Fredrick Huebner,
Shades of Justice (Jan., Signet, 6.99)/p>
Sharan Newman, To
Wear the White Cloak (Jan., St. Martin's, 6.99)
Candace Robb, A Spy
for the Redeemer (Jan., Mysterious Press, 12.95)
Ann Rule, Every
Breath You Take (Dec., Pocket, 7.99)
COMING THIS SPRING
Earl Emerson, Into
the Inferno, Mar.
Phillip Margolin,
Ties that Bind, Mar.
John J. Nance,
Skyhook, April
Steve Oliver, Moody
in Winter, Mar.
Greg Rucka &
Atticus, July (OK, that’s not Spring, but we HAD to mention it.)
Jess Walter, Land
of the Blind, Mar.
NEW FROM THE REST
Catherine Aird,
Amendment of Life (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). DCI Sloan
returns to deal with a puzzling case: a body is found in the dead center of a
Tudor-era maze.
Susan Wittig Albert,
Indigo Dying (Jan., Berkley hc, 22.95). Herbalist China Bayles is
in Indigo, TX, to teach a workshop, but is drawn into a murder case after the
murder of a man whose potential sale of mineral rights would have killed the
town. Signing. In paper, Bloodroot (Jan., Berkley, 6.99).
Conrad Allen,
Murder on the Carolina (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Ship
detectives take on their 3rd case for the Cunard Line – latest in this
historical series from the prolific Mr. Marston.
Donna Andrews,
Crouching Buzzards, Leaping Loon (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 23.95).
Meg Langslow is helping out at her brother’s software offices when the resident
practical joker is discovered not to be joking this time and really is dead on
top of the morning’s mail.
Sarah Andrews,
Killer Dust (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Forensic geologist Em
Hansen teams with NASA to investigate a mysterious dust cloud heading toward
Florida.
Nancy Atherton,
Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday (Mar., Viking hc, 22.95). What is
supposed to be a holiday turns deadly when the late Earl’s will is read and a
family erupts.
Jo Bannister, True
Witness (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). The police believe that a
young man who died at a pier was killed by a serial killer who went unpunished a
decade before--but the only witness to the death is convinced that they’re
wrong.
Nevada Barr,
Flashback (Feb., Putnam hc, 24.95). At a post in the Dry Tortugas,
Anna Pigeon’s past and present collide – her great-great-aunt lived at the fort
when it was a military prison, and her letters seem to bridge the time from the
Civil War to Anna’s current problems. Signed Copies Available. In paper,
Hunting Season (Feb., Berkley, 6.99).
M.C. Beaton, Death
of a Village (Feb., Mysterious Press hc, 23.95). In his 18th
appearance, Hamish MacBeth investigates the village of Stoyre and why people are
leaving in large numbers. In paper, Death of a Celebrity (Jan.,
Warner, 6.99). AND, Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate
(Feb., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Agatha is feeling down (abandoned by her
husband), so a spot of murder is just what she needs: the curate has been found
dead in the vicar’s study.
|
James Carlos
Blake, Under the Skin (Feb., Morrow hc, 25.95). 1930s
saga that rages on both sides of the Rio Grande, as Jimmy Youngblood – the
bastard son of an infamous Mexican revolutionary and bodyguard for
Galveston’s crime lords – falls for the young wife of a vengeful Mexican
warlord. In pb, A World of Thieves (Jan., Harper, 12.95).
Rapidly becoming a favorite of Tammy and JB’s for the beauty of his
writing and the vividness of his characters and their rough criminality.
Too bad his paperbacks are so expensive – it cuts down on the broadness of
his sales. |
Eleanor Taylor Bland,
Windy City Dying (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Afro-Am homicide
detective Marti MacAlister confronts extreme personal demons from her own past
after someone comes looking for her long-dead husband.
Lawrence Block,
Small Town (Feb., Morrow hc, 24.95). In a city reeling after 9/11,
one of our National Treasures writes about the city he knows and loves so well,
giving us a crime novel dealing with a lawyer who prefers murder trials, a folk
art dealer who is exploring her own sexuality, a charismatic ex-commissioner of
police who is reaching his own breakdown, and a writer on the verge of a
breakthrough – and a mass murderer waging a one-man war against the city.
Signing.
Rhys Bowen, Death
of Riley (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Having finally thrown off
the shackles of the Old World in her debut, Murphy’s Law (Dec.,
St. Martin's pb, 6.50), Irish immigrant Molly Murphy is an apprentice to a NYC
private investigator. Her happiness is shattered when her boss is murdered, and
the case leads her toward the fateful events of the 1901 Exposition in Buffalo,
NY. In pb, Evans to Betsy (Feb., Berkley, 6.50), 6th with
Constable Evans. Signing.
Lillian Jackson Braun,
The Cat Who Brought Down the House (Jan., Putnam hc, 23.95). 25th
Cat Who!!! In pb, The Cat Who Went Up the Creek (Dec., Jove,
6.99).
Rita Mae Brown,
Hotspur (Dec., Ballantine hc, 24.95). Though she may be in her
70s, Jane Arnold hasn't lost her love of the Hunt or her ability to read the
value of a horse or a man. When the bones of a woman who vanished 20 years ago
surface, she uses her talents to unravel the old mystery. In pb, Catch as Cat
Can (Feb., Bantam, 7.50).
Ken Bruen, The
Guards (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Stinging from his
unceremonious ouster by Ireland’s national police force – the Guards – Jack
Taylor is nursing beers in Galway when a stunning woman asks him to use his
known talent for finding things. First US publication for an author noted for
his grit, violence and humor – a sharp debut.
