Mystery Bestsellers for February 15, 2008

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

James Patterson's 7th Heaven moves into the top spot this week while Robert B. Parker's Strangers in Paradise claims the third position. Two new titles enter the list this week.

M. C. Beaton fans will be delighted with her 24th mystery in the Hamish Macbeth series, Death of a Gentle Lady. (The first Hamish Macbeth mystery, Death of a Gossip, was published in 1985.) Everyone in the sleepy Scottish town of Lochdubh adores elderly Mrs. Gentle - everyone but Hamish Macbeth, that is. Hamish thinks the gentle lady is quite sly and vicious, and the citizens of Lochdubh think he is overly cranky. Perhaps it's time for him to get married, they say. But who has time for marriage when there's a murder to be solved? When Mrs. Gentle dies under mysterious circumstances, the town is shocked and outraged. Chief Detective Inspector Blair suspects members of her family, but Hamish Macbeth thinks there's more to the story, and begins investigating the truth behind this lady's gentle exterior.

Ariana Franklin combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the drama of 12th-century historical fiction in The Serpent's Tale (UK title: The Death Maze), the second mystery to feature medieval heroine Adelia Aguilar. Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II, has died an agonizing death by poison, and the king's estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is the prime suspect. Henry suspects that Rosamund's murder is probably the first move in Eleanor's long-simmering plot to overthrow him. If Eleanor is guilty, the result could be civil war. The king must once again summon Adelia Aguilar, mistress of the art of death, to uncover the truth. Publishers Weekly states, "A colorful cast of characters, both good and evil, enhance a tale that will keep readers on edge until the final page."

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 depicted below:

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