Mystery Book Review: The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis
A Domestic Diva Mystery with Sophie Winston

Synopsis (from the publisher): Few can compete with the Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but her childhood rival, Sophie Winston, certainly tries. While Natasha is known for her intricate centerpieces and painstakingly prepared gourmet meals, Sophie likes to keep things simple…real simple. Natasha may have stolen the spotlight—and Sophie's husband—but Sophie is determined to rob her of the prize for the Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. She just needs the right ingredients…

But Sophie’s search for the perfect turkey goes cold when she stumbles across a corpse. And when the police find her name and photo inside the victim’s car, they think she has some explaining to do. Sophie will have to set her trussing aside to solve the murder or she’ll be serving up prison grub—and that definitely wouldn’t be a “good thing.”

Review: The Diva Runs Out of Thyme is the first in a new cozy culinary mystery series by Krista Davis featuring domestic diva and gourmet chef Sophie Winston. As is typical with mysteries of this subgenre, delicious recipes and entertaining tips are included.

Sophie and Natasha Smith were rivals in high school and now, each in their mid-forties, they remain fiercely competitive. And if that weren't enough, Natasha "stole" Sophie's ex-husband. During the week before Thanksgiving they take part in a Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown with the winner taking home a Golden Turkey. Though both are accomplished cooks, Sophie prefers to take a simple approach to her recipes and presentations while Natasha uses "not over the counter" foods and stipulates meticulous, elaborate table settings. Before the contest, Sophie discovers a corpse in a dumpster. (It's never quite clear what she was doing looking in a dumpster.) In the dead man’s truck is a picture of Sophie with her name. Then, on the day of the competition, one of the judges is found, again by Sophie, murdered. Being the first on the scene of two murders makes Sophie a prime suspect. All this happens just before the arrival of her parents, sister and her fiancé, for their annual family Thanksgiving dinner. When Sophie is taken into custody for the murders of two men, her family and friends rally around to lend a hand for her Thanksgiving dinner originally planned for six, but now more than a dozen. When bodies begin dropping, starting during Sophie’s simply planned dinner, the question becomes: Who is trying to kill Sophie’s guests? How many will lay dead or wounded before an answer can be found? Who is creating this family disaster?

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme is as much comedy as mystery. The author has a light touch with her narrative, almost mirroring Sophie's approach to dining and decorating. Each chapter begins with letters to Sophie or Natasha (who, in addition to everything else they do, write competing columns in the newspaper) who offer in response witty, often realistically useful, suggestions on topics of cooking, table settings, even dealing with in-laws. The mystery isn't demanding, the story entertaining, and there's no mention of who's wearing what designer to be found; all in all, a really good book. This is a series worth watching.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Diva Runs Out of Thyme and to Krista Davis for providing a copy of the book for this review.

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

If you are interested in purchasing The Diva Runs Out of Thyme from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

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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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First Clues Review: The Clue of the Black Keys by Carolyn Keene

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is delighted to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

The Clue of the Black Keys by Carolyn Keene
The Nancy Drew Series

Grosset & Dunlap (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-448-09528-9 (0448095289)
ISBN-13: 978-0-448-09528-8 (9780448095289)
Publication Date: January 1968
List Price: $6.99

Review written by Natalie, Age 11, Grade 6. Date of review: October 2008.

Review: Nancy Drew is at it again in solving The Clue of the Black Keys by Carolyn Keene. This installment in the lengthy series is number twenty eight, and Nancy Drew still hasn’t given up all her detective work.

In this adventure, Nancy’s father’s friend locates her and gives her a mysterious black key for safekeeping. As soon as she’s in possession of the key, strange things begin to happen. Several times her home is almost robbed, and soon she’s deeply involved in the case. When Professor Scott (her father’s friend) tells her about a trip his fellow professor is going on with his college-aged class to Florida, Nancy begs him to let her go and soon she’s on her way. Nancy explores Florida and is soon boating, rescuing, and logically thinking her way through the rest of the mystery.

