  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: October 31st, 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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DAVE BARRY and RIDLEY PEARSON - The Bridge to Neverland
|  (Hyperion, $18.99). [Y/A, 9-12].
"Bringing the Starcatchers series into the twenty-first century, this chapter book features Sarah and her brother, Aidan [now ages 17 and 15, respectively], who find a cryptic note in an antique desk and follow the clues to London, Princeton, and Orlando. Along the way, they clash with evil Lord Ombra, find an ally in Molly Darling's great-great-great nephew, and discover Einstein's part in the plan. The plot is a thrill ride of action and adventure," said Booklist. And PW added: "The book's joyful sense of adventure and wonder is tempered somewhat by the constant pursuit of authorities and parental figures, as well as scenes set in Disney World that seem to be designed to remind readers that runaway children are serious business in this day and age. Nonetheless, it's a worthy complement to the series." |
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SEBASTIAN BARRY - On Canaan's Side
|  (Viking, $25.95).
"...Barry is a supple narrator and a virtuoso stylist. Lilly Bere -- exile, housemaid, wife, mother, cook, survivor -- tells her story in a radiant Irish voice. . . . Narrating a story of hatred and vengefulness in the voice of a woman resolute in compassion, Barry applies a breadth of vision often absent when nationalists and revolutionaries of any nationality consider the 'other,' especially if that 'other' happens to be a loyalist of the ancien regime," said the Washington Post. And The Guardian (UK) called it "an intense and immersive read, one in which brutal events are cast in a diffuse light that gives them an almost mythic quality. But the narrative's dreamlike qualities do not eclipse Barry's determination to scrutinise the less travelled byways of history and to give a voice to their buffeted, battered but nonetheless enduring victims." |
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LAWRENCE BLOCK - The Night & 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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RHYS BOWEN - Naughty in Nice
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 (Penguin, $25.95).
"Don't miss a trip to the French Riviera when Lady Georgiana (Royal Blood) is sent by the Queen on a new secret mission. Add a dash of Coco Chanel and a murder or two -- how can you pass up the fifth treat in this delectable series?," said Library Journal. And PW praised: "Fans of Peter Lovesey's hilarious books transforming the future Edward VII into an unlikely sleuth will relish Bowen's whimsical fifth Royal Spyness mystery starring Lady Georgiana Rannoch, 34th in line to the British throne. In 1933, the destitute Rannoch, who's been helping out at a London soup kitchen, welcomes the chance to escape to the French Riviera after the queen offers to finance her trip there to recover a snuff box stolen by an odious bounder, the aptly named Sir Toby Groper. . . . Bowen successfully melds a whodunit with comedy as few contemporary writers can."
ALSO, buy the new one plus the following and get 10% off both!:
--  'Bless the Bride' (Minotaur, $24.99) As New. Signed.
-- 'The Last Illusion' (Minotaur, 2010, $24.99). As New. Signed |
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MICHAEL BRANDMAN - Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues
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 (Penguin, $25.95).
"Brandman, who collaborated with Robert B. Parker (1932-2010) on TV adaptations of his work, perfectly reproduces Parker's style in this impressive continuation of his series featuring Jesse Stone. A series of auto thefts is plaguing the small Massachusetts town just as the profitable summer tourist season is about to kick off. More alarmingly, Stone's former boss with the LAPD phones to warn him that a criminal Stone once roughed up 'pretty good' has been paroled and may come gunning for him. . . . As with the originals, the pleasure lies in the easy, banter-filled writing," said PW. And Library Journal concluded: "Fans mourning Parker's death will be happy to see that Brandman has picked up where the best-selling author left off." |
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RITA MAE BROWN - Murder Unleashed
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 (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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GIANRICO CAROFIGLIO - Temporary Perfections
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 (Rizzoli, $24.95).
Signed& Selected II September. A huge bestselling hit in Italy, the fourth novel featuring defense lawyer Guido Guerrieri is now in English in this excellent translation by noted translator Antony Shugaar. During his visit to "M", Carofiglio spoke about his long-time interest in, and affinity for, the works of such top American crime writers as Lawrence Block and Joe Lansdale, among others.
