Seattle Mystery Bookshop

N e w s  l e t t e r

117 Cherry St. Seattle, WA 98104

(206) 587-5737

    e-mail:  staff@seattlemystery.com     WEBSITE:  seattlemystery.com

Bill Farley, Founder /J. B. Dickey, Owner/ Tammy Domike, Manager

  Sandy Goodrick / Karen Duncan /Erin O'Donnell   

 

Spring 2002

 

 

 

In This Issue

 

Author Appearances

New Northwest Releases                               

Some Other Spring Releases

New Books from Crippen & Landru   

Sherlockiana                         

Things of Interest                              

Spotlight on Uglytown                        

New From the UK                              

The 2002 Edgar Nominees                

Seattle Mystery Bookshop's Bestsellers  

 

AUTHOR APPEARANCES

 

Tues, Mar 12, Nevada Barr signs Hunting Season

Thurs, Mar 14, noon to 2pm, Anne Perry reads and signs Southampton Row

Sat, Mar 16, noon, Carola Dunn signs The Case of the Murdered Muckraker

Mon, Mar 18, Jeffrey Deaver signs The Stone Monkey

Wed, Mar 20, noon, Denise Dietz signs Fifty Cents for Your Soul

Thurs, Mar 21, noon, George P. Pelecanos signs Hell to Pay

Tues, Mar 26, noon, Sinclair Browning signs Crack Shot

Wed, Mar 27, noon, Lynda Douglas signs Deadfall

Thurs, Mar 28, noon, Laurie R. King signs Justice Hall

Fri, April 5, noon, John Reed signs The Kingfisher's Call

Sat, April 13, noon, Mitch Luckett signs To Kill a Common Loon

Sun April 14, 1pm, Earlene Fowler signs Steps to the Altar

Sat, April 20, noon, Aaron Elkins reads from and signs Turncoat

Wed, April 24, Nicola Griffith signs Stay.

Mon, April 29, noon, Cara Black signs Murder in the Sentier.

Fri, May 3, 1pm, Stuart Woods signs The Short Forever

Wed, May 8, noon, Candace Robb signs A Spy for the Redeemer

Sat, May 11, noon, Mary Daheim reads and signs Silver Scream

Sat, May 18, noon, Earl Emerson reads and signs Vertical Burn

Wed, May 22, noon, April Henry signs Learning to Fly

Fri, May 24, noon, Tim Dorsey signs Triggerfish Twist

Tues, May 28, noon, Barbara Seranella signs No Man Standing

 

 

 

                    New Northwest Releases

 

Mary Daheim, Silver Scream (May, Morrow hc, 23.95). The death of a Hollywood producer at her B & B causes problems for Judith and her cousin Renie. The movie flops, and the producer flips and drowns in the kitchen sing. Latest in the popular, madcap series by an author who's even funnier in person. Signing.

Michael Dibdin,  And Then You Die (May, Pantheon hc, 21.00). Recuperating from the car-bombing, Aurelio Zen is laying low and waiting to testify in a mob trial.  But people who might be Zen are being murdered around him and he is soon on the move, and on the hunt.  Signing.

Lynda Douglas, Deadfall (Feb., Oak Tree Press tp, 11.95). Claire Mitchell's past haunts her: as a girl, she was found wandering in Oregon's Siskiyou National Forest, severely injured and with no memory of what happened to her or her family.  Now working in a Seattle architectural firm and about to be married, she discovers that she may still have enemies. Signing.

Aaron Elkins, Turncoat (May, Morrow hc, 24.95). The quiet and comfortable life of Pete and Lily is shattered when a stranger appears at their door ranting about the war, money, death and forgiveness.  The next day, the man is dead and Lily is gone.  Signing.

Earl Emerson, Vertical Burn (May, Ballantine hc, 24.95).  In this powerful thriller, a departure from his two series, the fireman/author portrays a firefighter who is transformed from hero to pariah – and target – in a few fateful moments.  A long-awaited book, and worth the wait.  Signing.

Mary Freeman, Garden View (May, Berkley pbo, 6.50). 4th with gardener Rachel O'Connor who is suspicious of all of the recent, odd deaths at a retirement home where she is doing some landscaping. Signing?

Nicola Griffith, Stay (April, Doubleday, 23.95). Aud Torvingen is building a cabin in the North Carolina woods, still aching from the death of her lover, when an old friend arrives to ask a favor:  find his missing fiance Tammy. Her search takes her to NYC and causes her own inner violence to explode.  The Blue Place – the debut of Aud – was a staff favorite.  Signing.

April Henry, Learning to Fly (May, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). A fiery chain-reaction crash leaves Free Meeker with a bag of money and a dead passenger.  When the burned hitchhiker is thought to be her, she seems to have been given the chance to begin a new life – until the owner of the money comes looking for it. Signing.

Chandler McGrew, Cold Heart (March, Bantam pbo, 5.99). Mickey Ascherfeld fled to Alaska to build a new life after the murder of her parents and the death of her police partner.  The remote wilderness is no solace and the killer is hunting her now.

John J. Nance, Turbulence (April, Putnam hc, 25.95). Fed up with the way the flight has gone, the passengers of Meridian Flight 6 have mutinied.  What they don’t realize is that the US government thinks the plane has been hijacked and is carrying a deadly chemical weapon.  In pb, Headwind (March, Berkley pbo, 7.99). Signed copies available.

Kevin O’Brien, Make Them Cry (May, Kensington pbo, 6.99). A serial killer is stalking Seattle’s streets, collecting bones to make a monument to madness.

Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz), Don’t Look Back (May, Bantam hc, 24.95). The lovers from Slightly Shady return in a new romantic mystery, trying to solve a murder and recover an ancient bracelet said to have mystical powers. In pb, Slightly Shady, (March, Bantam, 7.50).

 Signing.

John Reed, The Kingfisher’s Call (April, Sourcebooks hc, 22.00). An American falls in love with a Chinese woman in the 1950s, but lives without her for decades. He goes on to be a legendary CIA agent and it comes down to him to rescue her 50 years later when her years as a Western mole endanger her. Oregon author.  Signing.

