Games of Mystery: And Then There Were None for Nintendo Wii

Games of Mystery, your online source for mystery-themed games, parties, and vacations, has updated its website to include one of the most highly anticipated games being released for the Nintendo Wii gaming system.

Prepare yourself for an extraordinary investigative thriller in this superb adaptation of the classic mystery, Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None for the Nintendo Wii. Developed by Dreamcatcher Interactive, the game, being released on Tuesday (but available for pre-order now) allows the user to play as the new eleventh character, Patrick Narracott, the boatman who takes the guests to Shipwreck Island. Mysteriously, you also end up trapped with the others. Command an exhilarating adventure as you solve the mystery and find the killer before you become the next victim. The game has an ESRB rating of T (Teen), content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older.

Three other Agatha Christie mysteries are currently available as games for the PC: Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun, and Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express. All three games were developed by Dreamcatcher Interactive and are available from the Games of Mystery website.

Information on two other recently released Nintendo games, these for the DS, that you may have missed are provided below. Both have an ESRB rating of E (Everyone).

Professor Layton and the Curious Village: In the curious village of St. Mystere, townsfolk greet each other with rebuses, lock their doors with sliding puzzles and hide their secrets within brainteasers. When a wealthy baron passes away, his will reveals an elusive treasure hidden someplace inside the village. Now it's up to Professor Layton to untangle St. Mystere's riddles and puzzles, find the hidden treasure and crack the case. GameSpot rates Professor Layton and the Curious Village a 9.0 and calls it "an extremely entertaining package that you won't want to put down." According to Nintendo's website, new puzzles will be available to download for free via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: Based on the Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Films' movie adaptation of the best-selling book series, The Spiderwick Chronicles video game lets players plunge deep into a fantasy world full of mystical creatures when you join the Grace children on their quest to discover the secrets of The Spiderwick Chronicles.

Both of these entertaining games have an ESRB rating of E (Everyone). Visit our Games of Mystery: Nintendo DS page to discover many other mystery games available for this platform.

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Buy 1 Get 3 Free at First Edition Mysteries

First Edition Mysteries, fine mystery books from the library of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, needs to clear some space - a lot of space - and has expanded its special book sale now through 06/30/2008!

Select any book from our library of thousands of titles on the First Editions Mystery website priced $25 or more and get three additional mysteries of your choosing free. That's a total of 4 high quality first edition mystery books for the price of one (plus shipping, see below). Your free mysteries must be priced at $25 or less each. (Special deal for California residents: First Edition Mysteries will pay your sales tax.)

For each book you purchase (including your 3 free selections), a shipping charge of $2.95 will added. (Note: $2.95 shipping applies to US customers only; international customers, please contact First Edition Mysteries for information on shipments outside the US.)

The First Edition Mysteries website will be updated frequently but please note that most books listed are available as single copies only, and all are subject to prior sale.

To begin shopping for your mystery books at these very special prices, visit First Edition Mysteries.

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Pre-Order Discounted Mysteries: Featured Titles for 02/26/2008

Amazon.com recently began offering an additional 5% discount on selected titles if ordered before the publication date. We've collected the most popular mysteries that are included in this program and listed them on a new site, Pre-Order Mysteries.

Each week we'll feature here those titles that are scheduled for publication during the coming week to alert you that the pre-order discount from Amazon.com for these titles will end after the books are published. On the Pre-Order Mysteries website, we have eligible titles scheduled to be published over the next 6 weeks that you may pre-order.

This week's featured pre-order discounted mysteries:

A Flaw in the Blood by Stephanie Barron. A non-series historical suspense novel from the author of the Jane Austen mysteries. Scheduled publication date: 02/26/2008.

The Alpine Traitor by Mary Daheim. The 20th mystery for Alpine newspaper owner and editor Emma Lord. Scheduled publication date: 02/26/2008.

Betrayal by John Lescroart. The 12th legal thriller for San Francisco lawyer Dismas Hardy. Scheduled publication date: 02/26/2008. Also available on MP3 CD from Mysteriosi: Digital Audio Mysteries (and also eligible for a 5% pre-order discount if purchased before 02/28/2008).

Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson. Two murders in two towns for DCI Alan Banks in this 17th mystery of the series. Scheduled publication date: 02/26/2008.

