Seattle Mystery Bookshop
N e w s l e t t e r
117 Cherry St. Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-5737
e-mail: staff@seattlemystery.com WEBSITE: seattlemystery.com
Summer 2001
In This Issue:
In This Issue:
Sharon Duncan, Death on a Casual Friday (Aug., Signet pbo, 5.99). Scotia MacKinnon is a tough, sexy ex-cop living on San Juan Island, trying to juggle a complicated life and a sleuthing career that includes the murder of a female client. Signing?
Mark Fuhrman, Murder in Spokane (June, Harper hc, 25.00). Retired LA detective Mark Fuhrman covers the investigation of the recently-solved Spokane serial killer case. Signing?
Sue Henry, Dead North (July, Morrow hc, 24.00). Homeless and alone, Jessie Arnold jumps at the chance to drive a friend's Winnebago back from Idaho. After she picks up a runaway, his trouble becomes hers. And in pb, Beneath the Ashes (June, Avon, 6.50). Signing.
Fredrick Huebner, The Color of Daylight (July, Simon & Schuster hc, 24.00). Forensic psychiatrist Will Hatton returns to his hometown of Seattle to help in the defense of Laura Arcand, a painter—and a childhood friend and former sweetheart—who is accused of killing her husband. Despite her confession, she has no memory of the crime. Signing.
J. A. Jance Paradise Lost(July, Morrow hc, 25.00) Sheriff Joanna Brady. When Connie Haskell gets a call from her banker to say her account is overdrawn, and all her funds have been transferred to another bank by her husband, she is worried—because her charming new husband has been missing for 2 weeks. In pb, Devil’s Claw (Aug., Avon, 7.50). Signing.
Kate Kingsbury, Death is in the Air (Aug., Berkley pbo, 5.99). Second Manor House mystery, set during WWII. When a German flier escapes into nearby woods, Lady Compton isn’t worried—until a young local girl is found murdered. Signing.
Lon LaFlamme Lords of Paradise (May, Writer's Showcase tpo, 15.95) Thriller in which investigative reporter Charlie Carver looks into a string of killings in the Salt Lake City area. The author is a reporter who divides his time between SLC and Seattle. Signing.
Elizabeth Lowell, Moving Target(July, Morrow hc, 24.00). After her aunt dies mysteriously, Serena Lynn Charters inherits leaves from the legendary volume known as the Book of the Learned. After they are appraised, at least one collector will do anything to acquire them. Pseudonym for the "A" of A. E. Maxwell. Signing?
Phillip Margolin, The Associate (Aug., Harper hc, 26.00). After an overworked Portland legal associate is scapegoated when a big case implodes, he tries to clear his reputation by digging into the case. Soon, he's enmeshed in a monstrous fraud case and has become the target of a killer. In pb, Wild Justice (Aug., Harper, 7.99). Signing.
Steve Martini, The Jury (June, Putnam hc, 25.95).Paul Madriani is defending a doctor whom he suspects is guilty of the murder with which he’s charged. But when the key prosecution witness dies, the doctor seems to be cleared. Signing. (This is the book postponed from January.)
Skye Kathleen Moody, K Falls (July, St. Martin's hc, 24.95) Fish and Wildlife Agent Venus Diamond goes undercover to investigate eco-terrorism in the Columbia River Valley. Signing.
Kris Nelscott, Smoke-Filled Room (Aug., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). In Chicago, Smokey Dalton is protecting a young boy who knows the identity of Dr. Martin Luther King’s killers, and both are soon swept up into the turmoil of the 1968 Democratic convention—and all will be changed. Follow-up to her Edgar-nominated debut, A Dangerous Road (pb, June, St. Martin's, 6.50). Signing?
Ridley Pearson, Parallel Lies (July, Hyperion hc, 23.95). A grieving man trying to bring down the railroad he blames for the death of his wife and children is pursued by an ex-cop trying to redeem himself. Their paths converge on the innaugural run of a new high-speed train.
In pb,Middle of Nowhere (July, Hyperion, 7.99). Signing.
John Saul, The Manhattan Hunt Club (July, Ballantine hc, 25.95). A young NYU student, innocent of the brutal rape and murder he's been convicted of, is abducted on the way to prison and thrown into an underground world of tunnels beneath Manhattan Island, where a secret club of the city’s elite have found a new subject for their hunts. Only a vicious killer is his ally. Signing?
The Sisters Wells, Food, Drink and the Female Sleuth (June, iUniverse tpo, 20.95). Two local sisters celebrate the blending of food and crime, sampling savory food selections from over 250 books by over 140 American women crime writers. Local authors include Noreen Ayres, K. K. Beck, Meg Chittenden, Jo Dereske, Linda French, J. A. Jance, Janet Smith, Judith Smith-Levin and Valerie Wilcox; national authors include Barr, Grafton, Lippman, Glass and Evanovich. Signing.
Kate Wilhelm, Desperate Measures(July, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Oregon attorney Barbara Holloway is defending a deformed young man in a murder trial, but suspicion also points to a high school principal who just happens to be defended by Barbara's father Frank.
Chloe Green, Designed to Die (June, Kensington hc, 22.00). 2nd with Texan Dallas O’Connor, fashion stylist and sleuth. In the midst of a blast-furnace Summer, a shoot in Seattle sounds heavenly, and it is, until a male model in a sabotaged Porsche plunges into the water.
Lynne Murray, At Large (July, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Full-size reluctant sleuth Josephine Fuller is working as a philanthropic investigator for a woman’s center in Seattle when her ex-husband’s girlfriend dies mysteriously. She becomes both a chief investigator and a suspect.
Margaret Chittenden, Dying to See You (Aug., Kensington, 5.99).
Michael Dibdin, Blood Rain (May, Vintage, 12.00).
