In this issue: New Northwest Releases Editor’s Note Some Other New Releases Coming Attractions Reference and Anthology Some Summer Paperback Reprints Raucous Laughter, a column 1999 Edgar Award Winners Summer Auction Words About Money Author Appearances New Northwest Releases D. W. Buffa, The Prosecution (July, Holt hc, 25.00). Legal thriller by the author of The Defense. As a favor to an old friend, now a judge, Portland attorney Joseph Antonelli assumes the job of special prosecutor in the case of a chief deputy district attorney accused of having an ex-wife murdered. Then the judge’s wife is also accused of murder. Signing? Margaret Chittenden, Don’t Forget to Die (July, Kensington hc, 20.00). In Charlie Plato’s 4th case, she looks into the death of a man who has ties to her friend Angel’s past. Signing. Margot Dalton, Fourth Horseman (Aug., Mira pbo, 5.99). In her 4th book, Spokane Det. Jackie Kaminsky finds 30-year-old skeletons in the back yard of her new house--and the killer is still around. Diana Deverell, Night on Fire (July, Avon hc, 23.00). 2nd suspense novel, after 12 Drummers Drumming, with State Dept. counter-terrorist Casey Collins. When she returns to her Copenhagen apartment, Collins finds a dead body in her bed; the hunt for the killer leads her across Europe. The author is a former Foreign Service Officer now living in Eugene, OR. Michael B. Druxman, Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake (available now, The Center Press, tpo, 12.95). Jay Barnett encounters anti-Semitism and terror in the resort town of Mineral Lake. First mystery by a screen writer who was born in Seattle and has set his novel in Washington State. Signing. Carola Dunn, Styx and Stones (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). Daisy Dalrymple comes to her brother-in-law’s aide when poison pen letters disrupt his quiet 1923 English village. Signed Copies Available. Bruce Chandler Fergusson, The Piper’s Son (June, Dutton hc, 24.95). Debut Seattle Thriller. What would you do if you discovered that you were adopted and that your biological father was a serial killer who was never caught but presumed dead? And the killings started again… Signing. Ken Goddard, First Evidence (June, Bantam hc, 23.95). Crime scene investigator Colin Cellars confronts a puzzle in a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest: no victim and no evidence. Was there a murder? Signing? Sue Henry, Murder on the Yukon Quest (June, Avon hc, 22.00). In her 6th adventure, Jessie Arnold returns to the dog-racing circuit: after the Iditarod, the Yukon Quest is Alaska's most challenging race, running from Whitehorse to Fairbanks. And when a young racer is kidnapped, Jessie faces an even greater challenge. Signing. J. A. Jance, Outlaw Mountain (July, Avon hc, 24.00). The murder of an elderly woman leads Sheriff Joanna Brady to graft and corruption in the murky waters of local government. 7th in the popular Southwest series by the Seattle author. Signing. Kate Kingsbury, Maid to Murder (July, Berkley pbo, 5.99). 12th in this Edwardian series, set at the Pennyfoot Hotel. Vancouver, WA author. Signing? Gregg Olsen, If Loving You Is Wrong (Aug., St. Martin’s pbo, 6.50). True crime account of teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, whose affair with a middle-school student has put her behind bars. Ridley Pearson, The First Victim (July, Hyperion hc, 23.95). Latest Lou Boldt and Daphne Matthews. Smuggling illegal immigrants in a cargo container on Seattle Shipping Lines echoes today’s news. A television anchorwoman’s sister goes undercover in a sweat shop; her borrowed camera shows up but she doesn’t. And Concerto in Dead Flat, as by Wendell McCall, featuring drop-out songwriter/P. I. Chris Klick will be available in June (Poisoned Pen Press, 23.95). The first in this series, Dead Aim (Poisoned Pen, tp, 14.95) is also being reprinted.. Signing. Ann Rule, A Rage to Kill: Case Files #6 (Aug., Pocket pbo, 7.99). The Aurora bus shooting (a spectacular Seattle tragedy) and other cases. Frank Smith, Candles for the Dead (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 20.95). Shropshire Insp. Neil Paget investigates the death of a middle-aged widow amidst the tangled, suspicious lies of the small village inhabitants. Vancouver, B. C. author. James Thayer, Terminal Event (June, Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). NTSB investigator Joe Durant races to prove that the plane crash that killed his wife was the work of a bomber, and to stop the villain from bringing down another plane. Signed Copies Available. Graham Thomas, Malice on the Moors (Aug., Ballantine pbo, 5.99). 3rd Insp. Erskine Powell. British procedural by a British Columbia author. Valerie Wilcox, Sins of Betrayal (July, Berkley pbo, 6.50). 2nd in the local sailing series with Kellie Montgomery, after her debut in Sins of Silence. Kellie faces danger when an environmental extremist holds her hostage and her friend disappears. Signing. ..and now in paperback: Margaret Chittenden, Dead Beat and Deadly (July, Kensington, 5.99). Diana Deverell, 12 Drummers Drumming (June, Avon, 6.99). Nicola Griffith, The Blue Place (June, Avon, 12.00). Staff Favorite from last year. Sue Henry, Deadfall (June, Avon, 6.50). Dean Ing, The Skins of Dead Men (Aug., Tor, 6.99). Ridley Pearson, The Pied Piper (July, Hyperion, 7.99). Dana Stabenow, Fire and Ice (Aug., Signet, 5.99). 1st Liam Campbell.   Some Other New Releases Lydia Adamson, Dr. Nightingale Traps the Missing Lynx (July, Signet pbo, 5.99). 