SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP
Fall 2007 NEWSLETTER
117 Cherry St. Seattle, WA
98104
OPEN 10-5 Mon – Sat, 12-5 Sun
Bill Farley, Founder / JB Dickey,
Owner/Tammy Domike, Manager
Fran Fuller / Janine Wilson / Gretchen
Brevoort
staff@seattlemystery.com 206-587-5737 www.seattlemystery.com
cops—private
eyes—courtroom--thrillers—suspense—espionage—true crime—reference
Editor’s Note: As if it matters
to us readers, but in case it strikes you as odd – Warner as a publisher’s
title no longer exists. TimeWarner Publishing Group was bought by the huge
French publishing conglomerate Hachette and one of the agreements of the sale
was that Warner would change its name. What books and authors were with Warner
and Mysterious Press are now with Grand Central Publishing. We’ll miss
Mysterious Press, an imprint devoted to the books we, and you, love. Ah well,
thing’s change. There you go.
New from the Northwest
Donna
Anders, Sketching Evil (Nov., Pocket pbo, 7.99). Her promising career in art derailed by an
assault, a woman reluctantly starts working for the police when her sketch of
another woman’s attacker leads to his arrest. Signing.
Anne
Argula, Walla
Walla Suite (Sept., Ballantine
tpo, 12.95). Quinn returns, no longer a cop and now a PI in Seattle. She’s
working for an attorney who specializes in trying to save the lives of
criminals set to be executed. Things kinda go sideways from there – a missing
secretary, a confession of one crime that could be a dodge to escape another
charge, all causing Quinn to doubt everything she’s being told. Sequel to the
Edgar-nominated Homicide My Own
(Pleasure Boat tpo16.00). Signing.
Maureen
Ash, The Alehouse
Murders (Sept.,
Berkley pbo, 6.99). Knight Templar Bascot de Marins is home at Lincoln Castle
after eight years imprisonment during the Crusades. He needs to mend his body’s
health and his spiritual faith after the horrors he encountered and endured. A
drunken fight at a local tavern results in a death, a death that becomes
clearly a baffling murder. First in a series by a Vancouver, BC author.
Nancy
Bush, Ultraviolet
(Oct., Kensington hc, 19.95).
Process server and PI Jane Kelly investigates the murder of a plastic surgery
magnate. Third in the series. Signing?
Chelsea
Cain, Heartsick (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). For ten
years, Portland cop Archie Sheridan chased a serial killer. Finally, she caught him, toying with him for ten
days. Then she turned herself in. Archie can’t quit the pain pills or her,
visiting her in prison weekly. A new killer is at work and a woman reporter is
following his actions and a new game of cat and mouse is at play. In paper, Confessions of a Teen Sleuth (Oct., Bloomsbury, 9.95), a parody of
the famed Nancy Drew. Signing.
Stella
Cameron – see Holiday
Books
Jayne
Castle, Silver
Master (Sept., Jove pbo, 7.99).
aka Jayne Ann Krentz. Para-resonator Celinda Ingram, a match-maker, matches
herself up with security specialist Davis Oakes, and gets involved in the hunt
for a ruby red relic. Signed Copies
Available.
James
Cobb, The
Artic Event (Sept., Grand
Central tpo, 15.99). The 7th in Robert Ludlum's Covert One series finds a team of scientists traveling to a remote
island off the Northwest coast of Canada. Once there, they're caught up in
Soviet-era biological weapons and modern-day piracy. Signing.
Daniel
Edward Craig, Murder at the Universe (Sept., Midnight
Ink tpo, 14.95). Debut mystery by a five-star
Vancouver, BC, hotel director. Trevor Lambert, Director of Rooms at an elite
NYC hotel, prides himself on running a smooth and calm organization. So the
murder of the hotel’s owner destroys the perfect order of his life. Details of
the death lead to a media circus and Trevor works to solve the case, calm the
storm and restore dignity to the hotel. Signing?
Vicki
Delany, In the Shadow of the Glacier (Oct., Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). Her
first in a traditional mystery series. Politics and murder mix in a small
British Columbia town over a proposed park to memorialize Viet Nam era draft
evaders. The area's leading opponent is found dead and rookie Constable Molly
Smith is detailed to investigate with DS John Winters. What adds to the media
circus is Constable Smith's mother is one of the lead proponents. Signing.
Michael
Dibdin, End
Games (Sept., Pantheon hc, 23.95). In Calabria, Aurelio Zen must sift through a
strange mix of events and characters: a member of a foreign film crew vanishes,
a violent murder occurs and strangers from around the world arrive amidst the
rumors of buried treasure. Sadly, Dibdin’s and Zen’s final book.
Carola
Dunn, The
Bloody Tower (Sept., St.
Martin’s hc, 23.95). Getting back to journalism after the birth of her twins,
Daisy is hired to write a piece on the Tower of London for an American
magazine. While spending the night there under lock and key, someone is
murdered. Signing. In paper, Gunpowder Plot (Nov., Kensington, 6.99).
Jessica
Fletcher & Donald Bain,
Murder She Wrote: Panning For Murder (Oct., Obsidian hc, 19.95). The beloved
mystery writer heads to Alaska, taking a vacation cruise, to help a friend
search for information on a relative who may have left a treasure from the Gold
Rush era. On her way, she makes a stop to do a signing at a certain mystery
specialty bookshop in Seattle! Signing?
John MacLachlan Gray, Not Quite Dead (Nov., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). In
1849, in order to escape threats from the Irish Mob, Edgar Allan Poe fakes his
own death. On a book tour along the East Coast, Charles Darwin is not getting a
warm reception. In a twist of fate, they become one another’s roommates, and
events press them to work together. Signing?
Gabriella
Herkert, Catnapped (Sept., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). Debut by a local author. Sara Townley
is a legal investigator whose life is a mess: she’s just married a Navy SEAL
she barely knows in a Vegas chapel and she’s supposed to look for a missing cat
which is set to inherit a few million dollars. And then there is the added
problem of the dead body. Signing.
Kate
Kingsbury – see Holiday
Books.
Martin
Limón, The
Wandering Ghost (Nov., Soho hc,
24.00). George and Ernie travel to the DMZ when the only female MP assigned to
the area vanishes. No one knows whether it is a political or criminal matter
but their investigation will delve into it all – including the death of a young
Korean schoolgirl run down by a speeding US truck and whose ghost is said to
walk the roads. Signing. Bill
recommends.
Cricket
McRae, Lye in Wait (Oct., Midnight Ink tpo, 12.95). Sophie Mae Reynolds makes beauty
products at home and business is good – until the neighborhood fix-it man is
found dead in her workshop. The cops don’t suspect her but she’s not happy
about it. Debut by a Seattle-area writer. Signing.
Rick
Mofina, A
Perfect Grave (Sept., Kensington
pbo, 6.99). 3rd with Seattle reporter Jason Wade. A respected local
nun has been murdered and a search for clues leads to secrets from her past.
Sharon
Rowse, The
Silk Train Murder (Nov., Carroll
& Graf hc, 24.99). Set in the 1890s Yukon when silk from the Orient bound
for the East Coast is more valuable than gold. Two gold seekers take paying
jobs as railroad guards. Within days, they’re up to their vests in murder,
smuggling, brothels, blackmail and betrayal. First in a new series from a
British Columbia writer. Signing?
L.J.
Sellers, The
Sex Club (Oct., Spellbinder
Press pbo, 8.50). In Eugene, OR a birth control clinic is bombed. One of its
clients is later found dead, but had told a nurse about a teenage sex group.
Prohibited by confidentiality, she must tread carefully when trying to help
Det. Jackson investigate.
E.
C. Sheedy, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (Oct., Brava tpo, 14.00). A Vegas
showgirl discovers that a serial killer is after her. Vancouver, BC author.
Kate Wilhelm, A Wrongful Death (Sept., Mira hc, 24.95). On the Oregon Coast, Barbara Holloway goes
to the aid of a young boy and his mother who had been severely beaten. She
returns with the authorities after going for help and finds them gone. The
incident gets stranger when she’s accused by the boy’s wealthy family of
participating in his disappearance. 10th in one of Fran’s favorite
series.
Now in Paperback
Nancy
Bush, Electric Blue (Sept., Kensington, 6.99).
Michael
Collins, Death
of a Writer (Sept., Bloomsbury,
14.95).
Ashna
Graves, Death
Pans Out (Sept., Poisoned Pen,
14.95).
J.A.
Jance, Web of
Evil (Nov., Pocket, 7.99).
Erik
Larson,
Thunderstruck (Sept., Three
Rivers, 14.95).
Ann
Rule, Too
Late to Say Goodbye (Nov.,
Pocket, 7.99).
Mysterious Youth
Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry, Peter
and the Secret of Rundoon (Oct.,
Disney hc, 18.99). Finale of the trilogy finds Peter and Molly in the
treacherous land of Rundoon.
Special Interest
J.B.
