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Two Authors Together!
REBECCA CANTRELL and SUSAN C. SHEA
Thursday, July 1 at 7:00 PM

"After escaping Germany in 1931, having kidnapped her adopted son, Anton, from SA leader Ernst Rohm, who wants to believe the boy is his son, Hannah Vogel vowed never to return to her homeland. Yet here she is, three years later, with Anton at her side, watching the zeppelin in which they are riding land not in Switzerland, the intended destination, but in Germany... Once again, Cantrell nails the prewar German landscape, although this time, with the Nazis in power, the mood has gone from Weimar decadence to tight-lipped uncertainty ... the appeal here is all about atmosphere and the historical moment," said Booklist.

"Shea’s debut mystery stars Danielle ('Dani') O’Rourke, a fund-raiser for the fictional Devor Museum in San Francisco. The novel begins with tragedy at a gala museum event -- an upcoming artist plunges to his death from a museum office window. Things don’t look good for Dani when it is revealed that it was her office and that this was clearly murder and not suicide. As Dani tries to figure out who might have had a motive for the murder, readers are treated to an insider’s look at the cutthroat, money-driven world of fine art. Shea writes convincingly about art and those who collect it. A series to watch," said Booklist.

Two Authors Together!
MIKE LAWSON and JIM NISBET
Wednesday, July 7 at 7:00 PM

Booklist starred: " An American spy in Iran is exposed by a female journalist, and the spy is tortured, then executed. Enraged, the director of Central Intelligence blames the leak on Congress. Speaker of the House John Fitzpatrick Mahoney isn’t sure who leaked the information, but he’s certain the journalist, jailed for refusing to name her source, will spill the beans about their one-night stand 20 years earlier... The dialogue is sharp, cynical, and often funny, but the book succeeds because of its characters. Readers may reasonably wonder if these twisted individuals and the bent cultures that animate them might be shaping our lives. A superb example of the post–cold war espionage novel." And Library Journal concluded: "Lawson has honed his skill to write a perfect political thriller..."

"Nisbet, whose cult appeal has never really translated to the mainstream, hits another one out of the park... Nisbet isn't one of those guys who say: OK, reader, here's the fictional world I've created, and here are all the things you need to know about it. Instead, he just plunges right in and asks us to keep up with him. Here the story is set in a sort of alternate-reality version of our world ... lovers of the unorthodox, the intellectually challenging, and the aggressively offbeat will enjoy themselves immensely," said Booklist. "Jim Nisbet is a cult favorite in Europe and it's easy to see why. In the tradition of Jim Thompson and Damon Runyon, Nisbet is too good to miss and [this] is a masterpiece that raises the bar even for such a master storyteller," said the San Francisco Chronicle.

At the Belmont Library
1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont
(two blocks south of Ralston)
650-591-8286

"Eisler's rock-solid sequel to Fault Line finds black ops spy/assassin Ben Treven dealing with anger management problems that have landed him in a grim Filipino jail. To the rescue is his old boss, Col. Scott Hort Horton, chief of Ben's secret unit, the absurdly blandly named Intelligence Support Activity. Hort tried to have Ben killed in the last book, but no matter... Caught in this rapidly escalating disaster are various high-level government officials, all of whom are willing to do whatever it takes to keep the tapes from being revealed. The open ending promises to unite Ben with Eisler's other series hero, John Rain, a matchup that should prove to be thriller gold for anxiously awaiting readers," said Publishers Weekly.

"Harry Stein was a countercultural hero in the sixties, thanks to Smoke This Book, his cult classic on growing weed. Now he’s a small-time PI and hasn’t smoked dope for six years, afraid of losing joint custody of his daughter, Angie. Then two cases bring his old life back to centerstage: he’s hired to recover a marijuana grower’s new crop, bound for the medical marijuana market but ripped off by unsavory types hoping to sell it on the street, and his regular gig providing security for a perfume company heats up when it appears a soon-to-be-launched shampoo has been pirated by the creator’s former lover. Naturally, the two cases are intertwined, and soon enough Harry is helter-skeltering his way between L.A. and Amsterdam... Harry fits comfortably into that delightfully comic line of slacker sleuths -- a tradition that runs from the Fletch novels through Newton Thornburg’s 1976 cult classic Cutter and Bone and, of course, The Big Lebowski. The Dude abides with Harry Stein," said Booklist.

Publishers Weekly starred: "If any contemporary author deserves to wear the mantel of Jane Austen, it's Goodman, whose subtle, astute social comedies perfectly capture the quirks of human nature. This dazzling novel is Austen updated for the dot-com era, played out between 1999 and 2001 among a group of brilliant risk takers and truth seekers. Still in her 20s, Emily Bach is the CEO of Veritech, a Web-based data-storage startup in trendy Berkeley... Goodman creates a bubble of suspense ... career paths collide, social values clash, ironies multiply, and misjudgments threaten to destroy romantic desire. Enjoyable and satisfying, this is Goodman's (Intuition) most robust, fully realized and trenchantly meaningful work yet."

"Sigler, the author of the splendid alien-invasion thrillers Infected (2008) and Contagious (2009), veers off into new territory, with a tremendously entertaining horror novel about a motley group of genetic researchers, their maniacal sponsor, and the stalwart government agent who’s determined to shut them down. The premise is thought-provoking: the researchers are trying to engineer an ancient human ancestor so it can be bred and its organs harvested for transplantation... Sigler populates the novel with a lively cast of characters (unlike many thrillers, the heroes are as interesting as the villains), and the action is virtually nonstop -- and, at times, quite graphic. If you combined Michael Crichton’s scientific exploration with Matthew Reilly’s lightning-fast pace and colorful characters, you might get something that feels like this book, which, incidentally, would make a great movie," said Booklist.

Avery Aames is the pseudonym for author Daryl Wood Gerber, who created the format for the popular sit-com, Out of this World and has won awards for her screenplays. Welcome to the grand opening of Fromagerie Bessette. Or as it's more commonly known by the residents of small-town Providence, Ohio-the Cheese Shop. Proprietor Charlotte Bessette has prepared a delightful sampling of bold Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, delicious tortes of Stilton and Mascarpone, and a taste of Sauvignon Blanc - but someone else has decided to make a little crime of passion the piece de resistance. Right outside the shop Charlotte finds a body, the victim stabbed to death with one of her prized olive-wood handled knives.

Publishers Weekly starred: "Fans of vampire fiction who are bored by the endless hordes of sensitive, misunderstood Byronesque bloodsuckers will revel in Cronin's engrossingly horrific account of a post-apocalyptic America overrun by the gruesome reality behind the wish-fulfillment fantasies... PEN/Hemingway Award–winner Cronin (The Summer Guest) uses a number of tropes that may be overly familiar to genre fans, but he manages to engage the reader with a sweeping epic style. The first of a proposed trilogy, it's already under development by director Ripley Scott and the subject of much publicity buzz." Library Journal also raved, calling Cronin "a master at building tension, and he never wastes words. Shout it from the hills! This exceptional thriller should be one of the most popular novels this year..."

Wide acclaim includes Kirkus's rave: "Another Booker Prize nomination is likely to greet this ambitious and fascinating fifth novel - a full-dress historical, and then some - from the prodigally gifted British author (Black Swan Green, 2006, etc.). In yet another departure from the postmodern Pynchonian intricacy of his earlier fiction, this is the story of a devout young Dutch Calvinist (the eponymous Jacob) sent in 1799 to Japan, where the Dutch East India Company, aka the VOC, had opened trade routes more than two centuries earlier. But now the Company is threatened by the envious British Empire... It's as difficult to put this novel down as it is to overestimate Mitchell's virtually unparalleled mastery of dramatic construction, illuminating characterizations and insight into historical conflict and change. Comparisons to Tolstoy are inevitable, and right on the money."

Booklist starred: "Here’s the backstory to this labyrinthine thriller: Patrick Davis, a would-be screenwriter, has finally managed to sell a screenplay. The movie, They’re Watching, is in production, starring a hot young actor. In a skirmish, the actor managed to hurt himself and accused Patrick of assaulting him. Patrick was fired from the film, charged with assault, and sued by the actor and the production company. Oh, and his marriage is on the rocks. As the novel opens, Patrick begins receiving DVDs in the mail, revealing that someone is secretly filming Patrick and his wife in their home... Hurwitz frequently sets us up to expect one thing but delivers something entirely different. He keeps us constantly on our toes, and -- this is especially good -- he keeps us guessing right until the very last pages about exactly who has targeted Patrick and why. Highly recommended, especially for fans of Dean Koontz, Linwood Barclay, and Harlan Coben."

Booklist starred: "Ben and Chon are two Americans running a lucrative marijuana operation out of ritzy Laguna Beach, California. Their business is buzzing along nicely until members of the Mexican Baja Cartel decide they want a piece of the action. Ben, a charitable, environmentally conscious Berkeley grad, doesn’t want any trouble. Former Navy Seal Chon prefers peace as well but not if it means giving up primo weed... Edgar nominee and Shamus winner Winslow, who first evoked the violent world of the Mexican drug cartels in the best-selling narco-thriller Power of the Dog (2005), dispenses short chapters that drive his plot breathlessly forward. He also serves up plenty of savage wit... Riddled with bullets and splattered with blood, Savages is not for the squeamish, but it’s a must for Winslow fans."

In dramatic reading with CELIA IMRIE, famed Brit star of film, stage, and TV

"British actress and playwright Morgan's (Hangover Square) love of Restoration comedy fires her first novel, a bawdy romp featuring a pair of unlikely female sleuths: the intrepid 60-year-old Lady Anastasia Ashby de la Zouche, who was once Charles II's mistress, and her former personal maid, the buxom, alluring Alpiew... Like a comic Restoration play, the action proceeds pell-mell, replete with bad puns and knockabout farce. The discovery of a secret "elaboratory" where Beau dabbled in the 'hermetic arts' (alchemy), a fishing outing to the country, the murder of the Wilsons' loyal servant, Betty, and a cipher in alchemical symbols all lead in the end to a surprising plot involving King William himself," said Publishers Weekly. And Val McDermid said: "Fidelis Morgan’s tale of love and greed and alchemy in 1699 is a heady compound of wit, wisdom and wildness. It's an unsentimental warts-and-all portrait that reeks of authenticity, written with a brio that reflects the age."

"M" is for Mystery Book Club Tuesday, July 27 at 7:00 PM "M" has its own Book Club that meets once a month in the Kaffeehaus next door to the store. This month the group will discuss The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith. If you have never attended, and are interested, just drop us an email. Please note: This is not a signing and the author will not be present. For further information click on Book Club notice.

Booklist Starred: "Boston police detective D. D. Warren returns in another gripping thriller. A family is murdered, apparently by the father (who, it seems, barely failed to take his own life after killing his wife and young children). But soon there are questions, the most pressing of which is, why would this man, apparently out of the blue, slaughter his own family? Is it possible that someone else was the killer, perhaps another member of the family? Gardner has never shied away from creepy, psychologically twisted stories, but this may be her most unsettling... An excellent novel."