What’s nice about this book is that no two of the Nancy Drew books are the same. This is one, if not the only, books in which Nancy gets involved with tropical rainforests and such. However, it can get confusing. Every once in a while all the professors got mixed up and I couldn’t tell the good from the bad, the captured from the free, etc. But overall it’s a very well written book. It’s always exciting and Nancy never fails to have a good adventure while solving any of her many, many mysteries. Also remember that this book does involve Nancy getting almost strangled, kidnapped, others getting kidnapped, and such. Kids under eight years of age probably shouldn’t read it unless they’re very mature.

Overall the book was very good and I can’t wait to read more Nancy Drew. All you have to do is keep all the names straight and you’re in for a very exciting adventure!

If you are interested in purchasing The Clue of the Black Keys from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on nearly 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

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Compendium of Mystery News 081007

A compendium of recently published mystery news articles. This update includes news items from late-September and early-October 2008.

• The first mystery game featuring The Hardy Boys (The Hidden Theft) has only just been released but that hasn't stopped SEGA and Her Interactive (developer of the wildly popular Nancy Drew mystery games) from announcing in a press release the development of the first Hardy Boys game for the Nintendo DS, The Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks. A Spring 2009 release date is expected.

• In one of its periodic Top 10 lists, Forbes magazine listed the world's best paid authors. Several mystery, suspense, and thriller authors are on the list. For the period July 2007 to June 2008 Forbes estimates Janet Evanovich made $17 million, John Grisham took in $25 million, Tom Clancey made $35 million, and James Patterson earned $50 million. Top on the list was J. K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame who Forbes estimates banked $300 million during the period.

• The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Ann Peacock has been signed to adapt John Grisham's 1997 bestseller The Partner into a screenplay. In The Partner, a young lawyer with a prominent Biloxi law firm is reportedly killed in a fiery car crash, but later watches from a distances as his casket, containing nothing but ashes, is buried. He's about ready to steal $90 million from his firm, covering his tracks all the way to Brazil. Four years later they find him, but the US Government is also interested in his whereabouts. Who really died in that car crash?

• In other film development news, The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Overture Films has purchased the remake rights to the Icelandic thriller Jar City by Arnaldue Indridason featuring Reykjavik Inspector Erlendur. Myrin (the original Icelandic title of Jar City) was made into a movie of the same name in 2006, though it was never released in the US. In Jar City, Erlendur reopens a very cold case as he follows a trail of unusual forensic evidence, uncovering secrets that are much larger than the murder of one old man.

• BroadcastNow provides a list of the winners of the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards held in London on October 3rd. Though the awards are intended for UK-based series, the last season of The Wire took the award for International Crime Drama of the Year. Four mystery authors were recognized: the late Stieg Larsson as International Author of the Year, Stuart MacBride as Breakthrough Author of the Year, Ian Rankin as Author of the Year, and Colin Dexter was given the Writer's Award for Classic TV Drama.

   

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Mystery Book Review: The Mysteries of Reverend Dean by Hal White

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Mysteries of Reverend Dean by Hal White. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Mysteries of Reverend Dean by Hal White
A Reverend Dean Short Story Collection

Lighthouse eBooks (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-9797863-5-5 (0979786355)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9797863-5-8 (9780979786355)
Publication Date: May 2008
List Price: $14.95

Review: Hal White introduces Reverend Dean, the retired pastor of a small community church in the foothills of Washington's Cascade Mountains, in a collection of six short stories, The Mysteries of Reverend Dean.

Each of the stories features either a locked room or other impossible crime mystery and range in length from about 30 to 50 pages. All the mysteries involve the solution to a murder and for their relative brevity, are surprisingly intricate in both the setup of the crime and the steps taken by Reverend Dean to solve it. As the stories progress, the character of Reverend Dean continues to develop in depth and complexity; by the end, he's like an old friend of the family. Though four of the stories take place locally, two are set in other places: a solitary mansion on a private island, and aboard a cruise ship sailing the Caribbean. These latter two are among the most interesting and memorable, possibly because the venue adds its own sense of isolation, contributing to the impossibility of the crime being committed (and solved).

Fans of impossible crime stories will be pleased and delighted with those presented in The Mysteries of Reverend Dean. It is so important to "play fair" in plots of this sort, even more so than in other typical mysteries, and the author does just that. All the clues are available to the reader and the solutions can, in retrospect, be reasoned out just as Reverend Dean does. The only advantage the pastor holds in some of the stories is a long-held knowledge of either the suspect or the victim that he uses to determine a motive, always helpful in solving a crime. That some of the solutions seem a bit far-fetched is perfectly acceptable since they never cross over the line into implausibility.

