The Poisoned Pen Bookstore

Truly a cute little bookstore-cozy, charming, and the kind of place you want to wander through for a while. Patrick, who helped us, was amazing and super engaging. Being from the Midwest, we ended up in a lighthearted, fun conversation about Fargo, which made the visit feel even more welcoming at first. Unfortunately, that experience shifted pretty quickly. During our conversation, the owner came up and told us she could hear us from the back of the store and that we needed to keep it down because a workshop was going on. Fair enough—but it was the delivery that was surprising. She explicitly said, “Because I own the bookstore, I can be rude.” That comment really changed the tone. It felt like casual conversation (even a little laughter) wasn’t welcome (unless participating in the workshop, by all means join workshop after Happy Hour and be rambunctious while customers are shopping.) The atmosphere suddenly shifted to less inviting. It’s disappointing, because the space itself and interactions with staff like Patrick are genuinely great. I just wish the overall experience matched the charm of the bookstore.

Although I live in Texas, we frequently vacation in Scottsdale where I always visit The Poisoned Pen Bookstore! I have attended many author events at the store, the most recent being the Lisa Scottoline book signing, with Barbara leading the discussion. The events are always so engaging! The whole staff is welcoming, friendly, and always available for great discussions about books. I highly recommend The Poisoned Pen Bookstore and look forward to my next visit!

This is a real treasure! As you approach the store, take note of the gargoyle sconces and beautiful architecture of there outer area. Walking in we were greeted by Jen who was fery friendly and helpful. If you love books you will love this beautiful store! First edition and signed copies of many books are available. I was able to preorder a signed copy from my favorite authors. Jen took all my information to ship the book to Texas next year! Don't miss this amazing place!

I love this bookstore 😍 When you walk in, nothing beats the smell of all the novels. It's like when you waft the pages in front of your face and it smells...heavenly - but in this store, the entire place smells like divine. If you're in a position to buy locally, then definitely stop in here. <3

I was extremely disappointed with my experience with Poisoned Pen when preordering Jack Carr’s newest book The Fourth Option. I initially preordered through Amazon as it was the first option Carr mentioned. After having the preorder for months, he posted about preordering with small book stores to get a limited edition signed book card. I thought, great! Well worth it. I cancelled my Amazon order and preordered the specific bundle from Poisoned Pen. On May 18th (the first day able to pick it up from PP), I went in and got my book but did not receive my book end. When I asked, the girl told me that they had too many orders and not enough book ends. When I first ordered, other stores were listed as “sold out”, so why was PP not the same if that was the case? How did they decide to give out my order? I ordered within a couple days of Carr mentioning it on social media and showed up the first day allowed to pick up. I’m pretty upset about the situation but after taking some time to cool off, I decided to not give a one star review.

This is a REAL book store. Good selection of a wide variety books. I found a Discworld by Terry Pratchett.that I did not have in my collection. I bought it. 🙂 There is also a wall of signed first editions! . If you like books, you owe yourself a visit to The Poisoned Pen Bookstore!

The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, AZ is truly a gem and definitely worth spending time at for a wonderful experience and selection of books. Yes, I order books online, but to be able to actually walk around a Bookstore and take a book off of a shelf before I buy it is a priceless experience. We found the staff extremely knowledgeable and very friendly. I enjoyed looking at the shelves of "staff picks." You can learn a lot about someone by seeing their taste in books. 😁 If you aren't fortunate to live in our AZ area, you can order through their website. Have a question, call them. While my husband and I were there, we heard them assisting several customers on the phone. Help support small businesses- especially a fabulous one like The Poisoned Pen. 😁😁

Found this awesome independent bookstore via recommendation from Jack Carr’s website. Just received first order from them and couldn’t be happier. Was shipped quickly, books packed and protected better than any books I’ve ever received and a nice touch of adding covers to all sleeves. Great selection of books and signed copies, etc. Will 💯 be my families go to from here on out. Hope to be able to visit physical location someday. Thank you!