A tense and twisting story of a doctor struggling to clear his name after being accused of raping and causing the suicide of a young girl. The novel pits Cogan, a forty-three-year-old surgeon and self-described womanizer, against Hank Madden, a handicapped veteran detective. From the outset it's not clear who is victim and who is victimizer. "Carnoy injects an uncommon level of medical expertise, from physical trauma through hospital hierarchy, into his fine debut thriller about the fraught world of doctors. The novel certainly works as medical drama, but it is also a gripping detective story and a revealing character study about what makes docs tick... Utterly baffling until the very last page," said Booklist.

Nonfiction, true crime. With details about grim and grisly fatalities, this history of California's arcane deaths encompasses the murders and accidents that at one time shocked the West Coast. The stories of hangings, gun accidents, suicides, crashes, and overdoses of both the famous and obscure offer a bizarre and lighthearted, if sometimes perverse, glimpse into the Golden State's strange past. From the tragic tale of 14 tourists swept to their deaths over Vernal Fall in pastoral Yosemite National Park and the gritty details of Bob "Bear" Hite overdosing on heroin in a seedy Hollywood nightclub to the shocking chronicle of a 10-ton jet crashing into a Bay Area kitchen, this zany collection is delightfully weird and enthrallingly human.

New Pulp Press focuses on off-center crime fiction and neo-pulp, featuring con-men, losers, and sociopaths. As the publisher says, "In other words, we represent what's best about America." Publishers Weekly said: "Violence, sex, and gonzo plot twists fuel Woods's diverting collection of 19 stories, most set in sun-and-blood-drenched borderlands. Incident in the Tropics, Down Mexico Way, Maracaibo, and We Don' Need No Stinkin' Baggezz amp up the volume to 11, while other offerings feature flying sharks, the adventures of a bodiless head, and a slime thing quickly snaking up nostrils. Woods, who earned his neo-pulp rep in Web zines such as Dogmatika and Plots with Guns, keeps the words popping along..." And praise from a master, Michael Connelly: "Quirky and disquieting, Bad Juju ... leaves you marveling at the imagination of Jonathan Woods."

Sisters in Crime Showcase!
Saturday, June 5 at 2:00 PM

Participating authors include: CARA BLACK, JULIET BLACKWELL, ROBIN BURCELL, PAT CANTERBURY, DIANA ORGAIN, KELLI STANLEY, PEGGY WARNER, SIMON WOOD.

"A gritty and intriguing tale of terror that draws in the reader with each page; Brackmann is a new writer to watch," said Library Journal. And Publishers Weekly called this an "electrifying debut... The China scenes are fast paced and strikingly atmospheric..." American Iraq War veteran Ellie Cooper is down and out in Beijing when a chance encounter with a Uighur -- a member of a Chinese Muslim minority -- at the home of her sort-of boyfriend Lao Zhang turns her life upside down. Lao Zhang disappears, and suddenly multiple security organizations are hounding her for information. They say the Uighur is a terrorist. Ellie doesn’t know what’s going on, but she must decide whom to trust among the artists, dealers, collectors, and operatives claiming to be on her side -- in particular, a mysterious organization operating within a popular online role-playing game.

Publishers Weekly starred: "If publishers could figure out a way to turn crack into a book, it'd read a lot like this. Originally a self-published cult hit in 2003 (since reedited), Hamann's debut traces the sensual, passionate, and lonely interior of a young woman artist growing up in windswept East Hampton at the end of the 1970s... Eveline -- bent on self-destruction but capable of deep passion, stifled by circumstance but constantly blossoming -- is a marvelously complex and tragic figure of disconnection, startlingly real and exposed at all times." And Kirkus starred: "Closely observed, Holden Caulfield–ish story of teendom in Manhattan and its purlieus in the age of Me... The details are exactly right... Intelligent and without a false note -- a memorable work."

Two Authors Together!
DEBORAH COONTS and DIANE EMLEY
Wednesday, June 9 at 7:00 PM

"Deliciously raunchy, with humorous takes on sexual proclivities, Vegas glitz and love, though Agatha Christie is probably spinning in her grave... Losing big in Vegas. Lyda Sue tumbles from a helicopter and splatters in a lagoon meant to attract high rollers, greedy tourists and lesser fry to one of Vegas's premier casinos. Lucky O'Toole, head of customer relations (that is, troubleshooter) for the Babylon, has her hands full trying to find out whether Lyda Sue jumped or was pushed, who else was on board and where Willie the Weasel, the pilot, can be found-all while readying the glitzy hotel for a swingers convention and containing/promoting the raciness that accompanies the porno stars congregating for their annual awards show..." said Kirkus. Deborah Coonts has built her own business, practiced law, flown airplanes, written a humor column for a national magazine, and survived a teenager.

Homicide police detective, single mother of a teenage daughter, and lover to her partner Jim Kissick, Nan Vining wishes that life was a little more serene, more like it is at Georgia Berryhill's Malibu Canyon compound - or like it's supposed to be there, anyway. But three bizarre deaths have brought Vining and Kissick through the exclusive gates of this healing ground for the well-heeled. Now A-listers, wannabes, lost souls, and keepers of long-hidden secrets all converge at the Berryhill compound. Some search for love and happiness, while others come for murder.

Boolist starred: "...a superb novel and a deeply human story about engaging people, life, illness, love, and terrorism." And Publishers Weekly praised: "Steiner's brisk, sure-footed third spy thriller to feature 71-year-old ex-CIA agent Louis Morgan (after Le Crime and L'Assassin) shows it's hard to outmaneuver an old dog. Happily retired in France, Morgan, who possesses anti-American bona fides and was once thought to be a terrorist, spurns the CIA's request to help in the so-called war on terror... Wickedly tight prose propels a plot that shows not one shred of fictional obesity..."

Cozy and Comedic: Three Authors Today!
JULIET BLACKWELL, CAROLA DUNN, and SOPHIE LITTLEFIELD
Sunday, June 13 at 2:00 PM

Lily Ivory is not your average witch. She runs a vintage clothing store called Aunt Cora's Closet and has the magical ability to sense vibrations of the past from clothing and jewelry. When students are spooked at the San Francisco School for the Arts, Lily is called in to search for paranormal activity. She finds a dead body ... and a closet full of old clothes with some very bad vibes.

"... a delightful romp, full of busybodies, unscrupulous artists, and a charming Westie with character," said Library Journal. And Publishers Weekly said: "Once again murder disrupts the quiet life of widowed charity shop owner Eleanor Trewynn, who's settled in the village of Port Mabyn with her Westie, Teazle, in British author Dunn's delightful second cozy set in 1960s Cornwall. On returning from a train trip to London, Eleanor's artist friend and neighbor, Nick Gresham, discovers that someone has slashed several of his paintings in his Port Mabyn shop... Bolstered by strong characters, the fast-moving plot builds to a satisfying conclusion."

Publishers Weekly starred: "Littlefield's rollicking second novel featuring tough-talking Stella Hardesty, who manages a sewing shop and doles out her own brand of justice to wife-beaters, delivers on the promise of her debut, A Bad Day for Sorry. When a tornado uncovers a mummified woman buried at the Prosper, Mo., fairgrounds, the police suspect Neb Donovan, whom Stella once helped kick an OxyContin addiction, and Stella reluctantly accepts Donna Donovan's pleas to clear her husband's name... Littlefield wields humor like a whip, but never lets it dilute the whodunit. A force to be reckoned with, Stella is a welcome addition to the world of unorthodox female crime fighters." And Booklist said: "...fiftyish Stella is a force to be reckoned with in this second outing in an entertaining series."

Booklist starred: "After a severed thumb turns up at the dump outside of Durant, Wyoming, Sheriff Walt Longmire ignores the fact that someone has claimed it. He needs a mystery to keep Deputy Santiago Saizarbitoria, who’s suffering from 'bullet fever,' on the job until he can think of a way to keep him from quitting. It’s just that sort of kindness that defines Longmire, whose unwillingness to assume the worst leads to him getting pepper-sprayed, bit in the ass, and very nearly shot. Like any good mystery, this depends less on the plot than its depiction of interesting people in an interesting place..." And Kirkus concluded: "It's hard to imagine a more likable lawman than Sheriff Walt (The Dark Horse, 2009, etc.). Thumbs up."

Publishers Weekly starred: "Ellis explores what disillusioned youth looks like 25 years later in this brutal sequel to Less Than Zero [1985]. Clay, now a screenwriter, returns at Christmas to an L.A. that looks and operates much as it did 25 years ago. Trent is now a producer and married to Clay's ex, Blair, while Julian runs an escort service and Rip, Clay's old dealer, has had so much plastic surgery he's unrecognizable... Ellis fans will delight in the characters and Ellis's easy hand in manipulating their fates, and though the novel's synchronicity with Zero is sublime, this also works as a stellar stand-alone."

"In her first novel, which is told from five different perspectives, including that of a policeman, Winslow excels at describing the unique architecture and ambience of Cambridge while gradually creating a chilling, psychologically creepy atmosphere..." Set in the richly evoked pathways and environs of Cambridge, England, [this debut] unearths the desperate secrets kept by its many complex characters -- students, professors, detectives, husbands, mothers -- secrets that lead to explosive consequences.

A divorced, single mother finds work as a welder at the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation in 1943. When a murdered man mysteriously falls from the ship, Helen catches sight of her friend, Charlotte, fleeing the scene, and Helen is immediately named a witness.

POSTPONED
The new date is Wednesday July 7 at 7:00 PM, which will be a double event with JIM NISBET.

Booklist starred: "An American spy in Iran is exposed by a female journalist, and the spy is tortured, then executed. Enraged, the director of Central Intelligence blames the leak on Congress. Speaker of the House John Fitzpatrick Mahoney isn’t sure who leaked the information, but he’s certain the journalist, jailed for refusing to name her source, will spill the beans about their one-night stand 20 years earlier. The dialogue is sharp, cynical, and often funny, but the book succeeds because of its characters. Readers may reasonably wonder if these twisted individuals and the bent cultures that animate them might be shaping our lives. A superb example of the post–cold war espionage novel."

Booklist starred: "Attorney David Sloane wins a malpractice case with his new partner and doesn’t even have time to celebrate the victory before a man approaches and tells him he’s convicted the wrong person. Kyle Horgan, a toy designer, proves to Sloane that the doctor he just convicted is not at fault in the death of a little boy... Dugoni has been knocking on the legal-thriller door for a while, and his latest firmly establishes him in the top echelon of the genre. Tense and shocking from the beginning to the surprising end, this is Dugoni’s best book yet. Prior knowledge of his other David Sloane novels is not necessary, but they will be eagerly sought out by new readers who finish this one."

Library Journal praised: "Essential for fans of Sherman Alexie or Sandra Cisneros but with universal appeal for readers who favor in-depth character-centered stories, this is enthusiastically recommended." And Publishers Weekly said: "Skyhorse maps in his vivid debut the spirit of L.A.'s Echo Park, where Mexican-Americans define themselves either in alignment with or in opposition to their barrio. Each story-like chapter tells the tale of a character who has grown up in, moved to, or fled Echo Park... These lives coalesce around a random shooting that claims the life of a young girl... Skyhorse excels at building a vibrant community and presenting several perspectives on what it means to be Mexican in America, from those who wonder how can you lose something that never belonged to you? to those who miraculously find it."

