Seattle Mystery Bookshop

Coming Soon Sunday! Grand Master Edition...

The story of a father and son separated by war and circumstance—and whose encounter with the legendary Holy Grail will change their lives forever.

From its opening scene in revolutionary Mexico to the Battle of the Marne in 1918, and on to the bordellos and saloons of San Antonio during the reign of the Hole in the Wall Gang, House of the Rising Sun is an epic tale of love, loss, betrayal, vengeance, and retribution that follows Texas Ranger Hackberry Holland on his journey to reunite with his estranged son, Ishmael, a captain in the United States Army.

After a violent encounter that leaves four Mexican soldiers dead, Hackberry escapes the country in possession of a stolen artifact, earning the ire of a bloodthirsty Austrian arms dealer who then places Hack’s son Ishmael squarely in the cross hairs of a plot to recapture his prize, believed to be the mythic cup of Christ.

Along the way, we meet three extraordinary women: Ruby Dansen, the Danish immigrant who is Ishmael’s mother and Hackberry’s one true love; Beatrice DeMolay, a brothel madam descended from the crusader knight who brought the shroud of Turin back from the Holy Land; and Maggie Bassett, one-time lover of the Sundance Kid, whose wiles rival those of Lady Macbeth. In her own way, each woman will aid Hackberry in his quest to reconcile with Ishmael, to vanquish their enemies, and to return the Grail to its rightful place.

House of the Rising Sun is James Lee Burke’s finest novel to date, and a thrilling entry into the Holland family saga that continued most recently with Wayfaring Stranger, which The New York Times Book Review described as “saturated with the romance of the past while mournfully attuned to the unholy menace of the present.”

New Book Corner

 

 

Coming Soon Sunday!

In the stunning new thriller from the Edgar Award–nominated author, Inspector Kari Vaara has gained the top position in the Finnish police, and all the power it entails….

As the new national police commissioner of Finland, Kari Vaara, along with his team Milo and Sweetness, now has the keys to the kingdom. With his vast collection of dirt, Kari purges the police ranks of the corrupt and undesirable, and he assigns the newly open job of commissioner of SUPO, Finland’s secret police, to Milo. Milo goes to work with the SUPO archives, having them scanned and organized for his analysis. As he digs deeper into the immense body of records, the evidence points to alarming conclusions. It’s a commonly held belief that there are no serial killers in Finland. Milo is about to prove that theory to be disturbingly wrong.

Meanwhile, Kari is called to the scene of a bizarre and gruesome murder. A man is found hanging upside down from his left foot, his right leg bent at the knee and tied to the left. His hands are tied behind his back. There is no forensic evidence in the house. And the only clues at the crime scene include an odd assortment of goods: robes, a wand, a dull dagger, and a deck of tarot cards…

New Book Corner!

Coming Soon Sunday! John Connolly Edition!

Still recovering from his life-threatening wounds, private detective Charlie Parker investigates a case that has its origins in a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War.

Parker has retreated to the small Maine town of Boreas to regain his strength. There he befriends a widow named Ruth Winter and her young daughter, Amanda. But Ruth has her secrets. Old atrocities are about to be unearthed, and old sinners will kill to hide their sins. Now Parker is about to risk his life to defend a woman he barely knows, one who fears him almost as much as she fears those who are coming for her.

His enemies believe him to be vulnerable. Fearful. Solitary. But they are wrong. Parker is far from afraid, and far from alone. For something is emerging from the shadows . . .

A decade after "Nocturnes" first terrified and delighted readers, John Connolly, bestselling author of thirteen acclaimed thrillers featuring private investigator Charlie Parker, gives us a second volume of tales of the supernatural. From stories of the monstrous for dark winter nights to fables of fantastic libraries and haunted books, from a tender account of love after death to a frank, personal, and revealing account of the author's affection for myths of ghosts and demons, this is a collection that will surprise, delight--and terrify.

"Night Music: Nocturnes 2 "also contains two novellas: the multi-award-winning "The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository" and "The Fractured Atlas." This book is a masterly collection to be read with the lights on--menace has never been so seductive.

New Book Corner! A Little Something For Everyone...

 

 

Coming Soon Sunday!

