In this issue:

Author Appearances
A Celebration of Local Authors
New From the Northwest
Tammy Presents Three Books
Other New Winter Releases
Sherlockiana
New From the U. K.
Seasonal Books and Gift Ideas
Annual Lists of Staff Favorites
New Shipping Charges

Author Appearances

Fri., Jan. 25, 2002, noon, Baron R. Birtcher signs Ruby Tuesday

Mon., Jan. 28, noon, Carl Hiaasen signs Basket Case

Sat., Feb. 2, noon, Joanne Pence signs Bell Book and Candle,
and Deborah Donnelly signs Veiled Threats

Thurs., Mar. 14, noon to 2pm, Anne Perry reads and signs Southampton Row

Thurs., Mar. 21, noon, George P. Pelecanos signs Hell to Pay

Thurs., Mar. 28, noon, Laurie R. King signs Justice Hall

A Celebration Of Local Authors!

The Seattle area is home to a rich and varied group of mystery writers. This holiday season we're beginning a program of bringing local authors and readers together to get to know each other better. Five leading local authors have agreed to speak, and to read from works in progress, from books not yet published. This will give us all a wonderful chance to interact with these authors, and have a truly inside track regarding their books.

These five events are being held on successive Saturdays, from 3 to 5 pm. During the first hour, in the atrium of our building, you can listen to the reading and remarks, and ask questions if you wish. (Enter by the front door of the Broderick Building, on Second Ave.) For the second hour, the author will be in our shop, to converse informally and sign or inscribe books that are currently available. Of course, personalized books make a great holiday gift.

As announced on our recent postcard, dates and authors are:
Nov. 24 - J. A. Jance
Dec. 1 - Aaron Elkins
Dec. 8 - Candace Robb
Dec. 15 - G. M. Ford
Dec. 22 - Mary Daheim

Stay in touch, as we hope to follow these with more area authors during the coming year.
There's no charge, and reservations are not required. Join us for as many of these sessions as you can!

New Northwest Releases

Larry Brooks, Pressure Points (Dec., Signet pbo, 6.99). Three ambitious executives take off for the wilds of Northern California to learn the true meanings of trust and teamwork-and their learning is severely tested. Signing?

April Christofferson, Patent to Kill (Dec., Forge hc, 25.95). Dr. Jake Scully suspects his biotech company, Genex, may be involved in a very new kind of piracy: the theft of healing secrets from Third World indigenous peoples. His suspicions may endanger his life-and his family. In pb, Clinical Trial (Dec., Forge, 7.99). Signing?

James H. Cobb, Target Lock (Feb., Putnam hc, 25.95). Commander Amanda Lee Garrett and her naval task force hunt a modern day pirate. Signing?

Mary Cunningham, Deadly Revenge (Dec., Xlibris tp, 23.00) When a vehicle crashes and burns, the murder investigation reveals a web of deceit, betrayal, and revenge. Detective Spencer Dawson of the Seattle Police Department, with his task force, gradually pieces together the complex puzzle, but not before he's forced to probe deeply into his own past as well as that of the victims. Signing.

Chai Davenport, The Christmas Party (Dec., AmErica House, 14.95). With their annual Christmas party in full swing, the host suddenly becomes violently ill, and is later pronounced dead. While investigating the untimely death, family friend Marshall Edmonds soon discovers that a lot of time and creativity went into what someone hoped would be the perfect murder! Signing.

Deborah Donnelly, Veiled Threats (Jan., Dell pbo, 5.99). When renowned wedding planner and notorious spitfire Carnegie Kincaid gets wind of a plot to kidnap her latest client, she herself becomes a target. Debut mystery by an Idaho author. Signing.

Carola Dunn, The Case of the Murdered Muckraker (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). It's 1923, and Daisy Dalrymple tackles another case while she and her new husband, DCI Fletcher of Scotland Yard, are honeymooning in NYC. Signing?

Jayne Ann Krentz, Smoke in Mirrors (Jan., Putnam hc, 23.95). Con artist and seductress Meredith Spooner lived and died fast. Her last scam has ensnared her friend Lenora due to a last minute e-mail and a safe deposit key. Signing?

Christopher Lane, A Deadly Quiet (Dec., Avon pbo, 6.50). Inupiat cop Ray Attla faces a puzzling and explosive case - the murder of a local athlete and a Russian seaman - that has international implications.

Candace Robb, The Cross-Legged Knight. Note that the 8th Owen Archer novel, scheduled for November release in the UK, has been postponed until March 2002.

Judith Smith-Levin, Reckless Eyeballin' (Dec., Ballantine pbo, 6.99). Starletta Duvall is stunned to learn that her lover, Dr. Mitchell Grant, was once in love with a socialite who has just been murdered. Signing?

C.M. Winterhouse, Cut Bait (Nov., McRoy & Blackburn tpo, 16.95). Murder, gossip and shifty luck interfere with the quiet weekend Leona Skavitch planed to share with her husband on their little boat in Alaska's Prince William Sound. Soon, her poking has infuriated everyone and the town is snowbound and bloodstained. Signing.

Mary Daheim, Suture Self (Jan., Avon 7.99). Bed & Breakfast.
April Henry, Heart-Shaped Box (Feb., Avon, 6.50).
J.A. Jance, Birds of Prey (Jan., Avon, 6.99). Beaumont.
Jess Walter, Over Tumbled Graves (Feb., Avon, 7.50). High Staff Recommendation.

