Mystery Book Review: Mama Does Time by Deborah Sharp

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Mama Does Time by Deborah Sharp. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Mama Does Time by Deborah Sharp
A Mace Bauer Mystery

Midnight Ink (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-7387-1329-5 (0738713295)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7387-1329-8 (9780738713298)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $13.95

Review: Deborah Sharp introduces Mason "Mace" Bauer, daughter to Rosalee Deveraux a.k.a. Mama, a multi-married, sherbet-colored pantsuit wearing, beauty parlor aromatherapist, in Mama Does Time, a delightful mystery set in Florida.

It’s September in Himmarshee, a town so small it is virtually unheard of outside the county and even if a random visitor managed to find it they couldn't pronounce it. 62-year-old Mama's been taken to the jail by the new detective in town, Carlos Martinez from Miami, for questioning in the death of a man whose body was found in the trunk of her vintage Cadillac convertible. The victim, Jim Alpert, was the owner of the local Booze and Breeze drive-thru, and fiancé of Mama’s new bingo buddy Emma Jean Valentine. Every one in Himmarshee knows Mama would never ever hurt any one, so the thought of her killing someone is ludicrous. Except for Detective Martinez who clearly thinks otherwise.

Although Himmarshee is certainly no tourist center, like most Florida towns it does have an animal park. Mace, Mama's middle daughter who loves the outdoors and the animals, is the caretaker of the park. Mace finds Detective Martinez’s handling of the murder of Jim Alpert outrageous and decides to begin a search on her own for the murderer. Martinez warns her to back off and to let the professionals handle the case, but she knows her mother is innocent and wants her out of jail. For her efforts Mace is run off the road in her Jeep, she and her mother receive threatening notes, and her house is broken into. Each time Martinez warns her to back off. But Mace knows at least three persons who had a good motive for wanting to see Alpert dead, and she's pretty sure she's next on the list.

Much of the appeal of Mama Does Time is in the relationship Mama has with her daughters. This close-knit family of women argue with the best of them, but are fiercely protective of each other. The writing is sharp and the characters quick-witted. The situations Mama and her daughters find themselves in provide much of the humor which has an authentic Southern charm to it. That the plot seems to be secondary to everything else doesn't lessen the interest in the story.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Mama Does Time and to asdf for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing Mama Does Time from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Meet Mama: a true Southern woman with impeccable manners, sherbet-colored pantsuits, and four prior husbands, able to serve sweet tea and sidestep alligator attacks with equal aplomb. Mama's antics -- especially her penchant for finding trouble -- drive her daughters Mace, Maddie, and Marty to distraction.

One night, while settling in to look for ex-beaus on COPS, Mace gets a frantic call from her mother. This time, the trouble is real: Mama found a body in the trunk of her turquoise convertible and the police think she's the killer. It doesn't help that the handsome detective assigned to the case seems determined to prove Mama's guilt or that the cowboy who broke Mace's heart shows up at the local Booze ‘n' Breeze in the midst of the investigation. Before their mama lands in prison -- just like an embarrassing lyric from a country-western song -- Mace and her sisters must find the real culprit.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Savings: Up to $20 off at Alibris.com

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

Save up to $20 off books, music, and movies at Alibris.com. From now through February 08, 2009, the following coupon codes can be used to save on all your purchases from one of the largest online retailers of books:

Use coupon code LAW for $2 off $20 or more;
PHYSICS for $4 off $40 or more;
BIOCHEM for $7 off $70 or more;
MARINEBIO for $10 off $100 or more;
ECOLOGY for $15 off $150 or more; or
ECON for $20 off $200 or more.

Click on the Alibris banner below to start shopping. For even more savings, search for books that are eligible for free shippping. When Alibris is listed as a book's seller, it ships from their warehouse and is eligible for free shipping to U.S. addresses. Click on the Free Shipping link on the right side of the home page to browse for books that qualify.

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NPR Interviews Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

NPR has an interview this morning with mystery authors Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter Carol Higgins Clark. There's also an excerpt (both as part of the audio version and following the written profile) of their latest collaboration, Dashing Through the Snow, their fifth holiday mystery.

When asked if they share plot ideas or keep them to themselves, "Oh, we wouldn't steal from each other," says Carol Higgins Clark, named for one of the characters in her mother's first published short story. "We actually fax each other pages as we're working on our separate books, just to get feedback." "You know, when you're writing and rewriting, you can get so close to it that it suddenly seems dull," says Mary Higgins Clark. "You need fresh eyes you can count on to say, 'That's fine. What are you worried about?'"

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New Hardcover Mysteries for January 2009

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has updated its list of new hardcover mysteries with books scheduled for publication in January 2009.

As we've done for several months now, we're listing those authors with returning series characters, new series characters, and non-series or stand-alone mysteries in separate sections. All titles are available on our January mystery books page. We're also using the "carousel" widget by Amazon.com to display a random selection of titles; refreshing this page will change the selection displayed.

Authors with mysteries having returning series characters (in parentheses) this month:

Suzanne Arruda (Jade Del Cameron), Stephen J. Cannell (Shane Scully), Donis Casey (Alafair Tucker), Alys Clare (Hawkenlye), Blaize Clement (Dixie Hemingway), Robert Ludlum and James Cobb (Covert One), Susan Rogers Cooper (Milt Kovak), Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum), Jerrilyn Farmer (Madeline Bean), Jack Fredrickson (Dek Ekstrom), David Fulmer (Valentin St. Cyr), Leighton Gage (Mario Silva), Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse, Southern Vampire), Hugh Holton (Larry Cole), Norma Tadlock Johnson (Donna Galbreath, Cedar Harbor), Stuart M. Kaminsky (Lew Fonesca), Grant McCrea (Rick Redman), Ralph M. McInerny (Father Dowling), G. A. McKevett (Savannah Reid), Jo Nesbo (Harry Hole), Louise Penny (Armand Gamache), Thomas Perry (Jane Whitefield), Rosemary Rowe (Libertus Mystery of Roman Britain), Alan Savage (Duncan Morant), June Shaw (Cealie Gunther), Charles Todd (Ian Rutledge), Stuart Woods (Will Lee)

Authors with mysteries introducing new series characters (in parentheses) this month:

William Bernhardt (Eliot Ness), Alison Bruce (Gary Goodhew), J. Sydney Jones (Karl Werthen and Hanns Gross), Malla Nunn (Emmanuel Cooper), Misa Ramirez (Lola Cruz)

Authors with non-series or stand-alone mysteries this month:

Alina Adams, Josh Bazell, C. J. Box, Michael Connelly, Ted Dekker, Leonard Downie Jr., Hallie Ephron, Joseph Flynn, Norman Green, Karen Tintori and Jill Gregory, John Grisham, Jack Higgins, Charlie Huston, Greg Iles, Lenny Kleinfeld, George Mastras, Mark McNay, Richard North Patterson, Linda L. Richards, Jeffrey Siger, Erica Spindler, Daniel Suarez, Paul Block and Robert Vaughan

For more information on any of these titles, please visit the New Mysteries page on our website. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where you can discover a library of new mysteries, also updated with January 2009 releases.

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Savings: Free Backpack with $100 or more at B&N.com

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

From now through January 30, 2009, Barnes&Noble.com is offering a free traveler backpack when making a single purchase of $100 of more at bn.com. Be sure to check out the offer details on the home page for restrictions and other requirements.

The backpack, shown below, designed exclusively for Barnes & Noble customers, is the perfect bag for carrying your books to class or your gear to the gym. It's light-weight and strong, with re-enforced padding in the back and on the shoulder straps, and includes 3 compartments to help you stay organized. It is regularly priced at $24.95.

Getting your free backpack couldn't be easier: place $100 of qualifying items in your cart, go to the backpack page and add the bag to your cart, and proceed to checkout.

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New Mysteries: Beat the Reaper Website and Trailer

We were reading tweets this morning (yes, we twitter, mostly about Mystery Books News; you can follow us at twitter.com/mysteries), and one from Little Brown caught our eye: a website promoting the upcoming debut suspense novel Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell.

BeatTheReaper.com has all the usual promotional material that accompanies a new release but also has a clever book trailer, a fairly lame and silly game, and excerpts from the book (don't overlook the footnotes!) and audiobook. Turn on your speakers; the background music is really pretty good.

Beat the Reaper comes out next month but is available for pre-order. Our January 2009 hardcover mysteries page is online, though not yet linked, but you can get a preview by following the link above. We'll formally post the page of January releases tomorrow or Wednesday.

We don't have any plans to review Beat the Reaper but maybe we can get Little Brown to send us a copy. It does, however, seem like a promising debut.

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Book Review: The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo
A Matt Stevens Mystery

Amulet Books (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-8109-7067-8 (0810970678)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8109-7067-0 (9780810970678)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $15.95

Review: Jack D. Ferraiolo introduces middle school private investigator Matt Stevens in The Big Splash, a hard-boiled noir mystery for young adults that pays homage to the masters of the genre.

The case seemed deceptively simple, but don't they all: Matt is hired by Vincent "Vinnie Biggs" Biggio to retrieve a pendant given by him to his former girlfriend, Nicole "Nicki Fingers" Finnegan. Not only was Nicki a girlfriend, she was also Vinnie's primary enforcer, a sharpshooter with a water gun. Nicki's gone straight to set an example for her younger sister, but just as Matt completes his assignment, Nicki is attacked with a stream of water by an unknown assailant. Matt's now in the middle trying to figure out what's going on. Is someone trying to muscle in on Vinnie's organization? Or is one of Nicki's many victims just getting payback? Or is it something more personal? The possibilities, and suspects, seem endless.

Narrated by Matt, the opening paragraph of The Big Splash definitively sets the tone for the entire book. One can immediately imagine Stacy Keach as Mike Hammer reciting these lines:

"He approached me as I made my way into the caf for lunch. He was small and wiry, with a face that would've been more at home on a rodent. His jaw moved slowly and with great purpose as it worked over a piece of fruit gum, the kind that gave off a sickeningly sweet smell but lost its flavor after three chews. His name was Joey Renoni, a.k.a. the Hyena, and I knew who he worked for."

The Big Splash is clearly written for a younger audience though readers not familiar with the noir classics may not fully appreciate the narrative style. It's likely older children and even adults will enjoy the book. The violence is minimal and references to more mature subjects are replaced by, though hardly masking, age-appropriate themes. From a plot perspective, in many ways Matt and the other characters are adults merely inhabiting children's bodies. Typical of the genre, the plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns, though it seems overly drawn out at times. Still, it's hard not to like Matt and get involved in his investigation as he discovers the true culprit behind the pusillanimous deed.

Though not specifically stated at any point that a sequel is planned, The Big Splash seems an ideal introduction to a noir series featuring Matt Stevens written for a middle school-age audience.

Special thanks to Amulet Books, an imprint of Harry N. Abrams, for providing a copy of The Big Splash for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing The Big Splash from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): “The Frank” is in the clutches of a crime syndicate run by seventh-grader Vinny “Mr. Biggs” Biggio, who deals in forged hall passes and black-market candy. Double-cross him and your number is punched by one of his deadly water-gun-toting assassins. One hit in the pants and you are in “the Outs” forever.

Matt Stevens is a proud loner with his own code of justice. He’s avoided being pulled into Vinny’s organization until now: Mr. Biggs has offered him a job he can’t resist, one that leads to the surprising downfall of Vinny’s top assassin, the beautiful and deadly Nikki “Fingers” Finnegan, at the hands of an unknown assailant. Matt thinks he was used, and he becomes determined to find the trigger-guy or -girl, even if it means bringing down one of his oldest friends.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mysteries on TV: A Look Back at Foyle's War

Mysteries on TV, your source for the most complete selection of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series now available or coming soon to DVD, on Mondays typically profiles series that have DVD sets being released the following Tuesday. With the next new release of a mystery series not scheduled until after the first of the year, we thought we'd take the last three Mondays of 2008 to highlight some of our favorite series.

This week: Foyle's War.

Any discussion of our favorite series wouldn't be complete without mentioning Foyle's War. There were but 19 episodes filmed over a period of 5 years yet this series profoundly affected how we view mystery television.

Michael Kitchen starred as Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Foyle, a police officer in the southern coastal town of Hastings. The series is set during World War II and each episode is dated to correspond to a real time (and real events) during the war. Two other characters appeared in every episode: Foyle's right-hand man Sergeant Paul Milner was played by Anthony Howell, and Samantha "Sam" Stewart, Foyle's driver, was played by Honeysuckle Weeks. Julian Ovenden had a recurring role as Foyle's son, Andrew, an RAF pilot. The series was created and written by Anthony Horowitz.

No series is perfect, but Foyle's War comes close. Very close. The casting was ideal and the actor's portrayals of their characters was astonishly believable. Michael Kitchen in particular played Foyle in such a confident, understated manner that he projects a powerful screen presence. To be fair, the actors were given strongly developed characters by Horowitz. Foyle, for example, was never one willing to compromise, but he knew that war was not fair and that sometimes doing the right thing meant doing something unpopular, especially with his superiors. This conflict in values provided the foundation for many of the episodes.

The production values are as high as you'll ever see on series television. The south coast of England is meticulously depicted as it was during the 1940s and the visuals are frequently stunning to look at. If nothing else, it's a marvelous period series.

But what sets Foyle's War above many others of its kind is the first-rate writing and the intricate plots that compel the viewer to pay close attention, listen to every word and take in all details. Most episodes couple a war event (or something to do with the war) with a local crime. That they're connected is almost a given; how they're connected, and how Foyle will use the information available to him, is the mystery. Of the 19 episodes, only 2 or 3 are relatively weakly plotted (though when we rewatched the series with another couple, they completely disagreed). Still and all, it's a good track record.

All five sets of Foyle's War are available on DVD. (ITV aired the series in 6 sets with two of them consisting of 2 episodes each; these two sets were combined into one for the DVD release.) We've also put together a Foyle's War Squidoo lens with additional information about the characters and episodes.

And there may yet be more! Last April The Guardian reported that ITV was in discussion to continue the series as Foyle's Peace. In August, the Daily Mail stated the series was confirmed. But we can find nothing more definitive on the series published recently.

Visit the Mysteries on TV website to discover more television mystery series currently available on DVD.

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for December 29, 2008

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now available on our website.

Godoku is similar to Sudoku, but uses letters instead of numbers. To give you a headstart, we provide you a mystery clue to fill in a complete row or column (if you choose to use it!).

This week's letters and mystery clue:

A B C D E G I M R

The Cassandra James mysteries by Christine Poulson are set in this university town (9 letters).

We now have two weeks of our puzzles on one page in PDF format for easier printing. Print this week's puzzle here.

Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy the weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

   

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A Note to our Readers ...

We moved Mystery Books News to a new server last night. While we hope the transition was a seamless one, we apologize in advance for any disruption that you may encounter (or may have already encountered). Something we've already noticed is that e-mail subscribers received a long list of posts as if they were all "new". In fact, only the Sunday, December 28th, entries were new.

We hope that this new server will improve both performance and reliability and we'll keep you posted (as it were) on anything that may affect your reading of our blog. Thanks for visiting, we appreciate your support.

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Best Mysteries of 2008 from January Magazine, Part 2

January Magazine has now published the second and final part of its selection of the best crime fiction of 2008. Listed alphabetically by title, and including their original review, part 2 includes books starting with the letter H and greater. We published a post about the first part of their list earlier today.

An interesting mix of bestsellers and little-known (outside the mystery world) titles. We hope that these "best" lists, including our own list of the best mysteries of 2008, help spread the word about outstanding books readers may be missing.

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Mystery Book Review: Born to Run by James Grippando

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Born to Run by James Grippando. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Born to Run by James Grippando
A Jack Swyteck Mystery

HarperCollins (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-06-155611-4 (0061556114)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-155611-1 (9780061556111)
Publication Date: December 2008
List Price: $25.99

Review: Life for lawyer Jack Swyteck had never been what most people would call uneventful. Defending death row inmates in Florida is never an easy job, especially when your father, the governor, is frequently signing the orders of execution for your clients. But as Jack reached forty, it seemed his life was finally slowing down: his father was retiring, and both his job and relationship were going well.

Yet, everything turns around with the death of Jack’s father’s friend, who just happens to be the vice president. When his father is named to be the new VP, Jack finds himself drawn into the Washington world of power politics, and before long it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems. Drawn into a web of murder, intrigue, and deception, Jack finds himself inescapably involved in one of his most dangerous and fast-paced mysteries yet.