To qualify for the additional 5% discount at checkout, you must order these books prior to their date of publication. See the terms and conditions for the 5% discount program on the Amazon.com site or at Pre-Order Mysteries.

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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Mysteries on TV: Blue Thunder, The Thin Blue Line, and Tru Calling

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, has added three new titles to its list of series available for purchase.

Based on the 1983 movie of the same name, Blue Thunder was high-tech crime drama. James Farentino starred as Lt. Frank Chaney of the Los Angeles Police Department who pilots an advanced helicopter (filled with all sorts of special-effects gadgets) that is used in the fight against crime. Dana Carvey starred as his rookie partner, and two football legends, Dick Butkus and Bubba Smith, starred as part of the ground team.

Blue Thunder aired on ABC in the spring of 1984. The entire half-season of 11 episodes is available on the complete series DVD.

The generally well-received but short-lived comedy series, The Thin Blue Line, aired on BBC-1 for two seasons in 1995 and 1996. The series starred the inimitable Rowan Atkinson as Chief Inspector Raymond Fowler, head of a small police station in an English village. As is typical of comedy series, the cast included a wide range of quirky characters who played off the seriousness of Atkinson's DCI Fowler.

The Thin Blue Line won a British Comedy Award for Best TV Situation Comedy in 1995. Each of the two seasons consisted of 7 episodes. All 14 episodes are available on the complete series DVD.

Eliza Dushku starred as Tru Davies in Tru Calling, a sexy crime drama that also starred Jason Priestly as Jack Harper. Tru and Jack worked in a Boston city morgue and both had an unusual capability: they could relive 12 hours of their day. Tru used her 12 hours to try to prevent those she "met" in the morgue from being unjustly killed; Jack wanted the dead to remain dead.

Tru Calling was nearly cancelled by Fox after its first season run in 2003-2004. A second season was ordered, but quickly cancelled after only 6 episodes had been filmed. The second series aired in early 2005 as a mid-season replacement. Both seasons are available on DVD.

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

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Mystery Bestsellers for February 22, 2008

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending February 22, 2008 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

No change in the top 7 positions this week as James Patterson's 7th Heaven retains its place at the top of the list. However, there are 4 new titles that enter the top 15.

In the 8th spot is the 26th entry in the near-future "In Death" mystery series by J. D. Robb, Strangers in Death. Even in 2060 some murders receive more attention than others, especially those in which the victim is a prominent businessman found in his Park Avenue apartment tied to the bed and strangled with cords of black velvet. It doesn't surprise Lieutenant Eve Dallas that Thomas Anders's scandalous death is a source of titillation and speculation to the public and of humiliation to his family. But while people in the city are talking about it, those close to Anders aren't so anxious to do the same. With some help from her billionaire husband, Roarke, Eve's soon knocking on doors, or barging through them, to find answers. But the facts don't add up. Physical evidence suggests that the victim didn't struggle. The security breach in the apartment indicates that the killer was someone known to the family, but everyone's alibi checks out. Was this a crime of passion in a kinky game gone wrong or a meticulously planned execution? Publishers Weekly states, "Robb's strong, hard-nosed heroine once again generates the kind of heat that keeps fans turning the pages." Also available on MP3 CD from Mysteriosi: Digital Audio Mysteries.

Coming in at number 11 is the 10th case for Rosato and Associates, Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline. In recent years, Mary DiNunzio's become a big-time business-getter at Rosato and Associates, but the last person she expects to walk into her office one morning—in mile-high stilettos—is super sexy Trish Gambone, her high school rival. Back then, while Mary was becoming the straight-A president of the Latin Club and Most Likely to Achieve Sainthood, Trish was the head Mean Girl, who flunked religion and excelled at smoking in the bathroom. As it turns out, however, Trish's life has taken a horrifying turn. She's terrified of her live-in boyfriend, who's an abusive, gun-toting drug dealer for the South Philly mob. There's only one problem—Mary remembers the guy from high school too. Unbeknownst to Trish, Mary had a major crush on him. Then Trish vanishes, a dead body turns up in an alley, and Mary is plunged into a nightmare, one that threatens her job, her family, and even her life. She goes on a one-woman crusade to unmask the killer, and on the way, finds new love in a very unexpected place. Mary is forced to confront some very uncomfortable truths about her own past, and the profound effects of lifelong love—and hate.

