Seattle Mystery Bookshop

Coming Soon Sunday: School Days

Ellingham Academy is the famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded in 1936 by a tycoon who wanted to make a wonderful place full or riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place,” he said, “where learning is a game.” Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter, Iris and Alice, were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym “Truly, Devious.” It became one of the greatest unsolved crimes in history, a story of murder and mystery, one without a real conclusion—little Alice was never found.

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this eighty-one-year-old cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder.

It’s been a year since the shocking death of August Moriarty, and Jamie and Charlotte haven’t spoken. Jamie is going through the motions at Sherringford, trying to finish his senior year without incident, with a nice girlfriend he can’t seem to fall for. Until strange things start happening to him. Strange things that might mean nothing at all—or that someone is after him again.

Charlotte is on the run, from Lucien Moriarty and from her own mistakes. No one has seen her since that fateful night on the lawn in Sussex. Charlotte wants it that way. She knows she isn’t safe to be around. She knows that her Watson can’t forgive her.

Holmes and Watson may not be looking to reconcile, but there is someone who wants the team back together. Someone who has been quietly observing them both. Making plans. Biding their time. Someone who wants to see one of them suffer and the other one dead.

Coming Soon Sunday: San Francisco

A New Miranda Corbie!!!

Miranda Corbie, a private investigator working in the heart of 1940s San Francisco, is bringing this chapter of her life to a close before embarking on a journey to England to find her mother, despite the escalating conflict across Europe. But before she can finally settle her plans to leave, Louise Crowley, a young woman who works upstairs for a publisher in Miranda’s office building, walks into Miranda’s office.

Louise is newly arrived in San Francisco from a small town in Washington state, and she’s frightened—she believes someone is trying to kill her. Against her better judgment, Miranda agrees to take Louise on as a client. But soon, the publisher Louise works for is murdered, and it starts to look like the threats against Louise may have been part of a larger plan—or that Louise herself may have been involved in the murder.

A New Carpenter & Quincannon Mystery!

A conman always has a bag of tricks, ready to fool the unsuspecting, and almost everyone is unsuspecting until they get taken. When that happens, they turn to Carpenter and Quincannon, Professional Detective Services, to recover their money and what’s left of their dignity, and perhaps even to save their lives.

When one such case leaves Sabina Carpenter the only witness to a murder, the family of the culprit vows to stop at nothing to keep her silent. The threat leaves John Quincannon deeply concerned for Sabina’s safety, but there’s no rest for the wicked and so the crime-solving duo must split up to tackle two separate con games, run by two villains with deadly bags of tricks at hand.

And when Sabina’s life is put in danger, John must rush to save her while grappling with the terrifying realization of exactly how much she means to him.

Coming Soon Sunday: Ladies Solving Mysteries

These are fun mysteries - and this one pairs Egypt & butterflies! What could be better? Murder, mystery and mayhem perhaps?

London, 1888. As colorful and unfettered as the butterflies she collects, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell can’t resist the allure of an exotic mystery—particularly one involving her enigmatic colleague Stoker. His former expedition partner has vanished from an archeological dig with a priceless diadem unearthed from the newly-discovered tomb of an Egyptian princess. The disappearance is just the latest in a string of unfortunate events that have plagued the controversial expedition, and rumors abound that the curse of the vengeful princess has been unleashed.

Soon Veronica also has to contend with sordid details and malevolent enemies that have emerged from Stoker’s past. Caught in a tangle of conspiracies and threats, Veronica must unravel a web of duplicity that threatens to cost Stoker everything…

----

Called to the peaceful wooded churchyard of St-John’s-at-Hampstead, Detective Chief Inspector Archie Penrose faces one of the most audacious and unusual murders of his career. The body of the church’s organist is found in an opened grave, together with a photograph of a manor house and a cryptic note. The image leads Archie to Cambridge, where the crisp autumn air has brought with it bustling life to the ancient university and town.

Mystery author Josephine Tey and Archie's lover Bridget Foley have each recently settled in Cambridge, though both women are not equally happy to see him. One has concealed an important secret from Archie which now threatens to come to light. Meanwhile, the change of seasons has also brought with it a series of vicious attacks against women in town, spreading fear and suspicion through the community.

Soon, another body is revealed, and in the shadow of King’s College Chapel, Archie uncovers a connection twenty-five years old which haunted both victims—as well as some of their living companions. As Archie and Josephine each grapple with savage malefactors intent on making their victims pay, they must race to stop another attack in this beautifully written, intricately plotted mystery.

 

This isn't Sunday I know - this is what happens when you hit the wrong button and post it vs. the publish later feature! Woops!

