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Thanks to everyone who made this year's L.A. Times Festival of Books such a great event: the authors, the volunteers, the Mystery Bookstore staff who spent extra hours on the job, and most of all the customers and friends who came to say hello and buy books. If you missed it, we have plenty of signed books left over; keep reading for a highlight of the selection available.
[Authors and fans mix it up at the Mystery Bookstore's
Annual Pre-Festival Bash]
[Nominated for the MWA's Mary Higgins Clark Award,
newcomer Sandi Ault was thrilled to meet the queen of
romantic suspense herself, Mary Higgins Clark, and her
daughter, mystery writer Carol Higgins Clark]
[James "Dog" Ellroy signed books for the next
generation of noir fans at his only Festival appearance
– at our booth!]
[Thriller writer Harlan Coben autographed his new novel,
Hold Tight, for his readers]
[Veternal romantic thriller writer Catherine Coulter
made her debut appearance at our booth on Sunday
– much to our delight]
[Bestselling children's author Cornelia Funke greeted
Sehnita Mattison, the director of development for a
favorite local charity, Bookends ("Kids Helping Kids
for Literacy"]
Congratulations to Karin Fossum, whose book THE INDIAN BRIDE won the L.A. Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller; to Louise Penny, whose book A FATAL GRACE won the Agatha for Best Novel; and to Hank Phillipi Ryan, whose book PRIME TIME won the Agatha for Best First Novel.
Sometime this month, ELIZABETH GEORGE will drop in to sign CARELESS IN RED (Harper, $27.95), her long-awaited new Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers novel. Quantities will be limited; reserve your copy now to avoid disappointment.
Congratulations to Karin Fossum, whose book THE INDIAN BRIDE won the L.A. Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller; to Louise Penny, whose book A FATAL GRACE won the Agatha for Best Novel; and to Hank Phillipi Ryan, whose book PRIME TIME won the Agatha for Best First Novel.
Sometime this month, ELIZABETH GEORGE will drop in to sign CARELESS IN RED (Harper, $27.95), her long-awaited new Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers novel. Quantities will be limited; reserve your copy now to avoid disappointment.
And make plans early to join us for June'sLunch Date with Crime, at noon on Tuesday, June 3 – when the one, the only LEE CHILD visits to discuss and sign his latest Jack Reacher novel, NOTHING TO LOSE (Delacorte Press, $27.00). As always, this event is free, but space is limited and we need to know how many sodas to buy. Call us in advance to reserve a copy of the book and your seat, and let us know if you'd like us to order lunch for you from The Corner Bakery: a sandwich with a side of chips, pasta or potato salad, a fresh baked sweet and a piece of fruit, all for only $11.00, payable to us (cash only).
AUTHOR SIGNINGS & APPEARANCES
Saturday, May 3 at 5:00 p.m.
ROBERT K. TANENBAUM discusses and signs ESCAPE
Vanguard, $25.95
New York District Attorney Butch Karp tries a case against an NYU professor who is pleading insanity in the deaths of her three children. Meanwhile his wife, private investigator Marlene Ciampi, is on the trail of an Islamic terrorist who calls himself The Sheik and plans a spectacular outrage in the heart of New York City.
Watch a video interview with Robert Tanenbaum!
Listen to a podcast!
Audio file, click to play
Thursday, May 8 at 7:00 p.m.
MWA WRITERS' WORKSHOP with BILL FITZHUGH: "DIALOGUE, REGIONAL DIALECTS, AND SLANG"
Notwithstanding the homogenization of American language and culture, not everybody talks the same way. Characters shouldn't, either. Aspiring writers and all fans of quality crime fiction will want to join us for this free workshop with one of our favorite visitors. Bill Fitzhugh, award-winning author of seven satiric crime novels, will lead a discussion of how to write dialogue in general, how to write regional dialects, and how to tell if you've overdone it. The New York Times write that Fitzhugh's "facility and wit, and his taste for the perverse, put him in a league with Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard." His novels include Highway 61 Resurfaced, Heart Seizure, and Pest Control; and he'll be back later in the month to discuss The Adventures of Slim and Howdy, based on the alter egos of country superstars Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn. He also writes, produces, and hosts a weekly show on XM Satellite Radio's Deep Tracks channel called "Fitzhugh's All Hand Mixed Vinyl."
