This Week at M is for Mystery

This Week at "M"

86 East Third Ave., San Mateo, CA 94401 Phone: 650-401-8077

OR Toll Free outside Bay Area: 888-405-8077

April 25th, 2011

In This Issue

Upcoming Author Events

Coming Attractions

Summer Preview

Signed Firsts - Just Arrived

Signed Firsts - Expected Soon

Quick Links

Greetings!

A BAY AREA EXCLUSIVE!!

Tomorrow night (Tues.), we co-sponsor an exclusive Bay Area event at Belmont Library. Meet Luanne Rice, author of twenty-eight novels that have been translated into twenty-four languages. Her new novel is a season on Martha's Vineyard, a mission to Ireland, and a cast of friends, including one wildly off-the-grid Zen genius.

COMING SOON: Extended Spring Hours

Starting Thurs., May 5th, we will stay open later on Thursdays and the weekend, as follows:

THURS., FRI. & SAT. -- open from 10:30 AM to 9:00 PM
SUN. -- open from 12 Noon to 6:00 PM

How to Order

To place an order:

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Shipping rates:

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Upcoming Author Events

All events are free and open to the public. To be in the signing line you must buy (or have bought) the new book from us.

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REMEMBER . . . It is never too soon to reserve your copy of ANY forthcoming book, whether the author is signing in-store or otherwise. These first editions, especially once signed, are limited in quantity. Orders may be placed by email (info@mformystery.com) any time, or telephone (650-401-8077) during store hours.

Tues., 26th at 7:00 PM: "M" is for Mystery Bookclub
This month's book is Blood of the Prodigal by P.L. Gaus. Join us every last Tuesday of the month for lively discussion about selected books! Please note: This is not an author event and the author will not be present.

Tues., 26th DROP BY: JAYNE ANN KRENTZ as herself and writing as AMANDA QUICK

Quicksilver: Book Two of the Looking Glass Trilogy

(Putnam, $25.95)

Virginia Dean wakes at midnight beside a dead body, with a bloody knife in her hand and no memory of the evening's events. Dark energy, emanating from the mirrors lining the room, overpowers her senses. With no apparent way in or out, she is rescued by a man she has met only once before, but won't soon forget. Owen Sweetwater inherited his family's talent for hunting the psychical monsters who prey on London's women and children, and his investigation into the deaths of two glass-readers has led him here. The high-society types of the exclusive Arcane Society would consider Virginia an illusionist, a charlatan, even a criminal, but Owen knows better. Virginia's powers are real-and they just might be the key to solving this challenging case.

In Too Deep

(Putnam, $25.95)

Booklist starred: "When it comes to finding a logical pattern within chaos, private detective Fallon Jones can't be beat, but Isabella Valdez has him completely baffled. Not content with just efficiently organizing Fallon's office, Isabella insists on learning the detective business, too, and she quickly has her own first case, investigating a "haunted" house....[this is] the first in the Looking Glass Trilogy as well as part of Krentz's ongoing Arcane Society series, is the perfect mixture of paranormal-flavored suspense and sexy romance. Krentz's flair for creating intriguing, inventive plots; crafting clever dialogue between two perfectly matched protagonists; and subtly infusing her writing with a deliciously tart sense of humor are, as always, simply irresistible." And PW also starred: "Krentz (aka Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick) never rests on her laurels, carefully crafting a story that works on every level: as a detective novel, a paranormal thriller, and a romance."

Tues., 26th at 7:00 PM at the BELMONT LIBRARY: LUANNE RICE
The BELMONT LIBRARY is located at 1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, two blocks south of Ralston. The Silver Boat (Pamela Dorman, $25.95). "Dar McCarthy is expecting her sisters, Delia and Rory, to join her in Martha's Vineyard for a final visit to the family home before it has to be sold for taxes. Each of the sisters has taken a different path, and Dar is the only one remaining on the island. The house has been in the family for generations, and as the sisters reunite to pack up mementos, they broach the one subject that has haunted them, the disappearance of their father when they were young. After unearthing love letters between her parents, Dar and her sisters go to Ireland on their own quest. Popular Rice, in her mellifluous style, captures the essence of family and sisterhood as each character deals with love and loss," said Booklist.

