan)
•The Patient’s Secret, by Loreth Anne White (Montlake)

Best Short Story:
• “Russian for Beginners,” by Dominique Bibeau (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine [EQMM], March/April 2022)
• “The Gift,” by Barb Goffman (from Land of 10,000 Thrills, edited by Greg Herren; Down & Out)
• “Publish or Perish,” by Smita Harish Jain (EQMM, September/October 2022)
• “33 Clues Into the Disappearance of My Sister,” by Joyce Carol Oates (EQMM, March/April 2022)
• “Schrödinger, Cat,” by Anna Scotti (EQMM, March/April 2022)
• “Stockholm,” by Catherine Steadman (Amazon Original Stories)

Best Young Adult Novel:
•Our Crooked Hearts, by Melissa Albert (Flatiron)
•Sugaring Off, by Gillian French (Algonquin Young Readers)
•Daughter, by Kate McLaughlin (Wednesday)
•What’s Coming to Me, by Francesca Padilla (Soho Teen)
•I’m the Girl, by Courtney Summers (Wednesday)

Best E-Book Original Novel:
•Evasive Species, by Bill Byrnes (Self-published)
•The Couple at Causeway Cottage, by Diane Jeffrey (HarperCollins)
•The Seven Truths of Hannah Baxter, by Grant McKenzie 
(Self-published)
•The Hollow Place, by Rick Mofina (Self-published)
•Fatal Rounds, by Carrie Rubin (Self-published)

Charlaine Harris and Walter Mosley will receive 2023 ThrillerMaster Lifetime Achievement Awards. Minotaur Books was named the winner of the 2023 Thriller Legend Award.

Winners will be announced on Saturday, June 3, during ThrillerFest XVIII, in New York City.

Although Patrick Millikin from The Poisoned Pen welcomed J.D. O’Brien and Jim Ruland to the bookstore, he turned the event over to the two authors. O’Brien and Ruland are friends, and they drove over from LA together. So, Ruland joked they had time to warm up their act. There are copies of their books, J.D. O’Brien’s Zig Zag and Jim Ruland’s Make It Stop, in the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s Zig Zag.

“A stoned odyssey across the dive bars, neon-lit motels, and lost highways of the American West.”

Capri Dall has a foolproof plan to knock over the marijuana dispensary where she works. But when her boyfriend botches the heist, the two of them end up in a stolen car with a trunkful of rare high-end weed—and an unhinged security guard on their trail.

Harry Robatore is a burned-out rhinestone cowboy, barely scraping by as a bail bondsman. Agreeing to help out an old pal, and settle his bar tab, he sets out to track down the lovers on the run. The chase begins in the San Fernando Valley and leads him deep into the heart of the Mojave Desert—building to an explosive showdown at a ghost town tourist trap.

Zig Zag is equal parts Elmore Leonard and Charles Portis—with Larry McMurtry’s cowboy hat along for the ride.

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J.D. O’Brien’s hometown is Easthampton, Massachusetts.

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A speculative tale of dysfunctional vigilantes, sex-crazed junkies, and corporate healthcare run amok from best-selling chronicler of LA punk Jim Ruland. 

Scores of detox and rehab centers across Southern California have adopted a controversial new conditional release policy that forces patients to stay until they pay their bills. And if they can’t pay? They don’t leave.

Enter: Make It Stop, a group of highly skilled recovering addicts dedicated to rescuing those trapped in these prison hospitals by posing as patients and getting them out by any means necessary. But when Scary Gary, one of their top ops, gets killed on assignment, Melanie Marsh and her crew set out to avenge his death and unravel an unthinkable medical conspiracy that threatens to destroy the organization and cripple the city with a dangerous new drug. Melanie may be LA’s best hope but if, and only if, she can stay sober.

From decrepit rehab wards to beachside punk clubs, Make It Stop takes readers into LA’s darkest corners, exploring sobriety, sanity,  and a society hell-bent on profiting off those who need its help the most.

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Jim Ruland is the co-author of Do What You Want with Bad Religion, and My Damage with Keith Morris, the founding vocalist of Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and OFF! Ruland has been writing for punk zines such as Flipside and Razorcake for more than twenty-five years and his work has received awards from Reader’s Digest and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Check out the conversation with J.D. O’Brien and Jim Ruland.

Let’s admit that the conversation is all over the place with friends Amanda Quick, J.T. Ellison, and The Poisoned Pen’s owner Barbara Peters. They do get to the 1930s and Quick’s The Bride Wore White, but they talk about several other subjects first. There are signed copies of The Bride Wore White in the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/2ce8rdfu

Here’s the description of Amanda Quick’s latest book, The Bride Wore White.

A psychic desperate to escape her destiny—and a killer—finds her future in the coastal town of Burning Cove in New York Times bestselling author Amanda Quick’s latest novel.

