Fall 2003

AUTHOR APPEARANCES

Wed, Sept 3, noon, Island County Sheriff Mike Hawley signs Silent Proof,

AND

Island Co. resident Sharon Duncan signs The Dead Wives Society

Sat, Sept 6, noon, Meg Chittenden signs More Than You Know

Tues, Sept 16, noon, Michael McGarrity signs Everyone Dies

Thurs, Sept 18, noon, Dana Stabenow signs A Grave Denied

Mon, Sept 29, noon, Anne Perry signs No Graves Yet

Fri, Oct 10, noon, Steve Oliver signs Moody in Winter

Tues, Oct 14, noon, Stan Jones signs Shaman Pass

Sat & Sun, Oct 17 and 18, 10 to 6 pm

BOOKFEST

Seattle’s Annual Book Celebration at Sandpoint. We’ll have a weekend full of author signings at our booth.

Mon, Oct 20, noon, Laura Lippman signs Every Secret Thing

Thurs, Oct 23, noon, Dana Cameron signs Past Malice

NEW FROM THE NORTHWEST

Stella Cameron, Kiss Them Goodbye (Nov., Mira hc, 23.95). After her father dies in a fire at his restaurant, his daughter finds that the family finances are in a mess and the only asset remaining is a run-down plantation on the banks of the bayou. When other deaths occur on its grounds, she knows someone is after the family. In pb, Some Die Telling (Oct., Mira, 5.99), reissue from ’88, and Cold Day in July (Nov., Zebra, 6.99). Signing.

Meg Chittenden, More Than You Know (Sept., Berkley pbo, 5.99). FBI agent Nick Ciacia, tormented by the unresolved murder of his father, crosses paths with newlywed Maddy. She’s going to find out more about her loving husband than she’d like. Signing.

Daniel Coyle, Waking Samuel (Oct., Bloomsbury hc, 23.95). A Seattle nurse tends a stranger known only as “the tall man.” He was found on a remote beach with a gunshot wound, and now lies in the hospital motionless and mute. She is recovering from the loss of her child and is drawn to this man. Eventually, it is learned he came from Alaska, but revelations of who he is disturb her. Signing?

Pete Dexter, Train (Sept., Doubleday hc, 26.00). In 1950s LA, a cop tries to shield the lone survivor of a horrible crime and struggles with his growing feelings for her, while he mentors a young black golfer whom he backs in a series of underground gambling games. The award-winning author and journalist now lives in the Puget Sound area. A long-time favorite author of Tammy and Bill’s; Tammy says this is his best book yet. Signing?

Carola Dunn, Die Laughing (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). In April 1924, it is time for Daisy to confront her fears and visit the dentist. When she does, she finds him dead. In pb, The Case of the Murdered Muckraker (Nov, Kensington, 5.99). Signing?

Laurence Gough, A Cloud of Suspects (Oct., McClelland & Stuart, $25.95). Willows and Parker deal with marriage, new parenthood and the odd murder.

John Maclachlan Gray, The Fiend in Human (Sept., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). In London, 1852, William Ryan is about to be hung for the murder of prostitutes. Two writers form an unlikely alliance to get his story, because the killings seem to be still going on. Vancouver, B.C., author. Signing?

Michael A. Hawley, Silent Proof (Sept., Onyx pbo, 6.99). Following on the success of his debut, the Sheriff of Island Co. brings back Seattle homicide detectives Leah Harris and Frank Milkovich, who are trying to prove that a convict who is about to be released from prison committed a 25-year-old crime. Someone seems to be obstructing them. Signing

Richard Hoyt, The Weatherman’s Daughters (July, Forge hc, 24.95). Don’t know how we missed including this one in the Summer newsletter...bad move. Seattle PI John Denson – the original “soft-boiled” detective – returns after too long of an absence. Stumped by the case of two murdered sisters, Denson reluctantly agrees to try the ancient ways of his Native partner, Willie Sees the Night, to get some clues. Favorite series of JB & Bill. In pb, Old Soldiers Sometimes Lie (Nov., Forge, 7.99).

Katy King, City of Suspects (Sept., Oak Tree tpo, 12.95). While Jane Lanier hails from Seattle, her private eye business is in Portland. It’s raining bullets and Lanier is trying to stay dry; her client is gunned down in her office and whoever did it is now after Jane. Debut. Signing.

Kate Kingsbury, Paint By Murder (Sept., Berkley pbo, 5.99). A kindly tenant, a painter, has been murdered at Manor House. AND No Clue at the Inn (Nov., Berkley tpo, 13.00). It’s been two years since Cecily Baxter & her husband sold the Pennyfoot Hotel and it was turned into a country club. When she’s asked to manage the place during the Holidays, she’s thrilled, until she learns that the previous manager met a mysterious end. Signing?

Deborah Morgan, The Marriage Casket (Oct., Berkley pbo, 5.99). Seattle antiques dealer – and retired FBI agent – Jeff Abbot tries to track a killer with the help of an antique marriage casket. (The claw-footed table in our shop's front window gets in to the story.) Signing.

John J. Nance, Fire Flight (Nov., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). “Accidents” in the fleet of aging tankers battling forest fires bring suspicions that there are more forces at work creating these global warming-induced fires – or working to foil the fighting of them. Signed Copies Available.

Steve Oliver, Moody in Winter (Oct., Dark City Books hc, 23.95). The third in the Scott Moody series finds the depressed cabbie/PI in Seattle. It’s a winter of rain and snow, and it seems like too many people are running into him — literally. Are these accidents intentional? Signing.

Ann Rule, Heart Full of Lies (Oct., Free Press hc, 26.00). The Mistress of the M.O. looks at an Oregon case from 2000, and a seemingly loving wife and mother - Liysa Northon - who left a wake of death and destruction behind her. Signing?

Michael W. Sherer, Final Shoot (avail. now, Worldwide pb, 5.99). Chicago freelance writer and reluctant sleuth Emerson Ward returns after several cases published some years ago, which Bill recalls enjoying. This time a photographer is murdered after jewels are stolen from his studio. The author now lives in Seattle.

