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This week's special--a thriller with a twist

This Week's Special is a superb thriller from a writer who's established a track record of compelling reads. A reporter finds himself the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance in this page-turner that you can get with a 20% savings and free shipping.

This week's kid's special--perfect gift for Easter

With Easter coming up we thought a gift appropriate for the holiday would make a good Kid's Weekly Special. This neat, little pop-up would be pefect for the youngest reader. Save 20% on this treat and get free shipping on This Week's Kids Special.

Check out both our Weekly Specials and save some bucks this week.

Jo Nesbo -- Norwegian crime-writing star on March 18

We're thrilled that Jo Nesbo, a multi-award winning author of crime novels will be visiting Mystery Lovers Bookshop on Thursday, March 18 at 7 pm. He'll be here with his latest novel featuring Oslo police detective Harry Hole, The Devil's Star. In addition to his writing career, Nesbo is also a successful rock musician and we expect his talk and signing to be quite interesting. Please join us if you can.

March is Women's History Month

March is Women’s History month and Mystery Lovers Bookshop salutes women writers with a series of special programs.

National Women’s History Month’s roots go back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women’s Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn’t until 1981 that Congress established National Women’s History Week to be commemorated the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Now, as Mystery Lovers moves toward its 20th Birthday, we are honoring women writers throughout March 2010.

We hope you will join us by seeing that these books are in the hands of young women in your family and in your community library.

Lisa Scottoline on March 23

On Tuesday March 23, 2010 at 7 PM Mystery Lovers Bookshop welcomes home again best-selling author Lisa Scottoline, a mystery writer with legs--meaning many worldwide fans--for an entertaining evening of talk and at the Oakmont Carnegie Library. Admission is $5.

Lisa will be here with her new thriller Think Twice that revisits the law firm and life of Bennie Rosato with the reappearance of her evil twin, Alice, last seen in Dead Ringer when she impersonated her. This time Alice buries Bennie alive and takes over her life and wealth in cash and relationships. The plot thickens as partners Mary DiNunzio and Judy Carrier, Private banker Marla Stone and former lover Grady Wells are all taken in by the imposter. This one’s a page-turner of complications that cuts Bennie off from any semblance of her former life and leaves her on the outside trying to get in. Number 17 is a winner for the novel of identity theft times ten!

The holiday hit publication by Scottoline will also be available. Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog: the Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman   is a collection of Lisa's wildly popular Philadelphia Inquirer columns that show the humorous side of life, from a woman's perspective. Filled with seventy charming and hilarious vignettes, it's trademark Scottoline. You will want to pick up a few copies of this book-----totally perfect as a birthday gift for women of all ages, a cheery hello or get well gift for all except those with stitches in the tummy and for Mother’s Day.

In her spare time, Lisa teaches a course she developed, "Justice and Fiction" at The University of Pennsylvania Law School, her alma mater. Lisa is a regular and much sought after speaker at library and corporate events. The award-winning Scottoline has over 25 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 25 countries. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of disobedient pets, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Alafair Burke on March 27

We're so pleased that Alafair Burke will return to MLB for a Coffee & Crime on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 10 am.

Alafair Burke returns to MLB with the third in her series with NYPD homicide detective Ellie Hatcher in 212. It begins with a seeming prank: a coed's daily movements being reported on a campus gossip site. Ellie is called onto the case when the coed is murdered in a vicious attack. Soon links to another murder emerge and Ellie is investigating the seamy world of internet stalking.

The Coffee & Crime breakfast begins at 10 am and includes a continental breakfast along with talk and signing by the authors. Cost is $5 and reservations are necessary.

Nancy Martin party a knock-out

The first two of our Women Writers events was a spectacular success. Nancy brought out a crowd of Pittsburghers, dressed in black and gold, who contributed a magnificent cookie table that would be the envy of any Pittsburgh wedding. In the process, Nancy sold over 100 copies of Our Lady of Immaculate Deception. This Pittsburgh-set series is destined to be a classic and this is your chance to pick up a signed first edition.

Other Pittsburgh women writers with books to celebrate

Heather Terrell’s new novel, Brigid of Kildare, is a complex work of historical fiction based on the life of Brigid who was an abbess in fifth century Ireland.

As in her earlier books The Chrysalis and The Map Thief, Heather moves between the present and the past as a thrilling story unfolds. In the present an expert in medieval relics is asked to examine a reliquary attributed to Brigid and found in her abby. Inside she finds a hidden manuscript that contains previously unknown facts about Brigid. Back in the fifth century we follow the story of the church's campaign to bring Brigid's practices back to orthodoxy--or to prosecute her for heresy.

