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.
To order any book or inquire about an event, simply email the store, or telephone during business hours (store info at bottom of this page).
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To review one of our previous newsletters, click on the date: Newsletter April 28, 2008 / Newsletter April 21, 2008 / Newsletter April 15, 2008 / Newsletter April 7, 2008
MAY 5, 2008
New This Week at "M" is for Mystery ... and More
Newsletter Posting Date: May 5, 2008
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Moms love mysteries -- an indisputable fact -- and in fact, Sunday, May 11th is Mother's Day. Take it from us that there is no such thing as only one perfect book for mom -- there are as many terrific books as there are great moms*! And we stand ready to assist with your gift needs, so ready, in fact, that if you simply supply us with a few clues about your mother's interests, tastes, etc., and a price range, we'll come up with suggestions and then gift wrap real nice, and send. So whether you choose a signed first edition (kept pristine in a vinyl dustjacket cover) or a handful of paperbacks (trade size or mass market), your gift is guaranteed to delight. "M" staff are standing by, so call or write!
* Case in point: Ed's mother-in-law, Thelma, at 93 is a prolific reader of wide-ranging tastes, always eager for the next great mystery (and not at all shy about reminding us when her supply is running low!). Happy (Great-grand) Mother's Day, Thelma!
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Yesterday's (Sunday, May 4) San Francisco Chronicle Book Review has an excellent article by EDDIE MULLER, czar of noir, on crime writing in the Bay Area. Meaty quotes from "our" many writers are a vivid reminder of the region's extent of talent -- from the venerated, award-winning masters to the newer arrivals on scene. If you missed seeing the article, or live out of the area, here's a ridiculously long link that should take you right to it: www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/04/RV8T1057AP.DTL. And if that doesn't work, go to www.sfchronicle.com, get to the Book Review, and click on the article title: S.F. is crime central - on the printed page.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
--- Upcoming Author Events
--- Coming Attractions
--- New Signed First Editions
--- U.K. New First Editions
--- Deluxe Editions
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UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS
All events are free and open to the public. Our store policy with regard to signing events: To be in the signing line, you must purchase (or have previously purchased) the current book from us.
TOMORROW, TUESDAY the 6th, first we have an afternoon drop-by and later, an evening event:
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LOUISE ERDRICH will drop by at approximately 1:00 PM to sign The Plague of Doves (Harper, $25.95). Publishers Weekly starred: "Erdrich's 13th novel, a multigenerational tour de force of sin, redemption, murder and vengeance, finds its roots in the 1911 slaughter of a farming family near Pluto, North Dakota... And Kirkus said: "The magic lies in the details of Erdrich's ever-replenishing mythology, whether of a lost stamp collection or a boy's salvation. A lush, multilayered book." The New York Times called it "masterly ... her storytelling here is supple and assured, easily navigating the wavering line between a recognizable, psychological world and the more arcane world of legend and fable... With The Plague of Doves, she has written what is arguably her most ambitious -- and in many ways, her most deeply affecting -- work yet." |
| JANE CLELAND will appear at 7:00 PM to talk about and sign Antiques to Die For (St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95). "In Cleland's engaging third Josie Prescott mystery to feature the New Hampshire antiques dealer (after 2007's Deadly Appraisal), Josie is stunned to learn that her fun-loving friend, Rosalie Chaffee, has been found, drowned, on the Rocky Point shore. When it becomes clear Rosalie was a victim of foul play, suspicion falls on Rosalie's boss at Heyer's Modular Furniture, his scheming wife and Rosalie's gorgeous volunteer fireman boyfriend... Aided by a large support group of well-drawn characters headed by her police chief boyfriend, Josie follows such clues as an old diary, an artist's palette and a misplaced tote bag. Among other antique lore, readers will learn the difference between a highboy and a tallboy in this cleverly crafted cozy," said Publishers Weekly. |
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This WEDNESDAY the 7th, we have a drop-by from ALEKSANDAR HEMON, who will sign The Lazarus Project (Riverhead, $24.95). "A profoundly moving novel that finds striking parallels between the America of a hundred years ago and now, as an immigrant Bosnian author, straining to come to terms with his identity, returns to his troubled homeland... A literary page-turner that combines narrative momentum with meditations on identity and mortality," said Kirkus. And Publishers Weekly said: "MacArthur genius Hemon in his third book (after Nowhere Man) intelligently unpacks 100 years' worth of immigrant disillusion, displacement and desperation. As fears of the anarchist movement roil 1908 Chicago, the chief of police guns down Lazarus Averbuch, an eastern European immigrant Jew who showed up at the chief's doorstep to deliver a note. Almost a century later, Bosnian-American writer Vladimir Brik secures a coveted grant and begins working on a book about Lazarus..." |
