Tim Myers as Chris Cavender first in a new series A Slice of Murder

A Slice of Murder ($22 Kensington) is the first in a new series from author Tim Myers as Chris Cavender, aka Elizabeth Bright of the Card-Making Mysteries and Melissa Glazer of the Clay and Crime mysteries. If you haven’t discovered these then you are in for a treat!

Not too much happens in the sleepy little town of Timber Ridge, North Carolina - which is fine with pizza-purveyor extraordinaire Eleanor Swift. The spunky owner of A Slice of Delight is trying to mend her broken heart and could use a little quiet time. But when a late night delivery customer turns up dead, she's in for just the opposite in this delicious mystery series debut, featuring pizza as the prima character...Eleanor figures somebody must have been really mad at Richard Olsen to bury that kitchen knife in his chest. But when Kevin Hurley - her ex-boyfriend and Timber Ridge's police chief - starts eyeing her as a prime suspect, Eleanor knows she better get to the bottom of things before the gossipy townspeople decide to stop ordering her specialty pies. With her sassy and occasionally married sister Maddy by her side, Eleanor finds the list of suspects begins to outnumber the ingredients on the Slice's famed Smorgasbord Special pizza. Like Richard's eccentric sister, who appears out of nowhere to learn she's the heir to $100 grand...in what looks like dirty money. Richard worked for a shredding business - and it seems he read before he shred, and very well could've been a blackmailer. What about Richard's boss, who now stands to lose his shredding company? And then there's that steamy scented letter from none other than the mayor's wife. But when someone takes a shot at Eleanor on a late-night delivery run, she and Maddy know time is running out. To find the killer - and keep the pizzas rolling out of A Slice of Delight's ovens - she'll need to put it all one the line and hope that her search for the truth doesn't end in an unmarked grave...

I really enjoyed spunky Eleanor and her gutsy, smart-mouthed sister Maddy. They filled the pages with snappy dialog in this fun, lively paced mystery. If you are a fan of Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke or Laura Childs then this story is sure to please.

And you can meet this author at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore on Wednesday, July 29 at 7 pm where we are hosting his book launch for A Slice of Murder. Don’t miss this fun event with pizza, prizes and fun!

New Signed Books From the Poisoned Pen

Block, Lawrence. Step by Step A Pedestrian Memoir ($27) Signed

This is the story through the lens of his adventures while walking-in twenty-four-hour races, on a pilgrimage through Spain, and just about everywhere you can imagine-Lawrence Block shares his heartwarming personal story about life's trials and tribulations, discomforts and successes, which truly lets readers walk a mile in the master of mystery's shoes.





Hitchcock, Jane Stanton. Mortal Friends ($28) Signed

During the course of the investigation, the social world will unravel, an old friendship will be put to the test, scandalous secrets will be unleashed, and Reven will discover that nothing old or new, in high culture or low life, is what it appears. A riveting tale of murder, money, and high society, set in the glamorous, politics-fueled world of the nation's capital, Mortal Friends delivers another "killer read" People.



Hoffman, Julliane. Plea of Insanity ($25.95 Signed

The prosecutor-Julia Valenciano. Young and ambitious, and facing a case that could launch her career. The defendant-David Marquette. A successful Miami surgeon and devoted family man. The victims-Marquette's own wife and three small children. The plea-Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. The perfect father and model husband, David Marquette seemingly just snapped. His experienced defense team claims paranoid delusions caused by schizophrenia drove him to slaughter his entire family.

But the state suspects Marquette's insanity defense is being fabricated to disguise murders that were cold blooded and calculated. Worse, Julia believes Marquette could be responsible for a string of unsolved, brutal homicides. Could he be one of the most prolific and elusive serial killers in the country's history? To bring him to justice, Julia must embark on a terrifying personal journey back into her own past-something she has struggled to forget for fifteen years. And this will lead her to confront a future so chilling, she's not sure she will ever be able to face it...

Kellerman, Faye and Aliza. Prism ($16.99) Signed

Prism takes us to a slightly alternate universe in which medicine and health care do not exist, and in which sick people are allowed to die without any care. Set in New Mexico and California, the novel features three teens who fall through a cave at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico while on a field trip. They are plunged into a frightening parallel universe-seven weeks in the past, in which their "normal" worlds of family and high school remain the same...except for the fact that no medicine exists and when people die in the street they are picked up and disposed of.


Pearson, Ridley. Killer Summer ($24.95) Signed

Sun Valley, Idaho-playground of the wealthy and politically connected-is home to an annual wine auction that attracts high rollers from across the country, and Blaine County Sheriff Walt Fleming is the one who must ensure it goes off without a hitch. The world's most elite wine connoisseurs have descended on Sun Valley to taste and bid on the world's best wines, including three bottles claimed to have been a gift from Thomas Jefferson to John Adams. With sky-high prices all but guaranteed for these historic items, it's no wonder a group of thieves is out to steal them. Walt is responsible for all aspects of the glitzy event, from security of the dignitaries to the physical safety of the auction site to the transportation and safeguard of the wines themselves.

