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The spring publishing season starts this month, and we're excited about all the authors coming to visit. In addition to the formal signings, we're expecting
You can now read the entire monthly newsletter online at http://www.mystery-bookstore.com. Just scroll down the center of the homepage until you find the link. And if you're getting this newsletter electronically, it may look a little different this month – we're trying out a new mailing system. Please let us know if you have any trouble receiving or reading it.
AUTHOR SIGNINGS & EVENTS
MONDAY, MARCH 3 at 6:30 p.m.
ALEX BERENSON discusses and signs THE GHOST WAR
Putnam, $24.95
BOBBY'S FAVORITE
CIA agent John Wells, introduced in the Edgar Award-winning The Faithful Spy, returns in this sequel. Wells returns to Afghanistan to investigate a surge in Taliban activity, and finds astonishing evidence of foreign powers at work – and a mole inside the CIA. Berenson, a New York Times reporter, is writing some of today's best spy fiction. Don't miss this chance to meet him in person.
SUNDAY, MARCH 9 at 4:00 p.m.
Off-site event!
RHYS BOWEN appears with the WELSH CHOIR OF CALIFORNIA at Hollywood United Methodist Church
We are delighted to serve as booksellers at this unique event. As some of you may know, Rhys Bowen is not only an award-winning mystery author (of the Evan Evans, Molly Murphy and Her Royal Spyness series), but also a gifted singer and musician. She joins the Cor Cymraeg De Califfornia (Welsh Choir of California) for an afternoon of books and music in honor of St. David's Day at Hollywood United Methodist Church, 6817 Franklin Ave. (Franklin and Highland). All are welcome; tickets are $18.00 apiece, or $15.00 for students, seniors and military personnel. Call 310-377-4620 or visit http://welshchoir.com for reservations and more information.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Off-site event!
MYSTERIOUS CALIFORNIA: FOUR AUTHORS at UCLA James Bridges Theater
We'll be selling books at a screening of "Mysterious California: Four Authors," a "book club in a box" that looks at works by four California authors: SOUTHLAND by Nina Revoyr, THE ART OF DETECTION by Laurie R. King, SHELL GAMES by Kirk Russell, and SHARPSHOOTER by Nadia Gordon. The film's producers, Pamela Beere Briggs and William McDonald, will also be there. Please join us for the free screening and reception to follow; parking will be available ($8.00) in UCLA Lot 3. Details are online at http://www.calbook.org/bcb/mysterious.html. [photo credit, Laurie R. King: Seth Affoumado]
THURSDAY, MARCH 13 at 7:00 p.m.
MWA WRITERS' WORKSHOP with ALAN COOK: "THE HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY"
This month's visitor from the Southern California chapter of Mystery Writers of America is Alan Cook, who will present a short history of the mystery genre, from Poe and Doyle to the present. Cook's latest mystery, HONEYMOON FOR THREE (AuthorHouse trade paperback, $14.49) won the Silver Quill from the American Author's Association. Cook's other works include Hotline to Murder, Catch a Falling Knife, Thirteen Diamonds, and a short story in A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime, edited by Jeffery Deaver. His non-fiction includes Walking the World and Walking Denver.
FRIDAY, MARCH 14 at 12:00 noon
A LUNCH DATE WITH CRIME!
LAURA LIPPMAN discusses and signs ANOTHER THING TO FALL
William Morrow, $24.95
We can't think of a better way to start the weekend than with lunch with one of our favorite authors. Laura Lippman has won almost every award the mystery world bestows, and her books keep getting better. We are delighted that she's coming to discuss the tenth Tess Monaghan adventure, in which the Baltimore PI agrees to serve as a bodyguard for a starlet shooting a miniseries on location.
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.
Join us for conversation and food; reserve your place in advance and we'll order a box lunch for you from our neighbors at the Corner Bakery. Sandwich choices are Chicken Pesto, Ham on Pretzel, Southwest Roast Beef, Turkey Swiss, D.C. Chicken Salad, Tomato Mozzarella or Tuna Salad; the lunch includes a side of chips, pasta or potato salad, a fresh baked sweet and a piece of fruit. The whole package is only $11.00, payable to us (cash only). We'll provide sodas and water. RSVP by Monday, March 10, by phone or email.
SATURDAY, MARCH 15 at 4:00 p.m
CARA BLACK discusses and signs MURDER IN THE RUE DE PARADIS
Soho Crime, $24.00
INGRID'S FAVORITE and LINDA'S (Grown-Up) FAVORITE
Cara Black's eighth book is a roller-coaster ride of international intrigue. In the summer of the St-Michel Metro bombings, Aimee Leduc is surprised by the reappearance of her ex-boyfriend, Yves Robert. Robert, an investigative journalist, broke Leduc's heart, but now makes a passionate play for her attention, to the point of proposing marriage. Leduc is shocked when the police ask her to identify Roberta's body. She throws herself into the investigation, and uncovers a secret that links a militant Turkish group, an assassination plot, and the Kurdish Labor Party. Like all of Aimee Leduc's adventures, this is an action-packed ride that offers a wonderful journey through a little-known part of Paris.
