Allan, Barbara Antiques Maul: a Trash 'n' Treasures Mystery ($6.99 US ) As Halloween approaches, Brandy, along with her mother, must unmask a killer when a body is found at the antiques mall, supposedly mauled to death by a good-natured pit bull, launching an investigation that results in the disappearance of her ten-year-old son and throws everyone into a tailspin.

Andrews, Lori Immuniy: an Alexandra Blake Novel ($24.95 US Cloth) When his partner collapses and dies during surveillance of a mobster, DEA agent Castro Baxter refuses to buy the DEA's assumption that the death is the result of an overdose, a belief that is corroborated by geneticist Alexandra Blake's tests, which turn up a deadly contamination that could cost the lives of thousands, if she cannot stop it in time

Andrews, Patrick Seek and Destroy (The Unit) ($6.99 US ) Sergeant Major Jonas Blane must help his clandestine team of warriors, known as The Unit, infiltrate the Congolese National Army to stop a brutal European syndicate from taking over the Democratic Republic of the Congo and make it out alive

Asensi, Matilde Everything Under the Sky ($25.95 US Cloth) Setting out for Shanghai to settle the affairs of her recently deceased husband, Spanish painter Elvira finds herself swept up in a centuries-old quest to find the lost treasure of China's first emperor.

Baldacci, David Stone Cold ($9.99 US Premium size) Protecting a con artist from vengeful casino king Jerry Bagger, Oliver Stone and his colleagues at the Camel Club find their efforts further challenged by a ruthless killer who targets Stone by threatening to reveal his mysterious past.

Barclay, Linwood No Time for Goodbye ($19.95) Twenty-five years after her entire family vanishes without a trace, Cynthia Archer is struggling to live a normal life with her husband and daughter, until sinister clues, all pointing to her missing family, begin to reveal the dark secrets of the past.

Barclay, Linwood Too Close to Home ($32.95 Trade) When the Cutter family's next-door-neighbours, the Langleys, are gunned down in their house one hot August night, the Cutters' world is turned upside down. That violent death should have come so close to them is shocking enough in suburban Promise Falls, but at least the Cutters can console themselves with the thought that lightning is unlikely to strike twice in the same place. Unless, of course, the killers went to the wrong house... At first the idea seems crazy. But gradually the Cutter family's secrets are revealed and to find out who killed the Langleys and why, everybody's secrets are going to have to come out. But the final secret - the secret that could save them or destroy them - is in the one place nobody would ever think of looking

Barry, Brunonia Lace Reader ($32.95 Trade) Having left her hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, fifteen years ago under troubling circumstances, psychic Towner Whitney reluctantly returns after her eighty-five-year-old great-aunt Eva suddenly disappears and joins local cop John Rafferty in his investigation into the mystery.

Bayard, Louis Black Tower ($24.95 US Cloth) Having used his mastery of disguise and surveillance to nab some of France's most notorious criminals, early nineteenth-century detective Vidocq teams up with obscure medical student Hector to track down the most challenging adversary of his career, a case with ties to the missing son of Marie Antoinette.

Bebris, Carrie A. Matters at Mansfield, Or, The Crawford Affair: a Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery ($22.95 US Cloth) Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy's delight over the birth of their first child is overshadowed by a family crisis involving marriage machinations, star-crossed lovers, and mistaken identity.

Becker, James First Apostle ($21.95) An Englishwoman is found dead in a house near Rome, her neck broken. A tragic accident - or murder? Her distraught husband enlists the help of his best friend, ex police-man Chris Bronson, who discovers, chiselled into the stone above their fireplace, an ancient inscription that translates as 'Here Lie Liars'. But who are the liars? And what is it they are lying to protect? Pursued across Italy by Vatican hitmen, Bronson and his ex-wife uncover a trail of clues which they trace back to the mysterious beginnings of Christianity - to a secret code hidden within a scroll, to a chalice covered in ancient script, to the tomb of the first Apostle. And to a terrible falsehood which - when revealed - will rock the very foundations of the Christian religion

Bell, Ted Tsar ($26.95 US Cloth) When a vastly powerful new Russian tsar threatens America not to interfere with plans to reintegrate Russia's rogue states, espionage agent Alex Hawke investigates the disturbingly related work of a brutal serial killer who targets an innocent family and blows up their small midwestern community.

Berenson, Laurien Doggie Day Care Murder: a Melanie Travis Mystery ($22.00 US Cloth) Melanie Travis's new case is truly for the dogs when Steve Pine, the co-owner of the Pine Ridge Canine Care Center, is found murdered, and she is faced with a wealth of suspects, including his sister, his neighbour, and a disgruntled client.

Black, Lisa Takeover ($24.95 US Cloth) Arriving at the scene of a bank robbery where her fiancé and seven others have been taken hostage, forensic scientist Theresa MacLean fears that the high-profile hostage negotiator brought in by police may be too arrogant for the task and offers herself in exchange for her fiancé’s safety

Black, Tony Paying For It ($32.95 Trade) Gus Dury once had a high-flying career as a journalist and a wife he adored. But now he is living on the edge, a drink away from Edinburgh's down-and-outs, drifting from bar to bar, trying not to sign divorce papers. But the road takes an unexpected turn when a friend asks him to investigate the brutal torture and killing of his son, and Gus becomes embroiled in a much bigger story of political corruption and illegal people-trafficking. Seedy doss-houses, bleak wastelands and sudden violence contrast with the cobbled streets and cool bistros of fashionable Edinburgh, as the puzzle unravels to a truly shocking ending

Bruen, Ken & Jason Starr Max (Hard Case Crime) ($6.99 US ) Arrested for drug trafficking, Max Fisher must spend his days in the cell blocks of Attica, while Angela Petrakos, after her involvement in a brutal murder, is sent to a little prison on the Greek Island of Lesbos

Burke, Alafair Angel's Tip ($23.95 US Cloth) In the aftermath of a college student's murder during a spring break party, NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher builds a convincing case against a young man last seen with the victim but doubts her original conclusions when she recognizes similarities between the killing and three deaths from a decade earlier

Burke, Declan Big O ($24.00 US Cloth) When a guy Karen has just met is hired to kidnap a disgraced plastic surgeon's ex-wife--and Karen's best friend--for the insurance money, Karen's easy life as a receptionist and armed robber is turned upside down.

