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
Bill Farley, Founder /J. B. Dickey, Owner/ Tammy Domike, Manager
Susan Dennis / Sandy Goodrick / Karen Duncan
In This Issue:
Late Recommendations For Summer Releases
Tues., Sept. 12, 11:30, a double signing:
Donna Anders signs Dead Silence,
AND
Ann Rule signs the special 20th anniversary
edition of Stranger Beside Me, with a new
afterward, and paperbacks of …And Never
Let Her Go.
Wed., Sept. 13, noon, Laura Lippman signs
Sugar House
AND
at 2:30 Val McDermid signs
Place of Execution
Thurs., Sept. 14, noon, John Gilstrap signs
Even Steven
Fri., Sept. 22, noon, Margaret Coel signs
The Spirit Woman
Thurs., Sept. 28, noon, Mary Freeman signs
Bleeding Hearts
Wed., Oct. 18, noon, Judith R. Parker
signs Twist of Terror, a mystery in CD
format
Tues., Oct. 24, noon, Archer Mayor signs
The Marble Mask
Mon., Oct. 30, noon, Lawrence Block signs
Hit List
Our Summer items were two sets of signed Advance Reading Copies: one set of six NW authors and one set of six "National" authors. The NW set sold for $60, and the National set went for $165.
The Fall item is a true gem: a signed ARC of John Dunning's Booked to Die. This is a very nice copy in white-ish paper covers, read only once and very carefully at that. Bids begin at $650, and close on Sept. 22nd.
To review how the auction works:
¨ Any time before Sept 22, you give us your bid. Be sure to include your name, mailing address, and telephone number.
¨ Bids may be submitted in person, by phone, by mail or e-mail.
¨ Any bid for less then the minimum will be disregarded. One bid per customer.
In case of a tie, the bid received earliest will win.
Donna Anders, Dead Silence (Sept., Pocket pbo, 6.99). Liza MacDonough is a counselor for International Air. But her job is in jeopardy as the company downsizes amid rumors of a secret project, and soon her life is endangered as she looks into this secrecy. Seattle author of Another Life. Signing.
April Christofferson, Clinical Trial (Oct., Forge hc, 24.95). Dr. Isabel McLain is conducting trials for a hantavirus vaccine on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana. Indian activist Monty Four Bear fears that the corporate trials are not in the tribe's best interest, though Dr. McLain is sincere. And now in pb, The Protocol (Oct., St. Martin's, 6.99). Signing.
Mary Daheim, The Alpine Menace(Oct., Ballantine pbo, 6.99). Newswoman Emma Lord is not happy to have an inside track on a Seattle murder: her cousin Ronnie is the accused killer. Signing.
Mary Freeman, Bleeding Hearts (Sept., Berkley pbo, 5.99). A botanist hires Rachel to landscape her estate. But when she’s murdered, Rachel must rake through the clues. Oregon author. Signing.
Lawrence Gough, Funny Money (Oct., Canadian 1st ed., price estimated at 25.00). 11th with Vancouver, B. C. cops Willows and Parker. Favorite series of JB and Bill. Signed copies available.
Phillip Margolin, Wild Justice (Sept., Harper hc, 26.00). A surgeon is accused of horrendous crimes only to have the evidence ruled inadmissible. He then disappears, and is presumed to have been murdered by the mob when his severed hand is found. Four years later, the murders begin again. Was he the killer? Is there a copy-cat killer? Or was it someone else all along? Portland author. Signing.
Sharan Newman, To Wear the White Cloak (Oct., Forge hc, 24.95; Signed Copies 25.95). In the 7th tale of Catherine LeVendeur, Catherine and her family return home after a long absence and discover a murdered Knight Templar. She must find the killer to keep her family’s secrets safe. Byan Oregon author.
Judith R. Parker, Twist of Terror (available now, Darkstar CD, 12.95). Note that this is available in CD only. A deadly storm, the worst blizzard in recorded history, brings together fifteen people in the Rocky Mountains with their own stormy histories and violent emotions. Signing.
Ann Rule, The Stranger Beside Me (Sept., Norton hc, 25.95). 20 years after it was first published, the first and best book on Ted Bundy is back, with a new postscript by the author. The popular Seattle author had a personal connection to the serial killer. Now in pb, …And Never Let Her Go (Sept., Pocket, 7.99). Signing.
Dana Stabenow, Nothing Gold Can Stay (Oct., Dutton hc, 23.95). 3rd adventure for Alaska State Trooper Liam Campbell, from the Edgar-award-winning author of the Kate Shugak series. The investigation of a robbery gone bad becomes increasingly strange after more murders occur and a chilling pattern begins to emerge. In pb, So Sure of Death (Sept., Signet, 6.99). Signing.
Kate Wilhelm, The Deepest Water (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Abby Connors' father, a sucessful novelist, is found murdered in his remote lakefront house. As she deals with the trauma of his death, she is guided by his last novel—does it reveal his own murderer? Eugene,Oregon, author.
L. R. Wright, Kidnap (Sept., Canadian ed., price estimated at 25.00). Staff Sgt. Karl Alberg has retired, and in this book Sgt. Edwina Henderson debuts with a puzzling case involving the kidnapping a five-year-old girl in broad daylight. Set on B. C.'s Sunshine Coast. Signed copies available.
Now in Paperback
James H. Cobb, Sea Fighter (Nov., Jove, 6.99).
Michael Dibdin, Cabal (Sept., Vintage, 12.00). 3rd Zen, finally back in US print.
Robert Ferrigno, Heartbreaker (Nov., Warner, 7.50).
Larry Karp, The Music Box Murders (Nov., World Wide, 5.99).
