  Recently Signed - In Stock
86 East Third Ave., San Mateo, CA 94401 Phone: 650-401-8077
OR Toll Free outside Bay Area: 888-405-8077
last updated: June 6th, 2011 |
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ABOUT THIS ARCHIVE
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This archive of signed first editions lists
our current stock of RECENT releases.
They are alphabetical by author,
and are kept on the list for approximately
six weeks. These listings are updated weekly.
If you are looking for older signed books, or
specialty categories, use the catalogs on our
web site. We have six catalogs on our home
page (see buttons at left).
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How to Order
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To place an order:
email usor phone us (650)401-8077 (888)405-8077 toll free We accept Visa, MC, Amex and checks by arrangement We ship USPS Media mail within the US and USPS International Priority for overseas addresses Shipping rates: In the US - $6.50 for the first book $1.35 each additional book Overseas - email us to discuss the options |
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OWEN SMITH POSTERS
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OWEN SMITH, nationally recognized artist known for his artworks for The New Yorker and Rolling Stone as well as numerous book covers, was commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission in 2008 to create original works based on a theme for display in special kiosks on Market Street. Most recently, he did the cover illustration for Mark Coggins' new book, The Big Wake-Up, and appeared at "M" for that book event with the author. These posters are from Smith's "Dashiell Hammett's San Francisco" series. Each is SIGNED by the artist; 12" x 18" on heavy glossy stock, at $12.00 each.
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 Recently Signed - In Stock
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BOB BATY - Vintage Connor: the Blond in the Lotus Elite
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(R.J. Buckley, $19.00 trade paperback original). 
When Connor wore a badge, he drove a Crown Vic down Oakland's meanest streets. Now he pilots a vintage Alfa Romeo and finds classic cars for rich collectors. Unfolding like a modern film noir, this clever and original suspense novel has enough shady characters to keep you guessing whodunit. Pulsing with the rhythm and wit of the pulp classics that inspired it, this sun-drenched noir transports you from the gritty streets of Oakland to the pebbled beaches of Monterey. |
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DAVID BEZMOZGIS - The Free World
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 (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." |
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LAWRENCE BLOCK - A Drop of the Hard Stuff
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 (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:
--  'Burglars Can't Be Choosers' (Dutton, 1977, $22.00) NF+/F-. Signed. Light creasing at bottom left edge of spine. DJ very slight wrinkling.
-- 'A Long Line of Dead Men' (William Morrow, 1994, $7.00) F/F. Signed.
-- 'One Night Stands & Lost Weekends' (Harper, 2008, $29.00) Trade paperback. As New. Signed. |
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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 one plus the following and get 10% off both:
-- 'People of the Book' (Viking, 2008, $20.00) F/F. Signed. |
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MEG WAITE CLAYTON - The Four Ms. Bradwells
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 (Ballantine, $25.00).
Meg Waite Clayton's national bestseller 'The Wednesday Sisters' was a word-of-mouth sensation and book club favorite. Mia, Laney, Betts, and Ginger, best friends since law school, have reunited for a long weekend as Betts awaits Senate confirmation of her appointment to the Supreme Court. Nicknamed "the Ms. Bradwells" during their first class at the University of Michigan Law School in 1979 -- when only three women had ever served full Senate terms and none had been appointed to the Court -- the four have supported one another through life's challenges: marriages and divorces, births and deaths, career setbacks and triumphs large and small. But when the Senate hearings uncover a deeply buried skeleton in the friends' collective closet, the Ms. Bradwells retreat to a summer house on the Chesapeake Bay, where they find themselves reliving a much darker period in their past -- one that stirs up secrets they've kept for, and from, one another, and could change their lives forever. |
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JANE CLELAND - Deadly Threads
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( 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." |
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MAX ALLAN COLLINS - Kiss Her Goodbye
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 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25.00).