Tues., 26th DROP BY: DAVID BEZMOZGIS
The Free World (Farrrar, Straus & Giroux, $26.00) "Bezmozgis makes good on the promise of his celebrated first book, Natasha and Other Stories (2004), in his spectacular first novel. Sharply funny and fast-paced, yet splendidly saturated with intriguing psychological nuance and caustic social commentary, The Free World follows a contentious Latvian Jewish family as they join the chaotic exodus of Soviet Jews in 1978.... Bezmozgis infuses every scene with prismatic significance, covering an astonishing swath of Jewish and Soviet history, immigrant traumas, sexual drama, and family angst. A brilliantly ironic and beautifully human novel of exile and yearning." And Library Journal also praised: "Bezmozgis proves why he was recently proclaimed one of The New Yorker's 20 Under 40; this is mellifluous, utterly captivating writing, and you'll live with the Krasnansky family as if it were your own. Highly recommended."

Thurs., 28th at 7:30 AM at Poplar Creek Grill: BARBARA STRAUCH
The Poplar Creek Grill is located at 1700 Coyote Point Drive, San Mateo. This is a ticketed event: $35 per person, includes breakfast buffet (eggs, fruit, beverages and pastries). The Peninsula Library System and the San Mateo County Library present The 15th Annual Literacy Network Breakfast on the topic LITERACY FOR LIFE: How our brains change and advance our growth and knowledge through childhood, teen, and mature adult years. Keynote speaker is BARBARA STRAUCH, author and New York Times Science Editor: LITERACY AND THE SURPRISING TALENTS OF THE MATURE BRAIN. She will discuss and sign her books, 'The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain' and 'The Primal Teen.' "M" is for Mystery... and More will be on hand to sell these books at 10% discount to attendees. Registration and further details at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/165572 The Secret Life of the Grown Up Brain (Viking, $16.00,). This is the Trade Paperback reprint. Subtitled: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind. "... altering midlife brain fitness was considered a given. To [the author's] pleasant surprise, her forays into contemporary neuroscience revealed a reassuring discovery. Aside from usual short-term memory lapses of forgetting names and mislaying keys, the middle-aged brain is more vigorous, organized, and flexible than has been previously believed. In 11 easily digested chapters, Strauch overviews the latest findings of high-tech brain scans and psychological testing that demonstrate cognitive expertise reaching its peak in middle age.... Strauch's work proffers a welcome dose of optimism to every aging baby boomer," said Booklist. The Primal Teen (Anchor, 2004, $15.95 trade paperback). Subtitled: What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids. "Strauch, medical science and health editor at the New York Times, sets out to offer reassurance to parents baffled by their kids' seemingly irrational and erratic behavior. She discusses the latest research, including brain scans that show changes in the brain's structure and function that could explain the crazy behavior exhibited by teens. In addition to reviewing various research projects around the country, Strauch also includes discussions with both parents and teenagers.... readers will be struck by the wonderfully candid comments by those interviewed as well as Strauch's insightful narrative," said PW.

Tues., May 3rd at 7:00 PM: NINA REVOYR
Wingshooters (Akashic Books, $23.95). Kirkus called it "Gripping and insightful." And Booklist starred: "Revoyr continues her unique and affecting exploration of American racism in a concentrated novel that draws breathtaking contrasts between all that is beautiful in life and the malignancy of hate. Charlie, an alpha blue-collar male and a bigot like his buddies, is horrified when his son marries a Japanese exchange student.... Revoyr writes rhapsodically of a young girl's enthrallment to the natural world and charts, with rising intensity, her resilient narrator's painful awakening to human failings and senseless violence. In this shattering northern variation on 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' Revoyr drives to the very heart of tragic ignorance, unreason, and savagery."