SISTERS IN CRIME presents BILL FITZHUGH, SUE ANN JAFFARIAN and LAURA LEVINE at the Manhattan Beach Library: "Stop! You’re Killing Me!"
We'll be selling books at the Manhattan Beach library when Sisters in Crime/LA Speakers Bureau presents three Mystery Bookstore favorites – and three of L.A.'s funniest mystery writers! A.H. Ream will moderate (if she can keep a straight face!) a discussion between Sue Ann Jaffarian (Thugs and Kisses, Midnight Ink, $13.95), Bill Fitzhugh (Adventures of Slim & Howdy, Center Street, $22.99), and Laura Levine (Death by Pantyhose, Kensington, $6.99) The Manhattan Beach Library (http://www.colapublib.org/libs/manhattan/) is at 1320 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA. Call them at (310) 545-8595 for details and directions.
Saturday, May 17 at 5:00 p.m.
BILL FITZHUGH discusses and signs THE ADVENTURES OF SLIM & HOWDY by Brooks & Dunn with Bill Fitzhugh
Center Street, $22.99
INGRID'S FAVORITE
Slim and Howdy are itinerant musicians, of the country variety. They play a mean hand of poker, reluctantly share a truck, and fend off trouble on behalf of lovely ladies in roadhouses. When a friend disappears, they pull out all the stops to find her, no matter what low-lifes, filmmakers, or fighting words they might encounter along the way. This is the first novel for famous country-western duo Brooks & Dunn, and the eighth comic mystery by Bill Fitzhugh; it effortlessly combines a freewheeling gentlemen-of-the-road storytelling style with a tight plot and great jokes.
Monday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m.
JOHN SANDFORD discusses and signs PHANTOM PREY
Putnam, $26.95
We're thrilled to get a visit from bestselling novelist John Sandford, author of the iconic "Prey" series. It's been almost twenty years since the publication of Sandford's first Lucas Davenport novel, RULES OF PREY, but the series shows no signs of flagging, and this book is one of the strongest installments. Lucas Davenport reluctantly agrees to investigate the disappearance of a college student that may be linked to two two recent slashing murders of Goth teenagers.
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, May 20 at 6:30 p.m.
An Offsite Event!
APRIL SMITH discusses and signs JUDAS HORSE at the Palms-Rancho Park Library
April Smith, author of the Ana Grey mystery series, discusses her latest book, JUDAS HORSE, in this free event at the Rancho Palms Library. JUDAS HORSE finds Ana Grey, still recovering from the devastating events of GOOD MORNING, KILLER, coping with the news 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. The Palms-Rancho Park Library is at 2920 Overland Avenue; for directions, call 310-840-2142.
Wednesday, May 28 at 7:00 p.m.
JOHN STRALEY discusses and signs THE BIG BOTH WAYS
Alaska Northwest Books, $25.95
John Straley's devoted fans will tell you that his books are like nothing else in crime fiction. Find out why when he visits to discuss this marvelous historical novel, set in the Pacific Northwest of 1935. Lumberman Slippery Wilson is on his way to Seattle when he meets Ellie Hobbs and her niece, on the run with a dead body in the trunk of their car. Slip, Ellie and her niece flee union men out for revenge, up the Inside Passage from Puget Sound to Alaska.
This title is not yet available at The Mystery Bookstore. Please contact us directly to reserve a copy. You may email mysterybookstore@gmail.com or telephone us on our toll-free number, (800) 821-9017.
MAY CRIME CLUB SELECTION
David Benioff, CITY OF THIEVES
Viking, $24.95 (signed first edition)
This second novel by the author of THE 25TH HOUR is a gripping adventure set mostly in wartime Leningrad. Teenager Lev Beniov is arrested for looting the body of a German paratrooper. In jail, he meets Kolya, a young deserter who is also a classic "fixer." Lev and Kolya are offered a deal: they can escape execution if they can come up with a dozen eggs for the colonel's daughter's wedding cake. Their search takes them from the lawless streets of Leningrad to the neighboring countryside, as the young men learn the lessons that will keep them alive.
