A Quintet from Sleuth of Baker Street

In my last post I discussed attending an author event on Sunday at the Sleuth of Baker Street bookstore in Toronto. As always I did some book shopping at Sleuth.

Having listened to the descriptions of the books and excerpts from each book I decided to buy The B-Team by Melodie Campbell. I was attracted to the book by the quirky characters and Melodie’s well known and well recognized sense of humour. Her website is titled funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.ca.

Melodie spoke of the challenge in trying to write fiction that is funny. At the end of the writing process, having read the book so many times she said she has to send it away to the publisher to judge its humour as she can no longer tell if it is humorous.

As I went around the bookstore looking at shelves and tables I spent most of my time looking for authors who are harder to find in stores. I can find the books of the best sellers in almost any bookstore.

I did look for a book bound to be a best seller. Jason Mathews’ new book, The Kremlin’s Candidate, has just been published. With the success of Red Sparrow and Victim of Treason I expect the third book in the trilogy, The Kremlin’s Candidate, will be a best seller. Dominika Egorova is a fascinating spy.

My second book purchase was Body on Baker Street by Vicki Delany which is the second in her series involving Emma Doyle in her Sherlockian bookshop in Massachusetts. In the first book I enjoyed Emma’s intense powers of observation and her surprise that the rest of the world did not always appreciate the swiftness of her mind. A boyfriend did not propose marriage when she told him in advance she knew he was going to propose.

In a recent comment on The Kings of London, fellow blogger and friend Moira from Clothes in Books, said she was not ready at the moment for a depressing story. I can understand the thought. Part of the reason I bought the above two books is that each of them is not going to depress me in the reading.

My third book was Cut You Down, the second book in the Dave Wakeland series by Sam Wiebe. The author gained recognition in 2012 when he won the Unhanged Arthur Award for best unpublished novel with Last of the Independents. It subsequently became his first published book. He then embarked on the Wakeland series with Invisible Dead. The series, gritty but not depressing, is set on the mean streets of Vancouver.

The fourth book was All the Lonely People by Martin Edwards. I have enjoyed reading about Martin over my years as a blogger. Between his own fiction and collections of stories he has edited and his non-fiction work few can match the breadth of his crime fiction skills and knowledge. I had always been interested in reading his Harry Devlin series about a Liverpool solicitor. With Martin having been a lawyer I wanted to read what kind of lawyer he created. (That sentence sounds vaguely Frankensteinian but I will leave it as written.)

I was going to stop after four books but, as I was lined up to pay for my books (there is a scene not seen often enough in independent bookstores), on the shelf of staff recommended books was Take Down by James Swain. It sounded abit like The B-Team with a criminal seeking to do right. Being a book set in America, Las Vegas, I expect there will be more violence than the ladies of the B-Team in Hamilton. Still hesitating I asked Marian who had liked the book and she said J.D. Knowing it is not often they like the same book I asked her thoughts and she said J.D. had told her that he thought she would like it. She said he does not often make such a recommendation and she expected to soon read the book. Take Down became my fifth purchase. And it turned out to be autographed by the author.

I did take the opportunity to ask Marian if the store had any copies of the new Susan Wolfe legal mystery. I said I had liked The Last Billable Hour and was looking for the new book. She said she had loved The Last Billable Hour but had not heard of the new book. Her computer showed that the Canadian distributor did not have any in stock. She said she would contact them and see if she could get me a copy.

While there is no longer a cat to greet customers Marian has her faithful companion, Percy, quietly wandering the store and checking out visitors.

Lovers of crime fiction will never be disappointed if they visit Sleuth. I have been shopping there for almost 30 years.

Authors at Sleuth of Baker Street

The past week has not gone as expected. I plan to get back to reviews in the coming week but wanted to write this post and my next post about my visit today to the Sleuth of Baker Street bookstore in Toronto. With fewer mystery bookstores still in business I cherish every opportunity to visit a store dedicated to the genre I love to read and write about on this blog.

Today had an unexpected pleasure. I had not looked at the store calendar and did not know there was going to be a multiple author event at the store until I arrived this afternoon.

Three Canadian authors were involved. Melodie Campbell was there to talk about her newest book, The B-Team: The Case of the Angry First Wife. Alison Bruce was presenting her new book, Ghost Writer. Ginger Bolin’s book, Survival of the Fritters, the first in a new series was the third book. She was unable to attend because of the flu.

