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This week's special--an exciting new series

Former FBI agent pens thriller about former FBI agent is the premise for This Week's Special. You'll find that our new author has produced an entertaining series debut about a character who was a great investigator but a lousy FBI agent. Now the FBI has a big problem and they call him in for help. Save 20% and get free shipping on This Week's Special, an entertaining series debut.

Get your red-hot MLB News

The Febuary-March issue of the MLB News is up on the website, ready for download in PDF format.

You can your very own edition of the News from the site in exactly the format of the printed News. You can view it online or print it if you like. If you do print, please remember to use the Adobe Reader print button not the print function of your browser.

The return of Staff Picks

A number of customers have wondered what happened to Staff Picks. Well, to tell you the truth, after a strenuous year and a busy holiday season, Staff Picks was just pooped. He (or she) just didn't same to have that old pep, the old moxie. Just couldn't seem to get his (or her) act together for December or January. However, after a little R&R in Maui Staff Picks is completely back to normal and ready to take his (or her) place on the website.

Thus, we fondly announce the triumphant return of Staff Picks for February with a full assortment of interesting choices in mysteries picked by our staff. Thus the name. We hope that you'll get some good ideas for new authors in our Staff Picks for February.

As always, we wish to thank Judi, who is the real brains behind Staff Picks, for berating the staff into picking books for this popular feature. Also, thanks to the staff who pick.

We're off to see the wizard

Well, not exactly. Mary Alice and Richard are off to San Jose for the American Booksellers Winter Institute, a three day gettogether for education and information sharing. It also doesn't hurt that it's in San Jose, California.

A big topic will be ebooks and the recent announcement of the iPad by Apple will certainly fan the flames of discussion. We've started up a little discussion on our Face Book page about the iPad and we've seen some interesting comments both for and against ebooks. We're interested to know what you think. You can join the discussion on Face Book or just reply to this email and let us know what you think and what your own experience with ebooks has been.

Following the Winter Institute we're off to Oakland and then Portland for a little vacation, returning March 10. For that reason there will be no weekly email this Friday but I hope to return to the usual schedule on Friday, Feb. 12.

Publication party for Heather Terrell

Local writer Heather Terrell celebrates publication of her third novel, Brigid of Kildare, with a party on Saturday, Feb. 27 starting at 4 pm.

Here's what Mary Alice had to say about Heather's new book:

For all who love a richly detailed historical puzzle, you will be spellbound by Brigid of Kildare by Heather Terrell. For those who think all Irish women are goddesses, you can add bishop to that title held by the brave and strong female who is the very foundation of the church of Ireland. In a present puzzle about the origin of holy manuscripts that could rewrite church history and back to the anger of Rome over this pagan influenced Christianity defying them, weaves a tale totally absorbing.

Brigid of Kildare goes on sale Feb. 9 as a trade paperback original ($15) and would make a terrific choice for your book club.

Please join us at the party if you can.

Edgar Award nominees include local writer

The Mystery Writers of America have announced their nominees for the 2010 Edgar Awards and we're pleased to say that Pittsburgh's own Kathleen George has been nominated in the category of Best Mystery Novel for her most recent Pittsburgh-set mystery, The Odds.

Kathy's series is set on the North Side where she lives and features an ensemble group of cops who first appeared in Taken. The Odds is the fourth book in this series.

Another friend of MLB who was nominated was Hallie Ephron who received a Mary Higgins Clark Award nomination for Never Tell a Lie.

The winners of the 2010 Edgar Awards will be announced at a banquet on April 29. Of course, we'll be there picking up our Raven award.

MLB launches new morning book club

We're pleased to announce the formation of a new book club at MLB, the Wednesday A.M. Book Club. The group will meet at MLB on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 10 am. The group will be reading and discussing books in a variety of genres including fiction, mystery, history, biography and others.

The first meeting will be on Wednesday, February 10 and the book is Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Please contact us via email or phone (412-828-4877) if you are interested in joining the group. Membership is open to any interested reader.

