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NEWS
mys t e ry l o v e rs b o ok s hop
514 Allegheny River Boulevard • Oakmont, Pennsylvania 15139 • (412) 828–4877
December 2003 to February 2004
Hours: 10 to 5 Monday to Saturday, Noon to 4 Sunday
Spring Coffee & Crime
Saturday, March 6 at 10 am
British author Sarah Dunant starts our Spring Coffee & Crime
series with The Birth of Venus, a brilliant novel of Renaissance Florence.
The series carries on March 27 with David Liss and April 17 with
The Minnesota Crime Wave: Ellen Hart, Carl Brookins and William Kent Krueger.
Each author breakfast is $5, reservations are essential.
Linda Barnes
Thursday, March 11
Linda Barnes will join our Thursday book club for dinner, talk and
signing of her fabulous new Carlotta Carlyle mystery Deep Pockets, reviewed on page 2. Dinner is $12.95 and reservations are essential.
Winter Coffee & Crime
John Lescroart
February 7
Donna Andrews
February 14
Our Winter Coffee & Crime series continues.
February 7 with John Lescroart and his latest Dismas
Hardy novel Second Chair, and
February 14 with Donna Andrews and We’ll Always Have
Parrots. Check page 2 for reviews of these new books.
Tickets for each author breakfast are $5 and
reservations are necessary.
Why our free shipping is better than their free shipping, see back co
ver
cover
BUY IT AT WWW.MYSTERYLOVERS.COM
Page 2
MLB NEWS
December 2003
Just Published...
Spring into Coffee & Crime
A gripping tale of Renaissance Florence
at the height of the Savonarola hysteria
and heresy, Sarah
Dunant’s The Birth of
Venus (Random,
$24.95) kept me up all
night. I couldn’t wait
for him to burn! This
brilliant novel of
danger to art and free
thought is accurately
drawn in crisp clear
lines and colored as
beautifully as any fresco. [JA] Sarah will
kick-off our Spring Coffee & Crime Series
on Saturday, March 6 at 10 am.
Winter series a winner
Try one of these from our Winter
Coffee & Crime series, starting January 31.
Dismas Hardy is in a bad place in John
Lescroart’s The Second Chair (Dutton,
$25.95), just going through the motions
after the events in the previous The First
Law but a case of a teenager accused of
double murder, bungled by his junior
associate, brings back
his natural sense of
justice as he goes above
and beyond to defend
the boy. A fine performance in this excellent
series. Don’t miss John
Lescroart at our Coffee
& Crime breakfast on
Saturday, February 7.
Donna Andrews
strikes again with another winner in her
Meg Langslow series. We’ll Always Have
Parrots (St Martins, $23.95) is an hilarious
send up of TV show cult enthusiasms
when the investigating blacksmith
accompanies her significant other to a
riotous convention replete with costumes,
monkeys, parrots and a cast of colorful
suspects. Just the imagery alone will
entertain while the clever plot keeps you
turning pages all night. Anyone who loves
the humorous mystery can’t miss this
award winning series and will want to
meet the gifted creator at MLB for a
Valentine’s Day treat on Saturday, February 14 at a 10 am Coffee and Crime
breakfast. Call today to get your ticket and
treat a friends, too.
Cozy up to these
Highlights to Heaven (Kensington, $20)
is the latest in Nancy
Cohen’s delightful
series featuring
Florida hairdresser
Marla Shores. Marla
finds a body in her
neighbor’s house, but
it’s not her neighbor,
who is missing. She
doesn’t recognize the
stranger but she does recognize his bronze
highlights. From there, Marla’s off on a
wild investigation in the company of
homicide detective Dalton Vail. Don’t miss
Nancy at the Festival of Mystery on May 3.
Susan Wittig Albert’s A Dilly of a Death
(Berkley, $23.95) is a piquant addition to
the China Bayles series featuring the
former fast-track lawyer turned herb shop
entrepreneur. When husband Mike
McQuaid gives up teaching and opens a PI
business the first client is Phoebe the
Pickle Queen who promptly disappears.
Follow the intrigue with small town
humor, family stress and embezzling in big
business and you are on the trail to
murder. Again, all the facts you ever
wanted to know about dill and a few
recipes for good measure season this
mystery.
Deep Pockets (St. Martin’s, $24.95) is
the latest in Linda Barnes’s sharp series
featuring Boston PI Carlotta Carlyle and it
is the best yet. An intricate plot involving a
Harvard professor, breakthrough drug
research, a dead student on a rowing
scholarship, blackmail and murder rolls
out with the smooth assurance of a skilled
and award winning mystery writer. Don’t
miss a chance to meet her at MLB on
March 11th; call (412) 828-4877 for details
today.
Aunt Dimity: Snowbound (Viking,
$22.95) by Nancy Atherton is a mystery
classic when Lori Shepherd finds herself
stuck in Ladythorne Abbey, the home of
the late madwomen Lucasta. Every nook
and cranny gives up secrets and danger
abounds as Lori, the eccentric caretaker
and other stranded travelers try to solve
the ages old puzzles within. A treasure.
A perfect Valentine treat: Jennifer
Crusie’s back with another hot romantic
caper, Bet Me (St Martins, $22.95).
Though not a mystery, one of MLB’s
favorite versatile mystery writers glows in
this sexy and witty romantic mismatch
that proves the heart can triumph over
family, fortunes and flea market furnishings. Well, the Krispy Kreme donuts and
Chicken Marsala help.
A Catered Murder (Kensington, $22.)
by Isis Crawford is a terrific debut that
demonstrates that the author’s experience
as a caterer can be gently folded into a
soufflé of a mystery. [I couldn’t help
myself!] The right brain and left brain
Simmons sisters, with their father, a
wheelchair bound former chief of police,
handle a vampire writer’s murder and
reunion stress with aplomb. A clever and
appealing cast we want to see more of real
soon.
Old friends
Marti MacAlister is a cop who never
finds a suspicious death that doesn’t
involve a mystery. Native American history
and the Underground Railroad complicate
the case of ancient crimes and accidents.
Smooth writing by Eleanor Taylor Bland
and colorful family details make for a
compelling novel in Fatal Remains (St
Martins, $23.95).
Festival of Mystery: May 3
December 2003
Jonathan Kellerman’s newest, Conspiracy
Club (Ballantine, $26.95) is a departure for
this talented mystery writer. As an edgy
plot rife with political and murderous
intrigue unfolds, a psychotherapist
unravels a series of brutal murders. He’s a
suspect, his former love was a victim and
the intricate plot will keep you guessing.
Little gore and much psychological
suspense make this another surefire best
for the award winning Kellerman.
Many had given up hope but The Ten
Word Game (St. Martin’s, $23.95) by
Jonathan Gash proves them wrong as
Lovejoy returns only to find himself
shanghaied and on his way to Russia to
steal the Amber Room.
Think NYPD meets Brittany Spears.
Well, not quite but Steve Carella and the
other officers of the 87th Precinct are
thrown into the glamorous, avaricious
world of hiphop when a new rising star is
kidnapped. Ed McBain’s novels are gritty,
urban and entertaining and The Frumious
Bandersnatch (S&S, $25) is no exception.
How many of you literati recognize the title
reference? [JA]
Perfect crime novels
Elmore Leonard returns to his roots in
Detroit with the funny
and fast-paced Mr.
Paradise (Morrow,
$25.95) a tale of two
hookers dressed as U of
M cheerleaders, a
father and son pair of
lawyers and homicide
detective who’s
involved, one way or
another, with all of
them. Classic Leonard with snappy
dialogue, dumb criminals and a perfect
plot.
Colin Harrison’s Havana Room (FSG,
$24) is a disturbing, evocative and exciting
thriller about wealthy Manhattan attorney
Bill Wyeth who, in a moment, falls from the
heights of power and prestige to a squalid
life in a one room apartment. Harrison’s
depiction of Wyeth’s inner life during this
period is superb as is his gradual redemption through a series of mysterious events
at a old-time steak house that he begins to
frequent. Soon he will face a series of
MLB NEWS
decisions that will determine the future
course of his life; but will he choose
wisely. Wonderfully written and completely absorbing.
A small-town cop with a history
investigates a carefully staged murder in
Russell Andrews’s Aphrodite (Warner,
$23.95) a finely tuned thriller that is pure
entertainment from page one.
Victor Gischler
breaks the genre rules
with Pistol Poets
(Delacorte, $22.95)
an academic crime
novel with mobsters
and drug lords.
Terrifically funny it
begins with itinerant
academic Jay Morgan
awaking to a dead
grad student in his bed and believe me his
day only gets worse from there. Gischler,
drawing upon his own teaching background, has produced a witty satire of
college life and politics with plenty of
action to spare.
Ray Shannon scores another bull’s eye
with Firecracker (Putnam, $23.95); a
crackerjack crime novel about football,
drugs and pregnancy—and don’t forget
the Super Bowl betting slip that might be
worth $1.25 million. Shannon shepherds
his cast of a good-hearted but not too
bright Dallas Cowboy, a bright lady with
a weakness for good-hearted athletes and
a crazed psychopath through an entertaining plot that winds up with a bang in
Las Vegas.