This title is not yet available at The Mystery Bookstore. Please contact us directly to reserve a copy. You may email mysterybookstore@gmail.com or telephone us on our toll-free number, (800) 821-9017.
MAY DISCOVERY CLUB SELECTION and CLAIR'S FAVORITE
Nina Revoyr, THE AGE OF DREAMING
Akashic Press, $15.95 (signed first edition trade paperback)
In 1964, an aspiring screenwriter visits silent-screen legend Jun Nakayama, who retired from films forever in 1922. The screenwriter, Nick Bellinger, wants Nakayama to come out of retirement, but Nakayama has his reasons for wanting to stay out of the limelight. Nakayama remembers his short, brilliant career, and the terrible crime that ended it. Revoyr bases her story on real events, blending fact and fiction seamlessly and giving the reader a unique new perspective on Hollywood's cruel history.
Discovery Club members who prefer hardcover books have the option of receiving a signed first edition of EASY INNOCENCE by Libby Fischer Hellmann. Just let us know by phone or e-mail that you'd like to make the substitution.
MAY DELICATE BUT DEADLY CLUB SELECTION and CAROL'S FAVORITE
Alan Gordon, THE MONEYLENDER OF TOULOUSE
St. Martin's Minotaur, (signed first edition) $24.95
This is the seventh book in A Fools' Guild Mystery series, each one a great combination of history and mystery, and each seems to be better than the last. The time is 1204 AD. The jester Theophilos and his family have arrived in Toulouse on a mission to replace the current Bishop with one chosen by the Guild. As could be expected, nothing goes easily. The whole rationale behind the concept of the Fools' Guild is that there might have been a few men and women in those dark and misguided days who acted something like secret agents trying to keep all the little kingdoms and fiefdoms from doing irreparable damage to Europe and humankind in general. Naturally, it would be the jesters as they easily moved from place to place in a time where few traveled further that a couple of miles from the place they were born. A really great complex mystery and well researched history as well.
This title is not yet available at The Mystery Bookstore. Please contact us directly to reserve a copy. You may email mailto:mysterybookstore@gmail.com or telephone us on our toll-free number, (800) 821-9017.
BOBBY'S FAVORITE
Libby Fischer Hellmann, EASY INNOCENCE
Bleak House hardcover, $24.95; trade paperback, $14.95; limited edition with author's criminal profile page, $45.00 (simultaneous first editions, signed)
Hellmann takes a major step forward with this book featuring former Chicago cop Georgia Davis, who previously appeared as a supporting character in Hellmann's Ellie Foreman series. Davis, now a PI, investigates the murder of a popular high school student who had been living a secret double life. Hellmann takes a sharp look at class distinctions and suburban complacency among Chicagoland's elite, and the result is her deepest, darkest work yet.
BOBBY'S OTHER FAVORITE
Dominic Stansberry, THE ANCIENT RAIN
St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95 (signed first edition)
San Francisco PI Dante Mancuso looks for the truth behind a 1976 bank robbery that left a woman dead. Mancuso's client, Bill Owens, was the prime suspect, but never charged; now, a federal prosecutor armed with post-9/11 anti-terrorist laws wants to bring Owens to justice. Despite his Edgar win (for THE CONFESSION), Stansberry's been flying under the radar for far too long, and this should be his breakout book.
LIZ'S FAVORITE
Sheldon Siegel, JUDGMENT DAY
MacAdam Cage, $26.00 (unsigned first edition)
Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez, ex-husband-and-wife and current law partners, are called in for a last appeal in a death penalty case. Their client, Nate Fineman, is a one-time mob lawyer accused of killing one of his clients, among others. He's always accused the cops (including Mike's father) of setting him up, and now Mike and Rosie have just days to figure out and prove what really happened.
This title is not yet available at The Mystery Bookstore. Please contact us directly to reserve a copy. You may email mysterybookstore@gmail.com or telephone us on our toll-free number, (800) 821-9017.
