SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP

2006 FALL NEWSLETTER

117 Cherry St. Seattle, WA 98104

206-587-5737 staff@seattlemystery.com

10-5 Mon. – Fri. / Noon – 5 Sun.

Bill Farley, founder/JB Dickey, owner/Tammy Domike, mangager

Sandy Goodrick/Fran Fuller/ Janine Wilson/Gretchen Brevoort

We add a new reviewer to our group. Gretchen Brevoort is JB’s ‘partner in crime’. (Which means, really, she’s co-owner.) She is in charge of our co-op advertising with the publishers, sometimes working here in the shop and sometimes from home. You might find her answering the phone or ringing up your books. She’s got broad taste in books; in mysteries, she partial to forensics and psychology (Kathy Reichs and Jonathan Kellerman are two of her “must reads”.

New from the Northwest

Nancy Bush, Electric Blue (Oct., Kensington hc, 19.95). Portland PI Jane Kelly is asked to help convince a wealthy family’s patriarch that it is time to hand power to the next generation. Before she can act, the man is found dead. Signing? In paper, Candy Apple Red (Sept., Kensington, 6.99).

Stella Cameron, A Marked Man (Nov., Mira hc, 24.95). A skilled surgeon opens practice in the small bayou town of Toussaint, hoping for a new start. But he’s haunted by the faces of two murdered women, and a troubled past has left him marked. Signing. In paper, A Grave Mistake (Oct., Mira, 7.99).

Michael Collins, Death of a Writer (Sept., Bloomsbury hc, 24.95). While he’s recovering from a suicide attempt, a professor’s novel is discovered and published and gives him the fame that had always eluded him. Suddenly, the fame becomes hollow. A murder in the book is seen to be very similar to an old, unsolved crime. A detective is assigned to look for a link. Signing. Tammy recommends. In paper, The Resurrectionists (Oct., Penguin, 14.00).

Michael Dibdin, Back to Bologna (Sept., Vintage tpo, 12.95). Aurelio Zen investigates when an industrialist is found murdered – shot and stabbed with a Parmesan knife. Besides his shady business dealings, he also owned the local football team. Zen, seeking a break from his girlfriend, is happy to travel and probe the murder but is quickly drawn into a bizarre mix of characters and events: a mysterious immigrant, the city’s most incompetent PI, a student of semiotics and the accusations of a postmodern professor that a celebrity chef is a fraud. Signed Copies Available.

Carola Dunn, Gunpowder Plot (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). During a visit to a country home for a Guy Fawkes celebration, Daisy Dalrymple’s host is found dead by his own hand, and another guest has been murdered. Was it murder/suicide or something more nefarious? Signing. In paper, Fall of a Philanderer (Dec., Kensington, 6.99).

Yasmine Galenorn, Witchling (Oct., Berkley hc, 6.99). First in a trilogy about three sisters, half-human, half-faerie, all sexy and savvy – who run the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Signing.

Daniel Kalla, Rage Therapy (Oct., Forge hc, 24.95). A prominent Seattle psychiatrist is brutally murdered and there are plenty of suspects – he specialized in anger management issues. The author is an internationally known bestselling writer, who is also an emergency room doctor in Vancouver, BC.

Larry Karp, The Ragtime Kid (Nov., Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). A white teenage piano whiz heads to Sedalia, MO, to learn ragtime from Scott Joplin. Once there, he’s enveloped in a world that is new and strange and dangerous. A murder points toward the composer and the boy is determined to find the truth. Signing.

Kate Kingsbury, Slay Bells (Nov., Berkley tpo, 13.00). The second Holiday Pennyfoot Hotel special. The Jolly Old Man is found dead.

Ron Lovell, Searching for Murder (Sept., Penman Press tpo, 15.00). In his 5^th appearance, Oregon professor Thomas Martindale is involved in a search for a new university president when murder interrupts the process. Signing.

Thomas Mullen, The Last Town on Earth (Sept., Random House hc, 23.95). Based on historical accounts of small towns in the PNW that isolated themselves from contact with the outside world during the 1918 flu pandemic: outside Everett, WA, Commonwealth has blocked access from the outside in hopes of avoiding the spreading disease. When infected soldiers wander up, terrible choices, moral dilemmas and murders seem unavoidable.

Linda L. Richards, Calculated Loss (Aug., Mira pbo, 6.99). Former stockbroker Madeline Carter is suspicious when her ex-husband, a noted chef, dies, supposedly by his own hand. She thinks there is more to it than that. Set in Vancouver, BC, where the author lives. 3^rd in the series.

