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At the Scene, November 2009 Solving the mystery of what to read next!
In This Issue
Greetings from Kate
Legal Thrillers
Overheard
Gift Guide
Quick Links
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Book Reviews
Mystery Scene Blog


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Holiday delivery! Mystery Scene #112
on its way to a mailbox near you
Sara Paretsky, Larry Block, Peter Lovesey, MS Gift Guide


Hello everyone,

The holiday season is just getting started, and it's the perfect time of the year to ponder peace... and justice. MS contributing editor Cheryl Solimini does just that in her interview with author and social crusader Sara Paretsky, who tackles civil rights and racism in her latest V.I. Warshawski novel, Hardball.

Jon L. Breen also rounds up the best new legal thrillers (for a taste see below); Tom & Enid Schantz sit down with Britsh mystery luminary Peter Lovesey; Nate Pedersen continues his informative series "Building Your Book Collection" with an installment on booksellers' terms; and we embark down memory lane with Lawrence Block as he relates how the writer Stanley Ellin once put one over on Crime Club editor Lee Wright...

And last, but not least, check out the killer gift ideas in the eclectic "Mystery Scene Gift Guide." Happy holidays everyone!

Sincerely,
Kate Stine
Editor-in-Chief

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Read Anything Good Lately?
Lisa Boushehri says: "All 17 Phryne Fisher mysteries by Kerry Greenwood are quick, fun, witty, and the other day, one of them even made me cry!"

Lisa won a free book for her recommendation. Email us your fave raves for the "Our Readers Recommend" feature and be entered to win!


Legal Eagle: Robert Rotenberg
Just one of the many picks from "Criminal Sentences: Outstanding Legal Thrillers" in MS Issue #112

The best first novel in my stack is Robert Rotenberg's Old City Hall (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $26.00). Canadian radio broadcaster Kevin Brace, charged with the bathtub stabbing murder of his common-law wife Katherine Torn, told his newspaper deliveryman "I killed her," but thereafter refused to speak, communicating minimally with his defense lawyer through notes. Solicitor/barrister Nancy Parish and her opponent Crown Attorney Albert Fernandez are each arguing a murder case for the first time. The style, characters, courtroom combat, and vivid and loving portrait of Toronto (including an unlikely run for the Stanley Cup by the Maple Leafs) are all fine, and the wild closing action leads to a possibly unique in-court climax. The multi-twist plot may be too over-the-top nutty to take seriously, but sequels are worth watching for. - Jon L. Breen

Photo credit: John Narvali

"I think of lots of things while I'm walking, and a few while I'm sitting still, and I don't generally hurry to the computer to share them with the world. In this particular instance, however, it struck me that I might very well be the only person left to tell the tale. Lee Wright and Stanley Ellin both died in 1986, Don Westlake on the last day of 2008. Who else is left to remember?"

- Lawrence Block, from his debut column "The Murders in Memory Lane" in Holiday Issue #112



Pictured: Stanley Ellin (1916-1986), a master of the mystery short story.
MS Gift Guide! Tasty treats for
mystery fans and more...
From books to games to spy gadgets - we've got you covered this holiday

For those who like their mayhem sunny side up, MS gift guru Kevin Burton Smith recommends this killer egg frying mold as a stocking stuffer. Find this and much more in our biggest gift guide yet.

And did you know that Mystery Scene gift subscriptions come with a personalized holiday note on festive snowflake cards? Simply purchase your gift subscription here and enter whatever message you choose in the "Gift Card text box." New gifts will receive a hand-mailed holiday issue with your special message. For guaranteed holiday delivery, please place your gift order before December 16, 2009. Any orders received after Dec. 16 will begin with Mystery Scene Winter Issue (mid-February 2010).

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