A second volume of impossible crime stories featuring Reverend Dean would be most welcome. As a suggestion to the author, adding non-murder mysteries would, as was accomplished with a change in locale for two of the stories in this book, provide additional variety and interest for readers.

Special thanks to Hal White for providing a copy of The Mysteries of Reverend Dean for this review.

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

If you are interested in purchasing The Mysteries of Reverend Dean from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): The Reverend Thaddeus Dean has just retired as pastor of a small church at the foot of the Cascade Mountains. He is lonely, poor and desperately misses his wife who died years ago. Fortunately, he has a pastime.

He solves murders which are so bizarre as to seem impossible.

In each of the stories collected in this volume, Reverend Dean is challenged by a seemingly “impossible” crime. Readers won't just have to guess who the criminals are, they'll have to guess how they committed their crimes.

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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First Clues Review: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is delighted to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
The Alex Rider Series

Penguin Young Adult (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-14-240611-2 (0142406112)
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-240611-3 (9780142406113)
Publication Date: February 2006
List Price: $7.99

Review written by Casey, Age 12, Grade 6. Date of review: October 2008.

Review: Anthony Horowitz introduces young Alex Rider, aged 14, in Stormbreaker. This is the first book in the Alex Rider fictional mystery series.

Alex Rider is suddenly orphaned when his uncle, Ian Rider, is shot and killed during a car chase. But Alex wonders, why kill a bank manager? He was soon to find out. His uncle was involved with a secret agency known as MI6, not a bank. He was there to solve crimes and mysteries all across the world. But this time it was Alex’s turn to solve a mystery. MI6 forced Alex to work for them to figure out just what Sayle Enterprises was hiding. They were giving away free computers, what was there to hide? Soon, Alex finds out the terrible truth of what’s really happening and the secret worth hiding at Sayle Enterprises. This book is best for young adults to adults looking for an enthralling mystery.

Stormbreaker seems to be an original idea thoroughly thought out by the author and presents a high suspense mystery during the entire story. The positive features of the book were when the book leaves you hanging, literally speaking when Alex is hanging from a flagpole fifteen floors above the ground. Another when Alex is trapped in a colossally sized fish tank that was being occupied by a Portuguese jellyfish that was equally colossal. Many of Stormbreaker's qualities have proven to be admirable, but I would have liked to have seen some more depth in the explanations and descriptions in the story. These minor negatives have not made me think differently of the book. I definitely think it’s well written.

The awards that Stormbreaker has won are the Stockport School’s Book Award, Red House Children’s Book Award, West Sussex Children’s book award, and the Angus Book Award. Stormbreaker was also made into a movie.

If you are interested in purchasing Stormbreaker from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on nearly 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

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New on DVD This Week: Midsomer Murders and Mission: Impossible

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, is profiling two series that have season DVDs being released this week.

What evil lurks beyond the well-trimmed hedges of Midsomer County? The cozy villages reveal their most sinister secrets in Midsomer Murders, inspired by the novels by Caroline Graham. The series stars John Nettles as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby with Jason Hughes as his earnest, efficient protege Detective Constable Ben Jones. The series is filmed on location in the villages and towns of the rural counties of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

The Midsomer Murders Set Eleven DVD set of 4 discs contains the feature-length episodes that aired from October 2005 through March 2006: The House in the Woods, Dead Letters, Vixen's Run, and Down Among the Dead Men.

Peter Graves starred as Jim Phelps, the head of the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) in Mission: Impossible, a series that aired on CBS for 7 seasons in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In addition to Barney Collier (Greg Morris), Willy Armitage (Peter Lupus), and master magician Paris (Leonard Nimoy) who reprise their roles from the fourth season, Leslie Ann Warren joins the cast as Dana Lambert. By this season, the team largely focused their attention to the war on crime in America, specifically organized crime and drug trafficking. Despite some dated technology (by today's standards), Mission: Impossible continues to be one of the most imaginative series ever developed.