Debuting in 13th position is the 5th mystery in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear, An Incomplete Revenge. With the country in the grip of economic malaise, and worried about her business, Maisie Dobbs is relieved to accept an apparently straightforward assignment from an old friend to investigate certain matters concerning a potential land purchase. Her inquiries take her to a picturesque village in Kent during the hop-picking season, but beneath its pastoral surface she finds evidence that something is amiss. Mysterious fires erupt in the village with alarming regularity, and a series of petty crimes suggests a darker criminal element at work. As Maisie discovers, the villagers are bitterly prejudiced against outsiders who flock to Kent at harvest time-even more troubling, they seem possessed by the legacy of a wartime Zeppelin raid. Maisie grows increasingly suspicious of a peculiar secrecy that shrouds the village, and ultimately she must draw on all her finely honed skills of detection to solve one of her most intriguing cases. Mysterious Reviews will publish its review of An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear this weekend.

Finally, at number 15 is the latest medical thriller by Michael Palmer, The First Patient. Gabe Singleton and Andrew Stoddard were roommates at the Naval Academy in Annapolis years ago. Today, Gabe is a country doctor and his friend Andrew has gone from war hero to governor to President of the United States. One day, while the United States is embroiled in a bitter presidential election campaign, Marine One lands on Gabe's Wyoming ranch, and President Stoddard delivers a disturbing revelation and a startling request. His personal physician has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, and he desperately needs Gabe to take the man's place. Despite serious misgivings, Gabe agrees to come to Washington. It is not until he is ensconced in the White House medical office that Gabe realizes there is strong evidence that the President is going insane. Facing a crisis of conscience-as President Stoddard's physician, he has the power to invoke the Twenty-fifth Amendment to transfer presidential power to the Vice President-Gabe uncovers increasing evidence that his friend's condition may not be due to natural causes. Who? Why? And how? The President's life is at stake. A small-town doctor suddenly finds himself in the most powerful position on earth, and the safety of the world is in jeopardy. Publishers Weekly calls The First Patient "endlessly entertaining" and adds, "The roller-coaster ride of a plot builds to an undeniably shocking conclusion." Also available on MP3 CD from Mysteriosi: Digital Audio Mysteries.

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:

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: Moonlight Downs by Adrian Hyland

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written a review of Moonlight Downs by Adrian Hyland. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Moonlight Downs by Adrian Hyland
An Emily Tempest Mystery

Soho Crime (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-483-4 (1569474834)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-483-9 (9781569474839)
Publication Date: February 2008
List Price: $24.00

Synopsis (from the publisher): Emily Tempest has been away from Australia for a long time—university, travel, dead-end jobs. Finding trouble all over the world. Now she is back at Moonlight Downs, the community where she grew up, half in the Aboriginal world, half in the white. And true to form, she soon finds trouble.

An old friend, the leader of the Moonlight Downs mob, has been brutally murdered and multilated. An old enemy, a renegade aboriginal sorceror, is the obvious suspect. Then Emily starts asking questions. He may be a loner who clings to traditional ways; he may have disagreed about assimilation; but in her opinion, that doesn't make Blakie Japanangka a murderer.

But if Blakie is not guilt of the crime, who is? And where does Emily belong? Can she stay on with the friends of her childhood? Or must she become part of the "whitefellers" world now?

Review: Adrian Hyland's debut mystery set in the Australian Outback, Moonlight Downs, introduces Emily Tempest, a most original and appealing amateur sleuth. Originally published in Australia under the title Diamond Dove, it was the winner of the 2007 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Novel.

Emily Tempest left Moonlight Downs at a young age to see the world. Now, a bit older but not sure she is any wiser, she returns to the community where she grew up. Moonlight Downs is little more than a camp, a station in the wilderness, and when its leader, Lincoln Flinders, is murdered in what appears to be ritualistic killing, the residents quickly scatter leaving little behind. The obvious suspect is Blakie Japanangka, an outsider with a violent temper, who promptly disappears confirming his guilt in the eyes of the authorities. Emily moves to the nearest town, Bluebush, from which she begins to wonder what actually happened in Moonlight Downs. When Hazel, her best friend from childhood and Lincoln's daughter, goes missing, Emily thinks there may be a connection and uncovers a conspiracy that threatens the entire region she once again calls home.