"Set in the 1970s, Collins's impressive third posthumous collaboration with Spillane (after 2010's The Big Bang) finds 'an older, ailing Mike Hammer returning to New York and finding it (and himself) changed,' though readers will see little evidence by the bloody climax that the notoriously violent PI has lost a step to age or illness. . . . Collins's mastery of the character demonstrates that whenever he runs out of original material to work from he would be more than capable of continuing the saga on his own." And Library Journal concluded: "Spillane may have dreamed up these books, but Collins does a bang-up job writing them." |
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GORDON W. DALE - Fool's Republic
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 (North Atlantic Books, $19.95 TPBO)
The New York Journal of Books called it "Important and timely. . . The power of the book is not simply the story, but also the breathtaking prose used to tell that story. A must-read. . ." 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. |
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KEITH DONOHUE - Centuries of June
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 (Crown, $24.00).
"A tour de force in its mastery of styles, the book also has moments of high silliness -- though toward the end Donohue weaves the threads of plot together in a surprising and affecting way," said Kirkus. And Library Journal praised: "A man's late-night visit to the bathroom results in a fall, opening a hole in his head through which a parade of women from his past lives enter one by one. Each woman bears a grievous anger toward the narrator, who, in the course of their relationship, deserted or destroyed her. Centuries of American history are viewed through these relationships, and each chapter of his previous lives is beautifully reported in the prose of the day. . . . Donohue's tour de force blends aspects of time travel and reincarnation genres into a witty whole. With a touch of David Mitchell and Audrey Niffenegger, but a witty style uniquely the author's own, . . ., is a pleasure to read." |
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SAM EASTLAND - Shadow Pass
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JASON GOODWIN - The Bellini
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 (London: Faber & Faber, 2008, $38.00).
This is the U.K. SIGNED first, which was inadvertently left off Monday's U.K. news. We recently were able to obtain a few, which we've priced very reasonably. "In his third mystery to feature eunuch detective Yashim, Edgar Award winner Goodwin has the investigator for the Ottoman Court traveling to Venice, where murders obscure his hunt for a portrait. Fans of ... detailed historical novels will love this superb foray into another time and place, in which Goodwin integrates 19th-century history with a fine mystery," said Library Journal. |
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JASON GOODWIN - An Evil Eye
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( 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."
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KRISTIN GORE - Sweet Jiminy
|  (Hyperion, $23.99).
In the throes of a quarter-life crisis, Jiminy Davis abruptly quits law school and flees Chicago for her grandmother Willa's farm in rural Mississippi. In search of peace and quiet, Jiminy instead is shocked to discover that there was once another Jiminy -- the daughter of her grandmother's longtime housekeeper, Lyn -- who was murdered along with Lyn's husband four decades earlier in a civil rights-era hate crime. With the help of Lyn's nephew, Bo, Jiminy sets out to solve the cold case, to the dismay of those who would prefer to let sleeping dogs lie. Kristin Gore is the author of two previous novels, 'Sammy's Hill' and 'Sammy's House.' She has also written for several television shows, including Futurama and Saturday Night Live, for which she received an Emmy nomination and a Writer's Guild Award. |
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SARA GRAN - Claire DeWitt & The City of the Dead
|  (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24.00).
"In this captivating first in a projected series from Gran (Dope), PI Claire DeWitt comes to New Orleans to help a client, Leon Salvatore, find his ADA uncle, Vic Willing, who went missing at the time of Hurricane Katrina. Claire relies often on the 'maddening... notoriously difficult' Détection by legendary French detective Jacques Silette . . . .The haunting atmosphere of post-Katrina New Orleans lingers long after the revelation of Vic's fate," said PW. And Library Journal concluded: "This is not to be missed -- Claire is a moody, hip, and meticulous investigator. Gran builds an addictive sense of anticipation with a fantastical frame. Alternately gritty and dreamy,. . . " |
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STEVE HAMILTON - Misery Bay
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 (St. Martin's, $24.99).
The New York Times crime columnist, Marilyn Stasio, said: "The enthralling narrative voice you hear in Steve Hamilton's imaginative crime novel . . . wants you to know . . . he's telling this story in order to find his voice because he stopped speaking years ago, in 1990, when he was 8 years old. . . . As coming-of-age novels go, this one is too good for words." And PW praised: "At the start of this offbeat thriller from Edgar-winner Hamilton (A Stolen Season and six other titles in the Alex McKnight PI series), the book's intriguing narrator, Mike (aka the Golden Boy, the Young Ghost, the Lock Artist, etc.), confesses that a traumatic experience at age eight left him unable to speak and that he has been in prison for nine years. . ." |
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JONATHAN HAYES - A Hard Death
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 (Harper, $25.99).