MICAELA'S FAVORITE
Donna Leon, THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS
Atlantic Monthly Press, $24.00 (unsigned first edition)
In Donna Leon's latest Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery, THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS is not a middle-aged fantasy, but a beautiful child Guido pulls from the Grand Canal. She is dead – and now she haunts his dreams. An order from from Vice-Questore Patta hinders Guido's search for the truth, but he presses on to uncover truths he cannot reveal. A poignant tale of privilege and prejudice.
This title is not yet available at The Mystery Bookstore. Please contact us directly to reserve a copy. You may email mysterybookstore@gmail.com or telephone us on our toll-free number, (800) 821-9017.
PAM'S FAVORITE
Jesse Kellerman, THE GENIUS
Putnam, $24.95 (signed first edition)
Manhattan art dealer Ethan Muller can't believe his luck when he acquires the work of brilliant recluse Victor Cracke – after Cracke disappears. When someone recognizes a figure in one of Cracke's drawings as a boy who was murdered 40 years earlier, Muller realizes he needs to find out more about Cracke and his art. Kellerman inhabits THE GENIUS with interesting characters and interweaves a series of flashbacks through the story that adds to the mystery around Cracke and ratchets up the suspense. Dark, funny, and wonderfully written, Jesse Kellerman keeps getting better and better with each novel.
SARAH'S FAVORITE
John Shannon, THE DEVILS OF BAKERFIELD
Pegasus Books, $25.00 (signed first edition)
The introspective Jack Liffey, the Los Angeles private investigator who hunts for missing children, winds up looking for Maeve, his pregnant teenager daughter, after they stop for the night in a Bakersfield motel. He wakes up to find she's been thrown in jail for drug possession and prostitution, what he knows are trumped up charges. Jack's nightmare doesn't end there; he becomes the target of evangelists who accuse Jack of being a devil worshipper and baby killer. Book-burning, exorcisms, and witch hunts complete this lyrically haunting tale as Jack struggles to find the truth amidst the growing hysteria and paranoia in this tenth book of the series.
LINDA'S MYSTERY OF THE MONTH FOR KIDS
SIPPING SPIDERS THROUGH A STRAW: CAMPFIRE SONGS FOR MONSTERS
Lyrics by Kelly DiPucchio, Pictures by Gris Grimly
Scholastic, $15.99 (ages 7-10) (and Linda and Sarah, who thinks there should be a sing-along at the store!)
I'm a big fan of illustrator Gris Grimly's work – I love his use of watercolor and ink and mixed media. And, naturally, I love his wicked humor! In SIPPING SPIDERS, Grimly teams up with picture book author DiPucchio to take those boring old songs from summer camp to a deeper, darker place. For example, "The Farmer in the Dell" becomes a little less bucolic, accompanied by leaping goblins and pouncing ghouls: "We'll gather 'round the pit. We'll growl, snort and spit. Hi ho the scary-O, now grab a log and sit. We'll sing a song or two. We'll belch and barbecue. Hi ho the scary-O, here, try the witches' brew. We'll rip your tent and sneer. We'll fill your nights with fear. Hi ho the scary-O, we're glad you made it here." Just imagine what they do to "Home on the Range" and "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall"!
This title is not yet available at The Mystery Bookstore. Please contact us directly to reserve a copy. You may email mysterybookstore@gmail.com or telephone us on our toll-free number, (800) 821-9017.
SIGNED BOOKS ON HAND
Baron Birtcher, ANGELS FALL. Iota Publishing, $23.95 (signed first edition). Former L.A. detective Mike Travis searches for a teenaged girl who has disappeared into an underworld of designer drugs and violent sex.
Carol Higgins Clark, ZAPPED. Scribner, $24.00 (signed first edition). A burglar invades Regan and Jack Reilly's Tribeca loft, in search of a safe that even the Reillys don't know about. Meanwhile, Jack investigates the theft of art from a SoHo gallery, and Regan looks for a missing insurance agent who may be preying on blond men.
Mary Higgins Clark, WHERE ARE YOU NOW? Simon & Schuster, $25.95 (signed first edition). Charles "Mack" MacKenzie Jr. disappeared ten years ago, at the age of 21; once a year, he makes a single phone call to his mother, to say that he's all right. Mack's sister Carolyn, now a 26-year-old lawyer, vows to track him down.