Jayne Ann Krentz, Soft Focus (Oct., Jove, 7.50).
Frank Smith, Candles for the Dead (Oct., Worldwide, 5.99).
Nicholas van Pelt (aka Richard Hoyt), The Mongoose Man (Oct., St. Martin's, 6.99).
New Northwest books coming this winter from:
Mary Daheim in Jan.
G. M. Ford in Feb.
Richard Hoyt in Dec.
J. A. Jance in March—a new Beaumont
Steve Martini in Jan.
John Straley in Jan.
B Jo Farley (Bill’s wife) recommends A Smile on the Face of the Tiger, by Loren D. Estleman ("Amos Walker follows a contemporary case going back to the heyday of pulp fiction in the '40’s"); Hot Six, by Janet Evanovich ("Grandma complicates Stephanie’s life by moving in with her"); and Deadly Decisions by Kathy Reichs ("Forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is led from cold Montreal to balmy North Carolina in a case involving motorcyclists").
Bill recommends the latest books by two of his favorite authors: Jon A. Jackson’s La Donna Detroit, and Doug Swanson’s House of Corrections. "Jackson’s Detroit/Montana series is back in Detroit, while Swanson’s Jack Flippo travels from Dallas to Galveston. Both still in the upper echelons of excellence."
Some Other New Fall Releases
Kenneth Abel, Cold Steel Rain (Sept., Putnam hc, 24.95). Danny Chaisson, a young prosecutor in New Orleans, is reduced to being a political gofer at the bidding of the powers that be. Soon, he realizes that he’s being used for something else and runs to escape being set up. By the author of the well-received debut Bait. JB recommends this author.
Susan Wittig Albert, Mistletoe Man (Oct., Berkley hc, 21.95). 9th in the down-home series with herbalist China Bayles. In pb, Lavender Lies (Oct., Berkley, 6.50).
Bruce Alexander, The Color of Death (Nov., Putnam hc, 24.95). 7th Sir John Fielding. In pb, Death of a Colonial (Oct., Berkley, 6.50). Signing.
Sarah Andrews, An Eye for Gold (Sept., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Forensic geologist Em Hansen investigates a shady gold-mining operation in her 6th adventure. In pb, Bone Hunter (Sept., St. Martin's, 6.50).
Reed Arvin, The Will (Nov., Scribner's hc, 25.00). A young Chicago attorney is called to his small Kansas hometown when his client, the richest man in town, leaves his fortune to the town derelict. Bill recommends.
Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil (Oct., Viking hc, 22.95). Lori’s twins are driving her nuts and she jumps at the chance to evaluate a book collection in Northumberland. In pb, Aunt Dimity’s Christmas (Oct., Penguin, 5.99). Signing? Karen recommends this series.
Marian Babson, To Catch a Cat (Nov., St. Martin's hc, 21.95). "A delightful mix of comedy, murder and cats."
Jo Bannister, Changelings (Nov., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). 7th in series with the Castlemere detective team, faced with a threat to contaminate the town's water.
Richard Barth, Jumper (Sept., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). A series of roller coaster "accidents" may be connected.
Nancy Bartholomew, Film Strip ((Nov., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). 3rd appearance for Florida exotic dancer and amateur sleuth Sierra Lavotini, who reluctantly aids the police in a case involving the murder of a porn star.
Carol Lea Benjamin, The Wrong Dog (Oct., Walker hc, 23.95). The death of a disabled woman whose service dog may have been cloned leads Rachel and Dash into a case. Karen recommends.
Laurien Berenson, Unleashed (Sept., Kensington hc, 20.00). 7th canine romp with Melanie Travis.
Ruth Birmingham, Sweet Georgia (Sept., Berkley pbo, 5.99). 3rd with Atlanta PI Sunny Childs. The second book in the series, Fulton County Blues, won the 1999 Edgar for Best Paperback Original. Pseudonym of Walter Sorrells.
Cara Black, Murder in Belleville(Oct., Soho hc, 23.00). 2nd Parisian mystery with Aimée Leduc, a French-American detective. Now available in tp, Murder in the Marais (12.00), Aimée’s debut. B Jo recommends.
Lawrence Block, Hit List(Oct., Morrow hc, 25.00). Appearing in his first full-length novel, assassin Keller discovers that someone has put a contract out on him. By the Grandmaster of Mystery. Signing.
Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Weeds the Plot (Nov., Berkley pbo, 5.99). 13th in the Mrs. Jeffries series.
Jan Burke, Flight (Sept., Simon & Schuster hc, 23.00.) Irene Kelly's husband Det. Frank Harriman is called to the site of a small plane crash. The plane belonged to a cop who went missing a decade ago, along with the evidence that would have convicted the murderer of the police commissioner. Latest from the Edgar-Winning Author. Signing.
Caleb Carr, Killing Time (Sept., Random House hc, 25.95). A new mystery from the author of The Alienist. In 2023, expert criminologist Dr. Gideon Wolfe is handed a disk by the widow of a special effects wizard. It shows scenes of the 2018 assassination of the female U. S. president that differ from what was released to the public. Signing?
Agatha Christie, adapted by Charles Osborne, Spider's Web (Nov., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Another rendering of The Dame's plays into novel format. By the perpetrator of Black Coffee and The Unexpected Guest (pbs, 6.99).
Joyce Christmas, A Better Class of Murder (Nov., Ballantine pbo, 6.50). Lady Priam and Betty Trenka join forces.
Margaret Coel, The Spirit Woman (Sept., Berkley hc, 21.95). The disappearance of an historian leads Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Jesuit Father John O'Malley into an older mystery: a history professor who went missing 20 years before, and a trail that may lead further back…to Sacajawea. 6th in series set in Wind River Reservation, Wyoming. Signing. Karen recommends.