New Books Coming this Spring from:

Earl Emerson - May
Nicola Griffith - March
John J. Nance - April

MASTER OF THE GENRE LARRY KARP
A new book, Writing the Mystery, by G. Miki Hayden (Intrigue Press, tpo, 18.95) is billed on its cover as "Featuring in-depth interviews with Elmore Leonard, S. J. Rozan, Laura Lippman, Sujata Massey, Rick Riordan, Dale Furutani, and other "masters of the genre" (emphasis added). One of the 5 "others" is our good friend Larry Karp, Seattle-based author of the Thomas Purdue Music Box Mystery Series.

A Sense of Place: Tammy presents three books you otherwise might not hear about.

Jack Cady's The Hauntings of Hood Canal (St Martins hc, signed, 23.95) immerses you in the soggy side of our state. Rain weaves throughout this tale of pool hall and what happens when the road "turns ugly". The opening passage draws you in, just read the first page and you'll be convinced.

Curt Colbert's Rat City (Ugly Town tpo, signed, 15.00) evokes Seattle in an earlier era. Jumping jazz joints on Jackson Street, book-makers and their dames, Longshoremen and corrupt cops. For years we've heard requests for a "historical" Seattle mystery and this one is Swell. Colbert's next book continues the WW11 saga in Sayanaraville.

Jimmy Olsen Things in Ditches (North Star tp, 14.95). A quirky story set in the frozen north of St. Paul with humor reminiscent of Fargo. When Dutch Cleland's ex-girl friend from a past, long regretted affair is found dead in a ditch, it's only a matter of time before the authorities come after him. After all, he's guilty enough, and was drunk enough to not quite remember all the events of the night before. The police find other things in ditches and still no one accuses Dutch except himself. He knows he's guilty, but can he convince any one else?

Other New Winter Releases

Conrad Allen, Murder on the Minnesota (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). 3rd period mystery set on an ocean-liner. In pb, Murder on the Mauretania (Jan., St. Martin's, 6.50). (AKA Edward Marston.)

Sarah Andrews, Fault Line (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). A major earthquake hits Salt Lake City as it prepares for the Olympics-then a state geologist is murdered, and the FBI asks forensic geologist Em Hansen to investigate. In paper, An Eye for an Eye (Dec., St. Martin's, 6.50).

Jo Bannister, Echoes of Lies (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). 1st in a new series. Brodie Farrell has a talent for finding people, but her latest clients have lied to her about finding a young teacher, and she is soon plunged into a twisted plot where a fortune's at risk. In paper, Changelings (Feb., Worldwide, 5.99), her latest Castlemere.

Nevada Barr, Hunting Season (Feb., Putnam hc, 24.95). Park Ranger Anna Pigeon finds more trouble along the Natchez Trace Parkway. In pb, Blood Lure (Feb., Berkley, 6.99).

William Bayer, The Dream of Broken Horses (Feb., Pocket hc, 25.00). A forensic sketch artist returns to his Midwest hometown and is once again captured by a famous double murder case from his childhood--but now feels as if his skills can solve the case. Edgar-winning author who has most recently published under the name David Hunt.

M.C. Beaton, Death of a Celebrity (Jan., Mysterious Press hc, 23.95). Hamish Macbeth tries to solve the murder of a gorgeous TV reporter whose shows have ripped apart an entire village. In pb, Death of a Dustman (Jan., Warner, 6.99).Sandy recommends.

Baron R. Birtcher, Ruby Tuesday (Jan., Durban House hc, 24.95). Ex-LAPD homicide det. Mike Travis (his debut was in last year's Roadhouse Blues) sails back to his new home in Kona, Hawaii, only to find his home wrecked. His only clue as to why is the rumored lost studio recordings of a certain famous rock band. Signing.

James Carlos Blake, A World of Thieves (Jan., Morrow hc, 25.95). In the late 1920s of New Orleans, Sonny LaSalle worships his uncles, twins who are armed robbers. Soon, he's launched on his own carrier of crime and discovering that the jazzy life of an outlaw isn't quite what he expected. Tammy recommends.

Lillian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Went Up The Creek (Jan., Putnam hc, 23.95). Latest Qwilleran, Koko, and Yum Yum. In pb, The Cat Who Smelled a Rat (Jan., Jove, 6.99).

Rita Mae Brown, Catch as Cat Can (Feb., Bantam hc, 24.95). It is festival time in Crozet, Virginia, and all is not well. The host of the big ball is found murdered in the midst of the preparation and Mrs. Murphy is on the case. In paper, Claws and Effect (Feb., Bantam, 6.99).

Sinclair Browning, Crack Shot (Jan., Bantam pbo, 5.99). Cowgirl-sleuth Trade Ellis has been hired to find a runaway, but the case is far from that simple. 4th is this Tuscon series.

Gwendoline Butler, Coffin's Ghost (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Insp. Coffin fights secrets from his own past.

Dana Cameron, Site Unseen (Feb., Avon pbo, 6.50). First in a new archeology series, as the young and brilliant Emma Fielding becomes ensnared in a web of dark secrets and danger. Praised by Aaron Elkins.

Stephen J. Cannell, The Viking Funeral (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). LAPD Sgt. Shane Scully (from The Tin Collectors) returns, shocked to see a woman cop who had committed suicide 2 years ago. Her appearance draws him into a group of rogue cops, originally set up to battle an international crime network.

Jill Churchill, Someone to Watch Over Me (Dec., Morrow hc, 24.00). 3rd in the Grace & Favor series - swells left penniless after the Crash - and first in hardcover.