Booklist starred: "Furst’s early WWII espionage novels -- The World at Night (1996) and Red Gold (1999) -- took place in Paris during the Occupation, but lately he has moved earlier in time, to the war’s beginnings, when spies of all stripes, official and unofficial, were gathering information and securing alliances for the conflagration to come ... and now to Greece and the Balkans ... the Balkan setting adds another element of tension, as the oft-invaded region faces yet another onslaught. And, once again, Furst captures in brilliant high-definition the roiling, contradictory emotions that flare when in wartime..." And Library Journal said: "Furst fans will argue about their favorite books, but the Balkan twists and turns in this masterly triumph of plotting, history, and character development will be a hit this summer."

The world's most famous reporter, the intrepid Nellie Bly, teams up with science fiction genius Jules Verne, the notorious wit and outrageous rogue Oscar Wilde, and the greatest microbe-hunter in history, Louis Pasteur. Together, they must solve the crime of the century. They are all in Paris -- the capital of Europe and center of world culture -- for the 1889 World's Fair. A spectacular extravaganza dedicated to new industries, scientific discoveries, and global exploration, its gateway is the soaring Eiffel Tower. But anenigmatic killer stalks the streets and a virulent plague is striking down Parisians by the thousands. Convinced that the killings are connected to the pandemic, Nellie is determined to stop them both ... no matter what the risks.

Publisher's Weekly Starred Review. "Readers will be pleased to discover that the star-crossed marriage of lucid prose and expertly deployed postmodern switcheroos that helped shoot Egan to the top of the genre-bending new school is alive and well in this graceful yet wild novel. We begin in contemporaryish New York with kleptomaniac Sasha and her boss, rising music producer Bennie Salazar, before flashing back, with Bennie, to the glory days of Bay Area punk rock, and eventually forward, with Sasha, to a settled life.

Publishers Weekly starred: "An explosion at a Manhattan electrical power substation that destroys a bus -- followed by threats of much worse violence unless Algonquin Consolidated Power and Light meets virtually impossible demands -- sparks Deaver's sterling ninth Lincoln Rhyme novel. Forensic expert Rhyme takes charge of looking into the fatal blast, aided by his partner and sometime lover, field agent Amelia Sachs, among others... Not even the brilliant Rhyme can foresee the shocking twists the case will take in this electrically charged thriller."

Publishers Weekly starred: "Near the start of Hall's highly amusing second Vish Puri whodunit (after 2009's The Case of the Missing Servant), Dr. Suresh Jha, the founder of the DIRE (Delhi Institute of Rationalism and Education), dies while doing his morning exercises on Delhi's Rajpath with the members of his laughing club, apparently slain by Kali, the four-armed goddess of destruction. In the media frenzy that follows, Insp. Jagat Prakash Singh turns for help to Puri, a believer in miracles, who's nonetheless skeptical of this one. Puri proceeds to unravel the many complications that keep the reader on tenterhooks until the final twist. Hall has an unerring ear for the vagaries of Indian English, the Indian penchant for punning acronyms, peculiarly Indian problems (Guests are kindly requested not to do urination in water), and an obvious affection for India, warts and all."

"A half-Gypsy, bisexual opera singer makes a snobbish, unlikely and often uninterested sleuth. Max Bravo's European tour is interrupted by a series of desperate phone calls from his longtime friend Claudia Fantini, whose husband Larry wants a divorce. When he returns home, he finds Claudia sodden with drink and her usually neat person and home in ruins. Taking Claudia's terrier Asta to the dog park, he meets a very mixed bag of fellow dog walkers... Robinson's fiction debut is an amusing dark comedy with charismatic characters and a story that seems ripped from the headlines but turns out to be far more interesting than the truth," said Kirkus.

Fri., 25th in the Evening: San Mateo Annual Wine Walk

Two Authors Together!
JODI COMPTON and STEFANIE PINTOFF
Saturday, June 26 at 2:00 PM

"An army brat, Hailey Cain left West Point near the end of her fourth year and became a bike messenger in San Francisco. She counts only two people close to her: her cousin CJ Mooney, a successful music producer, and Serena Delgadillo, leader of a female gang in L.A. At Serena’s request, Hailey drives undocumented Nidia Hernandez to her grandmother’s home in Mexico. But the trip is aborted when Hailey is shot and left for dead and Nidia, pregnant with the grandson and only possible heir of powerful Anton Skouras, is kidnapped, presumably because Skouras wants the child. Finding and protecting Nidia becomes a point of honor for Hailey, whose rigorous army training serves her well as she becomes a target of Skouras’ forces. The resolution is neatly symmetrical, with Hailey’s backstory revealed only in the final pages. Compton (The 37th Hour, 2004, and Sympathy betweeen Humans, 2005) has a definite gift for portraying flawed, multidimensional characters, and Hailey may be her most compelling creation so far," said Booklist.

It's boom times in 1906 New York City, and the theater world is thriving. When a chorus girl is found dead on a Broadway stage, Capt. Declan Mulvaney asks his former partner Simon Ziele to help out. With the help of criminologist Alistair Sinclair and his daughter-in-law, Ziele must use all of his investigative powers, along with Sinclair's insights into motive and society, to solve this one. This worthy sequel to Pintoff's acclaimed Edgar Award-nominated [winning] debut, In the Shadow of Gotham, brings to life New York's theater world at the turn of the 20th century and the fledgling science of criminology. Fans of Caleb Carr will like this one."

Winner of the 2010 Edgar Award for Best First Novel! Publishers Weekly starred, concluding: "The period detail, characterizations and plotting are all top-notch, and Ziele has enough depth to carry a series."

"Two of New York Times best-selling author Slaughter's (Undone; Fractured) literary worlds collide as she brings us Special Agent Will Trent and Dr. Sara Linton from her Grant County series in one explosive, fast-paced murder mystery. A dead college student, enmity between local law enforcement and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Sara's crippling memories combine to catapult readers through a quick-moving story that will keep them guessing until the end. Move over, Catherine Coulter -- Slaughter may be today's top female suspense writer. Avid mystery and law-enforcement thriller fans as well as those who loved her series characters will devour Slaughter's latest," said Library Journal.

"Chisholm’s fifth mystery starring Sir Robert Carey, deputy warren of the English West Marsh, is brimming with Elizabethan atmosphere and historical detail. This episode is more about Carey’s Sergeant Dodd, who seeks revenge for a mistreatment by the queen’s vice chamberlain, Thomas Henage, than it is about Carey himself... When a mysterious young lawyer appears and agrees to take the case, Carey and Dodd are afraid that he is a spy. Meanwhile, the balding poet William Shakespeare appears, and no one is sure what he is doing or for whom he is working. This very busy plot will delight historical fans who enjoy local color. Recommend Chisholm’s series to fans of Karen Harper and Simon Hawke," said Booklist.

CANCELED
Signed books will be available.

Booklist starred: "It’s been a long wait since Hart’s Lake of Sorrows (2004), the follow-up to her outstanding debut, Haunted Ground (2003), which introduced Nora Gavin, the American forensic pathologist who works in Ireland with archaeologist Cormac Maguire. The novel begins with Nora returning to Minneapolis, hoping to solve at long last the murder of her sister, Triona ... as always, the novel is rich in human drama, complex relationships, and vivid local color. Few writers combine as seamlessly as Hart does the subtlety, lyrical language, and melancholy of literary fiction with the pulse-pounding suspense of the best thrillers." And Library Journal praised: "Rich with atmosphere and Irish legend, this exceptionally crafted story of murder, family secrets, and redemption is a welcome addition to Hart's suspenseful series."

"M" is for Mystery Book Club Tuesday, June 29 at 7:00 PM "M" has its own Book Club that meets once a month in the Kaffeehaus next door to the store. This month the group will discuss Mr. White's Confession by Robert Clark. If you have never attended, and are interested, just drop us an email. Please note: This is not a signing and the author will not be present. For further information click on Book Club notice.

"Hot on the heels of Kisser (2010), Woods’ new Stone Barrington mystery features the charismatic lawyer juggling an unwanted new client and a hunt for a former British intelligence operative... Fans of Woods’ long-running series will not be disappointed by this romp, which is peppered with plenty of humor courtesy of the hapless Herbie," said Booklist. And Publishers Weekly said: "Stone Barrington continues to enjoy good food, good drink, and good sex provided by an eager succession of beautiful women in bestseller Woods's smooth 18th novel to feature the New York City attorney... Woods mixes danger and humor into a racy concoction that will leave readers thirsty for more."

Publishers Weekly starred: "The eminently talented Carey (Theft) has the gift of engaging ventriloquism, and having already channeled the voices of Dickens’s Jack Maggs and the Australian folk hero/master thief Ned Kelly, he now inhabits Olivier-Jean-Baptist de Clarel de Barfleur, a fictionalized version of Alexis de Tocqueville, whose noble parents are aghast at his involvement in the events surrounding Napoleon’s return and the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X... Richly atmospheric, this wonderful novel is picaresque and Dickensian, with humor and insight injected into an accurately rendered period of French and American history." And Library Journal concluded: "Written by a two-time Booker Prize winner, this engaging book will be particularly appreciated by readers interested in early 19th-century American history, the French aristocracy, and emerging democracy."

Raves across the board. "The title of this first novel, winner of the 2008 MAN Asian Literary Prize and the Palanca Grand Prize, refers to the Philippine middle class and is a central motif in Syjuco's narrative. The story begins with the suicide of the great Filipino writer Crispin Salvador, found floating in the Hudson River. His protégé and biographer, Miguel, ends up reconstructing Crispin's life as he seeks to uncover the details of his mysterious death and the whereabouts of a last, unfinished novel about the corruption in the Philippines... Through his vivid use of language, Syjuco has crafted a beautiful work of historical fiction that's part mystery and part sociopolitical commentary. Readers who enjoyed Junot Díaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao will enjoy this literary gem," said Library Journal. And Kirkus praised: "An ambitious debut novel, winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize, introduces an author of limitless promise... First novels rarely show such reach and depth."

Publishers Weekly starred: "Mesmerizing prose and intricate plotting lift Turow's superlative legal thriller, his best novel since his bestselling debut, Presumed Innocent, to which this is a sequel. In 2008, 22 years after the events of the earlier book, former lawyer Rusty Sabich, now a Kindle County, Ill., chief appellate judge, is again suspected of murdering a woman close to him... Once again, Turow displays an uncanny ability for making the passions and contradictions of his main characters accessible and understandable." And Kirkus praised: "Turow remains the master of the form, at least partly because he's more fascinated by the mysteries of the human heart than he is by the intricacies of the law. Here, suspense and discovery sustain the narrative momentum until the final pages, but character trumps plot in Innocent."

"... Thomson’s wildly original debut, a darkly satirical thriller, features an unlikely, if endearing, father-son spy duo: retired appliance salesman Drummond Clark, who at age 64 suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, and Charlie Clark, a down-on-his-luck gambler who owes $23,000 to Russian loan sharks... Poignant themes of love and redemption underpin an action-packed story line that includes exotic locales, high-tech gadgetry, and international intrigue," said Publishers Weekly. And Kirkus called it a "... breakneck thriller ... Thomson's sharp humor, swift pacing and surprising twists are refreshing antidotes to the sober, overcooked, underwritten thrillers crowding the market."