Michael Slade, Bed of Nails (Nov., Onyx pbo, 7.50). The RIPPER returns to haunt Special X. Favorite series of Erin & JB – dark, educational and fun.

Dana Stabenow, A Grave Denied (Sept., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). When the town’s handyman is found, dead for months with a shotgun blast to the chest, Kate Shugak is asked to investigate his past. Though everyone knew him, no one knew his past. In paperback, Better to Rest (Sept., Signet, 6.99), in the Campbell series. Signing.

Special Interest Item:

Kathrine Beck, Opal, A Life of Enchantment, Mystery and Madness (Nov., Viking hc, 24.95). A biography of Opal Whitely and her diary which became a literary sensation in 1920, as the account of a little girl in the Oregon woods. This is a literary biography, not a mystery, but the author is our good friend K. K. Beck, whose mysteries have delighted us for years. Signing.

Reissues of Note:

William Deverell, Platinum Blues and Slander (Oct., ECW tp, 15.95 ea). Two earlier thrillers from this BC author: Platinum Blues, published in '90, is set in the record industry, and Slander, from '99, is a legal thriller set in Seattle.

Richard Paul Russo, Carlucci (Sept., Ace, 16.00). Single volume reissue of the Carlucci books – a critically acclaimed sci-fi trilogy featuring a San Francisco cop investigating high-tech crime in the near future.

Now in Paperback:

Michael Dibdin, And Then You Die (Sept., Vintage, 12.00) Aurelio Zen

Jayne Ann Krentz, Light in Shadow (Oct., Jove, 7.99).

Steve Martini, The Arraignment (Sept., Jove, 7.99).

John Ridley, The Drift (Nov., Ballantine, 13.95). Tammy recommends.

James Thayer, The Gold Swan (Nov., Pocket, 6.99)

New Hardcovers Coming in Winter:

Michael Dibdin & Aurelio Zen, Feb

Jayne Ann Krentz, Truth or Dare, Dec

Steve Martini, Double Tap, Dec

Kris Nelscott & Smokey Dalton, Feb

Mark Nykanen, The Bone Parade, Feb

Marcia Simpson, Rogue’s Winter, Dec

Decoding some of our abbreviations & definitions:

pb = paberback. Occasionally you might also see mm, which stands for mass market.

pbo = paperback original. Not previously published in the US in hardcover.

tp = trade paperback. Larger format than the usual paperback. (More expensive.)

tpo = trade paperback original.

hc = hardcover.

On our website, you can find an explanation of other book terms, such as the difference between a first printing and a first edition.

A correction and an addition:

In our last newsletter, we included a piece on Film Noir by one of our customers. The attribution should have read, “Ben Chamberlain (one of our many knowledgeable customers).” The computer cut off the last two words. Sorry, Ben!

And here is Ben's latest submission:

Bogart Quartet

Just in from Warner Home Video is another batch of new catalog releases, just in time for the holidays. Leading the stocking stuffers are four Humphrey Bogart classics, all on-sale November 4th: Dark Passage, High Sierra, They Drive By Night and To Have and Have Not. All are presented in their original 1.33:1 full screen aspect ratios and Dolby Digital mono. Extras on each include a featurette, outtakes, musical shorts, a vintage cartoon, radio show, production notes and the trailers.

NEW FROM THE REST

Alina Adams, Murder on Ice (Nov., Berkley pbo, 5.99). Debut in what we are sure is a true first: a series to be set in the world of figure skating. Rebecca Levy is a skating researcher on the Ice Skating Network [which will be on the air] and finds out just how cutthroat the sport is. Where is Tonya when you need her???

Bruce Alexander, The Price of Murder (Oct., Putnam hc, 24.945). The discovery of a drowned girl leads Sir John Fielding towards the racetrack. Signed Copies Available. In paper, An Experiment in Treason (Oct., Berkley, 6.99).

Rosemary Aubert, Leave Me By Dying (Oct., Bridge Works hc, 23.95) Canadian sleuth Ellis Portal’s 4th case. The strange case of a corpse of a woman that gives no hint to how or why she died gets odder when the body disappears.

M.C. Beaton, Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 23.95) When the owner of a supposedly haunted house turns up dead, Agatha investigates. In paper, Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came (6.50).

Gerard Beirne, The Eskimo in the Net (Nov., Marion Boyars tpo, 14.95). When Jim Gallagher hauls the body of an Eskimo up in his nets off the coast of Ireland, the murky undercurrents of his own life are brought to the surface.

Alice Blanchard, The Breathtaker (Nov, War hc, 24.95) OK Police Chief Charlie Grover has bigger trouble than the twister that just destroyed his town; he has evidence that points to a killer using the damage of storms to hide his crimes and the killer is traveling with the weather.

Steven Bochco, Death by Hollywood (Sept., Random House hc, 24.95). The creator of “Hill Street Blues”, “LA Law” and “NYPD Blue” presents a satirical crime novel of Hollywood. A down-on-his luck screenwriter witnesses a murder while spying on a neighbor. Instead of calling the cops, he decides to write about it and proceeds to find himself in the middle of the mess.

Michael Bond – see New from the UK, page…

Stephen Booth, Blind to the Bones (Oct., Scribner hc, 24.00). It’s almost May Day on the desolate moors of Dark Peak, and the villagers of Withens are dying. Dets. Fry and Cooper investigate. 4th in this increasingly noted series. If you like McDermid, Rankin or Walters, try this writer. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Blood on the Tongue (Sept, Pocket, 6.99).

Rita Mae Brown, Full Cry (Nov., Ballantine hc, 24.95). “Sister” Jane Arnold faces an unwelcome greeting to the New Year – the murder of a former law star whose death may cast a pall on her Hunt Club. In paper, Hotspur (Nov., Ballantine, 6.99).

Marshall Browne, Eye of the Abyss (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). The author of the acclaimed Inspector Anders novels gives us the story of the chief auditor of a provincial German bank in 1938. The new depositor that he is to oversee is the Nazi Party, and he is soon sucked into their intrigues.