Fiona Buckley, A
Pawn for a Queen (Dec., Scribner hc, 24.00). In her 6th adventure,
royal confidential agent Ursula Blanchard finds out that her cousin Edward has
been arrested while on a mission to Mary, Queen of Scots, a situation that is
full of political problems for her Queen, Elizabeth I. In paper, Queen of
Ambition (Dec., Pocket, 6.99).
James Lee Burke,
White Doves at Morning (Nov., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00
Signed Copies 26.00). The noted crime author tells a different, non-crime story:
a saga of violence, intrigue and romance, set against the Civil War and
Reconstruction, and drawn from his own family’s history.
Andrea Camilleri,
The Terra-Cotta Dog (Nov., Viking hc, 19.95). 2nd of the
internationally bestselling mysteries with Sicilian Insp. Montalbano, following
The Shape of Water (Nov., Penguin pb, 5.99), the first in the
series and the first to be released in the US. Signed Copies Available of
the new hc.
Stephen Cannell,
Hollywood Tough (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Back on the LAPD
after his successes in The Viking Funeral, Shane Scully is soon undercover
investigating a criminal scheme to take over the movie business.
Laura Childs,
Shades of Earl Grey (Jan., Berkley pbo, 5.99). 3rd with Indigo Tea
Shop owner Theodosia Browning, who is finally invited to a social event that she
doesn’t have to cater – but murder still follows.
Tim Cockey, Murder
in the Hearse Degree (Feb., Hyperion hc, 22.95). 4th humorous mystery
with Hitchcock Sterling. In paper, The Hearse Case Scenario (Feb.,
Hyperion, 7.99).
Nancy J. Cohen,
Body Wave (Dec., Kensington hc, 22.00). Beautician Marla Shore (an
amateur sleuth with “style”) is asked by her ex-husband for a favor – he’s been
arrested for the murder of his third wife and needs Marla’s help. Signed
copies available.
Barbara Colley,
Death Tidies Up (Feb., Kensington hc, 22.00). When one of her
clients is caught up is a long-forgotten murder, New Orleans maid Charlotte
LaRue cleans up the mess. Signed Copies Available.
Susan Conant, The
Dogfather (Feb., Berkley hc, 22.95). Dog trainer Holly Winter has
been hired by a wise-guy who has killed so many people that the FBI has lost
track. In pb, The Wicked Flea (Feb., Berkley, 6.99).
Susan Rogers Cooper,
Lying Wonders (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Oklahoma Sheriff
Milt Kovak finds the body of a missing girl at the headquarters of a religious
sect.
Tom Corcoran,
Octopus Alibi (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Photographer Alex
Rutledge finds trouble comes in threes: his friend’s sister is killed, a close
friend is dead and the mayor has killed himself. One of Tammy's Florida
Faves.
Robert Crais, The
Last Detective (Feb, Doubleday hc, 24.95) Postponed from Summer ’02,
this book will deal with Elvis as LA Requiem dealt with Joe Pike.
Signing. In paper, Indigo Slam (Feb, Ballantine, 7.99). 1st
time in US paperback.
Michael Crichton,
Prey (Nov., Harper hc, 26.95). Deep in the Nevada desert, in a
state-of-the-art corporate lab, 8 people are trapped by the predatory swarm of
micro-particles that they created, an organism that gets stronger and more
numerous by the hour.
Jeanne M. Dams,
Sinning out of School (Jan., Walker hc, 23.95). Dorothy Martin has
her table set for Thanksgiving dinner when she’s notified that the schoolteacher
hasn’t showed up, and she's asked to look after a 9-year-old whose father has
been murdered.
Claire Daniels,
Body of Intuition (Dec., Berkley pbo, 6.99). Series debut with
alternative healer Cally Lazar, in what is being billed as “Karma Crime."
Paul Doherty,
Corpse Candle (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). 12th Hugh
Corbett.
Tim Dorsey,
Stingray Shuffle (Feb., Morrow hc, 24.95). To his cast of
delightfully depraved creations (Serge Storms, Paul the Passive-Aggressive PI,
The Don Johnson Experience and others) Dorsey mixes in new lunatics as they ride
Amtrak’s Silver Stingray and get caught up in a Murder Mystery Weekend.
Signed and inscribed copies available. In pb, Triggerfish Twist
(Feb., Harper, 6.99). Another Florida Fave of Tammy's.
Janet Evanovich and
Charlotte Hughes, Full Tilt (Feb., St. Martins pbo, 7.99).
Sequel to the re-worked Full House, also accomplished with friend and
fellow author Hughes. The publisher’s catalog gives us no plot.
Linda Fairstein,
The Bone Vault (Jan., Scribner hc, 26.00). Alex Cooper is at the
convergence of big money and high culture when the body of a murdered researcher
is found in an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus during the opening of a
controversial exhibit at the Met. In paper, The Dead House (Jan.,
Pocket, 7.99). Signing.
Jerrilyn Farmer,
Mumbo Gumbo (Feb., Morrow hc, 23.95). In her first hardcover
appearance, caterer Maddie Bean is hired as a writer for a hit gourmet game show
to replace someone who disappeared. While dealing with the needs of the show,
she looks into the missing writer's case. Signing.
Monica Ferris,
Hanging by a Thread (Jan., Berkely pbo, 6.50). 6th needlework
mystery. Craft shop owner Betsy Devonshire is out to solve a 5-year-old murder
case that refuses to die.
Ken Follett, Hornet
Flight (Dec., Dutton hc, 26.95). In June 1941 three lives concerned
in the war are intersecting – a British intelligence analyst who believes the
Germans are further along with radar than her bosses are willing to admit; an
18-year-old Dane who has seen something odd and must tell someone; and a
collaborating Danish cop who thinks he’s just struck upon an idea that will
please the Nazis and get him a promotion.