James Grippando shows that he is clearly a master of the thriller in Born to Run, his latest work featuring Swyteck. From its first pages, Born to Run is packed with action, making it a difficult book to put down. Readers who prefer a story that starts slow and builds gradually with clues will be disappointed, as the book fits an impossible amount of action into almost every scene and the story progresses quickly.

Despite being the eighth installment in this successful series, Born to Run is readable on its own. In fact, it’s a great place to pick up this popular series, as Grippando doesn’t skimp on his character development despite his work in earlier books. Jack Swyteck is witty and fun, and all of Gippando’s characters have strong, believable personalities that jump off the page along with the action.

Born to Run is a fun and exiting read that fans of the genre will undoubtedly enjoy. The scope of the drama in this political thriller may feel a bit over the top at some points, but the fun of the book is suspending disbelief and hanging on for the ride. Born to Run is especially recommended for reading during a long bus trip or a day at the beach because it will immediately pull you out of your chair and into a world of blackmail, murder, and dirty political secrets.

Special thanks to Rebecca Henderson for contributing her review of Born to Run.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Rebecca Henderson — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission

If you are interested in purchasing Born to Run from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Miami criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck guards his own family secrets closely, after his father's two terms as Florida's governor made some personal rifts public. Things between the two men are finally better, and whenever Harry Swyteck asks for Jack's help he gets it. Suddenly, Harry needs it more than ever before.

When Harry's friend, the vice president of the United States, goes hunting for alligators in the Everglades and winds up dead, the president positions Harry to be his new VP. Harry immediately asks Jack to be his lawyer. The prestige that comes from the job turns lethal, however, when Jack finds himself at the heart of a complicated cover-up that spans nearly fifty years and the globe. Before hostages can be released, an old secret must be revealed, one that could threaten the life of the president of the United States himself.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Games of Mystery: Suspects and Clues, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Thieves, vandals, and counterfeiters have joined together for the heist of the century. You'll need keen visual skills to analyze the evidence, piece together clues, and track down the suspects in this photo hunt game. Featuring over 120 challenges with multiple puzzle types and beautiful images from around the world to engage your powers of perception.

Suspects and Clues may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A demonstration version may be downloaded (50.27 MB) and played for one hour for free.

Big Fish Games is offering a special deal now through the end of the year. All games are 50% off! To realize your savings, click the Buy button for any game you want. Sign in or create a new account. Select the $19.99 price option. Then type in coupon code HOLIDAY2008 into the box. All purchases must be completed by January 01, 2009.

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, the Carol Reed mystery Remedy, Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown, Mystery Chronicles: Murder Among Friends, and The Treasures of Mystery Island.

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Best Mysteries of 2008 from January Magazine

January Magazine has published the first in a multi-part series of its selection of the best crime fiction of 2008. Listed alphabetically by title, and including their original review, part 1 includes books through letter G.

Mixing some bestselling authors with newcomers, the list (so far) includes two titles that we also reviewed at Mysterious Reviews and rated very highly: Death Was the Other Woman by Linda L. Richards (which we called "first class entertainment") and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (of which we said was "Swedish noir at its best").

There's no indication on the January Magazine website when the rest of their list will be published, but when it is, we'll let you know.

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Mystery Author Hillary Waugh Dies

The New York Times is reporting that prolific mystery author Hillary Waugh died on December 8th in Torrington CT. He was 88.

Waugh was widely recognized as a pioneer in the mystery subgenre of police procedurals with his 1952 novel Last Seen Wearing. In addition to his many stand-alone novels, he wrote several recurring series books, one of which, the 1959 novel Sleep Long, My Love featuring Chief of Police Fred C. Fellows, was made into the 1962 film Jigsaw. He also published many mysteries under pen names including H. Baldwin Taylor and Elissa Grandower.

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Mystery Book Review: The Exchange by Inga C. Ellzey

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Exchange by Inga C. Ellzey. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Exchange by Inga C. Ellzey
A Jewelle Dawson Mystery

Lambie Books (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-60585-504-9 (1605855049)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60585-504-2 (9781605855042)
Publication Date: May 2008
List Price: $19.99

Review: Inga C. Ellzey introduces Jewelle Dawson, a woman without a past and an uncertain future, in The Exchange, the first book in a series of romantic suspense novels.

After an injurious warning not to testify, a knife drawn down her cheek leaving a hideous scar and a finger being dismembered, Elinore Hanson testified anyway against the Gambrelini mob family of Chicago. She was immediately put into the Witness Protection Program as Jewelle Dawson and moved to Duluth. After seven years in a lackluster job, her only true friends being John Murray, her Witness Protection officer, and his wife Betty, Jewelle decides she wants more for her life. Against the warnings of John, Jewelle elects to take a month’s cruise in the Mediterranean on the luxury liner, Emerald of the Seas, flying to Barcelona where she boards the ship with thoughts of making new friends, having an exciting adventure, and perhaps fitting in a little romance. Little does she know that her assumed persona would innocently and unknowingly be revealed by a new and trusted friend and that word would get back to the Gambrelini don who had never given up his aspiration of finding and killing her for the trouble she had caused his “family.”

Jewelle is delighted to be seated at dinner with Frances and Gordon Wakefield from Quebec. Besides celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, Frances, a writer of mysteries, is eager to write her final novel, a mystery involving an intercontinental jewel theft. Also present is Paul Rosini, a handsome widower, who took an immediate interest in Jewelle as she did in him. During the first few days at sea she also meets Max Caldwell, a very wealthy, very attractive gentleman, who shares a mutual interest in her. Jewelle is having the time of her life. But, through a quirk of fate, one of her new friends described Jewelle to another acquaintance who had once been a member of the Gambrelini “family”. He notified Gambrelini and plans were immediately set in motion to find the woman now know as Jewelle Dawson. When Jewelle’s friend realized what she had done, she gathers all who had came to know and love Jewelle to devise a plan that would save Jewelle’s life, yet satisfy Gambrelini that the woman who had caused him so much harm in the past was now dead.

The title of The Exchange has several meanings in the book, not the least of which is the ultimate exchange of Jewelle's old life for her new one. The richly drawn characters come alive, each of the principal ones having memorable attributes. The plots of the jewel theft and the jeopardy surrounding Jewelle are complex but are beautifully woven together. The Exchange is a passionate, suspenseful novel, and, according to the author's website, just the first in a series to feature this intriguing woman.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Exchange and to FSB Associates for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing The Exchange from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): After seven years in the Witness Protection Program, Jewelle Dawson hopes to regain her freedom and her identity by embarking on a one-month Mediterranean Cruise. With full knowledge that the Gambrelini mob is still hunting her and despite desperate pleas and warnings from John Murray, her Witness Protection Officer, Jewelle flies to Barcelona and boards the luxury cruise ship, the Emerald of the Seas, in search of interesting new friends, a fresh beginning, and hopefully...romance.

Two men quickly find their way into Jewelle's protected life and heart. Max Caldwell, the fabulously wealthy playboy gambler lures Jewelle into his life of risk with promises of adventure and romance, yet lets Jewelle know upfront that he's a man who wants no ties or commitments. In spite of his warnings, Jewelle finds herself in a game of chance, willing to risk it all for love. Paul Rosini, the handsome, widower pilot, fascinates Jewelle with his gentle ways and romantic charms, although Jewelle knows that there's a hidden, deeper, darker side that he won't reveal to her...or anyone. Through exotic ports-of-call in the Mediterranean, Jewelle finds new relationships with Frances Wakefield, the eccentric internationally famous mystery thriller authoress, Randy and Sarah Harrison, Picco, the Italian Countess, and Kenny Scott, the physically grotesque but lovable Vietnam Vet. All add fun, adventure, and intrigue to Jewelle's escape vacation.

Love and friendship are put to the ultimate test when the mob discovers Jewelle's vulnerable location. Two will die, relationships are defined, and Max and Paul will be forced to reveal their secret pasts when all the characters come together in a daring exchange to give Jewelle freedom from the Gambrelinis once and for all.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Bestsellers for December 26, 2008

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending December 26, 2008 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

James Patterson's latest Alex Cross thriller, Cross Country retakes the top spot this week nudging Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell into second place. The Private Patient (Adam Dalgliesch) by P. D. James, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson retain their respective third and fourth positions from last week.

New on the list this week but actually debuting at 22 last week is the 12th mystery in the Nina Reilly series by Perri O'Shaughnessy, Show No Fear. Working as a paralegal and attending law school at night, Nina has her hands full. She's fighting for custody of her young son Bob and overseeing a medical malpractice lawsuit on behalf of her mother, Virigina Reilly, whose health is rapidly declining after she suffered complications from an acupuncture procedure. But Nina's personal stresses are ramped up when a local tragedy plunges Nina into a hunt for a killer -- a killer only she believes exists. When a woman falls to her death off a bridge near Big Sur, Nina suspects there is more to the accident than the authorities are saying. Embarking on her solitary quest for the truth and stirring up trouble along the way, Nina catches the killer's attention -- and the only official help Nina gets is from homicide cop Paul van Wagoner. Now, moving dangerously close to the shattering truth, Nina finds the missing link in the shadowy case only when she recognizes a crucial, overlooked fact: sometimes people bury their secret desires, even from those who love them the most.

On our bestseller page, we've added an icon next to every title that is available for immediate download onto the Amazon Kindle. To learn about this wireless reading device, visit the Amazon Kindle page for more information.

The top four mystery bestsellers this week are shown below:

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Book Review: Heartless by Alison Gaylin

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Heartless by Alison Gaylin. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Heartless by Alison Gaylin
Non-series

New American Library (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-451-22497-3 (0451224973)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-22497-2 (9780451224973)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $21.95

Review: An undercurrent of terror lies just beneath the surface of a picturesque town in Heartless, series' author Alison Gaylin's first stand-alone thriller.

Subsequent to the capture of a serial killer that former hard news journalist Zoe Greene had not only closely followed but had also been an integral part of during the investigation, she finds solace of a sort in reporting the far less threatening goings on in the steamy world of soap operas. But she crosses an editorial line when she falls in love with one of the soap's leading men, Warren Clark. Rather than give up a chance at love, she impulsively quits her job and meets him at his retreat in San Esteban, Mexico. At first she thinks she's found paradise, even though the town had recently been in the news when a young man was found brutally murdered, his heart cut from his chest. But her reporter's instincts kick in when a few too many coincidences pique her interest, and all paths seem to lead to Warren being involved in some way. It isn't until she's threatened that she realizes how dangerous San Esteban is and how little she really knows about the man she ran away to be with.

Heartless is one of those thrillers that is so easy to pick apart it hardly seems worth the effort. From the shallow characters to the silly plot, there is so much material available to ridicule that it's hard to know where to start. So rather than focus on the multitude of things that don't work, here are a few that do.

The prologue is strongly written; it's too bad what follows couldn't match the intrigue promised by these few opening pages. Ironically, the epilogue is also one of the high points, and not only because it marks the beginning of the end of the book. It is here that Zoe finally gets some depth to her character and becomes real to the reader. Though little of the narrative is credible or believable, the author manages to maintain an atmosphere of surrealism throughout. There is a sense that Zoe believes in what is happening and that is often enough to keep turning the pages. Finally, there's no denying that Gaylin is a talented writer; in less capable hands Heartless would have been conspicuously forgettable. As it is, it's merely disappointing.

Special thanks to Penguin Group for providing an ARC of Heartless for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing Heartless from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): From the moment magazine editor Zoe Greene joins her lover Warren in San Esteban, an idyllic Mexican village, something is strange about the place and its people -- from the black crosses that hang throughout the town to the blood-tipped spines of its strange indigenous plants to Warren’s odd disappearances. Then, when tourists are found murdered, Zoe begins to ask questions. At even greater risk, she’s finding the answers.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Savings: Free eBooks from eHarlequin.com

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a list of offers recently received that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

eHarlequin.com is offering a free eBook a day starting tomorrow, December 23rd. Simply visit the eHarlequin.com ebook store from 12/23/2008 9 AM ET through the end of the year (12/31/2008) to download your book.

We contacted eHarlequin.com to see if there were any restrictions or fees and they assured us there were none. Though we couldn't get a list of titles to be available, we were told they will be current, December 2008, releases. Maybe there will be a mystery or two, but regardless, if you enjoy eBooks and want to sample eHarlequin titles, this is the time to do it! Click on the link above or the banner below to visit the eHarlequin eBook store. (eBook readers can also be downloaded from their home page.)

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Mysteries on TV: A Look Back at the NBC Mystery Movies

Mysteries on TV, your source for the most complete selection of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series now available or coming soon to DVD, on Mondays typically profiles series that have DVD sets being released the following Tuesday. With the next new release of a mystery series not scheduled until after the first of the year, we thought we'd take the last three Mondays of 2008 to highlight some of our favorite series.

This week: the NBC Mystery Movies.

In 1971 NBC introduced The NBC Mystery Movie, an umbrella series consisting of alternating Wednesday night airings of Columbo, McCloud, and McMillan and Wife. The success of the format led NBC to not only add another series to the umbrella (Hec Ramsey) the following year but also create a second night of mystery movies (Madagan, Cool Million, and Banacek). Some of the new series weren't quite the rating success of the original three, so over the next 5 years NBC tried to find a fourth series in Tenafly, Faraday & Company, The Snoop Sisters, Amy Prentiss, and more. It wasn't until Quincy M.E. aired in 1976 that it found a winner. The concept was abandoned by NBC at the end of the 1976-77 season (though revived a decade later by ABC with the return of Columbo and Kojak, adding B. L. Stryker, Gideon Oliver, and Christine Cromwell). A lot of good mysteries were shown as part of a weekly mystery movie series, some of which are available today on DVD. Below are three of our favorites.

George Peppard played Thomas Banacek, a Boston-based freelance insurance investigator in Banacek. He typically investigated the loss of only the most expensive items (an airplane, a race car, rare art, jewelry, etc.) and his fee of 10% of the insured value of missing property allowed him to lead a lavish lifestyle.

The vast majority of the episodes were of the "impossible crime" variety with the insured item vanishing in a most mysterious manner. Each episode ended with Banacek recreating how the theft occurred and producing, causing to produce, or simply explaining where to find the missing item. Granted, some of the solutions were as wildly improbable as the crime itself, but it was always entertaining to watch.

The series also starred Ralph Manza as Banacek's chauffeur Jay Drury (who often came up with his own "theories" on how to find the stolen items) and Murray Matheson as rare bookstore owner Felix Mulholland, whose encyclopedic knowledge of the most arcane subjects frequently came in handy in solving the case.

The pilot episode and 16 regular season episodes of Banacek are available on a single DVD set as the complete series. The individual seasons are also available separately.

We also enjoyed the early seasons of McMillan & Wife which starred Rock Hudson as San Francisco Police Commissioner Stewart McMillan and Susan St. James as his wife Sally. Though the banter between the two could be syrupy sweet, there was usually a decent mystery plot supporting each episode.

Comic relief was often provided by two series regulars, Nancy Walker as the McMillan's live-in housekeeper Mildred and John Schuck as McMillan's right-hand man, Sgt. Charles Enright.

Due to a contract dispute between the studio and Susan St. James, Sally was written out of the series for its final season which, for that reason and several others, was the weakest and least watchable.

Only the first season of McMillan & Wife is currently available on DVD.

It's impossible to discuss the NBC Mystery Movies without including Columbo. Peter Falk starred as the Los Angeles homicide detective who always wore a rumpled overcoat, drove a battered Peugeot convertible, and was famous for the line "Just one more thing ...".

Created by multiple Edgar Award winning producers Richard Levinson and William Link, the episodes in the series generally followed a similar format. A murder was committed before the first commercial break with the audience in on who did it and how. The rest of the episode was devoted to Columbo uncovering the very small clue that implicates the killer, often a well-known guest star, and using it to trap them in the end.

By the time ABC resurrected Columbo in 1989 he had become almost a caricature of himself. The quality of the writing seemed to have slipped a bit as well. Still, it is a memorable series and will always be a standard of mystery television.

All seven seasons of the original Columbo on NBC are available on a DVD. The ABC episodes from 1989 and 1990 are available separately as movie collections.

Visit the Mysteries on TV website to discover more television mystery series currently available on DVD.

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for December 22, 2008

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now available on our website.

Godoku is similar to Sudoku, but uses letters instead of numbers. To give you a headstart, we provide you a mystery clue to fill in a complete row or column (if you choose to use it!).

