On this day we honor all mothers and express gratitude for all of the love, kindness and the sacrifices and hardships they endured in the process of raising a child.
Need an extra special gift for Mother's Day? Would you like to treat your Mom to a wonderful surprise? We have the perfect gift for you, a gift that lasts the year though.
MYSTERY-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB
With this club there is no single selection. Instead we collect a member profile and match it. The monthly selection can be tailored to any taste and budget. It can be a Paperback or a Hardcover. Can be monthly or bimonthly. In fact there are few limitations. Selections can be from the ranks of the traditional mystery or any other genre the recipient would prefer.
This club makes a terrific gift idea: once a month a book and shipping is charged to the giver’s card and the selection is then mailed to the recipient. While most often membership is a gift, some people enroll themselves into this premier club to get a regular, hand-picked, surprise treat!
Contact pat@poisonedpen.com or phone (888 560 9919) or (480 947-2974)
And if you need an easy way to get your mom the perfect gift we have gift cards too!
A good book makes a great gift and we have everything from Paperbacks to signed - first editions. Why send flowers when they wilt and die while a good book will last an entire lifetime?
Need a few suggestions?
Here is a lovely gift book:
Reichl, Ruth. Not Becoming My Mother and Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way ($20 Signed)
The Indie Next Pick."Ruth Reichl does a wonderful job of showing us the person at the heart of her mother, Miriam Reichl, a woman who struggled against the constraints of 1950s American culture and who encouraged her daughter to enter a world that she herself so desperately wanted to belong to but could not access." Here is a perfect book for foodies and everyone else who appreciates Mom and her cooking (or maybe not!). My favorite book by food critic and editor of Gourmet Ruth Reichl is the story of how she got started in Comfort Me with Apples ($15) which is also brilliant on Paris and first love.
For Mother’s who love historical fiction:
Hardcover
Birkegaard, Mikkel. The Library of Shadows ($45 UK Signed)
Imagine that some people have the power to affect your thoughts and feelings when you read, or they read a book to you. They can seduce you with amazing stories, conjure up vividly imagined worlds, but also manipulate you into thinking exactly what they want you to. When Luca Campelli dies a sudden and violent death, his son Jon inherits his second-hand bookshop, Libri di Luca, in Copenhagen. Jon has not seen his father for twenty years since the mysterious death of his mother. When Luca's death is followed by an arson attempt on the shop, Jon is forced to explore his family's past. Unbeknown to Jon, the bookshop has for years been hiding a remarkable secret. It is the meeting place of a society of booklovers and readers, who have maintained a tradition of immense power passed down from the days of the great library of ancient Alexandria. Now someone is trying to destroy them, and Jon finds himself in a fight for his life and those of his new friends.
Bowen, Rhys. In a Gilded Cage ($25 Signed)
Feisty PI Molly Murphy and the rest of NYC are deep into an influenza epidemic and the struggle for women's suffrage. Molly lands in jail and her fiancé, the NYPD's Captain Daniel Sullivan, hardly has time to bail her out. Just as well-only Molly could use jail time to get hired. One case involves an inheritance Emily Boswell believes her uncle has swiped; the other a charge of philandering that ends with the suspected adulterer's having a lovely, very young, very dead wife....
Cannell, Dorothy. She Shoots to Conquer ($27 Signed)
An Ellie Haskell Mystery.
On a dark and foggy night, charming amateur sleuth Ellie Haskell, her husband Ben, and her plucky sidekick Mrs. Malloy find themselves stranded at a grand estate on the Yorkshire moors. Lord Belfrey of Mucklesfeld Manor has decided to save his crumbling establishment by offering himself as the prize on a TV reality show titled "Here Comes the Bride."Thrilled at the prospect of marrying a lord, Mrs. Malloy eagerly joins the competition. After one of the potential brides is shot during an archery contest, Ellie begins to explore the dark passageways and hidden nooks of the delightfully Gothic estate-but she may not be prepared for the secrets lurking behind closed doors
Davis, Lindsey. Alexandria ($45 UK Signed)
Marcus Didius Falco and his family - a pregnant Helena Justina, two already hatched - arrive in the fabled Egyptian port where our informer Falco has an assignment from Emperor Vespasian. And before he can dig into it, there is a dinner which includes the library's director. And the very next day, Falco confronts...a body in the library. A tweak to the classic crime concept written with the verse and historical excellence you expect from Britain's Davis who comes to visit us on May 16.
Rabb, Jonathan. Shadow and Light ($28 Signed)
Patrick and I rave about this dark, dangerous, decadent story of Berlin, 1927, where Joseph Goebbels may be rising to power in the German Workers Party, An executive at Ufa film studios is found floating in his office bathtub (very dead), and Nikolai Hoffner, a chief inspector in the Kriminalpolizei is aided by director Fritz Land and crime syndicate leader Alby Pimm in a case that blossoms beyond cinema to sex and drugs.... See Hardboiled Crime.