James Lee Burke, Last Car to Elysian Fields (Oct., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). Robicheaux looks into the beating of a controversial priest, a car wreck that killed three teenage girls, a grief-stricken father and a compromised assassin. As usual for Dave and Clete, things are complicated and never as clear as they seem. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Jolie Blon’s Bounce (Sept., Pocket, 7.99).

Andrea Camilleri, Voice of the Violin (Nov., Viking hc, 21.95) 4th in the internationally best-selling series with Sicilian detective Montalbano. In paper, The Snack Thief (Nov., Viking, 6.99).

George Chesbro, Lone Wolves (Aug., Apache Beach tpo, 16.99). Short stories, four with Garth, two with Veil and four with a new character named Priest, collected into book form for the first time. In pb, Prism and The Keeper (each 16.99).

Jill Churchill, Bell, Book and Scandal (Nov., Morrow hc, 23.95). Real-life crime intrudes at a local mystery convention. First a legendary editor is poisoned, and then a reviewer is attacked. Jane Jeffrey snoops for clues.

Margaret Coel, Killing Raven (Sept., Berkley hc, 22.95). 10th Windriver Reservation mystery with Father John O’Malley and Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden.

Mark T. Conard, Dark as Night (Nov., UglyTown hc, 24.95). Morris White is a top chef in Philadelphia trying to keep his brother, newly out of prison, out of trouble, and open his own restaurant while being drawn into the violent and unforgiving world of the Phili mob. Debut noir thriller.

Arnoldo Correa, Cold Havana Ground (Nov., Akashic hc, 23.95). Cuban noir based on actual events by one of the three writers considered to be the creators of Cuban crime fiction. When a Chinese cadaver is stolen from a cemetery, the police are stumped. Their investigation leads them to a priest in a secret society.

Patricia Cornwell, Blow Fly (Oct., Putnam hc, 26.95). Scarpetta finds herself involved in a baffling Florida case that has international implications.

Bill Crider, We’ll Always Have Murder (Oct., iBooks hc, 19.95). In a tale fully authorized by his estate, Bogart gets a chance to go beyond his screen persona and investigate blackmail and murder. AND Red, White and Blue Murder (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Things are not going well for Sheriff Dan Rhodes.

Deborah Crombie, Now May You Weep (Oct., Morrow hc, 23.95). Sgt. Gemma James vacations in Scotland, but a meeting with her friend’s lover has shocking and mortal consequences. Signed Copies Available.

Clive Cussler, Trojan Odyssey (Nov., Putnam hc, 27.95). Dirk Pitt rides again!

Lindsey Davis, The Jupiter Myth (Sept., Warner hc, 24.95). While visiting his wife's relatives in Britain, a murder brings Falco into a diplomatically tricky investigation.

Sean Doolittle, Burn (Aug., UglyTown hc, 25.95). An LA wildfire rages in the sweltering Summer heat, touched off by the crash of a sports car – the car of a celebrity fitness guru, whose body is found not far from the wreck. Erin and Bill are huge fans of his debut novel, Dirt (UglyTown, 15.00).

James D. Doss, Dead Soul (Sept., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). In his 8th book, Charlie Moon is asked to investigate the death of a fellow tribe member who died the night his boss – a Senator – was nearly killed. The FBI hasn’t solved the case and the Senator is Charlie’s neighbor, so perhaps Charlie can get somewhere?

Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes, Full Speed (Sept., St. Martin's pbo, 7.99).

Dan Fesperman, The Small Boat of Great Sorrows (Sept., Knopf hc, 24.00). 5 years after he left his homeland and settled in Berlin, Bosnian investigator Vlado Petric is drawn to a trial in The Hague that deals with crimes that touched him. What is unclear to him is that crimes from WWII will be unburied and make the ones that touched his life pale in comparison. Fesperman’s Lie in the Dark (Vintage tp, 12.00) won the John Creasy Dagger Award for Best First Novel.

Frederick Forsyth, Avenger (Sept., St. Martin's hc, 26.95). An attorney in small town NJ leads a quiet life until he reads something in the paper that signals him that someone from his past wants to contact him and that it is time for his revenge.

Shelly Freydont, A Merry Little Murder (Oct., Kensington hc, 22.00). Former dancer Lindy Haggerty attends the glitzy International Ballroom Competition in Atlantic City, where the tango tangles with murder.

Jim Fusilli, Tribeca Blues (Oct., Putnam hc, 24.95). Two unrelated deaths lead PI Terry Orr into a collision with the killer of his wife and son. Third book in this increasingly popular series. Signed Copies Available?

Robert Greer, Heat Shock (Oct., Warner hc, 24.95). The creator of the CJ Floyd books tells the tale of a Colorado doctor who agrees to look after some prize gamecocks for a dying Uranium miner. It seems, though, that someone else wants the birds for the value they may hold due to their Uranium rich diet.

Martha Grimes, Foul Matter (Sept., Viking hc, 25.95). Intrigue and deadly irony in the Byzantine world of NY publishing. Bestselling author Paul Giverny wants a rival author dropped; that author’s editor would like to edit Paul, but a book contract may prevent him. In paper, The Grave Maurice (Sept., Onyx, 7.99). Jury.

David Handler, The Bright Silver Star (Nov., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Two Hollywood hotties show up in the Connecticut village of Dorset. Film critic Mitch Berger and his girlfriend, State Trooper Des Mitry, tackle the case when one of the stars plunges from a cliff. Wry humor and interesting characters make this a pleasant read. Sandy recommends. In pb, the 2nd in the series, The Hot Pink Farmhouse (Nov. SMP, 6.99).

Lauren Haney, A Path of Shadows (Oct., Avon pbo, 6.99). 8th Ancient Egyptian mystery with Medjay policeman Lt. Bak.

Karen Harper, The Queene’s Christmas. See Holiday Books.

Kent Harrington, Dia de los Muertos (Oct., Capra tpo, 17.95). DEA agent Vincent Calhoun’s luck goes south when a girl gets off a bus in his posted town of Tijuana on the Day of the Dead. Foreword by James Crumley.