Carola Dunn, Requiem for a Mezzo (July, Kensington, 5.99). 3rd Daisy Dalrymple.
Larry Karp, Scamming the Birdman (June, World Wide, 5.99).
Jack Cady, The Haunting of Hood Canal, Oct.
Robert Ferrigno, Flinch, Oct.
Greg Rucka, Critical Space, Oct.
Ann Rule, Every Breath You Take, Oct.
Our summer hours will change, as they did last year: from Memorial Day to Labor Day we'll be open from 10 am until 6 pm Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Mon – Wed, we'll be here 10-5, Sunday 12-5, as usual.
Easy come, easy go? Last issue, we introduced you to Ramona Reece, who's no longer with us, having moved to Toronto to be closer to her extended family. But although she's no longer here, she remains part of the family. Working here is like joining the mob – you can never really get out. Which brings us to our newest member, Erin O’Donnell, whom you may’ve met or talked to on the phone. Erin moved here from Arizona with her fiancé. She is an artist and aspiring film student. She refers to herself as a mystery vacuum cleaner, reading whatever isn’t nailed down— though she seems to have a great fondness for Vachss, Lansdale, Chesbro and Ellroy.She is also, as far as I know, the staff member with the most piercings. Welcome Erin!
Once, long ago, we had Seattle Mystery Bookshop T-shirts and sweatshirts for sale. Then, the company that made them for us vanished. Our intentions always were to find another source, but it just never got done… Well, now we offer them again – and in more choices. We have red shirts with black lettering across the chest, and now black shirts with red lettering. We have the same variation in sweatshirts as well. We have M, L and XL. Shirts are $15, sweats are $25. Other sizes are available by request, but you’ll have to wait until we place our next order.
One of the difficulties of getting a newsletter out in a timely manner, in advance of the release of the titles, is that we haven’t had enough time to digest the books ourselves. In some cases the publishers – large or small – got reading copies or announcements about their book to us too late for the appropriate issue. So you’ll be seeing more articles like “What We’ve Been Reading," where we can discuss books announced in a previous newsletter that have become staff favorites.
Tammy:
I’d like to re-urge everyone to check out Eric Garcia’s Rex series: Anonymous Rex and Casual Rex. Eric has been a professional writer for television and film for several years. So he has an unerring ear for comedy and yet doesn’t get into that trap of writing a novel but leaving spaces for the commercials to fit in. His love of the mystery genre shows in the noir atmosphere and tight plotting.
Casual is actually a pre-quel to Anonymous so the books can be read in any order without too much confusion. Eric uses a slightly cracked mirror to form these satires of our modern society. Nothing is sacred here: politics (we always suspected Newt was a Compyasaur and Al Gore an Ankylosaur), religion (a clandestine cult to get you in touch with your inner-dino), sex (how do you conceal your inner-most being when it’s a velocioraptor, what morals should govern interspecies acts, and just why do they call it a Mussolini anyhow?), and drug use (since Dinos don’t react the same as humans, Cilantro and Basil substitute here for martinis and marijuana.)
The third volume will be ready later in 2002, but in January ’02 you can entertain yourself when the TV series begins airing on the Sci-Fi Channel. Or visit his website at www.casualrex.com.
You can still sink your claws into the first editions of these quirky gems, but you did miss a most entertaining autographing party where Eric regaled us with dino-songs on his “first-Father’s-Day” Gibson, and tossed out plastic dinos in exchange for title suggestions.
Oh…the next book? Hot and Sweaty Rex.
Karen:
Deborah Crombie, A Finer End (Bantam hc, 23.95). Excellent entry in a favorite series.
Jennifer Crusie, Fast Women (St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Recently divorced Nell Dysart is desparate for work, and finds it at a local detective agency. Her first (unauthorized) mission: kidnapping a supposedly abused dachshund named Sweetie Pie—and from there, things get really crazy. Crusie at her hilarious best:, perhaps a little long on relationships and short on crime, but still the most fun you can have with a book. VERY highly recommended!
Jeffrey Deaver, The Blue Nowhere (Simon & Schuster, 26.00). Exceptional high-tech suspense.
Margaret Maron, Uncommon Clay (Mysterious Press, 23.95). After a slightly disappointing outing in Storm Track, Maron is back in fine form, as Deborah Knott solves murders in the artisan pottery region of N. Carolina.
Kirk Mitchell, Ancient Ones (Bantam hc, 23.95).
Margot Wadley, The Gripping Beast (St. Martin’s hc, 21.95). Slightly romance-y but fascinating.portrait of the Orkney Islands.
JB:
John J. Nance, Headwind (Putnam hc, 24.95). John Nance is one of my favorites. His books cook—the plot moves, the characters are interesting, and there is always a unique twist on the thriller since they all have to do, in one way or another, with airplanes. While it is often awkward to recommend his books since so many people dislike flying intensely, that's too bad—'cause they're great fun! This latest book, Headwind, is a legal thriller in which the defendant is in the sky. An ex-President is faced with arrest on a questionable international warrant and the pilot—an airforce reserve officer—refuses to allow this man to be taken. What is the law? Who has the jurisdiction on an airliner—the company or the country? The book is jammed with interesting legal and moral questions as well as being an intelligent and fun thriller. If you haven't read John Nance, do. Don't be scared off by your own feelings about flying. If you do, you're missing some great entertainment.
Sandy:
The Paperback Covers of Robert McGinnis, compiled by Art Scott and Dr. Wallace Maynard, foreward by Richard S. Prather (Pond Press tpo, 29.95). This large, beautiful trade paperback volume is crammed with color pictures of hundreds of old paperback covers I love and remember. Hours of pleasure!
Russell Andrews, Icarus (July, Doubleday hc, 26.95). A new thriller by the author of Gideon. Jack Keller, now successful and happy, witnessed the murder of his mother when he was a boy, and when a second life-altering tragedy occurs he enters a world of drugs and seamy sex to track down a dangerous killer.