Beverly Connor, Airtight Case (Oct., Cumberland House hc, 20.95). 5th with forensic anthropologist Lindsay Chamberlain. After being assaulted and left for dead, Lindsay busies herself at a dig in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, hoping to forget the trauma. Soon, however, dissention arises among the crew and the site director is accused of murder. Karen recommends this series.
Patricia Cornwell, The Last Precinct (Nov., Putnam hc, 26.95). Latest Scarpetta, postponed from July.
Richard E. Crabbe, Suspension (Nov., St. Martin's hc, 27.95). Debut historical in the tradition of The Alienist. The completion of the Great East River bridge in New York is threatened by a group of die-hard Confederates, still bitter after the Civil War.
Jeanne M. Dams, Killing Cassidy (Nov., Walker hc, 23.95). Dorothy Martin returns home to Indiana to claim an inheritance from a 96-year-old man who warned her that he would be murdered.
S. V. Date, Smokeout (Nov., Putnam hc, 23.95). A tobacco bill in the Florida legislature unleashes skulduggery, mayhem, heroism, love and laughs. Tammy recommends.
Lindsey Davis, One Virgin too Many (Nov., Mysterious Press hc, 23.95). 1st century Roman sleuth Marcus Didius Falco is drawn into the case of a Roman cult member who is murdered, although he would really rather relax with his family and enjoy his new role as Procurator of Poultry for the Senate and People of Rome, an honor bestowed on him by Emperor Vespasian for services rendered in his last adventure. In pb, Two for the Lions (Nov., Warner, 6.99).
Dianne Day, Beacon Street Mourning (Sept., Doubleday hc, 22.95). 6th adventure in turn-of-the-century San Francisco for Fremont Jones, owner of a typewriting business. Fremont travels cross-country to her hometown of Boston, where her father lies gravely ill. She is accompanied by her detective lover, Michael Kossoff—and a good thing, since she suspects her step-mother is poisoning her father. A Macavity award-winning series. B Jo recommends.
Terence Faherty, Raise the Devil (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). It's 1962, and Hollywood security agent Scott Elliot travels to Las Vegas to rescue a starlet who has fallen in with a minor gangster—who then dies in a plane crash.
Vince Flynn, The Third Option (Nov., Pocket hc, 25.95). As the CIA’s best counter-terrorism operative, Mitch Rapp is aiming to take out the man who sold the sensitive equipment used on a White House attack. But dark forces in DC are out to stop him. Susan recommends this author.
Dick Francis, Shattered (Oct., Putnam hc, 25.95). Do you really care what the plot is? In pb, Second Wind (Oct., Jove, 6.99).
Kinky Friedman, The Mile High Club (Sept., Simon & Schuster hc, 23.00). On a flight from Dallas to NYC, a PI meets a mysterious woman who asks him to watch her bright pink cosmetic case. When she disappears, he - of course - must track her down. In pb, Spanking Watson (Sept, Pocket, 12.95). Tammy recommends.
Dale Furutani, Kill the Shogun (Sept., Morrow hc, 23.00). Third in the 17th Century Japanese mystery series.
John Gardner, Day of Absolution (Sept., Scribner hc, 26.00). Charlie Gauntlet has retired from a long career in espionage. His young bride is a cop who works on counter-terrorism. As she heads to Ireland on a lead, an infamous British traitor visits Charlie, with ancient scrolls. The scrolls could shake the foundations of Christianity if they are legitimate.
Tess Gerritsen, Under the Knife (Oct., Mira pbo, 5.99). After a routine operation leaves a patient dead, Dr. Kate Chesne is accused of malpractice. The patient was a nurse at the hospital, and the death of another hospital worker adds complications to the case. In pb,Gravity (Oct., Pocket, 7.99).
John Gilstrap, Even Steven (Sept., Pocket hc, 24.95). New suspense novel by the author of Nathan's Run and At All Costs. Bobby and Susan Martin are on a camping trip when they encounter a frightened young boy and a suspicious man who claims to be his father. Events soon spiral out of control in this fast-paced tale of kidnapping, murder and love. Signing.
Leslie Glass, Tracking Time (Oct., Dutton hc, 23.95). Det. Sgt. April Woo works on a strange case: a young doctor disappears and the tracking dogs find only the body of the sole witness to the crime.
Chistine Goff, A Rant of Ravens (Oct., Berkley pbo, 5.99). Debut of a Colorado bird-watching mystery series.
Alan Gordon, Jester Leaps In (Nov., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Second medieval adventure with jester Theophilos of the Guild of Fools, who is sent to Byzantium on a dangerous mission. The debut, Thirteenth Night, is available in pb (Nov., St. Martin's, 5.99).
Jean Hager, Bride and Doom (Nov., Avon pbo, 5.99). During Tess Darcy’s bridal shower, the country club’s despised chef is filleted with his own knife and the Iris House’s cook is the prime suspect.
Parnell Hall, Last Puzzle & Testament (Sept., Bantam hc, 23.95). 2nd crossword puzzler with amateur sleuth Cora Felton. Now in pb, A Clue for the Puzzle Lady (Bantam, 5.99).
Lauren Haney, A Curse of Silence (Oct., Avon pbo, 5.99). 4th with Lt. Bak of ancient Egypt.
Carolyn Hart, Sugarplum Dead (Nov., Morrow hc, 24.00). Annie and Max Darling are looking forward to a quiet Christmas, but the holidays become complicated and deadly. In pb, White Elephant Dead (Sept., Avon, 6.50).