Thurs., 5th at 7:00 PM: THOMAS PERRY
The Informant (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27.00) PW starred: "Edgar-winner Perry's excellent third Butcher's Boy novel (after 'Sleeping Dogs') pits the Butcher's Boy (aka Michael Schaeffer), an impeccably effective hit man, against his old nemesis, Elizabeth Waring, an impeccably honest Justice Department official.... Perry offers a compelling, rapid-fire plot, credible Mafia and FBI secondary characters, an indictment of self-serving officialdom, and the old soul-shattering moral dilemma: what is truth?" And Kirkus also starred: "Beneath the sky-high body count, the twisty plot is powered by Perry's relentless focus on the question of where the next threat is coming from and how to survive it."

Thurs., 12th DROP BY: ARTHUR PHILLIPS
The Tragedy of Arthur (Random House, $26.00) Booklist said: "The always-original Phillips has outdone himself in this clever literary romp. Successfully blending and bending genres, he positions himself as a character in a novel that skewers Shakespearean scholarship, the publishing industry, and his own life to rollicking effect.... Phillips, who has been on everyone's radar since the publication of Prague (2007), continues to intrigue and amaze." And PW starred: "A long-lost Shakespeare play surfaces in Phillips's wily fifth novel, a sublime faux memoir framed as the introduction to the play's first printing -- a Modern Library edition, of course.... funny and brazen, smart and playful." And the Washington Post said: "The Tragedy of Arthur, however you view it, shows off a writer at the top of his game."

Thurs., May 12th at 7:00 PM: JONATHAN HAYES
A Hard Death (Harper, $25.99). "Disgraced forensic pathologist Dr. Edward Jenner hoped that a move to Florida would be a distraction from the serial killer horrors in Precious Blood, but in Hayes's solid sequel, the medical examiner finds himself embroiled in another life and death investigation. Barely eking out a living as Port Fontaine's temporary pathologist, Jenner is shocked when one of his first cases in the sleepy coastal town is the murder of his former mentor and Port Fontaine's regular medical examiner, Dr. Martin Roburn, whose body shows signs of torture. When Jenner is alerted to the decomposing bodies of four migrant workers deep in a swamp, he suspects their deaths are tied to Roburn. Jenner, along with a local detective, starts putting the pieces together to connect Port Fontaine's richest men, the booming migrant population, and the lucrative drug trade.." said PW.

Sat., 14th at 2:00 PM: GORDON W. DALE
Fool's Republic (North Atlantic Books, $19.95 TPBO) Citizens' stories of state abuse, from secret wiretapping to unjust imprisonment and worse, make headlines daily. In this political thriller, Simon Wyley floats in a tiny all-white cell. A short-order cook with a genius-level IQ, Wyley has had a steady job for twenty years, paid his taxes, kept to himself. A dedicated husband and father, he's a model citizen. So why is he being held? Wyley is accused of committing crimes against the state -- the charges are always implied, never specified -- and is being held without formal charge, benefit of counsel, or due process of law. He confuses and confounds his interrogators using the only weapons at his disposal, irony and whimsy, to challenge their arrogance and false assumptions. Exhibiting a crackling narrative energy and vivid prose, Fool's Republic is about freedom -- freedom of action, freedom of thought and, ultimately, the freedom to be human.

Mon., 16th, DROP BY: GERALDINE BROOKS
Caleb's Crossing (Viking, $26.95). "In 1965, Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck of Martha's Vineyard graduated from Harvard, whose 1650 charter describes its mission as 'the education of the English and Indian youth of this country.' That much is fact. That Caleb befriended Bethia Mayfield, the free-spirited daughter of the island's preacher, is of course fiction -- but it's luscious fiction in the capable hands of Pulitzer Prize winner Brooks (March). As one might expect from Brooks, Bethia is a keen and rebellious lass, indignant that she should be kept from book learning when her slower brother gets the benefit of an education.... Writing in Bethia's voice, Brooks offers a lyric and elevated narrative that effectively replicates the language of the era; she takes on the obvious issues of white arrogance, cultural difference, and the debased role of women without settling into jeremiad. The result is sweet and aching. Highly recommended," said Library Journal. ALSO buy the new on plus the following at get 10% off both: -- 'People of the Book' (Viking, 2008, $20.00) F/F. Signed.

