Fiction Review

It was a standing room only audience for C.J. Box when he appeared at The Poisoned Pen to talk about his new Joe Pickett book, Storm Watch. Nick Petrie was guest host for the event. You can still find signed copies of Box’s book in the Webstore. http://bit.ly/3Zvv3FU

Here’s the description of Storm Watch.

Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett investigates a mysterious death at a secret remote high-tech facility in this riveting new novel from #1 New York Times bestseller C.J. Box.


    When a prominent University of Wyoming professor goes missing, authorities are stumped. That is, until Joe Pickett makes two surprising discoveries while hunting down a wounded elk on his district as an epic spring storm descends upon him. First, he finds the professor’s vehicle parked on a remote mountainside. Then Joe finds the professor’s frozen and mutilated body. When he attempts to learn more, his investigation is obstructed by federal agents, extremists, and Governor Colter Allen.

    Nate Romanowski is rebuilding his falconry company—and financing this through crypto mining with the assistance of Geronimo Jones. He’s then approached by a shadowy group of local militant activists that is gaining in power and influence, and demanding that Wyoming join other western states and secede from the union—by force, if necessary. They ask Nate to throw in with them, but he’s wary. Should he trust them, or is he being set up?

    As a storm of peril gathers around them, Joe and Nate confront it in different ways—and maybe, for the first time, on opposite sides.

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C. J. Box is the author of twenty-three Joe Pickett novels, eight stand-alone novels, and a story collection. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and two Barry awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38, the Western Heritage Award for Literature, and two Spur Awards. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He is an executive producer of ABC TV’s Big Sky and Joe Pickett on Spectrum Originals and Paramount+, both of which are based on his novels.

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Here’s Nick Petrie’s bio as well. Nick Petrie is the author of six novels in the Peter Ash series, most recently The Breaker. His debut, The Drifter, won both the ITW Thriller award and the Barry Award for Best First Novel, and was a finalist for the Edgar and the Hammett Awards. A husband and father, he lives in the Milwaukee area.

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Enjoy the discussion with C.J. Box and Nick Petrie.

Walter Mosley recently appeared at The Poisoned Pen to talk about and read from his latest novel, Every Man a King. But, he also talked about writing during Covid, and being in a writers’ room. You’ll want to listen. First, though, you can order a signed copy of Every Man a King through the Webstore. http://bit.ly/3xXOHii

Here’s the summary of Every Man a King.

In this highly anticipated sequel from Edgar Award-winning “master of craft and narrative,” Walter Mosley, Joe King Oliver is entangled in a dangerous case when he’s asked to investigate whether a white nationalist is being unjustly set up. (National Book Foundation)When friend of the family and multi-billionaire Roger Ferris comes to Joe with an assignment, he’s got no choice but to accept, even if the case is a tough one to stomach. White nationalist Alfred Xavier Quiller has been accused of murder and the sale of sensitive information to the Russians. Ferris has reason to believe Quiller’s been set up and he needs King to see if the charges hold.

This linear assignment becomes a winding quest to uncover the extent of Quiller’s dealings, to understand Ferris’ skin in the game, and to get to the bottom of who is working for whom. Even with the help of bodyguard and mercenary Oliya Ruez—no regular girl Friday—the machine King’s up against proves relentless and unsparing. As King gets closer to exposing the truth, he and his loved ones barrel towards grave danger.

Mosley once again proves himself a “master of craft and narrative” (National Book Foundation) in this carefully plotted mystery that is at once a classic caper, a family saga and an examination of fealty, pride and how deep debt can go.

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Walter Mosley’s biography hasn’t been updated to mention that he was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger for 2023. Here’s the rest of the bio. WALTER MOSLEY is one of America’s most celebrated writers. He was given the National Book Award’s 2020 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and honored with the Anisfield-Wolf Award, a Grammy, a PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award, the Robert Kirsch Award, numerous Edgars and several NAACP Image Awards. His work is translated into 25 languages.  He has published fiction and nonfiction in The New Yorker, Playboy, and The Nation. As an executive producer, he adapted his novel, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, for AppleTV+ and serves as a writer and executive producer for FX’s “Snowfall.” 

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Enjoy his appearance at The Poisoned Pen.

While Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed Harriet Tyce, author of It Ends at Midnight, Alex Michaelides was guest host for the recent event. You can order a copy of It Ends at Midnight through the Webstore. http://bit.ly/3EAt62W

Here’s the description of It Ends at Midnight.

A Buzzfeed Most Anticipated Thriller of 2023!

“Gripping.” – Alex Michaelides, New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens

“Another compelling read from the utterly brilliant Harriet Tyce.” – Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone

“Blisteringly brilliant.” – Sarah Pinbrough, New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes

From the acclaimed, Sunday Times bestselling author of Blood Orange, Harriet Tyce, comes a thriller of a party spiraling into murder when one guest’s plan to right old wrongs ends in blood, told with Tyce’s signature dark and propulsive twists.

It’s New Year’s Eve and the stage is set for a lavish party in one of Edinburgh’s best postcodes. It’s a moment for old friends to set the past to rights – and move on.

The night sky is alive with fireworks and the champagne is flowing. But the celebration fails to materialize.

Because someone at this party is going to die tonight.

Midnight approaches and the countdown begins – but it seems one of the guests doesn’t want a resolution.

They want revenge.

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HARRIET TYCE was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in English Literature before gaining legal qualifications and working as a criminal barrister for ten years. She completed an MA in Creative Writing-Crime Fiction at UEA where she wrote her debut, Blood Orange.

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Here’s a short biography of guest host Alex Michaelides.

Alex Michaelides was born and raised in Cyprus. He has an M.A. in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and an M.A. in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. The Silent Patient was his first novel and debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list and is sold in a record-breaking 50 countries. His second novel, The Maidens, was an instant New York Times bestseller and garnered rave reviews from The Guardian, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, and more. After living in London for many years, Alex has recently moved back to his birthplace, Cyprus.

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Enjoy the conversation with Harriet Tyce and Alex Michaelides.

Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson are the authors of Dempsey, the seventh Tier One thriller, but it’s their first appearance for The Poisoned Pen. According to Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, the series is being developed for film and TV. Peters welcomed both authors, along with Don Bentley, who acted as guest host for the event. You can order a copy of Dempsey through the Webstore. http://bit.ly/3IQDW7x

Here’s the summary of Dempsey.

The world is more volatile, unpredictable, and dangerous than ever before. To stop the architect of this chaos, Dempsey is given the most dangerous tasking of his career … a mission only he can complete against an adversary he must face alone.

After Task Force Ember’s successful intervention in Ukraine, John Dempsey disappears without a trace—with no notice or explanation given to his teammates. Spotty intelligence eventually places him in Russia where he is rumored to have been captured by the Russian FSB and is now presumed dead. Mourning his loss, Ember is forced to pick up the pieces, restructure, and continue their mission of keeping America safe. As the president’s “go-to” black ops asset, Ember is directed to find and finish off the Russian spymaster Arkady Zhukov and any last remnants of Zeta cell.

Unbeknownst to his teammates, Dempsey is very much alive and on mission. At the behest of Vice President Jarvis, he is deep undercover—in the heart of Russia’s nexus of organized crime and politics. For his mission to succeed, he will have to team up with a man who has been his adversary—the one man in all the world he most wants dead. The risks are higher than ever as Dempsey pursues a high-stakes plot of Russian regime change. And if he fails, the Kremlin’s retribution will be swift and terrible and certain to drag the world into World War III.

AWARDS

• Real Book Spy Pick

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Jeffrey Wilson has worked as an actor, firefighter, paramedic, jet pilot, and diving instructor, as well as a vascular and trauma surgeon. He served in the US Navy for fourteen years and made multiple deployments as a combat surgeon. Wilson is the author of three award-winning supernatural thrillers: The Traiteur’s Ring, The Donors, and Fade to Black. He and his wife live in Southwest Florida with their four children.

Navy veterans Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson are the writing team behind the number one bestselling Tier One series. Brian is a nuclear engineer and Park Leadership Fellow who served as an officer on a fast-attack submarine. Jeff is a trauma/vascular surgeon who conducted combat operations with an East Coast–based SEAL team. Their other novels include the Sons of Valor and Shepherds series and installments in WEB Griffin’s Presidential Agent series. Sign up for their newsletter at www.andrews-wilson.com.

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Here’s a short biography of guest host and author Don Bentley.