Jon Cleary, The Bear Pit (Dec., Avon pbo, 6.99). A high-profile political assassination puts Det. Scobie Malone into a case that could possibly threaten his family. Latest in this long-standing Australian series.

Tim Cockey, The Hearse Case Scenario (Feb., Hyperion hc, 23.95). Third comic mystery with Baltimore undertaker Hitchcock Sewell. In pb, Hearse of a Different Color (Feb., Hyperion, 7.99).

Nancy J. Cohen, Murder by Manicure (Dec., Kensington hc, 22.00). 3rd with Florida beauty salon owner Marla Shore.

David Cole, Stalking Moon (Jan., Avon, 6.50). 3rd with part-Hopi cyber-sleuth Laura Winslow, who comes out of hiding to investigate a smuggling ring.

Barbara Colley, Maid for Murder (Feb., Kensington hc, 22.00). Charlotte La Rue runs a very successful cleaning service in New Orleans' Garden District and she knows how to clean up a mess.

Philip R. Craig and William G. Tapply, First Light (Jan., Scribner hc, 24.00). The two authors, who are friends, bring their characters - who're also friends - together for the first time, as their separate cases on Martha's Vineyard bring them together for more than just the expected fishing. Sandy recommends.

Clare Curzon, Don't Leave Me (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Supt. Mike Yeadings investigates the mysterious disappearances of a mother and her daughter.

James D. Doss, White Shell Woman (Jan., Morrow hc, 23.95). Traveling to Southern Colorado, Ute tribal investigator Charlie Moon finds trouble around the famed Anasazi ruins. 8th in the series. In paper, Grandmother Spider (Dec., 6.50, Avon).

Loren D. Estleman, Sinister Heights (Feb., Mysterious Press hc, 24.95; signed copies, 25.95). Amos Walker is hired by the widow of an automobile tycoon to find all of the mistresses and children the man might have had throughout his 100 plus years. In paper, A Smile on the Face of the Tiger (Feb., Mysterious Press, 12.95). Bill recommends.

Nancy Fairbanks, Truffled Feathers (Dec., Berkley pbo, 5.99). 2nd culinary mystery with food columnist Carolyn Blue.

Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair (Feb., Viking hc, 23.95). Debut introducing Thursday Next, Special Operative in Literary Detection. In this version of Great Britain in 1985, criminals are kidnapping characters out of great works of literature...it's as odd a book as it sounds, but utterly delightful. Sandy and Karen highly recommend.

Bill Fitzhugh, Fender Benders (Dec., Morrow hc, 24.00). Love, greed and mayhem in Nashville's wild and woolly country music scene. Tammy recommends.

Charles Fleming, The Ivory Coast (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Debut novel set in Las Vegas in 1955. Plans are underway to open the first all-black casino, when a hit goes wrong and a white trumpeter finds himself embroiled in a web of conflicting interests and double-crosses.

Ken Follett, Jackdaws (Dec., Dutton hc, 26.95). As the Allies prepare for D-Day, their most important agent in France has her cell destroyed, her husband is missing, her confidence is shaken and the Germans seem to know what is going on.

Margaret Frazer, The Clerk's Tale (Jan., Berkley hc, 22.95). 11th medieval mystery with Dame Frevisse. In pb, The Squire's Tale (Dec., Berkley, 6.99).

Dorothy Gilman, Kaleidoscope (Jan., Ballantine hc, 21.00). Madame Karitska (The Clairvoyant Countess) returns to deal with the death of a young violinist.

Jaqueline Girdner, A Sensitive Kind of Murder (Jan., Berkley pbo, 5.99). 12th with Kate Jasper, who senses a fatal vibe in her husband's support group.

Ed Gorman, Save the Last Dance for Me (Feb., Carroll & Graf hc, 24.00). 4th small-town Iowa mystery with Sam McCain in the 1950s.

John Grisham, The Summons (Feb., Doubleday hc, 27.95). Grisham returns to Ford County, MS, for his latest courtroom thriller. In pb, A Painted House (Jan., Dell, 7.99)

Carolyn Haines, Splintered Bones (Feb., Delacorte hc, 23.95). Southern belle and PI Sarah Booth Delaney investigates the murder of a wandering husband, a man whose wife--the accused--publicly stated he "needed killing." First hardcover after two paperback originals.

James W. Hall, Blackwater Sound (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 24.95; signed copies, 25.95). When a huge airliner crashes off the Florida coast, Thorn is drawn into a bizarre conspiracy-someone has developed a powerful high-tech weapon, and it may be connected to the secretive Braswell family and their company, Microdyne. Tammy recommends.

Patricia Hall, Skeleton at the Feast (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). DCI Michael Thackery takes a summer course at his Oxford alma mater, and investigates when a senior don disappears.

Gary Hardwick, Color of Justice (Jan., Morrow hc, 24.95). Detroit cop Danny Cavanaugh is wondering if the murder of some prominent blacks is coincidence or the trace of a serial killer--and if he is on the list.

Lee Harris, The Happy Birthday Murder (Feb., Ballantine pbo, 6.99). 14th from the "Queen of Holiday Mysteries," with Christine Bennett.

Donald Harstad, Code Sixty-One (Jan., Doubleday hc, 23.95). Carl Houseman's 4th appearance has him facing something unexpected--modern day vampires.

William Heffernan, Unholy Order (Feb., Morrow hc, 24.95). A string of murders leads the cops to believe the dead women were drug couriers. When a nun is the 5th victim, it is up to Paul Devlin to solve the mystery.

