Hi,
Just noticed that Baltimore crime writer Dan Fesperman's newest offering THE AMATEUR SPY has made it on CNN's recommended list for Flight Reading when your plane has been delayed.
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fsb/0802/gallery.flight_reading.fsb/2.html
But we don't recommend you wait until your plane is delayed to open it.
Way to go, Dan
Kathy
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Follow up to Ben Schutz obit
A wonderful 1996 photo appeared in the February 17 Washington Post with an appreciation of D.C. author Ben Schutz by JoAnn Goslin entitled "Ugliness He Saw Inspired empathy in Writing, Life." The article is terrific, but the photo is to die for. Pictured in crime writer shades are:Benjamin M . Schutz, Jan Adkins,James Grady, Mark Olshaker, John Weisman, David Corn and George Pelecanos. See for yourself @
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/16/AR2008021602357.html
Such great talent all in one photo. The Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area is truly blessed with crime writers.
Long may Chesapeake crime writers rule!
Kathy
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/16/AR2008021602357.html
Such great talent all in one photo. The Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area is truly blessed with crime writers.
Long may Chesapeake crime writers rule!
Kathy
Latte with Laura Lippman @ Spoons
Come have Latte with Laura Lippman March 11, 8:30am at Spoons Coffeehouse, 24 E. Cross Street in Baltimore. Mystery Loves Company will be selling books. If you need copies signed or personalized, give us a heads up before then @ mysterylovescompanyatgmaildotcom. You can also order direct at http://www.mysterylovescompany.com/
Laura sends the following precis about her newest--ANOTHER THING TO FALL.
"P.I. Tess Monaghan collides -- literally -- with Hollywood on the Patapasco when she blunders into a shot early one morning. She has no interest in life behind-the-scenes on a television show, but the executive producer is adamant that he needs her for security. He's right: It's not long before someone is killed at the production office. Unfortunately, as Tess discovers, these Hollywood types lie for fun and profit. "
That's all for now,
Kathy
Laura sends the following precis about her newest--ANOTHER THING TO FALL.
"P.I. Tess Monaghan collides -- literally -- with Hollywood on the Patapasco when she blunders into a shot early one morning. She has no interest in life behind-the-scenes on a television show, but the executive producer is adamant that he needs her for security. He's right: It's not long before someone is killed at the production office. Unfortunately, as Tess discovers, these Hollywood types lie for fun and profit. "
That's all for now,
Kathy
Monday, February 18, 2008
Andy Straka at Mystery Writers of America
Andy Straka will be the speaker at Mystery Writers of America chapter dinner on Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., March 11, at Embassy Suites@ Chevy Chase Pavilion, Chevy Chase, MD. Mystery Loves Company will be there selling books.
Andy sends the following about his new book RECORD OF WRONGS, in which he "takes a hiatus from his popular Pavlicek series in RECORD OF WRONGS, a brisk, page-turner in which a former college security guard, freed from prison after DNA exoneration, balks when asked to join in a search for the real killer by the white mother of the student he was convicted of raping and murdering."
If you would like one personalized and can't attend let us know @ mysterylovescompanyatgmaildotcom
Andy sends the following about his new book RECORD OF WRONGS, in which he "takes a hiatus from his popular Pavlicek series in RECORD OF WRONGS, a brisk, page-turner in which a former college security guard, freed from prison after DNA exoneration, balks when asked to join in a search for the real killer by the white mother of the student he was convicted of raping and murdering."
