Tuesday, May 31, 2011

L.A. Noire DLC Now Available from Rockstar Games

L.A. Noire (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3)

Rockstar Games announced on its website downloadable content (DLC) for its new crime drama game L. A. Noire.

Beginning today and continuing on through the summer months, several standalone cases, collectibles and challenges will be released via PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE, including all of the pre-order exclusive unlockable bonus content as well as a free downloadable weapon. You'll also be able to purchase the L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass as a method for pre-ordering and purchasing DLC. For a limited time only, it is $9.99 on the PlayStation Network (PSN) and 800 Microsoft Points (MS) on Xbox LIVE.

Now available are the following DLC:

• "Chicago Lightning" Detective Suit (Free via the Social Club)
• "Chicago Piano" Machine Gun (Free)
• L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass ($9.99 PSN / 800 MS Points until June 14th)
• "The Naked City" Vice Desk Case ($3.99 PSN / 320 MS Points)
• "A Slip of The Tongue" Traffic Desk Case ($3.99 PSN / 320 MS Points)
• The Badge Pursuit Challenge ($1.99 PSN / 160 MS Points)
• "The Broderick" Detective Suit ($0.99 PSN / 80 MS Points)
• "The Sharpshooter" Detective Suit ($0.99 PSN / 80 MS Points)

Coming June 21st is "Nicholson Electroplating" Arson Desk Case ($3.99 PSN / 320 MS Points) and on July 12th, "Reefer Madness" Vice Desk Case ($3.99 PSN / 320 MS Points).

L.A. Noire is available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

(Source: Rockstar Games.)

Jesse Stone: Benefit of Doubt, the 8th Movie in the Series, Begins Production in Nova Scotia

Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone

The eighth made-for-television movie in the Jesse Stone series, based on a character created by Robert B. Parker, has begun production in Nova Scotia.

The film, to be titled Jesse Stone: Benefit of Doubt, will again star Tom Selleck as the former Chief of Police for the coastal town of Paradise, Massachusetts.

The seventh film in the series, Innocents Lost, aired earlier this month on CBS to stellar ratings (though not exactly the demographic prized by advertisers).

Selleck currently stars in the crime drama Blue Bloods, which has been renewed for a second season. He has previously stated that he would not have taken on the role of Frank Reagan in the series if it meant setting aside making Jesse Stone films.

If the series' broadcast history is any indication of the future, Jesse Stone: Benefit of Doubt will likely air next May 2012 on CBS.

(Source: Winnipeg Free Press.)

Review: Kiss Her Goodbye by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins

Kiss Her Goodbye by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
More information about the book

Kiss Her Goodbye by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins. A Mickey Spillane Mystery. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Hardcover, May 2011.

Readers who relished Spillane's novels from the 50s and 60s will be thrilled that Collins has captured the characteristic descriptive manner and narrative style of the original books in this latest case for the New York City PI.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Kiss Her Goodbye by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins.

Purchase Options: Amazon.com Print Edition | Amazon.com Kindle Edition | Barnes&Noble NookBook | Kobo eBook

Read the first chapter(s) of Kiss Her Goodbye below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Games of Mystery: Ms. Terri Reviews Gravely Silent: House of Deadlock

Gravely Silent: House of Deadlock

With a well-crafted storyline that drives interest in the gameplay, and a soundtrack and ambient sounds that enhance the moody and atmospheric scenes, Gravely Silent: House of Deadlock is one of the better games of mystery in this category, one that will provide hours of suspenseful hidden object adventure.

Read Ms. Terri's complete review on Games of Mystery Reviews: Gravely Silent: House of Deadlock.

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is your source for mystery-themed video, electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, murder mystery weekends and mystery getaway vacations, and more mysterious fun!

Telemystery: Psych, Rookie Blue, and True Blood, New This Week on DVD

Telemystery, the most complete selection of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series now available or coming soon to DVD

Telemystery, your source for one of the most comprehensive selections of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series, mini-series and made-for-television movies, now available on or coming soon to DVD or Blu-ray disc, is profiling three series being released this week.