From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of "Vampire Academy" and "Bloodlines, " comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore.

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.
When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei's home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Newzine 8.7.15

Our time is marked by many things, things that come around with predictability. August means the return of football, the end of the Perseid meteor shower, the approach of another school year, and that it is time to get busy and finish the Autumn newsletter. Has anybody seen Halloween candy in the drug stores yet?

Last week (and this week, it looks like), we had problems getting newzines to Yahoo addresses and those addresses they manage. Seems to be a Yahoo problem after a big spam attack. If you hadn’t gotten recent newzines, visit our blog to read them. Here’s last week’s – newzine 7.31.15

Rest In Peace

We note the death of Coleen Gray, an actress most well know for her work in many films noir.

Gray was born Doris Jensen in Staplehurst, NE, on Oct 23, 1922. She graduated cum laude from Hamline University where she studied dramatics.

She moved to Southern California and took the usual route of working many small jobs to support herself while beginning her acting career both with small parts in movies and on stage.

Her first big part was in Red River (1948 – though it was filmed in 1946). From there she appeared in a string of notable films noir:  Kiss of Death with Victor Mature and Richard Widmark and Nightmare Alley with Tyrone Power (both released in 1947), The Sleeping City (1950), Kansas City Confidential (1952) and Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing (1956).

She also starred in a number of Westerns, including 1955’s Tennesee’s Partner in which she appeared with Ronald Reagan and John Payne.  In other films she sang with Bing Crosby, played opposite William Holden, George Raft, amd Yvonne De Carlo. She was in romantic comedies and horror movies.

She also appeared  TV shows from the 50s through the late 80s – “McCloud”, “Ironside”, “Mannix”, “The Name of the Game”, “Judd for the Defense”, “The F.B.I.”, “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, “77 Sunset Strip”, “Mike Hammer” (back in ’58), and 4 times on “Perry Mason”.

She retired from 42 years of acting in 1986. Ms. Gray died in LA on August 3 at the age of 92.

R.I.P.

Advanced Warning

We’ll be closed on Monday, Sept 7^th – Labor Day

Links of Interest:

New Gardner Museum video may show thieves 24 hours before art heist (shouldn’t that be OLD video ??)

FBI says two suspects who stole $500m in art from Boston museum are dead

Sara Paretsky interview: ‘I start each VI Warshawski book convinced I can’t do it’

How to spot whodunnit: academics crack Agatha Christie's code

On the case: Exploring Oslo through the eyes of homegrown crime writer Jo Nesbo

Italy arrests 11 mafia suspects who 'communicated in sheep code'

Patter and Patois: Walter Mosley on the influence of Louisiana

Gillian Flynn: I Was Not A Nice Little Girl… (as dark as you’d expect it to be)

A Rarity Reclaimed: Stolen Stradivarius Recovered After 35 Years

TV’s ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ was a ’60s sensation

 While we specialize in mystery and crime books, we can order virtually any new book that you might want, no matter what its topic.

New Signings (with authors who will be visiting the shop):

 We’re sorry to report that, due to health issue, Peter May has been forced to cancel the US leg of his tour. Our event with him scheduled for Sat, Sept 26^th has been cancelled.

 

 

 

Sat, Oct. 24, noon, Waverly Curtis (Waverly Fitzgerald and Curt Colbert) signs The Silence of the Chihuahuas (Kensington pbo, $7.99). 4^th with talking Chihuahua private eye, Pepe. For some reason, the small sleuth has stopped talking, just when Geri needs his help most. Her sister is in danger and her best friend, Brad, is missing.

 

Signed Copies to Reserve

(the authors will not be here for a formal signing or we’ll be getting the copies from other sources): Standing Orders/Future File Reserves will automatically receive a signed copy.

 

David Baldacci, The Guilty (Nov., Grand Central hc, $28.00). When fourteen-year-old Jace Wilson witnesses a brutal murder, he's plunged into a new life, issued a false identity, and hidden in a wilderness skills program for troubled teens. The result is the start of a nightmare.

 

Michael Connelly, The Crossing (Nov., Little Brown hc, $28.00). Now retired from the LAPD, Harry Bosch reluctantly agrees to help his half-brother Mickey Haller on a case.

