Steve Bertrand on Books

Louise Penny was once told that no one (Americans) would want to read a crime series set in Canada. Lucky for us, that didn’t dissuade her. She’s now written more than 20 Three Pines books following Armand Gamache and his quirky neighbors in the village of Three Pines, just outside Montreal and near the border […]

Sally Hepworth’s Mad Mabel has been the word-of-mouth book of the year. It has climbed to the New York Times bestseller list not once, but twice: a clear sign that friends are telling friends about this funny, sad, ultimately heartwarming story about a cranky old lady who is hiding a secret from her teenage years. Sally […]

How about a little romance? Rachel Pologe’s Now That We Don’t Talk follows Nora and Henry in this sweet, funny holiday romance. They’re in love and loathe at the same time. The issue comes to a head when their mothers announce they’re getting engaged.  Rache talks with Steve about romance, TV writing, and why she […]

Long after Tom Clancy’s death, his character Jack Ryan lives on. Clancy died in 2013. Since then, several authors have continued the Ryan series. The latest is Jack Stewart with Pressure Depth. He talks with Steve about Tom, Jack, and his own fighter pilot experience.

Ann Cleeves has filled library shelves and BritBox TV lineups for years. Whether it’s beloved Vera, my pet, Shetland, or her new Mathew Venn series, Ann brings the north of England alive. Her news book is The Dying Light. She talks with Steve about her success and how it took 20 years to get noticed.

Jane Hamilton is known for her novels A Map of the World and The Book of Ruth. Her latest is The Phoebe Variations, which was nearly 10 years in the making. In this week’s podcast, she talks with Steve about Phoebe’s journey into adulthood and about her own fears that her novel-writing career might have […]

Novelist Henry Wise joins Steve Bertrand on Books this week to talk about Promised Land, a story of loyalty and simmering antagonism set in the swamps of Virginia. Of particular interest is the impact of the Civil War that Wise says is sometimes still felt in parts of the South.

Did you know there’s a book genre called the feminist caper? It’s having its moment with help from Alex Hay’s novel The Midnight Guests. This is a fun read that follows Diana Gold on the night she opens an opulent hotel in 1926. The guests at the party have no idea she has to raise […]

Author Elizabeth Letts’ novel Fallen for France takes us from the farthest reaches of Morocco to the front lines in France during the early days of World War l with a captivating story of a young boy and his love for a magnificent horse. It’s a beautiful story of love, trust and survival as the […]

Hope House is described as a tender, and yet profane, study of masculinity. Put another way: Hope House follows a group of delinquents trying to find a better life (in most cases) and a halfway house leader desperate to help them discover their way. It’s a loving tribune from author Joe Bond, whose father ran […]