  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
October 11th, 2011 |
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Store Hours! MONDAY - SATURDAY 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM SUNDAY 12 Noon to 6:00 PM
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| Greetings! |
In 1998, Glasgow-born DENISE MINA was supposed to be researching a PhD thesis but, misusing her study grant, she stayed at home and wrote 'Garnethill' -- which went on to win the CWA Silver Dagger for best first crime novel. Friday night come meet one of the leading writers of Tartan Noir, now with nearly a dozen books (including three series) as well as plays, comics, and graphic novels to her credit. We are excited to welcome Denise back to "M".
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"M" ON THE WEB: Be sure to check out www.MforMystery.com and scroll down to the Catalogs, where ALL titles have a convenient shopping cart option.
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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!
PLEASE NOTE: All hardcovers are shipped with Brodart mylar covers to protect the integrity of the dust jacket. All packages are shipped with bubble wrap to secure the book(s) during transport to insure quality every time! COMPLETE SHIPPING INFO IS AT END OF NEWSLETTER.
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 Upcoming Author Events
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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.
All events are free and open to the public. To be in the signing line you must buy the new book from us.
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Thurs., Oct. 13th DROP BY: DANIEL WOODRELL
|  The Outlaw Album: Stories (Little, Brown, $24.95).
Kirkus praised: "Twelve spare, haunting and brutal slices of country noir from the genre's most gifted practitioner. . . . Hard words and harsh trials from a writer who knows all too well the frozen ground he occupies." Library Journal said: "Dark, tough, and chilling, this collection packs a wallop, leaving readers to draw solid comparisons to works by Ken Bruen and James Ellroy. Some of these 12 tales are tragic, and some are funny, but all are unforgettable." And from PW: "In his eight novels, Woodrell (Winter's Bone) has been doing for his native Missouri Ozarks what William Faulkner did for rural Mississippi. . . . Despite the simmering tensions among family members, between friends and neighbors, and, especially, towards strangers, however, the criminals in these 12 tales always maintain a simple code of honor as they seek their own brand of justice against those who've crossed them."
ALSO:
--  'The Bayou Trilogy' (Mulholland Books, 2011, $16.99) Trade paperpack original. New. Signed.
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Fri., Oct. 14th at 7:00 PM: DENISE MINA
|  The End of the Wasp Season (Little, Brown & Company $25.99).
PW said: "In Mina's stellar follow-up to Still Midnight, Det. Sgt. Alex Morrow, who's five months pregnant with twins, looks into the murder of Sarah Erroll, who was kicked to death in her childhood home in an affluent Glasgow suburb. The discovery of more than 600,000 euros in the house suggests robbery wasn't a motive." Library Journal praised: "Mina exhibits her usual thoughtful flair for tough female protagonists and morally complex suspects and victims." And Kirkus concluded: "[Mina] takes you so deep inside her troubled characters that long after you turn the last page, you wonder if you'll ever get out again."
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Sun., Oct. 16th DROP BY: RICHARD KADREY
|  Aloha From Hell (HarperCollins, $23.99).
"Kadrey's mixture of horror themes and noir patter is highly enjoyable, and the supporting players, who range from the dead to the partly dead to the undead, with various permutations in between, are an entertaining bunch. . . Great stuff for those so inclined," said Booklist. And PW said: "Compelling if cartoon-like ultra-violence and sometimes brilliantly metaphoric language drive Kadrey's third Sandman Slim contemporary noir (after 2010's Kill The Dead). . . . Its profane mixture of noir atmospherics, black humor, and nonstop action will please Kadrey's many fans."
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Wed., Oct. 19th at 7:30 PM at the BELMONT LIBRARY: VENDELA VIDA
| The BELMONT LIBRARY is located at 1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, two blocks south of Ralston.
 The Lovers (Ecco, $13.99 trade paperback reprint).