 

 

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Crimson Shore (Nov., Grand Central hc, $27.00).15^th with Agent Pendergast. Special Agent Pendergast takes on a private case in Exmouth, Massachusetts - an ancient village on the coast north of Salem - to investigate the theft of a valuable wine cellar. He travels to the seaside town with his ward, Constance Greene, where they quickly discover something far more sinister.

[Quantities of signed copies for these books will be very limited. Reserving ahead of time – such as in next few days – is HIGHLY recommended. For the most part, we’ll be ordering only enough for those who reserve. You don’t have to pay until you pick it up or we mail it. Ask us to hold a copy for you!]

See the calendar of all currently-scheduled events on our website and the website calendar contains plot synopses. Click Here.

 Richard Kadrey, Aug 25

J. C. Nelson, Aug 29

Julie Weston, Sept 5

J.A. Jance, Sept 8

K. K. Beck, Sept 12

Maia Chance, Sept 19

Peter May, Sept, 26

Martin Limón, Oct 6

Warren C. Easley, Oct 10

Yasmine Galenorn, Oct 31

Stephanie Gayle, Nov 14

And there are always more on the way!

Remember, too, that while it is always fun to come in and meet the author in person, that isn’t always possible. So reserve a signed copy to be mailed to you or for you to pick up later. Those who reserve in advance get the copies in the best condition!

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Gift Certificates:

- They’re available in Whatever Denomination You Want.

- They Don’t Expire.

- You can Order Them by Phone, e-mail or through the Website, and we can Mail them directly to the recipient if you’d like.

Word of the Week:

bloviate (v.) : From 1857, American English, a Midwestern word for "to talk aimlessly and boastingly; to indulge in 'high falutin'," according to Farmer (1890), who seems to have been the only British lexicographer to notice it. He says it was based on blow (v.) on the model of deviate, etc.

It seems to have been felt as outdated slang already by late 19^th  C. ("It was a leasure for him to hear the Doctor talk, or, as it was inelegantly expressed in the phrase of the period, 'bloviate' ...." ["Overland Monthly," San Francisco, 1872, describing a scene from 1860]), but it enjoyed a revival early 1920s during the presidency of Warren G. Harding, who wrote a notoriously ornate and incomprehensible prose (e.e. cummings eulogized him as "The only man, woman or child who wrote a simple declarative sentence with seven grammatical errors") at which time the word took on its connection with political speech; it faded again thereafter, but, with its derivative, bloviation, it enjoyed a revival in the 2000 U.S. election season that continued through the era of blogging.

(thanks to etymonline.com)

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You can browse our collectable and hard-to-find books, as well as signed copies from earlier author events, on Biblio.com. You do not have to place an order through them, especially if you’re a long-time customer and we have your ordering info. Just email us to order.

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What We’ve Been Reading:                    

Fran Recommends

I'd heard good things about Richard Kadrey's "Sandman Slim" series, and he's coming in on Tuesday, August 25^th at noon to sign the seventh in that series, Killing Pretty (Harper, $25.99), so I figured I'd start with the first one, Sandman Slim (Harper, $14.99).

I read the first line - I wake up on a pile of smoldering garbage and leaves in the old Hollywood Forever cemetery behind the Paramount Studio lot on Melrose, though the last details don't come to me until later. - and I stopped. I swear, my aversion to present tense narratives is edging beyond quirky into pathological. I'm not kidding when I say I closed it and reached for another book.

But I'm an adult, darn it, at least according to my driver's license, so I picked Sandman Slim back up, told myself "three chapters, and then I can say I tried" and dove back in.

And I'm glad I did.

James Stark got himself sent to Hell, or Downtown as he calls it, in an act of bad faith by some old friends. Now Stark has figured out a way to survive being human Downtown, and he found a way to escape. It wasn't easy, of course, but he did it. And some of the things he learned while he was down there are standing him in good stead as he prowls L.A. in his unswerving determination to kill off those "friends" who betrayed him eleven years ago.

Naturally, things don't go as planned, and there are all kinds of ways Stark's plans can and do go wrong, but he's nothing if not determined.

I'm a killer who hasn't managed to kill anything. And it must be clear to everyone paying attention that I'm not Sam Spade. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm running on instinct and hunches.

