Fiction Review

T. Jefferson Parker’s upcoming virtual event for The Poisoned Pen is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 10 at 7 PM MST (9 PM EST). He’ll be talking about 1968, and his latest book, A Thousand Steps. You can still order a signed copy of the book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3sXQWRp

Before you check out the summary of the book, Parker did an interview for CriminalElement in November in which he talked about “The Books Behind A Thousand Steps“. You might be interested in checking out the titles he said inspired his novel. https://www.criminalelement.com/the-books-behind-a-thousand-steps/

Here’s the description of A Thousand Steps.

A Thousand Steps is a beguiling thriller, an incisive coming-of-age story, and a vivid portrait of a turbulent time and place by three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker.

Laguna Beach, California, 1968. The Age of Aquarius is in full swing. Timothy Leary is a rock star. LSD is God. Folks from all over are flocking to Laguna, seeking peace, love, and enlightenment.

Matt Anthony is just trying get by.

Matt is sixteen, broke, and never sure where his next meal is coming from. Mom’s a stoner, his deadbeat dad is a no-show, his brother’s fighting in Nam . . . and his big sister Jazz has just gone missing. The cops figure she’s just another runaway hippie chick, enjoying a summer of love, but Matt doesn’t believe it. Not after another missing girl turns up dead on the beach.

All Matt really wants to do is get his driver’s license and ask out the girl he’s been crushing on since fourth grade, yet it’s up to him to find his sister. But in a town where the cops don’t trust the hippies and the hippies don’t trust the cops, uncovering what’s really happened to Jazz is going to force him to grow up fast.

If it’s not already too late.

---

T. Jefferson Parker is the author of numerous novels and short stories, the winner of three Edgar Awards (for Silent Joe, California Girl, and the short story “Skinhead Central”), and the recipient of a Los Angeles Times Book Prize for best mystery (Silent Joe). Before becoming a full-time novelist, he was an award-winning reporter. He lives in Fallbrook, California.

Emily Levesque, author of The Last Stargazers, will appear virtually on Facebook and YouTube for The Poisoned Pen on Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 5 PM (7 PM EST), hosted by author Dana Stabenow. Levesque is an award-winning astrophysicist whose book is available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3pOb7z8

Before you watch the event, you might want to check out Levesque’s TED Talk, “A Stellar History of Modern Astronomy.

Here’s the description of The Last Stargazers.

The story of the people who see beyond the stars—an astronomy book for adults still spellbound by the night sky.

Humans from the earliest civilizations through today have craned their necks each night, using the stars to orient themselves in the large, strange world around them. Stargazing is a pursuit that continues to fascinate us: from Copernicus to Carl Sagan, astronomers throughout history have spent their lives trying to answer the biggest questions in the universe. Now, award-winning astronomer Emily Levesque shares the stories of modern-day stargazers in this new nonfiction release, the people willing to adventure across high mountaintops and to some of the most remote corners of the planet, all in the name of science.

From the lonely quiet of midnight stargazing to tall tales of wild bears loose in the observatory, The Last Stargazers is a love letter to astronomy and an affirmation of the crucial role that humans can and must play in the future of scientific discovery.

In this sweeping work of narrative science, Levesque shows how astronomers in this scrappy and evolving field are going beyond the machines to infuse creativity and passion into the stars and space and inspires us all to peer skyward in pursuit of the universe’s secrets.

---

EMILY LEVESQUE is a professor at the University of Washington and lives in Seattle. She received her SB in physics from MIT and a PhD from the University of Hawaii. She has won the American Astronomical Society’s Annie Jump Cannon Award and Newton Lacy Pierce Prize, among other awards.

James Rollins is guest author on Tuesday, January 4. The event will be broadcast on Facebook and YouTube at 7 PM (9 PM EST). One topic will be his current Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen, The Starless Crown. Signed copies are available through the Web Store. https://tinyurl.com/2p8cv37u

Here’s the description of Rollins’ fantasy novel, The Starless Crown.

An alliance embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the secrets of the distant past and save their world in this captivating, deeply visionary adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling thriller-master James Rollins.

A gifted student foretells an apocalypse. Her reward is a sentence of death.

Fleeing into the unknown she is drawn into a team of outcasts:

A broken soldier, who once again takes up the weapons he’s forbidden to wield and carves a trail back home.

A drunken prince, who steps out from his beloved brother’s shadow and claims a purpose of his own.

An imprisoned thief, who escapes the crushing dark and discovers a gleaming artifact – one that will ignite a power struggle across the globe.

On the run, hunted by enemies old and new, they must learn to trust each other in order to survive in a world evolved in strange, beautiful, and deadly ways, and uncover ancient secrets that hold the key to their salvation.

But with each passing moment, doom draws closer.

WHO WILL CLAIM THE STARLESS CROWN?

---

JAMES ROLLINS is the #1 New York Times bestseller of international thrillers, sold to over forty countries. His Sigma series has earned national accolades and has topped charts around the world. He is also a practicing veterinarian, who still spends time underground or underwater as an avid spelunker and diver.