The Mission: Impossible Season Five DVD set of 6 discs contains all 23 episodes of the fifth season that aired on CBS from September 1970 through March 1971.

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

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for October 06, 2008

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle 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

This stand-alone mystery by Mark Billingham, published in 2008, was subtitled “It’s where fear lives” (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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First Clues Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is pleased to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Mysterious Benedict Society Series

Little Brown (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-316-00395-6 (0316003956)
ISBN-13: 978-0-316-00395-7 (9780316003957)
Publication Date: March 2008
List Price: $6.99

Review written by Kathleen, Age 11, Grade 6. Date of review: October 2008.

Review: Are you looking for a book with an exciting mystery that you can help solve? If so, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart may be a great book for you. This adventure-filled mystery will take you on a mind-bending journey with orphan Reynie Muldoon as he meets new friends, makes risky decisions, and outsmarts enemies. This is the first book of The Mysterious Benedict Society series. Due to the size and vocabulary used, I would recommend this book for middle school students and older.

“Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” When this question catches Reynie's eye in a local newspaper at his orphanage, he instantly decides this could be a chance to improve his lonely life. After successfully enduring a series of challenging tests, Reynie is chosen to advance to the final phase at the home of Mr. Benedict. There he meets up with 3 other gifted children who were also successful. George “Sticky” Washington is a very intelligent kid who remembers everything he learns. Kate Whetherall is a witty kid who is gifted in physical acts and always carries her bucket of tools along with her. Constance Contraire is a stubborn but humorous child who the other 3 children can’t figure out. After a final test, Mr. Benedict, enlists the four children to complete the dangerous task of saving the world from being brain swept. He sends them to pose as students at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened on Nomansan Island. While working as undercover spies, the four kids use all of their unique talents as they problem-solve, understand complicated puzzles, perform dangerous stunts, and send and receive messages in Morse code.

This book is a very fun adventure that I think almost anyone can enjoy. The novel was very well written and kept making me want to read more and more. I think that most people could relate to the characters in this book. Despite this books size (485 pages) I think it was one of the best books I have ever read because of the way the author made me feel like I know the characters and let me feel their emotions. I really felt like I got to know each character and they became my friends. I loved the way the author made me feel like I was a part of the Mysterious Benedict Society. The author taught me Morse code and I was able to participate in solving the mystery. This book made me think and was very enjoyable to me because of the suspense that built up throughout it. This book showed me that kids can make a difference. I just can’t wait to read the second book The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey.

This book has received many awards including,
 • Best Book of the year in 2007
 • Book links lasting connections in 2007
 • Best Book for middle readers in 2007
 • Bulletin Blue ribbons book of the year for 2007
 • Best book for ages 9-12 in 2007
 • Notable children’s books 2008
 • Top Shelf Fiction for Middle readers for 2008

If you are interested in purchasing The Mysterious Benedict Society from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on nearly 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

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Mysteries on DVD Review: Third Man Out

We're still in the process of setting up a new website with reviews of mystery TV shows and movies which may (or may not) have a separate blog. In the meantime, we'll continue to post our television and film reviews here on Mystery Books News and advise you of when the new site is up.

Film: Third Man Out. Original release date: 07/07/2005; DVD release date: 08/08/2006.

Donald Strachey (Chad Allen), Timmy Callahan (Sebastian Spence), John Rutka (Jack Wetherall), Ann Rutka (Sean Young), Eddie (Woody Jeffreys), Bishop McFee (John Moore), Father Morgan (Alf Humphreys). Directed by Ron Oliver.

I recently saw an ad for the fourth Donald Strachey mystery, didn't realize there was a first, second, and third, so asked Netflix to send me the first in the series, Third Man Out. Third Man Out is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Stevenson and features gay private investigator Donald Strachey. The series is set in Albany (NY).

John Rutka is reviled for self-righteously "outing" Albany's closeted gays, especially those in positions of power or influence. When his life is threatened, he turns to Strachey to protect him. He expects Strachey to do so as he has something on him as well, something Strachey would rather not be made public. After Rutka is abducted and murdered, his body burned in a warehouse, Strachey feels obligated on following through to find his killer. The investigation becomes personal when Strachey's life partner is kidnapped, furthering his resolve to see justice done.

