Dear Burning Questions,
I am a longtime fan of Donald E. Westlake. I particularly love the Dortmunder books. Unless I missed it, I have not found one for a few years. I have read all the "old" ones several times, and my favorite is Bank Shot. Does Westlake have plans for more Dortmunder books? Thank you.

Anne Coder
Dayton, Ohio

Sounds like you need some new reading material, which we're happy to say is exactly what you'll get. Mysterious Press will publish Bad News April 1, 2001. It's Westlake's first Dortmunder novel in five years.

Site unseen

Dear Burning Questions,
I have read a couple of books by Robin Schone, including her newest one titled The Lover. In one of her other books a Web site is listed but it is not active anymore. Can you help? I want to know what other books she's written and if they are in print. Does she have an active Web site?

Pat Brow
via e-mail

Robin Schone's first book, Awaken My Love, will be reissued in trade paperback by Kensington in their new Brava imprint in June. Her new novel Gabriel's Woman will be published in September. Schone has written The Lady's Tutor and The Lover. She has a novella in two anthologies -- Captivated and Fascinated. These are all in print. You can learn more on the author's Web site at www.robinschone.com.

Something new from Nora

Dear Burning Questions,
I read everything Nora Roberts writes and am always eagerly awaiting the next book. What is next?

via e-mail

Putnam will publish Roberts' latest book, Villa, in March. In it, the Giambelli and MacMillan family wineries are about to merge, and granddaughter Sophie Giambelli is supposed to work closely with Tyler MacMillan to make sure it happens. Sounds to us like more than one merger is going on here.

Three times the charm

Dear Burning Questions,
I'm a huge fan of the following three series novels, and was wondering if you could tell me when the next books are due out in these series: Jan Karon's Mitford series, Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear culinary mystery series, and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum mystery series.

Robert Kinker
Gahanna, Ohio

You and many other readers are waiting for this one: A Common Life: The Wedding Story (Viking), Jan Karon's next Mitford book, will be released in April. Also in April, the "Queen of the Culinary Mystery," Diane Mott Davidson, serves up Sticks & Scones (Bantam). She's already at work on her 12th culinary mystery, to be published in 2002. We recently spoke to Janet Evanovich's daughter (Janet was in the UK on a book tour for Hot Six), and she told us book seven in the Plum series is due out in June.

Are we having fund yet?

Dear Burning Questions,
I am interested in learning if Stephen Frey, author of The Vulture Fund and two other fictions, is writing again. Haven't seen any new books by him in quite a while.

Mary Deeb
via e-mail

The author of not three, but six novels including the upcoming Trust Fund (Ballantine), to be released in January, Stephen Frey knows whereof he speaks -- or writes. He's a principal at a Northern Virginia private equity firm and previously worked in mergers and acquisitions at J.P. Morgan and as a vice president of corporate finance at an international bank in midtown Manhattan. In addition to Trust Fund and The Vulture Fund, he is the author of The Takeover, The Inner Sanctum, The Legacy and The Insider.

Where, oh where, can he be?

Dear Burning Questions,
Where, oh where, has Wilbur Smith gone? A new novel in the making I hope! I've read them all and several of them twice. Not even my library can tell me, so I'm turning to the "Questions Guru." Help please -- pretty please!

Rose McMullen
Cross City, Florida

Questions Guru, now that's a title we like. Wilbur Smith's next book is called Warlock and is set for publication in May 2001 by Thomas Dunne Books/ St. Martin's. Wishing you inner peace and happy reading.

DeLillo delivers

Dear Burning Questions,
I like writer Don DeLillo and was wondering if he has a new novel coming out in the near future. Thanks for any information.

Charles Rockwell via e-mail

The prize-winning, best-selling author of Underworld and White Noise has written a new novel, entitled The Body Artist, to be published in February (Scribner). It's DeLillo at his sparest and most seductive: an artist living on a lonely coast encounters a man who seems to know everything about her.