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

June 6th, 2011

In This Issue

Upcoming Author Events

Coming Attractions

Signed Firsts - Just Arrived

Signed Firsts - Expected Soon

Deluxe & Limited Editions

Quick Links

Extended Spring Hours!

THURS., FRI. & SAT. --

open from 10:30 AM to 9:00 PM

SUN. -- open from 12 Noon to 6:00 PM

MON., TUES., WED. -- regular hours

open from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM

Greetings!

A reminder for tomorrow night (Tuesday): Ken Mercer's only S.F./Peninsula appearance is here at "M". Come hear about his suspense-driven new book -- and find out what he admits he has in common with the late Hunter S. Thompson.

It must be brothers week: two books (both with starred reviews) with diverse settings -- from 1850's San Francisco to 1990's London-cum-Sherlockian twist -- each star a pair of brothers. FIrst, Patrick Dewitt drops by Wednesday to sign his newest, which the Washington Post called " . . .weirdly funny, startlingly violent and steeped in sadness . . ." Then on Saturday afternoon, Michael Robertson will talk about a certain rather famous fictional detective (whose creator has been dead for nearly a century) who continues to receive fan mail and letters asking him for help, and how this new novel, with brothers, "is really about the letters and the phenomena around those."

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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., June 7th at 7:00 PM: KEN MERCER
East on Sunset (Minotaur, $25.99). Publishers Weekly starred: "Former narcotics detective Will Magowan, who was fired from the LAPD for substance abuse, has a lot to be happy about in Mercer's stellar follow-up to 'Slow Fire' (2010). Besides getting back together with his wife, Laurie, and having a baby on the way, baseball fan Will has a new job as a security guard for the L.A. Dodgers. Meanwhile, Erik Crandall, who was put behind bars five years earlier after a drug bust, is now free and seeking payback -- from Will. . . . Mercer masterfully ratchets up the suspense as the flawed, fully human Will strives to clear his name and protect his family at any cost."

Tues., June 7th DROP BY: ERIK LARSON
In the Garden of Beasts (Crown, $26.00). "[Larson's] best and most enthralling work of novelistic history. . . there has been nothing quite like Mr. Larson's story of the four Dodds, characters straight out of a 1930s family drama, transporting their shortcomings to a new world full of nasty surprises. . . The Dodds' story is rich with incident, populated by fascinating secondary characters, tinged with rising peril and pityingly persuasive about the futility of Dodd's mission," said Janet Maslin in the New York Times. And PW starred: "In this mesmerizing portrait of the Nazi capital, Larson plumbs a far more diabolical urban cauldron than in his bestselling The Devil in the White City . . . a vivid, atmospheric panorama of the Third Reich and its leaders, including murderous Nazi factional infighting, through the accretion of small crimes and petty thuggery."

Wed., June 8th DROP BY: PATRICK DEWITT
The Sisters Brothers (Ecco, $24.99) PW starred: " Dewitt's bang-up second novel (after Ablutions) is a quirky and stylish revisionist western. . . . a frontier baron known as the Commodore orders Charlie and Eli Sisters, his hired gunslingers, to track down and kill a prospector named Herman Kermit Warm, . . . Eli's deadpan narration is at times strangely funny . . . but maintains the power to stir heartbreak, as with Eli's infatuation with a consumptive hotel bookkeeper. As more of the brothers' story is teased out, Charlie and Eli explore the human implications of many of the clichés of the old west and come off looking less and less like killers and more like traumatized young men. With nods to Charles Portis and Frank Norris, DeWitt has produced a genre-bending frontier saga that is exciting, funny, and, perhaps unexpectedly, moving."