If you would like one personalized and can't attend let us know @ mysterylovescompanyatgmaildotcom
Leighton Gage - Blood of the Wicked
Valentine's Day 2008 Leighton Gage dropped by Mystery Loves Company to chat about his debut novel, "The Blood of the Wicked", a mystery set in Brazil. Recognition includes a star in Library Journal and a very favorable mention in The New York Times. Leighton writes from the tour: "Thanks to you and Tom for giving me such a warm reception at Mystery Loves Company. I loved your shop, loved the neighborhood, and loved the material you gave me about Poe’s last days. I’m also going to take your advice and visit the Oxford area the next time I’m in Maryland." Sample the first chapter of "Wicked" on his website: http://www.leightongage.com/ You can order Leighton's book at http://www.mysterylovescompany.com/
Friday, February 8, 2008
Leighton Gage event 2/14/08
I wanted you to know that author Leighton Gage will do a drive by stock signing at our Baltimore store 1730 Fleet Street around noon on Valentine's Day February 14, 2008. Leighton will be signing BLOOD OF THE WICKED (Soho Press) a mystery revolving around the death of a Brazilian bishop. Federal policeman Mario Silva does the investigating. But the crux of the material is about the cultural divide, even war, between those with land and those without. We hope you can join us and meet Leighton. We'll try to have the appropriate Brazilian coffee brewed. Let us know if you would like to have signed copies.
Take care,
Kathy
Take care,
Kathy
Hot books on a winter's day
It is a brilliant winter day here on the banks of the Tred Avon River in Oxford. We have had a run in Oxford, even before St. Patrick's Day, I might add, on Patrick Taylor's two wonderful books AN IRISH COUNTY DOCTOR and AN IRISH COUNTRY VILLAGE. Most think they are crosses between ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL and Jan Karon's books.
We're giving you a heads up on three big books for March:
THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING by Joshilyn Jackson is an astonishing book about ghosts in suburban Georgia and other skeletons that families try to hide. The style is extremely personal and mesmerising. On a moonlight night, Laurel, sees a ghost of her daughter's friend at the foot of her bed. She is taken by the ghost to her own backyard swimming pool and the girl's dead body. The very eclectic family rallies round to support one another in their grief. But soon the story takes on a whole new pace, as secrets, elderly family members , and an unreal town called DeLop surface. The writing goes from hysterically funny to chilling in a sentence. I was up all night finishing it. I was privileged recently to hear the author read from her work, which made the book that much more personal. Ms. Jackson is a talent to be reckoned with.
FRIEND OF THE DEVIL by Peter Robinson. Peter is my favorite author. There, I have said it. My favorite book is IN A DRY SEASON. So when another Robinson is due, I get very excited. For some reason the book's American release has been delayed until February 26, 2008. This one has two cases and two detectives Bank and Annie Cabot. I can't wait.
AN INCOMPLETE REVENGE by JacquelineWinspear. Due to a slump in business in London, Maise Dobbs, private eye, is happy to have a case in a small town in Kent. Billy Beale, her employee, and his family are helping out with the hops harvest near the town. The fortunes of the Beale family and her own personal relationships entwine. But soon she suspects a very dark secret about the town. Mysterious fires and a murder occurs and a member of the gypsy community helping with the harvest is accused. As always, Maisie's relationships with her father, her former employer and fellow employees during the Great War figure prominently in the story.
As always you can order online from www.mysterylovescompany.com
Enjoy,
Kathy
We're giving you a heads up on three big books for March:
THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING by Joshilyn Jackson is an astonishing book about ghosts in suburban Georgia and other skeletons that families try to hide. The style is extremely personal and mesmerising. On a moonlight night, Laurel, sees a ghost of her daughter's friend at the foot of her bed. She is taken by the ghost to her own backyard swimming pool and the girl's dead body. The very eclectic family rallies round to support one another in their grief. But soon the story takes on a whole new pace, as secrets, elderly family members , and an unreal town called DeLop surface. The writing goes from hysterically funny to chilling in a sentence. I was up all night finishing it. I was privileged recently to hear the author read from her work, which made the book that much more personal. Ms. Jackson is a talent to be reckoned with.
FRIEND OF THE DEVIL by Peter Robinson. Peter is my favorite author. There, I have said it. My favorite book is IN A DRY SEASON. So when another Robinson is due, I get very excited. For some reason the book's American release has been delayed until February 26, 2008. This one has two cases and two detectives Bank and Annie Cabot. I can't wait.
