SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP

Fall 2007 NEWSLETTER

117 Cherry St.  Seattle, WA  98104

OPEN 10-5 Mon – Sat, 12-5 Sun

Bill Farley, Founder / JB Dickey, Owner/Tammy Domike, Manager

Fran Fuller / Janine Wilson / Gretchen Brevoort

staff@seattlemystery.com   206-587-5737   www.seattlemystery.com

cops—private eyes—courtroom--thrillers—suspense—espionage—true crime—reference

 

 

 

Editor’s Note: As if it matters to us readers, but in case it strikes you as odd – Warner as a publisher’s title no longer exists. TimeWarner Publishing Group was bought by the huge French publishing conglomerate Hachette and one of the agreements of the sale was that Warner would change its name. What books and authors were with Warner and Mysterious Press are now with Grand Central Publishing. We’ll miss Mysterious Press, an imprint devoted to the books we, and you, love. Ah well, thing’s change. There you go.

         

 

                   New from the Northwest                     

   

Donna Anders, Sketching Evil (Nov., Pocket pbo, 7.99). Her promising career in art derailed by an assault, a woman reluctantly starts working for the police when her sketch of another woman’s attacker leads to his arrest. Signing.

Anne Argula, Walla Walla Suite (Sept., Ballantine tpo, 12.95). Quinn returns, no longer a cop and now a PI in Seattle. She’s working for an attorney who specializes in trying to save the lives of criminals set to be executed. Things kinda go sideways from there – a missing secretary, a confession of one crime that could be a dodge to escape another charge, all causing Quinn to doubt everything she’s being told. Sequel to the Edgar-nominated Homicide My Own (Pleasure Boat tpo16.00). Signing.

Maureen Ash, The Alehouse Murders (Sept., Berkley pbo, 6.99). Knight Templar Bascot de Marins is home at Lincoln Castle after eight years imprisonment during the Crusades. He needs to mend his body’s health and his spiritual faith after the horrors he encountered and endured. A drunken fight at a local tavern results in a death, a death that becomes clearly a baffling murder. First in a series by a Vancouver, BC author.

Nancy Bush, Ultraviolet (Oct., Kensington hc, 19.95). Process server and PI Jane Kelly investigates the murder of a plastic surgery magnate. Third in the series.  Signing?

Chelsea Cain, Heartsick (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). For ten years, Portland cop Archie Sheridan chased a serial killer. Finally, she caught him, toying with him for ten days. Then she turned herself in. Archie can’t quit the pain pills or her, visiting her in prison weekly. A new killer is at work and a woman reporter is following his actions and a new game of cat and mouse is at play. In paper, Confessions of a Teen Sleuth (Oct., Bloomsbury, 9.95), a parody of the famed Nancy Drew. Signing.

Stella Cameron – see Holiday Books

Jayne Castle, Silver Master (Sept., Jove pbo, 7.99). aka Jayne Ann Krentz. Para-resonator Celinda Ingram, a match-maker, matches herself up with security specialist Davis Oakes, and gets involved in the hunt for a ruby red relic. Signed Copies Available.

James Cobb, The Artic Event (Sept., Grand Central tpo, 15.99). The 7th in Robert Ludlum's Covert One series finds a team of scientists traveling to a remote island off the Northwest coast of Canada. Once there, they're caught up in Soviet-era biological weapons and modern-day piracy. Signing.

Daniel Edward Craig, Murder at the Universe (Sept., Midnight

Ink tpo, 14.95). Debut mystery by a five-star Vancouver, BC, hotel director. Trevor Lambert, Director of Rooms at an elite NYC hotel, prides himself on running a smooth and calm organization. So the murder of the hotel’s owner destroys the perfect order of his life. Details of the death lead to a media circus and Trevor works to solve the case, calm the storm and restore dignity to the hotel. Signing?

Vicki Delany, In the Shadow of the Glacier (Oct., Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). Her first in a traditional mystery series. Politics and murder mix in a small British Columbia town over a proposed park to memorialize Viet Nam era draft evaders. The area's leading opponent is found dead and rookie Constable Molly Smith is detailed to investigate with DS John Winters. What adds to the media circus is Constable Smith's mother is one of the lead proponents. Signing.

Michael Dibdin, End Games (Sept., Pantheon hc, 23.95). In Calabria, Aurelio Zen must sift through a strange mix of events and characters: a member of a foreign film crew vanishes, a violent murder occurs and strangers from around the world arrive amidst the rumors of buried treasure. Sadly, Dibdin’s and Zen’s final book. 

Carola Dunn, The Bloody Tower (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Getting back to journalism after the birth of her twins, Daisy is hired to write a piece on the Tower of London for an American magazine. While spending the night there under lock and key, someone is murdered. Signing. In paper, Gunpowder Plot (Nov., Kensington, 6.99).

Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain, Murder She Wrote: Panning For Murder (Oct., Obsidian hc, 19.95). The beloved mystery writer heads to Alaska, taking a vacation cruise, to help a friend search for information on a relative who may have left a treasure from the Gold Rush era. On her way, she makes a stop to do a signing at a certain mystery specialty bookshop in Seattle! Signing?

John MacLachlan Gray, Not Quite Dead (Nov., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95).  In 1849, in order to escape threats from the Irish Mob, Edgar Allan Poe fakes his own death. On a book tour along the East Coast, Charles Darwin is not getting a warm reception. In a twist of fate, they become one another’s roommates, and events press them to work together. Signing?

Gabriella Herkert, Catnapped (Sept., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). Debut by a local author. Sara Townley is a legal investigator whose life is a mess: she’s just married a Navy SEAL she barely knows in a Vegas chapel and she’s supposed to look for a missing cat which is set to inherit a few million dollars. And then there is the added problem of the dead body. Signing.

Kate Kingsbury – see Holiday Books.

Martin Limón, The Wandering Ghost (Nov., Soho hc, 24.00). George and Ernie travel to the DMZ when the only female MP assigned to the area vanishes. No one knows whether it is a political or criminal matter but their investigation will delve into it all – including the death of a young Korean schoolgirl run down by a speeding US truck and whose ghost is said to walk the roads. Signing. Bill recommends.

Cricket McRae, Lye in Wait (Oct., Midnight Ink tpo, 12.95). Sophie Mae Reynolds makes beauty products at home and business is good – until the neighborhood fix-it man is found dead in her workshop. The cops don’t suspect her but she’s not happy about it. Debut by a Seattle-area writer. Signing.

Rick Mofina, A Perfect Grave (Sept., Kensington pbo, 6.99). 3rd with Seattle reporter Jason Wade. A respected local nun has been murdered and a search for clues leads to secrets from her past.

Sharon Rowse, The Silk Train Murder (Nov., Carroll & Graf hc, 24.99). Set in the 1890s Yukon when silk from the Orient bound for the East Coast is more valuable than gold. Two gold seekers take paying jobs as railroad guards. Within days, they’re up to their vests in murder, smuggling, brothels, blackmail and betrayal. First in a new series from a British Columbia writer. Signing?

L.J. Sellers, The Sex Club (Oct., Spellbinder Press pbo, 8.50). In Eugene, OR a birth control clinic is bombed. One of its clients is later found dead, but had told a nurse about a teenage sex group. Prohibited by confidentiality, she must tread carefully when trying to help Det. Jackson investigate.

E. C. Sheedy, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (Oct., Brava tpo, 14.00). A Vegas showgirl discovers that a serial killer is after her. Vancouver, BC author.

Kate  Wilhelm, A Wrongful Death (Sept., Mira hc, 24.95). On the Oregon Coast, Barbara Holloway goes to the aid of a young boy and his mother who had been severely beaten. She returns with the authorities after going for help and finds them gone. The incident gets stranger when she’s accused by the boy’s wealthy family of participating in his disappearance. 10th in one of Fran’s favorite series.

 

          Now in Paperback

Nancy Bush, Electric Blue (Sept., Kensington, 6.99).

Michael Collins, Death of a Writer (Sept., Bloomsbury, 14.95).

Ashna Graves, Death Pans Out (Sept., Poisoned Pen, 14.95).

J.A. Jance, Web of Evil (Nov., Pocket, 7.99).

Erik Larson, Thunderstruck (Sept., Three Rivers, 14.95).

Ann Rule, Too Late to Say Goodbye (Nov., Pocket, 7.99).

 

          Mysterious Youth

Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry, Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (Oct., Disney hc, 18.99). Finale of the trilogy finds Peter and Molly in the treacherous land of Rundoon.

 

          Special Interest

J.B. MacKinnon, Dead Man in Paradise: Unraveling a Murder from a Time of Revolution (Oct., New Press hc, 24.95). During a revolution in the Dominican Republic in 1965 – four years before the author was born - his uncle was murdered. A Catholic priest, his uncle was seen as troublesome by someone during this period of upheaval and was silenced. As an adult and an independent journalist, MacKinnon began to search for answers and his investigation opened up a view of the Dominican history and society that had remained hidden from view. Vancouver, BC author.

 

          Coming This Winter

Lowen Clausen, River, Jan.

Mary Daheim, The Alpine Traitor, Jan.

Earl Emerson, Primal Threat, Jan.

G.M. Ford, Nameless Night, Feb.