At the Millbrae Library
1 Library Avenue, Millbrae, CA 94030
650-697-7607

"M" will be on hand with books for purchase. Publishers Weekly starred: "Choi's scorching-hot debut rips into the stereotype of Hello Kitties, young Asian-American women who are upwardly mobile, outwardly modern, but trapped by their families' old-fashioned cultural expectations. A week before turning 28, Fiona Fi Yu, a San Francisco corporate lawyer who lives with her parents, uses a silicone device to take her own virginity, an act she soon regrets. When she consults Dr. Sean Killroy about restoring her hymen, the cosmetic surgeon turns out to be Sean Deacon, a former grade school classmate who once lit a girl's hair on fire... A demonic stir-fry of influences, including Amy Tan, Chuck Palahniuk, Clive Barker, and Candace Bushnell, infuses Choi's prose with passionate ferocity."

At the Belmont Library
1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont
(two blocks south of Ralston)
650-591-8286

"M" will be on hand with books for purchase. "One of America's pre-eminent writers on animals, the immensely talented Sy Montgomery leads us on a compelling journey of exploration into the very depths of what makes a bird a bird. With wit, compassion, and a cornucopia of fascinating facts, she delves into the lives and sensibilities of seven types of birds, tracing our relationship to them throughout evolution and human history... With this book, birders, animal-lovers, or anyone with a with a mild curiosity about birds, will gain a new-found respect and appreciation for the essence of these avian marvels," said Don and Lillian Stokes, authors of Stokes Field Guide to Birds. And Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of When Elephants Weep and Dogs Never Lie About Love called it a "magnificent achievement... Spell-binding, absolutely compelling... She completely conveys the life, the obsession, the fascination with birds in an intimate, personal, and engaging style."

LAURIE R. KING and LAURA CRUM
Saturday, May 15 at 2:00 PM

Save your receipt: To celebrate and support Independent Bookstores, customers can enter their names into a drawing for Birth of a Green Man -- a new 14" x 20" broadside with a previously unpublished and beautifully illustrated Laurie King short-short story. Go to www.LaurieRKing.com for complete details! In the new Mary Russell–Sherlock Holmes mystery, the famous husband and wife sleuths are pursued by a killer immune from the sting of justice. It began as a problem in one of Holmes’ beloved beehives, led to a murderous cult, and ended -- or so they’d hoped -- with a daring escape from a sacrificial altar. Instead, Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, have stirred the wrath and the limitless resources of those they’ve thwarted. Now they are separated and on the run, wanted by the police, and pursued across the Continent by a ruthless enemy with powerful connections. From hidden rooms in London shops and rustic forest cabins to rickety planes over Scotland and boats on the frozen North Sea, Russell and Holmes work their way back to each other while uncovering answers to a mystery that will take both of them to solve. Laurie King is the author of ten Mary Russell mysteries, five contemporary novels featuring Kate Martinelli, and the acclaimed novels A Darker Place, Folly, Keeping Watch, and Touchstone.

"In her 11th outing (after Chasing Cans), veterinarian Gail McCarthy and her family go on a horse camping trip to a ranch owned by her old boyfriend Lonny Peterson, only to find that he has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend and her brother. The arresting officer is Bret Boncantini, one of Gail's oldest friends. Bringing back Lonny and Bret in this long-running series is just what fans wanted. A good murder mystery that packs quite a wallop," said Library Journal.

ROSEMARY HARRIS and REECE HIRSCH
Sunday, May 16 at 2:00 PM

SPECIAL DRAWING AT EVENT! Fun & wacky prizes! ALSO: Free (with receipt) limited edition DEAD HEAD baseball cap or sportsak! Go to www.rosemaryharris.com for complete details! "In Harris's third horticultural mystery (after Pushing Daisies and The Big Dirt Nap), Paula Holliday's small gardening business in Springfield, CT, is experiencing a slowdown owing to the poor economy. Then it's discovered that the friendliest of the local 'Main Street Soccer Moms' has a hidden past and may be a fugitive from the law. Having not much else to keep her occupied, Paula is on the case, investigating suspects in a crime that happened 25 years ago... Harris develops her characters well, and her plot keeps readers guessing. This cute and offbeat mystery in the style of Earlene Fowler's quilting mysteries will appeal to cozy fans," said Library Journal. And Romantic Times said: "Fast, funny dialogue, clever description and a good mystery make Harris' latest a very strong, entertaining cozy. With excitement and a surprise ending, this one's a winner."

"Regulatory attorney Hirsch's debut thriller has something for everyone. Will Connelly is on the verge of becoming a partner at Reynolds, Fincher and McComb when his colleague Ben Fisher, the lead attorney on the merger between Jupiter Software and computer giant Pearl Systems, falls 39 floors to his death. Suicide is unlikely, and why did Ben have Will's building access card? Will takes over the merger negotiations and celebrates his partnership by picking up a Russian woman at a club, only to find himself at the mercy of a ring of small-time Russian mobsters with designs on a top-secret NSA computer chip that Jupiter built. If the Russians don't get him, the SEC and Department of Justice will. Hirsch's fast-paced, film-ready plot and tough, ambitious characters will keep fans of legal thrillers on the edge of their seats," said Publishers Weekly.

"...Ellis Gardner is the surfing queen of Point Dume, Calif., feared, lusted after, and envied by the yuppie moms who filter down from the mansions overlooking the ocean to take surfing lessons. Ellis's childhood friend Pablo is the hunky surfing instructor, but he's also been amassing a small fortune finding and robbing small marijuana crops planted by Mexican cartels on the slopes of unsuspecting property owners, then selling his harvest... The prose style is spare and powerful and the pages turn effortlessly," said Publishers Weekly. Katie Arnoldi's critically acclaimed debut novel Chemical Pink launched her onto the bestseller lists and so established itself into the public's consciousness that its title was the answer to a Double Jeopardy question. Her second book, The Wentworths (2008), a searing portrait of a wealthy Westside, Los Angeles, family was also a fixture on bestseller lists.

Longing for escape from his mundane existence as a Stanford computer science major, Jason Lind signs up to play Fortuna, an online role-playing game set in Renaissance Florence. From the first, fateful mouse click, Jason tumbles into the vibrant, lush, anonymous world of Fortuna. Swept up in this highly complex, highly addictive game of fame, fortune, and power, Jason quickly transitions from casual gamer to compulsive player. Soon tangled up in a steamy virtual love triangle, Jason becomes obsessed with breaking Fortuna's code of anonymity. What started as a great escape may only leave Jason trapped, as the game that transported Jason deep into the past exposes a shocking, present-day reality. In the world of Fortuna, it's not how you play the game; it's if you survive.

"James Ellroy fans will welcome Kuhlken's intriguing sixth California Century mystery (after 2008's The Vagabond Virgins). Set in 1926 and the first in the series chronologically, this entry focuses on the early career of PI Tom Hickey. Outraged to learn that a black friend has been lynched in L.A.'s Echo Park, news that the mainstream media has suppressed, Hickey risks his day job as a meat salesman to look into the killing. Hickey explores possible links to crooked cops, the Ku Klux Klan, city hall, newspaper moguls William Randolph Hearst and Harry Chandler, and evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, who recently resurfaced after a mysterious five-month disappearance. Kuhlken mixes historical and fictional characters with an ease that will remind many of Max Allan Collins's Nate Heller series. He's equally adept at melding the murder inquiry with Hickey's struggles with his dysfunctional family," said Publishers Weekly."

Booklist starred: "Gruber’s last two novels were about a forged Velázquez painting and an undiscovered Shakespeare play. Readers considering this one may wonder how well an author of art-historical thrillers will handle collisions between East and West, faith and unbelief, and Islam and Christianity. Those who have read it will ask a different question: Is there anything Gruber can’t write about? In this richly layered tale ... there are twists and tension aplenty -- ideas, too. If only governments were half as interested in the psychology of violence, maybe war itself might become a work of fiction." And Kirkus praised: "Gruber (The Forgery of Venus, 2008, etc.) weaves the threads together masterfully while successfully exploring themes of family, duty, loyalty, cultural identity and more, without ever slowing the momentum. Smart, tense and vastly entertaining."

"M" is for Mystery Book Club Tuesday, May 25 at 7:00 PM "M" has its own Book Club that meets once a month in the Kaffeehaus next door to the store. This month the group will discuss The Likeness by Tana French. If you have never attended, and are interested, just drop us an email. Please note: This is not a signing and the author will not be present. For further information click on Book Club notice.

POSTPONED

Kirkus praised: "Orringer writes without anachronism, and convincingly. Written with the big-picture view of Doctor Zhivago or Winds of War -- and likely to be one of the big books of the season." And Booklist starred: "Andras Lévi wants to study architecture, but since opportunities for Jews are limited in Hungary, he goes to Paris instead. There he lives among other students at the Ecole Spéciale, makes ends meet by working in the theater, and falls in love with Klara, a fellow Hungarian with a dark secret in her past. With war looming, Andras is forced to return to Budapest, and Klara follows him... Orringer’s first novel (her short story collection, How to Breathe Underwater, won several awards) is a hugely ambitious undertaking, but she has every detail under control, from the architectural currents in Europe in the 1930s to the day-to-day struggle to survive in a work camp. The early sections set in Paris, in particular, are completely absorbing ... an astonishing achievement."

Library Journal said: "In his 40-year career, Pink Flamingos director Waters has worked with the likes of Divine [and] Deborah Harry... It's no wonder his many muses -- laid out in loving detail here -- are just as bizarre, brave, and endearing. Singer Johnny Mathis ... playwright Tennesee Williams, outsider pornographer Bobby Garcia, and then some get a chapter each of Waters's ruminations, sprinkled genereously with memoir-like asides on fashion, moustache fillers, and, yes, library theft." Author Edmund White said: "John Waters ... is frank, funny, and (strangely enough) both sensible and outrageous." And Kirkus called this "An impressive, heartfelt collection by a true American iconoclast."

THOMAS PERRY and STEVEN GORE
Saturday, May 29 at 2:00 PM

Publishers Weekly starred: "Half a dozen characters vie for primacy in this rambunctiously entertaining L.A. crime novel from Edgar-winner Perry (Runner). Aging strip-club owner Manco Kapak orders his boys to find the masked man who stole his cash receipts and take care of him. The boys settle on the wrong guy, L.A. newcomer Joe Carver, who decides to fight back... Perry's exquisite timing and finesse provide near perfect endings to the multiple story lines and make this escapist reading at its best." And Library Journal also raved: "Featuring rich, complex characters, Perry's 18th novel is pure, unadulterated fun, sure to please not only the many fans of this master craftsman but also lovers of imaginative, character-driven thrillers à la Elmore Leonard."

Kirkus concluded: "Gore has a deft way withone-liners, and in Gage, who views the world through eyes as cool as Sam Spade's, he has a keeper." And Library Journal praised: "PI Graham Gage must find the person responsible for shooting his best friend, attorney Jack Burch. While Burch lies unconscious in the ICU, federal agents are investigating him for conspiracy, fraud, and other crimes in connection with the collapse of a defense contractor... Drawing on his expertise as a private investigator, Gore has written an exciting debut thriller that will both educate and entertain the reader. With his command of storytelling and insider's knowledge, Gore can go up against Nelson DeMille and Daniel Silva and come out a contender."

