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Current Newsletter
APRIL 7, 2008
New This Week at "M" is for Mystery ... and More
Newsletter Posting Date: April 7, 2008
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ATTENTION, DEAR READERS!
Due to staff vacations and other considerations, we are reducing the frequency of newsletters for this month. Therefore, in addition to today's edition, there will be one more newsletter, on Monday, April 21st, to take us through the end of this month. But in the interim, don't be surprised if you receive a quickie reminder of upcoming events or signed books that have arrived, just to keep you up to date. And remember, blurbs for all upcoming April events can always be seen -- in living color (remember "living color"?!) -- on the Events page of our Web site.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
--- Upcoming Author Events
--- Coming Attractions
--- New Signed 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.
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TOMORROW, TUESDAY the 8th at 7:00 PM, LISA LUTZ returns with Curse of the Spellmans (Simon & Schuster, $25.00). Publishers Weekly starred: "In the two years that have passed since the action in Lutz's hit debut, The Spellman Files (2007), zany Isabel Spellman, who works for the family PI firm in San Francisco, has become a somewhat responsible member of society. Unfortunately, she's also become obsessed with Subject (aka John Brown), a next-door neighbor who she's convinced has an evil secret she must expose, even if it means losing her PI license... Fans of The Spellman Files will laugh just as loudly at the comic antics chronicled in this sparkling sequel." And School Library Journal called this a "sequel to Lutz's side-splittingly funny debut novel... Once again, Lutz treats readers to a madcap roller-coaster ride." |
| FRIDAY the 11th at noon, MARY ROACH will sign Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (W.W. Norton, $24.95). "It takes one kind of skill to pack a book full of scientific information (physical, chemical, emotional) about human sex and sexuality research in the 20th century and to do it with care and thoughtfulness. And it takes another kind of talent to do it with wit, humor, and pure enjoyment. Roach's third book (after Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife) beautifully succeeds in both categories," said Library Journal. And Kirkus also raved, saying that Roach "...flings wide the closed doors behind which the scientific study of coitus has raditionally been conducted. Roach details the careers of sex researchers Alfred Kinsey, William Masters and Virginia Johnson, Marie Bonaparte (Napoleon's great-grand-niece) and porn-star-turned-Ph.D. Annie Sprinkle, among others... Apart from its considerable comic value, the book also emulates its predecessors by illustrating a precept of scientific research: The passion to know, in the face of censure and propriety, is what advances our understanding of the world. A lively, hilarious and informative look at science's dirty secrets." |
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On SATURDAY the 12th at 2:00 PM, JERRY KENNEALY will read from and sign Still Shot (St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95). "Kennealy deals another winning hand in his second Carroll Quint mystery (after 2007's Jigsaw). Quint, an entertainment writer for the San Francisco Bulletin, reports to editor-in-chief Katherine 'the Great' Parkham, who's worried about the Bulletin's possible acquisition by Sir Charles Talbot, a media magnate and famed art collector. Hoping to prevent the paper's sale, Parkham asks poker expert Quint to uncover how Talbot's son, Charlie, cheats at cards... The murder of an art curator and the disappearance of a Picasso painting from Talbot Sr.'s collection send Quint on a wild ride for answers that will keep readers turning the pages," said Publishers Weekly. Kennealy, a native San Franciscan, is a former policeman, fireman, licensed private investigator for more than twenty years, and past Vice President of the Private Eye Writers of America. He is the author of the Nick Polo series and numerous other mysteries. |
NEXT WEEK:
| On MONDAY the 14th at 7:00 PM, JESSE KELLERMAN will make his ONLY Bay Area appearance to talk about and sign The Genius (Penguin, $24.95). Publishers Weekly starred: "Greed gets Ethan Muller, a 33-year-old Manhattan art dealer, into hot water in Kellerman's superb third stand-alone thriller (after Trouble)... Kellerman has a gift for creating compelling characters as well as for crafting an ingenious plot that grabs the reader and refuses to let go." And bestselling author Harlan Coben has high praise: "...what truly separates Kellerman from the pack is his prose. Simply put, he is a wonderful writer... Jesse Kellerman tightens the noose slowly, and we his readers can do nothing but turn the pages. I have been a fan since his debut, Sunstroke, but he's getting better and better. If you've already read Jesse Kellerman, don't waste any more time reading this review. If you haven't yet discovered his work, The Genius is the place to begin -- and not a bad description of the author." Jesse's famous parents are bestselling authors Jonathan and Faye Kellerman. |