PW praised: "a satisfyingly complex protagonist and well-drawn secondary characters . . ." Guido Guerrieri, a defense lawyer practicing in Bari, in the Puglia [or Apulia] region on Italy's Adriatic coast, is hired by an old colleague to work a missing-persons case that the police have failed to solve. While the investigation proceeds, Guido fights his loneliness by talking to the punching bag hanging in his living-room and by walking the streets of Bari late at night, often visiting a colorful bar owned by a former client and ex-prostitute. The series has been praised for being "Hard-boiled and sun-dried in equal parts. . . Simultaneously thoughtful and suspenseful." Where Philip Marlowe would be knocking back bourbon and listening to the snap of fist on jaw, Guerrieri prefers Sicilian wine and Leonard Cohen. |
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BARBARA CLEVERLY - Blood Royal
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 (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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LEAH HAGER COHEN - The Grief of Others
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 (Penguin, $26.95).
"With gorgeous prose, Cohen skillfully takes us from past to present and back again as she explores the ramifications of family loss, grief and longing," said Kirkus. And PW said: "Cohen's fourth novel is a meditation on loss, suffering, and secrets. . . . This is an ambitious novel offering insight into the rift between the public and the private, and illuminating the many ways in which we deal with tragedy." Praise also from Library Journal: "Cohen's stunning writing and ruthless, beautiful magnification of soul-crushing sorrow mesmerizes, wounds, and possibly even heals her readers. Her courageous novel is to be savored."
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COLIN COTTERILL - Killed at the Whim of a Hat
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 (St. Martin's, $24.99).
Booklist starred: "Jimm Juree. . . was one of Thailand's hottest crime reporters. Then her mother sold the family business and invested all the proceeds into a rundown resort, forcing Jimm, her brother, and Granddad to move to a tiny village in southern Thailand. Life is very dull until Jimm gets word that a VW van has been dug up in the middle of a palm plantation, and there are two skeletons sitting upright in the front seats. . . . Cotterill combines plenty of humor with fascinating and unusual characters, a solid mystery, and the relatively unfamiliar setting of southern Thailand to launch what may be the best new international mystery series since the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." And Library Journal praised: "This outstanding series debut from the author of the Dr. Siri Paiboun mysteries (Love Songs from a Shallow Grave) would appeal to crossover readers who enjoy well-developed ensemble casts and a sense of the absurd. . . Cotterill understands people and writes subtle humor like a master." |
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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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LAWRENCE FRIEDAMAN
| 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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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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ANDREW GROSS - Eyes Wide Open
|  (HarperCollins, $25.99).
"In his fifth solo outing (after Reckless and five number one best sellers coauthored with James Patterson), Gross employs two events from his own life -- the suicide of a nephew and a chance encounter with a notorious mass killer -- to craft a gripping psychological thriller in which past family secrets return to haunt those least able to bear the horror. . . . no melodrama, just a menacing tale with effective twists, perfect pacing, intriguing characters, and heart-gripping suspense," said Library Journal. And Kirkus starred: "An emotional, frightening study of evil with believable characters and a relentless pace. Readers who wear pacemakers will want to check their batteries before they open the book." |
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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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DAVID KING - Death in the City of Light
|  (Crown, $26.00).
Three starred reviews, and here they are. From Booklist: "Erik Larson's tour de force of narrative nonfiction hasn't been matched -- until now. . . While this work is painstaking in its research, it still has the immediacy and gasp power of a top-notch thriller. True-crime at its best." From PW: "In 1944, when Parisian police entered a mansion littered with dismembered, rotting bodies, they thought of the Gestapo, but it turned out to be a purely French affair. Historian King has mined the resulting global media circus and extensive official records to tell a gripping story. . . " And Kirkus concluded: "The narrative is fresh and clear, told succinctly, but with a befitting level of detail. . . . expertly written and completely absorbing." |
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LAURIE R. KING - Pirate King
|  (Random House, $25.00).