Candace Robb, A Spy for the Redeemer (April, Mysterious Press hc, 23.95). 7th Owen Archer finally out in US hardcover.  In paper, A Trust Betrayed (April, Mysterious Press, 12.95), debut of Margaret Kerr. Signing.

Susan R. Sloan, Act of God (April, Warner hc, 24.95).  A Seattle attorney must defend a man accused of a horrendous crime, and already found guilty in the court of public opinion.  When we think of major Seattle authors, Susan Sloan is not a name that comes readily to mind, but after this book it will.  Signing.

 

Now in Paperback

D.W. Buffa, The Judgment (May, Warner, 7.99).

Carola Dunn, Damsel in Distress (March, Kensington, 5.99). Signing.

Mark Fuhrman, Murder in Spokane (May, Avon, 7.50).

Sue Henry, Dead North (May, Avon, 6.99).

John Hockenberry, A River Out of Eden (July, Anchor, 14.00).

Laurie R. King, Folly (May, Bantam, 11.95). Signing.

Elizabeth Lowell (Ann Maxwell), Moving Target (May, Avon, 7.99).

John Saul, The Manhattan Hunt Club (May, Ballantine, 7.99).

Frank Smith, Thread of Evidence (April, Worldwide, 5.99).

Dana Stabenow, The Singing of the Dead (May, St. Martin's, 6.99). Kate Shugak.

James Thayer, Force 12 (March, Pocket, 6.99).

 

    Coming this Summer

 

D.W. Buffa & Joe Antonelli, July

G.M. Ford & Frank Corso, July

Sue Henry & Jessie Arnold, June

J.A. Jance & Beaumont and Brady together, Aug.

Steve Martini & Paul Madriani, July

Ridley Pearson & Lou and Daphne, July

Dana Stabenow & Kate Shugak, June

 

———————————————————————————–

                 Some Other Spring Releases

 

Donna Andrews, You’ve Got Murder (April, Berkley hc, 21.95). When a workaholic techie misses work, his friend Turing begins to look for him through computerized records – it is the only way she can: she’s an artificial intelligence that the techie created. First in a new type of mystery, what they’re labeling a "techno-cozy," by the author of Murder with Peacocks. Karen says: “Whether or not you’ve ever bonded with a computer before, you’ll love getting to know Turing and her friends, both human and digital.” Karen recommends.

Marian Babson, The Cat Next Door (April, St. Martin's hc, 21.95). Oh dear.  The family feline has moved next door until the felon is found. In pb, To Catch a Cat (April, 5.99).

Pamela Ball, The Floating City (March, Viking hc, 23.95). Set in 1890s Hawaii. A body washes on shore on a sultry Honolulu morning, and Eva Hanson, on the fringes of European society, finds herself embroiled in  social and political upheavals.

Mignon F. Ballard, Shadow of an Angel (April, St. Martin's hc, 23.95).  3rd with guardian angel Augusta Goodnight.

Robert Barnard, The Bones in the Attic (April, Scribner hc, 23.00). After a family moves into an old stone house in Leeds, they discover the bones of a child in the attic. A Charlie Peace investigation.

William Bernhardt, Final Round (March, Ballantine, 23.95). A killer has come to play his own deadly game at the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, GA.

Claudia Bishop, Just Desserts (April, Berkley pbo, 5.99). 9th in the Hemlock Falls series with the Quilliam sisters, who deal with murder during a meteorologist convention.

Cara Black, Murder in the Sentier (April, Soho hc, 24.00). In the 3rd Parisian mystery with Aimee Leduc, she tangles with the Red Gang, a 1960s terrorist group that is after hidden loot.  In pb, Murder in Belleville (April, Soho, 13.00)  Signing.

J.S. Borthwick, Murder in the Rough (March, St. Martin's hc, 24.95).  Sarah Deane investigates a corpse on a New England golf course.

Peter Bowen, Ash Child (April, St. Martin's hc, 23.95).  Latest Montana mystery with Gabriel Du Pre. In pb, Wolf, No Wolf (April, 14.95).

Rhys Bowen, Evans to Betsy (March, St. Martin's hc, 22.95).  Welsh village constable Evan Evans takes on the case of a missing spiritualist in his 6th adventure.

Tom Bradby, The Master of Rain (April, Doubleday hc, 26.00). Debut thriller, set in Shanghai of the 1920s. Englishman Richard Field is a naďve young recruit to the British intelligence service, whose first case is the brutal murder of Russian prostitute.  Evidence seems to point to a powerful Chinese warlord, but he soon finds the interlocking political and social forces of a glittering but corrupt society are at work to impede the investigation.  JB and Sandy recommend.

Andrea Camilleri, The Shape of Water (May, Viking hc, 20.95). First English translation of the first book in an internationally best-selling series that features a Sicilian cop, Salvo Montalbano.  One of the island's movers and shakers is discovered dead, seemingly of natural causes.  Though he is pressured to close the case, something nags at him about the death. Signed copies available.

Ann Campbell, Wolf Tracks (May, Signet pbo, 5.99). 3rd with New England antiques dealer Annie O’Hara and her clue-sniffing canine companion Claudius.

Taffy Cannon, Open Season on Lawyers (April, Daniel & Daniel tpo, 13.95). Someone is killing sleazy lawyers and LAPD Det. Joanna Davis matches wits with the killer, who tailors the murders to fit the victim.

Joanna Carl, The Chocolate Cat Caper (March, Signet pbo, 5.99). 1st in a new series.  Newly-divorced, Lee McKinney returns to Michigan to help in her aunt’s sweets shop.  When a high-profile lawyer dies after eating a poisoned chocolate cat, it is up to Lee to find the tamperer.

Charlotte Carter, Walking Bones (May, Serpent’s Tail tbo, 14.00). Noirish tale of a black woman and white man, who meet in a bar after he’s drunkenly offensive and she smashes a glass in his face – and what happens to them. By the author of the jazz-tinged Nanette Hayes mysteries.