Sat., June 11th at 2:00 PM: MICHAEL ROBERTSON
The Brothers of Baker Street (Minotaur, $24.99) Booklist starred: "Sherlock Holmes isn't back, but Dr. Moriarty is, sort of, in this delightful romp that offers more tension and suspense than a dozen fat thrillers with bloody knives on the cover. It still manages to be funny, rather in the Kingsley Amis manner. Set in modern London, . . . .[with] two failing lawyers. Their offices are on the 200 block of Baker Street, and their lease requires that they answer all mail addressed to Sherlock Holmes. Naturally, that leads to the occasional spot of sleuthing. . . . For anglophiles, crime-o-philes, and all fans of wonderful writing." And PW also starred: "Set in 1997, Robertson's second mystery featuring barrister Reggie Heath, whose chambers are located at Sherlock Holmes's legendary address, offers pacing, prose, and plotting at a level far above that of its predecessor, 2009's The Baker Street Letters... An extremely clever evil scheme will delight readers."

Tues., June 14th at 7:00 PM: ACE ATKINS
The Ranger (Putnam, $25.95) "Best known for historical thrillers like Infamous, Atkins kicks off a new series with a solid action-packed yarn featuring U.S. Army Ranger Quinn Colson. When Colson returns home to Jericho, Miss., from his most recent tour of duty in Afghanistan for his uncle's funeral, he's surprised to learn that his uncle, former sheriff Hampton Beckett, shot himself to death. An old friend, Deputy Lillie Virgil, suspects that Beckett was actually murdered. Colson's efforts to prove that theory bring him up against both the violent and the corrupt. During Colson's time away, his rural community has been overrun with meth dealers, whose blight affects those close to him. . ." said PW. And Library Journal said: "for Stephen Hunter fans who like fast-moving plots and decisive good guys facing down evil."

Wed., 15th at 7:00 PM: RON HANSEN
A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion (Scribner, $25.00). Based on a real case whose lurid details scandalized Americans in 1927 and sold millions of newspapers, acclaimed novelist Ron Hansen's latest work is a tour de force of erotic tension and looming violence. "Ruth Snyder is found bound and gagged in her own hallway, and her husband has been murdered in his sleep. Given her superficial injuries and implausible explanations, detectives soon suspect her of being involved. Hansen ('The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford') follows this grisly first chapter with a flashback to the beginning of Ruth's adulterous relationship with corset and brassiere salesman Judd Gray. . . Occasionally distracting from the story with particulars of the era's products, buildings, and current events, the author has nevertheless created an entertaining and sexy crime novel for adult readers. Although not technically a mystery, this book should also be popular with fans of hard-boiled crime novels," said Library Journal.

Sat., 18th at 2:00 PM: CRAIG JOHNSON - EXCLUSIVE BAY AREA EVENT!
Hell is Empty (Viking, $25.95). PW called it "stellar" and Library Journal starred: "Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire sets out to recapture a group of escaped convicted murderers. Among them is Raynaud Shade, who confessed to murdering a young boy and burying his body in the Bighorn Mountains. . . Series fans and readers who enjoy C.J. Box and other authors of Western mysteries will be enthralled by this electrifying and intense work; a triumph." Booklist praised: ""The story starts with a pitch-perfect piece of Johnson's trademark scene- setting and then roars off into the wilderness, hardly leaving readers time to catch their breaths. . . . when it comes to bad weather, western lore, and a chilling hint of the supernatural, few writers write it better."

Wed., 22nd at 7:00 PM: JEFFERY DEAVER - EXCLUSIVE BAY AREA EVENT!
Carte Blanche: A James Bond Novel (Simon & Schuster, $26.99). Jeffery Deaver was selected by Ian Fleming Publications to write the new James Bond thriller ( to be published on June 14th). The plot of the new novel -- which features a contemporary setting and brings Fleming's legendary 007 character firmly into the modern age -- is being kept tightly under wraps until publication. We are thrilled to welcome back the international number-one bestselling author of Roadside Crosses, The Bodies Left Behind, The Broken Window, The Sleeping Doll, The Bone Collector and twenty-one other suspense novels. His books have been translated into twenty-five languages, and he has been nominated for six Edgar Awards, and is a three-time recipient of the Ellery Queen Reader's Award for Best Short Story of the Year. His novel The Bone Collector was made into a feature release from Universal Pictures, starring Denzel Washington. ALSO, buy the new one plus any of the following and get 10% off!: -- 'The Broken Window' (Simon & Schuster, 2008, $23.00) VF/VF. Signed. -- 'The Burning Wire' (Simon & Schuster, 2009, $14.00) NF/F. Signed, Wrinkling at bottom edge of spine. -- 'The Burning Wire' (Simon & Schuster, 2009, $18.00) F/F. Signed. -- 'The Edge' (Simon & Schuster, 2010, $26.99) As New. Signed.