Bush, Nancy Ultraviolet: a Jane Kelly Mystery ($6.99 US ) When a plastic surgery magnate is murdered just before his daughter's high-society wedding, P.I. Jane Kelly, along with her canine companion Binky, is hired to clear the name of ex-wife number two, submerging her in a world of suspects, lies, and secrets

Cain, Chelsea Sweetheart ($24.95 US Cloth) Portland detective Archie Sheridan's investigation into the murder of a young woman is compromised by his continuing obsession with serial murderer Gretchen Lowell, the so-called Beauty Killer, who has escaped from prison.

Carrell, Jennifer Lee Interred with Their Bones ($15.00 US Trade) Receiving a mysterious box from her eccentric mentor, who claims it contains a newly found work by Shakespeare, theatre director and scholar Kate Shelton is horrified when her theatre is burned to the ground and her mentor killed.

Carter, Sammi Goody Goody Gunshots ($6.99 US ) When Abby Shaw, the owner of Divinity candy shop, witnesses a stranger being gunned down on the highway only to discover that there is no body, she is determined to find the truth, which places her on the bad side of a killer who suddenly has a sweet tooth

Carter, Stephen Palace Council ($34.95 Trade) Young writer Eddie Wesley and his lover, Aurelia Treene, investigate the murder of Philmont Castle, a wealthy, highly respected man whose body turns up on the grounds of a Harlem mansion, embarking on a twenty-year quest for the truth that takes them from wealthy New York drawing rooms, through the dark corners of radical politics, to Nixon's Oval Office.

Childs, Laura Death Swatch: a Scrapbooking Mystery ($23.95 US Cloth) When float designer Archie Baudier turns up dead during a Mardi Gras party at Jeckl Hardy's French Quarter apartment, scrapbook store owner Carmela Bertrand, a guest at the party, races against time to find the killer before she becomes the next victim.

Clemens, Judy Different Paths: a Stella Crown Mystery ($24.95 US Cloth) Stella Crown launches her own investigation into the carjacking of her friend, veterinarian Carla Beaumont, the first of a series of vicious attacks on local business women that culminates in the murder of kindly Dr. Peterson in her office, searching for an enigmatic link between the victims while uncovering the dark secrets of her usually quiet town.

Coel, Margaret Blood Memory ($24.95 US Cloth) Targeted for assassination after doing a story on an attempt by the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes to file a claim on their ancestral lands, Denver reporter Catherine McLeod uncovers a conspiracy involving her ex-husband's wealthy family and state politicians

Coel, Margaret Girl with Braided Hair ($7.99 US ) Thirty years after Liz Plenty Horses goes into hiding following accusations of betraying the militant American Indian Movement to the FBI, Vicky Holden and Father John O'Malley investigate when the skeleton of a murder victim turns up on the Wind River Reservation.

Cohen, Stuart Archer Army of the Republic ($24.95 US Cloth) Hiring a private intelligence firm to safeguard his interests from a shadowy vigilante organization that assassinated his partner as part of a plot to sever ties between the government and big business, billionaire James Sands incites the wrath of guerrilla leader Lando, whose deepest beliefs are tested by subsequent violence

Connelly, Michael Harry Bosch Novels Volume 1: Black Echo; Black Ice; Concrete Blonde ($35.00 Trade) The first three novels in featuring L.A. detective Harry Bosch

Corley, Elizabeth Fatal Legacy ($19.95) DCI Fenwick is investigating what appears to be a mugging gone wrong resulting in an accountant's death. Investigations lead Fenwick and his team to a major financial scandal with corruption tainting elements of the local society. (2000)

Cox, Michael. Glass of Time ($32.95 Trade) 1876. Nineteen-year-old orphan Esperanza Gorst arrives at the great country house of Evenwood to be interviewed for the position of lady’s-maid by the 26th Baroness Tansor, the former Miss Emily Carteret. But Esperanza is no ordinary servant. She has been sent by her guardian, the mysterious Madame de lOrme, to uncover the dark and dangerous secrets that her new mistress has sought to conceal, and to set right a past injustice in which Esperanzas own closest interests are bound up. Gradually those secrets are revealed, and with them the truth of who Esperanza really is, forcing agonizing obligations on her, and enmeshing her in a complicated web of intrigue, deceit, and murder that culminates in betrayal by those she trusted most. A sequel to The Meaning of Night

Crawford, Isis Catered Halloween: a Mystery with Recipes ($22.00 US Cloth) Hired to cater a charity haunted house at the old Peabody School, sisters Bernadette and Libby Simmons find murder on the menu when the death of wealthy socialite Amethyst Applegate could hold the key to solving the decades-old "accidental" death of a young girl.

Crusie, Jennifer / Bob Mayer Agnes and the Hitman ($7.99 US ) Rescued during a break-in by an unlikely hit man who has been directed by the mob to protect her, food writer Cranky Agnes finds her situation further complicated by a missing cache of money that becomes a key factor in a Southern mafia wedding.

Davidson, Diane Mott Sweet Revenge ($7.99 US ) Catering a holiday breakfast for the local library staff, Goldy Schultz is shocked to see a supposedly dead woman who is believed to be Goldy's ex-husband's killer, an encounter that precedes the murder of a high-end map dealer.

De Carlo, Andrea Sea of Truth ($24.95 US Cloth) Learning about his late virologist father's connection to a Senegalese cardinal who died from AIDS, Lorenzo Telmari undertakes a dangerous quest to locate documents written by the cardinal that denounce the church's stance on volatile issues, an endeavor that pits him against his corrupt politician brother.

Dibdin, Michael End Games ($19.95) Aurelio Zen is posted to remote Calabria, at the toe of the Italian boot. And beneath the surface of a tight-knit, traditional community he discovers that violent forces are at work. There has been a brutal murder. Zen is determined to find a way to penetrate the code of silence and uncover the truth. But his mission is complicated by another secret which has drawn strangers from the other side of the world - a hunt for buried treasure launched by a single-minded player with millions to spend pursuing his bizarre and deadly obsession.

Dirgo, Craig Tremor ($7.99 US ) When unusual electrical surges are discovered, emanating from the former nation of Yugoslavia, Special Agent John Taft of the National Intelligence Agency is sent to investigate and stumbles into the middle of a vast terrorist conspiracy, led by a fanatical Serbian nationalist in possession of a powerful machine capable of generating apocalyptic earthquakes on command anywhere in the world.

