Friday, April 24, 2009

Mystery Bestsellers for April 24, 2009

Mystery Bestsellers

A list of the top 15 for the week ending April 24, 2009 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

No change in the top 3 bestselling mysteries this week with Long Lost by retaining the top stop. Last week's featured title, Look Again by , moves into 4th position. Three new titles debut.

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith

Entering the list at number 10 is Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, the 10th gentle mystery in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by . Mma Ramotswe’s ever-ready tiny white van has recently developed a rather disturbing noise. Of course, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni—her estimable husband and one of Botswana’s most talented mechanics—is the man to turn to for help. But Precious suspects he might simply condemn the van and replace it with something more modern. Can she find a way to save her old friend? In the meantime, Mma Makutsi discovers that her old rival Violet Sephotho, who could not have gotten more than fifty percent on her typing final at the Botswana Secretarial College, has set her sights on none other than Mma Makutsi’s fiancé, Phuti Radiphuti. Can Mma Ramotswe’s intuition save the day? Finally, the proprietor of a local football team has enlisted the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency to help explain its dreadful losing streak. The owner of the team is convinced he as a traitor in his midst. But how is Mma Ramotswe, who has never seen a football match in her life, going to discern who is throwing the game? Help, it turns out, may come from an unexpected quarter. There are few mysteries that can’t be solved and fewer problems that can’t be fixed when the irrepressible Precious Ramotswe puts her mind to them. A good cup of red bush tea might be the best solution of all.

First Family by David Baldacci

Next at number 11 Sean King and Michelle Maxwell return in First Family, the fourth thriller in this werise by . It began with what seemed like an ordinary children's birthday party. Friends and family gathered to celebrate. There were balloons and cake, games and gifts. This party, however, was far from ordinary. It was held at Camp David, the presidential retreat. And it ended with a daring kidnapping ... which immediately turned into a national security nightmare. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell were not looking to become involved. As former Secret Service agents turned private investigators, they had no reason to be. The FBI doesn't want them interfering. But years ago, Sean King saved the First Lady's husband, then a senator, from political disaster. Now, Sean is the one person the First Lady trusts, and she presses Sean and Michelle into the desperate search to rescue the abducted child. With Michelle still battling her own demons, and forces aligned on all sides against her and Sean, the two are pushed to the absolute limit. In the race to save an innocent victim, the line between friend and foe will become impossible to define ... or defend. Publishers Weekly calls First Family "stellar", adding "Baldacci's careful plotting and confidant depictions of national security procedures make this a thinking man's thriller."

Loitering with Intent by Stuart Woods

Finally, new in 14th position is Loitering with Intent, the 15th mystery in the Stone Barrington series by . Dumped by his glamorous Russian girlfriend during dinner at Elaine’s, and running low on cash, Stone Barrington is having a bad week. So his luck seems to be improving when he’s hired to locate the missing son of a very wealthy man—lucky because the job pays well, and because the son is hiding in the tropical paradise of Key West. But when Stone and his sometime running buddy Dino Bacchetti arrive in the sunny Keys, it appears that someone has been lying in wait. When Stone very nearly loses his life after being blindsided at a local bar, he realizes that the young man he’s been hired to track may have good reason for not wanting to be found. Suddenly Key West is looking less like Margaritaville and more like the mean streets of New York. Booklist calls Loitering with Intent "[a]n exciting entry in prolific Woods’ long-running series."

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:

Long Lost by Harlan CobenThe Associate by John GrishamThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg LarssonLook Again by Lisa Scottoline

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, April 23, 2009

eHarlequin's Free Book Friday: Greek Tycoon, Waitress Wife by Julia James

eHarlequin.com gives you another reason to love Fridays! Buy two or more books this Friday and they'll give you their weekly featured book absolutely free! That's right, every Friday, enjoy a featured free book with the purchase of two or more other titles! (Your free book will automatically be added to your cart.)