Coming Soon Sunday: Hudson & Watson

Mrs. Hudson was always more than a landlady, and Sherlock Homes wasn't the only Baker Street resident with detective skill... After years of watching his habits, cleaning up his mess, and eavesdropping on interviews through a grate in the kitchen, Mrs. Hudson has learned a thing or two. So when Sherlock turns away the case of persecuted Mrs. Laura Shirley, she and Mary Watson resolve to help a fellow woman in need and take on the investigation themselves.

Blackmail, libel, extortion, murder--Mary and Mrs. Hudson quickly discover that Mrs. Shirley is not the only woman at risk, and as they put together the pieces of an increasingly complicated and dangerous puzzle, the investigation becomes far bigger than either of them could have ever imagined.

Enlisting the help of the Baker Street Irregulars and the infamous Irene Adler, she and Mary follow a trail of clues leading to the darkest corners of Whitechapel, where the feared Ripper is still rumored to stalk. But can Mrs. Hudson solve the case before it claims another life?

Wildly compelling and told in Mrs. Hudson's intelligent, compassionate voice, The House at Baker Street is an extraordinary debut. Michelle Birkby brings to life a cast of strong, complex female characters every bit as captivating as Conan Doyle's protagonist. If it's true that behind every great man is a great woman, it is time for one of literature's finest to step into the spotlight.

July MM Bestsellers

1 – Kevin O’Brien - Hide Your Fear (Pinnacle)

2 - Glen Erik Hamilton - Past Crimes (Morrow)

3 - Glen Erik Hamilton - Cold Hard Winter (Morrow)

4 – tie

J.A. Jance - Until Proven Guilty (Harper)

John Grisham - The Whistler (Dell)

Ben Aaronovitch - Midnight Riot (Del Rey)

Dorothy Gilman - Tightrope Walker (Fawcett)

Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels (Bantam)

Gregg Hurwitz - Orphan X (St. Martin’s)

10 – tie

J.A. Jance - Downfall (Morrow)

Maria Semple - Where’d You Go Bernadette? (Little Brown)

J.D. Robb - Echoes in Death (St. Martin’s)

Kat Richardson - Greywalker (Ace)

John Sandford - Saturn Run (Berkley)

Dennis Lehane - A Drink Before the War (Harper)

Louise Penny - Still Life (St. Martin’s)

Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories (Bantam)

July Trade Paperback Bestsellers

1 - Elizabeth Daly - Unexpected Night (Felony & Mayhem)

2 - Daniel O’Malley - The Rook (Backbay)

3 - Jill Dawson - The Crime Writer (Harper)

4 – Anne Mendel - Etiquette for an Apocalypse (Brackets Press)

5 – tie

Mike Lawson - House Revenge (Grove)

Kelley Armstrong - The City of the Lost (Minotaur)

Maurizio de Giovanni - Glass Souls (Europa)

Ernest Cline - Ready Player One (Crown)

Harriet Rutland - Knock, Murderer, Knock (Dean Street)

10 – tie

Michael Connelly - The Wrong Side of Goodbye (Grand Central)

Noah Hawley - Before the Fall (Grand Central)

Christine Carbo - The Weight of Night (Atria)

Peter Lovesey - Another One Goes Tonight (Soho)

Iona Whishaw - Death in a Darkening Mist (Touchwood)

Hugh Laurie - Gun Seller (Washington Square)

Craig Johnson - The Cold Dish (Penguin)

Shirley Jackson - We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Penguin)

Martin Walker - Bruno, Chief of Police (Random House)

Happy Book Lover Day!

July Hardcover Best Sellers

1 - Michael Connelly - The Late Show (Little Brown)

2 – Don Winslow - The Force (Morrow)

3 – John Connolly - A Game of Ghosts (Atria)

4 – C.J. Box - Paradise Valley (Minotaur)

5 – tie

Matthew Sullivan - Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore (Scribner)

Laurie R. King - Lockdown (Bantam)

Margaret Maron - Take Out (Grand Central)

8 - tie

Steve Hamilton - Exit Strategy (Putnam)

Stephen Hunter - G-Man (Blue Bird)

Joseph Kanon - Defectors (Atria)

Lee Child - No Middle Name (Delacorte)

Fran & JB Made The News!

 

For the "print" story on KING 5 - click here!

 

Coming Soon Sunday: Bryant & May

A New Peculiar Crime Unit Mystery!!!

Helen Forester's day starts like any other: Around seven in the morning, she takes her West Highland terrier for a walk in her street's private garden. But by 7:20 she is dead, strangled yet peacefully laid out on the path, her dog nowhere to be found. The only other person in the locked space is the gardener, who finds the body and calls the police.

He expects proper cops to arrive, but what he gets are Bryant, May, and the wily members of the Peculiar Crimes Unit.

Before the detectives can make any headway on the case, a second woman is discovered in a public park, murdered in nearly identical fashion. Bryant, recovering from a health scare, delves into the arcane history of London's cherished green spaces, rife with class drama, violence, and illicit passions. But as a devious killer continues to strike, Bryant and May struggle to connect the clues, not quite seeing the forest for the trees.

