The Poisoned Pen
Two Weeks of New Books Lies Ahead
Table of Contents

The Poisoned Pen

 

The Poisoned Pen

4014 N Goldwater Blvd #101

Scottsdale, AZ

85251

 

(480) 947-2974

(888) 560-9919

 

www.poisonedpen.com 

sales@poisonedpen.com 

 

Directions? Hours? Click here.

SIGNED BOOKS FOR YOU
PLEASE PREORDER
where not in stock
Click on the title to order
especially for UK books


Nora Kelly
Signed by both Authors
Virtual Book Launch
January 12
Order Early!


Virtual book launch
December 1 6:00 PM
The Butcher's Boy returns

The Art of Violence
Bill Smith & Lydia Chin
Virtual December 2 6 PM


In League with Sherlock Holmes
Signed by King and Klinger
Virtual December 3 


Cold Wind
Alaska Wild #2
Virtual December 4 4 PM

Blind Vigil
PI Rick Cahill
Virtual December 7 6:30 PM

Josie Preston
Our December Cozy Crimes Book of the Month
Virtual December 8


Virtual December 9


Signed UK edition
Three 16th Century tales for fans of CJ Sansom
One in 1659 Rome at Christmas
due in soon


Back in stock
Two women akin to Wolfe and Goodwin in 1940s NY
We sold out this our October Historical Fiction Book of the Month but the author signed more for us


Daylight
Atlee Pine, FBI (plus more)
Virtual Book Launch
November 17 6:00 PM


Marauder
The Oregon Files
Morrison's last full collaboration with the late Clive Cussler
in stock now

Shadow of the Dragon
Our copies come with a letter for you signed by Cameron
in stock now

Jackie's memoir
A terrific gift for Maisie Dobbs fans
The Lincoln Lawyer
in stock now

A ballerina is killed in LA
Our November Crime Book of the Month

Stephanie Plum
Our copies signed by Janet come with a custom holiday card for you

The Sentinel
Jack Reacher #25
Now Signed by both authors
just 2 left in stock

Our December SciFi/Fantasy Book of the Month
on sale Tuesday

new series virtual launch
in stock now

Awesome Man
Michael Chabon
Super hero for kids
in stock now

stories told through unusual pictures
amazing stuff
a gift for the unorthodox
in stock now 

A wonderful novel of books and bookstores and booksellers and authors and even editors
Our December Fantastic New Fiction Book of the Month
in stock now
 


in stock now

A top gift idea
The Companion to The Lost Words, beautifully illustrated
in stock now

in stock now
Imagine being stalked by a prehistoric arachnid?
An epic American Novel
compared to The Grapes of Wrath
in stock now

The Bronte Sisters as sleuths
Signed UK Edition
due in late November


A Song for the Dark Times
John Rebus
just 3 left in stock

Ok, I've dragged myself from under the quilts to out to the dog park (masked) to my office to say I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving Day.

The day after Thanksgiving has its joys -- leftovers with none of the clean up! Yay. Many of us, certainly me, may feel as stuffed as the turkey. 

However along with these happy moments comes the knowledge that misfortune plagues far too many individuals, families, and businesses. If you can this is a time to step up and help where you can with donations and services. And supporting businesses to keep them going until we move past all the current plagues.

I want small businesses to thrive -- obviously! -- but in a responsible way. 



The Pen will be open to masked and distanced and limited numbers of shoppers tomorrow, Small Business Saturday. See below for extras we are offering. 

BUT I urge you to honor Small Business Saturday with curbside pickup rather than in-store browsing -- we offer the same extras to those choosing the pick up option. 

If shopping early is an overwhelming prospect, then consider a Poisoned Pen Gift Card to be redeemed post holidays. Or enroll someone in one of our Book of the Month Clubs, a gift that arrives every month to the door of the lucky recipient.

What fun to get a Mystery Box each month. One focused more closely on a specific taste.

We read all the book club books BEFORE we select them for each month

Karen@poisonedpen.com for details. 


And for our Mystery of the Month Club, no specific genre and mostly paperbacks, please email Pat@poisonedpen.com to enroll yourself or someone who enjoys reading.

Thank you for supporting The Pen, an independent bookstore where real people and not algorithms recommend books to you

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 and more....
Donate to The Pen
Today we received a very generous donation from a reader who wrote: "I really enjoy your podcasts with the authors and the newsletters. I am a Kindle reader and want to support your efforts."