Carolyn Hart, Letter from Home (Oct., Berkley hc, 22.95.) In small town Oklahoma, the Summer of ’44, Gretchen Gilman is working as a reporter when a woman that everyone knew is found dead. As Gilman looks into the circumstances she can’t know that the answers will haunt the rest of her life.

Ellen Hart, Death on a Silver Platter (Sept., Ballantine pbo, 6.99). Food critic and hotelier Sophie Greenway chews her way through her 7th case.

Joan Hess, Muletrain to Maggody (Sept., Simon & Schuster hc, 23.00). A disgruntled ghost is Arly Hanks’ suspect in a murder when a band of Civil War re-enactors invades her town.

Lynn Hightower, Fortunes of the Dead (Sept., Atria hc, 23.00). PI Lena Padget is hired by the sister of a woman who vanished, at the same time that her lover, Det. Joel Mendez, is working the same case. In paper, High Water (Sept., Pocket, 6.99).

Reginald Hill, Death’s Jest-Book (Oct., Harper hc, 24.95). Three times, Yorkshire copper Peter Pascoe has arrested ex-con Franny Roote, only to see him walk free. Now, Pascoe has received a strange and threatening letter from Roote, and will anyone believe him now? In paper, Dialogues of the Dead (Oct., Avon, 7.50).

Corson Hirschfeld, Freeze Dry (Oct., Forge hc, 26.95). A frozen con man, a senior citizen hit man, a phony religious cult and a mobster who wants his money back – his third book of comic crime.

Stephen Hunter, Havana (Oct., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). Earl Swagger is in the Cuban capital during the high Summer of ’53. Between the Cold War, the mob and Castro’s uprising, it is nothing like a paradise. Signed Copies Available. JB recommends.

Jane Isenberg, Hot and Bothered (Oct., Avon pbo, 6.99). 6th comic mystery with NJ college professor Bel Barrett. We’ve just learned this author is moving to our area. Welcome!

Jonathan Kellerman, The Conspiracy Club (Nov., Ballantine hc, 26.95). Dr. Jeremy Carrier is still the chief suspect in the brutal murder of his girlfriend. Now, more women are dying in the same way, and the heat increases on the psychologist who has yet to recover completely from the horror.

Norman Kelley, Phat Death (Sept., Akashic tpo, 14.95). A hit on a notorious hip-hop star leads Nina Halligan into the music business. Postponed from Feb. 2002.

Rochelle Krich, Dream House (Sept., Ballantine hc, 24.95). LA true crime writer Molly Blume looks into a battle between proponents and opponents of historic preservation.

Jake Lamar, Rendezvous Eighteenth (Nov., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Debut thriller by an American expatriate. Ricky Jenks lives a quiet life in Paris, playing piano in a small café. His estranged cousin asks for help finding his lost wife, but his reasons and answers are vague. Jenks’ quiet life comes to an end.

William Landay, Mission Flats (Sept., Delacorte hc, 23.95). When a Boston District Attorney is found murdered near a small Maine town, the assistance of local police chief Ben Truman is not enthusiastically welcomed by the big city cops. Bill says, “In a season of great first novels (e.g., Wiley’s Lament and Clea’s Moon), this is the best one yet.”

Donna Leon, Uniform Justice (Sept., Atlantic hc, 24.00). Commissario Brunetti finally has another US publisher! After years of only being able to stock her books as UK imports, she now has TWO US publishers… Uniform Justice is the 12th in this internationally best-selling series set in Venice, and A Noble Radiance (Sept., Penguin, 6.99) is the 7th in the series.

Laura Lippman, Every Secret Thing (Sept., Morrow hc, 24.95). Two girls were banished from a birthday party and make a decision that will alter the lives of three people for ever. Seven years later, another child is missing and those two girls must reunite to stop another tragedy. First stand-alone thriller by the much-awarded writer. Signing. In paper, The Last Place (Sept., Avon, 7.50).

T.J. MacGregor, Black Water (Oct., Pinnacle pbo, 6.99). For years, children have been vanishing from Florida beaches. When her daughter is abducted, psychic Mira Morales will do anything to find the fiend. By the winner of last year’s Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, Out of Sight (Pinnacle, 6.99).

Archer Mayor, Gatekeeper (Oct., Warner hc, 23.95). Joe Gunther battles a pipeline of heroin coming into his territory. In paper, The Sniper’s Wife (Oct, Warner, 6.99)

Val McDermid, The Distant Echo (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). 25 years ago, four drunken students stumbled on the body of a murdered girl. The four students were the only suspects and the case was never solved. Now, someone seems to be taking revenge on them and they need to find out who and why. Erin recommends. In paper, The Last Temptation (Oct., St. Martin's, 6.99) AND Hostage to Murder (Oct., Spinster pbo, 14.00). 6th Lindsay Gordon finds her jobless and nursing a sprained ankle. A chance to work with another reporter leads them to political corruption and onto a trail that leads to St Petersburg.

Michael McGarrity, Everyone Dies (Sept., Dutton hc, 23.95). A seriously twisted killer is apparently targeting people with connections to Santa Fe police chief Kevin Kerney and his wife, Lt. Col. Sara Brannon, while they await the birth of their son. 8th in the Anthony Award-nominated series. Signing.

Neil McMahon, To the Bone (Sept., Harper hc, 23.95). ER physician Carroll Monks treats a desperately ill woman, brought in nude and in a coma, but his risk-taking procedures do not save her, and may get him in trouble with the hospital bureaucrats. He suspects her condition may have been past medical remedy when she arrived, and his search for answers threatens some powerful people. Clean writing, nice characters. Sandy recommends.

John A. Miller, Coyote Moon (Nov., Forge hc, 24.95). A crime novel of love, baseball and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Just in time for the off season.

Kirk Mitchell, Sky Woman Falling (Nov., Berkley hc, 22.95). FBI Agent Anna Turnipseed and Comanche Bureau of Indian Affairs Investigator Emmett Parker are called in when an Oneida elder is found in a field with nearly every bone in her body broken.