Raymond Benson, Never Dream of Dying (June, Putnam hc, 23.95). 007 vs the Union.
John Billheimer, Dismal Mountain (July, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Transportation Inspector Owen Allison’s Aunt Lizzie is involved with a hated developer, a rifle and a dead trucker, and admits to pulling the trigger. Owen thinks she’s hiding something. Signing?
Michelle Blake, Earth Has No Sorrow (June, Putnam hc, 23.95). 2nd with Episcopalian priest Lily James Connor, whose passion for the truth forces her to confront evil within her own church. Sandy recommends the first in the series, The Tentmaker, for its interesting portrayal of a modern female cleric.
Barbara Block, Blowing Smoke (July, Kensington hc, 22.00). Exotic pet store owner and semi-pro detective Robin Light’s 7th adventure.
Giles Blunt, Forty Words for Sorrow (June, Putnam hc, 24.95). Two Canadian cops hunt two monstrous psychopaths in the dead of winter, and the cold becomes a metaphor for the destruction of the young. Margaret Cannon, mystery reviewer for the Toronto Globe and Mail, called this book "the first great Canadian crime novel. Blunt has done for Canada's north what James Lee Burke did for Cajun Louisiana." Sandy recommends.
C. J. Box, Open Season (July, Putnam hc, 23.95). Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett, with the single shot of a high-powered rifle, is thrust into a race to save an endangered species and perhaps his own family. Gritty debut.
John Brady A Carra King (June, Steerforth tpo, 14.95) 6th in the reknowned Dublin Insp. Matt Minogue series. The earlier books, long unavailable, are soon to be reissued by Steerforth.
Simon Brett, Death on the Downs (Aug., Berkley hc, 21.95). 2nd in the Fethering series by the author of the comic Mrs. Pargeter mysteries . Carole and her bohemian neighbor Jude discover a skeleton whose identity is a puzzle.
Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Pinches the Post (June, Berkley pbo, 5.99). 16th in the cosy series.
Henry Bromwell, Little America (July, Knopf hc, 24.00). A Boston man searches for the truth of his father’s past, a past locked away in the CIA code of silence.
James Lee Burke, Bitterroot (July, Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). Billy Bob Holland travels to Montana to help a fellow vet, Doc Voss, battle a rapacious mining company. Signed Copies Available. We also have some hats (16.95) and T-Shirts (18.95), stylishly identified as from "Robicheaux's Dock and Bait Shop," supplied to us by Burke's daughter. Hmmm...a father's day gift idea?
Patricia Carlon, Death by Demonstration(July, Soho hc, 22.00). Student demonstrations in Australia turn violent and a woman is killed. Was it an accident or murder? In pb, Hush, It’s a Game (July, Soho, 13.00) Karen recommends this author.
George C. Chesbro, The Keeper (available now, Apache Beach hc, 26.95). The author of the Mongo series creates a new heroine, Jade Eden, a widowed ex-Naval intelligence officer with dangerous secrets. Her new life as a Riverkeeper in the bucolic town of Cairn-on-the-Hudson allows her to try to heal her troubled teenage children, until a mysterious object dredged from the river detroys her peace. Erin recommends this author. Signed copies available.
Lee Child, Echo Burning (July, Putnam hc, 23.95; we also have a limited number or British 1sts available, Bantam hc, 20.95). Hitchhiking through East Texas, Jack Reacher is offered a ride by a beautiful woman named Carmen. Carmen is married into the brutal Greer family and her monster of a husband is due out of prison and – wouldn’t you know it – she needs someone’s help. Bill refers to it as “superb.” In pb,Running Blind (July, Berkley, 7.99). Signing.
David Adams Cleveland, With a Gem-Like Flame (July, Carroll & Graf hc, 25.00). Literate art-thriller that explores the world of a fabulous Renaissance masterpiece and the subterranean chicanery of contemporary Venice.
Harlan Coben, Tell No One (June, Delacorte hc, 22.95). Eight years ago, just months into their marriage, Beck’s wife was the victim of a serial killer. Now, he receives an e-mail saying she may be alive, and the trail to find her leads him into being the scapegoat for new crimes. A stand-alone thriller by the Edgar-winning author. JB and Karen recommend. Signing.
John Connolly, Dark Hollow (July, Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). Returning to the Maine of his childhood, Charlie “Bird” Parker aids in the search for the killer of a young woman and her child. Follow-up to the Shamus-Award-Wininng Every Dead Thing, by a fine young, Irish author. Signing.
Philip R. Craig, Vineyard Shadows (June, Scribner hc, 24.00). Former Boston cop J.W. Jackson has retired after an injury to Martha's Vineyard, where he and his wife Zee are now happily raising their two kids. When a figure from J. W.'s former life, connected to his ex-wife, appears, it's trouble for everyone. 11th in series. In pb, Vineyard Blues (June, Avon, 5.99). Sandy always recommends.
Robert Crais, Hostage (Aug., Doubleday hc, 24.95). Escaping the stress that destroyed his life, former LAPD hostage negotiator Jeff Talley has become police chief in what he thinks is a quiet suburb. The quiet shatters when three teens take hostages inside the house of the bookkeeper for LA’s most violent mobster. Now, the only one who might negotiate a safe outcome is Talley, the most unstable one of the bunch. Signing we hope. In pb,Demolition Angel (July, Ballantine, 6.99).
Clive Cussler, Valhalla Rising (Aug., Putnam hc, 27.95). Latest Dirk Pitt. What caused the new luxury liner to sink...what modern or ancient, human or inhuman monsters were at work?
Barbara D’Amato, Hard Road (Aug., Scribner hc, 24.00). In her ninth adventure, Chicago journalist Cat Marsala is taking her nephew to the centennial Oz celebration, but violence there disrupts the fun.