Yasmine Galenorn, Darkling, Jan.

J.A. Jance & Ali Reynolds, Dec.

Jayne Anne Krentz, Sizzle & Burn, Jan.

Sharan Newman, The Shanghai Tunnel, Feb.

Kevin O’Brien, One Last Scream, Jan.

Candace Robb & Owen Archer, Jan.

Ann Rule, Crime File Vol. 12, Dec.

Dana Stabenow, Prepared for Rage, Feb.

 

Underlined dates mean that the book arrived early and is available.

 

                   New from the Rest                                   

Susan Wittig Albert, The Tale of Hawthorn House (Sept., Berkley hc, 23.95). 4th in the Beatrix Potter series.

Barbara Allan, Antiques Maul (Sept., Kensington hc, 22.00). 2nd antiques mystery by the husband-and-wife team of Barbara and Max Allan Collins.

Deb Baker, Goodbye, Dolly (Sept., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 2nd mystery set in the world of collectable dolls.

David Baldacci, Stone Cold (Nov., Grand Central hc, 26.99). 3rd with Oliver Stone and the Camel Club. In paper, The Collectors (Sept., Grand Central, 9.99).

Cynthia Baxter, Who’s Kitten Who? (Oct., Bantam pbo, 6.99). 4th animystery with vet-turned-sleuth Jessica Popper.

Linwood Barclay, No Time for Goodbye (Sept., Bantam hc, 22.00). 25 years ago, while she was in high school, Cynthia Archer woke up to find her family had vanished. No notes, no clues, as if they’d never existed. Now, she begins to see clues that seem to point to the answers. The problem is that no one believes her. Janine highly recommends.

Simon Beckett, Written Bone (Sept., Delacorte hc, 24.00). A strange case confronts forensic anthropologist David Hunter: the remains of a woman are found in her undamaged island home, her feet and one hand intact but the rest of her incinerated. It is supposedly a case of spontaneous combustion, but Hunter is not convinced.

Emily Benedeck, Red Sea (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Debut international thriller by a journalist, basing her story on real intelligence: A dangerous game begins after four jetliners are blown out of the sky. An Israeli agent begins to feed intelligence to an American reporter. Before long, he begins to suspect that she possesses information that she herself is unaware of.

Laura Benedict, Isabella Moon (Sept., Ballantine hc, 24.95). Kate Russell is hesitant to tell the Sheriff that she knows where a young girl is buried, because it was the dead girl who appeared to her and led her to the grave. But Kate decides to tell him and risk disturbing the secrets that she’s kept her entire life. As the Sheriff investigates, he’ll discover that his small Kentucky town is full of secrets, most of which he would have preferred to have never known. Debut novel. Gretchen recommends.

Laurien Berensen, Hounded to Death (Sept., Kensington hc, 22.00). 14th canine mystery with Melanie Travis.

Heidi W. Boehringer, Crossing the Dark (Nov., Serpent’s Tail tpo, 14.95). A senior cop rescues her own daughter from a vicious thug who was using the teen as a sex slave. The girl is understandably damaged and her mother struggles to bring her back from the hellish psychological effects even as she herself begins to slide into the darkness that now envelopes the young woman.

Rita Mae Brown, The Tell-tale Horse (Sept., Ballantine hc, 25.95). 6th in the rarefied air of fox hunting society. In paper, The Hounds and the Fury (Sept., Ballantine, 13.95).

Don Bruns, Stuff to Die For (Sept., Oceanview hc, 24.95). Two Florida friends are getting by on odd jobs. One of them gets a small inheritance and buys a box truck, thinking they can start a hauling business. The truck was a deal since it came packed with abandoned stuff. When they unload it, they find a human finger…

Leslie Caine, Fatal Feng Shui (Nov., Dell pbo, 6.99). 5th in the Domestic Bliss series.

Jennifer Lee Carrell, Interred with Their Bones (Sept., Dutton hc, 25.95). A theatrical scholar and director is given a box by a friend that is supposed to contain a great revelation. Before it can be opened, the theatre has burned to the ground and the friend is dead. So begins a cross-continental race to discover the rest of the puzzle, before a killer can complete his mission and an unknown Shakespearean manuscript can be destroyed.

Noah Charney, The Art Thief (Sept., Atria hc, 25.00). Debut novel by the founding director of a consulting group on art and crime. Three masterpieces have been stolen from separate European capitals. Is it a coincidence or are the thefts part of a larger plan? Signing?

Laura Childs, Frill Kill (Oct., Berkley hc, 22.95). 5th in the scrapbooking mystery series. In paper, Motif for Murder (Oct., Berkley, 6.99).