We here at The Pen love to share our virtual programs, podcasts, and newsletters like this with you. But the virtual world is very expensive to operate -- we cannot monetize all that we do through book sales. And we want to keep our programs free, not ticketed.

If you are a reader who enjoys our free events and publications but doesn't buy books from The Pen, please consider making a donation. Even if you are a customer, think of it as a tip jar. And it's contactless using a credit or debit card.

Here is the DONATE link  

Checks made out to The Poisoned Pen are welcome too.

And if you prefer something tangible, the purchase of a Gift Card is a kind of small loan. Please see the Gift Card section of the Enews below.

Thank you. Every dollar counts.

 Back to Curbside Pickup + phone & internet orders
only

We note with worry that infection rates are rising and that an influx of travelers is arriving in Arizona. News has broken that 800 kids are participating in a soccer tournament in metro Phoenix this weekend for example.

Thanksgiving may well act as a superspreader. So we are allowing the incubation period to elapse before we reassess the safety of in-store browsing on December 14. 

Bummer!! We miss seeing you. Thank you for bearing with us

Curbside Pickup Hours are: 11:00-4:00 M-F, also 6:00-8:00 
W & Thu; and 11:00-6:00 on Saturday. And 1:00-4:00 PM on Sundays.

For curbside pickup please use 480-970-1534. 
The webstore and email operate 24/7
For the best customer service other than curbside pickup please continue to email sales@poisonedpen.com  
Small Business Saturday
Tomorrow the 28th

We enrolled in this excellent annual program again and will honor it. The store will be open for no more than 6 at a time from 
11:00 AM to 5:00 PM 

We require MASKS and SANITIZER. SOCIAL DISTANCING. And no public restroom.

If you call in an order on November 28 and pick it up same day, or stop by, we offer this:

All paperbacks will be 40% off just for Saturday for purchases made via in store browsing or pickup.

Additionally we will be giving away, at random, 4 copies of Barack Obama's autobiography A Promised Lan.

And 1 copy at random to internet orders received on November 28 that will ship with the winning order.


Beware Scammers in the Facebook Events Comments Section

It's been brought to our attention that scammers have inserted comments with links into some of not just our but many Facebook Live events.

Please DO NOT CLICK on any link you see. They are not safe.
The November BookNotes plus the
Booknews & Staff Picks + Lists

John has produced a tantalizing BOOKNOTES issue for November. 

I love his reviews and encourage you to gobble them up.

Here also is is the link to the NOVEMBER BOOKNEWS
What Time Are Our Events?
Please note that our virtual events are all on MT. 

A 6:00 PM MT event here at The Pen begins at 8:00 PM ET, 7:00 PM CT, and 5:00 PM PT. 

For our British customers, 12:00 PM here is 7:00 PM BT. Add an hour moving east across European time zones.

For our NZ and Australian customers, etc, 4:00 PM here is 10:00 AM the next day for you.
 
Video Book Talks
You can find some book talks, short recommendations, by me and on our Instagram courtesy of IGTV. Check out short videos by Patrick, Pat King, and John Charles of our staff as well.

You can also find  book talks on our Home Page

Now Running: Joseph Finder
More New Podcasts
New podcasts post frequently. We can see you are  enjoying them by the over 51,000 downloads. Lots of conversations here! And with lots of authors! You can see why we would welcome donations to support this free addition to our programming.

Visit our new Podcasts 
Easy download links are provided. They are also available on ITunes and Google Music

Don't forget to search for a favorite author. There are many of them, often frequent visitors to The Pen, but some new to us.

New: David Baldacci,.Carlene O'Connor with John. Joseph Finder.
Lars Kepler
Virtual US Book Launch
with Robert Anglen
Tuesday 12:00 PM
(from Sweden)
TUESDAY DECEMBER 1 12:00 PM
Swedish author Lars Kepler discusses Lazarus
(Knopf $28.95)  with Robert Anglen! 
Signed bookplates available

Joona Linna, a superintendent with Sweden's National Crimes Unit, who has "solved more complex murder cases than anyone else in Scandinavia," returns to active duty after completing a community service sentence following time in prison for assault. 