Booklist starred: "Brilliant and beautifully complex. . . . This one's tangled web includes some very high comedy from Gilbert and Sullivan, pirates, and early moviemaking. . . . Her descriptions of locale are voluptuous, and her continued delineation of the relationship of Russell and Holmes exquisitely portrays the eroticism of intellectual give-and-take." And Library Journal concluded: "In the latest volume of Mary Russell's memoirs (after God of the Hive), Sherlock Holmes's young wife is sent to Lisbon by Scotland Yard. . . . Her mission: investigate possible criminal activities of the Fflytte Film Company and the whereabouts of the studio's one-time secretary. Mary's strong personality and wit, on which fans of the series have come to rely, serve her well. . . . while her crime-solving collaboration with Holmes, as always, gives readers a taste of their sharp intellect and clever deductions." |
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JEFF LINDSAY - Double Dexter
|  (Doubleday, $25.95).
Library Journal said: "Blood splatter analyst by day, avenging angel by night, Dexter Morgan is everyone's favorite serial killer. Here the character who prompted Showtime's top-rated program discovers that some criminal out there is copying him." And Kirkus concluded: "Two sociopaths are a crowd, as Miami-Dade forensic tech Dexter Morgan realizes when he's crowded by a wannabe who seems bent on taking over his gig as the bloody scourge of Miami's worst citizens. . . . Lindsay, who remains less interested in mystery than in the archly virtuoso first-person narration of his appealingly monstrous Human Impersonator, provides another guilty pleasure. Really, really guilty."
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ARCHER MAYOR - Tag Man
|  (Minotaur, $25.99).
"Mayor's 22nd Joe Gunther procedural (after 2010's Red Herring) . . . . centers on the person known as Tag Man, who breaks into supposedly secure, occupied houses, explores them, takes nothing of value, but leaves a Post-it as his calling card. The Tag Man enjoys the challenge and the risk, until he makes a grisly discovery and is identified by one of his victims, who sends a hit man after him. . . . Multiple games of cat-and-mouse ensue as the Tag Man tries to elude both police and a determined killer. Vermont's history and geography again serve Mayor well in this deadly and highly entertaining entry," said PW.
We have most if not all beautiful imprints of his earlier Joe Gunter series books produced and published by the author in trade paperback edition priced at $14.95.
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VAL McDERMID - Trick of the Dark
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 (Bywater Books, $24.95).
Signed & Selected II for October. 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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DEON MEYER - Trackers
|  (Grove/Atlantic, $24.00).
PW praised: "Meyer's ambition matches his execution in this brilliantly complex stand-alone thriller set in his native South Africa. . . . This powerhouse read. . . should be the American breakthrough book this talented author deserves." Library Journal added: "Milla Strachan, a discontented, fortyish housewife. . . leaves her suburban family and takes a job writing security reports for the secretive Presidential Intelligence Agency. She becomes involved with a man who is being chased by her bosses and the CIA. . . Meanwhile, Lemmer, a professional bodyguard last seen in Blood Safari, is fighting gangsters while inadvertently smuggling black rhinos. Muslim terrorists lurk in the background of both plots. . . . Highly recommended."
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DENISE MINA - The End of 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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MARCIA MULLER - City of Whispers
|  (Grand Central, $25.99).
"An e-mailed cry for help from Sharon McCone's troubled half-brother, Darcy Blackhawk, sucks McCone into a treacherous vortex of madness, greed, and murder in bestseller Muller's exciting 30th mystery starring the no-nonsense San Francisco PI . . . . Alternating chapters narrated by different characters add to the suspense of the intricate plot, which propels readers through a San Francisco few tourists see -- from Colma, the city's necropolis, to the exclusive mansions of Sea Cliff -- and to a harrowing, haunting denouement," said PW. |
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JIMMY OLSEN - Poison Makers
|  (Hoffman House Press, $19.95).
