The Poisoned Pen
Let's Extend National Read a Book Day to Every Day in September
Table of Contents

The Poisoned Pen

 

The Poisoned Pen

4014 N Goldwater Blvd #101

Scottsdale, AZ

85251

 

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SIGNED BOOKS FOR YOU

Click on the title to order

Walt Longmire
See Ticketed Events
Signed September 19


Bloody Genius
Virgil Flowers and a Body in the Library
So Agatha Christie
So Fabulous
Signed September 30
at the publication party


Wow!
On sale September 12
Comes with a bookplate signed by Jack DuBrul

Event and Other Books

A debut set in New Zealand with forensics
Signed tonight


Fifth Column
A WWII mystery
Signed September 16


What Rose Forgot
Signed September 17
Publication Day


Weaponizing elevator tech
Signed September 18


New York Noir
1803 style
Signed September 23


Publication Party
September 24


Archaeologist Faye Longchamp
in stock now
Signed September 29


Last Train to London
September History Book of the Month


Cold Storage
September First Mystery Book of the Month


another surprise book
now in stock


Joe Pike & Elvis Cole
in stock now


and briefly back in stock


A thriller updating 1984 to the near future...and amazon
in stock now


The animal voices are fabulous
due in two weeks


Set in New Zealand
Remember Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair?
This is Dickens, not Bronte
Our August First Novel Book of the Month
A Pen Exclusive
and in  stock now!


5 left in stock of the new Sister Fidelma Irish Medieval Mystery
A great series


Western Mystery
in stock now


1282 England at war with Wales
based on a real hanging
in stock now and selling fast


restock, tip ins
only a few left in stock
only 4 copies left

Happy Monday!

Last Friday was National Read a Book Day.  Why not make every day this month a day to read?

So many good reasons to do it. I like this one

Books, helping introverts avoid conversation since 1454

Here's an idea: 8 mysteries that feature independent bookstores for you to explore and enjoy. 

One of the 8, John Dunning's classic Booked to Die ($17), remains our bestselling paperback across the 30 years of our history. Set in Denver, the plot features a mix of mystery genres and spells out the value of first printings. Plus it has a real MacGuffin in the end game -- a MacGuffin being a thing mystery fans should know and enjoy. It appears that supply is a bit sketchy but I'm ordering some copies with hope they will appear.

Last week was great fun, first Stephen Coonts and two former CIA agents turned authors. A great discussion. On September 5, William Kent Krueger and  This Tender Land  (Atria $27).

And on September 7, local librarian turned bestselling author Jenn McKinlay in this month's Cozy Crimes Book of the Month, 
Word to the Wise  (Berkley $26)

Here's Kent making his 20th consecutive appearance (actually with a couple more hosting gigs on top of it) at The Pen:



You can enjoy these programs with authors on  Facebook Live   or our  YouTube    channel.

And listen to our podcasts on Google or on iTunes or  on Podbean

Do check our BLOG regularly. Lesa updates awards, news, and interviews. 

Much love to our social media team.

Barbara and all The Pens

Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter 
  
Thank you for supporting The Poisoned Pen, frequently named Best Specialty Bookstore by the  New Times and by the  
Arizona Republic , one of 45 Great American Indie Bookstores 2013; Best Locally Owned and Operated Business: Scottsdale 2016; and Poisoned Pen Press, winner of the 2010 Ellery Queen Award from the Mystery Writers of America and named the 2011 Best Local Publisher by the  Arizona Republic and now the mystery imprint at Sourcebooks.
The September Booknews, Club and Paperback Picks, Staff Picks
and a link to the August BookNotes



Here is the link to the September Booknews

Note it has a Cozy section before the Small Paperbacks, loads of Signed and Event Books, and a roundup of Cool Critters for fun.

The new August BookNotes is full of suggestions for wonderful books. 

Here are the September Staff Picks

The September Paperback Picks and Books of the Month are listed below.

Do browse our  Web Store . New additions are frequently made to upcoming books and events. I've added loads of titles to Coming Soon... a very big fall looms.

Please remember: 
See It Here. Buy It Here.

Thank you for your business. I remind all of you reading this, that it only takes buying one book a month by each of you to keep us here!  Or merchandise, or a gift card. Or, a new audio book option.