10th adventure for the small-town New York veterinarian. Renie Airth, River of Darkness (June, Viking hc, 23.95). Debut psychological suspense novel with Inspector John Madden, a WW I veteran who has returned to Scotland Yard after numbing personal tragedy. A compelling read for fans of The Alienist. Signed Copies Available. Russell Andrews, Gideon (July, Ballantine hc, 24.95). Thriller concerns writer Carl Granville who’s asked to write a novel based on old diaries and papers—but he comes to suspect they contain a dangerous secret. (By the writing team of Peter Gethers and Edgar-winner David Handler, using a pseudonym.) Claudia Bishop, A Steak in Murder (July, Berkley pbo, 5.99). 7th in the Quilliam culinary series. Cara Black, Murder in the Marais, (July, Soho hc, 22.00). Debut mystery (previously mentioned as coming out in May). Aimee Leduc is a young Parisian P. I. who is asked to investigate a 50-year-old photo that may connect a neo-Nazi group to current hate crimes. B Jo recommends. Nero Blanc, The Crossword Murder (July, Berkley tpo, 13.00). When a flamboyant crossword puzzle editor dies, P. I. Rosco Polycrates teams up with the puzzle editor of the rival paper to find the answers. Comes with six puzzles, with the solutions in the back of the book. Alice Blanchard, Darkness Peering (Aug., Bantam hc, 23.95). In small-town Maine, the murder of a teenager confounds Chief Nalen Storrow. Twenty years later another police officer, Storrow’s daughter, re-opens the case. The author has won many literary awards. Lawrence Block, The Burglar in the Rye (July, Dutton hc, 23.95). 9th in the Burglar series. Bernie is tapped to "retrieve" lost letters of a famed and reclusive author. Signed Copies Available. James Lee Burke, Heartwood (Aug., Doubleday hc, 24.95). 2nd Billy Bob Holland, a follow-up to the Edgar-winning Cimarron Rose. Signed Copies Available. Lee Child, Tripwire (July, Putnam, hc, 23.95). Trouble finds Jack Reacher in Key West and follows him to NYC. 3rd in series, an ALL Staff Favorite Author. Signed Copies Available; and unsigned UK 1st editions available now (25.00). Jill Churchill, Anything Goes (June, Avon pbo, 5.99). New series. The party ends for siblings Lily and Robert Brewster in 1929 NYC. They inherit a Hudson River valley mansion, move in, and bodies begin to appear. Joyce Christmas, Mood to Murder (June, Fawcett pbo, 5.99). 4th with retired Connecticut office manager Betty Trenka. Harlan Coben, The Final Detail (June, Dell hc, 22.95). Myron Bolitar’s 6th case. Esperanza has been arrested for the murder of a fallen baseball star attempting a comeback. Signing. Natasha Cooper, Creeping Ivy (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Non-series thriller. A cousin comes to barrister Trish Maguire when her daughter vanishes. Soon, Trish herself is a suspect. Patricia Cornwell, Black Notice (July, Putnam hc, 25.95). Pathologist Kay Scarpetta tangles with Interpol. Philip R. Craig, A Fatal Vineyard Season (June, Scribner hc, 22.00). 9th Martha’s Vineyard mystery with former Boston cop J. W. Jackson. Jeanne M. Dams, Death in Lacquer Red (June, Walker, hc, 22.95). Start of a new series set in turn of the century South Bend, Indiana. Hilda Johansson, a young Swedish servant, discovers the body of a young woman who’s just returned from China. Jeffery Deaver, The Devil’s Teardrop (Aug., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). During the last hours of Dec. 31st, 1999, police are called to solve a mass murder and prevent another; their clue is a ticking clock… Nelson DeMille, The Lion’s Game (June, Warner hc, 26.00). Det. John Corey returns from Plum Island to track the most dangerous terrorist at large: a young Arab known as The Lion. Peter Dickinson, Some Deaths Before Dying (June, Warner hc, 21.00). When one of her dead husband’s antique dueling pistols disappears, 90-year-old Rachel Matson must unravel a mystery with roots a half-century old. Karen recommends. Stephen Dobyns, Boy in the Water (June, Holt hc, 25.00). It’s Fall in New Hampshire and the new headmaster at Bishop’s Hill Academy is shaking up the staid staff. As the seasons change, the staff and students get an education in savagery and murder. Tammy recommends. Tim Dorsey, Florida Roadkill (Aug., Morrow hc, 24.00). Kaleidoscopic debut crime novel, a manic, violent, lyrical and hysterically funny chase for $5 mil in a lost suitcase. Tammy recommends. See column. Howard Engel, Murder in Montparnasse (July, Overlook Press hc, 23.95). Sub-titled "A Literary Mystery of Paris," this is a historical set in Left Bank artistic circles of 1925 Paris. By the author of the Benny Cooperman series. Loren D. Estleman, The Hours of the Virgin (Aug., Warner hc, 23.00; Signed Copies 24.00). 13th with Detroit P. I. Amos Walker. Favorite of Bill and JB’s. Janet Evanovich, High Five (July, St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). 5th with New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. Terence Faherty, Orion Rising (July, St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). 7th Owen Keane, ex-seminarian, now a Boston legal researcher. Howard Fast, Redemption (July, Harcourt, hc, 24.00). When 78-year-old retired law professor Ike Goldman saves a young woman from suicide a new world of love opens for him. His feelings are tested when she is accused of her abusive husband’s murder. Katherine V. Forrest, Sleeping Bones (Aug., Berkley hc, 21.95). Latest with LAPD detective Kate Delafield, by the Lamba Award-winning author. Dale Furutani, Jade Palace Vendetta (July, Morrow hc, 23.00). 