SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP
Summer 2008 Newsletter
117
Cherry St. Seattle, WA 98104
Hours:
10-5 Mon – Sat, 12-5 Sun
Bill
Farley, founder / JB Dickey, owner
Fran
Fuller, Bookkeeper / Janine Wilson, bookseller
Gretchen
Brevoort, Co-op / Mary Ary-Almojuela, bookseller
staff@seattlemystery.com 206-587-5737
www.seattlemystery.com
cops –
private eyes – courtroom – thrillers – suspense – espionage – true crime – reference
New from the Northwest
Stella Cameron, Cypress Nights (Aug.,
Mira hc, 24.95). St. Cecil’s Parish has hired teacher Bleu Labeau to establish
a grade school. Local rogue Roche Savage is after her for other, less honorable
reasons. Bodies begin to turn up and are connected to both of them. All of the
victims are both patients of Savage’s and contributors to the school fund. Signing.
Daniel Edward Craig, Murder at Hotel Cinema (June, Midnight Ink tpo, 15.95). One of Hollywood’s hottest stars
dies in a fall from her penthouse balcony at the party celebrating the
renovation of a Tinseltown hotel. Was it a publicity stunt gone terribly awry
or something else? Hotelier Trevor Lambert will find out.
Mary Daheim, Vi Agra Falls (Aug.,
Morrow hc, 23.95). Judith’s world is beset by chaos. Her husband’s ex-wife –
now rich beyond dreams after her second husband died and left her a fortune –
has bought an old house in the neighborhood and announced she intends to tear
it down and build a massive condominium. In paper, Scots on the Rocks (July,
Avon, 6.99). Signing.
Mike Doogan, Skeleton Lake (Aug.,
Putnam hc, 25.95). In his 3rd book, Alaskan Det. Nik Kane is
recovering from his last case (Capitol
Offense, Aug., Berkley, 7.99)
and begins to think about his first investigation, the murder of an old-style
cop, Danny Shirleff. Someone put two bullets into the back of the man’s head
and Nik could never hang the crime on anyone. Now he has time to re-open this
old, cold case.
Aaron Elkins, Uneasy Relations (July,
Berkley hc, 23.95). Professor Oliver attends a conference on Gibraltar when the
remains of a Neanderthal woman are found with a baby that seems to be
half-Neanderthal and half-human. Someone is obviously upset by the find and
fresher bodies are soon turning up. In paper, Little Tiny Teeth (July,
Berkley, 7.99). Signing.
Yasmine Galenorn, Dragon Wytch (July,
Berkley pbo, 7.99). The D’Artigo sisters series continues: Camille learns a
secret that could impact all of the sisters’ lives. Signing.
Gabriella Herkert, Doggone (Aug.,
Obsidian pbo, 6.99). In her second adventure (after Catnapped, Obsidian, 6.99), legal investigator Sara Townley begins
work on a case of stolen identity. Somewhere along the way a black lab begins
to show up where ever she goes. Soon, she realizes that she’s got a sidekick. Signing.
Lisa Jackson, Left to Die (Aug.,
Kensington pbo, 7.99). Two Montana cops, Detectives Selena Alvarez and Regan
Pescoli, take on a disturbing case. Four victims have been abducted, played
with and slowly murdered. Cryptic messages have been left with the bodies.
Obviously the killer is toying with them as well.
J.A. Jance, Damage Control (Aug.,
Morrow hc, 25.95). Joanna Brady is stretched thin and is exhausted – being the
sheriff and the mother of a newborn will do that to a person. Her plate is
filled further with two events: a woman who had been harassed by her ex shoots
an intruder, but it isn’t her ex, and a car goes through the guardrail of a
mountain highway. No rest for the weary from the wicked. In paper, Justice Denied (July, Harper, 9.99), Beaumont. Signing.
Rebecca Kent, High Marks for Murder (June,
Berkley pbo, 6.99). Start of a new series by Kate Kingsbury, under a new name.
In 1905 Edwardian England, headmistress Meredith Llewellyn presides over
Bellehaven House, a girls’ finishing school. One of her teachers is killed in
the school’s garden, and even in death, she seems to be pointing to the garden
– a clue?
Caitlin Kittredge, Pure Blood (Aug., St.
Martin’s pbo, 6.99). Homicide Det. Luna Wilder finds herself in the middle of a
war between rival clans of witches. Not a good place for a cop – or a werewolf
– to find herself. Signing.
Mike Lawson, House Rules (June, Atlantic Monthly hc, 22.00). DeMarco is tasked with
investigating a string of terrorist attacks on DC. None have succeeded but the
powers in Washington are rattled, and pending legislation is punishingly
restrictive. The Speaker is suspicious and DeMarco – with Emma’s help – begins
to see problems with the official stories about the attacks. A timely story
about the uses and abuses of power and mis-directions of threats – Lawson’s
best book yet, which is saying something! Plus, Bill’s blurb recommending the
book is printed on the back of the jacket! Signing.
Ron Lovell, Yaquina White (July,
Penman tpo, 15.00). 7th with former Oregon professor Thomas
Martindale. His career wrecked, Martindale accepts an assignment to the North
Pole to escape the drug dealers he’d become entangled with. More shenanigans
befall him on the trip and, upon his return, he faces a showdown with his
enemy.
Neil Low, Thick as Thieves (July,
Tigress tpo, 15.95). Debut novel by a veteran Seattle cop. Seattle in the 1940s
is a wide-open den of vice and corruption. When a corrupt cop kills his father,
a private investigator, Alan Stewart determines to get justice and revenge.
What he can’t possibly foresee is that the clues will lead him to the “Crime of
the Century”, a notorious kidnapping the decade before. Signing.
Elizabeth Lowell, Blue Smoke and Murder (June,
Morrow hc, 24.95). Strange and threatening events are happening in Jill Breck’s
life. Some time before, while a river guide, she’d saved the life of the son of
some powerful people in her town. She turns to them now, asking for help and
they send Zach Balfour, their troubleshooter, to help her,
Phillip Margolin, Executive Privilege (June,
Harper hc, 25.95). In DC, a private eye is hired to follow a young woman to see
where she goes and whom she sees. The morning after she sees the President,
she’s found murdered. In Portland, a lawyer’s client tells him a former
governor – who is now the President, framed him for murder. Signing.