Walt is enjoying a rare afternoon of freedom, fly-fishing with his nephew, Kevin, when a passing truck catches his eye- his suspicions throwing him headlong into the discovery of a complicated plan to steal the rare wine. When a bomb detonates just as the auction revs up, the investigation explodes as well, pulling Walt in a dozen different directions. It seems Walt is caught in the middle of a heist of epic proportions-and not the heist he had prepared for-all orchestrated by the ingenious mind of Christopher Cantell, a man who appears to have covered everything, including the way Walt's own sheriff's office will react.

Stone, Eric. Shanghaied ($24.95) Signed

What really happened to the world's largest fireworks display? Corrupt bankers, vicious American veterans, a dumpling accident, a subway chase, and the reason the Dalai Lama eats meat. Ray Sharp is on his deadliest adventure yet, accompanied by his colleague and friend, the diminutive and foul-mouthed - in four languages - Wen Lei Yue.

"The outcome of this gritty crime novel will shock readers." - Library Journal.

AS IF BY MAGIC by Dolores Gordon-Smith

AS IF BY MAGIC by Dolores Gordon-Smith

George Lassiter is destitute, ill and desperate. Desperate enough to break into the kitchen of a stranger's house seeking shelter. And there, on that bitterly cold night, he witnesses what seems to be the murder of a beautiful girl. But when the police search the house, the body's disappeared - as if by magic.

It has to be nothing but a nightmare, thinks George and so does his friend and rescuer, Jack Haldean. However, the consequences of the nightmare will plunge George into a a tangle of theft, lies and obsession... and will set Jack off on the hunt for a ruthless killer.

To Read More About this Author Click Here

New Signed Books From The Poisoned Pen

Hurwitz, Gregg. Trust No One (St Martins $27 Signed)

To add to Barbara's rave, here's one from David Baldacci:

"Hurwitz deservedly takes his place at the forefront of suspense writers. His action scenes are juggernauts, his language fluid and original, the twists not only plentiful but plausible, which, to borrow from Twain, is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. And Hurwitz's succinct dialogue still jabs with the speed of an MP5 on full auto. I guarantee that once you read the first page of this terrific novel, your hands will keep ripping pages until there are none left, leaving your nerves jangled and your brain cells melted from trying to figure it all out."

Iles, Greg. The Devil's Punchbowl (Scribner $27 Signed here July 13)

Penn Cage, who once as a Houston prosecutor sent killers to Death Row, appeared earlier in two Iles' novels: The Quiet Game and Turning Angel ($7.99 each). Penn returned home to Natchez and, as mayor, was urged by old friends to try to give the fading jewel of the Old South a renaissance. Penn rode into office on a tide of support for change. The quest for new jobs and fresh money spelled casinos, and now, and now five fantastical steamboats float on the river beside the old slave market at Natchez like props from Gone With the Wind. One, the Magnolia Queen, is rumored to have tapped into a Michael Vick scenario-blood sport-to pull in the celebrity athletes, rap stars, and Vegas high rollers to this Mississippi backwater on sleek private jets that slip in and out of town like whispers in the night. Penn realizes that he's helped create a monster...with monsters. What now?

New Signed Books From the Poisoned Pen

Stanley, Michael. The Second Death of Goodluck Timubu ($28)

Rating a *Starred Review* from Booklist

"Deceptively dangerous Assistant Superintendent Kubu stars in a brilliant sequel to last year's Carrion Death. When two guests turn up dead at tourist camp, Kubu crosses Botswana to investigate. The case seems likely to link back to the Zimbabwe civil war, as fingerprint records show the dead man on the casualty lists of a 1980 farm raid. Stanley (the pseudonym for the writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollop) is not content with a single plot line, effectively juggling the murders with cross-border drug smuggling and the circumstances surrounding an upcoming African Union meeting. Kubu, a dedicated gourmand, is just one of many fully fleshed and charmingly realistic characters. From slightly annoying sister-in-law Peasant to Kubu's intense and acerbic boss Mabuku to Scottish pathologist MacGregor, each character is memorable and adds depth to this tense and involving police procedural. Suggest to fans of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, who will appreciate Kubu's laid-back style and happy home life, and to Henning Mankell fans, who will respond to the complex plots and palpable sense of place." --Jessica Moyer , Booklist. Start with A Carrion Death ($15)

Tremayne, Peter. The Dove of Death ($45 Headline) Signed

The gripping new novel in the internationally renowned Sister Fidelma crime series by Peter Tremayne.

AD 670. An Irish merchant ship is attacked by a pirate vessel off the coast of the Breton peninsular. Murchad, the captain, and a prince from the kingdom of Muman, are killed in cold blood after they have surrendered. Among the other passengers who manage to escape the slaughter are Sister Fidelma of Cashel and her faithful companion, Brother Eadulf. The prince was Fidelma's cousin and she is determined to bring the killers to justice...