At first Chad Allen seems like an odd choice to play Donald Strachey. Quite frankly, he just doesn't look the part. But as the movie progresses, he works himself into the character, someone who has both a conflicted past and a conflicted present. He was once in the army, maybe military intelligence. There seems to be an underlying distrust of authority here. His current relationship with the Albany police is one of distance though respect. By the end of the movie, Chad Allen is Donald Strachey. That's quite an accomplishment and a credit to Allen's acting ability.

The other notable character is Jack Wetherall as John Rutka. What a measured, yet powerful performance. He has a screen presence here that demands the viewer's attention. He's both good and evil at the same time. You're not quite sure whether you're on his side or not, but you absolutely know he believes that what he's doing is absolutely right.

Anyone who has read a lot of mysteries or watched a lot of movie whodunits will no doubt see exactly where the plot is heading. There's not a lot of misdirection here. In some respects, that's a bit of a disappointment. Various suspects are presented for audience approval, some more believable than others, but the ending is never in doubt. Still, given how predictable the story is, it's well told and the solid performances by the actors definitely make the movie far better than it otherwise might have been.

With one possible exception. Sebastian Spence plays Strachey's partner Timmy Callahan. Callahan is an aide to a state senator, or maybe the state's senator, it's not clear which, and is portrayed as a somewhat stereotypical stuffed shirt. Prim and proper in contrast to Strachey's rough and ready. An odd couple to be sure, the movie doesn't spend much time on their relationship. He doesn't come off as all that likeable, but since there are three sequels, possibly Callahan comes out of his shell in later episodes.

Maybe it was just the DVD I watched, but there were some obvious production problems with the movie. The film itself has a yellow gray wash to it, no doubt intended to convey some sort of noir-ish quality. That, in and of itself, is all right. But in many scenes the colors were so unsaturated that they appeared almost black-and-white. And the audio at times was terrible (though the atmospheric background music is generally first rate and perfectly appropriate). I realize this was a low-budget production, but still, there should have been some care taken to make the movie of at least consistent visual and audio quality.

Though clearly targeted towards gay audiences (what with a gay private eye and a gay theme), fans of mysteries in general should enjoy Strachey's investigation into the murder of a local activist. And I have no doubt I'll be ordering the next in the series to watch soon.

The DVD of Third Man Out is available to purchase from Mysteries on DVD, your source for movies that have been adapted from mystery books.

Reviewed on 10/04/2008 by Mr. E., television and movie critic for Mystery Books News.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Omnimystery — All Rights Reserved.

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Mystery Book Review: Zoo Station by David Downing

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

Zoo Station by David Downing
A John Russell Mystery

Soho Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-495-8 (1569474958)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-495-2 (9781569474952)
Publication Date: May 2008
List Price: $14.00

Review: Although born at sea of an American mother and an English father, 40-year-old freelance journalist John Russell has been living in Germany for almost fourteen years, long enough to have married, and divorced a German wife, Ilse, to have had a soon-to-be 12-year-old son, Paul, and to have found a long-time film actress girlfriend, 32-two-year-old Effi Koenen, an acquaintance of Lenni Riefenstahl’s. They all live in the Berlin of 1939, but far from happily ever after, as war clouds gather and Nazi thugs scorch the lives of Russell’s Jewish friends, the Wiesners. David Downing’s story of journalist Russell’s struggles to rescue the Wiesners from annihilation and save his own skin in the process is a compelling mix of murderous cover-ups, espionage and counter-espionage, historical facts, and one man’s courageous determination to rebel against evil incarnate.