MacKinnon, Dead Man in Paradise: Unraveling a Murder
from a Time of Revolution (Oct.,
New Press hc, 24.95). During a revolution in the Dominican Republic in 1965 –
four years before the author was born - his uncle was murdered. A Catholic
priest, his uncle was seen as troublesome by someone during this period of
upheaval and was silenced. As an adult and an independent journalist, MacKinnon
began to search for answers and his investigation opened up a view of the
Dominican history and society that had remained hidden from view. Vancouver, BC author.
Coming This Winter
Lowen
Clausen, River, Jan.
Mary
Daheim, The Alpine Traitor, Jan.
Earl
Emerson, Primal
Threat,
Jan.
G.M.
Ford, Nameless
Night, Feb.
Yasmine
Galenorn,
Darkling,
Jan.
J.A.
Jance & Ali Reynolds, Dec.
Jayne
Anne Krentz, Sizzle
& Burn, Jan.
Sharan
Newman, The
Shanghai Tunnel, Feb.
Kevin
O’Brien, One Last Scream, Jan.
Candace
Robb &
Owen Archer, Jan.
Ann
Rule, Crime
File Vol. 12, Dec.
Dana
Stabenow,
Prepared for Rage,
Feb.
Underlined dates mean that the book
arrived early and is available.
New from the Rest
Susan
Wittig Albert, The Tale of Hawthorn House (Sept., Berkley hc, 23.95). 4th
in the Beatrix Potter series.
Barbara
Allan, Antiques Maul (Sept., Kensington hc, 22.00). 2nd antiques mystery by
the husband-and-wife team of Barbara and Max Allan Collins.
Deb
Baker, Goodbye,
Dolly (Sept., Berkley pbo,
6.99). 2nd mystery set in the world of collectable dolls.
David
Baldacci, Stone
Cold (Nov., Grand Central hc,
26.99). 3rd with Oliver Stone and the Camel Club. In paper, The Collectors (Sept., Grand Central, 9.99).
Cynthia
Baxter, Who’s
Kitten Who? (Oct., Bantam pbo,
6.99). 4th animystery with vet-turned-sleuth Jessica Popper.
Linwood
Barclay, No
Time for Goodbye (Sept., Bantam
hc, 22.00). 25 years ago, while she was in high school, Cynthia Archer woke up
to find her family had vanished. No notes, no clues, as if they’d never
existed. Now, she begins to see clues that seem to point to the answers. The
problem is that no one believes her. Janine highly recommends.
Simon
Beckett, Written
Bone (Sept., Delacorte hc,
24.00). A strange case confronts forensic anthropologist David Hunter: the
remains of a woman are found in her undamaged island home, her feet and one
hand intact but the rest of her incinerated. It is supposedly a case of
spontaneous combustion, but Hunter is not convinced.
Emily
Benedeck, Red
Sea (Sept., St. Martin’s hc,
24.95). Debut international thriller by a journalist, basing her story on real
intelligence: A dangerous game begins after four jetliners are blown out of the
sky. An Israeli agent begins to feed intelligence to an American reporter.
Before long, he begins to suspect that she possesses information that she
herself is unaware of.
Laura
Benedict, Isabella
Moon (Sept., Ballantine hc,
24.95). Kate Russell is hesitant to tell the Sheriff that she knows where a
young girl is buried, because it was the dead girl who appeared to her and led
her to the grave. But Kate decides to tell him and risk disturbing the secrets
that she’s kept her entire life. As the Sheriff investigates, he’ll discover
that his small Kentucky town is full of secrets, most of which he would have
preferred to have never known. Debut novel. Gretchen recommends.
Laurien
Berensen, Hounded to Death (Sept., Kensington hc, 22.00). 14th canine mystery with
Melanie Travis.
Heidi
W. Boehringer, Crossing
the Dark (Nov., Serpent’s Tail
tpo, 14.95). A senior cop rescues her own daughter from a vicious thug who was
using the teen as a sex slave. The girl is understandably damaged and her
mother struggles to bring her back from the hellish psychological effects even
as she herself begins to slide into the darkness that now envelopes the young
woman.
Rita
Mae Brown, The
Tell-tale Horse (Sept.,
Ballantine hc, 25.95). 6th in the rarefied air of fox hunting
society. In paper, The Hounds and the
Fury (Sept., Ballantine, 13.95).
Don
Bruns, Stuff
to Die For (Sept., Oceanview hc,
24.95). Two Florida friends are getting by on odd jobs. One of them gets a
small inheritance and buys a box truck, thinking they can start a hauling
business. The truck was a deal since it came packed with abandoned stuff. When
they unload it, they find a human finger…
Leslie
Caine, Fatal
Feng Shui (Nov., Dell pbo,
6.99). 5th in the Domestic
Bliss series.
Jennifer
Lee Carrell, Interred
with Their Bones (Sept., Dutton
hc, 25.95). A theatrical scholar and director is given a box by a friend that
is supposed to contain a great revelation. Before it can be opened, the theatre
has burned to the ground and the friend is dead. So begins a cross-continental
race to discover the rest of the puzzle, before a killer can complete his
mission and an unknown Shakespearean manuscript can be destroyed.
Noah
Charney, The
Art Thief (Sept., Atria hc,
25.00). Debut novel by the founding director of a consulting group on art and
crime. Three masterpieces have been stolen from separate European capitals. Is
it a coincidence or are the thefts part of a larger plan? Signing?
Laura
Childs, Frill Kill (Oct., Berkley hc, 22.95). 5th in the scrapbooking
mystery series. In paper, Motif for
Murder (Oct., Berkley, 6.99).
Margaret
Coel, The Girl with Braided Hair (Sept., Berkley hc, 23.95). A recently
unearthed skeleton, with a bullet hole in the skull, dates back to the early
70s. At that time, a young woman was accused of betraying the AIM movement and
then vanished. Is this her? Signing.
12th in the Wind River Reservation series. In paper, The Drowning Man (Sept., Berkley, 7.99).
Jeffrey
Cohen, Some
Like It Hot-Buttered (Oct.,
Berkley pbo, 6.99). Start of a new series about a ‘recovering writer’ who puts
all of his meager money into a movie theatre. Soon after the opening, someone
poisons the popcorn. By the author of As
Dog Is My Witness (Bancroft tp, 16.95).
Susan
Conant, All
Shots (Nov., Berkley hc, 22.95).
18th Dog Lover’s mystery. There are three Holly Winters in town –
one is a dog trainer, one is a dog hater and one is dead. In paper, Gaits of Heaven (Nov., Berkley, 6.99).
Patricia
Cornwell, Book of the Dead (Oct., Putnam hc, 26.95). 15th with Dr. Kay Scarpetta.
Clive
Cussler, The
Chase (Nov., Putnam hc, 26.95).
An historical mystery sees the discovery of a rusting locomotive in a Montana
lake in 1950. The story skips back to the early 1900s and detective Isaac Bell,
sent by the government to stop the Butcher Bandit. That hunt will lead all over
the West. In paper, Treasure of Khan (Nov., Berkley, 9.99), Dirk Pitt.
Shirley
Damsgaard, The
Witch is Dead (Sept., Avon pbo,
6.99). 5th cozy with Ophelia and Abby.
Casey
Daniels, Tombs
of Endearment (Oct., Avon pbo,
6.99). 3rd with cemetery guide Pepper Martin who sees, and helps,
dead people. This time out it is a rock star. Or was a rock star?
Diane Mott Davidson, The Whole Enchilada (Sept.,
Morrow hc, 25.95). 14th culinary mystery with caterer Goldy Schulz.
A woman from Goldy’s past – who is supposed to be dead – seems to be back.
James D. Doss, Three Sisters (Nov., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). In his
12th book, Colorado’s Charlie Moon gets involved in the case of a
woman who was mauled beyond recognition. One of a wealthy rancher’s three
daughters, her surviving sisters are a forceful pair. In paper, Stone Butterfly (Oct., St. Martin’s, 6.99), the 11th in the series. And,
back in print, the first in the series, The Shaman Sings (Sept., St. Martin’s, 6.99).
Janet
Evanovich and
Stephen J. Cannell, No Chance (Oct., Grand Central hc, 26.99). New
characters and new situations as two ex-military figures try to co-exist on an
oil tycoon’s yacht and battle pirates. A
limited number of Signed Copies Available.
Nancy
Fairbanks, Turkey
Flambé (Nov.,
Berkley pbo, 6.99). In the 10th book in this culinary series, a book
launch party goes up in flames.
Vince
Flynn, Protect
and Defend (Oct., Atria hc,
26.95). With the Middle East about to explode, Mitch Rapp is sent to protect
the CIA director who is there trying to defuse the situation.
Ken Follett, World Without End (Oct., Dutton hc, 35.00). 18 years after The Pillars of the Earth, a 992 page sequel. Set 200 years after
the events of Pillars but the small
village of Kingsridge is much the same, still beset by intrigue, ambition and
revenge.
Dick
Francis, Dead Heat (Sept., Putnam hc, 25.95). A father- and-son production, as Dick
shares credit with his son Felix. A caterer believes that there is a connection
between trouble at his two recent jobs. Someone came down with food poisoning
recently and there was a bombing at his most recent job at a racetrack.