Carol O’Connell, Dead Famous (Sept., Putnam hc, 24.95). The murder of a Chicago FBI agent and jurors in a controversial NYC trial must be connected, but the FBI doesn’t want Mallory involved. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Crime School (Sept., Jove, 7.99).

Gemma O’Connor, Walking on Water (Sept., Jove pbo, 6.99). On the Irish coast, the love life of a wealthy American tourist may have been the death of her. First US publication of a British author being compared to Minette Walters and Val McDermid.

Sara Paretsky, Blacklist (Oct., Putnam hc, 24.95). In a story that stretches over four generations, VI Warshawski is asked to check on an old, empty family mansion. Her discovery reaches back to the McCarthy era and to secrets that provoke murder. Signing?

Robert B. Parker, Stone Cold (Oct., Putnam hc, 24.95). Chief Jesse Stone is on the trail of a couple of thrill killers. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Shrink Rap (Oct., Jove, 7.99). Randall.

Owen Parry, Bold Sons of Erin (Sept., Morrow hc, 24.95). Under orders from the President, Major Abel Jones investigates the stabbing death of a Union recruiter who was working amongst the Irish immigrants. Soon, he’s caught in a different kind of battle – between the poor workers and the war profiteers. A truly great series: classy, thoughtful, sharply-drawn characters amidst vividly sketched settings, and consistently brilliant writing. The author was awarded the Hammett Prize by the North American branch of the International Assoc. of Crime Writers in June, for excellence in the field of crime fiction. Well deserved, too – the eds.

Richard North Patterson, Balance of Power (Oct., Ballantine hc, 27.95). A massacre of innocents leads to revelations of ties between guns, money and the fight for power in DC.

T. R. Pearson, True Cross (Oct., Viking hc, 24.95). Paul Tatum and his neighbor Stoney share a fixation with a local damsel in distress which leads to a course of action with tragic consequences. Southern gothic with the same characters as in his two previous books, Blue Ridge (Penguin tp, 13.00) and Polar (Penguin tp, 14.00), which were both NYT Notable Books. Tammy recommends them all.

Joanne Pence, Two Cooks a Killing (Nov., Avon, 6.99). Sleuth/Chef Angie Amalfi gets into a deadly holiday stew cooked up by a cast of soap-opera has-beens.

Ann Purser, Murder on Monday (Oct, Berkley pbo, 5.99). New British village series with Lois Meade, a wife and mother who decides to clean houses in the neighboring village (so as not to embarrass her family) for extra money. When spinster Gloria Hathaway is strangled, Lois draws on her knowledge of Long Farnden’s residents to help the investigation. Previously published in hc in the UK, to good reviews. Sandy recommends.

Manuel Ramos, Brown-on-Brown (Sept., UNM Press hc, 21.95). Water-rights disputes in Colorado propel the 5th book with Denver attorney Luis Montez.

Ben Rehder, Dry Bone (Sept., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Texas game warden John Marlin is of course intrigued by the reports that a six-foot-tall blonde is roaming the hills, seducing and disarming camouflage-clad hunters. But when one of them is found dead, Marlin knows there is something strange going on. In paper, Buck Fever (Sept., St. Martin's, 6.99), a 2003 Edgar-nominee for Best First Novel.

Ruth Rendell, The Babes in the Woods (Oct., Crown hc, 25.00). Insp. Wexford returns and investigates the disappearance of two local teens and their baby-sitter. In paper, The Blood Doctor (Nov., Vintage, 13.00).

Ann Ripley, Death at the Plant Sale (Oct., Kensington hc, 22.00). When Louise Eldridge covers the venerable Bethesda Garden Club Spring plant sale for her TV gardening show, she digs up “deeply rooted resentments and fertile ground for murder…” In paper, The Christmas Garden Affair (Oct., Kensington, 5.99).

J.D. Robb, Imitation in Death (Sept., Jove pbo, 4.99). 17th Eve Dallas by the prolific Nora Roberts.

Caroline Roe, A Poultice for a Healer (Nov., Berkley hc, 22.95). Latest in the medieval Spanish series with physician Isaac of Girona. The author, aka Medora Sale, is a historian and expert on pre-Expulsion Spain. In paper, A Draught for a Dead Man (Nov., Berkley, 6.50).

John Sandford, The Hanged Man’s Song (Nov., Putnam hc, 25.95). Artist, computer whiz and professional criminal Kidd returns, along with his partner and sometimes lover LuEllen, to look into the death of a friend who was a super-hacker.

Dan Simmons, Hard as Nails (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Kurtz is given 5 days to find an abandoned amusement park in Western NY State whose overgrown rides are filled with corpses. If he can’t, he’ll join them. In paper, Hard Freeze (Sept., St. Martin's, 6.99).

Karin Slaughter, A Faint Cold Fear (Oct., Morrow hc, 24.95). The details of a supposed suicide on campus don’t add up for medical examiner Sara Linton. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Kisscut (Oct, Harper, 7.99).

Patricia Sprinkle, Who Let that Killer in the House? (Oct., Signet pbo, 5.99). Third in the “Thoroughly Southern Mystery” series with Georgia magistrate MacLaren Yarbrough.

Jonathan Stone, Breakthrough (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Tom Hartley suspects foul play when he reads the obituary of young investment banker Laura Hodges. Tom’s amateur investigation attracts the attention of a pro, female police detective Julian Parker, whom we met in Stone’s two previous books, The Cold Truth and The Heat of Lies (both St. Martin’s pb, 6.50 and 6.99). If you haven’t already read them, do so now, in sequence. Staff recommendation.

Denise Swanson, Murder of a Barbie and Ken (Nov., Signet pbo, 5.99). Scumble River’s social club gets reduced when the perfect couple is murdered.

William G. Tapply, Shadow of Death (Nov., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). A campaign manager asks Brady Coyne to suggest a discreet PI when he suspects the candidate’s husband is having an affair. Soon the PI is killed in a suspicious car wreck. In paper, Scar Tissue (Sept., St. Martin's, 6.99).

