From the Booking Desk:

I have been focused on preparing for moderating the Best Contemporary Agatha Award Nominee panel at this year’s Malice Domestic, so this week we have three books that I haven’t yet read, but I think you will agree that they all belong on any list of anticipated titles.

Elizabeth Fremantle – The Poison Bed (Pegasus, Hardcover, $25.95, 04/02/2019)

BOLO Books Comments:

A historical thriller set in Jacobean times – what’s not to love? But this tale of a husband and wife accused of the same crime sounds positively addictive. I can’t wait to give this one a try.

Jacket Copy (Publisher’s Description):

A spellbinding thriller set in the Jacobean Court of 1615 surrounding a famed couple imprisoned on suspicion of murder―but was it Lord Robert or Lady Frances who committed the crime?

A marriage. A murder. One of them did it. Which of them will die for it?

In the autumn of 1615, scandal rocks the Jacobean court, when a celebrated couple, Robert and Frances Carr, are imprisoned on suspicion of murder. Frances is young, captivating, and from a notorious family. She has been rescued from an abusive marriage by Robert, and is determined to make a new life for herself. Whatever the price.

Robert is one of the richest and most famous men in the kingdom. He has risen from nothing to become one of the country’s most powerful men. But to get to the top, you cannot help making enemies.

Some believe she is innocent; others think her wicked or insane. He claims no knowledge of the murder. The king suspects them both, though it is his secret at stake. Now a man is dead. And someone must pay with their life.

Who is telling the truth? Who has the most to lose? And who is willing to commit murder?

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Jeffrey Siger – The Mykonos Mob (Poisoned Pen, Hardcover, $26.99, 04/02/2019)

BOLO Books Comments:

Jeffrey Siger’s mysteries featuring Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis comprise one of the most consistently strong series in our genre. Jeff has a way of predicting political, social, and cultural aspects of Greece before they happen – so when his books are released that are incredible relevant and always fascinating. And it never hurts to spend some time in paradise…well, except for the dead bodies.

Jacket Copy (Publisher’s Description):

When corruption lies deep beneath the surface, how can the truth come to light?

The case begins for Athens’ Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis with a literal bang when a corrupt former police colonel who runs a protection racket on Mykonos is gunned down. Suddenly, Athens’ Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis is face-to-face with Greece’s top crime bosses on an island whose natural beauty and reputation as an international playground belies the corruption lurking just beneath the surface.

While Andreas and his Special Crimes unit wrestle for answers, Andreas’s wife, Lila, meets an American expat named Toni, a finder of stolen goods and a piano player in a gender-bending bar who has a zest for life and no apparent regard for rules. As Lila and Toni bond over a common desire to mentor young island girls trapped in an exploitative and patriarchal culture, they soon find that their efforts to improve the lives of the Greek girls they’ve come to care about intersect with Andreas’ investigation in ways that prove to be dangerous for all involved…

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Jane Stanton Hitchcock – Bluff (Poisoned Pen, Hardcover, $26.99, 04/02/2019)

BOLO Books Comments:

The striking cover of this novel was what first caught my eye, but then the synopsis sold me. Scandal among the rich and famous, high-stakes poker, and a heroine out for revenge? Sounds like the makings of a compelling read.

Jacket Copy (Publisher’s Description):

There has never been a better time for revenge

One-time socialite Maud Warner polishes up the rags of her once glittering existence and bluffs her way into a signature New York restaurant on a sunny October day. When she walks out again, a man will have been shot.

Maud has grown accustomed to being underestimated and invisible, and she uses her ability to fly under the radar as she pursues celebrity accountant Burt Sklar, the man she believes stole her mother’s fortune and left her family in ruins. Her fervent passion for poker has taught Maud that she can turn weakness into strength to take advantage of people who think they are taking advantage of her, and now she has dealt the first card in her high-stakes plan for revenge.

One unexpected twist after another follows as Maud plays the most important poker hand of her life. The stakes? To take down her enemies and get justice for their victims. Her success depends on her continuing ability to bluff―and on who will fold.

Can she win?