Hamilton based mystery reviewer and former university dean, Don Graves, read his reviews of The B Team and Ghost Writer. He greatly enjoyed each of the books. He spent several years writing reviews for the Hamilton Spectator and now writes reviews for the Bay Observer.

He had an anecdote about Sleuth. When he was a university dean in downtown Toronto he would often, sometimes even twice a week, slip away from the campus on a dean’s hour break to visit Sleuth and usually buy books. He has a personal collection of about 4,000 books with most of them being crime fiction and most of those purchased at Sleuth.

Don has an 8 year old grandson who has become entranced by Sherlock Holmes and is devouring Holmes’ stories. In the relentless way of children he asked his grandfather the source of his books. When his grandfather tired of saying they came from Sleuth and said one came from another source the grandson said “and why not Sleuth?” He said he would soon be bringing his grandson to see the store.

Melodie’s book is about an eccentric group of Canadian women who band together. From the publisher’s blurb:

        Del's great-aunt, Kitty, has retired from a life of crime and

        embarked on a new venture, the B-Team. Although Del works

        at an animal shelter by day, by night she, her great-aunt and

        their cohorts, Dino and Ritz, use their criminal skills to right

        wrongs.

Alison’s story involves the paranormal. From the author’s website:

Jen Kirby has seen ghosts since she was a teen, but she can't talk to them or help them cross over. And, after a violent death in the family, she doesn't want to see them anymore. 

In her role as ghostwriter, Jen joins a Canadian Arctic expedition to document and help solve a forty-year-old mystery involving an American submarine station lost during the Cold War. The trouble is, there are people, living and dead, who don't want the story told, and they'll do anything to stop her.

She had a striking story of personal experience with ghosts as she recounted seeing her grandmother, soon after her death, at the foot of her bed trying to talk to her.

Boltons’ book is the start of a new cozy series. Kirkus Reviews states:

        Since the death of her husband, Alec, Emily Westhill has kept

        busy running Deputy Donut with her father-in-law, Tom

        Westhill. A former police chief himself, Tom is also a

         doughnut expert, and he and Emily cook up a truly dizzying

        array of confections from lemon-glazed blueberry to maple-

        bacon.

After the formal presentation on the books there was mingling and sweets to be consumed. On Melodie’s book is the figure of a black cat. Among the treats were cat shaped and decorated cookies. I brought back to our temporary apartment a pair of the cat cookies.

I enjoyed visiting with Melodie and Alison.

Melodie is the former executive director of the Crime Writers of Canada. She was in that position when I joined the organization.

It was nice to chat with fellow aficionados of mysteries. It appears Canadians use the phrase mystery fiction more often than crime fiction. I get few chances to visit with groups of mystery fans.

With the author event and visiting completed I looked through the store for some books. As with recent visits Sleuth I restrained myself by purchasing only five books. It is hard to show restraint at Sleuth. Don left the store with two bags of books.

My next post will discuss the store and my purchases.

2014 Winter Saturday at Minneapolis Mystery Bookstores

As we did a year ago Sharon and I spent a few days in Minneapolis this month. As I love to do when in the Twin Cities I head to the mystery bookstores - Uncle Edgar’s and Once Upon a Crime – located a short distance apart in Minneapolis.

A few inches of snow on Friday night meant there was no parking on the street outside Uncle Edgar’s but the parking lot next door was available.

On this trip I was not going to make a random tour of the store looking for books. I had some lists of recommendations from reviews, especially from other bloggers.

I had heard that Maurizo De Giovanni’s series set in Naples and featuring Commissario Ricciardi was well worth reading. As I looked on the roundel of award winning books next to the purchase desk I found a paperback copy of I Will Have Vengeance. I was off to a good start.

I have not read any Israeli written and based mysteries. As I looked around the store I came across a hardcover copy of The Missing File by D.A. Mishani. The back cover says:

D.A. Mishani is the editor of Israeli fiction and crime literature at Keter Books in Israel and is a literary scholar specializing in the history of detective literature.

The Missing File is his first crime fiction. Having enjoyed other professors, Margot Kinberg and Rob Kitchen, who have written mysteries as well as academic works I am looking forward to seeing what Mishani has written as he either ascended or descended to crime fiction from academe depending on your perspective.

Jose Ignacio from the blog The Game’s Afoot, suggested Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller when I sought out recommendations for Sharon to buy me books for Christmas last year. When Norwegian by Night did not find its way under the Christmas tree I looked for it in Minneapolis. I did not see it as I wandered the store but Elizabeth promptly went into the stacks to get a copy for me.

