"A short book, it had me hooked from the start. Eerie and utterly fascinating. The former secretary of a hugely famous novelist, pleads for the narrator’s help. She believes he is systematically murdering everyone who is close to her: her fiancé, her parents, her brother. She desperately wants to save her grandmother and little sister from the same fate. The narrator feels compelled to investigate this man who was once his literary hero, but is he in over his head? I am particularly excited about this book; Argentina's riposte to Shadow of the Wind."

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph Beth Booksellers Cincinnati

"Indie booksellers are going Benioff crazy! When I was at the booksellers convention this past May, the book kept popping up in conversation. It was featured on NPR's bookseller summer pick roundup and also as a great summer read in the Wall Street Journal.

What I love about this book is that Benioff has that screenwriter's way of keeping the plot at the center of the story, but tells it with the kind of flair a play with characters and structure that can still attract someone who likes Jonathan Safran Foer. The friendship is great, the wartime absurdity has a modern touch, yet the story is steeped in authenticity that will please historical fiction fans. It's a somber story but that Benioff humor pokes through at points, lightening the edge.

It's the kind of book you can give to a 60-year-old Dad, and he'll like it and can share it with his 30-year-old hipster daughter. I thought City of Thieves was great and I've already bought it for several other folks as gifts. And what more recommendation can there be for a book than that?"

--Daniel Goldin, Schwartz Bookseller

"I loved this book. It was dark and awful and so unbearably tender and funny. So many of the scenes will stay with me. I can’t wait to recommend this book, especially to book groups."

--Leslie Reiner, Inkwood Books

"City Of Thieves is quick, powerful, and absolutely splendid. I was emotionally and intellectually hooked. Wickedly funny and incredibly sad, it’s far too short to be this lovely—and yet it is. By far one of my favorite things I’ve read recently."

--Russ Marshalek, Wordsmiths Books

"Finished it in one day! Very compelling. A great story, and I’ve already seen the movie in my head!"

--Lilla Weinberger, Readers Books

"There are some books that just come at you out of left field. You pick up the book because it looks interesting, and the story as it unwinds is so different from what you expected, your chin just hits the floor. City of Thieves is just such a book. It is an extremely gripping, enjoyable book."

--Martin Sorensen, Keplers Books

"David Benioff engages the reader right away, viscerally.... I found myself cringing, squirming, even groaning out loud. His vivid portrayals were graphic. The relationship between Lev and Koyla rang true, and they were real boys/men to me.... I can’t get it out of my head."

--Janet Boreta, Orinda Books

"Benioff's potent prose lays siege to our intellect and emotion as we hit the streets of Leningrad, 1942 in a percussive adventure that delivers raw images of lust, fidelity, resourcefulness and courage; history delivered through a race of epic and minute proportions, with all the elements to make you care deeply."

--Karen West, Book Passage

"City of Thieves is a booksellers dream. It's a quest, war story, and coming of age novel in one great read. I can't wait to get this in the hands of the readers."

--Judy Wheeler, Towne Center Books

"I just finished City of Thieves this morning. You can picture me as I read the end with a quick grin and an "aha" laugh. This is storytelling within a novel at its best, with good historical fiction, great characters that you really care about (and of course you don't have to worry that the narrator won't survive since he's telling the story from Florida of all places), and even funny moments. I have to say it'll be our next Water for Elephants--a great book with a triumphantly happy ending."

--Rona Brinlee, The Bookmark

"City of Thieves was one of the best books I've read in quite a while: absurd, grotesque, hilarious, poignant, exciting, and surprising all at once, sometimes all within the same sentence. The interaction between the two main characters was moving and light-hearted at the same time, as well. This will be a very easy book to recommend to literally anybody."

--Joe Foster, Maria's Bookshop

"This story captured me from the first and I found myself reading it straight through. Two boys, during the Siege of Leningrad placed in the middle of a grim comedy of the absurd. The ‘heroics’ of war reduced to the absurdity of a quest for a dozen eggs so the colonel’s daughter can have a wedding cake for her upcoming nuptials. Lev, a 17-year-old boy forges an unexpected relationship with Kolya, a bold, outrageous army deserter as they meet up with starving fellow citizens, and outwit German soldiers outside the city. A compelling adventure and coming-of-age story that makes you laugh in spite of the horrors of war."

