Seattle Mystery Bookshop

New Display!

From the Poisoned Pen Press, reissues of British Golden Age classics - mysteries, whodunnits, and espionage novels from the 20s, 30s, and 40s. Anthologies of shorter works with a unifying theme (mysteries in the countryside, in the manor house, in London, and on holiday). Author with names that might sound familiar and many you've never heard of. This is not all of them and more are scheduled to be released. All just $12.95. Come in and look them over!

Hey-Ho You Jolly Old Fat Man!

My colleagues may’ve mentioned some of these – we’ve got very similar tastes as you know.

My ‘wish list’ is for new books by some of my long-time favorites. I’d like a new Matt Scudder novel from Lawrence Block. Anything, really, from Peter Spiegelman – whether it is a John March or a follow-up to Thick as Thieves, doesn’t matter. I need another Vicki Hendricks novel, something thick and unrelenting from Don Winslow, a new Patrick & Angie book from Dennis Lehane, a new Lou Boldt from Ridley Pearson, and something from Cornelia Read. Oh – and a new thriller from Lono Waiwaiole.

Then I’ll end with a few that even you, Mr. Claus, can’t provide – but you’re supposed to ask for what you want from the North Pole, no matter how outlandish, so here are my special requests:

I like a new Bookman mystery from John Dunning. I’d like a new Willow & Parker book from Laurence Gough, and a new John Marshall Tanner from Steve Greenleaf.

I’m not sure if I have you to thank for the new John Straley, Robert Goldsborough’s new Nero Wolfe books, the recent Hammett reissues or someone getting Benjamin Black to pen a new Marlowe novel but thanks if you did play a part!

Hope the reindeer are rested and ready for their flight!

Best to you, the missus, and all the elves.

JB

Santa Would You Kindly.....

Dear Santa,

As you know this year my gift needs are small; I possess all the fabric I need for my quilting projects, floss for cross stitch and paint for my models. Plus, due to my job at SMB, I am up to my eyes in great books I need to read for next year!

So I am asking instead of parking my gift allotment under my tree, perhaps you could drop off some items to a few other….beings. They can fulfill what I really want for Christmas this year and you, in a round about way, complete my long standing wish list this Christmas (while you have many great powers of your own, I believe if I am reading the literature correctly, forcing someone to write or print on demand would land you on the naughty list and having Santa on his own naughty list…well…might make the universe implode).

The first stop? Coffee Town Press, right here in Seattle! The gift I had in mind for them, printer ink and reams of paper. Why? They reissued the first eight of Hazel Holt’s Mrs. Mallory series and I was hoping they could bring the rest of the series back into print! In the interest of clarity here are the titles: The Only Good Lawyer, Dead and Buried, Fatal Legacy, Lilies That Fester, Lenora, Delay of Execution, Death In Practice, The Silent Killer and No Cure For Death.

The second stop, Mount Helicon in Greece, where the temple to the Muses is located (however if you know a better spot to drop their gift off, by all means!). I was thinking a traditional gift of ambrosia, wine and my first edition of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One. With a small note asking if they could please inspire Ernie to write a sequel to his amazing first novel…..

The last location, is easy, you don’t even have to leave home to finish! Could you drop off some eggnog, spiced rum and hard cider to your hard working elves at the North Pole? As this last request will require some serious elf power to sift & search thru a whole lot of attics, files, libraries and archives to achieve. As I was hoping you could find one of the lost Shakespearean plays. Any one would due; Love’s Labour’s Won, Cardenio or a play we have never heard of…but it would be absolutely fantastic to see/read a new play within my lifetime….

I know the list isn’t an easy one, but from one obsessive completionist to another, this would substantially knock down this oh I wish list!

Your faithful believer,

Amber

Dear Santa Could You Please.....

Dear Santa,

This is the time of miracles, and while I definitely wish for peace on earth and an end to hunger and for everybody to get along and accept whatever holiday greeting they get in the spirit of joy and love, I have some selfish wishes as well. 'Cause I'm like that, which you totally knew!

There's this great series by David Handler, the "Berger and Mitry" series, and all of the books are out of print in paperback. It's such a charming series and people would love it! Can you find a way to make publishers spread the joy of this series in the coming year by bringing them all out in paperback?