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Psych: Season Five, a Mystery TV Series
Information on Psych: Season Five

He's got an eye for details and a knack for saying the wrong thing ... but fortunately "psychic" private investigator Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and his best friend Burton "Gus" Guster (Dulé Hill) are there to make sense of it all in Psyche.

With his uptight father (Corbin Bernsen) now in charge of the Santa Barbara Police Department's consultants, Shawn must now work extra hard to land new investigation gigs for him and Gus. This season finds the duo searching for a kidnap victim, probing an alien abduction and infiltrating a street-racing gang.

The Psych: Season Five DVD set of 4 discs comprise the 16 episodes that aired on USA Network from July through September and November through December, 2010. Psych returns for a 6th season this Fall.

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Rookie Blue: Season One, a Mystery TV Series
Information on Rookie Blue: Season One

Serve. Protect. Don't Screw Up. At the police academy they trained, fought and partied together. Now they're on the job together in Rookie Blue.

Dangerous pursuits. Fierce shootouts. Scandalous hook-ups. As first responders, they're learning the toughest kind of policing there is, never know what to expect.

These five rookies are ready to brave anything ... it's only their personal lives that need back-up.

The Rookie Blue: Season One DVD set of 4 discs comprise the 13 episodes that aired on ABC from June through September, 2010. The second season of Rookie Blue premieres on June 23rd, 2011 at 10 PM (ET/PT).

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True Blood: Season Three, a Mystery TV Series
Information on True Blood: Season Three

In Bon Temps, everyone has something to hide. But when new threats emerge, no one can conceal the secrets of their past in True Blood, based on characters created by Charlaine Harris in her Southern Vampire series of mysteries.

After Sookie discovers Bill was kidnapped, she heads to Mississippi, where she becomes entangled in a world ruled by werewolves and a powerful Vampire King. Eric is also drawn to the King’s domain to settle an old score; Jason falls for a mysterious woman; Lafayette can’t avoid love or demons; and Sam uncovers the truth about his birth family. It all leads up to the revelation of the series … Sookie’s true identity.

The True Blood: Season Three DVD set of 5 discs comprise the 12 episodes that aired on HBO from June through September, 2010. True Blood returns for a 4th season on June 26th, 2011.

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Visit the Telemystery website to discover more television mystery series currently available on and coming soon to DVD and Blu-ray disc.

Mystery Godoku Puzzle for May 30, 2011

A new 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!).

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for May 30, 2011

This week's letters and mystery clue:

A B E J K N R S U

Dallas PI Arthur Conan Edwards (“Ace”) is introduced in this mystery by Randy Rawls (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!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Is the Red Band Trailer for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Part of an Official Sony Viral Marketing Campaign?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

A so-called "red band" trailer for the English-language film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson surfaced a day or so ago, and while we weren't going to feature it -- we don't want to promote any illegal distribution of unauthorized content -- The Hollywood Reporter makes a compelling case that the trailer may actually be part of an official viral marketing campaign by Sony to generate interest in the film.

For starters, the trailer, which was purportedly filmed from a handheld camera in a theater in Europe, opens with a US MPAA advisory. Secondly, there is no extraneous noise that would be expected from a theater filled with moviegoers. Thirdly, the quality is excellent. Finally, and possibly most tellingly, Sony has not (to date) requested that the trailer be removed from YouTube, something it could have easily done by now.

Thus, we've decided to share the trailer with our readers, embedding it below.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo stars Daniel Craig as journalist Mikael Blomkvist and Rooney Mara as computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, who he enlists to help investigate the 40-year-old disappearance of a Swedish industrialist's daughter. (The illicit nature of Lisbeth's work also fits in well with the potentially "illicit" aspect of this trailer.) The film opens in the US on December 21st, 2011.

Mr. E. Reviews Black Swan

Black Swan (DVD Cover)
Available on
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Marketed as a suspense thriller or a psychological thriller, this film actually doesn't begin to fit either of these descriptions until well into the final act -- and even then, doesn't really achieve any significant measure of suspense at all. Best Actress Academy Award-winner Natalie Portman has only one scene that seems deserving of that recognition.

Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews Black Swan.

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Mr. E. Reviews is your source for mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama reviews of television and film.

Review: No One To Hear You Scream by Julia Madeleine

No One To Hear You Scream by Julia Madeleine
More information about the book

No One To Hear You Scream by Julia Madeleine. Non-series. Black Heart Books Trade Paperback, March 2011.

Most of this book involves the intersection of the lives of the four strongly drawn characters, but this is at best an uneven thriller, with several plot points introduced with the potential of generating suspense in an otherwise predictable storyline but little developed from them.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: No One To Hear You Scream by Julia Madeleine.

Purchase Options: Amazon.com Print Edition | Amazon.com Kindle Edition

Read the first chapter(s) of No One To Hear You Scream below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: New Titles for June 2011

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is pleased to announce a selection of new mystery, suspense and thriller books (including series books) scheduled for publication during June 2011, listed in approximate order of reading level, from books for younger readers to books for teens.

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Thea Stilton and the Star Castaways by Thea Stilton

Thea Stilton and the Star Castaways More Information about the book
Thea Stilton
A Geronimo Stilton Special Edition (5th in series)

Thea Stilton is out of this world!

A professor at Mouseford Academy is organizing a trip to outer space, and the Thea Sisters are invited. The mouselings are headed on a fabumouse mission ... to the moon! After much preparation, the mice blast off. But when they arrive at their lunar vacation spot, things start to go wrong, including spaceship wrecks and rebellious robots. Can the Thea Sisters save the day?

Geronimo Stilton books are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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The Missing Heir by Tracy Barrett

The Missing Heir More Information about the book
Tracy Barrett
The Sherlock Files (4th in series)

Xena and Xander have just learned that their shy classmate, Alice, is the heir to a royal throne! Then they discover that their ancestor, Sherlock Holmes, had his suspicions about the kidnapping and return of Alice's grandmother, the princess of Borogovia.

Alice is to be crowned on her thirteenth birthday ... but she goes missing days before the ceremony. Who would kidnap a princess? Where would they hide her in a city where Xena and Xander Holmes — and the police! — are looking for her? And then there’s the biggest mystery of all: Is Alice really the princess?

The Sherlock Files are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham

Theodore Boone: The Abduction More Information about the book
John Grisham
A Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer Mystery (2nd in series)

When his best friend, April, disappears from her bedroom in the middle of the night, no one, not even Theo Boone -- who knows April better than anyone -- has answers.

As fear ripples through his small hometown and the police hit dead ends, it's up to Theo to use his legal knowledge and investigative skills to chase down the truth and save April.

The Theodore Boone mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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Rue for Repentance by Felicity Pulman

Rue for Repentance More Information about the book
Felicity Pulman
The Janna Mysteries (2nd in series)

After her mother dies and her home is burned to the ground, Janna is forced to flee for her life. She is given shelter at a manor farm, but all is not as it seems. A child goes missing and Janna puts her life on the line to find him, but who can she turn to for help—Edwin, the outlaw who stole from her in the forest; the villain Godric, who has turned against her; or Hugh, the handsome nobleman, who stands to gain everything if the child dies? Janna needs all her courage, wit, and common sense to solve the mystery of the child's disappearance, but time is running out.

The Janna Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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Pish Posh by Ellen Potter

Pish Posh More Information about the book
Ellen Potter
Non-series

Super-snobby eleven-year-old Clara Frankofile has all she could possibly want. Her parents are rich, she lives in an apartment with its own roller coaster, and anyone who is anyone in New York City is terrified of her. Each night at her parents' fashionable restaurant, Pish Posh, Clara watches the celebrity diners, deciding who is important enough to stay and who must be banished. But Clara's world turns upside down when she discovers a mystery happening right under her nose. With the help of her new friend -- a brilliant twelve-year-old jewel thief -- Clara begins to look at life differently, and she may just be able to solve this most intriguing case.