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TUESDAY the 15th brings JHUMPA LAHIRI, dropping by to sign Unaccustomed Earth (Knopf, $25.00). "It's early to be proclaiming a best book of the year, but [this] gorgeous new collection of eight stories will be hard to top," said the San Francisco Chronicle. And Publishers Weekly starred: "The gulf that separates expatriate Bengali parents from their American-raised children -- and that separates the children from India -- remains Lahiri's subject for this follow-up to Interpreter of Maladies and The Namesake. In this set of eight stories, the results are again stunning... Lahiri's stories of exile, identity, disappointment and maturation evince a spare and subtle mastery that has few contemporary equals." And Kirkus called the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's new book "...a collection that has a novel's thematic cohesion, narrative momentum and depth of character... The London-born, American-raised author of Indian descent returns with some of her most compelling fiction to date... An eye for detail, ear for dialogue and command of family dynamics distinguish this uncommonly rich collection." |
| On THURSDAY the 17th at 7:00 PM, meet DOMENIC STANSBERRY, who will discuss and sign The Ancient Rain (St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95). 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. "Most crime writers emphasize either plot or character in their narratives. Stansberry is mining a unique terrain, creating a series of books that have more to do with private and communal memories and how the inexorable passage of time slowly -- or brutally -- alters a place and its people," said Eddie Muller in the San Francisco Chronicle. And Publishers Weekly called it "...compelling... Equal parts contemporary crime fiction and dark, existential poetry, this novel should win Stansberry new fans." Kirkus concluded: "Stansberry has always walked on the noir side -- but this brilliantly imagined version of real events packs an emotional wallop genre fiction rarely delivers." |
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ANNE PERRY will drop by sometime on the 17th to sign Buckingham Palace Gardens (Random House, $26.00). 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." |
| On FRIDAY the 18th at Noon, BARON BIRTCHER will talk about and sign Angels Fall (Iota, $23.95). "A taut and evocative thriller," reports Edgar-winner T. Jefferson Parker. When a young girl disappears, former LA cop Mike Travis (back after Birtcher's bestselling Ruby Tuesday and Roadhouse Blues) leaves his scuba charter business in Hawaii for a descent into the bowels of an underground culture driven by drugs and sex, a world built on secrets where entire lives have been built on lies. His investigation glimpses a hellish side of paradise unseen by tourists, painted with the dark brushstrokes of hard-boiled tropical noir. "Travis sails, surfs and bare-knuckles his way through a thriller that rolls like a rogue wave toward a deadly climax," says Randy Wayne White. "It's stylish, fast, soulful,'' adds Don Winslow. "You want to read this book, then you want to live in it." |
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COMING ATTRACTIONS
(Asterisk indicates event added since last week.)
APRIL:
Tues., 22nd at 3:00 PM at San Mateo Library : ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH - The Miracle at Speedy Motors and Love Over Scotland (trade
paperback original)
Wed., 23rd, at 12:00 Noon, signing only: RABIH ALAMEDDINE - Hakawati
Sat., 26th at 2:00 PM: ADAM MANSBACH - The End of The Jews
Sun., 27th at 2:00 PM: JACK O'CONNELL - The Resurrectionist
Tues. 29th at 7:00 PM: LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN - Easy Innocence
Wed., 30th at 7:00 PM: STEVEN SIDOR - The Mirror's Edge
MAY:
Fri., 2nd at 7:00 PM: PETER LOVESEY - The Headhunters: An Inspector Hen Mallin Investigation
Sat., 3rd at 2:00 PM: CLAIRE M. JOHNSON - Roux Morgue
Tues., 6th, drop-by (approx. 1:00 PM): LOUISE ERDRICH - The Plague of Doves
Tues., 6th at 7:00 PM: JANE CLELAND - Antiques to Die For
Sat., 10th at 2:00 PM at San Mateo Main Library: TOBIAS WOLFF - Our Story Begins - Introduced and Interviewed by Oscar Villalon, Editor, S.F. Chronicle Book Review
Tues., 13th at 7:00 PM: STEVEN SAYLOR - The Triumph of Caesar - Launch Party!