| SATURDAY the 10th at 2:00 PM at San Mateo Main Library: TOBIAS WOLFF will talk about and sign Our Story Begins (Knopf, $26.95). He will be introduced and interviewed by Oscar Villalon, Editor, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review. Publishers Weekly starred: "Wolff's first story collection, In the Garden of the North American Martyrs (1981), was a major salvo in the short story renaissance that included Raymond Carver. The 10 spare, elegant new stories here, collected with 21 stories from Wolff's three previous collections, are as good as anything Wolff has done... Wolff expertly uses irony and empathy to explore facets of contemporary life." And the San Francisco Chronicle said: "For more than three decades, Tobias Wolff has honed the craft of making sublime art out of the short-story form... Wolff’s alchemy in these stories is oddly and deeply transformative. They inevitably rise above their ostensible subject into some universal terrain [with] intelligence, compassion and a radical openness to life’s unfathomable surprises." |
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NEXT WEEK:
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Next MONDAY the 12th at 7:00 PM, ROBERT K. TANENBAUM will talk about and sign Escape (Vanguard, $25.95). In this twentieth in the bestselling series, Manhattan D. A. Roger "Butch" Karp and his crime-fighting crew must race against the clock to stop a malicious terrorist plot that could change the course of history. In a riveting trial of garish courtroom confrontations, newly elected New York District Attorney Karp battles the "insanity of the insanity defense," as he tries to make Jessica Campbell, a rabble-rousing political science professor at NYU, pay for the murder of her three children. "...a fast paced, provocative legal thriller that Tanenbaum almost has a copyright on," said Vincent Bugliosi, former Los Angeles District Attorney and author of Helter Skelter.
-- ALSO: Absolute Rage (Atria, 2002, $11.00) SIGNED, F/F. |
| Next TUESDAY the 13th at 7:00 PM we welcome back STEVEN SAYLOR for the Launch Party of his tour for The Triumph of Caesar (St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95). "At the start of bestseller Saylor's stellar 10th novel in his Roma Sub Rosa series featuring Gordianus the Finder (after 2004's The Judgment of Caesar), Gordianus is at first reluctant to accept a commission from Julius Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, to discover which of the general's many enemies may be plotting her husband's assassination soon after his victory in the Roman civil war. When Calpurnia reveals that the first man she'd hired for the job, Hieronymous, was murdered, the sleuth agrees to help because Hieronymous was an old friend of his... The convincing backdrop of daily life in ancient Rome helps make this compelling whodunit a triumph," said Publishers Weekly. |
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COMING ATTRACTIONS
(Asterisk indicates event added since last week.)
MAY:
Mon., 19th at 7:00 PM: ELIZABETH GEORGE - Careless in Red
Wed., 21st at 7:00 PM: JESS LOUREY - August Moon and DANA FREDSTI - Murder for Hire: The Peruvian Pigeon
Thurs., 22nd at 7:00 PM: SHELDON SIEGEL - Judgment Day
Sat., 24th at 2:00 PM: SUSAN CUMMINS MILLER - Hoodoo
Sun., 25th at 2:00 PM: MICHAEL SIMS - Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief
Tues., 27th at 7:00 PM: JOHN STRALEY - The Big Both Ways
Fri., 30th, drop-by: DAVID BENIOFF - City of Thieves
Fri., 30th at 7:00 PM: STEVE MARTINI - Shadow of Power
* JUNE: Dates and Times Now Announced!
Wed., 4th or Thurs., 5th, drop-by: ALAN FURST - The Spies of Warsaw
Sat., 7th at 2:00 PM: JOHN CONNOLLY: The Reapers
Tues., 10th or Wed., 11th, drop-by: ROBERT CRAIS - Chasing Darkness
Thurs., 12th, drop-by approx. Noon: FRANCESCA MARCIANO - The End of Manners
Thurs., 12th at 7:00 PM: MEG GARDINER - The Dirty Secrets
Wed., 18th at 7:00 PM: JEFFERY DEAVER - The Broken Window
Fri., 20th at 7:00 PM: PAUL GOLDSTEIN - A Patent Lie
Sun., 22nd at 2:00 PM: ELIZABETH ZELVIN - Death Will Get You Sober
Tues., 24th at 7:00 PM: ZOE FERRARIS - Finding Nouf
Wed., 25th at 7:00 PM: CRAIG JOHNSON - Another Man's Moccasins
Sun., 29th at 2:00 PM: MAGGIE BARBIERI - Extra Curricular Activities
Date TBA: DON WINSLOW - The Dawn Patrol
SUMMER/FALL PREVIEW: (in alpha order; asterisk indicates event added since last newsletter)
JEFF ABBOTT / RHYS BOWEN / JOHN BRANDON / TOM COFFEY / JULIE COMPTON / * THOMAS COOK / DAVE EGGERS / TANA FRENCH / MICHELLE GAGNON / BRENT GHELFI / NICOLE MARY KELBY / STELLA RIMINGTON / JAMES ROLLINS / KELLI STANLEY / DAVID WALTNER-TOEWS / SIMON WOOD / * EDWARD WRIGHT / DAVID WROBLEWSKI
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REMEMBER . . . It is never too soon to reserve your copy of ANY forthcoming book, whether the author is signing in-store or otherwise. These first editions, especially once signed, are limited in quantity. Orders may be placed by email any time, or telephone during store hours (see bottom of newsletter for complete store contact info).
