Friday, May 30, 2008

New Hardcover Mysteries for June 2008

New Hardcover Mystery Books

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has updated its list of with books scheduled for publication in June 2008.

For our series fans, we've listed those titles with their series character(s) separately below:

Losing Ground by Catherine Aird. Inspector Sloan (21st).

A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander. Emily Ashton (3rd).

Dead in Red by L. L. Bartlett. Jeff Resnick (2nd).

The Deceived by Brett Battles. Jonathan Quinn (2nd).

Shadow Command by Dale Brown. Patrick McLanahan (14th).

Singularity by Kathryn Casey. Sarah Armstrong (1st).

Blackman's Coffin by Mark de Castrique. Sam Blackman (1st). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Nothing to Lose by Lee Child. Jack Reacher (12th).

Obsessions by Marshall Cook. Monona Quinn (4th).

A Poisoned Mind by Natasha Cooper. Trish Maguire (9th).

TailSpin by Catherine Coulter. FBI Suspense (12th).

Vineyard Chill by Philip R. Craig. J. W. Jackson, Martha's Vineyard (19th).

Every Secret Crime by Doug M. Cummings. Reno McCarthy (2nd).

Still Waters by Judith Cutler. Frances Harman (3rd).

The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver. Lincoln Rhyme (8th).

The Drifter's Wheel by Phillip DePoy. Fever Devilin (5th).

Hungry Ghosts by Susan Dunlap. Darcy Lott (2nd).

Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich. Stephanie Plum (14th, 16th).

Buried Too Deep by Jane Finnis. Aurelia Marcella (3rd). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Black Seconds by Karin Fossum. Inspector Sejer (5th).

Next Door to Murder by Anthea Fraser. Rona Parish (6th).

The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner. Jo Beckett (1st).

A Patent Lie by Paul Goldstein. Michael Seeley (2nd).

Heavenly Pleasures by Kerry Greenwood. Corinna Chapman (2nd). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Wishbones by Carolyn Haines. Sarah Booth Delaney, Southern Belle (8th).

Game Over by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. Bill Slider (11th).

Dead Hot Shot by Victoria Houston. Loon Lake (9th).

The Chorister at the Abbey by Lis Howell. Norbridge Chronicles (2nd).

Rules, Regs and Rotten Eggs by H. R. F. Keating. Harriet Martens (7th).

The Manor of Death by Bernard Knight. Crowner John (12th).

House Rules by Mike Lawson. Joe DeMarco (3rd).

Killing Bridezilla by Laura Levine. Jaine Austen (7th).

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot by Jackie Lynn. Rose Franklin, Shady Grove (3rd).

Shadow of Power by Steve Martini. Paul Madriana (9th). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Shimura Trouble by Sujata Massey. Rei Shimura (10th).

Dead Silver by Neil McMahon. Hugh Davoren (2nd).

A Vengeful Longing by R. N. Morris. Porfiry Petrovich (2nd).

Vita Nuova by Magdalen Nabb. Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia (14th). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

The Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser. Van Veeteren (1st).

Exile Trust by Vincent H. O'Neil. Frank Cole (3rd).

The Dark of Day by Barbara Parker. C. J. Dunn (1st).

Old School Bones by Randall Peffer. Michael DeCastro (2nd).

Not in the Flesh by Ruth Rendell. Inspector Wexford (22nd).

King of the Holly Hop by Les Roberts. Milan Jacovich (14th). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Fixation by Mark Schorr. Brian Hanson (2nd).

The Green Man by Kate Sedley. Roger the Chapman (17th).

Dyer Consequences by Maggie Sefton. Kelly Flynn, Knitting (5th).

Judgment Day by Sheldon Siegel. Mike Daley (6th).

Cool Cache by Patricia Smiley. Tucker Sinclair (4th).

Breaking Point by Frank Smith. Neil Paget (6th).

A Dying Fall by Sally Spencer. Charlie Woodend (19th).

I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Clare Fergusson (6th).

Murder on Bank Street by Victoria Thompson. Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy, Gaslight (10th).

An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson. Josephine Tey (1st).