Booklist called it ". . . a CinemaScope novel, in Technicolor and surround sound: bloody murders, hot sex, decadence, incest, drug cartels... a story of a depravity that both chills and fascinates." Library Journal said: "Even though this is the second entry in a series, new readers can enjoy it as a stand-alone. Fans of forensic thrillers by Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell, and Jeff Lindsay will also delight in this book." And Kirkus also praised: "In Hayes' entertaining sequel to Precious Blood (2007), forensic pathologist Dr. Edward Jenner feels the sharp edge of an old adage, the one about no good deed going unpunished. . . . the oh-so-likable Jenner is redemptive, proving once again he can shine with those other stars in the forensic galaxy."
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AMANDA HODGKINSON - 22 Britannia Road
|  (Pamela Dorman Books, $25.95).
Publishers Weekly called it a "powerful debut . . . . Hodgkinson alternates viewpoints to relay the story of three desperate characters, skillfully toggling between the war and its aftermath with wonderfully descriptive prose that pulls the reader into a sweeping tale of survival and redemption." And Library Journal praised: "This debut novel moves between wartime Poland and postwar England as it follows the shifting fortunes of Janusz Nowak and his wife, Silvana. . . . Fans of novels like 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society' and Sarah's Key, who can never have too much of a good war story, will warm to this fine debut."
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PHILLIP KERR - Field Gray
| ( Putnam, $26.95)
Mystorical for April 2011. 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." |
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DONNA LEON - Drawing Conclusions
| ( Atlantic, $24.00)
Booklist starred Leon's 20th book, calling it "... one of her best.... So what makes the book stand out? It's simply this: Brunetti walks around Venice a lot in this novel, and when he walks, he muses. And when he muses, the reader listens almost hypnotically, transfixed by the somehow ennobling ordinariness of this remarkable man's humanity but also by the subtlety of his mind and his absolute refusal to succumb to the tyranny of bureaucrats and moralists.... over the last several years, [Leon] has become a must-read for all those who favor character-driven crime stories." And PW concluded: "Leon provides a vivid view of Venice, balancing the city's "glory days" with the reality of "the flaking dandruff of sun-blasted paint peeling from shutters." Compassionate yet incorruptible, Brunetti knows that true justice doesn't always end in an arrest or a trial."
ALSO:
-- 'The Anonymous Venetian' (UK: MacMillan, 1994, 1st/1st, $220.00) Signed and inscribed "To Peggy, As ever, with my love, Donna" on title page. NF/NF. Very light shelf wear, pages browning. -- 'Death And Judgment' (HarperCollins, 1995, 1st/1st, $219.00) Signed. F-/F. Pages browning. -- 'Death In A Strange Country' (HarperCollins, 1993, 1st/1st, $275.00) Signed. Also signed and inscribed on dedication page under "For Peggy Flynn" "the best of friends, love Don -." F/F. Pages browning. -- 'A Sea Of Troubles' (UK: William Heinemann, 20011st/1st, $69.00) . Signed. F-/F Pages browning.
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JASSY MACKENZIE - Stolen Lives
|  (Soho Crime, $25.00).
Signed bookplates. The author lives near Johannesburg. "A plucky p.i. gets more than she bargained for when she signs on as bodyguard to a high-maintenance matron. In London, the police raid of a house of prostitution goes horribly wrong when one female suspect escapes after sinking her teeth into the neck of an arresting officer. About a week later in Johannesburg, Terence Jordaan, awakened late at night by a downstairs noise, goes to investigate. . . . Jade, who's recently ended an affair with rugged (and married) police superintendent David Patel, needs the distraction of a case. . . . Jade's sophomore adventure (Random Violence, 2010) provides a crackling pace and nonstop action. . . . Mackenzie's Johannesburg is as gritty and dangerous as noir L.A. or the drug meccas of South America," said Kirkus. And PW concluded: ". . . Under Mackenzie's deft hand, Jo'berg and Jade crackle with frenetic energy." |
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HENNING MANKELL - The Troubled Man
|  (Knopf, $26.95).
