New from the Northwest

 

Gordon Aalborg, Dining with Devils (April, 5 Star hc, 25.95). Canadian writer Teague Kendall, along with his girlfriend, is in Australia visiting his old friend Tasmanian Police Sgt. Charlie Banes. First, the girlfriend Kirsten vanishes while caving and then Kendall disappears. Banes is already working on the murder of a judge. He’ll have to spread himself thinner to work it all. Aalborg, from Tasmania, now lives on Vancouver Island.

Anne Argula, Krapp’s Last Cassette (Mar., Ballantine tpo, 14.00). Controversy surrounds a memoir that is being adapted by a screenwriter. Some say the author – who claims to be an abused child – doesn’t exist. The screenwriter hires Quinn to prove he is real.

Maureen Ash, A Plague of Poison (Mar., Berkley pbo, 7.99). After a squire dies from eating a poisoned cake, Templar Bascot de Marins is asked to find the villain. 3^rd in this series by a Vancouver Island writer.

Alan Bradley, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (May, Delacorte hc, 23.00) Mystery debut by a noted British Columbia author. Flavia de Luced is a clever 11-year-old who tinkers with forensics with her chemistry set while plotting revenge on her two older sisters. But a body found in the cucumber patch in the yard of their inherited home provides new fields of research. Marie recommends.

Nancy Bush, Unseen (April, Zebra pbo, 6.99). A woman with memory problems can’t recall certain pieces of her past and those gaps will lead to danger.

Daniel Edward Craig, Murder at Graverly Manor (April, Midnight Ink tpo, 15.95). In his third book, Trevor Lambert is hoping to buy a Vancouver, BC, Victorian mansion and turn it into his own hotel, a B&B. The owner won’t sell it to him until he lives and works there for three months. There were always rumors about the disappearance of the owner’s husband, you know.

Mary Daheim, The Alpine Uproar (May, Ballantine hc, 24.00). A pool game ends in murder – a pool cue makes a deadly weapon, after all – but what Emma Lord finds strange is that none of the witnesses seem to have seen what happened exactly the same. In paper, The Alpine Traitor (April, Ballantine, 6.99). Signing. Marie adores Mary’s books.

William Dietrich, The Dakota Cipher (April, Harper hc, 25.95). Having had enough adventure with Napoleon, Ethan Gage sets sail for home, back to the young American country. On the voyage, he befriends a Norwegian man who claims to know how to find a lost artifact from the Scandinavian past – Thor’s Hammer. Their journey is underwritten by President Jefferson with one condition: look into rumors of a tribe of blond haired and blue-eyed natives who are said to live somewhere near the Missouri River. Marie finds Ethan to be an engaging rascal. Signing.

Denise Dietz, Strangle a Loaf of Italian Bread (May, 5 Star hc, 25.95). 4^th with Ellie Bernstein and Lt. Peter Miller. Can’t beat the catalog copy: “When Barbara Steisand-clone Sara Lee is strangled with a Daffy Duck necktie prior to the open auditions for a community theatre production of Hello, Dolly!, diet club leader Ellie Bernstein wants to know why everybody didn’t like Sara Lee.”

Christina Dodd, Danger in a Red Dress (Mar., Signet pbo, 7.99). A dying widow asks her home care nurse to accept the bank codes to the family’s vast bank accounts and to use the money to right past wrongs. But the widow’s son wants the money at any cost and his high-tech security snoop complicates things by falling for the nurse.

Robert Dugoni, Wrongful Death (April, Touchstone hc, 25.00). Seattle attorney David Sloane is hired by the widow of a National Guardsman who was killed in Iraq to sue the government for unlawful death. Sloane knows that the Feres Doctrine prohibits this but he is impressed with her and looks for a loophole to allow the case to continue. He does not notice, at first, that forces are mounting to fight him. Signing.

Carola Dunn, Manna from Hades (Mar., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Widow Eleanor Trewynn has left her globe-traveling years behind her and now lives in a small Cornwall port, running a charity shop. It is great news that her niece, Megan Pencarrow, has been transferred to the area along with a promotion to Detective Sergeant. The happy reunion is overshadowed by a murder and jewelry tied to a London robbery. First in a new series by the Daisy Dalrymple author. Marie recommends this quintessential English cozy. Signing.

Sue Henry, The End of the Road (April, Obsidian hc, 23.95). Just home from their last trip, the quiet is obliterated by a murder close to home and Stretch and Maxie are on the road to trouble, a road that goes nowhere.  Sometimes, a dead end takes on an ominous tone. In paper, Degrees of Separation (April, Obsidian, 6.99). Jessie Arnold.

Lisa Jackson, Malice (April, Kensington hc, 24.00). Recovering from an accident, New Orleans Det. Rick Bentz begins to see his late wife, who died 12 years before, everywhere. Is he losing his mind or is it something sinister? In paper, Lost Souls (Mar., Zebra, 7.99).

Rebecca Kent, Finished Off (April, Berkley pbo, 6.99). 2^nd in this Edwardian series. At the Bellehaven Finishing School the ghost of a little girl wishes to be reunited with her family. Her parents’ deaths are suspicious but Headmistress Meredith Llewellyn is hesitant to help. The request is not quite one a proper woman would accede to.

Caitlin Kittredge, Second Skin (Mar., St. Martin’s pbo, 6.99). In her 3^rd book, Nocturne City’s homicide Det. Luna Wilder tracks a killer who is targeting werewolves. Signing. Fran enjoys this author.

Michael Marshall, Bad Things (May, Morrow hc, 24.95). Three years ago, John Henderson’s little boy wandered onto a lake’s jetty in Black Ridge, WA and vanished. John has had a terrible time getting over it yet things are about to get much worse. A stranger sends him an e-mail saying that he knows what happened. Against his will, John will have to return to Black Ridge. Janine recommends this English author.

Cricket McRae, Spin a Wicked Web (Mar., Midnight Ink tpo, 13.95). 3^rd with home craft guru Sophie Mae. Sophie’s discovered the joy of spinning her own yarn but her hobby is interrupted when the new gold-digger in town is found strangled with it. Signing.

Gregg Olsen, Heart of Ice (Mar., Pinnacle pbo, 6.99). Someone has been killing coeds and leaving no clues except for the victim themselves – beautiful, blonde and upper class. Where is this heading?

Amanda Quick, The Perfect Poison (April, Putnam hc, 24.95). Lucinda Bromley is an expert botanist, as well as a notorious one: London’s polite society whispers that she poisoned her fiancée. But because of her expertise, she’s often called upon by the authorities in murder cases. The latest case has her unnerved: a Lord has been poisoned and the plant was a very rare fern that was recently stolen from Lucinda’s own collection. She turns to her fellow Arcane Society members for assistance. In paper, The Third Circle (April, Jove, 9.99). Signing.

Greg Rucka, Walking Dead (May, Bantam hc, 25.00). After a year of quiet, Atticus and Alena are beginning to feel as if their past has left them alone. When their neighbors are murdered, their initial belief is that it was a horrible mistake and the victims were killed in error. But the answers are not so simple and getting them will lead the pair around the planet, from the deserts of the Middle East to the deserts of the American West. Signing, we hope.

 

Stella Cameron, Cypress Nights (April, Mira, 7.99).

Michael Gruber, The Forgery of Venus (Mar., Harper, 14.95). JB & Fran recommend.

Elizabeth Lowell, Blue Smoke and Murder (April, Avon, 7.99).

Phillip Margolin, Executive Privilege (May, Avon, 9.99).

Steve Martini, Shadow of Power (April, Harper, 7.99).

 

Stella Cameron, Moontide (Mar., Harlequin, 4.99). Her debut novel, from 1985.

Yasmine Galenorn, Legend of the Jade Dragon (May, Berkley, 7.99). 2^nd in her Chintz ‘n China series, maddeningly out of print for a few years. [This entire series is being reprinted without the Chintz ‘n China identity.]

 

 F Portland Noir, JuneE

         April Christofferson, Alpha Female, July    

            Mary Daheim & the Bed and Breakfast pair, July

                Robert Ferrigno, Heart of the Assassin, Aug.

                    Clyde Forde, Whiskey Gulf, July. Charlie Nobel #3!

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

                            Caitlin Kittredge, Street Magic, June – new series.

                                Mike Lawson & DeMarco, July

                                    Phillip Margolin & Amanda Jaffe, June

                                        Ridley Pearson & Sheriff Walt Fleming, June

                                            Kat Richardson & Harper Blaine, Aug.

 

 

          New from the Rest

 

Susan Wittig Albert, Wormwood (April, Berkley hc, 24.95). 17^th with herbalist China Bayles. In paper, Nightshade (April, Berkley, 7.99).

Kelley Armstrong, Made to be Broken (Mar., Bantam pbo, 6.99). Sequel to a 1^st book highly recommended book by Fran and Gretchen (Exit Strategy, Spectra, 6.99), as assassin Nadia Stafford returns to dispense her own justice. And Gretchen says this one is even better than the first!

Sandi Ault, Wild Sorrow (Mar., Berkley hc, 23.95). Taking refuge in an abandoned Indian school when a blizzard cuts short her hunt for a mountain lion, BLM agent Jamaica Wild finds the remains of a savagely murdered woman. The old school, where native children were ‘Americanized’, had a history of cruelty and ugliness. The Feds take over the case but Jamaica isn’t satisfied with their actions. 3^rd in this series set in the Four Courners region and recommended by Marie. In paper, Wild Inferno (Mar., Berkley, 7.99).

David Baldacci, First Family (April, Grand Central hc, 27.99). The impossible and unthinkable happens: an attack and kidnapping from a children’s birthday party at Camp David. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell (Simple Genius, Vision, $9.99) are assigned by the First Lady to get the child back. In paper, The Whole Truth (Mar., Vision, 9.99).