"Ex-debutante Madeline Dare is a fallen WASP with a stinging wit. The one-time newspaper reporter seems to find murder and mayhem wherever she goes. In this lively third offering (after The Crazy School, 2008), the mordant Dare discovers, in a New York cemetery housing her ancestors, the remains of what was clearly an abused boy. What cruel soul could have beaten three-year-old Teddy Underhill to death? High on the suspect list [is] the boy’s deadbeat mother, Angela... As in previous entries, Shamus Award–winner Read offers a steady dose of suspense and plenty of clever commentary on the caprices of the upper crust," said Booklist. And Publishers Weekly concluded: "Read expertly evokes the New York City of the period, from the nearly palpable grime of Chelsea to disturbing undertones of racism and classism in the justice system. Equal parts toughness and vulnerability, Madeline is always a bracing heroine."

At the Belmont Library
1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont
(two blocks south of Ralston)
650-591-8286

"M" sponsors this event and will be on hand with books for purchase. "Bestseller Mosley scores a clean knockout in his excellent second mystery featuring New York City PI Leonid McGill (after 2009’s The Long Fall)... A powerful, shadowy city hall official wants McGill to locate and protect a young woman named Tara Lear, a task complicated by a murder ... [a] contemporary noir gem," said Publishers Weekly. And Library Journal also praised: "It would be easy -- but ill advised -- to overlook Leonid McGill, a short, stocky, bald, middle-aged black man with a worried expression. At any given New York minute, though, McGill just might explode in your face or end up dead at your feet ... the neo-noir master proves that this new series has legs; this title will appeal to anybody who enjoys George Pelecanos's take on contemporary DC as well as longtime Easy Rawlins fans."

Publishers Weekly starred: "May's excellent fourth Enzo Macleod mystery (after 2008's Blacklight Blue) takes the Scottish forensics wizard, who impulsively bet his daughter's boyfriend he could solve seven cold cases, to the Ile de Groix off the coast of Brittany, where he may finally meet his Waterloo. The quaint island is the site of the notorious 1990 slaying of tropical disease specialist and entomologist Adam Killian in his study. For two decades the crime scene -- and the cryptic hints Killian supposedly left to identify his killer -- have remained as undisturbed as an insect frozen in amber... With its intricate plot, compelling characters, and bombshell denouement, this unsettling Enzo Files installment is a must-read." And Library Journal raved: "The author of the much acclaimed China Thrillers surpasses himself here in misdirection, placing clues in plain sight and leaving the reader anticipating the fifth entry in this outstanding series."

MARK SPRAGG and LAURA BELL
Wednesday, April 7 drop-by signing only

Booklist starred: "Using several of the characters from his two award-winning novels, The Fruit of Stone (2002) and An Unfinished Life (2004), Spragg returns to high-country Wyoming and the struggles of a group of self-reliant individuals to come to terms with their vulnerability and need for connection ... it has moments of lyrical beauty, emotional depth, and crisp clarity that make it essential reading for anyone interested in the literature of the West." And Library Journal praised: "Spragg's latest novel (after An Unfinished Life) is a gleaming tale about a ranch family in Ishawooa, WY. Not one word is out of place, and each and every character is well drawn and intensely believable. Though ostensibly about a local murder -- a teenager is found dead in a meth lab -- the book is told from shifting perspectives and succeeds on many levels, with mystery an added attraction... A tribute to the human state and an outstanding work highly recommended for anyone who appreciates a well-crafted novel."

Kirkus called it "An elegant, deep-running chronicle of Bell's 30 years living in the mountain West... A work of descriptive virtuosity and a hard, honest pull through rough emotional terrain -- an exemplary memoir." And Library Journal said: "After college, a Kentucky girl spends a summer in Wyoming to find herself and regroup. Thirty years later, she's still there. In this memoir, Bell vividly depicts her life out West, starting with her first job herding sheep — an occupation usually done by men. She goes on to write about her life as a ranch hand, masseuse, housewife, stepmother, and forest ranger, mixing work experiences with touching and poignant accounts of family and friends ... satisfying reading for ranching enthusiasts, memoir fanatics, and anyone who likes to get lost in stories about rural life and nature's beauty."

A welcome, but rare, event: Martha Grimes brings her new book, which signals the thrilling return of Richard Jury, her greatest character. The superintendent is a man possessed of prodigious analytical gifts and charm, yet vulnerable in the most perplexing ways. "The 22nd book in Grimes's cozy series (after Dust) opens with the shooting death of a woman outside a village pub, The Black Cat. Though the case falls outside his jurisdiction, New Scotland Yard Superintendent Richard Jury is called in to investigate and quickly learns of the curious disappearance of the pub's own black cat. What bedevils him is the identity of the dead woman... The suspense, literary allusions, and humor are vintage Grimes with an uptick in the entertainment, thanks to Mungo's antics. For Grimes fans; this might also appeal to fans of animal mysteries," said Library Journal.

"The sixth Maisie Dobbs mystery, set in England between the wars, is based on a true story about the discovery of a collapsed dugout from World War I containing the bodies of a cartography team and their equipment. The American parents of the dead cartographer hire Maisie to find 'the English Nurse,' the young man’s mysterious lover -- and possibly his killer, as the autopsy evidence points to his having been murdered shortly before the dugout collapsed... Readers who preferred the earlier novels in the series will be pleased with this entry and those waiting for Maisie to finally find a love interest will have something to cheer about. A must read for series fans, especially because the ending hints that big changes are on the way for Maisie," said Booklist.

"Multiple murders and a maltreated mistress are all in a day's work for 19th-century San Francisco attorney Sarah Woolson. Sarah is that rara avis in 1881, an unmarried professional woman. Her brother Samuel, a crime reporter who writes under an assumed name in order to conceal his job from their judge father, is covering a case that claims her attention. When several respected members of the community are murdered in the Woolsons' Rincon Hill neighborhood, the police arrest some young Chinese men... Sarah's fourth (The Cliff House Strangler, 2007, etc.) neatly marries mystery, romance and historic San Francisco in an enjoyable tale of the stubbornly independent career woman," said Kirkus.

Publishers Weekly praised: "At the start of this outstanding novel of psychological suspense, Kellerman's fourth (after The Genius), 30-year-old philosophy grad student Joseph Geist finds himself at loose ends after being suspended from Harvard (for failing to do any work) and breaking up with his longtime girlfriend. When Geist answers an ad in the Harvard Crimson seeking a serious 'conversationalist,' he ends up being paid to debate free will for a few hours a day with Alma Spielmann, an elderly woman of Viennese origin. After the two bond, Spielmann offers Geist free room and board at her Cambridge house, where she lives alone... The plot builds to a climax that's as devastating as it is plausible. Few thriller writers today are as gifted as Kellerman at using lucid and evocative prose in the service of an intense and nail-biting story." And Booklist concluded: "There’s a subtle but gnawing inevitability to this very closely observed, engaging portrait of an eternal sophomore."

Publishers Weekly starred: "Thirty years in the making, Marlantes's epic debut is a dense, vivid narrative spanning many months in the lives of American troops in Vietnam as they trudge across enemy lines, encountering danger from opposing forces as well as on their home turf. Marine lieutenant and platoon commander Waino Mellas is braving a 13-month tour in Quang-Tri province, where he is assigned to a fire-support base and befriends Hawke, older at 22; both learn about life, loss, and the horrors of war... A decorated Vietnam veteran, the author clearly understands his playing field ... and by examining both the internal and external struggles of the battalion, he brings a long, torturous war back to life with realistic characters and authentic, thrilling combat sequences. Marlantes's debut may be daunting in length, but it remains a grand, distinctive accomplishment."

At the San Carlos Library
610 Elm St., San Carlos
650-591-0341

CANCELLED

December, 2000: In a tiny office in the basement of the National Security Agency, a handful of analysts work on a project so secret its existence is known to fewer than a hundred people. They are intercepting Osama bin Laden’s every word as he talks on his satellite phone to al Qaeda cells. What he’s planning is big — a strike against the U.S. — and they know from the intercepts they’ll learn the details any day ... any minute. Suddenly, the conversations stop. A Senior Executive is murdered inside the NSA complex, the first in a series of disasters inflicted from both inside and outside the carefully concealed house of spies. M. E. Harrigan delivers the first insider’s perspective in NSA’s history. She shreds the thick veil of secrecy and explores the thoughts and actions, the dedication and bureaucratic infighting, and the occasional scandals of the hidden workforce.

The undead rise again in this third book of the bestselling twisted vampire saga. Joining his farcical gems Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck, Moore’s latest is a tsunami of the irresistible outrageousness that has earned him the appellation “Stephen King with a whoopee cushion and a double-espresso imagination” from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and inspired Denver’s Rocky Mountain News to declare him “the 21st century’s best satirist.” And this from Publishers Weekly: "Moore writes with the jittery energy of a brilliant, charming class clown, mixing sex and gore and a potty mouth with a goofy-sweet sensibility to deliver laughs on nearly every page," on You Suck, the previous entry in this series. Moore received the Quill Award, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Book of the Year, for The Stupidest Angel (2005) and A Dirty Job (2006).

Booklist starred: "Joe Pickett, exiled to the 'warden’s graveyard' in a remote district of southern Wyoming, has one week left before regaining his old job in Twelve Sleep County, where his family still lives. On a final horseback patrol, however, a routine citation for unlicensed fishing turns into a deadly confrontation with twin brothers Caleb and Camish Grim, whose anger at the government is downright murderous. The first hundred pages are as good as anything Box has written, highlighting both the dangerous beauty of the West and the risks of a job where a lone civil servant interacts with a well-armed populace ... [this] tenth in the series ... ranks with his best books, such as Open Season (2001) and Out of Range (2005). Readers should take note of their surroundings before opening this book: once they start reading, they won’t know what hit them." And Publishers Weekly also starred: "Edgar-winner Box's outstanding 10th Joe Pickett novel takes Pickett into darker territory than ever before... A lone black wolf, possibly Box's symbol for the wilderness within and without the human soul, tracks Joe throughout this terrible, beautiful tale of courage and compassion and culpability."

Two Authors Tonight: LARRY KARP & MARGARET GRACE (Camille Minichino)
Tuesday, April 20 at 7:00 PM

"Karp wraps up his ragtime mystery trilogy (following The King of Ragtime, 2008) by returning to the life of Brun Campbell, hero of the series opener, The Ragtime Kid (2006)... The 1951 setting lends itself to an exploration of Klan activities, as a local group plans to attack the Joplin ceremony. As usual, Karp populates his book with nearly as many historical characters as fictional ones, many of whom will be familiar to readers who enjoyed the earlier books. Ragtime remains central to the series, both in terms of its ambience and its plots, making the trilogy a must recommendation to fans of jazz and American roots music."

For a festive Halloween project, Geraldine Porter and her granddaughter, Maddie, set out to create a multi-story haunted dollhouse. But their holiday fun turns to fear when a neighborhood scarecrow turns out to be a bloody corpse. Under her own name, Camille Minichino has published eight novels in the Periodic Table Mystery series and this is the fifth in the Miniature Mystery series (writing as MARGARET GRACE).

