December 18, 7 PM ET
The Authors
Peter Abrahams aka Spencer Quinn– “criminally gifted” according to the New York Times Book Review – is the Edgar-award winning author of thirty-seven novels. Named by Stephen King as his “favorite American suspense novelist,” Abrahams is a writer of great range, his work including boundary-pushing crime novels such as Oblivion and End of Story as well as the dog-narrated and New York Times bestselling Chet and Bernie series (written under his pen name, Spencer Quinn), which “radiate pure comic genius” according to Publishers Weekly.
On NPR’s Talk of the Nation, Laura Miller called him “the best writer of psychological fiction around.” He also writes for middle-graders – the Queenie and Arthur series, written under the Quinn pen name, began with Ruff vs. Fluff in 2019. Abrahams was born in Boston, graduated from Williams College, and lives on Cape Cod. Learn more at peterabrahams.com.
W. Bruce Cameron is the#1 New York Times Bestselling author of the book series, A Dog’s Purpose. He and his wife, Cathryn Michon, co-wrote the screenplay for the Amblin/Universal film adaptation of ‘A Dog’s Purpose,’ which has gone on to become the most successful international live-action Dog Movie of all time.
By the end of this year, he will have published 31 books, several of which have become international bestsellers, and have been translated into over 50 languages. The motion picture adaptations of his bestselling novels ‘A Dog’s Way Home’ and ‘A Dog’s Journey’ were released in 2019, both of which were co-scripted by him and Cathryn.
The third book in the PURPOSE series, A Dog’s Promise, was also released at the end of 2019. His novels for younger readers have won awards and are taught in classrooms everywhere. Learn more at wbrucecameron.com.
Paula Munier is the USA Today bestselling author of the Mercy Carr mysteries. A Borrowing of Bones, the first in the series, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and named the Dogwise Book of the Year. Blind Search also won a Dogwise Award. The Hiding Place appeared on both Lesa Holstine and Dru Ann Love’s Best of 2021 Lists.
The Wedding Plot debuted in July 2022. Paula credits the hero dogs of Mission K9 Rescue, her own rescue dogs, and a deep love of New England as her series’ major influences. A literary agent by day, Paula has also written three popular books on writing: Plot Perfect, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, and Writing with Quiet Hands, as well as Happier Every Day and the memoir Fixing Freddie.
She lives in New England with her family and Bear the Newfoundland-retriever rescue, Bliss the Great Pyrenees-Australian cattle dog rescue, pandemic puppy Blondie, a Malinois rescue (much like Elvis in her books), and Ursula The Cat, a rescue torbie tabby who does not think much of the dogs. Learn more at paulamunier.com.
Authors’ Books
Bark to the Future by Peter Abrahams aka Spencer Quinn
When Chet the dog, “the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction” (Boston Globe), and his human partner, PI Bernie Little, are approached by a down-and-out older man with a cardboard sign at an exit ramp, Bernie is shocked to discover the man is a former teammate from his high school baseball team. Chet and Bernie take Rocket out for a good meal, and later, Bernie investigates Rocket’s past, trying to figure out what exactly went wrong.
Then, Rocket goes suspiciously missing. With his former teammate likely in danger, Bernie goes back to his old high school for answers, where much that he remembers turns out not to be true—and there are powerful and dangerous people not happy with the questions Bernie is asking.
Bernie soon learns that he misunderstood much about his high school years – and now, Chet and Bernie are plunged into a dangerous case where the past isn’t dead and the future could be fatal.
Purchase at an independent bookstore near you.
Purchase online at www.bookshop.org.
The Dog Thief: Coyote Run Book 1 by Marta Acosta
When lonely, awkward Maddie discovers a murder victim, she claims to be an animal psychic to save the family ranch and her canine rehabilitation center.
Now everyone in the small, quirky town of Coyote Run is looking at the girl who can’t make eye contact.
Maddie’s forced to start a K-9 Search and Rescue team with her ex-girlfriend’s twin, a hostile sheriff, or risk losing her beloved former Army SAR dog. As she trains the sheriff to be a canine handler, their relationship evolves from animosity to understanding.
Meanwhile, Maddie’s sister yearns for a life of her own, and the unknown murderer is plotting to stop the animal psychic from solving the mystery of his identity.
Can she save her own life by saving the dog she loves?
Purchase from Amazon.