Nevada Barr, Borderline (April, Putnam hc, 25.95). Diagnosed with Post-traumatic stress disorder after the events of the last story Winter Study (April, Berkley, 9.99), Anna Pigeon is on leave and on holiday with her new husband. He arranges a rafting trip through Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas and the Chihuahuan Desert. When one of the rafts overturns, a grisly discovery is made amongst the boulders. Marie recommends.

Wayne Bascomb, The Hunted (April, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 18 years ago, a young girl’s testimony helped convict a killer. Now he’s out of prison and out for blood. Homicide Det. Frank Russo hopes to stop him. Debut of a new series by a Florida writer.

Cynthia Baxter, Too Rich and Too Dead (April, Bantam pbo, 6.99). 2^nd with travel writer Mallory Marlowe.

Simon Beckett, Whispers of the Dead (May, Delacorte hc, 24.00). Back working in the US, Dr. David Hunter is conducting research at The Body Farm when a new murder points toward evil.

Jim Butcher, Turn Coat (April, Roc hc, 24.95). 11^th with wizard and private eye Harry Dresden. In paper, Small Favor (Mar., Roc, 9.99). Janine recommends.

Anne Canadeo, While My Pretty One Knits (May, Pocket tpo, 14.99). On the New England coast, a yarn shop owner and her customers are drawn into looking for a killer. Debut cozy mystery by an author who also writes as Katherine Spencer.

Dorothy Cannell, She Shoots to Conquer (April, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 13^th charming cozy series with Ellie Haskell. In paper, Goodbye, Ms. Chips (Mar., St. Martin’s 6.99).

Laura Childs, Oolong Dead (Mar., Berkley hc, 23.95). 10^th in the Tea Shop series, set in Charleston, SC, where old flames and old enemies are steeped in death. In paper, The Silver Needle Murder (Mar., Berkley, 7.99). Marie enjoys the recipes, too!

 

Jane K. Cleland, Killer Keepsakes (April, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Antiques dealer Josie Prescott’s irreplaceable assistant Gretchen is in deep trouble: a dead body was found in her home and Gretchen is the prime suspect.

Harlan Coben, Long Lost (April, Dutton hc, 26.95). Myron Bolitar flies to Paris after an old lover, whom he hasn’t heard from in years, calls and tells him a sad and sordid story that ends with her the prime suspect in her ex-husband’s death. Not only will Myron be completely out of his element in a different country, it won’t be the only country he’ll have to visit to save her. Signed Copies Available. In paper, Hold Tight (Mar., Signet, 9.99).

Jeffrey Cohen, A Night at the Operation (April, Berkley pbo, 7.99). 3^rd in the movie theatre series. Owner Elliot Freed is a suspect when his ex-wife goes missing. Fun, light-hearted reads, Janine reports.

Michael Connelly, The Scarecrow (May, Little Brown hc, 27.99). Reporter Jack McEvoy decides to make a splash with the little time left he has at the LA Times. He’s another victim of the newspaper cut-backs. One case has always intrigued him: a 16-year-old drug dealer, Alonzo Winslow, was convicted of murder on a flimsy confession amidst little physical evidence. Jack’s going to reinvestigate the case and see if he can depart in glory. Of course, we know that what he finds will endanger him and escaping with his life will be good enough. Signing.

Tom Corcoran, Hawk Channel Chase (Mar., Ketch & Yawl hc, 24.95). His 6^th with photographer Alex Rutledge. A murder victim is found 30 yards from Alex’s back door and the feds have taken over the crime scene, locking out the local authorities. [Tired of the run-a-round with NYC publishers, Tom has gone with a local Florida publisher who was eager to publish him.] Signed Copies Available.

Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul, Corsair (Mar., Putnam hc, 26.95). 6^th in the Oregon Files series. In paper, Plague Ship (Mar., Berkley, 9.99).

Diane Mott Davidson, Fatally Flaky (April, Morrow hc, 25.95). 15^th with caterer Goldy Schulz who will be tangling with murder and a Bridezilla – which is worse?

Hannah Dennison, Scoop! (Mar., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 2^nd with obit writer Vicky Hill who is suspicious when a champion hedge cutter, while cutting a hedge, cuts into an electrical cable ‘accidentally’.

Daniel Depp, Loser’s Town (April, Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). Debut novel by a photographer and screenwriter and who is the half-brother of Johnny. A Hollywood PI is hired to help a young actor whose growing popularity is endangered by a blackmailing scheme that goes bad. New LA noir with all the Hollywood creeps.

Maggie Estep, Alice Fantastic (May, Akashic tpo, 15.95).  A secret held by a mother endangers the love between her and her two daughters. Favorite author of Janine’s.

Joy Fielding, Still Life (Mar., Atria hc, 25.00). A woman in the hospital after an accident can hear everything but cannot communicate. She begins to realize that some of her friends are anything but.

Thomas Fitzsimmons, City of Fire (Mar., Forge pbo, 7.99). After a decade working the streets of his South Bronx neighborhood, Michael Beckett sees his recent work on a network cop show as a way to leave the ugliness. But an arsonist begins to hit the Bronx and Beckett knows he can’t leave yet. Debut by a retired NYPD detective.

Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain, Murder She Wrote: Madison Avenue Shoot (April, Obsidian hc, 21.95). 17^th. In paper, Murder on Parade (Mar., Obsidian, 6.99).

Brian Freeman, In the Dark (April, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 30 years ago, when Jonathan Stride and his wife Cindy were teens, Cindy’s sister Laura was murdered. The crime was blamed on a transient and no one was ever convicted. One of Laura’s friends has returned to their town to write a book about the case and ugly memories and secrets are leaking out. Favorite author of Fran’s.

Jamie Freveletti, Running from the Devil (May, Morrow hc, 24.95). Debut thriller. While on a covert personal mission, cosmetics biochemist Emma Cauldridge’s plane is hijacked and goes down in the jungle outside Bogotá. Separated from the others during the crash, she uses her scientific knowledge and athletic prowess to follow them and their guerilla captors. Along the way, she finds one of the kidnapped passengers left to die – US agent Cameron Summer. While they deal with his injuries and the madness in the jungle, news of the events explodes in DC.

Sally Goldenbaum, Patterns in the Sand (May, Obsidian hc, 23.95). The seaside community is staggered when a local gallery owner is murdered.  In paper, Death by Cashmere (April, Obsidian, 14.00).

Joel Goldman, The Dead Man (April, Pinnacle pbo, 6.99). 2^nd with former FBI agent Jack Davis.

Lois Greiman, One Hot Mess (April, Dell pbo, 6.99). 5^th with cocktail-waitress-turned-shrink/sleuth Christina McMullen.

James Grippando, Intent to Kill (May, Harper hc, 25.95). Ryan James’ promising baseball career was stopped by the hit-and-run death of his young wife. Now a sports announcer on Boston radio who’s rearing his daughter alone, his fragile balance is shaken when the prosecutor who handled the death calls to say an anonymous letter has arrived claiming his wife’s death was no accident.

Andrew Gross, Don’t Look Twice (Mar., Morrow hc, 25.95). A detective is caught in a morass of corruption and cover-up.

Bryan Gruley, Starvation Lake (Mar., Touchstone tpo, 14.00). Debut from an award-winning journalist. Ten years ago, a local hockey coach disappeared, his body and snowmobile simply gone. Now, near this small Michigan town, a piece of a snowmobile has come up out of the frozen lake. Is this connected to the coach? If so, it came out of a different lake that was not tied to his death.

Jane Haddam, Living Witness (April, St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). 24^th with retired FBI agent Gregor Demarkian. In paper, Cheating at Solitaire (April, St. Martin’s, 7.99).

Parnell Hall, Dead Man’s Puzzle (April, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 10^th in the Puzzle Lady series.

Carolyn Hart, Dare to Die (April, Morrow hc, 23.95). Annie and Max Darling are in the middle of murder when someone is killed at their dinner party. The island had been divided by the arrival of a mysterious young woman so Annie invited her and some old friends to dinner to try to end the gossip. Now she must face the possibility that one of her old friends was moved to murder. In paper, Death Walked In (April, Avon, 7.99). A favorite series of Fran’s.

John Hart, The Last Child (May, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). The disappearance of a 13-year-old girl a year ago has destroyed many lives: her parent’s marriage has been wrecked, her twin brother is disillusioned and searches the city’s dark paths at night in hopes of finding answers, and the cop who led the investigation has lost his family and his badge is the next to go. When another girl goes missing, all will be sucked back into the horror. Signed Copies Available. Gretchen highly recommends this Edgar-winning writer.

Seth Harwood, Jack Wakes Up (May, Three Rivers Press tpo, 13.95). Hard-boiled debut. A former B-movie star has quit Hollywood and drugs and is taking odd jobs tied to his low-level fame. His latest job has been showing a group of foreign big-shots around the Bay Area. It is only after bodies begin to turn up where they’ve toured that he trips to the fact that they’re former KGB and he’s hooked into their mess.

Jilliane Hoffman, Plea of Insanity (April, Vanguard hc, 25.95). An ambitious, young Miami prosecutor is handed a potentially major case. A high-powered surgeon has been accused of massacring his family. His plea is not guilty by reason of insanity. Can she defeat that strategy?

David Housewright, Jelly’s Gold (May, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). St. Paul’s Rushmore McKenzie retired from the force after becoming unexpectedly rich but he still helps others in trouble when it suits him. When two grad students come to him with a story of a gold heist from the 1930s, he’s amused. That the gold was never found seems like a fun challenge. It won’t be fun. It never is.

Linda Howard, Burn (July, Ballantine hc, 26.00). All the catalog gives is ‘a breathtaking story rich with sexy suspense’. What more could you want? In paper, Death Angel (May, Ballantine, 7.99).