Killer Summer with Ridley Pearson

Wednesday July 1 at 7 pm Ridley shows views of Shanghai where he and his family have just lived for a year. Pearson is bringing us a power point show of the city AND a nifty prize from Shanghai to give away in store..And a mail order customer prize as well for those purchasing Killer Summer (Putnam $24.95) before July 1.

Ridley writes to us, "Every year the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities (Sun Valley, Idaho) throws a fund-raising wine auction that attracts the well-heeled from around the world to bid up wine bottles into the stratosphere, all for a good cause. As patrons grow more and more 'cheerful' with the free wine at the dinner, the prices soar, as do the egos of those bidding. It's a sight to behold."I've always wanted to write about the event. That backdrop ran headlong into some research I stumbled upon. I'm a Google freak, and when I discovered that some bottles from Thomas Jefferson's wine collection had sold for over $600,000. I knew I'd landed on my next thriller:, the third for Sheriff Walt Fleming who exists in part thanks to the real sheriff who takes all this in good part."Even the savviest readers will be fooled as Pearson drags poor Walt and friends through a series of clever twists and turns in this fast-paced nail-biter."-- Publishers Weekly

And I thought you'd enjoy this comment from, all of things, the Romantic Times:"Fleming is up against a criminal mastermind trying to settle a score. As always, Pearson's taut plotting ensures plenty of twists and heart-pounding action."Read Walt's earlier cases in Killer Weekend; Killer View ($10 each).

Click Here to View the trailer of Killer Summer

We willl also draw for three lucky people to head to the wine bar with Ridley and Barbara to sample a wine flight or two in the spirit of Jefferson. And further, we will have a special prize for a drawing for all those ordering Killer Summer who live outside the Phoenix Metro area.Finally, a word to Ridley's fans about Boldt:"Boldt's Broken Angel" is a long short story appearing in Thriller 2 (Mira $25 Signed already by Cussler and Deaver) that catches the reader up on developments in Boldt's career, his continued attraction to Daphne Matthews, and pits him against an unusual killer. This story is meant as an interlude to the next Boldt novel which Ridley hopes to write in the coming year! A short preview: As Boldt is demoted to sergeant, he picks up a case involving a woman going missing from a Seattle office building.Too soon, there's another woman missing, and this one hits much closer to home. Boldt's deepening affection for co-worker, Daphne Matthews, can no longer be denied. Through the terror of this case, Boldt finds a way to finally speak the truth...Or so says Ridley, who signs the story while he's here.

New Signed Books From the Poisoned Pen

Borodale, Jane. The Book of Fires ($32 Collins) Signed

This debut tells the unforgettable story of Agnes Trussel -- and love, fireworks and redemption. Brought up in rural Sussex, seventeen-year-old Agnes Trussel is carrying an unwanted child. Taking advantage of the death of her elderly neighbour, Agnes steals her savings and runs away to London. On her way she encounters the intriguing Lettice Talbot who promises that she will help Agnes upon their arrival. But Agnes soon becomes lost in the dark, labyrinthine city. She ends up at the household of John Blacklock, laconic firework-maker, becoming his first female assistant. The months pass and it becomes increasingly difficult for Agnes to conceal her secret. Soon she meets Cornelius Soul, seller of gunpowder, and hatches a plan which could save her from ruin. Yet why does John Blacklock so vehemently disapprove of Mr Soul? And what exactly is he keeping from her? Could the housekeeper, Mrs Blight, with her thirst for accounts of hangings, suspect her crime or condition?

Gregory, Susanna. A Vein of Deceit ($43 Sphere) Signed

There is something very amiss in the finances of Michaelhouse. Despite a new influx of well-heeled students, there is an acute lack of funds for the upkeep of the buildings, even for decent provisions. It is only when the Brother in charge of the account books dies unexpectedly that some sort of explanation is revealed: he has been paying large amounts of money for goods the college itself has never received. Although shocked by this evidence of fraud, Matthew is more concerned with the disappearance from his herbarium of a quantity of pennyroyal, a preparation known to cause a woman to miscarry, and a pregant visitor to his sister's household has died from an overdose of pennyroyal. Had she meant to abort her child or had someone else wanted to ensure she was unable to provide an heir to her husband's wealthy estates? When Matthew learns that it was her husband who had received Michaelhouse's money for undelivered goods he begins to search for other connections and exposes a very treacherous vein of deceit.

From Ari - Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Here is a review from Ari for local YA author, Aprilynne Pike's WINGS.
A book Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga calls, "a remarkable debut; the ingenuity of the mythology is matched only by the startling loveliness with which the story unfolds."

Laurel, the main character, has always lived in a small town and she’s never been to public school. When her parents decided to move and the money isn’t coming in as much, her parents make her go to a public high school. She is shy and seems socially awkward until she meets David in her science class. David introduces her to his friend Chelsea and the two really help Laurel blossom. Just as she begins to fit into her school she gets a pimple on her back and after a week she gets petal like wings. She meets a faerie when she goes back to her old home and he tells her she is a faerie but doesn’t believe him. David helps her realize that she is really a faerie.

