Fiction Review

Dr. Jason Rugolo led the interview with Dan Frey, author of The Future is Yours. The novel is already in development as an HBO Max series. There are still a few signed copies available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3qUeoeF

Here’s the summary of The Future is Yours.

Two best friends create a computer that can predict the future. But what they can’t predict is how it will tear their friendship—and society—apart.

“An impossibly addictive brainteaser wrapped in a buttery popcorn kernel.”—Aneesh Chaganty, director and co-writer of Searching and Run

IN DEVELOPMENT AS AN HBO MAX ORIGINAL SERIES

If you had the chance to look one year into the future, would you? 

For Ben Boyce and Adhi Chaudry, the answer is unequivocally yes. And they’re betting everything that you’ll say yes, too. Welcome to The Future: a computer that connects to the internet one year from now, so you can see who you’ll be dating, where you’ll be working, even whether or not you’ll be alive in the year to come. By forming a startup to deliver this revolutionary technology to the world, Ben and Adhi have made their wildest, most impossible dream a reality. Once Silicon Valley outsiders, they’re now its hottest commodity. 

The device can predict everything perfectly—from stock market spikes and sports scores to political scandals and corporate takeovers—allowing them to chase down success and fame while staying one step ahead of the competition. But the future their device foretells is not the bright one they imagined.

Ambition. Greed. Jealousy. And, perhaps, an apocalypse. The question is . . . can they stop it?

Told through emails, texts, transcripts, and blog posts, this bleeding-edge tech thriller chronicles the costs of innovation and asks how far you’d go to protect the ones you love—even from themselves.

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Here’s the conversation between Dan Frey and Dr. Jason Rugolo.

A Fatal Lie is the 23rd Ian Rutledge novel by Charles Todd. The mother/son team of Caroline and Charles Todd recently talked with Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, about their latest book and the history behind it. You can order a signed copy of A Fatal Lie, and copies of Todd’s other books, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2CYwbY1

Here’s the story of A Fatal Lie.

“If there’s ever been a more complex and compelling hero in crime fiction than Inspector Rutledge, I can’t think of one.”—Jeffery Deaver 

In one of his most puzzling cases, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge must delve deep into a dead man’s life and his past to find a killer determined to keep dark secrets buried.

A peaceful Welsh village is thrown into turmoil when a terrified boy stumbles on a body in a nearby river. The man appears to have fallen from the canal aqueduct spanning the valley. But there is no identification on the body, he isn’t a local, and no one will admit to having seen him before. With little to go on, the village police turn to Scotland Yard for help.  

 When Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent from London to find answers, he is given few clues—a faded military tattoo on the victim’s arm and an unusual label in the collar of his shirt. They eventually lead him to the victim’s identity: Sam Milford. By all accounts, he was a good man and well-respected. Then, why is his death so mysterious? Looking for the truth, Rutledge uncovers a web of lies swirling around a suicidal woman, a child’s tragic fate, another woman bent on protecting her past. But where among all the lies is the motive for murder?  

To track a killer, Rutledge must retrace Milford’s last journey. Yet death seems to stalk his every move, and the truth seems to shift at every turn. Man or woman, this murderer stays in the shadows, and it will take desperate measures to lure him—or her—into the light. 

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Charles Todd is the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother-and-son writing team, they live on the East Coast.

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Here’s the virtual event featuring Charles and Caroline Todd.

If you don’t recognize Sarah Pearse’s name yet, you soon will. Her debut novel, The Sanatorium, is a Gothic thriller that made The New York Times bestseller list, and is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. Another bestselling author, Jayne Ann Krentz, hosted the virtual event conversation. Pearse and Krentz spoke about the writing process and the book itself. You can order a copy of The Sanatorium through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/37tG1U8

Here’s an introduction to The Sanatorium.

REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK
An instant New York Times bestseller!

“An eerie, atmospheric novel that had me completely on the edge of my seat.” —Reese Witherspoon

You won’t want to leave. . . until you can’t.

Half-hidden by forest and overshadowed by threatening peaks, Le Sommet has always been a sinister place. Long plagued by troubling rumors, the former abandoned sanatorium has since been renovated into a five-star minimalist hotel.

An imposing, isolated getaway spot high up in the Swiss Alps is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But Elin’s taken time off from her job as a detective, so when her estranged brother, Isaac, and his fiancée, Laure, invite her to celebrate their engagement at the hotel, Elin really has no reason not to accept.

Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge–there’s something about the hotel that makes her nervous. And when they wake the following morning to discover Laure is missing, Elin must trust her instincts if they hope to find her. With the storm closing off all access to the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic.

Elin is under pressure to find Laure, but no one has realized yet that another woman has gone missing. And she’s the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they are all in. . .

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Sarah Pearse grew up in Devon, UK, and studied English literature and creative writing at the University of Warwick before completing a postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism. She lived in Switzerland for several years before returning to the UK. The Sanatorium is her first novel.

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Here’s the conversation and the introduction to debut author Sarah Pearse.