Margaret Coel, The Girl with Braided Hair (Sept., Berkley hc, 23.95). A recently unearthed skeleton, with a bullet hole in the skull, dates back to the early 70s. At that time, a young woman was accused of betraying the AIM movement and then vanished. Is this her? Signing. 12th in the Wind River Reservation series. In paper, The Drowning Man (Sept., Berkley, 7.99).

Jeffrey Cohen, Some Like It Hot-Buttered (Oct., Berkley pbo, 6.99). Start of a new series about a ‘recovering writer’ who puts all of his meager money into a movie theatre. Soon after the opening, someone poisons the popcorn. By the author of As Dog Is My Witness (Bancroft tp, 16.95).

Susan Conant, All Shots (Nov., Berkley hc, 22.95). 18th Dog Lover’s mystery. There are three Holly Winters in town – one is a dog trainer, one is a dog hater and one is dead. In paper, Gaits of Heaven (Nov., Berkley, 6.99).

Patricia Cornwell, Book of the Dead (Oct., Putnam hc, 26.95). 15th with Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

Clive Cussler, The Chase (Nov., Putnam hc, 26.95). An historical mystery sees the discovery of a rusting locomotive in a Montana lake in 1950. The story skips back to the early 1900s and detective Isaac Bell, sent by the government to stop the Butcher Bandit. That hunt will lead all over the West. In paper, Treasure of Khan (Nov., Berkley, 9.99), Dirk Pitt.

Shirley Damsgaard, The Witch is Dead (Sept., Avon pbo, 6.99). 5th cozy with Ophelia and Abby.

Casey Daniels, Tombs of Endearment (Oct., Avon pbo, 6.99). 3rd with cemetery guide Pepper Martin who sees, and helps, dead people. This time out it is a rock star. Or was a rock star?

Diane Mott Davidson, The Whole Enchilada (Sept., Morrow hc, 25.95). 14th culinary mystery with caterer Goldy Schulz. A woman from Goldy’s past – who is supposed to be dead – seems to be back.

James D. Doss, Three Sisters (Nov., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). In his 12th book, Colorado’s Charlie Moon gets involved in the case of a woman who was mauled beyond recognition. One of a wealthy rancher’s three daughters, her surviving sisters are a forceful pair. In paper, Stone Butterfly (Oct., St. Martin’s, 6.99), the 11th in the series. And, back in print, the first in the series, The Shaman Sings (Sept., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

Janet Evanovich and Stephen J. Cannell, No Chance (Oct., Grand Central hc, 26.99). New characters and new situations as two ex-military figures try to co-exist on an oil tycoon’s yacht and battle pirates. A limited number of Signed Copies Available.

Nancy Fairbanks, Turkey Flambé (Nov., Berkley pbo, 6.99). In the 10th book in this culinary series, a book launch party goes up in flames.

Vince Flynn, Protect and Defend (Oct., Atria hc, 26.95). With the Middle East about to explode, Mitch Rapp is sent to protect the CIA director who is there trying to defuse the situation.

Ken Follett, World Without End (Oct., Dutton hc, 35.00). 18 years after The Pillars of the Earth, a 992 page sequel. Set 200 years after the events of Pillars but the small village of Kingsridge is much the same, still beset by intrigue, ambition and revenge.

Dick Francis, Dead Heat (Sept., Putnam hc, 25.95). A father- and-son production, as Dick shares credit with his son Felix. A caterer believes that there is a connection between trouble at his two recent jobs. Someone came down with food poisoning recently and there was a bombing at his most recent job at a racetrack.

Tess Gerritsen, The Bone Garden (Sept., Ballantine hc, 25.95). By digging up a skull in her garden, Boston Medical Examiner Maura Isles uncovers a case that goes back nearly 200 years. In paper, The Mephisto Club (Sept., Ballantine, 7.99).

Mark Gimenez, The Abduction (Sept., Vanguard hc, 22.95). The abduction of a young girl reunites a Viet Nam vet, long dismissed as a worthless drunk, with his son in a search for the girl. The authorities believe she’s dead and have closed the case. Her father and grandfather keep up their search.

Melissa Glazer, A Murderous Glaze (Nov., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 1st in a new series with a paint-it-yourself pottery series, set in Vermont.

Lee Goldberg, Mr. Monk in Outer Space (Oct., Obsidian hc, 19.95). 5th in the series, 2nd hardcover, with the popular TV cop.

Tom Grace, The Secret Cardinal (Oct., Vanguard hc, 24.95). Ex-Navy SEAL Nolan Kilkenny is sent to the Vatican with a simple job. Once there, the Pope redirects him to a delicate goal: free a Chinese cardinal who has been imprisoned for 30 years and bring him back to become the next pope.

