A Feature or 2 & a Giveaway

August has been a wonderful month for book releases and I've only touched on a few.

I have three other August releases I had hoped to have reviewed by the end of the month, but won’t be able to. So I decided to at least do a brief feature on each of these interesting books. I still plan to read them, but it’ll just be later. In addition, I have two new giveaways to announce. First up the features:

MURDER PAST DUE by Miranda James. This is the first in the new A Cat in the Stacks Mystery series.

Everyone in Athena, Mississippi, knows Charlie Harris, the good-natured librarian with a rescued Maine coon cat named Diesel that he walks on a leash. Charlie’s returned to his hometown

to immerse himself in books, but soon enough he’s entangled in a real-life thriller…

A famous author of gory bestsellers and a former classmate of Charlie’s, Godfrey Priest, may be the pride of Athena, but Charlie remembers him as an arrogant, manipulative jerk - and he’s not the only one. Godfrey’s homecoming as a distinguished alumnus couldn’t possible go worse: by lunch, he’s put a man in the hospital. And by dinner, Godfrey’s dead.

Now it’s up to Charlie, with some help from Diesel, to paw through the town’s grudges and find the killer before an impatient deputy throws the book at the wrong person. But every  last one of Charlie’s friends and coworkers had a score to settle with the nasty novelist. As if the murder wasn’t already purr-plexing enough ….

Murder Past Due by Miranda James, A Cat in the Stacks Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, @2010, ISBN: 978-0-425-23603-1, Paperback, 304 pages

FALSE IMPRESSIONS by Terri Thayer. This is the third installment in the Stamping Sisters Mystery series and includes instructions for a stamping project.

Back in her hometown of Aldenville, Pennsylvania, April Buchert is
creating a new life for herself as a professional rubber stamper and restoration expert. She’s also joined the Stamping Sisters, a group of craft-loving women who leave their mark on the world by stamping cards - and stamping out murder ….

The Ice Festival cometh, and April is struggling to dream up a winter wonderland of stamp designs in time for the annual event. She’s been preoccupied with the scandal surrounding the death of Mary Lou Rosen’s brother - a scandal none of the Stamping Sisters are willing to discuss.

But April discovers that Mary Lou’s brother faked his death and has been hiding out from the law. He returned to Aldenville to re-establish family ties, only  to die for real in a tragic car accident - that was not an accident at all. The killer must be stopped, and Mary Lou needs to be convinced of her brother’s good intentions  - if not, it will be one cold and long winter for April….

False Impressions by Terri Thayer, A Stamping Sisters Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, @2010, ISBN: 978-0-425-23555-3, Paperback, 277 pages

PSYCH: A FATAL FRAME OF MIND by William Rabkin. This is a popular tie-in novel to the USA Network series Psych.

When the Santa Barbara art museum unveils its newest acquisition,

the long-last masterpiece by Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti isn’t the only surprise behind the red curtain - the museum’s curator is there too. Dead. And posed just like the figure in the painting.

The case has everything Shawn likes - it’s bizarre, it’s baffling, and there’s a snack bar at the crime scene. But the investigation gets a lot less fun as Gus and he begin to realize that the clues are leading them toward a centuries-old cabal desperate to hide a terrible secret - and more than willing to kill the two detectives who are trying to reveal it. Shawn and Gus need to unmask a secret society as old as the Templars, as mysterious as the Rosicrucians, and as deadly as the yakuza - before they become its next victims.

Psych: A Fatal Frame of Mind by William Rabkin, Berkly Prime Crime, @2010, ISBN: 978-0-451-23159-8, Paperback, 320 pages

Now the giveaways: Thanks to Anna and the folks at Hachette Book Group I have 2 copies of GOD AND DOG (ISBN: 9781599953793) by Wendy Francisco to giveaway. This is a delightful 48 page hardcover book.

GOD AND DOG is a phenomenon. First appearing on YouTube, the video of Wendy Francisco's charming animated illustrations and moving song tells of the unconditional love of both God and Dog. With over 2 million YouTube viewings to date, Wendy's story appeals to all ages, to animal enthusiasts, to people of religious persuasions, and especially to anyone who has been loved by a dog.

Now in book format, Wendy's touching narrative will be expanded on through additional lyrics, illustrations, photographs and some of the powerful mail that is continually being sent to Wendy.

Please watch the video, it is so cute.

To enter this giveaway, just send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with “Win GOD AND DOG” in the subject line and include your name and mailing address in the body of the e-mail. This contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and no post office box addresses can be accepted. In addition, Hachette is advising winners that they will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if they win the same title in two or more contests, they will receive only one copy of the title (or one set in the case of grouped giveaways) in the mail. (Winners here have always be great about letting me know if they have already won the book somewhere else so another winner can be selected. However, this announcement is something that has to be passed along from Hachette). The deadline to enter this contest for a chance at one of 2 copies is 8 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, Sept. 15.
 

Thanks to Anna and the folks at the Hachette Audio Group have I have 3 copies of THE POSTCARD KILLERS (ISBN: 9781607883821) by James Patterson and Liza Marklund to giveaway. This unabridged audio is read by Katherine Kellgren, Eric Singer, and Reg Rogersy.

Paris is stunning in the summer. NYPD detective Jacob Kanon is on a tour of Europe's most gorgeous cities. But the sights aren't what draw him—he sees each museum, each cathedral, and each cafe through the eyes of his daughter's killer.

The killing is simply marvelous. Kanon's daughter, Kimmy, and her boyfriend were murdered while on vacation in Rome. Since then, young couples in Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Stockholm have been found dead. Little connects the murders, other than a postcard to the local newspaper that precedes each new victim. Wish you were here.

Now Kanon teams up with the Swedish reporter, Dessie Larsson, who has just received a postcard in Stockholm—and they think they know where the next victims will be. With relentless logic and unstoppable action, THE POSTCARD KILLERS may be James Patterson's most vivid and compelling thriller yet.

Listen to an excerpt

To enter this giveaway, just send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with “Win POSTCARD KILLERS” in the subject line and include your name and mailing address in the body of the e-mail. This contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and no post office box addresses can be accepted. In addition, Hachette is advising winners that they will be subject to the one copy per household rule here as well. The deadline to enter this contest for a chance at one of 3 copies is 8 p.m. (EST) on Friday, Sept. 17.