Book Trends, a review site for young adult and children books, published several new book reviews this past week. We're presenting here a summary of those in the mystery / suspense category.
The Stalwart Companions by H. Paul Jeffers. A Sherlock Holmes pastiche, originally published in 1978, newly issued by Titan Books as part of its "The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" series, and recommended for readers aged 10 and older. Lexile measure: N/A. Reviewed by a 6th grade student who writes, "This novel is exceptional! It is a fantastic story, filled with all of the things you could want in a book: suspense, thrill, plot, everything!"
For more reviews of children and young adult books, visit Book Trends; their reviews will amaze you!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Reviews of Mystery and Suspense Books for Kids, New This Week on Book Trends (100529)
Games of Mystery: Four New Games to Download from Amazon Video Games (100529)
Games of Mystery is pleased to announce this week's new mystery and suspense casual and adventure games available for immediate download from Amazon Video Games.
A complete list of downloadable mystery games is available on our Games of Mystery: Amazon Video Games Download page.
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Everlight
A stirring adventure in a fascinating world! Melvin is a misfit and dreamer. One day he comes across a candle shop run by a mysterious old man only called Mr. Teeth. Promptly he becomes aware of Melvin’s magical talent. He offers Melvin to send him on a journey to learn the ancient candle magic in return for confronting him with his worst fears. As Melvin decides to accept, the fantastic adventure unfolds ...
ESRB Rating: Teen.
Windows Vista/XP (2 GB download).
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Journalist Journey: The Eye of Odin
Cathy is out to report on the strange, glowing symbols that are appearing all over the world. Journey with her through over 25 fantastic locations as she searches for answers among the hidden objects. Help to uncover the truth behind the ancient runes by solving minigames and puzzles. Learn about a mysterious group of followers and their connection to the mythical Odin though beautiful in-game comics. It's up to you to see that Cathy gets her story.
ESRB Rating: Not Specified.
Windows Vista/XP (132 MB download).
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Veronica Rivers: The Order of Conspiracy
After having a strange vision, famous pilot Veronica Rivers finds a mysterious warning claiming that disaster is about to strike! Veronica's vacation is about to end abruptly, as she has to travel across the globe to take on a brand new case. Discover who has been following Veronica, and what exactly they want from her. Use your hidden object skills to find the Gates of Destiny!
ESRB Rating: Not Specified.
Windows Vista/XP (113 MB download).
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Hidden in Time: Mirror Mirror
Do you come from royal blood or indentured servitude? Use your sleuthing skills to find out! Having found an antique mirror said to have magical properties, you set off to Castle Fairwich to investigate its shady history and unlock its true potential. Scour dusty rooms in the castle, spot differences reflected in your mirror, and play plenty of unique mini games!
ESRB Rating: Not Specified.
Windows Vista/XP (59 MB download).
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Games of Mystery 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!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Film Adaptation of Julie Kenner's Carpe Demon in Development
The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog has news this morning about three novel-to-film adaptations, including the first book in the Kate Connor, Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom mystery series, Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner.
The other two books are Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and the debut young adult fright novel Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor.
1492 Pictures and CJ Entertainment are developing the projects.
About Carpe Demon (from the publisher): Lots of women put their careers aside once the kids come along. Kate Connor, for instance, hasn't hunted a demon in ages.
That must be why she missed the one wandering through the pet food aisle of the San Diablo Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, he managed to catch her attention an hour later -- when he crashed into the Connor house, intent on killing her.
Now Kate has to clean up the mess in her kitchen, dispose of a dead demon, and pull together a dinner party that will get her husband elected to County Attorney-all without arousing her family's suspicion. Worse yet, it seems the dead demon didn't come alone ...
It's time for Kate Connor to go back to work.
Jeffery Deaver Will Write Next James Bond Thriller
Crime novelist Jeffery Deaver, author of the Lincoln Rhyme and Katherine Dance mystery series as well as a dozen or more other thrillers and suspense novels, tweeted yesterday that he has been chosen by Ian Fleming Publications to be the new writer of the James Bond series.
Information about the content of the book remains top secret. Deaver says “I don’t want to give much away about the new book yet, except to say that the novel will maintain the persona of James Bond as Fleming created him and the unique tone the author brought to his books, while incorporating my own literary trademarks: detailed research, fast pacing and surprise twists”.