Robert Greer, The Mongoose Deception (Oct., Frog Ltd hc, 25.95). CJ Floyd becomes involved in a case of forensics when an arm is found inside Colorado's Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel after an earthquake. It belonged to one of the original workers who once claimed to have been involved with the JFK assassination. No one paid his story much attention until it is revealed that he was killed three decades ago, during the construction, after he’d been talking. Floyd follows the case into the past and, through his investigation, Greer gives his solution to 'the crime of the century'. Signing.

Lois Greiman, Unmanned (Nov., Dell pbo, 6.99). 4th with LA shrink Christina McMullen.

Laurel K. Hamilton, A Lick of Frost (Oct., Ballantine hc, 23.95). Just in time for Halloween, a new Meredith Gentry, the 6th. In paper, Mistral’s Kiss (Nov., Ballantine, 7.99).

Steve Hamilton, Night Work (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). A stand-alone thriller: Two years ago, a probation officer’s fiancée was strangled while he attended his bachelor party. He’s avoided women since but has decided to start trying to put his social life back together. He goes on a blind date that feels right – until the woman is murdered the next day. In paper, A Stolen Season (Sept., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

Charlaine Harris, An Ice Cold Grave (Oct., Berkley hc, 23.95). Harper Connelly and her brother head to Doraville, NC to find a missing boy. Once they arrive, they discover that many teenage boys have vanished over the last five years and they are all talking to Harper. In paper, Grave Surprise (Oct., Berkley, 7.99).

Robert Harris, The Ghost (Oct., Simon & Schuster hc, 26.00). The ghostwriter hired by the newly-retired British Prime Minister to help finish his memoirs discovers that some secrets and stories are not to be included, and these secrets and stories could alter the world’s politics.

John Hart, Down River (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Adam Harston left his home soil of North Carolina five years ago and did not think that he’d return. Back there, he’s considered a murderer. But a call from his best friend draws him back. Quickly, he’s badly beaten and bodies begin to pile up. Signed Copies Available. Second suspense novel by the Edgar nominated The King of Lies (St. Martin’s, 6.99). Gretchen recommends this author

Kenneth J. Harvey, Inside (Oct., Harcourt hc, 24.00). Myrden came from a rough neighborhood and, after being freed by DNA evidence after 14 years in prison, life is both like it was and, at the same time, different. He waits for the governmental compensation that he hopes will help him escape the doomed cycle of violent revenge that has bedeviled him and his associates. The book was both a noted and nominated book in Canada in 2006.

Randall Hicks, Baby Crimes (Sept., Wordslinger tpo, 13.95). Adoption attorney Toby Dillon is asked for help by a family who adopted a young girl years ago. The parents have never told her she’s adopted and someone is trying to blackmail them. As he investigates, he finds the adoption secret is the least of their problems. Fran recommends this author.

Mary Ellen Hughes, String of Lies (Sept., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 2nd set at Jo’s Craft Corner. Owner Jo McAllister gets a bead on a murderer.

Maddy Hunter, Norway to Hide (Oct., Pocket pbo, 6.99). 6th with tour leader Emily Andrews.

Stephen Hunter, The 47th Samurai (Sept., Simon & Schuster hc, 26.00, Signed Copies 27.00). Bob Lee Swagger returns and is asked to find a lost Japanese military sword. He finds it and murder is the result. Favorite author of JB who suggest him to fans of Jack Reacher.

Greg Iles, Third Degree (Nov., Scribner hc, 25.95). Elizabeth Pike’s ‘perfect life’ in her small Southern town has  been a charade – her husband is a target of the IRS and she might be pregnant by her former lover, a man she knew would never leave his family. And then her husband finds a letter from the other man.  In paper, True Evil (Sept., Pocket, 9.99).

Ken Isaacson, Silent Counsel (Sept., Windermere hc, 24.95). A legal, ethical and moral battle erupts when an attorney agrees to represent a man who killed a boy in a hit-and-run incident. Because of attorney/client privilege the lawyer cannot give up the man’s identity. When tensions over the death escalate into more violence the lawyer is put in a no-win situation. Signing.

Lee Jackson, Redemption (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Debut thriller. Set in the near future, citizens must have ID cards, gas prices are astronomical, the dollar’s value has plummeted and terrorism touches all of America. Homeland Security is the top law enforcement agency and their reach is long. Due process has been suspended. A man has been accused of terrorism and that is as good as a conviction. How does he clear his name?

Iris Johansen, Pandora’s Daughter (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). Dr. Megan Blair’s mother died when she was very young and under strange circumstances. Megan inherited her mother’s psychic powers but they’ve been dormant for years, but when someone begins to make trouble for her, they come into play. In paper, Killer Dreams (Sept., Bantam, 7.99).