Harlan Coben, HOLD TIGHT. Dutton, $26.95 (signed first edition). Sarah's April favorite asks, how far is too far when it comes to protecting your child? As a quiet suburban neighborhood reels after a high school boy's suicide, one couple resorts to technological gadgetry to keep an eye on their withdrawn son. Meanwhile, a deranged serial killer is on the prowl.
Tom Epperson, THE KIND ONE. Five Star, $25.95 (signed first edition). In 1933 Los Angeles, "Two Gun" Danny Layton wakes up without his memory, and believes his friends when they tell him he works for a mob boss.
Robert Levinson, IN THE KEY OF DEATH. Five Star, $25.95 (signed first edition). Former cop Josh Wainwright is determined to get justice for his wife, music star Katie Sunshine, after a sniper kills her. Wainwright is sure the man responsible is legendary producer Clyde "Mr. Magic" Davenport – but what does it mean when Davenport hires Wainwright to investigate threats against his own life?
Thomas Perry, FIDELITY. Harcourt, $25.00 (signed first edition). Emily Kramer is shocked when her husband, Phil, is shot to death in the middle of the night – but then she learns that their bank accounts have been wiped out, and that Phil might not have been the man she thought he was. Jerry Hobart, the hit man who shot Phil, is supposed to kill Emily as well – but he wants to find out what secret the Kramers are hiding that someone would be willing to kill for.
Nina Revoyr, THE AGE OF DREAMING. Akashic Press, $15.95 (signed first edition trade paperback). In 1964, an aspiring screenwriter visits silent-screen legend Jun Nakayama, who retired from films forever in 1922. The screenwriter, Nick Bellinger, wants Nakayama to come out of retirement, but Nakayama has his reasons for wanting to stay out of the limelight.
Peter Robinson, FRIEND OF THE DEVIL. William Morrow, $24.95 (signed first edition). Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his lover, DI Annie Cabbot, investigate two apparently unrelated murders: a wheelchair-bound woman found with her throat cut on a seaside cliff, and a young student raped and strangled in a Yorkshire alley.
Stuart Woods, SANTA FE DEAD. Putnam, $25.95 (signed first edition).
New Mexico attorney Ed Eagle's wife Barbara not only left him, but took out a contract on his life. Now Barbara's out of prison, back on Ed's trail, and looking for another wealthy husband. Meanwhile, Ed's trying to clear a client, Don Wells, of charges that he killed his own wife and son.
AND LOOKING AHEAD
Monday, June 2 at 7:00 p.m.
ALAN FURST discusses and signs SPIES OF WARSAW
Tuesday, June 3 at 12:00 noon
LUNCH DATE WITH CRIME!
LEE CHILD discusses and signs NOTHING TO LOSE
Saturday, June 7 at 4:00 p.m.
PATRICIA SMILEY discusses and signs COOL CACHE
Saturday, June 7 at 5:00 p.m.
DON WINSLOW discusses and signs THE DAWN PATROL
Tuesday, June 10 at 7:00 p.m.
JOHN CONNOLLY discusses and signs THE REAPERS
Thursday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m.
JON LAND discusses and signs THE SEVEN SINS: The Tyrant Ascending
Saturday, June 14 at 12:00 noon
DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI discusses and signs SEVERANCE PACKAGE
Monday, June 16 at 7:00 p.m.
MEG GARDINER discusses and signs THE DIRTY SECRETS CLUB (U.S. edition)
Thursday, June 19
JEFFERY DEAVER drops in to sign THE BROKEN WINDOW
Thursday, June 19 – Sunday, June 29
LA Film Festival in Westwood Village!
Saturday, June 21 at 5:00 p.m.
A Launch Party for THE DECEIVED by BRETT BATTLES
Monday, June 30 at 7:00 p.m.
An Offsite Event!
ROBERT FATE, NAOMI HIRAHARA, and ERIC STONE discuss their work at the Redondo Beach Library
And looking ahead to July…
Saturday, July 5 at 5:00 p.m.
ROBERT CRAIS discusses and signs CHASING DARKNESS