Doherty, Paul Murder's Immortal Mask ($19.95) September 314 AD and in the Caelian quarter of Rome the Nefandus has reappeared. For years he waged bloody murder throughout Rome, killing prostitutes from the house of Isis. He only ceased his brutal slayings when Constantine became Emperor. Now he has abruptly returned and already two young women have been barbarously slain. When on the afternoon the Nefandus strikes, Attius Enobarbus, henchman of the former Emperor, is found stabbed to death at his villa outside the Aurelian Gate, murder seems to take up house in the City of the Caesars. The Empress Helena turns to her most trusted agent, Claudia, to enter this arena of blood

Doherty, Paul Nightshade ($32.95 Trade) January 1304 and Hugh Corbett, devoted emissary of King Edward I, has been charged with yet another dangerous mission. Scrope, an unscrupulous manor lord, has reneged on his promise to hand over a priceless ornate cross he stole from the Templars during the Crusades. Furthermore, he has massacred as heretics fourteen members of a religious order, whose corpses now hang in the woods near Mistleham in Essex. The King, determined to restore order sends Corbett to Mistleham in his stead. But as Corbett reaches the troubled village, it becomes obvious that the situation has worsened. A mysterious bowman has appeared, killing townspeople at random. Is one of the Brethren responsible, or have the Templars arrived to wreak revenge?

Domenici, Joe Bringing Back the Dead ($24.95 US Cloth) Confined to a wheelchair throughout his impressive career with the Defense Department and anticipating a quiet retirement, Vietnam veteran Custer teams up with fellow vet Ted Hickman when one of their former squadron members goes missing in the Florida swamps

Douglas, Carole Nelson Cat in a Sapphire Slipper: A Midnight Louie Mystery ($24.95 US Cloth) When Aunt Kit's fiancé and Temple Barr's boyfriend Matt are kidnapped from a bachelor party and taken to a Nevada ranch, Matt discovers a murdered young woman, while feline sleuth Louie, who managed to attend the kidnapping, endeavours to bail out his human friends

Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: a Life in Letters ($27.95 Trade) Compiled by J Lelleburg, and C Foley. Although Doyle and his Holmes continue to be much written about, talked about and adapted, this is the first time that this material, along with other personal papers, has ever been made available.

Drake, Rebecca Dead Place ($6.99 US ) Arriving in the seemingly quiet campus town of Wickfield to start a new life after a traumatic attack, Kate Corbin finds herself plunged into a deadly game with a twisted serial killer who has decided to make her his next victim.

Dryden, Alex Red to Black ($32.95 Trade) Set in Vladimir Putin's new, enriched Russia, where democracy has been hijacked by the neo-KGB. This book is both a thriller and a love story that unfolds in the dimly lit worlds of the Russian and British secret services. Following the lives of two spies, their relationship and the organisations they're part of this is a truly frightening portrait of the new, aggressive Russian state

Dunn, Carola Black Ship: a Daisy Dalrymple Mystery ($24.95 US Cloth) Inheriting a home on the outskirts of London from Alec's late uncle, the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher, her Scotland Yard detective husband Alec Fletcher, and their infant twins are delighted to move into a larger house, until a corpse turns up their garden bushes and rumours abound about bootleggers, American gangsters, and an international liquor smuggling ring

Durbridge, Francis Paul Temple and the Madison Mystery (CD) ($39.95) The setting is London and the home counties. There are dipsomaniac vamps, amnesiac millionaires, circus knife throwers, snake hipped gigolos, bombs in suitcases, daring burglars, undercover policemen and - of course - sinister foreigners. There is also an object that contains a mysterious secret: in this case a penny on the end of a watch chain. New full cast BBC dramatisation

Ellison, J.T. 14: a Taylor Jackson Novel ($6.99 US ) When four bodies are found bearing a certain marking, the residents of Nashville, Tennessee, fear that the Snow White Killer has returned after twenty years, but detective Taylor Jackson believes that the murders are the work of a copycat who enjoys mimicking famous serial killers

Erskine, Barbara Warrior's Princess ($32.95 Trade) Jess, a young teacher in London, is attacked by someone she fears knows her well. Fleeing to her sister's house in the Welsh borders to recuperate, she is disturbed by the cries of a mysterious child. Two thousand years before, the same valley is the site of a great battle between Caractacus, king of the mighty Catuvellauni tribe, and the invading Romans. The proud king is captured and taken as a prisoner to Rome with his wife and daughter, the princess Eigon. Jess is inexorably drawn to investigate Eigon's story, and as the Welsh cottage is no longer a peaceful sanctuary she determines to visit Rome. There lie the connections that will reveal Eigon's astonishing life - and which threaten to reawaken Jess's own tormentor

Evans, Bill & Marianna Jameson Category 7 ($7.99 US ) When a corrupt business mogul uses rogue weather technology to create a hurricane of unprecedented force in order to influence the president, young meteorologist Kate Sherman and CIA weatherman Jake Baxter struggle to prevent the deaths of millions of people.

Evans, Justin Good and Happy Child ($24.95) Visiting a therapist in the hope that he can save his unravelling marriage and redeem himself as a father and husband, thirty-year-old George Davies begins to recall his own dark childhood memories of his father's unexpected death, ominous visions, and erratic behaviour, and wonders if they were the product of an overactive imagination or possession by a malevolent force. A first novel

Faulks, Sebastian Engleby ($14.95 US Trade) Narrator Mike Engleby, a second-year university student, describes his life through adolescence in the 1970s, as he suffers bouts of memory loss and reveals up front that he may or may not have committed the brutal murder of his classmate, Jennifer Arkland, the young woman with whom he has become fixated and who has vanished mysteriously

Fleming, Ian Quantum of Solace: the Complete James Bond Short Stories ($15.00 US Trade) Marking the centennial of the author's birth, a comprehensive anthology of short fiction chronicling the exploits and adventures of the suave British agent includes the tales that served as the inspiration for such films as Octopussy, The Living Daylights, For Your Eyes Only, and the upcoming Fall 2008 Quantum of Solace

Fletcher, Jessica / Bain, Donald Panning for Murder (Murder She Wrote) ($6.99 US ) Jessica Fletcher's scenic cruise to Alaska is transformed into a search for a killer when she is joined by her old friend Kathy, who asks her to help locate her missing sister Wilimena, who vanished from the same ship during a previous cruise.

Ford, Clyde W. Precious Cargo ($24.95 US Cloth) When the bodies of three young Mexican women are found under strange circumstances, detective Charlie Noble is called upon to investigate with the help of Native American sea salvager Raven, following a trail of death to a suspicious father-and-son team of human traffickers.

