Titles starting with L from Joe Staats, Bookseller

When Stone Barrington's erstwhile lover, Arrington Calder, phones him to say that her husband has been murdered and she's been accused of the crime, Stone immediately goes to Los Angeles to find the real killer and exonerate Arrington. Arrington's husband, Vance, was a movie star, and the couple's glamorous Hollywood milieu gives Stone ample opportunity to indulge his playboy tendencies while he seeks the murderer.

When Stone Barrington's erstwhile lover, Arrington Calder, phones him to say that her husband has been murdered and she's been accused of the crime, Stone immediately goes to Los Angeles to find the real killer and exonerate Arrington. Arrington's husband, Vance, was a movie star, and the couple's glamorous Hollywood milieu gives Stone ample opportunity to indulge his playboy tendencies while he seeks the murderer.

The eighth book in the Elvis Cole mystery series probes into the life and trials of Joe Pike, Cole's loyal sidekick. As we follow Pike through his investigation of a string of grisly murders, a series of flashbacks uncover his past life as an abused child, a troubled teenager, and an L.A. policeman bent on protecting his family from a corrupt partner. When Pike is pegged as the prime suspect for the crimes he is investigating, Cole begins work on his exoneration. Nominated for the 1999 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel.

Kinsey Millhone, who sometimes lies "just to keep up my skills," is about to meet her duplicitous match in a couple of world-class prevarications who quite literally take her on the ride of her life. Quick-witted, smart-mouthed private eye Millhone joins up with a modern day Bonnie and Clyde in an adventure that will take her halfway across the country and leave her with an empty bank balance and a major headache.

Patti LaBelle provides warm family memories, funny anecdotes, and a wealth of recipes (Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese is just one of many) in this colorful and very personal cookbook.

Initially self-published, Brunonia Barry's debut novel surpassed its humble origins when it became the subject of a publishing bidding war, and was re-released to great fanfare and commercial success. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, THE LACE READER is a richly layered tale told by the highly unreliable narrator Towner Whitney. While recuperating from her mental instability in a California hospital, Whitney is reluctantly drawn back to Salem when her great aunt Eva, a woman known for her ability to see the past, present, and future by staring into lace, disappears. Witchcraft, Wicca, and the town's infamous history of zealous persecution all play a role in the novel, which manages to weave together supernatural adventure, a multi-generational literary tale, and strong vein of feminism. It's a strange brew, but Barry makes it work, and as it gains momentum THE LACE READER becomes truly bewitching.

Delia Grinstead, a 40-year-old mother of three almost-grown children, abandons her family impulsively in search of an entirely new life a few miles from home, becoming secretary to a lawyer. Gradually, she begins to return to her old life--first for her daughter's wedding, then for small occasions, finding that the people she left behind have changed as much as she has.

A collection that gathers many of the greatest closing arguments from celebrated trials throughout history. The author captures the drama and excitement of the courtroom and eloquently reconstructs the mood of noted cases, and describes their outcomes.

Taking as her inspiration the famous "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries (which date from the 16th century), Tracy Chevalier writes a deeply researched historical novel about their creation, going into the minds and lives of the men who designed and executed the tapestries as well as the into the events of the time.

From the changed perspective of adulthood, Rich Cohen recalls a youth that seems classically magical--and in particular, he remembers his best childhood buddy. A New York Times Notable Book for 2002.