Mystery & Science Fiction

Recommendations from our staff
July 2010

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$13.00
ISBN-13: 9781569472125
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: Soho Crime, 7/2003
I’ve been a bit obsessed with the Soho Crime books lately. This fantastic independent mystery house publishes great crime series with an armchair travel twist—each series takes place in a distinct city or country. I’ve just started reading Cara Black’s series, starring Parisian Detective Aimee Leduc, and I’m finding them difficult to put down. The first installment, Murder in the Marais, drags Aimee into a terrifying world of neo-nazis and war criminals. —Kat

Fifty Grand (Paperback)

$15.00
ISBN-13: 9780312429812
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Picador, 6/2010
If I had to choose one crime writer who is long overdue to break out of the pack, it would be Adrian McKinty. Fifty Grand, his stand alone novel about a Cuban detective bent on avenging her father’s death in the U.S., is a great place to start. It is intelligent, well plotted, and does not hold its punches. What I particularly like about it are the twists and turns Mercado’s quest takes. I think this book has a little something for everyone, but maybe that’s just me. —Seana

Poison Study (Paperback)

$9.99
ISBN-13: 9780778327110
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Mira, 12/2008
Awaiting execution, Yelena is given a choice: to die by the hangman’s noose or to become the new poison taster. Inventive, resourceful, and daring, Yelena is a survivor, and chooses the risky uncertainty of poison. In her new world she must learn who to trust, and who she truly really is. Snyder’s lyrical writing and richly textured world and characters make a flowing tale of life, strength, and salvation. —Flannery

Maisie Dobbs (Paperback)

$15.00
ISBN-13: 9780142004333
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin (Non-Classics), 6/2004
In 1920s London, Maisie Dobbs establishes her own private detecting agency. Maisie is an intellectual, independent heroine who has refused to settle into the place society has dictated she must take. She uses her quick wit and powers of observation and deduction to uncover secrets some would prefer buried, and uses her iron clad will to battle her own demons. Quite simply, this is a genuinely well-crafted historical mystery. —Flannery

So Cold the River (Hardcover)

$24.99
ISBN-13: 9780316053631
Availability: Usually ships from warehouse in 1 - 5 days
Published: Little, Brown and Company, 6/2010
I don’t usually go for thrillers or horror novels, but Stewart O’Nan blurbed this book, which is always a good sign. I wound up burning through the story of Eric Shaw, a has-been filmmaker sent on a unique assignment to film a spooky old hotel. After ingesting a few sips of the hotel’s famed mineral water, things start to get a little…strange. So Cold the River is a fantastic summer/airplane/beach read that digs in and refuses to let go. —Kat

Pretty In Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780451229625
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: Signet, 3/2010
The second book in Olson's Tattoo Shop Mystery series is just as gripping and fun to read as the first. Our heroine, Brett, finds herself smack in the middle of another mystery after a drag queen turns up dead after an injury during a high profile show. The story is full of return characters and a whole slew of new Las Vegas personalities who are involved in assault, theft and even murder. This book will leave you craving a new tattoo and book number three. —Saraphine

Dies the Fire: A Novel of the Change (Mass Market Paperback)

$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780451460417
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Roc, 8/2005
Stirling spins a tale of the modern world thrown back into medieval times. In an instant of blinding light, the world is plunged into darkness. All electronics cease to work and widespread panic is rampant. Cities are awash in turmoil and soon fall to desolation. It is the small pockets of civilization that remain and must band together in order to live. A story of survival in the direst of times and of people thrown into leadership roles they never wanted makes this a hard-to-put-down book, as every day presents a new challenge. —Tim

Soulless (Mass Market Paperback)

$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780316056632
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Orbit, 10/2009
Playful and fun with a fresh edged, this new series delivers great characters and a very entertaining plot. Author Gail Carriger’s witty style breezes by and Alexia Tarabotti is one of my favorite new heroines, parasol and all! —Nici

Tigerheart (Paperback)

$12.00
ISBN-13: 9780345501608
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Del Rey, 5/2009
Peter Pan. What comes to mind? Neverland. Pirates. Fairie Dust. Hope. Sadness. Dreams. A place where there is no growing up but where magic is also woven in with longing. Peter David’s novel, Tigerheart is a broad retelling of Peter Pan that captures the original story but takes it to new and magical depths. There is a friendship in this book that is so pure and also so heartbreaking that it feels an honor to witness it. I am not a big reader of fantasy, but this novel breaks through all genres and is simply a beautiful adventure story; a tribute to journeying and loyalty and giving up the things you love most. Read it: You will not be disappointed. —S.M.C.

Pet Sematary (Mass Market Paperback)

$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780743412278
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Pocket Books, 2/2001
A twisted path shrouded in broken old trees and mist leads from a small pet cemetery to a place of ancient power. It waits, unseen, above a small town, a place shrouded in mystery, fear and chilling temptation. This is my favorite of King’s work; dark and mesmerizing, Pet Sematary sucks you in until the final page, and then lingers, hauntingly, in your mind. —Flannery

A Dog About Town (Mass Market Paperback)

$6.99
ISBN-13: 9780440243632
Availability: Usually ships from warehouse in 1 - 5 days
Published: Dell, 5/2007
You probably have to like dogs—and particularly stories narrated by dogs—to get into this one. But when the dog in question is Randolph the labrador retriever, you might want to try it even if you don’t. Randolph is worth knowing. He and his owner Harry, true Manhattanites, stumble upon a crime that only they can solve. Don’t judge this book by its cover. Look inside the back flap to understand the true nature of the human/dog relationship. —Seana

The Pillars of the Earth (Mass Market Paperback)

$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780451166890
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Signet, 9/2007
Ken Follett is an author whose epic tales are tough to put down. Set in 12th century England, this intricately written novel follows the trials and tribulations of the townspeople of Kingsbridge; a place where political oppression, the constant struggle for a “better life,” and the fight between the good and evil in every man is faced on a daily basis. Immerse yourself in the stark beauty from which Follett has painted humanity and you won't be disappointed! —Mackai

Hand of Isis (Mass Market Paperback)

$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780316068017
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Orbit, 1/2010
Graham's historical fiction feels incredibly authentic and absolutely immersive. The fantasy elements are understated, but add to the rich tapestry of the story. Hand of Isis adds new dimensions to the mythos of Cleopatra and ancient Egypt. —Nici

The Color of Blood (Mass Market Paperback)

$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780060825508
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Harper, 3/2008
This is the second of Hughes books to feature private detective Ed Loy, and you could start with the first, The Wrong Kind of Blood, to get the bigger picture. But it won’t matter too much if you don’t. Loy has returned to Dublin after a long stint in the States, which has ended badly. What impressed me this time around was the debt Hughes owes (and acknowledges) to Ross MacDonald. The same mythic haunting by a family’s past are evident, and Dublin turns out to be the perfect setting. —Seana

Lincoln's Dreams (Mass Market Paperback)

$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780553270259
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Spectra, 6/1992
When Annie, a haunted young woman tells Civil War historian Jeff her dreams, he recognizes in them aspects of the dreams of Southern General Robert E. Lee. As her dreams become more intense, they search for answers through the land of the Civil War, and grow closer to both the truth, and to each other. This is an intense, tightly knit book, detailed and thoroughly researched; a thought-provoking tale of love, obsession, and duty. —Flannery

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