International Intrigue
SciFi, Twisty Thriller, Historical in the NY Public Library
Canadian Author with his editor
A Pair of British Stars
All coming up thru Sunday |
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Hello,
I was so busy yesterday trying to organize our stunning September that I didn't write to encourage everyone to VOTE! So I hope you did. It's a precious right and your voice and your vote matter. I've voted by mail for years. 
August has a wide and wild variety of authors and books to enjoy. I am excited about Ariel Sabar and the 5-act drama of his intensive journalistic scrutiny of an astonishing con with a religious forgery as bait in Veritas. A real life DaVinci Code sort of thriller, and also a must read for fans of Daniel Silva's latest for Gabriel Allon, The Order
And for you birders and environmentalists or owl fanciers, Jonathan Slaght and I will look at the Blakiston Owl and its eastern Siberian home with Owls of the Eastern Ice
Purchasers will get an emailed selection of owl photos including my own personal favorite of a tiny bird I took in a castle in Wales.
And expanding our reach further, Bookstore Romance Day on August 15 brings us two events, one cozy, one historical.
Twitter visits with a huge range of authors, and more short book chats or pitches on IGTV which is an Instagram platform that let's us post book recommendations to our Instagram.
Lesa does a wonderful job of discovery and recommendation in our Blog bringing in lots of authors for more discovery and recommendations.
And you can find Staff Picks and more in our Webstore We do rely on your purchases to fund this range of activities. But we think of them as a service to authors too, something to share and expand.
It's a huge help to Sign Up family and friends to our Enews. It's free, and adds no daily clutter to your In Box. It will also help expand coverage if you sign up for our You Tube.
Barbara and all The Pens
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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....
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The August Booknews
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I list the August Books of the Month below.
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More New Podcasts
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There are even more new podcasts up. We can see you are enjoying them by the almost 25,000 downloads. Lots of conversations here! And with lots of authors!
For those who prefer not to stare at a screen but would like to enjoy our conversations with authors, these are for you.
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: Catherine Coulter (FBI and Regency Romance); Erica Ruth Neubauer (Egypt); Karin Slaughter with Special Guests; and Rhys Bowen.
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AudioBooks
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It's easy to set up an account. And a % of the revenue comes to The Pen.
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Video Book Talks
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You can find some book talks, short recommendations, by me and a new one from Patrick, on our Instagram courtesy of IGTV
You can also find book talk s on our Home Page 
Coming up:
John Connolly from Dublin, Irish literature and whatever
with Anna Downes
Douglas Preston from Maine, catching up
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Shopping with Us
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We are eager to connect with you via phone and curbside pickup
Call us 480-947-2974 for sales and for service
Monday-Friday 11:00-3:00 Saturday 11:00-5:00
Sunday 1:00-4:00
For the best customer service other than curbside pickup please continue to email [email protected]
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Rhys Bowen Redux
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Such a nice book launch last night. I only wish Rhys and I could have somehow shared our glasses of champagne and ginger biscuits (baked by my husband Rob) through the screens.
her tribute to Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca that takes Her Royal Spyness Lady Georgie into Cornwall and a posh manor house
But Rhys has sent us handsome signed bookplates for new orders.
As our homage to Rhys we have put on sale for $15 signed copies of her recent standalone hardcover historical suspense novels: 
Very limited supply so please act quickly. Don't confuse these with the $14.95 paperbacks of the same titles.
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Christopher Reich
brings you Simon Riske
Tonight 6:00 PM
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WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5 6:00 PM
Christopher Reich signs The Palace (LittleBrown $28)
Signed books available
Chris is signing at The Pen so call us at 888 860 9919 by 3 PM PT if you want an inscription!
Missing travel? You can start with a high speed chase off France's Cote d'Azur and end up in Thailand.
In his greatest challenge yet, Simon Riske must face a ring of ruthless masterminds and foil a plot with global implications as he becomes the world's most wanted man. But at heart, Reich says, this is a story and what we do to honor the past, and honor a debt. Some acts cannot be forgotten.
Professional problem solver Riske's old friend Rafael "Rafa" de Bourbon, a Spanish entrepreneur who's about to open a luxury hotel on the coast of Thailand, is worried about illegal activities he's witnessed while working with a company called PetroSaud.