2nd of the samurai trilogy, after Death at the Crossroads, set in feudal Japan. Anne George, Murder Shoots the Bull (June, Avon hc, 22.00). 6th Southern Sisters. Sarah Graves, Triple Witch (June, Bantam pbo, 5.50). 2nd Jake Tiptree home improvement whodunit. Annie Griffin, Date With the Perfect Dead Man (July, Berkley pbo, 5.99). 2nd mystery with sixty-something sisters Hannah & Kiki. Sally Gunning, Fire Water (June, Pocket pbo, 6.50). 9th Cape Cod mystery with Peter Bartholomew. Barbara Hambly, Graveyard Dust (July, Bantam hc, 23.95). 3rd Benjamin January, free man of color in 1834 New Orleans. Karen recommends. Lee Harris, Father’s Day Murder (June, Fawcett pbo, 5.99). 11th with ex-nun Christine Bennett. Janis Harrison, Roots of Murder (July, St. Martin’s hc, 21.95). Debut gardening mystery. Bretta Solomon owns The Flower Shop in River City, Missouri. The Amish farmer who supplies her with the finest flowers dies under strange circumstances and she resolves to solve the mystery. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, Shallow Grave (Aug., Scribner hc, 22.00). 7th with Inspector Bill Slider, who investigates when the body of a young woman is found on an estate in an exclusive area of London. John Harvey, Now’s the Time: The Complete Resnick Short Stories (July, Dufour). Includes a never-before published Resnick novella, and an introduction in which Harvey discusses the origins of the Charlie Resnick character. Available in a signed and numbered limited edition hc (34.95) or trade paperback (14.95). Sparkle Hayter, The Chelsea Girl Murders (Aug., Morrow hc, 23.00). Robin Hudson, forced by a fire to move into the Chelsea Hotel, looks into an apparent suicide—and (GASP) falls accidently in love? Jeremiah Healy, Spiral (Aug., Pocket hc, 23.00). 13th with Boston P. I. John Francis Cuddy. Martin Hegwood, Big Easy Backroad (July, St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). Debut mystery. Freelance investigator Jack Delmas agrees to look for a barmaid’s missing boyfriend. When people start to die, Jack--who’s a relaxed kind of guy-- has to scramble for an alibi and the killer. Lauren Henderson, Black Rubber Dress (June, Crown tpo, 12.00). Artist-turned-sleuth (and dominatrix) Sam Jones investigates the death of a man crushed to death by the fall of one of her sculptures. Lively, sassy and sexy. A. J. Holt, Catch Me (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). The deadly tango of Jay Fletcher and "Billy Bones" which began in Watch Me continues as Billy escapes and challenges Jay with the e-mail message "Catch Me." Bill James, Lovely Mover (June, Norton hc, 23.00). 14th British police procedural with Detectives Harpur & Iles. J. Robert Janes, Mayhem (July, Soho tp, 12.00). First in the St Cyr/Kohler series, set in WW II France, finally published in the U. S., after four well-received subsequent volumes. Karen recommends. Wayne Johnson, Don’t Think Twice (June, Crown hc, 23.00). In northwest Minnesota, a Chippewa man struggles to save his existence after a friend’s suicide seems linked to his own son’s death. Paul Johnston, Body Politic (Aug., St. Martin’s, hc, 22.95). In Edinburgh of 2020, crime is reportedly non-existent as society is rigidly controlled. But a killer has re-appeared after a 5-year hiatus and peace is threatened. Winner of Britain’s Creasey Award for Best First Crime Novel. H. R. F. Keating, Bribery, Corruption Also (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). Latest with Bombay’s Insp. Ghote. Faye Kellerman, Jupiter’s Bones (Aug., Morrow hc, 25.00). 11th mystery with LAPD’s Peter Decker and his wife Rina Lazarus. Toni L. P. Kelner, Death of a Damn Yankee (Aug., Kensington hc, 20.00). 6th with Laura Fleming, a small-town North Carolina sleuth. Laurie R. King, O Jerusalem (June, Bantam hc, 23.95). 5th in series with Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, who enter British-occupied Palestine to stop a mastermind. Signed Copies Available. Karen enthusiastically recommends. Cecile LaMalle, Appetite for Murder (Aug., Warner pbo, 6.50). A sleepy town in up-state New York is shaken when Charly Poisson, chef and owner of La Fermette, finds a body while hunting mushrooms. Jane Langton, The Thief of Venice (June, Viking hc, 21.95). 9th Homer Kelly. While retired scholar and policeman Homer Kelly is in Venice for a rare book conference, his wife Mary takes a photograph in which the image of a missing woman is captured. Illustrated with Langton’s own line-drawings. Signed Copies Available. Virginia Lanier, Ten Little Bloodhounds (July, Harper hc, 24.00). 5th Jo Beth Sidden mystery. Dennis Lehane, Prayers for Rain (June, Morrow hc, 25.00). Patrick & Angie must re-unite to battle a killer whose weapon is the victim’s own mind. Signed Copies Available. Staff favorite author. Stephen Lewis, The Dumb Shall Sing (July, Berkley pbo, 5.99). Debut mystery set in Colonial America. Midwife Catherine Williams works to clear the name of a young servant suspected in the death of an infant who was in her care. Barry Maitland, The Marx Sisters (June, Arcade hc, 23.95). First in a popular British series, now published here. Detective Sgt. Kathy Koller seeks a killer in a London lane that has changed little since WW II, where an elderly woman may have been murdered over century-old political papers. Karen recommends. Edward Marston, The Wanton Angel (July, St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Latest Elizabethan Theater mystery with Nicholas Bracewell. Dannie M. Martin, The Shooter’s Job (Aug., Simon & Schuster, hc, 23.00). "Shooter" got his name when he was a kid shooting marbles--now, at 20, he has a job to do for a cop who wants a Bad Guy removed. Michael McClister, Victim’s Choice (July, St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). Debut thriller. When recent widower Joe Colby’s two children are killed, he hatches a crazy plot to get the murderer, now in prison. At the same time, someone is killing those close to convicted killers. The city begins to panic… Michael McGarrity, Hermit’s Peak (June, Scribner hc, 23.00). 