"A brilliant, topsy-turvy, twenty-first-century variation on E. M. Forster's Passage to India. . . . Vida creates an atmosphere at once molten and chilling as she deftly exposes the wounding reverberations of timeless conflicts between men and women, parents and children, East and West, appearance and truth," said Booklist. The San Francisco Chronicle added: "Vida's work becomes clearer and more sophisticated with every book she writes; and 'The Lovers' is her best and most disturbing novel yet." And Josh Emmons at the New York Times concluded: "[The Lovers] is a satisfying, often brilliant portrait of a woman searching for relief from things that will not, she discovers at last with something like acceptance, go away."
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Thur., Oct. 20th DROP BY: AMITAV GHOSH
|  River of Smoke (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $28.00).
"In the second installment of Ghosh's Ibis trilogy (after the Booker Prize shortlisted Sea of Poppies) hang on for dear life or risk being lost at sea in this tour of mid 19th-century south Asia. This novel is exhilarating. . . crammed with period detail and pidgin languages. Three ships barely survive an Indian Ocean cyclone in late 1838. Their passengers, each possessing a secret, wash up in Canton (now Guangzhou), China. . . . Ghosh is a highly imaginative, articulate writer. The dialects he mimics are delightful, as are the vignettes and asides that make up the bulk of this book," said PW. And Kirkus concluded: "Ghosh triumphs both through the clarity of his style and the sweep of his vision, and he leaves the reader eager for volume three."
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Sat, Oct. 22nd at 2:00 PM: LAWRENCE FRIEDMAN
| Professor of Law at Stanford Univ., Friedman is internationally recognized in the field of legal history, and is the most-cited professor in that field. He is the author of dozens of nonfiction books, in addition to three crime novels; we have his latest in both categories!
 Death of a Wannabe (Quid Pro Books, $15.99).
Frank May practices law, but he's getting by doing only the safe, bland kind - writing wills, forming partnerships, processing papers. Everything far from the seedy adventures of criminal law. But a dead body wakes you up and takes you to places you don't want to be. A late-night call from frantic client Barney, standing near the corpse of his wannabe-actress wife, drags Frank into the world he had so carefully avoided in his practice. And he is just about the only one who believes that Barney did not murder her. Unraveling this mystery will not be about gory autopsy, AK47s, car chases, or thuggy ambushes in an alley; that just happens on TV shows or in novels written by ex-pathologists. There is no million-dollar Losteochorotograph to analyze blood splatter patterns. No sneaky courtroom magic tricks. Frank is actually going to have to use his head.
ALSO:
Friedman, one of the founders of the Law and Society movement in North America, is an influential figure within the Sociology of law. From his award-winning 'History of American Law,' first published in 1973, to his 'American Law in the 20th Century,' published in 2003, his canonical works have become classic textbooks in legal and undergraduate education.
The Human Rights Culture (Quid Pro, $27.99). His latest nonfiction book explores at the human rights movement, and does not mind going against the grain. Not the typical legal or philosophical examination of rights, this book instead asks: Why is it -- as a social and historical matter -- that rights discourse is so prevalent and compelling to the current world? This is the first comprehensive, sociological study of human rights in the contemporary period. This surprisingly compact book presents a balanced discussion of each issue, filled with fascinating details and examples. It is accessible and interesting not just to scholars but also to anyone interested in the state of human rights, and how we got here.
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Tues., Oct. 25th at 7:00 PM: "M" is for Mystery Bookclub
| This m onth's book is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley.
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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Tues., Oct. 25th DROP BY: COLSON WHITEHEAD
|  Zone One (Doubleday, $25.95).
Kirkus starred: "[Whitehead] sinks his teeth into a popular format and emerges with a literary feast, producing his most compulsively readable work to date. . . . Whitehead transforms the zombie novel into an allegory of contemporary Manhattan (and, by extension, America)." And Booklist also starred: "This diabolically smart, covertly sensitive, ruminative, and witty zombie nightmare prods us to think about how we dehumanize others, how society tramples and consumes individuals, how flimsy our notions of law and order are, and how easily deluded and profoundly vulnerable humankind is. A deft, wily, and unerving blend of pulse-elevating action and sniper-precise satire."