Ellen Hart, Slice and Dice (Sept., Fawcett pbo, 6.50). Latest with food critic Sophie Greenway.
Vicki Hendricks, Voluntary Madness (Nov., Serpent's Tail hc, 23.00). With a small inheritance, Punch and Juliette head to the Keys where Punch intends to write the great novel and Juliette will be his muse and, as Summer ends, they'll kill themselves. One last season of obsessive love and crime before…Author is a staff favorite.
Lynn Hightower, The Debt Collector (Oct., Delacorte hc, 23.95). Cincinnati Homicide Detective Sonora Blair knows that the mass murder of an entire family will be a hard case, but she has no idea that, between the bizarre evidence and the horrific nature of the crime, she’ll be forced to her own edge. 4th in series by the Shamus award-winning author. Karen recommends.
Kay Hooper, Three stand-alone thrillers by the best-selling writer: Stealing Shadows (Sept., Bantam pbo, 6.50), Hiding in the Shadows (Oct., Bantam pbo, 6.50) and Out of the Shadows (Nov., Bantam pbo, 6.50).
Roy Hoopes, Our Man in Washington (Sept., Forge hc, 24.95). In 1920s DC, James M. Cain and H.L. Mencken investigate corruption and murder. A novel by the Edgar-winning biographer of Cain.
Victoria Houston, Dead Creek (Nov., Berkley pbo, 5.99). 2nd in the fishing mystery series set in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Doc Osbourne catches more than he wanted and Chief Lew Ferris has to get him out of it.
Mary Howard, Discovering the Body (Sept., Morrow hc, 24.00). When Linda Garbo moved to Iowa, the friend who got her to move was killed and Linda was the only witness who could put away the killer. Two years later, married to Linda’s boyfriend and living in that house, she thinks someone is following her, and goes to see the killer, hoping for answers. When she sees him, she realizes that she might’ve been wrong two years ago… Debut mystery.
Greg Iles, 24 Hours (Aug., Putnam hc, 24.95) A perfect family in Jackson, MS, is about to be trapped by a brilliant psychopath who is certain he’s plotted the perfect crime. Favorite author of Susan and Karen.
Bill James, In Good Hands (Nov., Norton hc, 22.95). Harpur is caught in the middle as Iles is suspected in the deaths of two drug dealers. 11th in series. In pb, Eton Crop (Nov., Norton, 7.95).
Dolores Johnson, Homicide and Old Lace (Sept., Dell pbo, 5.99). 5th with Colorado dry cleaner Mandy Dyer.
Michael A. Kahn, Bearing Witness (Sept., Forge hc, 23.95). St. Louis attorney Rachel Gold's 6th case.
Stuart M. Kaminsky, Fall of a Cosmonaut (Sept., Mysterious Press hc, 24.95). One cosmonaut from Mir has gone missing and others are found dead, a film maker is being threatened over his movie about Tolstoy, a scientist has been murdered while researching psychics – and Insp. Rostnikov must find the connection. Also, a new Lieberman novel is coming in December.
Dave Klein, Kilos in the Keys (Sept., Forge hc, 23.95). Reporter Ed Buck and NYPD Det. Gerry Keegan are taking a needed vacation in the Florida Keys when a bar fight leads to a vendetta. Klein is a noted sports journalist.
Joe R. Lansdale, The Bottoms (Sept., Myterious Press hc, 24.95). Deep in East Texas, in the depth of the Depression, young Harry Crane finds a body in the river bottoms. As fear and racial tensions grip the area, Harry believes the killer to be the Goat Man, a monster of Texas legend, a figure he thinks he saw. Tammy calls it the best "bogeyman" story she's ever read. In pb, Freezer Burn (Sept., Warner, 6.99). Tammy & JB recommend.
Michael Leahey, Broken Machines (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). J. J. Donovan and Dr. Boris Koulomzin are private business consultants. They help businesses get out of trouble. When a social worker friend asks them to help a child whose mother was murdered, they get over their heads looking into murders, corruption and baseball bats. Donovan does the legwork and narrates, while Boris avoids the sun and cogitates the clues. Updated and hardboiled neo-Wolfe. JB recommends this debut mystery.
Elmore Leonard, Pagan Babies (Sept., Dell hc, 24.95).
Father Terry Dunn survives the terror in Rwanda, comes back to Detroit, and meets Debbie Dewey, an ex-con stand-up comic. They are alike – they share a similar sense of humor and both are out to raise money. But their goals and aims get crossed and they soon set their sights on a higher pay-off. Bill recommends highly. And, The Hunted (Nov., Dell, 7.50), originally published in ’77 will be reissued. Al Rosen has been hiding out in Israel since he testified against some mobsters, and now they’ve found him.
Laura Lippman, Sugar House (Sept., Morrow hc, 24.00). 5th Tess Monaghan, but the first in hardcover, in this much-nominated-and-awarded series. Signing.
Mary Logue, Dark Coulee (Oct., Walker hc, 23.95). Sequel to Blood Country, with ex-cop Claire Watkins adjusting to life in WI. Tammy highly recommended Blood Country.
Peter Lovesey, The Vault (Sept., Soho hc, 23.00). Bath’s D.S. Peter Diamond is called on when parts of a skeleton are found at the baths. Diamond’s knowledge of history, 19th C. art and human nature come into play. B Jo recommends. Soho also reissues the lauded debut, The Last Detective (13.00)
Robert Ludlum, The Prometheus Deception (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 27.95). The master of international intrigue returns with a twisty tale: covert agent Nicholas Bryson learns the secret intelligence agency he worked for was not what it seemed—and now he must stop them.