Margaret Frazer,
The Bastard’s Tale (Jan., Berkley hc, 22.95). Finding herself in
the royal court, Dame Frevisse sees that the thickest walls cannot keep out
threats. In pb, The Clerk’s Tale (Dec., Berkley, 6.99).
Brian Freemantle,
Kings of Many Castles (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Worldwide
television viewers are horrified by an assassination attempt on the Russian and
US presidents. The captured gunman is the son of one of Britain’s most notorious
defectors. Charlie Muffin doesn’t believe the official story.
Eric Garcia,
Matchstick Men (Dec., Villard hc, 22.95). Roy and Frankie are con
artists who complement one another. Frankie has plans for a tricky score, but
Roy is distracted when he finds out he's the father of a teenage daughter—and
she wants in on the plan.
Bartholomew Gill,
Death in Dublin (Jan., Morrow hc, 24.95). The last Peter McGarr
novel, in which the Inspector deals with a case at Dublin’s Trinity College when
the treasured Book of Kells is stolen. The author died in an accident at his
home on 7/4/02. A reissue to note: The Death of an Irish Consul
(Dec., Avon, 6.99), re-titled reissue of the 2nd in the series, McGarr
and the Sienese Conspiracy.
John Gilstrap,
Scott Free (Feb., Atria hc, 25.00). Estranged parents must reunite
to find their son, lost in a small plane crash. While they share the goal, all
of their “issues” resurface, and the son is endangered by the stranger who has
rescued him.
Carol Goodman, The
Seduction of Water (Jan., Ballantine hc, 23.95. Academic Iris
Greenfeder is frustrated with her life, as it goes nowhere fast. Her mother was
a noted novelist who died a sad death 30 years ago. Returning to the Catskills
where her mother lived, she hopes to write her mother’s biography and find her
mother’s final manuscript, mysteriously missing these three decades. In pb,
Lake of Dead Languages (Jan., Ballantine, 13.95), her noted debut
from last year.
C. L. Grace, A Maze
of Murders (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Latest Kathryn Swinbrooke,
from the pen of the prolific Mr. Doherty.
Ann Granger, A
Restless Evil (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Twenty years ago, as a
rookie investigator, Alan Markby couldn’t break the case of The Potato Man, a
serial rapist lurking in Stovey Woods. Now, house-hunting with Meredith Mitchell
in the area, he finds out that old bones have been discovered in the Woods, and
it all opens up for him once again. Favorite series of Sandy’s.
Chloe Green,
Fashion Victim (Dec., Kensington hc, 22.00). Texas fashion stylist
Dallas O’Connor is on a balmy Caribbean island for a music video shoot – and so
is a killer.
W.E.B. Griffen,
Final Justice (Jan., Putnam hc, 26.95). Latest in the Philadelphia
Badge of Honor series.
Lauren Haney, Flesh
of the God (Feb., Avon pbo, 6.99). A prequel to the Ancient Egyptian
series, detailing Lt. Bak’s first investigation.
Karen Harper, The
Thorne Maze (Feb., St. Martin's hc. 23.95). 5th Elizabethan
mystery.
George Harrar, The
Spinning Man (Feb., Putnam hc, 24.95). Hitchcockian thriller in which
a man, loved and trusted by family and friends, is brought in for questioning
after a high school cheerleader vanishes. As the circumstantial evidence builds,
suspicion deepens.
Janis Harrison, A
Deadly Bouquet (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). In her 4th adventure,
Missouri florist Bretta Solomon is arranging the town’s biggest wedding. When
the wedding’s landscaper and hairdresser die on the same day, she suspects
villainy. In pb, Lilies that Fester (Dec., St. Martin's,
6.50).
Simon Hawke, Much
Ado About Murder (Dec., Forge hc, 23.95). 3rd tale of Shakespeare and
Smythe, sleuths. In pb, The Slaying of the Shrew (Dec., Tor,
6.99).
Daniel Hecht, City
of Masks (Jan., Bloomsbury hc, 24.95). Based in Seattle,
parapsychologist Cree Black and her partner travel to New Orleans to aid a woman
who is being threatened in her 150-year-old mansion.
Jack Higgins, The
Graveyard Shift (Dec., Berkley pbo, 7.99). Originally published under
his pseudonym Harry Patterson in 1965, this is the first of Higgins's cop
thrillers with Nick Miller that have never been published in the US, and the
first of three that this press will issue.
William Hoffman,
Wild Thorn (Dec., Harper hc, 24.95). Charley LeBlanc returns to
the place of his birth and is drawn into corruption and intrigue.
Hazel Holt, Mrs.
Malory and Death by Water (Jan., Signet pbo, 5.99). 13th with this
“modern Miss Marple” who is sorting through the estate of a recently departed
friend, an investigating journalist. Mrs. Malory begins to think that pollution
was the story and the weapon.
Victoria Houston,
Dead Frenzy (Feb., Berkley pbo, 6.50). 4th Loon Lake fishing
mystery, as bass fishing tournament and a biker convention bring trouble to the
sleepy town.
Bill James, Naked
at the Window (Dec., Norton hc, 23.95). Harpur & Iles fight drug
barons for control of the city.
Maureen Jennings,
Let Loose the Dogs (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 24.95. Det. William
Murdoch hasn’t seen his hated father in 22 years but is shocked to find that
Harry has been convicted of murder and is soon to be executed. Father pleads
with Son that he is innocent and asks for help. 4th in 1890s Toronto.
Stuart Kaminsky,
Not Quite Kosher (Dec., Forge hc, 23.95). 7th with Chicago cop Abe
Lieberman.
Toni L.P. Kelner,
Wed and Buried (Feb., Kensington hc, 22.00). New mom Laura Fleming
can’t say no when her Aunt Maggie’s husband, Big Bill, is in trouble. Signed
Copies Available. 8th in the series.