 As Rafa is considering exposing PetroSaud's crimes, the Thai police arrive at the hotel and arrest him for bribery and extortion. Rafa asks Simon for help. Simon, who has just completed a mission in Amsterdam to recover a stolen painting, comes to Rafa's rescue because he owes his friend a big favor-and because Rafa has recently married an ex-lover he's fond of. Simon has less success with this operation than with the one in Amsterdam, and he's soon on the run.
An unexpected closing twist promises exciting developments to come. Clever, sophisticated Riske stands out in the crowded action hero field. Reich's work has always done so; I'm a fan from the beginning and have learned surprising things from the research underlying his thrillers. A lot of it financial crimes.
I add that exciting real news is coming that will make you glad you bought into this excellent series now at Book #3.
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Mary Robinette Kowal
Friday 6:00 PM
with Pat King
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FRIDAY AUGUST 7 6:00 PM
Our first 15 orders of this new entry in a Hugo and Nebula Award winning Lady Astronaut series will get an Artemis Base spaceflight patch and all orders will ship with a special postcard
The Earth is coming to the boiling point as the climate disaster of the Meteor strike becomes more and more clear, but the political  situation is already overheated. Riots and sabotage plague the space program. The IAC's goal of getting as many people as possible off Earth before it becomes uninhabitable is being threatened. Elma York is on her way to Mars, but the Moon colony is still being established. Her friend and fellow Lady Astronaut Nicole Wargin is thrilled to be one of those pioneer settlers, using her considerable flight and political skills to keep the program on track. But she is less happy that her husband, the Governor of Kansas, is considering a run for President....
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Hank Phillippi Ryan
Saturday 2:00 PM
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SATURDAY AUGUST 8 2:00 PM
Signed books in stock now!!
J.T. Ellison says Ryan's latest novel "is like reading a burning stick of dynamite."
Ryan, winner of 39+ Emmys herself for reporting, writes what she knows....
And here is a Starred Review: "In this stellar standalone from five-time Agatha Award winner Ryan, broadcast journalist Elle Berensen relishes her first assignment for Boston's startup  Channel 11-proving that a much touted drug made by the pharmaceutical company Pharminex can make women barren. Elle wants to ferret out the information with facts and ethical journalism, but Meg West, her new, overly enthusiastic assistant, is consumed by the story. Lacking scruples, Meg will go to any lengths, including lying, cheating, and violence, to usurp Elle and humiliate the family who own Pharminex. Elle has to wonder whether security agents for Pharminex have uncovered her investigation after her home is broken into and she's followed a couple of times.
Meanwhile, confident Nora Quinn, the drug firm's newest pharmaceutical sales representative, who visits doctors' offices and chats with patients in waiting rooms, has her own agenda.
The breathlessly energetic plot touches on corporate intrigue, journalism ethics, revenge, and the corrosive nature of lies. Ryan could win a sixth Agatha with this one."
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Fiona Davis
with Kate Quinn
Saturday 3:00 PM
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SATURDAY AUGUST 8 3:00 PM
Fiona Davis in conversation with Kate Quinn
Signed books available
PW says in its Starred Review: "Davis illuminates the world of special books through keen descriptions of the library and rare book dealers, while leading readers through the twin mysteries of the missing books. The characters and story are stellar, but the real star of the show is the library, which Davis evokes beautifully."
A series of book thefts roils the iconic New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces. It's 1913, and on the surface, Laura Lyons couldn't ask for  more out of life-her husband is the superintendent of the New York Public Library, allowing their family to live in an apartment within the grand building, and they are blessed with two children. But headstrong, passionate Laura wants more, and when she takes a leap of faith and applies to the Columbia Journalism School, her world is cracked wide open. As her studies take her all over the city, she is drawn to Greenwich Village's new bohemia, where she discovers the Heterodoxy Club-a radical, all-female group. But when valuable books are stolen back at the library, threatening the home and institution she loves, she's forced to confront her shifting priorities head on . . . and may just lose everything in the process.