James W. Huston, Marine One (May, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). After the President’s helicopter crashes, the political and economic fall-out is massive. The foreign maker of the craft is in the crosshairs of many, but what exactly happened that stormy night is still not clear.

David Ignatius, The Increment (May, Norton hc, 26.95). The CIA’s Harry Pappas receives word from an agent in Tehran about an Iranian nuclear program. He’s not sure it is legit but his man on the ground is panicking. Pappas turns to the British for help - to a group of British modern-day double-0s – and then things get complicated.

Iris Johansen, Deadlock (April, St. Martin’s hc, 26.95). Emily Hudson works to safeguard artifacts and relics that are threatened by war. Now it is she who faces the threat. Mercenary John Garrett is sent in to get her out of trouble. In paper, Dark Summer (May, St. Martin’s, 7.99).

Dennis Johnson, Nobody Move (May, FSG hc, 22.00). First book publication of a novella that first appeared in Playboy. In Bakersfield, CA, a group of misfits and lowlifes connive to get control of $2.3 million.

Linda O. Johnston, Never Say Sty (April, Berkley pbo, 7.99). 7^th in the pet-sitting mystery series.

Peter de Jonge, Shadows Still Remain (May, Harper hc, 25.95). Det. Darlene O’Hara of lower Manhattan’s 7^th Precinct catches the case of a missing student. When the young woman’s body is found, the case is officially taken away from O’Hara but she can’t let go. She’s going to risk her career to investigate it on her own. First stand-alone novel by one of James Patterson’s co-authors.

Marshall Karp, Flipping Out (April, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Mystery writer Nora Bannister has an interesting and lucrative spin on writing her books. She and her partners buy run-down houses and fix them up and Nora sets the next murder in her book in the latest purchase. After publication, the houses always sell for high numbers. This time, however, there is a real murder – one of her partners. LA Dets. Lomax and Biggs investigate. 3^rd in his humorous series. 

Jonathan Kellerman, True Detective (Mar., Ballantine hc, 27.00). Half-brothers PI Aaron Fox and cop Moses Reed consult Alex Delaware about a two-year-old case. In paper, Bones (Mar., Ballantine, 9.99), just five months after the hardcover.

Toni L.P. Kelner, Curse of the Kissing Cousins (May, Berkley pbo, 6.99). 1^st in a new series that will deal with has-been Hollywood stars and the retro-TV shows on which they thrive.

Diana Killian, Pocketful of Poesy (April, Perserverance Press tpo, 14.95). A Hollywood film company wants to make a cable movie out of Grace’s exploits in the English Lake District and they want her to help make the script work. No one in the film company appears to have any idea of how to make this work but they have a ton of money to throw around, so just what is going on?

Harley Jane Kozak, A Date You Can’t Refuse (Mar., Broadway tpo, 11.95). Wollie Shelley makes a deal with the Feds: they’ll keep her schizo brother in a facility that he likes if she infiltrates a media company they suspect of piracy.

Thomas Lakeman, Broken Wings (Mar., St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). FBI agent Mike Yeager is sent to the Gulf Coast to try to infiltrate a group that will be trying to sell a kidnapped woman. Not only is he to save her, but to also destroy this group.

Janet LaPierre, Run a Crooked Mile (April, Perseverance Press tpo, 14.95). After the death of her husband, Rosemary moves to a Northern California town but finds it hard to assimilate into the population. The one person she finds an affinity for is another tough younger woman who had moved into the area. But she had wandered the woods and was murdered.

Victoria Laurie, Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun (Mar., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 3^rd with medium M.J. Holliday.

Joyce and Jim Lavene, A Corpse for Yew (May, Berkley pbo, 7.99). 5^th in the Peggy Lee gardening series.

Suzann Ledbetter, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (Mar., Mira pbo, 6.99). Missouri PI Jack McPhee abhors partners but, to crack his new case, he’ll have to team up with one: a 10-pound Maltese and, through the dog, a groomer named Dina.

Peter Leonard, Trust Me (April, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). The first mistake Karen Delaney made was trusting her soon-to-be-ex boyfriend with $300,000. Her next one will be enlisting a couple of robbers to get the money back. In paper, Quiver (Mar., St. Martin’s, 7.99).

Laura Levine, Killer Cruise (May, Kensington hc, 22.00). Writer and sleuth Jaine Austin gives a workshop on a cruise ship as it sails along the Mexican ‘riviera’. A rich widow takes a liking to the dance instructor, announces her engagement, and is promptly murdered. In paper, Killing Bridezilla (April, Kensington, 6.99).

Paul Levine, Illegal (Mar., Bantam hc, 22.00). Lawyer Jimmy Payne goes on the run after being charged with a crime he didn’t commit. Janine recommends this author.

Laura Lippman, Life Sentences (Mar., Morrow hc, 24.95). Stand-alone suspense that examines memory and honesty. Publisher’s catalog gives no more info. In paper, Another Thing to Fall (Mar., Harper, 7.99), her latest Tess Monaghan.

Emily Listfield, Best Intentions (May, Atria hc, 26.00). A troubled marriage, an affair from college, a murdered woman, and a group of involved people who lack alibis – could one of these good people really be a killer?

Jon Loomis, Mating Season (May, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Det. Frank Coffin investigates the murder of a woman in Provincetown. Not only was the beautiful heiress sleeping with half the men in the area, she was also recording the encounters.

Tom Lowe, A False Dawn (April, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). His wife dead, his best friend dead in a robbery, after 13 years on the Miami homicide detail, Sean O’Bean retires and moves out of the city. What he witnesses one day while working on his dock will stun him – a world of human trafficking and sex slavery existing, literally, in his back yard. Debut novel by an award winning documentary filmmaker.

Lisa Lutz, Revenge of the Spellmans (Mar., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). Love, SAT scores, a missing wife, therapy – just the usual hilarity with the Spellmans. 3^rd in this funny series highly recommended by Fran, Janine and Marie.  In paper, Curse of the Spellmans (Feb., Simon & Schuster, 14.00). Now an Edgar- nominated Series. Signing.

Mary Jane Maffini, Death Loves a Messy Desk (May, Berkley pbo, 6.99). 3^rd with professional organizer Charlotte Adams.

John Manning, All the Pretty Dead Girls (April, Pinnacle pbo, 6.99). 20 years earlier, at a private women’s college, a coed vanished without a trace. Now it appears to be happening again.

Peg Marberg, Fatal Flip (Mar., Berkley pbo, 7.99). 3^rd Interior Design mystery.

Celeste Marsella, Perfectly Criminal (April, Dell pbo, 6.99). Three female assistant attorneys general work together to protect a fourth.

Judi McCoy, Hounding the Pavement (Mar., Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 1^st in a new paranormal dog-walker series.

Leslie Meier, Mother’s Day Murder (April, Kensington hc, 22.00). 16^th Lucy Stone. In paper, St. Patrick’s Day Murder (Mar., Kensington, 6.99).

Kyle Mills, Lords of Corruption (Mar., Vanguard hc, 25.95). A recent college grad is hired by a charitable NGO to work in Africa. He expects to be doing great works, helping the people and making the world better. Once there he begins to suspect that the organization has other goals, none of them beneficial. In paper, Darkness Falls (Feb., Vanguard, 7.99).

Christian Moerk, Darling Jim (April, Holt hc, 25.00). Debut American release by a Dane who now lives in NYC and sets his story in Dublin. When three women – an aunt and two sisters – are found dead in their home, there seems to be no explanation for what happened. But then a young postal worker discovers a diary from one of the sisters in the dead letter department. As he begins to read it, it tells of an itinerant storyteller and his gothic stories who may have some part in the deaths.

Terri Parsons, Blind Sight (May, Doubleday hc, 24.95). 3^rd with FBI agent Bernadette St. Clare. In paper, Blind Rage (April, Berkley, 7.99). Janine recommends this series.

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, The 8^th Confession (April, Little Brown hc, 27.99). Women’s Murder Club. In paper, 7^th Heaven (April, Grand Central, 14.99) and, with Howard Roughan, Sail (May, Vision, 9.99).

George Pelecanos, The Way Home (May, Little Brown hc, 24.95). Thomas and Chris are father and son who have finally reached an uneasy peace. Chris’ time in a juvenile prison split them apart for a long while. A new crime, a burglary, happens near them and their fragile trust is threatened. What happens to a family when trust is lost in a second chance? Signed Copies Available. In paper, The Turnaround (April, Little Brown, 14.99). One of JB’s favorite authors.

Tom Piccirilli, The Coldest Mile (Mar., Bantam pbo, 6.99). After losing his family –his wife and child – a guy joins another family, the Mob, just when it suffers a coup from within. Now an Edgar-nominated writer.

Jason Pinter, The Fury (Mar., Mira pbo, 7.99). 4^th Henry Parker.

Neil S. Plakcy, Mahu (Mar., Alyson tpo, 14.95). 3^rd with Hawaiian cop Kimo Kanapa’ka.

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, Cemetery Dance (May, Grand Central hc, 26.99). A reporter and his wife, an archeologist at New York’s Museum of Natural History, are savagely attacked in their apartment. What the security cameras show and eyewitnesses say cannot really be: the perpetrator was a man who died two weeks before. Agent Pendergast looks into it. Signed Copies Available. A favorite series of Fran’s.

Suzanne Price, Notoriously Neat (April, Obsidian pbo, 6.99). In her 3^rd case of ‘grime solving’, Sky Taylor looks into things when the town’s beloved veterinarian is murdered.

Bill Pronzini, Schemers (April, Forge hc, 24.95). His 34^th book, a locked-room bibliomystery for Nameless.

Cynthia Riggs, Death and Honesty (May, St. Martin’s hc, 23.95). 8^th Martha’s Vineyard mystery by this 13^th generation native islander.

