Winter Weekend at Minneapolis Mystery Bookstores

Sharon and I were in Minneapolis last weekend for a short getaway from Saskatchewan. While there I went to both of the mystery bookstores in the city – Once Upon a Crime and Uncle Edgar’s. Minneapolis remains the only city I have visited which has a pair of mystery bookstores.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon with a brutally cold wind I started at Once Upon a Crime. Pat Frovarp was at the store.

I looked through the new selections on display at the front of the store. They were tempting but I resisted.

I went alphabetically around the store checking out the thousands of options. I also spent some time in the section with biographies of mystery writers.

I returned to the front and visited with Pat about mysteries. She is so friendly and knowledgeable about books. She relies on her memory and written listings of books published as the inventory is not on computer. She barely needs the written records.

After discussion I decided to purchase a couple of books by Minnesota authors which are set in the American Midwest. Pat was able to speak of them as she had read each book.

The first book, The Taking of Libbie, SD, was by well known author, David Housewright. As I have cousins in South Dakota and have visited the state several times I decided to read my first mystery that is set in the state.

The second book, Alamo North Dakota, is by Phil Rustad. I had not heard of the author. Pat said it is a good story set in the oilfields of her home state, North Dakota. It will also be my first mystery read from that state.

I have been looking at the books of Leighton Gage featuring Brazilian sleuth, Chief Inspector Mario Silva, for years. Preferring to start at the beginning of a series I had not found the first in the series, Blood of the Wicked, in other bookstores. When I found it on Saturday it became the 3^rd book I purchased. Once again, Pat had read the book and thought well of it.

 

I then made the short drive to Uncle Edgar’s. After roaming the aisles and going back and forth on what I wanted to purchase I spoke with Elizabeth, the manager, about books that I have been interested in but had not seen in book stores.

Last year I enjoyed the first book in the Guido Guerrieri series by Gianrico Carofiglio set in Italy. I asked about the second book, A Walk in the Dark, and it was in stock.

I thought Donald Serrell Thomas had written some brilliant Sherlock Holmes stories in The Execution of Sherlock Holmes. Uncle Edgar’s had several of his books and I bought Sherlock Holmes and the King’s Evil.

While hard to stop at two books I thought of the TBR piles and regretfully purchased no more.

I had hoped to buy some Australian mysteries. Each store had very few and none of the books I wanted. Pat and Elizabeth each told me that it is difficult for them to get Australian mysteries. Elizabeth had heard that Harper is going to start publishing in America some Australian mysteries. She is excited about the prospect of adding mysteries from Australia.

For mystery book lovers no destination is better than Minneapolis. The selections are great and it is wonderful to chat with booksellers who love to talk about crime and have read the books.