Lindsey Davis, Ode to a Banker (July, Mysterious Press hc, 23.95). Latest in the eternally popular early Rome series. Falco investigates the death of a wealthy Athenian banker. And in pb, One Virgin Too Many (July, Mysterious Press, 12.95).
Paul Doherty, The House of Death (June, Carroll & Graf hc, 25.00). 3rd in the Alexander the Great series, the first one not published under the pseudonym Anna Apostolou. And, as C. L. Grace, Saintly Murders (July, St. Martin's hc, 22.95). A medieval mystery with Kathryn Swinbrooke. And, as P. C. Doherty, The Anubis Slaying (June, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). The latest Ancient Egyptian mystery by this multi-talented, multi-named mystery writer.
Tim Dorsey, Orange Crush (July, Morrow hc, 25.00). Over-the-top Florida satire, with a governor’s race, a deranged serial killer, and folklorist Serge A. Stormes. Tammy recommends.
Howard Engel, Dead and Buried (Aug., Overlook hc, 24.95). Latest comic Canadian caper with egg-salad sandwich-loving Bennie Cooperman.
Janet Evanovich, Seven Up (June, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). In pb, Hot Six (June, St. Martin's, 6.99). Now available, a three-in-one hardover of her first three books, Three Plums in One (May, Sribner hc, 23.00).
John Farrow, Ice Lake (July, Random House hc, 24.95). Brilliant and unorthodox Montreal det. Emile Cinq-Mars investigates an icy murder with ties to international pharmaceuticals. Pseudonym of famous Canadian author – and, no, they didn’t say who it is.
Monica Ferris, Unraveled Sleeve (July, Berkley pbo, 5.99) 4th in the Betsy Devonshire needlecraft series.
Shelley Freydont, Midsummer Murder (Aug., Kensington hc, 22.00). Retired dancer Lindy Haggerty’s 3rd case finds her teaching at a prestigious up-state New York arts school. And in pb, High Seas Murder (July, Kensington, 5.99).
Anne George, Murder Boogies with Elvis (Aug., Morrow hc, 23.00). The Southern sisters investigate when an Elvis impersonator takes a final bow. In pb, Murder Carries a Torch (July, Avon, 6.50). Sad to say, the author died in March.
Elizabeth George, A Traitor to Memory (June, Bantam hc, 26.95). When a woman is killed on a quiet London street, Inspector Lynley is drawn into a complex case involving a twenty-eight-year-old violin virtuoso who finds himself unable to play...and only confronting the appalling event that shaped his life can return his music. Anthony- and Agatha Award-winning author. Karen recommends: "An excellent entry in a fine series."
Bartholomew Gill, The Death of an Irish Sinner (June, Morrow hc, 24.00) 16th with Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr.
Philip Gooden, Death of Kings (July, Carroll & Graf tpo, 12.95). 2nd Shakespearean mystery with actor and fledgling sleuth Nick Revill, of the Chamberlain’s Men.
Joe Gores, Cons, Scams & Grifts (Aug., Mysterious Press hc, 24.95). The DKA guys are hired by Gypsies to save their princess from trouble and a German baron hires them to test the defenses at a mountain fortress. In tp, Cases (Aug., Mysterious Press, 12.95).
Ron Goulart, Groucho Marx and the Broadway Murders (June, St. Martin's hc, 22.95) 3rd Groucho mystery.
Sue Grafton, P is for Peril (June, Putnam hc, 26.95). The disappearance of a doctor leads Kinsey into the dangerous world of Medicare fraud. And just to take the guesswork out of your future, Q will be for Quarry.
Sarah Graves, Repair to Her Grave (Aug., Bantam pbo, 5.99). 4th whodunit with home improvement expert Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree.
Elizabeth Gunn, Six-Pound Walleye (June, Walker hc, 23.95). Minneapolis cop Jake Hines is up to his ears in trouble: not only is the long Winter wearing on him, but a gang fight has claimed the life of a young boy, all of the witnesses swear there was no gun present to have inflicted the wound, and his main suspect is the Chief’s son.
Parnell Hall, Cozy (July, Carroll & Graf hc, 25.00). 14th Stanley Hastings. Bill recommends this author, and this series.
Barbara Hambly, Die Upon a Kiss (June, Bantam hc, 23.95). In 1835 New Orleans, it is Carnival time, and Benjamin January gets mixed up in the attempted murder of an actor in town to play Othello. In pb, Sold Down the River (June, Bantam, 5.99) Karen recommends this series HIGHLY.
Denise Hamilton, The Jasmine Trade (July, Scribner hc, 24.00). LA reporter Eve Diamond is drawn into the world of “parachute kids," rich Asian teens who live alone in California while their parents work in Hong Kong. When a wealthy bride-to-be is found dead in her car, it doesn’t look like a car-jacking. Debut.
Steve Hamilton, The Hunting Wind (June, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). It’s April in Paradise, MI, and Alex McKnight is asked by an old ball-playing pal to look for his one, true love – the problem is his pal walked away from her in 1971. Karen recommends this Edgar-winning series.
Joan Hess, Maggody and the Moonbeams (Aug., Simon & Schuster hc, 23.00). While having been pressed into service as camp counselor to a youth church group is bad enough, Arly Hanks has to deal with the dead body of a shaved-headed and white-robed woman. In pb, A Conventional Corpse (Aug., St. Martin's, 6.50). Favorite series of Tammy’s.
Hazel Holt, Mrs. Malory and the Lilies that Fester (June, Signet pbo, 5.99). Another fine village mystery. The unsavory Mr. Masefield is murdered, and Mrs. Malory’s future daughter-in-law is under suspicion. Sandy and Karen recommend.