Sara Johnson
A debut set in New Zealand
Library Journal's Mystery Debut of the Month
Tonight 7:00 PM
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9 7:00 PM
Poisoned Pen Press Party with giveaways and treats
Sara Johnson  signs her debut  Molten Mud Murder  (Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press $15.95)

An American forensics specialist in New Zealand. Recommended by Douglas Preston

Our copies include an essay by Sara on why she chose New Zealand as the landscape for this series, and why New Zealand is such an excellent place for people to disappear... possibly murdered

As ever I remind you how important it is to turn out to support new writers and how much they value a chance to discuss their work with readers like you!

Library Journal names our Discovery Book of the Month its Debut Mystery for September and gives it this Starred Review:

 "American Alexa Glock is a forensics expert who finished a job in Auckland, New Zealand, and hopes to find a temporary job to extend her work permit. When she learns about an unidentified man whose body was found in the mud pits in Rotorua, she offers to help the local police force. Alexa is trained in odontology, the study of teeth, which might help since the man's head was boiled in the mud. As the police investigate the victim, it's clear he violated the sacred lands of the Maori, a large population on the island. Many think he deserved to die for stepping on a sacred island without permission. Forewarned, Alexa is sent to the island to investigate. When her lab assistant is attacked and a Maori man is murdered, she and the investigating team try to determine whether the Maori are responsible or someone is trying to frame them. 

There's a strong sense of place, history, and Maori culture in this compelling debut novel. The mystery combines forensic investigation with the rich details of a fascinating culture. Fans of Kathy Reichs' mysteries will appreciate the forensics, while Jane Harper's readers will enjoy the rich culture."

The Hurricane cancelled travel plans for North Carolina resident
Thomas Kies. He will instead join us September 29 to sign Graveyard Bay (Sourcebooks $26.99) with reporter  Geneva Chase

Katayoun Medhat
Navajo Police Procedural
Thursday 7:00 PM
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12 7:00 PM
Katayoun Medhat  signs  Lacandon Dreams, Part II of the Milagro Mystery Series (Leapfrog Press $17)

Join our native Arizonan Patrick to discuss this book set in Navajo country

Meet Franz Kafka, aka K, unlikely officer of the law, the most conflicted of them all. In this dystopian world, Big Energy is fracking the life out of San Matteo County, a teenager's mysterious vanishing is callously ignored, all the sheriff's men are out training schoolteachers in arms proficiency while the mighty melting pot is a witches' cauldron of intercultural discontent. Super-sleuth Navajo cop Robbie Begay's unconventional methods help K take on the bad guys, and K finds unexpected solace in an old Lacandon woman's dreams. 

"Tony Hillerman fans will welcome Medhat's excellent debut and series launch, a refreshing take on Navajo country's crime, culture, and history... Medhat, who holds a Ph.D. in medical anthropology, uses pathos and humor, tragedy and comedy, to spin an entertaining and original mystery."- -PW starred review.

The Quality of Mercy, Part I ($16) introduces quixotic cop Franz Kafka and Navajo tribal police officer Robbie Begay as they track a killer across a landscape of cultural clashes and dangerous, small-town secrets.
Swtich to Libro.fm and Get a 3 for 1 Deal


Start your Libro.fm membership and use the code "SWITCH" to get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 ($14.99).

Already a member? Vsit our webstore and search for the title you're interested in.  If Libro.fm has it available you'll see a new 
Buy The Audiobook button on the same page where you order the book. 

More info from Libro.fm can be found by clicking on the link.

Here is its list of bestselling fiction audiobooks for August

1.  Where the Crawdads Sing  by Delia Owens (Penguin Random House Audio)
2. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin Random House Audio)
3. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (Penguin Random House Audio)
4. Circe by Madeline Miller (Hachette Audio)
5. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes (Penguin Random House Audio)
6. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (Simon & Schuster Audio)
7. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Penguin Random House Audio)
8. Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner (Simon & Schuster Audio)
9. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Penguin Random House Audio)
10. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (Macmillan Audio)

New to Libro.fm's list is Ocean Vuong's  On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous . The author-read audiobook gives a direct authenticity that readers will appreciate

New Books, Such Fun!

Edwards, Martin. Gallows Court (Sourcebooks $15.95). Out in September,  Signed here October 29.  