Fowler, Christopher White Corridor: a Bryant and May Mystery ($24.95) Heading for the International Spiritualists' Convention, John May and Arthur Bryant find themselves stranded along with dozens of other motorists by a massive blizzard and soon discover that a notorious killer is also stuck along the same remote stretch of highway

Francis, David Stray Dog Winter ($32.95 Trade) Darcy, a restless young artist, travels to the Soviet Union to visit his elusive half-sister Fin. Upon his arrival in the depths of a bleak Moscow winter, Darcy is immediately embroiled in Fin's mysterious life there and also drawn to Moscow's forbidden underground, finding himself swept up in political and sexual intrigues of a nature he could never have imagined. (Australian author)

Francis, Dick / Felix Francis Dead Heat ($9.99 US Premium size) With his rising culinary career threatened by an episode of food poisoning that affects most of the guests at a private affair that he had catered, Max Moreton finds himself in more trouble when he caters an exclusive luncheon at the Two Thousand Guineas horse race, a party devastated by a bomb blast that kills some of his staff as well as many of the guests.

Furst, Alan Spies of Warsaw ($32.95 Trade) In 1937 Warsaw, on the eve of World War II, intelligence operatives on both sides of the forthcoming struggle wage their own espionage battle in a world of betrayal, intrigue, and abduction, including Colonel Jean-Frantois Mercier, a decorated hero drawn into a passionate love affair with a Parisian woman of Polish heritage, a lawyer for the League of Nations

Gallagher, Stephen Kingdom of Bones ($14.95 US Trade) Escaping from custody after being arrested for the serial killings of pauper children, former boxing champion Tom Sayers, desperate to prove himself innocent and to reveal the true murderer, searches for the dark truth and ancient evil behind the murders, with the help of his old friend, Bram Stoker, an expert in the occult.

Garmon, Haggai Red Syndrome ($7.99 US ) Leaving the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, to work for the U.S. Department of Justice, Dan Gordon begins investigating a seemingly straightforward case of money laundering involving the Russian mob that soon becomes a race against time to save the world from biological warfare

Gaylin, Alison Heartless ($21.95 US Cloth) During a trip to the idyllic Mexican village of San Esteban with her lover, Warren, magazine editor Zoe Greene is troubled by a her strange feelings about the town and its inhabitants, feelings that are complicated by Warren's bizarre disappearances and the murders of some tourists in the area

Gerritsen, Tess Keepsake ($26.00 US Cloth) Invited to witness the X-ray scanning of a mummy, medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles is shocked to discover that the mummy is actually a recent murder victim, and joins forces with Boston PD detective Jane Rizzoli in an investigation that uncovers other similar crimes.

Goddard, Robert Found Wanting ($34.95 Trade) Richard Eusden is on his way to work in London one unremarkable winter morning when he is intercepted by his ex-wife, Gemma. She has sad news of his old friend, her other ex-husband, Marty Hewitson. Marty is dying, but needs a favour done for him - now, today, at once. Eusden reluctantly agrees and sets off on what should be a simple errand. But soon it turns into a race for life, his and Marty's, across Belgium, Germany and Denmark and on into the Nordic heart of a mystery that somehow connects Marty's long dead grandfather, Clem Hewitson, an Isle of Wight police officer, with the tragic fate of the Russian Royal Family.

Goodwin, Jason Bellini Card ($29.95 Trade) The third book in Jason Goodwin's Ottoman Detective series takes Yashim from the winding alleyways of Istanbul to the decaying grandeur of Venice

Hagen, George Tom Bedlam ($24.95) Growing up fatherless in Vauxhall in the 1860s and working in a porcelain factory, young Tom Bedlam doesn't have it easy. Yet he is a positive spirit, cunning in his pursuit of love and a steadfast friend. Everything changes when his perfidious father turns up, followed by the revelation that Tom had an older brother, who disappeared at birth. Tom's desire to find him and unite his family proves an elusive but compelling quest

Hallinan, Timothy Nail Through the Heart ($24.95) Finding himself embracing domestic life in Bangkok in spite of his love for adventurous travel, writer Poke Rafferty has his world thrown into turmoil by a troubled homeless youth, a distraught woman's missing uncle, and a blackmailing thief.

Harris, Charlaine Ice Cold Grave ($32.95 Trade) Heading for Doraville, North Carolina, to investigate the disappearance of a young boy, Harper Connelly and her brother Tolliver discover that he is one of several teens who had vanished over the previous five years.

Harrison, Cora My Lady Judge: a Mystery of Medieval Ireland ($13.95 US Trade) Mara, appointed as judge and lawgiver by King Turlough Don O'Brien, arrives in a small independent kingdom on the west coast of Ireland, a land that lives according to the ancient Celtic laws of their ancestors, to investigate the mysterious death of her assistant during a traditional May Day festival, in a mystery set in sixteenth-century Ireland.

Harrison, Cora Secret and Unlawful Killing: a Mystery of Medieval Ireland ($24.95 US Cloth) With local tempers running high over the MacNamara clan steward's decision to raise the cost of tribute, no one is surprised when the man's body turns up in the local churchyard, and it is up to Mara, the Burren's Brehon Judge, to unravel the mystery, especially when another body, an alleged suicide, is discovered.

Harvey, John Gone to Ground ($21.95) When police detective Will Grayson and his partner, Helen Walker, are called upon to investigate the violent death of Stephen Bryan, a gay Cambridge academic, their first thoughts are off an ill-judged sexual encounter, of rough trade gone wrong. But as their investigation widens, their attention focuses on the biography Bryan was writing about the life and death of fifties film star, Stella Leonard, whose death from drowning, when the car she was driving skidded mysteriously off a lonely Fenland road, uncannily echoed the climax of her most notorious film, Shattered Glass. With Bryan's journalist sister egging them on, and bringing herself into mortal danger as she conducts her own investigation, Will and Helen gradually peel away the secrets of a family blighted by a lust for wealth and power and its own perverted sexuality

Hellstrom, Roslund Vault ($24.95) In a hospital basement in Stockholm, two bullet-riddled bodies lie sprawled on the floor - the victims of a terrifying hostage siege. Behind the tragedy lie dark secrets - of murder, corruption and torture

Hunsicker, Harry Crosshairs: a Lee Henry Oswald Mystery ($6.99 US ) Seeking only peace and solitude after ten tough years as a Dallas private detective, Lee Henry Oswald is drawn back into the dangerous and shadowy world when he agrees to help a medical researcher find the person threatening her daughter's life and becomes embroiled in a high-stakes game of wits with The Professor, a former intelligence operative with a deadly agenda.