This Friday's free book (04/24/2009) is from the Harlequin Presents series. (Not a mystery or suspense novel, we know, but you can still order two mysteries and get this book free!)

Greek Tycoon, Waitress Wife by Julia James

Greek Tycoon, Waitress Wife by Julia James
A Bedded by Blackmail Novel

Carrie Richards has stepped into the glittering life of Greek billionaire Alexeis Nicolaides. Luxurious hotels, designer clothes and rare jewels are all hers…and what they share in the bedroom is explosive.

But the consequences of one night lead to a shocking end to Carrie's fairy tale. She discovers Alexeis is not her Prince Charming—he's a man who'll make her his, no matter what the cost!

Keep up to date by subscribing to eHarlequin.com's free newsletter that contains the latest information about their series of books as well as informing you about subscriber-only special offers and new products. Click on the banner below to subscribe for free:

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Nominees Announced for 2009 Arthur Ellis Awards

Mystery Book Awards: The Edgars, The Agathas, The Anthonys, and many more.

The nominees for the 2009 Arthus Ellis Awards, named after the nom de travail of Canada's official hangman and recognizing excellence in Canadian crime writing, were announced today by the Crime Writers of Canada.

For Best Novel, the nominees are:

Too Close to Home by (Bantam)
The K Handshape by Maureen Jennings (Dundurn)
Transgression by James W. Nichol (MacArthur & Co.)
The Murder Stone by (MacArthur & Co.)
The Tsunami File by Michael E. Rose (MacArthur & Co.)

For Best First Novel, the nominees are:

by (Bayeux Arts)
Talking to Wendigo by John C. Goodman (Turnstone)
Headline: Murder by April Lindgren (Second Story Press)
Buffalo Jump by Howard Shrier (Vintage Canada)
Margarita Nights by Phyllis Smallman (McArthur & Co.)

For Best Juvenile, the nominees are:

Res Judicata by Vicki Grant (Orca)
Getting the Girl by Susan Juby (HarperCollins)
Royal Murder by Elizabeth MacLeod (Annick Press)
Dead Silence by Norah McClintock (Scholastic Canada)
War Brothers by Sharon E. McKay (Penguin Canada)

Read mystery book reviews at Mysterious Reviews indicates a review by .

Nominees were also announced for Best Crime Writing in French, Best Short Story, Best Non-Fiction, and Best Unpublished Novel.

The winners will be announced at the 26th annual Arthur Ellis Awards dinner in Ottawa in early June.

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Mystery Book Review: The Frailty of Flesh by Sandra Ruttan

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Frailty of Flesh by Sandra Ruttan. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Frailty of Flesh by Sandra Ruttan

by
A Nolan, Hart, and Tain Mystery

Dorchester (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-8439-6075-2 (0843960752)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8439-6075-4 (9780843960754)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $7.99

Review: The fast-paced action that marked Sandra Ruttan’s debut series novel, What Burns Within, continues in volume two, The Frailty of Flesh. The setting of the British Columbia’s Tri-Cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody is the same but with a side trip to the province’s Interior. The three primary protagonists, RCMP constables Ashlyn Hart, Tain, a First Nation officer, and Craig Nolan, are back but still recuperating from the after-effects of their last case when a partner was killed and another wounded. Now, they’re in search of the killer of four-year-old Jeffrey Reimer whose 11- year-old brother, Christopher, claims their 16- year-old sister, Shannon, bludgeoned the boy to death. Like the first book, this one’s a rapid-fire page-turner from first to last. It ripples with interagency rivalries, unfolding of past lives, an obstructionist family and its egomaniacal lawyer, and the duo of Hart and Tain doggedly running a child-killer to ground while Nolan simultaneously rakes through the ashes of a cold case file.