Karen Robards, Pursuit (Mar., Putnam hc, 24.95). Attorney Jessica Monaghan is thrilled to spend the evening with an old friend of a senior partner in the firm – she’s the First Lady. But a night of partying leads to tragedy when their speeding car crashes, killing her guest. Jess is badly injured and puzzled; she can’t remember anything of the evening. In paper, Guilty (April, Signet, 7.99).

A.E. Roman, Chinatown Angel (Mar., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Debut adult novel. NYC PI Chico Santana was devastated by his wife’s desertion and business has been flat, so he’s happy to run into a friend from the old neighborhood and get a job. Should be a snap – just track down a missing cousin who had had enough of her family.

Sara Rosett, Magnolias, Moonlight, and Murder (April, Kensington hc, 22.00). 4^th in the Mom-zone series with Ellie Avery. In paper, Getting Away is Deadly (Mar., Kensington, 6.99).

Kris Saknussemm, Private Midnight (Mar., Overlook hc, 24.95). Det. Birch Ritter is a guy with a shaky psyche. When he’s introduced to a mysterious woman, he just may’ve found a soul mate. She claims that her business is ‘in shadows’. “A seductive story of grit, gunplay, vampirism and a bit of bondage.”

John Sandford, Wicked Prey (May, Putnam hc, 26.95). Lucas Davenport has his hands full as the Republican Convention comes to town. Snipers, psychotics and a crew of professional heist specialists are just a few of the specific headaches he faces. In paper, Phantom Prey (May, Berkley, 9.99).

Peter Schecter, Pipeline (Mar., Morrow hc, 24.95). Oil and power – a very dangerous and voluble combination.

Lisa Scottoline, Look Again (April, St. Martins, 26.95). Journalist Ellen Gleeson almost pitches a “Have You Seen This Child” flyer, but a second glance changes her world; the boy on the flier is almost identical to her adopted son, Will.  She can’t just ignore the similarities, and as she investigates, strange and deadly things begin to happen. Signing.

John Shannon, Palos Verdes Blue (April, Pegasus hc, 25.00). In searching for a missing girl, Jack Liffey confronts the strange world of the elite Palos Verdes peninsula, where the rich boys surf and protect their turf and the immigrants who do the dirty work are fair game for pain. Add in crazy bikers, racist xenophiles and an arsonist, and Jack is up to his waist in waste. In paper, The Devils of Bakersfield (April, Pegasus, 13.95), the 10^th.

Sheldon Siegel, Perfect Alibi (May, MacAdam/Cage hc, 26.00). Mike Daley’s personal life merges with his professional life. His daughter’s boyfriend is accused of patricide and Mike’s 16 year-old daughter is the boy’s alibi. In paper, Judgment Day (April, MacAdam/Cage, 15.00), the 6^th in the series.

Jerry Stahl, Pain Killers (Mar., Morrow hc, 24.95). PI Manny Rubert accepts a job to find out if an old, old man in prison is who he claims to be: Nazi monster Joseph Mengele. The real problem with the job is that Manny has to go undercover – inside the prison – to find out.

Olen Steinhauer, The Tourist (Mar., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Living peacefully in Brooklyn and working at the CIA’s NYC headquarters, Milo Weaver is happy to have left his years as a ‘tourist’ behind. No more wandering without a home or stable identity. The news that an international assassin has been finally caught is good, until the ripples of an investigation get into various cases of Milo’s and the ripples threaten his newfound peace. Signed Copies Available. Favorite author of Janine’s.

David Stone, The Venetian Judgment (April, Putnam hc, 25.95). Micah Dalton is sent a jade box that contains a stainless steel glass-cutter. It has great meaning to those in the highest levels of the intelligence world. It also contains a warning of a mole high up in the US. In paper, The Orpheus Deception (April, Jove, 9.99).

Mark Sullivan, Triple Cross (April, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). A private resort for the world’s power elites is attacked on New Year’s Eve by a paramilitary force. The head of security is on-site but with his daughters when his team on duty is wiped out; he makes it out but his daughters are captured, along with the elites.

David Sundstrand, Shadows of Death (Mar., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). The FBI considers Seth Parker a terrorist due to many murders. But when he begins to hunt and kill poachers in the Mojave Desert, some begin to think highly of him.

Denise Swanson, Murder of a Royal Pain (April, Obsidian pbo, 6.99). 11^th in the Scumble River series. Problems pop-up for the prom.

Leann Sweeney, The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse (May, Obsidian pbo, 6.99). The author of the Scumble River series starts a new one devoted to “Cats In Trouble”.

Dennis Tafoya, Dope Thief (May, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Two old friends from juvie have what is a great scam going. They dress as DEA agents and rip-off dealers. Easy money and no blood – and those who they take from can’t and won’t report it. Of course, it is too good to last forever and the guy they just robbed is the wrong guy to cross. Debut crime novel.

Charlene Thompson, You Can Run… (Mar., St. Martin’s pbo, 6.99). Romantic suspense.

Paul Tremblay, The Little Sleep (Mar., Holt tpo, 14.00). South Boston PI Mark Genevich is not only narcoleptic, he also has severe hypnagogic hallucinations. Sometimes, he can’t be sure what he thinks has happened has happened. But something is certainly going on. Isn’t it?

Louise Ure, Liars Anonymous (April, St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). Jessie Dancing is an operator for Hands On Emergency and fields a call from a millionaire. She believes she hears him being murdered while she’s on the phone with him. She heads from Phoenix to Tucson to play the tape for his widow only to be told that he’s still alive. Then what was it she heard? In paper, The Fault Tree (Mar., St. Martin’s, 13.95). Signing. Janine, Fran and Gretchen recommend this author.

Carrie Vaughn, Kitty Raises Hell (Mar., Vision pbo, 6.99). Evil follows Kitty and Ben home from Vegas to Denver.  6^th in an urban fantasy series that Fran recommends.

Elaine Viets, Killer Cuts (May, Obsidian hc, 22.95). 8^th in the Dead-End Jobs series. In paper, Clubbed to Death (May, Obsidian, 6.99).

Kathryn R. Wall, Covenant Hall (May, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). South Carolina PI Bay Tanner is hired to find a woman’s estranged family. The woman’s daughter needs a bone marrow transplant and doesn’t know where to find any possible candidates. 9^th in the series.

Randy Wayne White, Dead Silence (Mar., Putnam hc, 25.95). While in NYC to plan a jungle expedition, Doc Ford sees a US Senator attacked and abducted. Though he wades into the fight, he can’t save her and she vanishes. Her captors later give their demands and they come with the warning that the Senator has been buried alive and her remaining time is short. In paper, Black Widow (Mar., Berkley, 9.99).

Kevin Wignall, People Die (May, Kensington pbo, 6.99). An international hitman, known for his efficiency, goes by the initials JJ. He’s about to break his one rule: never get emotionally involved. 2^nd from the Edgar-nominated author.

Walter Jon Williams, This is Not a Game (Mar., Orbit hc, 24.95). A worldwide alternative reality game tips over the edge into this reality when people begin to die.

F. Paul Wilson, Aftershocks & Others (Mar., Forge hc, 25.95). A collection of shorter works, one the winner of the Bram Stoker Award, as well as a new Repairman Jack story.

Brian Wiprud, Feelers (Mar., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Morty Martinez is known in the estate liquidation world as a ‘feeler’. What he does is go into a home and look for those places where the recently deceased would have squirreled away cash. His latest find - $80 grand! – allows him to take off for a small Mexican coastal town to relax. Unfortunately, others have learned about the find and want the dough.

Stuart Woods, Loitering with Intent (April, Putnam hc, 25.95). Stone Barrington #16. In paper, Hot Mahogany (May, Signet, 9.99), Barrington #15.

 

 

Peter Abrahams, Delusion (April, Harper, 7.99).

C.J. Box, Blood Trail (May, Berkley, 7.99). Joe Pickett.

Robert Crais, Chasing Darkness (Mar., Pocket, 9.99). Elvis.

Jeffery Deaver, The Broken Window (April, Pocket, 9.99). Rhyme.

P.T. Deuterman, The Moonpool (May, St. Martin’s, 7.99).

Loren D. Estleman, Gas City (Mar., Forge, 13.95). Bill recommends.

Dan Fesperman, Amateur Spy (Mar., Vintage, 14.95).

Jeffrey Ford, The Shadow Year (Mar., Harper, 14.95).

Elizabeth George, Careless in Red (May, Harper, 7.99). Fran recommends.

Ed Gorman, Fools Rush In (Mar., Pegasus, 13.95).

Linda Greenlaw, Fisherman’s Bend (May, Hyperion, 7.99).

James W. Hall, Hell’s Bay (Mar., St. Martin’s, 7.99).

Colin Harrison, The Finder (June, Picador, 14.00).

Joshilyn Jackson, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (May, Grand Central, 13.99). Fran and Gretchen recommend this author.

Stuart M. Kaminsky, People Who Walk in Darkness (May, Forge, 13.95). Rostnikov.

Jesse Kellerman, The Genius (April, Jove, 9.99).

William Kent Krueger, Red Knife (May, Atria, 15.00). Fran recommends this author.

David Levien, City of the Sun (Mar., Anchor, 7.99). Janine recommends this debut.

Chuck Logan, South of Shilo (April, Harper, 7.99).

Michele Martinez, Notorious (Mar., Harper, 7.99).

Kate Mosse, Sepulcher (Mar., Berkley, 16.00).

Barbara Parker, The Dark of Day (May, Vanguard, 7.99).

Richard Price, Lush Life (Mar., Picador, 15.00).

Nora Roberts, Tribute (April, Jove, 7.99).

Sheldon Rusch, Separated at Death (Mar., Berkley, 7.99).

Marcus Sakey, At the City’s Edge (Mar., St. Martin’s, 7.99). Janine and Gretchen recommend.