The Booklist Starred Review:
"Edwards has earned a clutch of awards for nonfiction and fiction alike, and his latest novel arrives in the U.S. after having he won the UK's 2018 Dagger in the Library Award. At the center of this stand-alone thriller, set in London in 1930, is Rachel Savernake, a glamorous, 24-year-old heiress with an interest in amateur sleuthing. Both Scotland Yard inspectors and Fleet Street reporters are baffled by the fact that Rachel beat the police in solving two murders and dismemberments of young women. A Fleet Street cub crime reporter is fascinated by Rachel (as will be the reader); their cat-and-mouse game is absorbing in itself. Adding to the mystery is a series of interspersed journal entries about Rachel, dating from 1919. This is highly atmospheric, spine-tingling fun. The 1930s setting is to die for, including many evocative details, like the speaking tube with which Rachel communicates with the driver of her Rolls Royce, and the presence of a yellowing poster for Hitchcock's 1929 thriller Blackmail, hanging in the luggage office of a London train station. Best of all, the way that Edwards keeps deepening the creepiness of this mystery until the very end is utterly stunning."-Booklist Starred Review. 

In its Star, PW adds, " The labyrinthine plot is one of Edwards's best, and he does a masterly job of maintaining suspense, besides getting the reader to invest in the fate of the two main characters. Fans of Edgar Wallace's classic Four Just Men won't want to miss this one."

Koepp, David. Cold Storage (Harper $27.99). A Signed debut in the old Michael Crichton tradition 

They thought it was contained. They were wrong. Here's 
"The Andromeda Strain on crack: chilling end-of-the-world terror infected with wicked humor"

Our September First Mystery Book of the Month selection is also a September Indie Next Pick -- clearly the creepinge fungus captures readers as a force to be reckoned with. 

"Screenwriter and director Koepp makes his fiction debut with a sensational thriller. In 1979, Skylab, the first NASA space station, crashes into the Indian Ocean, with a piece landing in Western Australia. Aboard Skylab is a highly adaptive fungal organism, Cordyceps novus, which was sent into space as a research project. Once back on Earth, the organism starts to evolve into a sentient killer that sees humankind-and all other life-forms-as nourishment. In 1987, USAF Major Roberto Diaz, a Defense Nuclear Agency operative, manages to contain the organism after it decimates a remote Australian community in nightmarish fashion. In 2019, Diaz, who's now retired, receives the midnight call he's been dreading-the remnants of the organism, buried far underground inside a former military installation in Kansas, may have escaped. Diaz rushes from his North Carolina home to Kansas, where he joins two security guards in battling the menace. Breakneck pacing and nonstop action" ensue. 

I like having something creepy to set us up for Halloween.

Lagercrantz, David. The Girl Who Died Twice (Knopf $27.95)
Signed for us in New York

The girl with the dragon tattoo is finally ready to confront her nemesis, the only woman who is evidently and in many ways her match. Salander will not wait to be hunted. When she strikes it will be a double blow: vengeance for recent atrocities, and the settling of lifelong scores. For months now Salander has been closing in on her target. She has moved from Stockholm, her hair is newly styled, her piercings are gone. She could pass for any other businesswoman. But not all businesswomen have a Beretta Cheetah beneath their jacket. They do not wield the lethal power of a hacker's genius. They do not carry scars and tattoos to remind them that they have survived the impossible. It begins with the discovery of Mikael Blomkvist's number at Millennium magazine in the pocket of an unidentified homeless man who died with the name of a government minister on his lips....

And a new British Library Crime Classic 
Edwards, Martin, ed. Deep Waters (Sourcebooks $14.99)

The latest BLCC anthology showcases 16 crime stories "connected, in one way or another, with water," as editor Edwards notes in his introduction. Among the highlights are William Hope Hodgson's "Bullion!," in which boxes of gold bullion appear and disappear aboard a ship, and Gwyn Evans's "The Pool of Secrets," a clever variation on The Hound of the Baskervilles , in which a murder is purportedly the work of the ghost of a woman who drowned herself in her silver wedding gown. Fans of the Columbo TV series will appreciate R. Austin Freeman's "The Echo of a Mutiny," in which the author's Holmesian detective, Dr. John Thorndyke, is able to apprehend a killer by examining the clues he left at the murder scene, a lighthouse. Drawing on an encyclopedic knowledge of the genre, Edwards includes writers who will be new to most readers, notably James Pattinson, whose tricky "The Man Who Was Drowned" centers on a suspicious account of a man falling overboard from an ocean liner. Here's a welcome addition to Poisoned Pen Press' British Library Crime Classics series.