This book is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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The School for the Insanely Gifted by Dan Elish

The School for the Insanely Gifted More Information about the book
Dan Elish
Non-series

Daphna Whispers is insanely gifted. At age two and a half, she composed her first sonata. At age eight, she completed an opera. And now, at eleven and three-quarters, she is orchestrating a piano rhapsody.

With a résumé like that, it's no wonder she is a student at the prestigious Blatt School for the Insanely Gifted. But as sixth grade draws to a close, Daphna's mind is far from the upcoming "Insanity Cup" competition. She's preoccupied by her mother's disappearance two months ago.

When a mysterious man breaks into Daphna's small New York apartment, Daphna discovers that her mother's disappearance wasn't a random accident. Her mother knew something — and now somebody is after Daphna. What starts out as a simple fact-finding trip to the basement with her friends spirals into an international expedition. And while Daphna hopes to uncover the secret of her mother's disappearance on her global trek, the last thing she expects to uncover is an outrageous secret about the Blatt School.

And one insanely shocking secret about herself.

This book is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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The Mistaken Masterpiece by Michael D. Beil

The Mistaken Masterpiece More Information about the book
Michael D. Beil
The Red Blazer Girls (3rd in series)

Sophie is nose to fist with her arch-rival, Livvy, all while taking care of movie-star Nate Etan's dog, when Father Julian hires the Blazers to help him authenticate a painting. Mayhem and mystery follows as the girls attempt to uncover the truth. Oh, and, uh, Sophie's friend-who-is-not-a-boyfriend, Raf, is back ...

The Red Blazer Girls books are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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The Bones of the Holy by Jennifer Allison

The Bones of the Holy More Information about the book
Jennifer Allison
A Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator Mystery (5th in series)

When Gilda Joyce's mother announces her engagement to a man from St. Augustine, Florida, Gilda is appalled. She hasn't even given him the "Joyce Family Application" yet! But as the wedding preparations get under way, Gilda realizes she has much bigger concerns. Why does her soon-to-be stepdad keep calling Mrs. Joyce by his ex-wife's name? And why is Mrs. Joyce acting like she's possessed?

With only a few short days before her mother says "I do," Gilda knows this much for sure: it's going to take every ounce of her sleuthing skill and psychic savvy to solve this one!

The Gilda Joyce mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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California Schemin' by Carolyn Keene

California Schemin' More Information about the book
Carolyn Keene
A Nancy Drew, Girl Detective Mystery

The first book in the Malibu Mayhem Trilogy. No summary available.

Nancy Drew, Girl Detective Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 and older.

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Photo Booth by Lewis Helfand

Photo Booth More Information about the book
Lewis Helfand
Non-series

He wanted to change the past, but first he would have to alter the future ...

A new deadly drug is about to flood the streets of New York City. The police have no leads on who is producing the drug, or where it is coming from. As far as Praveer Rajani, a reckless Interpol agent, is concerned the only way to prevent countless deaths lies in a handful of mysterious photographs.

Within the photographs, Praveer can see images of places he has never known, and people he has long forgotten. But what are the photographs leading him to? Is Praveer being told that his life is spiraling out of control, and he now has one chance to put things right?

Or are the photographs related to a murder that Praveer is desperate to solve? Perhaps they are showing the love that his brother, Jayendra, let slip away or even the family that his sister, Nisha, wants back?

This graphic novel is recommended for readers aged 13 and older.

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Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Uncommon Criminals More Information about the book
Ally Carter
A Heist Society Thriller (2nd in series)

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world.

That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long — and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is ... the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend — the gorgeous Hale — and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time. Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

The thrillers in this series are recommended for readers aged 13 and older.

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First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is your source for information on over 200 mystery series for children and young adults, where each series is conveniently listed under four different age categories (New Sleuths, ages 4 to 6; Future Sleuths, ages 7 to 9; Sleuths in Training, ages 10 to 12; and Apprentice Sleuths, ages 13 and older).

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