Tess
Gerritsen, The Bone Garden (Sept., Ballantine hc, 25.95). By digging up a skull in her garden,
Boston Medical Examiner Maura Isles uncovers a case that goes back nearly 200
years. In paper, The Mephisto Club (Sept., Ballantine, 7.99).
Mark
Gimenez, The
Abduction (Sept., Vanguard hc,
22.95). The abduction of a young girl reunites a Viet Nam vet, long dismissed
as a worthless drunk, with his son in a search for the girl. The authorities
believe she’s dead and have closed the case. Her father and grandfather keep up
their search.
Melissa
Glazer, A
Murderous Glaze (Nov., Berkley
pbo, 6.99). 1st in a new series with a paint-it-yourself pottery
series, set in Vermont.
Lee
Goldberg, Mr.
Monk in Outer Space (Oct.,
Obsidian hc, 19.95). 5th in the series, 2nd hardcover,
with the popular TV cop.
Tom
Grace, The
Secret Cardinal (Oct., Vanguard
hc, 24.95). Ex-Navy SEAL Nolan Kilkenny is sent to the Vatican with a simple
job. Once there, the Pope redirects him to a delicate goal: free a Chinese
cardinal who has been imprisoned for 30 years and bring him back to become the
next pope.
Robert
Greer, The
Mongoose Deception (Oct., Frog
Ltd hc, 25.95). CJ Floyd becomes involved in a case of forensics when an arm is
found inside Colorado's Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel after an earthquake. It
belonged to one of the original workers who once claimed to have been involved
with the JFK assassination. No one paid his story much attention until it is
revealed that he was killed three decades ago, during the construction, after
he’d been talking. Floyd follows the case into the past and, through his
investigation, Greer gives his solution to 'the crime of the century'. Signing.
Lois
Greiman, Unmanned
(Nov., Dell pbo, 6.99). 4th
with LA shrink Christina McMullen.
Laurel
K. Hamilton, A Lick
of Frost (Oct., Ballantine hc,
23.95). Just in time for Halloween, a new Meredith Gentry, the 6th.
In paper, Mistral’s Kiss (Nov., Ballantine, 7.99).
Steve
Hamilton, Night
Work (Sept., St. Martin’s hc,
23.95). A stand-alone thriller: Two years ago, a probation officer’s fiancée
was strangled while he attended his bachelor party. He’s avoided women since
but has decided to start trying to put his social life back together. He goes
on a blind date that feels right – until the woman is murdered the next day. In
paper, A Stolen Season (Sept., St. Martin’s, 6.99).
Charlaine
Harris, An Ice Cold Grave (Oct., Berkley hc, 23.95). Harper Connelly and her brother head to
Doraville, NC to find a missing boy. Once they arrive, they discover that many
teenage boys have vanished over the last five years and they are all talking to
Harper. In paper, Grave Surprise (Oct., Berkley, 7.99).
Robert
Harris, The
Ghost (Oct., Simon &
Schuster hc, 26.00). The ghostwriter hired by the newly-retired British Prime
Minister to help finish his memoirs discovers that some secrets and stories are
not to be included, and these secrets and stories could alter the world’s
politics.
John
Hart, Down
River (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95).
Adam Harston left his home soil of North Carolina five years ago and did not
think that he’d return. Back there, he’s considered a murderer. But a call from
his best friend draws him back. Quickly, he’s badly beaten and bodies begin to
pile up. Signed Copies Available.
Second suspense novel by the Edgar nominated The King of Lies (St. Martin’s, 6.99). Gretchen recommends this author
Kenneth
J. Harvey, Inside
(Oct., Harcourt hc, 24.00). Myrden
came from a rough neighborhood and, after being freed by DNA evidence after 14
years in prison, life is both like it was and, at the same time, different. He
waits for the governmental compensation that he hopes will help him escape the
doomed cycle of violent revenge that has bedeviled him and his associates. The
book was both a noted and nominated book in Canada in 2006.
Randall
Hicks, Baby
Crimes (Sept.,
Wordslinger tpo, 13.95). Adoption attorney Toby Dillon is asked for help by a
family who adopted a young girl years ago. The parents have never told her
she’s adopted and someone is trying to blackmail them. As he investigates, he
finds the adoption secret is the least of their problems. Fran recommends this author.
Mary
Ellen Hughes, String
of Lies (Sept., Berkley pbo,
6.99). 2nd set at Jo’s Craft Corner. Owner Jo McAllister gets a bead
on a murderer.
Maddy
Hunter, Norway
to Hide (Oct., Pocket pbo,
6.99). 6th with tour leader Emily Andrews.
Stephen Hunter, The 47th Samurai (Sept., Simon & Schuster hc, 26.00,
Signed Copies 27.00). Bob Lee Swagger returns and is asked to find a lost
Japanese military sword. He finds it and murder is the result. Favorite
author of JB who suggest him to fans of Jack Reacher.
Greg Iles, Third Degree (Nov.,
Scribner hc, 25.95). Elizabeth Pike’s ‘perfect life’ in her small Southern town
has been a charade – her husband is a
target of the IRS and she might be pregnant by her former lover, a man she knew
would never leave his family. And then her husband finds a letter from the
other man. In paper, True Evil (Sept., Pocket, 9.99).
Ken Isaacson, Silent Counsel (Sept.,
Windermere hc, 24.95). A legal, ethical and moral battle erupts when an
attorney agrees to represent a man who killed a boy in a hit-and-run incident.
Because of attorney/client privilege the lawyer cannot give up the man’s
identity. When tensions over the death escalate into more violence the lawyer
is put in a no-win situation. Signing.
Lee Jackson, Redemption (Oct., St.
Martin’s hc, 24.95). Debut thriller. Set in the near future, citizens must have
ID cards, gas prices are astronomical, the dollar’s value has plummeted and
terrorism touches all of America. Homeland Security is the top law enforcement
agency and their reach is long. Due process has been suspended. A man has been
accused of terrorism and that is as good as a conviction. How does he clear his
name?
Iris Johansen, Pandora’s Daughter (Oct.,
St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). Dr. Megan Blair’s mother died when she was very young
and under strange circumstances. Megan inherited her mother’s psychic powers
but they’ve been dormant for years, but when someone begins to make trouble for
her, they come into play. In paper, Killer
Dreams (Sept.,
Bantam, 7.99).
Linda O. Johnston, The Fright of the Iguana (Oct.,
Berkley pbo, 6.99). 5th in the pet-sitter series.
John J. Lamb, The Crafty Teddy (Nov.,
Berkley pbo, 6.99). 3rd in the collectable teddy bear series. Each
book includes a profile of a teddy bear designer and the author is a retired
homicide detective and teddy collector. Janine recommends this series – really!
Martin Langield, The
Malice Box (Sept., Pegasus hc,
25.00). A NYC man receives a strange but simple copper puzzle box and is soon
thrown into the search for a device that poses danger to the Western World.
This weapon, he is told, is set to detonate in seven days. He faces a physical
and spiritual trial to defuse the infernal creation, something that has ties to
Isaac Newton and alchemy. There will be a website that will allow you to try to
find the Malice Box in NYC yourself. The author is a long-time journalist.
William Lashner, A Killer’s Kiss (Sept.,
Morrow hc, 24.95). Victor Carl was engaged once, but she left him to marry a
wealthy doctor. She’s back now, and she’s still nothing but trouble. 7th
in this legal series.
Jeff Lindsey, Dexter in the Dark (Sept.,
Doubleday hc, 23.95). Dexter’s up to his neck in change: he’s about to get
married and his inner guide – the Dark Passenger – has gone silent. Janine
and Fran highly recommend this latest Dexter adventure.
Victoria Laurie, Crime Seen (Sept.,
Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 5th in the Psychic Eye series.
John
Lutz, In for
the Kill (Nov., Pinnacle pbo,
6.99). A killer is spelling out Det. Frank Quinn’s last name with the letters
of his victims’ names.
T.J. MacGregor, Kill Time (Oct.,
Pinnacle pbo, 6.99). A woman discovers a secret government agency that has
perfected the technology of time travel and that uses it to get rid of
problematic people.
Barry Maitland, Spider Trap (Oct., St.
Martin’s hc, 24.95). Scotland Yard’s Brock and Kolla are called when human
bones are found in a poor area of South London. The case leads back to the day
of the Brixton Riots and then to an old nemesis. The 9th in this
respected series. In paper, No Trace
(Sept., St. Martin’s, 13.95).
Claire Matturo, Sweetheart Deal (Nov.,
Morrow hc, 23.95). 4th with Sarasota lawyer and health-nut Lilly
Cleary. Lilly’s mother – who has not left her house in years – has been accused
of murder and calls Lilly back to her hometown in Georgia to help with her
defense.
Archer Mayor, Chat (Oct., Grand
Central hc, 24.99). In his 18th appearance, Joe Gunther tackles
Internet predators. In paper, The Second
Mouse (Oct., Grand Central,
6.99).
