Spring 2004

Shop notes

Change is all around, isn’t it? As we move toward spring, warmer weather, budding gardens and longer days, things seem to change, even as they seem the same. So it is for us: Erin O’Donnell, our British Import and Small Press buyer, has moved on. She was presented with a dream job--working in a local comics shop--and with a background in graphic arts, she had to take it. We don’t blame her. You have to follow your bliss. For now, her duties have been split between those of us here, and we hope to be able to do the job as well as she did. .

Janine Wilson joins us as Erin leaves. Janine is a long-time customer and friend who works with us on Saturdays and the odd special occasion – or a day off from her full-time job. Janine has a broad range of taste in mystery and crime books – as long as they are well written and intriguing.

Fran Fuller joins us as Erin leaves. Fran is a recent transplant from Minneapolis, where she was the mystery expert at the Half Price bookstore. She has broad taste in books and broad knowledge too, so she’s going to fit in well.

And, speaking of spring, one of the other things that it brings is the return of baseball – and that leads us to another “new” thing we’re trying: a new section for the newsletter – The Sports Section. There are often lots of sports mysteries, especially in spring when there are more baseball mysteries, so we thought we’d try to group them. In this issue, you’ll find the baseball, fishing and golf mysteries back there, at the end of the New from the Rest group. We may try this for other specialties – such as culinary or animals – if they crop up in large numbers in a single newsletter. Look it over – nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

NEW FROM THE NORTHWEST

Burl Barer, Broken Doll (May, Pinnacle pbo, 6.50). True crime account of a murderer and pedophile whose crimes shocked a Northwest community, and the story of a determined prosecutor who swore to bring him to justice. Edgar Award-winning author.

Mary Castillo, Fade to Red (May, Berkley pbo, 6.99). When Lindsey Metcalf’s younger sister disappears in Seattle, she enlists the help of a cop who plays by his own rules. Romantic suspense by an author living in Dallas.

Mary Daheim, The Alpine Pursuit (March, Ballantine hc, 22.95). First hardcover in the popular Alpine series. A revival of the Alpine Council Dramatic Club goes too far when the villain of the piece really is shot. Editor and publisher Emma Lord is on the scene when the fatal mishap occurs, and it looks like murder to her—and to Sheriff Milo Dodge. Signing.

Yasmine Galenorn, Legend of the Jade Dragon (May, Berkley pbo, 5.99). When a client gives Emerald O’Brien a statue of a dragon as payment, bad luck follows. Signing.

Sue Henry, The Serpents Trail (April, NAL hc, 23.95). Sue begins a new series: Maxie McNabb is a 63-year-old with a new RV and an itch to see the lower 48. But before she can tour far, she’s involved with a burglary at a friend’s Colorado home. Signed Copies Available. In pb, Death Trap (May, Avon, 6.99).

Richard Hoyt, Pony Girls (May, Forge hc, 24.95). European jumping horses have died mysteriously and prime Spanish stallions have been killed all over the US West. Denson and Willie investigate.

Lisa Jackson, The Morning After (March, Kensington pbo, 6.99). In the sequel to The Night Before, journalist Nikki Gillette and cop Pierce Reed track a serial killer who buries his victims alive.

Kate Kingsbury, Berried Alive (April, Berkley pbo, 5.99). Trouble in the 6th Manor House mystery, when four American servicemen are poisoned.

Phillip Margolin, Sleeping Beauty (May, Harper hc, 25.95). High school soccer star Ashley Spencer’s parents were killed by a serial killer. Now, the accused killer has escaped and the key to Ashley's survival lies in a book she cannot read – Sleeping Beauty, a true crime account of the killer’s actions. Signed Copies Available. In pb, Ties that Bind (March, Harper, 7.99)..

Ridley Pearson, The Body of David Hayes (April, Hyperion hc, 23.95). Lou Boldt investigates a disappearance with personal ties: Hayes is a banker accused of embezzling from a bank where he worked with Liz Boldt-- with whom he once had an affair. Tammy and Janine recommend. Signing.

Amanda Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz), The Paid Companion (May, Putnam hc, 24.95). When the Earl of St. Merryn needs a woman to pose as his fiancée for a few weeks, he hires Miss Elenora Lodge. Nothing sordid, she’s assured, just window-dressing. Soon, however, she suspects that he has a hidden agenda and finds that he’s out to find a killer among the societal elite. Signing.

Patricia Rushford, Deadly Aim (Feb., Revell 12.99). In the cozy Oregon coastal town of Sunset Grove, Officer Angel Delaney is blamed when a boy is killed during a shoot-out. Convicted by all before the trial begins, her troubles mount when she’s charged with other killings. First in a new series for this long-time PNW author.

Now in Paperback

D.W. Buffa, Star Witness (April, Onyx, 6.99).

Alafair Burke, Judgment Calls (May, St. Martin's, 6.99).

Sharan Newman, Heresy (April, Forge, 14.95).

Mysterious Youth

Cynthia Ryland, The Case of the Fidgety Fox (May, Harper tpo, 3.99). 6th of the High Rise Private Eye books for beginners, ages 4-8. Get 'em reading early!

Coming this Summer

Mary Daheim & the Bed & Breakfast, August

Earl Emerson, Pyro, August

GM Ford & Corso, July

J.A. Jance, Day of the Dead, August

Skye Kathleen Moody & Venus Diamond, August

Lono Waiwaiole & Wiley, June

NEW FROM THE REST

Sarah Andrews, Earth Colors (March, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Forensic geologist Em Hansen is asked to investigate a possible forgery of a Frederick Remington painting. In paper, Killer Dust (March, 6.99).

Jennifer Apodaca, Ninja Soccer Moms (May, Kensington hc, 22.00). Glad to be past the soccer mom years, Samantha Shaw deals with a case involving ex-husbands, embezzling and a dead coach.