This week's letters and mystery clue:

A C D E N R S V W

Andrew Neiderman became the ghost writer of this author’s novels following her death in 1986 (9 letters).

We now have two weeks of our puzzles on one page in PDF format for easier printing. Print this week's puzzle here.

Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy the weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

   

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Mystery Author Julius Fast Dies

Acclaimed mystery author Julius Fast died earlier this week in Kingston, NY. He was 89.

Fast won the debut Edgar Award given out by the Mystery Writers of America in 1946 for his first novel Watchful at Night which he wrote while serving in the Army during World War II. He followed up this book with several other well-received detective novels before turning his attention to non-fiction. His subsequent work covered a wide range of subjects from the Beatles to pop psychology.

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Mystery Book Review: Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan
A Scrapbooking Mystery with Kiki Lowenstein

Midnight Ink (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-7387-1250-7 (0738712507)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7387-1250-5 (9780738712507)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $14.95

Review: Joanna Campbell Slan introduces wife, mother, and scrapbooking expert Kiki Lowenstein in Paper, Scissors, Death, the first mystery in the Scrap-N-Craft series set in St. Louis, Missouri.

Kiki, husband George, and 11-year-old daughter Anya live in an upscale large home in an exclusive suburb of St. Louis. Kiki finds much delight in scrapbooking, so much so, that at times she teaches small classes in her home. Tragedy strikes this contented family’s home when George is found dead in a fashionable hotel in the city. He was naked, save for a striped scarf in his mouth. His death was ruled a heart attack by the coroner. Kiki, however, could not accept this verdict. George recently had had a complete physical examination and was found to be in perfect health. If she had to do it alone, with no help from the authorities, she would somehow prove that her husband was murdered.

She's going to get no help from her mother-in-law, though. George’s mother, Sheila, does not even try to hide the hatred she feels for Kiki. She believes Kiki stole George’s true love from him, his high school sweetheart Roxanne Baxter. When George died, Sheila devotes all her love and attention to her granddaughter, Anya. And then Kiki is informed by George’s partner shortly after his death that he had been embezzling large sums of money from their company, close to a half a million dollars. If she would pay it back in full, he would not make a public revelation of that fact. Kiki sells their home and most of their possessions to protect George’s name, moving to a more modest section of the area. But then things get really tough for Kiki when, in her search for the truth, she discovers that George had been seeing Roxanne all along. In a heated exchange with the woman, Kiki threatens her. When Roxanne is later found dead, Kiki naturally becomes the prime suspect, giving Sheila an opportunity to try to get custody of Anya. Kiki receives help and support not only from friends working on their scrapbooks, but also a very attentive detective. And could the solution to this mystery be contained within the scrap-n-craft entries in the scrapbooks themselves?

Slan cleverly frames the mystery in Paper, Scissors, Death around the craft of scrapbooking, something about which she clearly has considerable knowledge yet makes it seem approachable to beginners. Instructions, tips, and techniques are all featured. The characters, in particular Kiki, are nicely developed and likeable, and there's an enjoyable mix of humor, suspense, with a just a touch of romance in this well-rounded cozy debut.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Paper, Scissors, Death and to Midnight Ink for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing Paper, Scissors, Death from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Mousy housewife Kiki Lowenstein has only been good at two things in her life: scrapbooking and raising her eleven-year-old daughter, Anya. Known as the "Scrapbook Queen of St. Louis," Kiki works part-time at a scrapbook shop and shares her passion with others. But life gets sticky when her husband, George, is found naked and dead with a silk scarf stuffed in his mouth. And worse, George's business partner accuses him of having embezzled company money.

Vowing to put all the pieces together, Kiki toughens up and spouts vicious threats when George's former flame brags about their affair at a bridal shower. But when the woman is murdered, Kiki's scissor-sharp words make her a prime suspect. Faced with losing custody of Anya, can Kiki track down the cunning killer, resist the distractingly dashing Detective Detweiler, and reveal the courageous woman she is at heart?

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Best Mysteries of 2008 from the Sun Florida Sun-Sentinel

Oline H. Cogdill, mystery columnist for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, yesterday published her list of the 16 best mysteries of 2008. Ranking hers in order, she chose The Finder by Colin Harrison ("a perceptive thriller about New York life") to be the best of the best, followed by Envy the Night by Michael Kortya ("an action-packed story") and Exit Music by Ian Rankin ("[t]he perfect send-off for Scottish cop John Rebus").

In a companion article on the SunSentinel.com Off The Page blog, she provides some background information on her selections. Her answer to a self-directed question about why some exceptional mysteries make the year's best list and some don't: "Sometimes, you just know." That's a terrific answer, and we may just have to make use of it ourselves when we're asked that very same question!

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Games of Mystery: Adventure Chronicles The Search for Lost Treasure, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

A few months have passed since Susan's ordeal in the museum, and she's been in no hurry to greet danger again. But when a prized notebook arrives at her office from an anonymous source, both her interest, and her suspicions are raised. The information contained within is too valuable to ignore. Soon she's off traveling the world, solving puzzles and tracking down mysterious clues in search of the most renown treasures of history and legend. Danger awaits while you explore world-spanning sites for hidden treasures and are faced with puzzles, wicked and intuitive.

Adventure Chronicles: The Search for Lost Treasure, a Big Fish Games exclusive, may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A demonstration version may be downloaded (93.52 MB) and played for one hour for free.

Big Fish Games is offering a special deal now through the end of the year. All games are 50% off! To realize your savings, click the Buy button for any game you want. Sign in or create a new account. Select the $19.99 price option. Then type in coupon code HOLIDAY2008 into the box. All purchases must be completed by January 01, 2009.

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, the Carol Reed mystery Remedy, Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown, Mystery Chronicles: Murder Among Friends, and The Treasures of Mystery Island.

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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BBC Orders Pilot of New Crime Drama, Sherlock

The BBC issued a press release yesterday announcing Sherlock, a new crime drama for BBC One. A contemporary update of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classics, the series will star Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson. Rupert Graves plays Inspector Lestrade.

The 60-minute pilot episode is expected to begin shooting next month in Wales.

We confess we're not altogether thrilled by this description of the series provided by BBC: "Sherlock is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced take on the crime drama genre set in present day London." And it gets better (or worse, depending on your point of view). Piers Wenger, head of drama at BBC Wales, says, "Our Sherlock is a dynamic superhero in a modern world, an arrogant, genius sleuth driven by a desire to prove himself cleverer than the perpetrator and the police, everyone in fact."

If the pilot does well, BBC will presumably order a full series.

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Games of Mystery: New Year's Eve Murder Mystery Party Ideas

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed games, parties, and vacations, has some suggestions for your next holiday party. With New Year's Eve less than two weeks away, it's not too late to plan that special murder mystery to ring in the new year. We have three suggestions here, but visit our site for many more.

T’was the eve of the holidays, good times was the quest.
And all were excited ‘til the murder of a guest!
The victim was discovered in a blood-soaked bed.
With a note in the hand and a wound in the head!

A Holiday Murder is set in the era of the 70s and 80s. The coolest party of the holidays includes trivia, dancing and of course, a murder! Everyone is a suspect of this vicious crime. Come join the fun!

A Holiday Murder is a simple to play murder mystery for 8-14 people. It’s a great way to move a party, have lots of fun and entertain your guests! For 6 to 14 guests, 21 and older. Rated M.

Also for adults is Murder Before Midnight. Mark Roundim's new year parties are famous. There is something there for everyone. Great food, plenty of drink, entertainment, and a host of interesting people from all walks of life. Tonight however there is also something for the police when Mark Roundim is discovered in his dressing room -- dead.

A great choice for new year parties, Murder Before Midnight is a simple to use murder mystery appropriate for first timers. With scripted dialogue to enhance the rounds, this murder mystery combines a new year celebration with a murder. And what a cast! If you like dressing up, then this one will definately appeal to both the men and the women attending! For 6 to 12 guests plus one optional inspector, 18 and older. Rated M.

For the whole family, there's The Murder Game. This is a classic whodunit of who, where, and why for you and your friends to enjoy set in a mysterious grand home during the Roaring 20s.

Eight people have received an unexpected invitation to the ancestral home of the Nonomus family - the gangster, the flapper, the silent film star, the stockbroker, the jazz musician, the speak-easy manager, the secretary and the journalist. Everyone wakes up to discover that their host, Ann Nonomus was murdered during the night. Marooned by a snowstorm, all eight suspects are trapped and have only a few hours to discover which of their number is a murderer.

As each round of the game is played everyone (if they ask the right questions) can detect the where (there are 8 rooms), the who (eight suspects) and the why (eight different motives) of this most intriguing murder. This standard party theme can be played at any time of the year but is especially fun on New Year's Eve. For 6 to 8 guests, 15 and older. Rated E.

For more ideas on mystery parties for kids, teens, and adults, visit Games of Mystery where you'll also find all types of mysterious fun!

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Games of Mystery: Mystery Legends Sleepy Hollow, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

All small towns have their secrets and stories, but none such as Sleepy Hollow, whose legends are most grim and gory. By day a quaint village full of sunshine and banter, by night a place haunted by hoof beats and spectral laughter. Explore Sleepy Hollow as never before, searching for clues into the ancient legend. But beware! Each night the Horseman rides as he takes another victim. With eerie, absorbing locations, chilling clues and mini-games, you must unravel the mystery before it's too late …

Mystery Legends: Sleepy Hollow, a Big Fish Games exclusive, may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A demonstration version may be downloaded (76.72 MB) and played for one hour for free.

Big Fish Games is offering a special deal now through the end of the year. All games are 50% off! To realize your savings, click the Buy button for any game you want. Sign in or create a new account. Select the $19.99 price option. Then type in coupon code HOLIDAY2008 into the box. All purchases must be completed by January 01, 2009.

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, the Carol Reed mystery Remedy, Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown, Mystery Chronicles: Murder Among Friends, and The Treasures of Mystery Island.

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Investigate the World of Edgar Allan Poe

U.S. News & World Report is publishing 50 Ways to Improve Your Life in 2009 and one of those is to investigate the world of Edgar Allan Poe. Reporter Diane Cole writes that his work haunts us forevermore; "[h]e invented the detective story, penned sinister tales of the macabre, and wrote sublimely mournful verse that echoes endlessly in memory.

2009 marks the 200th anniversary of Poe's birth and celebrations are planned around the world, including Baltimore where the author died at age 40 under circumstances that even today remain a mystery.

According to Cole, studying Poe's works will help see his influence on our culture. Many scholars, for example, believe Poe's character C. Auguste Dupin had a profound influence on the development of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Countless movies are based in whole, or in part, on Poe's writings. The Mystery Writers of America named their annual award for excellence in the field of mystery fiction, the Edgar, in honor of the author. And early next month, In the Shadow of the Master, edited by Michael Connelly, is being published, a collection of 16 of Poe's best tales accompanied by 20 essays from renowned mystery authors on how Poe changed their life and work.

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Self-Publishing a Book, 25 Things You Need to Know

Self Publish Mysteries, your source for information on writing and self-publishing your mystery book, has updated its website with more resources for new and established mystery authors including recent news articles and an updated selection of books. We also provide links to vendors of products that may be of interest to our visitors.

David Carnoy opens his Fully Equipped column on CNET Reviews (12/17/2008) with the following statement: "I know, I know. This is a column about cutting-edge electronics. So, apologies to gadget-heads as I take a brief sojourn into the land of self-publishing, which has become a lot more high-tech than a lot of people realize."

Carnoy is the author of a new mystery / thriller titled Knife Music, a book he self-published earlier this year. "Against the advice of my agent," he says, "I began perusing the big self-publishing companies' Web sites and evaluating what they had to offer. Then I started poking around blogs and message boards to get customer testimonials. What I found was a veritable minefield with roads that forked in every direction and very few clear answers."

His CNET Review article discusses in detail his experience in getting his book published and lists 25 things you need to know about self-publishing a book. But more than just providing a list, he gives examples and cites references to support his list.

We won't list all 25 here, but just the top 10 (and we don't think they're listed in any particular order in the article):

1. Self-publishing is easy.
2. Quality has improved.
3. Some of the more successful self-published books are about self-publishing.
4. Good self-published books are few and far between.
5. The odds are against you.
6. Creating a "professional" book is really hard.
7. Have a clear goal for your book.
8. Even if it's great, there's a good chance your book won't sell.
9. Niche books do best.
10. Buy your own ISBN -- and create your own publishing house.

And 15 more. For anyone considering self-publishing, this is a must read article. (And in the for what it's worth category, number 20 is Self-published books don't get reviewed. That isn't necessarily strictly true; Mysterious Reviews has a policy of considering all mysteries for review, regardless of who published them.)

Please visit the Self Publish Mysteries where you'll find a comprehensive list of articles, books, news, resources, and websites for mystery authors who are interested in writing and self-publishing their mystery books.

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Mystery Savings: 50% Off All Games at Big Fish Games

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

Big Fish Games is offering a special deal now through the end of the year. All games are 50% off!

To realize your savings, click the Buy button for any game you want. Sign in or create a new account. Select the $19.99 price option. Then type in coupon code HOLIDAY2008 into the box. All purchases must be completed by January 01, 2009.

You can find a complete list of available mystery-themed games on our Games of Mystery: Download Big Fish Games page.

If you're interested in longer-term savings, all Big Fish Games may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack.

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Games of Mystery: Dracula Origin, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Play as the vampire slayer Professor Van Helsing, hot on the trail of the diabolical Count in Dracula Origin, a thrilling adventure game! The ruthless Dracula is searching for an ancient, eldritch ritual to return damned souls to the earth. As the eminent Professor Van Helsing it's up to you to stop him before his evil machinations are realized! Populated with terrifying 3D characters and presenting challenging puzzles, sharpen your stakes and dive into the terrifying depths of Dracula Origin today!

Dracula Origin, a Big Fish Games exclusive, may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. Due to the large size of this adventure game, a demonstration version is not available.

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, the Carol Reed mystery Remedy, Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown, Mystery Chronicles: Murder Among Friends, and The Treasures of Mystery Island.

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Mystery Bestsellers for December 19, 2008

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending December 19, 2008 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

No change among the top mystery bestsellers this past week with Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell retaining the top spot followed by James Patterson's latest Alex Cross thriller, Cross Country, The Private Patient (Adam Dalgliesch) by P. D. James, and in fourth position The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

We expect the next couple of weeks to be quiet with the next entry on the list to be the new between-the-numbers Stephanie Plum mystery, Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich, scheduled for publication on January 6th.

On our bestseller page, we've added an icon next to every title that is available for immediate download onto the Amazon Kindle. To learn about this wireless reading device, visit the Amazon Kindle page for more information.

The top four mystery bestsellers this week are shown below:

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Series Coming to Masterpiece Mystery! in Summer 2009

We're not exactly sure when PBS updated its website with an announcement of the series expected to air next summer on Masterpiece: Mystery!, but there it is. We knew of three of the series mentioned, but the fourth was a pleasant surprise.

Agatha Christie's Miss Marple returns with a new lead for the series, Julia McKenzie. We first reported on McKenzie landing the role of Miss Marple in February 2008 and later with an update on series production in August. The first mystery featuring McKenzie as Miss Marple is A Pocketful of Rye. The others are Murder Is Easy, Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, and They Do It With Mirrors. No air dates have been set. Collections of Miss Marple mysteries on DVD are available from Mysteries on TV: Miss Marple.

David Suchet returns as Hercule Poirot in the long running series also based a series of mysteries by Agatha Christie. In September we reported that Suchet had completed four more episodes and had agreed to an additional four, though at the time we were unaware of the titles. We now believe the episodes currently airing on ITV will be the ones to air next summer on PBS: Mrs. McGinty's Dead, Cat Among the Pigeons, Third Girl, and Appointment with Death. Collections of Poirot mysteries on DVD are available from Mysteries on TV: Hercule Poirot.

Also returning is the second series of Inspector Lewis with four new episodes. Inspector Lewis is a spin-off from the long-running Inspector Morse mysteries, and aired its second series earlier this year on ITV. The first series, including the pilot episode, is available on DVD from Mysteries on TV: Inspector Lewis.

Finally, and this is new news to us, Wallander is coming to Masterpiece: Mystery! Wallander stars Kenneth Branagh as detective Kurt Wallander and is based on the mystery series by Swedish author Henning Mankell. Branagh, a longtime fan of the novels, is a co-producing partner of the adaptations being filmed in rarely seen locations in southern Sweden. The BBC issued a press release about the series in January, 2008, which we obviously missed at the time.

