New from the Northwest

Cherry Adair, Night Shadow (Dec., Ballantine hc, 23.00). Last in her paranormal romance trilogy with the anti-terrorist group T-FLAC.

James H. Cobb, Robert Ludlum’s The Infinity Hunt (Jan., Grand Central hc, 23.99). Covert One supports the search by scientists into the world’s hot spots – literally, the hot springs, geysers and deserts – for the universal ancestor of us all. Others have the same mission, but with selfish aims.

Vicki Delany, Valley of the Lost (Feb., Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). In their small BC town, Probationary Constable Molly Smith and Sgt. John Winters are puzzled by their new case: a young woman has been found dead of what appears to be an accidental drug overdose, leaving her infant alone beside her. Nothing is known about the young mother outside of her first name. So two questions remain: who was she and was the death accidental? Signing.

Yasmine Galenorn, Night Huntress (Jan., Berkley pbo, 7.99). 5^th in the D’Artigo sisters series. Delilah’s boyfriend, Chase, is kidnapped by a demon searching for the fourth spirit seal. Signing.

Julie Garwood, Fire and Ice (Jan., Ballantine hc, 26.00). A Chicago newspaperwoman quits after she’s pressured to write about her father, a popular rogue and thief. Working for a smaller paper, a story she’s working on leads her to Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay and secrets that powerful forces want to remain secret.

Lisa Jackson & Nancy Bush, Wicked Game (Feb., Zebra pbo, 7.99). The sisters team up to craft a story of old friends who, to their horror, discover that someone is targeting them, murdering them one by one.

J.A. Jance, Cruel Intent (Dec., Touchstone hc, 25.95). In Ali’s 4^th appearance, her remodeling contractor’s unfaithful wife has been murdered. While the husband is the obvious suspect, Ali Reynolds swims against the current and tries to prove what she believes, that he is innocent. Signing.

Jayne Ann Krentz, Running Hot (Jan., Putnam hc, 24.95). Lifelong member of the Arcane Society, Luther Malone is assigned to escort a librarian from Eclipse Bay, OR, to Maui so that she can use her aura-reading to help the Society find a murder suspect. Signing. In paper, Sizzle and Burn (Feb., Jove, 9.99).

Kevin O’Brien, Final Breath (Jan., Pinnacle pbo, 6.99). Sydney had fled Seattle with her son to find a new life but someone is sending her tokens from a series of murders that have happened around the nation, deaths that had appeared to be unconnected. The warning is clear: find the links or be next. Signing.

Linda L. Richards, Death Was in the Picture (Jan., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). In her second case, Hollywood PI Kitty Pangborn is sent into the movie biz when her boss, Dexter Theroux, is asked to help prove a hunky star had no part in the disappearance and death of a starlet. Signing.

Kat Richardson – see Special Interest

Wendy Roberts, Devil May Ride (Dec., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). At the scene of a meth lab massacre, crime scene cleaner Sadie Novak encounters the most malevolent spirit in her experience. Signing.

Dana Stabenow, Whisper to the Blood (Feb., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). A contentious plan to resume gold mining inside the state’s largest park is causing problems and violence – and then murder. The mining company had hired a skiing champ to promote the mine. In quick succession, she’s killed, as is the leading mine opponent. Then there is the little matter of an unsolved murder that happened a year ago inside the park, Kate Shugak seems to be in the best position to investigate the various angles. Signing. In paper, Prepared for Rage (Feb., St. Martin’s, 7.99). Also, see Special Interest

 

          Now in Paperback

William Dietrich, The Rosetta Key (Feb., Harper, 7.99).

Carola Dunn, The Bloody Tower (Feb., Kensington, 6.99). Marie recommends.

Robert Ferrigno, Sins of the Assassin (Jan., Pocket, 7.99). Fran recommends.

G.M. Ford, Nameless Night (Feb., Harper, 7.99). Gretchen recommends.

Sharan Newman, The Shanghai Tunnel (Jan., Forge, 7.99).

Greg Rucka, Patriot Acts (Dec., Bantam, 6.99). Atticus and Drama. JB recommends.

April Smith, Judas Horse (Feb., Vintage, 13.95). JB recommends this Ana Grey, set mostly in Oregon.

 

          Mysterious Youth

Ridley Pearson, Steel Trapp: The Challenge (Jan., Hyperion, 8.99).

 

          Coming This Spring

Anne Argula & Quinn, Mar.

Daniel Edward Craig & Trevor Lambert, April

William Dietrich & Ethan Gage, April

Robert Dugoni & David Stone, April

Sue Henry & Maxie and Stretch, April

Caitlin Kittredge & Det. Luna Wilder, Mar.

Cricket McRae & Sophie Mae, Mar.

Gregg Olsen, Heart of Ice, Mar.

 

          New from the General Population

 

Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon (Feb., Viking hc, 24.95). A Renaissance fair brings nothing but trouble to Lori’s small English village. 14^th in this cozy classic. In paper, Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter (Feb., Penguin, 7.99).

Maggie Barbieri, Quick Study (Dec., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 3rd in the Murder 101 series with college English professor Alison Bergeron.

Jefferson Bass, Bones of Betrayal (Feb., Morrow hc, 24.95).  Body Farm director Bill Brockton is called in when a body is found near Oak Ridge, TN, in a dirty swimming pool. The victim didn’t drown – he died of recent radiation poisoning and he was involved in the Manhattan Project 65 years ago. In paper, The Devil’s Bones (Feb., Harper, 7.99). Fran recommends this series.

Deb Baker, Ding Dong Dead (Dec., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 4^th featuring dolls and death.

Lorna Barrett, Bookmarked for Death (Feb., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 2^nd with mystery bookshop owner Tricia Miles, who has a real-life body on her hands when a bestselling author is murdered in the bathroom.

Josh Bazell, The Beat Reaper (Jan., Little Brown hc, 24.95). Debut funny thriller from a medical resident. Peter Brown, an emergency room physician, was able to become a doctor due to a new life in the Witness Protection Program. Someone in the ER, from his past life, has just realized who he is, and the Jersey mob has a strong memory and a long reach. Gretchen recommends.

Alex Berenson, The Silent Man (Feb., Putnam hc, 24.95). 3^rd in this Edgar-winning espionage series. As the CIA’s John Wells is heading to work with fiancée Jennifer Exley, DC is attacked in a spectacular way and the participants are determined to be Russian. Wells’ investigation and battle will take him into the heart of the former Soviet state. Signed Copies Available. In paper, The Ghost War (Feb., Jove, 9.99). Janine recommends this author.

Ira Berkowitz, Old Flame (Jan., Three Rivers tpo, 12.95). Debut noir novel set in Hell’s Kitchen. Positively blurbed by Chelsea Cain, Thomas Perry and Reed Farrell Coleman, but no plot given.

Jedediah Berry, The Manual of Detection (Feb., Viking hc, 25.95). Debut purported to be unlike any mystery that has gone before. At a huge detective agency, in a city that is always dark and rainy, Charles Unwin works in anonymity, writing up solved cases. When the firm’s great detective disappears and Unwin’s boss is murdered, he’s suddenly promoted to detective, a job he has no talent for. Relying on The Manual of Detection, he faces a bewildering number of oddities in his investigation. Said to be a mix of The Big Sleep, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Jorge Luis Borges.

Steve Berry, The Charlemagne Pursuit (Dec., Ballantine hc, 26.00). Bookdealer Cotton Malone’s latest hunt is for a manuscript said to be from Charlemagne’s tomb. Tied into the clues are Cotton’s father’s military records and Nazi exploration of Antarctica. 4^th in this biblio-adventure series. In paper, The Venetian Betrayal (Dec., Ballantine, 9.99).

Annette Blair, A Veiled Deception (Jan., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 1^st in a new series with vintage clothing and vintage murder, whatever that is. Really, we don’t know what that is.

Miranda Bliss, Dying for Dinner (Dec., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 4^th in the Cooking Class series.