Kat Richardson, Greywalker (Oct., Roc tpo, 14.00). An assault by a hood puts PI Harper Blaine into the hospital. When she awakens, she finds that she sees and hears odd things. She is now a greywalker, someone who moves between worlds, from ours into one where things do go bump in the night. Debut by a local author. Signing.

Ann Rule, No Regrets: Case Files, vol. 11 (Nov., Pocket pbo, 7.99).

Mark Schorr, Borderline (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). The Portland writer returns after a long absence. Psychologist Brian Hanson is skeptical when a patient is said to have killed himself. There have been a string of other such deaths and Hanson suspects something else is going on, perhaps directed by officials. Signing.

Jess Walter, The Zero (Oct., Regan hc, 25.95). Brian Remy has become dislodged from himself in the aftermath of a terrorist attack: he’s got a self-inflicted gunshot wound that he can’t remember, a gorgeous new girlfriend whose name he doesn’t know and he’s been hired by some shadowy government agency to collect loose papers from the site of the blast. He eventually begins to see that he might find himself in the strewn documents. A dark comedy from the 2006 Edgar Winner and staff favorite. Tammy highly recommends.

Signing. In paper, Citizen Vince (Aug., Regan, 14.95), the aforementioned winner.

Kate Wilhelm, Sleight of Hand (Aug., Mira hc, 24.95). Barbara Holloway is hired to defend a man accused by a childhood friend of theft. Days later, the accuser is dead and the trouble deepens. 9^th in this Eugene legal series. In paper, The Price of Silence (Aug., Mira, 6.99). Fran recommends this series.

M.J. Zellnik, A Death at the Rose Paperworks (Oct., Midnight Ink tpo, 13.95). In their second book set in 1890s Portland, Libby Seale is working as a seamstress for the wealthy Rose family. Someone is trying to kill her employer. Libby teams with reporter Peter Eberle to find the fiend. Signing. Murder at the Portland Variety (Midnight Ink, 13.95) was the first by this brother and sister team.

Now in Paperback

William Deverell, April Fool (Oct., McClelland & Stewart, 7.95).

Greg Keizer, Midnight Plague (Sept., Signet, 7.99).

Martin Limon, The Door to Bitterness (Aug., Soho, 12.00). JB & Bill recommend this series.

Reissues of Note

Charlie Sheldon, Fat Chance (Aug., Felony & Mayhem, 14.95). Originally published in 1991, this is a comic crime novel about a dirty cop’s blackmailing routine, a one-night stand, and a group that fights back. Signing.

Mitchell Smith, Stone City (Sept., Busted Flush tp, 18.00). Introduction by Phil Margolin, this is considered to be one of the finest prison novels ever written, from 1990. Tough, unrelenting and gritty, praised by the likes of Bruen, Pelecanos, Deaver and Lescroart. Signing.

Mysterious Youth

Linda John, Hannah West in Deep Water (Oct., Puffin tpo, 5.99). 12 year-old Hannah is a hip and street smart adopted Seattlite. Someone starts to make waves when she cares for a Lake Washington houseboat, so she investigates. 2^nd by a local librarian. Signing.

Karen Karbo, Minerva Clark Goes to the Dogs (Oct., Bloomsbury hc, 16.95). 2^nd with the teen detective who tackles jewelry smuggling. In paper, Minerva Clark Gets a Clue (Oct., Bloomsbury, 6.95). Portland OR, author.

Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry, Escape from the Carnivale (Sept., Hyperion tpo, 9.99). 3^rd in their Never Land adventure series with Peter and the Pirates. Signed Copies Available!

Cynthia Rylant and G. Brian Karas, The Case of the Desperate Duck: High Rise Private Eyes #8 (Nov., Harper tpo, 3.99).

Special Interest

Erik Larson, Thunderstruck (Oct, Crown hc, 25.95). Larson gives us another historical intersection where crime and social progress met head on: as Dr. Crippen flees his crime in Edwardian London, Guglielmo Marconi struggles to perfect his wireless communication device. Can this new invention be used to capture the murderer who has escaped aboard an ocean liner? Signed Copies Available.

Skye Moody, Washed Up: The Curious Journeys of Flotsam and Jetsam (Sept., Sasquatch Books hc, 23.95). Serious beachcombing competitions, underwater investigations remote beach communities and all manner of that which washes up, combines in an examination of what the ocean gives back to us. We know her as a local mystery writer, but that is just one of her pursuits – writer, photographer, sociological investigator, retired African bush guide. Signed Copies Available.

