Dark and Stormy Book Club

Agatha Christie, She Watched: One Woman's Plot to Watch 201 Christie Adaptations Without Murdering the Director, Screenwriter, Cast, or Her Husband by Teresa Peschel Care to match wits with Hercule Poirot? Share tea and gossip with Miss Marple? Chase spies with Tommy and Tuppence? “Agatha Christie, She Watched” will introduce you to must-see movies (and must-avoid dogs) that prove Agatha’s genius...

The Camp by Nancy Bush Kensington Books 6/27/23 There are always stories told around the fire at summer camp—tall tales about gruesome murders and unhinged killers, concocted to scare new arrivals and lend an extra jolt of excitement to those hormone- charged nights. At Camp Luft-Shawk, nicknamed Camp Love Shack, there are stories about a creeping fog that brings death with it. But here, they’re n...

On this episode, we talk with bestselling true crime author John Glatt about his book “Tangled Vines Power, Privilege and the Murdaugh Family Murders.” The author did a masterful job reconstructing the rise of the prestigious Murdaugh family and the shocking double murder that led to the downfall of its patriarch, Alex Murdaugh. Among the lush, tree-lined waterways of South Carolina low country, t...

WWAR August 2023 Show Notes In our first episode together since vacation, we have 4 books that involve heat. Misty reviewed When She Gets Hot by Miriam Allenson. Tootsie Goldberg was never one to rock the boat. Witnessing tragedy after a seemingly harmless protest taught the Jersey native to keep her mouth shut, even when she's fuming. But when her elderly coworkers lose their radio station jobs d...

WWAR August 2023 Show Notes In our first episode together since vacation, we have 4 books that involve heat. Misty reviewed When She Gets Hot by Miriam Allenson. Tootsie Goldberg was never one to rock the boat. Witnessing tragedy after a seemingly harmless protest taught the Jersey native to keep her mouth shut, even when she's fuming. But when her elderly coworkers lose their radio station jobs d...

Spy School - Can a normal kid become a secret agent? Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he’s already pegged his dream job: C.I.A. or bust. So he’s thrilled when he’s recruited to the C.I.A.’s top secret Academy of Espionage. Only, it turns out, Ben hasn’t been brought in because the C.I.A. expects him to succeed. Instead, he’s been brought in as bait to catch a dangerous enemy agent. Now...

The third vacation episode for the summer holiday features Misty Simon reading the first chapter of the book "All That Glitters Isn't Old" by her namesake Gabby Allan published by Kensington Publishing, which releases 7/25. Whit is up to her ears in this one with Goldy wanting a friend from the past cleared of a murder Whit isn't certain he didn't commit. Things are shady on Catalina Island right...

We interrupt your bright summer to bring you another ghost story by Mr. Charles Dickens, “The Trial for Murder.” It is, perhaps, the best known of his ghost stories, second only to “A Christmas Carol,” which, by the way, had far too many happy events and helpful supernatural beings to please our own taste for the macabre and un-wonderful. Here we have it plain and simple – the quiet terror that fo...

This episode is the first of our Vacation Short Stories. It is read by Ann Dark and the short story is "Sand Bar" by Ang Pompano. This story was first published in "Stone Cold: The Best New England Crime Stories"

Leslie Karst Show Notes On this episode, we take a small break from mysteries and talk with an old friend, Leslie Karst, about her book “Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, The Law, and Cooking For RBG” When Leslie Karst learned that her offer to cook dinner for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her renowned tax law professor husband, Marty, had been accepted, she was thrilled—and t...

Elle Marr Show Notes On this episode, we visit with Elle Marr to talk about her book “The Family Bones,” Thomas & Mercer. What makes a psychopath? A young woman delves into her family’s shadowy legacy in a terrifying novel by the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of Strangers We Know. Psychology student Olivia Eriksen’s family is notorious among true-crime buffs. Faced with a legacy of psych...

Tove Alsterdal Show Notes On today's episode, we visit Sweden and talk to the author Tove Alsterdal about her book “You Will Never Be Found” which was published by Harper. In the small mining town of Malmberget, north of the Arctic Circle, residents and their houses are being relocated. As the mine that built the town slowly swallows it street by street, building by building, the memories of the c...

WWAR For June Show Notes As we enter summer, we have two new books to suggest. Tracey reported on DOOMSDAY MOTHER by John Glatt (St. Martin's True Crime Press). In The Doomsday Mother, bestselling true crime author John Glatt tells the twisted tale of Lori Vallow, accused of having her two children murdered to start a new life with her new husband, doomsday prepper Chad Daybell. At first, the resi...