SATURDAY, MARCH 22 at 4:00 p.m.
STEVEN M. THOMAS discusses and signs CRIMINAL PARADISE
Ballantine, $25.00
Rob Rivers and his partner, Switch, rob an Orange County steakhouse and find a photograph that suggests the steakhouse's owner might be peddling pornography, or worse. Rob and another friend break into the owner's home and find the girl in the photograph – a 19-year-old Vietnamese girl who's being held against her will. It's just the beginning of a desperate ride into a world that scares even a career criminal like Rob Rivers.
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.
TUESDAY, MARCH 25 at 12:00 noon
LISA LUTZ discusses and signs CURSE OF THE SPELLMANS
MARCH DELICATE BUT DEADLY CLUB SELECTION and LINDA'S OTHER GROWN-UP FAVORITE
This sequel to Lutz's adorable debut, THE SPELLMAN FILES, is just as good as its predecessor, if not better. CURSE OF THE SPELLMANS finds PI and problem daughter Isabel Spellman obsessing over the secrets kept by her neighbor. It's funny, but it's also realistic about the line between charming wackiness and pathological compulsions, as Isabel's irrationality has real-life consequences.
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.
MARCH CRIME CLUB SELECTION
Christopher Rice, BLIND FALL
Scribner, $26.00 (signed first edition)
Rice, the author of three previous novels, takes a major step forward with this thriller about the death of a former Marine who turns out to have been hiding his partner and his life as a gay man. Ex-Marine John Houck discovers the mutilated body of his former comrade, Captain Mike Bowers, and must deal with his own homophobia, as well as lingering guilt over an earlier loss, before he can bring the killer to justice.
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.
MARCH DISCOVERY CLUB SELECTION and SARAH'S FAVORITE
David Levien, CITY OF THE SUN
Doubleday, $24.95 (signed first edition)
This harrowing debut novel from an established screenwriter is a must read. A missing child threatens to break apart a marriage and their only hope is ex-cop Frank Behr, a private investigator grappling with his own troubled past. This isn't your typical kidnapping/P.I. tale as the heart of the story is the unusual alliance between the surly Behr and the anguished father. The search for the missing boy catapults them into a sordid Mexican underworld inhabited by the most depraved villains.
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.
LIZ'S FAVORITE
Bill Floyd, THE KILLER'S WIFE
St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95
A few years after discovering that her husband was a serial killer, Nina and her son are almost secure in their new lives across the country when the father of one of her husband's victims tracks them down and exposes her identity. Not only does Nina have to recover from reopened wounds, she soon finds that her newfound notoriety has put her and her son in danger from more than the tabloids. Shifting between the present story and scenes from Nina's marriage, this is less a serial-killer novel than an exploration of what happens to those who are not victims but still caught in the crossfire of someone else's tragedy. Above all, it makes you think about just how well you know the people close to you.
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.
PAM'S FAVORITE
Minette Walters, THE CHAMELEON'S SHADOW
Macmillan, $51.00 (signed first U.K. edition); Knopf, $24.95 (unsigned first U.S. edition)
Lieutenant Charles Acland returns home from Iraq not only disfigured in his face, but radically altered in his personality. He suffers from paralyzing migraines and uncontrollable fits of rage – but is it possible that he's a murderer? Walters delivers an intricate plot and the psychological suspense that is uniquely hers.
LINDA'S MYSTERY OF THE MONTH FOR KIDS
Michael Reisman, THE GRAVITY KEEPER
Dutton, $16.99 (ages 9-12)
Linda's Guest Reviewer, 11-year-old Adrian, sent in this review: "Simon Bloom is just an ordinary twelve-year-old, until he stumbles across The Teacher's Edition of Physics. It contains all the laws of physics in the world – and commands to alter them. Simon teaches his friends a command each, and he himself becomes a Keeper. The Keepers are dedicated to preserving the laws of the Universe, and they do a good job of it, too, except for the occasional glitches, like a pen disappearing off the table the second you avert your attention. But a mysterious hooded figure covered in tattoos is looking for the Book, and Simon and his friends are having a hard time staying alive. A great thing about this book is that it doesn't take off of any others. It's new and original, and has lots of cool ideas. It does use the idea of magic and spells, but in a completely different way. It's also clever how often the Narrator is featured in the story. All in all, this book is definitely worth reading."