I don’t want to give away the ending of this book. It didn’t take me but a few days to finish it was so good. Definitely a great summer read if you don’t mind carrying around a hardcover. I hope this story becomes a series, which I think it will. This book truly shows what its like to be DIFFERENT from the people in your life and how people cope with changes.

-Ari

Signed Janet Evanovich - Finger Lickin' Fifteen

Finger Lickin' Fifteen ($29.95) Signed first edition.

"The next Stephanie Plum novel, in which complications arise, loyalties are tested, cliffhangers are resolved, and donuts are eaten."

New Signed Books From The Poisoned Pen

Freeman, Brian In the Dark ($27) Signed

"Edgar-finalist Freeman's fourth thriller to feature Duluth, Minn., police lieutenant Jonathan Stride (after Stalked) may be his most ambitious-and accomplished-work to date.... Powered by darkly poetic atmospherics and deep character development (especially Stride, whose understated intensity, dignity and resilience are emblematic of the Twin Ports area itself), this harrowing and heartrending novel will leave readers guessing until the very last pages." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Rotenberg, Robert. Old City Hall ($28) Signed

Old City Hall opens with a bang, or perhaps a stab: Canada's leading radio show host, Kevin Brace, comes to the door of his luxury condominium with his hands covered in blood and tells the newspaper delivery man: "I killed her." The "her" in question is his young wife, whose body lies in the bathtub of their suite, a knife wound through the sternum. So, if he killed her, where's the mystery? That's the question asked by the detectives plowing through what should be an openand- shut case. Even Kevin's defense attorney doesn't know what really happened, because he refuses to talk to her or to anyone else after muttering those incriminating words. With the discovery that the victim was actually a self-destructive alcoholic, and the appearance of strange fingerprints in the Brace apartment, the mystery gets more complex just as it should be getting simpler. Robert Rotenberg claims and celebrates the city of Toronto as a character as exciting and vital as the Dickensian ensemble populating the story. Douglas Preston rejoices that Rotenberg's "Toronto settings make this most multicultural city in North America come alive." Elmore Leonard has Florida; John Lescroart, San Francisco; Robert Parker, Boston; Scott Turow, Chicago; George Pelecanos, D.C. And now, in Old City Hall, Rotenberg creates in modern-day Toronto a canvas as diverse and surprising as the city itself.

We have signed 1st of the new Sookie Stackhouse

We have signed 1st of the new Sookie Stackhouse, by Charlaine Harris Dead and Gone. call 4809472974or email lorri@poisonedpen.com now for your copy!

Faye and Aliza Kellerman are stopping by to sign Prism!

New book just available...Faye and Aliza Kellerman are stopping by the store (6/25) to sign PRISM. Reserve your copy today. 480 947 2974

Prism takes us to a slightly alternate universe in which medicine and health care do not exist, and in which sick people are allowed to die without any care. Set in New Mexico and California, the novel features three teens who fall through a cave at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico while on a field trip. They are plunged into a frightening parallel universe—seven weeks in the past, in which their "normal" worlds of family and high school remain the same…except for the fact that no medicine exists and when people die in the street they are picked up and disposed of.

New Signed Books From the Poisoned Pen

Cohen, Gabriel. Neptune Avenue. ($27) Signed

*Starred Review* Contemporary Brooklyn is one of the wellsprings of crime fiction. With many dozens of ethnic enclaves sitting cheek by jowl, it is a roiling place that challenges even the skills of veteran NYPD Homicide Detective Jack Leightner. In this third Leightner novel (following The Graving Dock, 2007, and Red Hook, 2001), Jack finds himself plumbing the mysteries of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn's Russian enclave. He's after the murderer of a friend, a Russian immigrant he shared a hospital room with while recovering from a bullet wound; but what lonely Leightner finds first is love, or at least infatuation, with Zhenya, the victim's wife. Principled and soulful, Leightner chastises himself for his feelings while his investigation takes him from Crown Heights to Coney Island. But plot takes a backseat here to character-Jack's and Brooklyn's-as Cohen treats crime fans to quirky details of Jack's world and a knowing glimpse of an amazing place blessed and afflicted by a surfeit of "tribes" that sometimes go to war and are always suspicious of outsiders. Cohen's novels belong, with those of Norman Green, at the top of every Brooklyn crime-fiction list. --Thomas Gaughan Boolist

Rosett, Sara. Magnolias, Moonlight and Murder ($24) Signed

Settling her family - Air Force pilot Mitch, baby Nathan, and daughter Livvy - into their new home in Georgia, Ellie Avery is busier than ever. With two children under four, a party to plan for Mitch's promotion, and new contacts to develop for her organizing business, Ellie's eager to relax by taking Rex, the family Rottweiler, for a peaceful stroll. But what they find is anything but tranquil. As evening's shadows fall, Ellie stumbles into an abandoned graveyard disturbed by flooding from a recent storm. It's a chilling enough setting without the shocking spectre of two dead bodies...unearthed from the same grave. The skeleton that belongs in the washed-out gravesite is that of a young casualty of World War I. The probable identity of the fresher corpse leads Ellie into a missing-person case centred around Jodi Lockworth, a vibrant young woman who once lived in the house the Averys are now renting.