Suzanne Chazin, Flashover (April, Putnam hc, 25.95). Fire Marshall Georgia Skeehan returns to shift through the ashes of friendships and betrayal. In pb, The Fourth Angel (Feb., Jove, 6.99) which JB recommends.

Lee Child, Without Fail (May, Putnam hc, 25.95). Reacher is approached by the head of the Vice President’s security team to run a fake assassination plot to test their security.  Reacher soon comes to understand that there is a plot and it is up to him to stop it. Signed copies available.  In pb, Echo Burning (April, Jove, 7.99). Staff favorite author.

Laura Childs, Gunpowder Green (March, Berkley pbo, 5.99). 2nd with Charleston tea shop owner Theodosia Browning.

Mary Higgins Clark, Daddy’s Little Girl (April, Simon & Schuster hc, 26.00). A young reporter looks back into the case of her sister’s murder, more than 20 years after her own testimony helped convict a man who is now about to be released. In pb, On the Street Where You Live (April, Pocket, 7.99).

Harlan Coben, Gone for Good (April, Bantam hc, 23.95). All of the people that Will Klein loves are disappearing on him – his mother dies, his girlfriend vanishes, and as he looks into it all, he finds dark secrets leading toward a truth he couldn’t have imagined.

Iris Collier, Day of Wrath (May, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Nicholas Peverll returns home from visiting the court of Henry VIII to find his steward murdered.  With the King visiting in a few days, he must find out who did this and if it somehow endangers the King.

Susan Conant, The Wicked Flea (March, Berkley hc, 21.95). 13th canine caper with Holly Winter.

Michael Connelly, City of Bones (April, Little Brown hc, 25.95). The bones of a 12-year-old boy lead Harry Bosch into a morass of police and political machinations – as well as his own memories of  childhood. Signed Copies Available. In pb, A Darkness More than Night (March, Warner, 7.99), a staff favorite.

Thomas Cook, The Interrogation (March, Bantam hc, 23.95). A police interrogation from 1952 comes back to play a part in a tale of deception and murder.

Bernard Cornwell, Gallow’s Thief (May, Harper hc, 24.95). Rider Sandman, a hero at Waterloo, returns home and accepts a job investigating the case of a painter scheduled to be hanged for a murder he may not have committed. The case will take Sandman from the bowels of Newgate prison to the finely appointed drawing rooms of the aristocracy. By the author of the acclaimed Sharpe series.

Catherine Dain, Death of the Party (March, Worldwide pb, 5.99). Actress turned therapist Faith Cassidy looks into the appearance of an unexpected guest at the block party – a body.  This is a paperback reissue, from a library press hardcover.

Jeanne M. Dams, Silence Is Golden (April, Walker hc, 23.95). Turn-of-the-century housekeeper Hilda Johansson sweeps into action when a friend of her son runs away to join the circus and is found badly beaten.

Ava Dianne Day, Cut to the Heart (March, Doubleday hc, 22.95).  Debut of a new series by the author of the Fremont Jones mysteries.  Civil War nurse Clara Barton is stationed on Hilton Head Island, the headquarters of the Union Army in the South.  While caring for her patient, Col. John Elwell, and learning Gullah folk medicine, she becomes enmeshed in a deadly conflict with a resident doctor.

Jeffery Deaver, The Stone Monkey (May, Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). Rhyme and Sachs are working with the FBI and INS to stop a Chinese killer known as the Ghost from entering NYC by ship.  When it goes sour, they have just 48 hours to find and stop him from killing his target. Signed copies available. In pb, The Blue Nowhere (April, Pocket, 7.99).

Dicey Deere, The Irish Cairn Murder (March, St. Martin's hc, 23.95).  Torrey Tunnet's 3rd adventure in Ballynaugh.

William Diehl, Eureka (March, Ballantine hc, 25.00). A murder investigation in 1941California threatens the political ambitions of Sheriff Thomas Culhane, and secrets from the town’s past could forever change the destiny of the State.

Denise Dietz, Fifty Cents for Your Soul (available now, Delphi hc, 22.95). Frannie Rosen wants an Oscar-winning role, but when she is cast in a horror film about demonic possession, directed by a legendary—and hated—director, she finds herself involved in a murder.  Signing.

Tim Dorsey, Triggerfish Twist (May, Morrow hc, 24.95). A mild-mannered Midwesterner, transferred to Tampa, finds his next door neighbor is Serge Storms and is soon up to his eyeballs in trouble. This is a pre-quel to Florida Roadkill.  In pb, Orange Crush (April, Harper, 6.99). Signing. Tammy recommends.

Carole Nelson Douglas, Cat in a Midnight Choir (May, Forge hc, 24.95). 14th Midnight Louie.  In pb, Cat in a Leopard Spot (May, Forge, 6.99).

Selma Eichler, Murder Can Cool Off Your Affair (March, Signet pbo, 5.99). 9th with plus-sized PI Desiree Shapiro.

KJ Erickson, The Dead Survivors (March, St. Martin's Press hc, 24.95).  Minneapolis homicide cop Marshall Bahr thinks an apparent suicide is linked to the victim's ancestry—he's descended from the First Minnesota Volunteers, a battalion that turned the tide at Gettysburg during the Civil War. A followup to Third Person Singular (March pb, 6.99).

Loren D. Estleman, Something Borrowed, Something Black (April, Forge hc, 24.95). Hit-man Macklin has retired and is honeymooning in LA when his past and unfinished business interrupts.  4th Macklin, the first since 1986. Signed Copies Available.

Monica Ferris, A Murderous Yarn (March, Berkley pbo, 5.99). 5th needlepoint mystery, set at an antique car race.

Judy Fitzwater, Dying to Get Her Man (May, Ballantine pbo, 6.99). 6th set in the world of authors, agents, publishers and books with writer/sleuth Jennifer Marsh.

Joanne Fluke, Blueberry Muffin Murder (March, Kensington hc, 22.00). 4th culinary mystery with Hannah Swensen.