Jay Bonansinga, Perfect Victim (Dec., Pinnacle pbo, 6.99). 4^th with FBI profiler Ulysses Grove.

C.J. Box, Three Weeks to Say Goodbye (Jan., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Nine months after a childless couple adopt a baby girl, the birth father lets them know that he never signed any papers and his father, a powerful judge, is jamming through a return order. These two men seem intent on forcing their power down the couple’s throat, but don’t seem to care that much about the child. In paper, Blue Heaven (Dec., St. Martin’s, 7.99).

Suzanne Brockman, Dark of Night (Jan., Ballantine hc, 25.00). Still stinging from their wounds (Into the Fire, Feb., Ballantine mm, 6.99), the members of Troubleshooters, Inc. gear up to achieve justice. In paper, All Through the Night (Dec., Ballantine, 7.99).

Jan Brogan, Teaser (Dec., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Looking on-line at video clips, a reporter finds a lead to a story.

Jan Burke, The Messenger (Dec., Simon and Schuster hc, 25.00). Something different from the Edgar winner: a supernatural thriller about a voice from a Caribbean shipwreck, a man who has looked 24 years old for the last two hundred years, a job to hear the last wishes of the dying, and doomed love.

Stephen J. Cannell, On the Grind (Jan., St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). 8^th Shane Scully.

Kate Carlisle, Homicide in Hardcover (Feb., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). Her mentor dead on the eve of his great triumph – a restoration of a priceless copy of Faust - she’s not only a suspect, she’s wondering if there is something to the idea that this copy is cursed. First in a new bibliomystery series set in San Francisco.

Lincoln Child, Terminal Freeze (Jan., Doubleday hc, 24.95). In Alaska’s Arctic Circle, scientists find an ancient animal encased in ice. Their corporate sponsors have obviously never watched King Kong because they order it cut from the ice and brought back as a media spectacle.

Laura Childs, Eggs in Purgatory (Dec., Berkley pbo, 6.99). Third series from the scrapbooking and tea shop writer. When three friends open the Cackleberry Club Café, a local lawyer is one of their first customers and the first victim. With obligatory recipes. Marie enjoys this author.

Blaze Clement, Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof (Jan., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 4^th with Florida pet sitter Dixie Hemingway.

Meredith S. Cole, Posed for Murder (Feb., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). A photographer’s first show is a catastrophe. Not only did nothing sell and the gallery owner make her pay for all expenses, but the police have closed the show down. The photos were recreations of actual crime scenes and one of the models that she used has actually been murdered. Debut thriller by a NYC filmmaker and winner of the St. Martin’s/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition.

Kate Collins, Evil in Carnations (Feb., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 8^th in this flower shop series. One of Abby’s friends is accused of murdering her date after Abby pushed her to start seeing men again. Didn’t work out so well.

Susan Conant and Jessica Conant-Park, Fed Up (Feb., Berkley hc, 23.95). 4^th culinary mystery by the mother/daughter team. In paper, Turn Up the Heat (Feb., Berkley, 7.99).

Beverly Connor, Scattered Graves (Feb., Obsidian pbo, 7.99). 6^th with forensics investigator Diane Fallon. After a mayoral election, she’s replaced as head of the crime lab. Two big murders will get her back in the game.

Michael Craven, Body Copy (Feb., Harper tpo, 13.95). Tremaine was a championship surfer who quit at the top of his sport. He lives in a crappy trailer park and works as a PI, taking challenging cases. Nina Aldeen hires him to investigate her father’s murder. It happened a year ago and the cops have made no progress. Debut.

Bill Crider, Murder in Four Parts (Feb., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 16^th Sheriff Dan Rhodes.

Shirley Damsgaard, The Witch’s Grave (Jan., Avon pbo, 6.99). 6^th in this cozy witch series.

Casey Daniels, Nights of the Loving Dead (Jan., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 4^th in the Pepper Martin series, heiress-turned-cemetery-tour-guide.

Sean Doolittle, Safer (Feb., Delacorte hc, 24.00). A man moves his family to anywhere Iowa to find a better, quieter life. The family seems to be fitting in fine but then the police show up at their home in the middle of a party and arrest him on charges of inappropriately touching a young neighborhood girl. Everything will fall apart and leave him wondering who has framed him and wants his life destroyed. Sometimes too much safety can be dangerous. Bill recommends.

Tim Dorsey, Nuclear Jellyfish (Feb., Morrow hc, 24.95). 11^th Florida lunacy with philosopher/psychopath Serge A. Storm. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Atomic Lobster (Jan., Harper, 7.99).

Barry Eisler, Fault Line (Feb., Ballantine hc, 25.00). Something new from the former covert op: Two brothers haven’t been close in years. But one, a lawyer, has been attacked and the only person he can call on for help is his brother, an undercover soldier. The real struggle will be for them to figure out a way to work together before their familial troubles distract them and get them killed.

Robert Ellis, The Lost Witness (Feb., St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). In her second appearance, LA’s Robbery-Homicide Det. Lena Gamble is out of favor with the brass, though loved by her fellow officers for the way she closed her last case. Now, after months of small-time cases, she’s assigned to work a homicide. She’s disappointed to figure out it is one they plan for her not to solve.

J.T. Ellison, Judas Kiss (Jan., Mira pbo, 6.99). Nashville homicide cop Taylor Jackson is usually not affected by the crimes she investigates. This murder – a young pregnant mother whose first baby is found near the body – is different. The clues will lead to amateur, internet porn and allow an old adversary to implicate Jackson in the crime. Fran recommends this series.

Dianne Emley, The Deepest Cut (Feb., Ballantine hc, 24.00). 3^rd with Pasadena cop Nan Vining, and Cut to the Quick (Feb., Ballantine pbo, 6.99). 2^nd in a trilogy with West Coast homicide Det. Nan Vining. In paper, The First Cut (Jan., Ballantine, 6.99). Signing.

Hallie Ephron, Never Tell a Lie (Jan., Morrow hc, 24.95). After years of work, high school sweethearts Ivy and David are where they want to be in their lives. At a yard sale, a woman they’ve not seen in years appears and intimates that she and David once had a thing. It unnerves Ivy and their wonderful life begins to crumble. Sister of writer and director Nora. Gretchen recommends.

Janet Evanovich, Plum Spooky (Jan., St Martin’s hc, 27.95). Another ‘between-the-numbers’ novel.  In paper, Plum Lucky (Jan., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

Jimmie Ruth Evans, Leftover Dead (Jan., Berkley pbo, 7.99). 5^th in the Trailer Park series under this pseudonym by Dean James.

Linda Fairstein, Lethal Legacy (Feb., Doubleday hc, 26.00). ADA Alex Cooper finds herself in the middle of a bibliomystery. A young woman was assaulted but refused to talk. The next week, another young woman is found dead in that same apartment, with a rare book nearby. Clues lead the investigation to a wealthy and eccentric family of book collectors and benefactors of the NYC Library’s rare book collection. In paper, Killer Heat (Jan., Vintage, 7.99).

Monica Ferris, Thai Die (Dec., Berkley hc, 23.95). 12th in the Crewel World needlecraft series.

Joanne Fluke, Cream Puff Murder (Mar., Kensington hc, 24.00). It’s a busy time for Hannah. Her mother is about to have a novel published and one of the trainers has been found dead in the health club’s Jacuzzi with a plate of Hannah’s cream puffs nearby. To make it even more complicated, the delicacies were purchased by Hannah’s flame Det. Mike Kingston. 11^th in this culinary series. Signing. In paper, Carrot Cake Murder (Feb., Kensington, 6.99). Marie recommends.

Steven M. Forman, Boca Knights (Feb., Forge hc, 24.95). Debut comic thriller. Eddie has retired after decades as a Boston cop. The winters and crooks of the Northeast have worn him down, so he heads to sunny Florida to relax in the sun. But he arrives in Boca Raton to find the crime down there is just as bad, just hidden better beneath the shorts and sandals.