Jenny Siler turns to the thriller genre
in Flashback (Holt, $24) in a tale of an
amnesiac woman who’s only clue to her
identity is a ticket on the Algeciras ferry.
Relentless pace and some clever plot
twists keep you guessing in this Bourne
Identity update.
British beat
The bodies of a local artist and a
young junkie are found on two adjoining
barges, victims of arson in Peter
Robinson’s Playing With Fire (Morrow,
$23.95). It’s up to Alan Banks to find the
link between these two in this exciting
addition to a fine series.
Page 3
Phoenix (Orion, $13.50) is an outstanding debut by British prosecutor John
Connor whose background brings terrific
authenticity to this sharp edged tale of DC
Karen Sharpe that begins with the
execution style killing of her partner and
an informant and leads to secrets buried
in Karen’s own past.
When Pal Maciver’s suicide in a locked
room mirrors that of his father ten years
before, fingers point towards Pal’s beautiful and enigmatic stepmother. What really
happened between her and Pal, and how
has key witness and exotic hooker Dolores,
Our Lady of Pain, managed to disappear?
Only Daziel and Pascoe can answer these
questions in Reginald Hill’s Good Morning, Midnight (Harper, $22.95).
Jim Kelly’s The Water Clock (St.
Martin’s, $24.95) is an outstanding debut
that introduces Philip Dryden, a former
London journalist now reduced to work
on a provincial paper in Ely while his life
lies in a coma. The discovery of two
bodies, their deaths tied to a vicious,
unsolved robbery thirty years ago could be
the story of his career—or the cause of his
death. Wonderful characters populate this
complex mystery and the setting of the
Cambridgeshire Fens is wonderfully
realized.
Rebus is investigating the murder of two
students while facing
suspension in Ian
Rankin’s The Question
of Blood (Little,
Brown, $22.95). Don’t
miss this latest
addition to the Rebus
canon. Also, an early
Rankin now available: The Watchman
(Orion, $25.95) about a spy who becomes
a little to involved with the woman he’s
supposed to be watching.
While working on her memoirs eighty
year old, Bettina Whitelaw re-focuses on
that frightening night so many years ago
which changed her life forever. But
meanwhile even closer to home, some
unknown person has been clearly been in
her study, yet nothing is missing. A Cry
from the Dark (Scribner, $24) by Robert
Barnard is his usual multi-layered susPlease see Just Published, page 4
Call toll free 1-888-800-6078 to have your books shipped
Page 4
MLB NEWS
December 2003
Just Published...continued from page 3
pense filled tale with trademark surprise
ending. [JA]
A look at the past
Inamorata (Viking, $24.95) by Joseph
Gangemi is an engaging historical set in
the ‘20s at the height of the hysteria over
psychic phenomena—a time when
Scientific American offered a prize for
“conclusive evidence” of such things. Into
this fray comes a Harvard graduate
student who should be investigating an
attractive self-proclaimed medium but
instead is falling in love with her. Great
period detail and a rollicking plot.
Those looking for something fresh in
historical mystery will want to try Judith
Koll Healey’s The Canterbury Papers
(Morrow, $24.95); an exciting tale of a
young Frenchwoman sent by Eleanor of
Acquitaine to recover a cache of letters
from Canterbury Cathedral. Well researched with an appealing heroine.
Tracy Chevalier
returns to the world of
art in The Lady and
the Unicorn (Dutton,
$23.95), an engrossing
tale peopled with welldrawn characters
whose often conflicting intentions provide
the design for both the
famous tapestry of the
title and its story. Unfolding the novel
from multiple viewpoints, Chevalier
weaves together the dreams and desires of
her characters into a colorful and lustrous
whole. [KO]
Baldwin and Simon Puttock are
shipwrecked in Michael Jeck’s The Outlaws
of Ennor (Headline, $24.95), each on
neighboring islands and each charged with
investigating the murder of a tax collector
embroiling them in the bitter rivalry
between the two communities.
Those of you who enjoyed Robert
Harris’ Enigma can look forward to equal
enjoyment with his newest offering,
Pompeii (Random, $24.95). With the
disappearance of the chief engineer, young
Roman aquarius, Marcus Attilius Primus
sets off to Miseum to take up the former’s
duties. The year is 79 A. D. Harris’ writing
is quick paced, spiced with just enough
historical and scientific detail, political
intrigue and potential danger. Well, we all
know she’s gone ‘a blow, right! [JA]
Quick takes…
Qwilleran, Koko and Yum Yum find the
groundbreaking for a new bookstore in
Pickax interrupted by the discovery of a
body in Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat
Who Talked Turkey (Putnam, $23.95).
J.D. Robb breaks into hardcover with
the latest sexy police thriller with Eve
Dallas: Divided in Death (Putnam, $23.95)
Grisham’s latest is The Last Juror
(Doubleday, $27.95), a tale of revenge set
in ‘70s Mississippi.
Tamar Myers’ latest for innkeeper
Magdalena Yoder, Thou Shalt Not Grill
(NAL, $19.95) has her mixed up in the
Hernia, Pennsylvania bicentennial and,
naturally, murder.
Exotic settings
Henning Mankell, increasingly popular
due to his Kurt Wallender series, stays in
Sweden but starts up a new character in
The Return of the Dancing Master (Norton,
$24.95) with Stefan Lindman, a young cop
on sick leave who decides to look into the
brutal slaying of a fellow officer.
A body found in a long-abandoned
military tunnel in the Italian Alps is the
beginning of a new case for Aurelio Zen in
Michael Dibdin’s Medusa (Pantheon, $23).
Dibdin brings some interesting history
from post-War Italy into this latest
fascinating book.
For all you armchair hikers and
woodland enthusiasts, Nevada Barr’s
newest, High Country (Putnam, $24.95)
will provide loads of vicarious exertion as
well as page turning suspense as Anna
Pigeon seeks to unravel the mystery of
four employees who have disappeared in
the Yosemite high country. Engrossing!
[JA]
Fascinating history of the Adirondacks
is combined with an exciting manhunt in
Richard Crabbe’s The Empire of the
Shadows (St. Martin’s, $24.95), a second
appearance for turn of the century cop
Tom Braddock after Suspension.
Kris Nelscott continues her vibrant late
Sixties series featuring Smokey Dalton
with Stone Cribs (St. Martin’s, $24.95).
Smokey’s involved with back street
abortionists and the intricate workings of
inner city gangs in Nelscott’s latest. Superb
writing and wonderfully developed
characters highlight these gripping novels
of America’s recent past. [KO]
Skeleton Detective Gideon Oliver
travels to Italy in
Aaron Elkins’ Good
Blood (Berkley,
$23.95). When a
buried skeleton is
unearthed during the
course of a kidnapping investigation,
Gideon consults on
the case and finds
himself entwined in the inner dealings of a
powerful local family. Elkins delivers his
usual fast-paced mystery filled with twists
and turns - an entertaining addition to a
smart series. [KO]
Just for fun
A wacky and entertaining debut will be
found in Harley Jane Kozak’s Dating Dead
Men (Doubleday, $22.95) introducing
greeting card artist Wollie Shelley who is
pretty busy between her project of dating
40 men in 60 days (don’t ask); caring for a
leftover ferret; finding dead bodies and
meeting strange men at the asylum where
her brother resides. Fast and furious
humor, perfect for the Evanovich fan.
Chase away the dull winter blues by
climbing on a Muletrain to Maggody (S&S,
$23). Joan Hess’s Arly Hanks series is
always a hoot. They really should have
made a TV series out of it. Who do you
think should play Ruby Bee? Or for that
matter Arly? [JA]
The Cutting Room (Ballantine, $23.95)
by Laurence Klavan is a delightful little
series debut for film trivia buff Roy Milano
who is hot on the trail of the uncut version
of Orson Welles Magnificent Amberson’s—
well, he’s also interested in finding the
Please see Just Published, page 14
Shipping is free on orders of $45 or more
December 2003
MLB NEWS
Also Noted:
■ Aird, Catherine; Chapter and Hearse
(St. Martin’s, $23.95); short stories with
C.D. Sloan
■ Akunin, Boris; Murder on the Leviathan
(Random, $21.95); continued adventures of Czarist-era policeman Erast
Fandorin
■ Albert, Susan Wittig; Indigo Dying
(Berkley, $6.99); herbalist China Bayles
■ Allen, Conrad; Murder on the Marmora
(St. Martin’s, $23.95); ship detectives
George Porter Dillman and Genevieve
Masefield head for Egypt
■ Ambler, Eric; The Schirmer Inheritance
and State of Siege (both Vintage, $12);
reissues
■ Archer, Jeffrey; Sons of Fortune (SMP,
$7.99); twins separated at birth
■ Arvin, Reed; The Last Goodbye (Harper,
$23.95); down on his luck attorney
drawn into friend’s murder; by the
author of The Will
■ Atherton, Nancy; Aunt Dimity Takes a
Holiday (Penguin, $6.99); Lori Sheperd
■ Atkinson, Deborah Turrell; Primitive
Secrets (Poisoned Pen, $6.99); Honolulu
attorney searches for the killer of her
uncle
■ Babson, Marian; In the Teeth of
Adversity (SMP, $6.50); typical Babson
with dentist to the wealthy involved in
murder
■ Bannister, Jo; Reflections (St. Martin’s,
$22.95); finder of missing things Brodie
Farrell
■ Barr, Nevada; Flashback (Berkley,
$7.99); park ranger Anna Pigeon
■ Beaton, M.C.; Death of a Poison Pen
(Mysteryious, $23.95); Hamish Macbeth
■ Bebris, Carrie; Pride and Prescience
(Forge, $24.95); the newly married
Darcy’s, from Pride and Prejudice, as
sleuths
■ Benson, Ann; Thief of Souls (Dell,
$6.99); then and now mystery moves
between 15th century France and the
near future
■ Benson, Chris; Special Interest
(Ballantine, $12.95); reporter investigates friend’s death
Page 5
A listing, by author, of new books not
reviewed elsewhere in the News
■ Bernhardt, William; Hate Crime
(Ballantine, $25.95) and Death Row
(Ballantine, $7.50); Tulsa attorney Ben
Kincaid
■ Bland, Eleanor Taylor; Shades of Black
(Berkley, $23.95); anthology by AfricanAmerican writers
■ Bloch, Jon; Best Murder of the Year
(SMP, $13.95); murder at the Oscars
with gossip columnist Rick Domino
■ Borthwick, J.S.; Intensive Scare Unit (St.