Kyle Mills, Darkness Falls (Nov.,
Vanguard hc, 24.95). A former oil technician is asked by Homeland Security to
return to the Middle East. He was the foremost expert on returning ‘dry’ oil
wells to protection. Too many have stopped producing and sabotage is suspected.
No one understands that it is something else, something marrying biological
terror with economic attacks.
Walter Mosley, Blonde Faith (Oct.,
Little Brown hc, 25.95). In the 10th Easy Rawlins, he’s stretched
thin – an ex-Marine has left his daughter at Easy’s house, Mouse is wanted for
murder and two MPs want his help finding the girl’s father. The investigation
will bring him deeper into the Viet Nam mess and into the orbit of a white
woman with a dark past. In paper, Fear of
the Dark (Sept., Grand Central,
7.50). HBO films is adapting Little
Scarlet, with Jeffrey Wright and Mos Def as Easy and Mouse. Walter is
writing the screenplay.
Reggie Nadelson, Fresh Kills (Sept.,
Walker hc, 24.95). Artie Cohen stands alone as the only person who is glad to
have his nephew Billy out of jail. The family of the man he killed aims for
retribution and the kid’s own mother isn’t welcoming him back. 7th
in a series recommended by Tammy and JB. In paper, Disturbed Earth and Red Hook
(Sept., Walker, 14.95 ea.) the 5th
and 6th.
Derek Nikitas, Pyres (Oct., St.
Martin’s hc, 24.95). Debut novel. A botched robbery causes trouble and grief to
ripple across all involved – the secluded widow, the teenage daughter and the
cop who is trying to somehow make up for her own family’s disintegration. Gretchen recommends.
Robert B. Parker, Now and Then (Oct.,
Putnam hc, 25.95). 35th Spenser. In paper, Hundred-Dollar Baby (Sept., Berkley, 9.99), Spenser as well.
James Patterson and
Howard Roughan,
You’ve Been Warned (Sept., Little Brown hc, 27.99). A young
artist’s nightmares begin to affect her daylight hours. AND Double Cross (Nov., Little Brown hc, 27.99), by Patterson alone, a string of
murders has the entire East Coast nervous. In paper, Cross (Oct., Grand
Central, 9.99).
Richard North
Patterson,
The Race (Nov., Holt hc, 26.00). A maverick Republican senator is thrust into
the presidential primary after a terrorist attack. He’s his own man, not
beholden to anyone and would be running against the leading candidates. He’s
what the country needs, but he has a secret in his past that could destroy it
all. In paper, Exile (Sept., St. Martin’s, 9.99).
Emile
Richards, Beware
False Profits (Nov., Berkley
pbo, 6.99). 3rd with minister’s wife Aggie.
J.D. Robb, Creation in Death (Nov.,
Putnam hc, 25.95). 25th with NYC Lt. Eve Dallas. In paper, Innocent in Death
(Sept., Berkley, 7.99).
Natalie
M. Roberts, Tapped
Out (Oct., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 2nd
dance mystery by a shop favorite, aka Natalie R. Collins. Signing?
M.J. Rose, The Reincarnationist (Sept.,
Mira hc, 24.95). Wounded in a bombing, a photojournalist awakens with clear and
vivid memories that are not his own. They are ancient and violent and deal with
a woman named Sabine and a treasure she protects. Signing.
James Sallis, Salt River (Oct., Walker
hc, 23.95). 3rd novel with Tennessee’s John Turner. Almost against
his will, Turner has become a deputy sheriff. His small town is getting out of
control, even as it feels as if it is dying.
John Sandford, Dark of the Moon (Sept.,
Putnam hc, 26.95). Virgil Flowers was hired by Lucas Davenport to work on the
hard stuff, but he never expected to face what he does now on his own.
Alice Sebold, The Almost Moon (Oct.,
Little Brown hc, 24.99). The story quickly unfolds over the course of 24 hours,
as a woman who has devoted her life to others begins her narrative with “When
all is said and done, killing my mother came easily.” A new novel by the author
of the notable The Lovely Bones. Signing?
Zoë Sharp, Second Shot (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). 2nd
US appearance of bodyguard Charlie Fox. She’s come to New England to protect a
mother and daughter. Things have gone wrong as the book opens with Charlie
lying in a frozen forest with two bullet wounds. Signing. In paper, First Drop
(Sept., St. Martin’s, 6.99). Janine
recommends this series.
Michael Simon, Last Jew Standing (Sept., Viking hc, 25.95). In his
4th book, Dan Rele’s life has gotten to where he wants it – a house,
a family and a promotion to head Austin’s homicide bureau. Then his estranged
father turns up after being on the run for 20 years. A former East Coast
enforcer for the Mob, he brings trouble with him. His former bosses are about
to make Dan chose between his father, a man he doesn’t know, and the safety of
his life in Austin. Signed Copies
Available. In paper, Little Faith
(Sept., Penguin,14.00). JB
recommends this series.
Patricia Sprinkle, Sins of the Fathers (Oct.,
Avon pbo, 6.99). 2nd in her genealogy series.
Duane Swierszynski, Severance Package (Nov.,
St. Martin’s hc, 19.95). On a hot August morning, out of the blue, Jamie
DeBroux’s calls a staff meeting. The key people in the company are told that they’ve
been working for a faction of the intelligence community, the office is about
to be shut down and they have to choose between poisoned champagne or a bullet.
Chaos and panic quite understandably erupts. In paper, The Blonde (Nov., Griffin, 13.95). Bill
and Janine recommend this author.
William Tapply, One-Way Ticket (Sept.,
St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). In his 23rd book, Boston lawyer Brady Coyne
finds himself under the thumb of the Mob when a friend and client is told to
pay a debt and Brady is held responsible to make sure it is paid.
David Thewlis, The Late Hector Kipling (Nov., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00).
Debut novel from the noted British actor. A man’s mid-life crisis gets out of
hand, his life of quiet desperation turning deadly in this black comedy.
Margaret Truman, Murder on K Street (Oct.,
Ballantine hc, 24.95). ‘Bout time someone killed some of those lobbyists. Think
anyone will care to look for a killer? In paper, Murder at the Opera (Nov.,
Ballantine, 7.99).
Andrew Vachss, Terminal (Sept., Pantheon
hc, 24.95). Burke is offered a deal by a terminally ill white supremacist: help
him extort money from a man who claimed in prison to have killed a teenage
girl, so he can go to Switzerland for experimental treatment, and Burke gets a
cut of the money and the identity of the killer. In paper, Mask Market (Sept.,
Vintage, 7.99).
Elaine Viets, Accessory to Murder (Nov.,
Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 3rd in the mystery shopper series.
Livia J. Washburn, Murder by the Slice (Oct.,
Obsidian pbo, 6.99). A PTA murder in the Fresh
Baked series.
Larry
Watson, Sundown,
Yellow Moon (Sept., Random House
hc, 25.95). 40 years ago, in Bismark, ND, best friends walked home from school.
They heard sirens in the distance and would soon learn that the father of one
had gunned down a popular state senator, and then hung himself. The reasons for
the violence were never really explained. The other friend, now a writer, looks
back at those events to try to make sense of them.
Michael
White, Soul
Catcher (Sept., Morrow hc,
24.95). War vet Augustus Cain is in a hole with no prospects and not even a
horse when debt is called by a plantation owner. Cain is known as having a
talent for finding people and he’s asked to find a particular runaway slave. If
he can, his debt will be cleared and he can earn some needed money. The country
is heading toward the Civil War and Cain’s journey will not be easy or
pleasant. Tammy recommends.
Kevin Wignall, Who is Conrad Hirst? (Nov.,
Simon & Schuster tpo, 14.00). To get out of the business of being a hitman,
Hirst must kill the four people who can identify him. When, then, does a friend
become an enemy?
Michael Wiley, The Last Striptease (Oct.,
St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Chicago PI Joe Kozmarski is skeptical when a local
judge asks him to do a favor. The judge once double-crossed Joe’s father and
Joe owes the man nothing. The judge’s assistant is suspected in the murder of
his girlfriend and the only way to clear the man is for Joe to find the killer.
Then the Judge is murdered. Winner of the St. Martin’s Press/Private Eye
Writer’s best first novel contest.
Stuart Woods, Shoot Him If He Runs (Sept.,
Putnam hc, 25.95). 14th Stone Barrington.
F. Paul Wilson, Bloodline (Oct., Forge
hc, 25.95). Repairman Jack looks for a missing PI. 11th in the dark
and other-worldly series. In paper, Harbingers
(Sept., Forge, 7.99).
Steven Womack, By Blood Written (Nov.,
Harper pbo, 7.99). New thriller by an Edgar and Shamus award-winning author.
The catalog doesn’t give any plot, simply referring to the ‘tradition of
Jeffrey Deaver and Thomas Harris’.
Edward Wright, Damnation Falls (Sept.,
Orion hc, price to be determined). The author of the respected John Ray Horn
series delivers a contemporary mystery. A journalist, his career in ruins,
returns home to his small Tennessee hometown to do a favor for a boyhood friend
and former governor. When he arrives, he finds that the bones of a young woman
who was once important to him have been unearthed and the mother of the friend
who called him is found hanging from a bridge above the town’s scenic Damnation
Falls. Ed is a favorite writer of our entire staff.