Love, Clancy: Diary of a Good Dog by W. Bruce Cameron
You’ve probably never met someone like Clancy. He’s keeping a diary, he’s falling in love, there are rivals for his affections, he lives with his best friend and his worst enemy – even taken together, these factors are maybe not that unusual, except that Clancy is a dog. His point of view is therefore perhaps…different.
Told in Cameron’s signature style, a tremendous cast of wonderful characters find themselves jointly and separately navigating the challenges of life, of love, and…other pets, including Clancy’s “worst enemy” – one very disdainful cat. It’s a lot to keep track of, especially when things start to spin hilariously out of control, but fortunately, we’ve got the observations of Clancy, a very good dog, who shares a valuable perspective on what is really important.
Purchase at an independent bookstore near you.
Purchase online at www.bookshop.org.
The Wedding Plot by Paula Munier
When Mercy’s grandmother Patience marries her longtime beau Claude Renault at the five-star Lady’s Slipper Inn, it promises to be the destination wedding of the year. Just as the four-day extravaganza is due to begin, the inn’s spa director Bodhi St. George disappears—and Mercy’s mother Grace sends Mercy and Elvis to find him. But what they discover instead is a stranger skewered by a pitchfork in the barn on the goat farm where St. George lived.
As Mercy tries to figure out who the victim is and where St. George is hiding, the bride and groom’s estranged relations gather for the first of the pre-wedding festivities. Long-buried rivalries and resentments surface—and Mercy realizes that they’re all keeping secrets that could tear both families apart. When Elvis interrupts the escalating melodrama to alert Mercy to an intruder on the estate, she finds a wounded St. George in the cottage where she and Troy are staying. St. George is not who he says he is—but when he escapes from the hospital and disappears again, Mercy thinks he’s gone for good. With the wedding imminent and the families at each other’s throats, she decides finding St. George will have to wait.
The big day arrives—but the danger is far from over. With the families and the festivities still under threat, it’s up to Mercy and Elvis together with Troy and Susie Bear to stop the killer and save the bride and groom—before death do they part.
Purchase at an independent bookstore near you.
Purchase online at www.bookshop.org.
Your Hosts
Karen Dionne is the USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author of the award-winning psychological suspense novel The Marsh King’s Daughter, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in the US and in 26 other languages. Her follow up novel, The Wicked Sister (August 2020, G.P. Putnam’s Sons), is also an international bestseller and was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of their Best Books of 2020.
The Marsh King’s Daughter was also chosen as one of the best books of 2017 by iBooks, Hudson Booksellers, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Irish Independent, Library Journal, Shelf Awareness and many other booksellers and reviewers, and is soon to be a major motion picture starring Daisy Ridley and Ben Mendelsohn.
Both The Wicked Sister and The Marsh King’s Daughter were selected by the Library of Michigan as Michigan Notable Books, and The Marsh King’s Daughter took home the Barry and the Crimson Scribe Awards for Best Novel. Visit Karen at www.karen-dionne.com
Karen’s newest novel is The Wicked Sister. “Dionne paints a haunting portrait of a family hurtling toward the tragic destiny they can foresee but are powerless to stop.”–Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Purchase The Wicked Sister at an independent bookstore near you.
Purchase The Wicked Sister online at www.bookshop.org.
Hank Phillippi Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of thirteen novels of suspense. She has won five Agathas, four Anthonys, two Macavitys, the Daphne, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark award. National reviews have called her a “master at crafting suspenseful mysteries” and “a superb and gifted storyteller.” Her 2019 book The Murder List won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the year. Her 2020 book is The First to Lie, of which the Publishers Weekly starred review said, “Stellar.” It was a nominee for the Anthony Award and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Her upcoming thriller, The House Guest, will be published in January 2023.
Hank is also an award-winning investigative reporter at Boston’s WHDH-TV. In addition to 37 EMMYs and 14 Edward R. Murrow awards, Hank’s won dozens of other honors for her ground-breaking journalism. Hank is the co-host of First Chapter Fun, hosts the online mystery interview program for the acclaimed A Mighty Blaze, is a founding teacher at Mystery Writers of America University and served as past president of national Sisters in Crime. Learn more at www.HankPhillippiRyan.com.
Hank’s current novel, Her Perfect Life, published September 14, 2021 with starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. “Superlative…this is a fast-paced, surprise-packed treat.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review) It was chosen a Best of 2021 by The Strand magazine and Suspense Magazine, and is now an Agatha Award nominee for Best Contemporary Novel.
Purchase Her Perfect Life at an independent bookstore near you.
Purchase Her Perfect Life online at www.bookshop.org.