4th Kevin Kerney. A wandering dog carrying a shoe leads the New Mexico State Police deputy to the bones of an unidentified female. Jill McGown, Plots and Errors (Aug., Ballantine hc, 22.95). 10th British procedural with Inspectors Lloyd and Judy Hill. Sandy recommends this series. Ralph McInerny, Grave Undertakings (June, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Latest Father Dowling. Margaret Miles, Too Soon for Flowers (July, Bantam pbo, 5.99). Lust, deceit and death in Colonial Massachusetts. In the spring of 1764, did smallpox kill a visitor? Camille Minichino, The Lithium Murder (May, Morrow hc, 24.00). Retired physicist Gloria Lamerino seeks murderer of the janitor at a government lab that may be conducting questionable—and dangerous—experiments. Karen recommends. Miriam Grace Monfredo, Must the Maiden Die (Aug., Berkley hc, 21.95). 6th in the Seneca Falls historical series with librarian Glynis Tryon. Margaret Mosley, Grinning in His Mashed Potatoes (July, Berkley pbo, 6.50). Book rep. Honey Huckleberry’s 2nd appearance. Carol O’Connell, Shell Game (July, Putnam hc, 24.95). Only two people know what went homicidally wrong with the televised recreation of a legendary magic act--and one of them is Mallory. Perennial favorite of JB. Signed Copies Available. Jack O’Connell, Word Made Flesh (July, Harper hc, 24.00). Ex-cop Joe Gilrein cruises quietly in his taxi until information about his wife’s murder draws him back to the past he had fled. Author of Box Nine. Arturo Perez-Reverte, The Fencing Master (June, Harcourt hc, 24.00). Author of The Club Dumas and The Seville Communion. Don Jaime is an anachronism in 1868--a fencing master and a man of honor. Against his desires, he is drawn into a plot that includes politics, seduction and murder. Elizabeth Peters, The Falcon at the Portal (June, Avon hc, 24.00). 11th Amelia Peabody, Victorian Egyptologist. Nancy Pickard, The Whole Truth (Aug., Pocket hc, 23.00). Something different from the author of the Jenny Cain series. Best-selling true-crime author Marie Lightfoot is watching the trial of reputed killer Raymond Raintree. Then Raintree escapes and Marie may be a target. Bill Pronzini, Nothing But the Night (June, Walker hc, 23.95; Signed Copies, 24.95). Psychological thriller about people who thrive in, or fear, the night. Also available: Blue Lonesome, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and A Wasteland of Strangers, an Edgar Nominee for Best Novel (Walker, tp, 8.95 each). J. M. Redmann, Lost Daughters (July, Norton hc, 24.95). 4th with New Orleans PI Mickey Knight. Kathy Reichs, Death du Jour (June, Scribner hc, 25.00). Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan returns after Deja Dead. In the bitter cold of a Montreal winter, Tempe digs in a convent graveyard for the 100-year-old bones of Sister Elisabeth Nicolet, now a candidate for sainthood…but the grave is empty. Phyllis Richman, Murder on the Gravy Train (Aug., Harper hc, 23.00). 2nd in culinary series with restaurant columnist Chas Wheatley, after the Agatha Award-nominated debut, The Butter Did It. By the restaurant critic for the Washington Post. Signing. Gillian Roberts, Adam and Evil (July, Ballantine hc, 22.95) 8th with Amanda Pepper, Philadelphia school teacher. Les Roberts, Best Kept Secrets (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95. 10th Milan Jacovich, Cleveland P. I. David L. Robbins, War of the Rats (July, Bantam hc, 23.95). Based on historical events, this novel traces the dance of two snipers trying to stop one another during the siege of Stalingrad. Roberta Rogow, The Problem of the Spiteful Spiritualist (June, St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). Sequel to last year’s collectable The Problem of the Missing Miss finds Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dodgson looking into the death of a medium, and missing Indian treasure. Lawrence Sanders, McNally’s Dilemma (July, Putnam hc, 24.95). The last Archy McNally? (Sanders died recently.) Aileen Schumacher, Affirmative Reaction (Aug., Write Way hc, 24.95). 3rd with Tory Travers. Manda Scott, Night Mares (July, Bantam pbo, 5.50). 2nd with Glasgow therapist Dr Kellen Stewart. Kate Sedley, The Wicked Winter (Aug., St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). 6th in the popular medieval series with Brother Simon. Gerald Seymour, Dead Ground (June, Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). Once the Berlin Wall comes down, Tracy Barnes plots revenge on the secret police agent who killed her lover. Soon she becomes a pawn in a bigger game of revenge--leading to Moscow. Laurence Shames, Welcome to Paradise (June, Villard hc, 22.95). Two "Big Al"s head to the Keys to relax – one a furniture salesman, the other head of a NYC fish-market and low-level mobster. On Tammy’s List of Best Reads of ’98. Signed copies available. Martin Cruz Smith, Havana Bay (June, Random House hc, 25.95). Arkady Renko returns from Gorky Park to investigate the death of a Russian embassy official found floating in the water off Cuba’s capital. Elizabeth Daniels Squire, Where There’s a Will (July, Berkley pbo, 5.99). 