Cricket McRae, Heaven Preserve Us (Aug.,
Midnight Ink tpo, 13.95). Home crafts maven Sophie Mae Reynolds (first seen in Lye in Wait, Midnight Ink, 12.95) works
nights on a crisis helpline. Her first call of the evening is from a man who
threatens suicide and then threatens her.
Ridley Pearson, Killer View (Aug.,
Putnam hc, 24.95). A search-and-rescue mission turns into something else when
shots are fired at Sun Valley Sheriff Walt Fleming’s team. One dead, one
vanished and they haven’t found any sign of the missing skier. In paper, Killer Weekend (July, Jove, 9.99), first in the series.
Barbara Pope, Cezanne’s Quarry (June,
Pegasus hc, 25.00). Debut from a University of Oregon professor of history and
women’s/gender studies. In the late 1800s in France, a young woman is found
murdered. She was the lover of a Darwin scholar and the object of lust of Paul
Cezanne. Various elements swirl through this whodunit: the treatment of women
in the late 19th C.; the inadequacies of the French legal system;
the early battles of evolutionary theory; and the revolutionary art of the most
influential post-impressionist. Signing.
Kat Richardson, Underground (Aug., Roc
hc, 21.95). In her 3rd book – and first hardcover – Seattle PI
Harper Blaine investigates a series of deaths among the homeless. The case will
take her into the Seattle Underground. She hears tales of zombies… Signing.
Mark Schorr, Fixation (June, St.
Martin’s hc, 24.95). Portland counselor Brian Hanson works to help FBI agent
Louise Parker after her raid on a Neo-Nazi drug lab goes badly. She’s the
subject of an internal investigation, and the target of her original
investigation is out for revenge.
Elizabeth Sims, The Actress (June, St.
Martin’s hc, 24.95). Struggling actress Rita Farmer is desperate for any work.
She accepts a job from a lawyer to help coach a client, a tabloid fixture, who
has been accused of killing her own child. Can Rita help to make the woman seem
more human? Signing.
Kate Wilhelm, Cold Case (Aug., Mira
hc, 24.95). 22 years ago, a young woman was strangled, but no one was ever
charged. Now all of the characters she was with that night have been drawn
together again. One of them had been looking into the case after all these
years and he’s been murdered. Barbara Holloway and her father take up the
defense of the man accused of the new murder.
In paper, A Wrongful Death (July, Mira, 6.99).
Now in Paperback
Chelsea Cain, HeartSick (Aug., St.
Martin’s, 7.99). Gretchen recommends.
Michael Dibdin, End Games (Aug.,
Vintage, 13.95). The final Arelio Zen. Favorite author of Janine’s.
Matt Ruff, Bad Monkeys (Aug.,
Harper, 13.95). Wasn’t this already sort of a softcover?? JB & Fran recommend this wickedly
twisted book.
Reissues of Note
L.R. Wright, The Suspect (July,
Felony & Mayhem, 14.95). Winner of the 1985 Edgar for Best Mystery, this is
the first of the Karl Alberg books, set along British Columbia’s Sunshine
Coast. A dynamite book, you know from the start who did it but you don’t know
until the last page why!
Mysterious Youth
Ridley Pearson, The Kingdom Keepers: The
Rise of Chernabog (Aug., Disney
tpo, 17.99). The disappearance of a
mysterious sister, a wild monkey in a storm, and the Overtakers threaten the
Magic Kingdom, and the Kingdom Keepers are on watch. 2nd in the
series.
Special Interest
John Straley, The Rising and the Rain: Collected Poems (Aug., Univ. of Alaska Press tpo, 19.95). The first book of poetry
from Alaska’s Writer Laureate.
Coming This Fall
Chelsea Cain, Sweetheart, Sept.
Jayne Castle, Dark Light, Sept.
Carola Dunn & Daisy
Dalrymple, Sept.
Larry Karp, The King of Ragtime, Oct.
Ann Rule & Case Files Vol.
13, Nov.
[Entries in
Blue do not appear in the printed, paper version. The printed
newsletter is limited by postage and printing to a finite number of pages. No
such limits exist on the web so we include much, much more.]
New from the Rest
Jeff
Abbott, Collision (June, Dutton hc, 24.95). Two men are
joined in a battle. One is a grieving widower and the other is former CIA agent
who now works for shadowy agency. Somehow, they are both the subjects of the
same conspiracy, targeted for elimination. One knows nothing of this world
while the other knows too much.
Elizabeth
Adler, One of Those Malibu Nights
(July, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95).
Murder, mystery and movie stars.
Mark Alpert, Final Theory (June,
Touchstone hc, 24.00). Columbia University physics professor David Swift is
called to the hospital where his mentor is near death after a beating. The
older man’s last words refer to Einstein’s long-postulated Theory of
Everything, which would unite all of the various forces into one theory of how
things work. Supposedly, the theory was never finalized. But, soon after his mentor
dies, Swift is arrested, questioned and nearly murdered. Someone clearly
believes this theory was completed and wants it. First novel by “a
self-described lifelong ‘science geek”.
Donna Andrews, Cockatiels at Seven (Aug.,
St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Reluctantly, Meg Langslow agrees to be an emergency
babysitter for a few hours. When those hours pass, and then the night, she goes
looking for her friend, the child’s mother.
In paper, The Penguin Who Knew Too
Much (July, St. Martin’s, 6.99).
David Bajo, The 351 Books of Irma Arcuri (June,
Viking hc, 25.95). This promises to be a mind-bending bibliomystery that is
both metaphysical and philosophical: Philip Magyrk is a mathematical genius
that has been through two marriages while maintaining an affair with Irma
Arcuri. She’s now disappeared and left her library to Philip, all 351 volumes,
5 of which she wrote herself. As he delves into the books, he sees patterns and
clues to Irma’s circumstances, and to events in his own life.
Linda Barnes, Lie Down with the Devil (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Carlotta Carlyle investigates her
own life: her fiancé Sam Gianelli has fled the country after a secret
indictment comes down to accuse him of murder. Signed Copies Available.