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
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
SUMMER/FALL PREVIEW: (in alpha order; asterisk indicates event added since last newsletter)
JEFF ABBOTT / MAGGIE BARBIERI / RHYS BOWEN / JULIE COMPTON / JOHN CONNOLLY / ROBERT CRAIS / JEFFERY DEAVER / DAVE EGGERS / * ZOE FERRARIS / TANA FRENCH / ALAN FURST / MEG GARDINER / BRENT GHELFI / PAUL GOLDSTEIN / CRAIG JOHNSON / NICOLE MARY KELBY / STELLA RIMINGTON / JAMES ROLLINS / KELLY STANLEY / * DAVID WALTNER-TOEWS / * DAVID WROBLEWSKI / ELIZABETH ZELVIN
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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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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." |
| 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." |
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MICHAEL CHABON: Maps and Legends (McSweeney's, $24.00) SIGNED. [Books will be in-store on Fri., Apr. 11th.] "...Pulitzer Prize-winning author Chabon tells readers of some of the books that have helped shape his writing career. Among his loves: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Philip Roth's Goodbye, Columbus, Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and various comic strips and ghost stories. Chabon argues that there's a place for both high and low art in literature and that what really makes a reader is a love for the story... Chabon's 16 essays ... argue the merits of reading, writing, and storytelling, breaking down the barriers between so-called genre writing and 'serious' literature. Affectionate and funny; a welcome and necessary addition to all collections," said Library Journal. The dustjacket is a work of art: not merely the usual single wrapper, but three separate wrappers, in graduated sizes, fit together to appear as one. Striking and unique. |
| 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. |
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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.]
DAVID LEVIEN: City of the Sun (Doubleday, $24.95) SIGNED. [Our 'S&S' I 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." (4/1)
JAMES SHEEHAN: The Law of Second Chances (St. Martin's, $24.95) SIGNED. Kirkus called it "suspenseful ... a tense round of legal maneuvers and courtroom spectacle as Sheehan brings back protagonist Jack Tobin (The Mayor of Lexington Avenue, 2005), a lawyer who has committed strictly to defending men on death row. He now has his hands full." In addition to taking on two cases, at least one of which seems unwinnable, Tobin also face the possibility of losing his wife Pat to illness. Kirkus continues: "Sheehan's assured and elegant narrative voice elevates this nontraditional legal thriller ... the smart balance between Tobin's unpretentious courtroom presence and his contemplative reflections gives the book a certain dignity." (4/1)
RICHARD WRIGHT: A Father's Law (HarperCollins, $14.95 trade paperback original, second printing only) SIGNED by daughter Julia Wright, author of the Introduction. The author was completing this novel when he died in 1960; it is being published on the centennial of his birth. When the black police chief of a rich Chicago suburb begins to suspect his high-strung son of being a serial killer, Wright "brilliantly ... brings race, class and family dynamics to bear," reported Publishers Weekly. Meanwhile, The Washington Post praised Wright for the "strength and pull" of his "surprisingly contemporary" story that ''explores the inner conflicts and challenges faced by black Americans as they make their way through a society dominated by white privilege." Richard Wright won international renown for his powerful and visceral depiction of the black experience. He stands today alongside such African-American luminaries as Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison, and two of his books, Native Son and Black Boy, are required reading in high schools and colleges nationally. (4/1)
JEFFREY ARCHER: A Prisoner of Birth (St. Martin's, $27.95) SIGNED. "Bestseller Archer pays homage to Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo in this delicious updating of the adventure classic. Four upper-crust friends from Cambridge University known as the Musketeers conspire to frame Danny Cartwright, an illiterate London East Ender, for the murder of Danny's oldest friend and brother-in-law to be... The outcome of the intriguing trial ... is a 22-year sentence for Danny... Danny escapes by impersonating Moncrieff and hatches an intricate scheme to punish the Musketeers and clear his name. ...the author's firsthand knowledge of prison life and legal maneuvers helps make this a thoroughly enjoyable entertainment," said Publishers Weekly. (3/26)