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A word about our first editions: ALL stated first editions are first printings -- unless otherwise specifically indicated to the contrary.
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NEW SIGNED FIRST EDITIONS
NOW IN:
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STEPHEN ANABLE: The Fisher Boy (Poisoned Pen, $24.95) SIGNED. "Ingenious plotting and witty prose lift Anable's distinctive debut, set mainly on Cape Cod. Soon after Bostonian Mark Winslow and his comedy improv troupe arrive in Provincetown for the summer season to play the club scene, someone leaves a dead dog on a prominent socialite's doorstep, which may be a veiled warning to the resort's gay population. Meanwhile, members of a homophobic religious sect known as Christian Soldiers flood the town during an exhibition of the work of (fictional) painter Thomas Royall, whose 1916 nude portrait, The Fisher Boy, has fascinated Mark since childhood... A profusion of diverting red herrings and a clever twist involving Mark's parentage help keep the suspense high through to the surprising conclusion," said Publishers Weekly. |
| WILLIAM DIETRICH: The Rosetta Key (HarperCollins, $25.95) SIGNED. Publishers Weekly said: "Last seen in Dietrich's Napoleon's Pyramids, fleeing the forces of evil in a runaway hot-air balloon over Egypt, Ethan Gage undergoes further life-threatening adventures in this rollicking sequel. Nine months before the balloon incident, Gage arrived in the Holy Land with his benefactor, Napoleon Bonaparte... Ever the incorrigible gambler and all-around scamp, Gage makes an irresistible antihero. The ending promises more volumes in what one hopes will be a long series." And Library Journal concluded: "Historical fiction meets thriller here, with plenty to interest fans of both genres. The action is nearly nonstop, the humor is plentiful, and the intrigue is more than enough to keep the pages turning." |
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LOREN ESTLEMAN: Frames (Forge, $23.95) SIGNED. "Having appeared in 10 short stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, self-described film detective Valentino, who works as a film archivist at U.C.L.A., makes his novel-length debut in the engaging first of a new series from Shamus-winner Estleman. Valentino stumbles on the find of a lifetime when he inspects the Oracle, a decaying 1920s movie theater he's considering purchasing... While the lighthearted tone is far removed from the gritty realism of the author's Amos Walker series (American Detective, etc.), the versatile Estleman has crafted yet another intelligent page-turner," said Publishers Weekly. And Library Journal said: "In this new series launch, prolific four-time Shamus Award winner Estleman has scripted yet another wacky comedic mystery that begs to become a feature film. His snappy dialog, feisty characters, Hollywood lore, and gentle romance make this his funniest to date." |
| SUJATA MASSEY: Shimura Trouble (Severn House, $28.95) SIGNED. "In Agatha-winner Massey's engaging 10th mystery to feature antiques dealer and part-time spy Rei Shimura, Rei and her father, who's recovering from a stroke, travel from California to Hawaii for a family celebration with previously unknown Shimura relatives, who turn out to be involved in a legal battle to recover land stolen from them during WWII... An appealing protagonist and memorable supporting characters blend smoothly with lessons in Hawaiian and Japanese history in a tale sure to win new readers for the series," said Publishers Weekly. And The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has called Massey's series "a mirror on the Japan culture as seen through the eyes of an outsider ... an intuitive view of contrasting societies and a young woman trying to find her place in the world." |
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MICHAEL NORMAN: Silent Witness (Poisoned Pen, $24.95) SIGNED. "In Norman's solid sequel to his well-received debut, The Commission (2007), cops Sam Kincaid and Kate McConnell try to unsnarl a tangle of crimes in Salt Lake City. First, Kate investigates the brutal murder of one witness to a botched armored car robbery, followed by the disappearance of the other witness. Then Sam, head of 'a unit within the Utah Department of Corrections called the Special Investigations Branch,' gets involved because the gang's mastermind is 'prophet' Walter Bradshaw, a fanatical Mormon polygamist currently awaiting trial for the armored car holdup... Norman isn't an especially slick author, but he has a good grasp of police procedure and writes with the same dogged, decent persistence that Sam displays," said Publishers Weekly. |
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RECENT ARRIVALS:
[NOTE: Date of the most previous newsletter edition where each original "full" blurb can be found (in the NOW IN section) is in parenthesis at end of each blurb. The links to prior newsletters are located IMMEDIATELY ABOVE the dateline (in red) of this newsletter (scroll back to top). The Recent Arrivals are not in alpha order, but listed latest first, moved into this column from prior posting each week under 'NOW IN' above.]