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Wed., Oct. 26th or Thur., Oct 27th DROP BY: CHARLES FRAZIER
|  Nightwoods (Random House, $26.00).
Booklist called it "[A] taut narrative of love and suspense, told against a gritty background of bootlegging and violence. The characters are rich and unforgettable, and the prose almost lyrical. This is Charles Frazier at his best." The Independent (UK) praised: "Frazier is a writer whose spare prose paradoxically oozes atmosphere -- you can almost smell the verdant pine trees and hear the crack of twigs underfoot. The history of the place -- Cherokee Indians turfed out by Spaniards and then American settlers -- wafts through, adding a richness and depth." And Kirkus concluded: "Where his debut (Cold Mountain, 1997) won the literary lottery as an award-winning popular blockbuster, this suggests that Frazier is more than a one-hit wonder."
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November 2011: (Asterisk indicates name added since last week.)
| Thurs., Nov. 3rd at 7:00 PM: JOHN CONNOLLY - 'Infernals' (Young Adult Novel) - Click Here to Pre-Order and 'The Burning Soul' - Click Here to Pre-Order and the UK edition of 'The Burning Soul' is also available.
Sun., Nov. 6th at 2:00 PM DOUBLE AUTHOR EVENT: ANN PARKER - 'Mercury Rises' - Click Here to Pre-Order and PRISCILLA ROYAL - 'A Killing Season' - Click Here to Pre-Order
* Fri./Sat. Nov. 11th/12th DROP BY: GREGORY MAGUIRE - 'Out of Oz' - Click Here to Pre-Order
Sun., Nov. 13th at 3:00 PM at the BELMONT LIBRARY: DAVID VANN - 'Last Day on Earth' - Click Here to Pre-Order
Thurs., Nov. 17th at 7:00 PM at the BELMONT LIBRARY: ANTHONY HOROWITZ - 'The House of Silk'- Click Here to Pre-Order
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Coming Attractions
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| WINTER 2011/2012 PREVIEW: (Asterisk indicates name added since last week* .) | AVERY AAMES / CARA BLACK / KATE CARLISLE / * CAROL O'CONNELL / SARA PARETSKY / PENNY WARNER
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| Signed First Editions - Just Arrived | back to top
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LAWRENCE BLOCK - The Night and the Music
|  (trade paperback print-on-demand, $15.00).
A complete collection of Matthew Scudder short fiction, from a pair of novelettes written in the mid-1970's to a brand-new story written less than two months ago. Includes an Appreciation of the Scudder series by screenwriter/director Brian Koppelman; and an Afterword that puts the stories in context and recounts some of the circumstances of their composition. There are eleven stories in all. Nine of them have been published in magazines and/or collected in various anthologies. One piece, "Mick Ballou Looks at the Blank Screen," has appeared only as the text of a 100-copy limited broadside. And the final story, the elegiac "One Last Night at Grogan's," was written this summer and is published here for the first time.
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RITA MAE BROWN - Murder Unleasehed
|  (Random House, $25.00).
"In Brown's provocative second novel featuring wealthy Reno, Nev., octogenarian Jeep Reed (after 2010's 'A Nose for Justice'), Jeep takes on nothing less daunting than solving the national financial crisis. . . . Naturally, Jeep's trusty shepherd mix, King, and Mags's dachshund, Baxter, prove wiser than their humans. RMB fans, dog lovers, and those sharing her point of view will likely enjoy Jeep, an outspoken, no nonsense Mary Sue with a heart of gold," said 'PW.'
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TANIA CARVER - The Surrogate
|  (Pegasus, $25.00).
Pseudonym for Martyn Waites. "In Carver's impressive debut, an intense British police procedural, Colchester Det. Insp. Philip Brennan and his team investigate the gruesome murders of pregnant women whose unborn children are cut from their bodies. In one instance, the baby may still be alive. When psychologist Marina Esposito, who once had an affair with Phil, contributes her profiling expertise, Marina and Phil have to be careful not to compromise the investigation as they did the last time they worked together. . . . Carver never crosses the line into gratuitous violence, while myriad clues and surprising twists keep the reader off-kilter. Fans of Mo Hayder, Chelsea Cain, and Karin Slaughter will find much to like," said PW.