Meanwhile, a suspected grave robber is murdered in Oslo, and in his refrigerator is the skull of Linna's late wife, which the robber apparently dug up in Sweden and brought home to Norway. The dead man has whip marks on his back, injuries similar to those Linna saw on the brother of his dead Hannibal Lecter-like adversary, Jurek Walter, in a previous outing. In Germany, those same injuries show up on the body of another murdered criminal, who made a call to Linna's cellphone shortly before his death. Linna becomes convinced that Walter is still alive and recruiting men across Europe to serve as accomplices in his crimes. 

Kepler (the pen name of a husband-wife writing team) maintains an almost unbearable level of tension throughout and does an outstanding job of making readers fear that anyone could die a horrible death at any time. Fans of serial killer fiction won't want to miss this one."--PW
Thomas Perry
Virtual Book Launch
Tuesday 6:00 PM
(from Los Angeles)
TUESDAY DECEMBER 1 6:00 PM Virtual Book Launch
Thomas Perry discusses Eddie's Boy (Grove/Mysterious $26)

Signed books in stock

While the action begins in and propels us through the present, this is an origin story for The Butcher's Boy showing us how the orphan informally became the ward of a small-town butcher whose sideline was contract killer. Eddie taught Michael Shaeffer both trades and a set of life skills that has allowed Michael to survive for some 30 years in retirement with his aristocratic English wife. He easily defeats the first wave, then the second, in England and on Meg's advice jets to Australia to work out what is going on. 

That proves even worse so Michael flies to the States. "In the U.S., he seeks out Justice Department bigwig Elizabeth Waring, who once used him as an informant, and suggests a trade for info about his hunters. It soon becomes clear that the likely instigator is a Mafia don Michael helped send to prison years earlier by framing him for a murder. An immensely clever cat and mouse game he engineers involving Waring and various mob factions ensues."

 Perry won the Best First Novel Edgar for The Butcher's Boy ($17) whom he revisits here for the third time-and may yet again.

Caz Frear 
Wednesday 1:00 PM
with Patrick
(from England)
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 2 1:00 PM
Caz Frear in conversation with Patrick
Frear discusses Shed No Tears (Harper $26.99)

Signed bookplates. Note: To best enjoy Shed No Tears first read Cat's two earlier investigations

 The discovery in a remote area of Cambridgeshire of a missing woman's remains reignites a cold case. In 2012, in what was dubbed the Roommate Case, the confessed killer, Christopher Masters, lured four women to his house by advertising a room for rent and killed three of them. The fourth, Holly Kemp, identified by eyewitness testimony, escaped and went missing...until now, 2018. DI Cat Kinsella and her partner, DS Luigi Parnell, take another look at the Kemp case as her body's been found. Because Kemp was killed in a different manner than the other victims, and her body was found a distance Masters's house, the partners suspect Masters, who's now dead, might now be Kemp's killer. If not, loaded questions arise which play into Cat's own internal monologue about how to reconcile being a cop with her crook of a father....

 Here's the Indie Next Pick: "Kinsella is whip smart, takes no nonsense, and is a wry-one-liner machine. In their newest case, Kinsella and her partner, Luigi Parnell, find a connection to a serial killer. Christopher Masters was arrested for the kidnapping and murder of four women six years ago. His final victim wasn't found until now, so Kinsella may finally have the evidence to close the case once and for all. But as they dive back into a cold case, they find some troubling issues. As they dig deeper, they head into a rabbit hole they may never be able to get out of. Wonderfully twisty and satisfyingly puzzling, the newest mystery by Frear is a must for all thriller fans."


SJ Rozan
Wednesday 6:00 PM
(from New York City)
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 2 6:00 PM
SJ Rozan discusses The Art of Violence (Pegasus $25.95)
PIs Lydia Chin/Bill Smith

Signed books in stock

A rewardingly savvy tour of Manhattan's demented art scene is led by PI Bill Smith whose turn it is in this long-running series to be the lead. His partner in all things, Lydia Chin, takes the role every other book. 

Lucky for her it's Bill this time as Sam Tabor, a recent darling of the art world, is definitely their most wacko client. Recently given a release from prison where he was serving heavy time for stabbing a young woman--he claims he was drugged by the punch served at the fatal party scene. Sam drinks too much. He's wildly unstable. His memory such as it is is unreliable. And thus he comes to Bill believing he has killed two women, maybe more, and wants Bill to prove he did it. He's willing to make a preemptive confession of guilt to the NYPD's Angela Grimaldi. 