Linda Barnes, Deep Pockets (March, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Boston PI Carlotta Carlyle is hired to find out who is blackmailing a Harvard professor. The problem is he is unlikable and her sixth sense tells her his past is rife with trouble. Back in print, The Snake Tattoo (Feb., St. Martin's, 6.99), Carlotta #2.

Richard Barre, Echo Bay (April, Capra hc, 25.95. In order to save custody of his children, a man is forced to sell the idea of raising a sunken steamship that sunk in Lake Tahoe in 1940. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Burning Moon (March, Capra, 15.95).

Lawrence Block, The Burglar on the Prowl (March, Morrow hc, 24.95). Burglar/bookseller Bernie and dog-washer Carolyn are back in top form. Tammy and Bill recommends. Signed Copies Available.

Peter Bowen, The Tumbler (April, St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Gabriel Du Pré is at the center of a rumor about some lost journals of Lewis and Clark. In paper, The Stick Game (April, St. Martin's, 13.95).

Rhys Bowen, Evan’s Gate (April, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Constable Evan’s wedding plans are upset when he finds a body buried inside the gate of the cottage he plans to renovate.

Poppy Z. Brite, Liquor (March, Three Rivers tpo, 13.95). Shake equal parts ambition, scandal, hot sauce, cocaine, crayfish and murder – and serve straight up.

Rita Mae Brown, Whisker of Evil (March, Bantam hc, 24.95). 12th Mrs. Murphy. In paper, The Tail of the Tip-off (March, Bantam, 7.50).

D.W. Buffa, Breach of Trust (May, Putnam hc, 24.95). During a law school reunion in NYC, a re-opened death investigation lands Joseph Antonelli in the middle of a legal and political mess – one of the figures involved is the Vice President and it is an election year. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Star Witness (April, Onyx, 6.99).

Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, The Rule of Four (April, Dial hc, 24.00). Since its publication in 1499, the Hypoerotmachia Polphili has puzzled scholars. Coded in 7 languages, the text is a love story, a mathematical labyrinth and a tale of arcane beauty. Two long-time friends think they’ve unlocked the secrets and what they find stuns them: passion for a Prince, a treasure-filed crypt and a secret worthy of murder.

Dana Cameron, A Fugitive Truth (May, Avon pbo, 6.99). New World archeologist Emma Fielding is marked for death at a Berkshire dig. 4th by the archeologist writer.

Leonard Chang, Fade to Clear (May, St.Martin's hc, 23.95). Allan Choice looks for the niece of his ex-girlfriend who was taken by her father during a bitter divorce battle years ago.

Lee Child, The Enemy (May, Delacorte hc, 25.00). For any cop – in this case, a military cop – there can be one case that can make or break a career, that can earn a promotion or create a renegade. For Major Jack Reacher, this is the case. JB says Child – incredibly – gets better with each book. Janine and Bill agree.

Jill Churchill, It Had to be You (April, Morrow hc, 23.95). Latest in the Grace and Favor Cottage series, as the siblings look into a murder at a nearby mansion that has become a nursing home. In paper, Love for Sale (March, Avon, 6.99), Grace & Favor series.

Martin Clark, Plain Heathen Mischief (May, Knopf hc, 24.95). Joel King, a defrocked Baptist minister, serves time for a very implausible crime, but finds life even more bedeviling on the outside: he's being sued for $5 million, his wife wants a divorce, and his fresh start in Montana isn't working out. When a former parishioner involves him with a flock of con men and crooked lawyers, the existential hilarity escalates.

Harlan Coben, Just One Look (May, Dutton hc, 25.95). When Grace Lawson looks at the batch of photos just developed, she finds one odd shot: a 20-year-old picture that might include her husband in a group of four men. He denies that it is him, then takes off in the middle of the night with the photo. In a flash, her manicured suburban life is turned upside down, and others are now looking for her missing mate as well. Signing? In paper, No Second Chance (May, Signet, 7.99).

Mark Cohen, The Fractal Murders (May, Mysterious Press hc, 25.00). Originally self-published, this fresh debut mystery introduces Colorado PI Pepper Keane, an ex-Marine with an encyclopedic knowledge of rock music. Jane Smythe, a math professor specializing in fractal geometry, hires Keane when colleagues in her specialized field begin to die in mysterious circumstances. Sandy recommends.

Reed Coleman, Redemption Street (March, Viking hc, 22.95). Set in '81, PI Moe Prager investigates a 1966 hotel fire that killed his first love. Sequel to the noted Walking the Perfect Square (Plume, 6.99).

Max Allan Collins, The London Blitz Murders (May, Berkley pbo, 6.99). While London shudders under the Nazis' attack, a modern-day Jack the Ripper adds to the terror. Renowned pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury investigates with the help of England’s First Lady of Crime, Agatha Christie.

Michael Connelly, The Narrows (May, Little, Brown hc, 25.95). Harry Bosch gets a call from a friend whose husband has recently died. The death appears natural, but the man's ties to the hunt for the serial killer known as the Poet are troubling. A free DVD will be given away with each copy purchased – like the CD last year – that contains a visual tour of LA hosted by the author. In paper, Lost Light (March, Warner, 7.99). Signing.

John Connolly, Bad Men (March, Atria hc, 25.00. 300 years ago, the population of a small Maine island was massacred. It’s been peaceful since, but a band of Bad Men is about to take their vengeance and only two local cops stand in their way. Signing. In paper, The White Road (March, Pocket, 6.99. 3rd Charlie Parker.

Peter Craig, Hot Plastic (March, Hyperion pbo, 13.00). Kevin and his dad are masters of identity theft, who move from one seedy motel to another seeking the big score. When teenager Colette, a tough and talented grifter, hooks up with them the stakes get higher.