We sponsor seven book clubs at MLB. If you're interested please check our the complete listing on our website of bookclubs, schedules and books.

Robert B. Parker dead at 77

We were saddened to learn of the death earlier this week of one of the giants of modern American crime writing--Robert B. Parker.

A long-time admirer of Raymond Chandler, Parker launched his own writing career with The Godwulf Manuscript in 1973 and set his Boston PI Spenser on an entertaining journey through 37 books up through last year.

Parker was also responsible for three other series that featured Sunny Randall, another Boston PI, Jesse Stone, the chief of police in a small town, and Everett Hitch, a western hero who appeared in 4 books.

You'll find a complete list of Parker's books on our website.

There is quite a nice obit in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by book critic Bob Hoover.

What our customers are reading - MLB Best Sellers

Up on the webiste you'll find our December MLB Best Sellers along with the Best Sellers of 2009.

Naturally, our December Best Sellers were dominated by sales for the holidays. Signed copies of Sue Grafton's U is for Undertow led the hardcover sales. We have only a couple of these left. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the conclusion to Stieg Larsson's best-selling trilogy, stayed on the list. This British import has been a hot item since its publication in October. Lisa Scottoline hit the list with her collection of humorous columns, Why My Third Husband Will be a Dog.

Paperback's in December featured two books with local connections: Names of Pittsburgh and Paris of Appalachia by Brian O'Neill. Sandwiched inbetween was The Trader Joe's Companion: a Portable Cookbook which we couldn't keep in stock all through the holidays. Christmas mysteries took their share of spots as well including Donna Andrews's Six Geese a Slaying and Rita Mae Brown's Santa Clawed.

For the year 2009, Lisa Scottoline was the undisputed champion of hardcover sales with Look Again. Lisa will be back at MLB on March 23 to work her magic at an event to be held at the Oakmont Carnegie Library. Former Pittsburgher Jeffrey Siger also took a spot on the list along with MLB favorite Diane Davidson.

Pittsburgher Kathy Haines got all three of her Rosie Winter books onto the list for trade paperbacks. Hank Phillippi Ryan also put all three of her Charlotte McNally books on the list through a virtual signing program that she marketed aggresively.

Several authors from the Festival of Mystery posted books on the Best Sellers of 2009 including Kimberly Frost, Lorna Barrett, Louise Penny, Judi McCoy and Elaine Viets.

Be sure to take a look at our Best Sellers for December as well as our Best Sellers for 2009. You're sure to find some interesting reading.

We're on Facebook, become a fan (344 already are)

Finally, we've put a profile up on Facebook for Mystery Lovers Bookshop. Nows the time for all you Facebook folks out there to demonstrate the power of social networking by becoming a fan of MLB. If you do, it will be another way for us to stay in touch.

We'll be using Facebook to notify fans about events in the store and perhaps to make special deals available only to fans.

All of our upcoming events are also listed and we would love for customers to post comments or photos about events that they attend.

New Arrivals

Tons of New Arrivals as many February books begin to arrive. You will find new titles by Robert B. Parker, Melinda Wells, Kate Collins, Penny Warner, Rosemary Harris, James Patterson, Joanne Flukea nd others.

News books for February will keep arriving over the next week so check our New Arrivals page often for everything new at MLB.

Coffee & Crime series wraps up in February

Our Winter Coffee & Crime series comes to an end in February but a new one starts in the Spring.

Each of these events begins at 10 am and includes a contintental breakfast and author talk and signing. Cost is $5 and reservations are essential.

What's on the website now

Here's what you can find at www.mysterylovers.com:

Upcoming Events

Feb. 20 - Joanne Dobson
Feb. 27 - Heather Terrell
Mar. 5 - Nancy Martin

More events...

Start off the new year right--with a book
Richard, Mary Alice and the MLB Staff

Did we mention that we won a Raven Award?

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