Ruttan intricately and seamlessly weaves together details from the criminal cases and the personal lives and loves of the reserved but explosive Tain and the other two who are now living together, wrestling their own demons while they cruise under the radar of their supervisors, nosy colleagues and an inquisitive female reporter. To complicate their lives, Craig’s review concerns the long ago case of a horrific rape-murder for which his father, Steve Daly, was the original lead RCMP investigator and for which he is now being sued for wrongful conviction by the perpetrator, coincidentally a client of the Reimer family’s lawyer. While Nolan’s doing his work, documents mysteriously go missing both from his desk and his father’s home. And trying to maintain his and his father’s integrity leads to multiple tensions between them and to several revelations about a sordid love triangle that ended a while back in a death and almost causes one in the present. Hart and Tain have their own worries over the four-year-old’s murder when the Reimer family lawyer is the first person the victim’s father calls as the two initiate their investigations. As they proceed they discover disturbing facts about various family members and just how close teenaged friends can be, much less siblings, abused, injured, abducted or murdered. It’s a storyline filled with twists that ends with an unpleasant surprise and a couple of more deaths, including one that hits extremely close to home for Ashlyn.

Ruttan’s creation of an ensemble cast of characters is first class. The teasing out of details about them from the first book and into the second provides just the right amount of information both for readers who have read What Burns Within and for readers who will want to read it. Their growth and development as they proceed here is consistent and credible. The obnoxious family lawyer, a couple of sexist detectives and a pair of bungling street cops are legitimate targets of reader scorn and believable sources for Hart’s ongoing frustrations. Even the politics of policing gets an airing through the machinations that occur with both the cold case review and the child’s murder. And the interagency rivalries depicted in What Burns Within, rage on again, continuing to interfere with the effectiveness of the justice system and to expose malingerers in an unfavourable light.

Although Ruttan brings the two cases to a close, she leaves the personal relationships of her three protagonists under a cloud. It will be intriguing to see what happens to dispel the overcast as the next murder mystery gets resolved. But if anyone can bring it all together, Sandra Ruttan can.

Special thanks to M. Wayne Cunningham (mw_cunningham@telus.net) for contributing his review of The Frailty of Flesh.

Review Copyright © 2009 — M. Wayne Cunningham — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission

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If you are interested in purchasing The Frailty of Flesh from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right. The Frailty of Flesh (Kindle edition) is also available. Learn more about the Kindle, Amazon's Wireless Reading Device.

Synopsis (from the publisher): The police got the call: a four-year-old boy had been found beaten to death in the park. But almost as soon as Hart and Tain arrived at the scene, the case took a strange turn. They found the victim’s brother hiding in the woods nearby. He said he saw the whole thing and claims his older sister is the killer. And she’s missing ...

When the boy’s father is notified that his son is dead, his first response is to hire a high-powered attorney, who seems determined to create every legal roadblock he can for Hart and Tain. So now the search is on for the missing girl. But the clock is ticking, and the case is about to get even stranger.

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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Mystery Book Review: Death of a Pilgrim by David Dickinson

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

Death of a Pilgrim by David Dickinson

by
A Lord Francis Powerscourt Mystery

Soho Constable (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-540-7 (156947-5407)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-540-9 (9781-56947-5409)
Publication Date: March 2009
List Price: $25.00

Review: Lord Francis Powerscourt, vacationing in France with his wife Lady Lucy, is called upon to look into the mysterious death of a family member on a pilgrimage to Spain in Death of a Pilgrim, the eighth mystery in this series by David Dickinson.

Michael Delaney is one of the richest men in America. But all his wealth hasn't prevented his only son from being stricken with a presumably incurable form of leukemia. The best care money can buy isn't helping. When doctors suggest they do nothing, let Nature take its course, Delaney agrees. Miraculously, his son begins to improve. As a measure of Delaney's gratitude, he agrees to finance a journey from Le Puy-en-Velay in southern France to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, a historical pilgrimage route dating to the Middle Ages. He intends to invite as many Delaneys as can be found to participate. But the trip starts with a tragedy when John Delaney from England is found dead, possibly an accident, possibly not. The local police intend to investigate thoroughly but Michael Delaney pulls some strings to move things along. Lord Powerscourt happens to be in France and is willing to intervene. The family is allowed to proceed (a contribution or two facilitating the process) but then more Delaneys are killed, some clearly not accidental. It isn't until the family crosses into Spain and enters Pamplona during the festival featuring the running of the bulls that Lord Powerscourt figures out who is targeting the Delaney family and why.