Booklist starred: "Readers whose knowledge of Scandinavian crime fiction goes beyond Stieg Larsson know that it was Henning Mankell who jump-started what has developed into a 20-year golden age. Mankell's latest novel, the final volume in his Kurt Wallander series, represents a landmark moment in the genre. We pick up Wallander's story with the aging inspector feeling his 60-plus years and suffering from memory problems that lead to his suspension from the Ystad police force. Mankell, sweeping gracefully between reflections on international politics and meditations on the inevitable arc of human life, never lets his story become engulfed by darkness. Always a reticent man, Wallander shows an intensity of emotion here, a last gasp of felt life, that is both moving and oddly inspiring. An unforgettable series finale." And Kirkus called Mankell "that rare thing: a true original." |
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PAUL MCEUEN - Spiral
|  (Dial Press, $25.00).
[Due in Fri.] Booklist starred, calling it "a stunning achievement. . . It's hard to reckon with the realization that a prominent scientist in a cutting-edge field, writing his first novel in his 'spare time,' has created what may be the most gripping and engrossing thriller this reviewer has ever read in almost 50 years of thriller reading. . . McEuen has created an indelible hero in 85-year-old Liam Connor, a diminutive scientific giant. But Liam dies at the hands of a brilliant, merciless female assassin within the first 50 pages. . . McEuen, also a Cornell physicist, wisely writes about what he knows -- science, nanoscience, and Cornell -- but also shows a true gift for plotting, pace, characterization, and writerly clarity. . . He offers brief, lucid disquisitions on science; notes that a large university is the ideal place to begin a global plague; posits that 'synthetic biology' will surpass silicon microelectronics as the next big technological wave; and remarkably, he makes these ideas accessible to typical thriller aficionados. . ." |
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PATRICIA MORIN - Mystery Montage
|  (Top, $12.95 trade paperback original).
The short story Homeless, from this collection, was a finalist for an Anthony Award in the Best Short Story category. "Morin's stories are diverse and exotic, spanning the globe from Atlantic City and San Francisco to Honolulu and even a small village in Africa. It's these far-flung settings that keep things interesting and vibrant; each story immerses the reader in a new world. Morin's voice changes with each locale; she's got an uncanny knack for creating wildly differing characters and, yet, infusing them all with enough personality to bring them to life and make them believable. . . . It reads like an anthology filled with works from a variety of authors -- a difficult feat for one person to pull off. . ." said San Francisco Book Review. |
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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). |
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GIGI PANDIAN - Fish Tales - The Guppy Anthology
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 (Wildside Press, $14.99 trade paperback original)
The Shadow of the River is Gigi's short story in this water-themed collection that features locked room puzzles, police procedurals, cozy characters and hardboiled detectives. A locked-room mystery, it starsJaya Jones, the treasure-hunting Indian-American historian from Gigi's mystery series. Gigi was awarded a Malice Domestic Grant for her first mystery novel, and was a finalist in the St. Martin's Press Best First Traditional Mystery competition (stay tuned for more details when the book finds a home).
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THOMAS PERRY - The Informant
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 (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."
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ARTHUR PHILLIPS - Tragedy of Arthur
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 (Random House, $26.00)
In the New York Times, Michiko Kakutani praised: "[This] is a novel about the discovery of what is reputed to be a lost Shakespeare play, and with it Arthur Phillips has found the perfect vehicle for his cerebral talents: his ingenuity; his bright, elastic prose; and, most notably, his penchant for pastiche -- for pouring his copious literary gifts into old vessels and reinventing familiar genres. . . . Mr. Phillips has created a wonderfully tricky Chinese puzzle box of a novel that is as entertaining as it is brainy. . . . he's constructed a sly, spirited novel that deftly showcases his own versatility and shiny literary panache." And Booklist said: "The always-original Phillips has outdone himself in this clever literary romp. . . . 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, . . . funny and brazen, smart and playful."
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NINA REVOYR - Wingshooters
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 (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."
ALSO: Edgar Nominated "The Age of Dreaming" (Akashic, 2008, $15.95) TPBO. As New. Signed. |
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JOHN SCALZI - Fuzzy Nation
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(  (Tor, $24.99).