Lindsey Davis, The Accusers (April, Mysterious Press hc, 25.00). 15th adventure for Marcus Didius Falco, who becomes embroiled in the legal machinations of a Senator's trial—and then is hired to investigate his death. In pb, The Jupiter Myth ( May, Warner, 12.95).

Dicey Deere, The Irish Village Murder (March, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). American translator Torrey Tunet is on her way home to Ballynaugh late one night when she finds a young girl, lost and alone, at a bus stop. When she escorts the girl to her destination, she finds…a murdered historian! 4th in the series. In pb, The Irish Cairn Murder (6.50).

Eileen Dreyer, Head Games (March, St. Martin's, 24.95). A nurse and death investigator deals with a string of incidents that tie to a now-grown child she once tried to help.

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John Dunning, The Bookman’s Promise (March, Scribner hc, 25.00). Cliff Janeway is drawn into a case of a rare book with questionable provenance: it is a signed first printing of a book by a famous 19th C. explorer, Richard Burton. It may be stolen and it might mean there’s a cache of other books by Burton around. JB, Sandy & Tammy recommend as GREAT FUN. Signing!

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Selma Eichler, Murder Can Botch up Your Birthday (March, Signet pbo, 5.99). 11th mystery with plus-sized PI Desiree Shapiro.

David Ellis, Jury of One (March, Putnam hc, 24.95). A defense attorney discovers that the man she’s defending in a murder case may be the child she gave up for adoption years ago. Latest legal thriller from the Edgar winner. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Life Sentence (March, Berkley, 7.99).

Loren D. Estleman, Retro (May, Forge hc, 24.95, Signed Copies 25.95). Amos Walker looks into two murders, of a father and son, that happened 53 years apart, with the same gun, and in a place where it was impossible for a gun to be. In paper, Poison Blonde (April, Forge, 5.99).

Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes, Full Blast (April, St. Martin's pbo, 7.99).

Bill Fitzhugh, Radio Activity (April, Morrow hc, 23.95). Programmer Rick Shannon looks into the disappearance of a once-famous DJ. Said to be the start of a new series by this screamingly satirical crime writer. In paper, Heart Seizure (March, Harper, 7.50). A favorite author of Tammy.

Joanne Fluke, Fudge Cupcake Murder (March, Kensington hc, 22.00). Bakery owner Hannah Swenson can’t keep out of the mix when the sheriff is killed, the deputy accused and a killer is on the loose.

Vince Flynn, Memorial Day (May, Atria hc, 25.95). When the intelligence confirms that terrorists plan a major attack for the holiday, the president unleashes Mitch Rapp. Soon the threat is averted, or was the whole thing too easily stopped? Signing? In paper, Executive Power (May, Pocket, 7.99).

Katherine V. Forrest, Hancock Park (May, Berkley hc, 22.95). Kate Delafield believes that the man on trial for a murder in tony Hancock Park may have been arrested too quickly – the victim’s ex pointed to him right away.

Earlene Fowler, Broken Dishes (May, Berkley hc, 23.95). 11th in the Benni Harper quilting series. During a Western week at a dude ranch, Benni discovers the remains of a long-missing man. Signing. In paper, Sunshine and Shadow (April, Berkley, 6.99).

Brian Freemantle, Triple Cross (April, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Danilov and Cowley [head of the Moscow’s Organized Crime bureau and the FBI’s station chief] team again to battle US, Russian and Italian mob connections.

Kinky Friedman, The Prisoner of Vandam Street (March, Simon & Schuster hc, 24.00). The Kinkster has malaria – did he really witness a crime or was it a hallucination?

Eric Garcia, Hot and Sweaty Rex (March, Villard hc, 24.95). 3rd installment for hardboiled reptile detective Vincent Rubio. When the head of the raptor Mafia asks Vincent to perform a service, there's no question about it—Rubio heads for Miami to investigate a team of hadrosaurs who are muscling in on raptor territory. It's that or get his tail whacked off.

Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, Southwesterly Wind (March, Holt hc, 22.00). 3rd in this acclaimed Brazilian series: a young man predicts a murder and identifies the killer – himself. In paper, December Heat (March, tp 13.00).

Hal Glatzer, A Fugue in Hell’s Kitchen (March, Perseverance Press tpo, 13.95). In the rough 1939 neighborhoods of New York City, swing musician Katy Green helps a music conservator look for a stolen Paganini guitar manuscript, a quartet that might be a forgery. The author is a novelist, journalist and swing guitarist.

Ed Gorman, Breaking Up is Hard to Do (March, Carroll & Graf hc, 24.00). Sam McCain faces marital infidelity, murder and the Cuban Missile Crisis in his 6th appearance.

Sarah Graves, Mallets Aforethoughts (March, Bantam hc, 21.95). 7th home repair is homicide mystery.

Jane Haddam, The Headmaster’s Wife (May, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Gregor Demarkian investigates the death of a promising student at an elite prep school who is found hung in his room after rumors of an affair with an older woman. In paper, Conspiracy Theory (May, 6.99).

Carolyn Haines, Hallowed Bones (March, Bantam hc, 23.95). Mississippi delta sleuth Sarah Booth Delaney travels to the Big Easy to investigate the death of a healer’s infant. 4th in the series.

Denise Hamilton, Last Lullaby (April, Scribner hc, 24.00). LA reporter Eve Diamond is watching a US Customs agent when a shooting occurs at LAX. A mother is killed, the father is taken, but their toddler is left behind. Who is the girl, why has she made five trans-Pacific flights in the last year and why are criminals after the small child? Edgar-nominated series. Signing. In paper, Sugar Skull (Feb., Pocket, 6.99).

Lyn Hamilton, The Magyar Venus (April, Berkley hc, 22.95). A suspicious suicide, an old flame and a 25,000 year old artifact lead antiquities dealer Lara McClintoch to Budapest. In paper, The Thai Amulet (March, 6.99).