Brett Battles, The Deceived (June,
Delacorte hc, 24.00). Professional ‘cleaner’ Jonathan Quinn takes his latest
job personally – the victim is an old friend and former CIA agent. Quinn is
going to get find justice. In paper, The
Cleaner (June, Dell, 6.99),
Quinn’s first appearance.
Sydney
Bauer, Undertow (July, Berkley pbo, 7.99). 1st
US release of a debut legal thriller by an Australian author – but set in
Boston. The witness to an accident that killed the daughter of a powerful
Senator becomes ensnared by the politician’s own plan.
Cynthia
Baxter, Monkey See, Monkey Die
(Aug., Bantam pbo, 6.99). 7th
with veterinarian/sleuth Jessica Popper.
Nancy Bell, Paint the Town Dead (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). 3rd
with Judge Jackson Crain.
Claudia
Bishop, The Case of the Ill-Gotten
Goat (June, Berkley pbo, 6.99).
3rd with veterinarian Austin McKenzie. The milk inspector, known
to be a randy fellow, is found dead in a 400-gallon vat of the fluid.
Lawrence Block, Hit and Run (July,
Morrow hc, 24.95, Signed Copies $25.95). Hit man John Keller becomes the suspect
after the Governor of Ohio is shot while Keller is in the state on another job.
Was he set up to be the fall guy? He’s got to find out and the only person he
can trust is Dot, his contact who feeds him his jobs. Bill and Janine recommend.
Suzanne
Brockmann, Into the Fire (July, Ballantine hc, 23.00). A man’s
life crashes after his wife is murdered.
Rita Mae Brown, Hounded to Death (Aug.,
Ballantine hc, 25.00). 7th with Sister Jane Arnold, Master of
Foxhounds. In paper, The Tell-Tale Horse
(Aug., Ballantine, 14.00).
Sandra
Brown, Smoke Screen (Aug., Simon & Schuster hc, 26.95).
All the catalog says: “A sizzling tale of corruption and betrayal, revenge and
reversal – where friends become foes, and criminals become heroes in the
ultimate abuse of power.” In paper, Play
Dirty (July, Pocket, 9.99).
Edna
Buchanan, Legally
Dead (Aug., Simon &
Schuster hc, 25.00). First in a new series: US Marshall Michael Ventura quit
the Witness Protection program to go solo; he’s now a one-man, freelance,
new-identity source. He’ll make you a new identity with one restriction – you
can’t contact anyone from your previous life, including him.
James Lee
Burke, Swan Peak (July, Simon & Schuster hc, 26.00).
It’s been years since Dave Robicheaux was in Montana (the 3rd
Robicheaux book, the 1989 Edgar-winning Black
Cherry Blues, Avon, 7.99), but a new case will take him back there. Signed Copies Available. In paper, The Tin Roof Blowdown (July, Pocket, 7.99). Undoubtedly one of
America’s greatest writers, ever.
Ellen
Byerrum, Armed and Glamorous (July, Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 6th
in the Crimes of Fashion series with
reporter Lacey Smithsonian.
Leslie
Caine, Poisoned By Gilt (June, Dell pbo, 6.99). The judge in a
green-home contest is found dead.
Stephen J.
Cannell, At First Sight (July, Vanguard hc, 25.95). The site of
a woman in a Hawaiian pool turns from simple lust to a homicidal obsession for
a dot-com millionaire whose life is empty.
Tori
Carrington, Working Stiff (Aug., Forge hc, 24.95). 3rd with PI
Sofie Metropolis.
Stephen L. Carter, Palace Council (July,
Knopf hc, 26.95). In the early 70s, a wealthy and politically connected man is
found murdered on the grounds of his Harlem mansion. A young writer and his
girlfriend begin to look for answers. Along the way will be intrigue, deception
and, at the end of it all, presidential corruption. The past is inevitable
prologue. Signing? In paper, New England White (June, Vintage, 14.95).
Kathryn
Casey, Singularity (July, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Debut
novel by a former reporter and true crime writer. Texas Ranger Sarah Armstrong
catches the case of a wealthy businessman who has been found dead, murdered
with his mistress, their bodies in grotesque positions.
Thomas B. Cavanaugh, Prodigal Son (July, St.
Martin’s hc, 24.95). 3rd darkly-humored private eye novel set in
Central Florida.
Sean Chercover, Trigger City (June,
Morrow hc, 23.95). Chicago PI Ray Dudgeon is hired by the father of a murdered
woman. The cops are satisfied that she was the victim of a crazy co-worker.
Clues will lead Ray into the dark world of military contractors. Janine
recommends this author.
James E. Cherry, Shadow of Light (June,
Serpent’s Tail tpo, 14.95). As we know from the headlines, racial tensions are
as high as ever in America’s South. In a backwater Tennessee town, a gang of
white teens gang rape a black grandmother. There is only one person in town
that has a chance to defuse the situation: the senior cop, African-American
Walter Robinson. Debut novel.
Lee
Child, Nothing to Lose (June, Bantam hc, 27.00). Jack Reacher arrives in Despair, CO, and
within an hour is unceremoniously expelled by the police. He quickly finds out
others have been escorted out and his curiosity is piqued: why would a small
town on the edge of the Great Plains want to keep people out instead of
welcoming them? Signing. We ALL recommend.
Martin Clark, The Legal Limit (July,
Knopf hc, 24.95). An older brother shielded his younger brother from their
abusive father, but ended up in prison after repeated run-ins with the law. The
younger brother escaped their small Virginia town to go to law school, marry
his true love, and eventually return to the town as the commonwealth’s
attorney. The older one expects help getting out of jail and, as leverage,
invokes a secret they both swore to never bring up.
Mary Jane
Clark, It Only Takes a Moment
(Aug., Morrow hc, 24.95). A TV news
host becomes part of the story when her daughter is kidnapped from a summer
camp.
Jeffrey
Cohen, It Happened One Knife (July, Berkley pbo, 7.99). 2nd in this refurbished-movie-theatre
series.
Kate Collins, Shoots to Kill (Aug.,
Obsidian pbo, 6.99).7th in the popular Flower Shop series.
