Goodies Come in Bunches

Another large bundle of upcoming books has made its way to my inbox. Here are just a few highlights:

• Pictures at an Exhibition, by Sara Houghteling. In her debut novel, the prize-winning Houghteling tells the stories of a Parisian art gallery owner whose collection of paintings was looted by the Nazis, and of his son’s quest to recover his father's lost masterpieces after the war. This book (just released in February) is already being talked about as one of the best books of 2009.

• The Dashiell Hammett Tour: Thirtieth Anniversary Guidebook, by Don Herron. Publisher Vince Emery, who specializes in keeping the spirit of Dashiell Hammett alive, pulls out all the stops for this celebration of what is said to be the longest-enduring literary tour in America, hosted by Hammett expert Herron. “If you can’t go to San Francisco,” said The Mystery Fancier, “you can still take the tour vicariously by purchasing The Dashiell Hammett Tour. It contains photos, maps, bibliography, and the best capsule biography of Hammett I have ever read.” Due out in mid-March.

• The Bellini Card, by Jason Goodwin. The third book in British author Goodwin’s celebrated series takes Yashim, the eunuch detective who works for the sultan, from the winding alleyways of mid-19th-century Istanbul to the decaying grandeur of Venice. Charged by the sultan with finding a stolen painting by Giovanni Bellini, Yashim enlists the help of his friend, Polish ambassador Palewski, and goes undercover. Venice in 1840 is a city of empty palazzos and silent canals, and Palewski starts to mingle with Venetian dealers--self-made men, faded aristocrats, and dangerous criminals. The Bellini Card is available now.