Charlaine Harris, Dead to the World (May, Ace hc, 19.95). 4th Sookie Stackhouse and 1st in hardcover. Signed Copies Available. In pb, Shakespeare’s Trollop (May, Berkley, 5.99).

Carolyn Hart, Murder Walks the Plank (March, Morrow hc, 23.95). 15th Death on Demand finds murder on the high seas.

Ellen Hart, An Intimate Ghost (March, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Jane Lawless caters a wedding where murder is a guest.

David Hewson, A Season for the Dead (March, Bantam hc, 21.95). Rome detectives need to protect a Vatican scholar while searching for the brutal killer who threatens her. Debut thriller.

Hazel Holt, Mrs. Malory and the Silent Killer (March, Signet pbo, 5.99)14th in one of Sandy’s favorite series.

David Housewright, A Hard Ticket Home (May, St. Martins hc, 23.95). First in a new series by the Edgar winner: ex-cop Rushmore McKenzie is a PI with too much money and time on his hands. When he’s hired to track down a missing sister for a leukemia victim, he finds the search is not quite as he imagined it would be.

Christopher Hyde, The House of Special Purposes (May, Onyx pbo, 7.99). In this sequel to The Second Assassin (Onyx, 6.99), in Nov. of 1941, news photographer Jane Todd, a Scotland Yard inspector, a Nazi assassin and the head of Soviet operations in the US are after an artifact from the Bolshevik revolution that could alter history.

Jane Jakeman, In the Kingdom of Mists (March, Berkley hc, 23.95). While Monet paints the Wintry mists of the Thames, two bodies are pulled from its waters. There are fears that the Ripper has returned. A young man from the Foreign Office who witnesses one of the discoveries is detailed to the case, though the clues seem to be as sketchy and elusive as the painter’s canvases.

Bill James, The Girl with the Long Back (March, Norton hc, 23.95). The rumored transfer of the Chief of Police troubles the delicate balance of power. Harpur and Iles are in its midst.

Jonathan Kellerman, Therapy (April, Ballantine hc, 26.95). A new case for LA's psychologist-sleuth Alex Delaware requires delving into the past of a couple found murdered in a lonely lovers' lane. But the famous celebrity psychologist who treated one of the victims fiercely guards the troubled victim's privacy.

Jonathon King, Shadow Men (April, Dutton hc, 23.95. 80 years ago, while building the first road through the Everglades, three men from one family vanished. Now, letters have turned up that relate to that case. The descendent turns to Max Freeman for help when no one else will aid him. In paper, A Visible Darkness (April, Onyx, 6.99). Edgar-Winning series.

Laurie R. King, The Game (March, Bantam hc, 23.95; Signed Copies Available 24.95). Latest adventure for Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes. High-level intrigue halts their New Year's respite when they are dispatched to find a missing spy — the orphan who inspired Rudyard Kipling’s Kim. Mary finds traveling incognito to and in India very difficult for herself and her well-known spouse, but a false move in this game could be fatal.

William Lashner, Past Due (May, Morrow hc, 24.95). Attorney Victor Carl has always treaded the gray valley between the ethical and the unsavory, but he’s always been loyal to friends. When Joey Cheaps is murdered on a waterfront pier, Carl is compelled to find the killer. In paper, Fatal Flaw (April, Harper, 7.50).

David Lindsey, The Face of the Assassin (April, Warner hc, 25.95). A mysterious woman shows up at the home of forensic artist Paul Bern with a human skull, and a dangerous secret.

Donna Leon, Doctored Evidence (April, Grove hc, 22.00) After a miserly spinster is murdered, the police believe the case is closed when her housekeeper dies while fleeing arrest. Later, when a neighbor comes forward to defend the accused, Brunetti is the only one who believes the story. In pb, Uniform Justice (April, Penguin, 7.99). 12th in series.

Patricia MacDonald, The Girl Next Door (May, Atria hc, 24.00). A struggling actress returns to her New Jersey hometown after her father is paroled from prison, 15 years after being convicted of killing his wife-–her mother. Her brothers want nothing to do with him, but she’s convinced that there is something in their past that still threatens them all. In paper, Suspicious Origin (May, Pocket, 7.50).

Nancy Martin, Some Like it Lethal (April, Signet pbo, 6.99). When a dog food heiress is found murdered at an exclusive hunt club, suspicion falls on one of the Blackbird sisters.

Charles McCarry, Old Boys (May, Overlook hc, 25.95). The return of a true master of espionage fiction. Three days after having dinner with his cousin Horace, an aging but fit Paul Christopher vanishes. Months later, the Chinese deliver his ashes to the US government. While a funeral is held, the Old Boys don't believe the story of his death and decide to find him. Their clue – the photo of an old scroll found in his study, a scroll wanted by extremists.

Michael McClelland, Tattoo Blues (April, iBooks hc, 22.95). The author of last season's Oyster Blues (now in pb, 6.99, recommended by Bill) returns with an unrelated but equally quirky comic mystery set, again, on Florida's Gulf Coast.

Beverle Graves Meyers, Interrupted Aria (March, Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). In 1731, castrato Tino Amato returns to the home of his birth, Venice, for his operatic premiere. It is not a happy occasion, as one his fellow singers is poisoned and another is accused of the crime. Debut mystery by a life-long opera lover.

Camille Minichino, The Carbon Murder (March, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Retired physicist and amateur sleuth Gloria Lamerino is involved in a case in which nanotechnology takes a role. Latest in the intelligently elemental series. The author, like her creation, has a Ph.D. in physics.

Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Cat Fear No Evil (March, Harper hc, 24.95). 9th Joe Grey mystery, in which antiques and jewels and murder at an art show come into play.

Katherine Hall Page, The Body in the Attic (May, Morrow hc, 23.95).14th Faith Fairchild. In paper, The Body in the Lighthouse (April, Avon, 6.99).