Martin’s, $24.95); Sarah Deane investigates a murder with her Aunt Julia the
prime witness
■ Bowen, Rhys; Evan Only Knows
(Berkley, $6.50); Welsh constable Evan
Evans
■ Boyle, Gerry; Pretty Dead (Berkley,
$23.95); Maine reporter Jack
McMorrow
■ Bradbury, Ray; Let’s All Kill Constance
(Avon, $7.50); old-time Hollywood
murder mystery a la Sunset Boulevard
■ Brewer, Steve; Crazy Love (WW, $5.99);
Albuquerque PI Bubba Mabry
■ Bruen, Ken; The Killing of the Tinkers
(St. Martin’s, $22.95); Galway ex-cop
Jack Taylor
■ Buchana, Edna; The Ice Maiden (Avon,
$7.50); Miami crime reporter Britt
Montero
■ Buckley, Fiona; The Fugitive Queen
(Scribner, $24); Ursula Blanchard acts as
go-between for Elizabeth and Mary
■ Bunn, T. Davis; Winner Take All (Jove,
$7.99); lawyer hired to find ex-wife and
kidnapped child
■ Burke, Jan; Eighteen (Pocket, $6.99);
short stories
■ Cannell, Stephen J.; The Vertical Coffin
(St. Martin’s, $24.95) and Hollywood
Tough (SMP, $6.99); LAPD sergeant
Shane Scully
■ Carlon, Patricia; Who Are You, Linda
Condrick? (Soho, $12); suspenser about
a body found in the outback
■ Clark, A. Carman; The Maine Mulch
Murders (WW, $5.99); Amy Creighton,
small town newspaper editor
■ Colley, Barbara; Polished Off
(Kensington, $22); New Orleans
cleaning service owner Charlotte LaRue
■ Compton, Jodi; The 37th Hour (Bantam, $21.95); missing persons detective
finds her latest case is her own husband
■ Conant, Susan; Bride and Groom
(Berkley, $22.95) and The Dogfather
(Berkley, $6.99); dog trainer Holly
Winter
■ Cook, Thomas H.; Peril (Bantam,
$23.95); woman tries to disappear but is
relentlessly pursued
■ Coughlin, William J. and Walter
Sorrells; Proof of Intent (SMP, $6.99);
lawyer Charley Sloan
■ Coward, Mat; Up and Down (WW,
$5.99); Inspector Don Packham
■ Cray, David; Partners (C&G, $25);
NYPD cop drama
■ Crouch, Blake; Desert Places (St.
Martin’s, $23.95); man pursued by
ruthless killer
■ Daniel, David; Goofy Foot (St. Martin’s,
$23.95); PI Alex Rasmussen
■ Darden, Christopher and Dick Lochte;
Lawless (NAL, $24.95); lawyer defends
cop who shot and killed his wife
■ Darden, Christopher and Dick Lochte;
The Last Defense (Onyx, $7.99); lawyer
investigates death of his last client
■ Deaver, Jeffery, editor; A Hot and Sultry
Night for Crime (Berkley, $6.99);
anthology by Deaver, Estleman and
others
■ Deaver, Jeffery; Twisted (Scribner,
$24.95); short stories
■ Decure, John; Reef Dance (SMP, $6.99);
surfer attorney J. Shepard
■ Depoy, Phillip; The Witch’s Grave (St.
Martin’s, $23.95); folklorist Fever
Devilin
■ Deutermann, P.T.; Firefly (St. Martin’s,
$24.95); ex-Secret Service agent seeks to
avert attack at inauguration
■ Dickinson, David; Death of an Old
Master (C&G, $24); Victorian sleuth
Lord Francis Powerscourt
■ Donohue, John; Sensei (Onyx, $6.99);
martial arts instructors being killed by
“Ronin” serial killer
Please see Also Noted, page 10
More books, more reviews: it’s all at mysterylovers.com
New Arrivals
Arrivals
New
inin Paperback
Paperback
Page 6
MLB NEWS
Jerrilyn Farmer reveals her comedy
writing skills in the latest of the L.A. Times
best-selling culinary series featuring
Madeline Bean:
Mumbo Gumbo (Avon,
$6.99). Catering a
Cajun-themed wrap
party for a TV show
called Food Freak
leads to murder and
provides an opportunity for the clever
mystery writer to off a
few lashes at reality
TV, diva chefs and
writers. The fifth of this series is a smart
and funny mystery.
John Lescroart, turns out one seriously
excellent book in The First Law (Signet,
$7.99), a retelling of the OK Corral story
with Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitsky and even
a client named John Holiday going up
against some modern day vigilantes.
Relentless pacing reinforced by foreshadowing of the inevitable final confrontation—which is a knockout. John will be at
MLB on Saturday, February 7 for a Coffee
& Crime breakfast.
Donna Andrew’s lighthearted series
never fails to entertain and Crouching
Buzzard, Leaping Loon (SMP, $6.99) is no
exception as Meg Langslow sorts out
murder in her brother’s computer-game
company with plenty of laughs along the
way. Donna will be our guest on Saturday,
February 14 at a Coffee & Crime author
breakfast.
The Coffee Trader (Random, $14.95) is
a hugely entertaining historical novel by
the author of Conspiracy of Paper, set in
17th century Amsterdam just as coffee is
introduced to Western Europe. Liss’s
descriptions of the ferment of Amsterdam
at a time when commodity futures were
just being invented, the story of the insular
Jewish community and a hundred other
details of life at that time bring this story
alive. An exciting and informative read.
David Liss will be at MLB on Saturday,
March 27.
A father bursts in on reporter Eve
Diamond asking that she help him find his
runaway daughter in Denise Hamilton’s
fine second novel Sugar Skull (Pocket,
$6.99). The young woman, alas, is found
dead but Eve senses that there is more to
this story than appears and her search will
take her from wealthy enclaves to the
barrios where the skulls of the title mark
the Day of the Dead. Denise will be one of
our authors at the Festival of Mystery on
May 3.
Thrilling stuff
A favorite writer, , Ray Shannon
(actually Gar Anthony
Haywood) turns up
the heat in Man Eater
(Jove, $6.99) a
Hollywood crime
thriller that brings an
ambitious junior
producer, with a past
she’s rather forget,
together with an excon struggling to build
a new life with both facing a psychopathic
leg-breaker. Fate brings them together in a
in an explosive, action-filled novel full of
surprises with Haywood’s trademark
talent for smooth writing and unforgettable characters.
Getting an Edgar nomination for the
51st book in a series is testimony enough
to Ed McBain’s continuing inventiveness,
straight-ahead prose and terrific plotting.
Further proof is provided in Fat Ollie’s
Book (Pocket, $7.99)which manages to
insert some of the worst prose ever written
into a smooth bit of 87th precinct
December 2003
entertainment about the murder of an
ambitious city councilman. The lousy
writing, of course, is the book of the title
written by “Fat Ollie” Weeks and titled,
with great originality, Report to the
Commissioner. Great fun for all concerned.
In G.H. Ephron’s third novel with
psychologist Peter Zak, Delusion (SMP,
$6.99), Zak trys to tell the truth from
fiction in a case involving a brilliant man
accused of murdering his wife. This
riveting tale of jealousy, genocide and
surveillance was a book I couldn’t put
down.
Old Flames (Penguin, 6.99) marks the
return of detective sergeant Freddie Troy,
introduced in 1995 in John Lawton’s Black
Out. It’s now 1956, Troy is now a detective
inspector, Krushchev is making a visit to
Britain and Troy is dragooned into
becoming part of his security detail. A
complex, cold-war thriller with many
unexpected twists and turns. Entirely
satisfying and thoroughly original.