In the Heat by Ian Vasquez. Miles Young (1st).

The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell. Nigel Barnes (1st).

A Darker Side by Shirley Wells. Jill Kennedy and DCI Max Trentham (2nd). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Second Sitting by Stella Whitelaw. Casey Jones (1st).

Illegally Dead by David Wishart. Marcus Corvinus (12th).

For more information on any of these titles, please visit the page on our website. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit where you can discover a library of new mysteries.

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Bestsellers for May 30, 2008

Mystery Bestsellers

A list of the top 15 for the week ending May 23, 2008 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

's 14th mystery in the Thomas Lynley series, Careless in Red, assumes the top position this week with two new titles entering the bestseller list.

Blood Trail by C. J. Box

Published earlier this month but just now moving up the list to number 8 this week is Blood Trail, the 8th mystery in the Joe Pickett series by . It’s elk season in the Rockies, but this year a different kind of hunter is stalking a different kind of prey. When the call comes in on the radio, Joe Pickett can hardly believe his ears: game wardens have found a hunter dead at a camp in the mountains—strung up, gutted, and flayed, as if he were the elk he’d been pursuing. A spent cartridge and a poker chip lie next to his body. Ripples of horror spread through the community, and with a possibly psychotic killer on the loose Governor Rulon is forced to end the hunting season early for the first time in state history. Are the murders the work of a deranged antihunting activist or of a lone psychopath with a personal vendetta? As always, Joe Pickett is the governor’s go-to man, and he’s put on the case to track the murderous hunter, as more bodies and poker chips turn up. Publishers Weekly states that the killer's identity "will keep readers guessing up to the surprising climax."

Shadow of Power by Steve Martini

Debuting at number 14 is Shadow of Power, the 9th legal thriller featuring defense attorney Paul Madriani by .  The Supreme Court is one of our most sacred—and secretive—public institutions. But sometimes secrets can lead to cover-ups with very deadly consequences. Terry Scarborough is a legal scholar and provocateur who craves headline-making celebrity, but with his latest book he may have gone too far. In it he resurrects forgotten language in the U.S. Constitution—and hints at a missing letter of Thomas Jefferson's—that threatens to divide the nation. Then, during a publicity tour, Scarborough is brutally murdered in a San Diego hotel room, and a young man with dark connections is charged. What looks like an open-and-shut case to most people doesn't to defense attorney Paul Madriani. He believes that there is much more to the case and that the defendant is a pawn caught in the middle, being scapegoated by circumstance. As the trial spirals toward its conclusion, Madriani and his partner, Harry Hinds, race to find the missing Jefferson letter—and the secrets it holds about slavery and scandal at the time of our nation's founding and the very reason Scarborough was killed. Madriani's chase takes him from the tension-filled courtroom in California to the trail of a high court justice now suddenly in hiding and lays bare the soaring political stakes for a seat on the highest court, in a country divided, and under the shadow of power. Publishers Weekly calls Shadow of Power "entertaining" and adds that the compelling courtroom scenes "display a sophisticated knowledge of legal trench warfare".

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. And don't forget to check our page where you can save an additional 5% when you purchase your mystery books prior to their publication date.

The top four mystery bestsellers this week are shown below:

Careless in Red by Elizabeth GeorgeThe Whole Truth by David BaldacciPhantom Prey by John SandfordThe Front by Patricia Cornwell

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Mystery Book Review: Murder Talks Turkey by Deb Baker

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Murder Talks Turkey by Deb Baker. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Murder Talks Turkey by Deb BakerBuy from Amazon.com

Murder Talks Turkey by
A Yooper Mystery with Gertie Johnson

Midnight Ink (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-7387-1225-6 (0738712256)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7387-1225-3 (9780738712253)
Publication Date: May 2008
List Price: $13.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): It's spring in — an exciting season of rising temperatures, budding romances, and the turkey-hunting opener. But for sheer adrenaline value, neither love nor turkeys can compete with the Credit Union being held up at gunpoint. It's not the best planning to commit a robbery in a town where everyone is armed for combat, and the gunman is shot dead in a room full of witnesses — but the stolen money has disappeared right in front of their eyes.