Earlene Fowler, Steps to the Alter (April, Berkley hc, 22.95). 9th quilting mystery with California folk art expert Benni Harper. Signing.  In pb, Arkansas Traveler (April, Berkley, 6.99).

Michael Frayn, Spies (April, Holt hc, 23.00). Stephen Wheatley returns to the site of a dimly remembered, but troubled, childhood summer in  wartime London.  As memories begin to come together a childhood game of spying turns sinister, and childish speculations become the elements of adult catastrophe. Karen recommends.

Victor Gischler, Gun Monkeys (Jan., Uglytown tp, 15.00).  In the aftermath of a bloody mob takeover that kills most of his crew of gun monkeys, old school killer Charlie Swift is looking for a traitor, his missing boss, and payback.  See Spotlight on Uglytown and Edgar nominee list.

Christine Goff, A Nest in the Ashes (May, Berkley pbo, 5.99). 3rd Birdwatcher’s mystery. A Rocky Mountain Park Ranger is in the hot seat when a prescribed burn gets out of control and a  person is killed – but was it murder?

Todd Goldberg, Living Dead Girl (May, Soho hc, 22.00). Paul Luden travels up from LA to his ex-wife’s lakeside cabin.  She’s not been seen for days and the neighbors are worried.  As he steps into the cabin, he steps out of his normal life and into one of increasing terror.  The author is related to local writers Burl Barer and Ed Goldberg.

Alan Gordon, A Death in the Venetian Quarter (Mar., St. Martin’s hc, 23.95) #3 in the series featuring Theophilus the Jester (a.k.a. Feste from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night). The 13th century is more dangerous than ever. Trapped in Constantinople, which is besieged by the 4th Crusade due to a disastrous series of political and ecclesiastical foul-ups, Theophilus must solve the murder of a supposed silk merchant whose death could mean final doom for the threatened city. Karen recommends.

In paperback, Jester Leaps In (St. Martin’s, 6.50).

Jane Haddam, Somebody Else's Music (April, St. Martin's hc, 24.95).  Gregor Demarkian returns. When a famous author returns to her hometown, where she was the target of much abuse as a teenager, a deadly chain of events ensues. In pb, True Believers (April, St. Martin's, 6.50).

Laurell K. Hamilton, A Caress of Twilight (March, Ballantine hc, 23.95). 2nd with Faerie princess and PI Meredith Gentry, who is out to stop a killer in the City of Angels.

Lynn Hamilton, The Etruscan Chimera (May, Berkley hc, 22.95). Antiques dealer Lara McClintoch is hired to purchase an obscure Etruscan sculpture and is soon in the midst of murder.

Steve Hamilton, North of Nowhere (May, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Feeling like a failure on his 49th birthday, Alex McKnight is invited to a poker game, which is invaded and robbed by three masked men.  He can’t help but be involved. In pb, The Hunting Wind (April, St. Martin's, 6.99).

Charlaine Harris, Living Dead in Dallas (April, Ace pbo, 6.50). Sequel to the vampire mystery Dead Until Dark, a book which delighted Erin and Karen.

Carolyn Hart, April Fool Dead (April, Morrow hc, 23.95). An April Fool’s promotion backfires on Annie Darling, thanks to an unknown prankster. In pb, Resort to Murder (March, Avon, 6.99), with Henrie O.

Jack Higgins, Midnight Runner (March, Putnam hc, 25.95). Fallout from his last book, Edge of Danger (April, Berkley pb, 7.99).

David Holland, The Devil in Bellminster (March, St. Martin's hc, 22.95). When a series of grisly murders disrupts the quiet life of a small cathedral town, the local vicar is drawn into the investigation. Karen recommends:  "Reminiscent of Wilkie Collins."

Christopher Hyde, The Second Assassin (March, Onyx pbo, 6.99). Thriller based on actual 1939 events has unlikely allies racing to stop a plot to kill the King and Queen of Britain when they visit the US.

Dean James, Posted to Death (April, Kensington hc, 22.00). He’s Poirot without a pulse, Holmes without a heartbeat – he’s Simon Kirby-Jones, an American vampire living and sleuthing in a small English village.  The author is the manager of Murder by the Book, in Houston.

J. Robert Janes, Dollmaker (May, Soho hc, 23.00). St-Cyr and Kohler.  In pb, Kaleidoscope, (May, Soho, 13.00).

Iris Johansen, Body of Lies (March, Bantam hc, 24.95). A forensic sculptor fears that the government agent who commissioned her latest work may have ulterior motives.

Nora Kelly, Hot Pursuit, (April, Poisoned Pen Press hc, 24.95). History professor Gillian Adams sells her house in Vancouver, B.C., and moves to London, where an old friend's daughter is being pursued by a deranged stalker. A slow-paced, thoughtful study of interesting and intelligent characters who find themselves in danger, and an evocative portrait of contemporary London. Sandy recommends.

Laurie R. King, Justice Hall (March, Bantam hc, 23.95). Sixth in the exceptional series featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. It is 1923, and Mary and Holmes receive some startling news about their friends Ali and Mahmoud Hazr (first encountered in O Jerusalem), and are summoned urgently to Justice Hall, one of the great stately homes of England. There they must solve the mystery surrounding a WWI battlefield death. The ultimate country house mystery, fast-moving and involving  one of the ugliest secrets of the early 20th century. Karen recommends. In pb, Folly (May, Bantam, 11.95). Signing.

Daniel Klein, Blue Suede Clues (March, St. Martin's hc, 22.95).  Latest caper with Elvis as the detective.

Michael I. Leahey, The Pale Green Horse (April, St. Martin's hc, 22.95).  J. J. Donovan and his partner Boris unwittingly get involved in a scheme to murder sick people for their death benefits.  Fast-paced sequel to Broken Machines.

Robert Littell, The Company: A Novel of the CIA, 1951-91 (March, Overlook hc, 27.95).  The title says it all.

Patricia MacDonald, Not Guilty (April, Pocket hc, 24.00). Newly widowed Keely Bennett and her son move to her dead husband’s hometown.  After marrying his oldest friend, she loses him too.  On top of that grief, her son is suspected of murdering his step-father and his father. Bill recommends.