Coming This Winter

William Dietrich, Napoleon’s Pyramid, Feb.

Robert Dugoni, Damage Control, Feb.

Jayne Ann Krentz, White Lies, Jan.

Kevin O’Brien, Killing Spree, Jan.

Ann Rule, Too Late to Say Goodbye, Jan.

Dana Stabenow & Kate Shugak, Jan.

Underlined dates mean the book arrived earlier than expected, earlier than their catalog dates.

New from the Rest

Kate Atkinson, One Good Turn (Oct., Little Brown hc, 24.99). Two years after retiring from the force (Case Histories, Little Brown, 13.95), Jackson Brodie travels to Edinburgh for their arts festival. Witnessing what appears to be road rage, he’s unwillingly pulled into the case as it expands. Signing?

Deb Baker, Dolled Up for Murder (Oct., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 1^st in a collectable doll series.

David Baldacci, The Collectors (Oct., Warner hc, 26.99). Powerful people in DC are dying while a woman on the West Coast assembles a crack team of con artists. Between these two strange occurrences stands The Camel Club (Sept., Warner, 7.99).

Linwood Barclay, Lone Wolf (Sept., Bantam pbo, 6.99). The clues from his father’s strange, sudden death lead Zack Walker to a compound of whacked-out domestic terrorists. Janine recommends this funny writer.

Stephanie Barron, Jane and the Barque of Frailty (Nov., Bantam hc, 24.00). Jane Austin is in London anticipating the publication of her first novel. A disgraced beauty is murdered and the social world is abuzz.

Mitchell Bartoy, The Devil’s Only Friend (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). In the Spring of ’44, as Detroit is recovers from recent race riots and copes with the stress of the War, ex-cop Pete Caudill is trying to find a place for himself. When a distant relative is murdered, he’s asked to investigate and the trail of blood leads to a powerful auto family.

Will Beall, L.A. Rex (Sept., Riverhead hc, 24.95). This debut novel by a long-time LA street cop is hard and uncomfortable. It is an uncompromising portrait of gang and police, and its tough and raw writing connect you to the cops – a veteran and his young partner, a recruit with a secret past. Gretchen recommends.

M.C. Beaton, Love Lies and Liquor (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). 17^th with Agatha Raisin. In paper, as Marion Chesney, Sick of Shadows (Nov., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

Simon Beckett, The Chemistry of Death (Sept., Delacorte hc, 22.00). Dr. Hunter was once a renowned forensic anthro-pologist. Now hiding from his past in a remote English village, he is drawn out to help when a string of brutal murders tears apart the community. Gretchen recommends.

Carol Lea Benjamin, The Hard Way (Oct,, Morrow hc, 23.95). 10^th with NYC PI Rachel Alexander and her pit bull Dashiell.

James R. Benn, Billy Boyle (Aug., Soho hc, 23.00). A young Boston Cop, promoted to detective as WWII breaks out, finds himself working as Eisenhower’s personal investigator, a job that takes him to England and Norway and pulls him into a war he was hoping to avoid. Much, much more than a mystery. Janine and Bill recommends.

Laurien Berenson, Chow Down (Sept., Kensington hc, 22.00). 13^th with dog trainer and sleuth Melanie Travis. In paper, Raining Cats and Dogs (Aug., Kensington, 6.99).

Claudia Bishop, The Case of the Roasted Onion (Sept., Berkely pbo, 6.99). 1^st in a new series: in upstate NY, vet Austin McKenzie and his wife have plenty to do tending to sick animals. Really, do they need murder to contend with? Characters from her Hemlock Falls series will make appearances in this new series.

Gail Bowen, The Endless Knott (Sept., McClelland & Stewart hc, 22.95). 10^th with Canadian TV reporter Joanna Kilbourn. A controversial book about adult children of celebrities results in an attack on the author and a trial that turns into a media circus. And then there is an even deadlier attack.

William Boyd, Restless (Sept., Bloomsbury hc, 24.95). In 1976, an English woman made a surprising admission: 40 years ago, she was sent to the West as a spy and everything about her life since has been a carefully constructed lie. 30 years have now passed and her daughter seeks the man who trained her mother, wanting answers.

Steve Brewer, Monkey Man (Oct., Intrigue hc, 24.00). 7^th with Albuquerque PI Bubba Mabry. How’d that monkey in the zoo get that gun in the first place? Signing.