Nancy
Zaroulis, The
Poe Papers (Sept., Pegasus tpo,
13.95). A scholar comes to an old New England mansion in search of mysterious
papers said to be there. To get them, he’ll have to deal with a mother and
daughter, both beautiful, both treacherous, trying to out do one another when
it comes to seduction and rapacious lust. The author wrote three mysteries
under the name Cynthia Peale.
Now in Paperback
Kate
Atkinson, One
Good Turn (Sept., Back Bay,
13.99).
Stephanie
Barron, Jane
and the Barque of Frailty (Nov.,
Bantam, 6.99).
Will
Beall, LA Rex
(Sept., Riverhead, 14.00). Gretchen
recommends.
M.C.
Beaton, Love, Lies and Liquor (Sept., St. Martin’s, 6.99).
William
Brodrick, The
Gardens of the Dead (Oct.,
Viking, 14.00).
Henry
Chang, Chinatown
Beat (Nov., Soho, 12.00).
Blaze
Clement, Duplicity
Dogged the Dachshund (Nov., St.
Martin’s, 6.99).
Nancy
J. Cohen,
Perish by Pedicure (Nov.,
Kensington, 6.99).
John
Connolly, The
Book of Lost Things (Oct.,
Washington Square, 14.00). Tammy, Gretchen,
Fran and
Janine highly recommend.
Thomas
H. Cook, The Cloud of Unknowing (Sept., Harcourt, 14.00).
Jeffery
Deaver, More Twisted (Nov., Pocket, 7.99), Short stories.
Nelson
DeMille, Wild
Fire (Nov., Hachette, 9.99).
Gerard
Donovan, Julius
Winsom (Oct., Overlook, 24.95). Fran
recommends.
Linda
Fairstein, Bad
Blood (Oct., Pocket, 9.99).
Elizabeth
George, What
Came Before He Shot Her (Sept.,
Harper, 7.99).
Joe
Gores, Glass
Tiger (Sept., Harcourt, 14.00).
Carl
Hiaasen, Nature
Girl (Oct., Grand Central,
13.99).
Jesse
Kellerman, Trouble
(Nov., Jove, 9.99).
Jonathan
& Faye Kellerman, Capital
Crimes (Nov., Ballantine, 9.99).
John
LeCarre, The
Mission Song (Nov., Back Bay,
14.99).
Dennis
Lehane, Coronado
(Nov., Harper, 12.95). Short
stories.
Sujata
Massey, Girl
in a Box (Nov., Harper, 13.95).
Carol
O’Connell, Find
Me (Oct., Berkley, 9.99). Janine
& JB recommend.
Karen
E. Olsen, Secondhand
Smoke (Nov., Hachette, 6.99).
Katherine
Hall Page, The
Body in the Ivy (Nov., Avon,
7.99).
Barbara
Parker, The
Perfect Fake (Nov., Onyx, 7.99).
Ian
Rankin, Bleeding
Hearts (Nov., Hachette, 6.99).
Reissue of 1994 ‘Jack Harvey’ novel.
Ann
Ripley, Death
in the Orchid Garden (Sept.,
Kensington, 6.99).
Theresa
Schwegel, Probable
Cause (Nov., St. Martin’s,
6.99).
Diane
Setterfield, The
Thirteenth Tale (Oct.,
Washington Square, 15.00).
James
Siegel, Deceit
(Oct., Grand Central, 7.99).
Alexandra
Sokoloff, The
Harrowing (Nov., St. Martin’s,
6.99).
James
Swain, Mr.
Lucky (Sept., Ballantine, 7.99).
Aimee
& David Thurlo, Pale
Death (Sept., Forge, 6.99). Lee
Nez.
Minette
Walters, The
Devil’s Feathers (Sept.,
Vintage, 13.95).
Joseph
Wambaugh, Hollywood
Station (Oct., Vision, 7.99).
Mark
Winegardner, The
Godfather’s Revenge (Nov., Signet,
9.99).
Robert
Wilson, The
Hidden Assassins (Oct.,
Harcourt, 15.00).
Janine
recommends this author.
Don Winslow, The Winter of Frankie Machine and California Fire and Life (Sept., Vintage, 13.95 ea.) His latest
in paper and an earlier staff favorite, back in print.
Coming this Winter
Nancy
Atherton & Aunt Dimity, Feb.
Elizabeth
Becka & Evelyn James, Feb.
Alex
Berenson,
The Ghost War,
Feb.
C.J.
Box, Blue
Heaven,
Jan.
Tim
Dorsey & Serge Storm, Feb.
Loren
D. Estleman,
Gas City,
Jan.
David
Fulmer, The Blue
Door, Jan.
Sue
Grafton, T
is for Trespass, Dec.
Martha
Grimes, Dakota, Feb.
James
Grippando & James Swyteck, Jan.
James
W. Hall & Thorn, Feb.
Craig
Holden, Matala, Jan.
Charlie
Huston & Joe
Pitt, Jan.
Laurie
R. King, Touchstone, Jan.
John
Lescroart,
Betrayal,
Jan.
Michael
McGarrity & Chief Kevin Kerney, Jan.
Sara
Paretsky, Bleeding
Kansas, Jan.
Robert
B. Parker & Jesse Stone, Feb.
T.
Jefferson Parker,
L.A. Outlaws, Feb.
Cornelia
Read, The
Crazy School, Jan.
J.D.
Robb & Eve Dallas, Feb.
Peter
Robinson & Insp. Banks, Jan.
Marcus
Sakey, At the City’s Edge, Jan.
Theresa
Schwegel,
Person of Interest,
Dec.
Lisa
Scottoline,
Lady Killer,
Feb.
April
Smith & Ana Grey, Feb.
James
Swain, Midnight Rambler, Dec.
Charles
Todd & Insp. Rutledge, Jan.
Louise
Ure, The Fault
Tree, Jan.
Jacqueline
Winspear & Maisie Dobbs, Feb.
Historical
Sarah
D. Almeida, The
Musketeer’s Apprentice (Sept.,
Berkley pbo, 6.99). 3rd Musketeer mystery. Porthos’ apprentice has
been murdered.
James
R. Benn, The First Wave (Sept., Soho hc, 24.00). In his second adventure, Lt. Billy
Boyle is part of the Allied invasion of Algeria, helping to accept the
surrender of the Vichy French forces. Things are murky and dangerous, and
deadly. In paper, his eponymous first book (Sept., Soho, 12.00). Bill and Janine highly recommend the debut,
and Janine says the second is equally fine!
Barbara
Cleverly, The
Tomb of Zeus (Oct., Delta tpo,
13.00). The start of a new series. Laetitia Talbot is aiming to become an
archeologist and, in 1928, she heads to Crete to help on a dig headed by a
famed but despised expert. He’s after nothing less than the tomb of the chief
god, and soon after Laetitia arrives, things get ugly.
Judith
Cutler, The Keeper of Secrets (Oct., Allison & Busby hc, 25.95). A
young man arrives in a small village to act as its parson. Immediately, he
steps into trouble, stopping a rape and becoming involved in the death of a
poor poacher. Life is anything put sleepy in this small 1810s hamlet.
Kathy
Lynn Emerson, Face
Down O’er the Border (Sept.,
Perseverance tpo, 14.95). 10th in the Lady Appleton series, set
during the time of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Stephen
Gallagher, The
Kingdom of Bones (Oct., Shaye
Areheart hc, 24.95). In 19th C. England, former boxing champ Tom
Sayers travels with a theatrical troupe. A string of grisly murders has begun
and the troupe has been in the towns when they’ve occurred. Det. Insp. Becker
is convinced Sayers is the killer. After being arrested, Sayers escapes and
goes into the darker areas of society in search of the killer, believing it is
the only way to clear himself. Things will get worse from there.
Cora
Harrison, My
Lady Judge (Sept., St. Martin’s
hc, 24.95). Debut historical mystery set in 16th C. Ireland. Mara
was appointed to be judge and lawgiver to the independent kingdom but her
assistant was murdered and left in the mountains for the carrion. Many people
seem to know about his death, yet no one spoke up.
Michael
Jecks, Dispensation
of Death (Sept., Headline hc,
24.95). 23rd in his Knights Templar series. Signing.
Edward
Marston, The
Iron Horse (Sept., Allison &
Busby hc, 25.95). 4th with railway detective Robert Colbeck. A head
is discovered in a passenger train that is enroute to Epsom Downs. It is nearly
Derby Day and the death has broad repercussions. In paper, The Railway Viaduct (Sept.,
Allison & Busby, 9.95).
I.J.
Parker, Island
of Exiles (Oct., Viking tpo,
14.00). When an imprisoned Prince is poisoned, Sugawara Akitada is sent
undercover to investigate. When he disappears, his assistant must investigate
it all. 4th in this Medieval Japan series.