Faster than you can say "Tom Turkey," Gertie, Cora Mae, and Kitty are on the case, in this hoot of a whodunit.

Review: The madcap antics of Gertie Johnson and her fellow Yoopers continue unabated in Murder Talks Turkey, the third comedic mystery in this series by Deb Baker.

Recently widowed 60-year-old Gertie and her two ageless friends have opened Trouble Busters Investigations in the small town of Stoney in Yooperland (Michigan's Upper Peninsula). Gertie's son was once the sheriff of Stoney but is on medical leave under her care. When the local credit union is robbed in her presence, with the thief killed right before her eyes, she believes that Trouble Busters Investigations can do a better job of solving case than leaving it in the hands of the acting sheriff.

Gertie's puzzled by a number of facts in the case. The bag of loot the thief got was filled with play money. The thief was wearing orange shoes as was his killer. And who later killed the man found lying next to Gertie's car? Worse for Gertie, who used her gun to do it? This latter incident sets off a series of bungling efforts by the police, tampering of evidence by Gertie, breaking out of jail and destroying government property. Instead of solving the case, Trouble Busters Investigations finds itself part of the case, and on the run to boot.

Murder Talks Turkey is a delight to read. In addition to the engaging mystery, it's a wonderful story of the love of family and friends. And for Gertie, maybe just maybe a new significant other. One of the more amusing features of the book is the new word a day contest that Gertie and her friend Kitty are participating in. They must not only use the word, but use it correctly, something Kitty frequently has a problem with. It's a small touch, but it adds a personal element to the story that makes it all the more special and entertaining.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of for contributing her review of Murder Talks Turkey and to Midnight Ink for providing a copy of the book for this review.

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

For more visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Monday, May 26, 2008

Mystery Book Review: Death in the Air by Shane Peacock

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Death in the Air by Shane Peacock. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Death in the Air by Shane PeacockBuy from Amazon.com

Death in the Air by
A Boy Sherlock Holmes Mystery

Tundra Books (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-88776-851-2 (0887768512)
ISBN-13: 978-0-88776-851-4 (9780887768514)
Publication Date: April 2008
List Price: $19.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): After the harrowing experience of losing his mother while solving a brutal murder in London’s East End, young Sherlock Holmes commits himself to fighting crime … and is soon involved in another case.

While visiting his father at the magnificent Crystal Palace, Sherlock stops to watch a remarkable and dangerous trapeze performance high above, framed by the stunning glass ceiling of the legendary building. Suddenly, the troupe’s star is dropping, screaming and flailing, toward the floor. He lands with a sickening thud just a few feet away, and rolls up almost onto the boy’s boots. Unconscious and bleeding profusely, his body is grotesquely twisted. In the mayhem that follows, Sherlock notices something that no one else sees — something is amiss with the trapeze bar! He knows that foul play is afoot. What he doesn’t know is that his discovery will put him on a frightening, twisted trail that leads to an entire gang of notorious criminals..

Review: As Canadian author Shane Peacock’s delightful novel Death in the Air illustrates, it’s never too soon to be introduced to the British detective many believe to be the greatest sleuth of all time. Aimed at young adults, this second book in Peacock’s The Boy Sherlock Holmes Series is as entertaining and stimulating for adults and afficianados as it is for teenagers and first-time readers seeking to learn what Holmes might have been like as a street-wise thirteen-year-old half-Jewish lad living, growing up and sleuthing in London in 1867.

Although a mere teenager Holmes has already solved his first case in Peacock’s Eye of the Crow, but at tremendous personal cost in the death of his mother as retribution for his search for justice in the killing of a young woman. Still battered by his loss he is attempting to make amends with his estranged father, a worker at London’s famed Crystal Palace, when he is ensnared in his second case. It happens when Monsieur Mercure, the famed aerialist nicknamed Le Coq, plunges from his broken trapeze to fall at the astonished lad’s feet, muttering an ambiguous “Silence ... me ...,” before being rushed unconscious to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. Using his rapidly developing trademark powers of observation and deductive reasoning Holmes begins assessing the clues and surveying the possible suspects for what he quickly concludes is an attempted murder. As he ponders the problem he crosses paths with the other members of Mercure’s troupe, The Swallow, The Robin, and The Eagle. He refers to famous aerialists Leotard, Blondin and the Flying Farinis and dressed as a reporter he meets with the Great Farini and his protégé El Nino at the Royal Alhambra Palace. It is another example of how Holmes frequently uses disguises in his quest for justice. And as a sample of his physical derring-do he accidentally takes a turn for the worst on the flying trapeze when he flies through the air “with the least of ease.”

