Colors of Darkness: Differences Among Dave Zeltserman's Books (and a SPECIAL OFFER)

In many ways, Outsourced is a different shade of "dark" than the best-known of Dave Zeltserman's novels, Small Crimes and Pariah. For one thing, the book has achingly funny moments in it, as well as some inevitable complications that baffle the protagonist but leap to the reader's eye. It's close to a caper novel in the tradition of Donald Westlake and Lawrence Block, and it's going to be enjoyable to re-read. (Knowing the ending will be fun on the second time through, I think!)

Zelterserman also provided a horror novella last year, The Caretaker of Lorne Field. And yet there's so much tenderness and passion woven into this cautionary tale that the best colors to describe it would be a weeping rich green like rainy gardens, and a haunted silver of moonlight, with maybe a few streaks of crimson grief. You can tell I really like the book, even though there's pain within it.

Yet another "color" in this author's dark writing comes in Bad Karma, a searing Western drama of marriage, crime, danger, and perhaps recovery. Tint this one with colors of the desert: burnt dark red, dry ochre, eye-aching brightness and heartache. Sometimes it amazes me that such a nice guy with such a long-term, steady, pleasant marriage can write so many varieties of "what goes wrong." But he does.

Which is why "my" Dave and I are especially pleased to welcome Dave Zeltserman back to our Vermont mystery center -- and to make this very special offer, just through Saturday. Here's how my husband explains it:

Dave Zeltserman is making his third visit to Kingdom Books this Saturday June 11 at 11 a.m. to read and to sign from his newest book Outsourced, which is published by Serpent’s Tail Press. We will also have Dave Zeltserman’s earlier work, especiallyi a fine stack of his book Bad Karma, published by Five Star Press. Bad Karma is a Bill Shannon mystery with the setting in Colorado. The hardcover book had a small first printing and our copies are in fine/fine condition.

For Saturday we will be running a Special Sale for one day only: We will have signed copies of Bad Karma for $15 (regular cover price is $26). For those who want the book shipped, the shipping charge will be $4.95. That shipping price is also good for a two-book or three-book order, so consider combining this with Outsourced, also $15 per copy, signed.

Call Kingdom Books at 802-751-8374 (e-mail: KingdomBks@gmail.com) to reserve a copy of one or both books.

Dave Zeltserman