John Connolly, The Reapers (June, Atria
hc, 26.00). Investigator Charlie Parker counts as one of his confidantes a man
named Louis, one of an elite group of killers. Now someone has set another of
the killers against Louis. Parker, no stranger to death and violence, is going
to help his friend. John’s a favorite of the staff – and we love his books too.
Signing. Fran recommends.
Sheila
Connolly, One Bad Apple (Aug., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 1st
in a new series dealing with a woman’s family orchard and a developer. By the
author of a glass-blowing mystery written as Sarah Atwell.
Robin Cook, Foreign Body (Aug., Putnam hc, 25.95). An LA medical student hears on an
international news broadcast that her grandmother has died in India after an
ordinary hip operation.
Thomas H. Cook, Master of the Delta (June,
Harcourt hc, 24.00). Jack Branch returns to his small Mississippi town in 1954
to teach at his former high school. He finds that the son of a notorious killer
is one of his students and tries to take the kid under his wing and help him
out. He will discover that he’s waded into a family far more troubled than
expected. Signing.
Stephen
Coonts, The Assassin (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 26.95). A small
but elite group of men from the top of their fields in the West decide it is
time to wipe out Al Qaeda’s leadership. When one of them is killed, it is clear
that they have a leak.
Catherine
Coulter, Tailspin (June, Putnam hc, 25.95). 12th
FBI thriller. In paper, Double Take (July, Jove, 7.99).
Philip R.
Craig, Vineyard Chill (June, Scribner hc, 24.00). The 19th
and final book in his Martha’s Vineyard series.
Robert
Crais, Chasing Darkness (July, Simon & Schuster hc, 26.00).
Three years ago, Elvis Cole became a hero when he unearthed evidence that
helped clear a man accused of murder. Now, that man has been found dead and the
circumstances point to his guilt in the earlier crime. And Elvis is on the hot
seat. Signing. Janine recommends.
Deborah Crombie, Where Memories Lie (July,
Morrow hc, 24.95). DI Gemma James has an elderly neighbor who, along with her
late husband, came to London decades before to escape the Nazis. The woman
comes to Gemma for help after a unique piece of jewelry, reported stolen years
before, is seen at a prestigious auction.
Ellen
Crosby, The Bordeaux Betrayal
(Aug., Scribner hc, 25.00). 3rd
mystery set in the vineyards of Virginia. In paper, The Chardonnay Charade (July,
Pocket, 7.99).
Clive
Cussler & Jack DuBrul, Plague
Ship (June, Putnam hc, 26.95). 4th
with the private spy ship Oregon. In
paper, with Paul Kemprecos, The Navigator
(July, Berkley, 9.99), Kurt Austin.
Jeffery Deaver, The Broken Window (June,
Simon & Schuster hc, 26.95). Rhyme and Sachs are up against a fiendish
killer. The ‘522’ uses high technology to perfectly frame innocent people for
his murders and his latest patsy is Lincoln’s cousin Arthur. In paper, The Sleeping Doll (May, Pocket, 9.99). Signing.
Phillip
DePoy, The Drifter’s Wheel (July, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 4th
with Appalachian folklorist Fever Devilin.
P.T.
Deutermann, The Moonpool (June, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). The body
of a murdered cop sets off radiation alarms at the morgue. The only
source around that part of North Carolina is the local nuclear plant. Who
killed her and why is her body radioactive? In paper, Spider Mountain (June,
St. Martin’s, 6.99).
D.H. Dublin, Freezer Burn (June,
Berkley pbo, 7.99). 3rd in the Philadelphia Crime Scene Unit series.
Susan Dunlap, Hungry Ghosts (July,
Counterpoint hc, 25.00). Stuntwoman Darcy Lott is back in San Francisco, trying
to get past her brother’s disappearance and helping her Zen master set up his
new zendo. Another disappearance rattles her and she’s soon in the middle of a
unseen plot. In paper, Single Eye (July, Counterpoint, 12.95).
Kaitlyn
Dunnett, Scone Cold Dead (Aug., Kensington hc, 22.00). 2nd
Scottish Twist mystery.
Janet Evanovich, Fearless Fourteen (June,
St. Martin’s hc, 27.95). In paper, Lean
Mean Thirteen (June, St.
Martin’s, 7.99).
Barbara
Fister, In the Wind (June, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 2nd
with former cop Anni Koskinen. A church worker asks her for help and, from such
an innocent request, Anni is sucked into trouble that stems from the 1972 murder
of an FBI agent during the AIM shoot-out.
Stephen Frey, Forced Out (Aug., Atria
hc, 24.95). Back in Florida after being forced out as a scout for the Yankees,
Jack Barrett watches a young baseball player and thinks the kid’s natural
talents could be his ticket back to the big leagues. But the young man has
secrets and keeps to himself. If the secrets get out…
Alan Furst, The Spies of Warsaw (June,
Random House hc, 25.00). In 1937 Warsaw, nearly everyone is a spy. There are 21
in this story alone – spies for France and Germany, all working for their
countries and their ideals… and for survival. A love affair will complicate
things for new military attaché Colonel Jean-François Mercier who falls for a
Parisian woman of Polish descent who is a lawyer for the imperiled League of
Nations. Signing? Favorite author of Janine’s.
Michelle Gagnon, Boneyard (July,
Mira pbo, 6.99). FBI Special Agent Kelly Jones leads the investigation of a
mass grave found on the Appalachian Trail and the crime trail splits into two distinct
paths – two kinds of victims and possibly two different killers. Signing.
Meg Gardiner, The Dirty Secrets Club (July,
Dutton hc, 24.95). The San Francisco Police Department hires forensic
psychiatrist Jo Beckett after a string of murder/suicides by prominent people
in the Bay area. She’s shocked to learn that they all belonged to something
called The Dirty Secrets Club. As she gets closer to answers, she receives a
message, that due to a secret in her own past, she’s been made a member. Signed Copies Available. Gretchen
recommends. In paper, China Lake
(June), Mission Canyon (July)
and Jericho Point (Aug.,), Crosscut (Sept., all
Obsidian, 7.99), 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in her Eve Delaney
series.