--Jeanne Costello, Maria's Bookshop

"A riveting rush of a journey of finding compassion, humanity and intimacy in the bleak, cold winter days of a dark time in history."

--Stacie Williams, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops, Downer Ave., Milwaukee

"Be careful. Once you read the preface to this novel plan on spending the rest of the evening with this book. A Russian immigrant, Lev Beniov, finally tells his American grandson, a writer, his incredible story of a week in January 1942 just prior to the siege of Leningrad (Piter). Only Seventeen-years-old, Lev and a new friend avoid immediate execution when they agree to perform a preposterous task, which leads to traveling behind German lines. City of Thieves delivers a difficult and chilling look at the hardships of war, yet friendship, love and even humor are intertwined. The suspense is unrelenting."

--Shawn Quinn, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops

"During the siege of Leningrad, 17-year-old Lev Beniov is arrested for looting the corpse of a German soldier. Rather than being executed, he and an Army deserter are spared by a colonel who sends them on a ridiculous mission: to find and bring back a dozen eggs for his daughter's wedding cake. A terrific coming of age story, a harrowing tale of war and survival, a funny and endearing story of an unlikely friendship; City of Thieves is all of this and more. What a wonderful book!"

--Dave Mallmann, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop, Brookfield

"A primer on what NOT to do when you find your surly tenant has died in his sleep and left $370,00 in cash stashed in his kitchen. A great read!"

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph Beth Booksellers Cincinnati

"...I've been afflicted of late by a major reading slump...nothing appealed to me. Nothing, that is, until I received an advanced reading copy of Marcus Sakey's Good People and found myself wrapped up in the lives of Tom and Anna Reed...

In the beginning I wasn't too fond of Tom and Anna...they didn't realize how much they really had and they were greedy for more but Sakey did what he does best...he created very human characters, flawed and self-centered, and with an unrelenting, action filled plot gave them the opportunity to grow and become Good People. And the price they paid was steep indeed for they discover it's often harder to forgive yourself than to forgive others."

--Janice, Seattle Mystery Bookshop

"...Tana French has created complex and compelling characters, people so real on the page that you'll swear you know them. They've had to overcome bad things, deal with some of the pressures of success, and frequently have no clue about their own blind spots. Just like real folks. She explores family relationships, the meaning of friendship, and the impact politics can have on any situation, and she does it in a way that is believable and gripping.

I know there are some wicked twists ahead of me and I can't wait to get there. However, I have to say that I see why Ms. French won the Edgar for Best First Novel earlier this month. Let me just say once again, WOW!"

--Fran, Seattle Mystery Bookshop

"There is a nothing little about this book. It ever so subtly transcends those assigned categories of history, science fiction and contemporary literature. It is a book penned with the insight of present culture, but felt with the passion of times and people."

--Katie Capaldi, McLean & Eakin

"Once in a great while a book comes along that forces its reader to read it slowly, enabling them to savor every elegantly crafted sentence; Selden Edwards' The Little Book is this kind of book. Incorporating time travel, historical fiction, with a life altering love story, Edwards magically weaves a believable tale of one family's multigenerational visit to 1897 Vienna. The Little Book is the one galley our staff is fighting for; I can't wait until August 14th when we can put it in the hands of all our favorite customers!"

--Kathleen Caldwell, A Great Good Place for Books

"The Little Book seems like the work of a mature writer, and indeed it is. Selden Edwards is not a youngster although this is his first work of fiction. Amazingly, he pulls off a time-bending narrative in which grandmother as a college student; father, a young soldier; and son, an accomplished musician meet in Vienna in 1897. Their shared love for fin de siècle Vienna draws them together and strengthens their emotional connections. They meet Sigmund Freud, listen to the Mahler’s first performances, and hang out with young philosophers in coffee houses, even as the wars to come are foreshadowed by an evil Vienna politician who has found that anti-Semitism wins votes. The combination of dynamic characters and a magical setting offers wide appeal to reader."

--Carla Cohen, Politics and Prose

"I was intrigued by a book that promised the adventures of Wheeler Burden, a 1970s rock'n'roll icon who finds himself in turn-of-the-century Vienna, that promised scenes with Freud and Mahler, of love and despair. I was intrigued by the premise, but also skeptical that a first novelist, or any novelist, could pull it off. But Selden Edwards pulls if off superbly and proves he's an adept weaver of the large themes and small events that make the tapestry of great literature. In writing about Vienna, you have to get the music right, and Edwards hits all the right notes and times well the crescendo."