Marianne Macdonald, Road Kill (Sept., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). 4th adventure for London antiquarian bookseller Dido Hoare, who answers a late night appeal for help from her friend Phyllis and finds a puzzling case where nobody is what he or she seems.
Valerie S. Malmont, Death, Snow and Mistletoe (Nov., Dell pbo, 5.99). 4th with feline-loving sleuth Tori Miracle.
Archer Mayor, The Marble Mask (Oct., Mysterious Press hc, 23.95). The discovery of the 50-year-old frozen body of a Canadian smuggler leads Joe Gunther into the case of a missing Michelangelo work. 11th in series with the Brattleboro, Vermont, homicide detective. In pb, Occam’s Razor (Oct., Warner, 6.99). Signing.
Sharyn McCrumb, The PMS Outlaws (Sept., Ballantine hc, 24.00). Depressed after the disappearance of her husband, Virginia forensic anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson is a patient in a psychiatric hospital. A chance remark gets her back into investigating and returns her spirits. An Agatha-award-winning series. And coming in January, The Songcatcher, a new hc in the critically acclaimed and multiple-award-winning Appalachian "Ballad" series.
Val McDermid, A Place of Execution (Sept., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Insp. George Bennett investigates when thirteen year-old Alison Carter disappears on a freezing winter day in 1963. Years later, he recounts the tale to author Catherine Heathcote, but just as their book is about to be published he tries to cancel it—and Catherine must investigate the past to discover the truth. Karen recommends. Signing.
Leslie Meier, Turkey Day Murder (Oct., Kensington hc, 20.00). 6th Lucy Stone, small town sleuth from Tinker’s Cove, Maine.
Marlys Millhiser, Killer Commute (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). 6th with Charlie Greene, quirky Long Beach literary agent.
Miriam Grace Monfredo, Sisters of Cain (Sept., Berkley hc, 21.95). 7th in the popular Seneca Falls historical series. Washington, D. C. in 1862 finds Bronwen an undercover agent for the Treasury Deptment and Kathryn a nurse in the Union Army. Their involvement in the war effort leads to a baffling mystery that may endanger the Union and themselves.
Claire Munnings, Overnight Float (Sept., Norton hc, 23.95). Yale Divinity student Rosemary Stubbs is a woman with a past: she's been the Chief Financial Officer of a major company, and she's lost her husband in a tragic drowning accident. When she accepts the challenge of becoming Chaplain at a small Eastern liberal arts college, she finds herself at the center of another tragic death by drowning—and this one is no accident. Debut novel by two women, one of whom is Jill Ker Conway. Sandy recommends.
Tamar Myers, A Penny Urned (Sept., Avon pbo, 6.50). 7th Den of Antiquity mystery, in which a rare coin and a collector’s death lead antiques dealer Abigail Timberlake to Savannah, GA.
Julie Myerson, Laura Blundy (Oct., Riverhead hc, 22.95). Obsessive love and crimes of passion in Victorian London.
William J. Palmer, The Dons and Mr. Dickens (Nov., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Fourth historical mystery with Charles Dickens investigating crimes of his day in the company of the famous. In this one, subtitled "The Strange Case of the Oxford Christmas Plot," he travels to Oxford with Wilkie Collins and Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) to investigate the murder of a history don.
Robert B. Parker, Perish Twice (Sept., Putnam hc, 23.95) PI Sunny Randall juggles three multilayered cases. Signed from the publisher? In pb, Family Honor (Nov., Berkley, 7.50)
Owen Parry, Shadows of Glory (Sept., Morrow hc, 24.00). As the Winter of 1862 descends on Upper New York State, Abel Jones is sent to investigate rumors of an Irish uprising. Author’s first book, Faded Coat of Blue, was a Staff Favorite, and Karen says this one is even better than the first.
James Patterson, Roses Are Red (Nov., Little, Brown hc 26.95). Washington, D. C. Homicide Detective Alex Cross tracks a cunning and violent bank robber who calls himself the Mastermind—and who seeks personal revenge on Cross and his entire team. Edgar Award-winning author. In pb, Pop Goes the Weasel (Oct., Warner, 7.99).
T. R. Pearson, Blue Ridge, (Oct., Viking hc, 24.95).
This beautifully written novel has two story lines. In small-town Virginia, the new deputy sheriff Ray Tatum has to identify a skeleton found on the Appalachian Trail. His cousin, Paul, is summoned to New York to claim the remains of a son he never knew. Alternating between the country and city, both men finally have to come to terms with their histories. Tammy recommends.
Joanne Pence, To Catch a Cook (Nov., Avon pbo, 5.99). 8th culinary mystery in a deadly stew of family secrets, missing gems and murder.
Anne Perry, Slaves of Obsession (Oct., Ballantine hc, 25.00). William and Hester Monk travel to the US, where the Civil War has just erupted, to follow the clues from a London crime. In pb, The Twisted Root (Sept., Ballantine, 6.99), also in the Monk series.
Gary Phillips, High Hand (Nov., Kensington hc, 22.00). Ex-showgirl Martha Chainey is a courier for the Las Vegas mob. On the job for Frankie Degault, she’s ambushed by a team of shooters and $7 mil of Frankie’s money is gone. Frankie tells her to either get it back or pick out her coffin.
Ian Rankin, Set in Darkness (Nov., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Inspector Rebus deals with a series of crimes on the eve of the first Scottish parliament in 300 years: a long-dead body is found in the fireplace at Queensbury House, the home of Scotland's new rulers; a homeless man jumps off a bridge, leaving a suitcase of money; and a politician is found murdered. An award-winning series, eminently worthy. In pb, The Black Book (Oct., St. Martin's, 6.50).