Lisa
Gardner, Say Goodbye (July, Bantam hc, 25.00). FBI Special
Agent Kimberly Quincy has noticed a pattern that young women from society’s
edges have been disappearing. An 18 year old from that world contacts her,
saying she has information about it all. In paper, Hide (June, Bantam,
7.99).
Tess
Gerritsen, The Keepsake
(Aug., Ballantine hc,
26.00). ME Maura Isles thinks the examination of a mummy will be an interesting
departure from current crimes. But the body turns out to not be centuries old
but actually a recent victim. Other similar bodies begin to
appear. In paper, Bone Garden (Aug., Ballantine, 7.99).
Victor
Gishler,
Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse (July, Touchstone tpo, 14.00). Something
different from the present-day noir spinner: 10 years after the Apocalypse,
insurance salesman (former, that is) Mortimer Tate leaves the cave in Tennessee
where he hid out. What he finds is a landscape littered with useless crap and
the only ‘civilization’ to be Joey Armageddon’s strip club. From there, joined
by some odd-balls he meets, Tate will set out for Atlanta to see what is left
of the world.
Lee
Goldberg, Mr. Monk Goes to Germany
(July, Obsidian hc, 21.95). In
paper, Mr. Monk in Outer Space (June, Obsidian, 6.99).
Tod
Goldberg, Burn Notice (Aug., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 1st
in a series based on the USA network series.
Sally Goldenbaum, Death by Cashmere (Aug.,
Obsidian hc, 21.95). First in a new knitting series, set on the Massachusetts
coast.
Paul
Goldstein, A Patent Lie (June, Doubleday hc, 24.95). Michael
Seeley leaves his Manhattan law firm for a solo practice in Buffalo. His
estranged brother-in-law is one of his first clients, asking for help in
Silicon Valley regarding with a disagreement over an AIDS vaccine.
Carol Goodman, The Night Villa (Aug.,
Ballantine tpo, 14.00). After escaping a traumatic campus shooting, classics
professor Sophie Chase accepts the task of helping to translate scrolls that
survived the 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius. New danger awaits as a shadowy group
wants the writings at any cost.
Chris Grabenstein, Hell Hole (Aug., St.
Martin’s hc, 24.95). 4th with Sea Haven, NJ cop John Ceepak. A death
on the Jersey shore has ties to the events in Iraq. As a former military
investigator, the case hits Ceepak harder than do most. Signing.
Margaret Grace, Mayhem in Miniature (Aug.,
Berkley pbo, 6.99). 2nd in this hobby series.
Linda
Greenlaw, Fisherman’s Bend (June, Hyperion hc, 24.95). Former
Florida detective Jane Bunker is astounded that the sleepy little Maine village
she moved to has a dark underbelly. In paper, Slipknot (May, Harper,
6.99).
Derek Haas, The Silver Bear (July,
Pegasus hc, 24.00). Over the last decade, an anonymous killer known as Columbus
has become the most proficient and reliable hit man in the country. His father
unknown, his mother a hooker, he has built a ruthless reputation. But his past
is about to collide with his future: his mother once was involved with a young
congressman who became Speaker of the House and is now running for president.
Columbus is following his moves closely. Debut thriller by a noted
screenwriter.
Carolyn
Haines, Wishbones (July, St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). 8th
with Southern PI Sarah Booth Delaney, who has decided to move to
Hollywood to become a screen star. In paper, Ham Bones (June,
Kensington, 6.99).
Denise Hamilton, The Last Embrace (July,
Scribner tpo, 14.00). A stand-alone noir thriller based on the unsolved true
crime of actress Jean Spangler in 1949. After an actress’s body is found in a
ravine by the Hollywood sign, her mother is unsatisfied with the police
investigation. She turns to her son’s fiancée, Lily Kessler, a former OSS
operative, for help.
Laurell K.
Hamilton, Blood Noir (June, Berkley hc, 25.95). 16th
with vampire hunter Anita Blake.
David Handler, The Sour Cherry Surprise (July,
St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Things have just been wrong since Trooper Desiree
Mitry broke up with film critic Mitch Burger. They’re about to get worse. 5th
in this series highly recommended
by Fran and Janine.
Honor
Hartman, The Unkindest Cut (June, Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 2nd
in the Bridge Club mystery series.
Michael
Harvey, The Fifth Floor (Aug., Knopf hc, 23.95). Chicago PI
Michael Kelly’s latest case has its roots in the Great Fire of 1871. In paper, The Chicago Way (July, Vintage, 12.95).
Linda
Howard, Death Angel (June, Ballantine hc, 26.00). The
girlfriend of a mob boss was a conniving moll who was murdered for stealing a
suitcase of cash from him. Returned to life, she’s become an avenging angel set
on evening the score.
Mary Ellen
Hughes, Paper-Thin Alibi (July, Berkley pbo, 6.99). 3rd
in this arts and crafts series.
Iris and
Roy Johansen, Silent Thunder (July, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Mother
and son team up. A hidden message in a decommissioned Russian sub headed for a
museum exhibit results in murder.
Craig Johnson, Another Man’s Moccasins (June,
Viking hc, 24.95). Sheriff Walt Longmire’s latest murder investigation strikes
chords with his first, as a Marine in Viet Nam. The victim found along the
Wyoming interstate is herself Vietnamese and a photo found in her purse looks
eerily familiar to Walt. Signing.
Linda O.
Johnston, Double
Dog Dare (June, Berkley pbo,
6.99). 6th in the pet-sitter series with Kendra Ballantyne.
Daniel
Judson, The Water’s Edge (July, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Jake
Bechet left the Castellos crime family a year ago with enough information set
aside to ensure his safety. When two men are found hanging from a bridge not
far from his house in the Hamptons, their hands removed, he knows trouble isn’t
far away. The head of the family comes to him, asking him to investigate who
killed the family’s soldiers.
Janice
Kaplan, A Job to Kill For (Aug., Touchstone hc, 24.00). 3rd
with interior designer and sleuth Lucy Fields.
N.M. Kelby, Murder at the Bad Girl’s Bar and Grill (June, Shaye Areheart hc, 23.00). In her second outlandishly funny
crime novel, a group of people in a Floridian gated community share not only a
neighborhood, but also dead bodies that don’t seem to be against the
homeowner’s rules. The guard at the gate seems to be the only person bothered
by the crimes and his name is Brian Wilson. Fran recommends her first book with
Jimmy Ray, the Buddhist Bluesman, Whale
Season (Three Rivers, 13.00).