I then went over to Once Upon a Crime which was hosting an author event for local author, Jess Lourey. The store was filled with people looking to say hello to Jess and get copies of her new book, January Thaw, in the Murder by Month Mystery series.

When I got a chance to speak to Jess I told her that I had not read any of the books and asked for a recommendation on where to start. She said December Dread and handed me an autographed copy.

She is a busy person teaching English and Sociology at St. Cloud Technical and Community College while writing in different genres – crime fiction and young adult fiction - and raising a family.

I then enjoyed a cookie and a Coke, courtesy the publishers, as I looked around the store for more books.

I had heard good things about Black Fridays by Michael Sears and made way to the front where I asked Gary Shulze thoughts on the book. He highly recommended it to me and brought over a paperback copy.

Before going to the bookstores that day there had been another Israeli mystery author I had wanted to look for but had not written down the author’s name and could not find online where I had read about the author and his book. As I am standing at the counter I look down and there it was - Lineup by Liad Shoham. It was clear the reading gods had intended me to read the book and I made it my final purchase of the day.

Temptation abounds in each of the bookstores and the staff is so knowledgeable it makes book shopping a great experience. It is a good thing I had set myself a limit before starting the day or I would have returned with far more than 6 books.

Any mystery book lover who is in Minneapolis will equally love the stores.

Winter Weekend at Minneapolis Mystery Bookstores

Sharon and I were in Minneapolis last weekend for a short getaway from Saskatchewan. While there I went to both of the mystery bookstores in the city – Once Upon a Crime and Uncle Edgar’s. Minneapolis remains the only city I have visited which has a pair of mystery bookstores.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon with a brutally cold wind I started at Once Upon a Crime. Pat Frovarp was at the store.

I looked through the new selections on display at the front of the store. They were tempting but I resisted.

I went alphabetically around the store checking out the thousands of options. I also spent some time in the section with biographies of mystery writers.

I returned to the front and visited with Pat about mysteries. She is so friendly and knowledgeable about books. She relies on her memory and written listings of books published as the inventory is not on computer. She barely needs the written records.

After discussion I decided to purchase a couple of books by Minnesota authors which are set in the American Midwest. Pat was able to speak of them as she had read each book.

The first book, The Taking of Libbie, SD, was by well known author, David Housewright. As I have cousins in South Dakota and have visited the state several times I decided to read my first mystery that is set in the state.

The second book, Alamo North Dakota, is by Phil Rustad. I had not heard of the author. Pat said it is a good story set in the oilfields of her home state, North Dakota. It will also be my first mystery read from that state.

I have been looking at the books of Leighton Gage featuring Brazilian sleuth, Chief Inspector Mario Silva, for years. Preferring to start at the beginning of a series I had not found the first in the series, Blood of the Wicked, in other bookstores. When I found it on Saturday it became the 3^rd book I purchased. Once again, Pat had read the book and thought well of it.

 

I then made the short drive to Uncle Edgar’s. After roaming the aisles and going back and forth on what I wanted to purchase I spoke with Elizabeth, the manager, about books that I have been interested in but had not seen in book stores.

Last year I enjoyed the first book in the Guido Guerrieri series by Gianrico Carofiglio set in Italy. I asked about the second book, A Walk in the Dark, and it was in stock.

I thought Donald Serrell Thomas had written some brilliant Sherlock Holmes stories in The Execution of Sherlock Holmes. Uncle Edgar’s had several of his books and I bought Sherlock Holmes and the King’s Evil.

While hard to stop at two books I thought of the TBR piles and regretfully purchased no more.

I had hoped to buy some Australian mysteries. Each store had very few and none of the books I wanted. Pat and Elizabeth each told me that it is difficult for them to get Australian mysteries. Elizabeth had heard that Harper is going to start publishing in America some Australian mysteries. She is excited about the prospect of adding mysteries from Australia.

For mystery book lovers no destination is better than Minneapolis. The selections are great and it is wonderful to chat with booksellers who love to talk about crime and have read the books.

2012 Trip to Sleuth of Baker Street

Two weeks ago I was in Toronto for the Grey Cup (the Canadian professional football championship). I made time to take the subway and bus to the Sleuth of Baker Street bookstore. It would not be a trip to Toronto unless I went to the store. My last visit about which I put a post was a year ago.