Thurs., 23rd at 7:00 PM: PETER LOVESEY - EXCLUSIVE BAY AREA EVENT!
Stagestruck (Soho Crime, $25.00). "At the start of Lovesey's superb 11th mystery featuring Det. Supt. Peter Diamond, pop singer turned actress Clarion Calhoun collapses on stage at Bath's Theatre Royal, the victim of some chemical preparation that disfigures her face. . . After the clever reveal of the main criminal, many readers will go back to the beginning to see how artfully a major clue was planted. Once again, Lovesey proves he has few peers as a crafter of contemporary fair-play whodunits," said PW. CWA's Silver, Gold and Diamond Daggers, along with numerous US honors. ALSO, buy the new one plus the following and get 10% off!: -- 'Skeleton Hill' (Soho Press, 2009, $24.00) As New. Signed.

Sat., 25th at 2:00 PM: TONY HAYS
The Beloved Dead (Forge, $26.99). PW starred: "Hayes merges a suspenseful serial killer story line with a persuasive recreation of fifth-century Britain in his superior third Arthurian mystery (after 2010's The Divine Sacrifice). Arthur ap Uther, the Rigotamos, the High King of all Britannia, who's preparing for a politically expedient marriage, dispatches his chief adviser, Malgwyn ap Cuneglas, to escort his bride-to-be, Gwyneira, and her father, Aircol, back to Arthur's stronghold. On the way, Malgwyn gets caught up in the search for a savage murderer, who sexually abuses young girls before slitting their throats. The investigator has to wonder whether the killings, which reawaken painful memories from his own past, are aimed at destabilizing Arthur's authority, perpetually under threat from envious rivals. . . Both Arthur fans and historical whodunit devotees will be more than satisfied."

Sun., 26th at 2:00 PM: JAMES ROLLINS
The Devil Colony (Wm. Morrow, $27.99). The recent volcanic eruption in southern Iceland is eerily similar to a major plot point in Rollins' new thriller, which touches on the truth behind diverse and seemingly unconnected events. "A secret from the past threatens to destroy the modern world in bestseller Rollins's riveting seventh Sigma Force novel. . . . When the members of the special forces unit known as Sigma, led by Painter Crowe, investigate, they uncover a massive conspiracy that has its roots in Mormonism, Native American legends, Thomas Jefferson, and explorer Meriwether Lewis, to name just a few of the fascinating characters and scientific threads that stitch this intricate action thriller together. Rollins gets better with each book, and his position at the top of this particular subgenre remains unshaken," said PW. And Lee Child said: "Terrible secrets, the sweep of history, an epic canvas, breathless action. . . nobody -- and I mean nobody -- does this stuff better than Rollins." ALSO: -- 'Jake Ransom & the Howling Sphinx' (Harper, $16.99). As New. Signed.

