Mystery Quiz
These two New England fishing buddies, who included fishing adventures in both their long-running mystery series, eventually wrote three books together (which also often focused on fishing). Who were the authors and who were their detectives?
Send your answer to info@mainelymurders.com (subject line: quiz). A prizewinner (a $25 gift card) will be randomly drawn from correct submissions.
Congratulations to Dawn Hamilton of Yarmouth, who identified the late
Dick Francis
(1920-2010) as the British writer who, having left school at 15 because all he wanted to do was ride horses, turned his experience as a steeplechase jockey into a career authoring some 40 international bestsellers.
We received a record number of correct responses to last month's question. Coincidently, we have a large number of
Francis'
novels, written between 1962 and 2010. If you've never read
Francis-
-or it's been a long time since you visited his horseracing world--he's well worth the read.
Happy Birthdays
Each month we note birthdays of some of the masters of the mystery genre, with hopes that readers might read (or re-read) one of their gems.
James M. Cain
, born July 1, 1892, is often compared to
Hammett
and
Chandler
. His most famous books, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, and Mildred Pierce,
were turned into movies that may be more well known than the books.
Cain
, who died in 1977, was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1970.
Donald E. Westlake
, three-
time Edgar winner and 1993 Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, wrote more than 100 novels, many of which were turned into movies. His most famous mysteries were his Dortmunder comic crime series and the grimmer Parker series (as
Richard Stark
). Born in Brooklyn on July 12, 1933, he spent most of his life in New York City. He died in 2008.
Do
rothy L. Sayers
, born
July 13, 1893, in Oxford, England, was the creator of Lord Peter Wimsey (and later, Harriet Vane). Considered one of the three greatest British classic writers--along with
Agatha Christie
and
Josephine Tey
--
Sayers
herself valued more her translations and Christian essays. She died in 1957.
Grand Master
Erle Stanley
Gardner
, the creator of Perry Mason, was born July 17, 1889, in Malden, Massachusetts. Some of his 82 Mason titles ( The Case of the ...) were among the century's best-selling books. He died in 1970.
Raymond Chandler
, born July 23, 1888, in Chicago, and one of the founders of the hard-boiled detective school, was also a noted screenwriter and was nominated for an Oscar for both Double Indemnity and
The Blue Dahlia. He died in 1959.
John D. MacDonald
was born
July 24, 1916, in Sharon, Pennsylvania, and is to be
remembered for his detective/thief Travis McGee. A Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, he died in 1986.
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What better way to carry your books (or anything else) and at the same time demonstrate your love of mysteries than with our signature black bag?
Made of durable fabric with reinforced 20-inch handles, the bag sports our recognizable logo. ($7)
Remember, if you've taken your Mainely Murders bag on a trip, let us know. Send your photo (jpg) and details to info@mainelymurders.com.
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Thank you!
Thank you for supporting
Mainely Murders
and other small independent booksellers. At a time when
you have other choices
,
you've shown a commitment
to those of us who are part
of the local community and
who consider customers to
be friends and neighbors.
We take great pride in talking
with our clientele, whether
it's trading viewpoints on
favorites or recommending new titles and authors.
________________________
Mail Orders
Just because you can't be here today, tomorrow, or even next week doesn't mean you can't get your favorite books from us. We happily accept mail, phone, or e-mail orders. You can reach us at 207-985-8706 or info@mainelymurders.com.
We'll contact you to confirm your order, availability of titles, and method of payment. Unless otherwise requested, we ship USPS media mail.
Our gift cards are available in any amount. The perfect gift for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, or "just because."
We're happy to take mail/phone orders and will send to you or directly to the recipient.
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Greetings,
We've heard July called the "sweet spot" of summer in Maine. That's the reason so many tourists flock here. They look, as we do, for those warm days of sunlight with light sea breezes and the cool nights.
July (and its sister August) bring our summertime
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Finn, a French bulldog from New York City, laid claim to his favorite books while his "people,"
Macon Andaya and
Matt Sniegoski, shopped inside. He gave the dog mysteries a paws-up review.
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"regulars," people who make it a point to visit Maine (and Mainely Murders) the same time each year. Some remind us that they've been coming since our "beginning" while others tell us how many years they've been coming or explain why they missed last year.
Getting to really know our customers has been a revelation to us. We're not just talking about their taste in books but also their travels, families, and friends they've brought. Truthfully, we hadn't realized how very personal book selling would become.
Of course, just as many of you say you envy our winter travels, so too do we envy your river cruises, garden tours, and long sea voyages.