Vicki Hendricks, Sky Blues (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 22.95; signed copies, 23.95). Exotic animal vet Destiny Donne gets drawn into the adrenaline pumping world of skydiving when she begins an affair with Tom Jenks. Favorite author of JB and Tammy.

Carl Hiaasen, Basket Case (Jan., Knopf, 25.95). Once a hot-shot reporter, Jack Tagger now writes obituaries in South Florida. He sees his resurrection in the strange case of the death of the lead singer for Jimmy and the Slut-Puppies. Signing.

Reginald Hill, Dialogues of the Dead (Jan., Bantam hc, 23.95). Two separate traffic deaths seem unrelated until stories about them are submitted to a literary competition. Inspectors Pascoe & Dalziel investigate after a third Dialogue is delivered, putting them on the trail of a killer obsessed with words and puzzles. "An exceptional entry in an exceptional series," says Karen.

Craig Holden, The Jazz Bird (Jan., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). In 1927, a bootlegger kills his estranged wife and confesses. But in the hands of this master, the story unfolds as the trial progresses, revealing how all of us become entranced by Imogene, the dead woman--the Jazz Bird--and leaving us wondering until the end what really happened. JB and Karen recommend HIGHLY. If you liked Four Corners of Night, don't miss this one.

Julie Kaewert, Uncatalogued (Jan., Bantam pbo, 5.99). 6th booklover's mystery deals with missing pages of Pepys' diary that may endanger the British throne.

Stuart Kaminsky, Retribution (Dec., Forge hc, 24.95). Sarasota, Florida, PI Lew Fonesca helped a young runaway who seems to be turning her life around. But when she becomes involved with a reclusive best-selling author and valuable manuscripts disappear, Lew fears she may in trouble.

John Katzenbach, The Analyst (Jan., Ballantine hc, 25.00). NY psychoanalyst Frederick Starks has no idea why he has received mysterious and threatening letters or who his tormentor may be.

Jonathan Kellerman, Flesh and Blood (Dec., Random House hc, 26.95). A new Alex Delaware.

Norman Kelly, A Phat Death (Feb., Harper hc, 23.95). PI Nina Halligan is happily married and ready to hang up her guns, when her husband asks her to look into a rise in the deaths of hip-hop artists. In paper, Black Heat (Feb., Harper tp, 11.95). A favorite author of Tammy.

Michael Kilian, The Ironclad Alibi (Jan., Berkley hc, 22.95). 3rd with Union agent Harrison Raines, who is sent to get information about Confederate plans to resurrect the Merrimack. In paper, A Killing at Ball's Bluff (Jan., Berkley, 6.50).

Jane Langton, The Escher Twist (Feb., Viking hc, 22.95). An Escher exhibit leads Homer's friend Leonard into a Byzantine chase to find a mysterious woman in a green coat. In paper, Murder at Monticello (Feb., Penguin, 5.99).

Suzann Ledbetter, North of Clever (Dec., Mira pbo, 5.99). 3rd mystery in Sanity, MO, and the circus has come to town, bringing new mysteries for Hannah Garvey and her gang of senior sleuths.

Elmore Leonard, Tishomingo Blues (Feb., Morrow hc, 25.95). A high-diving daredevil, a Detroit gangsta, the Cornbread Cosa Nostra, a landlady with impossibly white thighs and a Civil War reenactment mash together in the latest Leonard. In paper, Pagan Babies (Jan., Harper, 7.99).

John Lescroart, The Oath (Feb., Dutton hc, 25.95). Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky have their friendship tested when the head of San Francisco's largest HMO dies in his own hospital.

T.J. MacGregor, The Other Extreme (Dec., Kensington pbo, 6.99). Murder and political jockeying on Tango Key, Florida.

Henning Mankell, One Step Behind, trans. by Ebba Segerberg (Feb., New Press hc, 24.95). The 7th Kurt Wallender, from '97, now in English.

Edward Marston, The Foxes of Warwick (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Volume IX in the historical Domesday series.

Iain McDowall, A Study in Death (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 21.95). Debut British whodunit. DS Kerr and DCI Jacobson investigate the murder of a caddish professor, whose murder leaves them no clues. Their investigation takes them from Amsterdam to the Lake District, and involves the software industry and New Age cultists. The author is being compared to Rankin and Robinson.

G.A. McKevett, Peaches and Screams (Jan., Kensington hc, 22.00). Plus-sized PI Savannah Reid heads home for her sister's wedding in GA, and into a murder case. In paper, Sour Grapes (Dec., Kensington, 6.50).

Brad Meltzer, The Millionaires (Jan., Warner hc, 25.95). Charlie and Oliver Caruso run a very exclusive bank. When things get tight, they figure that an unclaimed $3 mill from an abandoned account will help--but it makes things so much worse...

Lisa Miscione, Angel Fire (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Lydia Strong is a true crime writer obsessed with bringing murderers to justice-since her mother was killed when Lydia was a teenager. Now a serial killer is stalking Santa Fe, and she teams up with an ex-FBI agent to join the hunt. Debut mystery.

Eddie Muller, The Distance (Jan., Scribner hc, 24.00). San Francisco sportswriter Billy Nichols is at the top of his world when he stumbles into a crime scene that will rock it. Debut thriller by a boxing insider and film noir expert--Dark City Dames and Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir.

Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Cat Laughing Last (Jan., Harper hc, 23.95). 7th with Joe Grey and his feline sidekick Dulcie. The crimes that follow the arrival of a famous novelist in Molena Point threaten the lives and future independence of their senior friends. Recommended series by Karen and Sandy. "Engaging and original," says Karen.