"In this gripping estate-authorized reboot of H. Beam Piper's Hugo-nominated 1962 classic Little Fuzzy, Scalzi (Old Man's War) changes the hero from a grandfatherly miner to a handsome hunk and updates the plot with new events while retaining the prescient focus on ecological concerns. . . . A perfectly executed plot clicks its way to a stunning courtroom showdown in a cathartic finish that will thrill Fuzzy fans old and new," said PW. John Scalzi is a prolific journalist, columnist, and non-fiction writer whose books include The Rough Guide to the Universe and The Book of the Dumb. His web journal The Whatever is one of the longest-established and most widely-read weblogs on the net. |
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M.C. SCOTT - Rome: The Coming of the King
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 (Bantam UK, $41.00). Signed. Second book in series. One man battles to save his kingdom as violent unrest threatens Rome's empire. The new historical adventure in M.C. Scott's Rome series. "Religious and political tensions, passion and intrigue, superb action sequences and real and imagined characters are seamlessly woven together to create a fascinating and exciting story on a truly epic scale," said The Guardian.
And The Independent said: "Full of good fights and battles. . . Scott's version is not only perfectly tenable in theory; it is grippingly sustained in her fiction." |
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LISA SEE - Dreams of Joy
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 (Random House, $26.00).
"This is the eagerly anticipated sequel to See's Shanghai Girls, and what a sequel it is! Continuing the story of Pearl and May Chin, who escaped the Japanese invasion of China during the 1930s, the novel centers on Joy, the daughter that both women have raised, one as aunt, one as mother. . . . Readers of historical fiction will appreciate the authentic details that See weaves into her novel. You don't have to read Shanghai Girls to love this book, but if you have, this sequel will make you want to reread its predecessor," said Library Journal. And PW concluded: "As always, See creates an immersive atmosphere -- her rural China is far from postcard pretty -- but Joy's education is a stellar example of finding new life in a familiar setup, and See's many readers will be pleased to see the continued development of Pearl and May's relationship." |
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ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH - The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
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( Knopf, $24.95)
The latest No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novel is a beautiful blend of wit and wisdom, and a profoundly touching tale of the human heart. At a remote cattle post south of Gaborone two cows have been killed, and Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's No. 1 Lady Detective, is asked to investigate by a rather frightened and furtive gentleman. It is an intriguing problem with plenty of suspects-including, surprisingly, her own client. To complicate matters, Mma Ramotswe is haunted by a vision of her dear old white van, and Grace Makutsi witnesses it as well. Is it the ghost of her old friend, or has it risen from the junkyard?
ALSO:
-- 'Charming Quirks of Others' (Pantheon, 2010, $24.95) As New. Signed.
-- 'Courdoroy Mansions' (Pantheon, 2010, $24.95) As New. Signed.
-- 'Double Comfort Safari Club' (Pantheon, 2010, $24.95) As New. Signed.
-- 'Friends, Lovers, and Chocolate' (Pantheon, 2005, $14.00) F-/F. Signed.
-- 'La's Orchestra Saves The World' (Pantheon, 2009, $23.95) As New. Signed.
-- 'The Right Attitude to Rain' (Pantheon, 2006, $14.00) VF/VF. Signed.
-- 'The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party' (UK: Little, Brown, 2011, $39.00) As New. Unsigned.
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JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING - One Was A Soldier
| ( Minotaur, $24.99)
Booklist starred: "Reunited after 18 months, Episcopalian priest Clare Fergusson and police chief Russ Van Alstyne seek a future together. But Clare's extended tour as a National Guard helicopter pilot in Iraq has left her needing booze and pills to get through the night, a dependence she's unable to admit even in her counseling group of Iraq veterans that includes a teenage double amputee, a cop with anger issues, a doctor with short-term memory loss, and a bookkeeper, Tally McNabb, who's soon found shot to death. Spencer-Fleming explores a serious societal issue -- the reentry problems of soldiers home from combat -- that extends even to small-town Millers Kill, New York, while concocting an absolutely irresistible combination of crime fiction and romance. Spencer-Fleming's fans who have been waiting anxiously for her latest won't be disappointed; this series, as intelligent as it is enthralling, just keeps getting better." |
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STEVE ULFELDER - Purgatory Chasm
| ( Minotaur, $23.99).