With The Poisoned Pen closed until January 3, the blog will take a short break as well. Enjoy the weekend! Happy Reading in 2022!

2021 is still winding down, but The Poisoned Pen is already geared up for 2022. Check out the list of authors appearing in January. After you watch the virtual event on The Poisoned Pen’s Facebook or YouTube page, you can find the books in the Web Store. Or, if one of these authors is a favorite,, don’t miss the chance to own the book. Buy it now! https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Here’s the schedule for early January (always subject to change).

Here’s a fun Hot Book of the Week to round out the year at The Poisoned Pen, The Clanlands Almanac: Season Stories from Scotland by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish. According to Patrick Millikin at the bookstore, “We offer up to 1000 copies Signed by Diana Gabaldon with a bookplate signed by Sam and Graham (sent from the UK). One signed copy per customer. These will ship in JANUARY when our Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone project will wrap up and Diana has time to sign this book. Unsigned copies will be available in December.” Check the Web Store for information. https://tinyurl.com/yck2vyzz

Here’s the description of The Clanlands Almanac.

If Clanlands was a gentle road trip through Scotland, this almanac is a top down, pedal to the metal up and down odyssey through the many byways of a Scottish year. An invitation to anyone who picks up the book to join us on a crazy camper van exploration over 12 glorious, whisky fueled months. Mountains, battles, famous (and infamous) Scots, the alarming competitiveness of Men in Kilts, clans, feuds, flora, fauna, with a healthy sprinkling of embarrassing personal reminiscences thrown in. Much is explored, all is shared. It is a camper van cornucopia of all things Alba. From First Footing to Samhain, Fringe Festival follies to whisky lore, Sam & Graham guide readers through a year of Scottish legends, traditions, historical and contemporary events, sharing personal stories and tips as only these two chalk-and-cheese friends can.   As entertaining as it is practical, The Clanlands Almanac is a light-hearted education in Scottish history and culture, told through the eyes of two passionate Scotsmen. The perfect escapist guide, The Clanlands Almanac is intended as a starting point for your own Scottish discoveries.

Sam Heughan is an award-winning actor and philanthropist, best known for his starring role as Jamie Fraser in the hit TV show Outlander. From his early days at the Royal Court Theatre to his most recent role in the hit action film Bloodshot, Sam has enjoyed a career in theatre, television and film spanning almost two decades. With his growing success and fame, Sam has also lent his voice and platform to raise funds and awareness for many notable charities, including Marie Curie UK and Blood Cancer UK. In recent years he has raised over $5 million for blood cancer research, hospice care and testicular cancer awareness education. Due to his outstanding contribution to charitable endeavors and artistic success he was bestowed by the University of Glasgow and the University of Stirling with an honorary doctorate in 2019.

Graham McTavish has been acting for over 35 years in theatre, film and television. On film and TV he is best known for his roles as Dougal MacKenzie in Outlander, the fierce Dwarf Dwalin in The Hobbit trilogy, and AMC’s cult show Preacher as the Saint of Killers. He has performed in theatre all over the world from the Royal Court Theatre in London to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He is delighted that the dream of his 12-year-old self to be a published author has finally come true!

If you follow the blog or The Poisoned Pen’s Facebook or YouTube pages, you’ve seen Patrick Millikin. He’s the magician behind many of the virtual events, and sometimes he’s the host in front of the camera. Patrick is an author and editor himself, and he’s the noir fan on the staff. He says though, that he reads widely, and his taste is always evolving. If his picks for the Best Books of 2021 are similar to your interests, you might want to check out the Web Store for the titles Patrick recommends. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

Best of 2021

William Boyle. Shoot the Moonlight Out. – A haunting crime story about the broken characters inhabiting yesterday’s Brooklyn, this is the new novel from modern master of neo-noir William Boyle.

Michael Connelly. The Dark Hours. – A Wall Street Journal and South Florida Sun-Sentinel Best Book of the Year

“A masterpiece”—LAPD detective Renée Ballard must join forces with Harry Bosch to find justice in a city scarred by fear and social unrest after a methodical killer strikes on New Year’s Eve (Publishers Weekly).

S.A. Cosby. Razorblade Tears. – A Black father. A white father. Two murdered sons. A quest for vengeance.

Abigail Dean. Girl A. – She thought she had escaped her past. But there are some things you can’t outrun.

Percival Everett. The Trees. – An uncanny literary thriller addressing the painful legacy of lynching in the US, by the author of Telephone.

Tod Goldberg. The Low Desert. – Raymond Carver meets Elmore Leonard in this extraordinary collection of contemporary crime writing set in the critically acclaimed Gangsterland universe, a series called “gloriously original” by The New York Times Book Review.

Naomi Hirahara. Clark and Division. – A New York Times Best Mystery Novel of 2021

Set in 1944 Chicago, Edgar Award-winner Naomi Hirahara’s eye-opening and poignant new mystery, the story of a young woman searching for the truth about her revered older sister’s death, brings to focus the struggles of one Japanese American family released from mass incarceration at Manzanar during World War II.