When a dead body is found in an
ancient sarcophagus you wouldn’t think
that there would be any fuss, but when the
woman died less than a year ago, things
become a bit more complicated in Linda
Fairstein’s The Bone
Vault (Pocket, $7.99).
Assistant DA Alex
Cooper has to track
the killer through the
political and literal
corridors of the
Metropolitan Museum
of Art. The networks
of museums and
technical people
involved in the research and exhibitions
are incredible. Thoroughly enjoyable. [JW]
Kayce Miller is a psychologist who, in
Jodie Larsen’s debut At First Sight (ibooks,
$6.99), awakes in a motel room, a terrified
Looking for a British publication? Ask us.
December 2003
MLB NEWS
child at her side and an armed man in the
next room. Well plotted and suspenseful,
this is a great start to a new series.
rare plant that could be a clue to the
murders and finding many clues to human
behavior along the way.[JS]
Lighter side
Historically speaking
Try a little bright and charming
repartee between two opposites in Jennifer
Crusie’s Strange Bedfellows (Mira, $5.99), a
sexy and loving tale of life and love. The
flower child and the Republican corporate
lawyer…why not?
A sweet treat from Joanna Fluke in The
Lemon Meringue Pie Murders (Kensington,
$6.50) the latest in these breezy mysteries
with bakery owner Hannah Swensen,
recipes included.
Florist Bretta Solomon has her hands
full with a wedding but that won’t stop her
from investigating some suspicious deaths
in Janis Harrison’s A Deadly Bouquet
(SMP, $6.50), the latest in this thoroughly
enjoyable series full of flower lore.
Those who loved the debut of New
Orleans cleaning service owner Charlotte
LaRue will enjoy Death Tidies Up
(Kensington, $6.50) the second in this
funny series by Barbara Colley.
Fans of Mrs.
Pollifax will have to
take a breather in
Dorothy Gilman’s
Kaleidoscope
(Ballantine, $6.99) but
they should be just as
happy to see the
return of Madame
Karistska who first
appeared in The
Clairvoyant Countess.
Karitska is a professional psychic and the
current case involves a strange attaché case
which causes her to consult her friend
Detective Pruden. A delightful romp for
Gilman fans or anyone who enjoys a
humorous mystery with eccentric characters.
The Cranefly Orchid Murders (Signet,
$5.99) by Cynthia Riggs marks a second
appearance for Martha’s Vineyard’s feisty
92-year-old poet Victoria Trumbull. In the
current case Victoria is investigating a
series of murders related to a land sale and
the constant controversy of conservation
vs. development. Victoria finds herself and
her eleven-year-old assistant looking for a
Molly Murphy is finally ashore in the
New World and decides to seek employment as a private
investigator in Rhys
Bowen’s Death of Riley
(SMP, $6.99). She
apprentices to an
experienced investigator but soon finds
herself investigating
his death in this
fascinating follow-up
to the Agatha-winning
Murphy’s Law.
Candace Robb’s Owen Archer returns
in The Cross-Legged Knight (Mysterious,
$12.95), the eighth in a wonderful series
set in 14th century York. Archer finds
himself embroiled in disputes between
William of Wykeham, recently deposed as
Lord Chancellor, and the Duke of
Lancaster.
Restoration-era architect Christopher
Redmaynes returns in Edward Marston’s
The Frost Fair (Alison & Busby, $11.95)
aides by puritan constable Jonathan Bale.
New historical fiction is hard to come
by. New good historical fiction is even
harder. So join Conn Iggulden on a
journey through ancient Rome in what is
sure to become a popular series. Emperor:
The Gates of Rome (Dell, $6.99) has vivid
characters, realistic action and dark
intrigues. The story starts with a young
boy’s life on a country estate near Rome.
We follow his life through early manhood.
It is tumultuous time in Rome’s history
and our hero will come to play a much
larger role later in his life. [JA]
The Queen’s Fool (Touchstone, $15) is
Phillippa Gregory’s sequel to The Other
Boleyn Girl and Henry VIII has now died
leaving Edward, briefly, on the throne. The
struggle between Elizabeth and Mary is
seen through the eyes of a young Jewish
girl who becomes a spy for Robert Dudley.
A dazzling historical novel.
In Roberta Gellis’s Bone of Contention
(SMP, $15.95) Magdalene la Batarde is
whore mistress at the Priory Guesthouse
Page 7
in 12th century London. Her protector,
William of Ypres, has requested that she
come to Oxford to provide him with her
services and she ends up investigating
the complicated murder of a repellant
Knight, with the assistance of her sometime love, Sir Bellamy of Ichen. A
marvelously different sort of historical
mystery. [JW]
For something quite different in
Roman historical mystery try Simon
Scarrow’s The Eagle’s Conquest (SMP,
$14.95) which continues the story of
Centurion Macro as he arrives in Britain
as part of Claudius’ invasion in AD 43.
Betrayal is afoot, however, and the
emperor himself may be threatened. First
in the series is Under the Eagle.
Paul Doherty moves into the Roman
historical beat with Murder Imperial
(Headline, $11.95) where Emperor
Constantine calls for help in solving the
murder of three courtesans.
Domino (Penguin, $14) by Ross King
is a picaresque novel, set in the 18th
century, much in the spirit of his earlier
Ex-Libris, about a young artist who
comes to London to paint a portrait and
finds himself caught up in a fantastic
story of castrati, betrayal and murder.
‘round the world
Rebecca Pawel
brings the era of the
Spanish Civil War
brilliantly to life in
Death of a Nationlist
(Soho, $12). The war
has just ended and a
young sergeant in the
Guardia Civil, Carlos
Tejada, a fervent
supporter of Franco, has come to Madrid
to help restore order. Finding the body of
a friend, a hero of the siege of Toledo, it’s
naturally assumed that the Communists
are behind the murder but Tejada is not
so sure. An arresting debut.
Bridge of Sighs (SMP, $13.95) is
moody and thoroughly compelling
debut by Olen Steinhauer set in 1948 in
an unidentified, Eastern European
country that resembles Romania. A
Please see New Arrivals in Paper, page 12
Looking for a mystery dinner party game? Call us
Page 8
MLB NEWS
December 2003
Very Original
Reviews of books published for the first time as paperbacks
Working life
Best bets
The Dead-End Job mystery series in the
gifted hands of Elaine Viets really nails the
book business in Murder Between the
Covers (Signet, $5.99).
Helen Hawthorne’s
working “off the
books” at Page
Turners, a Florida
bookstore. Glittering
characters and a clever
use of Truly Nolen’s
fumigation make this
second of the series a
keeper.
Two books introduce Myrtle Beach
lifeguard and runaway chaser Susan
Chase—Color Her Dead and Color Me
Gone (both ibooks, $6.99) by Steve Brown.
A spunky young heroine brightens up the
fast-paced adventures full of language,
humor and a bit of sex.
Albuquerque rare book curator Claire
Reynier is definitely involved when a body
is found in the basement of the library,
especially since an illustration from a
valuable book is beside the body. In Judith
Van Gieson’s The Shadow of Venus (Signet,
$5.99) Claire is led on a chase from the
world of the homeless to a commune in
Taos; it’s this latest in a fascinating series.
Documentary filmmaker Ellie Foreman
is horrified when she realizes that a
videotape delivered anonymously portrays
a young woman’s murder in Libby Fischer
Hellmann’s An Image of Death (Berkley,
$6.50). Knowing more about video than
the cops, she can’t help doing some
investigating of her own. Third in an
excellent series.
Defense attorney Josie Baylor-Bates got
off the fast track but a call from her former
college roommate gets her involved in
Rebecca Forster’s series debut Hostile
Witness (Signet, $6.99). Her client is a teen
accused of murder and all the evidence
points to her but Josie is unconvinced. The
start of a compelling series.
New Age alternative healer Cally Lazar
is a welcome addition to the world of
amateur sleuths. In the second of Claire
Daniels’ Karmic Crime mystery series,
Strangled Intuition (Berkley, $6.99), the
murder of a new friend looks like the
husband’s doing but she sees in his aura
that he’s no killer. A humorous and well
done mystery in a charming series.
In the third Willi Gallager mystery, a
Celtic divination card and dead goldfish
seems to suggest her help may not be
wanted in solving a local murder. Work of
the Angels (Berkley, $5.99) by Kat
Goldring is a sure third in a delightful and
well written mystery with some very
unusual twists.
In Susan McBride’s
debutant dropout
debut, Blue Blood
(Avon, $6.50), we’ll
meet Andy Kendricks,
a Dallas heiress who
wants nothing of the
Junior League life,
opting instead for
work as a web designer. When a friend
is accused of the murder of her boss, Andy
goes undercover at the Hooters-like
restaurant where the crime took place. A
fast-paced, humorous debut with a
likeable heroine. Meet Susan at the Festival
of Mystery on May 3.