William Brodrick, The Gardens of the Dead (Sept., Viking hc, 24.95). Father Anselm returns. An attorney is found dead of a heart attack with a smile on her face, in a seedy section of London. Someone begins to send clippings of her old cases to the papers. Why? Tammy recommends 6^th Lamentation (Penguin, 14.00).

Rita Mae Brown, The Hounds and the Fury (Oct., Ballantine hc, 24.95). In the 5^th in the foxhunting series. In paper, The Hunt Ball (Sept, Ballantine, 13.95).

Jan Burke, Kidnapped (Oct, Simon & Schuster hc, 24.00). Years ago, Irene’s husband Frank Harriman investigated the murder of an artist and the disappearance of his daughter. The son was convicted of the crime, but the girl was never found. New evidence brings doubt on that case, and it is reopened. Signing. In paper, Bloodlines (Sept., Pocket, 7.99).

Henry Chang, Chinatown Beat (Nov., Soho hc, 22.00). Det. Jack Yu grew up in NYC’s Chinatown and is now the only “native” cop who understands the area. A string of rapes and the murder of an elderly and respected community leader have made that understanding more difficult. He’s forced to seek help from those with whom he grew up. Debut novel by NYC native who still lives there, working a security director.

James Church, A Corpse in the Koryo (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Debut thriller by a “former Western intelligence officer with decades of experience in Asia”: North Korean Insp. O is a survivor in his country’s state security system. A new case will test all that he is.

Margaret Coel, The Drowning Man (Sept., Berkley hc, 23.95). A valuable, sacred petrography is stolen. 11^th in the Wind River Reservation series. Signed Copies Available? In paper, Eye of the Wolf (Sept., Berkley, 7.99).

Susan Conant, Gaits of Heaven (Oct., Berkley hc, 22.95). 17^th Dog Lover’s mystery.

Michael Connelly, Echo Park (Oct., Little Brown hc, 26.99). Bosch’s latest case of the Open-Unsolved Unit is one that defeated him in the past. A new case has links to that 1995 murder. When Harry learns that he and his partner missed a vital clue back then that could have prevented subsequent murders, his mission begins to crumble. JB recommends.

John Connolly, The Book of Lost Things (Nov., Atria hc, 20.00). While mourning his dead mother, a 12 year-old boy suddenly finds himself within the books of myths and fairytales that his mother loved to read to him. He’ll have to grow up on his own. And Nocturnes (Oct., Atria tpo, 15.00) is being reissued with 5 new short stories. Think of it as the director’s cut – you have to buy it again.

Michael Cox, The Meaning of Night (Sept., Norton hc, 26.95). In Victorian England, Edward Glyer has believed since childhood that he’s destined for greatness and he will stop at nothing to achieve it. A chance discovery confirms this and leads him through every strata of society, toward an inevitable battle with poet and criminal Phoebus Raisnford Daunt. Murder, deceit, lust and revenge. Signing?

Laura Crum, Moonblind (Aug., Perseverance Press tpo, 13.95). 9^th with Santa Cruz vet Gail McCarthy.

Robert Daley, Pictures (Nov., Harcourt hc, 24.00). A private security firm is hired to find out who got pictures that have caused a scandal for European royalty.

Shirley Damsgaard, The Trouble with Witches (Aug., Avon pbo, 6.99). 3^rd cozy with the reluctant psycic and her grandmother, a kindly witch.

Nelson DeMille, Wildfire (Nov., Warner hc, 26.99). In the aftermath of 9/11, a group of high-ranking Americans plot revenge. At the same time, Det. John Corey and his wife, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, get wind of a terrorist plot that leads them to that same group of Americans. Just what is the target and who is running the operation?

Sean Doolittle, The Cleanup (Nov., Dell pbo, 6.99). A Nebraska cop finds out just how far he is willing to go “to serve and protect”. Noir fun.

James D. Doss, Stone Butterfly (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 11th with Colorado rancher and investigator Charlie Moon.

Susan Dunlap, A Single Eye (Nov., Carroll & Graf hc, 24.95). After a job goes wrong, stuntwoman Darcy Lott is sent to a remote monastery to face her fears and to give the abbot a message. Once there, she’s drawn into further danger. This popular writer’s first novel since 1998.

Maggie Estep, Flamethrower (Sept., Three Rivers tpo, 14.00). 3^rd with Ruby Murphy who once again has a full plate: she’s been fired by the Coney Island museum, she’s trying to find who the severed leg belongs to, she’s being stalked, and her boyfriend has accused her of cheating on him… Janine recommends this series. See also Special Interest.