Jack Fredrickson, Honestly Dearest, You’re Dead (Jan., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Chicago PI Dek Elstrom learns that he’s been named executor to a stranger’s will and can earn an easy $400. Easy, right… Marie enjoyed.

Lee Goldberg, Mr. Monk is Miserable (Dec., Obsidian hc, 21.95). 7^th original novel based on the TV series. In paper, Mr. Monk Goes to Germany (Dec., Obsidian, 6.99).

Margaret Grace, Malice in Miniature (Feb., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 3^rd in the Miniaturist mystery series.

Sarah Graves, A Face at the Window (Jan., Bantam hc, 22.00). 12^th in the Home Repair is Homicide series set in Maine. In paper, The Book of Old Houses (Dec., Bantam, 6.99).

Norman Green, The Last Gig (Jan., St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). Puerto Rican PI Alessandra Martillo is a run-of-the-mill private eye, working low-level jobs around the Bronx. But the head of the local Irish Mob thinks he’s got a traitor and that Alessandra is just the person to find the rat. First in a new series by a noted author of hard-boiled noir.

Tim Green, Above the Law (Feb., Grand Central hc, 24.99). Attorney Casey Jordan returns.

John Grisham, The Associate (Jan., Doubleday hc, 27.95).

James Grippando, Born to Run (Dec., Harper hc, 25.95). Miami attorney Jack Swyteck and his father have finally patched up their relationship and get along. They’ll need to. The Vice President has been killed, mysteriously, in the Everglades and the President wants former Florida governor Harry Swyteck to be the new VP. Harry needs son Jack to be his personal lawyer and Jack will be completely out of his element in DC. In paper, Last Call (Dec., Harper, 7.99).

Rosemary Harris, The Big Dirt Nap (Feb., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 2^nd with professional gardener Paula Holliday. In paper, Pushing Up Daisies (Feb., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

Ellen Hart, Sweet Poison (Dec., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 16^th with restaurateur Jane Lawless. In paper, The Mortal Groove (Dec., Griffin, 14.95).

A. J. Hartley, What Time Devours (Jan., Berkley pbo, 7.99). A timeless mystery, unsolved, and a long-lost Shakespearean play entangle Thomas Knight.

Steven F. Havill, The Fourth Time Is Murder (Dec., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 15^th in his Posadas County series.

Betty Hechtman, Dead Men Don’t Crochet (Dec., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 2^nd crocheting mystery.

Hugh Holton, Revenge (Jan., Forge hc, 24.95). Final book by the 29-year veteran Chicago cop, the 10^th with Larry Cole. Also, The Thin Black Line (Jan., Forge hc, 25.95), true stories by and about Black law enforcement officers.

Kay Hooper, Blood Sins (Dec., Bantam hc, 25.00). 2^nd with the elite FBI Special Crimes Unit. In paper, Blood Dreams (Dec., Bantam, 7.50), the 1^st in the trilogy.

Charlie Huston, The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death (Jan., Ballantine hc, 25.00). A slacker is prodded out of the house and into the job of cleaning crime scenes. At his latest job site, he meets the daughter of a suicide. She later calls him, asking him to help her brother by doing some cleaning. He knows he should say no but… In paper, The Shotgun Rule (Jan., Ballantine, 14.00). Janine recommends this book and this author.

Julie Hyzy, Hail to the Chef (Dec., Berkley pbo, 7.99). 2^nd mystery with the White House chef.

Greg Iles, The Devil’s Punchbowl (Dec., Scribner hc, 26.95). Hard by the river in Natchez, MS, is a geological pit called the Devil’s Punchbowl. It is said to hold the treasure of pirate Jean Lafitte as well as an unknown number of bodies. Penn Cage steps back into action along its rim.

Stuart Kaminsky, Bright Futures (Jan., Forge hc, 23.95). 6^th with Lew Fonesca, “the Man Who Makes Things Work in Sarasota.” Janine recommends this series.

Alice Kimberly, The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion (Jan., Berkley pbo, 6.99). In the 5^th Haunted Bookshop mystery, a haunted mansion is inherited by a local mailman who promptly sets out of get rid of the ghosts. Author also writes as Cleo Coyle.

Rita Laikin, Getting Old is a Disaster (Jan., Dell pbo, 6.99). 5th with ‘Florida’s self-proclaimed oldest living private eye’, Gladdy Gold.

William Lashner, Blood and Bone (Feb., Morrow hc, 24.95). His 1^st stand-alone thriller: a former star athlete has gone nowhere and is the very definition of a slacker. But the murder of his dead father’s law partner puts him in the cops’ crosshairs and he realizes that his lifestyle is not only a dead-end – it also has made him a suspect.

Michael A. Lucas, Devil Born Without Horns (Dec., Re/Search tpo, 10.95). A degree in film history doesn’t lead to many lucrative jobs opportunities when one graduates from college, so James Pichaske takes a manual labor job to keep his mind clear to write about movies. The job involves moving furniture for a fancy store. He begins to suspect that high-end furniture is not all they’re selling and he’s quickly drawn into a noirish world of drugs and crime in this humorous satire.

Colin MacKinnon, The Contractor (Feb., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). A CIA contractor uses his extensive network of contacts to hunt a shadowy Pakistani who is thought to be constructing a nuclear weapon. This network came with a high price: it was put together by his late father who committed suicide years before.  In paper, Morning Spy, Evening Spy (Dec., Griffin, 14.95).

Michael McGarrity, Dead or Alive (Jan., Dutton hc, 24.95). 12^th Kevin Kerney: freshly retired and living in London, a frantic call draws him home as an escaped convict is killing his way across New Mexico. In paper, Death Song (Dec., Onyx, 7.99).

G.A. McKevett, A Body to Die For (Jan., Kensington hc, 22.00). A weight-loss queen is the prime suspect in a killing and plus-sized PI Savannah Reid is in for a work-out with this case. In paper, Poisoned Tarts (Jan., Kensington, 6.99).

John Ramsey Miller, The Last Day (Jan., Bantam pbo, 6.99). A man struggles to save his family from overwhelming forces. Really, that’s what the catalog gives us.

Rick Mofina, Six Seconds (Jan., Mira pbo, 6.99). Three strangers, all with their own lives in shambles, will be united in a scheme that could drastically alter the world in a mere six seconds.

Bob Morris, A Deadly Silver Sea (Dec., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 3^rd in the Zack Chasteen series. In this one, a honeymoon goes bad.

Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Cat Playing Cupid (Feb., Morrow hc, 16.95). 14^th with feline PI Joel Grey.

Tamar Myers, Batter Off Dead (Feb., Obsidian hc, 22.95). 17^th in the Pennsylvania Dutch mystery series.  In paper, As the World Churns (Jan., Obsidian, 6.99).

Carol O’Connell, Bone by Bone (Jan., Putnam hc, 24.95). An ex-Army CID investigator returns to his small Northern California town for the first time in years. Two decades have passed since Oren and his brother Josh went into the woods to play and only Oren came out; no trace of the brother was ever found. But his first day back, there’s a thump on the porch and Oren finds a jawbone with teeth. His father tells him that it has been happening for some time – Josh has been coming home, bone by bone. Signed Copies Available. Favorite author of both JB and Janine.

Catherine O’Connell, Well Read and Dead (Feb., Harper tpo, 13.95). 2^nd in the High Society Mystery series.

Perri O’Shaughnessy, Show No Fear (Dec., Pocket hc, 25.00). 12^th with attorney Nina Reilly.

Michael Palmer, The Second Opinion (Feb., St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). His latest medical thriller. In paper, The First Patient (Jan., St. Martin’s, 9.99).

Robert B. Parker, Night and Day (Feb., Putnam hc, 25.95). 9^th Jesse Stone. His small town seems anything but a paradise as the female high school principal has been accused of violating students’ privacy and a voyeur is violating the homes of the town’s women. In paper, Stranger in Paradise (Feb., Berkley, 9.99).

