Highlights Newsletter

  The weekly newsletter, now available each week on this page, brings complete information on upcoming author events, coming attractions for future months, new signed first editions, and other features, such as announcements of our monthly 'Signed & Selected' picks.
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TOMORROW, TUESDAY the 29th at 7:00 PM, we welcome back LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN. She will discuss and sign Easy Innocence (Big Earth, $24.95, and the $45.00 limited "Evidence" edition, signed and dated on a special Booking Sheet). The award-winning author of the Ellie Foreman series (An Image of Death, Eye for Murder) and editor of the Chicago Blues anthology introduces a new character, Chicago cop-turned-PI Georgia Davis, to investigate the killing of a high school girl found bludgeoned at a spot where a notorious hazing incident once took place. "Hellmann brings to life the reality of hazing and bullying among teenage girls in a story with enough twists and turns to keep you reading to the end. Highly recommended." said School Library Journal. And Kirkus said: "Depth of characterization sets this new entry by Hellmann apart from a crowded field." -- ALSO: Image Of Death (Poisoned Pen, 2004, $12.00) F-/F, SIGNED and dated.

On WEDNESDAY the 30th at 7:00 PM, STEVEN SIDOR talks about and signs The Mirror's Edge (St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95). In what Publishers Weekly called the "bone-chilling" third novel by the author of Skin River and Bone Factory, Chicago freelance journalist Jase Deering decides to investigate a year-old kidnapping. The trail leads to a cult that advocates human sacrifice. Ten years later, Deering -- who has ghosts of his own -- is still investigating, and realizing that even if he finds the victims, it may be too late to save them, or himself. PW said Sidor "is a master of the unsettling, and each twist is more grisly and unexpected than the last. Readers won't be able to resist staying up all night to finish this haunting tale..." And Kirkus concluded: "No doubt about it, Sidor writes brilliantly."

THURSDAY, MAY 1st at 7:00 PM, SCOTT SIGLER will discuss and sign Infected (Crown, $24.95). "In Sigler's riveting horror thriller, alien seeds from outer space infect a number of unlucky humans, who develop some unusual symptoms-itchy, blue triangular growths on their skin-that eventually result in the carriers becoming screaming, homicidal maniacs... Sigler (Ancestor) leads the reader from one startling detail to the next - the creatures learn to speak ('feed us we hungry'); they grow little black eyes - until even hardened genre fans will find themselves whimpering at each new revelation. This terrifying page-turner could be the author's breakout book..." said Publishers Weekly. And Library Journal said: "Sigler has.... [built] up a readership with blogs and podcast versions of his writing, then using that momentum to secure a book deal. This novel doesn't suffer from any sense of gimmickry, though, despite its noticeably short, podcast-friendly chapters. It's a solid example of the technically minded sf horror Sigler aims to produce."

FRIDAY the 2nd at 7:00 PM, the first-ever appearance of a true Brit master, PETER LOVESEY, who will discuss and sign The Headhunters: An Inspector Hen Mallin Investigation (Soho, $24.00). "Lovesey's second novel starring Chichester CID inspector Henrietta 'Hen' Mallin (after 2005's The Circle) provides further proof that the CWA Diamond Dagger winner has no peer in presenting a traditional mystery, with all the clues hiding in plain sight... Inspector Mallin deserves as long a fictional career as Lovesey's other current series sleuth, Peter Diamond," said Publishers Weekly. And Kirkus praised: "Master craftsman Lovesey (The Secret Hangman, 2007, etc.) flaunts his deviousness with a plethora of wickedly plausible suspects... Lovesey makes it virtually impossible to figure out whodunit before he reveals all. Catnip for enthusiasts of the classic puzzler." Rounding out the raves, Library Journal said: "Award winner Lovesey never fails to entertain: his books are as complicated and well written as those of Ian Rankin and John Harvey. Here, the suspense will keep readers turning pages long into the night." --ALSO: The Secret Hangman (U.K.: Sphere, 2007, $39.00) SIGNED.

On SATURDAY the 3rd at 2:00 PM, CLAIRE M. JOHNSON returns with Roux Morgue (Poisoned Pen, $24.95). Publishers Weekly starred: "The growing rift between the "dinosaurs" and the "young brats" on the teaching staff at San Francisco's École d'Epicure fuels the highly amusing action in Johnson's superior second cozy to feature funky pastry chef Mary Ryan (after 2002's Beat Until Stiff)... When one chef dies after an allergic shellfish reaction with no shellfish on the menu, and another is strangled at home, Ryan suspects something more sinister than differences of culinary theory. In one of many farcical scenes, Ryan enlists the aid of a hostile friend-of-a-friend to hack into École's computer system to dig for answers. This enjoyable romp should gain Johnson new fans." And Kirkus concluded: "Sexual tension, cooking tips and a neatly packaged mystery. All in all, a tasty tale."

LINDA FAIRSTEIN: Killer Heat (Doubleday, $26.00) SIGNED. "In her tenth Alexandra Cooper thriller, Fairstein delivers a scorcher of a crime novel-her hottest yet. The assistant DA alternates between the courtroom and crime scenes amid the sweltering summer heat of Manhattan... Partly based on a 2006 crime, the novel delivers taut suspense, action-packed chases, historical glimpses of Manhattan, and a smattering of romance. Readers will not want to put down this red-hot thriller until they've turned the final page," said Library Journal. And Publishers Weekly said: "...Fairstein, whose professional résumé includes groundbreaking work in the field of sex crimes prosecution, manages to both entertain and educate..."