Michael Killian, A
Grave at Glorieta (Jan., Berkley hc, 22.95). Union Agent Harrison
Raines finds that his informant has been murdered and his partner is accused of
the crime.
Ross King,
Domino (Nov., Walker hc, 26.00). In the hurly-burly world of 1770s
London, a young artist is adrift and out of his league amidst the gilded world
he wishes to conquer. Suspense and menace in the art and opera worlds.
Helen Knode, The
Ticket Out (Jan., Harcourt hc, 24.00). Film critic Ann Whitehead is
sick of her job for a counterculture rag in LA. But a dead film grad in her
bathtub complicates her life – soon a disgraced LAPD cop, the dead woman’s
missing film script, two killers and a 1944 murder complicate it all further.
Debut novel by a writer married to some guy named Ellroy… Signing.
William Kent Krueger,
The Devil’s Bed (Feb., Atria hc, 24.00). President Clay Dixon
knows the best chance he has for re-election is his popular wife Kate, who is
set to desert him. When her father is injured on the family farm, the Secret
Service begins to suspect that she’s being lured into a trap. Signed Copies
Available.
Joe R. Lansdale, A
Fine Dark Line (Jan., Mysterious Press hc, 24.95). For young Stanley
Mitchell, 1958 turns from adventure to terror, as he finds a hidden packet of
love letters and meets the town’s movie projectionist--a retired cop--and begins
to learn about the ugly reality of life in his small town. In paper, Captains
Outrageous (Jan., Mysterious Press, 12.95), the latest Hap and
Leonard mystery.
Elmore Leonard,
When the Women Come out to Dance (Jan. [but releasing on
Nov 19?!], Morrow hc, 24.95). For a change, a book of shorter works, with
two novellas and a selection of short stories. In pb, Tishomingo Blue
(Dec., Harper, 7.99).
Ed McBain, Fat
Ollies’s Book (Jan., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). After arresting
a crooked book publisher, Fat Ollie decides to write his own crime novel. But,
while catching a case in the 87th, the manuscript is stolen.
Jill McGown, Death
in the Family (Feb., Ballantine hc, 22.95). While on maternity leave,
DCI Judy Hill becomes involved in a baby's kidnapping while DCI Lloyd works on a
puzzling murder. Soon, the cases are intertwined. One of Sandy's favorite
authors.
G.A. McKevett,
Death by Chocolate (Jan., Kensington hc, 22.00). 8th Savannah
Reid, in which the full-figured PI is hired to protect the “Queen of Chocolate,"
the star of the Gourmet Network, who has been receiving death threats. Signed
copies available. In pb, Peaches and Screams (Dec.,
Kensington, 6.50).
Walter Mosley, Six
Easy Pieces (Jan., Simon & Schuster hc, 24.00). As the title
tells, here are 6 new interconnected Easy Rawlins short stories in one volume.
The publisher is also republishing each of the Rawlins novels in trade
paperback, and includes one of these stories with each novel. Does each story
then fit the time of the novel with which it is included? The catalog doesn’t
say. Signing?
Shirley Rousseau
Murphy, Cat Seeing Double (Jan., Harper hc, 24.95). Felines
Joe Grey and Dulcie jump into two cases when a building contractor’s wife is
shot with her husband’s gun and a bomb nearly destroys the police chief’s
wedding.
Tamar Myers,
Custard’s Last Stand (Feb., NAL hc, 19.95). Col. George Custard is
murdered by someone who didn’t think his plan for a 5 star hotel in their little
town was such a grand idea. In pb, Gruel and Unusual Punishment
(Jan., Signet, 5.99).
P.J. Parrish,
Thicker Than Water (Jan., Kensington pbo, 6.99). 4th with
Floridian detective Louis Kincaid, who is investigating a recent crime and
whether it has anything to do with a 20-year-old crime and the convict who was
just released from prison. Latest in the series that included the
Edgar-nominated Dead of Winter.
James Patterson,
Four Blind Mice (Nov., Little, Brown hc, 27.95). Alex Cross
returns in another bestselling thriller.
Matthew Pearl, The
Dante Club (Feb., Random House hc, 24.95). A series of grisly murders
rock Boston in 1865, and all seem inspired by scenes from Dante's Inferno. An
elite group of Dante scholars, led by O. W. Holmes and H.W. Longfellow, tackles
the case.
Joanne Pence, If
Cooks Could Kill (Dec., Avon pbo, 6.99). 10th culinary mystery with
chef/sleuth Angie Amalfi, who does her work in the Bay Area.
Thomas Perry, Dead
Aim (Dec., Random House hc, 24.95). Robert Mallon’s quiet life is
consumed with sinister secrets and deadly hatreds after he stops to help a woman
he doesn’t know on the beach. In pb, Pursuit (Jan., Ballantine,
7.50). [Next Summer, Butcher’s Boy and Metzger’s Dog will be
reissued – finally – in trade paperback.]
Gerald Petievich,
The Sentinel (Feb., Berkley pbo, 7.50). After a 10 year absence,
the former secret service agent returns with a new thriller: a White House agent
is murdered and another is framed for it.
Richard Price,
Samaritan (Jan., Knopf hc, 25.00). A successful TV career in LA
behind him, Ray Mitchell returns to the NJ ‘hood where he grew up, hoping to
contribute positively to it. But a savage beating leaves him slipping in and out
of consciousness in the hospital and it is up to Det. Nerese Ammons – who knew
him when they were kids – to get him to talk about it and tell who did it.
Signing?