Hurwitz, Gregg Andrew We Know ($32.95 Trade) A good job, a decent flat in Los Angeles, a quiet life-Nick Horrigan has finally put his traumatic past behind him. Or so it seems, until a SWAT team smashes into his place in the middle of the night. Still in pajamas, he's dragged outside to a waiting helicopter. He's told that a terrorist has seized control of a nuclear power plant and is threatening to blow it up...unless he can talk to Nick

Isleib, Roberta Asking for Murder: an Advice Column Mystery ($6.99 US ) Therapist and advice columnist Dr. Rebecca Butterman searches for the truth surrounding the brutal beating of her close friend and fellow therapist Annabelle Hart by taking on Annabelle's patients in hopes that one of them will point her in the right direction

Jackson, James Pilgrim ($32.95 Trade) 1212. In the streets of Cologne, thousands of children gather. Inspired by preachers and the promise of eternal salvation, they pledge to recapture Jerusalem for Christendom and find the True Cross, the holiest of relics lost to Islam at the Battle of Hattin twenty-five years before. Among the crowd are 12-year-old Kurt and his older sister Isolda, with others from their Rhineland village, alive with adventure. But what begins as a religious quest soon turns into a harrowing nightmare of hardship and danger.

Jones, Merry Borrowed and Blue Murders ($24.95 US Cloth) As Zoe Hayes prepares for her wedding to Detective Nick Stiles, the festivities are threatened when a jogger turns up dead on her back patio and she uncovers evidence that at least one of her future in-laws is not who he seems to be

Kellerman, Faye Cold Case ($32.95 Trade) When software billionaire Genoa Greeves was just a student, her tutor was murdered in a carjacking. Now eighteen years later, a similar murder has occurred in the Hollywood Hills and Genoa wants answers. Lieutenant Peter Decker is under pressure to connect the two cases. Faced with cold trails and dead leads, Decker enlists the help of his detective daughter, Cindy.

Kittredge, Caitlin Pure Blood ($6.99 US ) Werewolf homicide detective Luna Wilde finds herself caught in the middle of a magical war between rival witch clans as she struggles to investigate a series of brutal murders all over town and to cope with her growing attraction to Dimitri Sandovsky, who has been forbidden to associate with Luna after suffering a demon bite

Koryta, Michael Envy the Night ($32.95 Trade) Seven years after the death of his father, a covert agent who supposedly committed suicide to avoid prosecution, Frank Temple is confronted by the past in the person of Devin Matteson, the old friend and associate who had betrayed his father, as well as a web of family secrets, mob assassins, and his father's shadowy legacy.

Krueger, William Kent Red Knife: a Cork O'Connor Mystery ($25.00 US Cloth) Settling into a part-time investigating stint in the off-season, Corcoran O'Connor is caught in the middle of a gang dispute between the Aurora Anglos and the Ojibwe Reservation Red Boyz, a situation that turns deadly when the Red Boyz leader and his wife are found murdered.

Laurie, Victoria Death Perception: a Psychic Eye Mystery ($6.99 US ) While in Las Vegas, psychic Abby Cooper doesn't have time for gambling when her FBI agent boyfriend's cousin Chase is kidnapped after a bloody shoot-out in an alleyway, and all bets are off when she keeps having disturbing visions that predict Chase's death

Lavene, Joyce & Jim Lavene Wicked Weaves: a Renaissance Faire Mystery ($6.99 US ) While apprenticing for Mary Shift, a skilled basket maker with a dark past, at the Renaissance faire as research for her PhD, Jessie Morton, an assistant professor, goes up against a crafty killer who tries to frame Mary for murder

Lawson, Mike Dead on Arrival ($12.95) First a bomb attack on the Baltimore Harbour tunnel is averted. Then a young American Muslim is shot down in a Cessna plane whilst trying to drive it into The White House.What follows is chaos as a ruthless senator tries to pass a xenophobic law that will see non-citizen Muslims deported and extensive background checks on all Muslims living in the US carried out immediately. Speaker of the house John Mahoney wants nothing to do with the bill being pushed through. He knows all to well what trouble a law like that could stir up, and what's worse he knows the kid who tried to crash the plane into the White House. Enter Joe DeMarco, a man with a shady past, a lawyer who has never practised law. He's charged with investigating the attacks but there's a twist to the attempted mass destruction, something the FBI didn't even see, and suddenly at every turn DeMarco faces a new and terrifying danger

Littlewood, Ann Night Kill ($24.95 US Cloth) Hoping for a reconciliation with her estranged but newly sober husband, Rick, Iris Oakley, a young zookeeper at the Finley Memorial Zoo in Vancouver, Washington, is stunned when he turns up drunk--and dead--in the lion exhibit, but when she embarks on personal quest for the truth, she finds herself targeted by a series of near-fatal "accidents."

Lowe, Sheila Written in Blood ($6.99 US ) Hollywood forensic handwriting expert Claudia Rose must help Paige Sorensen, the young widow of a rich older man, prove to her stepchildren that she did not forge their father's signature on his will, and breaks one of her cardinal rules of business by getting personally involved in this case.

Lustbader, Eric First Daughter ($25.95 US Cloth) Blaming himself for the accident that ended his daughter's life, ATF agent Jack McClure vows to rescue the kidnapped daughter of the newly elected president, an effort that pits him against a lethal and calculating adversary.

MacKinnon, Amy Tethered ($24.00 US Cloth) Discovering a neglected little girl, Trecie, playing in the funeral parlour where she works, Clara Marsh, a young mortician, finds her solitary world unravelling as she becomes involved in a three-year-old cold case involving the murder of an identified young girl whose unclaimed body had been found nearby, a case that may have a strange link to Trecie. A first novel

Makine, Andrei Human Love ($25.00 US Cloth) Rescued from certain death by a Catholic priest, African youth Elias Almedia becomes a brilliant pupil before memories about his heroic parents prompt his support of a worldwide revolutionary movement, for which he trains in the arts of espionage and sabotage before falling in love with a white woman and realizing he wants a simpler life

Mankell, Henning Pyramid and Four Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries ($26.95 US Cloth) A volume of short works featuring the popular investigator features Wallander as a young patrolman on his first case, a new father facing unexpected danger on Christmas Eve, a middle-aged man solving a poisoning death, a separated husband investigating a photographer's murder, and a veteran detective connecting a dual murder to a plane crash.