David
Peace, Tokyo
Year Zero (Sept., Knopf hc,
24.00). The war is just over and, in 1946, Tokyo is occupied. Bodies of two
murdered women are found in a city park and it falls to Det. Minami to find the
killer. Based on actual crimes, the search for a killer plays against the
atrocities of the war just ended and, questions of what deaths are acceptable
become hazy.
Michael
Pearce, A Dead
Man in Tangier (Oct., Carroll
& Graf hc, 24.99). In his 4th appearance, Scotland Yard’s
Seymour is dispatched to Morocco to solve a murder. Once there, he discovers
that nothing is as it appears.
Laura
Joh Rowland, The
Snow Empress (Nov., St. Martin’s
hc, 24.95). Sano Ichiro has achieved a level of success and respect for his
detective skills. But he has garnered enemies as well, and his son has been
kidnapped. In paper, Red Chrysanthemum
(Oct., St. Martin’s, 6.99).
Catherine
Shaw, The
Riddle of the River (Sept.,
Allison & Busby hc, 25.95). 4th set in 1890s England with
Vanessa Wetherburn. A young woman has been found dead in the River Cam.
Reporter Patrick O’Sullivan comes to Vanessa, seeking help in identifying the
body. At the same time, a young actress has disappeared. Is it the same person or
two different mysteries?
Peter
Tremayne, A
Prayer for the Damned (Nov., St.
Martin’s hc, 24.95). On the eve of her wedding, with dignitaries at hand, a
despised abbott is murdered, and Sister Fidelma must help investigate. In
paper, Master of Souls (Oct., Griffin, 13.95).
David
Wishart, In at
the Death (Sept., Hodder &
Stoughton hc, 24.95). 12th in this Ancient Roman series.
House of Shadows, The
Medieval Murderers (Sept., Trafalgar
tp, 14.95). 3rd joint work by this group – Jecks, Gooden, Gregory,
Knight, Morson and Beaufort. As with the other volumes, each author’s
characters will take a section of the story.
In
paper
Rosemary
Rowe, A Coin
for the Ferryman (Nov.,
Headline, 9.95).
Coming
This Winter
Boris
Akunin & Erast
Fandorin,
Feb.
Ariana
Franklin, The
Serpent’s Tale, Jan.
Margaret
Frazer & Dame Fevisse, Jan.
John
Madox Roberts, SPQR
XI, Dec.
From
Overseas
Jacob
Arjouni, Kismet (Sept., No Exit hc, 24.00). German author’s 4th with
Kayankaya.
James
Church, Hidden Moon (Nov., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). North Korean Insp. O, back from a
mission out of the country, is given the task of investigating a crime that is
virtually unthinkable: a bank robbery. The political pressure is intense, as
are the personalities he will encounter during this case. The debut of this
series (A Corpse in the Karyo, Sept., Griffin, 13.95) was one of the
most talked about last year.
Ake
Edwardson, Frozen Tracks (Sept., Viking hc, 25.95). 3rd of the 12 Insp.
Erik Winter mysteries to be translated and released in the US. In Sweden, fall
is ending and the weather and the crimes are dark, cold and bleak. In paper, Never End (Aug., Penguin, 14.00).
Chris
Ewan, The
Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam (Nov.,
St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Winner of the UK’s Long Barn Books first novel award.
Charlie Howard’s legitimate job is writing thrillers. But to keep his edge and
make ends meet, he is a discrete private thief for hire. When someone wants
something they can’t have, they come to Charlie.
Peter
Hoeg, The
Quiet Girl (Nov., FSG hc, 26.00). A Danish circus clown is in hock to gamblers
and the tax man. He’s asked by a mysterious group of nuns to help guard a group
of children. In return, they promise they can make his problems vanish. The
strangest part of it is that the children have special gifts, much like his own
that he’s struggled all his life to hide. And then one of them goes missing.
Arnaldur
Indridason, Voices
(Oct., St. Martin’s Press, 23.95).
As the Holiday season heats up, Reykjavik Insp. Sveinsson is called to a grand
hotel when their Santa is murdered. The case is about to become more shocking.
3rd in this Gold Dagger winning series. In paper, Silence of the Grave (Sept., St. Martin’s, 14.00). Janine
recommends this author.
Mari
Jungstedt, Unspoken
(Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95).
Media scrutiny is intense on Anders Knutas as his team investigates the murder
of an alcoholic photographer and the abduction of a teenage girl. The cases
seem unconnected until photographs of the girl are found in the man’s studio. 2nd
in this Swedish series.
Richard
Kunzman, Salamander
Cotton (Nov., St. Martin’s hc,
24.95). South African DI Jacob Tshabalala investigates the murder of a wealthy,
retired mining boss. As the leads take him deeper into the case, he turns to a
former colleague to probe a connection between the man’s death and the
disappearance of his daughter 30 years ago. First book in a series, nominated
for the CWA 2005 Creasey Memorial Dagger.
Henning
Mankell, Kennedy’s
Brain (Sept.,
New Press hc, 26.95). A Swedish archaeologist gets home to find her only child
dead, a supposed suicide. Her belief that he was murdered leads her across the
globe in search of a solution to what she is certain is a crime. The trail will
take her to Australia and Africa, into high levels of greed and depths of
desperate poverty. Wallender #4, The Man
Who Smiled (Oct., Vintage,
13.95), available in the US in paperback for the first time.
Dominique
Manotti, Dead
Horsemeat (Sept., Arcadia tp,
19.95). Nominated for the 2006 Duncan Lawrie International Dagger Award, by a
winner of the French Crime Writers Association Top Thriller Award. During the
fractious days of 1968, a group of friends become ensnared in crime and
corruption amidst the world of horse racing.
Martin
Suter, A Deal
with the Devil (Sept., Arcadia
tpo, 19.95). A German bestseller about a woman who flees her troubles only to
find new ones in a small Alpine village.
Seishi
Yokomizo, The
Inugami Clan (Sept.,
Stone Bridge tpo, 12.95). One of Japan’s foremost mystery writers now available
in the US with a book first published in 2003. During the 1940s, a bloody
series of murders follow the death of the wealthy head of a prominent clan.
Det. Kindaichi is given the task of stopping the bloodshed and unraveling the
murders.
In
paper
Donna
Leon, Fatal Remedies (Oct., Penguin, 7.99). 8th in the series, from 1999, 1st
US publication.
Qiu
Xiaolong,
A Case of Two Cities (Oct.,
Griffin, 13.95).
From
England
Jo
Bannister, Flawed
(Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 7th
with Brodie Farrell’s one-woman detective agency.
Sophie
Hannah, Little Face (Oct., Soho hc, 25.00). A new mother returns home from a rare time
away to insist that the baby in the crib is not the same baby she left two
hours before. Her husband swears she’s wrong and the police have no reason to
believe her. She becomes increasingly desperate to find someone who will
believe her. The author is a noted poet with this being her first novel.
Susan
Hill, The
Pure in Heart (Nov., Penguin,
$24.95). Life in the village is recovering from the tragedies of the previous
year when 9-year-old David Angus vanishes from in front of his home. As the
village and surrounding areas rally to find him, we’re taken farther into their
lives, joys and tragedies, and the deep secrets that could destroy more than
one life. Fran highly recommends this author.
Quintin
Jardine, Death’s
Door (Sept., Headline hc,
24.95). 17th with Edinburgh’s Det. Chief Constable Bob Skinner.
John
Mortimer, Rumpole Misbehaves (Nov., Viking hc, 24.95). 20th book with the Barrister
whose latest case begins in a political fight. In paper, Rumpole and the Reign of Terror (Nov., Penuin, 14.00).
Alexander
McCall Smith, Love
Over Scotland (Nov., Anchor tpo,
13.95). 3rd in the 44 Scotland Street story.
Phil
Rickman, The
Fabric of Sin (Nov., Quercus hc,
24.95). 9th with parish priest and deliverance consultant. In paper,
The Remains of the Altar (Sept., Quercus, 8.95).
Cath
Staincliffe, Missing (Sept., Allison & Busby hc, 25.95). 7th with
Manchester PI Sal Kilkenny. She’s hired to look for a wife and mother who
vanished, leaving behind everything she seemed to hold dear. In paper, Bitter Blue (Sept., Allison & Busby, 9.95).
Martyn
Waites, Bone
Machine (Nov., Pegasus hc,
25.95). The discovery of a ritualistically murdered woman leads ex-reporter Joe
Donovan and his mates into an investigation that draws very close to Joe’s own
ugly memories. In paper, The Mercy Seat
(Nov., Pegasus, 14.95). Tammy
recommends this first in series.
Bywater Books
John
Harvey, Lonely
Hearts, Rough Treatment, Cutting Edge, Off Minor (Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec., 13.95 ea.). The first four in the Nottingham series with
Insp. Charley Resnick. If you like Peter Robinson, Peter Lovesey, PD James and
other top-notch British procedurals, try John Harvey.
Coming
This Winter
Michael
Bond & M. Pamplemouse, Jan.
John
Harvey, Gone to
Ground,
Feb.
Denise
Mina & Paddy Meehan, Feb.
Eliot
Patison &
Insp. Shan,
Dec.