Janet Evanovich, Motor Mouth (Oct., Harper hc, 26.95). 2^nd with Alexandra Barnaby. Signed Copies Available. AND How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author (Sept., Griffin tpo, 13.95). How she does what she does, aimed for the aspiring bestselling author., AND Thanksgiving (Nov., Harper pbo, 7.99), a retooled Loveswept romance from 1988.

Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects (Oct., Crown hc, 24.00). The murders of two preteen girls, the most recent a year after the last, draws reporter Camille Preaker back to her hometown. While there, she must deal with her bizarre mother and half-sister, and try to put tragedies from her own youth aside. Memorable writing about damaged people. Gretchen & JB HIGHLY recommend. JB says Debut Of The YEAR! Signing.

Vince Flynn, Act of Treason (Oct., Atria hc, 25.95). Mitch Rapp is handed evidence that the recent presidential election, won after a terrible attack, may have been crooked. In paper, Consent to Kill (Aug., Pocket, 9.99).

Dick Francis, Under Orders (Oct., Putnam hc, 25.95). A master returns: Sid Halley investigates the murder of three jockeys and accusations of horse doping. Halley has appeared in three earlier books: Odds Against (1965, 7.50), Whip Hand (1979, Edgar Winner, Best Novel, 7.50), and Come to Grief (1995, Edgar Winner, Best Novel, 7.99).

Signed Copies Available!

Jack Fredrickson, A Safe Place for Dying (Nov., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). Comic mystery debut. Dek Elstrom was once a resident of an elite gated community in Chicago, but scandal drummed him out of “respectable” society. He’s now living in the turret of his grandfather’s castle, pining for his ex-wife. When someone sends extortion letters to his former neighbors – and blows up one of the ugly mansionettes – he investigates.

Brian Freeman, Stripped (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). In the sequel to his Edgar nominated debut, Immoral (St. Martin’s, 6.99), Det. Stride investigates a couple of crimes on the Vegas strip. Not only do they become linked, they’re also linked to an old crime from the lurid past. Fran recommends both. Elizabeth George, What Came Before He Shot Her (Oct., Harper hc, 26.95). In a stand-alone novel, the wife of a high-ranking Scotland Yard official is murdered on her doorstep. The novel looks into what led up to her death. Fran recommends. Signed Copies Available.

Tess Gerritsen, The Mephisto Club (Sept., Ballantine hc, 24.95). A nasty murder leads Boston ME Isles and Det. Rizzoli to psychologist O’Donnell and her ongoing battle with The Surgeon.

Joe Gores, Glass Tiger (Oct., Harcourt hc, 24.00). A retired government sniper is trying to live quietly overseas. He’s brought back, against his will, to help an FBI agent stop the assassination of the newly elected President by another former government sniper. First new novel by the mystery grand master in five years.

James Grady, Mad Dogs (Sept., Forge hc, 24.95). After too-long an absence, a new novel from a master of espionage and thrills (Six Days of the Condor and River of Darkness): In the woods of Maine, some inmates escape from a prison after their doctor is murdered and they’re framed. This is no ordinary prison: it houses the CIA’s former elite killers who were deranged by their services, drugged and jailed to keep them silent. Now they’re out, their meds are wearing off and they want to know who is behind it all. At times funny, at times very sad, but always politically current and always on the mark. JB recommends.

Robert Greer, The Fourth Perspective (Oct., North Atlantic Books hc, 24.95). CJ Floyd has retired from the bail and detective business, opening his Western antique and collectable shop. But a mystery that leads back to the creation of the transcontinental railroad beckons.

John Grisham, Untitled Thriller (Oct, Doubleday hc, 28.95). The book is promoted in the publisher’s catalog without a title and at a price that makes us blink, telling us is that it will be non-fiction and “his most extraordinary legal thriller yet.”

Laurell K. Hamilton, Strange Candy (Oct., Berkley hc, 23.95). Her first short story collection, including a new Anita Blake tale.

Steve Hamilton, A Stolen Season (Sept., St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). Alex McKnight helps rescue some men whose boat runs aground on the 4^th of July. All are dazed and taken to hospitals. Alex is wrong when he thinks that’s the end of it.

Charlaine Harris, Grave Surprise (Nov., Berkley hc, 23.95). Harper Connelly is back in her second book, demonstrating her talent for seeing the last moments of the recently dead for a college class. In paper, Grave Sight (Nov., Berkley, 7.99).