KEVIN BROCKMEIER: The View From the Seventh Layer (Pantheon, $21.95) SIGNED. "A collection of 13 dreamy, fantasy-inflected stories from the Arkansas author (The Brief History of the Dead, 2006, etc)... Gossamer inventiveness: the work of a consummate stylist whose chosen limits are the source of his quirky fiction's truest strengths," said Kirkus. And Lydia Millet, author of Oh Pure and Radiant Heart, said: "Kevin Brockmeier's writing has a light, magical quality that makes it a joy to read. Playful and uninhibited, imaginative and gentle, he's an American Italo Calvino." (3/26)
REED FARREL COLEMAN: Empty Ever After (Bleak House, $45.00, from the limited "Evidence" edition) SIGNED and dated on a special Booking Sheet. "In the dark, compelling fifth Moe Prager mystery from Anthony-winner Coleman, the PI and former New York City cop pays a heavy price for a choice he made in the late 1970s after locating the missing Patrick Maloney. Prager had decided to preserve both the secret of Patrick's whereabouts and sexual orientation from Patrick's sister, Katy... While this appears to be the end of the series, fans of well-written PI novels will hope to see more of Prager," said Publishers Weekly. Ken Bruen called Coleman "One of the most daring writers around... He freely admits his love of poetry and it resonates in his novels... He writes books we all aspire to." (3/26)
* NOTE: We will also have the hardcover trade edition ($24.95) very soon.
ROBERT FERRIGNO: Sins of the Assassin (Scribner, $24.95) SIGNED. In the second book of Ferrigno's Assassin Trilogy, Rakkim Epps battles radical fundamentalist forces in a futuristic America, now a divided blood-soaked dystopia. The year is 2043. New York and Washington, D.C., have been leveled by nuclear bombs. New Orleans is submerged beneath fifty feet of water and treasure hunters scavenge its watery ruins. The United States no longer exists, and in its place two new nations maintain an uneasy coexistence. Of the first in the trilogy, Prayers for the Assassin (2006), David Montgomery wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Every once in a while, a novel comes along that is so dazzling, so audacious that it seizes you by the scruff of your neck and forces you to sit up and take notice. Robert Ferrigno's stunning new political thriller ... is just such a novel... It would be easy for such a novel to veer off into the absurd or the preposterous, or simply degenerate into silliness. [This] never does. It is sharp, fascinating and wildly entertaining, cover to cover." (3/26)
-- ALSO: Dead Silent (Putnam, 1996, $5.00) F/F, SIGNED.
JAMES W. HALL: Hell's Bay (St. Martin's Minotuar, $24.95) SIGNED. "If violence can be poetic, Hall has the lyric voice for it," said Marilyn Stasio in her New York Times crime column. Publishers Weekly said: "Edgar-winner Hall puts a Southern gothic twist on his latest Florida thriller to feature his iconic hero, Key Largo beach bum Thorn... The appeal of this multilayered novel lies in the authenticity of its evocation of the Everglades, along with a slow-burning plot that kicks into high gear... The result is another compulsive page-turner from a master of suspense." And the Washington Post said: "Hall expounds on such topics as the joys of creating bonefish flies, the ecological importance of mangrove roots, the toxic horrors of phosphate mining and the challenges of going one-on-one with a bull shark. Hell's Bay offers a tasty mix of rip-roaring adventure, caustic social commentary and lyrical appreciation of the beauty that still exists in Florida, despite everything." (3/26)
LAURA LIPPMAN: Another Thing to Fall (William Morrow, $24.95) SIGNED. "Hollywood comes to Baltimore in bestseller Lippman's assured 10th Tess Monaghan caper," said Publishers Weekly. Tess is hired as a bodyguard for the hard-partying star of a miniseries being shot in her neighborhood and, Kirkus Reviews reports, it "may be the worst job of her life," especially when a production assistant ends up dead. "Tess' latest leaves you fully satisfied," concluded Kirkus, while Publishers Weekly said "fans will appreciate the author's usual authentic local color and intricate plotting." Lippman's Tess Monaghan books have won the Edgar, Agatha, Shamus, Anthony, and Nero Wolfe awards. (3/26)