Tues., 17th at 7:00 PM at the BELMONT LIBRARY: LAWRENCE BLOCK in conversation with ROBERT SILVERBERG
EXCLUSIVE Bay Area event! A rare chance to meet two of the world's most celebrated authors! The BELMONT LIBRARY is located at 1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, two blocks south of Ralston. A Drop of the Hard Stuff (Mulholland, $25.99). Grandmaster Lawrence Block brings his 17th Matthew Scudder novel, in which he takes the recovering alcoholic ex-cop private eye back to the early years of his sobriety. He recalls how, when still shaky in his new life, he encounters Jack Ellery, another former heavy drinker slowly ascending the A.A. steps of recovery. When his friend is murdered, that chance convergence becomes a disturbing conundrum: Who killed the man struggling to get back on the right path? A critical episode in the life's journey of Block's most popular protagonist. Wide critical raves, including this from Kirkus: "Matthew Scudder looks back at his first year off the sauce to recall that making amends can be murder.... this lonesome, wintry, compassionate tale is guaranteed to get under your skin, and make you thirsty to boot." Also available at the end of this email a special limited edition "A Drop of the Hard Stuff." ROBERT SILVERBERG, the multiple winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards will be there to sign some books as well. A sampling of what we will have on hand at the event includes: -- '13th Immortal' (Wildside Press, $15.00) Trade Paperback. As New. Signed. -- 'Dying Inside' (Tor, 2009, $15.95) Trade Paperback. As New. Signed. -- 'Little Intelligence & Other Stories' (Crippen & Landrau, 2009, $42.00) Deluxe Hardcover. As New. Signed. -- 'Musings & Meditations' (Nonstop Press, 2010, $18.95) Nonfiction. Trade Paperback. As New. Signed. -- 'Nightwings' (Diamond, 2008, $14.99) Trade Paperback. As New. Signed. -- 'Times Three' (Subterranean Press, $40.00) Limited Edition Hardcover. As New. Signed.

Sat., 21st at 2:00 PM: AVERY AAMES
Lost & Fondue: A Cheese Shop Mystery (Penguin, $7.99 mass market). The fair town of Providence has settled down to normal after last year's murder. Jonquils are in bloom. The Cheese Shop is thriving, and Charlotte's romance with Jordan is flourishing. But when her friend, Meredith, decides to throw a fund-raiser to create a liberal arts college out of a long-abandoned winery - -a winery that is rumored to hold not only buried bodies but buried treasure -- Charlotte's joie de vivre deflates like a bad souffle. Charlotte's fears are realized when an art student is found dead in the wine cellar, and Meredith's niece is the main suspect. ALSO: -- 'Long Quiche Goodbye' (Penguin, 2010, $7.99) Mass Market Original. As New. Signed.

Sun., 22nd at 2:00 PM at the BELMONT LIBRARY: JO NESBO
The Snowman (Knopf, $25.95). "In this chilling installment in Nesbø's Insp. Harry Hole crime series (The Devil's Star, etc.), a snowman left in the front yard of Birte Becker's Oslo house is the only clue to the woman's disappearance. Nesbø breathes new life into the serial killer subgenre, giving it a Norwegian twist and never losing his laconic hero in the process," said PW. And Library Journal concluded: "Nesbø is being hailed as the next Stieg Larsson or Henning Mankell; this work is being compared to Peter Høeg's Smilla's Sense of Snow, among others. Apt comparisons, but they don't go far enough. This is simply the best detective novel this reviewer has read in years." Jo Nesbø is a musician, songwriter, economist, and author. His previous Harry Hole novels include The Redbreast, Nemesis, and The Devil's Star. His books, translated into forty languages, have sold more than six million copies worldwide, and he has received the Glass Key Award for best Nordic crime novel (previously awarded to Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell).

Coming Attractions

June 2011: (Asterisk indicates name added since last week.)

SUMMER 2011 PREVIEW: (Asterisk indicates name added since last week.)