Paperback
Dean, Rebecca. Palace Circle ($14)
"From London to Cairo, in the glittery world of high society before WWII, Dean taps into an exotic and distant world in her page-turning debut. Marvelous... Dean beautifully captures the mood and color of the era."
–Publishers Weekly
Shaffer, Mary Ann. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society ($14)
A story written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, that won the hearts of reader across the country.
For the Literary Mom:
Hardcover
Agarwal, Shilpa. Haunting Bombay ($26)
After her mother's death crossing the border from Pakistan to India during Partition, baby Pinky was taken in by her grandmother, Maji, the matriarch of the powerful Mittal family. Now 13, Pinky lives with them in a bungalow on Bombay's Malabar Heights. While never accepted by her uncle's family, she has always had Maji's love. Then one day, as monsoons engulf the city, Pinky opens a mysteriously bolted door.... "In her stunning debut novel Shilpa Agarwal takes on the ghosts that bedevil young Pinky Mittal's extended family and dispatches them with rambunctious wit and affection. The result is like finely wrought mirror work, a glittering tapestry of vibrant contradictions, characters, and mysteries."-Aimee Liu, Flash House. Our April Surprise Me! Pick.
Walker, Martin. Bruno Chief of Police ($27 Signed)
My top recommendation this week for fans of the intelligent cozy. It is set in France and features a Police Chief to die for.... The litte village is mostly stirred by European Union regulations that affect stuff like marketing its cheese, but the murder of a longtime Arab resident challenges Bruno's policing and political skills. He's into community poliicing in the best sense: not so much a rule of law as abiding by a sense of justice.
Paperback
Caldwell, Joseph. Pig Did It ($14).
A staff favorite here, this funny first novel should send you rushing out for a DVD of Waking Ned Devine should you have missed that Irish village gem. The pub dart-playing scene; the frantic hiding of Declan's bones in the basement fiasco; the final wake scene; and the one ever present character: a pig. The oinker is at the center of the feuds of the four main characters and pivotal to the plot. Caudwell laces his story with beautiful descriptions of the lush Irish land and seascape.
Mortenson, Greg. Three Cups of Tea ($15)
Anyone who despairs of the individual’s power to change lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistan’s treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with impoverished mountain villagers and promised to build them a school. Over the next decade he built fifty-five schools—especially for girls—that offer a balanced education in one of the most isolated and dangerous regions on earth. As it chronicles Mortenson’s quest, which has brought him into conflict with both enraged Islamists and uncomprehending Americans, Three Cups of Tea combines adventure with a celebration of the humanitarian spirit.
Smith, Alexander McCall. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency ($14)
'Everything about [McCall Smith] is appealing. He's just full of delight - it just bubbles out of him' SUNDAY HERALD * 'Indeed, the effort involved would have been justified by just one of them, THE NO.1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY” -Gerald Kaufman, Chairman of the 1999 BOOKER Prize Jury *
“A rare pleasure” - DAILY TELEGRAPH “
“A publishing phenomenon” - GUARDIAN
Life on the Frontier:
Hardcover
Dallas, Sandra. Prayers for Sale ($27 Signed)
Hennie Comfort is eighty-six and has lived in the mountains of Middle Swan, Colorado since before it was Colorado. Nit Spindle is just seventeen and newly married. She and her husband have just moved to the high country in search of work. It's 1936 and the depression has ravaged the country and Nit and her husband have suffered greatly. Hennie notices the young woman loitering near the old sign outside of her house that promises "Prayers For Sale".
Estleman, Loren D. The Branch and the Scaffold ($27 Signed)
Although the career of Hanging Judge Isaiah Parker (1838-96) is not the stuff of humor, Estleman, that superb craftsman, delivers an exciting and funny view of a man who governed the vast Arkansas and Indian Territory (Oklahoma) from 1875 to his death-and paid a heavy personal price. No mystery other than into human nature, but a vivid adventure.
Paperback
Turner, Nancy. These is my Words ($15)
"A vivid picture of one woman’s true grit on the frontier." -- Dallas Morning News
"Incredibly vivid and real and almost as though everything had been found, complete in a box somewhere." -- The Washington Post
"These Is My Words is an entertaining...at times harrowing...reading experience." -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Two from Tucson
Gunn, Elaizabeth. New River Blues ($29 Signed)
Now here is a real take-no-prisoner's book on every level. Tucson's Gunn remains one of our most underrated writers, superb at characterization, dark plots laced with humor that surprise and bring you tears, and a wizard stylist. And they move, those pages just turn. Now
Hayes, JM. Server Down ($25 Signed)
At a Yaqui Easter rite in Tucson, half-Cheyenne shaman Mad Dog finds himself framed for a policeman's murder, then chased by both the police and a cerebral contract killer through grungy parts of Tucson. Meanwhile, back in Benteen County, Kansas, his brother, the widowed Sheriff English, is coping with the usual crazies and proponents of an ethanol plant.