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Mystery Savings: Free Shipping Upgrade from A&E

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

From now through December 19, 2008, A&E is offering a free shipping upgrade: get 2-day shipping for the price of ground. No coupon code is required. Also available through December 19th, take an additional 20% off orders of $100 or more. A&E has DVD sets of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Poirot, Cold Case Files, CSI Miami, The Avengers, and more, many on sale for the holidays. Click on the banner link below to start shopping and enjoy free 2-day shipping for the price of ground from A&E.

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First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: The Forensic Mystery Series

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids, your source for information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults where each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older), is pleased to feature another series of mysteries on our website.

The Forensic Mysteries feature 17-year-old Cameryn Mahoney, daughter a Colorado County coroner. No stranger to death, she's always been fascinated by the science of it and in the first book of the series, The Christopher Killer, she finally gets some hands-on experience working as her father's assistant. But she's in for more than she bargained for when someone she knew turns up in the morgue, the latest victim of a serial killer known as the Christopher Killer.

Two more books in the series are available, Angel of Death and Circle of Blood, the latter published in hardcover earlier this year and available in paperback in early January, 2009. According to the author's blog, she's finishing up the fourth book in the series, The Dying Breath, scheduled for publication in the fall of 2009.

Alane Ferguson won an Edgar Award in 1990 for her young adult mystery Show Me the Evidence. She is also the co-author of the National Park series featuring brother and sister Jack and Ashley Landon who investigate mysteries set in national parks through the US.

The Forensic Mysteries are recommended for young sleuths aged 13 and older.

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Mystery Games in the News: Her Interactive and Big Fish Games

A couple of mystery game-related news items.

In a press release, Her Interactive, publisher of the popular Nancy Drew series of mystery games, announced their strongest year to date. "This year has been extremely gratifying for us as we have established a long-term foundation for growth by diversifying our content and platform mix, as well as significantly expanding distribution abroad," said Megan Gaiser, president and CEO of Her Interactive.

Two PC games were released this year, Nancy Drew 18: The Phantom of Venice and Nancy Drew 19: The Haunting of Castle Malloy, both of which placed in the list of top 10 bestselling games during their first month of release.

Her Interactive's diversification this year included making the series available on the Nintendo Wii with the release of Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek and developing the first game specifically for the casual game market, Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!

In a game world dominated by World of Warcraft and Call of Duty, we're gratified to hear of the success of the Nancy Drew mystery games and look forward to many more to come. For a complete list of all Nancy Drew games available to purchase or to download, visit our website at Games of Mystery: Nancy Drew.

In other news (of a sort), CNET profiled five sites that lead to online gaming addiction. OK, we're not thrilled with the headline, but one of the sites mentioned, Big Fish Games is our favorite site for casual mystery games (including the aforementioned Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!, available exclusively from Big Fish Games).

As noted in the article, "Big Fish Games lets visitors play hundreds of titles from dozens of developers across a wide array of genres ...[but] isn't the kind of site you'll visit for just a few minutes before getting back to work. Instead, it offers more sophisticated titles, which require more time investment." We've conveniently listed dozens of mystery-themed games available from Big Fish Games on our website at Games of Mystery: Big Fish Games Download. There are also several free games available to play online listed at Games of Mystery: Big Fish Games Online.

Finally, as we like to say when mentioning the subject, visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Mystery Book Review: Siren of the Waters by Michael Genelin

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Siren of the Waters by Michael Genelin. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Siren of the Waters by Michael Genelin
A Commander Jana Matinova Mystery

Soho Crime (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-484-2 (1569474842)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-484-6 (9781569474846)
Publication Date: July 2008
List Price: $24.00

Review: We first meet Jana Matinova, the protagonist in Siren of the Waters -- the first book in Michael Genelin’s new series -- as she examines the site of a car crash that killed seven. Her investigation takes her all over Europe, twisting and turning like a coiled snake, and Genelin gives us just enough clues to keep the pages turning. Matinova has great depth to her character, and we get to know her better through interwoven flashes into her past. A few of these slow the plot down a bit, but they’re valuable in our understanding of who she is and how she ticks. She has suffered a great deal at the hands of the prior regime that destroyed her family but even that hasn’t totally damaged her inner core of determination and a need for justice. She tries her best to separate her personal feelings from her work, but possesses too much humanity for her to always succeed.

Genelin has created well-rounded background characters as well. I particularly like the relationship between Matinova and her boss, Trokan. Their banter speaks to a long and caring relationship, and he helped her as much as she could while she suffered the state’s scrutiny into the lives of her husband, herself and their child.

It’s clear that Genelin knows Europe well. His vivid descriptions of the locations in the story make one feel as if one is there with Matinova and her fellow investigators. He’s also done his research on how different police forces work. While Slovakia calls itself capitalist, the country hasn’t fully shed its communist tendencies as we see in the careful way Matinova treads while doing her work. Overall, this is a wonderful story, and I look forward to the next Matinova book.

Special thanks to Katherine Petersen for contributing her review of Siren of the Waters.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Katherine Petersen — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission

If you are interested in purchasing Siren of the Waters from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Jana Matinova entered the Czechoslovak police force as a young woman, married an actor, and became a mother. The regime destroyed her husband, their love for one another, and her daughter's respect for her. But she has never stopped being a seeker of justice.

Now, as a commander in the Slovak police force, she liaises with colleagues across Europe as they track the mastermind of an international criminal operation involved in, among other crimes, human trafficking. Her investigation takes her from Ukraine to Strasbourg, from Vienna to Nice, in a hunt for a ruthless killer and the beautiful young Russian woman he is determined either to capture or destroy.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mysterious Reviews: The Best Mysteries of 2008

It's time once again to review (as it were) the best mysteries reviewed by Mysterious Reviews during 2008. It's a somewhat more difficult task this year as we welcomed a number of new regular and guest reviewers to our family of mystery readers. To keep things simple, we'll primarily focus our attention on the reviews of just one person, that being yours truly.

I don't know if this was a tough year for outstanding mysteries or I simply assigned the great ones to my fellow reviewers or maybe I was just cranky all year, but I rated only 4 books as best in class during 2008. In contrast, Betty and Wayne each rated over twice as many titles as 5-star mysteries. To be sure, when I compare 2008 with 2007, I rated far more books 4 stars this year, very good but just lacking something to elevate them into the top tier.

Enough analysis. Of the 75 or so mystery books I read this year, herewith are my selections as the best mysteries of 2008 (in alphabetical order by author's last name).

Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill

This fifth mystery in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series was an unexpected treat. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, especially after reading the publisher's synopsis, but I was inexorably drawn into this fascinating tale set in mid-1970s Laos featuring the national coroner. As I remarked in my review, "The story goes off in unexpected and delightful directions and is quite simply a joy to read. The author has a remarkable ability to introduce a rhythm, a cadence as it were, into his narrative." I was so engaged in the plot that the conclusion caught me by surprise. This is the first book I've read by Cotterill and if Curse of the Pogo Stick is typical of the series, it definitely won't be the last.

Read my complete review at Mysterious Reviews: Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill.

Blackman's Coffin by Mark de Castrique

It's always a risk when the author of an established mystery series creates a new series character. It seems to invite inevitable, and probably unfair, comparisons between the two. Yet Mark de Castrique, author of the so-called "Buryin' Barry" mysteries featuring undertaker Barry Clayton, did just that this year with Blackman's Coffin, introducing Iraqi war veteran Sam Blackman. And what a magnificent start to a new series. In my review I said, "[This] is a terrific mystery embedded in a well-crafted tale with a fascinating historical background, and is populated with richly drawn, interesting characters that readers will want to see again." While I hope de Castrique continues the Buryin' Barry mysteries, two of which I've read and reviewed, I'm really looking forward to Sam Blackman's next case.

Read my complete review at Mysterious Reviews: Blackman's Coffin by Mark de Castrique.

Head Wounds by Chris Knopf

This third entry in the Sam Acquillo series was another that caught me off-guard, always a positive trait for a top-rated mystery. I was expecting a more-or-less standard private eye investigation but instead was treated to what I said was "an exceptional novel, in both character and setting, but most importantly in how the plot develops." I was also caught up in Knopf's narrative style, what I called "marvelous examples of literary engineering", passages that in any other context would seem excessive or even absurd, but here simply added to the mystique of the story. There is an especially interesting twist introduced early that will certainly have any reader doubting exactly how the book will end. All in all, Head Wounds is an outstanding effort.

Read my complete review at Mysterious Reviews: Head Wounds by Chris Knopf.

A Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees

I read Matt Beynon Rees' second mystery featuring Palestinian school teacher Omar Yussef, A Grave in Gaza, early in the year and knew even then that "with its expressive narrative, intricate plot, and even its subtly clever title" it would rank among the year's best. As I stated in my review, this book is not a standard mystery or whodunit but a puzzle, and that "it is up to Omar Yussef to arrange the pieces of these disparate events to form a clear picture of not what has happened, that he already knows, but why it happened." Rees has a flair for immersing the reader into his atmospheric setting so much so you can almost taste the dust that lingers in the air. A truly exceptional novel by any measure.

Read my complete review at Mysterious Reviews: A Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees.

And now the lists of the best mysteries of 2008 from two of our regular reviewers (in alphabetical order, with links to their reviews, through the date of this post).

Betty's 5 star books: Diablo's Shadow by Mark W. Danielson, The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross, Orphan by Harry Haines, Silent Thunder by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen, Twisted by Andrea Kane, The Clockwork Teddy by John J. Lamb, Wobble to Death by Peter Lovesey, First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader, Shadow of Power by Steve Martini, The Marshal Makes His Report by Magdalen Nabb, Cezanne's Quarry by Barbara Corrado Pope, Mercy Street by Mariah Stewart, and A Pale Horse by Charles Todd.

Wayne's 5 star books: The Outlander by Gil Adamson, The Last Enemy by Grace Brophy, Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill, Garcia's Heart by Liam Durcan, Die With Me by Elena Forbes, Reconstruction by Mick Herron, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, Rigged for Murder by Jenifer LeClair, Death in the Air by Shane Peacock, Eye of the Crow by Shane Peacock, Trumpets Sound No More by Jon Redfern, and A Twist of Orchids by Michelle Wan.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Book Review: Different Paths by Judy Clemens

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Different Paths by Judy Clemens. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Different Paths by Judy Clemens
A Stella Crown Mystery

Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-300-0 (1590583000)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-300-5 (9781590583005)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $24.95

Review: Women working in positions historically held by men, including a close friend of dairy farmer Stella Crown, are being targeted by an unknown assailant in rural Pennsylvania in Different Paths, the fifth mystery in this series by Judy Clemens.

The loves of Stella's life include Nick, her boyfriend who has recently been diagnosed with MS, her friends, her cow farm, and her Harley bike. But trouble has once again come to her picturesque little town. Dr. Carla Beaumont, the town’s veterinarian and Stella's close friend, is brutally beaten and her truck containing medicines hijacked. Reverend Katherine Hershberger, recently hired over a male candidate, as the minister of a Mennonite Church, finds her office ransacked, and many papers and icons destroyed. Dr. Rachel Peterson, a local physician taking over her retired father's practice, is found murdered in her office with cabinets opened and papers trashed. Stella believes the actions are related and is concerned that she, being a woman farmer, could be next on the list.

The police, however, are going under the assumption that drugs are involved. But since the attacker showed aggression against the female minister, Stella believes her impression of the events is more logical. Though Nick arrives from his home in West Virginia to help protect her, Stella isn't sure that's enough. So she sets out to find the assailant before he, or she, can do any damage to her, her farm, or the two women who help her run it.

An obvious suspect is Carla's new boyfriend, Bryan. Stella thinks him devious and mean and more than capable of committing the crimes. But how can she investigate Bryan without offending Carla?

Stella Crown is a delightful, clever, and endearing amateur sleuth, and Different Paths is at its heart a story of close friendships in a small community and how important they are during good times and bad. It's also a story of love and hate, and how one can love yet also hate. It's both funny and sad, and, by the way, it's a very good mystery.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Different Paths and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing Different Paths from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): When Stella’s friend and veterinarian Carla Beaumont is car-jacked it’s just the beginning of a rash of vicious attacks on local business women. A truck driver, minister, and personal trainer are next in line for vandalism and theft, but the community is shaken to the core when the kind-hearted Dr. Peterson is found murdered in her office.

Stella, worried that she and her farmhand Lucy might be next in line, takes it upon herself to find the connection between the victims -- something other than their gender. Who knew about these women enough to go after them? It seems obvious that someone is targeting specific leaders in the town, and Stella makes it her job to track down the killer and get the good Detective Willard to stop the violence.

Meanwhile, Stella’s boyfriend, Nick, joins her on the farm when he hears of the danger surrounding her. Will he, with his newly diagnosed MS, be able to protect her? And does she even want him to? It’s hard enough that Nick’s younger sister hates Stella and what she represents, but will that be able to keep them from making the decisions about the future?

As Stella investigates she finds much that doesn’t seem right in her usually quiet town. Between her suspicions of steroids at the local gym, irate patients at the doctor’s office, and Carla’s brand-new boyfriend, Stella’s not sure which way to focus her attention. But she knows she must -- before any more women die.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Book Review: The Molech Prophecy by Thomas Phillips

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Molech Prophecy by Thomas Phillips. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Molech Prophecy by Thomas Phillips
Non-series

Whitaker House (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-60374-055-4 (1603740554)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60374-055-5 (9781603740555)
Publication Date: July 2008
List Price: $9.99

Review: After he is enlisted by his pastor to find a missing church secretary, reformed criminal Tommy Cucinelle stumbles into more of a mystery than he bargained for. As his investigations lead back to a cult and a terrible prophecy, Cuicinelle draws closer and closer to the horrifying secret behind the group’s prophecies.

Thomas Phillips’ The Molech Prophecy features everything readers would expect from a classic mystery: thrilling adventure, plot twists, and even a little romance. But while The Molech Prophecy doesn’t lack any of the classic elements of mystery, it does include one theme not usually found in the genre: strong Christian faith. Cucinelle contemplates his relationship with God as well as his relationship to his criminal past throughout the work. Phillips has obviously worked hard to make the Christianity in this book non-threatening and approachable.

Cucinelle’s struggles with his faith will undoubtedly appeal to mystery lovers who also want to understand the mystery of God’s love. Tommy’s yearnings to better understand his own faith lend a contemplative, deeper element to the books sometimes shallow story, which might not fully appeal to readers who don’t share Phillip’s beliefs. As Phillip’s protagonist Tommy notes, the story of an anti-Christian murderous Wicca cult may not seem believable and interesting to all readers, Christian and non-Christian alike.

Yet, the religious elements of The Molech Prophecy by no means prevent it from being a fast-paced, exciting story that captures the reader’s attention and keeps them drawn into a thrilling story, although the plot's resolution feels rushed and a bit predictable. The book’s characters are likable and believable, despite sounding more like small town Christians than the reformed gangsters that Phillips intends.

In all, The Molech Prophecy is undoubtedly worth the read for Christians seeking a good thriller story, as well as for non-Christians with open minds. Although it is a little unsubtle, the book is exciting and fun, pulling readers into a tangled web of intrigue and an examination of faith and what it means.

Special thanks to Rebecca Henderson for contributing her review of The Molech Prophecy and to Thomas Phillips for providing a copy of the book for the review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Rebecca Henderson — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission

If you are interested in purchasing The Molech Prophecy from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Former gang member Tommy Cucinelle thought he had left his old life behind when he became a Christian. That’s why he’s surprised when his pastor asks him to use his old "skills"--finding people who don’t want to be found--to locate the church secretary after she mysteriously disappears and the church is vandalized. The police don’t have any leads.

Tommy’s investigation brings him face-to-face with unpleasant memories from the past that threaten his new identity, but inner turmoil is soon the least of his worries. A local Wiccan church is at the heart of the mystery, and Tommy’s search uncovers a startling prophecy about child sacrifice to the pagan god The Molech. When the missing woman's sister--and Tommy’s newfound romantic interest--disappears as well, the quest becomes personal.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Updated Information for SleuthFest 2009

Updated information for SleuthFest 2009 has been posted to the website of the host for the event, the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. The conference will be held February 26 through March 01, 2009, at the Deerfield Beach Hilton in Deerfield Beach, Florida. This year's guests of honor are John Hart and Brad Meltzer.