AN INCOMPLETE REVENGE by JacquelineWinspear. Due to a slump in business in London, Maise Dobbs, private eye, is happy to have a case in a small town in Kent. Billy Beale, her employee, and his family are helping out with the hops harvest near the town. The fortunes of the Beale family and her own personal relationships entwine. But soon she suspects a very dark secret about the town. Mysterious fires and a murder occurs and a member of the gypsy community helping with the harvest is accused. As always, Maisie's relationships with her father, her former employer and fellow employees during the Great War figure prominently in the story.
As always you can order online from www.mysterylovescompany.com
Enjoy,
Kathy
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Oxford Countdown 2/05/08
Many of you know I have a weekly radio program on WCEI fm 96.7 http://www.wceiradio.com/morningshow.html where I announce our Oxford store weekly bestsellers and give recommendations on what to read next. Here is this week's list.
AT NUMBER 5 IS THE PALE HORSE BY DELAWARE AUTHOR CHARLES TODD. A MURDER IN THE COUNTRY BRINGS SCOTLAND YARD DETECTIVE IAN RUTLEDGE TO A SMALL DESOLATE TOWN WHERE THE RESIDENTS HAVE SECRETS WORTH HIDING.
LIFE IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY BY THE LIPPSONS IS OUR NUMBER 4 BOOK. THIS WONDERFUL BOOK EXPLORES ALL THE FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE BAY.
SUE GRAFTON GIVES US OUR NUMBER 3 BOOK -- T IS FOR TRESPASS FEATURING SLEUTH KINSEY MILHONE.
OUR NUMBER 2 BOOK IN OXFORD THIS WEEK IS BODINE'S CHESAPEAKE BAY COUNTRY. A PICTORIAL WONDER OF BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS ABOUT EVERYTHING CHESAPEAKE BY THE MASTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY A. AUBREY BODINE.
FINALLY AT NUMBER 1 IS THE BIRTH OF VENUS BY SARAH DUNANT. A RENAISSANCE PAINTER IS SMITTEN WITH THE DAUGHTER OF A CLOTH MERCHANT.
THREE NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK ARE THE QUEST BY WILBUR SMITH, PART OF HIS EGYPTIAN SERIES IN PAPERBACK, AND SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY FEATURING LADY JULIA GREY BY DEANNA RAYBOURN.
WANT TO GET IN THE POLITICAL MOOD? TRY THE HISTORY BUFF'S GUIDE TO THE PRESIDENTS BY THOMAS FLAGEL.
You can find all of these and more at http://www.mysterylovescompany.com/
Happy Super Tuesday, Kathy
AT NUMBER 5 IS THE PALE HORSE BY DELAWARE AUTHOR CHARLES TODD. A MURDER IN THE COUNTRY BRINGS SCOTLAND YARD DETECTIVE IAN RUTLEDGE TO A SMALL DESOLATE TOWN WHERE THE RESIDENTS HAVE SECRETS WORTH HIDING.
LIFE IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY BY THE LIPPSONS IS OUR NUMBER 4 BOOK. THIS WONDERFUL BOOK EXPLORES ALL THE FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE BAY.
SUE GRAFTON GIVES US OUR NUMBER 3 BOOK -- T IS FOR TRESPASS FEATURING SLEUTH KINSEY MILHONE.
OUR NUMBER 2 BOOK IN OXFORD THIS WEEK IS BODINE'S CHESAPEAKE BAY COUNTRY. A PICTORIAL WONDER OF BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS ABOUT EVERYTHING CHESAPEAKE BY THE MASTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY A. AUBREY BODINE.
FINALLY AT NUMBER 1 IS THE BIRTH OF VENUS BY SARAH DUNANT. A RENAISSANCE PAINTER IS SMITTEN WITH THE DAUGHTER OF A CLOTH MERCHANT.