Tamar Myers, Gruel and Unusual Punishment (Feb., NAL hc, 19.99). 10th in the popular Penn Dutch series with innkeeper Magdalena Yoder. In pb, Crepes of Wrath (Jan., Signet, 5.99).

Robin Paige, Death at Dartmoor (Feb., Berkley hc, 21.95). 8th with Lord Sheridan. He and his American wife meet with Arthur Conan Doyle. ( Robin Paige is the nom de plume of Susan Wittig Albert and her husband).

P.J. Parrish, Paint It Black (Jan., Kensington pbo, 6.99). 3rd with black Det. Louis Kincaid, who finds himself involved in a grisly series of murders on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

T. R. Pearson, Polar (Jan., Viking hc, 24.95). Deputy Ray Tatum returns to sort out more strange goings-on in his small Virginia town: Clayton, a ne'er-do-well previously known only for his fondness for pornographic movies, seems to have developed prophetic powers, and insists on being called "Titus." Can he help find a missing child? Now in pb, Blue Ridge (Dec., Penguin, 13.00), a NYT's Notable Book-and Tammy recommends.

George P. Pelecanos, Hell to Pay (Feb., Little,Brown hc, 24.95). Returning from their appearance in Right as Rain, Derek Strange and Terry Quinn are hired to look for a 14-year-old suburban white girl who may be working as a hooker for Worldwide Wilson in DC's center. Signing? In pb, Right as Rain (Feb., Warner, 6.99). And in pb for the first time, the long-unavailable Shoedog, the 3rd Nick Stephanos (Serpent's Tail, UK tp, 16.95). Staff favorite.

Joanne Pence, Bell, Cook, and Candle (Jan., Avon pbo, 6.99). 9th with Angie Amalfi who, with her cop boyfriend, looks at a series of baffling murders that may be rooted in Satanic rituals. Signing.

Anne Perry, Southampton Row (Feb., Ballantine hc, 25.00). Pitt is up to his eyes in trouble during a heated general election and the murder of a clairvoyant--a candidate's wife was at the final séance. In paper, The Whitechapel Conspiracy (Feb, Ballantine, 6.99). Reading and signing.

Thomas Perry, Pursuit (Jan., Random House hc, 24.95). Louisville criminology professor Daniel Millikan determines that a mass killing was not random and believes that the only person who has a chance of catching the killer is Roy Prescott--an expert whose methods are beyond what the police can do. In paper, Death Benefits (Dec, Ballantine, 6.99)

Bill Pronzini, Bleeders (Jan., Carroll & Graf hc, 24.00, Signed Copies 25.00). 28th "Nameless" and, according to the author, the last.

Robert J. Randisi and Christine Matthews, The Masks of Auntie Laveau (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Husband and wife sleuths Gil and Claire Hunt travel to New Orleans where they meet a mysterious woman, and murder and voodoo follow.

Ian Rankin, A Good Hanging (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Twelve short stories with Edinburgh's DI John Rebus.

Ruth Rendell, Adam and Eve and Pinch Me (Feb., Crown hc, 25.00). As a killer is stabbing his way around London, a variety of characters are introduced. As the novel progresses, their various lives are pulled together toward the killings that connect them.

Caroline Roe, A Potion for a Widow (Dec., Berkley pbo, 6.50). 5th in the Medieval Spanish series with blind physician Isaac of Girona.

Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, Conflict of Interest (Feb., Hyperion hc, 24.95). A prosecutor endangers her career when she begins to be involved with the attorney for the accused, a boy she fears has been harmed by those who want to shut him up.

S. J. Rozan, Winter and Night (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). PI Bill Smith's 15-year-old nephew is arrested on the streets of New York, and disappears before he can find out what's wrong. Bill and his partner Lydia Chinn try to find him, and discover dark secrets in a small town in New Jersey. And in pb, Reflecting the Sky (Jan., St. Martin's, 6.50).

Anna Salter, Prison Blues (Jan., Pocket pbo, 6.99). Forensic psychologist Michael Stone realizes that the prison criminal network may reach beyond the walls.

Beth Saulnier, Bad Seed (Feb., Mysterious Press hc, 23.95). First hardcover in this hip and witty series, with journalist Alex Bernier covering the protests against the university's genetic engineering lab.

Daniel Silva, The English Assassin (Feb., Putnam hc, 25.95). Art restorer and occasional Israeli agent Gabriel Allon (The Kill Artist) returns in a book dealing with Swiss complicity with the Nazis and priceless Impressionist paintings.

Dan Simmons, A Winter Haunting (Feb., Morrow hc, 25.95). After an intense affair costs him everything, writer Dale Stewart returns to his hometown to work on his manuscript. Leasing the empty farmhouse of a friend who was mysteriously murdered in 1960, he finds himself haunted in so many ways.

Edward Sklepowich, Deadly to the Sight (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). American expatriate Urbino Macintyre returns to Venice after a stay in Morocco, to find his friend the Contessa in trouble with an elderly lace-maker. Karen recommends this series.

Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, Love Her Madly (Jan., Holt hc, 25.00). FBI agent Poppy Rice (An American Killing) is doubtful that a convicted ax-murderer, due to die in Texas, could've done the crime--the woman's hands are just too petite.

Mike Stewart, A Clean Kill (Jan., Putnam hc, 24.95). Alabama lawyer-sleuth Tom McInnes returns for his 3rd adventure, investigating the suspicious death of a juror, which leads to a conspiracy of greed and jury tampering leading up the state's highest courts. In pb, Dog Island (Jan., Berkley, 5.99).