J. D. Robb, Judgement in Death (Sept., Berkley pbo, 7.50). 11th with NYC Det. Eve Dallas. Author best known as Nora Roberts.
Peter Robinson, Cold Is the Grave (Oct., Morrow hc, 24.00). The man who has been out to destroy Insp. Banks’ career now needs his help, as a photo of Chief Constable Riddle’s missing daughter turns up on an internet porn site. B Jo recommends.
John Sanford, The Devil’s Code (Oct., Putnam hc, 25.95). Computer whiz and con-man Kidd returns after a nine year absence, with his third adventure after The Fool’s Run and The Empress File. Signed copies from publisher?
Steven Saylor, Last Seen in Massilia (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Gordianus seeks his missing son as the Roman Civil War rages in 49 B.C. 8th in series. In pb, Rubicon (Sept., St. Martin's, 6.50)
Richard Stark (aka Donald E. Westlake), Flashfire (Nov., Mysterious Press hc, 22.95). Parker’s cut from a Midwest bank heist is kept by Melander, who wants to use the dough to set up a jewel heist in Florida. Parker isn’t wild about it and has plans of his own for the jewel job.
Boris Starling, Storm (Nov., Signet pbo, 6.99). Red Metcalfe returns in a second case of fury and insanity, as this UK cop tracks another serial killer. Susan and JB highly recommend his first book, Messiah.
Mike Stewart, Dog Island (Oct., Putnam hc, 23.95). Florida lawyer Tom McInnes walks into a hornet’s nest when he makes a phone call to the sheriff’s office to help a friend. His office is ransacked and the friend’s house is besieged by cops.
Howard Swindle, Doin' Dirty (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Dallas Det. Jeb Quinlin returns from his debut in Jitter Joint (available in pb, 5.99) to take on the case of a gruesomely murdered reporter who had been following leads in a drug-smuggling case.
William G. Tapply, Scar Tissue (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Boston attorney Brady Coyne's 17th case: a client's teenage son and his girlfriend die in a traffic car accident. B Jo recommends. In pb, Omnibus: Snake Eater, Seventh Enemy, Close to the Bone (Oct., Griffin, 17.95), which collects 3 or the most recent Brady Coynes in pb for the first time.
Chad Taylor, Shirker (Sept., Walker hc, 23.95). A hallucinatory and oblique crime novel from New Zealand, as Ellerslie Penrose becomes ensnarled in the death of a manuscript broker. JB recommends.
Kathleen Taylor, Cold Front (Oct., Avon pbo, 5.99). 4th with North Dakota waitress Tory Bauer, as she looks into the death of a luckless lothario on New Year’s Eve. Comic series recommended by Bill and Tammy.
Charles Todd, Legacy of the Dead (Oct., Bantam hc, 24.95). Fourth in the historical series set in post W.W. I Britain. The shell-shocked Inspector Ian Rutledge continues to be haunted by the voice of slain fellow soldier Hamish. Now, Hamish's widow becomes the prime suspect in a baffling case. The debut novel in the series, A Test of Wills, was an Edgar-nominee and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
Peter Tremayne, The Spider’s Web (Oct., Signet pbo, 5.99). 5th in the medieval Irish series with Sister Fidelma, published for the first time in US paperback.
Bob Truluck, Street Level (Sept., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Winner of the 1999 St. Martin's/PWA Contest. PI Duncan is hired to find a baby that isn't born yet. His search takes him through the grimier parts of Orlando, FL, where he finds the relatives of the mother-to-be murdered in a trailer park. JB recommends this classically hardboiled debut.
Andrew Vachss, Dead and Gone (Sept., Knopf hc, 25.00). Unlicensed private eye and outlaw soldier-of-fortune Burke is wounded in the exchange of ransom for a kidnapped child. Escaping from the hospital, his appearance has changed drastically – and so has he. Author now lives in the Pacific Northwest. Signing.
Barbara Vine, Grasshopper (Oct., Crown hc, 24.00). Psychological suspense from multiple award-winning author Ruth Rendell.. Clodagh Brown has loved to climb things her entire life, from trees to electrical pylons, to the rooftops of London. Though this life-long obsession has granted heady freedom, it once charged a heavy toll.
Noreen Wald, Death Never Takes a Holiday (Nov., Berkley pbo, 5.99). 3rd with ghostwriter Jake O’Hara. During a Crime Writers Conference on St. Patrick’s Day, two writers are done in by the green beer.
Lucy Waldman, Lost (Oct., Carroll & Graf hc, 24.95). Widowed Alice Aron returns with her son to the small, Mediterranean island of her husband’s birth. She knows that it is a morally desolate rock, but has no idea that soon she and her son will become caught up in the treacherous factions vying for control. Debut novel.
Paul Watkins, The Forger (Nov., St. Martin's hc, 25.00). It is 1939, and young American artist David Halifax goes to Paris to study painting. But as he begins to live his dream in the fabled city, the Germans invade, and he becomes involved in a desperate scheme to save the art treasures of Paris from Hitler's "dealers." Karen recommends.
Christopher West, The Third Messiah (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). 4th in series set in modern Beijing. Det. Wang investigates a cult, and finds his sister-in-law has an involvement with the group.
Barbara Wilson, The Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists (Oct., Seal tpo, 12.95). Cassandra Reilly is called to Venice to help a famous and flamboyant bassoonist who has been accused of stealing a priceless heirloom during a concert rehearsal.
Laura Wilson, A Little Death (Oct., Bantam pbo, 5.99). Acclaimed in the UK, this tells the tale of three bodies found in London in ’55. One of them belongs to the former social beauty Georgiana Gresham who was herself the prime suspect in her husband’s murder in the 1920s. The answer to all may go as far back as the 1890s.