T. Jefferson Parker, The Renegades (Feb., Dutton hc, 26.95). Cop Charlie Hood patrols the dusty backroads of the Southwest at night and by himself, as he prefers it. He knows that evil is out there, just outside the beams of his headlights. He’s assigned a new partner who is soon and suddenly shot dead one night while they drive. Charlie knows he must find the killer and, unlike the Westerns in popular fiction, the bad guys don’t always look like bad guys. A modern-day Western from the multi-Edgar winning author. Signed Copies Available. In paper, L.A. Outlaws (Feb., Signet, 9.99). Gretchen and Janine recommend them both.

James Patterson, Run for Your Life (Feb., Little Brown hc, 27.99). 1^st in a new series with a NYC detective, Michael Bennett. In paper, 7^th Heaven (Jan., Grand Central, 14.99).

Richard North Patterson, Eclipse (Jan., Holt hc, 26.00). A California attorney, his life and morale in tatters, accepts a request to help defend an African freedom fighter against murder charges from his corrupt government.

Louise Penny, A Rule Against Murder (Jan., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Chief Insp. Gamache is on holiday to celebrate his wedding anniversary at a remote lodge but it will become a ‘busman’s holiday’. A family arrives to pay respects to a dead member and unveil a memorial. This will kick open the locked door on grudges and secrets and lead to murder. 4^th in this award-winning series and was also published as The Murder Stone. In paper, The Cruelest Month (Jan., St. Martin’s, 7.99).

Cathy Pickens, Can’t Never Tell (Feb., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 5^th Southern Fried mystery with attorney Avery Andrews. In paper, Hush My Mouth (Dec., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

Rhonda Pollero, Fat Chance (Jan., Pocket hc, 21.95). 3^rd stylish and silly mystery with Sophie Kinsella.

Spencer Quinn, Dog On It (Feb., Atria hc, 24.00). First in a new series with Chet and Bernie, narrated by the hardboiled voice of Bernie, the more intelligent of the pair - even if he is a dog. They look for a missing teenager who seems to have fallen in with a bad crowd.

Misa Ramirez, Living the Vida Lola (Jan., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Sacramento PI Dolores “Lola” Cruz is given her first big job by her company’s boss. What seems to be a simple disappearance gets harder when some of the people involved are from Lola’s own past.

Robert J. Randisi, Hey There (You with the Gun in Your Hand) (Dec., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 3^rd Rat Pack thriller.

Emile Richards, A Lie for a Lie (Feb., Berkley pbo, 7.99). 4^th in the Ministry is Murder series with Aggie Sloan-Wilcox.

Joan Rivers, Murder at the Academy Awards (Feb., Pocket hc, 25.00). Can we talk? Mother/daughter announcers Maxine and Drew are on the red carpet. Just as a young actress, known for her wild ways, gets to their mikes, she collapses. Dead! How’s that for drama? How was her gown??

J.D. Robb, Promises in Death (Feb., Putnam hc, 26.95). 28^th Eve Dallas novel, releasing just four months after the 27^th. Janine loves this series! Go figure…

Karen Rose, Kill for Me (Feb., Grand Central hc, 16.99). Last in her trilogy.

Thomas B. Sawyer, No Place to Run (Feb., Sterling & Ross hc, 25.95). A client tells his lawyer about a murder he committed on Sept. 11^th, 2001. Not just an errant story, the man has documentation. The lawyer takes his family on the run due to the explosive revelations, but it doesn’t save him as he and his wife are killed by a car bomb. Whoever is behind the deaths isn’t done and it’ll be up to the attorney’s two children to carry the evidence and expose the truth.

Michelle Scott, Corked by Cabernet (Feb., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 5^th in the Wine Lovers series.

Susan Arnout Smith, Out at Night (Jan., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 2^nd with crime scene tech Grace Descanso.

Jill Sorenson, Crash into Me (Feb., Bantam pbo, 6.99). Special Agent Sonny Vasquez investigates a murder with a pro surfer as the prime suspect. Debut.

Erica Spindler, Breakneck (Jan., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Dets. Riggio and Lundgren search for clues in a series of murders that appear to be pointless.

Mary Stanton, Defending Angels (Dec., Berkley pbo, 7.99). AKA Claudia Bishop, this new series features Savannah attorney Brianna Winston Beaufort, whose dead clients still expect her to help them. First in a new, supernatural series.

Andrew Vachss, Another Life (Dec., Pantheon hc, 24.95). In order to get medical care for his mentor, “the Prof”, Burke agrees to search for the missing son of a Saudi prince. In order to solve this case, he’ll have to dig into his own past. In paper, Terminal (Dec., Vintage, 13.95), his 17^th Burke.

Carrie Vaughn, Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand (Feb., Grand Central pbo, 6.99). Kitty and Ben go to Las Vegas to get married, but bounty hunters, an old-school magician and a seductive star all have designs on Kitty, and she may not survive, much less get married. Fran recommends this Urban Fantasy series.

Debra Webb, Find Me (Jan., St. Martin’s pbo, 7.99). A reporter travels to Maine and witnesses a series of strange and deadly events. She must get to the bottom of it all before she becomes one of them.

Melinda Wells, Death Takes the Cake (Feb., Berkley pbo, 7.99). 2^nd with baker Della Carmichael, who enters a cake competition only to find her chief (chief, not chef) rival drowned in a bowl of batter. What a waste of batter…

John Morgan Wilson, Spider Season (Dec., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 8^th in his Edgar-winning series with writer Benjamin Justice. Writing his memoir, Justice kicks up trouble. This past Fall, Bold Strokes Press began reissuing the series.

Lee Wood, Kingdom of Silence (Feb., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). A tangled web faces DS Keen Dunliffe: a US Marshall and his prisoner have been murdered before the prisoner could testify against a rabid animal rights group and there has been an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease.  First mystery by a noted science fiction writer.

Stuart Woods, Mounting Fears (Jan., Putnam hc, 25.95). A political thriller. In paper, Santa Fe Dead (Dec., Signet, 9.99).

John Zakour, The Flaxen Femme Fatale (Dec., Daw pbo, 7.99). 5^th in this sci-fi pulp series. Zach Johnson is the last independent PI on the planet. He’s looking for a blonde who has knowledge of a deadly secret weapon.

 

          Now in Paperback

Elizabeth Becka, Unknown Means (Jan., Hyperion, 7.99).

Laura Benedict, Isabella Moon (Jan., Ballantine, 14.00). Gretchen recommends.

William Bernhardt, Strip Search (Dec., Ballantine, 7.99), and Capitol Conspiracy (Jan., Ballantine, 7.99).

James O. Born, Burn Zone (Jan., Berkley, 7.99).

Andrew Britton, The Invisible (Feb., Pinnacle, 6.99).

Geraldine Brooks, People of the Book (Jan., Penguin, 15.00).

Rita Mae Brown, The Purrfect Murder (Feb., Bantam, 7.50). Marie enjoys this series.

Gordon Campbell, Missing Witness (Jan., Harper, 7.99). 2008 Edgar nominee for Best First Novel.

Carol Higgins Clark, Zapped (Jan., Pocket, 7.99).

Barbara Colley, Wash and Die (Dec., Kensington, 6.99).

John Connolly, The Reapers (Feb., Pocket, 9.99). Fran recommends.

Loren D. Estleman, American Detective (Dec., Tor, 6.99). Bill & JB recommend.

Joy Fielding, Charley’s Web (Jan, Pocket, 7.99).

Brian Freeman, Stalked (Jan., St. Martin’s, 7.99). Fran recommends.

Stephen Frey, The Fourth Order (Feb., Ballantine, 7.99).

Julie Garwood, Shadow Music (Jan., Ballantine, 7.99).

Eli Gottlieb, Now You See Him (Feb., Harper, 13.95).

Sue Grafton, T is for Trespass (Dec., Berkley, 7.99).

Martha Grimes, Dakota (Feb., NAL, 15.00).

Andrew Gross, The Dark Tide (Feb., Harper, 7.99).

Parnell Hall, Hitman (Feb., Pegasus, 14.95). Stanley Hastings.

Kim Harrison, The Outlaw Demon Wails (Dec., Harper, 7.99).