7th with Peaches Dann, the absent-minded widow. Jonathan Stone, The Cold Truth (June, St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Twisting, dizzying debut whodunit in which an apprentice cop tries to find out the truth and solve a "perfect crime" in upstate New York. JB highly recommends this first mystery. Tony Strong, The Death Pit (Aug., Dell hc, 21.95). Scholar Terry Williams heads to Scotland to finish research on a 17th century woman burned as a witch. The town is in an uproar over a recent death--a young woman rumored to be a member of a coven. Doug Swanson, Umbrella Man (July, Putnam hc, 22.95). Jack Flippo is alerted to a few frames of old black and white film that may shed light on JFK’s assassination by showing the "second gunman" at the Grassy Knoll. Favorite of author of Bill’s. See column. Akimitsu Takagi, The Informer (June, Soho hc, 22.00). A bestseller in Japan when it was published in 1965. A stock market trader turns to crime when his investments fail, and finds himself accused of murder. And in trade paperback, The Tattoo Murder Case and Honeymoon to Nowhere (June, 12.00 each). Tammy recommends. Robert Tanenbaum, Act of Revenge (June, Harper hc, 25.00). 11th with NY District Attorney Butch Karp. William G. Tapply, Muscle Memory (July, St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). 17th Brady Coyne. Steve Thayer, Silent Snow (Aug, Viking hc, 24.95). Rick Beanblossom is now a top investigative reporter in St Paul. Sequel to The Weatherman, which was a favorite of Susan and Tammy’s. James Tully, The Crimes of Charlotte Brontë (Aug., Carrol & Graf hc, 24.00) Fictional account of the real-life mysteries of the Brontë sisters. Minette Walters, The Breaker (June, Putnam, hc 23.95). Latest pychological suspense from an Edgar Award-winning author. The body of a woman, brutally raped and murdered, washes up on the south coast of England; twelve hours later her traumatized three-year-old daughter is found 20 miles away, unable to speak. Signed Copies Available. Barbara Jaye Wilson, Capped Off (Aug., Avon pbo, 5.99). 4th with Brenda Midnight, Manhattan milliner. John Morgan Wilson, Justice at Risk (July, Doubleday hc, 22.95). 3rd in the Edgar-winning Benjamin Justice series. Darryl Wimberly, A Rock and a Hard Place (July, St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). Debut mystery. In Deacon Beach, FL, Barrett Raines is the only black on a small, seaside police force. The popular tavern owner who prodded him to join the force is murdered and Raines’s brother is the main suspect. k. j. a. Wishnia, Soft Money (June, Dutton hc, 23.95). Sequel to the Edgar-Nominated 23 Shades of Black. Joan Wolf, No Dark Place (June, Harper hc, 22.00). Debut mystery set in Norman England. When Hugh Corbaille loses his adoptive father, he learns that his real father may have been a murdered earl, and he investigates. Valerie Wolzien, The Student Body (Aug., Ballantine pbo, 5.99). Newest suburban mystery with housewife/sleuth Susan Henshaw. Stuart Woods, Worst Fears Realized (Aug., Harper hc, 25.00). Latest with attorney Stone Barrington. Eric Wright, Death on the Rocks (June, St. Martin’s hc, 21.95). 2nd with novice investigator Lucy Trimble. Mark Richard Zubro, Drop Dead (June, St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). 5th Paul Turner, gay Chicago cop. Signing. Kinky Friedman, Spanking Watson (Aug., Simon & Schuster, hc, 23.00). The Kinkster decides that he needs a sidekick; but who will be his "Watson"? ALSO Mike McGovern, Eat Drink and Be Kinky: a feast of Wit and Fabulous Recipes for Fans of Kinky Friedman (Sept., Scribner, tpo, 12.00). Recipes from his novels with an introduction by the Kinkster himself. Thomas Harris, Hannibal (June, Dell hc, 27.95). Hannibal Lector is back! And Clarice is on the hunt….Thomas Harris doesn’t sign books, so you might as well get a 1st edition from us. Don Winslow, California Fire and Life (July, Knopf hc, 23.00). Adjuster Jack Wade smells trouble in the fire at a valuable home--the cops call it an accident too quickly and the owner’s claim is filed the morning his wife’s body is found in the ashes. Signing-- and we are THRILLED. A Notable Reprint Constance & Gwenyth Little, The Grey Mist Murders (The Rue Morgue Press, tp, 14.00). The extremely scarce first book by the popular writers of wacky cozies has now been reprinted. First published in 1938. A strangler is stalking passengers on a luxury cruise in the South Pacific, and Carla Bray is spurred to investigate when she finds a corpse in the cabin next to hers. Some Summer Paperback Reprints   Garrison Allen, Dinosaur Cat (June, Kensington, 5.99). Sarah Andrews, Only Flesh and Bones (Aug., St. Martin’s, 5.99). M. C. Beaton, Death of a Scriptwriter (June, Warner, 6.50). One of Sandy’s favorites of 1998. Lawrence Block, Tanner on Ice (Aug., Signet, 6.99). Molly Brown, Invitation to a Funeral (July, St. Martin’s, 5.99). Restoration mystery. James Lee Burke, Sunset Limited (July, Dell 7.50). Golden Dagger Winner. Agatha Christie, adapted by Charles Osborne, Black Coffee (Aug., St. Martin’s, 6.99). Margaret Coel, The Story Teller (Aug., Berkley, 6.50). Max Allan Collins, Flying Blind (Aug., Signet, 5.99). Nate Heller and Amelia Earhart. Natasha Cooper, Sour Grapes (Aug., Worldwide, 4.99). Patricia Cornwell, Point of Origin (July, Berkley, 7.99). Philip