Aimee and David Thurlo, Plant Them Deep (Nov., Forge hc, 24.95). Ella Clah’s mother gets a case of her own.

Ayelet Waldman, Daughter’s Keeper (Oct., Sourcebooks hc, 24.00). In a serious mix of family psychology, self-sufficient mom Elaine is plunged into a nightmare when her head-strong daughter Olivia is subsumed in the war on drugs.

Timothy Watts, Grand Theft (Oct., Putnam hc, 23.95). We cannot adequately express our excitement about a new Timothy Watts book. In the mid-90s, he published three terrific crime novels with Soho Press, all gritty crime novels that were edged in mordant wit. In this book, his first new novel in seven years, he gives us the story of a Philadelphia car thief who boosts a car, gets a flat, and finds the city’s mob boss dead in the trunk. Signing we dearly hope, as JB and Bill can’t recommend this writer enough.

John Morgan Wilson, Blind Eye (Oct., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Latest in the Edgar- Winning series with Benjamin Justice. Justice is asked to look into the hit-and-run death of a LA Times columnist.

Now in Paperback

Dave Barry Tricky Business (Oct, Berkley, 7.99) Bill highly recommends

Eleanor Taylor Bland Windy City Dying (Nov, St Martins, 13.95)

Lawrence Block Enough Rope (Nov, Harper, 15.95) Complete short stories from the Master. AND Small Town (Nov, Harper, 7.99)

Jan Burke Nine (Sept, Pocket, 6.99)

Barbara Cleverly The Last Kashmiri Rose (Sept, Dell, 6.99)

Michael Connelly Chasing the Dime (Sept, Warner, 7.99)

S.V. Date Black Sunshine (Sept, Berkley, 6.99)

Umberto Eco Baudolino (Oct, Harcourt, 15.00)

Barthomew Gill Death in Dublin (Nov, Avon, 6.99) the final McGarr.

Sue Grafton Q is for Quarry (Oct, Berkley, 7.99)

John Harvey In a True Light (Nov, Carroll & Graf, 13.00)

Philip Kerr Dark Matter (Oct, Three Rivers, 14.00) JB Recommends

Henning Mankell Firewall (Sept, Vintage, 13.00) Wallander #8

Camille Minichino The Hydrogen Murder (Sept, Worldwide, 5.99)

Walter Mosley Six Easy Pieces (Oct, Washington Square, 14.00)

Anne Perry Death of a Stranger (Sept, Ballantine, 7.50)

Scott Phillips The Walkaway (Sept, Ballantine, 13.95)

John Maddox Roberts Saturnalia and Nobody Loves a Centurion (Oct, St Martins, 13.95 ea) #5 & 6 in the SPQR series.

James Sallis Ghost of a Flea (Sept, Walker, 8.95)

Manda Scott No Good Deed (Sept, Bantam, 5.99) Edgar Nominee

Donna Tartt The Little Friend (Oct, Vintage, 14.95)

Andrew Vachss Only Child (Oct, Vintage, 13.00)

Betty Webb Desert Noir (Oct, Worldwide, 5.99)

Mysterious Youth

Bruce Hale, Trouble is my Beeswax (Sept., Harcourt hc, 14.00). 7th in the clever and funny Chet Gecko series for ages 8-10.

Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events #10: The Slippery Slope (Nov., Harper hc, 10.99). Latest adventures for the Baudelaire orphans.

Coming this Winter

Catherine Aird, Chapter and Hearse, Feb

Tim Dorsey & Storm Serge, Feb

Jonathan Gash & Lovejoy!, Jan

P.D. James & Adam Dalgliesh, Dec. Signed copies!

Walter Mosley, The Man in my Basement, Jan

Ian Rankin & Insp. Rebus, Feb

John Maddox Roberts & SPQRVIII, Jan

Jenny Siler, Flash Back, Feb

Mickey Spillane, Something’s Down There, Dec

Late Recommendations

JB recommends

Greg Rucka’s A Fistful of Rain (Bantam hc, 23.95) and G.M. Ford’s A Blind Eye (Morrow hc, 23.95), are both beautifully written and constructed mysteries that have as much to do with the crimes of the heart as of the hand.

Bill recommends

Sharyn McCrumb, Ghost Riders (July, Dutton hc, 24.95). The latest of her Appalachian novels, which stand among my all-time favorites, seems slower-moving and less focused than usual, but perhaps more thought-provoking than ever. She presents the American Civil War in a much different light than I’ve seen before, and the message is chillingly appropriate to today’s headlines. As one character says, “Wars are easier to start than they are to stop.”

Sandy recommends

I enjoyed the startling and unusual Bangkok 8, by John Burdett, with a Thai-American Buddhist cop seeking justice for his murdered partner in the drug and sex underground of Bangkok; Good Morning, Killer, by April Smith, another intriguing LA cop-CIA adventure with the characters from her previous, excellent, North of Montana; and a fine thriller by James Grippando, The Last to Die.

Reissues of Note

Richard Condon, The Manchurian Candidate (Sept., PGW, 13.95). Classic Cold War novel of paranoia and assassination.

Dorothy B. Hughes, In a Lonely Place (Nov., Feminist Press at CUNY, 14.95). Noir classic from 1947, revolutionary for its time, takes the reader inside the head of a serial killer – later made into a film noir with Bogart and Grahme.

Peter O'Donnell, Sabre-Tooth and Last Day in Limbo (Sept., Souvenir tp, 14.95 ea). Two more of the Modesty Blaise adventures - she's in a league all of her own, somewhere between Bond and the Saint. Sabre (from 1966) is #2 and Limbo (from 1976) is #7.

SHERLOCKIANA

Curious Incidents, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, J.R. Campbell & Charles Prepolec, eds (July, Mad for a Mystery tp, 8.00 and 12.00). 6 new adventures in Vol. 1 and 7 in Vol. 2, by a variety of Canadian authors.

Frank Thomas, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Tales (Aug., Gryphon tpo, 1600). A collection of new pieces.

Ralph Vaughan, Sherlock Holmes & the Terror Out of Time (Aug., Gryphon tpo, 15.00). Holmes and Prof. Challengfer battle Cthulhu horrors.