Robin Paige, Death in Hyde Park (March, Berkley hc, 22.95). An anarchist's bomb comes close to marring the King’s coronation. Is that American author – Jack London – involved? In paper, Death at Glamis Castle (March, Berkley, 6.50).

Robert B. Parker, Bad Business (March, Putnam hc, 24.95). Spenser is hired to spy on a husband and discovers another PI was hired to spy on the wife. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Back Story (March, 7.99).

Eliot Pattison, Beautiful Ghosts (April, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). A murder in a ruined monastery leads Shan Tao Yun to a trail of clues going from Tibet to Beijing and onto the US, in a case that includes missing art, his former gulag and his long-unseen son. 4th in the Edgar-Winning series. In paper, Bone Mountain (May, 13.95).

George P. Pelecanos, Hard Revolution (March, Little Brown hc, 24.95). During the chaos of 1968 DC, two brothers – one a rookie cop and one a recently returned veteran – try to deal with the aftermath of the King assassination. Try as he might to avert it, Officer Derek Strange sees his older brother Dennis drawn into the web of unrest and drugs. Signed Copies Available.

Anne Perry, The Shifting Tide (April, Ballantine hc, 25.95). Monk investigates the theft of a shipment of African ivory at the London docks. In paper, Seven Dials (March, Ballantine, 7.50), in the Pitts series.

Elizabeth Peters, Guardian of the Horizon (April, Morrow hc, 24.95). Unaccountably lost until now, the Emersons' journals for 1907-8 reveal unknown events in their lives. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Children of the Storm (April, Avon, 7.50).

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Cathy Pickens, Southern Fried (April, St. Martin's hc, 23.95. This year’s winner of St. Martin's Press Malice Domestic Award for Best First Novel. Avery Andrews has been downsized by her law firm. Leaving the big city for her small Southern hometown, she hangs out her shingle and manages to get a couple of clients. When arson destroys a building owned by one of them, she’s drawn into the case; filled with humor, atmosphere, and eccentrics.

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Bill Pronzini, The Alias Man (May, Walker hc, 24.00 Signed Copies 25.00). The three most recent victims of a swindler find one another and decide to track him down. As they work to find him and their justice, they uncover a secret worth a small fortune – a fortune to kill for.

Mary Reed, Five for Silver (March, Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). A plague hits Constantinople in 542; thousands die and someone seeks to hide murder amidst the deaths.

Rick Riordan, South Town (April, Bantam hc, 24.00). Will “the Ghost” Stirman has broken out of prison and the trail of destruction in his wake points toward the men who helped put him away – and one of them is Tres Navarre’s boss. In paper, Cold Springs (March, 6.99).

Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, Sullivan’s Law (May, Kensington hc, 24.00). California probation officer Carolyn Sullivan arrives at her office to find that one of her clients was arrested for rape—and she's gotten the case of a very controversial schizophrenic killer.

Laura Joh Rowland, The Perfumed Sleeve (April, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). San Ichiro is right in the middle of a bloody struggle to gain control over Edo’s ruling regime. In paper, The Dragon King’s Palace (April, 6.99)

John Sandford, Hidden Prey (May, Putnam hc, 26.95). In his second case as a statewide investigator, Davenport is drawn into the murder of a Russian, shot dead on a lakeshore with .50 caliber bullets. He's paired with a female Russian cop flown over for the sensitive case.

Barbara Seranella, Unwilling Accomplice (May, Scribner hc, 24.00). Munch is faced with an organized crime ring that is involved with exploiting children, burglary and murder. Janine and Tammy recommend.

John Shannon, Terminal Island (May, Carroll & Graf hc, 25.00). Recovering from a collapsed lung, Jack Liffey returns to his hometown of San Pedro to investigate a string of accidents that have happened around the port.

Alexander McCall Smith, The Full Cupboard of Life (April, Pantheon hc, 19.95). US edition of the fifth in the No 1 Ladies series – a charmer for all tastes. Mma Precious Ramotswe became engaged to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni at the end of the first book in the series—and she's still engaged now, and would like to know when the wedding date will be set. Signing?

Julia Spencer-Fleming, Out of the Deep I Cry (April, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). The case of a doctor who disappears from a clinic in trouble leads Fergusson and van Alstyne to a trail from the past – the Jazz Age, Prohibition and the Depression. Signing. In paper, A Fountain Filled with Blood (April, 6.99).

Olen Steinhauer, The Confession (March, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). In Eastern Europe of the 1950s, Comrade Insp. Kolyeszar, in addition to being a homicide cop with the state militia, is a frustrated writer. His writer’s block comes at the same time as his suspicion that his wife is having an affair. Now, a Party official reports a missing wife, a painter has been murdered, and the cops are sent to police a demonstration that they might well wish to join. In paper, The Bridge of Sighs (Feb., St. Martin's, 13.95 – see the Edgar list), the first book by a Texan who lives now in Budapest.

Andrew Taylor, An Unpardonable Crime (March, Hyperion hc, 24.95). In 1819 London, a series of crimes and social upheavals that touch back to the War of 1812 rustle the lives of a young schoolteacher and his students, including a young man from the US, one Edgar Allan Poe.

Aimee & David Thurlo, Wind Spirit (April, Forge hc, 24.95). Arson and murder hit her Reservation in the 9th Ella Clah mystery. In paper, Tracking Bear (March, Forge, 6.99).

P.J. Tracy, Live Bait (April, Putnam hc, 23.95). Things have been quiet in Minneapolis since they solved the Monkeewrench case. No murders for Magozzi and Rolseth to solve. But the quiet ends with the murder of a nursery owner, a man no one would’ve harmed. Signing. In paper, Monkeewrench (April, 6.99). Janine and Tammy recommend.