Faye
Kellerman, The Mercedes Coffin (Aug., Morrow hc, 25.95). A recent
homicide bears a strange resemblance to an unsolved case from 15 years before.
Just after Peter Decker contacts the lead cop from that first case, he finds
out the retired detective has killed himself. In paper, The Burnt House (Aug., Harper, 7.99).
Julie
Kenner, Deja Demon (July, Berkley tpo, 14.00). 4th
in the demon-hunting soccer-mom series.
Andrew
Klavan, Empire of Lies (July, Harcourt hc, 25.00). Jason Harrow
is convinced his life is perfect and is buoyed by his deep religious faith. All
of that is shattered when a woman from his past calls and asks for help. Her
daughter is missing and she is convinced Jason is the only one who can find
her. His search will take him to the center of a plot against the U.S.
J.A. Konrath, Fuzzy Navel (July,
Hyperion hc, 23.95). Chicago Lt. Jacqueline Daniels is told that the worst
killer she put away has killed herself in prison. A gang of vigilantes, for
some reason, is targeting cops and “Jack” thinks the killer is not dead but is
behind it. In paper, Dirty Martini (June, Hyperion, 7.99).
Michael Koryta, Envy
the Night (Aug., St. Martin’s
hc, 24.95). Stand-alone thriller by the author of the Lincoln Perry, PI series.
7 years ago, just before he was to graduate high school, Frank Temple’s father
killed himself to avoid prosecution and prison. Frank’s been trying to make
sense of it ever since. Word reaches him that the man who got Frank’s father
into trouble is returning to an isolated lake where both families vacationed.
Frank aims to settle scores. Ridley
Pearson raved about this book. In paper, A Welcome Grave (June, St. Martin’s, 6.99).
Julie
Kramer, Stalking Susan (July, Doubleday hc, 22.95). Debut by a
long-time TV news producer. A TV journalist figures out that someone is killing
women named Susan on the same day each year. The women seem to have no
connection other than their first name. How do you stop a killer like that?
Linda Ladd, Die Smiling (Aug., Kensington pbo, 6.99). 3rd with Missouri Det.
Claire Morgan.
Jon Land, The Seven Sins (June, Forge hc, 24.95). Michael Tiranno has come a great distance
from being an orphan in Sicily to owning one of the greatest casinos in Vegas.
But he and his attorney and confidante, Naomi Burns, have done a great deal to
bury his one dark secret. Someone from his past is out to release the secret
and destroy him.
Joe R. Lansdale, Leather Maiden (Aug.,
Knopf hc, 25.00). Returning to his East Texas hometown after scandal cost him
his Houston job, Cason Statler is a wreck – drinking too much and wallowing in
self-pity. Accepting a job at the local paper, he discovers notes left about a
lurid and unsolved murder. He thinks that cracking the case will be his
salvation, but it will lead him into a freaky game of evil.
John Lathrop, The Desert Contract (June,
Scribner hc, 25.00). A debut novel informed by
the author’s stint in the Air Force and working overseas for 15 years.
US businessman Steve Kemp goes back to Saudi Arabia after his life implodes.
Once there, looking for a new career, he re-connects with a woman from years
before, restarting their affair. Only this time, she’s married to a high level
diplomat. The country begins to destabilize and he realizes he’s amongst people
whose loyalties are impossible to know.
Marc
Lecard, Tiny Little Troubles (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). A famous
nano-technologist cannot keep his fly closed, allowing bad people to get near
him and have the chance to steal his secrets.
Laura
Levine, Killing Bridzilla (June, Kensington hc, 22.00). 7th
with writer-for-hire Jaine Austen, working with her old high school enemy on a
play when the woman falls to her death.
Francie Lin, The Foreigner (June,
Picador tpo, 14.00). A 40ish bachelor, Emerson Chang is the son of immigrants
and lives a quiet and sheltered life. He also speaks no Chinese. After his
mother’s sudden death, he obeys her wish to have her ashes scattered in Taipei
and be reunited with his brother whom he hasn’t seen in decades. His brother,
Little P, has worked his way up the Taiwanese crime world and Emerson will be
faced with more than he can imagine. Debut by a Massachusetts writer.
Eric van
Lustbader, First Daughter (Aug., Forge hc, 25.95). After 8 years
of an ideological and belligerent president, a moderate is about to take
office. But on the day before the inauguration, the daughter of the
president-elect is kidnapped; and the man detailed to find her has himself
recently lost his daughter.
Jackie Lynn, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (June, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 3rd
with Rose Franklin, who lives at the Shady Grove campground along the
Mississippi River in Arkansas.
Margaret Maron, Death’s Half Acre (Aug.,
Grand Central hc, 24.99). Judge Deborah Knott becomes involved when a shady
county commissioner is murdered. As the city encroaches on farmland, there is a
ton of money to be made by those willing to be corrupt. In paper, Hard Row (Aug., Grand Central, 7.99).
John McFetridge, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere (July, Harcourt hc, 25.00). Two people in Toronto are on a collision
course, but they don’t know it yet: Sharon MacDonald is under house arrest in
her police-watched building from which an Iranian immigrant has just fallen
from the roof, and she’s suspicious of this new guy Ray who is just too
handsome and slick to be believed. Det. Gord Bergeron has a new partner, a
torso discovered in an alley, a pre-teen girl is missing, and a feeling that
corruption has burrowed deep into the police force. In paper, Dirty Sweet (July, Harcourt, 14.00).
Ralph
McInerny, Ash Wednesday (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 27th
with Father Dowling.
Rae
Meadows, No One Tells Everything
(June, MacAdam Cage tp, 13.00). A
NYC editor becomes entranced by the news stories of a young college guy accused
of killing a coed. He is from the editor’s hometown and Grace, the editor,
senses something deeper to the story. She exchanges messages with him and heads
back to their hometown. The present and the past begin to blur as memories from
her childhood begin to look different after events of the present.