Moonlight Downs is an intricately plotted, at times mesmerizing, almost mystical, novel that takes place in a part of the world few have visited, and even fewer know anything about. Hyland's detailed descriptions of the area's beauty and its vast expanse border on the surreal. But it is character of Emily that is most noteworthy. Wonderfully complex and fully developed, she initially pursues her investigation not out of any obligation to her community, and certainly not because she was being paid for her time and effort, but out of curiosity. Who could possibly have wanted to kill Lincoln and why? It isn't until it becomes personal that she's drawn much further into the case.

To be sure, this isn't the easiest book to read. The dialog and even much of the narrative (written in first person) are replete with Australian and Aboriginal words and slang. A glossary for both is provided at the beginning, but it takes more than a few chapters (which, incidentally, are oddly titled) before a rhythm can be developed. And, though it isn't much of a mystery in terms of whodunit or whydunit, readers will, like Emily, be drawn into searching for answers as to what really happened in Moonlight Downs.

Special thanks to Soho Press for providing a copy of Moonlight Downs for this review.

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

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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Compendium of Mystery News 080220

A compendium of recently published mystery news articles:

• File this under "Say It Isn't So": The Digital Spy is reporting that David Suchet is retiring from his iconic role as Hercule Poirot. He is quoted as saying: "After filming Appointment With Death [which is filming] in Jordan, I'm going to end it there." Suchet first played Poirot in The Adventure of the Clapham Cook which aired first aired in January 1989. (In completely unrelated news, Suchet says that the Belgians were keen to put him, as Poirot, on a coin. "Representatives of the Belgian mint got in touch with my agent," he said, "but then the currency switched to the euro. All my hopes were dashed.")

• In his column on NYSun.com, Otto Penzler profiles mystery author April Smith, who's latest Ana Grey mystery, Judas Horse, was published this month by Knopf.

• The BBC reports that a flagstone dedicated to crime writer Ian Rankin has been unveiled outside the City Chambers on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh after being given the writer's touch: his handprints. The stone slab was to commemorate Rankin's 2007 Edinburgh Award. Rankin quipped at the ceremony, "Having written for years about the travails of 'the cooncil', it is only proper and fitting that those same councillors now get to walk all over me for a change."

• It seems the aftermath of Patricia Cornwell's donation of $1 million to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City is generating more news than the original act. Cornwell has since spent $250,000 to explain remarks she made in an interview with the Associated Press as to why she made the gift in the first place. Read more about the whole thing in The New York Times.

• In technology news, Toshiba announced this week that it has discontinued its HD DVD products. It intends to quickly move on, ceasing all business related to HD DVD by the end of March 2008. Sony's Blu-ray high definition format will now the the standard for the next generation of DVDs. Our partner website, Mystery Movies in High Definition, will continue to promote mysteries in both formats but intends to remove all HD DVD titles by the end of March to coincide with Toshiba's exit from the business.

Mystery games for all platforms at GameStop

New, used, and rare books at Abebooks.com

Audio and video, cameras and computers at J&R

Mystery movies and no late fees with Netflix

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Mystery Book Review: Theft of the Master by Edwin Alexander

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written a review of Theft of the Master by Edwin Alexander. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Theft of the Master by Edwin Alexander
An Al Hershey Mystery

Garev Publishing (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-9707558-5-6 (0970755856)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9707558-5-8 (9780970755858)
Publication Date: October 2007
List Price: $22.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Private investigator Al Hershey travels across the globe in his search for a young woman's killer. Hired by the girl's parents to look into her "accidental" death Al finds he is in the middle of a more than a murder investigation.

Modern day Nazis and a stolen renaissance sculpture all play a part in this intricate character driven tale of promises and deceit.

Review: Edwin Alexander's debut novel, Theft of the Master, is an engrossing international thriller that effectively blends historical fact with a fictional story.

In 1493 the Church of the Holy Spirit in Tallinn, Estonia commissioned Veit Stoss, perhaps Germany’s greatest wood-carver, to create a sculpture. The Church wanted a wooden altarpiece of Christ teaching his followers, the gospels. Six months later, Stoss’ completed work was consecrated before a passionate, nationalistic congregation. Almost 500 years later, in 1992, a young woman, identified as Meg Gilchrist, has washed up on the shore of Half Moon Bay just south of San Francisco. Her parents, distraught by the death of their daughter, hire private investigator Al Hershey to look into whether it was an accident or murder. And what, if anything, could Stoss’ masterpiece possibly have to do with this tragedy? Hershey has only the slimiest of leads that take him on a journey through three continents to solve the mystery of her death.