Manda Scott, The Crystal Skull (Mar., Bantam, 7.50).

Julia Spencer-Fleming, I Shall Not Want (May, St. Martin’s, 7.99).

Heather Terrell, The Map Thief (May, Ballantine, 7.99).

Steven M. Thomas, Criminal Paradise (April, Ballantine, 7.99).

Brad Thor, The Last Patriot (May, Pocket, 9.99).

Lisa Unger, Black Out (May, Vintage, 7.99). Gretchen recommends.

Carolyn D. Wall, Sweeping Up Glass (May, Delta, 13.00). JB highly recommended this debut.

 

New Award Winners from St. Martin’s Press and Mystery Writers of America (May, 24.95 ea.)

Elizabeth J. Duncan, The Cold Light of Mourning. Best First Traditional Mystery from Minotaur/Malice Domestic. A bride vanishes before her wedding. She was known to be a self-made beauty but a pain in the…, well, anyway, the last person to see her was a manicurist who recently immigrated from Canada to this Welsh village. When the Canadian sees a picture of the missing woman, she realizes it is stranger still: the woman whose nails she did was not the bride though she said she was.

Keith Gilman, Father’s Day. This year’s winner of the Minotaur/MWA Best Private Eye Novel. The search for a runaway girl will take this PI to Philadelphia and up against a Chinese drug gang.

Stephanie Pintoff, In the Shadow of Gotham. Inaugural winner of the Minotaur/MWA Best First Crime Novel. Due to personal tragedy, Det. Simon Ziele leaves turn-of-the-century NYC for the quiet of Westchester County. The peace is crashed a few months later when a young woman, a promising mathematics student, is found murdered in her room. The case will lead him back to the City and to Columbia University and its noted criminologist, Alistair Sinclair, for help.

 

Megan Abbott, Bury Me Deep, July

Donna Andrews & Meg Langslow, Aug.

C.J. Box & Joe Pickett, June

James Lee Burke & Texas Sheriff Hackberry Holland, July

Jeffery Deaver & Kathryn Dance, June

Janet Evanovich, Plum 15, June

Meg Gardiner & Jo Beckett, June

George Dawes Green, Ravens, July

Brian Haig, The Hunted, Aug.

Joan Hess & Arly Hanks, June

Craig Johnson & Sheriff Walt Longmire, June

Joe R. Lansdale & Hap and Leonard, June

David Levien & Frank Behr, July

Jeff Lindsey & Dexter, Aug.

Tim Maleeny, Jump, June

Margaret Maron & Judge Knott, Aug.

Kathy Reichs & Tempe Brennan, Aug.

James Rollins & Sigma Force, July

David Rosenfelt & Andy Carpenter, Aug.

Daniel Silva & Gabriel Allon, July

Karin Slaughter & Sarah Linton, July

Donald E. Westlake & Dortmunder, July

 

          Sherlockiana

 

Lyndsay Faye, Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson (April, Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). A debut mystery by a young writer and actress presents a newly discovered account of the Great Detective’s efforts to stop the Whitechapel killings.

Donald Thomas, Sherlock Holmes and the King’s Evil (May, Pegasus hc, 25.00). Five new stories of ratiocination by the Great Detective.

Sherlock Holmes in America, Greenberg, Lellenberg and Stashower, eds. (Mar., Skyhorse hc, 24.95). All- new stories featuring the Master Detective in the States. Authors include Kaminsky, Estleman, Breen, and Stashower.

The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime, Michael Sims, ed. (April, Penguin tpo, 15.00). Characters and writers from the days when Holmes gave in to the needle, with British and US writers as diverse as H.G. Wells and Sinclair Lewis.

 

          In paper

Steve Hockensmith, The Black Dove (May, St. Martin’s, 13.95).

 

          Historical

 

Philip Baruth, The Brothers Boswell (May, Soho hc, 24.00). In 1763, James Boswell has begun his relationship with Dr. Samuel Johnson that will make him famous. What neither of them realizes is they are being stalked by a younger Boswell brother, John, who is both jealous and unstable.

Rhys Bowen, In a Gilded Cage (Mar., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 8^th with Irish PI Molly Murphy. In paper, Tell Me, Pretty Maiden (Mar., St. Martin’s, 6.99).

Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries in the Nick of Time (Mar., Berkley pbo, 6.99). 25^th in this Victorian series. She looks into the death of a train enthusiast.

Kenneth Cameron, The Frightened Man (May, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). In the dark and foggy London of 1900, Denton is a successful novelist whose renown brings unwanted visitors. The most recent claims to be hunted by Jack the Ripper. Denton dismisses the idea until the man’s body shows up with all the earmarks of the Ripper’s handy-work. ‘Cameron’ also writes contemporary military thrillers with his son under the pen name Gordon Kent.

Lindsey Davis, Alexandria (May, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 19^th with Marcus Didius Falco. While on vacation in Egypt, Falco is drawn into the case when the head Librarian is found murdered and evidence begins to point to book thieves! Great Caesar’s Ghost! Is nothing sacred? Favorite series of Fran’s.

Philip Depoy, The King James Conspiracy (May, St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). A group of scholars gathers in 1605 to produce a new translation of the Bible under the rule of King James. They expect it to be definitive. Someone is against their work and the scholars begin to be murdered.

Jason Goodwin, The Bellini Card (Mar., FSG hc, 25.00). 3^rd in this Edgar-winning series. Insp. Yashim is sent to Venice when a rumor arrives in Istanbul that a fabled Bellini masterpiece has surfaced. 

Michael Gregorio, A Visible Darkness (April, St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). Napoleon’s forces have overrun Prussia and have a found a source of funds for France’s treasury: amber. But the young girls who collect the valuable material are being killed in a most disturbing way. The army calls upon Investigator Hanno Stiffenis to stop the murders. He has little choice in the matter, but helping the conquering army may doom his homeland. In paper, Days of Atonement (Mar., St. Martin’s, 14.95).

Michael Jecks, King of Thieves (May, Headline hc, 24.95). 26^th in his Knights Templar series. An assassination plot threatens to turn the course of British history if Baldwin and Simon cannot thwart it.

Philip Kerr, A Quiet Flame (Mar., Putnam hc, 26.95). Fingered as a war criminal in 1950, Bernie Gunther flees to Argentina, as did so many of his countrymen. Once there, he’s pressured into working a case of a murder and a disappearance, cases that resemble crimes he investigated in Berlin in 1932. Signed Copies Available.

Mary Malloy, The Wandering Heart (April, Leapfrog tpo, 15.95). A researcher is drawn into a medieval mystery. Lizzie Manning is an expert in 18^th C. maritime voyages and her job is to track down a Tinglet corpse robbed b y the Cook expedition. The clues take her back through 30 generations of a British family and a much longer hunt for a Crusader’s stolen heart.

Edward Marston, Drums of War (Mar., Allison & Busby hc, 29.95). 2^nd intrigue with Capt. Rawson. During wartime in 1705 France, he’s given the mission of rescuing a British spy from the Bastille. In paper, Soldier of Fortune (Mar., Allison & Busby, 15.95).

Matthew Pearl, The Last Dickens (Mar., Random House hc, 25.00). The unexpected death of Charles Dickens causes his American publisher to set out to get his final manuscript. But the man sent to get the work is murdered and the unpublished book has been stolen. The search will stretch from the highest levels of society to darkest holes beneath it. Signed Copies Available.

Anne Perry, Execution Dock (Mar., Ballantine hc, 26.00). Superintendent William Monk works to shut down a child pornographer. In paper, Buckingham Palace Gardens (Mar., Ballantine, 7.99), the Pitts.

Jonathan Rabb, Shadow and Light (April, FSG hc, 26.00). In Weimar Germany, where corruption and kink are the theme of life, a renowned film studio head has been murdered. Chief Investigator Hoffner gets the case and turns for help to director Fritz Lang and to a Berlin crime boss. As the brownshirts, who follow Hitler begin to cause more trouble, getting anyone to cooperate will be nearly impossible.

Deanna Raybourn, Silent on the Moor (Mar., Mira tpo, 13.95). Lady Julia Gray has been asked by stay far from the ruined estate called Grimsgrave Hall, but she cannot.

Tom Rob Smith, The Secret Speech (May, Grand Central hc, 24.99). Three years after his rehabilitation (Child 44, April, Grand Central, $7.99), Moscow’s homicide detective Leo Demidov is dealing with more murder and the added guilt of fellow citizens he’d sent away for political crimes. He has a new life, a family he cherishes and all of that faces continual threat from the present and the past. Janine recommends this author.

 

          In paper

Alys Clare, The Enchanter’s Forest (Jan., Hodder, 9.95).

David Dickinson, Death on the Holy Mountain (April, Soho Constable, 13.00).

Ruth Downie, Terra Incognita, (Mar., Bloomsbury, 15.00).

David Downing, Silesian Station (April, Soho, 13.00).

Laura Joh Rowland, The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë (Mar., Overlook, 13.95).

Jenny White, The Abyssinian Proof (Mar., Norton, 13.95) – actually, arrived early Feb.

 

Rennie Airth & Insp. Madden, July

Susanna Gregory & Matthew Bartholomew, July

Bernard Knight & Crowner John, June

Victoria Thompson & Sarah Brandt, June

Nicola Upson & Josephine Tey, July

 

 

 

          From Outside the US

 

Selçuk Altun, Songs My Mother Never Taught Me (April, Telegram tpo, 13.95). The lives of two strangers are about to become enmeshed in ways neither of them could have imagined, though they’ve never met. Arda has just inherited great wealth due to the death of his smothering mother. He’s been adrift since the death of his father on Arda’s 14^th birthday. Across Istanbul, a hired assassin decides to retire.