Peter Tremayne, Whispers of the Dead (May, St. Martin's tpo, 14.95). 2nd collection of 15 Sister Fidelma short stories. Also in paper, Our Lady of Darkness (June, Signet pbo, 6.50). 9th novel with the smart sister.

Andrew Vachss, Down Here (April, Knopf hc, 19.95). When Burke hears that Wolfe, a former sex crimes prosecutor he liked, has been arrested for attempted murder, he dives into her case. Her alleged victim is a brutal serial rapist she had prosecuted; his conviction was reversed, and now that he's back on the street there are many victims with a motive for murder. Signing?

Robert W. Walker, Final Edge (March, Jove pbo, 7.99). 4th with Native American detective Lucas Stonecoat and psychiatrist Meredyth Sander.

Ellis Weiner, Drop Dead, My Lovely (March, NAL hc, 23.95). A mild-mannered bookstore clerk is koshed by a pile of detective hardcovers and awakes to believe he’s a hardboiled private eye, straight out of the books that knocked him cock-eyed. First novel by a writer who has published in all the tony magazines, as well as being an original columnist in Spy and who began his writing career in National Lampoon. Should be funny.

Donald E. Westlake, The Road to Ruin (April, Mysterious Press hc, 25.00). Dortmunder and his merry band of thieves have targeted a fleet of vintage cars in the collection of a crooked CEO. Also, in a tpo edition (April, 12.95), a first-time compilation of Dortmunder short stories, Thieves' Dozen. And finally, in pb, Money for Nothing (March, Warner, 7.50).

Laura Wilson, Telling Lies to Alice (March, Bantam hc, 22.95). A death from the heyday of London’s decadent ‘70s comes back to haunt Alice Conway.

Michael C. White, The Garden of Martyrs (May, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). One of Tammy’s favorite authors builds a novel around historical events: in 1806 Boston, two Irish immigrants were arrested, convicted and executed for a murder that modern methods show they didn’t commit, and sets the events in the social and political turmoil of that day.

Randy Wayne White, Tampa Burn (May, Putnam hc, 24.95). All his life, Doc Ford has had one love, Pilar, the woman he had to leave behind to a political thug. Now out of power, Balserio is out for revenge and has kidnapped the son Ford had with Pilar. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Everglades (June, Berkley, 6.99). A favorite of Tammy.

Valerie Wolzein, Death in a Beach Chair (March, Ballantine pbo, 6.99). Susan Henshaw’s Caribbean vacation is not peaceful.

Herman Wouk, A Hole in Texas (April, Little, Brown hc, 25.00). Physicist Guy Carpenter gets caught up in a political and media firestorm when a scientific project he worked on years ago seems to have produced a breakthrough discovery — by Chinese scientists.

Edward Wright, While I Disappear (May, Putnam hc, 24.95). John Ray Horn returns to look into the death of his former leading lady, whose life seemed to veer after a notorious party held during the silent era. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Clea’s Moon (April, Berkley, 6.99). Recommended by 4 of us.

Lynn York, The Piano Teacher (March, Plume tpo, 13.00). Eudora Welty meets Miss Marple, as the small Southern town of Swan’s Knob is shaken by a murder.

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Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind (April, Penguin hc, 24.95). A runaway bestseller in Europe. To divert him from the trauma of the war in 1945 Barcelona, a son is introduced by his book-dealer father to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a secret library tended by antiquarian dealers. Coaxed into finding one book that will speak to him, the boy chooses a book by Carax, whose other books cannot be found. The search for them leads the boy into the darkest secrets of his city – to intrigue, magic, madness, doomed love and murder. Bill and Janine HIGHLY recommend. Signing?

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THE SPORTS SECTION

Victoria Houston, Dead Hot Mama (March, Berkley pbo, 6.50). 5th Loon Lake fishing mystery.

Charlie Huston, Caught Stealing (April, Ballantine hc, 21.95). Breaking a leg while stealing third base forced Hank Thompson out of the majors. He’s now a bartender with a drinking problem who agrees to cat-sit for a neighbor, even though he hates cats. After he’s beaten up by “Russianic” thugs, he’s sucked into a world of goons, a locker that holds $4.5 million, and the NYPD. Soon, he’s on the run – with the cat.

Lee Irby, 7,000 Clams (May, Doubleday hc, 23.95). Bootlegger Frank Hearn is down on his luck, but in 1920s America, who isn’t? When an IOU worth $7000 comes into his possession, he heads to Florida and Spring training to collect: the IOU was signed by Babe Ruth. Traveling with a dangerous and curvy blonde named Ginger DeMore, he thinks it should be easy cash – but others are after the dough as well, and some gangsters are after the dame.

Keith Miles, Honolulu Play-Off (March, Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). Golfer Alan Saxon journeys to Hawaii to be a best man in a wedding and to relax and “putter” around. A murder interrupts the wedding and the golfing. The prolific Miles also writes under the names Edward Marston and Conrad Allen. In paper, Flagstick (March, 14.95).

Robert B. Parker, Double Play (May, Putnam hc, 24.95). It's 1947, and Jackie Robinson has broken the color barrier by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. A moody veteran of WW II is hired to by manager Branch Rickey to guard Robinson — and a tale of honor, duty and redemption is told against a background rich with period detail. Signed Copies Available.