Robert Wilson, A Small Death in Lisbon (Oct., Harcourt hc, 25.00). The murder of a young girl leads Insp. Ze Coelho to Spain’s fascist past as he overturns the dark soil of crimes and tragedy. Winner of the UK's Golden Dagger for Best Crime Novel.
Valerie Wolzien, Death at a Discount (Nov., Ballantine pbo, 6.50). Latest Susan Henshaw.
Stuart Woods, L.A. Dead (Oct., Putnam hc, 24.95). Latest Stone Barrington, the cop turned lawyer, is about to marry the daughter of a New York mafioso when he receives a desperate call for help from a former lover, now accused of the murder of her film star husband.
Eric Wright, The Kidnapping of Rosie Dawn (Aug., Perseverance tpo, 12.95). Joe Barley, a Toronto English teacher and sometime PI, is looking for an exotic dancer who is the mistress of a fast-food mogul, in a witty and intelligent tale by the author of the acclaimed Charlie Salter books.
Lilian Jackson Braun in Jan.
Michael Connelly in Jan., Bosch AND Terry McCaleb in one book
Harold Adams, Lead, So I Can Follow (Nov., Walker, 8.95).
Conrad Allen, Murder on the Lusitania (Oct., St. Martin's, 5.99).
David Baldacci, Saving Faith (Sept., Warner, 7.99).
Tim Binding, Lying with the Enemy (Nov., Carroll & Graf, 12.95).
Michelle Blake, The Tentmaker (Sept., Berkley, 5.99).
Simon Brett, Mrs. Pargeter’s Point of Honour (Sept., World Wide, 5.99).
Edna Buchanan, Garden of Evil (Oct., Avon, 6.99).
Jill Churchill, A Groom with a View (Nov., Avon, 6.50).
Tom Corcoran, Gumbo Limbo (Nov., St. Martin's, 5.99). Tammy recommends.
Elizabeth M. Cosin, Zen and the City of Angels (Oct., St. Martin's, 5.99).
Nelson DeMille, The Lion’s Game (Nov., Warner, 7.99).
Linda Fairstein, Cold Hit (Oct., Pocket, 7.99).
Michael Frayn, Headlong (Sept., Picador, 14.00). Karen recommends.
Margaret Frazer, The Reeve’s Tale (Sept., Berkley, 6.50).
Sara Hoskinson Frommer, The Vanishing Violinist (Sept., World Wide, 5.99).
Elizabeth George, In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner (Oct., Bantam, 7.50 ).
Ann Granger, Call the Dead Again (Sept., Avon, 5.99). Favorite series of Sandy's.
Martha Grimes, The Lamorna Wink (Sept., Signet, 6.99). Jury.
Mo Hayder, Birdman (Oct., Dell, 6.99). JB & Tammy recommend.
Jack Higgins, Day of Judgement (Oct., Berkley, 7.50).
Reginald Hill, Arms and the Women (Oct., Dell, 6.50). Karen highly recommends.
Jonathan Kellerman, Monster (Sept., Ballantine, 7.99).
Jonathan Lethem, Motherless Brooklyn (Nov., Vintage, 13.00). National Book Critics Circle Award Winner.
Jill McGown, Plots and Errors (Sept., Fawcett 6.99). Favorite series of Sandy’s.
Walter Mosley, Walkin' the Dog (Oct., Back Bay, 13.95). 2nd Socrates.
Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Cat to the Dogs (Oct., Avon, 6.50).
Charles Palliser, The Unburied (Nov., Washington Square, 13.95).
Sara Paretsky, Hard Time (Sept., Dell, 6.99).
Iain Pears, Death and Restoration (Nov., Berkley, 6.50). Sandy and Karen recommend.
Arturo Perez-Reverte, The Fencing Master (Sept., Harcourt, 13.00).
Ruth Rendell, Harm Done (Oct., Vintage, 12.00). 18th Wexford.
James Sallis, Bluebottle (Nov., Walker, 8.95).
Jonathan Stone,The Cold Truth (Oct., St. Martin's, 6.50). All Staff recommendation.
Steve Thayer, Silent Snow(Sept., Signet, 6.99).
Daniel Woodrell, Tomato Red (Oct., Plume, 13.00). Tammy and JB recommend.
Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula, John H. Watson MD, as edited by Loren D. Estleman (Oct, iBooks, 14.00). Out of print for 20 years. Holmes is baffled by the case of a ship that is found off the English coast on which all the crew are missing and the cargo consists of 50 boxes of earth…
Quinn Fawcett, The Scottish Ploy (Oct., Forge hc, 24.95). 4th Mycroft Holmes adventure. Even as the Brotherhood is once again in chaos, Mycroft must sub for a kidnapped actor who is to play MacBeth. The 3rd in the series, The Flying Scotsman, is now out in tp (14.95).
Larry Millett, Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery (Nov., Penguin, 5.99). Now in pb.
The Quotable Sherlock Holmes, John H. Watson, ed., assisted by Gerard van der Leun (Nov., Mysterious Press tpo, 12.95). An original and “definitive” volume of sage wisdom and over 600 quotes from Baker Street.
The Cat Who…Cookbook, by Julie Murphy & Sally Abney Stempinski (Oct., Berkley hc, 21.95). Over 200 recipes inspired by the Cat Who series. Includes a special note from Ms. Braun.
The Complete Christie: An Agatha Christie Encyclopedia, by Matthew Bunson (Sept., Pocket tpo, 18.95). An illustrated reference with a biography, synopses and character lists, with information on the plays and films as well as novels. Pictures of book covers, diagrams and maps.
