Prime Crime Editor's Notes - September 2010

Happy almost-Autumn! We have got a lot of great September books to tell you about so let’s just dive right in. We’ll start with Berkley Prime Crime.

We are very pleased to bring you THE SPIDER’S WEB, the new Wind River Mystery by Margaret Coel.

A beautiful outsider, Marcy Morrison, moves to the Wind River Reservation, bringing murder in her wake. When the Arapaho she plans to marry, Ned Windsong, is shot to death, Marcy is the only witness. Even though she identifies two Arapaho troublemakers, Ned’s family clings to the belief that Marcy herself was responsible. Convinced of Marcy’s innocence, Vicki agrees to represent her—and finds herself at odds with her own people.

She also finds herself at odds with Father John, because the mission priest has glimpsed something in the beautiful girl that shakes him to his core. Then the men Marcy has accused of murdering her fiancé are found dead in an abandoned barn, and another suspect surfaces: Roseanne Birdwoman, Ned’s former girlfriend. Vicky and Father John realize they are caught in a web of lies and deceit woven by a master, a psychopathic killer determined to play out the game to the deadly end.

Also from Margaret Coel this month, we bring you the paperback edition of THE SILENT SPIRIT.

In 1923, Arapahos and Shoshones from the Wind River Reservation were recruited to appear as extras in The Covered Wagon, a silent film noted for being Hollywood’s first western to cast real Indians in an effort at authenticity. Charlie Wallowingbull never returned home, leaving people to believe he abandoned his new wife and unborn son.

Kiki Wallowingbull, Charlie’s great-grandson, who’d recently been released from prison on a drug conviction, went to Hollywood to uncover the truth behind his great-grandfather’s disappearance. But after Kiki’s frozen body is discovered on the reservation—and his supposed killer makes a self- defense confession—Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O’Malley must find the connection between two violent deaths separated by nearly a century...

You won’t want to miss ROYAL BLOOD, the next Royal Spyness Mystery by Rhys Bowen.

Here’s what Lady Georgiana Rannoch has to say about her latest adventure:

With my hateful brother Binky in town, I’ve been desperately seeking an escape. To my delight, it comes in the form of an invitation from the Queen to represent the royals at a wedding in Transylvania—-legendary home of vampires. My freedom comes with some snags though, the eminently boring Lady ?Horse-face’ Middlesex will be my chaperone, I’m to take my imaginary maid—the only one I can afford—and my erstwhile beau Darcy O’Mara will be present, undoubtedly dashing in his groomsman’s suit...

I soon realize why I was the one honored with such an invitation. The bride, Princess Maria Theresa, happens to be my old school chum, Matty. But I find my stay in her macabre-looking castle to be unnerving. There are spooky bumps in the night and I even find dear Matty with blood running down her chin. Quality time with Binky is starting to seem appealing. Then, during the ceremony, a prominent—if vulgar and womanizing—wedding guest is poisoned. Something must be done lest the nuptial festivities go to ruin, or, worse yet, the couple’s vows become: to love and to cherish, till undeath do us part...

And also from Rhys Bowen this month, we bring you the paperback edition of ROYAL FLUSH. Lady Georgiana would like for you to know the following details:

With its posh clientele gone to the country, my fledgling housecleaning business has fizzled. Now to make a living I must rely on my other talents, as a dinner-and-theatre companion. But on my first and only assignment, the not-so- gentle man seems to have quite the wrong idea—and Darcy, my on-again-but-usually-off-again beau, must come to my rescue...

To avoid further scandal, I’m shipped home, like a naughty schoolgirl, to Castle Rannoch, where I am required to keep the entirely unsuitable Mrs. Simpson from seducing the Prince of Wales. Oh, and I’ve also been coerced into helping Scotland Yard by keeping an eye on the members of the shooting party at Balmoral and preventing someone from shooting the Prince of Wales instead of quails. And manage all this without strangling my odious sister-in-law, Fig, or my spineless brother, Binky...

We know you’ll want to embark on a new adventure in Near Sawrey with THE TALE OF OAT CAKE CRAG, the latest Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter by Susan Witting Albert.

Miss Beatrix Potter has returned to Near Sawrey, seeking refuge from the bluster of London in the quiet of a mild March. But it is 1912, and elsewhere in England Winston Churchill, the First Lord of the Admiralty, is said to be preparing for the unpleasant possibility of war. In the Lake District, the country peace has been interrupted by the numerous and noisy test flights of a new flying machine: the hydroplane.