All around him as he searches for the perpetrators of the Mercure incident and a robbery that has come to light, Victorian London comes alive. There are cleverly inserted references to the authors of the day, Charles Dickens and Jules Verne for two, to Thomas Crapper’s newly invented flush toilet, to London’s newspapers, The Tely, Gazette, and Times, to the Peelers or Bobbies as the police are known, to the steam locomotive trains huffing into and out of Charring Cross Station. Other landmarks are included too such as Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Scotland Yard, the Elephant and Castle, Dulwich Village and “its renowned college,” the Thames Tunnel, “the world’s first underwater tunnel,” and the dilapidated warehouses of Rotherhithe. It is there the infamous Brixton Gang have secreted themselves before Holmes brings them to justice for the robbery related to Le Coq’s mishap and reveals the relevance of the injured aerialist’s muttered message. The gang’s capture is as spectacular, exciting and dangerous an adventure as any the senior Holmes encounters later on.

Although Dr. Watson hasn’t yet entered Holmes life in Peacock’s books, others from the Sherlockian canon have, such as Dr. Bell, an alchemist with whom he now lives and Inspector Lestrade with whom he frequently crosses swords. Even Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the Sherlock Holmes adult crime series, is referred to while an imaginary daughter, Irene Doyle, plays a major role as the love interest in a romantic triangle with Holmes and Malefactor, the London Irregulars’ street boss, crime Lord and Sherlock’s nemesis. And as the youthful Holmes hones his detective skills that play so prominently in the adult novels, Peacock also lays the groundwork for the master detective’s mature personality traits and his emotional and psychological behaviours that have fuelled so many books and even scholarly treatises. As well Peacock resurrects the symbolism of the crows that was so well done in young Sherlock’s first case. And he foreshadows the troubles of future sequels when he has the conflicted Sherlock conclude about friends and foes alike that “He will outsmart them all. He will continue his plan to turn himself into a crime-fighting machine unlike any England has ever seen.” “Evidently, Mr. Peacock. Evidently.”

Special thanks to M. Wayne Cunningham (mw_cunningham@telus.net) for contributing his review of Death in the Air.

Review Copyright © 2008 — M. Wayne Cunningham — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission

For more visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for May 26, 2008

Mystery Godoku Puzzle for May 26, 2008A 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!).

This week's letters and mystery clue: B D E G J O S U Y. This short story by Jean B. Cooper won the Edgar Award in 1996 (with “The”, 9 letters).

New! We now have our puzzles 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!

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Mystery games for all platforms at GameStop


Join the Mystery Guild for the latest mystery books

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Mystery movies and no late fees with Netflix

Find books at Biblio.com
Find used and out-of-print books at Biblio.com

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Saturday, May 24, 2008

Mystery Book Review: Rigged for Murder by Jenifer LeClair

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written a review of Rigged for Murder by Jenifer LeClair. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Rigged for Murder by Jenifer LeClairBuy from Amazon.com

Rigged for Murder by
A Windjammer Mystery with Brie Beaumont

Durban House (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-930754-88-4 (1930754884)
ISBN-13: 978-1-930754-88-1 (9781930754881)
Publication Date: February 2008
List Price: $14.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Fighting post-traumatic stress after being shot, homicide detective Brie Beaumont takes a leave from the department and heads for where her family has roots and for the sea where she feels at home. She ships out on the Maine Wind for an early season cruise with Captain John DuLac and eight others. Caught in a gale, they anchor off remote and windswept Granite Island. But there's more trouble brewing than just a bad storm, and when someone aboard is murdered, Brie reluctantly resumes the mantle of investigator. The action moves from the ship to the small fishing village of Lobsterman's Cove and, from there, to the forests and cliffs of Granite Island. Snug Harbor Bed and Breakfast affords refuge to the sailors and a place for Brie to question the passengers. Plagued by flashbacks, and fighting a growing attraction to Captain DuLac, she works to unravel a mystery that will place her directly in the path of a psychopathic killer.

