If you experience any difficulty reading this email see mail20100528.htm

Our increasingly weekly email

Free Shipping: read all about it.

Dear %%First Name%%,

This week's special--a rollicking turn-of-the-century adventure

This Week's Special is the third book in a popular series that features a investigator in the early years of the century. Enjoy 20% savings with free shipping on this enjoyable read.

This week's kid's special--a pop-up book that pops

This Week's Kid's Special is a humorous lift-the-flap board book that will certainly produce giggles for the 2 to 4 set.

Check out both our Weekly Specials and save some bucks this week.

Scott Turow, April Smith & Thomas Zigal, June 13

We're pleased to announce a unique Pittsburgh author event with a talk and signing featuring Scott Turow, April Smith and Thomas Zigal on Sunday, June 13 at 4 pm.

To accomodate the anticipated turnout we'll be holding this event in the beautiful Charity Randall Theater at the Stephen Foster Memorial in Oakland.

Tickets for the event are $6 in advance, $7 at the door (space permitting).

Scott Turow achieved breakthrough success with his first novel, Presumed Innocent, a legal thriller later turned into a successful movie with an impossibly young Harrison Ford. Since that time Turow has published a series of best selling novels as well as works of non-fiction. His debut book was One-L, a memoir of his first year at Harvard Law School. Turow will be in Pittsburgh with Innocent, a sequel of sorts to Presumed Innocent, which features Rusty Sabich, the protagonist from that book, being prosecuted again for murder, this time of his wife.

April Smith is the author of three books featuring Los Angeles-based FBI agent Ana Grey beginning with North of Montana in which Ana takes on a high-profile Hollywood case which turns deadly when her own family history crops up among the clues. Her most recent book, also feturing Ana Grey, is the Judas Horse. April has also worked as a scriptwriter for such shows as Cagney and Lacey.

Thomas Zigal is the author of three books featuring Aspen, Colorado sheriff Kurt Muller. Muller is an aging hippie and native of Aspen and his assuming the post of sheriff puts him in an interesting position between the local population and the wealthy visitors that one more associates with Aspen. Two books in that series followed: Hardrock Stiff and Pariah. He is also the author of a The White League, a novel about a secret society in New Orleans.

Full details and tickets on the website.

Spring Coffee & Crime series continues

Well spring seems to have passed us right by with summer weather having arrived before Memorial Day. Nonetheless, the Spring Coffee & Crime series carries on with two more authors scheduled.

Jane K. Cleland on June 5 - Jane will revisit MLB with the fifth book in her Agatha-nominated series with antiques appraiser Josie Prescott, Silent Auction. Jane's books are filled with antiques lore and you'll be sure to enjoy her talk about the many interesting facts and stories she come across in her research.

Michael Koryta on June 19 - We're so pleased to have Michael Koryta make his first visit to MLB. Michael is the author of four books in an excellent PI series set in Cleveland as well as a standalone crime novel. He'll be joining us, however, with an outstanding ghost story for grownups, So Cold the River. The setting of this book is simply irresitable--the old time resort of French Lick, Indiana--and the story and characters will grip you from page one.

Each of the Coffee & Crime events starts at 10 am and includes continental breakfast and author talk and signing. Cost of each event is $5 and reservations are necessary.

Victoria Thompson's Murder on Lexington Avenue

We've receiving our signed copies of Victoria Thompson's newest Gaslight Mystery Murder on Lexington Avenue. Demand was so high that we've actuall sold-out of our initial shipment. More books, however, are on the way and we expect them within the next few days.

This is the twelfth of Thompson's historical mysteries featuring turn-of-the-century midwife Sarah Brandt and police detective Frank Malloy. the new book starts with a murder at the School for the Deaf and Dumb--a crime that is personal to Malloy since his son is a student there.

Please order your signed copy of Murder on Lexington Avenue now to avoid disappointment.

Staff picks for May shows up slightly late but still full of life

I'm afraid that Staff Picks had a rough start to the month what with the Festival and all the associated events. However, he (or she) has made a surprising recovery and is now ready for action in what remains of May.

Take a look at what we're reading in May and see if you can find something that would fit right into your own to be read pile.

Edgar awards announced

Winners of the Edgar Awards for 2010 were announced at the 64th Annual Edgar Awards Banquet in New York.

John Hart was a winner, for the second time, with The Last Child. We congratulate John but still regret his beating our home-town favorite, Kathy George, who was nominated for The Odds.