JULIET BLACKWELL / REBECCA CANTRELL / JODI COMPTON / WILLIAM DIETRICH / ROBERT DUGONI / WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER / SOPHIE LITTLEFIELD / * SUSAN CUMMINS MILLER / * CAMILLE MINICHINO (writing as ADA MADISON) / ADAM ROSS / * ESMERELDA SANTIAGO / MICHAEL STANLEY / JOHN THOMPSON / MICHAEL WILEY

Signed First Editions - Just Arrived

JANE CLELAND - Deadly Threads
(Minotaur, $24.99) "Near the start of Cleland's well-crafted sixth Josie Prescott Antiques mystery (after 2010's Silent Auction), Josie is preparing for a workshop on vintage shoes and handbags at her antiques shop in Rocky Point, N.H. When her guest speaker, Riley Jordan, fails to show, Josie decides to begin the class without her. A minute later, Josie discovers why Riley is late after looking under a display table, where she's horrified to see Riley's strangled body. Josie teams with Ellis Hunter, Rocky Point's police chief, and Wes Smith, an investigative reporter for the local newspaper, the Seacoast Star, to find the killer, who soon targets one of Josie's employees. Authentic details of vintage clothing and jewelry, vivid descriptions of coastal New Hampshire in the early spring, credible characters, and a dramatic conclusion make this cozy a winner."

DOUGLAS CORLEONE - Night On Fire
(Minotaur, $24.99) "At the start of Corleone's appealing follow-up to 2010's One Man's Paradise, transplanted New York lawyer Kevin Corvelli observes a pair of newlyweds arguing in a beachfront bar outside Honolulu hours before a fire sweeps through the couple's hotel. New bride Erin Simms is quickly arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder and arson. Among the dead are the groom and at least eight others.... Interested in winning an acquittal but not solving the crime, Corvelli uses an impressive array of legal precedents and courtroom antics against [an] ambitious prosecutor.... The resulting thrust and parry is well done, and it's amusing to see confirmed bachelor and ladies' man Corvelli becoming a surrogate parent to a four-year-old boy he rescues from the blaze," said PW. ALSO: -- 'One Man's Paradise' (Minotaur, 2010, $24.99) Author's first book. As New. Signed.

JASON GOODWIN - An Evil Eye
(Farrar, Straus, $26.00). PW starred: "Edgar-winner Goodwin's masterful fourth mystery thriller set in Istanbul under the Ottoman Turks (after The Bellini Card) finds his series hero, the eunuch Yashim, attempting to navigate treacherous political shoals following the death of Sultan Mahmut II in 1840. International pressures heighten the uncertainty surrounding the empire's direction under Mahmut's youthful successor. In this tense climate, Yashim looks into the killing of an unknown man dumped in a Christian monastery's cistern. While Goodwin excels at plotting, the book's main strength lies in the assured depiction of a nation restrained by a corrupt leadership far removed from the old traditions of transparency and justice. The details of how Yashim prepares meals may amuse Robert Parker fans." ALSO buy the new on plus the following at get 10% off both: -- 'The Bellini Card' (UK: Faber & Faber, 2008, $45.00) As New. Signed.

JONATHAN KELLERMAN - Mystery

(

Ballentine, $28.00)

"When Lt. Milo Sturgis of LAPD homicide asks psychologist Alex Delaware to view the faceless corpse of a young woman in Kellerman's enjoyable if only average 26th Alex Delaware novel (after Deception), Alex is shocked to recognize the gunshot victim as someone he and wife, Robin, saw the night before in a restaurant bar. A link turns out to exist between the dead woman and a sinister-looking man Alex and Robin observed outside the bar that night. An anonymous tip leads to an online service that matches 'sugar daddies' with 'star-quality sweeties.' The victim, who called herself Mystery, had a 'daddy,' whose wealthy, anything-goes family offers plenty of suspects, including McReynolds's wife, two sons, and two daughters-in-law," said PW.

ALSO:

-- 'Billy Straight' (Random House, 1999, $4.00) F/NF+ dust jacket. Very slight wrinkling at top of spine of dust jacket.

-- 'Monster' (Random House, 1999, $4.00) VF/VF. As new.