SIGNED BOOKS ON HAND
G.M. Ford, NAMELESS NIGHT. William Morrow, $23.95 (signed first edition). Clair's February favorite is Ford's first standalone. Paul Hardy is a man who's cheated death not once, but twice: once, when he was found nearly dead, with no name and no memory in a railroad car; and a second time seven years later, when a car accident restores some of his memory. What he remembers is a name – Wesley Allen Howard – and a vision of palm trees.
Martha Grimes, DAKOTA. Viking, $25.95 (signed first edition). In this sequel to BITING THE MOON, Andi Oliver finds herself in the small town of Kingdom, South Dakota, and tries to shut down the abusive practices of a pig slaughterhouse.
Ken Kuhlken, THE VAGABOND VIRGINS. Poisoned Pen, $24.95 (signed first edition). On the eve of the 1979 Mexican election, San Diego private investigator Alvaro Hickey starts hearing about apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Baja California, urging campesinos to vote against the PRI. Lourdes Shuler thinks the "Virgin" is her sister Lupe, and wants Alvaro to find her; something about her story doesn't sound right to Alvaro, but he agrees to take on the job.
Diane Wei Liang, THE EYE OF JADE. Simon & Schuster, $24.00 (signed first edition). The February Crime Club selection is a first novel and the beginning of a new series featuring Mei Wang, Beijing's first successful female private investigator. A family friend, "Uncle" Chen, hires her to track down a Han dynasty jade that disappeared during the Cultural Revolution. Now it's for sale on the black market, and Mei tracks it through back alleys, noodle bars and gambling dens. Along the way, she learns more than she wanted to know about her own family's history.
Peter May, THE CRITIC. Poisoned Pen Press, $24.95 (signed first edition). Scottish expatriate Enzo Macleod reopens a four-year-old investigation of a controversial wine critic's murder. Soon afterward, another victim is found murdered in the same way – drowned in wine.
Peter May, THE KILLING ROOM. St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95 (signed first edition). American pathologist Margaret Campbell and Beijing detective Li Yan investigate a horrifying mass murder of women in Shanghai.
T. Jefferson Parker, L.A. OUTLAWS. Dutton, $25.95 (signed first edition) "Allison Murietta" is a modern-day Robin Hood who steals from the wealthy, donates much of her take to charity – and invites the media along for the ride. It's all fun and games until a heist ends with ten dead gangsters and half a million in diamonds missing. Sheriff's Deputy Charlie Hood investigates the case, taking a particular interest in an eyewitness named Suzanne Jones – who has secrets of her own. Linda picked this book as her February favorite, and says it's "fast and fun, and showcases Parker's love for Southern California, with all its dusty heat and history."
Cornelia Read, THE CRAZY SCHOOL. Grand Central Publishing, $23.99 (signed first edition). Bobby's February favorite is the sequel to 2006's acclaimed A FIELD OF DARKNESS. Madeline Dare and her husband have left Syracuse for western Massachusetts, but when Madeline's husband's job offer falls through, she has to scramble to find work. She takes a teaching job at the Santangelo Academy, a boarding school for disturbed teenagers, and finds that the school's most serious problems don't belong to the students.
April Smith, JUDAS HORSE. Knopf, $23.95 (signed first edition). FBI Agent Ana Grey makes her long-awaited return after the shattering events of GOOD MORNING, KILLER. Returning to the job, she learns that a group of radical animal-rights activists has assassinated one of her colleagues. Ana goes undercover to infiltrate a group that calls itself Free Animals Now, led by an unstable, charismatic leader who's planning one final, monstrous act of terrorism.
Louise Ure, THE FAULT TREE. St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95 (signed first edition). Auto mechanic Cadence Moran was blinded in an accident eight years ago. As she walks home from work one night, a speeding car almost runs her down; Cadence thinks it's an accident, or road rage, but it proves to be something more sinister. She's the only witness to her elderly neighbor's murder, and the killer thinks that she saw the getaway car.
Betty Webb, DESERT CUT. Poisoned Pen, $24.95 (signed first edition). Private eye Lena Jones and her boyfriend, film director Warren Quinn, discover the mutilated body of a young girl in a shallow grave near Los Perdidos, Arizona. As Lena investigates, she runs up against local law enforcement, and discovers a small town torn apart by its opposition to illegal immigration.
RARE & COLLECTABLE
G.M. Ford, CAST IN STONE: A LEO WATERMAN MYSTERY. Walker, 1996, $30.00 (signed first edition). F/F. Second Leo Waterman novel. From Seattle to a small town in Wisconsin, Leo and his motley crew are on the trail of a missing daughter-in-law of an old friend in need of a favor. Small towns can have huge secrets…
G. M. Ford, THE BUM'S RUSH: A LEO WATERMAN MYSTERY. Walker, 1997, $27.50 (signed first edition). Two copies available. Two copies available. F/F. Third Leo Waterman novel. One of Seattle P.I. Leo Waterman's crew of mostly-on-the-street people has gone missing, which leads to the mysterious death of a local rock star.
