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).
If you would like to receive a brief weekly email notice each time we post a new edition, click here info@mformystery.com , and simply write "add me to mailing list" in the subject line.
To return to the current newsletter, click here.
Current Newsletter
APRIL 15, 2008
UPDATED News from "M" is for Mystery ... and More
Newsletter Posting Date: April 15, 2008
___________________________________
This is the interim "extra" (read all about it) that we warned you about last week. It is an update of current author events as well as listing a new passel of signed books, under 'Now In.'
The next regular newsletter comes out on Monday, April 21st.
___________________________________
IN THIS ISSUE:
--- Upcoming Author Events
--- New Signed First Editions (Now In)
--- Summer Events Added
--- Signed Firsts Upcoming Added
___________________________________
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.
 |
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." |
 |
 |
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." |
 |
Sneak Peek at Next Week:
 |
Tues., 22nd at 3:00 PM at San Mateo Main Library: ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH will talk about and sign his latest No. 1 Ladies mystery, The Miracle at Speedy Motors. The author will also sign Love Over Scotland, the third in the 44 Scotland Street series; Kirkus called it "...irresistible". Reserve your copy now, for pick-up at store or at event! |
___________________________________
A word about our first editions: ALL stated first editions are first printings -- unless otherwise specifically indicated to the contrary.
___________________________________
NEW SIGNED FIRST EDITIONS
NOW IN:
| 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." |
 |
 |
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. |
| 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." |
 |
 |
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." |
| 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.'" |
 |
 |
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." |
| LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN: Easy Innocence (Bleak House, $45.00, from the limited "Evidence" edition) SIGNED and dated on a special Booking Sheet. [NOTE: The author will discuss and sign her books at the store on Tues., Apr. 29th at 7:00 PM; we also now have in stock the trade edition, also from Bleak House, at $24.95.] 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." |
 |
 |
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. |
| 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..." |
 |
 |
LAURA JOH ROWLAND: The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte (Penguin, $24.95) SIGNED. 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." |
| 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." |
 |
 |
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." |
| 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." |
 |
___________________________________
SUMMER EVENTS ADDED
(Since last week)
JOHN BRANDON / JOHN CONNOLLY / MICHELLE GAGNON & SIMON WOOD
___________________________________
SIGNED FIRSTS UPCOMING ADDED
(Since last week)
DANIEL JUDSON: The Water's Edge
PETER LEONARD: Quiver
DOUGLAS PRESTON: The Monster of Florence
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I Shall Not Want
DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI: 'Severance Package
___________________________________
STORE HOURS:
MONDAY through SATURDAY from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM,
SUNDAY from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM,
and evenings until approximately 9:00 PM when an author is scheduled to appear at 7:00 PM.
Email your comments, orders or suggestions to
info@MforMystery.com
"M" is for Mystery Homepage
STORE INFO | AUTHOR EVENTS
CONTEMPORARY COLLECTIBLES | PAPERBACK COLLECTIBLES
SIGNED BOOKS | BRITISH BOOKS | PAPERBACK IMPORTS | ANTHOLOGIES
86 East Third Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94401
www.MforMystery.com
Phone: 650-401-8077
Toll free outside the Bay Area: 888-405-8077
Fax: 650-401-8079
Return to top of page