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..." (4/28)
ALSO:
-- Entombed (Scribner, 2005, $9.00) SIGNED, N/F.
-- Bad Blood (Scribner, 2007, $26.00) SIGNED, as new.
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." (4/28)
RICHARD STARK (DONALD WESTLAKE): Dirty Money (Grand Central, $23.99) SIGNED. "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. (4/28)
PETER ABRAHAMS: Delusion (William Morrow, $24.95) SIGNED. Kirkus said that in the latest offering from this Edgar-nominated author, ''the apparent exoneration of a wrongfully convicted killer plays havoc with the people who did the convicting -- and with the convict as well. One night 20 years ago, Nell Jarreau saw her boyfriend stabbed to death by a robber whose mask slipped just enough to give a clear look at his face, enough to persuade her -- and a jury -- that the murderer was Alvin DuPree. Now a videotape, locked away in the files of a detective, gives DuPree an alibi... As the plot simmers, the real prize here is DuPree, a brutish innocent who imagines himself as Job. Abrahams succeeds in making this deeply wronged man dangerous, pitiable and scary." (4/21)
-- ALSO: Behind the Curtain (HarperCollins, 2006, $15.99) SIGNED, as new. Y/A book.
ACE ATKINS: Wicked City (Penguin, $24.95) SIGNED. [Expected early this week, approx. 4/21] "A riveting story about how the triumph of evil is forestalled when good men ... do something. Phenix City, Ala., is a real place. In 1955 Look magazine called it 'the Wickedest City in America.' Atkins, who begins his novel a year earlier, based it on a real case that transformed the town. While sin, in all its familiar variations, had become endemic in Phenix City, one homicide too many was about to change the status quo... Atkins (White Shadow, 2006, etc.) is clearly in love with his colorful characters - on both sides of the moral divide - and makes them wonderfully believable," said Kirkus. And Library Journal called it "...a gripping, superb crime story, all the more remarkable because it really did happen. Highly recommended..." (4/21)
DONNA LEON: The Girl of His Dreams (Grove/Atlantic, $24.00) SIGNED bookplates. Once again, food, family, art, history, and local politics play as central a role as an unsolved crime. When a friend of Brunetti’s brother, a priest recently returned from years of missionary work, calls with a request, Brunetti suspects the man’s motives. But the investigation has to be put aside when, one cold and rainy morning, a body is found floating in a canal."Leon builds her plots slowly, with plenty of thought-provoking diversions. At the heart of this particular death in Venice are issues of charity and the protection of disenfranchised communities and deprived children. But she is also careful not to ram any messages down your throat. Brunetti’s thirst for the Venetian way of life, as ever, carries the story," said the Mirror (UK). And Library Journal said: "American-born Leon describes her longtime home of Venice lovingly, and the ethical grounding she gives this novel lifts it above the norm." (4/21)
DAVID LEVIEN: City of the Sun (Doubleday, $24.95) SIGNED. Our 'S&S' I pick for April. Publishers Weekly starred: "Screenwriter Levien's debut crackles with raw intensity... Levien expertly weaves a subplot involving the tragic death of Behr's own young son into the complex kidnapping story,
and the moments shared between the two grieving fathers are heartbreaking. Fans of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch will be particularly delighted." And Kirkus praised: "In this debut novel from screenwriter Levien, a kidnapped child leads an emotionally wounded private detective and his client down a relentlessly grim trail from middle America to the darkest deserts of Mexico. Young Jamie Gabriel is in the middle of his predawn paper route when he's snatched from an Indianapolis street by strip-club bouncer Tad Ford and his partner Rooster Mintz. ...the novel is a remarkably assured exercise in grabbing you by the throat and shaking you until the very end." (4/21)
LOUISE PENNY: The Cruelist Month (St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95) SIGNED. Our 'S&S' III for April. Publishers Weekly starred: "Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team investigate another bizarre crime in the tiny Quebec village of Three Pines in Penny's expertly plotted third cozy... Arthur Ellis Award-winner Penny paints a vivid picture of the French-Canadian village, its inhabitants and a determined detective who will strike many Agatha Christie fans as a 21st-century version of Hercule Poirot." And Kirkus also starred its review: "Gamache is a prodigiously complicated and engaging hero, destined to become one of the classic detectives." The Chicago Tribune warned: "Don't look for the hamlet of Three Pines anywhere on a map ... although Louise Penny has made the town and its residents so real ... that you might just try to find it." (4/21)
ANNE PERRY: Buckingham Palace Gardens (Random House, $26.00, and ALSO NOW IN, the U.K. true first edition, SIGNED and dated, $48.00). Perry's 25th novel featuring Thomas Pitt (last seen in 2005's Long Spoon Lane) finds the Victorian sleuth's "detecting and diplomatic skills tested as never before," said Publishers Weekly. When a prostitute's mutilated corpse is found in a cupboard at Buckingham Palace after a stag party thrown by the prince of Wales, political disaster looms for the monarchy, and Pitt, who firmly believes in the concept of justice, has to deal with people able to make their own. "Perry," PW continues, "does a nice job with some plot twists" in this "solid" addition to her bestselling series. As the Cleveland Plain Dealer has said, "Her grasp of Victorian character and conscience still astonishes." (4/21)
-- ALSO: Highgate Rise (Faucett Columbine, 1991, $13.00) SIGNED, F/F.