Eighty years later, in 1993, Sadie Donovan struggles with the legacy of her grandmother, the famous essayist Laura Lyons, especially after she's wrangled her dream job as a curator at the New York Public Library. But the job quickly becomes a nightmare when rare manuscripts, notes, and books for the exhibit Sadie's running begin disappearing from the library's famous Berg Collection. Determined to save both the exhibit and her career, the typically risk-adverse Sadie teams up with a private security expert to uncover the culprit. However...
Every year I make a book of the month club pick for one category that is about books. So it's our August Fantastic New Fiction Book of the Month
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Robert Pobi Live from Toronto with his editor
Keith Kahla
Sunday 12:00 PM
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SUNDAY AUGUST 9 12:00 PM
(St Martins $26.99) with his editor Keith Kahla
Signed bookplates are coming
"In Pobi's stellar sequel to 2019's City of Windows, a big staff favorite here at The Pen, astrophysicist, bestselling author, and former FBI agent Lucas Page, who was severely injured in an accident years earlier and now has a prosthetic arm and leg, reluctantly returns to duty after a thermobaric bomb explodes in Manhattan's Guggenheim Museum during a private gala, killing more than 700 people with little damage to the building.
 The alleged bomber sends a manifesto of sorts to news outlets calling for immediate revolution and a rejection of technology. As the bombings continue-and the body count rises-Page uses his unique way of looking at the world in geometric terms to find connections among the targeted sites and victims.
Despite his handicaps he hasn't lost his edge and in fact some of his new body parts work in unexpected ways. He also has a new wife and adopted kids who get put at risk, added more conflict.
Page stands out as a highly unusual lead in a crowded genre, and Pobi combines a razor sharp sense of humor with surgical use of political and social commentary throughout. This is a must for fans of sophisticated crime fiction."
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Live: Lee Child hosts Mark Billingham
Sunday August 9
1:00 PM
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SUNDAY AUGUST 9 1:00 PM (4 PM ET; 9 PM BST)
UK author Mark Billingham in conversation with Lee Child
For those not familiar with Mark, I think of him as the Harlan Coben of Britain.... he's a professional comedian and great fun.
Attendees will be able to ask questions of both LEE and MARK during our Facebook Live program 
To attend this special event, you must purchase a copy of Billingham's Cry Baby (Grove Atlantic $26), a prequel to the hugely successful London copper Tom Thorne series, from The Pen
Cry Baby is our August International Thriller Book of the Month so the club members will automatically receive the Zoom invitation.
Your purchase means you will receive an invitation to the event shortly beforehand.
And FREE SHIPPING FOR CRY BABY
If you have not read Tom Thorne, one of the UK's best selling series, a favorite of Val McDermid, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Karin Slaughter, etc, and me for its rousing police procedurals, this is the perfect chance.
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Just Added for August
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WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26 5:00 PM 
Stan Parish discussing his superb caper
Love and Theft (Doubleday $26.95) in conversation with his legendary editor Jason Kaufman (Dan Brown, etc)
This is our September Crime Book of the Month
Signed books available
We have held on to our first prints (it reprinted quickly, and got a NY Times Book Review rave)
until Parish returned from Italy. We are very excited about talking to him and also to editor Jason Kaufman which will be of interest you you aspiring (or even published) writers.
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Our August Paperback Picks of the Month
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OUR AUGUST SMALL PAPERBACK PICKS
OUR AUGUST LARGE PAPERBACK PICKS
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Our August Books of the Month
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First, thank you for your response to The Pen's Books of the Month. The rise in membership means we can do a better job securing signed and unsigned books for you. It's not too late to join one or more clubs.
OUR AUGUST BOOKS OF THE MONTH
[Fantastic = fabulous, not fantasy]
International Crime Book of the Month One Unsigned hardcover or paperback per month
SciFi/Fantasy Book of the Month One hardcover or paperback per month signed when possible.
Please email [email protected] for details and to sign up.