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BARBARA CLEVERLY - The Blood Royal
|  (Random House, $25.00).
Signed bookplates. PW starred: "Excellent.... Golden age fans who appreciate deceptive storytelling enhanced by the kind of in-depth characterization lacking in Agatha Christie will be more than satisfied." Praise from the New York Times: "Despite her mastery at vivid scene-setting, Cleverly never loses sight of the historical puzzle that is central to her story. Simply put, it's a stunner." And Booklist also starred: "This series and its hero age well: the perspicacious Sandilands exhibits an arresting combination of Mary Russell's discernment and Chief Inspector Wexford's tenacious certainty." Kirkus said: "Cleverly brings back Joe Sandilands for the eighth time to investigate, and instigate, international intrigue in London between the wars. . . . A darkly glamorous thriller."
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VAL MCDERMID - Trick of the Dark
|  (Bywater Books, $24.95).
Barred from practice, disgraced psychiatrist Charlie Flint receives a mysterious summons to Oxford from an old professor who wants her to look into the death of her daughter's husband. But as Charlie delves deeper into the case and steps back into the arcane world of Oxford colleges, she realizes that there is much more to this crime than meets the eye. "This standalone from the Scottish force of nature, and creator of Robson Green's Wire In The Blood TV series, is a brutally clever story," said the Daily Mirror (UK).
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Recent Signed Arrivals
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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.
SEBASTIAN BARRY - On Canaan's Side - Buy Now!
RUSSELL BANKS - Lost Memory of Skin - Buy Now!
MICHAEL BRANDMAN - Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues - Buy Now!
LEAH HAGER COHEN - The Grief of Others - Buy Now!
COLIN COTTERILL - Killed at the Whim of a Hat - Buy Now!
ARCHER MAYOR - Tag Man - Buy Now!
STEWART NEVILLE - Stolen Souls - Buy Now!
JIMMY OLSEN - Poison Makers - Buy Now!
S.J. ROZAN - Ghost Hero - Buy Now!
ALEX SHAKAR - Luminarium - Buy Now!
MICHAEL STANLEY - Death of a Mantis (tpbo) - Buy Now!
NEAL STEPHENSON - Reamde - Buy Now!
SIMON TOYNE - Sanctus - Buy Now!
MARCOS VILLATORO - Blood Daughters TPBO - Buy Now!
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Signed First Editions - Expected Soon
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| ANY BOOK SIGNED ONLY ON A TIPPED-IN PAGE IS SO INDICATED.
Asterisk indicates name added since last week.
LAWRENCE BLOCK (as Jill Emerson) - Getting Off - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
* BEN COES - Coup d'Etat - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
MICHAEL CONNELLY - The Drop - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
JAMES DOSS - Coffin Man - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
R.J. ELLORY - A Simple Act of Violence - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
SUE GRAFTON - V Is For Vengeance - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
* JOHN GRISHAM - Litigator (Tip-In) - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
LENE KAABERBOL - The Boy in the Suitcase (Tip-In) Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
JOE & JOHN LANSDALE - Shadow West ($50.00 Subterranean Press Limited Edition)
* JEFF LINDSAY - Double Dexter - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
* MARCIA MULLER - City of Whispers - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
GEORGE PELECANOS - What It Was - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
ANDERS ROSLUND & BORGE HELLSTROM - Cell 8 - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
LAURA JOH ROWLAND - The Ronin's Mistress - Click Here to Pre-Purchase!
DAN SIMMONS - Phases of Gravity ($60.00 Subterranean Press Limited Edition)
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MAX ALLAN COLLINS - Quarry's Ex
|  (Hard Case Crime, Trade Paperback Original, $9.95).