Joan Hess, Mummy Dearest (Feb., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

Craig Holden, Matala (Feb., Simon & Schuster, 14.00).

Thomas Holland, K.I.A. (Feb., Berkley, 7.99).

Joshilyn Jackson, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (Feb., Grand Central, 13.99). Fran and Gretchen highly recommend this author.

John Lescroart, Betrayal (Jan., Signet, 9.99).

Lisa Lutz, Curse of the Spellmans (Feb., Simon & Schuster, 14.00). High staff recommendations for this comic series.

Nancy Martin, Murder Melts in Your Mouth (Jan., Obsidian, 6.99).

Walter Mosley, Diablerie (Jan., Bloomsbury, 15.00).

Julia Navarro, The Bible of Clay (Feb., Bantam, 7.50).

Derek Nikitas, Pyres (Dec., Griffin, 13.95). Gretchen recommends this Edgar nominee.

Douglas Preston, Blasphemy (Jan., Forge, 9.99). Fran recommends.

David Rollins, The Death Trust (Feb., Bantam, 7.50).

Mary Saums, Mighty Old Bones (Jan., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

Theresa Schwegel, Person of Interest (Jan., St. Martin’s, 7.99).

Lisa Scottoline, Lady Killer (Jan., Harper, 7.99).

Michael Simon, The Last Jew Standing (Dec., Penguin, 14.00).

Alexandra Sokoloff, The Price (Dec., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

Robert Tanenbaum, Escape (Feb., Pocket, 9.99).

Joseph Weisberg, An Ordinary Spy (Jan., Bloomsbury, 14.00).

 

          Coming this Spring

Susan Wittig Albert & China Bayles, April

David Baldacci, First Family, April

Jim Butcher & Harry Dresden, April

Dorothy Cannell & Ellie Haskell, April

Laura Childs & the Tea Shop, Mar.

Harlan Coben, & Myron Bolitar, April

Michael Connelly & Jack McEvoy, May

Diane Mott Davidson & Goldy Schulz, April

Brian Freeman & Jonathan Stride, April

Joe Gores, Spade & Archer, April

Jane Haddam & Gregor Demarkian, April

Marshall Karp, Flipping Out, April

Carolyn Hart & Annie Darling, April

Jonathan Kellerman & Alex Delaware, Mar.

Harley Jane Kozak & Wollie Shelley, Mar.

Laura Lippman, Life Sentences, Mar.

Lisa Lutz & the Spellmans, Mar.

Walter Mosley, The Long Fall, Mar.

James Patterson, The 8^th Confession, April

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child & Pendergast, May

Bill Pronzini & Nameless, April

Tom Rob Smith, The Secret Speech, May

Olen Steinhauer, The Tourist, Mar.

Louise Ure, Liars Anonymous, April

Randy Wayne White & Doc Ford, Mar.

F. Paul Wilson, Aftershocks & Others, Mar.

Brian Wiprud, Feelers, Mar.

[Books in RED were in a catalog that arrived too late for inclusion in the printed version.]

 

          Sherlockiana

 

          Historical

 

Suzanne Arruda, The Leopard’s Prey (Jan., Obsidian hc, 23.95). A murder in British East Africa is personal this time for American adventuress Jade del Cameron. Her boyfriend is the accused. 4^th in this 1920s series. In paper, The Serpent’s Daughter (Dec., Obsidian, 14.00).

William Bernhardt, Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness (Jan., Ballantine hc, 26.00). A novel based on historical events: after securing Capone’s conviction, Ness was hired by the Mayor of Cleveland to clean it his town. There he ran into a series of murders tagged “The Torso Murders”. They were never officially solved and haunted Ness to his grave.

Cassandra Clark, Hangman Blind (Feb., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Debut medieval mystery. With her land in turmoil, Abbess Hildegard begins a journey from her Abbey of Meaux towards York. She’ll encounter death and murder along the way, as well as at her childhood home, the Castle Hutton.

Sarah D’Almeida, Dying by the Sword (Dec., Berkley pbo, 7.99). 5^th in the Musketeer series.

David Stuart Davies, Without Conscience (Dec., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). During 1942, in wartime London, private detective Johnny Hawke is on a case that will lead him into the path of a violent deserter.

David Dickinson, Death of a Pilgrim (Feb., Soho Constable hc, 25.00). In 1905 Europe, pilgrims are being murdered on their way to shrines. In his 8^th mystery, Lord Francis Powercourt is asked to investigate.

David Fulmer, Lost River (Jan., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hc, 25.00).  The murder of a customer in a Storyville whorehouse brings Valentin St. Cyr back to his old neighborhood. After working for months in the rest of the city as a ‘real’ detective, he reluctantly returns. That feeling gets worse as more bodies are uncovered and as the police want to pin the deaths on him. In paper, The Blue Door (Jan., HMH, 13.95). Janine and JB recommend this Shamus-winning author.

Susanna Gregory, The Westminster Poisoner (Feb., Sphere hc, 24.95). The 4^th Thomas Chaloner, detective and former spy. London is over-indulging with the lifting of the Puritan ban on Christmas celebrations. Chaloner is called in when two men die not from over-indulgence, but from poison. In paper, The Butcher of Smithfield (Feb., Sphere, 14.95), the 3^rd. And To Kill of Cure (Feb., Sphere, 9.95), her 13^th with Matthew Bartholomew.

John Harwood, The Séance (Feb., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hc, 25.00). It is late in Victorian England and contacting the dead is the rage. A young woman attends a séance in a desperate attempt to help her mother, distraught over the loss of a child. Constance, with good intentions, will be drawn down the rabbit hole of betrayal, blackmail, fear and phenomenon.

J. Sydney Jones, The Empty Mirror (Jan., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). It’s the summer of 1898 in Vienna and Gustav Klimt is touched by a lurid string of murders when one of his models becomes the latest victim. This most cosmopolitan of European cities is at its height of artistic renown, as is Klimt, but he’s known for being strange and unpredictable, even for an artist, and suspicion is easily cast upon him.

Margaret Lawrence, Roanoke (Feb., Delacorte hc, 24.00). The murky world of Elizabethan politics spans the Atlantic when a man is sent to the New World to seduce a native princess rumored to have great wealth. Once there, he will be drawn into the still-unanswered question of the disappearance of the Roanoke settlers.

Paul Malmont, Jack London in Paradise (Jan., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). A novel based on the life of the famous writer: London went to Hawaii for treatment for morphine addiction. This story imagines what happens when he falls in love with the wife of a powerful villain.

Andrew Martin, Murder at Deviation Junction (Jan., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt tpo, 13.95). It’s a cold, dark Winter for railway detective Jim Stringer. He’s hoping for a promotion heading into 1909. 4^th US release in this series.

Roland Merullo, Fidel’s Last Days (Jan., Shaye Areheart hc, 23.00). Two people, working individually to rid Cuba of Fidel’s tyranny find themselves part of something far larger and far uglier than they had imagined.

Caro Peacock, A Dangerous Affair (Feb., Avon tpo, 13.95). The still surfaces of Victorian London may seem peaceful but the truth is otherwise. Two famed dancers have been fighting quite publicly. Then one is poisoned and the other faces the gallows if found guilty. Liberty Lane gets involved through the help of prominent friends.

Andrew Pepper, The Revenge of Captain Paine (Nov., Phoenix tpo, 16.95). Now married, former Bow Street Runner Pyke is well off though he’s still not comfortable with his new luxury. The country is railroad mad, and a gruesome murder that takes place within this new world leaves many uneasy. Pyke is asked to unofficially investigate so that it might all remain quiet and less scandalous.

David Roberts, No More Dying (Feb., Soho Constable hc, 25.00). 8^th whodunit set in 1930s England with Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne.

John Maddox Roberts, SPQR XII: Oracle of the Dead (Dec., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). A rivalry between priests at different temples may have led to a massacre. In paper, SPQR XI: Under Vesuvius (Dec., Griffin, 14.95).