PHILLIP KERR - Field Gray
(Putnam, $26.95) PW starred: "Bernie Gunther's past catches up with him in Kerr's outstanding seventh novel featuring the tough anti-Nazi Berlin PI who survived the Nazi regime. In 1954, Bernie is living quietly in Cuba, doing a little work for underworld boss Meyer Lansky, when he runs afoul of the U.S. Navy and lands in prison in Guantánamo.... Vivid flashbacks chronicle Bernie's harrowing war experiences. Series aficionados and new readers alike will take comfort knowing that Kerr is hard at work on the next installment."

R.T. RAICHEV - Murder at the Villa Byzantine
(Soho Constable, $25.00) Signed Bookplates. Library Journal starred: "Greed, jealousy, rampant emotions, and a killer lurk in the wings of this tale that mixes Henry James's psychological insight with Agatha Christie's whodunit plotting skills. Throw in a diabolically clever story line and the challenge to readers to figure out what is really going on, and Raichev once again triumphs in this totally fascinating game of wits. Highly recommended..." And the Denver Post said: "Except for its modern-day setting, the book could have been published during Agatha Christie's heyday, the so-called Golden Age of detective fiction, and readers who relish that period will be delighted..." ALSO buy the new on plus the following at get 10% off both: -- 'Murder at the Villa Byzantine' (UK: Constable, 2011, $38.00) As New. Signed on title page.

Recent Signed Arrivals

These are the signed first editions that arrived or were signed here, in the past two weeks of which we have current stock. Complete blurbs for these titles can be found on our updated Archive; link to it on this newsletter by clicking on the gold button above, left.

RHYS BOWEN - Bless the Bride - Buy Now!
MEG WAITE CLAYTON - The Four Ms. Bradwells - Buy Now!
MICHAEL CONNELLY - The Fifth Witness - Buy Now!
BRIAN FREEMAN - The Bone House - Buy Now!
DAVID HEWSON - The Fallen Angel - Buy Now!
RUSSELL HILL - The Dog Sox - Buy Now!
J.A. JANCE - Fatal Error - Buy Now!
DONNA LEON - Drawing Conclusions - Buy Now!
LISA LUTZ & DAVID HAYWARD - Heads You Lose - Buy Now!
HENNING MANKELL - The Troubled Man - Buy Now!
MANUEL MUNOZ - What You See In The Dark - Buy Now!
KATHERINE HALL PAGE - The Body in the Gazebo - Buy Now!
LISA SCOTTOLINE - Save Me - Buy Now!
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING - One Was a Soldier - Buy Now!
DON WINSLOW - Satori - Buy Now!

OWEN SMITH POSTERS

Now back in stock! The "Dashiell Hammett" and "Sam Spade with Gunman" posters are available. These are signed by the artist from the Maltese Falcon series, and each poster is only $12.00!

Signed First Editions - Expected Soon

MYSTERY, CRIME AND GENERAL FICTION

LAWRENCE BLOCK - A Drop of the Hard Stuff - Limited Editions
NEW! PRE-ORDER NOW! Quantities are limited and will sell out! (Mysterious Bookshop, $150.00/$275.00). True first special limited edition coming soon, preceding the trade edition. Bound in marbled boards with a leather spine, SIGNED and numbered ($150.00). Also, 26 lettered copies ($275.00). This is the first Matt Scudder novel in six years; it circles back to how it all began, reestablishing why the Matthew Scudder series is widely regarded as one of the pinnacles of American detective fiction. [ALSO: Lawrence Block will speak, and sign the trade edition, at the Belmont Library on May 17th.]

More News of the Used

Be sure to browse our Used mass market paperback section, where we've recently added a rather large selection of authors such as Agatha Christie, Tom Clancy, Len Deighton, Barry Eisler, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Rex Stout and many more! These are all very good-condition copies, priced from $2.25 to $3.00. Not to be missed!

We also have a fine selection of trade paperback and hardcover used books, $4-$5, all in fine condition. An excellent selection of titles including authors such as Carol O'Connell, Stuart Woods, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, and Ruth Rendell.

STORE HOURS:
MONDAY through SATURDAY from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM,
SUNDAY from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM,
and evenings until approximately 9:00 PM when an author is scheduled to appear at 7:00 PM.