Mariani, Scott Mozart Conspiracy ($8.95) Former SAS operative Ben Hope is running for his life. Enlisted by the beautiful Leigh Llewellyn - world famous opera star and Ben's first love - to investigate her brother's mysterious death, Ben finds himself caught up in a centuries-old puzzle. The official line states that Oliver died whilst investigating Mozart's death, but the facts don't add up. Oliver's research reveals that Mozart, a notable freemason, may have been killed by a shadowy and powerful splinter group of the cult. The only clues lie in an ancient letter, believed to have been written by Mozart himself

Mariotte, Jeff Right to Die (CSI: Miami) ($7.99 US ) When an innocent bystander ends up dead following a drug buy gone bad, igniting tensions between two rival gangs, Caine and his team must find the shooter before Miami goes up in flames, while, at the same time, searching for a bomber who had killed a doctor and his family

Marston, Edward Iron Horse ($22.95) Hordes of people are on their way to Derby Day at Epsom Downs. Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck and his assistant are assigned to the case of the disembodied head found in a hatbox on a train, a murky course of events that takes in murder, fraud and race-fixing.

Martin, Andrew Death on a Branch Line (Jim Stringer Steam Detective) ($32.95 Trade) In the sweltering summer of 1911, trouble is brewing with Germany. Half the country is on strike; the other half seems to be in flames. And railway detective Jim Stringer has forty-eight hours to solve a murder not yet committed.

Matetsky, Amanda Dial Me For Murder: a Paige Turner Mystery ($6.99 US ) When Sabrina Stanhope asks her to investigate the murder of Virginia Pratt, a young secretary by day and high-priced call girl by night, whose naked body was found in Central Park, crime reporter Paige Turner, asked to keep her findings a secret to avoid a scandal, must go undercover to catch a killer

Mathis, Greg Street Judge ($24.00 US Cloth) Presiding over a Detroit murder case in which a drug-dealing suspect will talk to no one but him, a newly appointed judge refuses to compromise his moral code when the dealer demands privileges and protection in exchange for information.

McCarry, Charles Christopher's Ghosts: a Paul Christopher Novel ($13.95 US Trade) A tale spanning the period from the late 1930s to the height of the Cold War follows Paul Christopher's struggles against the rise of Nazi totalitarianism in Berlin through his efforts to escape the machinations of an S.S. officer who would kill Christopher for exposing the man's brutal actions.

McInerny, Ralph Green Revolution: a Mystery Set at the University of Notre Dame ($24.95 US Cloth) With alumni in an uproar over Notre Dame's disastrous football season and the school in turmoil over what to do about the situation, Roger Knight, professor of Catholic Studies at the university, finds himself a marked man as he and his P.I. brother Philip launch separate investigations to put a stop to a campus conspiracy

Meltzer, Brad Book of Lies ($25.99 US Cloth) An unexpected meeting with his long-lost father thrusts Cal Harper into a high-stakes pursuit of an enigmatic weapon linked to a pair of murders--the killing of Cain in the Bible, and the murder that inspired the creation of the comic-book hero Superman.

Munroe, Grace Blood Lines ($8.99) A woman is lured to a lonely ruin in the Scottish Highlands and strangled almost to the point of death. In Edinburgh, 29–year–old lawyer Brodie McLennan is coming to terms with the discovery of the family she never knew she had. She must also fight the increasing resentment of the Edinburgh Bar. As the complaints to the Law Society about Brodie pile up, her grandfather and legal legend Lord MacGregor fears that Brodie is in danger and advises that to protect her reputation, she should become a crown prosecutor–accept 'silk'–something that rankles with Brodie's natural inclination to protect the underdog. When Lord McGregor's prophecy is fulfilled and Brodie is implicated in the disappearance of a fellow lawyer, she realises he is right–she is now a marked woman. Then the missing woman is found in a remote mental hospital, the walls of her cell smeared in blood, the name 'Brodie' written over and over

Nelson, Carmilla Crooked ($32.95 Trade) Set against the back drop of the Askin government with events revolving around notorious crime identities Dick Reilly, Lennie McPherson and Johnny Warren, CROOKED reveals the dark underbelly of Sydney during the late 1960s. Gus Finlay is a fresh-faced young detective who is transferred to the Criminal Investigation Branch after his partner has been exposed as running crooked. Sydney is a savage place. A series of violent killings escalate with a spectacular execution-style murder. When a black book with names of prominent politicians and members of the police force is discovered among the dead man's things, the case is blown wide open, and someone will have to pay (Australian author)

Ocean, T. Lynn Southern Poison: a Jersey Barnes Mystery ($24.95 US Cloth) Wanting nothing more than to retire from her dangerous life as an ex-Marine-turned-securities operative, Jersey Barnes finds her plans once again put on hold as she copes with her tempting partner Ox, the arrival of his ex-wife and daughter, assassins, and a father who seems bent on going to jail.

Paretsky, Sara Bleeding Kansas ($19.95) The Grelliers and the Schapens are two families who have been farming in the Kaw River Valley for over a hundred and fifty years, their lives connected through the generations by history and geography. Gina Haring, bringing with her the liberal air of the big city, moves into a dilapidated house near both families' properties. Gina has secrets, her own reasons for being in the Kansas countryside, and they're not necessarily what the people around her imagine. Susan's involvement with her stirs up the wrath of the Schapen clan - and has cataclysmic results for her own family

Parry, Bronwyn As Darkness Falls ($32.95 Trade) As Darkness Falls is set in the isolation of a small town on the edge of the New South Wales outback. Haunted by her failures, country police officer Detective Isabella O'Connell is recalled to duty by Detective Alec Goddard to investigate the abduction of yet another child from her old home town. With the killer playing a game of cat and mouse and targeting Bella, they have only days in which to find the girl alive, but they have very few clues, a whole town of suspects, and a vast wilderness to search. For Bella, this case is already personal; for Alec his best intentions to keep it purely professional soon dissolve. He starts to think of the missing child as if she were his own, and his anguish over Bella's safety moves beyond the just his concern for a colleague. Their mutual attraction leaves them both vulnerable to their private nightmares - nightmares that the killer ruthlessly exploits (Australian author)

Peacock, Justin Cure for Night ($24.95 US Cloth) Taking a job with the Brooklyn Public Defender's Office after being fired from his law firm following a drug-related scandal, Joel Devereux agrees to assist lead attorney Myra Goldstein in a high-profile murder case involving a black pot dealer accused of killing a white college student in a street shooting, a case that could make or break his career. A first novel.