Robert Arellano, Havana Lunar (Mar., Akashic tpo, 14.95). A psychological mystery woven into the collapse of the Cuban socialist structure becomes a timely thriller.

Keri Arthur, Deadly Desire (April, Bantam pbo, 6.99). 7^th in this Australian Urban Fantasy series recommended by Fran.

Cara Black, Murder in the Latin Quarter (Mar., Soho hc, 24.00). 10^th in the Aimée Leduc series. A Haitian woman walks into Aimée’s office and claims to be her illegitimate sister. Aimée is thrilled at the prospect of having a relative but, whether this woman is truthful or not, she’ll lead Aimée into political trouble, and murder. In paper, Murder in the Rue de Paradis (Mar., Soho, 13.00). Signing.

Giles Blunt, No Such Creature (May, Holt hc, 25.00). Each summer, Brits Max and his nephew Owen travel to North America. Max was once a promising stage actor but he now uses his theatrical skills to pull off elaborate thefts and cons. This year will be different: they will be targeted by The Subtractors, a group of violent thieves who prey on their weaker counterparts.

Shane Briant, Worst Nightmares (May, Vanguard hc, 19.95). A famous Australian author who is suffering from massive writer’s block may’ve found a way out. He’s received a manuscript in his mailbox, and realizes that it isn’t half bad. It tells the story of a killer who meets his victims on a website devoted to people sharing their worst nightmares. The killer then provides it. Dermot – the writer – begins to research the nightmares and comes to believe that this novel is not fiction.

Andrea Camilleri, August Heat (Mar., Penguin tpo, 14.00). 9^th with Sicilian Insp. Montalbano. During the dog days at the end of the summer, a boy disappears into a space beneath a rented beach house. When the adults go in to get him, they stumble upon something sinister.

K.O. Dahl, The Man in the Window (April, St. Martin’s hc, 25.95). A Norwegian antiques dealer has been murdered and set out for display in the front window of his shop, naked, with a combination written on his corpse. In paper, The Fourth Man (Mar., Griffin, 13.95).

Garry Disher, Blood Moon (April, Soho hc, 24.00). Insp. Hal Challis and his crew investigate the murder of a woman who oversaw the penalties on land-use violations, and the beating of a school chaplain. Complicating their work is the growing romance between Challis and Sgt. Ellen Destry. 5^th in this series recommended by Janine. Signing.

Escober, Chaos (May, Underland Press tpo, 13.95). 1^st book by a Dutch husband-and-wife-team (Esther and Berry Verhof) who are bestselling writers, translated by a man who lives in South Africa. Their character is a British soldier who returns home from Bosnia and finds that nothing makes sense. Overtaken by blackouts, nightmares and random and uncontrollable violence, Alex Fisher hits the road, roaming the world, hoping to escape the demons in his head. He meets Angela, a women who takes him into wilder and more dangerous places. At some point, he begins to wonder if she is evil or if she’s a figment of his damaged mind.

Sebastian Fitzek, Therapy (Mar., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). A famous German psychologist had his fame and life destroyed when his 12-year-old daughter vanished four years ago. No trace of her, no resolution, no end to his grief. A new patient comes to him with an unusual form of schizophrenia. She ‘creates’ characters or other people who are very real. And one of them seems to be able to describe his daughters life after the disappearance.

Tarquin Hall, Case of the Missing Servant (May, Simon & Schuster hc, 24.00). More Hercule Poirot than Insp. Ghote, Vish Puri holds himself to be the finest private eye in India. Tracing people is his specialty, as well as background checks for prospective brides and grooms. But his latest case will turn far more serious and will take him into the many changes that face the sub-continent today. Debut mystery already sold to publishers around the globe by a writer and journalist.

David Hewson, Dante’s Numbers (Mar., Delacorte hc, 24.00). In his 7^th book, Rome’s detective Nic Costa, in the US for the first time, follows a case that has ties to a new film of Inferno. In paper, The Garden of Evil (Mar., Dell, 6.99). Signing.

Kenzo Kitakata, When Time Attains Thee (Mar., Vertical tpo, 14.95). A slight change of locale from the Japanese hard-boiled master: Shingo is apparently a quiet watch repairman in America’s deep south. But he moonlights as a contract killer, stopping other people’s time in his off-hours.

Diane Wei Liang, Paper Butterfly (May, Simon & Schuster hc, 24.00). In searching for a missing pop star, China’s only female PI Mei Wang’s investigation will take her to the labor camps. Wang herself is so much of an outsider, even in this homogeneous society, that finding a way into this unacknowledged world will not be simple.  In paper, her debut, The Eye of Jade (April. Simon & Schuster, 15.00).

Henning Mankell, Italian Shoes (April, New Press hc, 26.95). Weilin has lived on an small, isolated island in such solitude that he cuts a hole in the ice and drops into the freezing water just to prove to himself he does exist. Once a surgeon, he hides from the memories and guilt of a mistake in his past. One day an interloper disturbs his solitude and Weilin deems it time to return and atone. In paper, The Eye of the Leopard (April, Vintage, 14.95).

Adrian KcKinty, Fifty Grand (May, Holt hc, 25.00). A Colorado thriller by an Australian who lived there for a decade. Near a resort in the Rockies, an illegal immigrant is killed in a hit-and-run accident. No one is ever charged in the case. Months later another illegal crosses and makes her way to that area. She’s no ordinary Latino looking for work. She’s a Cuban cop out to find her father’s killer. Gretchen highly recommends this author.

Håkan Nesser, Woman with Birthmark (April, Pantheon hc, 23.95). A woman follows her mother’s dying wish for vengeance by leaving her normal life and becoming a different person – a ruthless seeker of justice. Insp. Nan Veeteren and his colleagues are stumped by what appear to be a series of random murders.

Eliot Pattison, The Lord of Death (June, Soho hc, 24.00). 6^th in this Edgar-winning series. While performing a task for a local leader, Shan Tao Yun encounters what at first looks to be a traffic accident near Everest. As he nears, he hears gunfire and finds a bus of illegally imprisoned monks overturned. Making it more complicated, two women on the scene are dead: one was a Chinese Minister of Tourism and the other was a Westerner who led climbs.

Albert Sánchez Piñol, Pandora in the Congo (Mar., Cannongate tpo, 15.95). A gold mining expedition into the Congo goes as bad as it can. Narrated by a pulp ghostwriter who is obviously out of his depth, think of one of those old Saturday morning African-adventure films gone comically wrong. By a prize-winning Spanish writer.

Michael Robotham, Shatter (Mar., Doubleday hc, 24.95). Australian psychologist Joe O’Loughlin becomes aware that there is someone out there, someone evil, driving people to suicide who otherwise would never consider it. (This book was originally listed for an Aug.‘08 release as The Sleep of Reason.)

Santiago Roncagliolo, Red April (April, Pantheon hc, 24.95). Winner of the prestigious Spanish literary Alfaguara Prize for Best First Novel, emerging from a pile of 510 candidates. An unambitious Lima prosecutor, Féliz Chacaltana Saldívar, has coasted through life. But that will change. The murder case he’s handed and must investigate will have serious and dangerous political and social ties and will lead him toward Peru’s Shining Path terrorists.

Andrey Rubanov, Do Time Get Time (May, Old Street tpo, 17.95). Andrei is a 27 year old who has cut the same corners as millions of other Russians. He’d agreed to take the fall for his bosses if anything went wrong, expecting to get a slap on the wrist like so many others. Andrei won’t be so lucky and he’ll have to learn how to survive in a completely foreign world – contemporary Russian prison.

Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, My Soul to Take (April, Morrow hc, 24.95). In her 2^nd American appearance, lawyer Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is asked to look into the history of an old farm recently converted to a new age health resort. Someone has been murdered and the owner is a suspect. What she will uncover will shake her unshakable belief in ‘reality’. In paper, Last Rituals (April, Harper, 13.95), Fran recommends.

Alexander McCall Smith, Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (April, Pantheon hc, 23.95). 10^th in the No.1 Ladies series. Marie recommends. In paper, The Miracle at Speedy Motors (Mar., Anchor, 13.95).

Domenico Starnone, First Execution (Mar., Europa tpo, 15.00). In Italy, a retired teacher learns that a former student has been arrested for terrorism. He goes to see her to assure himself it is a mistake. She proudly confesses to him and then leads him into her world, saying that a man will contact him and he must follow the directions given. The author is prolific and has won Italy’s most prestigious literary award, the Strega.

Jonathan Trigell, Cham (May, Serpent’s Tail tpo, 14.95). A serial rapist is hunting in the streets of Chamonix Mont Blanc, the extreme-sports capital of Europe. The young and reckless come to test themselves and to forget their recent pasts but the attacks will make the present even worse.

Martin Walker, Bruno Chief of Police (Mar., Knopf hc, 23.95). 1^st in a new series said to be a cross between Peter Mayle and Alexander McCall Smith. The Chief of Police is affectionately called Bruno by those he lives with in their small town in the South of France. A former soldier, he appreciates his neighbors and the slow pace of life. A particularly ugly murder upsets it all.

Michael Walters, The Adversary (Mar., Berkley tpo, 14.00). 2^nd Mongolian mystery. Nergui and Doripalam look within the Serious Crimes unit to make sure someone from inside is not trying to help the region’s most powerful crime lord during his trial.

Qiu Xiaolong, The Mao Case (Mar., St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Chief Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police is used to being asked to handle sensitive cases, but has always tried to steer clear of outright political ones. The latest case may make that impossible: a young woman who is the granddaughter of one of Mao’s mistresses – indeed, she could be Mao’s blood – has become suddenly wealthy, living the high life and mixing into the highest social levels. His superiors fear that she knows something or has something that leads back to the Chairman and could prove embarrassing to the country. Chen is asked to go undercover to investigate.

 

     In paper

Grace Brophy, A Deadly Paradise (May, Soho, 13.00).