On the surface Downing’s novel is a straightforward enough story about a journalist caught unwittingly in a sticky web of espionage. For a substantial sum of Reichsmarks freelancer Russell agrees to a proposal from a long ago acquaintance in the Russian Communist Party to write "a series of articles about positive aspects of the Nazi regime” – a slippery slope for Russell given his observations of the kindertransport of Jewish children, the pillaging of their homes and the fatal beatings of their relatives in the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and Re-Educational Facility. Conflicted between being a well-paid propagandist for the Russian party’s purposes and what he sees around him, Russell questions how to maintain his integrity as he journeys back and forth from Berlin’s Zoo Station to clandestine meetings outside of Germany with his Russian contacts. Threatened with exposure to the Germans, he agrees to spy for the Russians while secretly spying for the British as well in exchange for visas for the Wiesners after their father, a medical doctor, has been arrested on false charges and beaten to death. To increase the danger to his own safety he partners with an American journalist, Tyler McKinley, who is researching an expose of the Nazis’ plans to euthanize mentally slow children. When McKinley dies at the Zoo Station in a murder covered up as a suicide, Russell inherits the documents for the story and the lead to a critical letter proving the allegations. His troubles compound as he balances his espionage efforts between giving the Russians what they want, providing the British with worthwhile information, getting the Wiesners’ visas, driving the hot-tempered 18-year-old Albert Wiesner out of town and escorting the widowed mother, Eva, and her two teen aged daughters to the relative safety of the Zoo Station for their trip to freedom on “the long train as it rumbled across the iron bridge and leaned into the long curve beyond.”

Although not on the macro scale of Schindler’s List, Downing’s novel is nevertheless a gripping story of bravery and, at times, crackling suspense, especially during interviews with the Gestapo and searches by customs agents. The references to the personas of the day and the landmark settings of the cities and countries bring the story alive and the summaries of speeches and historical documents reinforce the chilling authenticity of the Nazi controlled state of pre-war Germany. Russell’s inner and external conflicts are well depicted as are his relationships with his son, his girlfriend, and the Russian, German and British officials he must deal with in his trade of documents for money and lives. Even the Zoo Station comes alive as the focal point for much of the story as the site of the alleged suicide and the repository for a suitcase with a hidden compartment, a piece of luggage that in the end leads ironically to Russell making a major contribution to a “wedding present” for a customs official with an agenda of his own.

Special thanks to M. Wayne Cunningham (mw_cunningham@telus.net) for contributing his review of Zoo Station and to Soho Press for providing the trade paperback edition of the book for review.

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

If you are interested in purchasing Zoo Station from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): By 1939, Anglo-American journalist John Russell has spent over a decade in Berlin, where his son lives with his mother. He writes human-interest pieces for British and American papers, avoiding the investigative journalism that could get him deported. But as World War II approaches, he faces having to leave his son as well as his girlfriend of several years, a beautiful German starlet.

When an acquaintance from his old communist days approaches him to do some work for the Soviets, Russell is reluctant, but he is unable to resist the offer. He becomes involved in other dangerous activities, helping a Jewish family and a determined young American reporter. When the British and the Nazis notice his involvement with the Soviets, Russell is dragged into the murky world of warring intelligence services.

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 Book Review: The Serpent's Daughter by Suzanne Arruda

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Serpent's Daughter by Suzanne Arruda. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Serpent's Daughter by Suzanne Arruda
A Jade Del Cameron Mystery

NAL Books (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-451-22465-5 (0451224655)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-22465-1 (9780451224651)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $14.00

Review: Suzanne Arruda sets her third mystery with photojournalist Jade del Cameron, The Serpent's Daughter, in the spring of 1920 in Morocco where Jade has agreed to meet her visiting mother in Tangier.

But soon after her arrival at the hotel, Inez del Cameron insists that her daughter return to the US and live a proper life, to stop putting herself in danger traipsing all over Africa. The minor quarrel ends with the two women retreating to their rooms. Later Jade finds a note from another guest suggesting that her mother left on a tour of a nearby coastal town. When she doesn't return, Jade gets concerned and sets out to find her, driving down the coast and stumbling over a dead man's body in a cave into which she believes her mother may have been taken. Her actions set into motion a series of events that eventually reunite mother and daughter but expose them to even greater danger in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

As much adventure as mystery, The Serpent's Daughter is a thrilling account of the journey of Jade and her mother take to discover why Inez was kidnapped in the first place. Another significant "character" in the story is the country of Morocco and its people, both of which the author describes in ardent detail. Chapters are prefaced with travelogue-style snippets of information that are not only genuinely interesting but also relate to the narrative that follows. The atmospheric setting adds depth and complexity to the story and heightens the suspense when Jade (or Inez, sometimes independently, sometimes together) find themselves in peril (which, it must be said, happens with somewhat alarming, and amusing, frequency).