Registration information and a program of events can be found at SleuthFest.com.

The Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America call themselves a killer group whose goal is to help experienced, professional writers advance their careers and to support new writers on the road to publication. They host meetings and training sessions all year round throughout the state, and help their members participate in major events such as the Miami Book Fair International. The FMWA Chapter also publishes a newsletter, The Rap Sheet, filled with how-to articles about writing, publishing and marketing mystery-thrillers.

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First Clues Review: Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy by Wendelin Van Draanen

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is delighted to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy by Wendelin Van Draanen
The Sammy Keyes Series

Random House (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-440-41866-6 (0440418666)
ISBN-13: 978-0-440-41866-5 (9780440418665)
Publication Date: May 2002
List Price: $6.50

Review written by Emma, Age 11, Grade 6. Date of review: December 2008.

Review: A train station with a lot of weird and suspicious people, a house filled with over fifteen ladies who are actors, and an Egyptian shrine dedicated to a lady dear to someone’s heart. If you do not want to hear anymore about any of these things any longer then do not read Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy. But hopefully you do, and the Hollywood Mummy would be a great selection for you. It is written by the great author Wendelin Van Draanen who has written the entire series of Sammy Keyes. This book is the sixth in the long series.

In the beginning of the story, the bold, brainy, sharp, sassy, nervy, and on-the-ball Sammy and her friend Marissa secretly take a trip to Hollywood without telling any adults. They are in search of Sammy’s mother because she escaped from Sammy and went to Hollywood a few years ago to start acting. They find her mom and she is living in a house with other people and they are both allowed to stay the night. But as they reach the house and get settled into it, something horrible happens and Sammy can’t help but to try to figure out what has happened and who did it. She must use her smart wits and vigorous persuasion to try to figure out who really did the crime.

I would recommend this story for 9-15 year olds depending on what kind of reading you enjoy. A really good thing about this story is that at the end of each chapter there is a ton of suspense. It always made me want to read more until one day I finished the book. Sometimes the suspense made me really think and wonder about what was happening in the story. I would always have a bunch of questions run through my head and try to predict what was going to happen next. That always made the book more exciting to keep reading. One thing that I did not like was that a lot during the story they would not tell or indicate who was talking at a given point. That made the story more challenging to understand and it confused me a lot during the book.

I wouldn’t put this book in the category of one of the best books I have read, but it is a book I would suggest if you need a short book with a lot of excitement in much of the book.

If you are interested in purchasing Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

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Mystery Savings: Save 25% on 1 Item at B&N.com

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

From now through December 18th, save 25% on one item at Barnes&Noble.com. Just enter coupon code P7P7YPN at checkout and the 25% discount will be applied to the highest-priced item in your cart. This coupon code is valid from December 15 through 18, 2008, and is available for online purchases only. Click on the banner link below to start shopping!

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Mystery Author Don Bruns Featured in Delta Sky Magazine

Delta Airline's in-flight Sky Magazine features an interview with mystery author Don Bruns in their December 2008 issue. Bruns is the author of two mystery series, one of which, the Mick Sever mysteries, is set in sun-filled locales around Florida and the Caribbean. Bruns notes in his interview that all his travels throughout the region are research for his books, though the interviewer points out that the author winked while saying that.

We've had the opportunity to review all but one of Bruns' mysteries; our reviews can be found by clicking on the green book icon next to each of his titles on our Don Bruns author page. His next mystery featuring rock-and-roll reporter Mick Sever, Bahama Burnout, is scheduled for publication in early March, 2009 by Oceanview Publishing. He is also the author of the "Stuff" mysteries featuring James Lessor and Skip Moore, two 20-something underemployed best friends in south Florida.

We've also had the pleasure of interviewing Don earlier this year. You can read our conversation with him on Mysterious Reviews: Don Bruns Interview.

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Mysteries on TV: A Look Back at Murder One and Kidnapped

Mysteries on TV, your source for the most complete selection of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series now available or coming soon to DVD, on Mondays typically profiles series that have DVD sets being released the following Tuesday. With the next new release of a mystery series not scheduled until after the first of the year, we thought we'd take the last three Mondays of 2008 to highlight some of our favorite series.

This week: two series that followed a single storyline for an entire season.

In 1995, ABC made (what was at the time) a bold move in developing a 23 episode season of the series Murder One that followed the murder trial of a popular Hollywood actor accused of killing a 15-year-old-girl. Fearing viewers might not return each week to the same storyline, ABC mitigated their risk somewhat by spending only part of the early episodes on the case while showcasing the trials of other defendents unrelated to the murder. Soon, however, the writers realized that the main murder plot was sufficiently compelling to devote each episode to the investigation and trial, and the side stories all but disappeared.

The casting for Murder One was spot on. Daniel Benzali was magnificant as Theodore Hoffman, the lead defense attorney for a high-profile Los Angeles law firm, whose quiet but authoritative voice commanded attention. Jason Gedrick and Stanley Tucci were both perfect in their respective roles, as Neil Avedon, the actor on trial for murder, and Richard Cross, the mysterious billionaire who was somehow involved in the lives of everyone involved. Other notable performances include Barbara Bosson as District Attorney Miriam Grasso and Patricia Clarkson as Hoffman's wife, Annie.

Murder One is one of our favorite series in that it works as both terrific television and has an intricate, twist-filled mystery plot. Unfortunately, this description only applies to the first season. For the second season, Hoffman was written out (on a personal leave of absense to spend more time with his family), replaced by Anthony LaPaglia as former DA Jimmy Wyler. And instead of a single case, several were covered over the course of the season. None of the stories were as compelling as the sensational murder of the first season, and though LaPaglia is a fine actor, Benzali as Hoffman was an impossible act to follow. The series was cancelled at the end of the second season.

For viewers who lament the recent trend of largely eliminating theme music from series television, Murder One has a mesmerizing Emmy-winning score written by Mike Post.

Both seasons of Murder One are currently available on DVD.

If it weren't for the internet, even the shortened season of Kidnapped may have never seen the light of day. NBC originally planned for a standard 22-24 episode season of the dramatic series to debut in September 2006. After airing just three episodes, NBC shortened the season to 13 episodes and then, after airing the fifth episode, announced the series was being moved online effectively killing it for most viewers.

One might read this opening paragraph and take a pass on the series. And one would be wrong to do so. Kidnapped is compelling television. The series starred Timothy Hutton and Dana Delany as Conrad and Ellie Cain, a wealthy New York couple whose lives are thrown into turmoil when their teenage son Leopold (played by Will Denton) is kidnapped. The Cain's hire an ex-FBI operative known only as Knapp (Jeremy Sisto) to find their son and return him safely home.

Viewers who start the series will be hard-pressed not to watch all 13 episodes in one marathon setting. We were prepared to view one, maybe two episodes every other day or so but after seeing the first two episodes, ending up watching it all over the course of 3 days. And then rewatching it several weeks later to see what we may have missed the first time. There are some minor problems, to be sure. The background music is far too loud and inappropriate for the first few episodes but gets better soon thereafter. The initial episodes begin several tangential storylines in anticipation of filling a complete 22-24 episode season, but many of these are left unresolved when the series was shortened to just 13 episodes. Still, reviewing the series as a whole, it's easy to overlook these early flaws.

The Kidnapped webpage is still accessible on the NBC website with background information on the series and characters. The individual episodes are no longer available online (at least, we couldn't find them), but Kidnapped the series is available on DVD.

Visit the Mysteries on TV website to discover more television mystery series currently available on DVD.

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for December 15, 2008

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now available on our website.

Godoku is similar to Sudoku, but uses letters instead of numbers. To give you a headstart, we provide you a mystery clue to fill in a complete row or column (if you choose to use it!).

This week's letters and mystery clue:

A E H I L N Q R U

This publisher’s Worldwide “Your Partner in Crime” imprint sells mysteries not available in stores (9 letters).

We now have two weeks of our puzzles on one page in PDF format for easier printing. Print this week's puzzle here.

Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy the weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

   

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First Clues Mysteries for Kids: Skulduggery Pleasant

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids, your source for information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults where each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older), is pleased to feature another series of mysteries on our website.

The Skulduggery Pleasant mysteries feature the eponymous detective, a well-dressed, wise-cracking, living-dead, skeleton magician who takes on 12-year-old Stephanie Edgely as an apprentice, replacing her with a clone so she can devote her full-time energies to fighting crime.

The first book of the series, Skulduggery Pleasant, introduces the detective and his apprentice Stephanie. Skulduggery may be long dead, but he is also a mage who dodged the grave so that he could save the world from an ancient evil. But to defeat it, he'll need the help of his new partner, a not so innocent pre-teenage girl. They are quickly caught up in a battle to stop evil forces from acquiring Stephanie's recently deceased uncle's most prized possession -- the Sceptre of the Ancients. The Ancients were the good guys, an extinct race of uber-magicians from the early days of the earth, and the scepter is their most dangerous weapon, one capable of killing anyone and destroying anything. Back in the day, they used it to banish the bad guys, the evil Faceless Ones. Unfortunately, in the way of bad guys everywhere, the Faceless Ones are staging a comeback and no one besides our two heroes believes in the Faceless Ones, or even that the Sceptre is real.

The second and most recent book in the series, Playing with Fire, was published earlier this year.

These mysteries, recommended for sleuths aged 10 and older, are written by Derek Landy. For more information about the characters and the series visit SkulduggeryPleasant.com.

Watch the music video produced for the series below:

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Nintendo and HarperCollins to Publish 100 Classic Novels for DS

Last week The Times Online reported that Nintendo has signed a deal with HarperCollins to publish literary classics on the DS gaming device. The 100 Classic Book Collection, to be released December 26, 2008, will initially be available only for sale in England (Amazon.co.uk has it listed on its website), and follows Nintendo's recent strategy of trying to broaden the audience for its products. The suggested list price is £19.99.

For mystery book fans, The 100 Classic Book Collection will include The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allen Poe, and The Moonstone and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. There will also be adventure thrillers by Alexandre Dumas (The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers), Jules Verne (Round the World in Eighty Days and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), and Robert Louis Stevenson (Kidnapped, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Treasure Island).

Some news organizations (including The Times Online) are now comparing the DS to the Amazon Kindle. We're not entirely sure that's a fair or justified comparison. Still, it's a positive step for both Nintendo and HarperCollins to encourage kids who probably spend far too much time playing games on their DS to sample some classic literature including early detective fiction.

We're sure it won't be long before this collection of novels for the Nintendo DS reaches our shores and we will report on its availability as soon as we can.

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Games of Mystery: Mystery P.I. Portrait of a Thief, New for Nintendo DS

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game for the Nintendo DS. More mystery games for this platform can be found at Games of Mystery: Nintendo DS.

Become a private investigator in Mystery P.I.: Portrait of a Thief. Track an art thief to recover missing paintings recently stolen from a private collection. The game features 18 missions with multiple locations in each, including 9 DS-only locations. Collect awards, encounter new characters and keep track of suspects and clues in the case log while unlocking secret gameplay modes and mini-game free play. Mystery P.I.: Portrait of a Thief also provides a dual screen interface and touch-screen functionality.

Mystery P.I.: Portrait of a Thief, developed by PopCap games and rated E for Everyone, is the first in this series of hidden object games to be released on the Nintendo DS. Other games in the series available for Windows download are Mystery P.I.: The Lottery Ticket and Mystery P.I.: The Vegas Heist.

Don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all types of mysterious fun!

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Mystery Savings: 50% Off Select Casual Mystery Games at Big Fish Games

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

Earlier today, we profiled the new release of a casual mystery game from Big Fish Games: Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun. While learning more about the game, we also noticed some special pricing on other game titles including some mystery games.

The following games are available for 50% off the standard $19.99 list price as part of the Big Fish Games Super Sale: Interpol 2: Most Wanted, The Treasures of Mystery Island, Hidden Mysteries: Buckingham Palace, Redrum, Lost Secrets: Bermuda Triangle, and maybe a half-dozen other non-mystery game titles.

To get your 50% discount, sign in or create a new account, select the $19.99 price option, and then type SUPERSALE into the coupon box. Click "Apply Code" and complete your order. No end date is indicated, only the vague "Limited Time Only".

If you're interested in longer-term savings, all Big Fish Games may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack.

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Games of Mystery: Agatha Christie Evil Under the Sun, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Journey to Seadrift Island, circa 1940, where a strange chain of unconnected events has led to the murder of a famous actress. Now, Detective Hercule Poirot is on the case, scouring the dark and clouded relationships of the island's inhabitants. Carving deeper into the heart of the mystery, Poirot uncovers the truth behind ancestral ghosts and macabre cultists. Can he unravel the enigma before the killer gets away? Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun has an eerie, immersive adventure game environment with over 20 unique characters.

Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. Due to the large size of this adventure game, a demonstration version is not available.

For a complete list of Agatha Christie games available for the PC, Nintendo Wii, or for download, visit our Games of Mystery: Agatha Christie page.

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, the Carol Reed mystery Remedy, Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown, Mystery Chronicles: Murder Among Friends, and The Treasures of Mystery Island.

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Mystery Savings: 10% Discount on $150 or more Getaway Gift Card Promotion Extended by BedandBreakfast.com

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

We've been informed by BedandBreakfast.com that they are generously extending their offer of a 10% discount on Getaway Gift Cards valued at $150 or more through the end of the year. This offer is not available on the BedandBreakfast.com website, through direct e-mail, or from any of their corporate partners, but only through sites like Mystery Books News.

This gives you two more weeks to find that special bed-and-breakfast for a getaway weekend next year (or maybe a murder mystery weekend for you or family and friends). From now through December 31, 2008, make a Getaway Gift Card purchase of $150 or more and enter the reward code TRAVELGIFT10 at checkout (the reward code is case sensitive) to receive your 10% savings. Click on the banner link below to order.

[MBN note: You can check out the many Murder Mystery Weekend packages available from the home page of BedandBreakfast.com by clicking on the orange Search tab near the top and selecting Special Packages. We are still updating our Games of Mystery: Murder Mystery Weekends page highlighting many of these inns and are making slow but sure progress. We'll make an announcement here on Mystery Books News when we're done.]

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Kids' CBC Renews Pre-School Series Busytown Mysteries for 2nd Season

AWN Headline News is reporting that Kids' CBC has renewed the preschool animated series Busytown Mysteries for a second season. The top-rated Canadian series, which does not seem to be yet available on US broadcast networks, is based on the classic works of Richard Scarry. The series features 6 characters (Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Sally Cat, Hilda Hippo, Pig Will and Pig Won't) who scour Busytown looking for the answer to each episode's mystery. They enjoy looking for fun and adventure and, with everyone driving their own unique vehicle, getting there is half the fun! Busytown Mysteries encourages young viewers to help solve life's little mysteries as they ask questions, find clues and discover answers all from their own unique kid point-of-view!

Hurray for Huckle: Zooming Around Busytown, a DVD which we believe to be the first season of the series, is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Why are all the Busytown cars blowing bubbles? Could there have been a mix-up at the gas pumps? And where has Lowly's Apple Car disappeared? And who took a bite out of the Mouse Family's Cheese Car? Huckle Cat and his friends have to solve one fun mystery after another in these laugh-filled episodes!

For more information about the series, visit the Kids' CBC website.

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Mystery Bestsellers for December 12, 2008

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending December 12, 2008 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

James Patterson's latest Alex Cross thriller, Cross Country, drops into second place replaced at the top by the 17th mystery in the Kay Scarpetta mystery series, Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell.

New on the list this week and just missing the cutoff last week is the fourth international thriller in the Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry, The Charlemagne Pursuit. As a child, former Justice Department agent Malone was told his father died in a submarine disaster in the North Atlantic, but now he wants the full story and asks his ex-boss, Stephanie Nelle, to secure the military files. What he learns stuns him: his father’s sub was a secret nuclear vessel lost on a highly classified mission beneath the ice shelves of Antarctica. But Malone isn’t the only one after the truth. Twin sisters Dorothea Lindauer and Christl Falk are fighting for the fortune their mother has promised to whichever of them discovers what really became of their father–who died on the same submarine that Malone’s father captained. The sisters know something Malone doesn’t: Inspired by strange clues discovered in Charlemagne’s tomb, the Nazis explored Antarctica before the Americans, as long ago as 1938. Now Malone discovers that cryptic journals penned in “the language of heaven,” inscrutable conundrums posed by an ancient historian, and the ill-fated voyage of his father are all tied to a revelation of immense consequence for humankind. In an effort to ensure that this explosive information never rises to the surface, Langford Ramsey, an ambitious navy admiral, has begun a brutal game of treachery, blackmail, and assassination. As Malone embarks on a dangerous quest with the sisters -- one that leads them from an ancient German cathedral to a snowy French citadel to the unforgiving ice of Antarctica -- he will finally confront the shocking truth of his father’s death and the distinct possibility of his own. Publishers Weekly calls The Charlemagne Pursuit "the best yet in the series."