I arrived early Friday afternoon to find Marian at the store. She said J.D. was visiting in Ottawa. While J.D. was gone she was not alone. Her dog, Percy, was curled up beside the counter at the front of the store. Periodically he would make a circuit around the store to check out customers.

Percy on a visit to the country

On this trip I specifically wanted to look for books from a few Australian and New Zealand writers whose books I had not found in Western Canada. I was to be disappointed. I was not able to get books by Y.A. Erskine, P.M. Newton, David Owen and Vanda Symon. Marian said it is difficult to get books by Australian and New Zealand writers unless they are published in North America or England. She said there is no wholesaler they can deal with in Australia. I will keep poking around used bookstores in the hopes of finding some of their books. An alternative would be another trip to Australia and a first time trip to New Zealand. I doubt Sharon would see the wisdom in travelling thousands and thousands of kilometers to get crime fiction.

While unable to get some of the books I wanted there was an abundance of other choices in the thousands of mysteries and thrillers they have for sale. In the end I forced myself to place only 5 books on the counter for purchase.

Before going to Toronto I had been looking in the November issue of their fine bi-monthly newsletter, Merchant of Menace, and looked at some of the recommendations from that issue.

It has been awhile since I bought a book involving lawyers so I was attracted to Slip and Fall by Nick Santora. It is about a Brooklyn lawyer that J.D. describes as a ham-and-egger which sounds like it might be like my practice.

I have enjoyed the first two books in the Milo Weaver series by Olen Steinhauer. I added the third in the series, An American Spy, from Sleuth.

This year I have started reading Canadian author L.R. Wright. I was able to buy the 4^th book in the Karl Alberg series, Fall From Grace.

I found down in the “W’s” the 6^th in the Maisie Dobbs series, Among the Mad, by Jacqueline Winspear for which I posted a review on Tuesday.

Looking around the store I checked for Arthur Upfield mysteries featuring Napoleon “Bony” Bonaparte but the only books for sale were early hardcover editions marked at $75.00. As I buy books to read rather than as investments I passed on them.

It is so nice to visit with a bookseller knowledgeable about mysteries. She loves mysteries. Marian knew every author in which I was interested. She basically knew without looking whether they had a book for which I was searching for purchase. She freely offered her perspectives on books I was considering. She is not afraid to tell a customer, if asked, her opinion. She will say if she liked or did not enjoy the books of an author. In the big chain bookstores I am glad if I can find a clerk who can determine from the computer if they have a mystery in which I am interested.

In the just over an hour I spent at the store there were several other customers. None of them left without buying books. I hope Sleuth can stay open for many more years.

Return to Whodunit? Mystery Bookstore

Two years ago I was in Winnipeg for a Rotary Conference and visited the Whodunit Mystery Bookstore on Lilac Street. After starting the blog I put up a post on the store.

This weekend I am back in Winnipeg for another Rotary Conference and was glad to be able to return to the store. Witih "M" for Mystery having closed in California I am never sure whether a mystery bookstore will still be there when I can return to a city.

Whodunit has been having a difficult spring. Their roof started leaking and water came through the ceiling of the store. Fortunately it missed most of their books and only a few used books were damaged. They are in the process of repairing the store and the building will be back to normal shortly.

Jack and Wendy Bumsted carry on in the store while the repairs are being made and all the books are available.

It is a great place to go for mysteries. You are immediately at ease talking with them about mysteries. One or both of them know authors popular and obscure. It is far from the average bookstore where clerks barely know the best seller authors.

On this visit I was looking at Canadian and foreign authors.

I would have gotten the second book in the Michael Van Rooy series involving the former convict, Sam Parker, which is set in Winnipeg but they did not have it in soft cover.

I picked up a copy of Before the Poison by Peter Robinson. It won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Mystery Novel in 2012 beating out a trio of books I had read - A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny, I'll See You in My Dreams by William Deverell and Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg. Also on the short list was I'm Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley. As I thought the trio I had read were all excellent books I want to see if I agree Before the Poison is best.

I then found myself trying to decide between a Martin Limon book and another 2012 Arthur Ellis Winner, The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton, which won the Best First Novel.

Jack said Martin Limon was a superior writer and the Hamilton book was also very good.

In the end I decided to stay in Canada with The Water Rat of Wanchai. I declined to give way and purchase 3 books when I went determined to limit myself to 2 books.

Any mystery book lover who gets to Winnipeg should make time to get to Whodunit. It is worth the effort.