THREE NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK ARE THE QUEST BY WILBUR SMITH, PART OF HIS EGYPTIAN SERIES IN PAPERBACK, AND SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY FEATURING LADY JULIA GREY BY DEANNA RAYBOURN.
WANT TO GET IN THE POLITICAL MOOD? TRY THE HISTORY BUFF'S GUIDE TO THE PRESIDENTS BY THOMAS FLAGEL.
You can find all of these and more at http://www.mysterylovescompany.com/
Happy Super Tuesday, Kathy
Friday, February 1, 2008
PASSINGS
Mysteryland lost three dear souls in January, Margaret Truman, Ed Hoch and Virginia author Benjamin Schutz.
Margaret Truman may or may not have written her Capital Crimes novels. Expert Jon Breen says it was Donald Bain. But she is credited with loving mysteries, as was her mother, the First Lady, Bess Truman. We'll see if Margaret left a "trunk of manuscripts" as Elliott Roosevelt did. You can read Mr. Breen's thoughts on the Truman and Roosevelt matters @
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/886tuxmk.asp?pg=1
Ed Hoch was a giant in the field of the mystery short story with close to one-thousand written. With his white tuft of hair, and beaming face, he was easily spotted at mystery conventions and equally revered by mystery writers and readers. I last saw him at the Edgars Banquet in 2007. I remember sitting next to Stephen Saylor at an earlier Edgars Banquet in 1993 when Stephen won the Robert L. Fish Award for short story writing. I asked him if all novelists could write a short story. Stephen thought that short stories were another genre entirely, and not easily written by every novelist. Edward Hoch surely knew his craft. Enjoy yourself with an Edward Hoch story today.
Finally, we come to Ben Schutz, a member of the local DC metro writers scene for many years, and the Shamus and Edgar winner for his DC mysteries featuring P.I. Leo Haggerty. The reason I was in New York in 1993 at all was that Ben invited Paige Rose and me to sit at his table at the Edgars. That night his short story "Mary, Mary, Shut The Door" won the Edgar. A forensic psychologist, Schutz was very much at home in the criminal mind. His books were riveting and sometimes disturbing. His recent lecture at The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of MWA was thought-provoking and insightful. His was a great talent and it was a even greater pleasure to have known him.
Mysteriously yours,
Kathy
Question: Do you read (buy) mystery anthologies? What do you like about the medium of the short story. What is your favorite short story?
Margaret Truman may or may not have written her Capital Crimes novels. Expert Jon Breen says it was Donald Bain. But she is credited with loving mysteries, as was her mother, the First Lady, Bess Truman. We'll see if Margaret left a "trunk of manuscripts" as Elliott Roosevelt did. You can read Mr. Breen's thoughts on the Truman and Roosevelt matters @
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/886tuxmk.asp?pg=1
Ed Hoch was a giant in the field of the mystery short story with close to one-thousand written. With his white tuft of hair, and beaming face, he was easily spotted at mystery conventions and equally revered by mystery writers and readers. I last saw him at the Edgars Banquet in 2007. I remember sitting next to Stephen Saylor at an earlier Edgars Banquet in 1993 when Stephen won the Robert L. Fish Award for short story writing. I asked him if all novelists could write a short story. Stephen thought that short stories were another genre entirely, and not easily written by every novelist. Edward Hoch surely knew his craft. Enjoy yourself with an Edward Hoch story today.
Finally, we come to Ben Schutz, a member of the local DC metro writers scene for many years, and the Shamus and Edgar winner for his DC mysteries featuring P.I. Leo Haggerty. The reason I was in New York in 1993 at all was that Ben invited Paige Rose and me to sit at his table at the Edgars. That night his short story "Mary, Mary, Shut The Door" won the Edgar. A forensic psychologist, Schutz was very much at home in the criminal mind. His books were riveting and sometimes disturbing. His recent lecture at The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of MWA was thought-provoking and insightful. His was a great talent and it was a even greater pleasure to have known him.