Irving Weinman, Stealing Home (March, Daniel & Daniel tpo, 14.95). Jazz, sex, baseball, revenge and murder in a small town on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

COMING THIS SUMMER

C. J. Box & Joe Pickett, June

James Lee Burke & Holland, June

Barry Eisler & John Rain, July

Janet Evanovich, Ten Big Ones, June

Caroline Graham & Insp. Barnaby, Aug

Carl Hiassen, Skinny Dip, July

Lynda LaPlante, Royal Heist, July

Ed McBain & the Deaf Man, Aug

Arturo Perez-Reverte, The Queen of the South, June

Kathy Reichs & Tempe Brennan, June

David Rosenfelt & Andy Carpenter, June

Steven Saylor & Gordianus, June

James Swain & Tony Valentine, June

NOW IN PAPERBACK

Donna Andrews, Click Here for Murder (April, 5.99)

Stephanie Barron, Jane & the Ghosts of Netley (April, 6.99)

Cara Black, Murder in the Bastille (April, Soho, 13.00)

James Lee Burke, White Doves at Morning (May, 7.99)

Suzanne Chazin, Fireplay (April, Jove, 6.99)

Marion Chesney (aka M.C. Beaton), Snobbery with Violence (May, St Martins, 6.50)

Lee Child, Persuader (March, Dell, 7.99). JB’s pick for Best of 2003. Janine agrees.

Robert Crais, The Last Detective (March, Ballantine, 7.99)

Joanne Dobson, The Maltese Manuscript (May, 6.99)

Jasper Fforde, Lost in a Good Book (March, 14.00)

Earlene Fowler, Sunshine and Shadow (April, 6.99)

Barbara Hambly, Days of the Dead (April, Bantam, 6.99)

Charlaine Harris, Shakespeare’s Trollop (May, 5.99)

Jon A. Jackson, Badger Games (March, Grove, 12.00)

Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island (May, Harper, 7.99)

David Lindsey, The Rules of Silence (March, 7.99)

Penelope Lively, The Photograph (May, Penguin, 14.00)

Henning Mankell, The Fifth Woman and The Dogs of Riga (April, Vintage, 13.00 ea), Wallanders #5 and #2

John Maxim, Bannerman’s Ghost (April, Avon, 7.50)

Sharyn McCrumb, Ghost Riders (May, Signet, 7.99)

Leslie Meier, Father’s Day Murder (May, 6.50)

John Maddox Roberts, SPQR VII: The Tribune’s Curse (April, St. Martin's, 13.95)

James Sallis, Cypress Grove (April, Walker, 10.00)

Thomas Sanchez, King Bongo (May, Vintage, 13.95). Tammy recommends

Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones (April, Little, Brown, 13.95)

Daniel Silva, The Confessor (March, Signet, 7.99)

Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, Love Her Madly (May, Pinnacle, 6.99) JB recommends

Les Standiford, Bone Key (March, Berkley, 6.99)

William Tapply, Past Tense (March, St. Martin's, 6.99)

Steve Thayer, Wolf Pass (March, Onyx, 7.99)

Jacqueline Winspear, Maisie Dobbs (May, Penguin, 14.00) — see Edgar list.

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REISSUES OF NOTE

Lawrence Block, Burglars Can’t Be Choosers (March, Harper, 699). The first Bernie Rhodenbarr mystery.

Torrey Chanslor, Our Second Murder (Feb., Rue Morgue Press tp, 14.95). When a society girl is found strangled with a million-dollar necklace, the Beagle sisters, sleuthing sixty-somethings, take on the investigation. Set in pre-WW II NYC.

Philip R. Craig, Vineyard Fear [aka Cliff Hanger] (May, Avon, 6.99). The 4th Martha's Vineyard mystery, out of print for 8 years.

Ian Fleming, The Man with the Golden Gun and Octopussy and The Living Daylights (April, Penguin, 13.00 ea). The final Bond novel and a collection of four Bond stories, including the little-known “007 in New York."

Robert Littell, The Once and Future Spy (April, Penguin, 14.00) From 1990.

Peter Robinson, Innocent Graves (April, Avon, 7.50). The 8th Inspector Banks.

Ross Thomas, Ah, Treachery and Missionary Stew (March, St. Martin's, 13.95 ea).

Cornell Woolrich, Rendezvous in Black (March, Modern Library, 12.95). From 1948. Johnny Marr goes after the men who took his girl.

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SHERLOCKIANA

Laurie R. King. See New from the Rest.

Lora Roberts, The Affair of the Incognito Tenant (March, Perseverance Press tpo, 13.95). In 1903 Sussex, widow Charlotte Dodson tends to a house surrounded by mystery, and finds that the only person she can trust is the Great Detective himself.

Thomas Wheeler, The Arcanum (postponed from Dec. ’03, now April, Bantam hc, 21.95). A group of learned people – scientists and writers – have banded together to stop a series of mutilation murders in 1919 NYC. When the founder of the group, The Arcanum, is murdered senior member Sir Arthur Conan Doyle comes in to investigate, aided by other members—including Lovecraft, Houdini and Laveau.

Alan Vanneman, Sherlock Holmes and the Hapsburg Tiara (March, Carroll & Graf hc, 24.00). A fabulous diamond, a vanishing duke, Winston Churchill and Cecil Rhodes figure into this puzzling case.

Now in Paperback

Howard Engel, Mr. Doyle and Dr. Bell (May, 13.95).

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NEW FROM THE UK

Susanna Gregory, A Killer in Winter (May, Trafalgar, 7.95). Most recent investigation for 14th C. Cambridge physician and forensic sleuth Matthew Bartholomew.

Edward Marston, The Railway Detective (April, Allison & Busby hc, 25.95). In 1851 England, the London to Birmingham rail line is beset by trouble and hires Inspector Robert Colbeck to stop all crimes. In paper, The Frost Fair (April, Allison & Busby, 9.95).

Robert Rankin, The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse (March, Trafalgar, 9.95). In Toy Town, a serial killer is stalking the Old Rich, those who made their millions from world famous nursery rhymes, and the town's detective is missing. Dementedly funny noir/fantasy.

David Wishart, A Vote for Murder (April, Trafalgar, 9.95). Latest with wise-guy Marcus Corvinus in Ancient Rome. One of the politicians running for censor is killed and Corvinus’ vacation is interrupted.

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COLLECTIONS

Blondes in Trouble, Serita Stevens, ed. (March, Intrigue tpo, 14.00). A tribute to fair-haired sleuths, with stories from authors including Chittenden, Thrasher, Dietz, Hellman, Dunbar and Neri.