Radioland by Matt Cahill Show Notes Dead bodies are being found in Toronto; bodies that have been altered in disturbing ways. There are whispers on the streets of a murderer stalking the bars and clubs. No one knows who the killer could be. Maybe it’s Kris, a troubled musician who has just reached a level of fame only to have his life collapse around him. Maybe it’s Jill, a young woman cursed with...

Malice Recap Show Notes Ann, Tracey and Misty discuss our observations of the Malice Domestic Conference this year. We loved every minute of the event and the awards banquet where the Agatha Awards for 2022 were presented: We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the conference and look forward to next year. 2022 **WINNERS Best Contemporary Novel A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny (Minotaur)** Best...

Popup Show Notes On this episode we visit with six authors who visited our room during Malice Domestic. Lynn McPherson, is a Canadian author. She is a cozy mystery writer and author of The Izzy Walsh Mystery Series. Her books are fun, light-hearted whodunits. They pair well with a strong coffee or a light chardonnay, and are a recommended way to spend a relaxing afternoon. She also writes under th...

As we wrap another Malice Domestic under our belts, we announce the winners of this year;s Agatha Awards: Best Contemporary Novel A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny (Minotaur) Best Historical Novel Because I Could Not Stop for Death, Amanda Flower (Berkley) Best First Novel Cheddar Off Dead, Korina Moss (St. Martin’s) Best Short Story "Beauty and the Beyotch," Barb Goffman (Sherlock Holmes Magaz...

On this episode, we talked with our longest patron, Cynthia Surrisi. She has two books that have just come out. She is a very successful middle school novel author. The Bones of Birka: Unraveling the Mystery of A Female Viking Warrior.(Chicago Review Press). When archaeologist Dr. Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson discovers that the bones contained in the most significant Viking warrior grave ever ope...

PART 2 WWAR : Tracey reported on “Operation Blackbird: A Cold War Spy Novel” by Ellen Butler. Ellen appeared on episode 19 in August of 2018 on her book “Isabella's Painting.” October, 1952. The war is over, but for CIA officer Miriam Becker, memories of the horrors she witnessed remain jagged in her mind. While vacationing in Argentina, recovering from a mission that nearly killed her, she’s seei...

5 th Podiversary and WWAR For April Show Notes We are celebrating our 5th “Podiversary” this month and, as a subject, we have decided to return to year one and revisit some of the authors from our very first year. Kathy reported on Jana DeLeon who was featured on episode 8 for her book “Louisiana Longshot.” Kathy found that she has 24 books in the series now and reported on “Flame and Fortune” the...

Jennifer Chow, Rob Osler and Harini Nagendra Show Notes On this episode we finish our interviews with nominees for the Agatha Awards which will be given at Malice Domestic this year. We first talked with Jennifer Chow who is nominated for her book “Death By Bubble Tea” (Berkley) for Best Contemporary Novel. When Yale Yee discovers her cousin Celine is visiting from Hong Kong, she is obliged to pla...

Nina Wachsman and Martin Edwards Show Notes We talked to two more of the Agatha Nominees for this episode. First, we talked with Nina Wachsmann who is nominated for a Best First Novel for her book The Gallery of Beauties (Level Best Books) In the city that invented the concept of the ‘Ghetto,’ it is surprising to learn that the Jews lived separately but not isolated from the culture around them in...

Korina Moss and Fleur Bradley Show Notes The first thing we did on this episode is to announce that we have a new patron in Jan H. from Illinois and we are thrilled. We also had a donation made to our tip jar on our website from Joan Long. We are very appreciative of both. Korina Moss is nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel for her book “Cheddar Off Dead.” Cheesemonger Willa Bauer is...

Joan Long/M.A. Monin Show notes Our first episode dedicated to the nominees for Agatha Awards begins today. Our first nominee is Joan Long who is nominated for Best First Novel for her book “The Finalist” The Finalist (Level Best Books) Five authors, each with their own secrets, are chosen to complete a deceased novelist's unfinished manuscript. For single mom Risa Marr, the competition is the opp...

WWAR for March 2023 Show Notes Part 1 The Agatha Awards are coming up at end end of April and our next few episodes will be interviews with several of the nominees for this year's awards. Therfore, we decided to devote our March WWAR episodes to books that have been nominated for awards this year. Joan Long is nominated for an Agatha for Best First Novel for “The Finalist” (Level Best Books) Five...