Don Bentley spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot, and while deployed in Afghanistan was awarded the Bronze Star and the Air Medal with “V” device for valor. Following his time in the military, Bentley worked as an FBI special agent focusing on foreign intelligence and counterintelligence and was a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team member.

And, here’s an announcement readers might be interested in seeing.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kyle Mills, who first took over the late Vince Flynn’s iconic series in 2015 and has since contributed eight consecutive bestsellers, is set to depart the Mitch Rapp franchise following his ninth and final book in the series, Code Red, later this year. Taking over will be Don Bentley, best known for his own Matt Drake series and the work he’s done in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Jr series, including Tom Clancy Flashpoint, which will hit stores in May.

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Enjoy the conversation with Brian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson, and Don Bentley.

Although Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, introduced Kathleen Kent, author of Black Wolf, Dan Fesperman stepped in as guest host. You can order a copy of Black Wolf (hopefully still a signed copy), through the Webstore. http://bit.ly/3EAqoea

Here’s the description of Black Wolf.

A “masterful” and “riveting” thriller about a female CIA agent whose extraordinary facial recognition powers lead her into the dangerous heart of the Soviet Union—and the path of a killer who shouldn’t exist (Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author).

She never forgets a face. 
He never forgets his prey.

It is 1990 when Melvina Donleavy arrives in Soviet Belarus on her first undercover mission with the CIA, alongside three fellow agents—none of whom know she is playing two roles. To the prying eyes of the KGB, she is merely a secretary; to her CIA minders, she is the only one who can stop the flow of nuclear weapons from the crumbling Soviet Union into the Middle East.

For Mel has a secret; she is a “super recognizer,” someone who never forgets a face. But no training could prepare her for the reality of life undercover, and for the streets of Minsk, where women have been disappearing. Soviet law enforcement is firm: murder is a capitalist disease. But could a serial killer be at work? Especially if he knew no one was watching? As Mel searches for answers, she catches the eye of an entirely different kind of threat: the elusive and petrifying “Black Wolf,” head of the KGB.

Filled with insider details from the author’s own time working under the direction of the U.S. Department of Defense, Black Wolf is a riveting new spy thriller from an Edgar-nominated crime writer, and a biting exploration of the divide between two nations, two masterminds, and two roles played by a woman pushed to her breaking point, where she’ll learn that you can only ever trust one person: yourself.

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Kathleen Kent is the Edgar-nominated author of the crime trilogy The Dime, The Burn, and The Pledge, as well as three bestselling historical novels: The Heretic’s Daughter, The Traitor’s Wife, and The Outcasts. She has written short stories and essays for D Magazine, Texas Monthly, and LitHub, and has been published in the crime anthology Dallas Noir. In March 2020 she was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for her contribution to Texas literature. Kent lives in Dallas, Texas.

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Here’s a short biography of guest host Dan Fesperman.

DAN FESPERMAN served as a foreign correspondent for the Baltimore Sun, based in Berlin. His coverage of the siege of Sarajevo led to his debut novel, Lie in the Dark, which won Britain’s John Creasey Memorial Dagger Award for best first crime novel. Subsequent books have won the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for best thriller, the Dashiell Hammett Prize from the International Association of Crime Writers, the Barry Award for best thriller, and selection by USA Today as the year’s best mystery/thriller novel. He lives in Baltimore.

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Enjoy the conversation with Kathleen Kent and Dan Fesperman.

If you missed Steve Berry’s appearance at The Poisoned Pen the other day, you can still catch up. Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, welcomed him to talk about his latest Cotton Malone novel. The Last Kingdom is the current Hot Book of the Week at the bookstore. You can order a signed copy through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/3SoAzrV

Here’s the description of The Last Kingdom.

From celebrated New York Times bestselling author, Steve Berry, comes the latest Cotton Malone adventure, in which the discovery of a lost historical document challenges the global might of the United States.

King Ludwig II of Bavaria was an enigmatic figure who was deposed in 1886, mysteriously drowning three days later.  Eccentric to the point of madness, history tells us that in the years before he died Ludwig engaged in a worldwide search for a new kingdom, one separate, apart, and in lieu of Bavaria.  A place he could retreat into and rule as he wished.  But a question remains:  did he succeed? 