Susan Holtzer, Better Than Sex (Aug., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). While on their honeymoon in San Francisco, Anneke and Karl are drawn into a murder investigation after an MI graduate student is poisoned.
Linda Howard, Open Season (Aug., Pocket hc, 24.95). 34-year-old Daisy Minor is tired of being boring and good, and decides that it is time to be a bad girl. Coming home from her birthday party, she sees what she shouldn't, and her life does get exciting – a killer is after her.
Greg Iles, Dead Sleep (Aug., Putnam hc, 19.95). At an art exhibit in Hong Kong, Jordan Glass sees a painting of a woman that seems to be herself, and she’s thrown back into a nightmare – her twin sister was murdered the year before, and, at the urging of the FBI, she becomes the hunter and the hunted. Favorite author of Susan and Karen.
Tim Junkin, Good Counsel (March, Algonquin hc, 23.95). A DC lawyer, who started his career by defending indigents, is successful enough to open a private practice. His success has a steep price as the line he walks between the truth and manipulated fact gets thinner – and now he's charged with perjury, and he runs. Susan recommends.
Stuart Kaminsky, A Few Minutes Past Midnight (Aug., Carroll & Graf hc, 24.00). Toby Peters is hired by Charlie Chaplin after the great star is threatened.
Faye Kellerman, The Forgotten (Aug., Morrow hc, 25.00). After what seems like an open-and-shut case of hate crime, Rina and Peter are drawn deeper into the case after the kid who confessed and his therapist are found dead. In pb, Stalker (July, Avon, 7.99).
Peter King, The Jewel of the North (Aug., Signet pbo, 5.99). First in a new historical series with Jack London as the sleuth. In the midst of this adventure, Jack runs across other historical figures, such as Oscar Wilde, Ambrose Bierce and Rudyard Kipling. By the author of the “Gourmet Detective” series.
Charles Knief, Silversword (June, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Recovering from a bullet wound, John Caine is bored in his Hawaiian hotel room. Asked by a student to help safeguard historical artifacts, he thinks this is something he can do from his couch. Or can he? A troubleshooter, Caine is often compared to Travis McGee.
Roy Lewis, Secret (June, Carroll & Graf hc, 24.00). In his 14th case, archeologist Arnold Landon is called in to inspect the ancient Pentire Woodlands, home of the remains of the Wolf Man, before it is to be torn up for a highway. A protester is killed and Arnold begins to dig.
Randye Lordon, East of Niece (June, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). While she is vacationing in France, NYC PI Sydney Sloane’s missing nephew-in-law becomes the prime suspect in a murder. 6th in the Lambda-Award-winning and Shamus-finalist series.
Barry Maitland, The Chalon Heads (Aug., Arcade hc, 24.95). Brock and Kolla are back, tackling a case of kidnapping. The wife of a former criminal has been snatched, and the first thing the kidnappers want is a stamp worth almost $750,000. Karen recommends.
Mabel Maney, The Spy Who Came Out of the Closet (June, Harper tpo, 13.00). An original Jane Bond parody, by the author of the popular Nancy Clue and Hardly Boys parodies.
Richard Marius, An Affair of Honor (Aug., Knopf hc, 26.00). Soon after WWII, in a small, religious Tennessee town, a man groomed from birth to be a Baptist minister witnesses a murder. After promising that he won’t reveal the identity of the killer, a war hero, he does tell, and the town is torn in two. Author's final novel.
Allana Martin, Death of the Last Villista (Aug., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). 5th in the series set on the TexMex border. A film crew invades town for a picture about Pancho Villa.
Lise McClendon, Blue Wolf (June, Walker hc, 23.95). Wyoming gallery-owner Alix Thorssen is asked to look into the shooting of a wolf and a 25-year-old murder.
Sharyn McCrumb, The Songcatcher (Jan., Dutton hc, 24.95). Folksinger Lark McCourry is trying to preserve her family’s heritage: a song brought over from Scotland in the mid-1700s, when her ancestor brought it to North Carolina. Her only hope of success is mountain-wise Nora Bonesteel, who talks to the living and the dead. Postponed from January. Karen and Bill recommends this series.
Michael McGarrity, Under the Color of Law (July, Dutton hc, 23.95) When the estranged wife of a US ambassador is found murdered, the Feds barge in before Kerney can start an investigation.
Ann McMillan, Civil Blood (June, Viking hc, 22.95). As smallpox strikes Richmond in 1862, Narcissa Powers and Judah Daniel join forces with a British journalist to thwart the plans of a killer hiding behind the microscopic one. 3rd in the series.
Walter Mosley, Fearless Jones (June, Little,Brown hc, 24.95). In ’50s LA, Paris Minton is minding his own business when a beautiful woman walks in and asks a few questions. Before he knows it, he’s been beat up, shot at, slept with and his little used bookshop burned to the ground. Black men at that time had little rights or money and he needs his friend Fearless Jones out of jail and at his side. Tammy recommends: "Walter really shows his love of the small book store of his dreams—he returns to Easy's world, but also speaks of the independent bookseller of his time."
Marcia Muller, Point Deception (July, Mysterious Press hc, 23.95, signed copies 24.95). Signal Port, CA, endured nightmares when two teenage girls were murdered 13 years ago. In town to do a story on the tiny town, journalist Guy Newberry’s arrival coincides with the discovery of a new body. As he pursues the story and Sheriff Rhoda Swift pursues a killer, they join forces to keep the town from coming apart. New series? And in pb, Listen to the Silence (June, Warner, 6.99).
Katy Munger, Better Off Dead (June, Avon pbo, 5.99). 5th with unlicensed Southern PI Casey Jones, who goes undercover at Duke to find a killer on the campus.
Tamar Myers, Nightmare in Shining Armor (Aug., Avon pbo, 6.50). 8th in the Den of Antiquity series.