Despite the fact that Death of a Pilgrim takes place along a route between France and Spain, it is at its core a prototypical English country manor mystery. And a very good one at that. The narrative is wonderfully descriptive, meticulously detailed yet not tediously dull. The scenes involving Lord Powerscourt meeting with the official representatives of the French village of Puy-en-Velay are particularly entertaining and illustrative of much of the style of the story. The plot is, admittedly, not terribly original and astute readers will likely identify the culprit long before Lord Powerscourt reveals who it is in a typical drawing room-style denouement, but the thrill here is not in discovering whodunit, or even whydunit, but in the glorious journey itself.

Special thanks to Soho Press for providing an ARC of Death of a Pilgrim for this review.

Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

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If you are interested in purchasing Death of a Pilgrim from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): 1905. A pilgrim is killed in Le Puy en Velay, France, and Lord Francis Powerscourt is summoned to investigate.

More deaths plague pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Powerscourt’s own life is put in danger before he solves the murders.

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EA Goes Undercover This Fall with MySims Agents for Wii and DS

In a press release today, Electronic Arts announced it was going undercover with MySims Agents, an exciting mystery-solving adventure game in development for the Nintendo Wii and DS.

Though the general overview of the game for both platforms is similar ("players are the heroic agents who must stop a sinister plot that threatens the fate of an entire city"), the detailed descriptions of the games are decidedly different.

For the Wii, players take on the role of a special agent hired to foil the sinister plans of Morcubus, lord of the criminal underworld. By recruiting different MySims, each with their own special characteristics, players can build up their very own crime-busting dream team. From tracking footprints and using forensics to picking locks, hacking into computers, following leads and collecting clues, players must rely on their wits, skills and trusty gadgets to piece together the clues to solve the mystery. Jump aboard the jet to reach an ancient temple, a spooky mansion or an icy mountaintop chalet in search of clues that lead players closer to the sinister Morcubus.

For the DS, players are agents assigned by their agency to help the mayor stop a notorious thief from stealing an ancient treasure. By searching for clues, solving intricate puzzles and matching wits with the thief, gamers can protect the treasure and the town. Along the way they can talk to their favorite MySims, sharpen their agent skills with 10 different mini-games, and search through underground caverns for clues to the thief’s undoing.

No firm release date was announced, only that MySims Agents will be available worldwide in the Fall of 2009.

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First Clues Review: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

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.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
The Artemis Fowl Series

Miramax (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-7868-1787-9 (0786817879)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7868-1787-0 (9780786817870)
Publication Date: March 2003
List Price: $5.99

Review written by Anand, Age 12, Grade 7. Date of review: April 2009.

Review: If you ever dreamed of a book that was interesting, exciting, and would make your parents scold you for staying up all night, Artemis Fowl is an ideal book for you. Written fabulously by Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl is the first book in a series of six, with the main character being the one and only Artemis Fowl.

Even though Artemis Fowl the Second comes from a family of criminals, his family lost a huge amount of their fortune when Artemis Fowl the First was killed in the Arctic in a business deal. Artemis’s mother has gone insane from losing her husband. Artemis the Second is determined to restore the Fowl fortune with the help of his bodyguard Butler. They are planning to steal fairy gold.

However fairy gold does not come cheaply. First Artemis has to prove that fairies exist, and that they actually own gold to be stolen in the first place. Countless theorizing and researching, Artemis soon encounters a fairy: Captain Holly. She is the only female officer of the fairy police force: LEPrecon. Holly and Artemis soon realize they will be in a battle far greater than anyone would have thought ...