Rett MacPherson, Killing Cousins (March, St. Martin's hc, 22.95).  5th with Missouri genealogist Torie O'Shea.

Michael Malone, Red Clay, Blue Cadillac (April, Sourcebooks tpo, 15.00). A collection of 12 stories that share a similar central character – a southern belle whose talents include penchants for deceit, betrayal, seduction and, sometimes, murder. Included are an Edgar- and an O. Henry-winning story. In pb, First Lady (July, Sourcebook, 15.00).

Camille Minichino, The Boric Acid Murders (May, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Back in her hometown of Revere, MA, retired physicist Gloria Lamerino is drawn into the case of a death at the public library.

Bill Moody, Looking for Chet Baker (March, Walker hc, 23.95). Jazz pianist Evan Horne is looking for his friend Ace, who was staying in the same Amsterdam hotel at which Chet Baker died in a fall to the sidewalk.  The old mystery opens – what led Baker to end up on the pavement?

Leslie O’Kane, Give a Dog a Bone (March, Ballantine pbo, 6.99). 3rd with dog psychologist Allie Babcock.

Katherine Hall Page, The Body in the Bonfire (March, Morrow hc, 23.95). 12th Faith Fairchild, who investigates when remains are found in the ashes of the school’s bonfire.

Michael Palmer, Fatal (April, Bantam hc, 24.95). Latest medical thriller.

Robert B. Parker, Widow’s Walk (March, Putnam hc, 24.95). Spenser investigates the murder of a prominent banker, with ties to the Mayflower and, perhaps, the mob. In pb, Gunman’s Rhapsody (March, Berkley, 7.99), a novel of Wyatt Earp.

T. Jefferson Parker, Black Water (April, Hyperion hc, 23.95).  Det. Merci Rayborn is on a manhunt – a young woman is murdered and her husband is wounded – but the husband, a young cop, vanishes from his hospital bed. In pb, Silent Joe (April, 7.99)—see Edgar Nominee lists.

James Patterson with Andrew Gross, 2nd Chance (March, Little Brown hc, 26.95) 2nd in the Women's Murder Club series. In pb, 1st to Die (Warner, Feb, 7.99).

Elizabeth Peters, The Golden One (April, Morrow hc, 25.95). War, intrigue and murder for archeologist Amelia Peabody and her family in 1917.  Signed Copies Available. In pb, Lord of the Silent (April, Avon, 7.50). 

J.D. Robb, Reunion in Death (March, Berkley pbo, 7.99). 14th Eve Dallas.

Laura Joh Rowland, The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria (April, St. Martin's hc, 24.95).  The shogun's cousin is found stabbed to death in the bed of a courtesan, and she and her diary are missing.  Samurai Sano Ichiro, who once had an affair with lady, is called in to find her. In pb, Black Lotus, March, 6.99.

Alan Russell, Exposure (May, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). When a paparazzo inadvertently causes the deaths of two English celebrities, he is blackmailed by a CIA agent into creating the downfall of others.  When he steps in to prevent an actress’s suicide, his charitable act ignites a chain reaction of political intrigue.

John Sandford, Mortal Prey (May, Putnam hc, 26.95). Davenport faces an old nemesis, a professional killer who needs the help of the feds – and Davenport – to find the killer who is after her. Signed copies available. In pb, Chosen Prey (April, Berkley, 7.99).

Steven Saylor, A Mist of Prophecies (May, St. Martin's hc, 24.95). While the Roman civil war rages in the provinces, Gordianus the Finder is searching for the killer of a beautiful seer, whose face he can’t get out of his mind. Signing?

Manda Scott No Good Deed (April, Bantam hc, 22.95) After a special operation she’s heading goes disastrously wrong, leaving a 9 year old boy the only survivor, Det. Insp. Orla McLeod will do anything to protect him and to find the man responsible - one of the most feared criminals in Europe.

Barbara Seranella, No Man Standing (May, Scribner hc, 24.00). Munch’s friend Ellen didn’t have the luck of Munch, and it continues.  As she is about to get out of the joint, Ellen’s parents are murdered and it must have something to do with Ellen. In pb, Unfinished Business (April, Pocket, 6.99). Signing.

John Shannon, Streets of Fire (May, Carroll & Graf hc, 23.00). LA PI Jake Liffey's 6th case has him looking for a missing man who had had a run-in with a motorcycle gang. The whole town is in an uproar: the cops have killed the Dodger's new ace spitball pitcher - a Black Muslim.

Julia Spencer-Fleming, In the Bleak Midwinter (March, St. Martin's hc, 23.95).  Winner of the 2001 St. Martin's Press Malice Domestic Contest, for Best First Traditional Mystery.  Newly-ordained Clare Ferguson is the first woman priest for the small Episcopal church in the town of Millers Kill in upstate New York.  Her blunt manner and a growing attraction to the town's married chief of police complicate matters when a baby is abandoned and a young mother brutally murdered. 

Les Standiford, Bone Key (April, Putnam hc, 24.95). On his way to Key West with a client, contractor John Deal stops to help a young black guy who is being hassled by cops.  When the guy is dead 2 days later, and the cops won’t say what happened, Deal investigates. Signed copies available.

Rosemary Stevens, The Bloodied Cravat (May, Berkley hc, 22.95). 3rd Beau Brummell mystery finds him amidst death at a birthday party for the Duchess of York.

Denise Swanson, Murder of a Sleeping Beauty (April, Signet pbo, 5.99). 3rd with school psychologist Skye Denison, who looks into the death of a popular teenager who was cast as the lead in the school play.

Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Frontera Dream (May, Cinco Puntos tpo, 13.95). Hector Balacoran Shayne’s boyhood sweetheart grew up to be a movie star.  Her daughter hires him to find the actress after she vanishes into the border zone.

Steve Thayer, The Wheat Field (March, Putnam hc, 24.95). In a little town in Wisconsin, Deputy Pennington is investigating a double murder when he runs into a brick wall built by the town’s ruling elite.  What were the deaths in the wheat field supposed to hide?  "At his best in the historical settings. 1950s crop circles!" Tammy recommends.