Death of a Princeton President (Berkley,
$5.99) is a smart second academic mystery
from Ann Waldron, a Newbery winner and
author of many nonfiction titles. Journalist McLeod Dulaney is back on campus
teaching writing when the President goes
missing. A solid mystery, beautifully
written and the covert instincts of
academia make for a not to be missed
mystery. Loved it!
A fedora wearing ghost PI, a dead
mystery writer and a mystery bookseller
on the case: what could be more fun. The
Ghost and Mrs. McClure (Berkley, $5.99)
by Alice Kimberly is a hauntingly wonderful mystery debut.
Working class sleuth Terry Saltz finds
himself trying to save his soon to be exwife in L.T. Fawkes’s Lights Out (Signet,
$5.99) when she’s accused of murder. Even
though she was found with the gun, he
still doesn’t think she’s a murderer.
Lee Harris returns
in fine form with a
new Christine Bennett
mystery, The Bar
Mitzvah Murder
(Fawcett, $6.99). Set in
the Holy Land, this
one’s a multi layered
intrigue with a sharp
sleuth on the case. Top
notch mystery in my
book.
The world of rock ‘n’ roll is the setting
for David Hiltbrand’s Killer Solo (Avon,
$6.99) with insurance investigator Jim
McNamara whose specialty is concert
tours. The death of a roadie during a
controversial tour starts the action in this
interesting debut from an experienced
rock journalist.
Lee Charles Kelly uses the main suspect
as the assistant to sleuth, kennel owner
and ex-cop Jack Field, to sniff out the real
killer in Murder Unleashed (Avon, $6.99).
This second in the series is a dog lovers
mystery worth barking about.
Speaking of pets, Dead Canaries Don’t
Sing (Bantam, $6.99) by Cynthia Baxter
marks an auspicious debut for Long Island
veterinarian Dr Jessica Popper. On a house
call she uncovers a corpse with a canary
nearby. Message, murder and a menagerie
of odd animals are along for the fun
debut.
Food and other stuff
Tim Myers new series features candle
making and a bright new sleuth in
Harrison Black. When his Great Aunt Bell
Order online right from the MLB News.Online
December 2003
wills him her shop, At Wicks End (Berkley,
$5.99), he soon finds
her death was maybe
not natural at all. A
clever and well done
debut. Tim will be at
the Festival of Mystery
May 3.
No calories but lots
of chicanery in the
latest Joanna Carl
mystery. Ten Haus
Chocolates in the
Michigan resort town is the center of the
action in The Chocolate Frog Frame-up
(Signet, $5.99) when Lee McKinny and
Aunt Nettie follow the chocolate clue.
Third in a not to be missed series.
Nancy Fairbanks returns with the fifth
culinary mystery with recipes in The Perils
of Paella (Berkley, $5.99). Food Writer
Carolyn Blue gets a taste of Spain but ends
up solving a very unsavory crime. A great
vacation wrapped around a solid mystery.
The “Crop ‘til You Drop” party with
tasty treats at the New Orleans scrapbooking shop Memory Mine comes to an
abrupt halt when a neighbor is found
dead. Owner Carmela Bertrand is one
clever and appealing amateur sleuth who
pulls the whole picture together in Photo
Finished (Berkley, $5.99), second of this
winning series by Laura Childs.
A Puree of Poison (Berkley, $6.50)sets
the Quilliam sisters on the trail of murder.
The Inn at Hemlock Falls is set for
celebration until some suspicious deaths
of diners there create an unwelcome
attention on the food. Claudia Bishop
creates a colorful cast and a solid mystery
in this popular series.
A suspenseful seventh in the
needlecraft mystery series by Monica
Ferris sees an art fair become the scene of
the crime in Cutwork (Berkley, $6.99).
Sleuth Betsy Devonshire, owner of Crewel
World, is as skilled with an interview as
MLB NEWS
with the needle and the result is a cozy
crime treasure.
British beat
Catherine Penny is in her sixties, her
husband has left her for another woman so
starting life anew in a small English village
seems just right. But as you’ll discover in
Patricia Harwin’s Arson and Old Lace
(Pocket, $5.99) things are not so quiet in
Far Wychwood: witches, kids, a body
found during church renovations and a
death in a fire are just the beginning in
this delightful new series.
M.G. Kincaid’s The Last Victim in Glen
Ross (Pocket, $6.99) introduces Detective
Sergeant Seth Mornay, late of the Royal
Marines and now trying to get his bearings
as a cop in a small town in Scotland. A
body found in a graveyard involves
Mornay in a complex crime which seems
to involve his boss in some way. A nice
debut.
Historicals
A Lady Never Meddles in Murder
(Pocket, $5.99) is Suzann Ledbetter’s
snappy second adventure for 1870’s
Colorado lady detective Joby Sawyer. This
time out, danger is close to home as a
blackmailer, pretending to be her dead
father, moves into her house.
Victorian malice
are the cuppa in the
clever Mrs. Jeffries
Sweeps the Chimney
(Berkley, $6.50) by
Emily Brightwell.
Inspector
Witherspoon may
amaze Scotland Yard,
but he’s nothing
without the detecting
skills of his housekeeper.
Ashley Gardner finds intrigue in
Regency England when Captain Gabriel
Lacey, late of the 35th Light Dragoons,
investigates The Hanover Square Affair
Page 9
(Berkley, $5.99). Kidnapped young
women, a crime lord and a colorful cast of
well born and street smart “Watsons”
pepper the plot. A terrific debut sure to
satisfy any fan of historical fiction.
Doctor, doctor
Dr. Jack Harris finds himself the prime
suspect in a murder after treating a
runaway teen in Lethal Risk (Pinnacle,
$6.99) by W.H. Watford. To clear his name
the ER doc will have to find out where this
young girl came from and what landed her
in his emergency room.
Dr. Mark Sloan and his son find their
Hawaiian vacation
interrupted by a fatal
shark attack that turns
out to be murder in
Lee Goldberg’s
Diagnosis Murder: The
Death Merchant
(Signet, $5.99). Based
on the characters of
the hit TV show that
Goldberg writes, these
are nonetheless excellent mysteries in their
own right with plots more complex than
the show’s format allows.
Forensic pathologist Joanna Blalock is
called to LAX to perform a top secret
autopsy in Fever Cell (Signet, $6.99) by
Leonard Goldberg. The arrival at Joanna’s
hospital of a man with smallpox symptoms makes it clear that a more serious
threat faces her and homicide detective
Jake Sinclair. A consistently interesting
series beginning with Deadly Medicine.
Beverly Connor begins a new series
with Diane Fallon in One Grave Too Many
(Onyx, $6.99). Diane is a forensic anthropologist and director of a museum of
natural history in Georgia. A bone found
in the woods begins the current case and
Connor provides plenty of interesting
forensic detail along with a complex plot.
Please see Very Original, page 13
See what we’re reading at www.mysterylovers.com/staff
Page 10
MLB NEWS
December 2003
Also Noted continued from page 5
■ Dorsey, Tim; Cadillac Beach (Morrow,
$24.95); serial killer and folklorist Serge
Storms investigates his grandfather’s
death in 1964
■ Dorsey, Tim; The Stingray Shuffle
(Harper, $7.50); folklorist and serial
killer Serge Storms
■ Duchin, Peter and John Morgan Wilson;
Good Morning, Heartache (Berkley,
$22.95); bandleader sleuth Phil Damon
■ Dunbar, Catherine; False Images
(Poisoned Pen, $6.99); art restorer finds
her life in danger after she identifies a
painting as a fake
■ Edwards, Grace; The Viaduct
(Doubleday, $22.95); thriller set in ‘70s
Harlem from the author of the Mali
Anderson series
■ Estleman, Loren; Sweet Women Lie
(ibooks, $6.99); Amos Walker, reissue
■ Fairstein, Linda; The Kills (Scribner,
$25); New York DA Alexandra Cooper
■ Fforde, Jasper; The Well of Lost Plots
(Viking, $24.95); further adventures of
Thursday Next
■ Fleming, Charles; After Havana (St.
Martin’s, $24.95); jazz musician Sloan in
‘50s Havana
■ Frayn, Michael; A Landing on the Sun
(Picador, $14) comic thriller, originally
published in 1992
■ Frazer, Margaret; The Hunter’s Tale
(Berkley, $22.95) and The Bastard’s Tale
(Berkley, $6.99); medieval mystery with
Dame Frevisse
■ Gleeson, Janet; The Grenadillo Box
(S&S, $25); 1755-set tale of Chippendale
apprentice caught up in murder
investigation
■ Gordon, Alan; An Antic Disposition (St.