LAURA JOH ROWLAND: The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte (Penguin, $24.95) SIGNED. (Our 'Mystorical' pick for April.) Kirkus said: "Rowland offers an attractive counterpoint in her portrayal of the Bronte clan and their family dynamics. A very Victorian murder, the evils of British imperialism and a beloved novelist unite in this appealing literary mystery." And from Publishers Weekly: "The author of Jane Eyre plays sleuth in this enchanting historical from Rowland, acclaimed for her mystery series set in 17th-century Japan (The Snow Empress, etc.). ...Charlotte becomes ensnared in a case involving a revenge plot orchestrated by an arch villain shaded with old school orientalism. Brontë fans will delight in Rowland's portrait of Charlotte, who closely parallels Jane both in personality and station. The men playing opposite Charlotte often echo the character of Edward Rochester, lending an enticing will-they, won't-they tension to the proceedings." (4/21)
DOMENIC STANSBERRY: The Ancient Rain (St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95). SIGNED. Our 'S&S' II pick for April. The Edgar winner's third mystery
to feature San Francisco cop-turned-PI Dante Mancuso looks at veterans of the counterculture underground caught up in paranoid post-9/11 America. Publishers Weekly called it "...compelling ... Mancuso learns firsthand what it feels like to become a victim in a drama being played out between the government and those that oppose its policies. Equal parts contemporary crime fiction and dark, existential poetry, this novel should win Stansberry new fans." Kirkus concluded that "Stansberry has always walked on the noir side -- but this brilliantly imagined version of real events packs an emotional wallop genre fiction rarely delivers." George Pelecanos said: "Stansberry is an extraordinarily evocative writer." (4/21)
HARLAN COBEN: Hold Tight (Dutton, $26.95) SIGNED. The Edgar winner has delivered a "compulsive page-turner," said Publishers Weekly, one that "parents will find particularly unnerving... As Mike and Tia Baye try to deal with the increasing withdrawal of their 16-year-old son after a friend's suicide, a pair of brutal, seemingly senseless killings punctuate the unfolding domestic troubles, ratchet up the tension and engulf the Baye family, their friends and neighbors in a web of increasing tragedy. Coben plucks each string like a virtuoso'' as "the 'this could be me' factor lends poignancy to the thrills and chills." (4/15)
-- ALSO: Drop Shot (Delacorte, 2007, $22.00) SIGNED, as new. First hardcover, was originally a paperback original in 1996.
MICHAEL GRUBER: The Forgery of Venus (William Morrow, $24.95) SIGNED. Kirkus praised: "Nobody mixes art, sex, drugs and wit quite like Gruber. Here he looks at representational painting, the creative imperative, forgery and the love of children, and the result is again irresistible... Fast, frightening and ... richly imagined." And Publishers Weekly concurred: "Bestseller Gruber (The Book of Air and Shadows) probes the boundaries between sanity and madness in his outstanding sixth novel. Talented Chaz Wilmot, who makes a modest living as a commercial artist in New York City, can't say no when Mark Slade ... offers him $150,000 to fix a ruined Tiepolo ceiling in a Venetian palazzo... Gruber writes passionately and knowledgeably about art and its history -- and he writes brilliantly about the shadowy lines that blur reality and unreality. Fans of intelligent, literate thrillers will be well rewarded." (4/15)
KENT HARRINGTON: The Good Physician (Dennis McMillan, in two formats: trade ed. at $35.00; and limited deluxe ed. at $250.00) SIGNED. Publishers Weekly starred what may well be Harrington's finest since Dia de los Muertos: "All the moral incongruities and conundrums that complicate the war on terror are on almost palpable display in this searing thriller ... set largely in Mexico City. In this backwater in the war on terror, Dr. Collin Reeves has found a semicomfortable niche performing occasional chores for the CIA, acting as a 'go to' doctor for the U.S. embassy when American tourists need medical attention, and pursuing his avocation of painting... This taut, thought-provoking novel offers no easy answers, no good versus evil dichotomy, as Reeves discovers that 'there was no morally safe place anywhere.'" (4/15)
-- ALSO: Dark Ride (St. Martin's, 1996, $4.00) F/F, SIGNED.