Jeffery Deaver writing as William Jeffries, Shallow Graves (Sept., Pocket, 6.99). Out of print since ’95, the first in the “Location Scout” series. A Hollywood film scout travels to upstate New York and becomes involved with murder.
G" Is for Grafton: The World of Kinsey Millhone, by Natalie Hevener Kaufman and Carol McGinnis Kay (Sept., Holt tp, 15.00). The Edgar Award-winning biography of Sue Grafton's famous sleuth, now in trade paperback, and updated through "O" Is for Outlaw.
Edward Gorey, The Iron Tonic, or A Winter Afternoon in Lonely Valley (Oct., Harcourt hc, 10.00). The final, original work by the great illustrator.
Chester Himes: A Life, by James Sallis (Nov., Walker hc, 28.00). A powerful biography of a complex and influential African American crime author from a long-time student of Himes’ life and work.
The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Sourcebook, by Stuart Evans (Dec., Carroll & Graf hc, 35.00). A comprehensive volume compiled from Scotland Yard archives, newspapers and witnesses, with illustrations.
Eliot Ness: the Real Story, by Paul W. Heimel (Sept., Cumberland, 14.95). Revised and expanded edition, including interviews with people who knew Ness and using Ness’s own scrapbook, this tells the real, unvarnished story of the Untouchable.
Elizabeth Peters, Borrower of the Night (Sept., Avon, 6.99). First of the Vicky Bliss, art historian, series. Originally published in 1973, it has been out of print for a number of years. And Silhouette in Scarlet (Nov., Avon, 6.99), the 3rd Vicki Bliss.
Creatures of Darkness: Raymond Chandler, Detective Fiction and Film Noir, by Gene D. Phillips (Oct., Univ. of Kentucky Press hc, 27.50). The first major bio-critical work on Chandler in 20 years. A study of the film works of Chandler and how his work was used for film, as well as a look at Chandler’s unpublished screenplay for Lady in the Lake.
Crime Scenes: Movie Poster Art of the Film Noir, by Lawrence Bassoff (Sept., SCB tpo, 35.00). Full color pages (168) of noir classics.
Death on the Cheap: the Lost B Movies of Film Noir, by Arthur Lyons (Nov., De Capo tpo, 17.50). Mystery author Lyons gives us a book filled with movie stills, a filmography and video sources.
Selected Letters of Dashiell Hammett, ed. by Richard Layman (Nov., Counterpoint Press hc, 30.00). His personal correspondence gives us an inside view of the great writer.
Dashiell Hammett, Nightmare Town (Sept., Vintage, 13.00). Trade paperback release of a terrific selection of Hammett’s short stories, in hardcover last year.
101 Greatest Films of Mystery and Suspense, byOtto Penzler (Nov., iBooks tpo, 14.00). The title says it.
Orange Pulp: Stories of Mayhem, Murder and Mystery, ed. by Maurice J. O'Sullivan (Nov., Univ. Press of Florida hc, 24.95). Florida crime stories by the likes of Daly, Latimer, MacDonald, Willeford, and a classic Florida crime novel long out of print: Don Tracy's The Hated One.
Midnight Louie’s Pet Detectives, ed. by Carole Nelson Douglas and Martin Greenberg (Sept., Forge, 6.99). Short stories by Braun, Block, Hager, Wheat, Pickard and Jance – to name a few.
The Shamus Game, ed. by Robert J. Randisi (Sept., Signet pbo, 6.50). Private Eye Writers of America volume with 14 original stories from the usual suspects, such as Estleman, Rozan, Pronzini, Healy, Riordan and Roberts.
Two new collections published by Carroll & Graf:
The Mammoth Book of Murder and Science, ed. by Roger Wilkes(Sept., tpo, 11.95). Famous historical cases where forensics cracked the case.
The Mammoth Book of Locked-Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes, ed. by Mike Ashley (Oct., tpo, 11.95). Twenty-nine stories from the masters – names like Block, Keating and Lovesey.
And new collections from Cumberland House:
Death Cruise, ed. by Lawrence Block, (Aug., tp, 16.95). Crime stories on the high seas by a group including Healy, Pickard, Collins, Burke and Wheat.
Opening Shots, ed. by Lawrence Block (Oct., hc, 22.95). Crime writers share their first published stories, including Collins, Harvey, Estleman, Hess, Lovesey, Paretsky, Sallis, Westlake, Walters and the editor.
Murder Most Divine, ed. by Ralph McInerny (Oct., hc, 19.95). Tales of unholy crimes by a group that includes Chesterton, Fraser, Burke, Newman, Tremayne, and the editor.
Murder Most Confederate, ed. by Martin H. Greenberg(Aug., hc, 19.95). Tales of crimes quite uncivil by a group that includes Lutz, Collins, Gorman and Rusch.
Murder Most Delectable, ed. by Martin H. Greenberg(Sept., hc, 19.95). Short stories and a recipe that fits each tale, by a group that includes D’Amato, Rendell, Pronzini, van de Wetering, and Stout.
The Sopranos 2001 Calendar (Sept., Golden Turtle Press, 12.99). A 12" by 12" wall calendar featuring the main characters of the award-winning TV program about a modern day mob family in New Jersey. "Accompanied by lively text," says the publisher's catalog.
The Quotable Mobster: 365 Day of Wisdom from Wise Guys (Sept., Golden Turtle Press, 10.99). "Leave the gun, take the cannoli." A day-by-day calendar for 2001 with quotes from great gangster movies, plus "instruction in the code and lexicon of the mob."
Mail, phone or email 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
SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP NEWS is composed and produced by JB Dickey and Sandy Goodrick. The online version is brought to you by Susan Dennis.