Kathleen Kent. The Pledge. – In this “instantly cinematic and completely compelling” thriller (Hank Phillippi Ryan), Detective Betty has only two weeks to take down her deadliest rival—this time for good.

Richard Lange. Rovers. – Two immortal brothers crisscross the American Southwest to elude a murderous biker gang and protect a young woman in this “utter triumph and delight” from award-winning author Richard Lange (Jonathan Ames, author of A Man Named Doll)

David Swinson. City on the Edge. – An American teen living abroad discovers the truth about himself and his family in this thrilling novel from “one of the best dialogue hounds in the business” (New York Times Book Review).

Vlautin, Willy. The Night Always Comes. – Award-winning author Willy Vlautin explores the impact of trickle-down greed and opportunism of gentrification on ordinary lives in this scorching novel that captures the plight of a young woman pushed to the edge as she fights to secure a stable future for herself and her family.

The Poisoned Pen will be closed Dec. 25th and Dec. 26th. Happy Holidays to everyone!

Shakespeare. Ngaio Marsh. Simon Brett. Elly Griffiths. In a recent article for CrimeReads, author Elly Griffiths tackles the subject of crime fiction and its relationship with the theater. Her piece, called “The Motive and the Cue: Why Crime Fiction and the Theatrical World Have Always Gone Hand-in-Hand”, can be found here. https://tinyurl.com/55umsd9y

Griffiths talks about her grandfather’s connection to the theater world. It undoubtedly influenced her Brighton Mysteries, including the most recent one, The Midnight Hour. You can order a copy of that book through the Web Store. https://tinyurl.com/yc8x8v7a

Here’s the description of The Midnight Hour.

The Brighton police force is on the hunt for another killer, but this time they have some competition—a newly formed all-women’s private eye firm, led by none other than the police chief’s wife.

Newly minted PI Emma Holmes and her partner Sam Collins are just settling into their business when they’re chosen for a high-profile case: retired music-hall star Verity Malone hires them to find out who poisoned her husband, a theater impresario. Verity herself has been accused of the crime. The only hitch—the Brighton police are already on the case, putting Emma in direct competition with her husband, police superintendent Edgar Stephens.

Soon Emma realizes that Verity’s life intersects closely with her own—most notably in their mutual connection, Max Mephisto, who has returned to England from America with his children and famous wife, Hollywood star Lydia Lamont. Lydia, desperately bored in the countryside, catches wind of what Emma and Sam are up to and offers her services. What secret does Lydia know about Verity’s past?

The team of female PIs circle closer to the killer, with the Brighton police hot on their tail. The clues suggest they’re looking for a criminal targeting the old music-hall crew. How long will it be before that trail leads straight back to Max?

---

ELLY GRIFFITHS is the author of the Ruth Galloway and Brighton mystery series, as well as the standalone novels The Stranger Diaries, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, and The Postscript Murders. She is the recipient of the CWA Dagger in the Library Award and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She lives in Brighton, England.

Yesterday was release date for the current Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen. Lyndsay Faye’s collection, Observations by Gaslight, is subtitled “Stories from the World of Sherlock Holmes”. You can order signed copies of the book through the Web Store. https://tinyurl.com/2p8r5fw

Here’s the description of Observations by Gaslight.

One of PopSugar’s Best New Mysteries and Thrillers of December 2021

A new collection of Sherlockian tales that shows the Great Detective and his partner, Watson, as their acquaintances saw them

Lyndsay Faye—international bestseller, translated into fifteen languages, and a two-time Edgar Award nominee—first appeared on the literary scene with Dust and Shadow, her now-classic novel pitting Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper, and later produced The Whole Art of Detection, her widely acclaimed collection of traditional Watsonian tales.  Now Faye is back with Observations by Gaslight, a thrilling volume of both new and previously published short stories and novellas narrated by those who knew the Great Detective.

Beloved adventuress Irene Adler teams up with her former adversary in a near-deadly inquiry into a room full of eerily stopped grandfather clocks.  Learn of the case that cemented the lasting friendship between Holmes and Inspector Lestrade, and of the tragic crime which haunted the Yarder into joining the police force. And witness Stanley Hopkins’ first meeting with the remote logician he idolizes, who will one day become his devoted mentor.  

From familiar faces like landlady Mrs. Hudson to minor characters like Lomax the sub-librarian, Observations by Gaslight—entirely epistolary, told through diaries, telegrams, and even grocery lists—paints a masterful portrait of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as you have never seen them before.

---

Lyndsay Faye is the author of six critically acclaimed books: The Paragon Hotel; Jane Steele, which was nominated for an Edgar for Best Novel; Dust and Shadow, a Sherlock Holmes pastiche; The Gods of Gotham, also Edgar-nominated; Seven for a Secret; and The Fatal Flame. She has also published numerous short stories featuring the Holmes character, several of which were collected in 2017’s The Whole Art of Detection. She lives in Queens.