When Ellie discovers a vital clue in her very own home, she becomes the next target of a sinister schemer who'll stop at nothing to protect a deadly secret. Now, with a double mystery brewing and dozens of guests about to arrive in her back yard, Ellie's agenda is once again packed. The only thing she hasn't pencilled in is one killer of a party crasher who intends to make this celebration Ellie's last.

Urrea, Luis Alberto. Into The Beautiful North ($25) Signed

Nineteen-year-old Nayeli works at a taco shop in her Mexican village and dreams about her father, who journeyed to the US to find work. Recently, it has dawned on her that he isn't the only man who has left town. In fact, there are almost no men in the village--they've all gone north. While watching The Magnificent Seven, Nayeli decides to go north herself and recruit seven men--her own "Siete Magníficos"--to repopulate her hometown and protect it from the bandidos who plan on taking it over...

OUR TOP TEN JUNE PAPERBACKS

MASS MARKETS

Battles, Brett. Deceived ($6.99).

Bond, Stephanie. 6 Killer Bodies (7.99).

Gardiner, Meg. Dirty Secrets Club ($7.99).

Haines, Carolyn. Wishbones ($6.99).

Konrath, J A. Fuzzy Navel ($7.99).

Kramer, Julie. Stalking Susan ($7.99).

Larsson, Stieg. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ($7.99).

Parker, Barbara. Dark of Day ($7.99).

Rollins, James. Last Oracle ($7.99).

Silva, Daniel. Moscow Rules ($10).

TOP TEN JUNE TRADES

Bolton, S J. Sacrifice ($15)

Cassella, Carol. Oxygen ($15)

Furst, Alan. Spies of Warsaw (15)

Johnson, Craig. Another Man's Moccasins ($14)

Kozak, Harley Jane. Dead Ex ($14)

Liss, David. Whiskey Rebels ($15)

Ramsay, Frederick. Stranger Room ($15)

Ryan, Andie. Shakedown ($16)

Schweizer, Mark. Diva Wore Diamonds ($13 Signed)

Winslow, Don. Dawn Patrol ($14)

Triller 2 Stories You Just Can't Put Down

When some of the top thriller writers in the world came together in Thriller: Stories To Keep You Up All Night, they became a part of one of the most successful short-story anthologies ever published. The highly anticipated Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can't Put Down (edited by Clive Cussler) by is even bigger. From Jeffery Deaver's tale of international terrorism to Lisa Jackson's dysfunctional family in the California wine country to Ridley Pearson's horrifying serial killer, this collection has something for everyone. Twenty-three bestselling and hot new authors in the genre have submitted original stories to make up this unforgettable blockbuster.

Turn off your phone.

Shut down your computer.

Say goodbye to your friends and family. Be prepared to read for days.

From Booklist
Clive Cussler takes the editorial helm from James Patterson in this follow-up to Thriller (2006). This volume again features another impressive line-up of crime writers, some household names (Phillip Margolin, Ridley Pearson) and some lesser-knowns (Javier Sierra, Harry Hunsicker). All are members of the International Thriller Writers, the organization that came up with the concept for the series. What’s different in this second compilation is that this time most of the familiar authors leave their established characters at home and strike out in new directions. So while David Hewson delivers a taut, exciting story, it isn’t about his Roman detective Nic Costa. Thrillers are not an easy genre to define, as Cussler points out in his introduction, as it has more to do with pace than with plot. But that’s good news for readers, who will enjoy such diverse story types as international intrigue (Jeffrey Deaver’s “The Weapon”), suspense (Hewson’s “The Circle”), and even a blend of political thriller and science fiction (Kathleen Antrim’s “Through a Veil Darkly”). An entertaining collection. --Mary Frances Wilkens

Lord of Death signed Eliot Pattison

We have Lord of Death ($26) signed by Eliot Pattison the award winning, international lawyer based near Philadelphia.

His five previous Shan novels have been critical and commercial successes. He won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and was nominated for the Crime Writers’ Association Golden Dagger.

Lord of Death earned a *Starred Review* from Booklist.