You have to go with this set up and ride along with Bill who reluctantly agrees to check into the new murders, with an assist from Lydia. In its Starred Review, PW says, "As always, Rozan's intelligent, witty prose is a treat, and she justifies a choice made in the previous book regarding the relationship between her two leads." 

Don't miss Paper Son ($25.95), their last case, led by Lydia and taking the pair to Mississippi-simply brilliant and IMHO one of the best of 2019.

Sherlock Lives
Laurie R King 
Leslie S. Klinger
Thursday 7:00 PM
(from California)
THURSDAY DECEMBER 3 7:00 PM
Sherlock lives! A conversation with Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger
As editors they discuss their new Holmes anthology 
In League with Sherlock Holmes (Pegasus $25.95), stories from multiple authors inspired by the Holmes canon: Martin Edwards, Tess Gerritsen, Joe R. Lansdale, etc.

Books signed by both in stock

King and Klinger, who both signed this collection, have invited another fifteen masters to this volume in their series. They include award-winning authors of horror, thrillers, mysteries, westerns, and science-fiction, all bound together in admiration and affection for the original stories. 

Past tales have spanned the Victorian era, World War I, World War II, the post-war era, and contemporary America and England. They have featured familiar figures from literature and history, children, master sleuths, official police, unassuming amateurs, unlikely protagonists, even ghosts and robots. Some were new tales about Holmes and Watson; others were about people from Holmes's world or admirers of Holmes and his methods. 

The resulting stories are funny, haunting, thrilling, and surprising. All are unforgettable.

A collection of Sherlock stories is a brilliant gift for nearly any reader and from young ones on up to senior.
James Patterson Virtual Book Launch with
Lee Child
Monday December 7
5:00 PM
A purchase is required to attend

MONDAY DECEMBER 7 5:00 PM Virtual Book Launch
James Patterson in conversation with Lee Child

Patterson discusses two new releases: 

The Last Days of John Lennon (Little Brown $30), true crime, Lennon and his assassin

And Deadly Cross ($29), Alex Cross #28

The purchase of either of the two books gets you a zoom invitation

Ticket holders' books will each come with a letter signed by Patterson for Poisoned Pen customers 


The 2021 Grand Masters
The Mystery Writers of America announces Charlaine Harris and Jeffery Deaver as the 2021 Grand Masters, an award that acknowledges important contributions to the genre as well as for a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality. 

The Raven Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing, goes to the Malice Domestic mystery conference, founded in 1989 and held every spring since then. 

The honorees will receive their awards at the 75th Annual Edgar Awards Ceremony, scheduled to be held April 29.

Our December
Calendar
Check back for updates
 
TUESDAY DECEMBER 1 12:00 PM
Swedish author Lars Kepler discusses Lazarus
(Knopf $28.95)  with Robert Anglen! 

TUESDAY DECEMBER 1 6:00 PM Virtual Book Launch
Thomas Perry discusses Eddie's Boy (Grove/Mysterious $26)
Michael Shaeffer aka The Butcher's Boy is back
Signed books in stock
 
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 2 1:00 PM
Caz Frear in conversation with Patrick
Frear discusses Shed No Tears (Harper $26.99)
London cop Cat Kinsella
Signed bookplates
 
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 2 6:00 PM
SJ Rozan discusses The Art of Violence (Pegasus $25.95)
PIs Lydia Chin/Bill Smith
Signed books in stock

THURSDAY DECEMBER 3 7:00 PM
Sherlock lives! A conversation with Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger
As editors they discuss their new Holmes anthology 
In League with Sherlock Holmes (Pegasus $25.95), stories from multiple authors inspired by the Holmes canon: Martin Edwards, Tess Gerritsen, Joe R. Lansdale, etc.
Books signed by both in stock

FRIDAY DECEMBER 4 4:00 PM
Jenn McKinlay hosts Kate Carlisle and Paige Shelton
Carlisle discusses Premeditated Mortar (Berkley $7.99)
A Fixer Upper Mystery
Shelton discusses Cold Wind (St Martins $26.99)
An Alaskan thriller- Signed copies available for Shelton, can be personalized
 