September Books of the Month!

SEPTEMBER BOOKS OF THE MONTH
British Crime Club One unsigned hardcover or paperback per month
Cleeves, Ann. The Long Call  (a new series set in Devon)

Cozy Crimes Club One unsigned hardcover or paperback per month
McKinlay, Jenn. Word to the Wise

Discovery Club  One paperback or hardcover per month
Johnson, Sarah. Molten Mud Murder  

First Mystery Club  One Signed First per month
Koepp, David. Cold Storage

Hardboiled Crime Club  One signed First per month 
Sallis, James. Sarah Jane 

History/Mystery Club  One Signed First per month 
Clayton, Meg Waite. Last Train to London

History Paperback  One per month
Stuart, AM. Singapore Sapphire

Modern First Editions  One Signed First per month
Krueger, William Kent. This Tender Land  

SciFi/Fantasy/Horror Club  One Signed First per month
Hoffman, Alice. The World That We Knew 

Surprise Me! Club  One Signed First Per Month
Rozan, SJ. Paper Son

Thriller Club  One Signed First per month
Sandford, John. Bloody Genius  Comes with a special extra created just for you

September Paperback Picks
OUR SEPTEMBER SMALL PAPERBACK PICKS
Coleman, Reed F. Robert B Parker's Colorblind
Cussler, Clive. Shadow Tyrants
Follett, Ken. A Column of Fire
Grant, Andrew. Invisible
Hamilton, Glen. Mercy River
Hamilton, Steve. Dead Man Running
Quirk, Matthew. The Night Agent
Sandford, John. Holy Ghost
Thompson, Victoria. City of Secrets
Ware, Ruth. The Lying Game
 
OUR SEPTEMBER LARGE PAPERBACK PICKS
Barclay, Linwood. The Noise Downstairs
Camilleri, Andrea. The Other End of the Line
Coben, Harlan. Run Away
Hirsch, Paddy. The Devil's Half Mile
Jewell, Lisa.  Watching You
Kennedy, Randy.  Presidio
Lescroart, John. Rule of Law
Limón , Martin. The Line
Miller, Madeline.  Circe
Pelecanos, George. The Man Who Came Uptown
Rankin, Ian. In a House of Lies
Stabenow, Dana. Death of an Eye
Stuart, A. M. Singapore Sapphire
Upson, Nicola. Nine Lessons
Weinman, Sarah. The Real Lolita
Two Ticketed Events


THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 19 7:00 PM

Craig Johnson signs Land of Wolves (Viking 28$)

OUTLANDER GUIDE EVENT
SATURDAY OCTOBER 15

Diana Gabaldon and Tara Bennett discuss and sign a  Series Guide to Seasons 3 & 4

This is a   ticketed event. Please click on the link to order

$55 one book and admits one $60 one book and admits two (limited number of $60 tickets)
Limit: 600 fans

Time: 6:30 PM (Doors Open 5:30 PM)

Location:
The DoubleTree Hilton Hotel
5401 North Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale AZ 85250 

(The Pen has no arrangement with the hotel for discounted rooms.
Please check with the Hilton directly for room reservations. There
are numerous hotels in the immediate area)
 
No personal books. Diana will sign any books purchased at the event

Can't attend? Please click on the title to order your copy signed by both authors:

.
If using  PayPal please email  sales@poisonedpen.com to get the shipping  rate to be included in your payment

Our September Calendar
 
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9 7:00 PM
Poisoned Pen Press Party with giveaways and treats
Sara Johnson signs her debut Molten Mud Murder (Sourcebooks $15.95)
American forensics specialist in New Zealand

Postponed to September 29 by the hurricane:
Thomas Kies signs Graveyard Bay (Sourcebooks $26.99)
Reporter Geneva Chase
 
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12 7:00 PM
Katayoun Medhat signs
Navajo Police Procedural

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 16 7:00 PM
Andrew Gross signs The Fifth Column (St Martins $28.99)
WWII New York City thriller
 
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 17 7:00 PM Book Launch
Nevada Barr signs What Rose Forgot (St Martins $28.99)
A thriller
 
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 18 7:00 PM
Linwood Barclay signs Elevator Pitch (Morrow $26.99)
Wow!
 