Janet Neel, O Gentle Death (Aug., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Insp. John McLeish is at a party with his wife Francesca when a death is discovered. What is at first assumed to be a suicide becomes more complicated. Sandy recommends.
Perri O’Shaughnessy, Writ of Execution (July, Delacorte hc, 24.95). Tahoe lawyer Nina Reilly’s new client won a big gambling jackpot, but can’t get the money until she gives up her real name – and she doesn’t want to.
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And, now for something completely different:
Robert B. Parker, Gunman’s Rhapsody (June, Putnam hc, 22.95). “A novel of the Old West, imagined as only Robert B. Parker can.” – publisher’s catalog copy. And in pb, Hugger Mugger (June, Berkley, 7.99).
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Orhan Parmuk, My Name is Red (Aug., Knopf hc, 25.00). In 16th C. Istanbul, the Sultan commissions a book to celebrate his rule. When one of the illustrators vanishes, only the illustrations seem to give clues to the mystery.
Eliot Pattison, Water Touching Stone (June, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Released after four years, former investigator Shan Tao Yun begins to look into the murder of a venerated teacher and the disappearance of a lama. Sequel to the Edgar-winning The Skull Mantra.
Daniel Pennac, Passion Fruit (Aug., Harvill, 15.00). Married on Saturday, Therese dumps her husband – a ram-rod straight and squeaky-clean banker – and returns to her house in Paris. Then the banker is found dead and money goes missing and Therese’s tribe must investigate to get her out of jail.
Elizabeth Peters, Lord of the Silent (June, Morrow hc, 25.00). Amelia Peabody, her irascible husband and her second best hat, risk life and limb to defy a German submarine and warring Senussi to embark upon another season of archeology. Signed copies Available.
Nancy Pickard, Ring of Truth (June, Pocket hc, 23.95). A shockingly lurid murder case has all the hallmarks of the kind of story Florida true crime writer Marie Lightfoot needs. But the case has a few more twists than even she believes. Signing.
Naomi Rand, The One That Got Away (Aug., Harper hc, 23.00) Emma Price traded in her job as a professional investigator for the marriage dream. Now, alone and pregnant, she’s returned to investigation and is trying to find a reason for her teenage client’s murder rampage. Debut.
Danuta Reah, Listen to the Shadows (July, Morrow hc, 25.00). Searching for a missing child in a park, police find a young woman’s body. Baffled by the body, the answer is provided by the girl who returns home – there are monsters in the park and they’re getting closer. Karen recommends.
Elizabeth Redfern, The Music of the Spheres (July, Putnam hc, 24.95). In 1795, as England is at war with France, it is the job of Jonathan Absey of the Home Office to catch spies. Distracted by the unsolved murder of his 15-year-old daughter, he pursues both mysteries and stumbles into a strange society of astronomers who have their own quest—and soon it all begins to merge.
Philip Reed, The Marquis de Fraud (May, Epic hc, 23.95). San Francisco horse trainer Cliff Dante thinks his luck is turning when a fast horse and two new clients back his action. A new thriller by the author of the "car noir" books, Bird Dog and Low Rider.
Kathy Reichs, Fatal Voyage (Aug., Scribner hc, 25.00). In the mountains of North Carolina, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan helps to sort out the grisly aftermath of a jetliner crash. The search for the cause is muddied when a foot cannot be matched to any of the known passengers. Signed Copies Available. And in pb, Deadly Decisions (July, Pocket, 7.99).
Les Roberts, The Dutch (June, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Latest Milan Jacovich, Cleveland PI.
Lynda Robinson, Slayer of Gods (June, Mysterious Press hc, 23.95). 6th mystery set during the reign of King Tut. Lord Meren recruits a clever female counterpart to aid him in his search for the murderer of Queen Nefertiti. In tp, Drinker of Blood (June, Mysterious Press, 12.95).
Dan Simmons, Hardcase (July, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Semi-retired Don Farino is clinging to his dwindling mob power in New York when the Family’s accountant disappears. He hires ex-PI Joe Jurtz to find the guy – but as the body count rises, it becomes clear that more than one person doesn’t want him found.
Gerry Spence, Half Moon and Empty Stars (June, Scribner hc, 27.00). The internationally-known trial lawyer turns to fiction, giving us a legal thriller, a cultural conflict, and a love story, set in small-town Wyoming.
Carston Stroud, Black Water Transit (Aug., Delacorte hc, 24.95). Jack Vermillion owns a shipping company and is trying to get his son out of trouble with the Feds by trading a client’s illegal arms shipment for his son’s time. But the shooting starts and Jack is on the lam, trying to clear up the mess, and save his own life.
James Swain, Grift Sense (June, Pocket hc, 23.95). Meet Tony Valentine, ex-cop, lifelong misanthrope and 60-something freelance "grifter hunter." Debut thriller by a gambling expert and magician.
Robert Tanenbaum, Enemy Within (Aug., Pocket hc, 24.95). NYC ADA Butch Karp juggles three separate cases that are all political dynamite. In pb, True Justice (Aug., Pocket, 7.99).
Kathleen Taylor, Foreign Body (Aug., Avon pbo, 6.99). 6th with small-town South Dakota waitress and sleuth Tory Bauer. Tammy and Bill highly recommend this comic series.
Lou Jane Temple, Red Beans and Vice (Aug., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Saucy chef Heaven Lee finds herself in the heat when she travels to the Big Easy to aid in a benefit dinner.
Whitney Terrell, The Huntsman (Aug., Viking hc, 24.99). The murder of a young debutante causes Kansas City to examine its racial problems, past and present, as buried past sins surface to shock and polarize. Debut book.
Margaret Truman, Murder in Havana (July, Random House hc, 24.95). Max Pauling in Cuba.