Mysteriously yours,
Kathy
Question: Do you read (buy) mystery anthologies? What do you like about the medium of the short story. What is your favorite short story?
SUGGESTIONS FOR PLEASURABLE READING
It is a really rainy day and you need a book to read. Well I am here to help with two historical mysteries.
First there's ANATOMY OF DECEPTION by Lawrence Goldstone ($24.00) A corpse of a young woman baffles the doctors and interns in a morgue of a Philadelphia hospital. One intern believes that he knows the woman’s identity and that many of the others knew her too, but realizes her death could ruin their reputations. So begins a wonderfully engaging, suspenseful medical mystery set at the beginnings of the modern age of medicine. Its main characters are well-known to students of medicine and art in Philadelphia and Baltimore including famed surgeon Dr.William Osler, co-founder of Johns Hopkins Hospital William Stewart Halsted, and artist Thomas Eakins. Goldstone has created a mystery as compelling as THE ALIENIST. It will be interesting to see the reaction to this book in Baltimore. The book was painstakingly researched and Goldstone made use of Dr. Osler’s works and papers. Highly Recommended.
Coming February 26, 2008 is A FLAW IN THE BLOOD ($24.00) by Stephanie Barron. This one I have been waiting to tell you about since I read a review copy ages ago. A man and a female doctor are hounded by the security forces of Queen Victoria in the suspenseful historical mystery with a real shocker of an ending. Barron (aka Francine Matthews) is the author of the best-selling mysteries featurng Jane Austen as the sleuth. Her research on this one is fascinating and will send you to books or the computer to see how much is "real" and how much is "embellished." Since there are hundreds of books on Victoria and her Consort it is not difficult to track some down, but the details in Barron's book have been, shall we say, "hidden in plain view." The main characters are very well-drawn and engaging, and I'd like to see a sequel, if the characters dare show their faces in England. You've noticed I didn't want to give too much away. Discover the fun for yourself. A delight from start to finish.
You can find these an more at www.mysterylovescompany.com
I'd love to hear your comments and reviews on these and other crime and mystery novels.
First there's ANATOMY OF DECEPTION by Lawrence Goldstone ($24.00) A corpse of a young woman baffles the doctors and interns in a morgue of a Philadelphia hospital. One intern believes that he knows the woman’s identity and that many of the others knew her too, but realizes her death could ruin their reputations. So begins a wonderfully engaging, suspenseful medical mystery set at the beginnings of the modern age of medicine. Its main characters are well-known to students of medicine and art in Philadelphia and Baltimore including famed surgeon Dr.William Osler, co-founder of Johns Hopkins Hospital William Stewart Halsted, and artist Thomas Eakins. Goldstone has created a mystery as compelling as THE ALIENIST. It will be interesting to see the reaction to this book in Baltimore. The book was painstakingly researched and Goldstone made use of Dr. Osler’s works and papers. Highly Recommended.
Coming February 26, 2008 is A FLAW IN THE BLOOD ($24.00) by Stephanie Barron. This one I have been waiting to tell you about since I read a review copy ages ago. A man and a female doctor are hounded by the security forces of Queen Victoria in the suspenseful historical mystery with a real shocker of an ending. Barron (aka Francine Matthews) is the author of the best-selling mysteries featurng Jane Austen as the sleuth. Her research on this one is fascinating and will send you to books or the computer to see how much is "real" and how much is "embellished." Since there are hundreds of books on Victoria and her Consort it is not difficult to track some down, but the details in Barron's book have been, shall we say, "hidden in plain view." The main characters are very well-drawn and engaging, and I'd like to see a sequel, if the characters dare show their faces in England. You've noticed I didn't want to give too much away. Discover the fun for yourself. A delight from start to finish.
You can find these an more at www.mysterylovescompany.com
I'd love to hear your comments and reviews on these and other crime and mystery novels.
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