Linda O. Johnston, The Fright of the Iguana (Oct., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 5th in the pet-sitter series.

John J. Lamb, The Crafty Teddy (Nov., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 3rd in the collectable teddy bear series. Each book includes a profile of a teddy bear designer and the author is a retired homicide detective and teddy collector. Janine recommends this series – really!

Martin Langield, The Malice Box (Sept., Pegasus hc, 25.00). A NYC man receives a strange but simple copper puzzle box and is soon thrown into the search for a device that poses danger to the Western World. This weapon, he is told, is set to detonate in seven days. He faces a physical and spiritual trial to defuse the infernal creation, something that has ties to Isaac Newton and alchemy. There will be a website that will allow you to try to find the Malice Box in NYC yourself. The author is a long-time journalist.

William Lashner, A Killer’s Kiss (Sept., Morrow hc, 24.95). Victor Carl was engaged once, but she left him to marry a wealthy doctor. She’s back now, and she’s still nothing but trouble. 7th in this legal series.

Jeff Lindsey, Dexter in the Dark (Sept., Doubleday hc, 23.95). Dexter’s up to his neck in change: he’s about to get married and his inner guide – the Dark Passenger – has gone silent. Janine and Fran highly recommend this latest Dexter adventure.

Victoria Laurie, Crime Seen (Sept., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 5th in the Psychic Eye series.

John Lutz, In for the Kill (Nov., Pinnacle pbo, 6.99). A killer is spelling out Det. Frank Quinn’s last name with the letters of his victims’ names.

T.J. MacGregor, Kill Time (Oct., Pinnacle pbo, 6.99). A woman discovers a secret government agency that has perfected the technology of time travel and that uses it to get rid of problematic people.

Barry Maitland, Spider Trap (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Scotland Yard’s Brock and Kolla are called when human bones are found in a poor area of South London. The case leads back to the day of the Brixton Riots and then to an old nemesis. The 9th in this respected series. In paper, No Trace (Sept., St. Martin’s, 13.95).

Claire Matturo, Sweetheart Deal (Nov., Morrow hc, 23.95). 4th with Sarasota lawyer and health-nut Lilly Cleary. Lilly’s mother – who has not left her house in years – has been accused of murder and calls Lilly back to her hometown in Georgia to help with her defense.

Archer Mayor, Chat (Oct., Grand Central hc, 24.99). In his 18th appearance, Joe Gunther tackles Internet predators. In paper, The Second Mouse (Oct., Grand Central, 6.99).

Kyle Mills, Darkness Falls (Nov., Vanguard hc, 24.95). A former oil technician is asked by Homeland Security to return to the Middle East. He was the foremost expert on returning ‘dry’ oil wells to protection. Too many have stopped producing and sabotage is suspected. No one understands that it is something else, something marrying biological terror with economic attacks. 

Walter Mosley, Blonde Faith (Oct., Little Brown hc, 25.95). In the 10th Easy Rawlins, he’s stretched thin – an ex-Marine has left his daughter at Easy’s house, Mouse is wanted for murder and two MPs want his help finding the girl’s father. The investigation will bring him deeper into the Viet Nam mess and into the orbit of a white woman with a dark past. In paper, Fear of the Dark (Sept., Grand Central, 7.50). HBO films is adapting Little Scarlet, with Jeffrey Wright and Mos Def as Easy and Mouse. Walter is writing the screenplay.

Reggie Nadelson, Fresh Kills (Sept., Walker hc, 24.95). Artie Cohen stands alone as the only person who is glad to have his nephew Billy out of jail. The family of the man he killed aims for retribution and the kid’s own mother isn’t welcoming him back. 7th in a series recommended by Tammy and JB. In paper, Disturbed Earth and Red Hook (Sept., Walker, 14.95 ea.) the 5th and 6th.

Derek Nikitas, Pyres (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Debut novel. A botched robbery causes trouble and grief to ripple across all involved – the secluded widow, the teenage daughter and the cop who is trying to somehow make up for her own family’s disintegration.  Gretchen recommends.

Robert B. Parker, Now and Then (Oct., Putnam hc, 25.95). 35th Spenser. In paper, Hundred-Dollar Baby (Sept., Berkley, 9.99), Spenser as well.

James Patterson and Howard Roughan, You’ve Been Warned (Sept., Little Brown hc, 27.99). A young artist’s nightmares begin to affect her daylight hours. AND Double Cross (Nov., Little Brown hc, 27.99), by Patterson alone, a string of murders has the entire East Coast nervous. In paper, Cross (Oct., Grand Central, 9.99).