Peters, Elizabeth Laughter of Dead Kings ($25.95 US Cloth) A final instalment of the series featuring irrepressible art historian Vicky Bliss finds her setting off on a wild chase to clear the name of her boyfriend, Sir John Smythe, when he is implicated in a high-profile Egyptian artefact theft, a case that is complicated by Vicky's gnawing doubts about John's innocence

Phelan, James Blood Oil ($32.95 Trade) Now working as an investigative journalist, Lachlan Fox has been visiting some of the World's trouble spots. But a trip to Africa brings him face to face with a horror that could change him forever. Set in Nigeria, Venezuela, the US and UK the book is about terrorism, oil supply and poverty (Australian author)

Pyper, Andrew Killing Circle ($24.95 US Cloth) Joining a local writing circle in order to try his hand at fiction, journalist and single father Patrick Rush is disturbed when a woman from his neighborhood vanishes, only to turn up dead under sinister circumstances that could be linked to the writing club, but his investigation becomes a personal race against time when his own son

Reichs, Kathy Devil Bones ($32.95 Trade) When a plumber discovers the remains of a murdered girl and various dark religious objects in the cellar of a client's house, Temperance Brennan is called in to investigate the case

Rendell, Ruth Not in the Flesh ($21.95) Searching for truffles in a wood, a man and his dog unearth something less savoury - a human hand. The body, as Chief Inspector Wexford is informed later, has lain buried for ten years or so, wrapped in a purple cotton sheet. The post mortem can not reveal the precise cause of death. The only clue is a crack in one of the dead man's ribs. Although it covers a relatively short period of time, the police computer stores a long list of missing persons. So Wexford knows he is going to have a job on his hands to identify the corpse. And then, only about twenty yards away from the woodland burial site, in the cellar of a disused cottage, another body is found

Robbins, Harold / Junius Podrug Deceivers ($25.95 US Cloth) Imparted a priceless work of illicitly obtained Angkor Wat art by her local Thai restaurant delivery person, art expert Madison Dupre finds herself travelling to the dangerous city of Phnom Penh, where she is surrounded by antique looters and a host of treacherous adversaries

Robbins, Harold / Junius Podrug Looters ($7.99 US ) Madison Dupre, the curator for the multimillion-dollar Piedmont art collection, finds herself in a battle for her reputation and her life after acquiring the a priceless artefact that may have been stolen from the Baghdad museum.

Royal, Priscilla Forsaken Soul: a Medieval Mystery ($24.95 US Cloth) The poisoning death of Martin the cooper is just the start of trouble for the village of Tyndal and for Prioress Eleanor as she deals with a host of suspects in the crime, a new anchoress who terrifies her servants, the suspect loyalty of Brother Thomas, and further crimes, in a mystery set against the backdrop of thirteenth-century England.

Rozan, S. J. Absent Friends ($6.99 US ) The lives of seven childhood friends are forever altered by secrets of the past, until a colleague's search for answers after the September 11th tragedy--that claimed the life of one of the seven--threatens to unlock their silence.

Sandford, John Heat Lightning ($26.95 US Cloth) Working on a case involving a pair of murders in which the victims are found with lemons in their mouths, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers struggles to find a connection that could prevent additional killings.

Scarrow, Simon Centurion ($19.95) It's the first century AD and the Roman Empire faces a new threat from its long-standing enemy, Parthia. With Parthia vying for control of Palmyra - an officially neutral kingdom - the Governor of Syria dispatches experienced officers Macro and Cato, and a small task force, to protect Palmyra's borders from invasion. But the Roman army's presence in Palmyra prompts Parthia to amass its armies for war. After numerous tough battles and a great loss of life, Rome conquers the enemy. But then a misguided general follows the retreating troops too far into Parthia and danger looms once more

Sebold, Alice Almost Moon ($14.99 US Trade) Having set aside her own life in her support of her parents, husband, and children, Helen Knightly confronts the realities of the choices that were imposed upon her during a harrowing twenty-four-hour period of death and revelation.

Sharp, Zoe Second Shot: a Charlie Fox Thriller ($19.95) Hired to protect the beautiful Simone and her little girl while searching for Simone's long-lost father, female bodyguard Charlie Fox confronts a ruthless enemy who will do anything to stop her, including leaving her alone and wounded in the middle of a frozen New England woods.

Shattuck, Shari Speak of the Devil ($7.99 US ) Greer Sands, who has a unique talent for seeing glimpses of the future and reading auras, has a terrifying premonition at her friend Jenny's baby shower, while Greer's son Joshua tries to help his new friend Simon escape the grasp of a dark figure that is bent on destroying him

Shefchik, Rick Green Monster: a Sam Skarda Mystery ($24.95 US Cloth) After their second World Series win, Red Sox owner Louis Kenwood receives an extortion letter signed "Babe Ruth" that claims that the 2004 series had been fixed and demanding millions to keep the information from the press and Commissioner's office, and turns to private detective Sam Skarda to find out who is behind the extortion plot

Shuman, George D. Lost Girls: a Sherry Moore Novel ($25.00 US Cloth) Summoned to the Caribbean by a mysterious philanthropist to solve the mystery of a murdered woman whose body had been branded with a hunting tattoo, blind psychic Sherry Moore unveils key information about a human trafficking network and meets a legendary voodoo priest with powers like her own

Slaughter, Karin Martin Misunderstood ($17.95) Crime fiction obsessive Martin Reed is the proverbial butt of everyone's jokes. Working as a glorified accountant at Southern Toilet Supply and still living with his cantankerous mother, he has become resigned to the world in which he lives - the school bullies now pick on him in the workplace, women still spurn him and his arch enemy is now his supervisor. But then he arrives at work one morning to find the police on site. A co-worker has been brutally murdered and her body abandoned in a ditch. And the overwhelming evidence points to Martin - especially when he can't or won't admit that he has an alibi. When a second victim is found in the company bathroom, things really conspire against Martin. The one bright star on his otherwise bleak horizon is the beautiful and sympathetic Detective Anther Albada, but even she's beginning to have her doubts about his innocence. Could Martin be guilty? Or is he just misunderstood?