C.J. Sansom, Revelation (Feb., Viking hc, 25.95). In his 4^th book, Matthew Shardlake is beset by troubles everywhere: he’s working to free a teenager from Bedlam, Henry VIII is maneuvering to wed yet again and the prophecies from the Book of Revelations are making the population nervous. A series praised by PD James. In paperback, Winter in Madrid (Feb., Penguin, 15.00), a 1940s thriller.

Dan Simmons, Drood (Feb., Little Brown hc, 26.99). History and fiction blend for a thriller that grows out of the life of Charles Dickens. On June 9, 1865, Dickens was involved in a disaster that very well may have changed his life. After this, he began his ventures into London’s slums and a growing obsession with crypts, drugs, corpses and murder. Narrated by his good friend Wilkie Collins, this novel leads us into the mind of a great artist and perhaps into a solution of his unfinished last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Diane A.S. Stuckart, Portrait of a Lady (Jan., Berkley tpo, 14.00). In his second appearance, Leonardo da Vinci and his assistant Dino go undercover, as women, to search for answers after two female servants are murdered. This will simple for Dino, as he is really Delfina, a woman masquerading as a man in order to be Leonardo’s apprentice.  In paper, The Queen’s Gambit (Jan., Berkley, 7.99).

Frank Tallis, Fatal Lies (Feb., Random House tpo, 15.00). As the world inches toward WWI, Dr. Lieberman and Insp. Rheinhardt investigate a murder at a prestigious military academy.

Charles Todd, A Matter of Justice (Jan., Morrow hc, 23.95; signed copies 24.95). Insp. Rutledge investigates a murder in Somerset. In London, the victim was highly regarded; in his village, he was universally despised – even his wife and the local coppers disliked him. Why such a difference? In paper, A Pale Horse (Jan., Harper, 14.99).

Jacqueline Winspear, Among the Mad (Feb., Holt hc, 25.00). On Christmas Day, 1931, a letter arrives at Scotland Yard threatening mayhem and death if demands are not met. Curiously, it also mentions Maisie. After questioning by the Elite Branch, and being cleared, she’s asked to act as a special adviser on the case.

Janine recommends this series.

 

          In paper

Jonathan Barnes, The Somnambulist (Jan., Harper, 14.95).

Stephanie Barron, A Flaw in the Blood (Jan., Bantam, 14.00).

John Boyne, Next of Kin (Jan., Griffin, 15.95).

Ariana Franklin, The Serpent’s Tale (Feb., Berkley, 15.00). Janine highly recommends.

Margaret Frazer, The Apostate’s Tale (Jan., Berkley, 7.99).

Lawrence Goldstone, The Anatomy of Deception (Jan., Delta, 14.00).

Philip Kerr, The One from the Other (Feb., Penguin, 14.00).

Laurie R. King, Touchstone (Jan., Bantam, 12.00). Fran highly recommends.

Eliot Pattison, Bone Rattler (Jan., Counterpoint, 14.95).

David Wishart, Illegally Dead (Feb., Hodder & Stoughton, 9.95).

 

          Coming this Spring

Ace Atkins, Devil’s Garden, April

Rhys Bowen & Molly Murphy, Mar.

Philip Kerr & Bernie Gunther, Mar.

Anne Perry & William Monk, Mar.

 

          From Overseas

 

James Church, Bamboo and Blood (Dec., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Insp. O is sent to Pakistan to investigate the death of a diplomat’s wife. He’s instructed to address just this crime, but leads take him into forbidden territories. 3^rd with this North Korean cop. In paper, Hidden Moon (Nov., Griffin, 13.95).

Leighton Gage, Buried Strangers (Jan., Soho hc, 24.00). Chief Inspector Mario Silva of the Federal police is called in when a dog unearths a human bone in Sãn Paulo, Brazil. Quickly, his team finds more bones and they understand that the pet uncovered a secret graveyard. But one of the biggest questions is how old is this secret cemetery, or is it still in use? In paper, Blood of the Wicked (Jan., Soho, 13.00).

Mari Jungstedt, The Inner Circle (Dec., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 3^rd with Swedish Insp. Knutas. A woman is abducted from an archeological dig and horribly murdered. The killing was in some way ritualistic and may be connected to other, recent crimes that, though cruel, had not reached the level of homicide.

Simon Lewis, Bad Traffic (Dec., Scribner hc, 24.00). Debut novel by a travel writer who knows the lands. A corrupt Chinese cop arrives in London after a distress call from his daughter. While he may have seen how the world works along the Siberian border, his search for her will take him into the English countryside and into conflict with a sadistic gang of human traffickers.

Eduardo Mendoza, The Mystery of the Enchanted Crypt (Feb., Telegram tpo, 12.95). A strange and funny descent into the underside of 1970s Barcelona. The narrator, sharp-minded but foul-smelling guy, is sprung from an asylum by the cops in return for help in looking for a girl who disappeared from a convent school. With the help of his street-walking sister, he’ll go in search of the teen.

Jo Nesbo, Nemesis (Jan., Harper hc, 25.95). 3^rd as written, 2^nd released in the US. Insp. Harry Hole draws the investigation of a murdered bank teller. Strangely, a former girlfriend calls, and everything goes to hell. She’s found shot to death and, though it’s ruled a suicide, Harry doesn’t buy it. But his main rival on the force is pushing on all fronts, trying to move Harry out of his way. In paper, The Redbreast (Jan., Harper, 14.95).

Malla Nunn, A Beautiful Place to Die (Jan., Atria hc, 25.00). Set in 1950s Apartheid South Africa by a screenwriter who grew up there at that time. A detective begins to investigate the murder of a fellow officer but runs into a wall of suspicion and the secret police. He’s English by birth and the dead cop was Afrikaans.

Matt Beynon Rees, The Samaritan’s Secret (Feb., Soho hc, 24.00). In his 3^rd story, Omar Yussef is pulled into an international crisis: the man who controlled the distribution of World Bank money to the Palestinians has been murdered and the money is missing. If it isn’t found quickly, all of his people will suffer when the flow of money ceases. In paper, A Grave in Gaza (Feb., HMH, 13.95). Marie highly recommends this series.

Rafael Reig, A Pretty Face (Dec., Serpent’s Tail tpo, 14.95). Surreal Spanish suspense: a children’s book author has been murdered. She seeks the help of one of her characters to investigate her death. Part mystery, part fantasy, and part satire.

Roger Smith, Mixed Blood (Feb., Holt hc, 25.00). Debut thriller for an accomplished screenwriter and director. An American bank robber, hiding out in Cape Town after a big heist and a murdered cop, is drawn into that world’s violence and corruption when he and his family are the target of a random gang assault. Violence begets violence and no one is concerned with legalities – just getting even.

Mehmet Murat Somer, The Kiss Murder (Jan., Penguin tpo, 14.00). A Turkish bestseller, an hilarious mystery with an unnamed person as the sleuth: male computer tech by day, charming transvestite hostess by night at Istanbul’s most glamorous and lurid nightspot. One of the nightclub’s girls has been murdered. Our narrator sets out to find the killer with a wardrobe that would make Audrey Hepburn jealous and the skills of a kickboxing expert. Gretchen recommends.

Kitty Sewell, Bloodprint (Feb., Touchstone hc, 24.99). After a hurricane destroys her Florida Keys life, a psychotherapist moves to Bath to start over. One of her first clients has a past that echoes her own, and sinister events begin to unnerve her. In paper, Ice Trap (Nov., Touchstone, 15.00).

 

          In paper

Adrian Hyland, Moonlight Downs (Feb., Soho, 13.00).

Christopher G. Moore, The Risk of Infidelity Index (Jan., Grove, 14.00).

Eliot Pattison, Prayer of the Dragon (Nov., Soho, 14.00).

Qiu Xiaolong, Red Mandarin Dress (Feb., St. Martin’s, 13.95).

 

          Coming This Spring

Cara Black & Aimee Deduc, Mar.

Andrea Camilleri & Insp. Montalbano, Mar.

Ariana Franklin & the Mistress of Death, Mar.