The Poisoned Pen recently welcomed J.A. Jance for a virtual event to discuss her latest Joanna Brady novel Missing and Endangered. You can order signed copies of the book, and copies of Jance’s other books, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2NIqCrG

Here’s the summary of Missing and Endangered.

Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady’s professional and personal lives collide when her college-age daughter is involved in a missing persons case in this evocative and atmospheric mystery in J. A. Jance’s New York Times bestselling suspense series, set in the beautiful desert country of the American Southwest.

When Jennifer Brady returns to Northern Arizona University for her sophomore year, she quickly becomes a big sister to her new roommate, Beth Rankin, a brilliant yet sheltered sixteen-year-old freshman. For a homeschooled Beth, college is her first taste of both freedom and unfettered access to the internet, and Jenny is concerned that she’s too naïve and rebellious for her own good.

Her worries are well-founded because one day Beth vanishes, prompting Jenny to alert campus authorities, local police, and her mom, Sheriff Joanna Brady—who calls in a favor. Beth is found, but Jenny’s concern has unwittingly put her in the crosshairs of a criminal bent on revenge. 

With Christmas vacation approaching, and Beth at war with her parents, Jenny invites Beth to the shelter of the Brady home. While Joanna is sympathetic, she’s caught up in a sensitive case—an officer-involved shooting that has placed the lives of two young children in jeopardy—leaving her stretched thin to help a fragile young woman recently gone missing and endangered.

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J.A. Jance is the New York Times Bestselling author of more than sixty books. Born in South Dakota and raised in Bisbee, Arizona, she and her husband live in the Seattle area with their two longhaired dachshunds, Mary and Jojo.

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Enjoy the conversation between J.A. Jance and Barbara Peters, especially the discussion of Bisbee, Arizona.

The Poisoned Pen held a virtual book release and surprise party for Mark Greaney’s new Gray Man thriller, Relentless. Relentless is the Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen, and you can still order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2o92azg

Before I share the surprise for Mark Greaney, here’s the summary of Relentless.

The Gray Man’s search for missing intelligence agents plunges him deep into a maelstrom of trouble in the latest entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

The first agent disappearance was a puzzle.

The second was a mystery.

The third was a conspiracy.

Intelligence operatives around the world are disappearing. When a missing American agent re-appears in Venezuela, Court Gentry, the Gray Man, is dispatched to bring him in, but a team of assassins has other ideas. Court escapes with his life and a vital piece of intelligence.

Meanwhile, CIA agent Zoya Zakharova is in Berlin. Her mission: to infiltrate a private intelligence firm with some alarming connections. The closer she gets to answers, the less likely she is to get out alive.

Court and Zoya are just two pieces on this international chessboard, and they’re about to discover one undeniable truth—sometimes capturing a king requires sacrificing some pawns.

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Mark Greaney has a degree in international relations and political science. In his research for the Gray Man novels, including One Minute Out, Mission Critical, Agent in Place, Gunmetal Gray, Back Blast, Dead Eye, Ballistic, On Target, and The Gray Man, he traveled to more than fifteen countries and 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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If you watch the video, you’ll get a chance to join in on the surprise. Mark Greaney celebrates the release of his 20th book (and 10th Gray Man novel), RELENTLESS, with a star-studded group of guest authors: Don Bentley, Marc Cameron, Jack Carr, Joshua Hood and Brad Taylor.

Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, had the opportunity to introduce debut Julie Carrick Dalton, author of Waiting for the Night Song. Dalton talked about the New Hampshire setting and her novel. You can order copies of the book through the Web Store, https://bit.ly/2NbwWZ4

Here’s Waiting for the Night Song.

Named a Most Anticipated book by Newsweek * USA Today * CNN * Parade * Buzzfeed * Medium * GoodReads * PopSugar * Frolic Media * Betches * The Nerd Daily * SheReads and more

“Smart and searingly passionate…an illuminating snapshot of nature, betrayal, and sacrifices set in the evocative New Hampshire wilderness.”–Kim Michele Richardson, bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

A startling and timely debut, Julie Carrick Dalton’s Waiting for the Night Song is a moving, brilliant novel about friendships forged in childhood magic and ruptured by the high price of secrets that leave you forever changed.

Cadie Kessler has spent decades trying to cover up one truth. One moment. But deep down, didn’t she always know her secret would surface?

An urgent message from her long-estranged best friend Daniela Garcia brings Cadie, now a forestry researcher, back to her childhood home. There, Cadie and Daniela are forced to face a dark secret that ended both their idyllic childhood bond and the magical summer that takes up more space in Cadie’s memory then all her other years combined.

Now grown up, bound by long-held oaths, and faced with truths she does not wish to see, Cadie must decide what she is willing to sacrifice to protect the people and the forest she loves, as drought, foreclosures, and wildfire spark tensions between displaced migrant farm workers and locals.

Waiting for the Night Song is a love song to the natural beauty around us, a call to fight for what we believe in, and a reminder that the truth will always rise.

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As a journalist, JULIE CARRICK DALTON has published more than a thousand articles in The Boston Globe, BusinessWeek, The Hollywood Reporter, and other publications. She contributes to DeadDarlings, The Writer Unboxed, and GrubStreet’s writer’s blogs. She also owns and operates a small farm in rural New Hampshire, the backdrop for Waiting for the Night Song, her debut.