Unsigned. "Set in 1980, Collins's lean, sardonic 10th noir featuring the killer-for-hire who uses the pseudonym Quarry (after Quarry in the Middle) finds Quarry in Boot Hill, Nev., earning his keep in an unusual way. Drawing on his knowledge of the hit-man world derived from his years of working for a murder middleman known as the Broker, Quarry identifies intended targets of hits, then charges a hefty fee to eliminate the hired guns out to kill them. When he learns of a plot against B-movie director Arthur Stockwell, Quarry discovers that Stockwell's wife is all too familiar -- his ex-wife, Joni, whose betrayal led the Vietnam vet to use his murderous talents in civilian life. . . Collins amply leavens the violence with wit," said PW.
ALSO:
-- 'The First Quarry' (Hard Case Crime, 2008, $6.00) Near Fine. Paperback original.
-- 'Quarry's Cut' (Foul Play Press, 1986, $19.00) Near Fine. Previously published in 1977 as "The Slasher."
New! Just in! From Hard Case Crime! Unsigned trade paperbacks:
-- 'Choke Hold' by Christa Faust (Hard Case Crime, Trade Paperback Original, $9.95) Unsigned. New.
-- 'The Consumata' by Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins (Hard Case Crime, Trade Paperback Original, $9.95) Unsigned.
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DELUXE & LIMITED EDITIONS
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LAWRENCE BLOCK - Afterthoughts
|  (Mysterious Press, $35.00). Limited Edition signed by Lawrence Block! Afterthoughts contains the author's reflections on his career which spans more than fifty years. These more than forty-five essays talk about his work including the semi-autobiographical series featuring Matthew Scudder. It is a must for fans of Lawrence Block. This edition is limited to 100 copies.
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PAULO COELHO - Aleph
|  (Knopf, $60.00). Limited Edition signed by Paulo Coelho! The celebrated #1 international best seller will be available in a beautifully designed boxed hardcover edition, signed by the author. Limited to 1500 copies. Pre-order your copy today!
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MARGARET COEL - Watching Eagles Soar: Stories from the Wind River and Beyond
|  (A.S.A.P. Publishing, $300.00). This collector's 432-page limited edition has an Introduction by Craig Johnson, and an Afterword by William Kent Krueger. Artist Phil Parks created the 66 full-page illustrations; there are also eleven photographs, some from Margaret's personal collection. This edition is limited to 26 copies and is custom bound and housed in a clamshell case with one of the original illustrations laid in. The back cover essay is by Tony Hillerman. This is the first anthology of Margaret's short stories. Featured are: All ten of the Arapaho Commandments short stories, three other Father John-Vicky short stories, six other stories; the novella Molly Brown and Cleopatra's Diamond; two essays on writing and on writing about the West: Stories in the World and The West of Ghosts.
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Used Books Now in Stock!
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USED BOOKS NOW IN STOCK!
| Be sure to browse our Used mass market paperback section, where we've recently added a rather large selection of authors such as Mary Higgins Clark, Agatha Christie, Tom Clancy, Patricia Cornwell, Len Deighton, Barry Eisler, Erle Stanley Gardner, Carl Hiaasen, Donna Leon, Greg Rucka, Julie Smith, Rex Stout, and Donald Westlake (Richard Stark) and many more! These are all very good-condition copies, priced from $2.75 to $3.25. Not to be missed!
We also have a fine selection of trade paperback and hardcover used books, virtually $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, and Janet Evanovich.
Also, just in from the Swedish writing duo Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo, we have 10 of the original US mass market editions priced at $5.00 each!
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Shipping Info:
We ship USPS Media mail within the US and USPS International Priority for overseas addresses
Shipping rates: Standard Media Mail (in the mainland US ONLY) - $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
We accept Visa, MC, Amex and checks by arrangement
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STORE HOURS:
| | MONDAY - SATURDAY from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM,
SUNDAY from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM,
and evenings until approximately 9:00PM when an author is scheduled to appear at 7:00PM.
PH.: (650) 401-8077 or Toll Free outside Bay Area: 888- 405-8077
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