Richard
Montanari, Badlands (Aug., Ballantine hc, 26.00). Two of
Philadelphia’s best cops catch the cold case of a murder in a desolate area of
town. The first woman they investigate kills herself as soon as they leave; the
only clue remaining is a single Latin word.
In paper, Merciless (Aug., Ballantine, 7.99).
Kaye
Morgan, Sinister Sudoku (Aug., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 3rd
in the numbers-puzzle series.
Tamar Myers, Death of a Rug Lord (June, Avon pbo, 6.99). 14th
in the Den of Antiquity series.
Barbara Parker, The Dark of the Day (July,
Vanguard hc, 25.95). The disappearance of a woman after a swanky Florida party
turns political: the host was the head of security for a US congressman from
Miami. CJ Dunn is a media spin expert, but even her skills will be put to the
test to deflect attention from the man giving the party and his boss. Things
get tenser when the woman is found dead.
P.J. Parrish, South of Hell (July,
Pocket pbo, 7.99). 9th from the sisters with Louis Kincaid and his
girlfriend Det. Joe Frye. Kincaid and Frye are asked
by a woman to investigate the unsolved murder of her mother in 1981. Lately,
the woman has been experiencing flashbacks of a violent murder. As Kincaid and
Frye dig into the case, it becomes clear that the flashbacks do not correspond
to her mother’s murder. What, then, do they match up to? Shamus winning and
Edgar nominated series.
James
Patterson & Howard Roughan, Sail (June, Little Brown
hc, 27.99). A young widow takes her children on a sailing vacation to try to
pull the family together. The kids are a mess, she’s not much saner. And things
are going to get much, much worse. In paper, You’ve Been Warned (Aug.,
Vision, 9.99).
George Pelecanos, The Turnaround (Aug.,
Little Brown hc, 24.99). Back in 1972, three teens inadvertently drove into a
DC neighborhood unknown to them. By the end of that hot summer afternoon, six
lives were shattered. Now, 35 years later, one of the survivors tries to make
amends while another is getting out of prison.
Thomas Perry, Fidelity (June, Harcourt
hc, 25.00). Emily Kramer is stunned when her husband is murdered after having
emptied their joint account. Jerry Hobart is the guy who killed her husband;
it’s what he does for a living. But why is he now asked to whack the wife?
While Emily searches for answers, Jerry looks for a larger pay-off. In paper, Silence (June, Harcourt, 14.00). [Both books arrived in April, for some
reason.]
Christi Phillips, The Devlin Diary (July,
Pocket hc, 24.00). While the authorities believe the death of a Trinity College
history professor was an accident, Fellow Claire Donovan and historian Andrew
Kent believe otherwise. The dead man was clutching a page from a 1670s diary,
the writings of a royal physician during the time of a string of murders that
were never solved. All of the bodies had strange carvings on them.
Donald Pfarrer, A Common Ordinary Murder (Aug.,
Random House hc, 24.00). Big-city cop Steven McCord is 42, has seen what people
do to one another and has become detached from the crimes as well as his own
life. The latest case for him seems to be ordinary enough – an elderly man
strangled in his own home. But the case will take on aspects that will echo in
McCord’s own life and reignite his own fires.
Suzanne
Price, Dirty Deeds (July, Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 2nd
in the Grime Stoppers series.
Bill Pronzini, Fever (June, Forge hc,
24.95). Nameless and his associates have helped return a gambling- addicted
woman to her husband a couple of times; the last time she found them, having
been beaten up. Now she’s gone again but this time her blood is on her kitchen
floor and it appears someone has come to the end of their patience.
Christopher Reich, Rules of Deception (July,
Doubleday hc, 24.95). Jonathan Ransom is a surgeon for Doctors Without Borders
taking a vacation with his wife in the Swiss Alps. His wife is killed on a
mountain in a freak storm. The next day, he receives an envelope addressed to
her that contains two claim tickets. His first step, to find out what it means,
result in fight that leaves on of his attackers dead – a Swiss cop. What was
his wife into? Gretchen recommends.
Kathy Reichs, Devil Bones (Aug.,
Scribner hc, 25.95). A North Carolina plumber working on a home renovation
discovers a secret room that contains remains and evidence that points to
voodoo, Santaria and devil worship. Temperance Brennan’s 11th case.
In paper, Bones to Ashes (June, Pocket, 7.99). Gretchen
and Fran RAVE about this series.
J.D. Rhoades, Breaking Cover (Aug.,
St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Stand-alone thriller from the author of the Jack
Keller books. Years ago, Tony Wolf was thought to be the most talented FBI
agent in the bureau’s history. Then he simply disappeared. But now, after
saving two children from an attempting kidnapping, he’s exposed, and those from
his past, those from whom he hid, know where to find him. In paper, Safe and Sound (June, St. Martin’s, 6.99). Janine recommends this author.
Les
Roberts, King of the Holly Hop
(June, Gray & Co. hc, 24.95). 14th
with Milan Jacovich.
Nora Roberts, Tribute (July, Putnam hc, 26.95). A former child
star has left Hollywood behind and now enjoys a quiet life restoring old homes.
She left the glitz of LA after a friend died. Letters come to her attention
that her friend may have been pregnant and the drug overdose might not have
been accidental. Signed Copies Available.
In paper, High Noon (June, Jove, 7.99).
James
Rollins,
The Last Oracle (June, Morrow hc, 26.95). During the Cold War, a group of scientists
began to study autistic children and discovered a way to enhance and manipulate
savants. An extreme faction broke off and devoted itself to developing these
children into what they think one of them can be – a prophet for the new
millennia. Sigma Force begins their investigation. Signing. In paper, The Judas
Strain (June, Harper, 7.99). Fran
recommends his books. And, Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May, Del Rey hc, 26.00), the ‘official novel’ of the new movie.
David Rosenfelt, Don’t Tell a Soul (July,
St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). The first stand-alone thriller from the author of the
staff-favorite Andy Carpenter mysteries. Months ago, Tim Wallace’s wife died in
a boating accident. The cops wanted to hang a murder rap on him but could never
find evidence that it was murder. It is now New Year’s Eve and friends have
gotten Tim out of his house and into a pub. While there, a drunk stranger
admits to having killed a woman months before…and then disappears into the
night. The cops don’t buy it and renew their pursuit of Tim. He is the only one
who can find the truth. Bill highly recommends.