Now they have to think and act fast to save innocent lives, the fate of the city's parks, and the very existence of the PCU.

We Have Cookies!

(Not our photo)

We have Krumkake!

Grab a book and a cookie and stay cool!

Throwback Thursdays

Mysteries & Bookshops

A rather good match we think!

Keep Calm: We Are Just For Sale!

We are just for sale! Not Closing!

We are just reducing inventory in case the new (crossing our fingers) owner wants to move us!

We thought moving down the hall was an odyssey!

Can you imagine moving all these books any farther than that?

We sure can't!

Hence the sale!

Keeping it positive here! (chocolate helps)

For Sale: One Bookshop

As of today, Tuesday, August 1^st, the Seattle Mystery Bookshop is for sale.

It is our hope that someone who cares deeply about this shop,  will help SMB continue past its 27^th year.

Some time ago, we were gratified by the results of a Go Fund Me drive which brought in enough funds to allow us to pay off overdue bills and to sock away enough to see us through this past winter. It bought us a year – but barely, and that has taken its toll. While we could do another such fund raiser, that’s not a viable way to continue in business.

What this shop needs is someone who will invest their time and money in it. Should you or someone you know seriously want to become a bookshop owner, please let us know. Founder Bill Farley used to joke that everything in the shop was for sale, even the paint on the walls. Now that is true.

Going Forward:

* Outstanding credit slips and unused gift certificates must be used by August 31^st.

* We will not be accepting any used books for credit or collectable books for consignment.

* Special Orders & New Releases (any book published in 2017) are not part of the sale

* Special orders will have to be paid for in advance.

* We will be filling current orders for new releases through August & Signings in September.

* All used books are 40% off. All in stock, regular priced books are 25% off - non new releases (obviously)

Thank you for your support through all these years!

JB Dickey

Coming Soon Sunday: Good To The Last Bite

Torte—the beloved small-town bakeshop run by Jules Capshaw—is set to hit the stage. But who would have guessed that murder would makes a surprise appearance?

Local Author!

It’s the role of a lifetime for Jules. The Shakespeare Festival has returned to Ashland, Oregon, for the season and Torte has been cast as the supplier of Elizabethan-era treats for the main event. But on the eve of opening night, a brawl between Jules’s friend Lance, the artistic director, and a strapping young thespian named Anthony almost brings down the house. . .and the next morning, Anthony is dead.

Jules knows that Lance loves his drama—and his just desserts—but she also knows that murder is way off-script for him. Now it’s up to Jules to cut through a bevy of backstage betrayals and catty co-stars who all have their own secrets—before the curtain drops on someone else. . .

The owner of the Emergency Dessert Squad, Winnie Johnson, is starting to have doubts about her baking abilities, but she’ll have to put her worries aside because business is booming. When she receives an order from a woman named Sally Dearfield to make motivational treats for an artists’ retreat, Winnie pulls out all the stops to whip up batches of delicious goodies.

But life isn’t sweet for long. Winnie and her best friend, Renee Ballentine, are out delivering desserts to the artists in their respective cabins when they come across Sally Dearfield’s dead body. The circumstances surrounding her death seem suspicious, and Winnie soon realizes that there could be a killer amongst the artists. She’ll have to rule out a cast of characters before another innocent person falls victim to murder.

Set In Ashland, Oregon!

When the body of Shirley Randolph is found floating in a fishing hole, their relationship reaches entirely new territory.

Shirley, the town's Realtor of the Year, was also Wyatt's suspected romantic interest, and now the residents of Brandywine Creek are speculating that Wyatt is responsible for her death. As the town council moves to suspend the handsome lawman, Piper springs into action to save his reputation and possibly his freedom. She enlists the aid of her BFF, Reba Mae Johnson, along with Wyatt himself, to help solve the puzzle and find Shirley’s real killer.

Pointing them toward high-powered real estate tactics and possible affairs, the investigation soon becomes personal when Piper's shop, Spice It Up!, is burglarized, and she’s forced off the road late one night, narrowly escaping serious injury. Realizing that she must be close to uncovering the truth, and that the evidence against Wyatt is no longer circumstantial, Piper resorts to drastic measures to prevent a grave miscarriage of justice.

Guess who stopped by?!!!!

The Bloggess!

AKA Jenny Lawson & family on their Summer Vacation!!

We are so thrilled they stopped by the shop!!!

Throwback Thursdays: Library & Book Covers

Check It Out!

Soho Press (we love Soho Press, they're so great!), is giving away a free tote in celebration of their 30th year when you buy one of their books from an indie bookstore.

Check out the link to see how it all works: https://sohopress.com/get-a-free-soho-press-30-tote/

Now, if you only knew of an indie bookstore that carried Soho books and would print out an extra receipt for you to send in...