Lee Harris, The Cinco de Mayo Murder (Sept., Ballantine pbo, 6.99). 17^th with former nun Christine Bennett.

David Hewson, The Lizard’s Bite (Oct., Delacorte hc, 22.00). Deaths in a fire at a glass factory draw the investigative attention of Roman detective Nic Costa, now exiled to Venice. In paper, Sacred Cut (Sept., Dell, 6.99).

Carl Hiaasen, Nature Girl (Nov., Knopf hc, 25.95). No plot synopsis has been given – but does it matter? It’s a new Hiaasen, for cryinoutloud! That’s enough for us.

Tony Hillerman, The Shape Shifter (Nov., Harper hc, 26.95). Joe Leaphorn, retired from the force, is lured back by a break in one of his last cases that was left unsolved.

Hazel Holt, Mrs. Malory and a Death in the Family (Nov., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 17^th in the classically cozy British series, a favorite of customers and our bookkeeper Sandy.

Maddy Hunter, G’Day to Die (Oct., Pocket pbo, 6.99). 5^th with travel guide Emily Andrews, this time downunder.

Greg Hurwitz, Last Shot (Aug., Morrow hc, 24.95). Dep. US Marshall Tim Rackley deals with an evil mirror of himself – a former marine as capable as he is.

Charlie Huston, A Dangerous Man (Sept., Ballantine tpo, 12.95). Conclusion to the trilogy with reluctant hitman Henry Thompson. Even as his skills are deteriorating, Henry is assigned to bodyguard a rising baseball star, which takes Henry back to his youth when he too was seen as “the next best thing”. Series recommended by Bill, Janine and JB.

John Katzenbach, The Wrong Man (Sept., Ballantine hc, 25.95). Ashley Freeman has taken up with the wrong man, a psycho who will not take no for an answer. Her family is desperate to rid her of this stalker and takes extreme steps.

Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Capital Crimes (Nov., Ballantine hc, 24.95). Two cities, two stories – San Fransisco and Nashville. Includes cameos by their series characters.

Philip Kerr, The One from the Other (Sept., Putnam hc, 26.95). Kerr’s Berlin Triology becomes a quartet: In 1949, PI Bernie Gunther has moved to Munich. A woman hires him to prove that her husband, a war criminal who disappeared, is dead. The war may be over, but enemies never vanish. Signed Copies Available. The Berlin Trilogy is a modern masterpiece, blending a Chandlerian voice with historical events and characters. All-Staff Recommendation!

Alice Kimberly, The Ghost and the Dead Man’s Library (Sept., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 3^rd in the Haunted Bookshop series.

Ken Kuhlken, The Do-Re-Mi (Nov., Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). Amongst the California Redwoods in 1972 is a wide assortment of characters, from the pot growers to the hippies to the bikers. A musician, arriving at his brother’s camp for a festival, sees him arrested for the murder of a cop’s relative. Hickey, the guitarist, looks for the culprit. In paper, The Loud Audios (Nov., Poisoned Pen, 14.95), from 1991.

Janet LaPierre, Family Business (Aug., Perseverance Press tpo, 13.95). 9^th with Port Silva PIs Patience and Verity Mackellar.

John LeCarre, The Mission Song (Sept., Little Brown hc, 26.99). Young Bruno Salvador, of an Irish father and Congolese mother, has needed someone to be a mentor. Mr. Anderson, of British Intelligence seems to be just the man to guide him. Fluent in many African languages, Bruno is indispensable as a translator of intercepted messages. He’s given a plum assignment: travel to a remote island to overhear a conference of warlords. What he hears puts him a great risk… but from what side is the risk greater?

Dennis Lehane, Coronado (Aug., Morrow hc, 24.95). In this collection, Lehane has gathered the best of his previously published short stories and added a play. Signed Copies Available.

Paul Levine, Kill All the Lawyers (Sept., Bantam pbo, 6.99). 3^rd with Solomon vs. Lord. Janine recommends this series.

Hailey Lind, Shooting Gallery (Oct., Signet pbo, 6.99). 2^nd art mystery with Annie Kincaid. An artist is murdered at his exhibition opening and a Chagall painting has been stolen. Sometimes one must use a thief to catch a thief… Signing?

Robert Littell, Vicious Circle (Sept., Overlook hc, 24.95). After decades of blood, a peace plan has a chance to stop the fighting between Israel and the Palestinians. Before agreements can be signed, a kidnapping threatens to undermine it all. Is it possible to resolve the kidnapping without negating the peace? In paper, The Sisters (Sept., Penguin, 14.00), his 8^th thriller, from 1986. Janine highly recommends this author.