Review: A sailor herself since she was 17 years old, St. Paul Minnesota author Jenifer LeClair has rigged her first novel in her windjammer series, Rigged for Murder, into a winning combination of psychological thriller, police procedural, and action adventure. It’s a five-star launch for her aptly named sea-going series and hopefully a precursor for an armada of others to follow.

At thirty-six, Brie Beaumont, as LeClair tells it, has got twelve years of service as a veteran detective with the Minneapolis Police Force. She’s recovering from the trauma of a shooting in which her partner was killed and she’s bearing the burden of guilt. Now with a leave of absence, she’s returned to her childhood summertime solace at seaside Maine on a windjammer cruise to hopefully heal her psyche and wash away her burden. But it doesn’t work that way when a murder occurs on board the windjammer Maine Wind where she’s a passenger and she’s forced into the detective’s role she was hoping to escape. With only long distance police backup from Minneapolis but no direct access to the CSI technology available there, she now has to revert to basic instincts, and fundamental Sherlockian techniques to assess clues, question the eight passengers and crew on the jammer, analyze them and herself and conclude who had the means, motive and opportunity to impale the victim with the marlin spike found in his chest during an overnight storm. Within the close confines of the ship and a nearby island where they shelter from the storm, Brie believes, “At least the killer can’t escape; nowhere to go.” And so it seems as she interviews each of the passengers and crew, each with his or her stories to tell, sometimes forthrightly, sometimes tripped up by their own lies about voyeurism, homosexuality, womanizing, jealousy, or past lives, and sometimes caught in Brie’s net as she toys with a piece of frayed rope, making and unmaking sailors’ knots, trying to unravel the strands of her past or tie down her currently surging feelings for ship’s captain John DuLac. It’s a process in which she discovers that “finding the truth was somewhat like sifting through sand looking for salt.” And while she seeks and sifts, the sea whips around the ship and the island retreat with moods as varied and unpredictable as the motives that wash over the novel’s characters and sail them towards a surprisingly action-packed and riveting ending.

Tightly-written and intricately constructed LeClair’s Rigged for Murder is first-class storytelling in a setting so authentic you can hear the ocean’s roar and taste the salt from the sea.

Special thanks to M. Wayne Cunningham (mw_cunningham@telus.net) for contributing his review of Rigged for Murder and to Durban House for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — M. Wayne Cunningham — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission

For more visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Friday, May 23, 2008

Mystery Book Review: How to Ruin a Vacation by Becky A. Bartness

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written a review of How to Ruin a Vacation by Becky A. Bartness. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

How to Ruin a Vacation by Becky A. BartnessBuy from Amazon.com

How to Ruin a Vacation by
A Kate Williams Mystery

iUniverse (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-595-45405-4 (0595454054)
ISBN-13: 978-0-595-45405-1 (9780595454051)
Publication Date: February 2008
List Price: $12.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Uptight attorney Kate Williams is sent on a much-needed vacation by her partner at their law firm. Her destination is the Lazy ZZ Ranch, sixty miles northeast of Tucson, Arizona. Kate pictures a spa-like resort for her respite, a comfortable lodge dripping with rustic, frontier ambience. Instead, she’s greeted by a pink stucco building, the front lawn filled with plastic flamingos and every imaginable lawn ornament. Something tells her this isn’t going to be the vacation she envisioned.

Unwittingly, Kate stumbles upon the murder of a Mexican immigrant employee of the Lazy ZZ Ranch. She’s determined to report the crime and find the perpetrator, but she doesn’t know whom to trust. Should she tell her story to Chris MacKay, who has already admitted he was involved in another murder, or should Kate confide in the dude ranch owner, Jeff Oman, who is deceptive, handsome and chivalrous?