Also new on the list this week and also just missing the cutoff last week is Cruel Intent, the fourth mystery in the Ali Reynolds series by J. A. Jance. On a dating site, singleatheart.com, bored housewives can find romance with married men looking for sex without strings. But these "married singles" are flirting with more than just their vows. At the heart of this seemingly innocent service, a vengeful computer hacker is playing games with people's lives ... and deaths. Ex-television journalist Ali Reynolds just wants a break from excitement. In the midst of a remodel, the last thing she expects is a murder investigation that will stop the construction on her home. But when the savagely murdered body of stay-at-home mom Morgan Forester is found, Ali's contractor Bryan is the prime suspect. Bryan swears he has nothing to do with his wife's murder -- but as the investigation progresses Ali seems to be the only resident of Sedona who believes him. Determined to prove Bryan's innocence, Ali unknowingly lands herself directly in the path of a calculating killer. In a world filled with encrypted computer traps and life-threatening lies, will Ali be able to decode the actions of a ruthless man determined to destroy women -- before he uses his wicked website to find her?

On our bestseller page, we've added an icon next to every title that is available for immediate download onto the Amazon Kindle. To learn about this wireless reading device, visit the Amazon Kindle page for more information.

The top four mystery bestsellers this week are shown below:

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Love is Murder 2009 Conference Information Now Available

Information for the 11th annual Love is Murder conference for writers, publishers, and readers has been posted to the Love is Murder website. The conference will be held February 6th through 8th, 2009, at the Westin Chicago North Shore hotel in Chicago. Registration options and a schedule of events are available on their website. Special guests at the 2009 conference include bestselling mystery authors Jeffery Deaver, Alex Kava, and Steve Berry.

Awards for the best mystery, thriller, or suspense novel of the year are given out in several categories. Previous winners of these Lovey Awards are listed on our reference website, Mystery Book Awards.

Love is Murder is a not-for-profit organization that provides an educational forum to writers and readers to further their knowledge of writing, publishing, and the business of book production. In addition to the annual convention, Love is Murder endeavors to sponsor other educational and/or writer-focused programs throughout the year.

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Mystery Savings: 35% Off Storewide at A&E

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

From now through December 20, 2008, A&E is offering an additional 35% off storewide. Plus you'll get $1 shipping. Use coupon code SAVE35 at checkout to realize your savings. A&E has DVD sets of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Poirot, Cold Case Files, CSI Miami, The Avengers, and more, many on sale for the holidays. Click on the banner link below to start shopping and enjoy 35% off storewide and $1 shipping from A&E.

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Mystery Savings: $5 Off Any Game at PlayFirst

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

If you're looking for a casual mystery game to purchase, PlayFirst games is offering $5 off any full-priced single game of your choice. Simply use coupon code PFHOLIDAYSPECIAL at checkout. This offer is available now through January 15, 2009. For a selection of mystery games available from PlayFirst, visit our Games of Mystery: PlayFirst download page.

And look for the new Nightshift Legacy: The Jaguar's Eye, a PlayFirst exclusive casual game released today, and profiled in our previous post.

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Games of Mystery: Nightshift Legacy The Jaguar's Eye, New at PlayFirst Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce a special price for a mystery game available from PlayFirst Games. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: PlayFirst Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Take a historical adventure full of romance and intrigue with The Nightshift Code heroes, Mike and Isabel, in the exciting sequel, Nightshift Legacy: The Jaguar's Eye. You'll travel from the jungles of Guatemala to the streets of Moscow, from present day back to the history of the Spanish Civil War, brush elbows with historical luminaries such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera while hunting for stolen artifacts across multiple continents. Can you find mysterious Jaguar's Eye before it's too late?

Nightshift Legacy: The Jaguar's Eye, a PlayFirst exclusive casual game, is also available to purchase for $9.95 with the PlayPass program. A trial version is available to download for a 60 minutes of play (Windows PC, 38.3 MB).

Other popular games on our download PlayFirst Mystery Games page include both Mystery PI games, Mystery P.I.: The Vegas Heist and Mystery P.I.: The Lottery Ticket, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet, and Private Eye.

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Mystery Book Review: The Marshal Makes His Report by Magdalen Nabb

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Marshal Makes His Report by Magdalen Nabb. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Marshal Makes His Report by Magdalen Nabb
A Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia Mystery

Soho Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-532-6 (1569475326)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-532-4 (9781569475326)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $14.00

Review: The Marshal has been assigned to investigate the death of a member of Florence's elite high society in The Marshal Makes His Report, the eighth mystery in this series by Magdalen Nabb. Originally published in 1992, Soho Press is reissuing trade paperback editions of many of the early books in this exceptional series.

Buongianni Corsi, the husband of the Marchesa Ulderighi, is discovered shot to death in the gun room located in the basement of their estate. There seem to be few reasons why Corsi would take his own life and there are ample explanations of how an accident could occur. The Marshal, while investigating the scene of Corsi's death, concludes it could have been suicide or an accident or a homicide. The motives for murder suggest to the Marshal that this idea should be investigated thoroughly. There is no love lost between the dead man and his wife and Corsi was known to have been unfaithful in his marriage. His son believed he was unloved and was ignored by his father. The estate is in a state of general disrepair and some of the larger rooms on the upper levels have been rented out. Clearly in need of money, the Marchesa is particularly anxious to settle her husband's death to collect his life insurance. The Marshal's interrogations of the renters reveal conflicting stories. In this particularly puzzling case, the Marshal does not believe the case can be quickly closed and is permitted the assistance of another officer, Lieutenant Lorenzini. Together they must sift through the myriad tales told to them, sorting out what is truth and what is fiction, before the Marshal can make his report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Corsi.

In The Marshal Makes His Report, Nabb once again displays an effortless elegance in both plotting her mystery and the manner in which it is told. Despite the contradictory information presented to him and the doubt he has in the expedient solution, the Marshal shows more confidence here than in some previous books in how he conducts his investigation and in his relationship with his superiors. The strong development of supporting characters and the sense of place contribute mightily to the success of this book in particular and to the series as a whole.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Marshal Makes His Report and to Soho Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing The Marshal Makes His Report from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): The suspicious looking suicide of the husband of the Marchesa of one of Florence's oldest families has the Marshal once again refusing to accept the easy answer. He insists on looking for the truth, knowing it could well be the end of his career should he find it.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Savings: Save 10% on 1 Item at B&N.com

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

From now through December 18th, save 10% off one item at Barnes&Noble.com. Just enter coupon code D9E4E3T at checkout and the 10% discount will be applied to the highest-priced item in your cart. This coupon code is valid from December 10 through 18, 2008, and is available for online purchases only. Click on the banner link below to start shopping!

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Games of Mystery: Secret Missions Mata Hari and the Kaiser's Submarines, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Join the notorious World War I spy Mata Hari as she uncovers a secret German submarine base in Secret Missions: Mata Hari and the Kaiser's Submarines, a beguiling puzzle adventure. Help this smoldering femme fatale search for clues, solve enigmatic puzzles, seduce men, and infiltrate top secret military operations, all in glamorous disguise. The Allied war effort depends on Mata Hari`s ability to extract secrets and stay undetected. Can you ensure her mission succeeds? This game includes a captivating love story and twelve elegant disguises to try.

Secret Missions: Mata Hari and the Kaiser's Submarines, a Big Fish Games exclusive, may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A demonstration version may be downloaded (104.62 MB) and played for one hour for free.

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, the Carol Reed mystery Remedy, Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown, Mystery Chronicles: Murder Among Friends, and The Treasures of Mystery Island.

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Mystery Book Review: Conspiracy of Silence by Martha Powers

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Conspiracy of Silence by Martha Powers. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Conspiracy of Silence by Martha Powers
Non-series

Oceanview (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-933515-18-X (193351518X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-933515-18-2 (9781933515182)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $24.95

Review: An intriguing prologue in which a young woman, concerned about her family's medical history, learns she's adopted sets the stage for a decades-old unsolved murder mystery in Conspiracy of Silence by Martha Powers.

Clare Prentice is engaged to be married when her doctor gives her the startling news of her adoption. Though the woman she knew as her mother has recently died, and she was told her father died when she was young, she breaks off the engagement and leaves Chicago for Grand Rapids, Minnesota, a town in which her adoptive mother once lived. A reporter for a literary magazine, Clare is given an assignment by her editor that gives her a cover story for her trip: an interview with a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who happens to live in Grand Rapids. Once there she quickly discovers that her adoptive mother had a sister who was murdered in the town, presumably by her husband who subsequently committed suicide. But strange events begin to occur that suggest Clare is in danger herself, that in trying to discover her past she may be jeopardizing her future.

Conspiracy of Silence has a kind of quiet energy that keeps the pages turning despite some obvious problems with the plot. The small town setting works to the story's advantage, allowing Clare to integrate herself into the community quickly, investigating her own identity while keeping her true reason for being there largely a secret. The author adeptly incorporates several familiar plot twists that are generally successful in misdirecting the reader but unfortunately are not sufficiently developed to generate any real suspense. And there is a heavy reliance on Clare's memory returning at convenient moments and some wildly improbable coincidences to move the plot forward. Still, the whodunit aspect is handled well and as a mystery for that snowy afternoon in front of the fireplace, Conspiracy of Silence is a good choice.

Special thanks to Maryglenn McCombs Book Publicity for providing an ARC of Conspiracy of Silence for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing Conspiracy of Silence from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): On a sunny day in July, Clare Prentice arrives in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Although she is on assignment to interview the town's notoriously reclusive novelist Nate Hanssen, Clare is really in search of a different story -- her story. Just months before, Clare was a bride-to-be, living in Chicago, and looking to the future. Until the day she learned her entire life had been a lie. Not only was Clare adopted, but there is no record that she or her adoptive mother ever existed. The only clue is a class ring from Grand Rapids Senior High School. Unable to get on with her future until she reconciles her past, Clare breaks off her engagement. Unraveling the mystery is like trying to sculpt fog -- until the first piece of the puzzle unexpectedly drops into place: Clare's birth mother, Lily Gundersen, was murdered in Grand Rapids. Lily's murder was one of the most talked-about events in the town's history, but no one is talking now. Clare doesn't know the whole story -- and someone intends to keep it that way.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Savings: Up to $10 Off $100 or more at Biblio.com

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

Here's your chance to stock up on quality mystery books (or books of any genre) for family and friends. Biblio.com booksearch and marketplace is offering 10% savings on three levels of purchases:

For $3 off $30 or more, use coupon code HOLLY3;
For $5 off $50 or more, use coupon code HOLLY5; and
For $10 off $100 or more, use coupon code HOLLY10.

These offers are only available through December 21, 2008. Click on either of the banner links below to start shopping for your rare and collectible, or sale and discounted books today from Biblio.com.

 

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Mystery Book Review: Fleece Navidad by Maggie Sefton

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Fleece Navidad by Maggie Sefton. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Fleece Navidad by Maggie Sefton
A Knitting Mystery with Kelly Flynn

Berkley Prime Crime (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-425-22360-4 (0425223604)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22360-4 (9780425223604)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $23.95

Review: Maggie Sefton’s, Fleece Navidad, the newest novel in her Knitting Mysteries series is about as feel-good a cosy as you can get. First, it’s got all of the trappings of a customary cosy and then it’s additionally swathed with the comfortable traditions of Christmastime. Right from the artwork of its cover and the word play of its title, it’s a perfect read either while waiting for Christmas to arrive or when snuggling down after the turkey dinner has been devoured.

A former certified public accountant with a Washington, D.C. firm, Kelly Flynn relocated to Fort Connor, Colorado two years ago where she now lives with her boyfriend, has a stable of clients for her day job, volunteers to knit “hats for the homeless” with the knitters group at the House of Lambspun, and dabbles with crime as an amateur sleuth. Against the background of her previous cases that get mentioned in the story, she’s now called upon to unravel the mystery of a murder, this time a hit and run in the middle of the night. The victim is the town librarian who has just become engaged to a retired university professor. The prime suspect is a newcomer to town, a vivacious woman quickly labelled, “the Merry Widow,” because of the deaths of her three previous husbands under suspicious circumstances. Also a suitor for the professor’s affections, he dumps her the same day his fiancée is killed in the hit and run.

As circumstantial evidence mounts and the townsfolk rally to support or accuse the Widow, they happily gossip, knit, weave, and bake as the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Christmas permeate the pages of Sefton’s book. But while they merrily go about their activities, the troubled Widow is stalked by the daughter of her last husband who has tracked her from Sarasota to Fort Connor, claiming the philandering Widow killed her father and stole a car and a credit card belonging to a neighbour lady who has since died.

For Kelly, the mysteries surrounding the Merry Widow become early Christmas presents for her Sherlockian soul as she scurries around town, from the knitters’ club to meetings with a mentoring ex-cop to interviews with suspects and bystanders. Between times she and a girlfriend corral a bunch of unruly kids into a modernized, upbeat version of a Christmas pageant at St. Mark’s Catholic Church that has everybody rolling in the aisles as a baby and a performing lamb steal the show. It’s a rewarding performance for Kelly and almost as good as unravelling the mystery of who was pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes before she needled the murderer into a confession.

As a bonus to an enjoyable read, Sefton has included a 17-page section of “Holiday Knitting Patterns” followed by nine pages of recipes for holiday treats for a Merry Christmas and a Felice Navidad.

Special thanks to M. Wayne Cunningham (mw_cunningham@telus.net) for contributing his review of Fleece Navidad and to Penguin Group for providing a copy of the book for the review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — M. Wayne Cunningham — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission

If you are interested in purchasing Fleece Navidad from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas for the knitters of Fort Connor, Colorado, who are furiously working on their holiday projects. Juliet, the town's "little brown wren" librarian, is known for her beautiful handmade Christmas capes, and she has extra reason to be joyful this year-she's in love. But as soon as she finds happiness, death finds her.

Suspicion falls on a newcomer to the knitting group, but Kelly Flynn and the rest of the crew aren't convinced of this person's guilt. It's up to them to separate the true lion from the lambs- before someone else gets fleeced ...

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Book Awards: The 2008 Nero Award

Last Saturday, the Nero Wolfe Society announced the winner of its annual award for literary excellence in the mystery genre for books published in the previous year, the "Nero", to Jonathan Santlofer for his 2007 novel Anatomy of Fear.

Subtitled "A Novel of Visual Suspense", it features NYPD sketch artist Nate Rodriguez who possesses a remarkable gift: the ability to create an uncanny likeness of an assailant from the smallest of clues. Detective Terri Russo needs his help to solve a particularly shocking series of murders, perpetrated by a psychopath who enjoys drawing pictures of his crimes before committing them. Nate is being asked to enter the dark, twisted mind of a monster—to re-create a face that no one has lived to identify. But as a portrait slowly begins taking shape in Nate's mind and on the page, an electrifying game of cat and mouse reaches an unexpected new level -- as a brilliant killer uses his own unique talents to turn the investigation in a terrifying new direction.

For a list of previous winners of the Nero and many other mystery book awards, visit our appropriately named reference site Mystery Book Awards. And to Jonthan Santlofer, we offer our sincere congratulations!

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Author Online Book Tour: H. Terrell Griffin, Links to Blog Posts and a Winner is Announced!

Mystery Books News is thrilled to have helped coordinate the online book tour for H. Terrell Griffin whose new mystery, Blood Island, was published last week by Oceanview Publishing. Blood Island is the third book in the Matt Royal series featuring a retired attorney living on an island off the coast of Florida.