Smith, Alexander McCall Careful Use of Compliments: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel ($24.95) The fourth novel in the Sunday Philosophy Club series. Philosopher and amateur sleuth Isabel Dalhousie is about to find her Edinburgh home life profoundly altered by the birth of her baby. But this event is not universally welcomed: Cat, Isabel's niece, has her reasons for not feeling warmly disposed towards the new arrival. Isabel is nevertheless, as her profession dictates, philosophical about such difficulties. But it is her professional curiosity that draws her into the investigation of a strange affair involving a painter who is there, and then not there, and then there again. Who painted what, and when?

Smith, Alexander McCall Comforts of a Muddy Saturday: an Isabel Dalhousie Novel ($22.95 US Cloth)

Spignesi, Stephen Dialogues ($6.99 US ) A series of dialogues with the doctor assigned by the court to assess her competence to stand trial offers a glimpse inside the mind of Tory Troy, a young woman in a Connecticut mental hospital facing six charges of felony murder

Stanley, Kelli Nox Dormienda: an Arcturus Mystery ($48.00 Cloth) Arcturus, the half-native, half-Roman doctor, is the friend of Agricola, governor of Britannia, in 83 A.D. Now he learns that the governor is in trouble. The Emperor Domitian has sent a spy to Britannia, a spy carrying papers demanding Agricola's resignation. Then he finds the spy murdered and if he doesn't find out who murdered him and why, Domitian might think the governor is responsible.

Steinhauer, Olen Victory Square ($24.95) In the 1980s, Emil Brod, on the verge of retirement from his position as the chief of the People's Militia, journeys back in time to the 1940s as he reopens an old case that had started his career in which he had sent one of the country's revolutionary leaders to prison.

Stewart, Mariah Forgotten ($6.99 US ) More than a decade after serial killer Sheldon Woods receives multiple life sentences in exchange for locating the bodies of some of his victims, FBI agent Portia Cahill teams with defence attorney James Cannon to find the rest of the missing boys, only to be drawn into a cat-and-mouse game with a monster targeting a fresh wave of innocent victims.

Stout, Rex Some Buried Caesar / The Golden Spiders ($15.00 US Trade) Nero Wolfe and his sidekick, Archie Goodwin, investigate the murder of a restaurateur found dead next to the championship bull that he planned to prepare for a special barbecue in Some Buried Caesar, and find clues to the murders of his last two clients in a grey Cadillac, a mysterious woman, and spider-shaped earrings in The Golden Spiders

Swain, James Midnight Rambler ($7.99 US ) His life in tatters after he uses excessive force to take down the "Midnight Rambler" serial killer, former cop Jack Carpenter is drawn back into the bizarre case when forensic evidence clears the man convicted of the crime

Swain, James Night Stalker ($25.00 US Cloth) A specialist in finding missing persons, ex-cop Jack Carpenter is stunned when he is hired by convicted serial killer Abb Smith to find Smith's grandson, only to discover that the case involves Heather Rinker, a childhood friend of Jack's own daughter.

Thayer, Terri Stamped Out: a Stamping Sisters Mystery ($6.99 US ) While helping her father restore the town's famous Winchester mansion, restoration expert and professional rubber stamper April Buchert must also help prove his innocence when the discovery of a skull in the abandoned guesthouse behind the mansion has all eyes on him

Theorin, Johan Echoes From The Dead ($32.95 Trade) On a foggy autumn's day in the early 1970s, a little boy disappears without trace from the island of Oland. For days, his family, the police and volunteers search for him. He is never found. Twenty years later his mother, Julia, is living on the Swedish mainland and is still struggling to come to terms with her son's disappearance. Julia receives an unexpected phone call from her father, a retired sea captain still living on the island who tells her that the postman has delivered a package containing the worn and mended shoe of a child. He's pretty sure it belongs to her son. (In 2007 this was voted Best First Mystery Novel by the authors and critics of the Swedish Academy of Crime)

Thrasher, Travis Isolation ($13.99 US Trade) Believing that she is losing her sanity when she experiences frightening and violent visions in her family's new home in North Carolina, Stephanie, the wife of a burned-out missionary, hopes for her brother's help only to discover that he is hiding a disturbing secret.

Vorhaus, John Under the Gun ($6.99 US ) When his brother, Guy, a professional gambler, is killed right before his eyes, Hal Harris, gambling with his own life, dives straight into Guy's high-adrenaline world by taking his place in a multi-million dollar poker tournament in hopes of catching a killer.

Wall, Carolyn D. Sweeping Up Glass ($24.95 US Cloth) Living behind Harker's Grocery with a young boy named Will'm in 1938 Kentucky, Olivia is stunned when members of the exclusive Hunt Club suddenly turn their sights on the two of them, a dangerous situation complicated by the return of Will'm's mother and the exposure of the Rowe Street community's horrifying secrets

Woods, Stuart Beverly Hills Dead ($9.99 US Premium size) A top-ranking executive of a Hollywood movie studio finds his starlet wife and associates under investigation when a screenwriter friend is targeted by witch hunters from the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Woods, Stuart Hot Mahogany: a Stone Barrington Novel ($25.95 US Cloth) Hired by his CIA boss to protect his older brother, an Army intelligence operative who is suffering from amnesia, Stone Barrington learns about his charge's talent for restoring antiques and his links to a haunting event in Vietnam more than thirty years earlier.

Wroblewski, David Story of Edgar Sawtelle ($27.95 Trade) On a farm in remote northern Wisconsin the mute and brilliant Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents Gar and Trudy. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomised by Almodine, Edgar's lifelong companion. But when his beloved father mysteriously dies, Edgar blames himself, if only because his muteness left him unable to summon help. Grief-stricken and bewildered by his mother's desperate affair with her dead husband's brother, Edgar's world unravels one spring night when, in the falling rain, he sees his father's ghost. After a botched attempt to prove that his uncle orchestrated Gar's death, Edgar flees into the Chequamegon wilderness leading three yearling dogs. Yet his need to face his father's murderer, and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs, turn Edgar ever homeward. When he returns, nothing is as he expects, and Edgar must choose between revenge or preserving his family legacy

Xiaolong, Qiu Red Mandarin Dress: an Inspector Chen Novel ($24.95) Taking heat from officials because of his probe into a sensitive corruption case, Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department finds himself caught up in what could be the most dangerous case of his career when the bodies of two young women dressed in identical red mandarin dresses turn up, igniting fears of the city's first sexual serial killer