Bill Pronzini,
Spook (Jan., Carroll & Graf hc, 25.00, signed copies
26.00). Nameless returns!!! Can’t keep a good man down…
Andrew Pyper, The
Trade Mission (Feb., Scribner hc, 25.00). On a business trip to
Brazil, a translator and her two millionaire bosses are kidnapped by
paramilitaries. While being held for ransom, each faces their own demons and has
to cope with the results.
Ian Rankin,
Resurrection Man (Feb., Little Brown hc, 23.95). After having
messed up badly, Rebus is sent to a kind of reform school for damaged cops.
There, he’s caught between dirty cops and a group assigned to look into the case
he botched. In pb, The Falls (Feb., St. Martin's, 7.50).
J.D. Roberts,
Portrait in Death (Feb., Berkley pbo, 7.99). 16th Eve Dallas.
David Roberts,
Hollow Crown (Jan., Caroll & Graf hc, 24.00). The 3rd
Corinth/Browne mystery is set against the Abdication Crisis and the rise of
fascism.
Peter Robinson,
Close to Home (Feb., Morrow hc, 24.95). Insp. Banks has never
forgiven himself for his role in the disappearance of his best friend in the
Summer of 1965. Now, 35 years later, bones are unearthed that may answer
questions and Banks’ own long- buried guilt comes to the surface.
Signing.
Steven Saylor, Have
You Seen Dawn? (Feb., Simon & Schuster hc, 24.00). Returning to
Amethyst, Texas, to care for her aging grandmother, Rue Dunwitty sees a poster
in a store window for the missing Dawn, and knows that her small hometown is no
longer as safe as it was when she left.
James Siegel,
Derailed (Feb., Warner hc, 23.95). Fast-paced page-turner with
twisting surprises: a volunteer professor, teaching a prison writing class,
becomes fascinated with an anonymous prisoner's weekly writings. It becomes
obvious that these are not fictional tales but the prisoner's own story, which
will not end well. Tammy recommends.
Daniel Silva, The
Confessor (Feb., Putnam hc, 25.95). The lives of three men from three
countries are entangled in an international thriller of long buried secrets. In
pb, The English Assassin (Mar., Signet, 7.99).
Susan Slater, Flash
Flood (Dec., Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). Dan Mahoney runs into murder,
conspiracy, fraud and love while investigating mysterious cattle deaths in New
Mexico.
Mary-Ann Tirone Smith,
She’s Not There (Feb., Holt hc, 25.00). FBI agent Poppy Rice is on
vacation, recovering from wounds she received in her last adventure – Love
Her Madly – when she discovers the body of a murdered girl, a girl who
attended a Summer camp for overweight teenagers. The girl’s face haunts Poppy –
it was frozen in a scream. JB says: Jerry Ford recommended Smith to me
and he was absolutely right. Her books are witty and mature, with terrific
writing and brain-spinning twists. Try her, she’s great.
Patricia Sprinkle,
Who Left that Body in the Rain? (Dec., Signet pbo, 5.99). Georgia
magistrate MacLaren Yarbrough investigates the death of a family friend and
finds out dark secrets she’d rather not know.
Olen Steinhauer,
The Bridge of Sighs (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). In 1948
Soviet-territory of Eastern Europe, rubble still clogs the streets, and
22-year-old Emil Brod has gotten his dream job – serving his country by
investigating murders for the People’s Militia. The academy never trained him to
deal with the peculiar politics of the homicide department in the new Cold War.
Debut by an American author now living in Italy.
Wallace Stroby, The
Barbed-Wire Kiss (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). Harry Rane retired
from the NJ State Police after getting shot 2 years ago. Now, he just gets by. A
childhood friend asks for help – he’s into the local mob boss for big money.
Harry goes to talk to Fallon, the boss, and discovers something unsettling;
Fallon is married to Harry’s teenage girlfriend who was pregnant with Harry’s
child when she ran away. Debut thriller.
Carston Stroud,
Cuba Strait (Jan., Simon & Schuster hc, 25.00). Ex-cop Rick
Broca has a sweet job – technical consultant to a Hollywood producer. For the
last few months he’s taken care of the guy’s boat in Florida. After he rescues a
man from a plane that crashed during a storm, he and the guy are intercepted by
a boat carrying artillery. Based on an actual international incident, this
thriller gives us a deadly maze of intrigue, espionage and even a hint of
Santerian voodoo. Newest thriller by the author of last year’s masterful
Black Water Transit (6.99).
Jon Talton,
Camelback Falls (Jan., St. Martin's hc, 22.95). Historian turned
deputy David Mapstone can’t remain academic in the face of a sniper’s attack on
the sheriff. Debut.
Simon Tolkein,
Final Witness (Jan., Random House hc, 24.95). After a wealthy
woman is murdered by intruders in her isolated manor house, her son convinces
the police that his father’s beautiful assistant sent the killers – but he is
known for his overactive imagination, and he has reasons to lie. Debut novel by
the grandson of the famed author.
Helen Tursten,
Detective Inspector Huss (Jan., Soho hc, 25.00). One wintry night
in Goteborg, Sweden, Det. Insp. Irene Huss is called to the scene of an apparent
suicide: a wealthy financier, connected to the powers that be, has landed on the
sidewalk outside his luxurious apartment complex. Huss – wife, mother and judo
champion – is soon convinced this was a staged crime, and her suspects come from
a motorcycle gang, skinheads, neo-nazis, all types of Sweden’s disaffected. The
author is compared to P.D. James in her native country, and this is the first
English translation of her work, done by former resident Steven Murray,
who has also translated Henning Mankell.
Robert Upton, The
Big Tour (Dec., Berkley pbo, 6.99). Upton returns with Amos McGuffin
and a new golfing character: Duff Colhane, who has won his first PGA tournament.
Instead of celebrating, he’s in the Miami Federal jail.
