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).