“M” is for Mystery Bookstore is No More

Last year as part of my posts about mystery bookstores I have visited I put up a post about the “M” is for Mystery Bookstore in San Mateo, California. It was a lovely store and I enjoyed my visit there during a trip to San Francisco.

Unfortunately, “M” is no more. Owner, Ed Kaufman, closed the store in January of this year. While another bookstore, Third Avenue Bookstore, will occupy the space it is sad that “M” is gone.

Ed said that he had been a lawyer for 41 years and then a bookstore owner for 16 years. At 81 it was time for him to stop owning the store.

It was obvious even from meeting Ed for only a couple of times that he loved books and loved authors.

It is ironic that the store is being awarded a Raven Award at The Edgars banquet next month.

I wish I was writing about the opening of a new mystery bookstore.

Updates on Uncle Edgar’s and Once Upon a Crime Bookstores in Minneapolis

An overbooked flight home from our Florida vacation meant a day in Minneapolis. I took advantage of the opportunity to visit both of the fine mystery bookstores in Minneapolis, Uncle Edgar’s and Once Upon a Crime. With time somewhat limited I took a list of books I have been interested in because of fellow bloggers and asked staff about availability. Happily they were able to find most of my choices.

At Uncle Edgar’s they poured through their computer of new and used books finding for me:

1.) A Small Death in the Great Glen by A.D. Scott;

2.) White Nights by Ann Cleeves;

3.) Involuntary Witness by Gianrico Configliario; and,

4.) Sun Storm by Asa Larsson.

The large room remains filled with mysteries. They have an amazing selection of mysteries. If a reader also likes science fiction the front of the store has a huge selection of science fiction in Uncle Hugo’s.

At Once Upon a Crime I was ably assisted by Pat Frovarp. Her mind is her computer and she has full knowledge of the books in the store. Her recall of mysteries was very impressive.

I started by asking for the anthology Once Upon a Crime. I believe the store is unique in having a book written by authors under the name of the store. I am very interested in reading the 24 stories in the book.

In the main section of the bookstore I found:

1.) The Writing on the Wall by Gunnar Staalesen; and,

2.) Water-Blue Eyes by Domingo Villar.

Pat Frovarp directed me to their annex, a room down the hall, full of older and/or used books. In the annex I debated which Charles McCarry book I wanted to start in my reading of his Paul Christopher series. After considerable internal debate I decided upon one of the earlier books, Secret Lovers.

While a great day for finding excellent mysteries it was a bad day for the TBR pile. It is getting harder to rationalize what are actually TBR piles. The February trip has resulted in its own TBR pile. It is going to be a good spring of reading.

Any mystery lover arriving in Minneapolis should visit each store. It is easier than you might expect as the stores are but a few minutes apart by car.

Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore

While on holiday in Florida two weeks ago Sharon and I visited the Murder on Beach Mystery Bookstore in Delray Beach between Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. It is tucked into a nice little strip mall downtown on Pineapple Grove Way in the arts district.

We visited on a sun drenched Florida February Sunday afternoon. If ever there was the perfect bookstore to visit before heading to the beach it is Murder on the Beach.

On walking in there are a series of bookshelves filled with Florida mysteries. Most of the time, I have to search bookstores for local mysteries. At Murder on the Beach the number of Florida mystery choices were overwhelming. On their website which is http://www.murderonthebeach.com/ they list and have connections to 65 Florida mystery authors!

Turning to the staff that Sunday, she recommended Off the Chart by James W. Hall and Sanibel Flats by Randy Wayne White. Not having read either author I bought both books.

In mystery bookstores I look for authors not easy to find in the big block bookstores.

I found a new print of what I believe is Helen Tursten’s initial book in the Irene Huss series, Night Rounds.

Having seen many bloggers write positive reviews of Andrea Camilleri’s series featuring Inspector Salvo Montalbano I was able to get The Shape of the Water.

In the middle of the bookstore are a pair of inviting armchairs Sharon confirmed were most comfortable while I browsed for books. I wished I could have had the time to sit down for an hour or two and look at books.

Almost next door is a café where a reader can start reading their new books while enjoying outside something to eat and drink.

As with every mystery bookstore I have visited make sure you give yourself enough time to go through the huge selection of mysteries. It was tough limiting myself to 4 books.

On their website they set out that they will arrange an audience interactive, Murder Mystery Party, from groups of 20 – 500. I did not have time to discuss the Mystery Nights. They sounded like fun.

Drop in to Murder on the Beach if you are in south Florida. You will not be disappointed.