Judith van Gieson,
Land of Burning Heat (Feb., Signet pbo, 5.99). A secret from the
Spanish Inquisition is discovered, unleashing murder, and Claire Reynier is
caught up in the fresh horror.
Sterling Watson,
Sweet Dream Baby (Nov., Sourcebooks hc, 22.00). Twelve-year-old
Travis is sent to live with relatives in rural Florida, and nothing is what it
was like in Omaha. Cruising the small town with his 18-year-old Aunt Delia, to
the tunes of the times on the radio, he comes to believe her safety is in his
hands, a belief that forces him to grow up fast and leads to trouble. [Warning:
this is a twisted story, but JB & Tammy recommend it.] New
Southern-noir from the author of the 1994 classic Deadly Sweet, which is
out of print.
Betty Webb, Desert
Wives (Jan., Poisoned Pen hc, 24.95). Years after being shot by her
mother and left largely without memory, Lena Jones returns to Utah and is forced
to confront her past when she infiltrates a group of polygamists to solve a
murder. Signing.
Robert Wilson, The
Blind Man of Seville (Jan., Harcourt hc, 26.00). Det. Insp. Javier
Falcon is transfixed by a horrible murder. A photo at the crime scene leads him
to read his dead father’s journals, an artist he’d never known well. The pieces
of the crime’s puzzle fall in place as more victims are discovered, and a
missing piece of the journal brings Javier to the center of the case.
K.j.a. Wishnia,
Blood Lake (Dec., St. Martin's hc, 23.95). Visiting relatives in
Ecuador, NYC PI Filomena Buscarsela’s dirty politics from her revolutionary past
come back to haunt her. In pb, Red House (Dec., St. Martin's,
6.50).
SIGNED HARDCOVERS FROM ENGLAND
All books are first come -
first served, so reserve ASAP.
Jasper Fforde, The
Well of Lost Plots (July 2003, Hodder hc, 38.95). 3rd Tuesday Next
novel.
Ian Rankin, A
Question of Blood (Aug 2003, Orion hc, 38.95). Brand new in the John
Rebus series.
Minette Walters,
Fox Evil (Nov 2002, MacMillian hc, 35.95). War veteran Nancy Smith
returns to find mysterious in-fighting in her small town.
NOW IN PAPERBACK
Suzanne Chazin,
Flash Over (Feb., Jove, 6.99)
Reed Farrel Coleman,
Walking the Perfect Square (Feb., Plume, 6.99)
Lindsey Davis, The
Course of Honor (Feb., Mysterious Press, 12.95)
James Doss, White
Shell Woman (Dec., Avon, 6.99)
John Grisham, The
Summons (Dec., Dell, 7.99)
Denise Hamilton,
The Jasmine Trade (Dec., Kensington, 6.99). Edgar-nominee for
2001
Mo Hayder, The
Treatment (Dec., Dell, 7.50)
Carl Hiaasen,
Basket Case (Jan., Warner, 7.99)
Craig Holden, The
Jazz Bird (Jan., Pocket, 6.99). On JB’s Best list of ‘01
Stephen Hunter,
Pale Horse Coming (Dec., Pocket, 7.99). Ditto!
John Katzenbach,
The Analyst (Feb., Ballantine, 7.99)
Norman Kelly, Black
Heat (Dec., Avon, 6.99)
Laurie R. King,
Justice Hall (Feb., Bantam, 6.99)
Jane Langton, The
Escher Twist (Jan., Penguin, 6.99)
David Lindsey,
Animosity (Feb., Warner, 7.99)
Mary Logue, Glare
Ice (Dec., World Wide, 5.99)
Katherine Hall Page,
The Body in the Bonfire (Feb., Avon, 6.99)
Anne Perry,
Southampton Row (Feb., Ballantine, 7.50) Pitts
Ruth Rendell,
Piranha to Scurfy (Dec., Vintage, 12.00). Short stories.
Stephen White,
Warning Signs (Jan., Dell, 7.99)
Laura Wilson, My
Best Friend (Jan., Dell, 6.99). Erin highly
recommends.
COMING THIS SPRING
Richard Barre &
Wil Hardesty, April
Tom Brady, White
Russian, April
Lee Child &
Jack Reacher, May
Michael Connelly &
Harry Bosch, April
Jeffery Deaver &
Lincoln Rhyme, March
Loren Estleman &
Amos Walker, April
Bill Fitzhugh,
Heart Seizure, March
Jonathan King &
Max Freeman, April
Laurie R. King,
Keeping Watch, March
Dennis Lehane,
Shutter Island, April
John Maxim &
Bannerman, March
Robert B. Parker &
Spenser, March
George P. Pelecanos,
Soul Circus, Signing!
Anne Perry &
the Pitts, April
Elizabeth Peters &
the Peabodys, April
Rick Riordan, Cold
Springs, April
John Maddox Roberts
& SPQR VII, April
Laura Jo Rowland,
The Dragon King’s Palace, April
April Smith, Good
Morning, Killer, May
Jill Paton Walsh
& Lord Peter!!!, March
SHERLOCKIANA
My Sherlock Holmes,
Michael Kurland, ed., (Feb., St. Martin's hc, 24.95). 13 original
stories, all told from the point of view of a side character from the original
Holmes cannon, by authors such as Cara Black, Barbara Hambly and Peter Tremayne.
In pb, The Great Game (Feb., St. Martins, 13.95).
Sherlock Holmes and the
Running Noose, Donald Thomas, (Nov., Macmillan pb, 10.95). A
collection of short case files from Watson.
SHAMUS AWARD WINNERS
The Shamus Awards are given
to the best private eye fiction each year. The awards are announced at each
Bouchercon. The winners this year, for books published in 2001 are:
Best Novel:
Reflecting the Sky, S.J. Rozan
Best First Novel:
Chasing the Devil’s Tail, David Fulmer (see JB’s Best list)
Best Paperback
Original: Archangel Protocol, Lyda Morehouse
Congratulations to the
winners, and to Curt Colbert, our local nominee for Rat City, up for
Best First.