Terry visited 10 blog sites from Tuesday through Saturday of last week (December 2nd through 6th, 2008). His schedule is reprinted below with links to the individual posts on each of the host sites:

Tuesday (12/02):
• In Reference to Murder: Author Interview (post link)
• Jenn's Bookshelf: Book Review (post link)

Wednesday (12/03):
• Reader's Respite: Book Review (post link)
• Lesa's Book Critiques: Author Guest Post (post link)

Thursday (12/04):
• The Friendly Book Nook: Author Guest Post (post link)

Friday (12/05):
• Murder by 4: Author Interview (post link)
• Mystery Reader Discussion: Book Review (post link)
• Wendi's Book Corner: Author Guest Post (post link)

Saturday (12/06):
• Allie's Musings: Author Interview (post link)
• Bookish Ruth: Book Review (post link)

A complete schedule of Terry's tour including a biography and more information about Blood Island can be found at Author Book Tour: H. Terrell Griffin.

We were also delighted that Terry agreed to give away a signed copy of his new book to one lucky tour visitor. Opportunities to enter were provided on each of the host sites. The lucky visitor who won a copy of Blood Island was Carol of Monroeville (PA) who submitted her entry after visiting Reader's Respite. Congratulations!

Although the tour has concluded, we encourage you to stop by each of the tour sites to learn more about Terry, his series character Matt Royal, and living the life of a retired attorney in Florida.

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Best Mysteries of 2008 from The New York Times and Los Angeles Times

Major newspapers on both coasts recently published their best mysteries lists for 2008.

Book reviewer Marilyn Stasio in The New York Times listed some 19 notable crime novels of the year spanning a wide range of the genre from legal thriller (The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly), to intellectual puzzles (Master of the Delta by Thomas H. Cook), to graceful Victorian mysteries (Buckingham Palace Gardens by Anne Perry).

Sarah Weinman in the Los Angeles Times listed about half as many titles in her column, including a strong brew of noir (The Finder by Colin Harrison), a mystery with a labyrinthine plot (The Likeness by Tana French), and a recent bestseller that lives up to all of its considerable hype (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson).

Look for our own list of the best mysteries of 2008 that we'll be posting here next week.

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Mysteries on TV: Lost, New This Week on DVD

Mysteries on TV, your source for the most complete selection of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series now available or coming soon to DVD, is profiling one series that has a season DVD being released this week.

After Oceanic Air flight 815 tore apart in mid-air and crashed on a Pacific island, its survivors were forced to find inner strength they never knew they had in order to survive. But they discovered that the island held many secrets, including a mysterious smoke monster, polar bears, a strange French woman and another group of island residents known as The Others. The survivors have also found signs of those who came to the island before them, including a 19th century sailing ship called The Black Rock, the remains of an ancient statue, as well as bunkers belonging to the Dharma Initiative, a group of scientific researchers who inhabited the island in the recent past. This is the world of Lost, the fourth season of which will be released tomorrow. It is a pivotal season in the series. (Well, in many ways, they all have been!)

The Lost: Season Four DVD set of 5 discs contains the 12 episodes of the fourth season that aired on ABC during the spring of 2008. The season DVD set is also available in high definition, Lost: Season Four Blu-ray. The bonus disc really is aptly titled and contains a wealth of additional information about the series: deleted scenes, alternate endings, set design and construction, composing the soundtrack, audio commentaries, and much, much more.

See the trailer for Lost Season 4 below:

Visit the Mysteries on TV website to discover more television mystery series currently available on DVD.

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for December 08, 2008

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now available on our website.

Godoku is similar to Sudoku, but uses letters instead of numbers. To give you a headstart, we provide you a mystery clue to fill in a complete row or column (if you choose to use it!).

This week's letters and mystery clue:

B D E I K N O R S

This is the name of the skeleton newspaper reporter in a children’s mystery series by Doug Cushman (9 letters)

New! We now have our puzzles in PDF format for easier printing. Print this week's puzzle here.

Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy the weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

   

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Mystery Savings: 30% Off Sitewide for 3 Days Only at ShopPBS

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

ShopPBS is having a special 30% off sitewide sale for 3 days only, December 8th through 10th, 2008. Unravel mysterious clues and explore the intricate mazes of the mind with some of the most popular thrillers of all times. An entire collection of intriguing mystery series' await, including those that continually captivate those with a passion and a mind for mystery.

To realize your savings, use code PBSFF12 at checkout. Click on the links in this post or the banner link below to start shopping for great PBS mysteries.

Every purchase from ShopPBS supports PBS programming and your local PBS station.

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Author Online Book Tour: H. Terrell Griffin Visits Allie's Musings and Bookish Ruth

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating the online book tour for H. Terrell Griffin whose new mystery, Blood Island, is being published this week by Oceanview Publishing. Blood Island is the third book in the Matt Royal series featuring a retired attorney living on an island off the coast of Florida.

Today, Saturday December 6th, Terry will be visiting 2 blog sites:

• Allie's Musings where Terry will be interviewed; and
• Bookish Ruth where a review of Blood Island will be posted.

We're also thrilled to announce that Terry is giving away a signed copy of his new book to one lucky tour visitor. Visit each tour site and pick up a unique PIN to be used to enter the giveaway on that day. The entry form can be found on Terry's tour page, Author Book Tour: H. Terrell Griffin, which also has a complete schedule of Terry's tour including a biography and more information about Blood Island.

Please stop by each of the tour sites this week to learn more about Terry, his series character Matt Royal, and living the life of a retired attorney in Florida.

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Games of Mystery: The Nightshift Code Available for 99 Cents from PlayFirst Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce a special price for a mystery game available from PlayFirst Games. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: PlayFirst Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

PlayFirst Games is offering The Nightshift Code for 99 cents! No end date is mentioned other than the vague "as supplies last." (Since it's an electronic game, it would seem to us that there would be an unlimited supply but that's marketing for you.)

Take a mysterious and sometimes dangerous journey from an ancient history museum in Chicago all the way to a secret location in the Greek Isles. Search for hidden objects and piece together clues to unlock challenging puzzles, ultimately digging for a lost treasure. Are you ready for the nightshift?

The Nightshift Code is also available to purchase for $0.99 with the PlayPass program. A trial version is available to download for a 30 minutes of play (Windows PC, 36.9 MB).

Other popular games on our download PlayFirst Mystery Games page include both Mystery PI games, Mystery P.I.: The Vegas Heist and Mystery P.I.: The Lottery Ticket, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet, and Private Eye.

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Mystery Book Review: Crosscut by Meg Gardiner

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Crosscut by Meg Gardiner. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Crosscut by Meg Gardiner
An Evan Delaney Mystery

Signet (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-451-22522-8 (0451225228)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-22522-1 (9780451225221)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $7.99

Review: Evan Delaney returns to China Lake, where her father was stationed during her teens, to attend her 15th high school graduation reunion and discovers an unusual number of her classmates have died in Crosscut, the fourth mystery in this series by Meg Gardiner.

There doesn't appear to be any common thread to the deaths, some ruled natural from disease or trauma, others accidental from transportation crashes to fires. And when a reunion participant is brutally murdered, Evan concludes all these deaths are somehow related. Thinking back to her high school days, she recalls a mysterious laboratory explosion. Though no one was apparently hurt, the cause of the blast was never revealed. Evan calls her father, retired Captain Phil Delaney, for more information and asks him to return and investigate. He reluctantly agrees but also knows some, but not all, of the circumstances surrounding the explosion. Phil and Evan soon realize they're in a race against time to uncover the truth behind the cloak-and-dagger experiments that took place at China Lake so many years ago and to prevent Evan herself from being the target of someone they've come to call the "Coyote".

Crosscut is a first-rate thriller that has it all. An exciting, fast-paced plot, a series of chilling murders by the unknown Coyote, an easy to relate to father-daughter relationship, and even a love story between Evan and her boyfriend Jesse. It's a hard book to put down so allow plenty of time to do little more than enjoy this electrifying story.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Crosscut and to Penguin Group for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing Crosscut from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): For Evan Delaney, China Lake was a tough place to grow up. But she didn't realize just how tough until, returning to the desert military base for her high school reunion, she discovers that a disturbing number of her classmates have died young. The morning after the reunion another is found, savagely butchered. She is just the first. Someone in China Lake has a major axe to grind with the class of '91. And that includes Evan ...

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Savings: Enjoy Free Shipping from A&E, 3 Days Only

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

For three days only, from today through Sunday, December 07, 2008, A&E is offering free shipping on all orders at the A&E TV store. Use promo code FREESHIP at checkout. A&E has DVD sets of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Poirot, Cold Case Files, CSI Miami, The Avengers, and more, many on sale for the holidays. Click on the banner link below to start shopping and enjoy free shipping from A&E.

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Games of Mystery: Nocturnal Boston Nightmare, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed games, parties, and vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Play as recently deceased Claire unraveling the secrets of her undead powers in this shadow-soaked hidden object game with an ominous storyline! Solve elaborate puzzles on your path to becoming a Nocturnal or Brethren. Quickly seek out mystical hidden objects to enhance your eldritch powers! The night is beckoning, will you answer? Step into the shadows and answer the call of the night with Nocturnal: Boston Nightfall.

Nocturnal: Boston Nightfall, a Big Fish Games exclusive, may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A demonstration version may be downloaded (142.20 MB) and played for one hour for free.

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, the Carol Reed mystery Remedy, Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown, Mystery Chronicles: Murder Among Friends, and The Treasures of Mystery Island.

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Author Online Book Tour: H. Terrell Griffin Visits Murder by 4, Mystery Reader Discussion, and Wendi's Book Corner

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating the online book tour for H. Terrell Griffin whose new mystery, Blood Island, is being published this week by Oceanview Publishing. Blood Island is the third book in the Matt Royal series featuring a retired attorney living on an island off the coast of Florida.

Today, Friday December 5th, Terry will be visiting 3 blog sites:

• Murder by 4 where Terry will be interviewed;
• Mystery Reader Discussion where a review of Blood Island will be posted; and
• Wendi's Book Corner where Terry will be a guest blogger.

We're also thrilled to announce that Terry is giving away a signed copy of his new book to one lucky tour visitor. Visit each tour site and pick up a unique PIN to be used to enter the giveaway on that day. The entry form can be found on Terry's tour page, Author Book Tour: H. Terrell Griffin, which also has a complete schedule of Terry's tour including a biography and more information about Blood Island.

Please stop by each of the tour sites this week to learn more about Terry, his series character Matt Royal, and living the life of a retired attorney in Florida.

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Mystery Bestsellers for December 05, 2008

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending December 05, 2008 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

James Patterson's latest Alex Cross thriller, Cross Country, remains the bestselling hardcover mystery this week but by a surprisingly small margin.

New this week and debuting in 6th position is the latest Kay Scarpetta novel by Patricia Cornwell, simply titled Scarpetta. Leaving behind her private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina, Kay Scarpetta accepts an assignment in New York City, where the NYPD has asked her to examine an injured man on Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric prison ward. The handcuffed and chained patient, Oscar Bane, has specifically asked for her, and when she literally has her gloved hands on him, he begins to talk—and the story he has to tell turns out to be one of the most bizarre she has ever heard. The injuries, he says, were sustained in the course of a murder ... that he did not commit. Is Bane a criminally insane stalker who has fixed on Scarpetta? Or is his paranoid tale true, and it is he who is being spied on, followed and stalked by the actual killer? The one thing Scarpetta knows for certain is that a woman has been tortured and murdered -- and more violent deaths will follow. Gradually, an inexplicable and horrifying truth emerges: Whoever is committing the crimes knows where his prey is at all times. Is it a person, a government? And what is the connection between the victims? In the days that follow, Scarpetta; her forensic psychologist husband, Benton Wesley; and her niece, Lucy, who has recently formed her own forensic computer investigation firm in New York, will undertake a harrowing chase through cyberspace and the all-too-real streets of the city -- an odyssey that will take them at once to places they never knew, and much, much too close to home.

On our bestseller page, we've added an icon next to every title that is available for immediate download onto the Amazon Kindle. To learn about this wireless reading device, visit the Amazon Kindle page for more information.

The top four mystery bestsellers this week are shown below:

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Bleak House Books Offering Free Mysteries

Here's a blog entry we missed when it was originally posted late last month: Bleak House Books, a publisher of mysteries and suspense novels, is offering over 100 different titles for free. Just pay shipping and handling.

According to Bleak House, and we're quoting here, "We’re giving away FREE books. Edgar Award finalists. Starred review recipients. Shamus Award winners. Hardcover. Paperback. Novels. Short story anthologies. Over 100 different titles published by Bleak House Books and our sister company Intrigue Press are yours to choose from. It’s our way of saying thanks for all of the support we’ve received over the last few years. So go ahead and grab a book for yourself or as a holiday gift for somebody else. You just pay the shipping and handling, we’ll throw the book in for free."

Details on how to get your free book are provided in the Bleak House Books blog post.

We've had the pleasure of reviewing at least one Bleak House book in the past, Keep It Real by Bill Bryan, of which we said, "Keep It Real is a very funny look at the world of reality television with a bonus for mystery readers of having a murder to solve."

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Mystery Book Review: The Tale of Briar Bank by Susan Wittig Albert

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Tale of Briar Bank by Susan Wittig Albert. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Tale of Briar Bank by Susan Wittig Albert
The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter

Berkley Prime Crime (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-425-22361-2 (0425223612)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22361-1 (9780425223611)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $23.95

Review: Susan Wittig Albert continues her account of the lives of the characters and creatures living in the Land Between the Lakes in The Tale of Briar Bank, the fifth mystery in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter.

The untimely and mysterious death of Hugh Wickstead, an eccentric antiquities collector who lived in the Briar Bank Cottage on Stoney Lane, has the villagers in a buzz. Last spring, he had found a treasure trove hidden in an abandoned badger burrow by Moss Eccles Pond. Now, for no apparent reason, in mid-winter he decided to return the bags of valuable antiques to their hiding place. While his dog, Pickles, pushed the two bags of treasure back into the hole, the top of a near by yew tree snapped off falling on Wickstead’s head, killing him instantly. Although fresh claw prints were discovered on the break, they gave no clue as to the mystery of why the top of the tree fell off. The prints were larger than any creature living in the area. This raised an interesting question: Was the tree top falling intentional or an accident? The villagers, believing there to be a curse on the trove, found speculating and gossiping about it very entertaining. Bailey Badger, one of the countless critters roaming the village, heard of the whole affair. He was eager to tell his friends, other badgers, guinea pigs, an owl, rabbits, cats and dogs, all about what he had heard. But Pickles was also there, so he, too, had a story to tell. If only the villagers could understand them, there may be no questions as to circumstances surrounding Wickstead’s death.

Beatrix Potter, who lives with her domineering mother and docile father in their London home, recently purchased a farm in the Land Between the Lakes. Much to her mother’s disapproval, Beatrix leaves London for a short vacation at her farm on Hill Top. Here she is transformed as if by some mysterious spell. She is no longer an unstylish, unattractive, spinster daughter; she is a country woman, a competent farmer, and a shepherd. This is who Beatrix Potter believes she really is. After learning that Mr. Wickstead was killed by the top of the tree falling on his head, and the judge’s ruling that there was no foul play involved, Beatrix suggests that pictures of the claw marks be taken and sent to Dr. Trevor Hall, an authority of natural history in the area. Wickstead's long missing sister, his only surviving relative, is to inherit his estate. Later questions arise when Beatrix sees a Wickstead album of photographs showing the family's home. To her surprise it is actually the home of her own grandparents and most certainly not that of the Wicksteads. She also notices a discrepancy in their ages: Wickstead was at least seven years older than his sister but in the photographs they appear only two or three years apart in age. Beatrix begins to question the identity of the woman. Is she really his sister? Is she entitled to his estate? Beatrix wants answers, and sets out to find them.

The Tale of Briar Bank is an enchanting, delightful book to read. The ease at which the author interweaves several storylines -- Beatrix' change from being an unhappy person in London to the carefree, eager country lady; the promise of a new love for Beatrix; and the mystery of the death of Wickstead -- is remarkable. The portrayal and wittiness of the critters is its own literary pleasure. Readers may want to reread certain passages to appreciate how well written they are, how they magically bring Beatrix Potter to life in the Land Between the Lakes.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Tale of Briar Bank and to Penguin Group for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing The Tale of Briar Bank from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Near Sawrey, the seat of Miss Potter's country home, is abuzz -- Mr. Wickstead has died under a tree limb. The villagers are certain that his death had to do with a treasure he dug up last spring. But why was he in the wood on a frigid night? And what of the claw marks on the limb? And what was that treasure? As per usual, the town's animals know more than the Big Folk. And only Pickles, Wickstead's fox terrier, knows exactly what happened.