 

          From Great Britain

 

Will Adams, The Alexander Cipher (Mar., Grand Central hc, 24.99). A series of events brings a Brit to Alexandria and an archeological dig that may have clues to the lost burial site of the young conqueror. Various forces, many of them villainous, are after that information.

Louise Anderson, Perception of Death (Mar., Bantam pbo, 6.99). Debut from a Scottish author recommended by John Connolly. A young lawyer must deal with two dramatic blows: an old friend is murdered and he learns a deep and ugly family secret.

Robert Barnard, The Killings at Jubilee Terrace (May, Scribner hc, 24.00). One of the leading actors on a long-running daytime serial has been murdered and though Insp. Charlie Peace knows nothing about soap operas, we all know that the actor may be gone but the character will continue!

Ken Bruen, Sanctuary (May, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). Jack Taylor receives a list of names in the mail, all belonging to murder victims. The next list will be longer. Can Jack stop the list from growing? In paper, Cross (April, St. Martin’s, 13.95).

Tom Cain, No Survivors (Mar., Viking hc, 25.95). In his second adventure, Samuel Carver – who can make any death look like an accident – is recovering from his injuries when his Russian lover is forced back to work. Carver is furious and goes on the warpath – a path that will put him up against a Texas billionaire who aims to bring about the final Rapture. Janine and Fran recommend this author.

Liza Cody, Gimme More (Mar., Bywater Books tpo, 14.95).  First US release of a 2000 book. Bridie Walker is part rock legend, part con-woman. 20 years ago, she was half of the most famous music couple but has spent the last two decades feuding with everyone. New rumors say she’s sitting on unreleased tapes that could be a musical goldmine. Some are going to play rough to get them.

Anthony Eglin, The Trail of the Wild Rose (April, St. Martin’s hc, 24.95). 4^th in the English Garden series, featuring the hunt for a rare Chinese rose, an expedition that will incite greed and murder in China and England. Marie recommends.

Mick Herron, Smoke & Whispers (April, Soho Constable hc, 25.00). After a woman’s body is brought out of the River Tyne, it’s identified as Zoë Boehm, a private detective. The name doesn’t help and the coat on the body is found to have been stolen during a murder years before. The author’s four previous stand-alone crime novels are being published in the US: Down Cemetery Road from 2003, The Last Voice You Hear from ’04, Why We Die from ’06, and Reconstruction from last year (all April, Soho Constable, 13.00).

Nicholas Hogg, Show Me the Sky (April, Canongate tpo, 15.00). James Dent has voluntarily left his job a head of London’s Missing Person’s Bureau to follow a case that has also cost him his family. But he cannot shake the case of Billy K, a rock star who simply disappeared. Dent has a page from a book Billy was reading, a book written in 1834 by a Fijian missionary. First stop: Australia. Prize-winning debut.

Quentin Jardine, Inhuman Remains (April, Headline hc, 24.95). Primavera Blackstone – Oz’s wife – takes over the series. In paper, Aftershock (April, Headline, 8.95), Skinner.

Alanna Knight, Murder in Paradise (Mar., Allison & Busby hc, 29.95). Though young, Insp. Faro has already developed an arch-enemy – the nefarious Macheath. Faro gets wind of a jewel heist and senses Macheath is behind it.

Elizabeth Lowry, The Bellini Madonna (May, FSG hc, 25.00). Once a promising young art historian, Thomas Lynch ruined his career with drink and coeds. A Victorian diary gives him certainty that an unknown Bellini painting is hidden in a secluded and decaying English estate and he begins to ingratiate himself to the beautiful but odd women who work there. But, really, who is playing whom?

David Moody, Hater (Mar., St. Martin’s hc, 21.95). Something odd is happening to the general population. Friends turn on friends, strangers attack strangers – it seems anyone can turn, without warning, into a killer, or “hater”. What is behind this madness? Or is it madness?

Iain Pears, Stone’s Fall (May, Spiegel & Grau hc, 28.95). A sweeping historical mystery that begins with the strange death of Jonathan Stone, a financier so powerful that he could sway economies. It is London before The Great War and the story will move in reverse, back to the late 19^th C. and before, tracing Stone’s life and what led him to become so powerful a personage and then on to his death. Signing?

Peter Robinson, All the Colors of Darkness (Mar., Morrow hc, 24.95). Some school kids find a man’s body hanging from a tree near a river. He’s identified as a set designer for a local theatre company. While everything points toward suicide, it all seems too pat. Insp. Banks is called back from a weekend off. Signed Copies Available.

Rebecca Tope, Slaughter in the Cotswolds (May, Allison & Busby hc, 29.95). 6^th with house cleaner Thea Osborne. The quiet is shattered when Thea’s sister shows up at the door after witnessing a bloody murder.

Barbara Vine, The Birthday Present (Mar., Shayre Areheart hc, 25.00). A young Parliament member begins a clandestine affair with the wife of a colleague. The passion and recklessness escalates until, during a birthday gift gone wrong, he arranges for her kidnapping fantasy to come alive. Murder is the result. No one could possibly attach him to the crimes, but guilt forces him to find out what happened and who is responsible.

Martyn Waites, White Riot (Mar., Pegasus hc, 25.95). 3^rd with investigator Joe Donovan. A Muslim student beaten by supremacists, a foiled suicide bomber, a heated political race – and a killer who is willing to ignite a race war to keep his secrets.

Shirley Wells, Where Petals Fall (May, Soho Constable hc, 25.00). In their 3^rd case, forensic psychologist Jill Kennedy and DCI Max Trentham investigate when a woman’s body is found in a quarry. Like a series of cases that took place years before, the corpse is wrapped in a shroud.

The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries VI, Maxim Jukabowski, ed. (May, Running Press tpo, 13.95). 35 stories – 20 of them new – by names such as Child, McDermid, Rankin, Billingham, Harvey, Dexter and Deighton.

 

          In paper

Stephen Booth, Scared to Live (May, Bantam, 7.50).

Judith Cutler, Still Waters (May, Allison & Busby, 15.95).

Chris Ewan, The Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam (May, St. Martin’s, 13.95).

Sebastian Faulks, Devil May Care (May, Vintage, 7.99). 007

Aline Templeton, Lamb to the Slaughter (Mar., Hodder, 16.95).

Minette Walters, The Chameleon’s Shadow (Mar., Vintage, 14.95).

Irvine Welsh, Crime (May, Norton, 14.95).

 

S.J. Bolton & Clara Benning, June

John Connolly & Charlie Parker, June

Colin Cotterill & Dr. Siri, Aug.

Steig Larsson, The Girl who Played with Fire, Aug.

Fred Vargas & Commissaire Adamsberg, July

 

          Mystery Specialty Presses

 

     Bitter Lemon

Leonardo Padura, Havana Fever (May, tpo, 14.95). Now retired from the Havana police Mario Conde lives the relaxing life of a bookdealer. While going through the collection of a rich man who fled Cuba in ’59, he finds an article about a beautiful singer who had vanished at that same time. A new murder feels connected to this discovery and many answers may be needed at once.

Teresa Solana, A Not So Perfect Crime (Mar., 14.95). Wicked satire about Spanish society. A Barcelona cop sees a portrait of his wife at an art exhibit and assumes she’s cheating on him with the painter. He hires twin PIs to poke around. When the lady is murdered, things get ugly.

 

     Bleak House

Rogue Males, Craig McDonald, ed. (May, 24.95 hc, 14.95 tp). Conversations with some of the most influential writers of our day – Woodrell, Ellroy, Sallis, Child, Leonard, White, Bruen and one of the last interviews with the late, great Crumley. 16 authors together.

 

     Busted Flush

A.E. Maxwell, Just Another Day in Paradise (Feb., tpo, 13.00). 1^st of the Fiddler and Fiora mysteries. Fiddler is a trouble-shooter for people in trouble; Fiora is an investment banker. Together they right the wrongs in Southern California, beginning with this book in 1985. 8 of the books were published. #2 will be out in June. ‘A.E.’ stands for Ann and Evan Maxwell. Ann also publishes under the name Elizabeth Lowell.

 

     Crippen & Landru

Victor Canning, The Minerva Club, The Department of Patterns, and Other Stories, John Higgins, ed. (Feb., 29.00 hc, 19.00 tp).  This is in the "Lost Classics" series.

Robert Silverberg and Randall Garrett writing as Robert Randall, A Little Intelligence and Other Stories  (Feb., 42.00 hc, signed by Silverberg [200 copies] with additional story in separate chapbook, or 16.00 tp). Uncollected science-fiction and fantasy mysteries by two grandmasters.

 

     Felony & Mayhem

[The Crispin and Harrod-Eagles were postponed from Nov.] All titles 14.95.

Margery Allingham, Black Plumes (Mar.). Art thriller from 1940.

Edmund Crispin, Buried for Pleasure (Mar.). 6^th Gervase Fen, from ’49. Bill recommends.

Elizabeth Daly, Arrow Pointing Nowhere (May). 7^th Henry Gamadge from ’44.

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, Orchestrated Death (Mar.). 1^st of the Insp. Bill Slider books, from ’91.

Reginald Hill, An April Shroud (May), 4^th Pascoe & Dalziel, from ’75.

Catherine Shaw, The Riddle of the River (May). 4^th in the Vanessa Weatherburn series, a 2007 British release and this the first US publication.

L.C. Tyler, The Herring-Seller’s Apprentice (Mar.). 1^st US release of a debut that was short-listed for Best Humorous Crime Novel of the Year. Ethelred Tressider is an unsuccessful mystery writer who is actually less interested in his books than the public. But his ex-wife (aka, The Dish) has been murdered and the police are asking lots of questions – like why is he so disinterested in her death?