For the Cozy Moms:
Hardcover
Allbert, Susan Wittig. Wormwood ($25 Signed)
At the old Shaker community of Mount Zion for some R&R with her friend, Martha, there is much to admire in their peaceful lifestyle and their crafts, like their renowned furniture. But the restored modern version of the village, striving to become a popular tourist attraction, is plagued by misfortunes, some with the possibility of deliberate sabotage. And as China digs into Mt.Zion's archives and an old crime, we see that the community was never as peaceful as legend would have us believe-nor is it now.
Clark, Carol Higgins. Cursed ($25 Signed)
Back in LA from her new, very cold, home in NY, PI Regan Reilly is doing a favor for an old friend, Abigail Feene. Abigail is a woman living under a doomsday cloud like that Al Capp character Joe if you remember the L'il Abner cartoon series. Her name has 13 letters, she was born on a Friday the 13th, and the man she thought was the love of her life stole her life's savings. Regan agrees to help her get it back....Oops!
Simon, Clea. Probable Claws (Poisoned Pen $25 Signed).
"Music journalist Theda Krakow once again proves a feisty and determined sleuth in Simon's lively fourth cat-themed mystery (after 2007's Cries and Whiskers). Theda alternates between the cat world, dominated by her pet, Musetta, and the Boston area music scene, about which she writes for local magazines and newspapers. When her retired policeman boyfriend, Bill, buys into a successful club that's a cop hangout, Theda can't help feeling a little jealous, though she admits she also has a problem with Bill's attitude-he's too patronizing. Meanwhile, contaminated cat kibble at the animal shelter run by her friend Violet may be the work of a poisoner. When Theda, guided by blood on Musetta's paw, discovers Rachel, a shelter vet, lying on the treatment-room floor with a fatal stab wound, she gets arrested for Rachel's murder. Well-drawn characters, a plot with many strings to unravel and plenty of appealing cats make this another winner for Simon."-- PW.
Davidson, Diane Mott. Fatally Flaky ($26 Signed)
Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz encounters bridezilla-and murder. Aspen Meadow is no peaceful hamlet, ever. There seems to be a clever killer on the spa grounds, watching her every move. After what befell her godfather Jack who was attacked after his friend Doc is murdered, Goldy knows that she might be next. Catering weddings, and cooking low-fat food, could (literally) prove fatal...
Hart, Carolyn. Dare to Die ($25 Signed)
he arrival of a mysterious young woman rocks Annie and Max Darling's Broward Island where Annie's cherished Death on Demand bookstore is a legend. It turns out that troubled Iris once lived on this coastal isle. Her presence creates a downward spiral among the islanders, but Annie invites her to a party at the pavilion-whence Iris ends up strangled. PI Max and Annie find themselves in the middle of a conflict they don't understand. The only thing they know is... the culprit is one of their friends. "Hart's long-running Death on Demand series-this is book #19 -brings readers another superbly written mystery...Top-notch suspense and several red herrings keep readers guessing until the dramatic conclusion.." -Romantic Times
Paperback
Baxter, Cynthia. Too Rich and Too Dead ($7)
Have suitcase, will sleuth...
Mallory Marlowe, travel writer for the Good Life magazine, heads to Colorado to answer the question: Can nonskiers have fun in Aspen? It’s also a chance to visit a now rich and famous high-school classmate, Carly Cassidy Berman. Cheerleader, homecoming queen, and class president, Carly had it all then and still does—a sprawling mountainside home, an adoring husband, and a multimillion-dollar business centered around her super-exclusive Tavaci Springs spa. But not all is what it seems in Carly’s golden life, because within twenty-four hours of Mallory’s arrival, Carly’s corpse turns up in a mud bath.
Carlisle, Kate. Homicide in Hardcover ($7)
Murder is always a bestseller...first in the new bibliophile mystery series!
The streets of San Francisco would be lined with Hardcovers if rare book expert Brooklyn Wainwright had her way. And her mentor wouldn’t be lying in a pool of his own blood on the eve of a celebration for his latest book restoration.
With his final breath he leaves Brooklyn a cryptic message, and gives her a priceless—and supposedly cursed—copy of Goethe’s Faust for safekeeping.
Cleland, Jane K. Deadly Appraisal ($7)
“A satisfying cozy debut . . . Readers will want to see more of [Josie].” —Publishers Weekly
“Antiques Roadshow fans and mystery lovers will delight in this erudite debut and hope for a series featuring the resourceful Josie.” —Kirkus Reviews
Dennison, Hannah. Scoop ($7)
Scoop! is second in this delightful series featuring a sleuth like no other...Obit writer, Vicky Hill suspects foul play when she learns of a suspicious death: a champion hedge cutter, electrocuted after accidentally slicing through a power cable. Yeah, right. To get the real story Vicky's willing to attend another village funeral and suffer through bad dates and mortal danger.