Arturo
Perez-Reverte,
The Painter of Battles,
Jan.
Minette
Walters, The Chameleon’s
Shadow,
Jan.
Qui
Xioaolang & Chief
Insp. Chen Cao, Dec.
Sherlockiana
Andrew Lycett, The Man Who Created Sherlock
Holmes (Nov., Free Press hc,
28.00). Using previously unavailable material, the noted biographer aims to
answer the central question in Doyle’s personality: how did a man of such
rational tenets become so enthralled with mysticism?
Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters,
Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Chris Foley (Nov., Penguin hc, 37.95. 608 pages of annotated and previously
unpublished correspondence.
In
paper
David Pirie, The Dark Water: The Strange Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes (Oct., Pegasus, 14.95).
Nick
Rennison, Sherlock
Holmes: An Unauthorized Biography (Oct., Atlantic, 14.00).
Mystery Specialty Presses
Bitter Lemon
Gianrico
Carofiglio, Reasonable
Doubts (Oct.,
14.95). 3rd with Italian attorney Guerrieri, who is asked by a
convicted smuggler’s wife to represent him on appeal. To complicate matters,
the man confessed at the first trial and Guerrieri finds himself sleeping with
the wife.
Bleak House:
This Fall, this young press plans raise the bar on new mystery fiction; they
plan to provide all of their hardcovers with bound in sheets based on police
booking sheets. Each will be signed, dated, thumb-printed and numbered.
Each book is also simultaneously available in normal hardcover and trade
paperback. These special edition copies are $45. Quantities will be limited as
well. Reserve early.
Steve
Brewer, Cutthroat
(Sept., 24.95 hc, 14.95 tp, . A rich
man’s private ‘troubleshooter’ hears hints that the man’s sons are into
something dangerous, but he can’t convince his boss that the boys are in
trouble. In paper, Lonely Street (Aug., 14.95), the first of his Bubby
Mabry private eye series.
Mark
Coggins, Runoff
(Nov., 24.95 hc, 14.95 tp). In
the 4th with San Francisco PI August Riordan, the most powerful
woman in Chinatown hires him to investigate questions about the recent mayoral
election. She thinks someone played with the computerized voting machine. In
paper, Candy from Strangers (Aug., 14.95). Signing.
Mary
Logue, Maiden
Rock (Nov., 24.95 hc, 14.95 tp).
6th with Deputy Sheriff Claire Watkins. Her daughter’s friends have
gotten entangled with bad people, resulting in death and drugs, suicide and
meth addiction.
Craig
McDonald, Head
Games (Sept., 23.95 hc, 14.95
tp). His youth as far in the past as his days as a pulp writer in the Black
Mask era, Hector Lassiter finds himself in possession of Pancho Villa’s head
and with rival factions after him and it. A chase begins that will span the
continent, two countries and nearly three decades.
Eric
Stone, Grave
Imports (Sept., 24.95 hc, 14.95
tp). 2nd with expatriate reporter, investigator and wanderer. Hints
of a smuggling ring surface in routine reporting on a Chinese art supply
business. Soon the story leads to Hong Kong, a vicious ex-Viet Nam general and
some murderous Khmer Rouge toughs. In paper, Living Room of the Dead (Aug.,
14.95), first in the series and first time in paper. Signing.
The following two books will not be available
in signed editions:
Chicago Blues, Libby Fischer
Hellman, ed. (Oct., 27.95 hc, 15.95
tp). New noir tales of greed, violence
and the depths of the heart with the rhythm of the city’s music. Authors
include Paretsky, Sakey, Collins, Konrath and others. The publisher hopes to
include a DVD that will show the authors giving little tours of the
neighborhoods where their stories are set.
Expletive Deleted, Jen Jordan,
ed. (Nov., 24.95 hc, 14.95 tp). A
selection of new stories, by new and veteran writers, reveling in the grandeur
of cusswords. Authors include Lippman, Huston, Bruen and others, and includes a
hilarious introduction by Mark Billingham.
Capital Crime
Troy
Cook, The One
Minute Assassin (Sept.,
14.95). The California governor’s election, never a model of sanity, goes off
the rails when one of the candidates begins to murder the others. They all
become suspects and ex PI John Black becomes involved to help his politically
connected sister. Signing.
Europa Editions
Jean-Claude Izzo, The
Lost Sailors (Sept.,
14.95). NOT A MYSTERY, but due to the popularity of his Marseilles Trilogy, we wanted to mention this. The crew aboard an impounded
freighter must decide whether to wait and hope for eventual pay or give up and
go on their individual ways.
Felony & Mayhem
Margery
Allingham, Death of a Ghost (Sept., 14.95). 6th Albert Campion, from 1934.
Bob
Cook, Paper
Chase (Nov., 14.95). More witty,
British espionage.
Edmund
Crispin, Love
Lies Bleeding (Nov., 14.95). 5th
Gervase Fen, from 1948.
Caroline
Graham, Written
in Blood (Nov., 14.95). 4th
Insp. Barnaby, from 1994.
Reginald
Hill, A
Clubbable Woman (Sept., 14.95).
1st Pascoe & Dalziel, from 1970.
Elizabeth
Ironside, A Very
Private Enterprise (Nov.,
14.95). First US publication of the noted author’s debut from 1984. A British
diplomat, stationed in India, is found to have a priceless stash of Tibetan art
and a rich bank book as his murder is investigated.
John
Malcolm, A Back
Room in Somers Town (Sept.,
14.95), 1st with art dealer Tim Simpson, from 1984.
Barbara
Nadel, The
Ottoman Cage (Nov., 14.95). The
2nd with Istanbul’s Insp. Ikmen, from 2000, also published as A Chemical Prison.
Sheila
Radley, The
Chief Inspector’s Daughter (Sept.,
14.95). 2nd Insp. Quantrill from 1980.
David
Wishart, Germanicus
(Sept., 14.95). 2nd
Marcus Crovinus, from 1997.
Hard Case Crime
Ken
Bruen & Jason Starr, Slide
(Oct., 6.99).
Sequel to their earlier Hard Case book, Bust
(2006, 6.99), this chronicles the decline of Max Fisher and Angela Petrakos,
computer workers who are now charting their own ways through crime and killing.
Mickey
Spillane, Dead
Street (Nov., 6.99). FIRST PUBLICATION ANYWHERE! A cop
believed that, 20 years ago, his girlfriend died in a botched kidnapping. He
now finds out she’s alive but has lost her sight and her memory – but not her
enemies. His last novel.
Robert
Terrall, Kill
Now, Pay Later (Sept.,
6.99). 3rd of his Ben Gates mysteries. He takes the job of guarding
the goods at a swanky wedding. Someone drugs him and, while he’s out, an
attempted robbery leaves two dead. Originally published as by Robert Kyle in 1960 by a man who also
wrote 24 of the later Michael Shayne mysteries under the house name Brett
Halliday.
Midnight Ink
Faith
Donovan, The Black Widow Agency (Oct., 12.95). The Black Widow Agency is
four women who right the wrongs done to women with ruthlessness, brains, high
tech and lots and lots of dark chocolate.
Tim
Maleeny, Beating the Babushka (Oct., 14.95). The suspicious death of a
movie producer leads San Francisco PI Cape Weathers into a case that swirls
with trouble: Russian mobsters, a huge Hollywood studio and a reluctant police
department and a sniper. Signing. Second in a great series recommended by
Janine.
Poisoned Pen Press
Charles
Benoit, Noble Lies (Oct., hc, 24.95). Vet
Mark Rohr is content to spend his years in Thailand taking odd jobs of
questionable legality. He’s fine just getting by. When a US woman arrives and
asks his help finding her missing brother, Rohr smells easy money. Nothing will
be easy, as death is part of the package. In paper, Out of Order (Oct.,
14.95). Signed Copies Available.
Kerry
Greenwood, Raisins and Almonds (Sept., hc, 24.95). 9th in
the Phryne Fisher series, originally published in ’97. In paper, The Green Mill Murder (Sept., 14.95), the 3rd, from
’93.
Peter
May, The
Critic (Nov., hc, 24.95). It has
been 4 years since a powerful wine critic’s body was found tied to a cross in a
French vineyard. His unpublished reviews have remained locked within a so-far
unbroken code. Enzo Maclead, Scots ex-pat and retired forensic expert aims to
get answers to the murder and the code. In paper, Extraodinary People (Nov.,
14.95), the 1st Enzo.
Twist
Phelan, False Fortune (Sept., hc, 24.95). In the 3rd Pinnacle Peak mystery, the
business attorney gets involved with her sister’s pollution court case. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Spurred Ambition (Sept., 14.95).
Penny
Rudolph, Lifeblood
(Sept., hc, 24.95). From her
apartment atop the LA parking garage she owns, Rachael Chavez discovers two
young Hispanic boys in a van. One dies as she gets them to the emergency room
and, when she checks on the other the next day, there is no record of the one
who lived. Signed Copies Available. In
paper, Thicker Than Blood (Sept., 14.95), 1st in the series, and Listen to the Mockingbird (Sept., 14.95), a stand-alone thriller
set in 1861 New Mexico, at the start of the Civil War.