The constant buzz is disrupting life all through the village, for animals and Big Folk alike, and Beatrix can barely hear herself think—which she very much needs to do, given the difficult new case she’s just taken up. Her friend Grace Lythecoe has been receiving some anonymous letters of an unfriendly nature, threatening her good name and her plans to marry.

Now Beatrix must proceed as quietly as possible so as not to arouse village gossip. And while her visit has proven to be anything but quiet, there is yet another piece of business for Beatrix to address: that of her own future. When she’s offered a second chance at love, though her parents are against it, she decides that sometimes causing a disturbance is well worth the trouble.

And don’t forget to pick the paperback edition of THE TALE OF APPLEBECK ORCHARD by Susan Witting Albert.

After his haystack was torched, Mr. Harmsworth barricaded a common path through his Applebeck Orchard. But reliable witnesses, including Professor Owl, Fritz, and some of the Big Folk, say this was the handiwork of neither man nor beast, but of a lantern-wielding specter. The mournful ghost has a message—and Miss Potter, for one, hopes to figure it out...

Meanwhile in Sawrey, romance buds between the schoolmarm and a confirmed bachelor, Hyacinth Badger hopes to be the first female to earn the Badger Badge of Honor, and a rumor has Beatrix and the solicitor practically betrothed. But the matter of the barricade involves one and all—and Miss Potter and her friends might have to take matters into their own hands (and paws)...

Next up we are pleased to bring you BLOODROOT by Bill Loehfelm, the author of FRESH KILLS.

Kevin Curran is ready to give up on his younger brother, Danny—lost to heroin addiction and hard, desperate living on the streets of New York. So when Danny shows up on Kevin’s Staten Island doorstep, looking clean, fit, and prosperous, Kevin can’t help but be overjoyed.

But when Danny offers Kevin a role in an underworld plot revolving around the abandoned Bloodroot Children’s Hospital, not even Kevin’s worst nightmares could have prepared him for what he’ll discover.

The halls of Bloodroot reveal to Kevin one horrifying secret after another: about the building’s history, about Danny’s dark past, and about the true roots of the Curran family. Now, as the brothers are drawn into a world of murder, mob hitmen, and dangerous espionage, they may destroy each other in the fight to survive.

You will not want to miss THE ALEHOUSE MURDERS, the first Templar Knight Mystery by Maureen Ash in a beautiful trade paperback edition.

After eight years of captivity in the Holy Land, Templar Bascot de Marins escapes with injuries to his body and soul. Now on a sojourn at Lincoln Castle, he hopes to regain his strength, and mend his waning faith — but not even the peace of God’s countryside is safe from the mortal crimes of man...

With Lincoln’s mid-summer fair about to begin, four victims are found slain in the town alehouse. Called upon for assistance in the investigation, Bascot discovers that what appears to be the grisly end to a drunken row is in fact a cunning and baffling crime.

As newcomers flock to Lincoln for its mid-summer reverie, it becomes easier for the killer to get lost in the crowds. But when more victims fall, Bascot tracks his quarry from bawdy-house to baron’s keep, once again risking his life for the justice of God’s will.

And our next great September book is MURDER ON ST. MARK’S PLACE by Victoria Thompson. We are pleased to bring you this lovely trade edition of the second Gaslight Mystery.

Thinking she has been summoned by German immigrant Agnes Otto to usher a new life into the world, Sarah Brandt is greeted by the news of an untimely death instead. It seems that Agnes’s beautiful younger sister, Gerda, had fallen into the life of a “Charity Girl.” Caught up in the false glamour of the city’s nightlife, she would trade her company—and her favors—not for money, but for lavish gifts and an evening’s entertainment. And now she was dead, victim, no doubt at the hands of one of her “gentlemen friends.”

No one cares much about the fate of girls like Gerda; but Sarah does. And she vows to find her killer. To do so, she turns to Sergeant Frank Malloy. As the two pursue an investigation that leads from the bright lights of Coney Island to the stately homes of Fifth Avenue, they find that their shared passion for justice may cost them dearly...

Now we’ve got some fantastic firsts to tell you about!

This September, we are very happy to bring you A DEADLY ROW by Casey Mayes, the first book in our new Mystery by the Numbers series.

Savannah Duvall has always been a math whiz. So it’s only natural that she creates brainteasers for a living.

Savannah is happily churning out her puzzles in the rural beauty of North Carolina when a phone call comes for her husband, Zach—a retired sheriff who consults for police. The Charlotte P.D. needs his help, and Savannah goes along for the ride—to support her loving hubby.