All of us who enjoyed Things In Ditches by Jimmy Olsen -- published over ten years ago -- are now rewarded for our long wait, with another winner! This one boasts an exotic location and a fine complement of wild characters and customs. Library Journal starred: "Put this in your cart right now. . . . Exciting, twisted, educational, if you will, with great dialog and an unforgettable finish. . . . Officially, Adam Quist, the U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republican, died of a heart attack one morning in 1972, but readers know that he's been poisoned by a voodoo concoction. Guileless part-time PI Edgar Espinosa-Jones (EJ), our Dominican American hero, is hired to investigate Quist's death. Big mistake! EJ's over his head with the myriad Caribbean cultures-Haitian and Cuban politics and religion mixed in with a heady dose of the CIA and the Marines."
ALSO:
-- 'Things in Ditches' (North Star Press, 2000, $24.95) As New. Signed. |
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GEORGE PELECANOS - The Cut
|  (Reagan Arthur, $25.99).
Booklist's Bill Ott starred: "Pelecanos' last few stand-alone novels have been more about working-class lives in Washington, D.C., than about the crime and criminals that so often surround those lives. This time, though, he's back in the wheelhouse of his early work, with the first novel in what will be a series about Spero Lucas, an Iraqi War vet and a young man with appetites, who has carved for himself a Travis McGee-like career of recovering stolen property, from which he takes a 40 percent cut. . . . Familar and right for Spero and also for Pelecanos' fans." From PW: "Pelecanos's excellent first in a new crime series introduces Spero Lucas, a 29-year-old Iraq War vet who does investigative work for a Washington, D.C., defense attorney. . . . Both vital and timely, this remarkable novel also connects D.C.'s past and present as only Pelecanos does. Readers will want to see a lot more of Lucas."
ALSO:
-- 'The Night Gardener' (Little Brown, 2006, $5.00) VF/VF. As New. |
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LOUISE PENNY - A Trick of the Light
|  (St. Martin's Press, $25.99).
Library Journal said: "This follow-up to the Agatha Award-winning Bury Your Dead finds Armand Gamache, chief inspector of the Montreal police force, and Beauvoir, his lieutenant, still healing physically and psychologically from a fatal police operation gone awry. But this doesn't prevent them from taking on yet another murder case in the secluded village of Three Pines. . . . Readers who love literary mystery writers such as Donna Leon will enjoy Penny's latest excellent series entry." And Booklist praised: "Like P. D. James, Penny shows how the tight structure of the classical mystery story can accommodate a wealth of deeply felt emotions and interpersonal drama. . . . Penny's remarkable string of successes and awards has moved her to the top of the genre." |
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LEONARD ROSEN - All Cry Chaos
|  (Permanent Press, $29.00)
"Textbook author Rosen's promising first novel deftly mixes mathematical puzzles, international intrigue, social upheaval, and religious zealotry. When 30-year-old math genius James Fenster is blown up in his Amsterdam hotel room shortly before he was due to address a World Trade Organization conference, Henri Poincare, aging Interpol agent and great-grandson of a legendary mathematician, investigates. . . . A surprising series of personal relationships and connections prove to have all the logic of chaos theory. . . Readers will relish this intellectually provocative whodunit," said PW. Library Journal called it "an impressive debut" and Booklist concluded: "This is a thoughtful, beautifully written puzzle, and its unraveling is handled very skillfully." |
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S.J. ROZAN - Ghost Hero
|  (St. Martin's, $25.99).
The latest Lydia/Bill mystery from the author whose novels have won most of crime fiction's greatest honors, including the Edgar, Shamus, Anthony, Macavity, and Nero awards. "At the start of Edgar-winner Rozan's excellent 11th novel featuring PI partners Lydia Chin and Bill Smith, Jeff Dunbar, a collector of contemporary Chinese art, hires Lydia to get to the bottom of beguiling rumors that new works by the late Chau Chun (aka Ghost Hero Chau) have somehow surfaced. . . . Engaging characters, crisp dialogue, intelligent storytelling, and a minimum of violence add up to another winner for Rozan," said PW.