In
paper
Kate
Charles, Secret
Sins (Sept., 14.95).
Ruth
Dudley Edwards, The
Saint Valentine’s Day Murder (Oct.,
14.95), the 2nd Robert Amiss, from 1984.
Mary
Ann Evans, Effigies
(July, 14.95). Fran recommends.
Rue Morgue
Catherine
Aird, The Religious Body (Nov., 14.95). The 1st of her Det. Insp. Sloan mysteries,
from 1966.
Morris
Bishop, The Widening Stain (Aug., 14.95). A 1942 comic mystery by a frequent contributor to the
New Yorker that is set at an Ivy League library and includes limericks!
Clyde
B. Clason, The
Dragon’s Cave (Oct., 14.95).
Another locked room case, from 1939, with Prof. Westborough.
Gladys
Mitchell, Come
Away, Death (Sept., 14.95). Set
in Greece, the 8th Mrs. Bradley, from 1937.
Stark House – a new distributor has
created a delay in these terrific 2-in-1 books, but the price has dropped, too!
Russell
James, Underground/Collected Stories (Oct.,
14.95). 1st US appearance for these works, the noir novel Underground from 1989 and a collection
of 5 stories. New introduction by James, called the godfather of British noir.
Postponed from April.
Bill
Pronzini, Snowbound/Games (Nov., 14.95) Two early suspense novels, from 1974 and 1976.
Postponed from June.
A Trio of Gold Medals: Vengeance
Man by Dan J. Marlowe, Park
Avenue Tramp by Fletcher Flora and
The Prettiest Girl I Ever Killed by Charles Runyon (Oct., 15.95). Three classic Gold Medal
noirs, each a gem but collectively a fine representation of this paperback
original publisher from the 50's and 60's. Postponed from Feb.
Collections
Detroit Noir, EJ
Olsen & John C. Hocking eds. (Nov.,
Akashic tpo, 14.95). Motor City murders, by the likes of Estleman, Holden,
Parrish. (also see Special Interest)
Havana Noir, Achy Obejas, ed. (Oct., Akashic tpo, 14.95). All new
stories by 19 writers.
Paris Noir, Maxim Jakubowski,
ed. (Nov., Serpent’s Tail tpo,
14.95). New stories by writers including Cara Black, Scott Phillips, Sparkle
Hayter, John Harvey and many others.
Sisters on the Case, Sara
Paretsky, ed. (Oct., Signet pbo,
7.99). A celebration of 25 years of Sisters in Crime with stories by 20
authors, a mix of classic and original stories.
Dead Man’s Hand: Crime Fiction at the Poker Table,
Otto Penzler, ed. (Nov., Harcourt
hc, 25.00). A royal flush of trouble by names such as Mosley, Connelly,
Lippman, Deaver and others.
Many Bloody Returns, Charlaine
Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner, eds. (Sept.,
Ace hc, 24.95). New stories promised to be ‘tales of birthdays with bite’.
Contributors include the editors, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, PN Elrod,
Tanya Huff and others.
Reissues of Note
Lawrence
Block, Tanner’s Tiger and Tanner’s Virgin (Sept.,
Harper, 7.99). The 5th and 6th of the Evan Tanner series,
both first published in 1968. Virgin
has also been published as Here Comes a Hero.
In Oct., Me Tanner, You Jane and Tanner on Ice (same publisher and
price), the 7th, from 1970, and 8th, from 1998, the last,
so far…
Charles
McCarry, Second
Sight (Oct., Overlook hc,
25.95). The 5th Paul Christopher, from 1991. And, finally, back in paperback,
The Miernik Dossier (Oct., Overlook, 13.95), the 1st
Paul Christopher. Sandy recommends.
Denise
Mina, The Garnethill Trilogy: Garnethill, Exile and Resolution (Sept., Oct., and Nov., Back Bay, 13.99 ea.). The three
books follow the events of the murder of Maureen O’Donnell’s former lover, the
investigation of the crimes circumstances and the trial of the accused. Her
first three books.
Magdalen
Nabb, Death
of a Dutchman (Nov., Soho,
12.00). The 2nd of her Marshal Guarnaccia books from 1982.
Randy
Wayne White, The
Deadlier Sex (Oct., Signet,
6.99). The 4th Randy Stryker, from 1981.
[See
also Small Mystery Presses – Rue Morgue and Felony & Mayhem]
Special Interest
Amos Walker’s Detroit, Loren
D. Estleman and Monte Hagler (Aug.,
Wayne State University Press hc, 34.95). A dream project by two friends using
passages from Loren’s books to match up with Monte’s 45 photos of actual
locales where the Walker books could take place. A Dozen Signed Copies Available!
Jefferson Bass, Beyond the Body Farm (Sept.,
Morrow hc, 25.95). Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson, authors of two forensic
novels, present true accounts of forensic investigation, science, crime and
justice.
Judith Freeman, The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved (Nov., Pantheon hc, 25.95). A double
biography, if not more, examining the Chandlers’ unconventional marriage, who
they were and how Cissy, older than Ray and of fragile health, helped make the
shy oil company accountant an American literary force.
The
Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps, Otto Penzler, ed. (Nov., Vintage tpo, 25.00). 1024 pages of pulp greatness! Three
sections – crimefighters, villains and dames – and stories by everyone you’d
expect and a few surprises: Hammett, Chandler, Gardner, Daly, Woolrich, Cain,
McCoy, Davis!
The
Rejection Collection Vol. 2: The Cream of the Crap, Matthew Diffe, ed. (Nov., Simon Spotlight hc, 22.95). We’re
suckers for New Yorker cartoons – especially ones that are “too too” to be
published in that august magazine. Judging by the number of copies of the first
Rejection Collection that we sold, so
are you.
The Encylopedia of Gangsters: A Worldwide Guide to
Organized Crime, Michael Newton (Sept., Thunder’s Mouth, tpo, 24.99). A
concise history that spans time from the Black Hand to today’s Triads. Includes
black & white and color photos.
Wild Tales from the Police Blotter,
C.J. Sullivan (Nov., Globe Pequote
tpo, 14.95). Strange, funny and mysterious true stories from a New York Post crime reporter.
Harold Schechter, The Devil’s Gentleman: Privilege, Poison and the Trial that Ushered in
the Twentieth Century (Sept.,
Ballantine hc, 25.95). The true crimes of man-about-town Roland Molineux, the
sensationalistic trial, scandal and ruin in New York City’s highest society. A
tour of the City as it was, from the top of the town to its depths.
100 Must-Read Crime Novels,
Richard Shephard and Nick Rennison, eds. (Sept.,
A&C Black pbo, 9.95). Nifty small book jammed with suggestions of the best
crime books ever written.
Holiday Books
M.C.
Beaton, Kissing Christmas Goodbye (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). A
wealthy widow warned Agatha Raisin that someone was going to kill her. In the
holidays, someone poisoned the widow. Agatha investigates.
Claudia
Bishop, A
Carol for a Corpse (Nov.,
Berkley pbo, 6.99). 15th Hemlock Falls series.
Emily
Brightwell, Mrs.
Jeffries & the Feast of St. Stephen (Oct., Berkley hc, 22.95). The wealthy host of a yuletide dinner is
murdered between courses.
Stella
Cameron, A Cold
Day in Hell (Nov., Mira pbo,
7.99). It’s nearly the holidays in Pointe Judah, LA but all is not calm. There
are two newcomers to town, a man and his son – except it isn’t his son. He’s
the orphaned son of a mob boss and a protected witness. Signing.
Candy Cane Murder, Joanne
Fluke, Laura Levin, Leslie Meier (Oct.,
Kensington hc, 16.00). Three holiday novellas with the authors’ series
characters.
Chris
Graventein, Hell
for the Holidays (Nov., Carroll
& Graf tp, 14.99). FBI agent Christopher Miller is after a group of
domestic terrorists who plot havoc during the holiday season. Seasonal sequel
to last year’s Slay Ride (Carroll & Graf, 14.95).
Kate
Kingsbury, Shrouds of Holly (Nov., Berkley tpo, 13.00). A new Pennyfoot Hotel holiday mystery.
Shirley
Rousseau Murphy, Cat
Deck the Halls (Dec., Morrow hc,
24.95). 13th with Feline PI Joe Grey.
The Seattle
Mystery Bookshop is a member of the Independent Mystery Booksellers
Association. Go to killerbooks.org to see a monthly list of books recommended
by other mystery booksellers.
Mail and
phone and e-mail orders for these or any other books are welcome.
We special
order non-mysteries as well. We can get you all the books you need, no matter
what the topic.
Gift
certificates are available in any denomination, can be ordered by phone or
e-mail, and are a great present for the local mystery fans on your list. We can
send it to them for you, whether you live here or not.
Copies in the
best condition go to those who reserve in advance.
Dust jacket
protectors are put on all signed books that are shipped out.
Prices and
dates are subject to change without notice.
The Seattle Mystery Bookshop
Newsletter was composed and produced by the staff.