William G. Tapply - see Philip R. Craig.

Judith Van Gieson, Confidence Woman (Feb., Signet pbo, 5.99). Newest with New Mexico rare book expert Claire Reynier, who becomes the victim of identity fraud, and then the suspect when the con woman is murdered.

John Wessel, Kiss it Goodbye (Jan., Simon & Schuster hc, 24.00). Ex-con, ex-PI Harding returns for his third adventure, looking into the death of his girlfriend's ex-husbands. She doesn't want the past disturbed and neither does a killer.

Robert Westbrook, Ancient Enemy (Dec., Signet pbo, 5.99). 4th with New Mexico PI Howard Moon Deer.

Robin White, The Ice Curtain (Jan., Delacorte hc, 24.95). In Moscow, a man searches for the truth behind the murder of his best friend. The search takes him into the dark cold of diamond smuggling and the vastness of Siberia.

Stephen White, Warning Signs (Feb., Delacorte hc, 24.95). Alan Gregory's wife worked for the controversial Boulder DA who has been killed--a little too close to home for comfort. In paper, The Program (Jan, Dell, 7.99)

Laura Wilson, My Best Friend (Jan., Bantam hc, 22.95). The murder of his sister at the end of WW II has haunted Gerald his entire life, but when, as a grown man, he develops an obsession with a girl who later disappears, modern accusations will dredge up questions half a century old. First US hardcover from an established British author. Erin recommends.

Eric Wright, The Last Hand (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Toronto Insp. Charlie Salter is about to retire, but his last case leads him from a well-known lawyer's murder to a high-stakes poker game among the city's top lawyers.

Margaret Yorke, A Case to Answer (Dec., St. Martin's, 24.95). Jerry has been running cons for years, but that changes when he meets Charlotte. Soon, he begins to see she has her own colorful past--then she disappears. One of Sandy's favorite authors.

New Books From These Authors Coming this Spring

Michael Connelly & Bosch - April
Thomas Cook, The Interrogation - March
Thomas Deaver & Lincoln Rhyme - March
Laurie R. King & Mary Russell - March. Signing.
Robert B. Parker & Spenser - March
Lisa Scottoline - March
Barbara Seranella - May

Sherlockiana

Philip A. Carraher, Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Dead Rabbit Society (1st Books Library tp, 15.00). During the missing years, Holmes actually traveled to the New World, posing as a Scotland Yard detective. (And they say he was an egotist!) This tells the story of one of his cases there, involving a society of very tough characters indeed.

The Sherlock Holmes Radio Mysteries, audiocassettes written and produced by Jim French (29.95 each). We have two sets of cassettes. One is a set of 8 cassettes with 16 radio programs of "newly conceived tales," praised by BBC's Channel 4 as "among the best radio dramas in the English language." The second set of eight cassettes is a dramatic rendition of 13 short stories.

Robin Paige, Death at Dartmoor (Feb., Berkley hc, 21.95). 8th with Lord Sheridan. He and his American wife meet up with Arthur Conan Doyle.

Barrie Roberts, Sherlock Holmes and the Railway Maniac, announced in our Fall newsletter, has been postponed until August 2002.

Dorothy L. Sayers, Sayers on Holmes: Essays and Fiction on Sherlock Holmes (Mythopoeic Press tp, 8.00). A slim volume primarily containing rarely-collected essays about the Canon by the Golden Age writer. The real bonus: for the first time in print, a radio script in which a young Lord Peter Wimsey consults the Great Detective.

Alan Vanneman, Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra (Jan., Carroll & Graf hc, 24.00). What begins as an impossible murder in a dreary London flat soon takes Holmes and Watson on an adventure to Egypt, India and Singapore. Debut novel., revealing at last the tale referred to so cryptically in "The Sussex Vampire." Karen recommends.

New from the U.K.

Colin Bateman, Wild About Harry (HarperCollins UK pb, 10.95). More Bateman insanity, about a sleazy talk-show host who loses his memory.

Michael Bond, Monsieur Pamplemousse on Vacation (Jan, Allison & Busby hc, approx. 30.00). A new adventure for the connoisseur and his faithful pooch.

Edward Marston, The Elephants of Norwich (Headline pb, 10.95). #11 in the Domesday Book series; newest in pb.

Ian Rankin, Resurrection Man (Jan., Orion hc, unsigned approx. 35.00, signed approx. 45.00). Rebus blows up at a superior officer and is sent back to police college for "retraining" in a last effort to save his career. A VERY FEW signed copies available. Call early to reserve yours.

Seasonal Books and Gift Ideas

Mary and Carol Higgins Clark, He Sees You While You're Sleeping (Nov., Simon & Schuster hc, 20.00). Holiday suspense from the mother/daughter team, billed as "It's a Wonderful Life" meets "The Sopranos."

Max Allan Collins, The History of the Mystery (Ten Speed Press hc, 45.00). A beautifully illustrated book, tracing the roots of mystery from Edgar Allan Poe, through the flowering of classic British, American pulp and noir, to the contemporary heroes and heroines of crime fiction

Patricia Cornwell with Marlene Brown, Food to Die For: Secrets From Kay Scarpetta's Kitchen (Nov., Putnam hc, 27.95). A handsomely illustrated book of recipes from some of Cornwell's Scarpetta books. For each recipe there is an excerpt from the book, and then the recipe. Examples include Jack Daniel's Chocolate Pecan Pie (from The Body Farm), Mrs. McTigue's Cheddar Cheese Biscuits (from Body of Evidence), or Kay's Marinara Sauce (from Cause of Death).

