 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 13th, 2011 |
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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
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Greetings! | QUITE A WEEK IN STORE . . .
Tuesday brings ACE ATKINS' only California stop, here at "M", for a new series opener that was called "a joy ride into the heart of darkness" ('The Washington Post'). Come ask Ace about being tapped to continue the late Robert B. Parker's Boston-based Spenser series.
Wednesday, RON HANSEN talks about his novel based on a sensational Jazz Age murder case. "One of the best things about [this] is its liberation from noir clichés; another is its seamless execution" ('The New York Times'); and James Lee Burke said: "Ron Hansen re-creates the Roaring Twenties with a sense of immediacy and authenticity that I haven't seen since the novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald and John O'Hara."
Also midweek, CAROLYN COOKE will drop by to sign her genre-defying novel, set in late 1960's New England. 'Library Journal' called it "smart, sexy, sarcastic, sophisticated. . ."
On Saturday, another "M" exclusive: we're the only California bookstore appearance for CRAIG JOHNSON, on national tour for the latest in his Sheriff Walt Longmire series. You bet we'll hear all about Craig's visit to Santa Fe, N.M., where A&E was shooting a pilot for, yes, 'Longmire'!
Sneak Peek at next week: Jeffery Deaver -- think: James Bond! (Wed.), Peter Lovesey (Thurs.), and James Rollins (Sun.).
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How to Order
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3 WAYS TO PLACE AN ORDER: BY PHONE: (650) 401-8077 or (888) 405-8077 toll free outside Bay Area EMAIL: info@mformystery.com USE the SHOPPING CART feature with PayPal!
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 - $6.00 for the first book $1.35 each additional book Priority Mail Domestic - email us to discuss the options Overseas - email us to discuss the options
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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.
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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." |
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Wed., 15th DROP BY: CAROLYN COOKE
| Daughters of the Revolution (Knopf, $24.95). "For lack of a life jacket, the trajectory of several lives is altered in this smart, sexy, sarcastic, sophisticated novel from Cooke (The Bostons, a New York Times Notable Book). The Goode School, a prestigious New England bastion of male-only education, designed to prepare its wealthy students to become masters of the universe, . . . In 1968, a typing error results in a scholarship offer to the first Negro female in the school's history, . . . Cooke's unique novel defies genre comparisons but has particular relevance as our country's financial woes exacerbate the gap between the power brokers and the rest of us. This cautionary tale deserves wide readership," said Library Journal. |
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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. |
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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." |
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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 the following and get 10% off!: -- 'The Burning Wire' (Simon & Schuster, 2009, $14.00) NF/F. Signed, Wrinkling at bottom edge of spine. -- 'Edge' (Simon & Schuster, 2010, $26.99) As New. Signed.
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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.
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EVENT CANCELLED - 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."
PLEASE NOTE: This event has been cancelled but we will still be getting signed copies. You may order signed copies by emailing or calling the store at any time.
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Sun., 26th at 2:00 PM: JAMES ROLLINS
| NOTE VENUE CHANGE: this event will take place at "M", not Belmont Library as originally stated.
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.
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Tues., 28th at 7:00 PM: JULIET BLACKWELL and SOPHIE LITTLEFIELD
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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.
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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 m onth'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.
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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." |
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July 2011: (Asterisk indicates name added since last week.)
| Wed., 6th DROP BY: ADAM ROSS - Ladies & Gentleman - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Thurs., 7th at 7:00 PM: REBECCA CANTRELL - 'Game of Lies' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Sun., 10th DROP BY: ALICE LA PLANTE - 'Turn of Mind' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Sun., 10th at 2:00 PM: TONY PIAZZA - 'Anything Short of Murder' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Mon., 11th at 7:00 PM: MEGAN ABBOTT - 'The End of Everything' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Wed., 13th DROP BY JOSH RITTER - 'Bright's Passage' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Wed., 13th at 7:00 PM a DOUBLE AUTHOR EVENT: ALEX KAVA 'Hotwire' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! and BOBBIE O'KEEFE - 'Family Skeletons' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Thurs., 14th at 7:00 PM: BETH MCMULLEN - 'Original Sin' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Sat., 16th at 2:00 PM: MICHAEL WILEY - 'A Bad Night's Sleep' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Sun., 17th at 2:00 PM: PERRI O'SHAUGHNESSY - 'Dreams of the Dead' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! * Mon. 18th at 7:00 PM: WILLIAM C. REMPEL - 'At the Devil's Table' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Tues., 19th at 7:00 PM: ROBERT DUGONI - 'Murder One' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Wed., 20th at 7:00 PM: WILLIAM DIETRICH - 'Blood of the Reich' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! * Thurs., 21st at 7:00 PM: BOYD MORRISON - 'The Vault' - Mon., 25th at 7:00 PM: GREGG HURWITZ - 'You're Next' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Wed., 27th at 7:00 PM: JOHN MILLIKEN THOMPSON - 'The Reservoir' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! * Thurs., 28th at 2:00 PM: JODI COMPTON - 'Thieves Get Rich, Saints Get Shot' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! * Sat., 30th at 12:00 PM: CHRISTOPHER MOORE & IAN CORSON - 'The Griff' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! Sun., 31st at 2:00 PM DOUBLE AUTHOR EVENT: SUSAN CUMMINS MILLER - 'Fracture' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! and ADA MADISON (aka CAMILLE MINICHINO) - 'The Square Root of Murder' - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! |
Coming Attractions
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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
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MICHELLE GAGNON - The Tunnels
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(Mira, 2007, $9.50).