One of the many things I liked about this book is the way it was written. For instance, I liked how average kids, younger than Artemis Fowl himself, could understand what he is thinking and can follow along. Then entire plot is a new twist to literature. Showing that kids can have a brain of an adult and use it wisely, it proves how successful kids in our world can become. The only thing I can think of that I did not enjoy was the code written in the margins of every page that can be decoded! It makes me wonder how long it will take eager readers to decode it. I could see no flaws in the book itself.

I recommend this book to both girls and boys who love fantasy and mystery. I am sure adults can find entertainment through this book too.

The book Artemis Fowl has been expanded into five additional books in the Artemis Fowl series. It is also the winner of the 2004 Young Reader’s Choice Award.

Buy from Amazon.com

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

is pleased to provide information on over 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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Fox to Develop Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta Mysteries with Angelina Jolie in Lead Role

Variety is reporting that Fox 2000 is acquiring the rights to 's Kay Scarpetta mysteries to develop as a vehicle for Angelina Jolie. Fox hopes to develop a film franchise for the series in a manner similar to that of the Jason Bourne thrillers by Robert Ludlum.

As we mentioned yesterday, Cornwell also has a development deal with to adapt her mystery series featuring Boston district attorney Monique Lamont.

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Games of Mystery: Affair Bureau, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery

, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games by visiting our page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Affair Bureau

Use your hidden object skills to help Alex solve mysterious crimes as he begins his own Affair Bureau! After getting bored with following cheating spouses, tracking down lost jewelry, and finding stolen cars, Alex has decided to take on more serious crimes. Investigate freshly discovered crime scenes in this charming noir-like detective story. Find the clues to close the case and capture the crooks!

Affair Bureau, a Big Fish Games exclusive, may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A demonstration version (82.55 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour.

Watch a preview video below:

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Other popular games on our page include several and games, games in the series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Adventure Chronicles: The Search for Lost Treasure, Syberia and Syberia II, The Serpent of Isis, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey, and Nick Chase: A Detective Story.

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: , and .

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

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And don't forget to visit for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Lifetime Networks Announces Slate of Television Programs

In a press release today, Lifetime Networks unveiled its slate of television programs for the 2009 / 2010 season (and beyond).

Highlights (for mystery and suspense fans) include:

• A one-hour drama series based on 's California crime novel The Fallen (in development with a working title of the same).

Murder in Suburbia, in development and formatted from the British series that aired in 2004 / 2005.

• Two Lifetime Original Movies based on the mysteries At Risk and The Front by featuring Boston district attorney Monique Lamont (both in pre-production).

• Lifetime Movie Network original movies based on two of 's Crime of Fashion mysteries featuring fashion editor Lacey Smithsonian, Killer Hair and Hostile Makeover (both scheduled to air this June).

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First Clues Review: The Case of the Terrified Track Star by Angela Elwell Hunt

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 Case of the Terrified Track Star by Angela Elwell Hunt

The Case of the Terrified Track Star by Angela Elwell Hunt

Thomas Nelson (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-89840-338-3 (0898403383)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89840-338-1 (9780898403381)
Publication Date: January 1992
List Price: $5.99

Review written by Sarah, Age 11, Grade 6. Date of review: April 2009.

Review: There was a scream. All of a sudden they saw him, running right toward them, teeth “sharp, bared, and gleaming” (Hunt, 108). What was he doing there??? The Case of the Terrified Track Star is the fourth book in the Nicki Holland mystery series, but the books can be read in any order because each book is an independent mystery. The writer does not give background on the characters in each book, but it is easy to catch on as you read the mystery. The main characters in this book are Nicki Holland, Meredith, Christine, Kim, Laura, Jeremy Newkirk, and Aaron.

The story takes place in Pine Grove at Pine Grove middle school. Some other characters are Coach Milton, Mr. Nichols, Scott, D. N. Downnin, Elinore Anderson, and Coach Linton. The problem is that someone is trying to get Jeremy to not participate in a big race by blackmailing him with his secret fear. The girls have to figure out who threatened him before Jeremy gets too freaked out so that he won’t participate in the race causing the school to potentially lose the trophy.