--Land Arnold, McIntyre's Fine Books

"The Little Book is the kind of read that stays with you long after you've finished reading it—poignant, touching, intricate in both its construction and plot with characters that seem perfectly real."

--Heidi Sobel, Mysteries to Die For

"The Little Book is simply one of the best books I have ever read. The narrative is so creative and imaginative that even veteran readers will be surprised and delighted. The Little Book is at once a story about the strength of family, the power of the individual, and 19th Century Vienna. This book appealed to me on so many levels. I loved the depth of the characters, the dilemmas of time travel, and the lessons that history teaches us. Because this is ultimately a love story of great proportion, one that spans time and generations, it will have great appeal to a wide spectrum of readers. Finally, this is the first book I have ever read that made me want to read it all over again, right after I read the last word."

--Terry Gilman, Mysterious Galaxy

"And The Little Book--we all love a time-travel story, and this is one of the best: along with the great historical feel and the forbidden romance, (he) has new things to say on the grandfather paradox and "what if you had the chance to kill Hitler....

So great...I'm going to handsell the hell out of this. I can't wait."

--Jack Rems, Dark Carnival

"Well written...The plot is enjoyable and moves smoothly along. The timelessness of varied timelines and the historical setting is an interesting contrast to what could be seen as commentary on the current state of our own nation and its coffee house patrons."

--Terri Dreier, Nebraska Books

"Even if you are not a fan of time travel, you will enjoy The Little Book by Selden Edwards. This is a love story that transcends time and generations to 1897 Vienna. Would you change the course of history?"

--Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop

"An absolutely wonderful book. It has layers of meaning and an interconnectedness that make it a breath-taking read. It's a history lesion and a love story, a mystery and a psychology lesson. I can't recommend it highly enough."

--Carey Anderson, Tavern Village Books

"The Little Book is a novel about a man who travels from the present back in time to fin de siecle Vienna. This debut novel by Selden Edwards tells a great story that includes Sigmund Freud as one of the characters and also a war hero father who died before he had a chance to know the son who suddenly appears and is reunited with him in very mysterious circumstances. It sounds bizarre, and it is, but it is very creative and a perfect summer novel."

--Gayle Shanks, Changing Hands Bookstore

"I am 1/2 way through The Little Book and am thrilled with it!.... I've got other people lined up for it! If you haven't read, please do!"

--Jane Jacobs, Porter Square Books

"Popular high school student Kim Larsen disappears from her Midwestern home. Yes, it's every parent's nightmare. And yes, this book draws you in with its quiet power and alternating moods of hope and doom. And yes, you will be reading it long into the night... It's hard to put down. Highly recommended.

--Nancy Simpson, Book Vault

" I'll be honest; I wouldn't have read this memoir if I wasn't going to have dinner with the author. A memoir of growing up in Africa? It's been done and done very well (Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Fuller). But when you're invited to a nice dinner it is only polite to read the book, so I did and what a wonderful surprise!

Robyn Scott was the oldest of three children of Linda and Keith Scott. She was six years old when her family decided to move from New Zealand back to Botswana so her father could run a flying doctor practice (using a small plane to fly between his clinics). Linda and Keith are... um... unusual parents. They were (and are) highly- educated, loving, free-thinking liberals steeped with unique ideas about parenting. Their first job after arriving in Botswana? Transform a cowshed which happens to be across the road from Keith's exceedingly eccentric (and hilarious) father and stepmother, into their first home. Then, despite the pleas of grandparents, Linda decided home schooling would be best for her children in order to preserve their natural inquisitiveness and childhood joy. However, her teaching style rarely required lessons or actual studies. Instead the children were encouraged to learn by exploring the fascinating place they called home. After reading this beautifully written memoir and meeting its articulate young author, I have to wonder if Linda's teaching style was really so bad.

In addition to Robyn's interesting and often funny stories of her childhood, I was also very interested in the Botswana history she shared. Her father was running his clinics when the HIV/AID's epidemic took hold in Africa and reading her accounts of those frustrating and tragic days added a new perspective to what's still happening there.

Robyn Scott's memoir is a great example of why I still read biographies - because it puts an intimate viewpoint on world events."