Best First Edgar was won by Stefanie Pintoff for In the Shadow of Gotham. I should note for the benefit of any authors reading this that Stefenie was at last year's Festival with this book. Just sayin'.

The evening before the banquet we attended the Authors and Editors Cocktail Party where we ran into many other author friends and witnessed the awarding of The Mary Higgins Clark Award to S.J. Bolton for Awakening. The award was presented by MHC herself who I will only say looks exactly like her author photo. We did regret that Hallie Ephron did not win the award for Never Tell a Lie but we plied her with wine afterward and she seemed to recover nicely.

You'll find the complete list of 2010 Edgar Award nominees and winners on our Edgar Award page.

And also the Agatha Awards

Midst all this excitement we also had the announcement of the Agatha Award winners. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny won best novel. I should note that Louise was at last year's Festival. Just sayin'.

Best First novel was given to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley.

Best Non-fiction went to Dame Agatha's Shorts by Elena Santangelo.

Congratulations, also, to Hank Phillippi Ryan who won the Agatha for Best Short Story and to Chris Grabenstein who won Best Young Adult for The Hanging Hill.

See the website for the complete list of winners and nominees of the Agatha Awards 2010.

Best Sellers at MLB for April

You'll find the MLB Best Seller list for April on the website and it's full of interesting choices for your reading pleasure.

Number 1 in hardcovers is Half-Price Homicide by Elaine Viets. Right behind it is Elizabeth George's This Body of Death, her latest for Thomas Lynley followed by Jacqueline Winspear's The Mapping of Love and Death.

Rita Mae Brown's signed copies of Cat of the Century picked up the number 4 spot.

Some familiar names among the Trade Paperback best sellers included Kathryn Miller Haines for The War Against Miss Winter, Stieg Larsson for both The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. (Third book in the trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest due out May 25). Also Heather Terrell with Brigid of Kildare.

The Art of Racomg in the Rain, Garth Stein's novel told from the point of view of the dog, was at number 4.

Perennial best seller Donna Leon showed up at the 5 spot with About Face.

Mass market paperbacks start off with two MLB favorites: Carolyn Hart with Dare to Die and Diane Mott Davidson with Fatally Flaky. Right after that comes Ann Granger's series debut Mud, Muck and Dead Things--a British import.

You'll find the complete list of MLB Best Sellers for April on the website.

Celebrate our anniversary in style

Be the first on your block to get your hands on the spectacular new MLB 20th Anniversary/Raven Award mug. This 8 oz. beauty is spectacular in resplendent red with black and white imprinting on both sides. Side one features our regular logo and notice of our 20th Anniversary in October of 2010. On the other side, a special Raven version of our logo to mark our receiving the Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

Important Note: We cannot offer free shipping on orders that include mugs. We must send these Priority Mail and will have to charge you $4.50 shipping regardless of these amount of your order.

Signed first editions: here's what's coming

Other books signed by popular authors that we have or expect include:

Elaine Viets - Half-Price Homicide, here now

John Sandford - Storm Prey, here now

Victoria Thompson - Murder on Lexington Avenue available now

Jeffery Deaver - The Burning Wire available now

As always, supplies of these signed books are limited so please order early.

Access to our Facebook page, now even easier

We're now the proud owners of a username on Facebook. That means that you can get to our page just by going to:

www.facebook.com/mysterylovers

Yes, it's as easy as that.

Once your there, click on the Like button and you can join the other 697 folks who like us.

New Arrivals

I don't know if spring is bursting out all over but new arrivals sure are. We've received a ton of June books and you can find the complete list on our New Arrivals page.

Here's a couple:

A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield, a debut that might just remind you a little of Thelma and Louise

John Harvey brings back the two cops from Gone to Ground in Far Cry

Here at last: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson will answer all your questions about Lisbeth Salander and her story.

Sophie Hannah's The Dead Lie Down tells the complex tale of a man who confesses to murder, except the victim is still alive. Sophie will be here, along with Nancy Pickard on June 23.

Simon Brett's latest Fethering mystery in paperback, Poisoning in the Pub, is here.

And tons more, besides.

News books arrive every day check our New Arrivals page often for everything new at MLB.

What's on the website now

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

Upcoming Events

June 5 - Jane K. Cleland
June 11 - Kathryn Miller Haines
June 13 - Scott Turow, Tom Zigal & April Smith
June 19 - Michael Koryta
June 23 - Sophie Hannah and Nancy Pickard

More events...

Think Spring-like thoughts
Richard, Mary Alice and the MLB Staff

Did we mention that we won a Raven Award?

To unsubscribe from our list, please click here.