About Me

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Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada
I am a lawyer in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada who enjoys reading, especially mysteries. Since 2000 I have been writing personal book reviews. This blog includes my reviews, information on and interviews with authors and descriptions of mystery bookstores I have visited. I strive to review all Saskatchewan mysteries. Other Canadian mysteries are listed under the Rest of Canada. As a lawyer I am always interested in legal mysteries. I have a separate page for legal mysteries. Occasionally my reviews of legal mysteries comment on the legal reality of the mystery. You can follow the progression of my favourite authors with up to 15 reviews. Each year I select my favourites in "Bill's Best of ----". As well as current reviews I am posting reviews from 2000 to 2011. Below my most recent couple of posts are the posts of Saskatchewan mysteries I have reviewed alphabetically by author. If you only want a sentence or two description of the book and my recommendation when deciding whether to read the book look at the bold portion of the review. If you would like to email me the link to my email is on the profile page.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

2014 Winter Saturday at Minneapolis Mystery Bookstores

As we did a year ago Sharon and I spent a few days in Minneapolis this month. As I love to do when in the Twin Cities I head to the mystery bookstores - Uncle Edgar’s and Once Upon a Crime – located a short distance apart in Minneapolis.

A few inches of snow on Friday night meant there was no parking on the street outside Uncle Edgar’s but the parking lot next door was available.

On this trip I was not going to make a random tour of the store looking for books. I had some lists of recommendations from reviews, especially from other bloggers.

I had heard that Maurizo De Giovanni’s series set in Naples and featuring Commissario Ricciardi was well worth reading. As I looked on the roundel of award winning books next to the purchase desk I found a paperback copy of I Will Have Vengeance. I was off to a good start.

I have not read any Israeli written and based mysteries. As I looked around the store I came across a hardcover copy of The Missing File by D.A. Mishani. The back cover says:

D.A. Mishani is the editor of Israeli fiction and crime literature at Keter Books in Israel and is a literary scholar specializing in the history of detective literature.

The Missing File is his first crime fiction. Having enjoyed other professors, Margot Kinberg and Rob Kitchen, who have written mysteries as well as academic works I am looking forward to seeing what Mishani has written as he either ascended or descended to crime fiction from academe depending on your perspective.

Jose Ignacio from the blog The Game’s Afoot, suggested Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller when I sought out recommendations for Sharon to buy me books for Christmas last year. When Norwegian by Night did not find its way under the Christmas tree I looked for it in Minneapolis. I did not see it as I wandered the store but Elizabeth promptly went into the stacks to get a copy for me.

I then went over to Once Upon a Crime which was hosting an author event for local author, Jess Lourey. The store was filled with people looking to say hello to Jess and get copies of her new book, January Thaw, in the Murder by Month Mystery series.

When I got a chance to speak to Jess I told her that I had not read any of the books and asked for a recommendation on where to start. She said December Dread and handed me an autographed copy.

She is a busy person teaching English and Sociology at St. Cloud Technical and Community College while writing in different genres – crime fiction and young adult fiction - and raising a family.

I then enjoyed a cookie and a Coke, courtesy the publishers, as I looked around the store for more books.

I had heard good things about Black Fridays by Michael Sears and made way to the front where I asked Gary Shulze thoughts on the book. He highly recommended it to me and brought over a paperback copy.

Before going to the bookstores that day there had been another Israeli mystery author I had wanted to look for but had not written down the author’s name and could not find online where I had read about the author and his book. As I am standing at the counter I look down and there it was - Lineup by Liad Shoham. It was clear the reading gods had intended me to read the book and I made it my final purchase of the day.

Temptation abounds in each of the bookstores and the staff is so knowledgeable it makes book shopping a great experience. It is a good thing I had set myself a limit before starting the day or I would have returned with far more than 6 books.

Any mystery book lover who is in Minneapolis will equally love the stores.

12 comments:

  1. Minneapolis is obviously somewhere we should all be visiting, with two mystery stores. What a lovely trip with some nice finds - we'll look forward to hearing the verdicts on these books....

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    1. Moira: I hope you get a chance to visit Minneapolis. It is a nice city and the bookstores are a wonderful bonus.

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  2. Thanks for your kind mention, Bill. I'm looking forward to your reviews.

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    1. Jose Ignacio: Thanks for the comment. I was glad to mention you. It is going to be awhile before I get through all the books.

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  3. Bill - Thanks so much for the kind words, It sounds like you had a wonderful day at the bookshops. Definitely places I'll visit if I'm in Minneapolis.

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    1. Margot: You have many nice things about myself and my blog. I am so glad I have met you on the net. You will just have to find a conference in Minneapolis. I am sure there must be a suitable university gathering.

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  4. They are fabulous stores - we're lucky to have two great ones so convenient to each other in one city. I live too far away to visit often, but an email to Gary and Pat at Once Upon a Crime for just about any mystery I'm looking for, and it's in the mail to me right away.

    If I were closer, I'd be poorer. :)

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    1. Barbara: Thanks for the comment. The depth of knowledge Gary and Pat have about mystery fiction is amazing and they are always interested in learning more and adding new authors. You might be poorer if you were closer but it would be a happy well read poverty.

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  5. You went to Uncle Edgar's and didn't buy any vintage mysteries? Shame on you. A rare opportunity to find some of the books I write about all the time. You would have found quite a lot of them I know. I had a field day in that store last time I visited.

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    1. John: I do not want you to ashamed of me. I vow the next time at Uncle Edgar's I will buy vintage mysteries.

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  6. Bill, I'm glad you'd a lovely time visiting these two fascinating mystery bookstores. I never enter a bookstore with a list because I would be at a loss as to what to put there. I buy whatever catches my eye and they're usually vintage novels that are hard to come by in bookstores at my end.

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    1. Prashant: Thanks for the comment. I used to more improvised in my selection of books but find myself wanting to spend my reading time on books I am confident will be good books. I know it means I have less chance to discover a fine new author. At this stage of my life I am more interested in avoiding poor reads. As I read this reply it makes me think I am becoming a curmudgeon.

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