Martin’s, $23.95); Feste the Fool in a
retelling of Hamlet
■ Grabien, Deborah; The Weaver and the
Factory Maid (St. Martin’s, $22.95);
folksinger uncovers hundred year old
mystery
■ Grant, Tracy; Beneath a Silent Moon
(Harper, $7.50); Regency-era intrigue
■ Green, Chloe; Fashion Victim
(Kensington, $5.99); fashion stylist
Dallas O’Connor
■ Green, Tim; The Fifth Angel (Warner,
$6.99); man seeks justice while FBI
agent pursues case no one is interested
in
■ Green, Tim; The First 48 (Warner,
$24.95); ex-cop seeks kidnapped
daughter in this Washington thriller
■ Grindle, Lucretia; The Nightspinners
(Random, $11.95); woman seeks secret
of twin’s death
■ Gruber, Michael; Tropic of Night
(Harper, $7.50); series of ritualistic
murders brings fugitive anthropologist
and Miami cop together
■ Haines, Carolyn; Crossed Bones (Dell,
$6.50); Mississippi belle and PI Sarah
Booth Delaney
■ Hall, Oakley; Ambrose Bierce and the
Trey of Pearls (Viking, $24.95)
■ Hall, Parnell; With This Puzzle, I Thee
Kill (Bantam, $23.95); puzzle maven
Cora Felton faces marriage, again
■ Hall, Patricia; Death in Dark Waters (St.
Martin’s, $23.95); Yorkshire DCI
Michael Thackery
■ Harrar, George; The Spinning Man
(Blue Hen, $14); philosophy professor
suddenly finds himself suspect in case of
missing girl
■ Harris, Charlaine; Last Scene Alive
(WW, $5.99); Aurora Teagarden
■ Harrison, Colin; Manhattan Nocturne
(SMP, $6.99); tabloid reporter enmeshed in murder, reissue
■ Harrison, Janis; Reap a Wicked Harvest
(St. Martin’s, $23.95); florist Bretta
Solomon
■ Hart, Carolyn; Engaged to Die (Avon,
$6.99); Max and Annie Darling
■ Havill, Steven F.; Scavengers (WW,
$5.99); Bill Gastner passes the baton to
Estelle Reyes-Guzman, the new undersheriff
■ Hawke, Simon; The Merchant of
Vengeance (Forge, $23.95) and Much
Ado About Murder (SMP, $13.95);
Shakespeare and would-be actor
Symington Smythe
■ Heller, Jane; Lucky Stars (SMP, $6.99);
young woman goes to Hollywood
seeking fame and fortune
■ Henry, April; Buried Diamonds (St.
Martin’s, $23.95); vanity license plate
examiner Claire Montrose
■ Hess, Joan; Maggody and the Moonbeams (Pocket, $6.99); Arly Hanks
■ Hoag, Tami; Lucky’s Lady (Bantam,
$7.99); bayou-set romancer, reissue
■ Hoffman, William; Wild Thorn (Avon,
$7.50); man returns home, stumbles
into murder
■ Holland, David; The Devil’s Acre (St.
Martin’s, $23.95); Victorian mystery
with Reverend Tuckworth
■ Joens, Mike; An Animated Death in
Burbank (St. Martin’s, $24.95); LA
Sheriff’s detective Sandra Cameron
investigates murder tied to the cartoon
biz
■ Kaminsky, Stuart M.; Midnight Pass
(Forge, $23.95); Sarasota PI Lew
Fonseca
■ Kaminsky, Stuart M.; Not Quite Kosher
(Forge, $6.99); Abe Lieberman
■ Keating, H.R.F.; A Detective Under Fire
(St. Martin’s, $23.95); Detective
Superintendent Harriet Martens
■ Kellerman, Jonathan; A Cold Heart
(Ballantine, $7.99); psychologist Alex
Delaware
■ Kemelman, Harry; The Day the Rabbi
Resigned (ibooks, $6.99); Rabbi David
Small, reissue
■ Kienzle, William X.; The Gathering
(Fawcett, $6.99); Father Koesler
■ Kilian, Michael; The Shiloh Sisters
(Berkley, $23.95); Civil War mystery
with Harrison Raines
■ Krentz, Jayne Ann; Truth or Dare
(Putnam, $24.95); figure from her past
puts woman’s new marriage in danger
■ Kreuger, William Kent; The Devil’s Bed
(Pocket, $6.99); secret service agent
seeks to protect first lady from assassin
■ Kurland, Michael; My Sherlock Holmes
(SMP, $14.95); Holmes stories narrated
by various characters from the canon
■ Larson, Eric; The Devil in the White
City (Vintage, $14.95); fascinating true
story of a serial killer at the Chicago
World’s Fair of 1893
Please see Also Noted, page 11
Free shipping on orders of $45 or more: call right now
December 2003
MLB NEWS
Page 11
Also Noted continued from page 10
■ Latour, Jose; Havana World Series
(Grove, $23); 1958 Cuba brought
vividly to life by Cuba’s foremost crime
writer
■ Lawton, John; Bluffing Mr. Churchill
(Atlantic Monthly, $24); further
adventures of Freddy Troy
■ Layton, Clare; Clutch of Phantoms
(Poisoned Pen, $6.99); woman finds
that grandmother, thought dead, has
just been released from prison
■ Leonard, Elmore; When the Women
Come Out to Dance (Harper, $13.95);
short stories
■ Lewin, Patricia; Out of Reach
(Ballantine, $23.95); CIA agent Erin
Bates
■ Lovric, Michelle; The Floating City
(Regan, $25.95); lush historical novel
set in 15th century Venice just as
movable type revolutionizes printing
■ Macpherson, Rett; In Sheep’s Clothing
(St. Martin’s, $23.95); genealogist Torie
O’Shea
■ McClelland, Michael; Oyster Blues
(Pocket, $6.99); comic crime novel
involves fugitive professor, mobsters
and a very attractive oyster shucker
■ McGrory, Brian; Dead Line (Atria,
$25); Boston reporter Jack Flynn
investigates heist at the Gardner
■ McKevett, G.A.; Cereal Killer
(Kensington, $22) and Death by
Chocolate (Kensington, $6.50); PI
Savannah Reid
■ Meltzer, Brad; The Zero Game
(Warner, $25.95); Washington thriller
■ Michod, Alec; The White City (St.
Martin’s, $21.95); killer stalks Chicago
World’s Fair of 1893
■ Millhiser, Marlys; The Rampant Reaper
(WW, $5.99); literary agent Charlie
Green
■ Minichino, Camille; The Helium
Murders (WW, $5.99); physicist sleuth
Gloria Lamerino
■ Monsour, Theresa; Clean Cut (Jove,
$7.99); St. Paul homicide detective
Paris Murphy
■ Mortimer, John; Rumpole Rests His
Case (Penguin, $13); Horace Rumpole
■ Mosley, Walter; The Man in My
Basement (Little, Brown, $22.95); man
rents basement to guy with bizarre
needs
■ Myers, Tamar; Custard’s Last Stand
(Signet, $5.99); Magdalena Yoder
■ Nelscott, Kris; Thin Walls (SMP,
$13.95); Smoky Dalton
■ Newman, Sharan; The Outcast Dove
(Forge, $25.95); medieval mystery with
Catherine Le Vendeur
■ Parrish, P.J.; Island of Bones (Pinnacle,
$6.99); small town detective Louis
Kincaid
■ Patterson, James and Andrew Gross;
Jester (Warner, $7.99); historical novel
■ Pawel, Rebecca; Law of Return (Soho,
$24); Spain 1939, sequel to Death of a
Nationlist
■ Pearl, Matthew; The Dante Club
(Random, $13.95); set in 1860’s Boston,
a club including Longfellow and Oliver
Wendell Holmes battle a gruesome
serial killer inspired by Dante’s Divine
Comedy
■ Pelecanos, George; Soul Circus (Warner,
$6.99); PI Derek Strange
■ Perdue, Lewis; The Da Vinci Legacy
(Tor, $7.99); scholar uncover secrets in
Da Vinci papers (I know this sounds like
a ripoff but actually was written in 1983)
■ Phillips, Scott; Cottonwood (Ballantine,
$23.95); fact-based novel of serial killers
in 1870’s Kansas
■ Preston, Douglas; The Codex (Forge,
$24.95); three sons compete to discover
father’s buried treasure
■ Racina, Thom; Deadly Games (Signet,
$7.50); computer game makes killers of
its players
■ Rankin, Ian; A Good Hanging (SMP,
$6.99); short stories
■ Rice, Christopher; The Snow Garden
(Pocket, $7.99); murder on college
campus brings out secrets, author is
Anne Rice’s son
■ Roberts, David; Dangerous Sea (C&G,
$25); Lord Edward Corinth and Verity
Brown sail on the maiden voyage of the
Queen Mary
■ Roberts, John Maddox; SPQRVIII: The
River God’s Vengeance (St. Martin’s,
$23.95); Roman mystery with Decius
Caecillius Metellus
■ Rucka, Greg; A Fistful of Rain (Bantam,
$6.99); standalone crime novel
■ Silbert, Leslie; The Intelligencer (S&S,
$24); cliché-ridden espionage tale
■ Siler, Jenny; Shot (SMP, $6.99); woman
joins forces with discredited journalist
and burglar seeking truth about
husband’s accidental death
■ Silva, Daniel; A Death in Vienna
(Putnam, $25.95); spy travels to Vienna
in search of answers about his past
■ Sipherd, Ray; The Devil’s Hawk (WW,
$5.99); bird artist Jonathan Wilder
■ Smith, Alexander McCall; The Kalahari
Typing School for Men (Anchor,
$11.95); now in a US edition
■ Smith, Barbara Burnett; Skeletons in
Purple Sage (WW, $5.99); would-be
novelist Jolie Wyatt
■ Thomas, Ross; Twilight at Mac’s Place
and The Fourth Durango (both SMP,
$13.95); reissues
■ Topol, Allan; Conspiracy (Onyx, $7.50);
federal prosecutor and campaign
manager join forces to investigate
candidate’s death
■ Vittachi, Nury; The Feng Shui Detective
(St. Martin’s, $23.95); Singapore feng
shui expert C.F. Wong who specializes
in crime scenes
■ Vreeland, Susan; The Forest Lover
(Viking, $24.95); Girl in Hyacinth Blue
author brings to life pioneering artist
Emily Carr
■ Weir, Alison; Mary Queen of Scots and
the Murder of Lord Darnley (Random,
$16.95)
■ Westlake, Donald; God Save the Mark
(St. Martin’s, $24.95); reissue of
Westlake’s Edgar winner
■ White, Stephen; Blinded (Delacorte,
$24.95) and The Best Revenge (Dell,
$7.99); psychologist Alan Gregory
■ Williamson, Penelope; Wages of Sin
(Warner, $7.50); homicide detective
Damon Rourke in ‘20s New Orleans
Open every Sunday from noon to 4
Page 12
MLB NEWS
December 2003
New Paperbacks continued from page 7
young man begins his first day as a
homicide detective investigating the
murder of a prominent song writer
which soon leads him to dangerous
political waters and secrets from the justended war. Fascinating.
