Getting Crime Fiction from Overseas

It can be frustrating to read reviews in online magazines (like the excellent January Magazine) because sometimes it can take up to a year for those titles to make their way to the US. When it's a book that you REALLY want, such as the last installment in a series like Charlie Williams' dark and hilarious King of The Road, sometimes you just can't wait.

So what do you do?

You can try to order these titles from your local independent mystery bookstore. If that fails, here is what has worked for me in the past:

1. AbeBooks is a good place to start. Often used bookstores somehow end up with a few copies of titles. Not sure how, maybe they are receiving bulk shipments from warehouses overseas. Either way, it does work.

2. Search for the book on Amazon.com and see if "New & Used" results turn up for Amazon network retailers who have the book.

3. Order the book directly from the overseas publisher. Shipping might cost you a little more, but it can be nice to cut out the middleman and go straight to the source.

4. Order it from Amazon.co.uk. Once again, it may cost you a bit more in shipping, but you won't have to wait.

5. Check eBay. I usually do this as a last resort, but it has worked for me. Personally I disklike the whole ARC thing. I like to get the actual book with the actual cover, minus all the typos and mistakes that ARCs can have.

Happy hunting!