David Hewson & Nic Costa, Mar.

Diane Wei Liang & Mei Wang, May

Hakan Nesser & Insp Veeteren, April

Michael Robotham & Joe O’Loughlin, Mar.

Alexander McCall Smith & the #1 Crew, April

Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, My Soul to Take, April

Qui Xiaolong & C.I. Chen, Mar.

 

          From Great Britain

 

Ray Banks, Sucker Punch (Feb., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hc, 25.00). Finally free of parole and working at a gym, Cal Innes is asked by a young boxer to second him at an LA tournament. The City of Angels it ain’t and Cal’s trip turns ugly. In paper, Saturday’s Child (Feb., HMH, 14.00).

M. C. Beaton, Death of a Witch (Feb., Grand Central hc, 24.99). 25^th Hamish MacBeth. In paper, Death of a Gentle Lady (Jan., Grand Central, 6.99).

P.J. Brooke, Blood Wedding (Dec., Soho Constable hc, 25.00). In Granada, Spain, a young Muslim girl’s murder is investigated with great care by Insp. Max Romero. Since the bombings, everyone is on guard to not create a political nightmare. When the main suspect commits suicide, things get dicey: was it an admission of guilt, were the cops leaning on an innocent man too hard, or is there something deeper and more dangerous going on? First in a new series.

Alison Bruce, Cambridge Blue (Jan., Soho Constable hc, 25.00). In Cambridge, a young detective is the first to find a body that will unsettle the town. The victim belongs to a prominent and eccentric family and will not be the only murder of one of its members. The young cop, Goodhew, will need all of his talents.

Jack Higgins, A Darker Place (Feb., Putnam hc, 26.95). A Russian wants to leave Putin’s rule and seeks life in the West. The US or UK should be thrilled to have him as he’s a famous writer and ex-military. The trouble is he may also be a spy.

Susan Hill, The Risk of Darkness (Feb., Overlook hc, 24.95). Simon Serailler is unsettled by a new employee at the Cathedral, a fiery female Anglican priest with a head of red hair. Things are just heating up as a recent widower becomes unhinged. Fran raves about this author.

Joyce Holmes, Bad Vibes (Jan., Bywater Books tpo, 14.95). The 3^rd Fizz and Buchanan, from 1998.

Hazel Holt, Mrs. Malory and a Time to Die (Dec., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 18^th in this popular Marple-like series. Two of her old friends run a popular riding school. When the husband is found dead in the stable, it becomes clear that his popularity wasn’t universal.

Michael Marshall, The Intruders (Jan., Harper pbo, 7.99). A former LAPD officer finds out that he’s the link and the answer to three strange events that happened years ago in the Deep South. British writer recommended by Janine.

Val McDermid, A Darker Domain (Feb., Harper hc, 24.95). Scotland’s head of the Cold Case Review Team, DI Karen Pirie has new leads on two interesting cases: A young woman has recently reported a miner missing after a labor action – 23 years after he left home; and an heiress was kidnapped and killed despite the ransom payment and the case went unsolved – until a tourist in Tuscany finds something that might make a difference. Signing.

Danuta Reah, Night Angels (Feb., Bywater Books tpo, 14.95). First US release of a 2001 book. DI Lynne Jordan had run an investigation into human trafficking. Someone is killing the women she interviewed.

Phil Rickman, To Dream of the Dead (Jan., Quercus hc, 24.95). 10^th with Anglican priest Merrily Watkins. This December is a trying month for the village of Ledwardine. Heavy rains have caused the river to rise and isolate the town. Merrily’s daughter is part of an archeological dig that has been examining a row of ancient standing stones. Not all in the town think the stones should be disturbed and believe the rising waters are punishment. In paper, The Fabric of Sin (Jan., Quercus, 9.95).

Nick Stone, The King of Swords (Dec., Harper hc, 24.95). A murder with odd aspects leads Miami cops Max Mingus and his partner Joe toward a notorious and elusive criminal rumored to be involved in voodoo and protected by people with juice. In paper, Max’s debut, Mr. Clarinet (Dec., Harper. 14.95). British writer.

Cathi Unsworth, The Singer (Feb., Serpent’s Tail tpo, 16.00). 20 years ago, the singer for a prominent British punk band disappeared after his girlfriend was found dead. A reporter has a fresh trail on the events and a deadline on his book deal.

 

          In paper

Benjamin Black, The Silver Swan (Feb., Picador, 14.00).

Tom Cain, The Accident Man (Feb., Penguin, 14.00). Janine and Fran recommend this debut.

Morag Joss, The Night Following (Feb., Delta, 13.00).

John Mortimer, Rumpole Misbehaves (Dec., Penguin, 14.00).

Caro Ramsay, Absolution (Feb., Pegasus, 14.95).

Peter Robinson, Friend of the Devil (Jan., Harper, 7.99).

Aline Templeton, Lying Dead (Jan., Hodder, 9.95).

Camilla Way, The Dead of Summer (Jan., HMH, 13.95).

 

          Coming this Spring

Robert Barnard, The Killings at Jubilee Terrace, May

Tom Cain & the Accident Man, Mar.

Liza Cody, Gimme More, Mar.

Anthony Eglin, The Rail of the Wild Rose, April

Peter Robinson & Insp. Banks, Mar.

Barbara Vine, The Birthday Present, Mar.

Martyn Waites, White Riot, Mar.

 

Mystery Specialty Presses

 

     Bitter Lemon

Friedrich Glauser, The Spoke (Jan., 14.95). In the last book of the Sgt. Studer books, the German cop investigates a murder committed with a bicycle spoke. 5^th in a series recommended by Janine.

 

     Busted Flush

Reed Farrel Coleman, The James Deans (Jan., tp, 14.00). 3^rd Moe Prager, nominated for 6 mystery awards and winner of 3.

 

     Crippen & Landru

(we didn’t know about these for the Fall newsletter but wanted to include them now.)

John Dickson Carr, 13 to the Gallows (Sept., tp, $20). Four original radio plays aired on the BBC in the early ‘40s. Two he wrote with a co-writer, Val Gielgud, and two he wrote alone. Two of the plays are also set in radio studios. [Val was the brother of John Gielgud, and like him a noted actor and writer. Both were the grand-nephews of the legendary Ellen Terry.]

Hugh Pentecost, The Battles of Jericho (Sept., tp, $19). 15 short stories were written between ’64 and ’76 and feature artist and sleuth John Jericho. Jericho’s paintings, like the stories themselves, are very much about the unrest of the time and social justice and his artist’s eye allows him to catch details of detection that others miss. A pseudonym of Judson Philips, the afterward is by the writer’s son Daniel Philips.

 

     Felony & Mayhem

Karin Alvtegen, Betrayal (Jan., tp, 14.95). 3^rd novel by this young and noted Swedish author. Two people who each boil in their own hate and poison are toxic enough on their own. But when circumstances bring them together they ignite, causing unimaginable pain to themselves and those around them. In paper, Missing (Jan., 14.95), her debut from 2003. The author is the great-niece of Astrid Lundren.

Reginald Hill, Traitor’s Blood (Jan., tp, 14.95). Political thriller from ’83.

Timothy Holme, A Funeral of Gondolas (Jan., tp, 14.95). 2^nd with Italian Insp. Peroni, from ’81.

 

     Hard Case Crime

Charles Ardai, Fifty-to-One (Dec., 6.99). A new book by the Edgar-winning author (as Richard Aleas) and publisher of this terrific young press. A shady publisher teams with a showgirl to write the story of a heist at a nightclub run by the mob. Pretty soon, the police and gangsters are after them both. As a tribute to the first 50 books from his press, a full-color insert will show all the covers published before this one, many shown spread out on the ‘publisher’s’ desk on the cover. Made to look like an old PI office, “Hard Case Crime Books” is painted on the outside of the window. Very nice touch.