COLIN HARRISON: The Finder (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $25.00) SIGNED. Publishers Weekly starred: "Set in New York City, this edgy thriller from Harrison (The Havana Room) showcases his extraordinary storytelling ability. Jin Li has been running a scam on Tom Reilly and his company, Good Pharma, by stealing information under the cover of a paper-shredding operation. She then passes it on to her brother, Chen, who uses it to make stock trades. Under pressure from a ruthless billionaire investor who stands to lose his fortune if Good Pharma fails, Reilly asks a shady underling to deal with the leak, resulting in the horrible murder of two of Li's Mexican employees... The action builds to a deeply satisfying conclusion involving a sadistic kidnapper and a stock market power play across two continents." And Michiko Kakutani in the New York Times called it "a chilling, high-speed roller coaster of a ride that doubles as a sardonic sightseeing tour of the seamier side of New York City." (4/15)
JONATHAN KELLERMAN: Compulsion: An Alex Delaware Novel (Random House, $27.00) SIGNED. "Bestseller Kellerman serves up all the elements his fans have come to love in the 22nd entry in his Alex Delaware series (Obsession, etc.), including an intriguing plot, likable regular characters supported by an interesting secondary cast, diabolical villains, witty dialogue and a sense of humanity and justice. Alex and his LAPD detective partner, Milo Sturgis, are investigating several murders that, at first, appear to have only one thing in common: the perpetrator's use of expensive black automobiles while committing his crimes..." said Publishers Weekly. And Library Journal praised: "...Although the story can be quite complex at times, the action is fast paced, and the many plot twists leave readers on the edge of their seats. Kellerman's writing is neat and not overly burdened by extraneous detail..." (4/15)
MICHAEL STANLEY: A Carrion Death (Harper, $23.95) SIGNED by both. Michael Stanley is the pseudonym for co-authors Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. Raves all around for this first in a series starring Detective David "Kubu" Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department. Publishers Weekly starred: "[An] impressive debut... The intricate plotting, a grisly sense of realism and numerous topical motifs ... make this a compulsively readable novel... This fast-paced forensic thriller will resonate ... with fans of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta." And Booklist: "Rich with the atmosphere of modern Botswana, and peopled with interesting and well-drawn characters, this is an exciting debut." Kirkus doesn't hold back: "A stately debut whose pseudonymous authors, Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip, are both experts on the region. Their generously detailed portrait of Botswana and of larger-than-life Inspector Kubu augur well for the proposed series." (4/15)
JOSEPH WAMBAUGH: Hollywood Crows (Little, Brown, $26.99) SIGNED and dated, and includes a cool bookmark that has Wambaugh's LAPD badge stamped in gold. "Gallows humor and the grim realities of street police work coexist" in this follow-up to Hollywood Station from 2006, Publishers Weekly reports. "Nathan Weiss and Bix Ramstead, now assigned to the LAPD's Community Relations Office, become ensnared by a stunning femme fatale in the middle of a contentious divorce" from a man "who operates a seedy nightclub but stays on the good side of law enforcement with well-timed donations to police charities... Through the eyes of an eccentric collection of beat cops, Wambaugh gives a compelling picture of what policing is like after the Rampart corruption scandal." (4/15)
RANDY WAYNE WHITE: Black Widow ( Putnam, $24.95) SIGNED. For his 15th outing, marine biologist/special-ops agent Doc Ford heads to a tiny Caribbean island to confront the Widow, "a sexually ambiguous dragon lady who runs a sophisticated blackmail enterprise. He finds much more of a challenge than he expected,'' according to Booklist in its starred review. White combines "bantering fun" with "high-octane action... Like Robert B. Parker and John D. MacDonald at their best, White draws readers into his world with characters you’d pay just to hang out with." (4/15)
NEVADA BARR: Winter Study (Putnam, $24.95) SIGNED. The 13th entry in Barr's National Park series was recommended by Library Journal: "Park ranger Anna Pigeon returns to Michigan's bitterly cold, icebound Isle Royale where wolf researcher Katherine Huff turns up dead one night, attacked by the wolves she loved. Which human let her fall victim? Barr's intense closed-room drama (how can seven people get into this much trouble?) integrates winter's forces -- blizzards and ice -- with the psychological play of ghosts and legends. Anna unearths everyone's worst secrets and ends up fighting for her own life. It's tremendously satisfying." (4/7)
LISA JACKSON: Lost Souls (Kensington, $22.00) SIGNED. "Kristi Bentz, having recovered from her last encounter with a sadistic monster in bestseller Jackson's Absolute Fear, faces an equally terrifying ordeal in this frantic paranormal thriller. Four female students associated with a vampire cult have gone missing at Baton Rouge's All Saints College, where Kristi is pursuing a journalism degree and plans to write about true crime... Jackson peppers the action with insights into the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies trying to solve crimes in post-Katrina Louisiana," said Publishers Weekly. (4/7)
* FIRST IN SERIES of all of Woolrich's works to be published by McMillan!