Minette Walters, The Shape of Snakes (July, Putnam hc, 24.95). In 1978, Britain is on strike and a woman despised by her neighbors and considered to be crazy is found dead in a rain-filled gutter. But one young woman thinks she was murdered and is bound to a quest for the truth for the next 20 years.
Paula Woods, Stormy Weather (Aug., Norton hc, 24.95). LAPD Charlotte Justice returns to investigate the high-profile death of a pioneering black film director. Sequel to the Edgar-nominated Inner City Blues.
Mark Richard Zubro, Sex and Murder.com (July, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Gay Chicago cop Paul Turner is under pressure to solve the murder of one of the city’s biggest software magnates.
Lawrence Block, a new Scudder, Hope to Die, Nov.
Margaret Coel, The Thunder Keeper, Sept.
Patricia Cornwell—another comic romp with Judy Hammer
and Andy Brazil, Oct.
James Crumley, a new Milo, Oct.
Carole Nelson Douglas, a new Irene Adler, Oct.
Bill Fitzhugh, Fender Benders, Dec.
Pete Hautman, Rag Man, Oct.
Craig Holden, Jazz Bird, Jan.
Stephen Hunter, an Earl Swagger, Nov.
Susan Isaacs, Long Time No See, Sept.
Jonathan Kellerman, Flesh and Blood, Dec.
Joe Lansdale, a Hap & Leonard, Sept.
Laura Lippman, In a Strange City, Sept.
Ed McBain, Money, Money, Money, Sept.
Val McDermid, Killing the Shadows, Oct.
Walter Mosley, Futureland, Nov.
Magdalen Nabb, Property of Blood, Sept.
Sara Paretsky, a new V. I., Total Recall, Sept.
Robert B. Parker—a new Jesse Stone
Owen Parry, Call Each River Jordan, Oct.
Anne Perry, Funeral in Blue, Oct.
Ian Rankin, The Falls, Nov.
John Maddox Roberts, SPQR 6, Sept.
Peter Robinson, Aftermath, Oct.
Andrew Vachss, Pain Management, Sept.
Rennie Airth, The Blood-Dimmed Tide, (July, PanMacMillan hc, 29.95 ) . 2nd by the author of River of Darkness.
Colin Bateman, Shooting Sean (HarperCollins pb, 12.95), and Wild About Harry (July, HarperCollins pb, 10.95 ). One expects typical Bateman insanity.
Kate Charles, Cruel Habitations (Little Brown pb, 12.95).
Paul Doherty, Corpse Candle (Headline tp, 17.95). New Hugh Corbett mystery.
Susanna Gregory, Masterly Murder (June, Little Brown pb, 12.95). New Matthew Bartholomew.
Anita Janda, The Secret Diary of Dr. Watson (June, Allison & Busby hc, 32.95). The Real Story as recorded in the good doctor’s private papers; not at all the version he wrote for publication.
Bernard Knight, The Awful Secret (Pocket pb, 10.95), and The Tinner’s Corpse (August, Pocket pb, 10.95). New entries in the Crowner John series.
James Robertson, The Fanatic (HarperCollins pb, 12.95) A mysterious man hired to play a ghost on an Edinburgh tour becomes a suspect in murders rooted in Scottish history. #1 bestseller in Scotland.
Peter Robinson, Dry Bones that Dream (PanMacMillan pb, 10.95) New Insp. Banks.
Peter Tremayne, Our Lady of Darkness (Headline pb, 10.95). New Sister Fidelma.
Also in stock: titles by Quintin Jardine, Martyn Waites, David Crackanthorpe.
Donna Andrews, Murder with Puffins (June, St. Martin's, 6.50). Karen recommends.
Laurien Berenson, Unleashed (Aug., Kensington, 5.99).
Dorothy Cannell, Bridesmaids Revisited (June, Penguin, 5.99).
Sarah Caudwell, The Sibyl in Her Grave (July, Dell, 5.99). Sandy recommends.
Margaret Coel, The Spirit Woman (Aug., Berkley, 6.50).
Patricia Cornwell, The Last Precinct (July, Berkley, 7.99).
Tim Dorsey, Hammerhead Ranch Motel (June, Harper, 6.99).
Louise Doughty, An English Murder (June, Dell, 5.99) Sandy recommends.
Jamie Harrison, Blue Deer Thaw (July, St. Martin's, 6.50).
Stephen Hunter, Hot Springs (June, Pocket, 7.99). JB recommends.
Jon A. Jackson, La Donna Detroit (Aug., Atlantic, 11.00).
Bill James, Kill Me (June, Norton, 7.95).
Rochelle Krich, Dead Air (July, Avon, 6.99).
Laura Lippman, The Sugar House (Aug., Avon, 6.99).
Julia Wallis Martin, The Bird Yard (June, St. Martin's, 6.50).
Sujata Massey, The Floating Girl (July, Avon, 6.99).
Camille Minichino, The Lithium Murder (Aug., Worldwide, 5.99). Karen Recommends this series.
Miriam Grace Monfredo, Sisters of Cain (Aug., Berkley, 5.99).
BarbaraNeely, Blanche Passes Go (July, Penguin, 5.99). Signing!
Laurence Shames, The Naked Detective (June, Ballantine, 6.99).
April Smith, Be the One (July, Pocket, 6.99).
Akimitsu Takagi, The Informer (July, Soho, 13.00).
Charles Todd, Legacy of the Dead (June, Bantam, 5.99).
Randy Wayne White, Ten Thousand Islands (June, Berkley, 6.99).
Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone, Warmly Inscribed: The New England Forger and Other Book Tales (June, St. Martin's hc, 22.95). More adventures in book collecting.
Naked Came the Phoenix, (Aug., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). 13 of the hottest female mystery authors come together to write the story of a murder at the luxurious Phoenix spa – N. Barr, M. H. Clark, D. Gabaldon, J. A. Jance, F. Kellerman, L. R. King, V. McDermid, P. O’Shaughnessy, A. Perry, N. Pickard, J. D. Robb. L. Scottoline, and M. Talley.
