Books: Hockey tomes on Wayne Gretzky, the Stanley Cup and more

Reviewed by Sherry Ross

Ever wonder why there are pro hockey teams in such Zamboni-barren cities as Phoenix and Tampa? Credit — or blame — Wayne Gretzky.

Stephen Brunt’s "Gretzky’s Tears: Hockey, America and the Day Everything Changed" chronicles the deal that shook the puck world, the 1988 trade/fire sale that sent a Canadian icon from the frozen plains of Edmonton to the sunny clime of Hollywood.

Brunt approaches the deal and its implications like a good mystery writer, which is appropriate, considering how many Edmontonians still consider it the crime of the century. The seismic move that sent Gretkzy from the Stanley Cup champions to the then-woeful Los Angeles Kings resulted in expansion teams into the Sun Belt, for better or for worse for the National Hockey League, but more stunning is the subterfuge behind the headlines. The book suffers greatly, however, from the lack of cooperation from the two principals in the event, Oilers owner Peter Pocklington and Gretzky himself.

Penny and Rio: The Locked Doghouse Mystery Book Trailer: Jennifer Swanson

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The Mammoth Book of Perfect Crimes and Impossible Mysteries

Running Press

List Price: $14.95
Price: $10.17
You Save: $4.78 (32%)

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From the likes of Robert Randisi, Peter Crowther, and Max Rittenberg, these 30 stories of bizarre and impossible crimes will fascinate and intrigue the reader who grapples with their intricate puzzles. A man alone in an all-glass phone booth, visible on CCTV and with no one near him, is killed by an ice pick. A man sitting alone in a room is shot by a bullet fired only once—over 200 years ago. A man enters a cable-car alone, and is visible for the entire journey, only to be found dead when he reaches the bottom. A man receives mail in response to letters apparently written by him — after his death. The Mammoth Book of Perfect Crimes and Impossible Mysteries is a stunning collection of brand new and previously unpublished stories, as well as many stories from rare mystery journals appearing for the first time in book form.

The Merlot Murders ((Wine Country Mysteries, Book 1)

Pocket

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"Finely ladled suspense," says the Sun-Sentinel about the complex flavor of Ellen Crosby's debut mystery set in the wealthy Blue Ridge wine country of northern Virginia, where vineyard heiress Lucie Montgomery must find a killer or lose her cherished family heritage.

Leland Montgomery's death was deemed accidental, but when his daughter Lucie returns home from France, she finds the once-thriving family vineyard run down, collapsing under huge debt. Lucie's godfather warns her that Leland's demise may have been the result of an attempt to force the sale of the vineyard. Her extravagant brother and rebellious sister are determined to sell the estate, and there's something suspicious about the vintner her father hired right before he died. When another oenophile turns up dead, asphyxiated in a tank of Merlot, Lucie -- the lone holdout preventing the vineyard's sale -- realizes she's next in line for an "accident." Can she trust in the proverb in vino veritas -- in wine there is truth -- as she attempts to survive a very bad year for Merlot?


Murder at the Lake (an Amanda Christie Mystery)

Synergy Books

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Price: $11.16
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When 17-year-old Amanda Christie is invited to a cousins-only weekend retreat at her aunt's Austin, Texas, estate, she doesn't know what to expect. She soon finds though, that the weekend will be anything but boring. One of the guests is responsible for the death of Amanda's uncle and when a dangerous storm traps the teens inside the secluded mansion, Amanda becomes determined to uncover the killer. But when their cell phones go missing and guests begin to disappear, Amanda realizes that the killer isn't finished. With time running out and no way of knowing who to trust, she must either uncover the murderer or risk being the next victim. An author tour is planned for the following cities: San Antonio, TX; Austin, TX; Houston, TX; Dallas, TX; Lubbock, TX; Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; & South Glastonbury, CT (Near Hartford).

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme (A Domestic Diva Mystery)

Berkley

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Price: $6.99

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Gracious living can be murder. First in an all-new mystery series— includes delicious recipes and great tips on entertaining!