Author's First Book! "From its harrowing prologue to its haunting last paragraph, Michelle Gagnon masterfully crafts a stellar work of mounting suspense and terror. Ritual murder, ancient magic, and buried secrets all blend seamlessly in this debut mystery by a major new talent. Not to be missed!" said James Rollins. And John Lescroart concurred: "This book starts out scary and only gets worse -- or, if you like frightening thrillers -- better. Michelle Gagnon is a fresh and confident new voice in crime fiction, and The Tunnels marks an auspicious debut."
ALSO: -- 'Boneyard' (Mira, 2008, $7.99) As New. Signed -- 'Kidnap & Ransom' (Mira, 2010, $7.99) As New. Signed.
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STEVE HAMILTON - Misery Bay
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(Minotaur, $24.99). PW starred, calling the Edgar-winner's eighth in series "superb . . . PI Alex McKnight looks into the murders of three young people, all made to look like suicides. McKnight, a retired Detroit cop who lives quietly in rural Paradise, Mich., receives an unexpected visit from Sault Ste. Marie police chief Roy Maven, his professional nemesis. . . The stark frozen landscape of Lake Superior is beautifully drawn as are the characters of McKnight and Maven, who develop an unlikely bond. Assured prose, a thrilling plot, and a surprising, satisfying conclusion make this a winner." And George Pelecanos said: "Hamilton writes tough, passionate novels. . . This is crime writing at its very best." |
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JOHN SAYLES - A Moment in the Sun
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(McSweenys $29.00). Booklist starred: "In his most spectacular work of fiction to date, . . . Crackling with rare historical details, spiked with caustic humor, and fueled by incandescent wrath over racism, sexism, and serial injustice against working people, Sayles' hard-driving yet penetrating and compassionate saga explicates the 'fever dream' of commerce, the crimes of war, and the dream of redemption." From Kirkus starred review: ". . . a long time in coming, with an ending that's one of the most memorable in recent literature. A superb novel." And PW also starred: "Weighing in at nearly 1,000 pages, . . . tracking mostly unconnected characters whose collective stories create a vast, kaleidoscopic panorama of the turn of the last century." |
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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! THOMAS H. COOK - The Quest For Anna Klein - Buy Now! PATRICK DEWITT - Sisters Brothers - Buy Now! KEITH DONOHUE - Centuries of June - Buy Now! SARA GRAN - Claire DeWitt & the City of the Dead - Buy Now! LAURELL K. HAMILTON - Hit List - Buy Now! ERIK LARSON - In the Garden of Beasts (nonfiction) - Buy Now! PAUL MCEUEN - Spiral - Buy Now! KEN MERCER - East on Sunset - Buy Now! PATRICIA MORIN - Mystery Montage - Buy Now! STEFANIE PINTOFF - The Secret of the White Rose - Buy Now! BILL PRONZINI - Camouflage - Buy Now! MICHAEL ROBERTSON - The Brothers of Baker Street - Buy Now! LISA SEE - Dreams of Joy - Buy Now! DANIEL H. WILSON - Robopocalypse - Buy Now!
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Signed First Editions - Expected Soon
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MYSTERY, CRIME AND GENERAL FICTION | Asterisk indicates name added since last week.
JEFF ABBOTT - Adrenaline - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! DONNA ANDREWS - The Real McCaw - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! BENJAMIN BLACK - A Death in Summer - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! C.J. BOX - Back of Beyond - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! ALAFAIR BURKE - Long Gone - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! JAMES LEE BURKE - Feast Day of Fools - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! JAN BURKE - Disturbance - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! BONNIE JO CAMPBELL - Once Upon A River - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! LINDA CASTILLO - Breaking Silence - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! MAX ALLAN COLLINS - Bye-Bye Baby - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! * PAUL DOIRON - Trespasser - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! CAROLE NELSON DOUGLAS - Cat in a Vegas Gold Vendetta - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! JANET EVANOVICH - Smokin Seventeen - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! JOSEPH FINDER - Buried Secrets - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! JENNIFER HILLIER - Creep - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! BILL LOEHFELM - Devil She Knows - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! PAUL MALMONT - The Astounding, The Amazing, and The Unknown - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! MARGARET MCLEAN - Under Fire - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! * DONALD RAY POLLOCK - The Devil All The Time - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! DAVID ROSENFELT - One Dog Night - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! SEBASTIAN ROTELLA - Triple Crossing - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! DAN SIMMONS - Flashback - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! PETER SPIEGELMAN - Thick As Thieves - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! CHEVY STEVENS - Never Knowing (tip-ins) - Click Here to Pre-Purchase! JOHN VERDON - Shut Your Eyes Tight - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
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DELUXE & LIMITED EDITIONS
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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). |
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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.
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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.
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