We look forward to seeing you soon and exchanging new memories.
Happy reading!
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Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue
We're celebrating the Fourth of July--Yes, we'll be
open!--with a firecracker of a sale, our biggest-ever selection of American best-selling authors.
Visit us and check out the sale cabinet, where you'll find the most celebrated of American crime writers--J
ames Patterson
,
Robert Crais
,
Vince Flynn
,
Lee Child
,
Patricia Cornwell
,
John Grisham
,
Robert B. Parker
,
Tess Gerritsen
,
Catherine Coulter
,
Brad Meltzer
,
Michael Connelly
,
D
avid Baldacci,
and more.
Hardbacks in excellent condition, many first editions, are priced at $3 each or $10 for four. You'll never see selection or price like this again.
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Fowl Play
Our new-this-year mascots, Nick and Nora, have adjusted well to their new surroundings and have been making themselves quite at home. Though perhaps not quite the ardent readers we are, they have, however, selected a favorite or two.
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Signed Firsts
Signed, first editions have long been held in high esteem by book lovers. Many of us have our own, if limited, collections. For example we like having a signed
Sara Paretsky
,
Patricia Moyes
,
Sue Grafton
,
Louise Penny,
and other authors we've met.
While from the beginning our inventory has been focused on readers, not collectors, we occasionally, as was the case recently, come upon discoveries we like to pass along to our customers.
These are signed, mylar-covered first edition runs of some of our customers' favorite authors like
Louise Penny
,
Paul Doiron
,
Tess Gerritsen
,
Lee Child
,
David Baldacci
,
Michael Connelly
,
Robert Crais
, and others.
Prices vary and supply is limited.
Let us know if you're interested.
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Coming Soon
Linda Castillo
, Shamed [Kate Burkholder #11]
Catherine Coulter
, Labyrinth [FBI #23]
Lindsay Davis
, A Capitol Death [Flavia Albia #7]
Garry Disher
, Under the Cold Bright Lights [NS]
Anthony Horowitz
, The Sentence Is Death [Horowitz & Hawthorne #2]
Stephen Hunter
, Game of Snipers [Bob Lee Swagger #12]
Laura Lippman
, Lady in the Lake [NS]
P
eter Lovesey
, Killing with Confetti
[Peter Diamond #18]
Adrian McKinty
, The Chain [NS]
*
David Rosenfel
t, Bark of Night [Andy Carpenter #19]
*Maine author
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Old and New Books
We know Mainely Murders customers think of us as their No. 1 source for used mysteries. And, of course, we sell new releases, too, regularly stocking the latest book by our best-selling authors.
Remember, though, we can provide you with any new book, often on the day of release (truthfully the next day as new books come out on Tuesdays in the U.S. and Britain). Call or e-mail us to pre-order. As a small, independent bookseller, we're most appreciative of those people who choose to purchase from us.
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Customers Recommend
Marilyn Brooks of Needham, Massachusetts, isn't just our favorite mystery blogger (
www.marilynsmysteryreads.com
), she's also a masterful course leader at the Brandeis Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (BOLLI) at Brandeis University.
Marilyn's course scheduled for fall--Whodunit?: Murder She Wrote--has us reminiscing about one of our favorite topics: female crime writers.
Many mystery readers and critics give credit to
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
and
Edgar Allan Poe
as the "fathers" of the detective story--but what about its "mother"? That would be
Anna Katharine Green
, whose first detective novel,
The Leavenworth Case
, was published in 1878, eleven years before Sherlock Holmes made his debut.
The authors I've selected for this class--
Agatha Christie
(Murder at the Vicarage),
Marcia Muller
(Edwin of the Iron Shoes),
Sue Grafton
(A is for Alibi),
Sara Paretsky
(Indemnity Only),
Linda Barnes
(The Trouble of Fools)
S.J. Rozan
(China Trade),
Laura Lippman
(Baltimore Blues), and
Kristen Lepionka
(The Last Place You Look)--all write of a female investigator.
The novels will take us to England, California, Chicago, Baltimore, New York City, and Boston. We will be reading the mysteries in the order they were written in order to get a sense of the development of female sleuths. We will share our viewpoints and hopefully introduce others to new authors and ideas. We will act, in a way, as sleuths, examining the clues as to what makes a mystery worth reading and, as we all gather together in the "library," perhaps come to a solution that satisfies us all.
Want to follow along with Marilyn and her class by reading the selected titles? We'll do our very best to have all the books in stock. And, we're always happy to ship to you.
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