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Enjoy the book chat with Julie Carrick Dalton and Barbara Peters.

Janet Skeslien Charles is the author of the hot book, The Paris Library. It’s the #1 Pick for February 2021 for Indie Next, and the #! pick for LibraryReads, selected by librarians. One of Mark Pryor’s Hugo Marston mysteries is called The Paris Librarian. With both books involving the American Library in Paris, Pryor was the perfect person to lead the conversation about Charles’ book. It might take a little time to get a copy of The Paris Library. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen said it was moving quickly. You can order it through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3b6XhiZ

Here’s The Paris Library.

#1 LibraryReads Pick

Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by Library Journal and Goodreads

“‹“‹Based on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family, and the power of literature to bring us together, perfect for fans of The Lilac Girls and The Paris Wife.

Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.

Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.

A powerful novel that explores the consequences of our choices and the relationships that make us who we are—family, friends, and favorite authors—The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest of places.

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Janet Skeslien Charles is the award-winning author of Moonlight in Odessa, which was published in ten languages. Her shorter work has appeared in revues such as Slice and Montana Noir. Janet first became interested in the incredible true story of the librarians who stood up to the Nazi “Book Protector” when she worked as the program’s manager at the American Library in Paris. Her novel The Paris Library will be published in seventeen countries. She divides her time between Montana and Paris. Visit her at JSkeslienCharles.com or connect with her on Twitter @skesliencharles.

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Here’s the fascinating conversation about The Paris Library, writing, and Paris itself.

There’s a combination worth eavesdropping on, Michael Koryta in conversation with Lee Child. The occasion was the virtual release of Koryta’s Hot Book of the Week, Never Far Away. The Poisoned Pen hosted the event, and Lee Child stepped in for a conversation with Koryta. You can still order copies of Never Far Away through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2wy0eIj

Here’s Never Far Away.

New York Times bestselling “master” of American thriller writing Michael Koryta returns with an electrifying new novel about a mother seeking to reconnect with her children after a terrible trial tears their family apart

Nina Morgan’s bloodstained car was found a decade ago on a lonely Florida road. Forensic evidence suggested she’d been murdered, although her body was never found. Her disappearance left her infant children to the care of their father.

Once a pilot, mother, wife, and witness to a gruesome crime, Nina had to flee her old life to save her family. She reinvented herself as Leah Trenton, a guide in the Allagash Wilderness in northern Maine. She never expected to see her children again, but now tragedy has returned them to her—only they have no idea that she’s their mother—and delivered all of them back into danger. “Aunt Leah” will need some help, and an old ally has a suggestion: an enigmatic young hitman named Dax Blackwell.

Never Far Away is a thrilling collision between old sins and new dreams, where the wills and ingenuity of a broken family will be tested against all odds.

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Here’s a conversation you’ll want to hear, Michael Koryta and Lee Child.

Just check out the upcoming virtual events at The Poisoned Pen. Once you do, you’ll want to order books by your favorite authors. You can find the books in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

And, you can find the schedule of upcoming events right here.

From time to time, I’ve linked to Marilyn Stasio’s Crime Column in The New York Times. Yesterday, the newspaper announced Sarah Weinman will be the new crime columnist. Here is the announcement from The New York Times.

New York Times : Sarah Weinman Becomes New Columnist for Crime Fiction as Marilyn Stasio Retires 02/12/2021 | 05:08am EST We are delighted to announce that Sarah Weinman will be the new crime columnist for The New York Times Book Review. She was, of course, the most obvious suspect: Weinman is the author of ‘The Real Lolita: A Lost Girl, An Unthinkable Crime, and a Scandalous Masterpiece,’ and the editor of the anthologies ‘Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit & Obsession’ (Ecco), ‘Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940s & 50s’ (Library of America) and ‘Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives’ (Penguin). A National Magazine Award finalist for Reporting, Weinman has written for The Times, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post, New York magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications, while her fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and various anthologies. Weinman also writes the ‘Crime Lady’ newsletter, covering crime fiction, true crime and all points in between. Her next book – about William F. Buckley’s ill-fated advocacy for a Death Row prisoner – will be published by Ecco in 2022. Marilyn Stasio, who has written her extremely popular twice-monthly column since 1988, will continue to contribute reviews to The Times on crime, true crime and other related subjects. ‘Long before I came to work at The Times, I turned to Marilyn’s column for reading recommendations,’ says Tina Jordan, Stasio’s editor and the deputy editor of the Book Review. ‘She covered the fictional murder-and-mayhem landscape so thoroughly – not just books by big-name authors, but books in translation, books from small presses.’ In a 2017 interview with The Times on the occasion of Stasio’s 30th anniversary at the Book Review, Weinman noted that Stasio’s seriousness and longevity had transformed her into someone whom people ‘revere and fear.’Sarah Weinman’s first column appears online today and in our Feb. 14th issue.

Curious? You can order Sarah Weinman’s books through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2PPeH7g