Enter Cotton Malone.  After many months, Malone’s protégé, Luke Daniels, has managed to infiltrate a renegade group intent on winning Bavarian independence from Germany.  Daniels has also managed to gain the trust of the prince of Bavaria, a frustrated second son intent on eliminating his brother, the duke, and restoring the Wittelsbach monarchy, only now with him as king.  Everything hinges on a 19th century deed which proves that Ludwig’s long-rumored search bore fruit–legal title to lands that Germany, China, and the United States all now want, only for vastly different reasons.  

In a race across Bavaria for clues hidden in Ludwig’s three fairytale castles–Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee–Malone and Daniels battle an ever-growing list of deadly adversaries, all intent on finding the last kingdom.

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Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of sixteen Cotton Malone novels, five stand-alone thrillers, and several works of short fiction. He has 25 million books in print, translated into over 40 languages. With his wife, Elizabeth, he is the founder of History Matters, an organization dedicated to historical preservation. He serves as an emeritus member of the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board and was a founding member of International Thriller Writers, formerly serving as its co?president.

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Enjoy the conversation with Steve Berry.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed Mark Greaney and Kyle Mills to the bookstore. Mark Greaney is the author of the Gray Man books, including the latest, Burner. Kyle Mills was guest host for the event. You can find signed copies of Burner in the Webstore. http://bit.ly/3xOMKEB

The Gray Man came out as a movie in 2022. Here’s the description of the twelfth Gray Man novel, Burner.

Court Gentry is caught between the Russian mafia and the CIA in this latest electrifying thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling Gray Man series.

When you kick over a rock, you never know what’s going to crawl out. 

Alex Velesky is about to discover that the hard way. He’s stolen records from the Swiss bank that employs him, thinking that he’ll uncover a criminal conspiracy. But he soon finds that he’s tapped into the mother lode of corruption. Before he knows it, he’s being hunted by everyone from the Russian mafia to the CIA. 

Court Gentry and his erstwhile lover, Zoya Zakharova, find themselves on opposites poles when it comes to Velesky. They both want him but for different reasons. 

That’s a problem for tomorrow. Today they need to keep him and themselves alive. Right now, it’s not looking good.

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Mark Greaney‘s research for the Gray Man novels, including Sierra Six, Relentless, One Minute Out, Mission Critical, Agent in Place, Gunmetal Gray, Back Blast, Dead Eye, Ballistic, On Target, and The Gray Man, has taken him to more than thirty-five countries, and he has trained alongside military and law enforcement in the use of firearms, battlefield medicine, and close-range combative tactics. With Marine LtCol Rip Rawlings, he wrote the New York Times bestseller Red Metal. He is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers Tom Clancy Support and Defend, Tom Clancy Full Force and Effect, Tom Clancy Commander in Chief, and Tom Clancy True Faith and Allegiance. With Tom Clancy, he coauthored Locked On, Threat Vector, and Command Authority.

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Check out the event with Mark Greaney and Kyle Mills.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed Yasmin Angoe and Gregg Hurwitz for a live event at the bookstore. Angoe’s They Come at Knight is the second book in her Nena Knight trilogy. Hurwitz’ latest book, The Last Orphan, was the Hot Book of the Week at the Pen. There are signed copies of both books available through the Webstore. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the summary of They Come at Knight.

Yasmin Angoe’s They Come at Knight is the heart-pounding second installment in the Nena Knight series about an intrepid female assassin who will stop at nothing to protect her family.

For elite assassin Nena Knight, eliminating dangerous players on the world stage is part of the job. The Tribe, a powerful business syndicate in Africa, ensures that she has those opportunities. But for Nena, the Tribe is more than just her employer; it’s an organization that supports the African people—until it turns on itself.

As Nena embarks on a new mission, a violent siege by a paramilitary group throws the Tribe into chaos, and mysterious acts of violence plague the Tribe’s territories. As the attacks escalate, Nena suspects a different kind of enemy at play: someone on the inside, determined to undermine the Tribe’s leaders.

As this new threat closes in on her own family, Nena enlists a team to root out the danger. But as she gets closer to the truth, she will have to risk everything to protect the future she holds dear—even if it means facing off with an enemy she never expected.