" Readers seeking a change from urban whodunits have embraced Edgar Award–winner Pattison’s superlative series set in ethereal, enigmatic, long-enduring Tibet. Shan Tao Yun, disgraced Beijing investigator and survivor of a Tibetan gulag, now spends his days quietly dwelling among residents of the “Roof of the World.” Over the years, his intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the Chinese political system has proved invaluable in solving a host of compelling conundrums. In this sixth installment (after Prayer of the Dragon, 2007), Shan is transporting a corpse over the slopes of Mt. Everest when he hears gunfire. Two women—a Chinese minister and an outspoken American hiker—have been shot and left for dead at the side of the road. The Chinese authorities are quick to blame the inhabitants of a local village, who have long harbored animosity toward a government that sees Tibet’s majestic mountains as little more than a tourist commodity. Shan questions revered soothsayers and surly colonels in search of answers, ever aware that the survival of his son Ko—currently imprisoned in a Chinese asylum—depends on his success. Pattison serves as literary ambassador to beautiful, brutal Tibet in a tale that engages, enlightens, and entertains." --Allison Block

Reginald Hill's Midnight Fugue signed first edition

Reginald Hill's Midnight Fugue signed first edition ($42)

The highly anticipated return of Dalziel and Pascoe, the hugely popular police duo and stars of the long-running BBC TV series, in a new psychological thriller. It starts with a phone call to Superintendent Dalziel from an old friend asking for help. But where it ends is a very different story. Gina Wolfe has come to Mid-Yorkshire in search of her missing husband, believed dead. Her fiance, Commander Mick Purdy of the Met, thinks Dalziel should be able to take care of the job. What none of them realize is how events set in motion decades ago will come to a violent head on this otherwise ordinary summer's day. A Welsh tabloid journalist senses the story he's been chasing for years may have finally landed in his lap. A Tory MP's secretary suspects her boss's father has an unsavoury history that could taint his prime ministerial ambitions. The ruthless entrepreneur in question sends two henchmen out to make sure the past stays in the past. And the lethal pair dispatched have some awkward secrets of their own. Four stories, two mismatched detectives trying to figure it all out, and 24 hours in which to do it: Dalziel and Pascoe are about to learn the hard way exactly just how much difference a day makes!

Sookie Stackhouse (Book 9) signed first edition by Charlaine Harris

We have Dead and Gone the new Sookie Stackhouse (Book 9) signed first edition by Charlaine Harris!

Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps—and nothing about weres.

Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works—and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it.

But there’s a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings—older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves—is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle.

The Louisiana town of Bon Temps—along with the rest of the world—is about to be rocked with some big supernatural news: like the vampires before them, the Were people—humans with the ability to change into animals—are about to reveal themselves to humanity. Psychic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse is apprehensive about the revelation, given the way some people in the small town revile anyone with extraordinary powers, including Sookie herself. While the initial announcement seems to go over smoothly with most people, tragedy strikes when Sookie’s brother Jason’s estranged wife, a werepanther, is found murdered and nailed up on a cross. Jason is the prime suspect, but Sookie has even bigger problems to deal with when she learns that a vicious fairy prince is determined to kill her. Darker and more ominous than earlier entries in the series, Harris’ latest raises the stakes (pun intended) for lovable heroine Sookie and comes up a winner. With HBO’s True Blood, a series based on Sookie’s adventures, renewed for a second season, expect demand for this latest gripping installment. --Kristine Huntley - From Booklist

Dark Horse signed by Craig Johnson

What a ride is Dark Horse (Viking $25). I swear Johnson gets better every book. He writes me he's bought a new cowboy hat for his book tour. Go, Craig.

Walt Longmire, that often conflicted, frequently rueful, shrewd sheriff of Wyoming's Absaroka County, is a man I call a true hero for he's afraid-but he acts anyway. Then there's Walt's friend, Henry Standing Bear, as stalwart a backup as you'd like, and the new recruit, Dog (literally, a big beast).

And in this novel, a remarkable and missing horse called Wahoo Sue whose spirit breathes life into the nearly defeated Mary Barsad who is charged with murdering her husband. Her plight sends Walt undercover, posing as an insurance man, in CampbellCounty to see what the dickens is about to blow Powder River country sky high if Mary and the lid on the crime aren't kept locked down in Walt's jail....

OUR MAY BESTSELLERS

Hardcovers

Child, Lee. Gone Tomorrow (Bantam $27 Signed).
Sandford, John. Wicked Prey (Putnam $27.95 Signed).
Grant, Andrew. Even (St Martins $24.9 Signed).
Hall, Tarquin. Case of the Missing Servant (Simon Schuster $24).
King, Laurie R. Language of Bees (Bantam $25).
Pears, Iain. Stone's Fall (Spiegel & Grau $27.95 Signed).
Cantrell, Rebecca. Trace of Smoke (Forge $24.95 Signed).
Rotenberg, Robert.Old City Hall (Farrar $26 Signed).
Pelecanos, George P. Way Home (Little Brown $24.99 Signed).
Larsen, Reif. Selected Works of T S Spivet (Penguin $27.95).