MICHELE MARTINEZ: Notorious (William Morrow, $23.95) SIGNED. "The exciting fourth legal thriller from former federal prosecutor Martinez to feature Melanie Vargas (after 2007's Cover-up) starts with a bang: a car bomb detonated by a cellphone explodes outside the Manhattan federal courthouse and kills Lester Poe, a distinguished defense attorney who was opposing Melanie in her murder prosecution of rap legend Atari Briggs..." said Publishers Weekly. And FreshFiction.com called this "...a fast-paced, tightly-written novel that adeptly captures the reader from the get-go. Martinez teases her audience with the sexual tension between Melanie and Dan, while she entices us to turn the pages as the two try to solve the case and perhaps rekindle their former flame. From the courtroom to the streets, Martinez's skill as an author, coupled with her real world experience as a federal prosecutor, most definitely makes her latest novel ring true." (3/26)
LOUISE PENNY: The Cruelist Month (St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95) SIGNED. Publishers Weekly starred: "Chief Insp. Armand Gamache and his team investigate another bizarre crime in the tiny Québec 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." (3/26)
NANCY ATHERTON: Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter (Viking, $22.95) SIGNED and stamped by the author with a plush bunny illustration, in pink. [Our 'S&S' III for March.] "Near the start of Atherton's engaging 13th Aunt Dimity mystery (after 2007's Aunt Dimity Goes West), series heroine Lori Shepherd, the overprotective mother of five-year-old horse-obsessed twins, is alarmed when her sons insist they saw a vampire during their riding lessons. From her strange friendship with the spectral Aunt Dimity, Lori knows anything's possible, even vampires, though Lori fears a pedophile may be skulking in the woods outside the Cotswolds village where she and her family live..." And Kirkus said: "One of Aunt Dimity's most suspenseful mysteries. Loyal fans will be thrilled by every new revelation." (3/18)
STEPHANIE BARRON: A Flaw in the Blood (Bantam, $24.00) SIGNED. [Our 'Mystorical' for March.] "In her first stand-alone penned under the Barron name, the author of the acclaimed Jane Austen mystery series (she also writes as Francine Matthews) delivers a remarkable gem of historical suspense based on her careful research of 19th-century British royalty. This rich thriller revolves around the recent death of Prince Albert, the beloved husband and consort of Queen Victoria, an event that raises many questions about the behavior of her courtiers and other royal family members... Through Barron's careful, accurate period details, readers get a true sense of what it was like to live in Victorian England. Strongly recommended..." said Library Journal. (3/18)
BENJAMIN BLACK (JOHN BANVILLE): The Silver Swan (Henry Holt, $25.00) SIGNED. Publishers Weekly starred: "In this stunning follow-up to 2007's Christine Falls, Black (pseudonym of Booker Prize-winner John Banville) spins a complex tale of murder and deception in 1950s Ireland. Pathologist Garret Quirke, surprised by a visit from a college acquaintance, Billy Hunt, is even more surprised when Billy begs Quirke not to perform an autopsy on his wife, Deirdre, whose naked body was recently retrieved from Dublin Bay. Though everything points to suicide, Quirke knows something's amiss and begins to retrace Deirdre's steps... Laconic, stubborn Quirke makes an appealing hero as the pieces of this unsettling crime come together in a shocking conclusion." And Library Journal said: "Black/Banville is a master of atmosphere; the fear and dread associated with hidden desires and deeds fairly leap off the page." (3/18)
BRENDAN DUBOIS: Final Winter (Five Star, $25.95) SIGNED. From the two-time Shamus Award-winner and three-time Edgar Award nominee -- a fast-paced thriller that ranges from the villages of Pakistan to the crowded streets of London, from Bali to secret American military facilities in faraway lands. Publishers Weekly said: "DuBois, known primarily for his Lewis Cole detective series, offers up a stand-alone thriller built around the threat of a massive anthrax terrorist attack. While the Twin Towers are still smoking, three intelligence officers meet to discuss averting future threats. They form secret units known as Tiger teams, drawing recruits from inside and outside existing government agencies. ...the basic themes are familiar, but Dubois's execution is inventive, with plot twists good enough to keep readers whipping through the pages." (3/18)
-- ALSO: Twilight (St. Martin's, 2007, $24.95) SIGNED, as new.