Speaking of Books,ed. by Kaplan & Rabinowitz (July, Crown hc, 16.00). The best things ever said about books and book collecting.
Pulp Masters, ed. by Gorman and Greenberg (July, Carroll & Graff tpo, 14.00). Classics by Westlake, Block, Cain, Spillane & Wittington.
New Hard-Boiled Writers: 1970s-1990s, Leroy Lad Panek (May, Popular Press tp, 25.95.) A look at 10 authors who've exemplified where the hard-boiled mystery has gone in the last 25 years, including Emerson, Crumley, Paretsky, Mosley, Hiaasen, Grafton and Estleman.
The Great American Paperback: An Illustrated Tribute to Legends of the Book, Richard Lupoff (May, Tenspeed hc, 60.00. 320 full-color pages devoted to the glory of paperbacks, from the late '30s on.
The Mammoth Book of Great Detective Stories, ed. by Herbert van Thal (Aug., Carroll & Graf tpo, 12.85). Revised and expanded edition of a classic collection.
Death by Horoscope, ed. by Perry and Greenberg (Aug., Carroll & Graf hc, 25.00). All new astrological mystery stories by various “stars” – such Block, McCrumb, Lovesey, Muller, Hess and others.
Murderer’s Row, ed. byOtto Penzler(June, New Millenium hc, 24.95). Short baseball mysteries by the likes of DeMille, Block, McBain, Meltzer, A. Perry and T. Perry.
Loren D. Estleman, Every Brilliant Eye (July, iBooks, 14.00). 6th Amos Walker– a masterpiece.
The Selected Stories of Patricia Highsmith (Aug., Norton hc, 27.95). Five of her short story collections combined into one volume. Also reissued, Strangers on a Train and A Suspension of Mercy (Aug., Norton tp, each 11.00).
Constance and Gwyneth Little, The Black Coat (June, Rue Morgue tp, 14.00). Another charmingly comic vintage mystery, this one a tale of mistaken identity originally published in 1948.
Ross Macdonald, Find a Victim (Aug., Vintage, 12.00). 5th Lew Archer.
John Maddox Roberts, SPQR I: The King’s Gambit and SPQR II: The Cataline Conspiracy (Aug., St. Martin's, 13.95 each).
Laura Joh Rowland, Shinju, Bundori and The Way of the Traitor (June, July, Aug, Harper, 6.50 each). The first three medieval Japanese mysteries that were stupidly out of print for a couple of years.
Ethel Lina White, The Lady Vanishes (July, iBooks, 14.00). Book from which Hitchcock made his famous film.
Cornell Woolrich, Phantom Lady (Aug., iBooks, 12.00).
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes(June, Modern Library hc, 23.95). With an introduction by John Berendt (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), 24 stories that helped cement Holmes in the public’s mind.
Michael Kurland, The Great Game (July, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Also, The Infernal Device and Death By Gaslight: A Professor Moriarty Omnibus (July, St. Matin's, 15.95).
Gerald Williams, Dr. Mortimer and the Aldgate Mystery (Aug., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Mortimer joins a practice in the East End of 19th C. London to recover from the loss of his young wife and is swept into the case of a young woman being held prisoner by her guardian, and soon is looking at other pieces of the puzzle: a retired Calcutta merchant, a decadent artist and a seemingly impossible murder.
Coming this Fall – a new Irene Adler adventure from Carol Nelson Douglas.
These are the Edgars awarded in 2001, for books published in 2000:
Best Novel—Joe R. Lansdale's The Bottoms (Mysterious
Press hc, 24.95; Sept. tp, 13.95).
Best First Novel—David Liss's A Conspiracy of Paper
(Ballantine tp, 14.00).
Best Paperback Original—Mark Graham's The Black
Maria (Avon pb, 5.99).
Best Critical/Biographical—Conundrums for the Long
Week-End: England, Dorothy L. Sayers, and
Lord Peter Wimsey, Robert Kuhn McGregor with
Ethan Lewis (Kent State Univ. Press hc, 35.00).
Well, no one bid on our two sets of signed author photos. The PNW set included photos of…., while the other set included signed photos of …..– since it was a blind auction, perhaps we best not say who the authors were…
Normally, we'd now introduce the item for the Summer auction.. As no one has bid on the items in the last two newsletters, we'll take that as a sign to give this business a rest. Perhaps we'll continue the auctions in a future newsletter. - the management.
Wed., May 30, noon, D. W. Buffa signs The Judgement
Tues., June 5, noon, Tom Corcoran signs Bone Island Mambo
Wed., June 6, noon, Nancy Pickard signs Ring of Truth,
Sun., June 10, noon, James Ellroy signs The Cold Six Thousand
Wed., June 13, noon, Barbara Seranella signs Unfinished Business,
Sat., June 23, noon, Fredrick Huebner signs Shades of Justice
Thurs., June 28, noon, Harlan Coben signs Tell No One
Sat., June 30, noon, Lon LaFlamme signs Lords of Paradise
Sat., July 7, noon, Rick Riordan signs The Devil Went Down to Austin
Mon., July 9, noon, Lee Child signs Echo Burning
Tues., July 10, noon, Ridley Pearson signs Parallel Lies
Wed., July 18, noon, Skye Kathleen Moody signs K Falls
Wed., July 25, noon, BarbaraNeeley signs the paperback of Blanche Passes Go
Wed., Aug 8, noon, John Connolly signs Dark Hollow
For additional information contact Tammy Domike, 206-587-5737.
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
The SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP NEWS is composed and produced by J.B. Dickey and Sandy Goodrick, and the online version is brought to you by Susan Dennis.