Marcus Sakey, Good People (Aug., Dutton hc, 24.95). What would you do
with $400,000? A young, suburban couple assume that the money they find hidden
by their dead tenet is just the cache left by a recluse. But he was a recluse
for a reason and now those from whom he was hiding want it. Gretchen
and Janine recommend it as his best book yet.
Jonathan Santlofer, The Murder Notebook (June,
Morrow hc, 24.95). An NYPD sketch artist begins to have visions of terrible
crimes. Doing what comes naturally, he draws them. Eerily, they appear to be
scenes from horrific crimes both past and present.
Bart Schneider, The Man in the Blizzard (Aug.,
Three Rivers tpo, 14.95). As the Republican Convention comes to the Twin
Cities, pothead PI Augie Boyer is hired by a striking blonde violinist – who,
by the way, has multiple personalities – to help her with some neo-Nazi violin
collectors. If this doesn’t sound bizarre enough, Augie asks a friend (a cop
who is a fanatical poetry promoter) to help him and Blossom (his spike-haired
and ex-con assistant) on the case. Soon they discover a plot to kill three
abortion doctors during a rally and that Augie’s only child, a radical
singer-songwriter, is involved in a protest, and things get out of hand. As
they would.
Michele
Scott, A Vintage Murder (July, Berkley pbo, 6.99). 4th
in the Wine Lover’s series.
Maggie
Sefton, Dyer Consequences (June, Berkley hc, 23.95). 5th
in this knitting series. In paper, A
Killer Stitch (June, Berkley,
6.99).
Jonathan
Segura, Occupational Hazards (July, Simon & Schuster tpo, 14.00).
Debut novel by a magazine editor. An Omaha reporter spins his wheels reporting
on real estate and county funding stories. Then he stumbles on what could be
the story of a lifetime; a bloody crime scene leads him to a group intent on
cleaning up the blighted areas of town to profit from the rehabilitation, even
if it requires murder.
Daniel Silva, Moscow Rules (July,
Putnam hc, 26.95). In his 8th book, Gabriel Allon travels to Russia
and discovers that there are still things to be learned about spycraft. In
paper, The Secret Servant (July, Signet, 9.99).
David Skibbins, The Hanged Man (Aug., St.
Martin’s hc, 23.95). Tarot reader Warren Ritter is asked by his girlfriend to
help save a friend who has been jailed. To help spring
dominatrix Therese de Farge, everyone involved will have to infiltrate the
straight-laced world of normal people – no small thing. Fran recommends this author.
Karin Slaughter, Fractured (July,
Delacorte hc, 25.00). After years of abuse from her husband, Gailyn Campano
snaps when she comes home to find an intruder holding her daughter hostage.
Quickly, the man is dead. Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations is
sent to look into the circumstances and see if the case really is so simple. Gretchen
recommends. In paper, Beyond
Reach (July, Dell, 7.99).
Patricia
Smiley, Cool Cache (June, Obsidian hc, 23.95). Tucker Sinclair
comes to the aid of her newest client, a chocolatier, when her shop is
ransacked and her cleaning lady murdered. In paper, Short Change (June,
Obsidian, 6.99).
Julia Spencer-Fleming, I Shall Not Want (June,
St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 6th in this award winning series. Claire Fergusson is brought into the case of
a murdered Latino, because of her work with migrant workers. What appears to be
an isolated murder turns into a media circus after two more bodies are found. Signed Copies Available.
Duane Swierczynski, Severance Package (June,
Griffin tpo, 13.95). At a company meeting on a hot Saturday in August, the
staff is told that they’ve been working for a covert branch of the intelligence
community and the group is being shut down. Permanently. They have two choices:
drink the champagne and fall asleep, forever, or take a bullet to the head. All
hell breaks lose. (This had been announced as being a paperback release for
Nov., 2007, but the hardcover was canceled.) Author is a modern noir master
and a staff favorite.
Heather Terrell, The Map Thief (July,
Ballantine hc, 25.00). A 15th C. Chinese Emperor sent an armada to
chart the world’s oceans. When they returned, the Emperor had been overthrown
and the maps disappeared. Now, their secrets are leaking out.
Brad Thor, The Last Patriot (July, Atria hc, 26.00). The 6th with Homeland Security
operative Scot Harvath. The publisher’s catalog gives no plot info. In paper, The First Commandment (May, Pocket, 7.99).
Aimée and
David Thurlo, The Prodigal Nun (June, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 5th
with Sister Agatha.
Ian Vasquez, In the Heat (June,
St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Debut thriller. Boxer Miles Young is near the end of
his career in the ring. A promoter brings him the possibility of a big pay off:
the daughter of a rich woman has run off with money and the son of the former
corrupt chief of police. The mother wants her daughter found and thinks Miles
will be able to get answers from those who won’t deal with the police. An
atmospheric story set in Belize, where the author was born.
Heather
Webber, Weeding Out Trouble (Aug., Avon pbo, 6.99). 5th
in the mystery series with landscape designer Nina Quinn.
Jincy Willett, The Writing Class (June,
St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). A reclusive widow’s only activity is teaching creative
writing extension course. Her class is a mix of oddballs. When one of them is
murdered, they’re all suspects.
Don Winslow, The Dawn Patrol (June,
Knopf hc, 23.95, Signed Copies
$24.95). A member of an early morning surfing group (The Dawn Patrol, last heard
about in The Winter of Frankie Machine,
a staff favorite) Boone Daniels is a PI who works only enough to pay for the
basics, leaving as much time as possible to surf. Once a cop, he’s never
forgotten the case of a missing girl, never solved. His latest client, a bossy
and beautiful lawyer asks for help on an insurance case and Boone sees it as a
way to make things right. JB, Gretchen & Bill recommend.
Simon Wood, We All Fall Down (July, Leisure, $7.99). On the fast
track, Hayden Duke has joined Marin Design Engineering to work on an important
project. One of MDE's employee's committed suicide just before Hayden started,
and he's wasn’t the first. Is it the
pressure? Or is there some other
connection? Signing.