Being Madame Ariadne, Psychic Dream Consultant, wasn’t Prudence Ryland’s ideal gig, but it paid well which was reason enough to do the work—until she realizes that her latest client intends to kill her. But Prudence, a master at reinvention, finds a new job and home as far away as possible and is finally able to relax—which turns out to be a big mistake. Letting her guard down means being kidnapped and drugged and waking up in a bloodstained wedding dress in the honeymoon suite next to a dead man. With the press outside the hotel, waiting with their cameras and police sirens in the distance, it’s obvious she’s being framed for the man’s murder. Prudence knows who is responsible, but will anyone believe her?

It doesn’t seem likely that rumored crime boss Luther Pell or his associate, Jack Wingate, believe her seemingly outrageous claims of being a target of a ruthless vendetta. In fact, Prudence is convinced that the mysterious Mr. Wingate believes her to be a fraud at best, and at worst: a murderer. And Jack Wingate does seem to be someone intimately familiar with violence, if going by his scarred face and grim expression. So no one is more shocked than Prudence when Jack says he’ll help her. Of course, his ideas for helping her involve using her as the bait for a killer, but Prudence feels oddly safe with Jack protecting her. But who will protect Prudence from her growing fascination with this enigma of a man?

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Amanda Quick is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author, under various pen names, of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. There are more than 35 million copies of her books in print. She is also the author of the Ladies of Lantern Street novels and the Arcane Society series.

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Enjoy the discussion.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed Brian Klingborg for a virtual event. Klingborg’s latest Inspector Lu Fei novel, The Magistrate, takes readers back to China. There are signed copies of The Magistrate available in the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/2bs9wce2

A brutal murder investigation with connections to corruption at the very highest level threatens not just the career but also the life of Inspector Lu Fei in Brian Klingborg’s latest mystery…

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BRIAN KLINGBORG has both a B.A. (University of California, Davis) and an M.A. (Harvard) in East Asian Studies and spent years living and working in Asia. He currently works in early childhood educational publishing and lives in New York City. Klingborg is also the author of Kill Devil Falls.

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Enjoy the conversation about China and Klingborg’s The Magistrate.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, mentioned how much she enjoys bringing debut novels to readers. Sara Herchenroether’s debut is The Night Flowers. There will be signed copies available through the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/3kz4xpht Peters asks Herchenroether to talk about her personal experience that led her to write a novel about the parallel between crime and cancer.

Here is the description of The Night Flowers.

People tend to think of us as shadows. Blurred black mist. Often, it’s “out of the corner of my eye.” People sense the cold. I’ve heard of ghost hunters who use a tape measure, laying it on the ground to mark our boundaries. I don’t want to be measured.

In 1983, deep in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest, the bodies of a young woman and two children were found. Who were they? How did they get there?

Thirty years later, two women find themselves drawn to the cold case. Librarian Laura MacDonald begins her own investigation as a way to distract herself from breast cancer treatments and becomes consumed by her search for answers. Jean Martinez is a veteran detective determined to keep working cold cases for the Sierra County police force even as her family begs her to retire. With only fragments from dusty case files and a witness who doesn’t want to remember, this unlikely duo is determined—no matter the cost—to uncover the truth behind the murders. And with their help, the woman in the woods is finally able to tell her story on her own terms and summon the power to be found.

The Night Flowers—a haunting debut thriller written with pulse-pounding precision and a deep understanding of the psychology of violence and the tenacity of those who combat it—announces the arrival of Sara Herchenroether as an exciting new voice.

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Sara Herchenroether lives outside Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, four young children, one old dog, and two rescue kittens. Sara is a breast cancer survivor.

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Enjoy the conversation.

Do you need something to read? You can’t go wrong with book suggestions from The Poisoned Pen. Here’s an entire list of suggestions to help you pick something from The Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

There are several lists of paperbacks. Barbara Peters, owner of The Pen, has some picks, and Rob Rosenwald has some suggestions as well. Check them out! I hope you find a book to love. Enjoy browsing!

OUR MAY SMALL PAPERBACK PICKS

Brennan, Allison. Silenced ($8.99).

