September 26, 2001 The First Specialty Book Sense 76 Top Ten: MYSTERY As promised, here's the first specialty 76 Top Ten, based on specialty and general bookseller recommendations! Reminder: These are being produced in a different format than the full 76s. These 76 Top Tens will be printed single-sided on 8-1/2" x 14" paper, and sent in pads of 100 to every store in the monthly white box mailing. Please photocopy extras as needed, with your store stamp in place. Mystery stores: Please consider mixing these picks in with some general 76 picks--or vice versa--and increase your Book Sense display presence. General stores: Please consider taking a shelf in your Mystery section to face out three to five of these titles, along with the pad of fliers. The pad of 100 will be in the October white box. Keep the nominations coming, and we'll do another Mystery 76 Top Ten this year! Other specialties? Need more nominations. The lines are open. BOOK SENSE 76 - MYSTERY - AUTUMN 2001 1. THE SHAPE OF SNAKES, by Minette Walters (Putnam, $24.95, 0399147330) "M. Ranelagh is convinced one of her neighbors on Garden Street is guilty of murder. Was it racism or greed that drove one of them to leave poor Mad Annie Butts for dead in the gutter? Her compulsion to solve this case is so magnetic that you are there with her every step of the way."-Sheri Kraft, Alibi Books, Glenview, IL 2. IN A STRANGE CITY, by Laura Lippman (William Morrow, $24, 0380978180) "PI Tess Monaghan goes to wait for the 'Visitor' at the annual birthday gathering at Poe's gravesite. She gets involved with more strange visitors as well as being stalked herself. Lippman's high level of writing is eloquent and holds your interest from beginning to end. This Poe-ish mystery is a delight."-Mary Jane Weber, Town Book Store, Westfield, NJ 3. CRITICAL SPACE, by Greg Rucka (Bantam, $23.95, 0553801325; in stores Oct. 2) "Bodyguard Atticus Kodiak returns, this time protecting a children's advocate. Read this masterful work. Read all of his books. Buy them all at once because you'll consume them. Rucka deserves inclusion on the same list as Connelly, Lehane, Burke, and Pearson, masters all of the twisting, morally complex, and reliably entertaining, crime story."-J.B. Dickey, Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Seattle, WA 4. TOTAL RECALL, by Sara Paretsky (Delacorte, $25.95, 0385313667) "Loyal fans will be wowed by the latest V.I. Warshawski mystery. When good friend and mentor Dr. Lotty Herschel is disturbed by the appearance of an odd man claiming to be a Holocaust survivor and possible relation, V.I. jumps into action and searches for the truth. Paretsky grabs us and doesn't let go until the last word."-Marla Alexander, The Book Bin, Northbrook, IL 5. THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY, by Alexander McCall Smith (Columbia U., $13 paper, 0748662529) "Hailed by the TLS as one of 1998's International Books of the Year, this book is now available here. And it is delightful, unusual, and captivating. Precious Ramotswe has opened Botswana's first and only detective agency staffed by women. Smith traverses this landscape with an air of simplicity, euphony, and harmony, never patronizing Precious and never boring the reader. I loved every word."-Barbara Peters, The Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale, AZ 6. THE COLD BLUE BLOOD, by David Handler (St. Martin's/Minotaur, $23.95, 0312280033; in stores Oct.) "The Edgar Award-winning author of the Stewart Hoag mysteries delivers the first in what looks to be an even stronger series, featuring New York film critic Mitch Berger and Connecticut homicide detective Desiree Mitry. Intelligent, witty writing, and a fine whodunit. One of the best mystery novels of the year!"-David Thompson, Murder by the Book, Houston, TX 7. STORMY WEATHER, by Paula L. Woods (Norton, $24.95, 0393020215) "This is a wonderfully complex police procedural set in L.A. a few months after the riots, and it has dual themes: historical black Hollywood and corruption in the LAPD. Woods' story is tight and fascinating, and heroine Charlotte Justice lives and works in both worlds. It was impossible to put down!"-Jean Utley, Book 'em Mysteries, South Pasadena, CA 8. BLINDSIGHTED, by Karin Slaughter (William Morrow, $25, 0688174574) "A debut novel that mystery readers won't be able to resist. Dark suspense, fast pace, twists and turns that won't let the reader put this one aside. Pediatrician and county coroner Dr. Sara Linton is an engaging and interesting character. Can't wait for the sequel!"-Regina Lowry, Best of Books, Edmond, OK Also a HarperAudio (0694523410) 9. TOO HIGH, by Corson Hirschfeld (Forge, $25.95, 0765300117) "Unscrupulous artifact collectors, a wacky mountain militia, rattlesnakes, and a guy who can do more drugs than ... well, all play a part in Too High. A well-written, offbeat mystery with Hiaasen-like characters."-Jon Platt, Nonesuch Books, Scarborough, ME 10. BLUE, by Abigail Padgett (Mysterious Press, $12.95 paper, 0446677027) "Padgett's first Blue McCarron mystery is full of wit and excitement. The intricate plot challenges both Blue and the reader, leading us through a maze of twists and turns. Fans of Laurie King will delight in discovering this new series!"-Erik Swallow, Lambda Rising Bookstore, Norfolk, VA Click here for this information in an Excel format. Topics: Book Sense, Specialty Bookselling, Mystery, News - Bookselling,