Start Summer with a Bang!
In celebration of Independence Day, Mystery on Main Street will be closed Sunday, July 4
More titles, more imports, more diversity: That's what you will find here this month. We have expanded the number of British imports on our shelves to fill in the holes that American publishers have left by deserting some fine writers. Authors recently added/or expanded include Leigh Brackett, Jef Geeraerts, Patricia Wentworth, Hans Werner Kettenbach, Sergio Bizzio, Alys Clare, Claudia Pinero, Christopher Brookmyre, Laird Hunt, Vladislav Todorov, Manuel Vazquez Montalban, W.J. Burley, Danny King, Joseph S. Fletcher, Susanna Gregory, Ellis Peters and a whole lot more. If there are authors you are looking for but have not been able to find, just let us know.
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First Larsson Millenium DVD
On top of the best seller lists across the country is Steig Larsson's Millenium trilogy — The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. If you missed the film version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo you can catch it beginning July 6 on DVD. We have a small shipment coming in and we will be happy to put one aside for you while they last. While it is now being remade in an English-language version, it will be difficult to beat Noomi Rapace's brilliant performance as Lisbeth Salander. The widescreen DVD (in Swedish with subtitles) runs 152 minutes and sells for $29.95.
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Our Gallery
Drop by and take a look at our new photo gallery hanging in the living room at the back of the shop. The photographs are by Susan Lampe-Wilson and the images capture local places, things, flora and fauna. They are signed and numbered, handsomely matted and framed, and ready to hang. We also carry a selections of notecards featuring Susan's work. Check out her photography at www.lampewilson.zenfolio.com
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Tim Burton Cards
For those of you who couldn't make it to MoMA for the recent Tim Burton exhibition, we've brought in packs of Tim Burton's Playing Cards with illustrations by the Hollywood director. This set of 52 playing cards features drawings of Burton's creepy characters, with a couple of jokers thrown in for good/bad measure. Each card's back is lined in red stripes and features a skull and crossbones to warn you off using them. The packet comes from Dark Horse and sells for $5.00; in just the few short weeks we've had them, they've become exceedingly popular.
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Start Collecting... Author Signed editions
We love books. We like to hold them, page through them and feel their heft. Each has its own personality. With the onset of e-reading many are choosing to discard the uniqueness of a printed book in exchange for a digital library. But for book collectors the future appears bright. As more books get downloaded onto plastic display screens, printed titles become more scarce...especially those signed by their author. That's why we are striving to bring in more author-signed books. This month is no exception.
It would seem that this month the lucky number is 13. Tana French returns July 13 with Faithful Place. The mystery surrounds Frank Mackey, head of the Garda's Dublin undercover unit, who was introduced in French's The Likeness. Now Mackey heads front-and-center in a mystery that began for him personally in 1985 and new revelations unearth a wide range of raw emotions. Tana French fans will be delighted by this Edgar winner's latest entry in her Irish saga.
Also expected that day are John Connolly's The Whisperers and James Lee Burke's The Glass Rainbow. In The Whisperers Charlie Parker travels to the Canadian border where disenchanted former soldiers have built a smuggling operation. Meanwhile, The Glass Rainbow brings detective Dave Robicheaux back to his Louisiana hometown to investigate a murder that his best friend is accused of while his daughter becomes involved in shady business dealings.
For fans of Tess Gerristen, we have the next title in the Rizzoli and Isle series, Ice Cold, available now. In this latest mystery Maura Isles joins a group of friends for a skiing trip out west and days later Jane Rizzoli learns that Maura has been found dead in a mountain ravine. This book offers a nightmare for all concerned...and it is a must-read for series fans.
All four of these titles -- Faithful Place, The Whisperers, Ice Cold and The Glass Rainbow — will be available at Mystery on Main Street in a limited number of signed copies.They will be sold on a first-come basis so, If you are interested in reserving one or more of these titles, give us a call at 802-258-2211.
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An Author's Tale in Song
Speaking of signed books, fans of Parnell Hall, whose Caper hits bookshelves July 20, should head on over to Youtube to catch this man's latest song. It offers an insight into the pitfalls of going on the road to promote a book. If you haven't yet discovered Hall, this will give you an insight into his sense of humor. You can see and hear it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZoJ5OKmEJY
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Great Summer Read
If you haven't yet discovered Gregg Hurwitz, you need to check out his latest thriller They're Watching (Minotaur, $24.99). As always, Hurwitz knows how to execute a great setup -- just think of the opening of last year's Trust No One. They're Watching also kicks off in high gear; it then boomerangs back 10 days to the time when part-time teacher/disgraced screenwriter Patrick Davis gets the first in a series of anonymous DVDs demonstrating that he is being closely watched. Who is watching? It could be anyone from his libidinous next door neighbor to a self-centered actor to the litigious movie studio to the police to.... Well, you get the idea. This is not a murder mystery with a plot in which the suspects are all introduced early on and gathered into the library for a final solution. This, as with all Hurwitz's novels, is clockwork thriller timed with enough surprises to keep you guessing almost to the end. They're Watching is great summer reading with a popcorn sensibility; it knows it's an entertainment set on the fringes of Hollywood and it exploits all the whiz bang rollercoaster excitement of a Saturday matinee.
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We've had a great response for our Mystery on Main Street mugs and T-shirts. Thanks for the support. If you can't get to the store, you can check out our new on-line shop at http://www.cafepress.com/mysteryonmain. You will find messenger bags, sweat shirts, T-shirts of different colors and so much more. Any purchases through that website are processed by cafepress.
We try to update this site weekly, but every once in a while we have more to say than will comfortably fit on this webpage, hence: www.mysteryonmain.blogspot.com Or visit our facebook page and become a fan!
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