T.J. MacGregor, Cold as Death (Oct., Kensington pbo, 6.99). 5^th in the Tango Key series with psychic Mira Morales.

Barry Maitland, No Trace (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 8^th in the series with Brock and Kolla, who investigate a string of kidnappings of young girls. Leads point back to their London neighborhood of bohemian artists.

Henning Mankell, The Man Who Smiled (Sept., New Press hc, 24.95). 4^th of the Kurt Wallender books, published for the first time in the US. Originally published in 1994.

Sujata Massey, Girl in a Box (Sept., Harper hc, 23.95). Rei Shimura accepts a freelance job with a US agency to go undercover in a huge Tokyo department store and eavesdrop on all the conversations she can. Signed Copies Available. In paper, The Typhoon Lover (Sept., Harper, 13.95).

Amanda Matestsky, Murder on a Hot Tin Roof (Nov., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 4^th with reporter/mystery novelist Paige Turner.

Claire Matturro, Bone Valley (Nov., Morrow hc, 23.95). 3^rd with Sarasota lawyer Lilly Cleary.

Peter May, Extraordinary People (Nov., Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). A famed and respected teacher vanished from Paris a decade ago. A Scotsman accepts a bet to find out what happened to the man.

Archer Mayor, The Second Mouse (Oct., Mysterious Press hc, 24.99). Vermont cop Joe Gunther is bothered by a supposed suicide and by the fact that his friend, the Medical Examiner, is so willing to close the case. In paper, St. Alban’s Fire (Oct., Warner, 6.99).

Brad Meltzer, The Book of Fate (Sept., Warner hc, 25.99). A lunatic assassin, a friend dead, a man disfigured and a 200 year old secret code created by Jefferson all come into play in DC, along with something called The Book of Fate.

Joe Meno, The Boy Detective Fails (Aug., Akashic tpo, 14.95). Now 30 having spent the last decade in a mental facility after his partner and sister committed suicide, boy detective Billy Argo is in a world he doesn’t recognize or understand. Joining with a pair of misfits, he decides to look into his sister’s death and confront the greater mysteries of life. Signing?

Walter Mosley, Fear of the Dark (Sept., Little Brown hc, 25.99). Bookseller Paris Minton refuses to help his cousin “Useless” Grant, trying to avoid the inevitable trouble that will follow. Doesn’t matter – soon the young man is missing and Paris’ aunt demands help. Paris and Fearless Jones go looking. In paper, Cinnamon Kiss (Sept., Warner, 7.50), Easy Rawlins.

Beverle Graves Myers, Cruel Music (Sept., Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). In the 3^rd operatic mystery set in 1700s Italy, Tino Amato is forced into papal politics to try to get his brother released from bogus smuggling charges. In paper, Painted Veil (Sept., Poisoned Pen, 14.95).

Reggie Nadelson, Red Hook (Oct., Walker hc, 23.95). Set to leave for his honeymoon, Artie Cohen is drawn into the investigation of his friend Sid McKay’s murder. Secrets from Sid’s past send Artie across NYC at the time of a national political convention when information can be and is easily twisted into propaganda. In paper, Disturbed Earth (Sept., Walker, 13.95). A favorite series of Tammy’s and JB’s.

Karen E. Olson, Secondhand Smoke (Sept., Mysterious Press hc, 22.99). Crime reporter Annie Seymour returns to investigate the fire that left a favorite New Haven restaurant in ruins. Who is the woman who died in the blaze and where is the eatery’s owner? In paper, Sacred Cows (Sept., Warner, 6.99).

Perri O’Shaughnessy, Keeper of the Keys (Oct., Delacorte hc, 25.00). A stand-alone thriller by the sisters: a woman’s disappearance mystifies everyone – is it tied to her controlling husband or something worse, from the past?

Katherine Hall Page, The Body in the Ivy (Nov., Morrow hc, 23.95). 16^th with caterer Faith Fairchild.

Robert B. Parker, Hundred-Dollar Baby (Oct., Putnam hc, 24.95). April Kyle has been Spenser’s client twice before (1982’s Ceremony and 1986’s Taming a Seahorse, 7.99 ea.). Now a confident and lovely woman, she comes to him again for help. Signed Copies Available. In paper, School Days (Oct., Berkley, 7.99). Spencer #33.