From the delightful expressions Jade mutters to herself ("Where in the name of St. Peter's fishing pole is she?", "Spit fire and save the matches."), to the special relationship Jade shares with her mother, and to the intriguing backdrop of Morocco in the early 20th century, The Serpent's Daughter is a treat of a mystery.

Special thanks to Penguin for providing the trade paperback edition of The Serpent's Daughter for this review.

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

If you are interested in purchasing The Serpent's Daughter from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Joining her mother for a holiday in the ancient port city of Tangier, American adventuress Jade del Cameron expects their trip will be far less dangerous than her safaris in East Africa. But soon after their introduction to a group of European tourists, Doña del Cameron goes missing -- victim of an apparent kidnapping -- and, shockingly, the French authorities seek to arrest Jade for the murder of a man whose body she discovered in a series of ancient tunnels. Now, Jade must call upon her friends to help find her mother and expose the true villains, who have every intention of bringing about her own destruction.

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 Bestsellers for October 03, 2008

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending October 03, 2008 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Retaining the top spot this week is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, the first book in The Millennium Trilogy by the late Steig Larsson. [MBN note: Read our review of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.] But other than that, there was a significant change in order of the top 10.

New on this list this week (and just missing the list last week) is The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday, the 5th mystery in the Sunday Philosphy Club series with amateur sleuth Isabel Dalhousie by Alexander McCall Smith. Isabel’s incandescent curiosity is piqued when she is asked to help a professor of medicine who has been disgraced by allegations of scientific fraud concerning a newly marketed drug. Would a doctor with a stellar reputation make such a simple but grave mistake? If not, what explains the tragic accident that resulted in the death of a patient? An investigation is in order, especially since a man’s reputation is in jeopardy, and a great deal of money is at stake for the pharmaceutical company involved. She’s also occupied by the envy she feels in the face of Jamie’s new friendship with the composer-in-residence at the University of Edinburgh. Whatever the case, whatever the solution, Isabel’s combination of spirit, smarts, curiosity, empathy and unabashed nosiness guarantees a delightful adventure. Publishers Weekly calls The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday "winning", adding "The strengths of the book, as with Smith's better known No. 1 Ladies' Detective series, lie in its protagonist's determination to treat others without judgment-and in the author's revealing glimpses into the human soul."

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 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.

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Games of Mystery: New Nancy Drew, Mystery PI, and Lost Secrets Games at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed games, parties, and vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of three more mystery games from Big Fish Games that were released this past week. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided.

There's big trouble brewing on the Big Island, and it's time to enlist the help of the Hardy Boys. Nancy Drew is in Hawaii to work as a research assistant, or so she thinks. Someone or something has destroyed the environmental experiments in the forest around the Hilihili Research compound. Could it be the mythical Kane 'Okala or other unfriendly rivals? Program your GPS to navigate beaches, forests, and volcanoes and reveal hidden Hawaiian secrets in Nancy Drew: The Creature of Kapu Cave.

Nancy Drew: The Creature of Kapu Cave may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A video trailer is also available to view. Due to the size of the game, no demonstration version is available. Also available is the official strategy guide to unveil the secrets surrounding Hilihili Research Compound. The strategy guide is written in a special format to keep the ending a surprise. Complete the game and improve your puzzle strategy skills with the official Nancy Drew: The Creature of Kapu Strategy Guide. [MBN note: For a complete list of Nancy Drew games for the PC, Nintendo DS and Wii, and available for download, visit Games of Mystery: Nancy Drew.]

Mystery P.I.: The Vegas Heist takes you to the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas where the heist of the century has just occurred. Over $4 Billion in cash has been stolen from the state`s newest casino the day before its grand opening. The casino has hired you to find & return the money before the doors open the next day. Hurry - you only have 16 hours to return the money back to the casino!

Mystery P.I.: The Vegas Heist may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A demonstration version (34.87 MB) may be downloaded and played for one hour for free.

Lost Secrets: Bermuda Triangle takes you on an epic seafaring adventure! When Rachel Broadview finds the name of her great-grandmother in a book about shipwrecks in the Bermuda Triangle, she makes it her life mission to find out exactly what happened and uncover the secrets lost there. Comb the beach, scour the sea, and use your sleuthing skills on shipwrecks.