Trade Paperbacks

Kozak, Harley Jane. Date You Cant Refuse (Broadway $11.95).
Caldwell, Joseph. Pig Did it (Dell $13.99).
Harwood, Seth. Jack Wakes Up (Three Rivers $13.95).
Shaffer, Mary Ann. Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (Dial $14).
David, Evelyn. Murder Off the Books (Echelon $12.99).
Talton, Jon. Dry Heat (Poisoned Pen Press $14.95).
Talton, Jon. Concrete Desert (Poisoned Pen Press $14.95).
Snyder, Maria V. Storm Glass (Mira $13.95).
Ure, Louise. Fault Tree (St Martins $14.95)
David, Evelyn. Murder Takes the Cake (Echelon $14).

Mass Markets

Bommersbach, Jana. Bones in the Desert ($6.99).
Box, C J. Blood Trail ($7.99).
Spencer-fleming, Julia. I Shall Not Want ($7.99).
Haddam, Jane. Cheating at Solitaire ($7.99).
Smith, Tom Rob. Child 44 ($7.99).
Barr, Nevada. Winter Study ($9.99).
Page, Katherine Hall. Body in the Gallery ($7.99).
George, Elizabeth. Careless in Red ($7.99).
Lippman, Laura. What the Dead Know ($7.99).
Hewson, David. Season for the Dead ($6.99)

New Signed Books From the Poisoned Pen

The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne (Doubleday $35 signed)

In Russia during the year 1915, at the age of 16, Georgy Jachmenev steps in front of an assassin's bullet intended for the heart of a senior member of the Russian Imperial Family. He is instantly proclaimed a hero. Before the week is out, his life as the son of a peasant farmer is changed forever when he is escorted to St Petersburg to take up his new position - as bodyguard to Alexei Romanov, the only son of Tsar Nicholas II. Sixty five years later, visiting his wife Zoya as she lies dying in a London hospital, memories of the life they have lived together flood his mind. Their marriage, while tender, has been marked by tragedy, the loss of loved ones, and experiences of exile that neither can forget. "The House of Special Purpose" is a novel about a young man ripped from a loving home and thrust into the heart of a dying empire. Privy to the secrets of Nicholas and Alexandra, the machinations of Rasputin and the events which led to the final collapse of the autocracy, Georgy is a witness and participant in a drama which will echo down the century. His is also a story of a marriage in which a husband finds it impossible to live in the present and a wife unable to reconcile herself with the past. Part love story, part historical epic, part tragedy, the novel moves from revolutionary St Petersburg to Paris after the First World War, and from London during the Blitz to the eastern coast of Finland during the 1980s, before returning to a quiet hospital bed where Georgy and Zoya's story must finally be resolved.


The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (Voice $28 Signed)

"A fresh present-day story infused with an original take on popular history. Forget broomsticks and pointy hats; here are witches that could well be walking among us today. This debut novel flows with poetic charm and eloquence that achieves high literary merit while concocting a gripping supernatural puzzler. Katherine Howe's talent is spellbinding."
--Matthew Pearl, author of The Poe Shadow and The Dante Club

A spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history-the Salem witch trials.

Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest--to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.

As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined.

Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials of the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.


The Warning Bell by Tom Macaulay (Orion $35)

For Iain Madoc it all began when he was eight years old and his father took him out on a boat trip. Something George Madoc saw or heard out on the water that day seemed to change him, and after that it was as if Iain didn't have a real father at all. Only later did Iain come to understand that it had all started long before, when George Madoc had commanded an RAF Air-Sea Rescue boat ferrying SOE agents between the south coast and occupied France. One night in April 1944 an operation to bring back a French agent went terribly wrong, and when George finally made it home two months later, he was unable to speak about what had happened. Now, as his mother lies dying, Iain is finally given a clue to unlocking the mystery of what so traumatised his father that he turned away from his own son. The wreck of High Speed Launch 2548 - his father's boat - has been found near the Breton village of St Cyriac, and with it, perhaps, the key to unlocking George Madoc's memories. Desperate to understand, Iain goes to St Cyriac determined to discover the truth. But St Cyriac will not give up its secrets easily. For some people the past is still dangerously alive, and Iain soon finds that his own family may have to pay the price of uncovering it.

The Information Officer by Mark Mills (HarperCollins $45)

The much-anticipated new historical crime thriller from the award-winning author of the No 1 bestseller 'The Savage Garden' "You want to know who I am? I'm the last living soul you'll ever set eyes on" Summer, 1942. For the people of Malta, suffering daily bombing raids, the British are the last line of defence against the Nazis. And it is Max Chadwick's job as the information officer to ensure the news the islanders receive maintains morale. So when Max is given proof suggesting a British officer is murdering local women, he knows the consequences of discovery are dire. With the violence on the war-ravaged island escalating daily, he embarks on a private investigation, hidden from the eyes of superiors, friends and the woman he loves. But Max finds himself torn between patriotic duty and personal honour in his efforts to track down the killer! an elusive figure always one step ahead of his hunter.