Victoria Thompson, Murder on Washington Square (April, Berkley pbo, 6.99). 4th Gaslight mystery, set in NYC with midwife Sarah Brandt and Det. Sgt. Frank Malloy.  2nd book in the series was an Edgar Nominee.

Aimee & David Thurlo, Changing Woman (March, Forge hc, 24.95). Navaho Police Special Investigator Ella Clah faces terrorism on the Rez and the disappearance of her child.

Judith van Gieson, Confidence Woman (Feb., Univ. of New Mexico hc, 23.95; also in pb, Feb., Signet, 5.99). In the 3rd bibliomystery with Claire Reynier, she’s the victim of a robbery: her identity has been stolen, as well as a rare, signed first edition of Melville’s The Confidence-Man.    In pb, North of the Border (Feb., U of NM, 13.95), the first in her Neil Hamel series, back in print.

Alan Wall, The School of Night (March, St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Sean Tallow is obsessed with the shadowy group of Elizabethans known as the School of Night, and he finds himself drawn into his own secretive world.

Donald Westlake, Put a Lid on It (April, Mysterious Press hc, 23.95). Meet Meehan, a career thief staring at life without parole.  When a man offers to have the charges dropped in return for a particular piece of work, Meehan is no fool.  But the job involves the presidential campaign, and soon Meehan is up to his eyebrows in Washington politics. In pb, Bad News (March, Warner, 7.50).

Stuart Woods, The Short Forever (April, Putnam hc, 24.95). Stone Barrington uncovers a puzzling and deadly rivalry between two US spies. Signing.

Deborah Woodworth, Dancing Dead (March, Avon pbo, 6.50). 6th investigation for Shaker elder Sister Rose Callahan.

 

                 Now in Paperback

M.C. Beaton, The Skeleton in the Closet (March, St. Martin's, 6.50).

Raymond Benson, Never Dream of Dying (April, Jove, 7.50). 007.

C.J. Box, Open Season (May, Berkley, 6.50. Edgar nominee. Sandy recommends. See Edgar Nominee list.

Edna Buchanan, You Only Die Twice (April, Avon, 6.99).

James Lee Burke, Bitterroot (May, Pocket, 7.50). Billy Bob.

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Jan Burke, Bones (April, Pocket, 6.99). And, at the same time, Pocket is reissuing the first five Irene Kelly books.  They are, in order: Goodnight, Irene; Sweet Dreams, Irene; Dear Irene; Remember Me, Irene; and Hocus (6.99 each).

  ————————————————————————————

Alys Clare, Ashes of the Elements (May, St. Martin's, 6.50). Karen recommends.

Philip R. Craig, Vineyard Shadows (May, Avon, 6.50).

Jennifer Crusie, Fast Women (April, St. Martin's, 6.99).

Bill Fitzhugh, Cross Dressing (March, Harper, 7.50).

Frances Fyfield, Undercurrents (March, Penguin, 6.99).

Eric Garcia, Casual Rex (March, Berkley, 12.95). Tammy recommends.

Lisa Gardner, The Next Accident (April, Bantam, 7.50).

Bartholomew Gill, The Death of an Irish Sinner (March, Avon, 6.99).

Barbara Hambly, Die Upon a Kiss (April, Bantam, 5.99).

Vicki Hendricks, Voluntary Madness (May, Serpent’s Tail, 13.00).

Tami Hoag, Dust to Dust (March, Bantam, 7.99).

P.D. James, Death in Holy Orders (March, Ballantine, 7.99).

Dennis Lehane, Mystic River (April, Harper, 7.99).

Sharyn McCrumb, The Songcatcher (April, Signet, 7.99). Bill recommends.

Marcia Muller, Point Deception (May, Warner, 7.50).

Thomas Perry, Blood Money (May, Ballantine, 6.99). Jane Whitefield. Karen recommends.

Nancy Pickard, Ring of Truth (March, Pocket, 6.99).

Phyllis Richman, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Ham? (April, Avon, 6.99).

Gillian Roberts, Whatever Doesn’t Kill You (March, St. Martin's, 6.50).

Boston Teran, God is a Bullet (March, Ballantine, 6.99).

Robert Wilson, A Small Death in Lisbon (March, Berkley, 7.99).

 

 

     New Hardcovers Coming this Summer

 

James Lee Burke & Dave Robicheaux , June

Max Allan Collins & Nate Heller, June

Robert Crais & Elvis Cole, August. Signed copies available.

Janet Evanovich, Hard Eight , June

Tony Hillerman & Chee AND Leaphorn, June

Jon Jackson & Helen & Joe, June

Stuart Kaminsky with Toby & Cary, July

Michael McGarrity & Kerney, July. Signed copies available.

Walter Mosley & Easy Rawlins, July  

Marcia Muller & Sharon McCone, June. Signed copies available.

Owen Parry & Maj. Jones, July  

Gary Phillips, The Perpetrators, July

Kathy Reichs & Tempe Brennan , July

Minette Walters, Acid Row , July. Signed copies available.

Randy Wayne White & Doc Ford, June. Signed copies available.  

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          New Books Coming from Crippen & Landru

 

   No release dates on these titles, but feel free to reserve copies.  (Please specify collectable hardcover or trade paperback.)

 

Paul Cain, 14 Slayers.  2nd volume in the new Tales from the Black Mask Morgue series.

Hugh B. Cave, Come Into My Parlor: Stories from Detective Fiction Weekly.  In honor of his 92nd birthday, stories chosen and introduced by the author.

Charles B. Child, The Sleuth Of Baghdad

Joseph Commings, Banner Crimes

William Campbell Gault, Marksman and Other Stories

Michael Gilbert, The Curious Conspiracy and Other Crimes.  2nd volume of uncollected tales.

Peter Godfrey, The Newtonian Egg and Other Cases of Rolf Le Roux

Edward D. Hoch, Hoch’s Ladies.  Three short story series, with female protagonists.