Shadows over Baker Street, Michael Reaves and John Pelan, eds (Sept., Ballantine hc, 23.95). Holmes mixes with horror in this collection of short pieces by the likes of Hambly, Gaiman, Brite and others.

Ted Riccardi, The Oriental Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (Sept., Random House hc, 24.95). Here are, at last, the lost adventures of Holmes, from the period of his time in the Orient after he survived the fight at the Falls.

John Lescroart, Son of Holmes and Rasputin’s Revenge (Sept., NAL, 14.00 ea). Reissues of two titles from 1995, in which a French detective, Auguste Lupa, is reputed to be the son of the great detective.

Carole Nelson Douglas, Femme Fatale (Sept., Forge hc, 25.95). Irene is drawn back to her homeland when an American journalist – Nellie Bly – tells Irene that her mother is the target of assassins, a woman Irene has never heard of before. In paper, Castle Rouge (Sept., Forge, 6.99)

Now in Paperback

Larry Millett, The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes (Oct., Penguin, 6.99)

Stephen Kendrick, Night Watch (Sept., Berkley, 13.00). Holmes and Father Brown.

Murder, My Dear Watson, Greenberg, Lellengerg & Stashower, eds (Nov., Carroll & Graf, 14.00)

John Dickson Carr, The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Dec., Carroll & Graf, 14.00).Originally published in 1949, one mystery master writes the life of another.

NEW FROM THE UK

Michael Bond, Monsieur Pamplemousse Hits the Headlines (Oct., Allison & Busby hc, 25.95). A chance encounter puts the Gallic gastronomic reviewer at the airing of the TV program of a famous French chef. When the Chef is poisoned and dies on live TV, Pamplemousse is drawn into the investigation.

Denise Danks, Baby Love (Aug., Orion pbo, 7.95). 6th with London reporter Georgina Powers.

Susanna Gregory, A Killer in Winter (Oct., Time Warner UK, 24.95). 9th with 14th C. Cambridge physician and forensic sleuth Matthew Bartholomew. In paper, A Summer of Discontent (Sept., Time Warner UK, 7.95), the 8th.

Quintin Jardine, Fallen Gods (Sept., Headline hc, 24.95). 13th with Edinburgh’s tough cop Bob Skinner.

Michael Jecks, The Templar’s Penance (Nov., Headline, 9.95). 15th with former Knight Templar Sir Baldwin Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock.

David Wishart, A Vote for Murder (Sept., Hodder & Stoughton hc, 24.95). 6th Ancient Roman mystery with Marcus Corvinus.

SPECIAL INTEREST ITEMS

Stout Fellow: A Guide Through Nero Wolfe’s World, by O. E. McBride (iUniverse tp, 19.95). The pseudonymous author must have read every Nero Wolfe story multiple times, with note pad and calculator in hand, to create this detailed reference to characters – leading, supporting, and walk-on; cases – means, methods, and motives; and the history, habits, and eccentricities of the residents and visitors to the brownstone house. Bill grabbed the first copy, but we have more; supply may be limited, so order now.

Laurence Shames and Peter Barton, Not Fade Away: a Life Lived with Passion and Joy (Sept., Rodale hc, 22.95). Memoir of a man who was hugely successful in business, who epitomized the dreams of a generation, and who turned his focus to philanthropy before he died at an early age.

Casey Sherman, A Rose for Mary: The Hunt for the REAL Boston Strangler (Sept., Northeastern Univ. Press hc, 24.95). 19-year-old Mary Sullivan was the last and youngest victim of the Strangler. What most of us don’t know is that Albert DeSalvo, the confessed Strangler, was never charged with the crimes – no forensic evidence linked him to the murders! Sherman is the nephew of Mary and this book chronicles his 10 year reinvestigation of the Strangler case and his –and the DeSalvo’s family’s – efforts to reopen the entire case.

Alexander McCall Smith, Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations (Sept., Canongate hc, 21.00). A collection of short stories – none dealing with crime – by the author of the phenomenally popular No 1 Ladies Detective Agency.

Randy Wayne White, An American Traveler (Oct., Lyons hc, 22.95). 4th selection of essays of the writer's travels that carry the same theme: a sedentary life is as deadly as a case of slow cancer.

The Greatest Outlaw Stories Ever Told, Matt Evets, ed. (Nov., Lyons hc, 22.95). 25 stories by the literary likes of Nabokov, Capote, Mailer, Doctorow, Dumas, Styron McMurtry and Fitzgerald.

Lillian Jackson Braun, The Private Life of the Cat Who… (Oct., Putnam hc, 10.95). An intimate look at the private lives of Koko and Yum Yum.

The Cat Who…Quiz Book, Robert J. Headick, Jr, ed. (Nov., Berkley tpo, 13.00). A volume of trivia and challenge for the true fan.

The Dick Francis Companion, Jean Swanson & Dean James eds. (Sept., Berkley tpo, 14.00). A-Z resource for everything Dick Francis.

Elizabeth Peters, Amelia Peabody’s Egypt: A Compendium (Nov., Morrow hc, 29.95). A lively historical and cultural reference volume for the life and times of the beloved archeologist.

Don Hutchison, The Great Pulp Heroes, 3rd ed. (Sept., Mosaic Press tp, 16.00). An affectionate look at the heroes of the Golden Age – The Shadow, Tarzan, Doc Savage, Capt. Future, The Spider and Zorro. With illustrations.

COLLECTIONS

Charles Willeford, The Second Half of the Double Feature (Aug., Wit's End, hc 35.95, tp 17.95). A volume of out-of-print material; the trade paperback contains 7 previously unpublished stories, while the hardcover contains those stories PLUS Willeford's complete poetry AND 46 unpublished/uncollected poems.

High Stakes, Robert Randisi, ed. (Sept., Signet pbo, 5.99). 8 new stories of gambling and crime by masters and newcomers.

Bone Dance: A Collection of Musical Mysteries, the Ladies Killing Circle (Nov., Rendezvous Press tpo, 12.95). Short stories from a group of Canadian authors.