REISSUES OF NOTE
Eric Ambler,
Judgement on Deltchev and Journey into Fear (Dec., Vintage,
12.00 ea.)
Fredric Brown,
Hunter and Hunter: the Ed and Am Hunter Novels, Pt.1 (Nov, Stewart
Masters Pub. hc, 29.99) Four complete novels, including the Edgar Winning The
Fabulous Clipjoint, The Dead Ringer, The Bloody Moonlight and
Compliments of a Fiend.
Ian Fleming,
Diamonds are Forever, From Russia with Love and Moonraker
(Dec., Penguin, 13.00 ea)
Constance & Gwynith
Little, The Black Shrouds (Nov., Rue Morgue Press, 14.00).
More wackiness, originally published in 1941.
Edward Marston,
Fair Maid of Bohemia (Nov., Poisoned Pen tp, 14.95). Lord
Westerfield’s Men leave for a performance in Bohemia just as a plague strikes
London. They are relieved until murder occurs among the troupe.
Keith Miles, Green
Murder (Dec., Poisoned Pen tp, 14.95). A pro golfer is caught up in
scandal and intrigue during a posh Australian golf tournament.
James Sallis,
Moth and Black Hornet (Jan., Walker tp, 8.95). 2nd &
3rd Lew Griffin. Great writer, great series.
Paco Ignacio Taibo,
Some Clouds (Dec., Poisoned Pen tp, 14.95). A Mexico City
inspector teams up with a mystery novelist to investigate the near-murder of a
childhood friend.
Ross Thomas, Out on
the Rim, the first Wu & Durant, and Briarpatch, winner of the
Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1984 (Jan., St. Martin’s tp, 13.95 ea.).
HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS
What do you give the mystery
fan who reads everything new the minute it comes out? Always a problem...Here
are some possibilities for them—or for yourself, if someone is asking you what
you want:
Snoopy’s Guide to the
Writing Life, Conrad & Schulz, eds. (Writer’s Digest hc, 19.95). 180
comic strips with Snoopy at this typewriter, mingled with 32 essays by
best-selling writers addressing Snoopy and their own views on writing. Includes
Cussler, Leonard, Grafton, McBain and many others. As charming as you’d
imagine.
The Art of Noir: The
Posters and Graphics from the Classic Era for Film Noir, Eddie Muller
(Overlook hc, 50.00). Large coffee table book jammed with full-color
reproductions—a must for film buffs and collectors. A limited number of
Signed Copies Available, mid-Dec!
They Died in
Vain, Jim Huang, ed. (Crum Creek tpo, 13.00). By the same folks that
brought us 100 favorite Mysteries of the Century, this is devoted to
“overlooked, under-appreciated and forgotten mystery novels,” nominated by the
shops that make up the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
The World’s Finest
Mystery & Crime Stories: Third Annual Collection, ed. by Ed Gorman
& Martin H. Greenberg (Forge, tpo 17.95). A substantial volume of great
mystery short stories, as well as interesting essays on the year in mystery and
lists of awards.
The Detective and the
Investor: Uncovering Investment Techniques from the Legendary Sleuths,
Robert G. Hagstrom (Texere hc, 24.95) Like the famous sleuths of literature, the
author shows how investors should gather facts, analyze them, sort through
conflicting info and factor in human behavior to reach a solid conclusion.
Detectives include Holmes, Brown, Wolfe, Dupin, Cadfael, Queen, Poirot,
Scarpetta and Marlowe.
Topics Entertainment is a
local outfit that produces a variety of audio works. Think about:
The Adventures of Harry
Niles (cassettes only, 29.95). Locally-produced radio adventures of PI
Harry Niles. 16 programs on 8 tapes.
Private Eyes
(cassettes only, 39.98). 5 shows from 10 classic series, including Nero Wolfe,
Richard Diamond and Michael Shayne.
Great Detective Radio
Shows (cassettes 29.95, cds 34.95). 16 golden age programs, including
The Adventures of Sam Spade, Boston Blackie, Casey Crime Photographer,
Dragnet and others.
Sherlock Holmes Radio
Mysteries (cassettes 29.95, cds 34.95). 16 new Holmes adventures.
Best of Sherlock
Holmes (cassettes 29.95, cds 34.95). Unabridged performances of three
Doyle books, A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four and Valley of
Fear.
The Return of Sherlock
Holmes (cassettes 29.95, cds 34.95). Unabridged productions of 13 Doyle
short stories.
Finally, we have to toot our
own horn, of course. We have shop T-shirts and sweatshirts — red
lettering on black, or black lettering on red — in all sizes (tees are 15.00,
sweats are 25.00). We have our shop canvas tote bags—black shop name on one
side, red question mark on the other—large enough for a normal-sized hardcover
to lie flat at the bottom (don’t you hate a bag that makes you put your books in
sideways???—ours are 10.00). And then, of course, the reliable standby: our
distinctive red Gift Certificates. You can get them in any denomination,
enough for a couple of paperbacks, a healthy stack of hardcovers, or in an
amount to match your lucky recipient (23 Holidays together, how about $23, or
$230??). What we do many times during the Holidays is take a phone number, send
the certificate to the recipient and the receipts to the giver. Easy and
simple for any of your gift giving.
THINGS OF INTEREST
Walter Mosley, What
Next: An African American Initiative Toward World Peace (Feb., Black
Classic Press hc, 16.95). A call to action and a commonsense approach to the
challenges facing us all after 9/11.