Richard North Patterson, The Race (Nov., Holt hc, 26.00). A maverick Republican senator is thrust into the presidential primary after a terrorist attack. He’s his own man, not beholden to anyone and would be running against the leading candidates. He’s what the country needs, but he has a secret in his past that could destroy it all. In paper, Exile (Sept., St. Martin’s, 9.99).

Emile Richards, Beware False Profits (Nov., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 3rd with minister’s wife Aggie.

J.D. Robb, Creation in Death (Nov., Putnam hc, 25.95). 25th with NYC Lt. Eve Dallas. In paper, Innocent in Death (Sept., Berkley, 7.99).

Natalie M. Roberts, Tapped Out (Oct., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 2nd dance mystery by a shop favorite, aka Natalie R. Collins. Signing?

M.J. Rose, The Reincarnationist (Sept., Mira hc, 24.95). Wounded in a bombing, a photojournalist awakens with clear and vivid memories that are not his own. They are ancient and violent and deal with a woman named Sabine and a treasure she protects. Signing.

James Sallis, Salt River (Oct., Walker hc, 23.95). 3rd novel with Tennessee’s John Turner. Almost against his will, Turner has become a deputy sheriff. His small town is getting out of control, even as it feels as if it is dying.

John Sandford, Dark of the Moon (Sept., Putnam hc, 26.95). Virgil Flowers was hired by Lucas Davenport to work on the hard stuff, but he never expected to face what he does now on his own.

Alice Sebold, The Almost Moon (Oct., Little Brown hc, 24.99). The story quickly unfolds over the course of 24 hours, as a woman who has devoted her life to others begins her narrative with “When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily.” A new novel by the author of the notable The Lovely Bones. Signing?

Zoë Sharp, Second Shot (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). 2nd US appearance of bodyguard Charlie Fox. She’s come to New England to protect a mother and daughter. Things have gone wrong as the book opens with Charlie lying in a frozen forest with two bullet wounds. Signing. In paper, First Drop (Sept., St. Martin’s, 6.99). Janine recommends this series.

Michael Simon, Last Jew Standing (Sept., Viking hc, 25.95). In his 4th book, Dan Rele’s life has gotten to where he wants it – a house, a family and a promotion to head Austin’s homicide bureau. Then his estranged father turns up after being on the run for 20 years. A former East Coast enforcer for the Mob, he brings trouble with him. His former bosses are about to make Dan chose between his father, a man he doesn’t know, and the safety of his life in Austin. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Little Faith (Sept., Penguin,14.00). JB recommends this series.

Patricia Sprinkle, Sins of the Fathers (Oct., Avon pbo, 6.99). 2nd in her genealogy series.

Duane Swierszynski, Severance Package (Nov., St. Martin’s hc, 19.95). On a hot August morning, out of the blue, Jamie DeBroux’s calls a staff meeting. The key people in the company are told that they’ve been working for a faction of the intelligence community, the office is about to be shut down and they have to choose between poisoned champagne or a bullet. Chaos and panic quite understandably erupts. In paper, The Blonde (Nov., Griffin, 13.95). Bill and Janine recommend this author.

William Tapply, One-Way Ticket (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). In his 23rd book, Boston lawyer Brady Coyne finds himself under the thumb of the Mob when a friend and client is told to pay a debt and Brady is held responsible to make sure it is paid.

David Thewlis, The Late Hector Kipling (Nov., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). Debut novel from the noted British actor. A man’s mid-life crisis gets out of hand, his life of quiet desperation turning deadly in this black comedy.

Margaret Truman, Murder on K Street (Oct., Ballantine hc, 24.95). ‘Bout time someone killed some of those lobbyists. Think anyone will care to look for a killer? In paper, Murder at the Opera (Nov., Ballantine, 7.99).

Andrew Vachss, Terminal (Sept., Pantheon hc, 24.95). Burke is offered a deal by a terminally ill white supremacist: help him extort money from a man who claimed in prison to have killed a teenage girl, so he can go to Switzerland for experimental treatment, and Burke gets a cut of the money and the identity of the killer. In paper, Mask Market (Sept., Vintage, 7.99).

Elaine Viets, Accessory to Murder (Nov., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 3rd in the mystery shopper series.

Livia J. Washburn, Murder by the Slice (Oct., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). A PTA murder in the Fresh Baked series.

Larry Watson, Sundown, Yellow Moon (Sept., Random House hc, 25.95). 40 years ago, in Bismark, ND, best friends walked home from school. They heard sirens in the distance and would soon learn that the father of one had gunned down a popular state senator, and then hung himself. The reasons for the violence were never really explained. The other friend, now a writer, looks back at those events to try to make sense of them.