Ken Kuhlken, THE VENUS DEAL. St Martin's, 1993, $35.00 (signed first edition). F/F. A nightclub in wartime San Diego, black market butter and lobster, an Indian cult, and the Mob. Kuhlken's second novel, but the action predates its predecessor, THE LOUD ADIOS.
Ed McBain, SADIE WHEN SHE DIED. Doubleday, 1972, $50.00 (first edition, not signed). F/F-: slight chipping to jacket at spine and corners, otherwise fine. "I'm delighted someone killed her." Hardly the usual comment for a husband to make while standing by the recently eviscerated body of his wife. But that's exactly what Gerald Fletcher told 87th Precinct detective Carella when he came to investigate the murder.
Ed McBain, CALYPSO. Viking, 1979, $80.00 (first edition, not signed). NF+/NF: moderate spine slant, faint discoloration to flyleaves from book jacket; small chips to jacket at corners and spine, otherwise fine. Dead calypso singer, dead hooker, the 87th Precinct has some colorful cases.
Ed McBain, GHOSTS. Viking, 1980, $100.00 (first edition, not signed).
F/F. "There was, from the beginning, a palpable sense of something alien in the house." Spooky words found in the typewriter of a dead author. Another body is found outside the same building, and 87th Precinct Detective Carella and colleagues think there's a link."
Ross Thomas, THE PORKCHOPPERS. Morrow, 1972, $300.00 (signed first edition). F/F-: very slight spine fade to bright orange jacket, otherwise fine. Labor union president faces a tough, dirty campaign for reelection. The stops are pulled out, and the action doesn't stop at election-stealing and assassination. Gorgeous copy in beautiful jacket.
Gore Vidal, DARK GREEN, BRIGHT RED. Dutton, 1950, first edition, $65.00 (not signed). NF+/VG: slight tanning to page edges, very light bumping to corners of boards and spine, pages clean, otherwise fine; jacket has chipping at edges, with quarter-inch piece missing to bottom of front, and half-inch piece missing at spine, otherwise bright. Revolution in Central America, funded by American corporations, an American vet and the daughter of a fallen dictator – all spell romance and political intrigue.
Gore Vidal, THE JUDGMENT OF PARIS. Dutton, 1952, $100.00 (first edition, not signed). F-/NF: very faint fraying to bottom corner of front board, bottom of spine very slightly pushed in; three small closed tears to front of jacket at top edge, tiny chips to corners of jacket. A young American's year in post-war Italy, Egypt and France, his adventures among the foreign cities, his affairs with three temptresses, and finally, the decisions he makes.
Gore Vidal, MESSIAH. Dutton, 1954, $75.00 (first edition, not signed). F-/NF: slight dent to side edge of front board; small chips to top and bottom of jacket at spine, closed quarter-inch tear to rear flap at top. Brain washing has become a recognized weapon. Will soul washing come next?
Gore Vidal, A THIRSTY EVIL. The Zero Press, 1956, $75.00 (first edition, not signed). F-/F-: top of spine very lightly pushed in; light rubbing to front of dust jacket, otherwise fine. Seven short stories displaying wit, variety and style.
Gore Vidal, MYRON. Random House, 1974, $40.00 (first edition, not signed). F/F-: tiny, closed tear to top of jacket on back, very faint wrinkling to jacket at top of spine, otherwise fine. Who pushed Myron Breckinridge through his television screen and onto the set of "Siren of Babylon"? Who is Maude the mischievous hair bender? Who wants to stop history in its tracks so as to preserve permanently the world of Louis B. Mayer and Andy Hardy? Who and what is Myron?
COMING IN APRIL
Thursday, April 10
JESSE KELLERMAN drops in to sign THE GENIUS
Thursday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m.
MWA Writer's Workshop – LINDA O. JOHNSTON discusses Inspiration: How to take something important in your life and turn it into a mystery series!
Saturday, April 12 at 11:00 a.m.
CHILDREN'S EVENT!
CASSANDRA CLARE discusses and signs her young adult novel, CITY OF ASHES
Sunday, April 13 at 4:00 p.m.
ROBERT S. LEVINSON discusses and signs IN THE KEY OF DEAD
…and mark your calendars for the
LOS ANGELES TIMES FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
Saturday and Sunday, April 26 & 27
Be sure to visit our SIGNED BEST-SELLERS page for a list of newly signed books, with some new additions by T. Jefferson Parker, Louise Ure and Betty Webb. Linda has lots of great new titles in LINDA'S LIST FOR YOUNG READERS, so be sure to check it out. We have new titles in RARE & COLLECTIBLES. Take a look at our fine first editions from authors G.M. Ford, Ken Kuhlken, Ed McBain, Ross Thomas and Gore Vidal.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST…Now you can view the full version of our MONTHLY NEWSLETTER on our site!