Stark is brash and funny, possessing the ability to shred his clothes if nothing else, and is decidedly not politically correct, but he's got moxie and he's charming, in a very Bad Boy sort of way. On his own, Stark's enough to make the series interesting, but I've gotta give Richard Kadrey total props: his characters are nothing if not unique and incredibly entertaining.

She kicks the can out of the way and slams the door. I can hear her stomp down every single step, like she's punishing the staircase, like God's tiniest tyrannosaurus.

I will definitely read the entire series, present tense notwithstanding, because Richard Kadrey's created a great world filled with great people, and the twist that are bound to come up along the way will prove to be exceptionally entertaining, I'm sure!

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We have two Tumblr blogs, in addition to our regular shop blog:

Hardboiled, maintained by JB – pulp covers, film noir and other images of crime and mystery!

Reviews and Events – just what it sounds like!

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On This Date:

Aug 9 – Laurence Meynell was born in Staffordshire (1899), Dutch diplomat and mystery writer Robert van Gulik was born (1910, his Judge Dee books began in the ‘40s), Jill McGown was born in Argyll, Scotland (1947)

Aug 9, 1927 – the masterful actor Robert Shaw was born in Lancashire

Aug 9, 1949 – psychologist and Edgar-winner Jonathan Kellerman was born in NYC

Aug 9, 1950 – William H. Parker became the Chief of Police in LA

Aug 9, 19?? - romantic suspense's Carla Neggers was born in Ware, MA

Aug 9 – Melanie Griffith was born in NYC (1957), Eric Bana was born in Melbourne and Gillian Anderson was born in Chicago (1968)

Aug 9, 1969 – the Manson ‘family’ slaughters five. The next night they slaughter the LaBiancas

Aug 10, 1851 – Old West gunfighter “Mysterious” Dave Mather was born in Connecticut

Aug 10 - Frances Noyes Hart was born in Silver Springs, MD (1890), Hugh Pentecost was born in Northfield, MA (1903), Dorothy B. Hughes was born in Kansas City (1904). She was one of the few women to win applause during her career for penning hard-boiled fiction. A couple of her thrillers were made into movies, including In a Lonely Place with Bogart. She was given the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award in ‘78

Aug 10, 1907 – Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, one of the smartest of the gangsters and the brains of the Barker Gang, was born in Montreal

Aug 10, 1913 – character actor Noah Beery was born in NYC. Most would remember him for playing Jim Rockford’s dad in the 70s

Aug 10, 1950 - Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard premiered

Aug 10, 1960 – the Rat Pack’s Ocean’s Eleven premiered

Aug 10, 1972 – actress and TV investigator Angie Harmon was born

Aug 11, 1907 – William Haggard (aka Richard Henry Michael Clayton) was born in Croydon, Surry

Aug 11, 1918 - Donald MacKenzie was born in Toronto

Aug 11, 1986 – in Miami-Dade County, 8 FBI agents and a pair of serial bank robbers shot it out – two agents were killed, five wounded, both thieves died

Aug 12, 1876 - Mary Roberts Rinehart was born in Pittsburgh

Aug 12, 1931 – novelist and screenwriter William Goldman was born in Chicago

Aug 12, 1935 – the late great John Cazale (The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon) was born in Boston and, in 1975, Casey Affleck was born in Falmouth, MA

Aug 12, 1963 – the award-winning thriller writer Texan Jeff Abbott was born

Aug 12, 19?? – early Happy Birthday to long-time customer and collector Kevin P.

Aug 13, 1860 – Phoebe Ann Moses was born in North Star, OH. We remember as Annie Oakley

Aug 13, 1899 - Alfred Hitchcock was born in London. We’d like to think it was a Friday the 13th…

Aug 13, 1909 - Charles Williams was born in San Angelo, TX

Aug 14, 1851 – future dentist, gambler and gunman John Henry “Doc” Holiday was born in Griffin, GA

Aug 14, 1901 – President William McKinley died from the bullet wound received eight days before

Aug 14, 1946 – Antonio Fargus (Huggy Bear in “Starsky and Hutch”) was born in NYC

Aug 14, 1959 – a tough dame in the movies, Marcia Gay Harden was born in La Jolla

Aug 14, 1966 – future Bond Girl and Academy Award Winner Halle Berry was born in Cleveland

Aug 14, 1980 – Playmate and actress Dorothy Stratton was murdered by her estranged husband

Aug 14, 1994 – Leon: The Professional premiered in France

And Have a Relaxing and Book-Filled Weekend!

