Ah, yes. Let me count the ways, while Bernie Rhodenbarr counts his spoons. But first an Act Fast! announcement, of special import to fans of Martin Ehrengraf and aficionados of finely printed books.

Defender of the Innocent by Lawrence BlockDefender of the Innocent: the Casebook of Martin Ehrengraf is scheduled for September publication by Subterranean Press. The book will include the eleven existing stories about the little lawyer who never has to go to court, plus a twelfth story, “The Ehrengraf Fandango,” written especially for the collection.  And it’s got a gorgeous cover by Phil Parks.

I’ll have more to say about the book later on, but I want you to be able to take advantage of a special two-days-only deal on this and other Subterranean titles. You can pre-order the books through Tuesday, March 4, at a stunning 50% discount! (The discount, I’m advised, won’t show on the product page, but will be applied automatically upon checkout.) If the offer’s off the boards by the time you open this email, my apologies; I just got word of it this morning while I was composing this newsletter.

And now let’s count our Spoons, shall we?

1. You can pick up the eBook of The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons on Amazon for $9.99. (It’s a Kindle Select title, not available elsewhere, but you don’t have to have a Kindle; a free Kindle app for your smart phone or tablet will work just fine.)

2.  You can buy the printed book from an online bookseller, including  Amazon and Barnes & Noble; list price is $14.99, but the current discount brings the price down to $11.43.

3. Want an autographed copy? Inquire at your local mystery bookseller. Several have signed books in stock, including Mysterious Bookshop, Seattle Mystery Bookshop, VJ Books, and The Poisoned Pen. Or pick up a signed copy directly from us at our eBay store.

4. Would you like something really special? The signed-and-numbered collector’s edition, printed on quality stock and leather bound, is a perfect gift for yourself or somebody else. And if you act now it’ll be accompanied by a free signed copy of the paperback trade edition. (The $79.99 price includes free priority mail shipping within the United States.)

5.  The book’s enrolled in Amazon’s MatchBook program. You know about this deal? Once you’ve bought the printed book from Amazon, you can pick up an eBook for $2.99. (Let’s see: list price is $14.99 + $9.99 = 24.98, and your cost is $11.43 + $2.99 = $14.42. Hmmm…)

6. Want to make it easy on your eyes? Go for the Large-Print edition, available online from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Same handsome cover, with larger type and an ultra-legible sans serif font. Large Print editions are usually clunky in appearance, sacrificing eye appeal for readability. My Production Goddess, Jaye Manus, designed our edition so it’s a clear win-win. Your eyes will thank you.

7. It’s even easier on your eyes if you read it with your ears, and Richard Ferrone’s audiobook narration is superb.

8. Here’s the least expensive option of all: If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can eBorrow The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons for free and keep it as long as you like. (You don’t have to feel guilty, either, because authors are compensated for borrowed titles.)

Okay, that’ll do it. Pick a way that works for you and find out what Bernie’s up to. As for me, I’m off Wednesday morning for Taiwan, with reader events March 7-10 in Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan. My Taiwanese readers are something special, and it’ll be a pleasure to meet with y’all again.

And I honestly won’t mind  a week away from this miserable New York winter…

Cheers!