Edward D. Hoch, The Iron Angel and Other Tales of Michael Vlado.  Never- collected stories.

Stuart Palmer, Hildegarde Withers: Uncollected Stories

Craig Rice, Murder, Mystery and Malone

Walter Satterthwait, The Mankiller of Poojeegai and Other Mysteries.  Historical short mystery stories.

Georges Simenon, translated by Peter Schulman, The 13 Culprits.  First edition in English of  1932 Queen’s Quorum collection.

Raoul Whitfield, Jo Gar’s Casebook.  1st volume in the new Tales from the Black Mask Morgue series. Featuring Philippine private eye.

                                             —Erin O'Donnell

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                            Sherlockiana

 

David Pirie, The Patient’s Eyes (May, St. Martin's hc, 22.95). The young Dr. Arthur Conan Doyle is puzzled by a patient’s eye ailment – she has visions of a phantom cyclist.  He turns to his mentor, Dr. Joseph Bell (the real-life role-model for Sherlock Holmes), and they are soon investigating the strange goings on in the underworld of violence and sexual hypocrisy of Victorian England. Karen recommends.

Barrie Roberts, Sherlock Holmes & the Crosby Murder (May, Carroll & Graf hc, 24.00). 6th of Roberts' cases has Lestrade bringing a shoe box to Baker St. and Holmes discovering the shrunken head of a banker who disappeared 6 weeks earlier.

Donald Thomas, Sherlock Holmes and the Voice from the Crypt and other Tales (March, Carroll & Graf hc, 25.00). Holmes takes on a variety of cases and clients, including such luminaries as Oscar Wilde and Dr. Crippen!

__________________________________________________________

              

             Reissues of Note

 

John Brady, Unholy Ground (March, Steerforth, 14.95). 2nd in the notable – but too long unavailable – Insp. Matt Minogue series set in Dublin.

Loren D. Estleman, Lady Yesterday (March, iBooks, 6.99). 7th Amos Walker.

Peter Robinson, Wednesday’s Child (April, Avon, 6.99). 6th Insp. Banks.

Walter Satterthwait, Wall of Glass (March, U of NM, 13.95). 1st Joshua Croft.

—————————————————————————————–                       

                        Things of Interest

 

George C. Chesbro, Prism: A Memoir as Fiction, Volume One: The Dark Engine (available now, Apache Beach, 26.95).  Chesbro's alter ego Garth Fugue, while working in a psychiatric hospital for emotionally disturbed children, examines his own mental fragility.  Has his (now faltering) career as a novelist kept his own mental demons at bay? Also, available for the first time in paperback, two novels in Chesbro's Mongo series: Bleeding in the Eye of a Brainstorm and Dream of a Falling Eagle (16.95 each).

Jeffrey Marks, Who Was That Lady? (April, Delphi hc, 21.95). A biography of Craig Rice, a woman who appeared on the cover of Time Magazine in the 1940s because of the popularity of her Chicago-based, hard-boiled screw-ball comic mysteries. Bill says, "One of her books always appears on my list of top all-time favorites.  Which one? It varies."

Gill Plain, Ian Rankin's Black and Blue (Jan., Continuum tpo, 9.95). A small trade paperback which provides much interesting information about the Scottish author and his critically-acclaimed (and popular) mystery novel. 

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                     Spotlight On Uglytown

 

   New small publisher Uglytown hit the ground running earlier this year with Rat City by local author Curt Colbert, Dirt by Sean Doolittle (a personal favorite), and now an Edgar Award Nominee for best first novel by an American author, Gun Monkeys by Victor Gischler.  And that’s with only seven mystery titles under their belt. 

   So far, Uglytown fiction has been mostly crime stories that harken back to the pulp classics or contemporary mysteries with an edge of satire.  They have tried their hand at a young adult novel and an anthology from members of Sisters in Crime.  This season, they present a new novel from established author Gary Phillips.

   The consideration Uglytown shows its authors is apparent in the finished product.  The books are well edited, well packaged in medium-sized trade paperbacks with eye-catching graphics, and consistently well chosen stories.  Here’s hoping they’re here to stay. 

                                      —Erin O'Donnell

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                        New From the UK

 

Notes from Karen:

   *If we haven’t yet discovered a British author you’d like to see on our shelves, please call or e-mail me. We can’t read everything, and I’d love to have your recommendations.

   *Dates given are for UK release. Remember, it takes a while for these titles to make their way across the pond—especially if they are to be signed first.

   *Prices subject to change due to fluctuating exchange rates & shipping costs.

   *Curious about the higher cost of signed (vs. unsigned) UK hardcovers? No, we’re not charging extra for “collectibility.” They just cost us a lot more than the “plain” variety.

   *Hardcover titles available in limited quantities, so reserve yours early!

                        Hardcover

Rennie Airth, The Blood-Dimmed Tide (Apr., MacMillan UK hc, unsigned approx. 27.95; signed, if available, approx. 37.95). At long last! This sequel to River of Darkness takes place 10 years later. John Maddon is retired and farming peacefully until he finds a corpse buried on his property.

   **If you ordered this title before its multiple postponements, we still have your order on file. We find that we may be able to get signed copies; if you prefer yours with signature, please let us know.

John Connolly, The White Road (Mar., Hodder hc, approx. 36.95). 4th Charlie Parker novel takes the detective to South Carolina, where he tackles the explosive case of a black man facing the death penalty for the rape and murder of a wealthy white man’s daughter. Signed copies.

Lee Child, Without Fail (Apr., Bantam UK hc, approx. 30.00). See listing for U.S. edition. U.K. is the true 1st, preceding the U.S. edition by a month. Note that these may actually reach our shop later than the U.S. copies. Signed copies.

Jasper Fforde, Lost in a Good Book (July, Hodder & Stoughton hc, approx. 39.95). Having barely caught her breath after The Eyre Affair, LiteraTec Thursday Next tackles Shakespearean authentications, saves the world from extinction, is apprenticed to Miss Havisham, and must somehow keep her husband from being drowned at the age of two. U.S. edition not due until Feb. 2003. Due to high demand and short supply, we must limit this title to 1 per customer. Signed copies.