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 19 7:00 PM
Ticketed Event $32 admits one with one book; $37 admits two with one book
Craig Johnson signs Land of Wolves (Viking $28)
Sheriff Walt Longmire
 
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 23 7:00 PM
Paddy Hirsch signs Hudson's Kill (Forge $25.99)
Justice Flanagan 1803 New York City
 
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 24 7:00 PM
Publication Party for James Sallis
SJ Rozan signs  Paper Son (Pegasus $25.95)
Lydia Chin & Bill Smith
James Sallis signs  Sarah Jane (Soho $23.95)
 
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 26 7:00 PM
T. Greenwood signs Keeping Lucy (St Martins $27.99)
Suspense based on a true story of a Downs child
 
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 27 7:00 PM
Kyle Mills signs Vince Flynn Lethal Agent (Atria $28.99)
Mitch Rapp
 
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28 2:00 PM Mystery Tea
Mary Anna Evans signs  Catacombs (Sourcebooks $26.95 and $15.95)
Faye Longchamp Archaeology Mysteries
 
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 29 2:00 PM
Poisoned Pen Press Party with giveaways and treats
Warren Easley signs  No Way to Die (Sourcebooks $26.95 and $15.95)
Lawyer Cal Claxton Oregon Mysteries
Dennis Palumbo signs  Head Wounds (Sourcebooks $15.95
Psychologist Dr. Daniel Rinaldo
And Mark Coggins sign The Dead Beat Scroll (Down & Out Books $17.95)

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 30 7:00 PM Book Launch
John Sandford signs Bloody Genius (Putnam $29)
Our copies come with an exclusive custom-designed extra that fits 
The Body in the Library of Virgil Flowers #12
 
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 2 7:00 PM
JA Jance signs Sins of the Fathers (Harper $26.99
JP Beaumont
 
OFFICIAL 30th BIRTHDAY PARTY
TICKETED EVENT 
This event has sold out. Thank you.
 
SEPTEMBER DISCUSSION CLUBS
Please buy your copy from The Pen. Anyone welcome but remember you risk spoilers if you don't read the selection in advance

Coffee & Crime : Saturday September 14 10:30 AM
Rice, Craig. Home Sweet Homicide ($15.95)

SciFi Friday : September 20 7:00 PM
Lee, Fonda. Jade City ($15.95)

Croak & Dagger : Saturday September 21 10:30 AM
Turton, Stuart. The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle ($16.99)

Hardboiled Crime: Wednesday September 25 7:00 PM
Welch, James. The Death of Jim Loney ($15)

Parking, Drinks & Dining
and a generous offer from Arcadia Farms Cafe
We suggest when you can you come early to The Pen (chairs go down around 5:00 PM or 1:00 PM for afternoon events), reserve your seat(s), and explore our vibrant Old Town Scottsdale neighborhood.


Parking is more difficult sometimes because of the restaurants (editorial comment -- the City of Scottsdale's parking policies suck!). We've given you locations beyond our parking lot. 
Search for them under Parking

Good News: Arcadia Farms Cafe has generously offered us its parking for evening events when needed. You can also park just south of our lot between the alley and Main Street.

One reason we don't have a cafe or bar in The Pen is there isn't enough dedicated parking to allow one.

Enjoy --there are all sorts of food and beverages on offer.
Mystery-of-the-Month Club 

Looking for something new to read each month and aren't sure what to choose?  Let us help... And it makes a great gift for Dad!
 
The Mystery-of-the-Month Club is individually tailored to each customer's specific tastes.  Just let us know what kinds of mysteries you enjoy, whether your looking for signed hardcover books or paperbacks, and we'll take it from there!
 
For more information, drop Patrick King a line at
 
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The Poisoned Pen
Is a full service general bookstore with a specialty in fiction of all kinds, and in history. When books are not on our shelves we can order them for you quickly or, if British, it takes a little longer.

Email any requests to sales@poisonedpen.com. It's all part of the experience. Thank you for supporting The Poisoned Pen.

Winner, 2001 Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America! Winner,
2012 The Arizona Republic and the New Times Best of Phoenix and Best of Scottsdale, Best Bookstore! 2013 Arizona Republic's Critics' Choice and Reader's Choice Best Specialty Bookstore
12-time Nominee, Publishers Weekly's Bookseller of the Year
Winner, James Patterson Page-Turner Award
Poisoned Pen Press, Winner, The 2010 Ellery Queen Award from The Mystery Writers of America
Member of the Crime Writers of Canada, British Crime Writers Association, The American Booksellers Association,