For something a little smaller, since there are ten books in the "Berger and Mitry" series, I'd also be grateful if you could find a publisher to re-issue a paperback copy of Paul Gallico's The Zoo Gang. It's such a great set of four novellas, a forgotten classic, in my opinion.

If you're having a talk with publishers about classic out-of-print books, Australian author Arthur Upfield had a series with an aboriginal detective that people clamor for. Do you suppose you could talk publishers into reprinting those? I know they're on lots of people's wish lists, not just mine! 

And while you're at it, I know lots of folks would like the "Leo Waterman" series by G. M. Ford and the "Thomas Black" series by Earl Emerson to be back in print. And they've got new books out in both series, so an actual print publisher would be fantastic, since as it stands right now, we can't carry them except as ebooks. Real print books are much more fun for us. Can you make that happen?

Of course I'd love it if you could drop a quick word in Dennis Lehane's ear for a new "Patrick and Angie" book, or in Ernest Cline's stocking with a follow-up novel to Ready Player One.

I know it's a long list, but I know you'll do your best. And while you're out there, reminding authors that they can stop by and sign at the shop would be a nice touch. Sometimes they forget about us, but we never forget about them!

Thank you, Santa! I just know you'll work your magic for us all!

Fran

P.S. One more thing Santa....About your bio, The Fat Man: A Tale Northpole Noir is now only avalible as an ebook. Would you be able to see to it, that it comes back in print? Amber and I could sell it year round to all your believers if you did....

Dear Santa......

Dear Santa,

What I would really like this year is a new book by Don Winslow. I know he's been busy but I've read everything from the jazzy writing of Savages and Kings of Cool, to the surf crowd's The Dawn Patrol and The Gentlemen's Hour, Frankie Machine, Death and Life of Bobby Z, Satori, California Fire and Life, and I recently reread Power of the Dog for the 3^rd time. I've read the 1^st and the last of the Neal Careys but they've been out of print so long, they are hard to come by. I guess I will reread the older books as I so impatiently wait for a new Winslow but if you could whisper in his ear and get him to hurry up, it would be the very best of Christmas presents. I've tried to be good this year so pretty please. Oh gosh, I must've been good as I just noticed one of the old Neal Carey books has appeared on our shelves!

Thank you, Santa.

Adele

Free Shipping

 

We are offering free shipping for a limited time this holiday season! On qualified orders placed through the website, by phone or e-mail.

- December 1^st - 15^th

- Media Mail Only US Only - International & Canadian Orders Don’t Qualify

- On Orders $75 or more before tax.

- On Books Currently In Print - Mystery or Non-Mystery they just have to be currently available or a collectible we have in stock - Not applicable to pre-orders.

- We cannot guarantee delivery before Christmas - Especially if shipped to Hawaii or Alaska

Happy Christmas

HO HO HO

Happy Solstice

Finally, here we are at the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. We can now look forward to the days lengthening, back to dusk falling after dinner, leaving our coats in the closet and reading for hours with just the sunlight streaming through the window.

But, in the meantime, here's the opening paragraph of Ngaio Marsh's Death of a Fool, first published in 1956, and one of the few mysteries to include today's astronomical event:

"Over that part of England the winter solstice came down with a bitter antiphony of snow and frost. Trees minutely articulate shuddered in the north wind. By four o'clock in the afternoon the people of South Mardian were all indoors."

 

(Off with His Head is the original UK title, Death of a Fool is the US title)

Election Day!

A few thrillers and mysteries for the most important day in a democracy!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 

Something for the Spooky Season

Seattle Times Book Editor Mary Ann Gwinn covered The Big Book of Ghost Stories with an interview with editor Otto Penzler, owner of The Mysterious Bookshop. Fun Stuff! And it is a Big Book – over 800 pages of scary stuff, from the beginnings of the form to the most modern, with authors such as Kipling, Twain, Derleth, Bierce, Wilde, Wharton and Lovecraft to Asimov, Morrell and Westlake (oh yes, we have it: Black Lizard tpo, $25).

Time to Get Your Creeps On!

Our annual display of Halloween books is up! Amber has been decorating the shop with ghoulish handprints and cobwebs (artificial cobwebs to compliment the natural ones...) and wanted to use them on the book display but ran into that inevitable contradiction of covering the shelves with spiderwebs vs. people being able to get the books out. Choices, choices!

Kid's Halloween mysteries down the left side of the display. Come in and get yourself a treat!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!