ALSO:
-- 'On the Line' (Minotaur, 2010, $24.99) New. Signed. |
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LAURA JOH ROWLAND - Ronin's Mistress
|  (Minotaur, $25.99).
Japan, 1703. On a snowy night, 47 warriors murder the man at the center of the scandal that turned them from samurai into masterless ronin two years before. Clearly this was an act of revenge -- but why did they wait so long? And is there any reason they should not immediately be ordered to commit ritual suicide? Sano Ichiro, demoted from Chamberlain to his old post as Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, has mere days to solve the greatest mystery of samurai legend -- while his own fortunes hang in the balance. " . . .Based on a true story explained in an opening historical note, Sano's 15th appearance unfolds with Rowland's typical elegance, bolstered by its roots in reality and the family drama that nicely counterpoints the sleuthing adventure," said Kirkus.
ALSO, buy the new one plus the following and get 10% off both!
-- 'The Perfumed Sleeve' (Minotaur, 2004, $8.00) NF/NF. Wrinkles at edge of spine and dustjacket wrinkling at upper edge of front panel. |
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JAMES SALLIS - The Killer is Dying
|  (Walker & Company, $24.00).
"In this hallucinatory, almost visionary novel of suspense set in Phoenix, Sallis (Drive) focuses on three people of vastly different backgrounds and situations -- Christian, a gun for hire, who's suffering from a mortal ailment; Jimmie, a boy of about 13 who's been abandoned by his parents and whose dreams inexplicably tap into the contract killer's consciousness; and Sayles, a cynical, lonely, burned-out detective, whose wife is dying in hospice. When another assassin steps up and takes out Christian's quarry, Christian goes after the guy who beat him to it. . . . Through no-nonsense staccato chapters, Sallis does a superb job exploring the workings of his characters' thoughts and motives," said PW |
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ALEX SHAKAR - Luminarium
|  (Soho Press $25.00)
Booklist starred: "In his long-awaited second novel after the razor-sharp The Savage Girl (2001), Shakar takes measure of our post-9/11 existential confusion. . . A radiantly imaginative social critic, Shakar is also a knowledgeable and intrepid explorer of metaphysical and neurological mysteries. With beguiling characters trapped in ludicrous and revelatory predicaments, this is a cosmic, incisively funny kaleidoscopic tale of loss, chaos, and yearning." And PW starred: "[A] penetrating look at the uneasy intersection of technology and spirituality. . . Shakar's blend of the business of cyberspace and the science of enlightenment distinguishes the novel as original and intrepid. . . Shakar's prose is sharp and hilarious, engendering the reader's faith in the novel's philosophical ambitions. Part Philip K. Dick, part Jonathan Franzen, this radiant work leads you from the unreal to the real so convincingly that you begin to let go of the distinction." |
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DAN SIMMONS - Flashback
|  (Little Brown & Company, $27.99).
Booklist starred: "Simmons, who seems to like setting off in new directions with each novel, takes us to the near future. . . for this gritty, ambitious thriller. America is in political and economic death throes. . . and the prevalence of the dru. flashback, which allows users to relive events in their lives, has birthed a dark, dangerous subculture. . . . As usual, Simmons, best known for his sf novels and the best-seller Drood (2009), creates a remarkably vivid and nuanced fictional universe. . . . Another winner from Simmons, whose imagination seems to know no bounds." Library Journal added: "Simmons keeps the reader's attention from start to finish. Midway between sf and detective fiction, this will appeal to aficionados of both genres." |
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KELLI STANLEY- City of Secrets
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 (St. Martin's, $24.99).
Mystorical September. "Welcome back captivating and tough-talking PI Miranda Corbie (City of Dragons), who's determined to find out who killed stage performer Pandora Blake and defiled her body with an anti-Semitic epithet. . . . Most notably, Stanley brings 1940s San Francisco to life with her meticulously detailed, hard-boiled novel. She transports us to a world on the eve of massive change. It's neo-noir in a classical five-act structure, starring one of crime's most arresting heroines: angry, big-hearted, and fearless Miranda Corbie," said Library Journal. And PW praised: "In best pulp fiction style, suspects lounge about with slick hair and cheap suits, blondes are chain-smoking broads, and the nightclubs are smoky and languid."