CHRISTOPHER G. MOORE: The Risk of Infidelity Index (Atlantic Monthly, $22.00) with SIGNED bookplates, direct from Thailand, where this Canadian author resides. "A veteran Bangkok shamus, born and bred in New York, makes his American debut. Not many private eyes have offices upstairs from a massage parlor, and the apparent suicide of Jazz, a female employee of the parlor, One Hand Clapping, does nothing to improve the neighborhood. But Vincent Calvino, the PI upstairs, has graver problems. Andrew Danielson, the attorney who'd promised him $10,000 to dig up evidence of pharmaceutical piracy, dies hours after Jazz, who turns out to be his lover. ...the darkly raffish Bangkok milieu is a treat," said Kirkus. And Marilyn Stasio, in her New York Times crime column, said: "As alluring as it is disorienting, The Risk of Infidelity Index introduces American readers to Christopher G. Moore's exotic private-eye mysteries set in Bangkok and featuring an American expatriate named Vincent Calvino... Moore's flashy style successfully captures the dizzying contradictions of this vertiginous landscape." (3/18)
TOM CAIN: The Accident Man (Penguin, $24.95) SIGNED on an otherwise blank page. Kirkus said: "Who killed the people's princess? Could be this debut novel's hard-hitting assassin for hire. Pseudonymous author Cain, a British journalist, crafts a disarming, exhilarating thriller that conjectures how the car crash that killed Princess Diana, never directly named here, might have been set up. Cain's protagonist Samuel Carver is an old-school S.O.B., a tightly wound former soldier who orchestrates fatal mishaps for the world's cutthroats... A first-rate, breakneck adventure." And Library Journal concluded: "Nicely paced and well researched, this is a thriller that genuinely thrills..." (3/10)
SUSAN CHOI: A Person of Interest (Penguin, $24.95) SIGNED. Publishers Weekly starred: "After fictionalizing elements of the Patty Hearst kidnapping for her second novel (the 2004 Pulitzer finalist American Woman), Choi combines elements of the Wen Ho Lee accusations and the Unabomber case to create a haunting meditation on the myriad forms of alienation... The result is a magisterial meditation on appearance and misunderstanding as it plays out for Lee as spouse, colleague, exile and citizen." And the Los Angeles Times said: "Choi deftly turns our gaze away from the obvious and takes us on a complicated and revealing journey into the alienated heart of modern American life. With nuance, psychological acuity and pitch-perfect writing, she tells the large-canvas story of paranoia in the age of terror... Choi juggles suspense and psychological drama with an acrobatic dexterity, and in Lee she has invented a memorable literary character whose quest for connection and validation shines a light on alienation in the Age of Terror." (3/10)
CHARLIE STELLA: Mafiya (Pegasus, $25.00) SIGNED. A starred review: "Although his plot may be somewhat familiar, Stella (Shakedown) has crafted a true page-turner that grips the reader from the prolog and doesn't let go until the final page. Agnes Lynn is a former prostitute now working as an office temp, dating a former cop, and trying to recover from her former life... Agnes is a flawed heroine, a refreshing change from too many lesser novels, and Stella remains a master of creating complex and believable characters. Stella has quickly become one of crime fiction's leading lights, and this latest effort will burnish that well-deserved reputation. A great book; recommended..." said School Library Journal. And Booklist praised: "...this revenge-driven tale will satisfy fans of strong women and contemporary crime - as you’ll guess from the title, the bad guys aren’t your father’s Mafia." (3/10)
* 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. [SEE "DELUXE EDITIONS" BELOW for lettered edition.]
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MY BOOK COLLECTION: Book Collecting Software & Tutorial (Elms Publishing, $24.95) for Windows and Mac. The CD contains: an easy-to-use, comprehensive book collecting database to help you organize, manage and document your collection and its value; also, a signature database, as well as a tutorial on beginning book collecting. Great for beginners and established enthusiasts.
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SIGNED Firsts Upcoming:
(Asterisk indicates name added since last week.)