Tues., 28th at 7:00 PM: JULIET BLACKWELL and SOPHIE LITTLEFIELD
JULIET BLACKWELL Hexes and Hemlines (Signet, $7.99 paperback original). Lily gets called away from her vintage clothing store to give police a witch's take on how the leader of a rationalist society could be murdered, surrounded by superstitions he discredited. Evidence points to dark witchcraft. Lily's determined to use magic of her own to find the murderer, before everyone's luck runs out. ALSO, buy the new one plus any of the following and get 10% off!: -- 'A Cast-Off Coven' (Penguin, 2010, $6.99) As New. Signed. Mass Market Original. -- 'Secondhand Spirits' (Penguin, 2009, $6.99) As New. Signed. Mass Market Original. -- 'Arsenic & Old Paint' (Perseverance Press, 2010, $14.95) Writing as Hailey Lind. As New. Signed. Trade Paperback Original. SOPHIE LITTLEFIELD A Bad Day For Scandal (Minotaur, $24.99). When Prosper homegirl turned big-city businesswoman Priss Porter returns to town with a body in her trunk, she calls Stella Hardesty to dispose of it. Her uppity ways don't convince Stella to take the job, and Priss attempts to blackmail her with a snapshot of Stella doing what she does best: curing woman-beaters by the use of force. 'A Bad Day for Scandal' is the third in Sophie Littlefield's award-winning, critically acclaimed series. ALSO, buy the new one plus any of the following and get 10% off!: -- 'Aftertime' (Luna, 2011, $14.95) As New. Signed. TPBO. -- 'A Bad Day For Pretty' (Minotaur, 2010, $24.99) As New. Signed. -- 'Banished' (Delacorte, 2010, $16.99) As New. Signed.

Tues., June 28th at 7:00 PM: "M" is for Mystery Bookclub at the KAFFEEHAUS!
Please join us next door at the Kaffeehaus for this Book Club meeting. This month's book is Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris. 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.

Wed., 29th DROP BY: J. COURTNEY SULLIVAN
Maine (Knopf, $25.95). "Everyone has dark secrets. It's why God invented confession and booze, two balms frequently employed in Sullivan's well-wrought sophomore effort. Alice Brennan is Irish American through and through, the daughter of a cop, a good Catholic girl so outwardly pure that she's a candidate for the papacy. . . . As Sullivan's tale unfolds, there are plenty of reasons that Alice might wish to avoid taking too close a look at her life: There's tragedy and heartbreak around every corner, as there is in every life. . . . Mature, thoughtful, even meditative at times -- but also quite entertaining," said 'Kirkus.' And 'Library Journal' praised: "At the heart of this compelling novel of three generations of women emotionally stunted by fate and willful stubbornness is the family vacation property in Cape Neddick, ME, where the Kellehers have convened for six decades. . . . Sullivan brilliantly lays out the case for the nearly futile task of these three generations of badly damaged Irish Catholic women seeking acceptance from one another."

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

Coming Attractions

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

RUSSELL BANKS / CHRIS EWAN / LAURIE R. KING / WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER / DAVID LEVIEN / DAVID LISS / JOSH RITTER / ESMERELDA SANTIAGO / KELLI STANLEY / MICHAEL STANLEY / THOMAS YOUNG

Signed First Editions - Just Arrived

THOMAS H. COOK - The Quest for Anna Klein
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27.00.). [Due in Fri.] Thomas Danforth has lived a fortunate life. The son of a wealthy importer, he traveled the world in his youth, and now, in his twenties, he lives in New York City and runs the family business. It is 1939, and the world is on the brink of war, but Danforth's life is untroubled, his future assured. Then, on a snowy evening walk along Gramercy Park, a friend poses a fateful question. As it turns out, this friend has a dangerous idea that can change the world. Danforth is to provide a place where a "brilliant woman" can receive training in firearms and explosives. This is to be the beginning of an international plot carried out by the mysterious Anna Klein -- a plot that will ensnare Danforth in more ways than one.

LAURELL K. HAMILTON - Hit List
(Berkley, $27.99). "As punchy as her first foray, Anita Blake's 20th adventure (after 2010's 'Bullet') finds the intrepid vampire hunter far from her familiar St. Louis environs. Someone is slaughtering weretigers just outside of Tacoma. When Anita recognizes the handiwork of the Harlequin, ninja-like paranormal assassins, she suspects they're in the employ of the Mother of All Darkness, the legendary vampire queen who wants to reincarnate herself in Anita's body and take advantage of her mingled vampire and lycanthrope bloodlines. . . . Hamilton . . . delivers a sleek, hard-boiled page-turner," said PW.