The Best American Crime Writing, 2003, Penzler, Cook, Berendt, eds. (Sept., Pantheon hc, 29.95, Vintage tp, 15.00). A collection of the best crime journalism of the year.

The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunits, Mike Ashley, ed. (Oct., Carroll & Graf tpo, 11.95). Saylor, Todd, Roberts, Doherty – the usual suspects plus some others.

The Mammoth Book of Future Cops, Jakubowski & Christian, eds. (Oct., Carroll & Graf tpo, 11.95). Sci-fi short stories of crime investigations of the future, by notable authors such as Russo, McAuley, Haldeman, Nolan, Resnick and Dick.

Isaac Asimov, The Return of the Black Widowers (Nov., Carroll & Graf hc, 24.00). Asimov wrote more than 120 tales of the Black Widowers, a group of armchair detectives who specialized in locked-room mysteries. This book offers the ten best of the early stories, plus 6 that have never before been collected into a book. A treat for those who like to struggle with a puzzle.

William F. Nolan, Ships in the Night and other Stories (Aug., Capra hc, 24.95). Ten stories that reflect the great and varied talent of this prolific author who wrote every kind of story imaginable – detective, western, sci-fi, sports.

GIFT THOUGHTS AND HOLIDAY BOOKS

Caps:

You will be able to top off your Seattle Mystery Bookshop fashion statement (T-Shirt, Sweatshirt & Bookbag) nicely with one of our Caps! Just as with our shirts, we’ll have black caps with red lettering and red caps with black lettering. Our distinctive question mark will appear above the bill and our shop name will arc over the pony-tail hole in back. As we go to press with the newsletter, we don’t have “ballpark” prices. Call or e-mail to get them later.

Nero Blanc, A Crossworder’s Gift (Oct., Berkley hc, 22.95). 5 short crossword puzzle mysteries in one volume. In paper, A Crossworder’s Holiday (Oct., Berkley, 13.00), last year’s book.

Detecta-crostics: Puzzles of Mystery, Jeanne M. Jacobson & Jennie G. Jacobson (Crum Creek tpo, 18.00) Anagrams and acrostics, mysteries and clues, a puzzle for each detective and each mystery fan, and the index includes such names as Elkins, Jance and Robb.

Janet Evanovich, Visions of Sugar Plums (Nov., St. Martin's, 6.99).

Karen Harper, The Queene’s Christmas (Oct., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Feasting, wassailing, mumming, mistletoe and murder in Elizabethan England. Recipes included in this holiday addition to a popular historical series. In pb, The Thorne Maze (Oct., SMP, 6.99).

Scene of the Crime: A Guide to the Landscapes of British Detective Fiction, Julian Earwaker & Kathleen Becker (2002 UK, Aurum Press tpo, 24.95), with a foreword by P. D. James. This fascinating book is an illustrated guide to the locales of many of the best British mystery writers, from Arthur Conan Doyle to Ian Rankin, and Dorothy L. Sayers to Minette Walters. Sandy recommends.

Small Press Spotlight: UglyTown

If you’ve been in the shop sometime within the last year, you’ve no doubt seen a display that says the following: A Great Young Press to Watch. The rest of the sign says “UglyTown Press has become, in our opinion, a press to watch and a press to trust. From the locally set Rat City to the Edgar Nominated Gun Monkeys, their books are tough, sharply written crime stories that glisten with dark humor. We recommend them all.”

New UglyTown books include a second Curt Colbert, Sayonaraville; a new Gary Phillips, The Perpetrators; a new Nathan Walpow, One Last Hit. They continue to debut fine writers – try Mike Lester’s An Occasional Dream. There is a volume of short stories, A Deadly Dozen, all by L.A. Sisters in Crime members. They have two mysteries for younger readers, with a 14-year-old Native American.

The books are beautiful, trade paperbacks with alluring artwork, most with a French flap – a continuation of the cover that folds in to create a fly leaf.

Now UglyTown is embarking on the new venture—publishing hardcovers. See our write-ups for Conrad and Doolittle in this issue.

Look for them. Buy them. Support this small press.

You’ll enjoy them. We do.

News from Tammy

VISIT US AT BOOKFEST!

Keep the weekend of Oct. 18th & 19th open!

Saturday and Sunday 10am to 6pm

Bookfest's permanent home is now the Airplane hangar at Sandpoint/Magnuson Park, 7400 Sandpoint Way N.E.

Once again we have a stellar line-up of authors to sign at Bookfest. We've requested a corner booth next to Sisters-in-Crime so look for us both! Authors will be appearing every half hour, 11am to 5pm. Final calendars will be posted on our website (seattlemystery.com), at nwbookfest.org, on a postcard mailing, and in our NEWZINE*. We'll be raffling cool UglyTown paraphernalia all day.

As we go to press, these authors are scheduled: April Christofferson, Curt Colbert, Mary Daheim, Chari Davenport, Sharon Duncan, Robert Ferrigno, Mike Hawley, Larry Karp, Skye K. Moody, Sharan Newman, Kevin O'Brien, Judith Parker, Candace Robb, James Thayer, Jan Tissot, Ayelet Waldman.

NEWZINE FROM SMB

After our recent poll of red post card recipients we have instituted an email newsletter, the NEWZINE. It will be an irregular, bi-weekly-or-so info missive covering new signings, additions to the website, hot-off-the-press releases, and gossip from recent signings! If you happen to attend one of our events with a digital camera, send us an email of your best picture and we'll try to put it in!

If you haven't gotten a Newzine yet and would like to be on the mailing list, send us an email.

-- Tammy Domike

Mail and phone orders for these or any other books are welcome. We often have signed copies of Northwest authors, and other authors who visit the shop. Prices subject to change without notice. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., Seattle, WA 98104. Phone: (206) 587-5737.

Email: staff@seattlemystery.com

WEBSITE: seattlemystery.com

SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP NEWS is composed and produced by JB Dickey and Sandy Goodrick. The online version is brought to you by Catherine van Veen.

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