Grace, Margaret. Malice in Miniature ($8)
Dorothy Martin's husband, the illustrious Chief Constable Nesbitt, has long claimed that if the Olympics held an event for conclusion jumping, Dorothy would be a contender for the gold medal. Her bold American ways occasionally offend the Brits' proper sensibilities, but even her husband can't deny she has a nose(or perhaps the nosiness) for first-rate investigative work.
Kent, Rebecca. Finished Off ($7)
A little girl ghost wants to be reunited with her family. Pained, Headmistress Meredith Llewellyn investigates the child’s parents’ deaths, but she soon grows wary of snooping. For a lady never goes anywhere uninvited.
Sweeney, Leann. The Cat the Quilt and the Corpse ($7)
“A welcome new voice in mystery fiction.” (Jeff Abbott, bestselling author of Collision...and her brand new series about adorable cats that just can’t stay out of trouble is bound to be a hit!
Moms who Love Thrillers
Hardcover
Booth, Stephen. The Kill Call ($45 UK Signed)
A rainswept Derbyshire moor. The body of a well dressed man with a crushed head. A violent world of hunting and hunt saboteurs. And an ancient plague village where the Black Death visitation has been Disney-fied. Cops Fry and Cooper get it all in another atmospheric novel for fans of Reg Hill
Child, Lee. Gone Tomorrow ($43 UK signed)
“The ever-resourceful and vengeful Reacher takes on nearly a score of the bad guys in an exciting climax to an enthralling book…complete with cover-ups and numerous intriguing twists.”—Library Journal, starred review
Clark, Mary Higgins. Just Take My Heart ($26 Signed)
While Broadway star Natalie Raines and Jamie Evans were both struggling young actresses, Jamie had been involved with a mysterious married man to whom she referred only by nickname. Natalie comes face to face with him years later and inadvertently addresses him by it. A few days later, Natalie is found in her home in Closter, NJ, dying from a gunshot wound. The cops nail her ex, Aldrich, and young assistant prosecutor Emily Wallace draws a plum in being assigned the Aldrich trial. But wait....
Ifkovic, Ed. Lone Star ($25)
A First Mystery Pick features Edna Ferber as a bestseller come to Hollywood where she is on the set of Giant. Does she like what George Stevens and the cast are doing to her book? And what does she make of James Dean, that doomed young man burnished by fame-and brushing death? But it's not Dean who dies by another's hand.... I really like Ferber scholar Ifkovic's take on celebrity and how destructive it can be, just as true in 1956 as today, but more cloaked by the studios and the media. Rob and I got the DVD of Giant to watch; this book really brings it to life. Breaks your heart to think what befell Rock Hudson, Liz Taylor, and Dean. The Sal Mineo portrait by Ifkovic is startling. Jeffrey Deaver likes it: "A pure delight. . . . Whether you're a fan of classic films or you just love classy storytelling in which fiction flirts with fact, then Lone Star is for you."
Lackberg, Camilla. The Preacher ($40 UK Signed)
For the first time in English, the second psychological thriller from No 1 bestselling Swedish crime sensation Camilla Lackberg. In the fishing community of Fjallbacka, life is remote, peaceful -- and for some, tragically short. Foul play was always suspected in the disappearance twenty years ago of two young holidaymakers in the area. Now a young boy out playing has confirmed this grim truth. Their remains, discovered with those of a fresh victim, send the town into shock. Local detective Patrik Hedstrom, expecting a baby with his girlfriend Erica, can only imagine what it is like to lose a child. When a second young girl goes missing, Hedstrom's attention focuses on the Hults, a feuding clan of misfits, relgious fanatics and criminals. The suspect list is long but time is short -- which of this family's dark secrets will provide the vital clue?
Moms Who Love Fantasy:
Hunt, Stephen. The Rise of the Iron Moon ($40 Signed)
But there's more to Purity Drake than meets the eye. And as Jackals girds itself for war against an army of near-indestructible beasts serving an ancient evil with a terrible secret, it soon becomes clear that the Kingdom's only hope is a strange little orphan girl and the last, desperate plan of an escaped slave from a land far, far away...
Snyder, Maria V.. Storm Glass (PBO $14 Signed)
In Book One of a new coming-of-age series, apprentice magician, ardent glassmaker and spunky Nancy Drew-style sleuth Opal Cowan discovers her latent mystical talents and wins the attention of three gorgeous hunks in Snyder's follow-up to her award-winning Study fantasy series (Poison Study, etc.).
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