CORNELL WOOLRICH: Love and Night: Cornell Woolrich - Unknown Stories (Dennis McMillan, 2007, $35.00) FRANCIS M. NEVINS, Editor. SIGNED by Nevins; edition limited to 1,000. Edgar Award-winning Woolrich biographer Nevins brings together 15 Woolrich stories, first published between 1926 and 1939 and never reprinted since.
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U.K. NEW FIRST EDITIONS
Here are the titles still on hand, after last week's announcement of these arrivals.
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.
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.
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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SIGNED Firsts Upcoming:
MARK ALPERT: Final Theory
LAWRENCE BLOCK: Hit and Run
KEN BRUEN: Cross
LEE CHILD: Nothing to Lose
MICHAEL CONNELLY, Editor: The Blue Religion - New Stories About Cops, Criminals, and the Chase
JOANNE HARRIS: The Girl With No Shadow
CRAIG JOHNSON: Another Man's Moccasin
DANIEL JUDSON: The Water's Edge
PETER LEONARD: Quiver
PHILLIP MARGOLIN: Executive Privilege
DOUGLAS PRESTON: The Monster of Florence
JOHN SANDFORD: Phantom Prey
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I Shall Not Want
DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI: Severance Package
SIMON WINCHESTER: The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom
STUART WOODS: Santa Fe Dead
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RECENTLY BLURBED (some still in stock):
JAMES SHEEHAN: The Law of Second Chances (St. Martin's, $24.95) SIGNED.
RICHARD WRIGHT: A Father's Law (HarperCollins, $14.95 trade paperback original, second printing only) SIGNED by daughter Julia Wright, author of the Introduction.
JEFFREY ARCHER: A Prisoner of Birth (St. Martin's, $27.95) SIGNED.
KEVIN BROCKMEIER: The View From the Seventh Layer (Pantheon, $21.95) SIGNED.
REED FARREL COLEMAN: Empty Ever After (Bleak House, $45.00, from the limited "Evidence" edition) SIGNED and dated on a special Booking Sheet.
ROBERT FERRIGNO: Sins of the Assassin (Scribner, $24.95) SIGNED.
JAMES W. HALL: Hell's Bay (St. Martin's Minotuar, $24.95) SIGNED.
LAURA LIPPMAN: Another Thing to Fall (William Morrow, $24.95) SIGNED.
MICHELE MARTINEZ: Notorious (William Morrow, $23.95) SIGNED.
STEPHANIE BARRON: A Flaw in the Blood (Bantam, $24.00) SIGNED. Our 'Mystorical' for March.
BRENDAN DUBOIS: Final Winter (Five Star, $25.95) SIGNED.
CHRISTOPHER G. MOORE: The Risk of Infidelity Index (Atlantic Monthly, $22.00) SIGNED bookplates.
TOM CAIN: The Accident Man (Penguin, $24.95) SIGNED on an otherwise blank page.
SUSAN CHOI: A Person of Interest (Penguin, $24.95) SIGNED.
CHARLIE STELLA: Mafiya (Pegasus, $25.00) SIGNED.
ELI GOTTLIEB: Now You See Him (HarperCollins, $22.95) SIGNED.
MARTHA GRIMES: Dakota (Viking, $25.95) SIGNED.
MATT BEYNON REES: A Grave in Gaza (Soho, $24.00) SIGNED bookplates.
C.R. CORWIN: The Unraveling of Violeta Bell (Poisoned Pen, $24.95) SIGNED.
DAN FESPERMAN: The Amateur Spy (Knopf, $24.95) SIGNED.
WILL LAVENDER: Obedience (Shaye Areheart, $24.00) SIGNED.
BEVERLE GRAVES MYERS: The Iron Tongue of Midnight (Poisoned Pen, $24.95) SIGNED.
TIM DORSEY: Atomic Lobster (William Morrow, $24.95) SIGNED.
DOUGLAS PRESTON: Blasphemy (Tom Doherty, $25.95) SIGNED.