The untitled book, known only as Project X (with its own website), is expected to be published on May 27th, 2011.
Winners of the 2010 Arthur Ellis Awards Announced
The winners of the Arthur Ellis Awards have been announced by the Crime Writers of Canada recognizing excellence in Canadian crime writing.
The winners are:
◊ Best Novel: High Chicago by Howard Shrier (Random House)
◊ Best First Novel: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 
◊ Best Juvenile: Haunted by Barbara Haworth-Attard (HarperCollins)
◊ Best Non-Fiction: Murder Without Borders by Terry Gould (Random House)
◊ Best Novel in French: Le Mort du Chemin des Arsene by Jean Lemieux (La Courte Echelle Inc.)
◊ Best Short Story: "Prisoner in Paradise?" by Dennis Richard Murphy (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine)
◊ Best Unpublished: Corpse Flower by Gloria Ferris
The annual Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to the crime genre was presented to Peter Robinson.
Winners of the 22nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards Announced
The winners of the 22nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards Awards were announced last night by the Lambda Literary Foundation for books published in 2009. The organization recognizes exceptional writing about gay and lesbian lives across multiple genres published by large and small presses.
The winners in the Mystery category are:
◊ Gay men's mystery: What We Remember by Michael Thomas Ford (Kensington)
◊ Lesbian mystery: Death of a Dying Man by J. M. Redmann (Bold Strokes Books)
Mystery Bestsellers for May 28, 2010
A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending May 28, 2010 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.
Just some minor shuffling among the top 4 bestsellers this week, with the 10th mystery in the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series, Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris, remaining in the top spot. One new title debuts this week.
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Entering the list in 9th position is the third and final thriller in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson.
Lisbeth Salander—the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels—lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders.
With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.
Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.
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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.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Today's Featured Free Kindle Mystery: Shadow of Power by Steve Martini
Kindle Mysteries is pleased to feature a mystery title that is currently available in Kindle eBook format for free from Amazon.com. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically only until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so download it today!
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Shadow of Power by Steve Martini
A Paul Madriani Mystery (9th in series)
HarperCollins (Kindle eBook)
Download Link
About Shadow of Power (from the publisher): A writer is savagely slain while on a publicity tour—a literary provocateur who craved headlines, but whose last book may have gone too far. His revelations about secret language buried in the U.S. Constitution—and hints about an explosive missing letter of Thomas Jefferson's—may be enough to cause an irreparable tear in the fabric of the nation ... and perhaps drove a volatile youth to homicide. But Paul Madriani thinks a troubled young man with dark connections has been chosen as a scapegoat to cover up something far deadlier that festers in America's political heart. And in the wake of the strange disappearance of a Supreme Court judge, Madriani must survive long enough to find the devastating answers hidden in the shadow of power.
This special free edition includes an excerpt from Steve Martini's latest Paul Madriani novel, The Rule of Nine.
Mystery Book Review: The Significant Seven by John McEvoy
Review of The Significant Seven by John McEvoy
Former marketing executive Jack Doyle, who is currently "between opportunities", agrees to work with the FBI to investigate a number of horse spongings at a local Chicago racetrack, only to be drawn into series of highly coincidental deaths of lifelong friends and partners of a valuable horse in The Significant Seven, the third mystery in this series by Jack McEvoy.
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews.
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The Significant Seven
John McEvoy
A Jack Doyle Mystery
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-705-7 (1590587057)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-705-8 (9781590587058)
Publication Date: April 2010
List Price: $24.95
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Mysterious Reviews is your source for the latest mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime novel reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.
Three Murder Mystery Short Stories Optioned for Film
The Risky Business blog of The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that independent production company Roberts/David Films has optioned three short stories that it intends to weave together into a multi-tiered film titled The Thrillers involving a murder in Los Angeles committed by a celebrity.
The short stories, all of which involve murder, are "Killing Bernstein" by Harlan Ellison (which originally appeared in Ellison's 1978 collection Strange Wine), "The Method" by Janet Fitch (which originally appeared in the anthology Los Angeles Noir), and "Hot Springs" by James Crumley (which originally appeared in Otto Penzler's Murder for Love anthology, published in 1999).
“Pre-awareness is more important than ever in indie film,” says Roberts/David’s Mark Roberts, who will executive produce the project. “By combining these three amazing authors with talented indie filmmakers, we create a product that will have a built-in audience.”
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