Meanwhile, Miss Potter wonders: can she acknowledge her fondness for Mr. Heelis and remain loyal to the memory of her fiancé? She has no time to muse, what with helping the denizens of Sawrey, human and animal -- and the little matter of murder.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: The Faithgirlz Boarding House Mysteries

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids, your source for information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults where each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older), is pleased to feature another series of mysteries on our website.

The Faithgirlz Boarding House Mysteries are a series of 4 books (to date) featuring Jeri McKane, a twelve-year-old sixth grader at the private Landmark School for Girls and a long way from home. As a reporter for the school newspaper, she is also an amateur sleuth with an eye like Nancy Drew. While searching for clues in the midst of danger, she learns to trust in God's Word and direction and discovers she has more faith and courage than she realizes.

In the first book of the series, Fading Tracks, Jeri wonders whether her scholarship to the prestigious school was worth it. She is tempted to give up when her Mom can't make parents' weekend, and the school bus carying her roommate, Rosa, disappears. The other titles in the series, all published earlier this year, are Secrets for Sale, Smoke Screen, and Pick Your Poison.

These mysteries, recommended for young girls aged 10 and older, are written by Kristi Holl and Bruce Emmett. For more information about the characters and the series visit Faithgirlz.com.

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Mystery Savings: Save 10% on a Getaway Gift Card from BedandBreakfast.com

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

BedandBreakfast.com is extending its offer of a 10% discount on Getaway Gift Cards valued at $150 or more. This offer is not available on the BedandBreakfast.com website, through direct e-mail, or from any of their corporate partners, but only through sites like Mystery Books News.

From now through December 15, 2008, make a Getaway Gift Card purchase of $150 or more and enter the reward code TRAVELGIFT10 at checkout (the reward code is case sensitive) to receive your 10% savings. Click on the banner link below to order.

[MBN note: You can check out the many Murder Mystery Weekend packages available from the home page of BedandBreakfast.com by clicking on the orange Search tab near the top and selecting Special Packages. We'll be updating our Games of Mystery: Murder Mystery Weekends page in the near future highlighting many of these inns and have already made a start on doing so. We'll make an announcement here on Mystery Books News when we're done.]

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Author Online Book Tour: H. Terrell Griffin Visits The Friendly Book Nook

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating the online book tour for H. Terrell Griffin whose new mystery, Blood Island, is being published this week by Oceanview Publishing. Blood Island is the third book in the Matt Royal series featuring a retired attorney living on an island off the coast of Florida.

Today, Thursday December 4th, Terry will be visiting 1 blog site:

• The Friendly Book Nook where Terry will be a guest blogger.

We're also thrilled to announce that Terry is giving away a signed copy of his new book to one lucky tour visitor. Visit each tour site and pick up a unique PIN to be used to enter the giveaway on that day. The entry form can be found on Terry's tour page, Author Book Tour: H. Terrell Griffin, which also has a complete schedule of Terry's tour including a biography and more information about Blood Island.

Please stop by each of the tour sites this week to learn more about Terry, his series character Matt Royal, and living the life of a retired attorney in Florida.

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Murder by the Book Celebrates 25 Years in Portland

With all the recent news of turmoil in the publishing industry and the closing of independent bookstores, it's a pleasure to read a positive article on bookselling. Even better when it's a mystery book store!

Maggie Stuckey, in the December 1st edition of Publishers Weekly, writes about the 25th anniversary celebration of Murder by the Book in Portland, Oregon, calling the book store "a solid success, a destination store for mystery lovers from all over the region."

Murder by the Book, which opened its doors in 1983, organizes their retail space with punny names (Yardbirds for British police detectives, Prime Time Crime for mysteries related to TV shows or movies) and aims to carry authors' complete series. “Most big stores don't carry much backlist,” store owner Jill Hinckley says, noting that each author's series is shelved chronologically, for readers who prefer to start with the first in a series.

We offer our own congratulations to Murder by the Book for 25 years of service to the mystery community and wish them a prosperous and mysterious future!

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Mystery Savings: Up to 20% Off on Gift Certificates at GameFly

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

Do you have a mystery gamer (or a gamer of any genre) in your house? Or know of one? Then consider giving the gift of games this holiday season. There are more video games being released this holiday season than ever and GameFly hopes to take advantage of this popularity by being the leading online video game rental service. Gamefly offers gift certificates that customers can purchase to give as gifts during the holiday season.

But here's a special reason to purchase GameFly Gift Certificates: you can save up to 20% depending on the length of membership plan you purchase. Click on the banner link below to learn more about this special holiday savings at GameFly.

About GameFly: Founded in 2002, Los Angeles-based GameFly is the world's leading online video game rental service, delivering the best selection and availability. GameFly also offers hundreds of high quality, pre-played video games for sale at competitive prices.

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New Hardcover Mysteries: An Interview with Patricia Cornwell

This week Patricia Cornwell published the 16th mystery in her bestselling series featuring forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta. In the simply titled Scarpetta, Kay accepts an assignment in New York City, leaving behind her private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina. The NYPD has asked her to examine an injured man on Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric prison ward. The handcuffed and chained patient, Oscar Bane, has specifically asked for her, and when she literally has her gloved hands on him, he begins to talk—and the story he has to tell turns out to be one of the most bizarre she has ever heard.

Barnes & Noble has graciously allowed us to post an interview with author Patricia Cornwell on our site. Conducted by host Molly Pesce, Cornwell discusses her personalized research method, and how she strives to bring each reader into every scene involving gunshots, autopsies, and trips into the forensics lab.

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First Clues Review: Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is delighted to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz
An Alex Rider Mystery

Penguin Young Adult (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-14-240738-0 (0142407380)
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-240738-7 (9780142407387)
Publication Date: April 2007
List Price: $7.99

Review written by Chris, Age 11, Grade 6. Date of review: November, 2008.

Review: Ark Angel is a book of adventure, action, and crime, written by Anthony Horowitz. It’s a book that will bring you to the edge of your seat and keep you there until the final page! Alex Rider, a spy for MI6, a British intelligence force, and Paul Drevin, both fourteen-year old boys who spend two weeks together at Paul’s home, become great friends. Spectacles, Combat Jacket, Silver Tooth, Steel Watch, and Kaspar, are members of the eco-terrorist gang, Force Three, and Nikolei Drevin, the multi-billionaire and owner of the Ark Angel, the first hotel in space, might be the criminal behind the plot to destroy the Pentagon. Ark Angel is the sixth out of seven books in the Alex Rider series.

The rifle’s bullet nearly killed Alex Rider, but once again, he manages to survive. Alex is immediately sent to a hospital where he will spend weeks recuperating from this fatal incident. Just as soon as Alex is well again, trouble strikes! Four men try to kidnap his roommate, Paul Drevin. He does everything to stop them, but is overpowered by the thugs. He is taken into confinement and is to be held for ransom. What Alex doesn’t know is that the boy he just saved is the son of multibillionaire, Nikolei Drevin. The four men, also known as Force Three, have targeted Nikolei Drevin and are planning to destroy his fabulous space hotel, Ark Angel. Alex, in return for saving Paul Drevin, is invited to Nikolei’s bountiful estate, but begins to feel uneasy. Who is this man? Packed with some of the most enthralling scenes and adventure, Alex Rider takes the fun, action, and danger to the limit!

This novel has fast action and realistic parts such as the launch of the rocket, Gabriel 7 on Flamingo Bay, makes me feel as if I am in Alex’s world. A great book for me contains action, danger, adventure, an awesome ending, and makes me wonder what will happen next. Ark Angel was the perfect book for me and I enjoyed reading Anthony Horowitz’ greatest Alex Rider novel yet! If you want an action packed book, then read Ark Angel. It will blow your mind away! I would recommend the Alex Rider series to anyone who likes fast action books and sometimes unforeseen endings. Anthony Horowitz still has not disappointed me with his fantastic novels. This book was a New York Times best selling book, and so are the rest of the Alex Rider series! Keep up the good work A.H.!

If you are interested in purchasing Ark Angel from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on nearly 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

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Games of Mystery: Paranormal Agency, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed games, parties, and vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Use your supernatural ESP to rid the city of malevolent spooks and spirits in this eerie hidden object game! You've inherited a paranormal investigation business from a retired friend, whether you like it or not! Following a bone-chilling storyline, use your trauma-born ghost-seeking abilities to save humanity from an assortment of hideous specters. Take a walk on the wild side of the spirit realm in Paranormal Agency.

Paranormal Agency, a Big Fish Games exclusive, may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A demonstration version may be downloaded (29.82 MB) and played for one hour for free.

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, the Carol Reed mystery Remedy, Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown, Mystery Chronicles: Murder Among Friends, and The Treasures of Mystery Island.

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Author Online Book Tour: H. Terrell Griffin Visits Reader's Respite and Lesa's Book Corner

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating the online book tour for H. Terrell Griffin whose new mystery, Blood Island, is being published this week by Oceanview Publishing. Blood Island is the third book in the Matt Royal series featuring a retired attorney living on an island off the coast of Florida.

Today, Wednesday December 3rd, Terry will be visiting 2 blog sites:

• Reader's Respite where a review of Blood Island will be posted; and
• Lesa's Book Critiques where Terry will be a guest blogger.

We're also thrilled to announce that Terry is giving away a signed copy of his new book to one lucky tour visitor. Visit each tour site and pick up a unique PIN to be used to enter the giveaway on that day. The entry form can be found on Terry's tour page, Author Book Tour: H. Terrell Griffin, which also has a complete schedule of Terry's tour including a biography and more information about Blood Island.

Please stop by each of the tour sites this week to learn more about Terry, his series character Matt Royal, and living the life of a retired attorney in Florida.

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Mysteries on TV: ABC and CBS Announce Mid-Season Mystery Series

ABC and CBS announced their mid-season replacement schedules today, and several mystery series previously announced now have firm premiere dates.

From an ABC press release, two mystery series are slated to debut. (Actually, one is a crime drama, the other more of a comedy drama.)

Castle is a one hour drama based on a famous crime and horror novelist who helps the NYPD homicide department solve crimes. Wildly famous mystery novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), who is bored with his own success, learns that a real-world copycat killer has started staging murder scenes depicted in his novels. Rick is soon questioned by NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), a very bright, aggressive detective who keeps her investigations under tight rein. Rick and Kate's styles instantly clash, yet sparks begin to fly, leading both to danger and a hint of romance as Castle steps in to help find the killer. And once that case is solved, he and Beckett build upon their new relationship as they look to solve strange homicides in New York - as much fun as one can have with death and murder. Castle is kept grounded by his Broadway diva mother, Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan) and quick-witted teenage daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn). The series premieres Monday, March 09, 2009, at 10 PM ET.

View the trailer for Castle below:

In The Unusuals, it helps if a cop has a twisted sense of humor, because every moment could be your last. Just ask Casey Shraeger (Amber Tamblyn), who started her day as an NYPD vice detective before unexpectedly being transferred to the homicide division. She quickly realizes that, not only does everyone in her new department have a distinct sense of humor, but also their own dirty little secrets. The series also stars Jeremy Renner as Detective Jason Walsh, Harold Perrineau as Detective Leo Banks, Josh Close as Detective Henry Cole, Monique Gabriela Curnen as Detective Allison Beaumont, Kai Lennox as Detective Eddie Alvarez, with Terry Kinney as Sergeant Harvey Brown and Adam Goldberg as Detective Eric Delahoy. The series premieres Wednesday, April 08, 2009, at 10 PM ET.

From a CBS press release, what is being called a 13-episode "mystery event" has been scheduled as has a returning series.

Harper's Island is about a group of family and friends who travel to a secluded island for a destination wedding. They've come to laugh ... to love ... and, though they don't know it ... to die. As the wedding festivities begin, friendships are tested and secrets exposed as a murderer claims victims, one by one, transforming the wedding week of fun and celebration into a terrifying struggle for survival. In every episode, someone is killed and every person is a suspect, from the wedding party to the island locals. By the end of the 13 episodes, all questions will be answered, the killer will be revealed and only a few will survive. The series premieres Thursday, April 09, 2009, at 10 PM ET and concludes Thursday, July 02, 2009.

View the trailer for Harper's Island below:

In addition, Flashpoint, which debuted last summer, returns Friday, January 09, 2009, at 9 PM ET. The series depicts the emotional journey into the tough, risk-filled lives of a group of cops in the Strategic Response Unit (inspired by Toronto's Emergency Task Force).

Please visit Mysteries on TV, your source for the most complete selection of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series now available or coming soon to DVD.

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Authors Share Their Memories of Giving or Receiving Books at BookReporter.com

BookReporter.com is running a series of daily guest blog posts from authors who reflect on and share their favorite memories of giving or receiving a book at the holidays.

International best-selling author Mary Higgins Clark reminisces about the books that she was overjoyed to find under the Christmas tree during her childhood, while her daughter and co-writer, Carol Higgins Clark, theorizes that her most popular character, private detective Regan Reilly, may have had her roots in books given to her as a young girl. And we've been told that upcoming blogs include David Baldacci’s story of gifting a rare copy of Sophie’s Choice once owned by Truman Capote -- to the novel’s author himself.

Everyone who loves books knows how important they are in our lives, and it's wonderful to read these brief essays by authors on how certain books have affected them, especially during the holidays.

While you're on BookReporter.com's site, check out their 45 reasons why a book makes a perfect gift. Some are practical, some are fun. Our favorite so far (from yesterday): A book doesn't require directions.

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Mystery Book Review: Shoot the Lawyer Twice by Michael Bowen

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Shoot the Lawyer Twice by Michael Bowen. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Shoot the Lawyer Twice by Michael Bowen
A Rep and Melissa Pennyworth Mystery

Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-529-1 (1590585291)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-529-0 (9781590585290)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $24.95

Review: Reppert "Rep" and Melissa Pennyworth find themselves trapped in a maze of conflicting agendas involving lawyers (of which Rep is one), academics (of which Melissa is one), and business executives and more in Shoot the Lawyer Twice, the fourth mystery in this series by Michael Bowen.

The plot of Shoot the Lawyer Twice has so many facets, so many angles, that it's hard to pick just one to be considered the primary one. Using the opening chapter as a guide for selection, Jimmy Clevenger is on trial for piracy on the high seas for uttering the line "sex or swim" to the female owner of a yacht anchored in Lake Michigan a half-mile off the coast of Milwaukee. The woman, Carolyn Hoeckstra, jumped overboard and swam to shore. The legal basis for Jimmy's indictment seems to rest on nuances of the law, something a battery of attorneys seem perfectly willing to debate at length, all the while racking up billable hours. This being a murder mystery, a dead body must make an appearance at some point, but the victim is not directly related, but not unrelated either, to the legal case. Harald Angstrom, a colleague of Melissa's and a client of Rep's, is killed by ingesting a lethal dose of curare. While Rep follows the case of Jimmy Clevenger, Melissa looks into why Harald Angstom may have been a threat to someone, enough that they killed him.

The word "erudite" leaps to mind while reading Shoot the Lawyer Twice. Rep and Melissa relate to each other and their colleagues in a learned, scholarly manner, not quite annoyingly highbrow but close. The narrative is sharply written and the dialog frequently witty, all in all generally a pleasure to read. The trick comes in following the plot which is so twisted that the book should have come with handy notecards to assist readers in matching who is involved with what. It's also a bit frustrating when something potentially interesting is introduced (and it's important to pay attention because the reader is never quite sure if it's significant or even relevant to the plot) then never mentioned again.

All the effort expended into reading and trying to understand Shoot the Lawyer Twice would have been worthwhile had the resolution not been so ... pedestrian. It's really rather disappointing. A plot as complicated and convoluted as this, and really in many ways cleverly devised, deserved a more demanding and satisfying conclusion.

Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of Shoot the Lawyer Twice for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing Shoot the Lawyer Twice from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): When a frat boy finds himself on trial in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for piracy on the high seas, lawyer Rep Pennyworth suspects he’s being used as an unwitting accomplice in a cheap publicity stunt. Meanwhile his wife Melissa, the professor-half of the couple, gets caught in the middle of a verbal firefight between two colleagues at a literary conference that soon escalates into burglary, theft, jury-tampering, forgery of an explosive papal document from World War II -- and murder.

Melissa wants to protect a naive undergraduate who might be implicated. But when one of the other suspects makes Melissa a cast-iron alibi, she finds that her search for the truth leads through a maze of gray lies -- includin