In a week, she comes face-to-face with horror and misery. Kate must call upon her inner strength to save her life and uncover the sinister motives behind the murder.

Review: Becky A. Bartness (an attorney herself) introduces lawyer and amateur sleuth Kate Williams who uncovers strange happenings while on vacation in How to Ruin a Vacation.

Kate's image of a week at a luxurious desert spa is shattered when she arrives at the Lazy ZZ Ranch in Arizona. Rather than the oasis she pictured, she's greeted by plastic pink flamingoes incongruously placed among a large assortment of other tacky lawn ornaments. The sprawling grounds are not well marked or lit, making the simple task of getting from one place to another difficult. One evening she takes a wrong turn and finds herself witness to what appears to be two people, a man and a woman, disposing of a dead body, that of a staff member that she had only recently met. While trying to get away, she stumbles into a ravine, knocking her unconscious, only to awaken in the home of a neighbor to the Lazy ZZ, a stranger with a past: years ago, he killed his wife after finding her in bed with another man. Not knowing who she can trust, and with the erratic availability of phone service to call for help, Kate embarks on her own investigation to determine who killed Lazy ZZ worker and why.

How to Ruin a Vacation is a relatively short book written in a crisp, almost spare, style that seems perfectly suited to its character, Kate Williams. The opening chapters that bring Kate to the Lazy ZZ Ranch are terrific, introducing other characters and setting the stage for her investigation. As a bonus, it's frequently amusing and a pleasure to read. But about midway through, the book loses some of its edginess that was so appealing in the beginning. For reasons never made quite clear, Kate goes from being a determined, intelligent, independent woman to a one that seems timid, easily frightened, and insecure. From a plot perspective, the intent here seems to be that Kate doesn't know who can be trusted with what she witnessed and thus presents herself a dependent and helpless female to further her investigation. But this is so out of character that it seems silly rather than strategic.

Despite the rather weak conclusion (a lead-in to the sequel?) and some other minor inconsistencies in plotting, How to Ruin a Vacation is an entertaining debut mystery with Kate Williams clearly having the potential to continue to delight readers in subsequent books in the series.

Special thanks to Becky A. Bartness for providing a copy of How to Ruin a Vacation for this review.

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

For more visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mystery Bestsellers for May 23, 2008

Mystery Bestsellers

A list of the top 15 for the week ending May 23, 2008 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

's The Whole Truth remains in the top position this week with just one new title entering the top 15.

The Front by Patricia Cornwell

Debuting at number 12 this week is The Front by featuring the characters she introduced in her 2006 thriller At Risk. Massachusetts District Attorney Monique Lamont has a special job for state investigator Win Garano. As part of a new public relations campaign about the dangers of declining neighborhoods, she's sending him to Watertown to "come up with a drama," and she thinks she knows just the case that will serve. Garano is very skeptical, because he knows that Watertown is also the home base for a loose association of municipal police departments called the FRONT, set up in order that they don't have to be so dependent on the state—much to Lamont's anger. He senses a much deeper agenda here—but he has no idea just how deep it goes. In the days that follow, he'll find that Lamont's task, and the places it leads him, will resemble a house of mirrors—everywhere he turns, he's not quite sure if what he's seeing is true.

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. And don't forget to check our page where you can save an additional 5% when you purchase your mystery books prior to their publication date.

The top four mystery bestsellers this week are shown below:

The Whole Truth by David BaldacciCareless in Red by Elizabeth GeorgePhantom Prey by John SandfordThe Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Thursday, May 22, 2008

Mystery Book Review: Death on the Holy Mountain by David Dickinson

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

Death on the Holy Mountain by David DickinsonBuy from Amazon.com

Death on the Holy Mountain by
A Lord Francis Powerscourt Mystery

Soho Constable (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-503-2 (1569475032)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-503-4 (9781569475034)
Publication Date: April 2008
List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): In 1905, Lord Francis Powerscourt investigates a series of art thefts from stately homes of the Protestant gentry in Ireland. Then people begin to vanish. As Powerscourt closes in on the killer his own life is threatened and his patriotism is questioned.

