In Night Train to Memphis by Elizabeth Peters, Vicky Bliss, an assistant curator at Munich's National Museum, may not be an Egypt expert, but her Ph.D. in crime-solving comes in handy when an intelligence agency recruits her for a luxurious Nile cruise. Amidst the backdrop of the majestic Sphinx Vicky must navigate her personal frustrations and the deadly charms of a cunning criminal hiding in plain sight.

Colleen Gleason, who also writes as Colleen Cambridge, is an award-winning, USAToday and NYT bestselling author. She’s written more than fifty novels in a variety of genres, but her current favorite to pen is historical-set mystery, usually featuring a famous person for the amateur detective’s sidekick, mentor, or friend. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages, and have been bestsellers in several foreign markets.

An avid gardener, amateur mixologist, and vegetarian gourmet, Colleen lives in the Midwest United States with her family and two dogs, and is always working on her next book.

Her latest book, Death Down the Aisle comes out October 27, 2026!

Our drink this week is one of Colleen’s signature drinks, the French Bluet Martini!

Ingredients

• 1 oz Gin
• 1 oz Crème de violette
• 0.5 oz Vodka
• 0.5 oz Lillet Blanc
• Ice cubes

Instructions

1. Add the gin, crème de violette, vodka, and Lillet Blanc into a mixing glass or cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Stir (do not shake) until drink is chilled.
3. Fine-strain the mixture into a chilled martini or coupe glass.

• 4. Serve immediately

Called a “magnificently crafted story . . . brimming with wisdom” by Howard Frank Mosher in The Washington Post Book World, Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner has, since its publication in 1987, established itself as one of the greatest and most cherished American novels of the twentieth century. Tracing the lives, loves, and aspirations of two couples who move between Vermont and Wisconsin, it is a work of quiet majesty, deep compassion, and powerful insight into the alchemy of friendship and marriage.

C.B. Bernard is the author of two novels—Ordinary Bear, winner of the Barry Award for Best First Mystery or Crime Novel, and Small Animals Caught in Traps—as well as the Oregon Book Award nonfiction finalist Chasing Alaska: A Portrait of the Last Frontier Then and Now. He’s lived in nine states, built a boat, walked tens of thousands of miles with his dogs, and written about everything from fly fishing to wolves to maritime piracy. For much of his adult life he called Alaska and Oregon home, but can now be found on the Rhode Island coast with his wife Kim and their dog Nessie with his feet in the ocean and his head in the clouds.

Drink this week is a Smoked Maple Whiskey - you can make this if you have a smoker - if you are like me and don’t, find some smoked maple syrup instead!

🥃 Smoked Maple Whiskey

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon or whiskey
• ½ oz smoked maple syrup
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• Large ice cube
• Orange peel, for garnish

Instructions

1. Add the bourbon, smoked maple syrup, and bitters to a rocks glass.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Add a large ice cube and stir gently.
4. Garnish with an orange peel.

An episode so good I’m re-airing it!

If you have listened to the podcast for awhile, you have probably heard me reference the book Here For it: Or, How To Save Your Soul in America by R. Eric Thomas. It is a favorite of mine and had a big impact on me when I read it the first time in June of 2020, so I was SO excited when my friend and returning guest Izzie Call read it, loved it as well, and wanted to come on and talk about it with me.

My guest this week is the always delightful Izzie Call. Izzie works as a museum educator for the VMFA coordinating projects related to the permanent collections and special exhibition displays including digital components, labels, and web resources. Izzie is a lifelong, passionate educator and feels most at home speaking about art with those who have an interest in learning.

Also, thank you to Eric Thomas for sharing his favorite drink with me when in a moment of bravado (delusion?) I reached out to him on IG. It is a Cosmopolitan and he said he is bringing it back as a recession indicator!

Cosmo Recipe

1 oz cranberry juice

0.5 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice

1 oz triple sec (I use Cointreau)

1.5-2 oz vodka

Shake hard with ice, pour into martini glass, garnish with orange or lime, and enjoy!