The Winter Queen (Random, $12.95)
by Boris Akunin is an
utterly charming
novel that introduces
Erast Fandorin, a
naïve young policeman in the Moscow
of 1876 who begins
an investigation of a
bizarre suicide.
Akunin marvelously
recreates the tsarist
Russia of the period in a novel with the
flavor of 19th century fiction and
Fandorin is an irresistible protagonist
whose blundering seems to always
produces unforeseen success.
Ever wonder what the attack on Pearl
Harbor looked like from the Japanese
side? Martin Cruz Smith provides a
fascinating answer in December 6
(Pocket, $7.99) a tale of Harry Niles, son
of American missionaries, raised in
Japan and living a precarious life of con
games, nightclubs and maybe spying for
the Japanese; or perhaps for the Americans. Smith will keep you guessing in this
suspenseful and well-researched thriller
even though we all know how the story
ends.
Delving into the WW II history he
put to such good use in Jackdaws, Ken
Follett’s Hornet Flight (Signet, $7.99)
explores the crucial role of radar in those
dark days of the Battle of Britain. a tense
tale of an intelligence analyst who,
despite her superior’s skepticism,
believes that the Germans have developed the very radar system that the
British are struggling to perfect. Meanwhile, a young Dane has stumbled across
the truth but has no way to tell anyone of
his discovery. Vintage Follett.
Robert Wilson’s The Blind Man of
Seville (Harcourt, $14) is a fascinating
case of Spanish cop Javier Falcon
investigating a grotesque murder which
traces its roots to Falcon’s own father.
Reading his father’s journals he finds the
case goes to the heart of his own memories and secrets of his father’s life that he
must uncover. Superb writing and
terrific psychological insight combined
in a hard to put down book.
Certainly not a genre mystery yet not
actually science fiction, Pattern Recognition (Berkley, $14) by noted SF visionary
William Gibson is a compelling meditation on life 10 minutes in the future.
Cayce Pollard makes a good living
forecasting trends but in her private life
is obsessed with a sequence of enigmatic
video clips on the
web which have
gathered a coterie of
chat room “experts”
who argue endlessly
over their meaning.
Gibson’s ability to
portray the overwhelming effect of
media and marketing
on our everyday lives
is unmatched and he’s paired his insight
with a quite compelling story line. An
illuminating and enjoyable read.
Nice to see ya
They don’t write ‘em like they used to
as demonstrated in reissues of three of
Mary Stewart’s novels of romantic
suspense, all with exotic settings: your
choice of Crete in The Moonspinners, the
south of France in Madame, Will You
Talk or the Isle of Skye in Wildfire at
Midnight (all Harper, $7.99).
Another blast from the past is Mary
Robert Rinehart’s best-known book, now
reissued, The Circular Staircase
(Kensington, $5.99). A suspenseful treat
for anyone with a taste for classic
mystery.
Martha Grimes’s The Anodyne
Necklace (Onyx, $7.99) is again available
in a US edition. We’ve got UK versions of
the still missing Richard Jury novels.
John Lloyd Branson, Texas attorney, is
one of the quirkiest characters in
mystery and now you can meet him in
D.R. Meredith’s Murder by Impulse
(ibooks, $6.99); first in the series just
republished.
Cold Harbour (Berkley, $7.99) is a
reissue of a very enjoyable Jack Higgins
WW II thriller from 1993. Incidentally,
despite the cover there are actually no
submarines anywhere in this book.
Amusing, no?
Dan Brown, of DaVinci fame, has a
reissue of his first book: Digital Fortress
(SMP, $7.99). I believe that his college
application essay is due for publication
some time next year.
The Adventuress (SMP, $6.99) is a
reissue of Carole Nelson Douglas’s Good
Morning, Irene, the second in the series
with Irene Adler.
Helping Linda Barnes to reach a welldeserved wider audience is reissue of The
Snake Tattoo (SMP, $6.99) second in the
Carlotta Carlyle series.
Fans of Ellen Hart’s recent Jane
Lawless books will appreciate the chance
to start at the beginning with the reissue
of Hallowed Murder (SMP, $13.95), first
in the series featuring this Minneapolis
restaurateur as she investigates a student
drowning. Ellen will be at MLB on
Saturday, April 17.
Best if not bestselling
Here at MLB our mission is to tout
the best in mystery not just the bestselling and I’m going to start with Ace
Atkins (yeah, his real name) and his
splendid Nick Travers series starting with
Crossroad Blues and continuing to the
third, Dark End of the Street (Harper,
$7.50). Travers is a blues historian and
the books are suffused with Atkin’s own
evident love of this music as well as
sharp-eyed observation of the southern
locales of the books: New Orleans,
Memphis, Nashville and others. A
neglected treat; don’t miss it.
Gayle Lynds is that rare bird, the
female writer of espionage novels and
you’ve got a chance to try her out with a
new edition of her first book, MasquerPlease see New Arrivals in Paper, page 13
Need a book? Not a mystery? Not a problem, we’ll order it
December 2003
MLB NEWS
Page 13
New Paperbacks continued from page 12
ade (SMP, $3.99), at very attractive price.
A woman awakes, has no idea who she
is—perhaps a CIA agent gone bad,
perhaps an innocent victim; she can trust
no one but herself, but who is she?
Robert Ferrigno provides a fine
second episode in the
Jimmy Gage series,
begun with Flinch, in
Scavenger Hunt
(Vintage, $13) as
tabloid reporter Gage
becomes involved
with a once hot
director whose career
was ended by a
murder conviction.
Gage remains an appealing, smartmouthed protagonist in this funny, fastpaced Hollywood mystery.
Old favorites
Grisham’s latest is The King of Torts
(Dell, $7.99) in which a public defender
stumbles upon a vast conspiracy of drug
companies.
Lincoln Childs provides some exciting
thrills in Utopia (Fawcett, $6.99) a caper
set in a high-tech amusement park where
the criminals have gained control of the
computers.
Amy Gutman’s suspenseful novel The
Anniversary (Warner, $7.50) begins on
the fifth anniversary of the execution of a
serial killer when three women connected to the case receiving chilling
notes suggesting that it’s not over. A
page-turner of the first order.
Koko and Yum Yum are back in Lilian
Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who Brought
Down the House (Jove, $6.99)
British, Irish or Scottish
Fox Evil (Berkley, $7.99) by Minette
Walters is a relentlessly suspenseful tale
of a wife’s murder and the suspicion that
falls on the husband. Is he guilty of
murder—or worse? You won’t know ‘til
the last page.
In Close to Home (Avon, $7.50) by
Peter Robinson the discovery of a body, a
childhood friends of Alan Banks who
disappeared thirty years earlier, has eerie
connections to more recent cases. The
story becomes a journey into Bank’s own
childhood and the dark secret lives of
small towns. [JA]
A crime spree has struck the Scottish
Highlands in M.C. Beaton’s Death of a
Village (Warner, $6.99). Applying his
native wit and deductive reasoning (and
with a little bit of help from his friends),
Hamish Macbeth works to solve each
Very Original
Thrills and chills
West Virginia writer Carlene Thompson scores another winner in If She
Should Die (SMP, $6.99). A young
woman ran away from home three years
ago, sending periodic notes to her father
from various cities. Now her body has
been found just outside town leaving the
question of what really happened three
years earlier.