Glen David Gold, Carter Beats the Devil (Sept., Hyperion hc, Signed Copies, 24.95). Erin says: "This is a beautiful, ambitious first novel: part murder mystery, part political thriller and an ode to the end of the age of Vaudeville - as told through the fictionalized biography of an historical figure, magician Charles Carter. The story follows his life with open honesty, through times of comedy and tragedy. By the end of the first reading, my copy of this book was worn to nothing and I was sorely disappointed to be unable to invite the characters over for dinner." A great gift for all tastes.

Richard Lupoff, The Great American Paperback (Tenspeed hc, $60.00). Over 600 color illustrations of classic American paperback covers, including some gems of mystery fiction, with a narrative of the growth of the paperback experiment that started in 1938 and quickly caught on. The author is a mass-culture historian and critic, as well as a mystery author and collector of vintage paperbacks.

The Sopranos: A Family History, Alan Rucker (Sept., NAL tp, 20.00). Updated, full-color guide (includes the 3rd season) to this great saga.

Mark Twain, A Murder, A Mystery, and a Marriage (Sept., Norton tpo, 16.95. Originally written as a novelette that he planned to use to launch a writers' competition, this work has recently resurfaced 125 years after it was written. Set in a small river town much like Twain's hometown of Hannibal, MO, where a farmer's plans to marry off his daughter are interrupted by the discovery of an unconscious stranger in the snow.

Lawrence Block, The Lost Cases of Ed London. Three rediscovered 1960s stories of Block's first detective. Available in HC only. We don't have a date or price for this, but Erin says she's taking reserves now.

--And Mugs, we have mugs too! Black with red lettering on one side and a big red question mark on the other. $14.95.
--In addition to our shirts and mugs, we now have shop Bags available. They are "natural" canvas bags, with the shop name on one side in black and our big, red question mark on the other. The bags are deep and wide enough to allow for a healthy stack of books, enough to make your banker sweat. They are $10.00.

Our Annual Lists of Favorites

Each year, all of us on the staff share with you the favorite mysteries we've read in the year. We don't all read the same things, and none of us reads everything, so we don't like to call these books "the best"-but each of them has been a stand-out in some way in our year's reading, and we want to bring them to your attention.

Peter Lovesey, The Reaper (hc, 23.00). From a long-time favorite author, a delightfully wicked little tale.

Colin Bateman, Shooting Sean (pbo, 12.95). Comic shock, or is it shocking comedy?

Sharyn McCrumb, The Songcatcher (hc, 24.95; pb 7.99 soon). Lyrical!

Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake), Firebreak (hc, 23.95). I'm always intrigued by Parker, an analytic thinker on the wrong side of the law.

Lee Child, Echo Burning (signed hc, 24.95). Just as intriguing is Jack Reacher, an analytic thinker determinedly on the right side of the law.

Robert Crais, Hostage (signed hc, 24.95). The reader is held hostage to this one.

Glen David Gold, Carter Beats the Devil (signed hc, 24.95). I'm among the many who have enjoyed this mix of history, mystery, and magic.

Curt Colbert, Rat City (signed pbo, 15.00). I wouldn't normally single out a Seattle book, but this one, from a new publisher, needs and deserves an extra push.

Sean Doolittle, Dirt (pbo, 15.00). Another from the same small press, at once clever, flip, and sensitive.

Carsten Stroud, Black Water Transit (hc, 24.95). Spectacular writing! Listen to this: "Thugs in his day wore Burberry trench coats, custom-made silk suits, Mara ties, Mauri slippers, had gold rings and loved Verdi, cried like girls at Carmen, drank Barolo, loved hugely, hated brightly, forgave easily, forgot nothing. And look at these mutts we have here. Heartbreaking."

James Ellroy, Cold Six Thousand
Robert Crais, Hostage
Dennis Lehane, Mystic River
Tim Dorsey, Orange Crush
S.V. Date, Deep Water
James W. Hall, Blackwater Sound
Scott Phillips, Ice Harvest
Bill Fitzhugh, Fender Benders
Eric Garcia, Casual Rex
Daniel Woodrell, Death of Sweet Mister
James Carlos Blake, World of Thieves
Walter Mosley, Fearless Jones

Jess Walter, Over Tumbled Graves. Excellent debut by a Spokane, WA, journalist, in which a woman police detective and her unconventional mentor track a serial killer. (HarperCollins hc, 25.00. A very few signed copies available.)

Vera Caspary, Laura. 1942 noir classic, narrated in turn by nasty but fascinating gossip columnist Waldo Lydecker, cynical cop Mark McPherson, and the lovely Laura, around whom the mystery and violence revolve. (ibooks tp, 14.00).

Jennifer Crusie, Fast Women. Wonderfully hilarious and insightful. After 20 years of marriage, Nell's divorce has left her with her china, no self-esteem, and a complete absence of direction. Then she gets a job with a detective agency, and her life turns exciting-and dangerous(St. Martin's hc, 24.95).

Charlaine Harris, Dead Until Dark. Okay, not great literature-but imaginative, well-written, humorous, and thoroughly enjoyable. Would you expect a vampire story to be set in a small Southern town? Quiet Sookie Stackhouse finally finds a man with his heart in the right place. Unfortunately, it's not beating (Ace pb, 5.99).