Castillo, Linda. The Hidden One

McMahon, Jennifer. The Children on the Hill

Moriarty, Liane. Apples Never Fall

Sanders, Angela M. Witch Upon a Star

Silva, Daniel. Portrait of an Unknown Woman

Ware, Ruth. One By One

OUR MAY LARGE PAPERBACK PICKS

Bohjalian, Chris. The Lioness

Box, C J. Treasure State

Burke, James Lee. Every Cloak Rolled in Blood

Castillo, Linda. The Hidden One

Caudwell, Sarah. Thus Was Adonis Murdered

Flynn, Vince. Enemy at the Gates

Goodman, Alison. The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies

Gray, Claudia. The Late Mrs Willoughby

Haig, Matt. The Midnight Library

Hillier, Jennifer. Things We Do in the Dark

Horowitz, Anthony. With a Mind to Kill: A James Bond Novel

Krueger, William Kent. Fox Creek

Martin, William. December ’41

Morrison, Boyd/Beth. The Lawless Land

Pavone, Chris. Two Nights in Lisbon

BARBARA’S  PICKS

Banville, John. The Lock-Up

Barry, Dave. Swamp Story

Bohjalian, Chris. The Lioness

Box, C J. Treasure State

Beanland, Rachel. The House Is on Fire

Caudwell, Sarah. Thus Was Adonis Murdered

Cervantes, JC. The Enchanted Hacienda

Crosby, Ellen. Blow Up

Dunn, Mark. Ella Minnow Pea: 20th Anniversary Illustration

Edwards, Martin, ed. The Edinburgh Mystery

Goodman, Alison. The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies

Gray, Claudia. The Late Mrs. Willoughby

Mason, Tim. The Nightingale Affair

Newman, TJ. Drowning

Slocumb, Brendan. Symphony of Secrets

Smith, Martin Cruz. Independence Square

ROB’S PICKS

Barry, Dave. Swamp Story

Crosby, Ellen. Blow Up

Edwards, Martin, ed. The Edinburgh Mystery

Miller, Max. Tasting History

Newman, TJ. Drowning

Slocumb, Brendan. Symphony of Secrets

Smith, Martin Cruz. Independence Square

Verghese, Abraham. The Covenant of Water

While Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, had a few questions, then introduced Michael Koryta and Dennis Lehane. Dennis Lehane’s new book is Small Mercies. Koryta had “pages” of questions for Lehane. There are signed copies of Small Mercies available in the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/djzv8ax2

Here is the summary of Small Mercies.

“Small Mercies is thought provoking, engaging, enraging, and can’t-put-it-down entertainment.” — Stephen King

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling writer returns with a masterpiece to rival Mystic River—an all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston’s history.

In the summer of 1974 a heatwave blankets Boston and Mary Pat Fennessy is trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors. Mary Pat has lived her entire life in the housing projects of “Southie,” the Irish American enclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition and stands proudly apart.

One night Mary Pat’s teenage daughter Jules stays out late and doesn’t come home. That same evening, a young Black man is found dead, struck by a subway train under mysterious circumstances.

The two events seem unconnected. But Mary Pat, propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, begins turning over stones best left untouched—asking questions that bother Marty Butler, chieftain of the Irish mob, and the men who work for him, men who don’t take kindly to any threat to their business.

Set against the hot, tumultuous months when the city’s desegregation of its public schools exploded in violence, Small Mercies is a superb thriller, a brutal depiction of criminality and power, and an unflinching portrait of the dark heart of American racism. It is a mesmerizing and wrenching work that only Dennis Lehane could write.

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Dennis Lehane is the author of thirteen novels—including the New York Times bestsellers Live by Night; Moonlight Mile; Gone, Baby, Gone; Mystic River; Shutter Island; and The Given Day—as well as Coronado, a collection of short stories and a play. He grew up in Boston, MA and now lives in California with his family.

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You really want to listen to Dennis Lehane talk about the background of Small Mercies.

Patrick Millikin recently welcomed Michael Farris Smith to The Poisoned Pen for a virtual event. Smith’s latest epic is Salvage This World. There are signed copies of it available through the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/2sjudff9

Here’s the summary of Salvage This World.

In Michael Farris Smith’s latest “riveting” epic, a young woman returns home with her child to her ghost-haunted father, while a religious extremist hunts the stormridden territory to find the girl who may be the region’s savior. (Laird Hunt, National Book Award-nominated author of Zorrie and Neverhome)There was no rising from the dead and there was no hand to calm the storms and there was no peace in no valley.

In the hurricane-ravaged bottomlands of South Mississippi, where stores are closing and jobs are few, a fierce zealot has gained a foothold, capitalizing on the vulnerability of a dwindling population and a burning need for hope. As she preaches and promises salvation from the light of the pulpit, in the shadows she sows the seeds of violence.

Elsewhere, Jessie and her toddler, Jace, are on the run across the Mississippi/Louisiana line, in a resentful return to her childhood home and her desolate father. Holt, Jace’s father, is missing and hunted by a brutish crowd, and an old man witnesses the wrong thing in the depths of night. In only a matter of days, all of their lives will collide, and be altered, in the maelstrom of the changing world.

At once elegiac and profound, Salvage This World journeys into the heart of a region growing darker and less forgiving, and asks how we keep going—what do we hold onto—in a land where God has fled.

Garden & Gun Top Reads of 2023 • Bibliolifestyle Best Literary Fiction of 2023 • Southern Living Southern Writers to Read Right Now

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Michael Farris Smith is an award-winning writer whose novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists with Esquire, NPR, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Book Riot, and numerous other outlets, and have been named Indie Next, Barnes & Noble Discover, and Amazon Best of the Month selections. He has also written the feature-film adaptations of his novels Desperation Road and The Fighter, titled for the screen as Rumble Through the Dark. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife and daughters.

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Enjoy the conversation with Michael Farris Smith.