Jeffery Deaver is an international number-one bestselling author. His novels have appeared on bestseller lists around the world. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into twenty-five languages. He has served two terms as president of Mystery Writers of America, and was recently named a Grand Master of MWA, whose ranks include Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Mary Higgins Clark and Walter Mosely.

Deaver has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, the Strand Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Raymond Chandler Lifetime Achievement Award in Italy. His book A Maiden’s Grave was made into an HBO movie starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin, and his novel The Bone Collector was a feature release from Universal Pictures, starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Lifetime aired an adaptation of his The Devil’s Teardrop. NBC television recently aired the nine-episode prime-time series, “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector.”

And he has paired with our own Rogue Isabella Maldonado to create the Sanchez & Heron series.

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in the Fairfax County Police Department just outside DC, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During more than two decades on the force, her assignments included hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander. She uses her law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing, which includes the bestselling FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera series (soon to be a Netflix feature film starring Jennifer Lopez), the award-winning Detective Veranda Cruz series, and the FBI Agent Daniela Vega series. Her books are published in 24 languages.

The Grave Artist — September 9, 2025

A wedding reception is coming to a close in the Hollywood Hills when the blissful day is shattered by the death of one of the newlyweds. Though the incident appears to be an accident, Homeland Security Investigations agent Carmen Sanchez and her partner, security expert Jake Heron, discover that the tragedy is the third in a series of similar deaths and conclude something far more sinister is at play.

The two uncover chilling evidence pointing to a serial killer who has taken evil to the next level. Dubbed the Honeymoon Killer, this man isn’t interested in his victims but in creating his own macabre masterpiece from their graves—focused on the survivors and reveling in their grief. And now his dark obsession has turned to Carmen and Jake…

The Honeymoon Killer has decided they are the perfect next target. Take one out and delight as the other crumbles. Time is running out as a deadly game between predator and prey begins.

Snacks & Drinks

Jake Heron is a hacker, so he stays away from alcohol, though he has champagne (Moet) once a year, on Christmas Eve. Those who have read the book know why. Otherwise, it’s Mountain Dew, jerky and Cheetos (crunchy only).

Jeffery’s favorite drink is a Crown Royal Old Fashioned: Crown Royal, sugar, water, Angostura bitters and an orange slice. His fave snack is water crackers and cheese of any sort—lately, aged Gouda and Drunken Goat (yes, it’s real, and no goats are harmed in the making).

Carmen’s favorite snack: Pomegranate guacamole with fresh cilantro, minced jalapeno, and chopped red onion—homemade tortilla chips are a must.

Carmen’s favorite drink: Casa del Sol Tequila Anejo (by Eva Longoria)—she drinks it neat!

Lou Berney’s two older sisters liked to play school with him, whether he liked it or not, and so he learned to read, whether he liked it or not, at a very early age. Between the ages of 12 and 19, he was fired from approximately nine different jobs. A representative sampling: newspaper delivery boy (dereliction of duty), grill cook (lying about his age to get the job), apartment complex maintenance man (general incompetence), photo darkroom attendant (dereliction of duty, general incompetence, inappropriate use of darkroom). Since the age of 19, he has not been fired from a job, but he has won the Edgar®, Hammett, Barry, Macavity, Lefty, and Anthony awards, and has been a finalist three times for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He lives in Oklahoma City.

Crooks, September 9, 2025

You’ve never met a family like the Mercurios.

They say the American dream is going farther in life than your parents ever did. But how does that work if your parents are criminals?

For Buddy, a low-level mob wise guy, and Lillian, a charming pickpocket, the criminal underworld is the only life they’ve ever known. When they’re forced to flee the glittering Babylon of Las Vegas, they end up opening a club in Oklahoma City—a town that quickly feels like a gold mine of fresh marks and easy new money. Along for the ride are their five children, all of them raised into the family business of crime—until the day comes when they each have a chance to make their own way in the world, even if they can never completely escape the family’s long, dark shadow.

Snacks & Drinks

Lou’s drink of choice is a Buddy Mercurio Negroni: one ounce gin, one ounce sweet vermouth, one ounce Campari, another ounce gin because you only live once.

Alyssa Maxwell began a love affair with the city of Newport while visiting friends in her high school days. Time and again the narrow lanes and harbor‑side, gas‑lit neighborhoods drew her to return, and on one of those later visits she met the man who would become her husband. Always a lover of history, Alyssa found that marrying into a large, generations‑old Newport family opened up an exciting new world of historical discovery. From the graveyards whose earliest markers read from the seventeenth century, to original colonial houses still lived in today, to the Newport Artillery Company whose curator for many years was her husband’s grandfather, Newport became a place of fascination and romantic charm. Today, Maxwell and her husband reside beneath the palms and bright skies of Florida, but part of her heart remains firmly in that small New England city of great significance, a microcosm of American history spanning from before the Revolution through the Civil War, the Industrial Age, the Gilded Age, and beyond.

Murder at Arleigh — August 26, 2025

April 1903: Emma and Derrick Andrews have been invited to the wedding of her cousin Reggie Vanderbilt and heiress Cathleen Neilson at the Bellevue Mansion, Arleigh. Their hosts are a popular young couple who are leasing the home for the summer—Harry and Elizabeth “Bessie” Lehr. Known for his practical jokes, Harry is the toast of parties, earning a reputation as the court jester of the Gilded Age. However, as Emma soon learns, behind closed doors he is dead serious.

Following the wedding, Bessie comes to Emma for help, insisting that her husband is cruel to her in private, and married her only for her money. Divorce is unthinkable. Now she believes he is plotting to murder her and make it look like an accident: a broken balcony railing she might have leaned on, a loose stair runner that could have sent her tumbling down a staircase, faulty brakes in the car she uses . . .

Unsure if these situations are mere coincidences or add up to premeditated sabotage, Emma agrees to investigate and determine if Newport’s merry prankster is engaged in a cold-blooded game of life or death…

Snacks & Drinks

Who doesn’t love hot cider on those rainy spring days? See recipe below!

Hot Cider & Port (Christmas Wassail)
– 1 gallon apple cider

in a cloth spice bag or tea strainer:
+ a small handful whole cloves
+ about the same whole allspice
+ a few sticks cinnamon

– quarter cup sugar – or more
– as much port wine as you like, added last

Heat cider, cloves, allspice cinnamon and sugar to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add port—enjoy!