--Patti McCall, Queen Anne Bookstore

"I fell in love with this family and the oldest daughter's memoir of their unusual life in Botswana in the 1990's. If you enjoyed the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series you'll love finding out more about the real Botswana from the perspective of Robyn, daughter of a 'flying doctor' and a mother who loves literature, science, homeschooling and defying convention on all sides. Also good for anyone who has enjoyed Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals."

--Sarah Godden, Quail Ridge Books

"In writing the stories of her African childhood, Robyn Scott has woven a wonderful tapestry that takes us, heart and soul, into a land and family not our own.

Twenty Chickens for a Saddle by Robyn Scott is one of the best non-fiction books I have read in years and is by far the best biography I have ever read.

Even if memoirs are not what you normally read, I would highly encourage you to pick up a copy of Twenty Chickens for a Saddle. Seeing how this wonderfully eccentric family lived, learned, loved and cared is an inspiration to all."

--Drew Goodman, University Campus Store, University of Utah

"Robyn Scott's memoir of her family's decidedly different life in Botswana takes the reader into a realm that is fascinating, intriguing and, at times, unbelievable, even though it was just daily existence for her. You cannot help but be absorbed in the narrative as her story is as beautiful as the landscape which contains it"

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books

"I really liked the book, the characters, people, were wonderful, funny and definitely eccentric, all the better because they are real people. It captured my interest and kept it, giving a different perspective to African culture and good info on the beginning of the AIDS epidemic and what homeschooling offers for people of imagination. A very good read with something outlandish happening often. Thanks. "

--Cindy Davis, Yankee Bookshop

"Although young for her age, Robyn Scott weaves a mesmerizing tale of growing up in Botswana. Growing up in the bush, with a doctor father who traveled to villages, has given her both a wealth of wonderful tales but also a first-person perspective on the AIDS epidemic Africa. A must-read!!"

--Meaghan, Island Bookstore

In Response to 'Another Man's Moccasins':
When a young Vietnamese woman is found murdered in small town Wyoming, Sheriff Walt Longmire's investigation eerily parallels his firstmurder investigation - as a Marine investigator in Vietnam. Craig Johnson's fourth Walt Longmire novel brilliantly weaves the two mysteries in this fast-paced read with a terrific cast of characters. If you've never read Craig Johnson, you're in for a treat!

--David Mallmann, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop, Brookfield

"Craig Johnson eloquently captures the spirit of the West and the vastness of Wyoming's wide open spaces while crafting a believable whodunit. Johnson's hero, Sheriff Walt Longmire, is an honorable man with a strong sense of frontier justice. If you haven't discovered this series, you're in for a treat."

--Missy Wigley, Lee Booksellers

"Great mysteries and a stalwart hero to boot. What's not to love?"

--Miki Wigley, Lee Booksellers

"When I'm reading the Walt Longmire mysteries my adrenaline flows and heart pounds when the action is on. I find myself caring, really caring, about what happens to Walt, Henry Standing Bear, Vic, and the whole gang. Craig Johnson has crafted characters that resonate deeply with everyone."

--Drew Goodman, University Campus Store, University of Utah

"A superb example of a book that can be many things at the same time.

A Wyoming mystery with everyone's favorite sheriff, Walt Longmire, vivid, intense scenes in war-torn Vietnam, murders that happen 40 years apart in two different worlds, and some of the funniest scenes you will ever read. This is storytelling at its absolute best!!"

--Susan Wasson, Bookworks

"Craig Johnson is the real deal...He lives and breathes Wyoming and the New West, but his mysteries transcend time and place in the best Tony Hillerman tradition. You will be rewarded with a great read and the knowledge that you've been somewhere unique..."

--John Wolter, Tattered Cover

"With his strong plotting, characterization, and sense of place, Craig Johnson is a bookseller's dream author. I knew that when my customers read the first of the series and came in clamoring for the rest (even though they were in hardback) that this is a writer I want to promote."

--Chris Aceved, Clues Unlimited

"Craig Johnson is one of my favorite authors and one of our bestsellers in our store. A Wyoming writer that truly understands Wyoming and the people that live in it, his books are hard to put down (once I start reading I can't stop until I finish) and unique with unexpected twists and turns. I look forward to his new books every time!

--Torrie Rice, Book Nook