MARY REED & ERIC MAYER: Seven for a Secret (Poisoned Pen, $24.95) SIGNED by both. Library Journal starred: "The authors get everything right in their latest historical. The story is fast paced, the tensions between characters well portrayed; the ending leaves the reader clamoring for more." And Publishers Weekly said: "In Reed and Mayer's engrossing seventh mystery set in sixth-century Constantinople (after 2005's Six for Gold), John, lord chamberlain to the emperor Justinian, has taken to sharing his thoughts with a young girl, whom he's named Zoe, depicted in the mosaic on his study wall... Once again convincing historical detail and strong characterization help drive a riveting plot. Fans will be pleased to know that while the title is based on the last line of the verse on which the series is based, the authors plan to send John to Italy in an eighth volume."

RICHARD STARK (DONALD WESTLAKE): Dirty Money (Grand Central, $23.99) SIGNED. [Expected in as we go to press.] "Parker, the world's most ruthless noir anti-hero, engineers a bank withdrawal. Parker is determined to collect the millions he transferred from an armored bank car into an abandoned Massachusetts church in Ask the Parrot (2006)... Stark, Donald E. Westlake's more bad-tempered alter ego, breaks his usual rule and gives women -- ballsy Sandra and dispassionate Claire -- major roles. Not that Parker takes a back seat for a minute. The man is fiercely conceived, one mean piece of work," said Kirkus.

LEE CHILD: Nothing to Lose (Bantam, 2008, $42.00) SIGNED. This is the true UK first edition. Two small towns in Colorado: Hope and Despair. Between them, nothing but twelve miles of empty road. Jack Reacher can't find a ride, so he walks. All he wants is a cup of coffee. What he gets are four redneck deputies who want to run him out of town. Mistake. They're picking on the wrong guy. The Mirror said: "Classic Child... Reacher, both a man's man and a ladies' man, proves once again that he's also his own man."

ANDREW GREIG: Romanno Bridge (Quercus, 2008, $38.00) SIGNED. Award-winning author of The Return of John MacNab revisits those characters in a dark new setting. Five different stories are woven together in the hunt for the truth about the Stone of Destiny

TITANIA HARDIE: The Rose Labyrinth (Headline Review, 2008, $42.00) SIGNED. This unique historical debut is a departure from the author's many non-fiction books and children's stories. The book comes in a stunning hardback case, and tucked inside are all the documents the characters must unearth to decipher the mystery -- riddles, maps, number puzzles and snippets of literature and poetry. Before his death in 1609, the brilliant Elizabethan spy, astrologer and mathematician John Dee hid many of his papers, believing that the world was not prepared for the ideas they held. For seventeen generations, his female descendants have held his most precious secrets, waiting for the right moment to bring them to light. In spring 2003, Dee's many times great granddaughter, dying of cancer, was forced to pass the enigmatic legacy to one of her two sons...

MO HAYDER: Ritual (Scorpion, $160.00) SIGNED deluxe ed. ltd. to 55. With an Appreciation by Margaret Murphy, in special Scorpion Press binding. ALSO, the trade edition: (Bantam, 2008, $39.00) SIGNED. The Guardian called it "A vivid and thorough exploration of the clash between ancient superstition and modern science, with plenty of thrills and chills along the way." Police diver Flea Marley has made the shocking discovery of a hand without a body. Even more disturbing is the discovery of the other hand a day later. All signs point to the victim, a young boy, being alive when the hands were amputated. Now it’s up to DI Jack Caffrey and Flea to head into the darkest recesses of Bristol’s underworld, where an ancient evil that feeds off the blood of others, lurks.

MAREK KRAJEWSKI: Death in Breslau (Quercus, 2008, $43.00, not signed) Trans., Danusia Stok. The Daily Telegraph said: "The city of Breslau is as much a character in this thriller as the parade of gothic loons that inhabit it... This addictive soup has an air of the burlesque about it." The mutilated body of a young woman is found dead on a train. Inspector Eberhard Mock and his assistant Herbert Anwaldt delve deep into the city's dirty underbelly; where perverted aristocrats cavort with prostitutes, and corrupt ministers torture confessions from lowly Jews. What makes this story so uncommonly powerful is the stifling atmosphere conjured up of a city in the grip of the Gestapo.

SIMON SCARROW: Centurion (Headline, 2008, $38.00) SIGNED. The Telegraph said, "There’s action galore, graphically recounted, with tension to twang the nerves." A gripping new novel featuring Roman army officers Macro and Cato on their most dangerous mission yet. Parthia is vying with Rome for control of Palmyra an officially neutral kingdom. Palmyras royal household is on the brink of open revolt, and so a task force is dispatched to defend its king and guard its borders. The quest for lasting peace has never been more challenging, nor more critical for the future of the empire.

JOHN WILCOX: Guns of El Kebir (Headline, 2007, $46.00) SIGNED. A thrilling, action-packed adventure set during the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir. The French choose not to fight and retire from the country, but the British land a force led by Sir Garnet Wolseley. He pulls together a great band of fighters. Some of the force are to venture into the desert ahead of Wolseley's army and observe the movements and location of the Egyptian force. But bloodshed is ahead at Tel-el-Kebir.

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