Booklist starred: "Martel’s mesmerizing Man Booker Prize–winning Life of Pi (2002) has become a cult classic, its richness of depth and meaning belying the startling basic story line of a young Indian man stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger for 227 days. So it is with Martel’s latest novel, also a fable-type story with iceberg-deep dimensions reaching far below the surface of its general premise..." The Seattle PI also praised: "...a multi-layered and highly textured read that at first seems somewhat obtuse and disjointed. For audiences used to being spoon-fed information in comfortable, digestible servings it might appear there are large gaps in the narrative. However, what he has done is both gradually build a picture of the obsessive nature of the artist in his character of Henry and find a new way of telling the story of the Holocaust...."

CANCELLED

Booklist starred: "It’s been a long wait since Hart’s Lake of Sorrows (2004), the follow-up to her outstanding debut, Haunted Ground (2003), which introduced Nora Gavin, the American forensic pathologist who works in Ireland with archaeologist Cormac Maguire. The novel begins with Nora returning to Minneapolis, hoping to solve at long last the murder of her sister, Triona. Convinced that Triona was killed by her husband, Peter, but unable to prove it, Nora retreated to Ireland and began a new life. But now Peter is returning to Minneapolis, and Nora feels she must tackle the unsolved crime before he has a chance to wreak more havoc on her family ... as always, the novel is rich in human drama, complex relationships, and vivid local color. Few writers combine as seamlessly as Hart does the subtlety, lyrical language, and melancholy of literary fiction with the pulse-pounding suspense of the best thrillers."

At the Belmont Library
1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont
(two blocks south of Ralston)
650-591-8286

CANCELLED

Publishers Weekly starred: " Black's engrossing third crime thriller set in 1950s Dublin (after The Silver Swan) finds pathologist Garret Quirke fresh from a stint in alcohol rehab. Quirke reluctantly agrees to help his daughter, Phoebe Griffin, with whom he has a tenuous relationship, find her missing best friend, April Latimer, a junior doctor at a local hospital. Quirke soon finds that members of the powerful Latimer family have all but disowned April, and yet he's sure they know more than they're letting on... Black (the pen name of Booker Prize–winner John Banville) is equally concerned with exploring the idea of family and loyalty as with spinning a suspenseful whodunit, and his depiction of a fragile father-daughter relationship is as powerful as the unsettling truth behind April's disappearance."

"M" is for Mystery Book Club Tuesday, April 27 at 7:00 PM "M" has its own Book Club that meets once a month in the Kaffeehaus next door to the store. This month the group will discuss This Is Not A Game by Walter Jon Williams. If you have never attended, and are interested, just drop us an email. Please note: This is not a signing and the author will not be present. For further information click on Book Club notice.

At the Belmont Library
1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont
(two blocks south of Ralston)
650-591-8286

Publishers Weekly starred: "Bestseller George's richly rewarding 16th novel to feature Det. Insp. Thomas Lynley offers an intricate plot that will satisfy even jaded fans of psychological suspense. Aggressively career-minded Isabelle Ardery, the new acting superintendent of London's Metropolitan Police, boldly manages to lure Lynley, who's been grieving over his wife's murder, back from Cornwall to look into a murder case... George tantalizes with glimpses of a horrific earlier murder case; showcases Lynley at his shrewdest, most diplomatic best; and confounds readers with a complex array of evidence, motives, and possible solutions."

"The prolific and well-traveled Theroux follows Ghost Train to the Eastern Star with a crime novel set in India. Jerry Delfont, a middle-aged travel writer, has ended up in Calcutta with no stories, no ideas, and no clear direction until he receives a letter from Mrs. Merrill Unger asking for his help. Rajat, a friend of Mrs. Unger’s son, woke up in a cheap hotel with the dead body of a boy on the floor of his room and fled, rightly untrusting of the police. Jerry meets the Mrs. Unger and falls under her spell, his obsession fueled by her beauty and her skill at tantric massage... While it’s all good light fun, the real pleasure is Theroux’s talent for rendering place and his irreverent comments on everything from the British royals to pop culture, aging, and yes, the venerable Mother Teresa," said Publishers Weekly.

CARA BLACK (Launch event!) and DAVID CORBETT
Monday, March 1 at 7:00 PM

Two top Bay Area authors whose novels are set far from home.
We'll also provide a bit of entertainment evocative of certain relevant foreign settings ... come enjoy!

Library Journal said: "In Aimée Leduc's latest investigation (after Murder in the Latin Quarter), the crime is upfront and personal -- not only has Aimée's partner, René Friant, been shot but Aimée herself is accused of the crime... Bien sûr, this would not be an Aimée Leduc novel without political concerns, and Aimée's follow-up of the convicted man's death ... leads her straight into the hate-filled terrain of neo-Nazi agitation and Les Blancs Nationaux. These two investigations link in a surprising way -- there's a really ripping ending -- and make for interestingly different and overlapping tension... With its multiple strands, this work has a somewhat different feel from other Aimée Leduc novels. But never fear, it's still a winner."

Publishers Weekly starred: "Corbett (Blood of Paradise) delivers a rich, hard-hitting epic that illuminates the violent and surreal landscapes of Central America and Mexico... Fans of Luis Alberto Urrea and Don Winslow alike will be richly rewarded." Booklist also starred: "In this powerful, evocative, character-driven novel, Corbett has written what should be a breakout success... Readers who devour and then forget formulaic crime novels won't soon forget this one." And Ken Bruen said: "A scintillating, politically fuelled mystery that grabs you by the heart and never, never lets up. Think Graham Greene writing today with the narrative drive of Michael Connelly. Borders -- in every sense of the word -- are transformed and manipulated by writing that seems as effortless as it is compelling. Rarely does a novel knock you totally out of the park; this one does."

RHYS BOWEN, PENNY WARNER, and DIANA ORGAIN
Wednesday, March 3 at 7:00 PM

Rhys Bowen’s mysteries have been nominated for every major mystery award, including the Edgar for best novel, and she has won nine of them. "Set in New York City in 1903, Bowen’s winning ninth Molly Murphy mystery (after 2009’s In a Gilded Cage) opens with a magic show at Miner’s Theatre on the Bowery, attended by Molly and her fiancé, police captain Daniel Sullivan, who wants her to give up her unconventional profession of private investigator ... the sawing-a-lady-in-half trick goes fatally wrong... The gutsy Molly, who’s no prim Edwardian miss, will appeal to fans of contemporary female detectives," said Publishers Weekly. And Kirkus praised: "Molly Murphy meets Harry Houdini and murder in early-20th-century New York... Bubbly, liberated Molly's latest adds interesting historical insights to the usual pleasant mystery-mongering."

"Warner, who has penned both mysteries (the Connor Westphal series) and party and activity books, has a wealth of background to inform the career of her amateur sleuth, San Francisco teacher Presley Parker. Recently laid off, Presley opens her own event coordination business, Killer Parties, and is soon offered the chance to plan the mayor's wedding/fund-raiser on Alcatraz..." said Publishers Weekly.

The author of Bundle of Trouble delivers a new Maternal Instincts mystery. Nights out are hard to come by for new mommy Kate Connelly. So when Kate and her husband are invited to a dinner cruise hosted by her new mommy club, Roo & You, they jump at it. But when the president of the club takes a deadly spill, everyone becomes suspect-and Kate's on deck to solve the mystery.

"In bestseller Hill’s compulsively readable supernatural thriller, his second after Heart-Shaped Box, dissolute Ignatius Perrish wakes up one morning to find a pair of satanic horns sprouting from his forehead. To the residents of Gideon, N.H., this grotesque disfigurement only confirms their suspicions that Ig raped and murdered his girlfriend, Merrin Williams, a crime for which he was held but soon released for lack of evidence... Toggling between past and present, and incidents that range from the supernaturally surreal to the brutally realistic, Hill spins a story that’s both morbidly amusing and emotionally resonant ... few will dispute that Hill has negotiated the sophomore slump" said Publishers Weekly. "On the strength of two masterly thrillers ... Hill has emerged as one of America's finest horror writers" (Time magazine).

ERICA SPINDLER and J.T. ELLISON
Monday, March 8 at 7:00 PM

When an infant’s remains are unearthed in the idyllic wine region of Sonoma, a Pandora’s box is opened, and pieces of Alex Owen’s life begin fitting together at last. Spindler's suspense novels Forbidden Fruit and Dead Run received the Kiss of Death Award, and her novel Bone Cold won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for excellence. Sixteen of her many bestselling books are still in print, dating back to 1996, and the titles include Copycat, Killer Takes All, See Jane Die, In Silence, Dead Run, Bone Cold, All Fall Down and Cause for Alarm.

Homicide detective Taylor Jackson thinks she's seen it all in Nashville -- from the Southern Strangler to the Snow White Killer. But she's never seen anything as perverse as The Conductor. Once his victim is captured, he contains her in a glass coffin, slowly starving her to death. Only then does he give in to his attraction. When he's finished, he creatively disposes of the body by reenacting scenes from famous paintings. Taylor teams up with her fiancee, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, and New Scotland Yard detective James "Memphis" Highsmythe, a haunted man who has eyes only for Taylor, to put an end to this horror. J.T. Ellison is the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Taylor Jackson series, with novels published in 14 countries. A former White House staffer, she moved to Nashville and began research on a passion: forensics and crime. She has worked extensively with the Metro Nashville Police, the FBI and various other law enforcement organizations to research her novels.

"A 1940s radio writer goes undercover among the staff of a rival program. When things get too hot in Los Angeles for screenwriter Lauren Atwill, she and hunky bodyguard Peter Winslow head for New York to escape the press. Alas, Lauren's scheduled script meeting with Hazel Keane, producer of the leading radio serial Adam Drake, For Hire, is canceled when Hazel is bludgeoned and stabbed to death in the Keane Productions offices... Readers with a taste for nostalgia will welcome the period lingo and atmosphere from York," said Kirkus. After post-graduate studies in clinical psychology, the author enjoyed a long career as a radio disk jockey and occasional news anchor and sports reporter, including assignments in Los Angeles and New York City, where her books are set. Her first novel, Star Struck Dead, won a Daphne du Maurier Award as Best Mainstream Mystery/Suspense of the Year (2004). It was nominated as Best First Mystery by the Romantic Times.

At the San Carlos Library
610 Elm St., San Carlos
650-591-0341

"M" is co-sponsor and will be on hand with copies of the book for purchase. Nonfiction. "Oral historian, photographer and former waitress Taylor turned her aching joints into the springboard for a mission: uncovering the experiences of diner waitresses in this sociological overview. Most are 'lifers,' now senior citizens who abhor the idea of retirement. Others may see these women as uneducated service workers, but waitresses see themselves as psychologists, nurses and family to their beloved regulars, who expect a little sass with their ham and eggs... With color photographs (mostly by Taylor) of waitresses in their diners on almost every page plus feisty first-person anecdotes about how the women handle nasty customers and customers who sneak out without paying the bill (one waitress threw a ketchup bottle at them), this unique perspective is much like the professional diner waitress -- difficult to pigeonhole, impossible to ignore."