Mayor Grant Winslow has been receiving sinister threats from a killer. And the clues show that Winslow is intended to be the next victim in a twisted game. Savannah gets bumped from supporting role to key player as this is one game she might be able to solve—before the next box to be filled is the mayor’s coffin...

Be sure to check out this month’s Q&A with author Casey Mayes to learn more about A DEADLY ROW and the Mystery by the Numbers series.

And we are so pleased to bring you another great Prime Crime debut BUZZ OFF, A Queen Bee Mystery by Hannah Reed.

It’s September—National Honey Month—in Moraine, Wisconsin, and things are looking up for Story Fischer. Her messy divorce is final; the honey from her beekeeping business has been harvested; and the market she owns is thriving. Life seems pretty sweet ... until Manny, her mentor in the honey business, is found stung to death in his apiary.

Story is still trying to explain to the panicked locals that her honeybees had nothing to do with Manny’s death when another body is found floating in the Oconomowoc River. This time the evidence points to Story’s ex. Sure, he’s a womanizer and a buzz kill—but a murderer? Desperate to save her bees and her business (and ok, her ex), it’s up to Story to find a way out of a very sticky situation.

You won’t want to miss this month’s Dear Reader letter from Hannah about her exciting new series!

Up next is ANGEL INTERRUPTED, the second Dead Detective Mystery by Chaz McGee.

He was once a second-rate cop, a mediocre husband and an absent father. But ever since he was killed in a drug bust gone bad, Kevin Fahey’s been a lost soul in limbo, searching for a way out of his solitude, hoping for redemption. Now he’ll have to prove to be a better ghost than he ever was a man...

Being a spook is not where I wanted to be. But it’s what I am. To move on, I’m going to have to redeem myself in more ways than one. First and foremost, I have to let go of the feelings that anchored me down in life, so that I can do some good in death. And first up is the detective who replaced me—Maggie Gunn. I think I can help her...

A nurse has been murdered in her home. Across the street, a young boy has been abducted from a park. I’m not sure if they’re connected, but both Maggie and I are on the case. See, I can go places she can’t, and know things she doesn’t know. For the culprit is consumed by darkness—and I’m the only one who can drag the monster into the light...

And we are glad to bring you DEADLY DAGGERS, the third Renaissance Faire Mystery by Joyce and Jim Lavene.

Another summer finds Jessie Morton with yet another apprenticeship at the Renaissance Faire, this time to Daisy the master swordsmith. Jessie’s looking forward to trying her hand forging blades, but things take a deadly turn when Alastair the Great, a professional dueler and Daisy’s former flame, is murdered. It appears that there’s some sharp truth to the rumor that Alastair’s daggers are cursed.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Jessie has more trouble with her boyfriend Chase’s meddling brother. He and Chase’s ex fiancée are determined to drag him back home if necessary. But Jessie isn’t giving up without a fight. She’ll find Alastair’s killer and keep her man if it’s the last thing she does. And if the killer has his way, it will be.

Now here is everything you need to know about Obsidian’s exciting books for this first month of Fall:

It’s September and as we put away our vacation bags and load up the backpacks, here are some fun books from Obsidian to brighten your day!

First up, in trade paperback, is the sixth book in Suzanne Arruda’s Jade del Cameron Mystery series, THE CROCODILE’S LAST EMBRACE.

Adventurer and photojournalist Jade del Cameron has returned from a trip to Europe to commemorate the end of the Great War plagued with visions from the past. Worse, she has received letters of warning that appear to have been written by her long-dead fiancé. When she witnesses a man drive off the Limuru Bridge near Nairobi, and apparently drown, she temporarily sets aside these concerns, and her fear that her beau Sam Featherstone may never return from the States, and begins investigating. Among the dead man’s possessions is discovered a gold nugget of significant size. Jade suspects he was murdered for his share in a local gold mine, a theory that gains credence when a second body possessing a gold nugget is found, killed by a man-eating crocodile. While on safari with the Girl Guides patrol, a troop of girls aged 11-14, Jade discovers that her longtime nemesis Lilith Worthy escaped her London prison several weeks ago. Is she connected to the attacks? If so, is someone acting on her orders? In her most perplexing case yet, and with help from unexpected sources, Jade faces off with a deadly crocodile...and confronts her most dangerous and elusive adversary...