July Mass Market Bestsellers

1 - Yasmine Galenorn - Flight from Death (Berkley)

2 - Leslie Budewitz - Assault and Pepper (Berkley)

3 - tie

        Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird (Grand Central)

        Mike Lawson - The Inside Ring (Grove)

5 - tie

        Leslie Budewitz - Butter Off Dead (Berkley)

        Jayne Castle - Siren’s Call (Jove)

7 - tie

        Ann Bishop - Written in Red (Roc)

        Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child - Blue Labyrinth (Vision)

9 - tie

         J.A. Jance - Stand Down (Harper)

         Yasmine Galenorn - Witchling (Berkley)

         Leslie Budewitz - Crime Rib (Berkley)

         Kat Richardson - Greywalker (Roc)

         Mike Lawson - Second Perimeter (Grove)

Peter May

Saturday September 26^th at Noon - Peter May signs Entry Island

Cancelled

Due to health problems Mr. May has cancelled his U.S. tour - of which we are a part - our apologies for any issues this causes!

Det. Sime Mackenzie is part of a squad of cops who have come from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The richest man on Entry Island has been murdered, his wife the chief suspect. Yet once he arrives, Mackenzie feels as if he knows her – which is highly unlikely, right? The feeling leaves him incapable of believing her guilt.

July TP Bestsellers

1 - Christine Carbo - The Wild Inside (Atria)

2 - Don Winslow - The Power of the Dog (Vintage)

3 - Craig Johnson - The Cold Dish (Penguin)

4 - Maurizio De Giovanni - I Will Have Vengeance (Europa)

5 - tie

        Roger Hobbs - Ghostman (Vintage)

        Jussi Adler-Olsen - The Keeper of Lost Causes (Plume)

7 -tie

        Ernest Cline - Ready Player One (Crown)

        Peter May - The Blackhouse (Quercus)

9 – tie

        Ann Cleeves - Raven's Black (Minotaur)

        Daniel O’Malley - The Rook (Back Bay)

        Pierre LeMaitre - Alex (MacLehose)

July 2015 HC Bestsellers

1 - Don Winslow - The Cartel (Knopf) - Signed Copies Still Available

2 - Roger Hobbs - Vanishing Games (Knopf)- Signed Copies Still Available

3 - Mike Lawson - House Rivals (Atlantic Monthly)- Signed Copies Still Available

4 - Harper Lee - Go Set a Watchman (Harper)

5 - Craig Johnson - Dry Bones (Viking) - Signed Copies Still Available

6 - C.J. Box - Badlands (Minotaur)

7 - Ingrid Thoft - Brutality (Putnam)- Signed Copies Still Available

8 – tie

        Taylor Stevens - The Mask (Crown)

        Jenny Milchman - As Night Falls (Ballantine)- Signed Copies Still Available

10 –tie

        Carola Dunn - Superfluous Women (Minotaur)- Signed Copies Still Available

        Kate Atkinson - A God in Ruins (Little Brown)- Signed Copies Still Available

        Jeff Lindsay - Dexter is Death (Doubleday)

        Sara Paretsky - Brush Back (Putnam)

        Ernest Cline - Armada (Crown)

New Book Corner!

Coming Soon Sunday! Murder On The Orient Express!

A stunning facsimile edition of the original Agatha Christie hardcover — the legendary author’s most famous book and Hercule Poirot’s most famous case!

Just after midnight, a snowdrift stopped the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train was surprisingly full for the time of the year. But by the morning there was one passenger fewer. An American lay dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.

With tension mounting, detective Hercule Poirot comes up with not one, but two solutions to the crime.

Reproducing the original typesetting and format of the first edition from the Christie family’s archive, Murder on the Orient Express Facsimile Edition also features the first hardcover edition’s actual cover art, which has been painstakingly restored to its original beauty.