A Goodfella’s Guide to
New York, by Henry Hill (Mar., Prima tpo, 12.95). A personal tour
through the Mob’s notorious haunts, by the subject and narrator of that famed
story. I don’t think we should expect him to do much personal publicity…
Mary Higgins Clark,
Kitchen Privileges (Nov., Simon & Schuster hc, 24.00). Memoir
of her life, from her childhood in the Depression through her rise as the Queen
of Suspense.
Much Ado About
Murder, Anne Perry, ed. (Dec., Berkley hc, 23.95). Shakespearean
mystery stories by a large group — Deaver, Douglas, Barnard, Newman, Marston,
Frazer, Brett, Doherty, Robinson Tremayne, and the editor.
STAFF LISTS OF THE BEST BOOKS READ IN 2002
JB's list
Richard Rhodes –
Why They Kill, a non-fiction examination of why killers kill.
Mary-Ann Tirone Smith
– Love Her Madly, one of the funniest twists I’ve ever read.
Steve Thayer - The
Wheat Field, wonderfully bent.
James Carlos Blake –
A World of Thieves, great writer, great story.
Owen Parry –
Honor’s Kingdom, terrific series.
Phillip Kerr – Dark
Matter, a favorite author back to writing a wonderful story.
Carol O’Connell –
Crime School, a writer who never fails to amaze.
James W. Hall –
Blackwater Sound, great writing
David Fulmer –
Chasing the Devil’s Tail, jass & blood in Storeyville.
Nicola Griffith –
Stay, the best writing, the best book of the year.
Cathie's list
This being my first list, as
I’ve only been here since June, I thought it would be helpful to introduce
myself by mentioning some of the mysteries that I’ve most enjoyed in the
past:
Dorothy Cannell – Ellie
Haskell series
Agatha Christie – The
Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Aaron Elkins – The Dark
Place
Laurie King – Mary Russell
series (as well as the original Holmes stories)
Harper Lee – To Kill A
Mockingbird
Dorothy Sayers – Gaudy
Night
A few titles that I’ve
particularly enjoyed since coming to work here are:
Charlaine Harris – Dead
Until Dark and Living Dead In Dallas
Sparkle Hayter – What’s A
Girl Gotta Do?
Ruth Rendell – The Fallen
Curtain And Other Stories
Alice Sebold – The Lovely
Bones
Ayelet Waldman – Nursery
Crimes
Sandy's Favorites
C. J. Box, Savage
Run. Surpassing a great debut in Open Season, Box continues his
prize-winning series with Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett.
Tom Bradby, The
Master of Rain. Atmospheric, noirish tale set in 1926 Shanghai.
Stephen L. Carter,
The Emperor of Ocean Park. Family secrets and political intrigue among
the nation's black elite.
Lee Child, Without
Fail. Another gripping thriller with enigmatic hero Jack Reacher.
Barry Eisler, Rain
Fall. Debut thriller introduces a modern-day samurai in the character of a
Japanese-American living in Tokyo.
Jane Stanton
Hitchcock, Social Crimes. Scandal and suspense in the New York social
world.
Michael Innes, The
New Sonia Wayward. Classic British piffle.
Nora Kelly, Hot
Pursuit. Contemporary London comes alive in Kelly's latest academic plot
with historian Gillian Adams.
Randy Wayne White,
12 Mile Island. One of Tammy’s Florida Faves, my first meeting
with Marine biologist Doc Ford and his eccentric crew.
Tammy's list
S. V. Date - Black
Sunshine
Dave Barry – Tricky
Business
John Ridley – The
Drift
Scott Phillips –
The Walkaway
Randy Wayne White –
12 Mile Island
Steve Thayer – The
Wheat Field
Donald E. Westlake –
Put a Lid on It
Carsten Stroud –
Black Water Transit
Michael Connelly –
Chasing the Dime
Bill's Favorite Books of the Year
This was a banner year for
books by Northwest authors, so I give honorary first position in my top ten list
to: All new books by Northwest authors. As to the rest:
5 perennial favorites who
scored again in 2002:
Lee Child, Without
Fail
Michael Connelly,
City of Bones
Loren D. Estleman,
Something Borrowed, Something Black
Jon A. Jackson,
Badger Games (marred only by the absence of the series star, Det. Sgt.
“Fang” Mulheisen)
Richard Stark,
Breakout
3 new discoveries:
Rain Fall, by Barry
Eisler
An Eye for Murder, by
Libby Fischer Hellman
The Devil in the White
City, by Erik Larson (see New from the Northwest)
One I should have discovered
long ago:
Pictures of
Perfection, by Reginald Hill (Dana Stabenow ordered me to read this,
and she was right)
Erin's Top 10
Lovely Bones by
Alice Sebold. Incredible; every bit as good as you’ve heard.
Angel Rock by
Darren Williams. Odd, dreamlike mystery. Twin peaks in the Australian
outback.
Leaving Atlanta by
Tayari Jones. The events of the 1980 Atlanta Child Murders from the
point-of-view of the victims’ peers.
Road to Perdition by
Max Allan Collins. Reissue of the original stark and brilliant graphic
novel.
Mermaids Singing by
Val McDermid. First in the Carol Jordan/Tony Hill series. Best Serial
killer novel I’d ever read until…
Wire in the Blood by
Val McDermid. Sequel to Mermaids and now the best.
Last Temptation by
Val McDermid. Great book to round out the series thus far, focusing on
Carol Jordan doing undercover work in Germany.
Gun Monkeys by
Victor Gischler. Yet another charming noir from Uglytown.
Acid Row by Minette
Walters. Wonderfully tense book about a riot in a housing project.
Gould’s Book of Fish
by Richard Flannagan. A warm and quirky story of a brutality in a
Tasmanian prison colony.
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 Cathie van
Veen.