"Ulfelder couples precise, evocative prose with an original private investigator in his compelling hard-boiled debut. . . . Ulfelder smoothly navigates the many plot twists, and effortlessly introduces wrinkles in his protagonist's backstory that enhance the character. Fans of Michael Koryta's PI crime novels will find a lot to like," said 'PW.' And 'Library Journal' also praised: "Conway Sax is a former race car driver who lost everything because of his alcohol addiction. . . . This outstanding debut by a former journalist and racing enthusiast is gritty and fast-paced, with an intriguing plot and believable characters. Ulfelder has introduced a solid new protagonist, and the many race car anecdotes add to the novel's allure. It will appeal strongly to readers of Loren D. Estleman and Ross MacDonald and those who enjoy hard-boiled detective mysteries." |
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S.J. WATSON - Before I Go To Sleep
|  (Doubleday UK, $39.00). Crimesquad called it ". . . an astounding piece of work. . . a tour de force, a haunting tapestry woven from a single woman's ragged thoughts, desperate to make sense of the past she constantly forgets. . . This is writing of the highest calibre." And other raves for this debut: "It's exceptionally accomplished. . . The structure is so dazzling it almost distracts you from the quality of the writing" (The Guardian), and "S. J. Watson's debut doesn't put a foot wrong. . . brilliantly simple. . . Unforgettable" (Financial Times Weekend). |
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JAN MERETE WEISS - These Dark Things
| ( Soho Crime, $24.00).
S&S I May. "Just when we thought all the possible plots had been taken, Weiss brings us a new police procedural set in Naples, Italy, that taxes the brain and gives us pause for the future of society. Captain Natalia Monte of the Carabinieri is brought in as the lead to solve the perplexing murder of a beautiful graduate student. . . . Natalia's a favorite type of heroine because she's no saint herself, so dig in and prepare to be riveted by this intense and violent read. Natalia represents a new era in Italian culture in which women can operate effectively as authority figures. For all readers who love a complex story fraught with tough decisions about friendship, family loyalties, and justice," said Library Journal. And PW called it an "absorbing fiction debut . . . . The corruption of the Neapolitan bureaucracy, mirrored by the stench from uncollected garbage in the streets, taints but cannot overcome the vitality of the city. Weiss renders its bustling trattorias and colorful neighborhoods with flair." |
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DON WINSLOW - Satori
| ( Grand Central, $25.99)
S&S 2 for April 2011. "Nicholai Hel was already an accomplished assassin, a master of hoda korosu ('naked kill'), when introduced in Trevanian's 1979 Shibumi. Now Winslow (The Life and Death of Bobby Z) dons Trevanian's mantle and cloaks Hel in a tangled series of adventures and misadventures in this exciting prequel.... Winslow successfully fleshes out Hel's mixed heritage (aristocratic Russian mother, surrogate Japanese father and mentor), and eventually takes him to war-torn Vietnam, where Hel's expertise in applying Go strategy is as important to his survival as his physical skills. Winslow has crafted an impressive prelude to a highly esteemed classic thriller." And Kirkus concluded: "Perfect for Shibumi fans and anyone else who likes their espionage over the top." |
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DANIEL WOODRELL - The Bayou Trilogy
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 (Mulholland Books, First Thus, $16.99)
Trade paperback reprint of three collected novels. PW starred: "Collected in a single volume for the first time, Woodrell's three stellar novels featuring Det. Rene Shade, an ex-boxer turned cop, provide entrée into the Louisiana swamp town of Saint Bruno, a place where 'tempers went on the prowl and relief was driving a hard bargain.' Woodrell (Winter's Bone) injects Shade's life and various cases with both humor and brutal violence. In Bright Lights (1986), the investigation into a city councilman's murder mushrooms into a corruption scandal,. . . . Muscle for the Wing (1988) finds Shade up against a gang of ex-cons, hell-bent on wrestling control of Saint Bruno's less-than-legal action. . . . in The Ones You Do (1992), . . . John X. returns to Saint Bruno with a 10-year-old daughter and a killer on his trail. There's poetry in Woodrell's mayhem, each novel -- and scene -- full of gritty and memorable Cajun details." |
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