ALSO, buy the new one plus the following and get 10% off both!:
'Curse Maker' (Minotaur, $24.99) As New. Signed. |
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MICHAEL STANLEY- Death of the Mantis
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 (HarperCollins, $14.99, trade paperback original).
Library Journal starred: "Impossible to put down, this immensely readable third entry from the duo of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip (who write under their combined first names) delivers the goods. Kubu's painstaking detecting skills make him a sort of Hercule Poirot of the desert. . ." PW praised: "Alexander McCall Smith fans interested in a different take on modern-day Botswana will find it in [this] intriguing third mystery. . . . Khumanego, a Bushman, asks his police detective friend, David 'Kubu' Bengu, to intervene to prevent an injustice. . . . The cultural conflict between the Bushmen and their fellow countrymen lends color." And Booklist concluded: "As in the previous titles, Stanley creates a seamless and complex mystery." |
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NEAL STEPHENSON - Reamde
|  (Wm. Morrow, $35.00).
The author of the bestselling Anathem and groundbreaking novels Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, and Cryptonomicon, is back with a high-intensity, high-stakes, action-packed adventure thriller in which a tech entrepreneur gets caught in the very real crossfire of his own online war game. (Only 1,056 pages this time!) The New York Times called it "Electrifying . . . hilarious . . . a picaresque novel about code making and code breaking, set both during World War II and during the present day." Library Journal said: "Stephenson continues to deliver cyberthrillers packed equally with detailed backstory and action adventure. It is a great crossover recommendation for sf readers interested in thrillers and for fans of spy novels who appreciate intricate plotlines and technical detail." And from Kirkus: "Who lives by the joystick dies by the joystick: Noir futurist Stephenson returns to cyberia with this fast-moving though sprawling techno-thriller." |
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SIMON TOYNE - Sanctus
|  (HarperCollins, $25.99).
Booklist starred: "High above Ruin, a city in Turkey, a monk climbs to the top of a mountain called the Citadel and jumps off. Unless the monastery's abbot, a ruthless and powerful man, can retrieve the body and cover up the death, an ancient secret could be revealed -- one that could shatter the foundations of the Christian Church. This is a big, bold thriller, so big that it needs to create its own mythology (the ancient Greeks, we're told, believed the Citadel to be Olympus; the Citadel's monks are guardians of the Sacrament, the world's oldest and its greatest mystery). But at the heart of the book is the story of a woman risking everything, including her own life, to find out what happened to a man who disappeared from her life eight years ago, and who now lies dead on a coroner's table. Elegantly written and imaginatively plotted, with a smart heroine and an appropriately evil villain, this is a must-read for fans of high-concept thrillers involving grand conspiracies." This is the first in a projected triology. |
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MARCOS VILLATORO - Blood Daughters
|  (Red Hen Press, $18.95).
"Sexy, fast paced and satisfyingly violent. . .The simmering tension between Romilia and her criminal admirer will leave readers eagerly anticipating the fourth book in this gritty procedural series," said PW.'Booklist praised: "Villatoro's lyrical writing style provides the perfect vehicle for describing his fascinatingly flawed Salvadoran protagonist. . . . this is a compelling, character-driven novel in which Villatoro generates tremendous sympathy for his complex and very human heroine." And the L.A. Times raved: "Charles Dickens, or more recently, Joyce Carol Oates and
Margaret Atwood, have used the crime novel to eloquently express themselves Add to the chorus the name of Marcos M. Villatoro. . . . one of the best novels -- mystery or otherwise -- you'll read this year." |
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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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DANIEL WOODRELL - The Outlaw Album
|  (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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(Simon & Schuster, $24.00).
(Soho Crime, $25.00).