R. Craig, A Shoot on Martha’s Vineyard (June, Avon, 5.99). Barbara D’Amato, Good Cop, Bad Cop (July, Forge, 6.99). Bill recommends. Janet Dawson, Where the Bodies Are Buried (July, Fawcett, 6.50). Dianne Day, Emperor Norton’s Ghost (June, Bantam, 5.99). Stephen Dobyns, Saratoga Strongbox (July, Penguin, 5.99). Loren D. Estleman, The Witchfinder (Aug., Warner, 6.50). Janet Evanovich, Four to Score (June, St. Martin’s, 6.99). Alan Folsom, Day of Confession (July, Warner, 7.99). Leslie Forbes, Bombay Ice (June, Bantam, 13.95). Anne George, Murder Gets a Life (June, Avon, 6.50). Ann Granger, A Word After Dying (June, Avon, 5.99). Robert Greer, The Devil’s Backbone (July, Warner, 6.99). James W. Hall, Body Language (Aug., St. Martin’s, 6.99). Steve Hamilton, A Cold Day in Paradise (July, St. Martin’s, 5.99). One of last year’s most noted debuts; Edgar Winner. Carolyn G. Hart, Yankee Doodle Dead (Aug., Avon, 6.50). Ellen Hart, Wicked Games (Aug., St. Martin’s, 5.99). Sparkle Hayter, The Last Manly Man (Aug., Quill, 9.95). Gar Anthony Haywood, When Last Seen Alive (Aug., Berkley, 5.99). Aaron Gunner series. Jeremiah Healy, The Only Good Lawyer (Aug., Pocket, 6.99). Tony Hillerman, First Eagle (July, Harper, 6.99). Faye Kellerman, Moon Music (July, Avon, 7.50). Toni L. P. Kelner, Tight as a Tick (Aug., Kensington, 5.99). Douglas Kennedy, The Job (Aug., Hyperion, 6.99). On Susan’s list of Best of ’98. Karen Kijewski, Stray Kat Waltz (July, Berkley, 6.99). Jane Langton, The Face on the Wall (June, Penguin, 5.99). Virginia Lanier, Blind Bloodhound Justice (July, Harper, 6.50). Stan Latreille, Perjury (July, Signet, 6.99). John Lescroart, The Mercy Rule (Aug., Dell, 7.99). Julia Wallis Martin, A Likeness in Stone (Aug., St. Martin’s, 6.50) Edgar Nominee. Michael McGarrity, Serpent Gate (June, Pocket, 6.50). Carol O’Connell, Judas Child (July, Jove, 6.99). On JB’s list of Best Books of 1998. George Pelecanos, The Sweet Forever (Aug., Dell, 6.50). Richard North Patterson, No Safe Place (July, Ballantine, 7.99). Ian Rankin, The Hanging Garden (Aug., St. Martin’s, 5.99). John Ridley, Love Is a Racket (Aug., Ballantine, 6.99). S. J. Rozan, A Bitter Feast (July, St. Martin’s, 5.99). Sandra Scoppettone, Gonna Take a Homicidal Journey (June, Ballantine, 5.99). Laurence Shames, Mangrove Squeeze (Avail. now, Ballantine, 6.99). Julie Smith, 82 Desire (July, Ivy, 6.99). Aimee & David Thurlo, Enemy Way (Aug., Forge, 6.99). Trevanian, Incident at Twenty-Mile (July, St. Martin’s, 6.99). Judith Van Gieson, Ditch Rider (Aug., Harper, 5.99). Barbara Vine, The Chimney Sweeper’s Boy (June, Pocket tp, 14.00). Karen recommends. Valerie Wilson Wesley, Easier to Kill (June, Berkley, 5.99). Carolyn Wheat, Sworn to Defend (July, Berkely, 5.99). Stuart Woods, Orchid Beach (Aug., Harper, 7.50). Mark Richard Zubro, Are You Nuts? (June, St. Martin’s, 12.95). Signing.   Raucous Laughter by J. B. Dickey and Tammy Domike   There is a certain type of crime novel that has become a popular undercurrent in mystery fiction. Undercurrent is an appropriate term because these books are, in their own way, subversive. They are comic crime novels, absurd and satirical--in both characters and situations. And it isn’t that these crime stories are simply funny, it is that the humor is dark and violent and funny. It is mordant. It is, as characterized by Raymond Chandler, "the raucous laughter of the strongman." We really shouldn’t find these people, this stuff, amusing--but they are drawn in such a way that we have to laugh at them. They are endearing, in a weird way. Normally, we aren’t supposed to like the "bad guys," but we’re so busy laughing at them that we come to enjoy them. The most well known practitioners of this form are Carl Hiaasen, Laurence Shames, Elmore Leonard and James W. Hall. Their "good guys" are relatively normal, but the "bad guys" are hilarious even as they are dangerous psychos. You cannot help but laugh at them even though their cruelty and violence can make you wince. Here are other authors that you should try--if you’re as twisted as we are and like this sort of thing. Robert Ferrigno is an author who lives near Seattle, but all of his books have been set in Southern California. His books have been called "Sunshine Noir." He doesn’t write a series, so you can jump in anywhere. His 4th crime novel, Dead Silent, told the tale of a guy whose wife is killed while in a hot tub with another man. In this book, we meet The Blue Angel, a very intriguing and menacing character whose "goodness" is ambiguous at best. Ferrigno’s new book, Heartbreaker, is a strong story of twisted families and loyalties that is, like all of his books, romantic, violent and very funny. Laurence Gough is a Vancouver, B.C. author who has written 11 books with the homicide cop team of Claire Parker and Jack Willows. In this series, while Willows and Parker display a dark yet dry wit, the loony villains are joined by the other cops that surround the lead characters. Because the relationship between Willows and Parker develops over the course of the books and gives the series its soul and tension, it is best to try to read Gough’s books in order. That is difficult as some are out of print and some are not available in the US. And that’s a shame. These are wonderful books, dark and funny. Colin Bateman was touted very eloquently in our last issue by Bill Farley. This Irishman does things to and with his characters that will leave you breathless with surprise and laughter. Norman Partridge has published two very funny crime novels