Ruth Dudley Edwards, Ten Lords A-Leaping. The outrageous Ida "Jack" Troutbeck is elevated to a peerage, and takes the House of Lords by storm, dragging the hapless Robert Amiss into a furious political battle (over fox-hunting), which results in violence---and excesses of hilarity, as is always the case when this author applies her rapier wit to another British institution. (HarperCollins UK pb, 10.95).

Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Cat Laughing Last. One of my favorite series, especially good for quality relaxation, holds up beautifully in the 7th entry. (Jan., Harper hc, 23.95).

Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair. This may become my favorite book of all time. It's Harry Potter for grownups who love literature and crime writing. Miss Thursday Next is a LiteraTec in 1985 London-a London in which home gene-splicing kits produce pet dodo birds, time is manipulated, and society's most valued treasures are literary masterpieces. Thursday is nearly killed trying to recover the manuscript of Martin Chuzzlewit before the entire story can be destroyed, then must risk everything she loves in an effort to save Jane Eyre. No, really-Jane herself. Whimsical, thought-provoking, beautifully written, utterly magical, using no sorcery but the imagination. Impossible to put down-and rather grittier than you probably expect from what I've said so far. (Coming Feb. '02, Viking hc, 23.95).

Donna Andrews, Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingoes. This 3rd Meg Langslow mystery returns to the spontaneity and fun of Murder with Peacocks (St. Martin's hc, 23.95).

Sylvian Hamilton, The Bone Pedlar. Excellent characters, lively writing, vividly realizing the medieval period. First in a new series from the UK. (Orion pb, 12.95).

1) Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold (Hyperion hc, 24.95, Signed copies)

2) Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane (Avon pb 6.99)

3) Dirt by Sean Doolittle (Uglytown tpb 15.00)

4) Hauntings of Hood Canal by Jack Cady (St. Martin's hc, 23.95, Signed Copies)

5) Pain Management by Andrew Vachss (Knopf hc, 24.00, Signed copies)

6) Right as Rain by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown hc, 24.95, Signed Copies)

7) Dead Until Dark by Charlene Harris (Ace pb, 5.99)

8) Captain's Outrageous by Joe Lansdale (Warner hc, 24.95)

9) My Best Friend by Laura Wilson (Bantam hc, 22.95)

10) Rat City by Curt Colbert (Uglytown tpo, 15.00, Signed copies)

C. J. Box, Open Season (July, Putnam hc, 23.95). Fresh debut introduces the appealing Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett, who has some problems: poachers, out of season hunters, and a dead guy on the woodpile.

Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair (Coming Feb."02, Viking hc, 23.95). A time-bending mystery set in an alternate 1985 in which people are so passionate about literature that Special Ops called LiteraTecs need to guard the Canon. Don't miss this incredible debut.

Robert Barnard, Death of an Old Goat (OP, but ask us for used copies). Classic academic mystery (1969) in which a very boring English professor is done in down under.

Robert Crais, Hostage (Aug., Doubleday hc, 24.95). Stand-alone, superior thriller.

Kingsley Amis, The Green Man (Academy Chicago tp, 12.00). Sui-generis nasty witty gin-soaked British comic mystery.

M. C. Beaton, Death of a Celebrity (Coming Jan. '02, Mysterious Press hc, 23.95). For Beaton fans, this is a fine one.

Margaret Yorke, A Case to Answer (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). This author is the queen of suspense in my book.

Philip R. Craig & William Tapply, First Light (Coming Jan. '02, Scribner hc, 24.00). Boston lawyer Brady Coyle joins J.W. Jackson on Martha's Vineyard in a combo that really works…Tapply's crisp and Craig is mellow.

Since our own rules preclude us from listing Northwest authors, I can't include Ferrigno's Flinch, Walter's Over Tumbled Graves, Straley's Cold Water Burning or Rucka's Critical Space (all available in signed 1st ed, hardcovers, by the by…).

Most charming - - a delight for any taste:
Glen David Gold Carter Beats the Devil (Hyperion hc, signed, 24.95)

Most pessimistic -- great, old - fashioned noir:
Scott Phillip The Ice Harvest (Ballantine, 12.00)

Most dynamic - - furious and fabulous:
Carston Stroud Black Water Transit (Bantam hc, 24.95)

Most claustrophobic - - nerve-wrackingly engrossing:
Robert Crais Hostage (Doubleday, signed hc, 24.95)

Most amazing - - astonishing sequel:
Jonathan Stone Heat of Lies (St Martins, 6.99)

Most humane - - best partnership:
George Pelecanos Right as Rain (Feb, Warner, 7.99)

Most complete - - true to the core:
Dennis Lehane Mystic River (Morrow hc, signed, 25.00)

Most enthralling - - what happened and why?
Craig Holden The Jazz Bird (Jan, Sim & Sch 25.00)

Most compelling -- most complex morality:
Owen Parry Call Each River Jordan (Morrow hc, 25.00)

Most tactile - involves all your senses:
Stephen Hunter Pale Horse Coming (Sim & Sch hc, 25.00)

Most audacious - Best of the Year:
James Ellroy Cold Six Thousand (Knopf hc, signed, 26.95)

New Shipping Charges

Due to raises in the charges of various shippers, we need to up our rates a bit. After Jan., 1, 2002, our shipping rates will be:

1st Class/Priority USPS and UPS:

• $6 for the first hardcover, $1 for each book thereafter.
• $4 for the first paperback, $.50 for each paperback thereafter.

Bookrate USPS:

• $4 for the first hardcover, $1 for each book thereafter.
• $3 for the first paperback, $.50 for each paperback thereafter.