Lawrence Block, Killing Castro (Jan., 6.99). Originally published in 1961 under an unknown pseudonym, this is the first publication under Block’s name. Five people accept the offer of $20 grand to get into Cuba and kill Castro. Keep in mind that this was published around the time of the Bay of Pigs and one year before the Cuban Missile Crisis, 15 years before the Church Committee revelations of CIA/Mob assassination schemes.

Roger Zelazny, The Dead Man’s Brother (Feb., 6.99). The award-winning author’s last novel, the manuscript lost for decades amidst his papers. A former art smuggler has gone on to be a respected dealer. A murder in his gallery lands him in dutch with the NYPD but the CIA offers to spring him if he’ll do them a favor: look for a missing Vatican priest who absconded with millions. The connection is that the priest is apparently hiding with the dealer’s former lover. Fran recommends this author.

 

     Midnight Ink

Sue Ann Jaffarian, Booby Trap (Feb., tpo, 13.95). 4^th with “plus-sized, middle-aged, and whip-smart Odelia Grey”. Janine recommends this comic series.

 

     Poisoned Pen Press

Deborah Turrell Atkinson, Pleasing the Dead (Feb., hc, 24.95). The dangerous and invasive arms of the Yakuza have reached into Kahului and attorney Storm Kayama is up against enemies who have no faces or souls. In paper, Fire Prayer (Feb., 14.95), 3rd in this Hawaiian series. Signed Copies Available.

Donis Casey, The Sky Took Him (Jan., hc, 24.95). Blackmail, murder and long-guarded secrets as the family gathers for the imminent death of Alafair Tucker’s brother-in-law in Enid, OK, in the Fall of 1915. Signed Copies Available. In paper, The Drop Edge of Yonder (Jan., 14.95), 3rd in the series.

Kerry Greenwood, Death By Water (Dec., hc, 24.95). The 15^th of the Phryne Fisher books, from 2005.

Tim Maleeny, Greasing the Piñata (Dec., hc, 24.95). First the son disappears, then his father – a retired Senator. Their bodies are found on a golf course, mutilated. The man’s daughter asks Cape Weathers to investigate and, though he doesn’t want the case, he doesn’t want to see her be the next victim. The case will take him into the unfamiliar territory of Mexico and into troubles he can’t see but knows will come. 3^rd in this popular series and first in hardcover. Janine recommends this series.

Jeffrey Siger, Murder in Mykonos (Jan., hc, 24.95). Debut novel from an American who has lived on this Grecian island paradise for 25 years. Just as he is getting used to his new job as the island’s police chief, former Athens homicide Det. Andreas Kaldis is faced with a crime that will make the tourists shudder: a young woman vanishes without a trace and then her body is found in a remote church atop a pile of bones. Suddenly, the police begin to find bones everywhere and the island’s economy won’t survive if the tourists leave. Pressure is intensified on Kaldis to find the villain.

Peter May, Shakehead (Feb., hc, 24.95). 4^th with American pathologist Margaret Campbell and Beijing Det. Li Yan. Yan has been assigned to the Chinese embassy in DC to investigate crimes involving Chinese nationals. They’re both called in when a semi-trailer is found full of dead Chinese.  In paper, The Fourth Sacrifice (Feb., 14.95). Janine recommends this series.

Betty Webb, The Anteater of Death (Nov., hc, 24.95). When a body is found inside the anteater enclosure at the Central California Zoo, the staff and the animals get to work proving the anteater didn’t do it. Signed Copies Available.

          In paper

Mark de Castrique, Blackman’s Coffin (Nov., 14.95).

Mary Anna Evans, Findings (Nov., 14.95). Fran recommends.

 

     Rue Morgue

Catherine Aird, His Burial Too (Feb., 14.95). Insp. Sloan from ’73, the 6^th.

Delano Ames, Murder Begins at Home (Jan., 14.95). 2^nd Jane & Dagoburt Brown, from ’49.

Nicholas Blake, Thou Shell of Death (Jan., 14.95). Nigel Strangeways #2 from ’36.

Manning Coles, The Fifth Man (Feb., 14.95). Tommy Hambledon #6 from ’46.

Michael Gilbert, Smallbone Deceased (Dec., 14.95). 4^th Insp. Hazelrigg, from ’50.

Gladys Mitchell, The Longer Bodies (Dec., 14.95). From 1930, the 5^th Mrs. Bradley.

 

          Collections

 

Rome Noir, Stangalino and Jakubowski, eds. (Feb., Akashic tpo, 15.95). Authors include Carlo Lucarelli and Gianrico Carofiglio with all new stories. 

San Francisco Noir 2: The Classics, Peter Maravelis, ed.  (Feb., Akashic tpo, 15.95). Great short pieces from the great: Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, Jack London, Dashiell Hammett, Bill Pronzini and Joe Gores.

 

          Reissues of Note

 

Lawrence Block, One Night Stands and Lost Weekends (Dec., Harper, 14.95). 24 more short works, written between 1958 and 1962, reputedly collected together for the first time and not include in the earlier tome Enough Rope (2002). Includes three Ed Noon novellas previously collected as One Night Stands released by Crippen & Landru.

Raw Rumbles: The Hal Ellson Omnibus (Dec., Re/Search tp, 19.95). In the post-war world of pulp paperbacks, Hal Ellson was one of the more successful writers. While others, such as Goodis and Thompson, have gotten more critical attention, Ellson has been left in obscurity, probably due to his more lurid and salacious style. Here are three of his early novels that drew on his own years in the world of gangs and troubled youth: Duke (1949), Tomboy (1950) and The Knife (1961).

Charlaine Harris, A Fool and His Honey (Feb., Berkley, 7.99). 6^th Aurora Teagarden, from ’99.

Joe R. Lansdale, Savage Season and Mucho Mojo (Jan., Vintage, 13.95 ea.). The 1^st and 2^nd (from ’90 and ’94) of the books with best friends and polar opposites Hap and Leonard. Great fun from Deep Texas.

Robert Littell, The Debriefing (Dec., Penguin, 14.00). From 1979, an elite Army debriefer goes to work on a Soviet defector. One of Janine’s favorite espionage authors.

Barbara Michaels, Houses of Stone (Feb., Harper, 7.99). 1993 suspense by the author otherwise known as Elizabeth Peters. Fran recommends Peters writing as Michaels.

Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, The Man on the Balcony and The Laughing Policeman (Feb., Vintage, 13.95 ea.). The 3^rd and 4^th of their Martin Becks, from ’67 and ’68.

Cornell Woolrich, The Black Angel (Dec., Pegasus, 14.95). Intense and intimate noir from 1943. A young bride frantically works to prove her husband didn’t kill his mistress.  Postponed from 8/07.

 

 

          Special Interest

Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery and Fantasy, Dana Stabenow, ed. (Dec., Ace tpo, 14.00). New stories by PNW writers and lesser mortals: Mike Doogan, John Straley and the editor, as well as Laurie R. King, Donna Andrews, Carol Nelson Douglas, Charlaine Harris and others.

Mean Streets: Four All-New Novellas of Dark Nights, Cruel Cities and Paranormal P.I.s, (Jan., Roc tpo, 15.00). Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Thomas E. Sniegoski and KAT RICHARDSON!

 

 

 

The Seattle Mystery Bookshop is a member of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Go to www.killerbooks.org to see a monthly list of books recommended by other mystery booksellers.

 

Mail and phone and e-mail orders for these or any other books are welcome.

 

We special order non-mysteries as well. We can get you all the books you need, no matter what the topic.

 

Gift certificates are available in any denomination, can be ordered by phone or e-mail, and are a great present for the local mystery fans on your list. We can send it to them for you, whether you live here or not.

 

Visit our website for our full calendar of scheduled author events, our past newsletters, a link to a listing of available signed copies, and ordering instructions.

 

Copies in the best condition go to those who reserve in advance.

 

Dust jacket protectors are put on all signed books that are shipped out.

 

Browse our listing of signed, used and collectable books at www.biblio.com

 

Prices and dates are subject to change without notice.

 

Material highlighted in Blue does not appear in the printed version of this issue.

 

The Seattle Mystery Bookshop Newsletter

was  composed and produced by the staff.