Kendra Smith works as a compositor
for the FBI, helping witnesses recall
crucial details of faces in Mariah
Stewart’s Until Dark (Ballantine, $6.99)
but the current case of the Soccer Mom
case while devising clever schemes to
avoid promotion out of his comfortable
lifestyle. [KO]
In Death in Dublin (Avon, $6.99),
sadly Bartholomew Gill’s last book,
McGarr must track
down those who stole
the Book of Kells.
Gill’s plots are never
straightforward but
always literate and
illuminating.
Ian Rankin readers
will want to take a
look at The Guards
(SMP, $12.95) by Ken
Bruen, an uncompromising look at
Galway through the eyes of Jack Taylor,
kicked out of the Garda and drinking
himself into an early grave until a
beautiful woman asks for his help.
Speaking of which: Resurrection Men
(LB, $6.99), the latest for Rebus is now in
paper.
Some other interesting finds in the
British mystery arena: Iain McDowall’s
Perfectly Dead (Piatkus, $10.95) featuring
the somewhat grumpy Inspector
Jacobson and Priscilla Masters’ Winding
Up the Serpent (A&B, $11.95) which
introduces DI Joanna Piercy in the case
of a murdered nurse.
cont’d from page 9
Killer will put her in more danger than
she anticipated.
A psychiatrist treating a serial killer
finds out more than she bargained for in
Michael Prescott’s exciting In Dark Places
(Onyx, $6.99). A cop she’s also treating
disappears and then her teenage daughter in this compelling thriller.
License to Thrill (Warner, $5.99) is
Lori Wilde’s attractive mix of crime
novel and romance as Las Vegas PI
Charlee Champagne more than meets
her match in a handsome investment
banker who’s looking for his missing
grandfather. Plenty of laughs and
romance in this charmer.
Robin Burcells’ excellent series with
SFPD homicide investigator Kate
Gillespie continues with Cold Case
(Avon, $6.99) where
new leads in an old
case take Kate into a
past she’d rather
forget. A compelling
series with wonderful
San Francisco
background and
authenticity courtesy
of Burcell’s background as a cop.
Birthday Books and Treats at mysterylovers.com
Page 14
MLB NEWS
December 2003
Book Club Update
We host seven book clubs in our store. A complete schedule is available at www.mysterylovers.com or in the store. We are
also happy to suggest or to order books for your reading group. Please let us know if we can be of any assistance.
What could be a better choice for a
book club than a book about a book club,
especially one written by the clever and
talented Lorna Landvik? Angry Housewives
Eating Bon-Bons (Ballantine, $13.95)
follows five women in the club of the title
over years of reading, talking, sharing
problems and even solving them—
sometimes through direct action. This is a
funny, touching and often affecting look at
the lives that women create, lead and share
among themselves.
Joanne Harris, well known for
Coastliners and Five Quarters of the
Orange, turns to 17th century Brittany for
the compelling Holy Fools (Morrow,
$24.95) set in the period of upheaval
following the death of Henry IV. The
protagonist is an actress who has found
refuge in an remote abbey but her
sanctuary is invaded by external forces
from her past. An exciting recreation of a
tumultuous period.
Louise Erdrich covers a thirty year
sweep in the beguiling The Master
Butcher’s Singing Club
(Harper, $13.95); the
story of Fidelis
Waldvogel who
returns from WW I,
marries the fiancé of
his best friend—killed
in the war; and moves
the family to America
where he settles in
North Dakota. Erdrich crowds a number
of events into this history and love story
with the full range of good and evil
present in all of us.
I know you’ll find it hard to believe but
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From
Venus (Harper, $12.95), John Gray’s iconic
guide to the sexes, first published more
than 10 years ago, is finally in paperback.
It wouldn’t surprise me to find that more
people know about this book than have
actually read it—maybe your bookclub
would find it a stimulus to an interesting
evening.
Carol Goodman (The Lake of Dead
Languages) pens a fascinating novel in The
Seduction of Water (Ballantine, $13.95)
about a woman seeking to unravel her
mother’s secrets by writing her biography
hoping to understand her untimely death
in a fire thirty years earlier.
Just Published...continued from page 4
killer of a fellow buff who had the print
before it disappeared. Full of obscure
movie lore and a quirky cast of characters; entertaining stuff.
New kids on the block
A young man is found, knives in
hand, standing over the body of a young
woman in John Rickards intense Winter’s
End (St. Martin’s, $23.95). Refusing to
even give his name or explain himself
after his arrest he engages in a cat-andmouse game with the local sheriff and a
Boston PI who returns to his hometown
in hopes of helping out. A stunning first
book.
Leave the lights on! Jilliane Hoffman’s
debut Retribution (Putnam, $24.95)
won’t let you sleep anyway in this nonstop ride of serial killing, justice and
revenge. It’s taken DA C.J. Townsend 12
years, a name change and a move to
Miami to put a brutal sexual assault
suffered as a law student behind her—or
so she thinks until the perpetrator shows
up in court, accused of a series of brutal
killings.
Fans of John LeCarre will want to
check out Absolute Friends (Little,
Brown, $26.95), an epic story of two men
whose friendship begins in Cold War
Germany and endures to the present and
the war in Iraq. LeCarre has never been
better in these two beautifully realized
characters set against a sprawling
background of history.
Rhys Bowen’s charming turn-of-thecentury series with Molly Murphy
continues with For the Love of Mike (St.
Martin’s, $23.95) where the would-be PI
goes undercover in the garment industry.
Something different
If your New Year’s reading resolution
is to try something different, my suggestion would be Alan Russell’s Political
Suicide (St. Martin’s, $24.95). Russell is a
favorite author who specializes in the
resourceful everyman who gets roped
into trouble because of a woman. In the
latest, a politician’s daughter drags a
hotel investigator into the mystery of her
father’s death. On the run, they discover
the corruption behind the murder. [KO]
Former sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota
Cork O’Connor returns in William Kent
Krueger’s compelling Blood Hollow
(Atria, $24). The body of a young
woman, missing for weeks, is discovered
and suspicion falls on a local bad boy, a
Native American. O’Connor thinks he’s
innocent and takes on the uphill battle of
proving it. An evocative return to this
isolated part of Minnesota. Krueger will
be part of the Minnesota Crime Wave
appearing at MLB on Saturday, April 17.
A woman makes a list of people who
have deceived her as part of a self-help
seminar only to find the folks on the list
begin to disappear in Julie Garwood’s
suspenseful and fast-moving Murder List
(Ballantine, $25.95).
The title character in Dean Koontz’s
Odd Thomas (Bantam, $26.95) is a
young man that has an interesting
attitude toward life and death. He can
see the dead, and the violent tendencies
of the living. He is often compelled to act
upon these visions—thereby interfering
in the whole process. I truly enjoyed this
eerie and compelling tale. [JW]
Check www.mysterylovers.com for complete bookclub schedules
December 2003
MLB NEWS
Page 15
The Masters of Mystery Program
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The MLB News is copyright Mystery Lovers Bookshop and is produced, written, edited and scanned by
Mary Alice Gorman and Richard Goldman except where noted. Reviewers include Judy Anderson, Kate
Anderson, Buff Rodman, Kathy Oravec and Judy Wolfe. And, no, it’s not done on a Mac.
Coming Events
Saturday,
January 31
10 AM
Jerrilyn Farmer starts our Winter Coffee & Crime Series with her
latest Madelyn Bean mystery, Perfect Sax. Reservations essential.
Saturday,
February 7
10 AM
John Lescroart continues the Coffee & Crime series. He’ll visit with
Second Chair, latest Dismas Hardy.
Saturday,
February 14
10 AM
Donna Andrews wraps up Winter Coffee & Crime with We’ll
Always Have Parrots. Each event is $5, reservations necessary.
Saturday,
March 6
10 AM
Spring Coffee & Crime starts with Sarah Dunant and The Birth of
Venus set in Renaissance Florence. Cost is $5, call for reservations.
Thursday,
March 11
6:30 PM
Linda Barnes joins the Second Thursday book club for dinner, talk
and signing of Deep Pockets. Please call for reservations.
Saturday,
March 27
10 AM
Spring Coffee & Crime continues with Davis Liss and A Spectacle of
Corruption, sequel to Conspiracy of Paper.
Sunday,
April 4
1 PM
Spend Sunday afternoon with Edgar-winner Jonathan King here
with his third Max Freeman novel. Call for reservation, free.
Friday,
April 16
7 PM
Saturday,
April 17
10 AM
Marty Smith and Pat Kriger celebrates publication of Poplorica: A
Popular History of the Fads, Mavericks, Inventions, and Lore that
Shaped Modern America
The Minnesota Crime Wave: Ellen Hart, William Kent Krueger
and Carl Brookins wrap up Coffee & Crime. Please call for a rez.
Monday,
May 3
6 PM
The Festival of Mystery with authors, interviews, raffles, food and
plenty of fun. More details in the next News
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Not all free shipping is born equal. Why? Because all of our book orders are sent by UPS ground delivery which means assured, trackable
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service Media Mail. Unfortunately, you’ll find that delivery is untrackable and unpredictable. If your books don’t arrive—well, too bad.
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