Monday, August 16, 2010

Just Had to Pick Up a Few Things at the Poisoned Pen

I mentioned in my latest Weekly Link Round-Up that I went to the Poisoned Pen for my first-ever author signing. (I'm a bookaholic and have never before been to an author signing?!? No, I will not tell you the name of the rock I've been hiding under!)

I fully intend to share Nevada Barr's author signing with you, but I also thought that I'd share the books that came home with me. You knew I came home with some. You knew I couldn't walk out of my favorite bookstore in the world without buying something.

You know me too well!

These are the four books that insisted on jumping into my red shopping bag and coming home with me. Nevada will make her appearance in another post.
  1. Burn by Nevada Barr. "Barr's outstanding 16th Anna Pigeon novel (after Borderline) takes the National Park Service ranger to the urban wilderness of post-Katrina New Orleans, where the Jazz National Heritage Park preserves the Big Easy's music. Anna comes to believe that a creepy neighbor, Jordan, one of the 'gutter punks' who roam the city, is a pedophile. But Jordan turns out to have another side, and his link with Clare Sullivan, a Seattle actress whose family was murdered in a fire Clare is suspected of setting, is a linchpin of Barr's skillful plot. Anna vividly maneuvers the lurid city jungle, from a Bourbon Street strip joint, where the women have formed a family, to a brothel specializing in children. Anna also learns that appearances can deceive even the most insightful of rangers. Anna's complex personality continues to elevate the series, and the ranger's sojourn to New Orleans further energizes this always reliable series."
  2. Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint. "Flint's promising first in a new series introduces portly Inspector Singh of the Singapore police. Singh's bosses send him to Kuala Lumpur to see that former model Chelsea Liew, a Singaporean accused of murdering her abusive Malaysian husband, timber tycoon Alan Lee, gets justice rather than summary execution. Singh has few leads, and an annoyingly fit, young, and handsome Sergeant Shukor of the Malaysian police hounds his steps, ostensibly to help--but really to spy on him. It is, on the face of it, an open and shut case. Chelsea had been suing for divorce and the custody of her children when Alan's lawyer announced that his client had converted to Islam and had declared his minor sons Muslim as well so that only the religious courts had jurisdiction over the custody hearing. At this point Chelsea threatened to kill Alan, who was found fatally shot soon after. Flint keeps the reader hooked right up to the unexpected resolution."
  3. The Anteater of Death by Betty Webb. "If Lucy, the pregnant Giant Anteater from Belize, didn't kill the man found dead in her enclosure at California's Gunn Zoo, who did? Zookeeper Teddy Bentley must find the real murderer before her furry friend is shipped off to another zoo in disgrace. Then another human bites the dust, the monkeys riot, and the wolves go nuts. Things get worse when the snooty folks at Gunn Landing Harbor attempt to evict Teddy from the Merilee, her beloved houseboat. That's just the beginning. Her father, on the lam from the Feds for embezzling millions, gets targeted by a local gangster; and Caro, Teddy's socialite and former beauty queen mother, who loathes Teddy's dangerous job, starts introducing her to eligible bachelors. Then Teddy herself becomes a target for murder."
  4. Fatal Fixer-Upper by Jennie Bentley. "Avery Baker was once a New York textile designer, but inheriting her aunt's old Maine cottage has led her down a new career path-- home renovation. Finding a property's hidden potential has rewards and challenges-- especially when a mystery surfaces behind the walls. To Avery, the idea of preparing her aunt's crumbling and cluttered home for sale is overwhelming. So when someone offers to buy the place as is, Avery's relieved. Until she learns it's worth more than she thought-- that is, with a few repairs here and there."


4 comments:

  1. Cathy - Those look interesting! I'm especially interested in what you'll think of the Shamini Flint book. Hope you enjoy them all : ).

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  2. Nice little haul. Now I'm off to read all about the signing!

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  3. Aw, it's nice to see you adopted some homeless books! They all look good to me.

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  4. Margot-- I picked it up this afternoon when I couldn't easily get my hands on the book I'm reading. Before the end of the first chapter, I was hooked. I can't wait to get back to it!

    Beth-- The signing was wonderful!

    Kathy-- I'm looking forward to The Anteater of Death because I've met the anteater the book is based on! :)

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