Few can compete with Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but her childhood rival, Sophie Winston, certainly tries. Natasha may have stolen the spotlight—and Sophie’s husband—but Sophie is determined to rob her of the prize for the Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. She just needs the right ingredient.

But Sophie’s search for the perfect turkey takes a basting when she stumbles across a corpse. And when the police find her name and photo inside the victim’s car, Sophie will have to set her trussing aside to solve the murder—or she’ll be serving up prison grub.

The Classic Mystery Collection (100+ books and stories)



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With ATOC (active table of contents):

An Historical Mystery Honore De Balzac
The Thirty-Nine Steps John Buchan
The Baron's Quarry Egerton Castle
Trent's Last Case Edmund Clerihew Bentley
Gilbert Keith Chesterton
The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Man Who Was Thursday
Father Brown:
The Innocence of Father Brown
The Wisdom of Father Brown
Riddle of the Sands Robert Erskine Childers
Agatha Christie
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The Secret Adversary
Wilkie Collins
The Dream Woman
The Haunted Hotel
The Moonstone
The Queen of Hearts
The Woman in White
The Mystery of Edwin Drood Charles Dickens
Arthur Conan Doyle
The Mystery of Cloomber
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
A Study in Scarlet
The Sign of the Four
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Valley of Fear
His Last Bow
Anna Katharine Green
Agatha Webb
Initials Only
The Millionaire Baby
The Mill Mystery
The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow
A Strange Disappearance
The Rome Express Arthur Griffiths
The Three Strangers Thomas Hardy
Elusive Isabel Jacques Futrelle
The Mystery of the Yellow Room Gaston Leroux
The Lodger Marie Belloc Lowndes
The Red House Mystery Alan Alexander Milne
Edgar Allan Poe
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Mystery of Marie Roget
The Purloined Letter
The Bittermeads Mystery Ernest Robertson Punshon
Mary Roberts Rinehart
The Bat
The Circular Staircase
The Confession
Dangerous Days
The Man in Lower Ten
The Street of Seven Stars
Sax Rohmer
Bat Wing
The Hand Of Fu-Manchu
The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu
The Golden Scorpion
The Darrow Enigma Melvin Linwood Severy
The Golf Course Mystery Chester K. Steele
The Pavilion on the Links Robert Louis Stevenson
Under the Andes Rex Stout

Flashlight Worthy Books

Flashlight Worthy Books
Recommending books so good, they'll keep you up past your bedtime.

Flashlight Worthy Books has its Best of Crime Fiction 2009 list out. Peter Steinberg, one of the two principals who maintain the Flashlight Worthy Book Recommendations, asked 13 mystery bloggers to choose one crime fiction book as the Best of the Year. I was pleased to be asked to be among the list makers, but it was a daunting task. I had a Best of 2009 list on Mystery Fanfare in late December, and I included several other Best of Lists in that and in a later post. Some of the other contributors to Flashlight Worthy Books Best of Crime Fiction 2009 whom I count among my friends are: Donna Moore, Sarah Weinman , J. Kingston Pierce, and Rhian Davies ( a Twitter buddy). You're going to have to read this list in its entirety, though, because there are lots of insightful comments, as well as titles. Some really good books here! And, even one I missed. Best Crime Fiction of 2009 list

If you haven't seen the Flashlight Worthy Books site, you'll want to check it out, especially the lists of Mystery Books. There are lots of other categories.

I asked Peter Steinberg to tell me a bit about himself and why he started the website.

Peter Steinberg: Me? I'm just a book lover who thought there had to be a better way to find great books than wading through the confusing Amazon pages full of lengthy reviews.

Janet Rudolph: What do you do?

PS: I do a variety of things but most important, I'm trying to turn Flashlight Worthy into a fulltime business. I rely on the support of fans -- they make their Amazon purchases through the site. And not just books. Anything they purchase...

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