Scandinavian Mysteries for the Long Hot Summer

From Pat King - The summer in Phoenix always starts early and ends much later than any of us would actually like. One hundred days or more of 100 degree temperatures and blazing sunshine can make anyone feel depressed. There are times when any Phoenician would gladly trade in his or her home, in what many feel is paradise, and live someplace where the sun does not break through the overcast skies, where sweaters are required rather than a fashion statement, and fireplaces are something that you actually use. Yes, in the next two weeks we would gladly eat herring on a stick and play chess with Death rather than suffer through the agony and horror of the summer season that ends right around Thanksgiving. Perhaps this is why so many of our local customers have discovered the beauty of Scandinavian Mysteries- a perfect escape from the long, long, long summer. Here are a few of my personal favorites.

The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjöwal and Per Wahlöö

Sjowal’s and Wahloo’s strong and gritty prose is at their finest within this novel. On a cold, rainy winter night, nine bus riders are gunned down in cold blood. Superintendent Martin Beck is called in to investigate the crime and determine who the gunner is and if the action was in cold blood or a deadly assassination attempt. The writers capture the sense of Stockholm perfectly; the setting and the story will freeze the reader to their very bones.

The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg

A young police investigator by the name of Patrik Hedstrom is called in to investigate a case where two hiker’s bodies have been found after a 22 year disappearance. Lackberg’s novel shines with the development of a complex mystery; however, what I really love is her great character development and realistic dialogue (kudos to the Translator). Within Lackberg’s novel, a foreigner like myself feels at home in this Scandinavian thriller.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
This is my favorite book of the year. I’m a little late writing about it but so many books have paled in comparison to this novel over the past few months. This novel is about a journalist who has been accused of slander and defamation of character by the head of a corporation of whom he had been writing about. Faced with a jail sentence and a hefty fine. Why would such a careful journalist place his livelihood at risk? Rich writing, strong plot and spectacular action makes this author my current favorite.

John Connolly's new book, The Lovers signed

John Connolly's new book, The Lovers signed ($27)

Parker is working in a bar in Portland, having been deprived of his P.I.'s license. He uses his enforced retirement to begin a different kind of investigation: an examination of his own past and an inquiry into the death of his father, who took his own life after apparently shooting dead two unarmed teenagers, a search that will eventually lead to revelations about Parker's own parentage.

Meanwhile, a troubled young woman is running from an unseen threat, one that already seems to have taken the life of her boyfriend, and a journalist-turned-writer named Mickey Wallace is conducting an investigation of his own into Charlie Parker in the hope of writing a non-fiction book about his exploits.

And haunting the shadows, as they have done throughout Parker's life, are two figures: a man and a woman, the lovers of the title, who appear to have only one purpose, and that is to bring an end to his existence . . .

Father's Day by Keith Gilman

Father's Day by Keith Gilman ($27 Signed)

Father’s Day is Keith Gilman’s provocative debut from St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books. It was awarded Best First Novel by the Private Eye Writers of America.

Father’s Day is a dark and atmospheric tale of an ex-cop from Philadelphia asked to track down the missing daughter of an old friend. The investigation takes him deep into his past, into the darkest corners of the city where the ghosts of his most painful memories await his return.

He uncovers truths about the alleged suicide of his friend, a fellow officer with the Philadelphia police department; truths about the accusations that ended both their careers; truths about the woman who had come between them; truths about the tortured life of the girl he’s trying to find and naturally, truths about himself.

"Fresh, authentic, and downright gut-wrenching, FATHER'S DAY grabbed me by the collar and wouldn't let go. Gilman's voice is a powerful new addition to the crime fiction community."

Reed Farrel - Coleman, Shamus, Barry, and Anthony Award-winning author of Empty Ever After

"Gilman has a cop's eye for detail and a hardboiled humor that can't be faked. A palpable evil fills the pages of FATHER'S DAY that is both terrifying and relentless. Gilman writes sharply and knows where all the bodies are buried; his Philadelphia is worth a visit."

William Lashner - NY Times Best Selling Author of A KILLER'S KISS.

“Dark, gritty and hauntingly lyrical, Keith Gilman writes noir with the authenticity of a cop who has actually worked the mean streets,”

Robin Burcell, award-winning author of Face of a Killer

Father’s Day is a novel with multiple layers of meaning, taught psychological depth, strong noir elements and stark visual imagery. It is a terrifying exploration of the emotions behind our deepest fears.

Lea Says, "Don't Miss This Great Book!"

Ryan, Andie. Shakedown ($24 Signed)

What a great first novel! Have you ever tried to understand the financial shenanigans of some of the giants of the industry? Wish you could? Then read The Shakedown and get some answers. Wall Street's most highly respected financial giant is involved in a growing financial scandal.

Tom Hollister, Sledd Payne's public relations executive, is called upon to whitewash this, only to find himself involved in a murder conspiracy and an insidious fraud that could threaten the life savings of millions of investors and bring Sledd Payne to its knees.

Sound Familiar? Throw in a family in crisis, an aging call girl and a scheming executive and you're in for a page turner.

I couldn't put it down and I advise you to pick up a copy and hunker down for a good read!

Don't miss your chance to talk to this author on Thursday, June 11 at 7 pm as she signs and discusses her book.