For all who love a richly detailed historical puzzle, you will be spellbound by Brigid of Kildare by Heather Terrell. For those who think all Irish women are goddesses, you can add bishop to that title held by the brave and strong female who is the very foundation of the church of Ireland. In a present puzzle about the origin of holy manuscripts that could rewrite church history and back to the anger of Rome over this pagan influenced Christianity defying them, weaves a tale totally absorbing.

Pittsburgh actor, award-winning playwright and now mystery writer Kathryn Miller Haines hits all the right notes with her fourth mystery When Winter Returnswhich features New York actress Rosie Winters sleuthing and hoofing in WWII New York after returning from a USO tour in the Pacific and romantic disappointment. Embellished with much detail of the times, this story reveals many of the dangers and tensions of the homefront…saboteurs, stolen identity and blackmail…Oh my! The series provides a vivid picture of life in New York for a young working woman during the big war. Winter in June, The Winter of Her Discontent and The War Against Miss Winter and the latest deliver with the Dead-on dialogue and period detail that are the stuff that good historical mysteries are made of and this writer delivers with a bang.

Pittsburgh professor and mystery writer Kathleen George is nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America for the Best Book of 2009. Kathleen George pushes the envelope in her latest Pittsburgh-set crime novel, The Odds. Set primarily on the city’s North Side, her ensemble cast, including rookie Colleen Greer and veteran John Potocki, are drawn into a narcotics investigation that leads to four children, abandoned and on their own, trying to survive in an unforgiving neighborhood. A powerful novel that expertly combines social issues with compelling characters.

Perhaps the best known and most prolific of women mystery writers is Pittsburgh’s own Mary Roberts Rinehart [1876 - 1958]. The American Agatha Christie’s obituary in the New York Times told of 11 million in sales of her books at the time of her death. “Her literary distinction lies in the combination of love, humor and murder she wove into tales.” An early business success as a writer earned her $9 million fron “The Bat”. WWI war correspondent, advocate for early detection of breast cancer and breakthrough attendance at a political convention before women voted, all earned her public prominence for women.  Her book about a flood in Pittsburgh and a missing woman is again available as a timely reminder of life on the three rivers. The Case of Jennie Brice is a chilling whodunit set on the Northside that intrigues every Pittsburgher.

Spring cleaning? Too many books on the shelf?

If you're finding your shelves overflowing with mysteries you'll be happy to know that we've got bins in the store ready to accept your donations to local libraries. Next time your in the store why not bring along a bag of mysteries that you've already enjoyed and drop them in the orange bins at the front of the store? The libraries who get these either put them in circulation or sell them as a fundraiser and either way everyone comes out a winner.

Did you know...

Did you know that at Mystery Lovers Bookshop we are happy to order any book for you whether it is a mystery or not. Our name and specialty lead many folks to assume that we only deal in mystery but that's just not the case.

You can call or email or use our Book Search Form to tell us what you're looking for and we'll be happy to get it. That includes British publications which we can often get from our UK distributor.

You'll find a link to the Book Search Form on the right side of the web site under Special Order Books.

Just sayin'.

Just no stopping our Staff Picks now

After the amazing resurgence of Staff Picks last month, we're happy to report that Staff Picks for March has just appeared. Once again we've got a wide assortment of books, even including one for kids, that will appeal to readers of many different tastes.

As always, we wish to thank Judi, who is the real brains behind Staff Picks, for berating the staff into picking books for this popular feature. Also, thanks to the staff who pick.

We're on Facebook, become a fan (534 already are)

Finally, we've put a profile up on Facebook for Mystery Lovers Bookshop. Nows the time for all you Facebook folks out there to demonstrate the power of social networking by becoming a fan of MLB. If you do, it will be another way for us to stay in touch.

We'll be using Facebook to notify fans about events in the store and perhaps to make special deals available only to fans.

All of our upcoming events are also listed and we would love for customers to post comments or photos about events that they attend.

A book club on Facebook?

A few folks have posted comments about a book club on Facebook, especially for customers who don't live in the greater Pittsburgh area.

If you are interested in this idea, please post a comment on our Facebook page to let us know.

I don't have the slightest idea how this would work so I'm open to suggestions.

New Arrivals

New Arrivals features a slew of brand-new, March books that certainly has something for everyone. Linda Fairstein, Robert B. Parker, Randy Wayne White, Laura Childs, Rhys Bowen and many others.

News books arrive every day check our New Arrivals page often for everything new at MLB.

What's on the website now

Here's what you can find at www.mysterylovers.com:

Upcoming Events

Mar. 5 - Nancy Martin
Mar. 6 - Joanne Fluke
Mar. 11 - Thomas Kaufman
Mar. 18 - Jo Nesbo
Mar. 23 - Lisa Scottoline
Mar. 27 - Alafair Burke

More events...

Some sort of green material showed up on the ground outside my window. Oh, that must be grass.
Richard, Mary Alice and the MLB Staff

Did we mention that we won a Raven Award?

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