MARK ALPERT: Final Theory
ACE ATKINS: Wicked City
LAWRENCE BLOCK: Hit and Run
KEN BRUEN: Cross
LEE CHILD: Nothing to Lose
HARLAN COBEN: Hold Tight
WILLIAM DIETRICH: The Rosetta Key
LOREN ESTLEMAN: Frames
* LINDA FAIRSTEIN: Killer Heat
MICHAEL GRUBER: The Forgery of Venus
JOANNE HARRIS: The Girl With No Shadow
COLIN HARRISON: The Finder
CRAIG JOHNSON: Another Man's Moccasin
JONATHAN KELLERMAN: Compulsion: An Alex Delaware Novel
DONNA LEON: The Girl of His Dreams (Signed bookplates)
* PHILLIP MARGOLIN: Executive Privilege
SUJATA MASSEY: Shimura Trouble
LAURA JOH ROWLAND: The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte
JOHN SANDFORD: Phantom Prey
RICHARD STARK (DON WESTLAKE): Dirty Money
JOSEPH WAMBAUGH: Hollywood Crows
RANDY WAYNE WHITE: Black Widow
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):
RITA MAE BROWN: The Purrfect Murder (Bantam, $25.00) SIGNED and stamped with the author's Sneaky Pie cat paw stamp.
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.
JOHN McEVOY: Close Call (Poisoned Pen, $24.95) 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.
ELIZABETH BECKA: Unknown Means (Hyperion, $22.95) SIGNED.
ELIAS KHOURY: Yalo (Archipelago, $25.00) SIGNED.
KEN KUHLKEN: The Vagabond Virgins: A Hickey Family Mystery (Poisoned Pen, $24.95) SIGNED.
JAMES O. BORN: Burn Zone (Penguin, $25.95) SIGNED.
C. J. BOX: Blue Heaven (St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95) SIGNED.
CHARLIE HUSTON: Half the Blood of Brooklyn (Ballantine Del Rey, $13.95 trade paperback original) SIGNED.
WALTER MOSLEY: Diablerie (Bloomsbury, $23.95) SIGNED.
OTTO PENZLER, Editor: The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, $25.00, full-sized paperbound original, not signed). Our 'Spotlight On...' pick for December.
MICHAEL WILEY: The Last Striptease (St. Martin's, $23.95) SIGNED.
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Selected SIGNED First Editions (from recent in-store signings, listed most recent first):
CHRISTOPHER RICE: Blind Fall (Simon & Schuster, $26.00) SIGNED.
RICHARD PRICE: Lush Life (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $26.00) SIGNED.
JODI PICOULT: Change of Heart (Atria, $26.95) SIGNED.
DENISE MINA: Slip of the Knife (Little, Brown, $24.99) SIGNED.
DAVID HAJDU: The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $26.00) SIGNED. Our
'Spotlight On...' pick.
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.
T. JEFFERSON PARKER: L.A. Outlaws (Penguin, $25.95) SIGNED.
CARA BLACK: Murder in the Rue de Paradis (Soho, $24.00) SIGNED.
PARI NOSKIN TAICHERT: The Socorro Blast (University of New Mexico, $24.95) SIGNED.
JOHN LESCROART: Betrayal (Penguin, $26.95) SIGNED.
CHARLES BAXTER: The Soul Thief (Pantheon, $20.00) SIGNED.
STEVE HOCKENSMITH: The Black Dove (St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95) SIGNED.
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DELUXE EDITIONS
COMING SOON: MO HAYDER: Ritual (Scorpion, $160.00) SIGNED deluxe ed. ltd. to 55. With an Appreciation by Margaret Murphy, with special Scorpion Press binding (as in other titles). Quantities limited, orders taken now.
-- ALSO: The U.K. trade edition from Bantam, $39.00, SIGNED.
JAMES LEE BURKE: The Tin Roof Blow-Down - SIGNED Deluxe limited edition of 80, from Scorpion Press. 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($160.00).
-- ALSO: Pegasus Descending (Scorpion, 2006) SIGNED Deluxe limited edition of 80, with an Appreciation by James Sallis; binding, etc., same as above ($150.00).
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). Edgar Award-winning Woolrich biographer Nevins brings together 15 Woolrich stories, first published between 1926 and 1939 and never reprinted since.
In two formats:
NOW IN: edition of 1,000 Brillianta cloth-bound copies ($35.00) SIGNED by Nevins.
NOW IN: edition of 156 quarter morocco pigskin copies, with handmade Spanish-marbled endpapers, slipcased, at $250.00; SIGNED and lettered by Nevins, with a very informative introduction by editor FRANCIS M. NEVINS.
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