Next up, in mass market paperback, is Sue Henry’s THE END OF THE ROAD, the fourth book in the Maxie and Stretch Mystery series.

Maxie McNabb and her mini-dachshund, Stretch, are just back from their latest adventure, when they run into a charming young drifter named John Walker. He has just rolled into Maxie’s hometown of Homer, Alaska. He has no friends in town and no particular plans. Maxie takes pity on the wayward soul and offers him a homecooked meal. Over the next few days, they run into each other around town until Walker seemingly moves on. A few days later Maxie is visited by the police. Sadly, Walker has been found dead in a cheap motel room. What looks like a simple suicide quickly grows complicated when the police discover that Walker is a non-person. His name is false. His fingerprints on not on file anywhere, and he matches no missing person report. The arrival shortly thereafter of an enigmatic woman who demands access to Walker’s personal effects but refuses to give any information about herself just deepens the mystery.

We also have the mass market paperback edition of Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain’s MURDER, SHE WROTE: A FATAL FEAST.

Cabot Cove is looking forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, especially the new town pageant planned for this year. And it’s going to be a special holiday for Jessica Fletcher—her friend Scotland Yard inspector George Sutherland will cross the Atlantic to experience his first Thanksgiving. Jessica’s happy anticipation is mitigated, however, by the unusual appearance of a stranger in town who seems to have an obsession with the famous mystery author. There’s also the disconcerting series of strange notes arriving in the mail. The first consisted simply of the letter G clipped from a magazine. Each succeeding note adds another letter. The final note, which arrives the day before Thanksgiving, contains the letters GLOTCOYB. Jessica accuses the stalker of sending the letters, but he denies any knowledge of them.

Jessica has fallen behind on completing her latest murder mystery novel and tries to finish it in the midst of the holiday activities. The strange events of the past couple weeks culminate when Jessica finds a dead body on her doorstep on Thanksgiving Day. Can she solve the mystery behind the murder and salvage the holiday celebration for herself and her friends?

Next, in mass market paperback, we have the third book in Karen E. Olson’s Tattoo Shop Mystery series, DRIVEN TO INK.

Wedding bells are ringing in Las Vegas! And Brett Kavanaugh, tattoo artist and owner of the upscale tattoo shop The Painted Lady, thinks she’s doing her friend, Sylvia Coleman, a favor when she lends Sylvia her red Mustang convertible. It’s the car Sylvia drives to That’s Amore, a drive-through wedding chapel, where she’ll get hitched to her boyfriend Bernie. However, when the car is returned, Brett finds a little surprise in the trunk: a body with a spider web tattoo and a clip cord from a tattoo machine wrapped around the neck.

As Brett begins to investigate the disturbing coincidences build. A clip cord has been stolen from her tattoo shop. A customer came in for a tattoo of That’s Amore the day her car was returned. Sylvia Coleman and her husband Bernie are missing. Brett figures the only way to solve the crime is to go under cover—and what better place to start than That’s Amore? There she discovers attempts have been made on the lives of two other employees, and a third is missing. Hot on the trail, Brett convinces her brother, Tim, a police investigator, to help her sift through the clues. As she examines the ink, Brett hopes she’ll uncover enough evidence to send a killer to the clink.

Finally, in mass market paperback, we have Wendy Lyn Watson’s SCOOP TO KILL, the second book in the Mystery À La Mode series.

During the annual Honor’s Day festivities, the murder of graduate student Bryan Campbell shakes the ivory tower of Dickerson College to its foundations. Tallulah Jones, proprietor of Remember the A-la-mode, is serving ice cream at the college reception when her niece, Alice, a Dickerson student, stumbles across Bryan’s body. Suspicion falls on English Professor Emily Cowper—since Bryan had accused Emily of failing him because he spurned her sexual advances. A couple days later, Emily’s body is found dead of an insulin overdose next to a confession note, and her guilt seems confirmed. But then Tally accidentally destroys a crucial piece of evidence which proves Emily’s innocence. Feeling guilty, Tally promises to put all her efforts into clearing the professor’s name. But in an English department filled with failing students, cut-throat academics, and extramarital affairs, their list of suspects is longer than Remember the a la Mode’s list of flavors ...

Then Alice narrowly escapes being knocked off her bike by a sinister black SUV, and Tally knows the case has gotten personal. It’s up to her to freeze out the suspect, before her niece is the killer’s next victim...

We know you’ll love these great September mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime and Obsidian. And we look forward to scaring up some more mystery fun for you in October!