Tea, Tonic & Toxin
Tea, Tonic, and Toxin is a book club and podcast for people who love mysteries, thrillers, introspection, and good conversation. Each month, your hosts, Carolyn Daughters and Sarah Harrison, will discuss a game-changing mystery or thriller, starting in 1841 onward. Together, we’ll see firsthand how the genre evolvedAlong the way, we’ll entertain ideas, prospects, theories, doubts, and grudges, along with the occasional guest. And we hope to entertain you, dear friend. We want you to experience the joys of reading some of the best mysteries and thrillers ever written.
Episodes
The intricate plot, morally complex characters, and exploration of the human psyche in A COFFIN FOR DIMITRIOS (THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS) (1939) make it one of the first modern suspense thrillers. Eric Ambler paved the way for such writers as John Le Carré, Len Deighton, and Robert Ludlum. It’s one of TIME Magazine’s 100 best mystery and thriller books of all time.
Special guest Neil Nyren joins us to discuss the book. Che...
Ten strangers, each with a dark secret, are lured to a remote island and drawn into a deadly game. As the body count rises, paranoia intensifies in this classic whodunit. Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1939) will keep you guessing until the very end. Check out the And Then There Were None notes below!
Special guest Ann Perramond joins us to discuss the best-selling crime novel of all time. Weigh in, and yo...
David Morrell is the award-winning author of First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created. He joins us to discuss Rogue Male (by Geoffrey Household) and First Blood.
He holds a Ph. D. in American literature from Penn State and was a professor in the English department at the University of Iowa. His many New York Times bestsellers include the classic spy trilogy that begins with THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE, the bas...
ROGUE MALE (1939) is an enduring masterpiece of mystery, adventure, suspense, and the sheer thrill of the chase. Described by author Geoffrey Household as a “bastard offspring of Stevenson and Conrad,” it’s “the best escape and pursuit story yet written, with lip-chewing tension right to the end.” –The Times (UK)
Special guest David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of First Blood (the classic thriller that in...
Part memoir and part literary true crime, Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse is the mesmerizing story of a landmark sexual assault investigation and the female private investigator who helped crack it open.
The book won the 2023 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime, and it was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice.
Erika Krouse is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. Her ...
Georgia Jeffries joins Sarah and Carolyn to discuss The Younger Girl, a supernatural thriller based on a true crime.
Georgia is a writer of Emmy Award-winning drama and acclaimed noir fiction. Honored with multiple Writers Guild Awards, Golden Globes, and the Humanitas Prize, her work in film has been praised by the Los Angeles Times as “standing ovation television.”
Get your book here!
Watch clips from our convers...
Shana Kelly began her career as a literary agent at the William Morris Agency in New York and London for 10 years. She currently works as a documentary screenwriter, book editor, writer, and publishing consultant. She also teaches at Denver-based Lighthouse Writers Workshop.
In 2024, Shana won an Emmy for writing A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps, a historical documentary that aired on PBS in 2023. She is c...
We are beyond excited to be starting our fourth year, and to share with you the books we have on tap!
Give a listen and let us know what you think, or if we're leaving out pivotal content to the genre.
See the full book club list here!
Watch clips from our conversations with guests (and ourselves)!
Join our brand new Patreon community here! It's free to join, with extra perks fo...
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again …”
A young bride is haunted by the lingering shadow of her husband’s first wife at the eerie Manderley estate. Secrets, jealousy, and suspense converge in a chilling tale of love and deception.
The classic Gothic suspense novel REBECCA (1938) by Daphne du Maurier won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century.
Shana Kelly was the signing agent for many success...
Mystery writer Kathy Reichs joins Sarah and Carolyn to discuss her latest book, Fire and Bones.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with a twisty, unputdownable thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who finds herself at the center of a DC arson investigation that spawns deepening levels of mystery and, ultimately, violence.
Mystery writer Kathy Reichs joins Sarah and Caroly...
Tea, Tonic & Toxin is a history of mystery book club and podcast. We’re reading the best mysteries ever written, as well as interviewing some of the world’s best contemporary mystery and thriller writers.
In The Wheel Spins (1938), a young woman’s train journey takes a sinister turn when a fellow passenger mysteriously disappears. Ethel Lina White’s suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat read served as the basis for Alfred...
In THE WHEEL SPINS (1936), a young woman’s train journey takes a sinister turn when a fellow passenger mysteriously disappears. This suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat novel by Ethel Lina White served as the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film The Lady Vanishes. The book is a stunner.
Special guest Alex Csurko joins us to discuss this classic novel. Check out the conversation starters below. Weigh in, and you might ju...
Fleur Bradley is the author of many mysteries for kids, including Midnight at the Barclay Hotel and Daybreak on Raven Island.
Originally from the Netherlands, she now lives in Colorado with her family.
Get your book here!
Watch clips from our conversation with Fleur!
Join our brand new Patreon community here! It's free to join, with extra perks for members at every level.
Full-time writer KEMPER DONOVAN is currently publishing an ongoing mystery series via Kensington Books. He joins us to discuss The Busy Body, the first in the Ghostwriter series, and The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie.
Previously, he published the standalone novel The Decent Proposal (HarperCollins). He is also the host of the podcast All About Agatha, dedicated to all things Agatha Christie, in which guise he has a...
THE ABC MURDERS (1936) is one of the earliest examples of the “serial killer” novel. Striking in alphabetical order, a killer challenges renowned detective Hercule Poirot to a battle of wits. With ingenious twists and red herrings, the book will keep you guessing until the end.
Special guest Kemper Donovan joins us to discuss Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery. Check out the conversation starters below. Weigh in,...
We were thrilled to chat with Craig Johnson during the 2024 Longmire Days this year about his 20th book, First Frost!
Tea, Tonic & Toxin is a history of mystery book club and podcast. We’re reading the best mysteries ever written, as well as interviewing some of the world’s best contemporary mystery and thriller writers.
Get the book here!
Watch parts of the conversation here!
Tea, Tonic & Toxin is a history of mystery book club and podcast. We’re reading the best mysteries ever written, as well as interviewing some of the world’s best contemporary mystery and thriller writers.
In Gaudy Night, Harriet Vane returns to her alma mater, Oxford, only to find the tranquil setting disturbed by a series of unsettling incidents. Published in 1935, it’s considered by some to be the first feminist ...
Tea, Tonic & Toxin is a history of mystery book club and podcast. We’re reading the best mysteries ever written, as well as interviewing some of the world’s best contemporary mystery and thriller writers.
In Gaudy Night, Harriet Vane returns to her alma mater, Oxford, only to find the tranquil setting disturbed by a series of unsettling incidents. Published in 1935, it’s considered by some to be the first feminist ...
Montana thriller writer Christine Carbo joins Sarah and Carolyn to discuss her book The Wild Inside.
Christine is a recipient of the Womens’ National Book Association Pinckley Prize, the Silver Falchion Award, and the High Plains Book Award. She and her family live in Whitefish, Montana.
When Christine’s not teaching Pilates or writing suspense, she’s enjoying all that living in Northwest Montana has to offer.
...
When a man is found dead in a quaint English village, Inspector Hannasyde must unravel the secrets of the eccentric family involved. In DEATH IN THE STOCKS (1935), a beloved classic, Georgette Heyer infuses the traditional mystery with her signature style of historical romance (and its Regency romance sub-genre).
Reflect: Check out the conversation starters below.
Weigh In: Speak up, and you might get an on-air shout ou...
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