PETER ROBINSON: Friend of the Devil (William Morrow, $24.95) SIGNED on a special publisher's page.
ELIZABETH BECKA: Unknown Means (Hyperion, $22.95) SIGNED.
ELIAS KHOURY: Yalo (Archipelago, $25.00) SIGNED.
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Selected SIGNED First Editions (from recent in-store signings, listed most recent first):
LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN: Easy Innocence (Big Earth, $45.00) Limited "Evidence" edition, SIGNED and dated on a special Booking Sheet.
LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN: Easy Innocence (Big Earth, $24.95) SIGNED.
STEVEN SIDOR: The Mirror's Edge (St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95) SIGNED.
SCOTT SIGLER: Infected (Crown, $24.95) SIGNED.
PETER LOVESEY: The Headhunters: An Inspector Hen Mallin Investigation (Soho, $24.00) SIGNED.
CLAIRE M. JOHNSON: Roux Morgue (Poisoned Pen, $24.95) SIGNED.
ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH: The Miracle at Speedy Motors (Pantheon, $21.95) SIGNED.
ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH: Love Over Scotland (Knopf, $13.95 trade paperback original) SIGNED.
RABIH ALAMEDDINE: Hakawati (Knopf, $25.95) SIGNED.
ADAM MANSBACH: The End of The Jews (Spiegel & Grau, $23.95) SIGNED.
JACK O'CONNELL: The Resurrectionist (Algonquin, $24.95) SIGNED.
BARON BIRTCHER: Angels Fall (Iota, $23.95) SIGNED.
CHRISTOPHER RICE: Blind Fall (Simon & Schuster, $26.00) SIGNED.
JODI PICOULT: Change of Heart (Atria, $26.95) SIGNED.
DENISE MINA: Slip of the Knife (Little, Brown, $24.99) SIGNED.
ANDREW GROSS: The Dark Tide (HarperCollins, $25.95) SIGNED.
STEVEN M. THOMAS: Criminal Paradise (Random House, $25.00) SIGNED.
BRIAN FREEMAN: Stalked (St. Martin's, $24.95) SIGNED.
JOSHILYN JACKSON: The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (Grand Central, $23.99) SIGNED.
RHYS BOWEN: Tell Me, Pretty Maiden (St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95) SIGNED.
DIANE WEI LIANG: The Eye of Jade (Simon & Schuster, $24.00). SIGNED. Our 'Signed&Selected' I pick for February.
TOM EPPERSON: The Kind One (Five Star, $25.95) SIGNED.
PETER CAREY: His Illegal Self (Knopf, $24.95) SIGNED.
CHARLES BAXTER: The Soul Thief (Pantheon, $20.00) SIGNED.
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DELUXE EDITIONS
MO HAYDER: Ritual (Scorpion, $160.00) SIGNED Deluxe limited edition of 55. With an Appreciation by Margaret Murphy; hand-bound with quarter-leather spines and marble paper sides over boards, coloured top edges and colored end papers. Quantities limited. 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."
-- ALSO: The U.K. trade edition from Bantam, $39.00, SIGNED.
JAMES LEE BURKE: The Tin Roof Blow-Down (Scorpion, $160.00) SIGNED Deluxe limited edition of 80. With an Appreciation by Phil Rickman; hand-bound with quarter-leather spines and marble paper sides over boards, coloured top edges and colored end papers.
-- ALSO: Pegasus Descending (Scorpion, 2006, $150.00) SIGNED Deluxe limited edition of 80, with an Appreciation by James Sallis; binding, etc., same as above.
CARLOS RUIZ ZAFON: The Shadow of the Wind - Publication delayed. Now to be released in June, 2008 by Subterranean Press; in two editions. Pre-order now! This book became an international phenomenon, a best-seller in dozens of countries. (We were honored with the author's visits when he signed the first UK and US trade editions of the English translation, as well as the later reprint.) Subterranean Press -- widely considered to be among the finest specialty publishers in the horror, suspense, and dark mystery genres -- makes this statement: "We consider The Shadow of the Wind to be one of the most important books of the past twenty years, and aim to honor it with the lavish edition it so richly deserves."
-- Limited ed. of 1000, SIGNED and numbered ($75.00) featuring a fine paper (80# Finch or better), deluxe cloth, a sewn binding, and printed in two colors throughout.
CORNELL WOOLRICH: Love & Night: Cornell Woolrich - Unknown Stories edited by Francis M. Nevins (Dennis McMillan, 2007, $35.00) Edition of 1,000 Brillianta cloth-bound copies SIGNED by Nevins. Edgar Award-winning Woolrich biographer Nevins brings together 15 Woolrich stories, first published between 1926 and 1939 and never reprinted since.
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