Thursday, March 05, 2009

Press Release: $25,000 Dagger Still Out There, Waiting for You!

Vegas Die by Stephen Grogan

Just over a year ago, we reported that and the clues to its whereabouts are within the interactive mystery, Vegas Die by Stephen Grogan, the first in a proposed series of Quest Mysteries.

In a press release provided to MBN, the publisher, Addison & Highsmith, notes the dagger has yet to be found. Below is the text of the press release in its entirety.

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Vegas Die, a mystery-thriller by author Stephen Grogan (Addison & Highsmith Publishers, $16.95) holds clues to a hidden dagger worth $25,000 cash.

This month, March 15th, the Ides of March to be exact, marks the first anniversary of the book's release and the dagger remains undiscovered, secreted somewhere in Las Vegas, Nevada. And you don't have to go to Sin City to start searching. The clues, according to the author, are within Vegas Die and that's what has created the greater mystery buzz, bringing hundreds of readers out in growing numbers as treasure hunters.

Fans of the book are called Questors (the treasure hunt is called A Quest Mystery). Questors, so far, have been on Las Vegas bus tours to clue sites and even held mini-conventions.

"Questors by the hundreds have been dissecting the book inside and out," says Mike Cowling, a loyal fan, who acts as a facilitating guide on the Questor Forum site (QuestMystery.com) "We have a Canadian cryptologist who broke down ever page looking for code sequences. Another Questor can tell you how many times various colors are used (black 27 times, white 25). One Questor wrote a 30 page character analysis of the book's central heroine. So far, no dagger found," said Cowling, "though we are expecting the author to release a new clue on the website at the end of this month."

Has anyone gotten close to finding the dagger?

"One Questor submitted a guess," said publisher Harvey Addison, "and was close, but went the wrong direction in their final thinking. We do want the dagger to be found as it will justify the release of the next Quest Mystery sequel."

According to Addison there have been some pretty wild guesses. "One Questor guessed the dagger is a symbol and is the comedian/charity host Jerry Lewis. Wrong. Another said to turn an aerial map of Las Vegas upside down and look for angles and codes. Wrong." The website does warn: Nothing is as it seems.

This particular Quest Mystery is not forever and will end in two years. In the rules located on the website, you can even be an armchair treasure hunter: stay at home and if you can guess within 15 feet of where the dagger is, you will be awarded the $25,000. One would expect the Nevada Resort Association should be strong supporters of Vegas Die and the Quest Mystery concept since any visiting Questors should help their local economy.

So, there's a treasure hunt called Quest Mystery, but what about Vegas Die, as a story? The plot is pure neon showmanship: Someone is killing the old mobsters of Las Vegas and the mayor is the number one suspect.

"Vegas has a very gregarious, colorful, even controversial Mayor," explained author Grogan, "I've had book buyers say, Vegas Die isn't fiction, that's the way it is. The book has become sort of a fun tourist souvenir."

Any future Quest Mysteries out there?

"I am working on a sequel with a hidden shark teeth club," said Grogan, "but whether the publisher or I can afford higher amounts of prize money depends directly on book sales. Like Vegas, it's a crap shoot."

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