SATURDAY DECEMBER 5 10:00 AM
Kensington Cozy Holiday Party
Nancy Coco, Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas (Kensington $8.99)
Maya Corrigan, Gingerdead Man (Kensington $8.99)
Maddie Day, Candy Slain Murder (Kensington $8.99)
Liz Ireland, Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings (Kensington $15.95)
Heather Redmond, A Christmas Carol Murder (Kensington $26)

MONDAY DECEMBER 7 5:00 PM
James Patterson in conversation with Lee Child
Patterson discusses two new releases: The Last Days of John Lennon (Little Brown $30), true crime, Lennon and his assassin; Deadly Cross ($29), Alex Cross #28
This is a TICKETED Event. The purchase of either of the two books gets you an invitation
Ticket holders' books will each come with a letter signed by Patterson for Poisoned Pen customers
 
MONDAY NOVEMBER 7 6:30 PM
Matt Coyle discusses Blind Vigil (Oceanview $26.99) with Patrick
PI Rick Cahill
Signed books available

TUESDAY DECEMBER 8 Virtual Book Launch
Jane Cleland discusses Hidden Treasure (Minotaur $26.99)
Josie Prescott Antique Mysteries... lucky #13
Signed books available
Our December Cozy Crimes Book of the Month

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 9 4:00 PM
Marty Wingate in conversation with Connie Berry
Berry discusses A Legacy of Murder
(Crooked Lane $26.99)
An English village Christmas Mystery
Marty Wingate discusses Murder Is a Must (Berkley $26)
A First Edition Library Mystery (British)
Signed books available for Wingate

THURSDAY DECEMBER 10 5:00 PM
K'Wan discusses Black Lotus 2: The Vow (Akashic $14.95 ) and related work with Patrick
 
THURSDAY DECEMBER 10 7:00 PM
Charles Todd discusses A Hanging at Dawn (Harper $11.99), a story of Bess Crawford, her family, and young soldier Simon Brandon in India.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 12 3:00 PM
The Jungle Reds Christmas Cocktails Party
Rhys Bowen, Lucy Burdette, Deborah Crombie, Hallie Ephron, Jenn McKinlay, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Julia Spencer-Fleming
Pour your own favorite drink and join us for a lively chat

MONDAY DECEMBER 14 5:00 PM Virtual Event
Kristen Ashley discusses Dream Chaser (Grand Central $7.99)
Dream Team #2
 
FRIDAY DECEMBER 18 7:00 PM
SciFi Friday discusses HG Parry's The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep ($16.99)
 
SATURDAY DECEMBER 19 10:30 AM
Croak & Dagger Christmas party
The club discusses Ellie Alexander's A Cup of Holiday Fear ($7.99)

Our November Books of the Month
It's not too late to join one or more clubs--or to give a club membership or more as a holiday gift to start in December or January.

Please email Karen@poisonedpen.com for details and to sign up.

OUR NOVEMBER BOOKS OF THE MONTH
The Crime Book of the Month One Signed hardcover First per month
Fleishman, Jeffrey.  Last Dance
 
British Crime Book of the Month One unsigned hardcover or paperback per month
Macmillan, Gilly. To Tell You the Truth
 
Cozy Crimes Book of the Month One unsigned hardcover or paperback per month
O'Connor, Carlene. Murder at an Irish Christmas
 
Fantastic New Fiction Book of the Month One Signed hardcover First per month
Lemming, Asha. Fifty Words for Rain
 
First Mystery Book of the Month Club One Signed hardcover First per month
Selfon, Brian.The Nightworkers (signed copies sold out)
 
Historical Fiction Book of the Month One Signed hardcover First per month
March, Nev. Murder in Old Bombay Signed sold out
 
International Crime Book of the Month One Unsigned hardcover or paperback per month
Seeck, Max. The Witch Hunter
 
SciFi/Fantasy Book of the Month One hardcover or paperback per month signed when possible.

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 
 
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
 
We Don't Want to Lose You!

If you change your email address you will disappear from our Enews mailing list automatically. We can't tell unless you either

Go to the very bottom of any Enews and Click on 
UPDATE PROFILE or go here and fill in the form. You can choose whether to get the Enews alone or the Enews and Event invitations.

or Email us your new Email address so we can input it for you into The Enews list. Please tell us that's what you want because we cannot just subscribe you.
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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,