"Near the start of Rosenfelt’s dynamite thriller, his second stand-alone after 2008’s Don’t Tell a Soul, reporter Chris Turley from the Bergen News, is about to meet an anonymous tipster at a Teaneck, N.J., park to discuss 'corruption by a high-level government official' when an explosion rips through an office building opposite the park. Chris makes headline news by saving five people from the wreckage... Rosenfelt’s sly humor, breathless pacing, and terrific plot twists keep the pages spinning toward the showdown on New Year’s Eve in Times Square," said Publishers Weekly. Rosenfelt has earned acclaim with his books starring Andy Carpenter, New Jersey attorney who represented a dog in court. In real life, the author and his wife started the Tara Foundation (named in honor of the greatest Golden Retriever the world has ever known) and have rescued almost 4,000 dogs, many of them Goldens, and found them loving homes.

"San Francisco PI Dante Mancuso (The Ancient Rain) is faced with a dilemma. His cousin is at the center of a federal investigation, the shadowy organization that Mancuso once worked for might help him in return for one last favor, and now people Dante knows are being garroted. He can trust no one. Heart-racing suspense and a shocking ending from the Edgar Award-winning Stansberry make this noir crime novel a good choice for Robert Crais fans," said Library Journal. And Publishers Weekly praised: "...San Francisco's North Beach is a virtual character as the stoic Dante fearlessly plays out the poor hand he's been dealt against a table of sharks with all the chips in the pot." Of the Mancuso books, Booklist said: "This series ... revitalizes the classic detective story, injecting it with a noir sensibility that both evokes the old masters and seems altogether new."

"In Edgar-finalist Lutz's entertaining fourth and final novel about the eccentric Spellman PI clan (after Revenge of the Spellmans), Isabel 'Izzy' Spellman juggles the usual family drama -- her mother tries to sabotage Izzy's relationship with her Irish bartender boyfriend and younger sister Rae throws herself into freeing a wrongly convicted man -- while helping to drum up business in a dreary economy... Narrator Izzy's biting wit -- mixed with a refreshing dose of humility and sadness -- easily carries the story," said Publishers Weekly. And Kirkus said: "Bizarre clients, fleeting romances and byzantine rules of personal conduct keep a family of private investigators teetering on the edge of dysfunction. Sam Spade she's not. But Isabel Spellman does her best to prepare for her eventual takeover of San Francisco's Spellman Investigations from her parents Albert and Olivia... Don't expect Proust; just lie back and enjoy this tale of intergenerational gumshoe mayhem."

Publishers Weekly starred: "Lee's masterful fourth novel (after Aloft) bursts with drama and human anguish as it documents the ravages and indelible effects of war. June Han is a starving eleven-year-old refugee fleeing military combat during the Korean War when she is separated from her seven-year-old twin siblings ... the plot rushes forward and back in time, encompassing graphic scenes of suffering, carnage and emotional wreckage. Powerful, deeply felt, compulsively readable and imbued with moral gravity, the novel does not peter out into easy redemption. It's a harrowing tale: bleak, haunting, often heartbreaking -- and not to be missed." And Kirkus concluded: "In its ineffably quiet way, there really is something Tolstoyan in this searching fiction's determination to understand the characters specifically as members of families and products of other people's influences. The characterizations ... are astonishingly rich and complex, and the risktaken in depicting the adult June as the woman readers will hope she would not become is triumphantly vindicated. A major achievement, likely to be remembered as one of this year's best books."

JO NESBO
Saturday, March 20 at 2:00 PM
At the Belmont Library
1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont
(two blocks south of Ralston)
650-591-8286

The Devil's Star (Harper, $25.99) "M" sponsors this event and will be on hand with books for purchase. Translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett. Publishers Weekly starred: "A serial killer taunts Harry Hole in Nesbø's searing third crime novel to feature the Oslo police detective to be made available in the U.S. (after Nemesis). Still suffering from alcohol-fueled demons and obsessed with hunting for evidence against a clearly dirty cop, Hole grudgingly agrees to help look into the murder of a woman whose finger has been amputated and a red diamond stuck under her eyelid... Hole is arguably one of today's most fascinating fictional detectives." Library Journal concluded: "Harry is one of the best lone-wolf cops for the 21st century ... Scandinavian noir is alive and well, and Nesbø is one of its best authors. Highly recommended, especially for readers who like Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander series or Arnaldur Indridason's Inspector Erlendur series. And Kirkus said: "...even readers new to this white-hot series will be impressed by Nesbo's generous plotting and his insight into dark places in the human soul." ALSO: The Redbreast (Harper, $14.95, trade paperback reprint)

Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder (Aladdin, $14.99, hardcover) Nesbo's first book for kids (grades 4-6). "[This] popular Norwegian writer of crime stories offers his first children's book. After Nilly moves to a new house, he makes friends with a young neighbor, Lisa, as well as an eccentric inventor, Dr. Proctor, who shows the kids his amazing powder that causes loud gaseous explosions (minus the accompanying odor). The inventor's experiments lead to an even more powerful powder that propels Nilly to outer space and back. Dr. Proctor hopes to sell this version to NASA, but a dishonest rich guy tries to steal the powder, aided by his none-too-bright sons... Nesbo tells his fantastical story in a matter-of-fact, deadpan style, and Lowery's simple illustrations match the dry, comedic tone well. The title promises young readers a story with a bang, and it delivers," said Booklist.

Publishers Weekly starred: "Lipsyte's pitch-black comedy takes aim at marriage, work, parenting, abject failure (the author's signature soapbox) and a host of subjects you haven't figured out how to feel bad about yet. This latest slice of mucked-up life follows Milo Burke, a washed-up painter living in Astoria, Queens, with his wife and three-year-old son, as he's jerked in and out of employment at a mediocre university where Milo and his equally jaded cohorts solicit funding from the Asks, or those who financially support the art program ... in its merciless assault on the duel between privilege and expectation, it arrives at a rare articulation of empire in decline." More raves: "The author's most ambitious work yet -- a brilliant and scabrously entertaining riff on contemporary America" (Kirkus); "...a darkly humorous story of sons and fathers, is both his most realistic and convulsively hilarious to date... Lipsyte's razor-sharp eye filets dying America..." (Booklist starred).

"M" is for Mystery Book Club Tuesday, March 23 at 7:00 PM "M" has its own Book Club that meets once a month in the store. This month the group will discuss A Cure For Night by Justin Peacock. If you have never attended, and are interested, just drop us an email. Please note: This is not a signing and the author will not be present. For further information click on Book Club notice.

The undead rise again in this third book of the bestselling twisted vampire saga. Joining his farcical gems Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck, Moore’s latest is a tsunami of the irresistible outrageousness that has earned him the appellation “Stephen King with a whoopee cushion and a double-espresso imagination” from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and inspired Denver’s Rocky Mountain News to declare him “the 21st century’s best satirist.” And this from Publishers Weekly: "Moore writes with the jittery energy of a brilliant, charming class clown, mixing sex and gore and a potty mouth with a goofy-sweet sensibility to deliver laughs on nearly every page," on You Suck, the previous entry in this series. Moore received the Quill Award, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Book of the Year, for The Stupidest Angel (2005) and A Dirty Job (2006).

"Malae's debut novel (after the collection Teach the Free Man) is a high energy rant narrated by a half-Samoan/half-white drifter trying to survive in a world bent on marginalizing seekers of truth and integrity. Malae's antihero, Paul Tusifale, an ex-con and poet, wanders the dark corners of Silicon Valley like a corrosive Midas, ruining everything he comes in contact with, whether it's a civil rights march or a wealthy patron's poetry fellowship. Paul's voice is filled with anger and intelligence... It's got rough patches, but the voice is gold," said Publishers Weekly. And Library Journal concluded: "In this decidedly masculine novel ... the language is often explicit and the protagonist young, disaffected, and easily provoked. Readers who enjoy other contemporary fiction authors popular with men, such as Chuck Palahniuk and Bret Easton Ellis, should definitely try Malae."

In his thirty-five-year-career, the Emmy Award-winning Cannell has created over forty TV series, including The Rockford Files, Silk Stalkings, The A-Team, 21 Jump Street, Hunter, The Greatest American Hero, Renegade, Wiseguy, and The Commish. This is his ninth novel to feature LAPD detective Shane Scully, who was abandoned by his parents as an infant, and reared in an orphanage, Huntington House. The only positive thing in his young life was the attention of the home's director, Walter "Pop" Dix. Pop, an avid surfer, would take a small group of kids for early morning surfing. He was the father none of them had ever had. That was thirty years ago. Now, Shane is forced to revisit these memories when Pop is found dead, the victim of an apparently self-inflicted shotgun blast.

KELLI STANLEY -- LAUNCH PARTY!!
Pre-Order your copy now to get reserved seating!

KELLI STANLEY City of Dragons (Minotaur, $24.99)

Tuesday, February 2nd at 7:00 PM

"Set in San Francisco in 1940, Stanley's stunning first in a new series introduces a gutsy, independent heroine who isn't always likable. As the city celebrates the Chinese New Year with the Rice Bowl Party, a three-day carnival to raise money for China's war relief, PI Miranda Corbie sees Eddie Takahashi, a young Japanese numbers runner, shot dead in front of her on a crowded, fireworks-filled Chinatown street.... A former escort who's reinvented herself as a detective, the 33-year-old Miranda isn't taken seriously by the cops, who enjoy rehashing her past. Stanley (Nox Dormienda) aptly describes San Francisco as a city 'redolent and glistening with sin and lamplight, forever a girl you didn't take home to Mother,'" said Publishers Weekly.

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JEFFREY SIGER Assassins of Athens (Poisoned Pen, $14.95, trade paperback original)

Thursday, February 4th at 7:00 PM

When the body of a boy from one of Greece’s most prominent families turns up in a dumpster in one of Athens’ worst neighborhoods, Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis of the Greek Police’s Special Crimes Division is certain there’s a message in the murder. But who sent it and why? Andreas’ politically incorrect search for answers takes him deep into the sordid, criminal side of Athens nightlife and on to the glittering world of Athens society where age-old frictions between old money and new breed jealousy, murder, revenge, revolutionaries, and some very dangerous truths.

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J. SYDNEY JONES Requiem in Vienna (Minotaur, $24.99)

Saturday, February 6th at 2:00 PM

Special added attraction: Vienna comes alive -- right next door at 'KAFFEEHAUS'! Everyone attending this signing event will be invited next door for a pre-opening sneak preview and complimentary espresso or coffee drink. This private invitation is for our guests only, in advance of the public opening. Don't miss! Kirkus praised: "Confident prose and mastery of historical detail, woven into a convincing narrative, make this sophisticated entertainment of a very high caliber." And Publishers Weekly said: "Set in 1899, Jones's fine second Viennese mystery (after 2009's The Empty Mirror) opens with a falling fire curtain narrowly missing Gustav Mahler, the director of the Vienna Court Opera, but killing a soprano during a stage rehearsal. Lawyer and private inquirer Karl Werthen teams with criminologist Hanns Gross to look into this and subsequent 'accidents' apparently aimed at Mahler.... Jones, the author of Hitler in Vienna, 1907–1913 and other nonfiction books about the city, smoothly blends a compelling period whodunit with bountiful cultural and social details."