In a backstory to the main plot, the modern history of the sculpture reveals that the Nazi's stole it in 1941 and sent it to Paraguay. The general in charge of the transfer was ultimately captured and hanged; the sculpture was presumed lost. Alexander bases this part of the story on fact, as it is well documented that Hitler and his followers confiscated large quantities of artwork and had it moved for safekeeping; much of it even today remains undiscovered.

But the real thrill here is in following Hershey as he takes one step forward and two steps back in his investigation that has him traveling from Europe to South America and back to the United States. There are almost as many twists and turns in the plot as places in which Hershey finds himself searching for clues. The author provides vivid and detailed descriptions for the characters and locales in the book that add authenticity and depth to the story. And in between the international intrigue are glimpses of personal humor. It's all very well done.

From start to finish, Theft of the Master is a fast-paced and credible thriller that is not to be missed. It is highly recommended.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Theft of the Master and to Lisa Roe, Online Publicist for providing an a copy of the book for this review.

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

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 Books News Welcomes Marilyn Meredith

Mysterious Reviews in partnership with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books is pleased to welcome Marilyn Meredith on her virtual tour to promote her latest book in the Rocky Bluff Police Department series, Smell of Death, which she writes under the name of F. M. Meredith. She is also the author of the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series.

Marilyn is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, EPIC, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. She was an instructor for Writer’s Digest School for ten years and served as an instructor at the Maui Writer’s Retreat and many other writer’s conferences. She makes her home in Springville, California, which is much like Bear Creek where Deputy Tempe Crabtree lives. For many years, she lived in a beach community similar to her fictional Rocky Bluff.

Today Marilyn is talking to us about writing a mystery.

So often I’m asked, “Where do you get your ideas?”

Sometimes an idea just pops into my head. More often, I’ve seen an article in a newspaper that’s stirred my imagination. Other times, the idea comes from things that have happened either to me or someone I’ve heard about.

With Smell of Death, the latest in my Rocky Bluff P.D. series, several elements contributed to this crime novel. The series itself is set in a fictional beach community along the coast of California, somewhere north of Ventura and south of Santa Barbara. For over twenty years I lived in a similar beach community and had several neighbors who were police officers. Because we were all friends, partying and playing together, I was able to observe how the job affected the family and the family affected the job. This is something I’ve attempted to show in all of the books in this series.

The title came from the fact that in movies and on TV, you can’t smell the horrific odors that accompany death.

My heroine is based on the female officers that I’ve done ride-alongs with, especially one who was raising her son alone. The hero is a composite of several officers I’ve known over the years. The one who contributed the most to the Rocky Bluff P.D. series is no longer with us, a 15- year-veteran of the Oxnard Police Department, who was also my son-in-law and loved to tell me about his adventures. He was a great resource.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is police officers love to tell stories. Once when I was going on a ride-along, I arrived right when they were changing shifts. Once the men learned I was an author, they began telling one story after another. Yes, some of the tales have turned up in my books.

To point out some differences between my Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novels and my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series are with the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, the main characters change from book-to-book, and in the Crabtree series, Tempe is always the main character. Though the Rocky Bluff P.D. series is set back in time a bit, it is the darker of the two, while the Crabtree series is more current.

People will often ask, when will either one of the series come to an end. That’s a question I can’t really answer. When the time comes for that to happen, I’ll know. Until that time, the characters in both series are live and well inside my head.

Thanks, Marilyn, for such insightful information. We're delighted you took the time to visit with us today and look forward to having you return again soon.

For more information about Marilyn and her books, visit her website at FictionForYou.com. You can read our review of Smell of Death by F. M. Meredith at Mysterious Reviews.

We'd also like to thank Pump Up Your Book Promotion for organizing Marilyn's virtual book tour and inviting us to participate.

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Mystery Book Review: Smell of Death by F. M. Meredith

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written a review of Smell of Death by F. M. Meredith. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Smell of Death by F. M. Meredith
A Rocky Bluff Police Department Mystery

Tigress Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-9793857-5-X (097938575X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9793857-5-9 (9780979385759)
Publication Date: December 2007
List Price: $13.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Rocky Bluff Police Officer Stacey Wilbur is called to the home of Darlene Brantley. Upon entering the home, Wilbur finds Brantley dead, and in a strange twist of events, Brantley's mother is also found murdered on the same night in her own home. While Wilbur assists Detective Doug Milligan in solving these crimes, other members of Rocky Bluff P.D. are on the lookout for the Barefoot Burglars and engage in a search for a missing toddler, hoping to catch the person responsible before another child disappears.