BILL PRONZINI - Camouflage
(Forge, $24.99). Nameless may not like David Virden, but the case is simple enough: find his ex-wife -- and they know where she is. Deliver some papers to her and it's all done. But she refuses the papers, sends a message to Virden to never contact her again, and slams the door. His colleague, Tamara, tells Nameless that Virden threatens to sue, stops payment on his checks, and claims that the woman they located isn't his wife. Then he disappears and his fiancée hires Nameless to find out why. Clearly, someone is trying to make Nameless the monkey in the middle. ALSO: -- 'Problems Solved' (Crippen & Landrau, 2003, $25.00) As New. Overprint. Limited Edition. Signed. With pamphlet inserted "Do I Dar To Eat A Peach?" -- 'Burgade's Crossing' (Five Star, 2003, $47.00) As New. Signed.

DANIEL H. WILSON - Robopocalypse
(Doubleday, $25.00). Raves all around. From Kirkus: "Things pop along at a wonderfully breakneck pace, and by letting his characters reveal themselves through their actions, Wilson creates characters that spring to life. Vigorous, smart and gripping." From Clive Cussler: "A brilliantly conceived thriller that could well become horrific reality. . . . will grip your imagination from the first word to the last, on a wild rip you won't soon forget. What a read . . . unlike anything I've read before." Lincoln Child adds: "An Andromeda Strain for the new century, this is visionary fiction at its best: harrowing, brilliantly rendered, and far, far too believable." And Janet Maslin in The New York Times called it ". . .an ingenious, instantly visual story of war between humans and robots."

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.

AVERY AAMES - Lost & Fondue - Buy Now!
BOB BATY - Vintage Connor: the Blond in the Lotus Elite - Buy Now!
LAWRENCE BLOCK - A Drop of the Hard Stuff - Buy Now!
MAX ALLAN COLLINS - Kiss Her Goodbye - Buy Now!
KEITH DONOHUE - Centuries of June - Buy Now!
JASON GOODWIN - The Bellini Card UK - Buy Now!
SARA GRAN - Claire DeWitt & the City of the Dead - Buy Now!
STEVE HAMILTON - Misery Bay - Buy Now!
PAUL MCEUEN - Spiral - Buy Now!
PATRICIA MORIN - Mystery Montage - Buy Now!
GIGI PANDIN - Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology - Buy Now!
STEFANIE PINTOFF - The Secret of the White Rose - Buy Now!
JOHN SCALZI - Fuzzy Nation - Buy Now!
LISA SEE - Dreams of Joy - Buy Now!

Signed First Editions - Expected Soon

MYSTERY, CRIME AND GENERAL FICTION

DELUXE & LIMITED EDITIONS

ROBERT SILVERBERG - A Little Intelligence
(Crippen & Landrau, 2009, $42.00). by Silverberg and Randall Garrett. Deluxe hardcover, edition limited to 200 copies, signed and numbered by Silverberg. Introduction by Robert Silverberg. He and Randall Garrett wrote these mystery short stories under the joint pseudonym of Robert Randall. With many of the seven stories set in the future, they explore the topics of morality, theology, and humanity within their mysteries. Included is a separately bound 23 page short story pamphlet, Human Reaction, by Randall Garrett (1927-1987).

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 Dan Brown, Sara Paretsky, Mary Higgins Clark, Dean R. Koontz, Agatha Christie, Tom Clancy, Len Deighton, Barry Eisler, Erle Stanley Gardner, Donna Leon 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 Andrea Camilleri, Alexander McCall Smith, Carol O'Connell, Stuart Woods, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, and Ruth Rendell.

STORE HOURS:

MONDAY - WEDNESDAY from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM,
THURSDAY, FRIDAY, and SATURDAY 10:30 AM to 9:00 PM
SUNDAY from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM,

and evenings until approximately 9:00 PM when an author is scheduled to appear at 7:00 PM.