It’s almost here, it’s almost here! The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books happens this weekend on the campus of UCLA, and we will be at our usual station (Booth #411) all day Saturday and Sunday. The FESTIVAL OF BOOKS signing schedule has been updated for Day 1, April 28 and Day 2, April 29; be sure to consult it so that you know when your favorite authors are scheduled. For directions and a map, visit this page, or contact The Mystery Bookstore directly. See you there!




PRE-FESTIVAL OF BOOKS PARTY

Co-hosted by the Southern California Mystery Writers of America!

Before that, though, we’re throwing our traditional Pre-Festival Signing Party on Friday night, April 27, starting at 5:00 p.m. and continuing until closing time (9:00 p.m., theoretically). Please join us and our friends from the Southern California Mystery Writers of America, who are generously co-hosting the party with us. Food, drink and dozens of authors will be here – won’t you come, too?






The complete schedule is on the website – but we said the schedule would be subject to change, and we already have a few to report.




Bad news first: Sara Gran has had to cancel her trip to Los Angeles, so will not be signing with us as scheduled.




The good news is that Mark Haskell Smith will be signing his brand-new book, SALTY, a full month before its official publication date! SALTY (Grove trade paperback, $14.00) is the story of faded rock star Turk Henry, whose wife, Sheila, is kidnapped by pirates in Thailand. Turk's ready to do whatever he has to do to get Sheila back, but a U.S. government functionary forbids him to negotiate with terrorists, and Sheila finds herself more and more fascinated with her captor. Smith’s genius is his ability to write about not-very-nice people doing not-very-nice things, and make us like them, root for them, and laugh at them.




And the even better news is two additions to the booth signing schedule. Allan Folsom will be signing at our booth at 11:00 on Sunday morning, joining the already-stellar lineup of Harlan Coben, Jesse Kellerman, David Morrell, Thomas Perry, Eric Stone, and Edward Wright. Folsom will be signing THE MACHIAVELLI COVENANT (Forge, $25.95) and earlier titles.THE MACHIAVELLI COVENANT, his most recent book, marks the return of THE EXILE’s Nicholas Marten, a former LAPD detective whose search for a South African bioterrorist throws him into an international conspiracy to assassinate world leaders.






Pamela Samuels-Young, author of the Vernetta Henderson mysteries (EVERY REASONABLE DOUBT and IN FIRM PURSUIT), will sign with us at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. She joins a panel of L.A.-based women writers that includes Sheryl Anderson, Brett Ellen Block, Jennifer Colt, Rita Lakin, and Alexandra Sokoloff.




Be sure to visit our SIGNED BEST-SELLERS page for our list of newly signed books by Jonathan Kellerman, Faye Kellerman, and Tim Maleeny. Linda put together a fabulous SPRING LIST FOR YOUNG READERS, so check it out! We also have Carl Hiaasen, James Lee Burke, and James Ellroy first editions on the RARE & COLLECTIBLES page.