Review: Lord Francis Powerscourt is hired to investigate a burglary at an estate in Ireland in Death on the Holy Mountain, the seventh mystery in this series by David Dickinson.

The estate in question is Butler Court, one of many owned by Gervase St. Clair de Bonneval Brandon, 8th Earl of Lincoln. A number of oil paintings, portraits of eight generations of the Earl's family, have been stolen. And it is not the only theft in the area. Other homes have been targeted as well. The only common factor is that all the estates are owned by Protestants. Could the thefts be political? The Irish Catholic workers on the estates are demanding freedom from English rule, but this seems to be a particularly ineffective way of accomplishing their goals. Especially since, at least in Lord Brandon's case, the paintings stolen weren't particularly valuable. It isn't until a body is found at the summit of Croagh Patrick, Ireland's Holy Mountain, that Powerscourt is able to gather enough information to identify the thieves and determine the true reason behind their actions.

Death on the Holy Mountain is written in an expressive manner, describing the beauty of Ireland and the expansive estates that include ancestral homes surrounded by massive amounts of land, trees, lakes, and rivers. The story, set in the early 20th century, is exceptional in the way the author infuses the history and plight of the Irish citizens and the constant conflict between the Protestants and Catholics over the rule of Ireland into the story, and at the same time effortlessly incorporating all this into a credible mystery. Death on the Holy Mountain is a terrific novel and highly recommended.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of for contributing her review of Death on the Holy Mountain and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.

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

For more visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Mysteries on TV: 24 and JAG

, 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 one series that has a season DVD being released this week plus a special edition reissue of another. 

David James Elliott and Catherine Bell starred as Navy lawyers Lt. Cmdr. Harmon "Harm" Rabb and Maj. Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie who use their intelligence and determination to uncover the mysteries behind cases involving murder treason espionage in , a series that aired on CBS for 10 seasons from 1995 through 2005. Highlights of this season include Harm discovering he has a younger brother, Mac getting engaged, and trajedy striking two other characters.

The JAG Season Six DVD set of 6 discs contains all 24 episodes of the sixth season including the pilot that aired from October 2000 to May 2001.

The other new release this week has Fox reissuing the first season of as the 24 Season One Special Edition, a 7 disc DVD set with many new features including extended and deleted scenes, alternate endings, trailers for other series, and more.

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

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Monday, May 19, 2008

Compendium of Mystery News 080519

A compendium of recently published mystery news articles; note that due to our travel schedule, we're a bit behind in getting these new items posted:

• The Mystery Writers of America announced the winners of the 2008 Edgar Awards, including Down River by John Hart as Best Novel, In the Woods by Tana French as Best First Novel, and Queenpin by Megan Abbott as Best Paperback Original.

• In other mystery awards news, the Crime Writers of Canada have announced the finalists for the 2008 Arthus Ellis Awards. The winners will be announced at the Arthur Ellis Awards dinner in Toronto on June 5th. (MBN note: for a list of previous winners of the Arthus Ellis Award, visit the website.)

• Otto Penzler weighs in on awards season in his column on NYSun.com.

Playbill is reporting that the International Mystery Writers' Festival has announced casting for two of its flagship productions — the "lost" Agatha Christie play, Chimneys and the new Sherlock Holmes play The Final Toast by Stuart Kaminsky. The festival will take place June 12-22 at the RiverPark Center in Owensboro, KY. Visit www.newmysteries.org to order tickets and for additional information.

• Legacy Interactive released The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes, the first computer game officially licensed by the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The game, which features 16 unique cases of forgery, espionage, theft, murder, and more, can be purchased and downloaded from SherlockGame.com. (MBN note: more information is available in the press release.)


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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for May 19, 2008

Mystery Godoku Puzzle for May 19, 2008A 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!).

This week's letters and mystery clue: A D E H I K N R T. Richard Laymon wrote this 1994 suspense thriller featuring librarian Jane Kerry and the Master of Games (9 letters).

New! We now have our puzzles 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!

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