 

     Hard Case Crime

Peter Blauner, Casino Moon (May, 6.99). The second novel by the Edgar winner, first published in 1994. A mobster’s son plots to get out of the life of crime by using the comeback bid of a washed-up boxer as a screen.

E. Howard Hunt, House Dick (April, 6.99). First published in 1961 under the pen name Gordon Davis, it is the story of a hotel detective investigating burglary and murder. Not to be confused with real life; Hunt was a player in the plots against Castro, the Bay of Pigs, supposedly confessed to a role in the Kennedy Assassination, and was one of the lead plumbers in the Watergate burglary.

Donald E. Westlake, The Cutie (Mar., 6.99). Westlake’s 1^st book published under his own name, from 1960. The cops are hunting the punk who knifed a rich man’s mistress. They don’t know he’s been set up as the patsy by another cutie. Originally published as The Mercenaries, but this was Westlake’s choice of titles.

 

     Midnight Ink

C.S. Challinor, Murder in the Raw (May, tpo, 13.95). Investigating the disappearance of a French actress, Rex Graves flies to St. Martin and the resort at which she was last seen. His investigative focus will be tested; it’s a naturist’s resort.

G.M. Malliet, Death and Lit Chick (April, tpo, 14.95). The guest of honor at a writer’s convention held at a Scottish castle is found murdered in the ‘bottle dungeon’. 2^nd in this biblio-series.

J.B. Stanley, The Battered Body (Mar., tpo, 13.95). 5^th in the Supper Club series.

Terri Thayer, Ocean Waves (April, tpo, 14.95). In her 3^rd quilting mystery, Dewey looks forward to combining business with pleasure at a quilting conference by spending time walking on the near-by beach. Mysterious events will conspire to keep her inside and investigating.

 

     Poisoned Pen Press

Kate Charles, Deep Waters (Mar., hc, 24.95). Local celebrities have lost their newborn and, as England is obsessed with fame, this is stunningly sad news. While the parents are understandably devastated, still questions must be asked and this process leaves everyone in the community uneasy.

Judy Clemens, Embrace the Grim Reaper (May, hc, 24.95). After a horrible accident, Casey Maldonado decides to start over. She sells her house, packs her bags and heads off in her car with her new companion, Death. In paper, Different Paths (May, 14.95).

Kerry Greenwood, Murder in the Dark (Mar., hc, 24.95). 16^th Phryne Fisher, from 2006. In paper, the 14^th, Queen of the Flowers (Mar., 14.95). And Devil’s Food (May, hc, 24.95), her 3^rd Corina Chapman. In paper, Heavenly Pleasure (May, 14.95), the 2nd.

Edward Ifkovic, Lone Star (April, hc, 24.95). While the filming of the adaptation of her novel Giant is getting underway, writer Edna Ferber is drawn into murder and possible scandal amidst the cast and crew in 1955 Hollywood. Signed Copies Available.

Margit Liesche, Hollywood Buzz (Mar., hc, 24.95). Pucci Lewis, a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots group during the deep dark of WWII, steps in for a sister pilot hurt during a crash while filming for a documentary about their work. Pucci thinks that there was something odd about the crash and, odder still, no one seems to be looking into it.  Signed Copies Available. In paper, Lipstick and Lies (Mar., 14.95).

J.M. Hayes, Server Down (May, hc, 24.95). Mad Dog is in a pack of trouble and one of the problems is an evil spirit who has escaped from a computer game. In paper, Broken Heartland (May, 14.95), the 3^rd with Mad Dog and Sheriff Englishman.

Clea Simon, Probable Claws (April, hc, 24.95). Can someone really be so despicable that they’d poison cat kibble? Theda Krakow investigates. Signed Copies Available.

 

     Rue Morgue

Catherine Aird, His Burial Too (April, 14.95). Insp. Sloan from ’73, the 6th. [postponed from Feb.]

Delano Ames, Murder Begins at Home (Mar., 14.95). 2nd Jane & Dagoburt Brown, from ’49. [postponed from Jan.]

Nicholas Blake, Thou Shell of Death (Mar., 14.95). Nigel Strangeways #2, from ’36. [postponed from Jan.]

Manning Coles, The Fifth Man (April, 14.95). Tommy Hambledon #6, from ’46. [postponed from Feb.]

Ellis Dillon, Death at Crane’s Court (May, 14.95). 1^st whodunit by this Irish author, often compared to Sayers, from 1953.

Gladys Mitchell, Death and the Maiden (May, 14.95). Her 20^th Mrs. Bradley, a scarce mystery, from 1948.

 

     Stark House

Harry Whittington, To Find Cora/Like Mink, Like Murder/Body and Passion (May tpo, 19.95). Omnibus edition with three of the master pulp writer’s long out-of-print books: Cora, with the author’s original title, was first published as Cora is a Nympho! In 1963; Body from 1952,published as by Whit Harrison (also published as Dear Deadly Past); and Mink, first published in France as T’as des Visions in 1957, reworked as a US pornographic novel in 1965 and re-titled Passion Hangover as by J.X. Williams. This will be the first US publication of the book as it was originally written.

 

Collections

 

Mystery Writers of America Presents The Prosecution Rests: New Stories about Courtrooms, Criminals and the Law, Linda Fairstein, ed. (April, Back Bay tpo, 15.99). Authors include Grippando, Rozan, Hoch, and Levine. 21 new works.

Black Noir: Mystery, Crime, and Suspense Fiction by African-American Writers, Otto Penzler, ed. (Feb., Pegasus hc, 25.00). Classic and contemporary stories by authors such as Himes, Wright, Woods, Greer, Phillips, and Mosley.

A New Omnibus of Crime, Tony Hillerman and Rosemary Herbert, eds. (May, Oxford Univ. Press tpo, 16.95).

A compendium of the finest short mystery and crime fiction from the past and present. Names included are Highsmith, Grafton, Hammett, James, Macdonald, Paretsky, Rendell, Leonard. Also contained are new stories by Aird, Deaver and Smith. 448 pages for fans of all styles.

 

Reissues of Note

 

Charlaine Harris, Last Scene Alive (May, Berkley, 7.99). 7^th Aurora Teagarden, from 2002.

Joe R. Lansdale, Two Bear Mambo and Bad Chili (May, Vintage, 13.95 ea.). The 3^rd and 4^th of his Hap and Leonard Southern-noir series, from ’95 and ’97.

Richard Stark, The Mourner, The Score and The Jugger (May, Univ. of Chicago Press, 14.00 ea.). The 4^th from ’63, the 5^th from ’64, and the 6^th from ’65 in Westlake’s superb Parker series. Highly recommended by Bill and JB.

Rex Stout, The Rubber Band and The Red Box (Mar., Bantam, 15.00). Band is the 3^rd Nero Wolfe, from ’36, and Box is the 4^th, from ’37. Box has been out of print for a long time. AND Too Many Cooks/Champagne For One (May, Bantam, 15.00). We’re not sure how they’re choosing which titles go together but here is the 5^th Nero Wolfe from 1938 – long out of print – with the 31^st from ’58 – not out of print.

Randy Wayne White, Grand Cayman Slam (April, Signet, 6.99). 7^th and last of his Randy Stryker books with ex-Seal man of action Dusky MacMorgan.

 

 

Special Interest

 

Agatha Christie: An English Mystery, Laurie Thompson (April, Headline tpo, 14.95). Allowed unprecedented access to notebooks, papers, letters – much of which has never been made public – along with interviews with surviving family members who knew her, Thompson delves deeply into Christie’s life and work, giving a critical appraisal of her work that promises to be wider than what has been possible before.

Sally Cline, Hellman and Hammett: A Biography (Mar., Overlook hc, 30.00). A joint biography of these two American artists who spent so many years together, a work that promises to change how we view them.

Glen David Gold, Sunnyside (May, Knopf hc, 26.95). As America is drawn toward The Great War, something odd happens one winter day: Charlie Chaplin is seen at more than 500 places around the world at the same instant. The epic story – 640 pages – will encompass many people, both famous and ordinary, in a story that deals with the country’s promises and shortfalls. A new novel by the author of staff-favorite Carter Beats the Devil (Hyperion, 14.95) and husband of Alice Sebold.

Jeff Guinn, Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde (May, Simon & Schuster hc, 27.00). To mark the 75^th anniversary of the ambush, an objective look at the two outlaws, with material provided by family members and collectors heretofore unavailable to biographers.

Robert Littell, The Stalin Epigram (May, Simon & Schuster hc, 26.00). A biographical novel by the espionage master that tells the true-life story of a famed Russian poet, Osip Mandelstam, who wrote anti-Stalin works and was thrown in the gulag, where he died in 1938. An unvarnished look at the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Janine recommends this author’s books.

The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation, James E. Starrs and Kira Gale (April, River Junction Press tpo, 16.95). Modern forensics are applied to the age old questions of whether Lewis committed suicide, as originally determined, or was the victim of crime. 13 leading experts on various aspects of forensics give their views on the evidence.

 

The Seattle Mystery Bookshop is a member of the

Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Go to www.killerbooks.org to see a monthly list of books recommended by other mystery booksellers.

 

sMail and phone and e-mail orders for these or any other books are welcome.

 

sWe special order non-mysteries as well. We can get you all the books you need, no matter what the topic.

 

sGift certificates are available in any denomination, can be ordered by phone or e-mail, and are a great present for the local mystery fans on your list. We can send it to them for you, whether you live here or not.

 

sVisit our website for our full calendar of scheduled author events, our past newsletters, a link to a listing of available signed copies, and ordering instructions.

 

sCopies in the best condition go to those who reserve in advance.

 

sDust jacket protectors are put on all signed books that are shipped out.

 

sBrowse our listing of signed, used and collectable books at www.biblio.com

 

sPrices and dates are subject to change without notice.

 

The Seattle Mystery Bookshop Newsletter

was  composed and produced by the staff.