I'm back!

I'm back, safe and sound and in one whole piece. Although I do need more exercise now than I did even before I left. No, the walking around did not negate all of the yummy food I pigged out on while I was there.

I did some major book shopping while I was there. One of my newest purchases were two titles by Craig Russell, Blood Eagle and Brother Grimm.

I walked over to Mysterious Bookshop my first day there and was a bit overwhelmed by their selection. First off, the store is fairly small. Books line the walls and reach all the way up to the ceiling - you have to use a ladder to see half of the stock. The middle of the floor is filled with display tables of new hardcovers, collectibles in clear plastic wrappers, and signed editions. I was in heaven! I just didn't know what to look for. So, I asked for a recommendation. I was looking specifically for something in the Mo Hayder vein that I couldn't find in a regular bookstore here in Boulder - meaning something overseas. The bookseller recommended Stuart McBride, but they didn't have the first in stock. He also recommended Russell, who, btw, has a blurb on the back of Blood Eagle from none other than the thriller queen herself, Mo Hayder!

I haven't had a chance to read it yet (hey! I've only had it since Friday and I do have reviews to do) but here's a description from Amazon UK:

Two women are killed in the same horrific, ritualistic manner. The murderer taunts the police with e-mails. It seems clear that a serial killer is at work, selecting victims at random and living out some twisted fantasy. But, as Jan Fabel and his murder team investigate further, nothing is as it first seems. They are drawn into a dark half-world of Viking myth and legend, of obscure religious cults, of political intrigue and of a violent struggle to seize control of the city. And as Fabel desperately races to track down the killer before more killings take place, he and his team come face to face with a cold, brutal menace they could never have predicted. A greater evil than they could ever have imagined.

The books take place in Hamburg, Germany. They can apparently be read as stand-alones as well seeing as how the bookseller who recommended them to me had only read the follow-up book, Brother Grimm - he said they recapped everything from the previous book.

Alright, I think a bath and a nap are in order, followed by mucho laundry! More on the trip later!