James Patterson, Cross (Nov., Little Brown hc, 27.99). Years ago, Alex Cross’ wife was gunned down and the case was never solved. A new case may have ties to that very personal event. In paper, Mary Mary (Oct., Warner, 7.99).

Michael Pearce, A Dead Man in Athens (Oct., Carroll & Graf hc, 25.95). 3^rd with Seymour, the Scotland Yard CID investigator detailed to the Foreign Office. In 1913 Athens, problems abound for the new Prime Minister as Europe edges toward war.

R. Poole-Carter, What Remains (Aug., Top tpo, 14.95). Murder is investigated on a Post-Civil War plantation in 1865. Signing.

Martha Powers, Death Angel (Oct., Oceanview Press hc, 24.95). A couple struggles with suspicion after their daughter is murdered. Signing.

Ann Purser, Fear on Friday (Sept., Berkley pbo, 6.99). House cleaner Lois Meade opens a branch in a neighboring town and finds murder to clean up after there, too. Imagine that!

Robert J. Randisi, Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). When the Rat Pack is in Vegas filming Ocean’s 11, Dino is receiving threatening letters. A casino pit boss is put on the case.

Ian Rankin, Bleeding Hearts (Nov., Little Brown hc, 24.99). Hit man Michael Weston’s latest job has gone bad quickly. He suspects that he’s been set up for a fall. Years ago, a stray bullet killed a young girl and a PI has been after him all this time. Was it him or someone else? In paper, Blood Hunt (Oct, Little Brown, 7.50).

Ann Ripley, Death in the Orchid Garden (Nov., Kensington hc, 22.00). 10^th in this gardening series, this one set in Hawaii. In paper, Summer Garden Murder (Oct., Kensington, 6.99).

J.D. Robb, Born in Death (Nov., Putnam hc, 24.95). 23^rd with NYC cop Eve Dallas.

Laura Jo Rowland, The Red Chrysanthemum (Nov., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Sano Ichiro’s growing reputation as a samurai sleuth puts him and his family in treacherous danger. In paper, The Assassin’s Touch (Nov., St. Martin’s, 6.99), 10^th and 11^th set in late 1600s Japan.

Jed Rubenfeld, The Interpretation of Murder (Sept., Holt hc, 26.00). Based on the historical fact of Freud’s only visit to the US in 1909: The day after he arrives in NYC, a horrible murder occurs. The next day, another socialite barely escapes the same killer. As she remembers nothing of the attack, her doctors call on Freud to help get answers.

Anna Salter, Truth Catcher (Oct., Pegasus hc, 24.00). Forensic psychologist Breeze Copens is in Seattle to interview an armed robber. Copens is particularly good at her job because she has the ability – or curse – of seeing the truth. She’s seeing a young girl in a blue dress when the prisoner talks but he isn’t saying anything about her.

Connie Shelton, Obsessions Can Be Murder (Oct., Intrigue hc, 24.00). Charlie Parker deals with an exploded house, a man with lots of false identities, and big, big money.

Michael Simon, Little Faith (Aug., Viking hc, 23.95). In his 3^rd book, San Antonio cop Dan Reles is stuck in a morass of politics, evangelical fanatics and the oil bidness. Into this mix is added the murder of a former child star. In paper, Body Scissors (Sept., Penguin, 14.00).

Alexander McCall Smith, The Right Attitude to Rain (Sept., Pantheon hc, 21.95). The latest in the Sunday Philosophy Club series with Isabel Dalhousie. AND Dream Angus (Oct., Canongate hc, 18.00). More myths from a master storyteller, this time Celtic mythology of the God of dreams.

Jessica Speart, Unsafe Harbor (Oct., Avon pbo, 6.99). 9^th with US Fish & Wildlife agent Rachel Porter. Her latest case takes her back to her native state of New York.

Julia Spencer-Fleming, All Mortal Flesh (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 22.95). Chief van Alstyne believes and hopes that his feelings for Rev. Clare Fergusson are well hidden. But when his wife is murdered in their own home, the State Police investigate and everything is opened to the light. 5^th in this much praised and award-winning series. Signed Copies Available.

Peter Spiegelman, Red Cat (Feb., Knopf hc, 22.95). In his third book, PI John March is hired by a surprising client: his brother. Having turned his back on the family business of banking, March has been the family’s embarrassment. His brother is being stalked by a woman he met on the internet. Though their torrid affair was brief, she won’t leave him alone and, worse, seems to know everything about him. The first March, Bl