Lost Secrets: Bermuda Triangle may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A demonstration version (71.32 MB) may be downloaded and played for one hour for free. This game is also available for both Windows and Apple Mac systems.

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie games, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet, The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes, Righteous Kill (inspired by the movie of the same name), and Forgotten Riddles: The Moonlight Sonatas.

Visit Games of Mystery for all types of mysterious fun!

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Mystery Book Review: Rainstone Fall by Peter Helton

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

Rainstone Fall by Peter Helton
A Chris Honeysett Mystery

Soho Constable (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-525-3 (1569475253)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-525-6 (9781569475253)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $25.00

Review: Artist and private investigator Chris Honeysett, together with fellow artist and lover Annis Jordan and best friend Tim Bigwood, a former safecracker and thief, take on a situation that involves danger, treachery, and murder in Rainstone Fall, the third mystery in this series by Peter Helton.

Honeysett’s new job has him working for an insurance agency in Bath. He is to follow a man with a limp in order to prove fraud. While on the job, a single, seemingly poor woman comes to him and pleads with him to help find her son. The boy is fifteen years old and has been kidnapped. Chris hears from the kidnapper who tells him he must do exactly what he is told or the boy will die. The orders include safecracking (a job for Tim) which fails, stealing a supposedly priceless stamp (which turns out to be not so priceless), and last but not least, to steal a Rodin statue from the Bath Museum. Although Chris thinks these demands are bizarre, he agrees for the sake of the boy's mother. The pursuit of these demands takes Chris, Annis and Tim through shadowy fields, over down-trodden paths, and sloshing in flooded footpaths during a grim autumn. Soon they find themselves meeting head-on blackmail and murder.

Helton has created three acerbic, yet engaging characters in Chris, Annis, and Tim. The story takes place in the city and surrounding area of Bath, England, during the chilly, rainy season of the year. The visions the author generates along the rustic countryside and the heavily travelled dirt roads with ruts filled with muddy water, trees with fallen branches, broken down fences and green hedges surrounding the farms is astounding. Rainstone Fall is a compelling, memorable story of greed, blackmail, kidnapping and murder set in a rustic atmosphere.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Rainstone Fall and to Soho Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.

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

If you are interested in purchasing Rainstone Fall from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): For Chris Honeysett, artist and private investigator in the city of Bath, autumn threatens to bring down more than just the roof of his studio. An exceptionally stormy October forms the backdrop to Aqua Investigation’s strangest case yet.

When Chris downs brushes to take on what looks like a simple surveillance job he finds himself in a frenetic world of murder, abduction and blackmail. Dark problems sometimes require drastic solutions – why else would Honeysett suddenly find himself on the wrong side of the law?

Cracks are beginning to show in his private life too, just when the triangle that is Chris, Tim and Annis should be working together to keep them all out of jail. In Rainstone Fall first impressions count for nothing and appearances are always deceptive.

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 Savings: Halloween Savings at Amazon.com and 40% Off Select DVDs at B&N.com

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a list of offers recently received that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

Amazon.com is offering free shipping on orders of $25 or more on Halloween costumes and accessories from select sellers in their Costumes Store through October 23rd. Amazon’s Costumes Store makes it easy for you to shop a selection of over 10,000 costumes. From Harry Potter and Batman to Tinkerbell and Snow White, they have costumes for the whole family. They even have costumes to dress up your pet. Find the wigs, masks, hats, shoes and other accessories you need to complete your look all in one place. Also check out Amazon Grocery’s Halloween treats page which is stocked with all kinds of candy and treats that your trick-or-treaters will love. From now until October 31st, save $15 off orders of Nestle and Hershey products of $39 or more. Plus, get free Super Saver Shipping on all orders that total over $25 (after discount).

Over at Barnes&Noble.com is 40 days of 40% off CDs and DVDs. Now through November 10th you can save 40% of hundreds of titles. We checked out the mystery television set DVDs and found some terrific values on Agatha Christie's Miss Marple Classic Mysteries, Nero Wolfe Megaset, Homicide Life on the Street, Profiler, Rumpole of the Bailey Megaset, Poirot: The Complete Collection and Poirot: The New Mysteries Collection, and many more!

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