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ZACHARY MASON The Lost Books of the Odyssey (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $24.00)

Sunday, February 7th at 2:00 PM signing only

Publishers Weekly starred: "Mason's fantastic first novel, a deft reimagining of Homer's Odyssey, begins with the story as we know it before altering the perspective or fate of the characters in subsequent short story–like chapters. Legendary moments of myth are played differently throughout, as when Odysseus forgoes the Trojan horse... This original work consistently surprises and delights." And School Library Journal said: "...Mason's near-deadpan writing style and wild imagination make this a very funny work as readers see events like the blinding of the Cyclops through the eyes of poor Polyphemus, mythical cities transformed into tourist traps, and heroes who are at best clueless and at worst blatantly cruel. This could easily be the territory of campy satire, but Mason moves well beyond that.... While the book is certainly a more entertaining ride for readers who really know Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, it includes some helpful footnotes that are informative and poke fun at the original myths and our constant reinterpretations of them...."

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At the Belmont Library
1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont (two blocks south of Ralston)
650-591-8286

ROBERT STONE Fun With Problems (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24.00)

Wednesday, February 10th at 7:00 PM

"M" sponsors this event and will be on hand with books for purchase. "Alienated, angry outsiders stalk the dangerous edges of their unraveling lives in the great American novelist's collection of grim short fiction ... Vintage Stone. Enough said," concluded Kirkus in its detailed appraisal. Publishers Weekly starred: "Lonely and frustrated lives are explored in this new collection from the National Book Award–winning author of Dog Soldiers. Stone's evocative prose treads through the murky waters of dead dreams and waning hopes, bringing out the pathetic and nasty side of people warped by addiction, sex, violence and time..." And Booklist enthused: "The stories are witty and diverse and are all unified by some element of brokenness.... Each character comes closer and closer to truth, but heartbreakingly, never quite turns the corner. You know they are on the right track though."

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At the Foster City Library
1000 E. Hillsdale Blvd., near the corner of E. Hillsdale Blvd. and Shell Blvd.
650-574-4842

MICHELLE GAGNON The Gatekeeper (Mira, $7.99, paperback original)

Wednesday, February 10th at 7:00 PM

"M" sponsors this event and will be on hand with books for purchase. From the moment sixteen-year-old Madison Grant is abducted, an unthinkable terrorist plot is set in motion -- pitting Special Agent Kelly Jones against her most powerful adversary yet. The kidnapper's ransom demands aren't monetary...they come at a cost that no American can afford to pay. As Kelly's fiance, Jake Riley, races to find Madison, Kelly is assigned to another disturbing case: the murder and dismemberment of a senator. At first the two cases don't appear to be related. But as Kelly navigates her way through the darkest communities of America -- from skinheads to biker gangs to border militias -- she discovers a horrible truth. A shadowy figure who calls himself The Gatekeeper is uniting hate groups, opening the door to the worst homegrown attack in American history.

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At the Belmont Library
1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont (two blocks south of Ralston)
650-591-8286

JEDEDIAH BERRY The Manual of Detection (Penguin, $15.00, trade paperback reprint)

Saturday, February 13th at 1:30 PM

"M" sponsors this event and will be on hand with books for purchase. Kirkus praised: "Berry's debut is a boldly inventive deconstruction of Cartesian metaphysics, the criminal-justice system and the well-oiled detective story." New York Times crime columnist Marilyn Stasio wrote: "When opened, this first novel ... [reads] like something lifted from Ray Bradbury's Dark Carnival and dropped into a Kafka setting." Library Journal summarized: "In an effort to locate a missing detective, an agency clerk investigates that detective's most renowned cases. Is he following the right clues? Is he trusting the right people?.... Merging a comedic yet dark fantasy world with the hard-boiled school of detection, this clever debut novel both amuses and confuses." And finally from The New Yorker: "...weaves the kind of mannered fantasy that might result if Wes Anderson were to adapt Kafka."

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JAMES ROLLINS Altar of Eden (HarperCollins, $27.99)

Saturday, February 13th drop-by signing only

"In this stand-alone thriller from author of the Sigma Force novels, Dr. Lorna Park, a researcher at a high-tech facility dedicated to preserving endangered species, teams up with a border patrol officer, Jack Menard, to track down the people responsible for a boatload of genetically modified animals found beached on a small island near the cost. The book is written with Rollins' usual emphasis on history, cutting-edge science, and fast paced adventure.... Rollins is a practicing veterinarian, and his affection for animals comes through pretty clearly. A very good thriller and further proof (after his earlier stand-alones, not to mention his recent adaptation of the latest Indiana Jones movie) that Rollins is a sure-footed on new ground as he is in the familiar Sigma Force World," said Booklist.

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McSweeney's Variety Show!
Thursday, February 18th at 7:00 PM

Several writers published by San Francisco's prestigious McSweeney's Books will treat us to readings and discussion ... AND grilled cheese sandwiches served up by author Bill Cotter. McSweeney's editor and publisher emeritus ELI HOROWITZ will emcee the evening.
BILL COTTER's Fever Chart portrays a New Orleans populated by a vivid ensemble of denizens. His readings are always brimming to full with his funny and tender presence, and this one will be no different. Bill will be making grilled-cheese sandwiches -- inspired by the main character of Fever Chart -- and serving them to the audience. Poet ANNIE LaGANGA is the author of the memoir Stoners and Self-Appointed Saints (and happens to be Bill's significant other). She'll be reading and grilling cheese alongside Bill. Writer and editor PETER ORNER will be discussing the McSweeney's Voice of Witness series. Peter collected and edited the narratives in Underground America: Narratives of Undocumented Lives, and is currently working on the next Voice of Witness book. CHRIS YING will be discussing his new YA title 109 Forgotten American Heroes and Nine or so Villains

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T.C. BOYLE Wild Child, and Other Stories (Viking, $25.95)

Friday or Saturday, February 19th or 20th drop-by signing only

Kirkus wrote: "The usual darkly comic cautionary tales, but also some bracingly and impressively new works from the prolific author (The Women, 2009, etc.)". Publishers Weekly concluded: "The title novella in Boyles's ninth collection is as good as anything the prolific author of The Women has written. Basing his story on the historical Victor of Aveyron, the feral child discovered in the wilds of France in 1797 ... Boyle interrogates history with an experienced reader's wariness of sentimental revisionism and a great writer's attention to precisely what defines the child's wildness...." Boyle is the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, best novel of the year for World's End, 1988, several O. Henry awards for short stories, and the Ross Macdonald Award for body of work by a California writer, 2007.

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PAUL McHUGH Deadlines (Lost Coast Press, $16.95, trade paperback original)

Saturday, February 20th at 2:00 PM

In this mystery novel of San Francisco, a young reporter's search for clues takes him from waterfront bars to a smugglers’ den, from downtown San Francisco to corridors of power in Sacramento, and from the glitter of Las Vegas to an isolated monastery on the Big Sur coast. Elderly land-use activist Beverly Bancroft is found dead on a beautiful stretch of California shoreline. Her murder is disguised as a tragic accident. Veteran columnist Colm MacCay becomes mentor to the cub reporter assigned to the story. Author McHugh was for many years co-editor and main feature writer for the Outdoors section of the San Francisco Chronicle, and currently writes for the New York Times, Washington Post and L.A. Times, as well as other publications. He has published a novel, The Search for Goodbye to Rains (1980) and a nonfiction book, Wild Places.

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KEN MERCER Slow Fire (Minotaur, $25.99)

Tuesday, February 23rd at 7:00 PM

"An unpopular new sheriff learns that the drug kingpin he's been hunting may be one of the town's most eminent citizens. Leaving behind the gritty streets of Los Angeles and a heroin addiction, former LAPD narcotics detective Will Magowan takes a job as chief of police in the small Northern California town of Haydenville. His advanced skills are required almost immediately, when the body of young Caitlyn Johnson is discovered near an abandoned kayak. But a controversial shooting at the town's only bar puts Will in the cross hairs of local enemies like Frank Carver, transformed from a Hell's Angel and convicted killer into philanthropist and literary lion ... his prose and his hero are refreshingly honest and direct," said Kirkus. And Booklist praised: "Vulnerable and deeply damaged Magowan makes for a compelling protagonist in this crisp, well-written debut..."

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"M" is for Mystery Book Club Tuesday, February 23rd at 7:00 PM "M" has its own Book Club that meets once a month in the store. This month the group will discuss Self's Murder by Bernhard Schlink If you have never attended, and are interested, just drop us an email. Please note: This is not a signing and the author will not be present. For further information click on Book Club notice.

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At the Belmont Library
1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont (two blocks south of Ralston)
650-591-8286

JERRY HOLKINS & MIKE KRAHULIK The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade - The 11 1/2 Anniversary Edition (Del Rey, $24.00)

Wednesday, February 24th at 7:00 PM

"M" sponsors this event and will be on hand with books for purchase. Geek alert! A hardcover anniversary book celebrating more than eleven years of success of this wildly popular webcomic, chronicling the adventures of two video game-obsessed friends. Chockablock with geek references and gaming world in-jokes, this comic is the ultimate epic of the gaming life. Humorous, illuminating, and lively, this book is the definitive guide to the unique world of Penny Arcade. A sampling of the huge abundance of original, new, and exclusive contents of this lavish, oversized edition: Mike and Jerry answer fans' questions! The history of Penny Arcade and its fan convention, PAX; A detailed guide to Penny Arcade's many memorable characters... etc.! There are also bonus illustrations by well-known comic artists, including Bill Amend (Foxtrot), Kazu Kibuishi (Flight), Scott Kurtz (PvP), and Becky Cloonan (American Virgin).

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The Maltese Omelette
radio show and mass book signing by
PETER BEAGLE, MICHAEL KURLAND, and RICHARD LUPOFF.
Saturday, February 27th at 2:00 PM

An old-time radio drama, written by Michael Kurland especially for today's audiences, The Maltese Omelette is an homage to Dashiell Hammett and Mother Goose, and falls into that popular genre known as "fairy tale noir." The cast will include writers PETER BEAGLE, CARA BLACK, MICHAEL KURLAND, DICK LUPOFF, MARTA RANDALL, and LINDA ROBERTSON. (All but Peter and Cara have stories in Kurland's Sherlock Holmes: The American Years.) Authors will sign their books at this event:
MICHAEL KURLAND: Irrefutable Evidence - A History of Forensic Science (Ivan R. Dee, $27.50) This nonfiction tome explores the rise of modern DNA typing techniques, which have proven the innocence of many persons convicted of major crimes and resulted in the exoneration of more than two hundred on death row. Sherlock Holmes: The American Years (St. Martin's, $25.99) "Ten all-original tales in Edgar-finalist Kurland's lively third Sherlock Holmes anthology chronicle the exploits of the fledgling sleuth in America, before he settled in Baker Street" (Publishers Weekly). Contributors include Richard Lupoff, Darryl Brock, Michael Mallory, Steve Hockensmith, Peter Tremayne, and Rhys Bowen. PETER S. BEAGLE: We Never Talk about My Brother (Tachycon, $14.95, trade paperback original) A Fine & Private Place (Tachycon, $14.95, trade paperback original) The Last Unicorn: 40th Anniversary Edition (Roc, $15.00, trade paperback reprint) RICHARD LUPOFF: Various titles, TBA

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