Review: Smell of Death is the fourth mystery in this series by F. M. Meredith featuring the investigative efforts of a police department in the (fictional) small coastal community of Rocky Bluff in southern California.

A veritable crime wave has struck Rocky Bluff. The brutal double murder of a mother and daughter, in separate locations and using different means, has the police department baffled. A series of daring home burglaries has taken place with two things in common: the thefts occur while the homeowners are present and the burglars leave behind bare footprints. A child has gone missing, presumably kidnapped, though no ransom demand is made. And then there are the assorted petty crimes that keep officers busy day and night.

Smell of Death is written largely in the style of a television crime drama. Reading the book is not unlike watching a show; both can be accomplished in one sitting and both typically have an intriguing start and a conclusion that wraps up all loose ends. In this regard, Smell of Death works as a pleasant way of spending a couple of hours.

As a police procedural, Smell of Death often gives up too much information to the reader, leaving very little in the way of suspense. The culprits are known to the reader well before the officers investigating the crime are aware of them. This approach can be quite successful (such as in the Columbo series of television mysteries) but here it's a bit flat possibly because there are too many officers investigating too many cases. To her credit, the author cleverly links everything together in the end, but it seems almost contrived by this point.

The personal lives of these officers are also explored. In contrast to the professional aspects of the story which seem genuine and real, these personal stories don't ring true at all. Fortunately, they don't take up all that much of the narrative but are somewhat distracting nonetheless.

Special thanks to Marilyn Meredith for providing a copy of Smell of Death for this review.

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

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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Mysteriosi: Digital Audio Mysteries February 2008 Update

Mysteriosi, your online source for digital audio mysteries, has updated its website with dozens of additional titles bringing the total number of MP3 mystery audiobooks available to purchase to over 500.

New audiobooks for February include some new titles as well as some old favorites.

The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais. This was the very first Elvis Cole mystery, originally published in paperback in 1987 and reissued in hardcover in 1993. It won the 1988 Anthony Award for Best Paperback and the 1988 Macavity Award for Best First Novel. If you haven't yet read (or heard) an Elvis Cole mystery, this is a great place to start.

Line of Vision by David Ellis. This debut mystery was also an award winner, winning the 2002 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Publishers Weekly called this book "a wicked courtroom thriller" and added, "[Ellis has written] a twisty, spellbinding story with a subtext: that our legal system is vulnerable to producing results that defy both logic and the facts."

Betrayal by John Lescroart. In this 12th and most recent addition to the Dismas Hardy series of legal thrillers, the San Francisco District Attorney is drawn into a case that had its origins in Iraq and involve a conspiracy that may have roots in the US government. Publishers Weekly said that this is "a first-rate addition to the author's ongoing series."

Both Ends of the Night by Marcia Muller. The 18th mystery in the Sharon McCone series (25 have been published to date) has the San Francisco private investigator tracking a man whose actions have already caused the deaths of two women who loved and trusted him.

Please visit the Mysteriosi and search our list of hundreds of digital audiomysteries in MP3 format. If you're interested in trying an audiobook rental service, please consider On the Go Books where new members get a free trial. You may also give the gift of mystery and suspense on their website.

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Mysteries on TV: Walker, Texas Ranger

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, has only one new series being released this week.

For 8 seasons on CBS, Chuck Norris starred as Walker, Texas Ranger. Cordell Walker was a contemporary Texas Ranger based in Dallas who used "old-fashioned" methods (read "force", more specifically marshal arts) when dealing with criminals. Clarence Gilyard played his partner, Jimmy Trivette, a former Dallas Cowboy who didn't always agree with his methods, but was glad Walker was on his side. Sheree J. Wilson played Assistant District Attorney Alex Cahill.

The Walker, Texas Ranger Season 4 DVD set is comprised of 7 discs that contain all 24 episodes (including 2 2-part episodes) from the fourth season that aired during the 1995-1996 television season. It should be noted that the DVD sets for this series are being released out of order, with the first 4 seasons and the last season available currently available.

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

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