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Our August Calendar
Be sure to check back as each month is a work in progress now
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WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5 6:00 PM
Christopher Reich signs The Palace (LittleBrown $28)
Signed books available
FRIDAY AUGUST 7 6:00 PM
Our first 15 orders will get an Artemis Base spaceflight patch and all orders will ship with a special postcard
SATURDAY AUGUST 8 2:00 PM
Signed books available
SATURDAY AUGUST 8 3:00 PM
Fiona Davis in conversation with Kate Quinn
Our August Fantastic New Fiction Book of the Month
Signed books available
SUNDAY AUGUST 9 12:00 PM
(St Martins $26.99) with his editor Keith Kahla
SUNDAY AUGUST 9 1:00 PM
Lee Child in conversation with Mark Billingham
Billingham's prequel to the Tom Throne series is Cry Baby (Atlantic $26)
The purchase of a copy of Cry Baby is required for your invitation to the Zoom event. Free shipping for Cry Baby 
MONDAY AUGUST 10 6:00 PM Virtual Book Launch
PI Roland Ford
Signed books available
TUESDAY AUGUST 11 6:00 PM
Matt Goldman discusses Dead West (Forge $26.99)
PI Nils Shapiro
David Ricciardi discusses Black Flag (Berkley $28)
Jake Keller thriller
Signed books available for both books 
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 12 5:00 PM
Dave Robicheaux
Signed books available
THURSDAY AUGUST 13 3:00 PM
Karen Rose discusses Say No More (Berkley $26) with John
Sacramento Series police procedural
THURSDAY AUGUST 13 5:00 PM
Ariel Sabar discusses Veritas (Knopf $29.95)
Journalist Sabar's investigation of a sensational religious forgery
has the force of a thriller
This is THE book to read after finishing Daniel Silva's The Order
CELEBRATING BOOKSTORE ROMANCE DAY
SATURDAY AUGUST 15 1:00 PM Victorian Mystery
Signed books available for both books 
SATURDAY AUGUST 15 2:00 PM 18th Century Mystery
Our August Historical Fiction Book of the Month
Signed books available
MONDAY AUGUST 17 6:00 PM Virtual Book Launch
Kevin Hearne discusses the spinoff from The Iron Druid Chronicles Ink & Sigil (Del Rey $28)
Signed bookplates from Canadian resident Hearne
TUESDAY AUGUST 18 5:00 PM
Jonathan Slaght presents a power point/discussion of
Fascinating nature writing. Photos 
TUESDAY AUGUST 18 7:00 PM Virtual Book Launch
Montana's Sean Stranahan
Signed books available
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 6:00 PM
Signed books available
THURSDAY AUGUST 20 12:00 PM
UK's Rosie Walsh hosts Kate Riordan
THURSDAY AUGUST 20 7:00 PM
Winslow & Burke, Deception Cove
SATURDAY AUGUST 21 1:00 PM
Signed books available for Heaberlin
SATURDAY AUGUST 22 2:00 PM
The Jungle Red Bloggers hang out with us
Rhys Bowen, Lucy Burdette, Deborah Crombie, Hallie Ephron, Jenn McKinlay, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Julia Spencer-Fleming
Signed books by Ryan, Bowen, and McKinlay available 
MONDAY AUGUST 24 6:00 PM Virtual Book Launch
William Kent Krueger in conversation with David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Signed books available
TUESDAY AUGUST 25 3:00 PM
Wendy Corsi Staub discusses
TUESDAY AUGUST 25 6:00 PM 
Sandra Brown in conversation with Linda Castillo
Signed books available
NEW!
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26 5:00 PM
Stan Parish discussing his superb caper Love and Theft (Doubleday $26.95) in conversation with his legendary editor Jason Kaufman (Dan Brown, etc)
This is our September Crime Book of the Month
Signed books available
SATURDAY AUGUST 29 12:00 PM
Sophie Hannah in conversation with Alex Pavesi
Hannah discusses her new Hercule Poirot
Signed UK editions of both books available;
See the Signed Book Column on the left 
SATURDAY AUGUST 29 2:00 PM Virtual Book Launch
Co-authors CS Harris, Anna Lee Huber, Susanna Kearsley, Christine Trent discuss The Deadly Hours (Sourcebooks $16.99)
Our copies come with a folded Monster & Mermaids poster, bookplates signed by the authors, and anyone who orders by August 29 is entered into a drawing for a fabulous Gift Basket
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Mystery-of-the-Month Club
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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
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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
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Email any requests to [email protected]. 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,
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