and Tammy recommends these highly. His first, Saguaro Riptide, started with the absurd notion of a surf shop in the desert. In his second, The Ten Ounce Siesta, Jack Baddalach, a general "gofer" for Freddy G. (a Las Vegas casino owner, who couldn’t possibly be involved with the mob…) has to find a kidnapped Chihuahua and the trail leads to a survivalist snake-handling family that pirates semi-trucks in the desert. Sterling Watson wrote an outstanding Florida crime novel, Deadly Sweet. His book is a twisted novel of politics, guilt and vanishing species. Memorable here is Harry W. Feather, a villain who fancies himself to be a tribal warrior prince. We still get readers asking if Watson has done any new books, and we wish we could say yes. Pete Hautman has produced a "series" of books set in Minnesota. The quirky difference with his books is that they concern the oddball actions of one character, ex-cop Joe Crow, and members of his "family" such as his father Sam O’Gara and "uncle" Axel. Hautman’s latest book, Mrs. Million, is, according to Bill, perhaps the funniest book he has ever read. There are five books and, while you don’t have to read them in strict order, start with Drawing Dead. Doug Swanson perpetrates comic crime in his Jack Flippo novels, set in Dallas. The fourth, Umbrella Man, is announced in this newsletter. "On the other hand," says Bill, "maybe the funniest book I ever read was Swanson’s third, 96 Tears." Vince Kohler is an Oregon author who has given us four comic crime stories set on the Oregon Coast in the '70s. Starring journalist Eldon Larkin, these books are jammed with the eccentric characters that are all too real in Oregon. Only his first book, Rainy North Woods, was ever released in paperback and it went out of print just as his second book came out in hardcover. Bill Fitzhugh debuted with Pest Control, a dark comedy of mistaken identity as an insect exterminator is mistaken for a hit man. The world’s best killers feel threatened and want him out of competition. They are a strange and laughable group of assassins. Brian Hodge, known for four previous horror novels, recently published a wonderfully twisted book titled Wild Horses. This new and seamless book covers the cross-country chase of a bunch of misfits in search of computer disks that hold the key to embezzled casino money. Two new candidates this season are S. V. Date’s Speed Week (May, Putnam hc, 22.95) in which a trophy wife (now widowed) and her stepson Nick vie for control of Daytona’s races and a theme park with shady permits. Nick’s ex-wife sues to stop the expansion to save sea turtle breeding grounds. Tom Dorsey’s Florida Roadkill (Aug., Morrow hc, 24.00) gives a full course of Florida history in the form of a NASA countdown with fast-paced wackiness along the way. There are certainly others who qualify for honorable mention. Dennis Lehane--whose bad guys are not in the least bit funny--writes very funny scenes with Patrick, Angie and Bubba. Carol O’Connell’s books are laced with black humor, mainly concerning Mallory and how her friends tip-toe around her. Don Winslow weaves dark comedy into his books, whether it is in the interplay between Neal and his "Dad", or the deadly dance surrounding "Bobby Z"--or in the funereal laughs in California Fire and Life. There is one final note. Of all of the authors we’ve mentioned, only one is a woman: Carol O’Connell. We’ve wracked our brains and can’t think of others. While there are scads of female authors who write very funny books, maybe this type of dark and violent, funny crime novel women don't write. Could it be that women aren’t as twisted as men? Or perhaps publishers won’t buy such devious delights from women, believing they won’t sell? If you can add someone to this list, let us know. We’d like to read her. We like raucous laughter. 1999 Edgar Award Winners The winners of the Edgar Awards for books published in 1998 are: Best Novel – Robert Clark for Mr.White’s Confession. Congratulations to a fine local author — and we have Signed Firsts Available. Best First Novel by an American Author – Steve Hamilton for A Cold Day in Paradise. Best Paperback Original – Rick Riordan for The Widower’s Two-Step. …And new books from these authors coming soon: Susan Wittig Albert—8th China Bayles, in Oct. Margaret Coel—5th in the Native American series, in Sept. Dianne Day—new Fremont Jones in Sept.. Elizabeth George—new hc in Sept. Sue Grafton—October brings O Is For Outlaw. Caroline Graham—new hc in Sept.. Carolyn G. Hart—new Annie Laurence Darling in Sept.. Reginald Hill—new Joe Sixsmith in Sept.. Walter Mosley—new Socrates Fortlow coming in Oct.. Sara Paretsky—V.I. returns in Oct.   Summer Auction   Once again, a good time was had by all with our Spring auction. Bidding began at $10.00 for a signed publicity blow-up of John Dunning’s The Bookman’s Wake, and ended with a winning bid of $50.00. For our Summer auction: The Simeon Chamber by Steven Paul Martini (1988, Donald I. Fine). 1st edition, 1st printing, signed "Steven Paul Martini" on title page. VG copy in NF dj. Wrinkling to a few page edges, with two yellowish discolorations, also on front page edge. This rarely found 1st novel by bestselling author Steve Martini (before Compelling Evidence) involves San Francisco lawyer Sam Bogardus with murder, art smuggling, and a 400-year-old parchment that may lead to Francis Drake’s fabled treasure. Offers intriguing insight into Martini’s developing style. Minimum bid: $425.00 Closing date: July 1, 1999 Remember, this is a sealed-bid auction. One bid per person. Bids may be submitted by phone, in person, or by e-mail or snail mail.   