Death Dines In, Bishop and James, ed. (May, Berkley hc, 23.95). 16 all-new culinary capers.

The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories, Pronzini and Greenberg, ed. (May, Carroll & Graf tpo, 12.95). 26 pieces from past and present masters – Chandler, Macdonald, Gault, Muller and others.

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SPECIAL INTEREST ITEMS

Elizabeth George, Write Away: One Novelist’s Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life (March, Harper hc, 24.95). A personal guide to the writer’s life, filled with anecdotes and bits of memoir by the hugely popular author.

Death by Dickens, Anne Perry, ed. (March, Berkley hc, 23.95). Short mysteries inspired by the works of Dickens, by contemporary names like Tremayne, Douglas, Crider, Linscott, Wheat and others

The Sunken Sailor, Elizabeth Foxwell, ed. (April, Berkley hc, 22.95). A round-robin mystery in which each chapter was written by an author who didn’t know what the author before them would be giving them: Burke, Cannell, Coel, Crombie, Dreyer, Hart, Marston, Mathews, Newman, Ripley, Satterthwait, and Wheat. Presented by Malice Domestic.

Like a Charm: A Novel in Voices, Karin Slaughter, ed. (May, Morrow hc, 21.95). 16 interconnected stories centered on the same theme – an unlucky charm bracelet. Authors include Lippman, Child, La Plante, Connelly and Mina.

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LATE RECOMMENDATIONS

JB:

Owen Parry’s Bold Sons of Erin

David Rosenfelt’s Open and Shut and First Degree

Sandy:

Robert Barnard, A Cry From the Dark

M.C. Beaton, Death of a Poison Pen

Janine:

Robert Wilson, The Blind Man of Seville

Jenny Siler, Flashback

Ken Bruen, The White Trilogy

Ed Dee, The Con Man's Daughter

Timothy Watts, Grand Theft

Tammy:

Tim Dorsey, Cadillac Beach

Jenny Siler, Flashback

William Carlos Blake, Handsome Harry

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2003 BESTSELLERS

Here are our top 20 bestsellers of 2003:

HARDCOVERS

1. JA Jance, Exit Wounds, Morrow

2. GM Ford, Blind Eye, Morrow

3. Michael Connelly, Lost Light, Little Brown

4. Elizabeth George, A Place of Hiding, Bantam

5. Robert Crais, The Last Detective, Doubleday

6. Earl Emerson, Into the Inferno, Ballantine

7. Lee Child, Persuader, Bantam

8. Lono Waiwaiole, Wiley's Lament, St Martins

9. Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island, Morrow

10. Sara Paretsky, Blacklist, Putnam

11. Edward Wright, Clea's Moon, Putnam

12. Alexander McCall Smith, The Kalahari Typing School for Men, Anchor

13. James Lee Burke, Last Car to Elysian Fields, Simon & Schuster

14. Dana Stabenow, A Grave Denied, St Martins

15. Randy Wayne White, Everglades, Putnam

16. Lawrence Block, Small Town, Morrow

17. Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code, Doubleday

18. Lowen Clausen, Second Watch, Silo

19. Sue Henry, Death Trap, Morrow

20. PD James, The Murder Room, Knopf

PAPERBACKS

1. Alexander McCall Smith, No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Anchor

2. Curt Colbert, Sayonaraville, Uglytown

3. Lowen Clausen, Second Watch, Signet

4. Dan Brown, Angels & Demons, Pocket

5. Alexander McCall Smith, Tears of the Giraffe, Anchor

6. Curt Colbert, Rat City, Uglytown

7. Lowen Clausen, First Avenue, Signet

8. Alexander McCall Smith, Morality for Beautiful Girls, Anchor

9. Earl Emerson, Vertical Burn, Ballantine

10. Sharon Duncan, The Dead Wives Society, Berkley

11. Ridley Pearson, The Art of Deception, Warner

12. Katy King, City of Suspects, Oak Tree

13. Michael Hawley, Silent Proof, Signet

14. GM Ford, Who in Hell is Wanda Fuca?, Avon

15. SJ Rozan, Winter and Night, St Martins

16. Mary Daheim et al., Motherhood is Murder, Avon

17. Yasmine Galenorn, Ghost of a Chance, Berkley

18. Craig Holden, Four Corners of Night, Dell

19. Aaron Elkins, Turncoat, Harper

20. tie

Laurie R. King, Justice Hall, Bantam

Mary Daheim, Silver Scream, Avon

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2004 EDGAR NOMINEES

For books published in 2003. The winners will be announced in May.

Best Novel

The Guards by Ken Bruen (St. Martin's)

Lost Light by Michael Connelly (Little Brown)

Out by Natsuo Kirino (Kodansha)

Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin (Little Brown)

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Best First Novel by an American Author

12 Bliss Street by Martha Conway (St. Martin's)

Offer of Proof by Robert Heilbrun (Morrow)

Night of the Dance by James Hime (St. Martin's)

Death of a Nationalist by Rebecca Pawel (Soho)

The Bridge of Sighs by Olen Steinhauer (St. Martin's)

Best Paperback Original

Cut and Run by Jeff Abbott (NAL)

The Last Witness by Joel Goldman (Pinnacle)

Wisdom of the Bones by Christopher Hyde (NAL)

Southland by Nina Revoyr (Akashic)

Find Me Again by Sylvia Maultash Warsh (Dundurn Group)

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Mail and phone orders for these or any other books are welcome. We often have signed copies of Northwest authors, and other authors who visit the shop. Prices subject to change without notice. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., Seattle, WA 98104. Phone: (206) 587-5737.

Email: staff@seattlemystery.com

WEBSITE: seattlemystery.com

SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP NEWS is composed and produced by JB Dickey and Sandy Goodrick.

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