Why the heck is a domestic an import?

I have been known to go to some great lengths to get my hands on books that I want. Back before Matt Reilly became big, I paid beaucoup bucks to have a mass market copy of Contest and a hardcover copy of Area 7 shipped over from the UK. I still buy my Mo Hayder and Joanne Harris books this way because I just can't wait that extra 6 months knowing that the book is out there.

When I was still working at the bookstore, we received a copy of Michelle Wan's debut mystery Deadly Slipper. Interior decorator Mara Dunn has never recovered from her twin sister's disappearance nearly 20 years ago. She has relocated to the Dordogne region in France and serendipitously comes across her sister's old camera - film still intact. The film contains a series of orchid shots. Mara, convinced that this may be the key to finally uncovering Bedie's fate, contacts orchid expert, Julian Wood, to help trace Bedie's path. Julian's interest lies in a photo of what he believes is an extremely rare orchid growing in the wild - something any decent orchidologist would die to see. The question becomes, did someone kill to find it?

I know you're thinking orchids? C'mon. It's true, I love, love, love this series. First of all, it's cozy but not cute. In fact, the characters that pepper this series almost push the book beyond cozy - they're damn creepy some of them! Plus, you add in all the derelict buildings and secrets the townspeople don't want outsiders privy to and you've got an extremely atmospheric series about a very surprisingly heated topic - orchids, who would have thought that flowers could incite such a passionate and violent response?   

Anyway, I didn't get the store's ARC of Slipper, I did contact someone at RH and request it, though. Of course, after reading it, I had to have the second book, Orchid Shroud, as soon as it was released. Then I waited. Where was book 3? No release last year, but I finally found something this year. Strangely enough, it's a Canadian edition. The book was just released in Canada, has no US release date, and her original publisher is here in the US. It's a Canadian branch of the same publisher that's released A Twist of Orchids. 

I have no idea why it's happened this way. I have never seen this. I did, however, have Cynthia at High Crimes order my Canadian copy (at about a $5 higher price than a US editions would cost) and now I am itching until it comes in at the end of the month. Why oh why can't the publishing industry just cater to my every whim and need? Ha, ha, just kidding, but until it does, I'll continue to do what it takes (pay the price when I can afford it) to have my favorites shipped.