Reginald Hill, Death’s Jest-Book (Apr., Collins hc, approx. 24.95). A new Dalziel and Pascoe novel. No plot details available yet (oddly enough), but if Hill is in his usual form, we are in for a treat. Signed copies.

Donna Leon, Wilful Behaviour (Mar., Heinemann hc, approx. 37.95). The eleventh Commissario Brunetti mystery set in Italy, in which the good detective must open up unpleasant secrets about Italian treatment of Jews during WWII. Signed copies.

Barry Maitland, Babel (July, Orion hc, unsigned approx. 21.95; with signed bookplate approx. 30.95)  The 6th Brock and Kolla mystery, following Silvermeadow. Although Maitland is one of our favorite British authors, we have not previously carried his books in UK hardcovers. We’re listing this one early because we want to know if you’re interested!

Julia Wallis Martin, Dancing with the Uninvited Guest (Apr., Hodder hc,  approx. 30.95). New suspense from one of the finest new British talents. Two people have gone missing in the heart of Northumbria’s National Park. Det. Insp. Tate must reopen deep, old wounds in the lives of the local inhabitants to solve the crime. Signed copies (we hope; if not, price will be substantially lower.)

Marilyn Todd, Dream Boat (available now, Severn House hc, 39.95). Claudia Seferius is back, trying to find her kidnapped stepdaughter. Signed copies.

                       Paperback

Susanna Gregory, An Order for Death (June, Warner UK pb, 12.95) This early listing is for all of you who have been asking about #6 in the Chronicles of Matthew Bartholomew: the next entry in this excellent series set in medieval Cambridge will be out this summer. By special order only: #7, A Summer of Discontent (June, Little, Brown HC, approx. 28.95).

Joyce Holms, Bitter End (Apr., Headline pb, 10.95). New entry in the delightful Scottish series featuring barrister Tam Buchanan and his always-surprising assistant Fizz. A favorite of Karen’s, with sadly few of the titles still in print. Also available in Headline pbs, Bad Vibes (10.95), and Mr. Big (12.95).

Donna Leon, Sea of Troubles (Mar., Arrow pb, 10.95) #10 in the series, with police secretary Signorina Elettra going undercover.

Edward Marston, The Repentant Rake (May, Headline pb, 10.95). #3 in this amazingly prolific author’s Restoration series.

Priscilla Masters, Embroidering Shrouds (Mar., Allison & Busby pb, 12.95). #6 in the series about Staffordshire moorlands D.I. Joanna Piercy. Also available, A Fatal Cut (Pan pb, 12.95), a medical thriller in which Birmingham pathologist Karys Harper finds that the surgical wounds on a body found on the grounds of a hospital were made after death. Mayhem ensues.

Andrew Taylor, Requiem for an Angel (Mar., HarperCollins UK pb, 14.95). Collected in one volume, this excellent author’s Roth trilogy: The Four Last Things, The Judgement of Strangers, and The Office of the Dead.

Peter Tremayne, Smoke in the Wind (Mar., Headline pb, 10.95). #9 (I think) in the Sister Fidelma series finds her trying to solve the disappearance of the entire monastic community of a Welsh abbey.

David Wishart, Last Rites (New English Library pb, 10.95). The fifth Marcus Corvinus mystery set in ancient Rome. Marcus is asked to investigate the death of a young woman killed during a nocturnal rite of the Good Goddess, an event strictly off limits to males.

                                                        —Karen Duncan

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               The 2002 Edgar Award Nominees

                  

Best Novel  

The Judgment, D.W. Buffa (Warner Books)

Tell No One,  Harlan Coben (Delacorte Press) 

Money, Money, Money,  Ed McBain (Simon & Schuster)

Silent Joe, T. Jefferson Parker (Hyperion)

Reflecting the Sky, S.J. Rozan (St. Martin's Minotaur)

 

Best First Novel by an American Author

Open Season ,C. J. Box (G.P. Putnam's Sons)

Red Hook ,Gabriel Cohen (St. Martin's)

Line of Vision, David Ellis (GP Putnam's Sons)

Gun Monkeys,  Victor Gischler (Uglytown)

The Jasmine Trade, Denise Hamilton (Scribner)

 

Best Paperback Original 

Adios Muchachos, Daniel Chavarria (Akashic Books)

Hell's Kitchen, Jeffery Deaver writing as William

   Jefferies (Pocket Books)

The Mother Tongue, Teri Holbrook (Bantam Books)

Dead of Winter, P.J. Parrish (Pinnacle Books)

Straw Men ,Martin J. Smith (Jove Books)

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Seattle Mystery Bookshop's Bestsellers of 2001

 

                         Hardcover

G.M. Ford, Fury (Morrow)

J.A. Jance, Birds of Prey (Morrow)

J.A. Jance, Paradise Lost (Morrow)

Michael Connelly, A Darkness More Than Night  (Little  Brown)

Robert Crais, Hostage (Doubleday)

Dennis Lehane, Mystic River (Morrow)

Lawrence Block, Hope to Die (Morrow)

John Straley, Cold Water Burning (Bantam)

Dana Stabenow, The Singing of the Dead (St. Martin's)

Glen David Gold, Carter Beats the Devil (Hyperion)

 

                         Paperback

Lowen Clausen, First Avenue (Signet )

Curt Colbert, Rat City (Uglytown)

Deborah Morgan,  Death Is a Cabaret (Berkley)

Craig Holden, Four Corners of Night (Dell)

Mary Daheim, A Streetcar Named Expire (Harper)

G.M. Ford, Who In Hell is Wanda Fuca? (Avon)

Mary Daheim, The Alpine Nemesis (Ballantine)

G.M. Ford,  The Deader the Better (Harper)

Sharon Duncan, Death on a Casual Friday (Signet )

Kate Kingsbury,  A Bicycle Built for Murder (Berkley)

      

 

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 Philip Mudgett.