We had a great time on Saturday at the launch party for Dr. D.P. "Doug" Lyle's new book, FORENSICS AND FICTION. Doug fielded questions from customers, aspiring authors and bookstore staff for more than an hour; among other topics, inquiring minds wanted to know about the rate of a cadaver's decomposition and bodies exploding on Mars. Doug's publicist extraordinaire, Debbie Mitsch, delivered the coup de grace with a cake that bled as it was cut!





















[Author Doug Lyle answers questions from the crowd.]



















[Two fans enjoy a chat with Doug.]



















[Doug gets ready to "dissect" the "bleeding cake."]




Following Doug was his pal (and ours) Lee Goldberg, who read from his latest mystery, MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS. The excerpt he chose just happened to feature a scene in a Mystery Bookstore in Westwood Village … this book has already gone into second printings, so act fast if you want one of the few signed firsts that remain in stock.





















[Lee Goldberg reads from his latest Mr. Monk novel.]



















[Lee answers questions from the crowd.]




On a more somber note, we were saddened to hear about the passing of Magdalen Nabb, author of the Marshal Guarnaccia mysteries. Nabb held the strongest claim of succeeding to the literary tradition of Georges Simenon, whose work she admired beyond all others; Simenon himself called Nabb's debut, DEATH OF AN ENGLISHMAN, "A coup de maitre … one of the tastiest books I have read in years." Her death, at only 60, is a great loss to the mystery community.




We will be closed for the Labor Day holiday on Monday, September 3, but busy as schoolchildren after that.




Whatever else your schedule may include next month, please join us for a very special celebration on Saturday, September 8, when the legendary RAY BRADBURY joins us. We'll be celebrating his 87th birthday (August 22!) and his Pulitzer with a party that begins at 11:00 a.m., featuring cake and champagne. The man himself will join us at noon to speak briefly and sign his latest book, a pair of novellas published as NOW AND FOREVER.




AUTHOR SIGNINGS AND APPEARANCES




Saturday, September 1 at 5:00 p.m.
L. C. HAYDEN discusses and signs WHY CASEY HAD TO DIE: A Harry Bronson Mystery

Five Star, $25.95

Before you take off for the Labor Day weekend, join us to welcome L.C. Hayden, who is signing the first in a new series, WHY CASEY HAD TO DIE. Casey Secrist's murder was Harry Bronson's first case as a police detective. Her boyfriend was the obvious suspect, but Bronson was never satisfied with that solution. More than 20 years later, Bronson, now retired, starts getting messages about the crime – and a murder-mystery weekend he's invited to host turns out to have fatal connections to Casey's murder.

This title is not yet available at The Mystery Bookstore. Please contact us directly to reserve a copy. You may email orders@mystery-bookstore.com or telephone us on our toll-free number, (800) 821-9017.





Be sure to visit our SIGNED BEST-SELLERS page for our list of newly signed books by William Kent Krueger, David Ellis, Marcia Muller, and Bill Pronzini. Linda recently added 11 terrific new titles to the SUMMER LIST FOR YOUNG READERS, including signed copies of Jim Pascoe's Undertown, so be sure to take a look. We also have first editions of books by James M. Cain, Maj Sjowall, and Per Wahloo on the RARE & COLLECTIBLES page.