Michael White, Soul Catcher (Sept., Morrow hc, 24.95). War vet Augustus Cain is in a hole with no prospects and not even a horse when debt is called by a plantation owner. Cain is known as having a talent for finding people and he’s asked to find a particular runaway slave. If he can, his debt will be cleared and he can earn some needed money. The country is heading toward the Civil War and Cain’s journey will not be easy or pleasant. Tammy recommends.

Kevin Wignall, Who is Conrad Hirst? (Nov., Simon & Schuster tpo, 14.00). To get out of the business of being a hitman, Hirst must kill the four people who can identify him. When, then, does a friend become an enemy?

Michael Wiley, The Last Striptease (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Chicago PI Joe Kozmarski is skeptical when a local judge asks him to do a favor. The judge once double-crossed Joe’s father and Joe owes the man nothing. The judge’s assistant is suspected in the murder of his girlfriend and the only way to clear the man is for Joe to find the killer. Then the Judge is murdered. Winner of the St. Martin’s Press/Private Eye Writer’s best first novel contest.

Stuart Woods, Shoot Him If He Runs (Sept., Putnam hc, 25.95). 14th Stone Barrington.

F. Paul Wilson, Bloodline (Oct., Forge hc, 25.95). Repairman Jack looks for a missing PI. 11th in the dark and other-worldly series. In paper, Harbingers (Sept., Forge, 7.99).

Steven Womack, By Blood Written (Nov., Harper pbo, 7.99). New thriller by an Edgar and Shamus award-winning author. The catalog doesn’t give any plot, simply referring to the ‘tradition of Jeffrey Deaver and Thomas Harris’.

Edward Wright, Damnation Falls (Sept., Orion hc, price to be determined). The author of the respected John Ray Horn series delivers a contemporary mystery. A journalist, his career in ruins, returns home to his small Tennessee hometown to do a favor for a boyhood friend and former governor. When he arrives, he finds that the bones of a young woman who was once important to him have been unearthed and the mother of the friend who called him is found hanging from a bridge above the town’s scenic Damnation Falls. Ed is a favorite writer of our entire staff.

Nancy Zaroulis, The Poe Papers (Sept., Pegasus tpo, 13.95). A scholar comes to an old New England mansion in search of mysterious papers said to be there. To get them, he’ll have to deal with a mother and daughter, both beautiful, both treacherous, trying to out do one another when it comes to seduction and rapacious lust. The author wrote three mysteries under the name Cynthia Peale.

 

          Now in Paperback

Kate Atkinson, One Good Turn (Sept., Back Bay, 13.99).

Stephanie Barron, Jane and the Barque of Frailty (Nov., Bantam, 6.99).

Will Beall, LA Rex (Sept., Riverhead, 14.00). Gretchen recommends.

M.C. Beaton, Love, Lies and Liquor (Sept., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

William Brodrick, The Gardens of the Dead (Oct., Viking, 14.00).

Henry Chang, Chinatown Beat (Nov., Soho, 12.00).

Blaze Clement, Duplicity Dogged the Dachshund (Nov., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

Nancy J. Cohen, Perish by Pedicure (Nov., Kensington, 6.99).

John Connolly, The Book of Lost Things (Oct., Washington Square, 14.00). Tammy, Gretchen,

      Fran and Janine highly recommend.

Thomas H. Cook, The Cloud of Unknowing (Sept., Harcourt, 14.00).

Jeffery Deaver, More Twisted (Nov., Pocket, 7.99), Short stories.

Nelson DeMille, Wild Fire (Nov., Hachette, 9.99).

Gerard Donovan, Julius Winsom (Oct., Overlook, 24.95). Fran recommends.

Linda Fairstein, Bad Blood (Oct., Pocket, 9.99).

Elizabeth George, What Came Before He Shot Her (Sept., Harper, 7.99).

Joe Gores, Glass Tiger (Sept., Harcourt, 14.00).

Carl Hiaasen, Nature Girl (Oct., Grand Central, 13.99).

Jesse Kellerman, Trouble (Nov., Jove, 9.99).

Jonathan & Faye Kellerman, Capital Crimes (Nov., Ballantine, 9.99).

John LeCarre, The Mission Song (Nov., Back Bay, 14.99).

Dennis Lehane, Coronado (Nov., Harper, 12.95). Short stories.

Sujata Massey, Girl in a Box (Nov., Harper, 13.95).

Carol O’Connell, Find Me (Oct., Berkley, 9.99). Janine & JB recommend.

Karen E. Olsen, Secondhand Smoke (Nov., Hachette, 6.99).

Katherine Hall Page, The Body in the Ivy (Nov., Avon, 7.99).

Barbara Parker, The Perfect Fake (Nov., Onyx, 7.99).