A few words about MONEY   These days, we hear much about the problems facing independent bookshops. There are ways we can all help ensure that small shops survive--whether they are bookshops, or hardware stores or the corner market. The best way, obviously, is to spend your money there, even if you might save a few dollars by going to a HUGE CHAIN STORE. Sales are of paramount importance to all small businesses. There is another, subtle and small way to help: stop using your credit cards AND your debit cards when you are physically in a shop. Most cardholders don't understand that whenever you use any plastic, the merchant pays a "transaction fee" to the bank for processing the sale. Though the percentage may not sound big, it does add up. And while a HUGE CHAIN STORE may not feel the pinch of a fee to a bank, it cannot help a small, independent business. It is, after all, money that the small shop can't keep. Making the merchant pay for your convenience lessens the support you are giving. You may think that it is great to earn free air miles, but it is the small merchant that is paying for those miles. Ordering something by mail or phone is a different matter--though you can always order books from us and send a check. But when in a shop, in your neighborhood, in your city, and paying for your items, resist the urge--the sales pitch by those who profit--to charge it. So use cash or checks when you buy your books, some apples, a pound of nails. Support the small businesses, not the banks.       Reference and Anthology   Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days, by Jared Cade (avail. now, Dufour hc, 39.95). New evidence is used to present what might be the ultimate solution to the mystery of Christie's real-life 11-day disappearance in 1926. Blue Lightning, ed. by John Harvey (avail. now, Dufour tpo, 14.95). Short stories, some criminous, about music, by some familiar names including Liza Cody, Jeffery Deaver, Harvey, Bill Moody, Walter Mosley, Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson, James Sallis, and Julie Smith. A Degree of Mastery: A Journey Through a Book Arts Apprenticeship, by Anne Tremmel Wilcox (June, New Rivers Press hc, 27.95). Richly-detailed memoir of an apprenticeship in book-binding and preservation. Holy Clues: Investigating Life’s Mysteries with Sherlock Holmes, by Stephen Kendrick (June, Pantheon hc, 21.00). Using Sherlock as a teacher whose Zen-like approach to observation can give insight into modern life. Mean Time, ed. by Jerry Sykes (avail. now, Dufour, tpo, 14.95). Sixteen original stories exploring the impact of a new millennium, by crime writers Colin Bateman, John Harvey, Dennis Lehane, Ian Rankin, etc. The Murder of Helen Jewitt, Patricia Cline Cohen (July, Vintage tp, 12.00). Historian Cohen reconstructs one of the great true-crime melodramas of the 19th Century--the 1836 murder of a prostitute in NYC. A work of detection and social history.   Editor’s Note   Greetings from the Pacific Northwest, where we seem to have missed what any rational creature could call Spring, but are in high hopes of a brilliant summer. And what could be finer than a long summer twilight, on the porch of a beach cabin on an island in the San Juans, with good food, good company and good mysteries? Luckily good mysteries can go anywhere, and are perhaps even better on rainy days, so choose lavishly from the bounty of this season’s offerings, and enjoy whatever summer brings you. And if you come to Seattle, be sure to visit us. Our newsletter, as always, can list only a few of the many new mysteries we have; and our shop is amply stocked with used books, older, out-of-print works, collectables and signed hardcovers. We look forward to seeing you. —Sandy Goodrick     THREE IDEAS FOR FATHER’S DAY A stylish stoneware mug, with a rich black glaze and our "Seattle Mystery Bookshop" logo in lively blood read. These distinctive mugs are hand-made for us by a respected Washington pottery studio. 14.95 each. A gift certificate. Enclose one with your card and let Dad have fun choosing his own mystery. A hardcover book of his favorite mystery author; and we have a number of current signed mysteries to choose from, as well.   Author Appearances Tues., June 8, noon, Bruce Chandler Fergusson signs The Piper’s Son. Sat., June 12, 1 PM, Greg Main signs Every Trace. Mon., June 14, noon, Mark Richard Zubro signs Drop Dead. Mon., June 21, noon, Harlan Coben signs The Fatal Detail. Tues., July 6, 5 – 8 PM, J. A. Jance signs Outlaw Mountain. Thurs., July 8, noon, Valerie Wilcox signs Sins of Betrayal. Tues., July 13, noon, Sue Henry signs Murder on the Yukon Quest. Wed., July 14, noon, Ridley Pearson signs The First Victim. Thurs., July 15, noon, Michael Druxman signs Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake. Fri., July 16, noon, Don Winslow signs California Fire and Life. Sat., July 17, 1 PM, Meg Chittenden signs Don’t Forget to Die. Fri., July 30, noon, Phyllis Richman signs Murder on the Gravy Train.   Seattle Mystery Bookshop N e w s l e t t e r 117 Cherry St. Seattle,WA 98104 (206) 587-5737 mailto:staff@seattlemystery.com Bill Farley, Founder/J. B. Dickey, Manager/Tammy Domike Susan Dennis/Sandy Goodrick/Karen Duncan     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. mailto:staff@seattlemystery.com   The SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP NEWS is composed and produced by Sandy Goodrick.