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Yasmin Angoe is the author of Her Name Is Knight and a first-generation Ghanaian American currently residing in South Carolina with her family. She’s served in education for nearly twenty years and works as a developmental editor. Yasmin received the 2020 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award from Sisters in Crime, of which she is a member. She is also a proud member of numerous crime, mystery, and thriller organizations like Crime Writers of Color and International Thriller Writers. You can find her at https://yasminangoe.com, on Twitter at @yasawriter, and on Instagram at @author_yas.

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Here’s Gregg Hurwitz’ The Last Orphan.

Evan Smoak returns in The Last Orphan, the latest New York Times bestselling Orphan X thriller–when everything changes and everything is at risk.

As a child, Evan Smoak was plucked out of a group home, raised and trained as an off-the-books assassin for the government as part of the Orphan program. When he broke with the program and went deep underground, he left with a lot of secrets in his head that the government would do anything to make sure never got out.

When he remade himself as The Nowhere Man, dedicated to helping the most desperate in their times of trouble, Evan found himself slowly back on the government’s radar. Having eliminated most of the Orphans in the program, the government will stop at nothing to eliminate the threat they see in Evan. But Orphan X has always been several steps ahead of his pursuers.

Until he makes one little mistake…

Now the President has him in her control and offers Evan a deal – eliminate a rich, powerful man she says is too dangerous to live and, in turn, she’ll let Evan survive. But when Evan left the Program he swore to only use his skills against those who really deserve it. Now he has to decide what’s more important – his principles or his life.

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GREGG HURWITZ is the author of the New York Times bestselling Orphan X novels. Critically acclaimed, his novels have been international bestsellers, graced top ten lists, and have been published in thirty-two languages. Additionally, he’s sold scripts to many of the major studios, and written, developed, and produced television for various networks. Hurwitz lives in Los Angeles.

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Enjoy this conversation.

https://www.youtube.com/live/-zAl9E0LK2c?feature=share

February’s such a short month that The Poisoned Pen Bookstore is already heading into March programming. The current event schedule on the homepage includes the rest of the February events, and just a teaser for March. Think Walter Mosley, C.J. Box, J.T. Ellison. Check out the schedule, and then check the Webstore for books by your favorite authors. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the upcoming schedule.

Lexie Elliott’s Bright and Deadly Things was the January British Crime Club Book for The Poisoned Pen Bookstore. Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, recently welcome Elliott for a virtual event. Elliott’s novel, set in the French Alps, still deals with the Oxford academics. You can order a copy through the Webstore. https://tinyurl.com/5f4yz32b

Here’s the summary of Bright and Deadly Things.

A remote back-to-basics mountaintop retreat in the French Alps turns deadly as an Oxford fellow finds herself in the crosshairs of her late husband’s dangerous secrets.

The Chalet des Anglais should be the ideal locale for recently-widowed Oxford don Emily to begin cutting through the fog of her grief. With no electricity, running water, or access by car, the rustic chalet nestled at the foot of the verdant, snow-topped Alps should afford Emily both time and space to heal. Joining her will be a collection of friends from the university, as well as other fellows, graduates, and undergraduates.

Something feels off, though—heightening Emily’s existing grief-induced anxiety. Before even making it to the airport, she’s unnerved by a break-in at her home. Once at the chalet, tension amongst the guests is palpable. Her friends and colleagues are behaving oddly, and competition for a newly opened position has introduced a streak of meanness into the otherwise relaxing getaway. As hostilities grow, Emily begins to wonder if the chalet’s dark history has cast a shadow over the retreat. In the salon, a curious grandfather clock looms, the only piece of furniture to survive a deadly blaze a century ago. As its discordant bell begins to invade everyone’s dreams, someone very real has been searching through Emily’s things and attempting to hack into her computer.

When a student disappears, Emily realizes that she’d better separate friend from foe, and real from imagined—or the next disappearance may be her own.

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Lexie Elliott grew up in Scotland, at the foot of the Highlands. She graduated from Oxford University, where she obtained a doctorate in theoretical physics. A keen sportswoman, she works in fund management in London, where she lives with her husband and two sons. The rest of her time is spent writing, or thinking about writing, and juggling family life and sport.

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You can enjoy the conversation here.

https://www.youtube.com/live/UJacNq0wCxc?feature=share