I liked the book because it made me want to know who was blackmailing Jeremy, even though I had a pretty good guess of who the blackmailer was, I wanted to make sure. I think that the mystery was a little too easy because my guess was right, but I liked the book because it let you figure out the mystery with them, and you got to actually eliminate people and understand why they didn’t blackmail Jeremy. The book also teaches you splendid ways to eliminate suspects if you were solving a real mystery, because “every suspect has to have a motive” (Hunt, 31).

People should read this book because it has an interesting plot, and you will most likely be kept guessing. Also, it tries to trick the reader into believing that other suspects were the blackmailers. Lastly, someone should read this book because it doesn’t give the solution to the mystery away too early so that you can enjoy the challenge of eliminating the characters if you haven’t already figured out the solution. This book is appropriate for children starting at age 6 if they are a strong reader, otherwise, the children the plot may be too confusing. People over the age of 12 may not like this book because they may have read a lot of mystery books and feel that this mystery is too easy to solve.

Buy from Amazon.com

If you are interested in purchasing The Case of the Terrified Track Star from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

is pleased to provide information on over 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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First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: Four New American Girl Mysteries

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids

, your source for information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults where 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), is pleased to announce four new American Girl mysteries featuring Felicity, Julie, Molly, and Samantha.

Lady Margaret's Ghost: A Felicity Mystery

Lady Margaret's Ghost: A Felicity Mystery by Elizabeth McDavid Jones. Felicity Merriman has just said good-bye to her mother, who's going on a trip and leaving Felicity in charge of the house. Mother's carriage has barely left before a surprise package arrives, holding silver heirlooms that have been passed down in the Merriman family for a hundred years. Felicity doesn't believe in ghosts ... but what else can explain the odd and eerie things that begin to happen once the heirlooms arrive? Includes an illustrated "Looking Back" essay that provides facts about Felicity's time. Available in both hardcover and paperback editions.

The Tangled Web: A Julie Mystery

The Tangled Web: A Julie Mystery by Katherine Reiss. Julie really likes the new girl in her class, Carla Warner. Still, there’s something odd about her. The things Carla says don’t quite add up, and she avoids answering questions about her family. At first Julie is sure there’s a sensible explanation, but soon she starts to wonder what’s really going on. A disturbing discovery leads her to realize that her new friend may be in real danger! An illustrated "Looking Back" essay provides facts about America in the 1970s. Available in both hardcover and paperback editions.

Clues in the Shadows: A Molly Mystery

Clues in the Shadows: A Molly Mystery by Kathleen Ernst. Molly still does her patriotic duty to help America win World War Two, but in the spring of 1945 she's weary and troubled. Dad is home safe... but he seems different now. Her archrival at school is driving her crazy. And someone is sneaking into the backyard shed and messing with the scrap she's collecting for a wartime drive. Is the intruder her classmate, her own brother—or a prowler in the night? An illustrated "Looking Back" discusses the challenges that faced veterans' families. Available in both hardcover and paperback editions.

The Cry of the Loon: A Samantha Mystery

The Cry of the Loon: A Samantha Mystery by Barbara Steiner. Samantha can't wait to take Nellie to Piney Point, Grandmary's summer home in the mountains. But the girls arrive to find the lodge plagued with accidents—and Grandmary begins to think about selling. Samantha and Nellie must figure out what's going on before they lose Piney Point forever! Includes an illustrated "Looking Back" essay about the Adirondacks' grand lodges at the turn of the last century. Available in both hardcover and paperback editions.

All thirteen books in the series, available on our website , are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown's Third Robert Langdon Thriller Announced

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

The Associated Press is reporting that Knopf Doubleday has announced the publication date of the third novel by featuring Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon, The Lost Symbol. Few details are available about the plot, but it is reportedly set over a 12-hour period. The Lost Symbol is scheduled to be released September 15, 2009, with a 5 million copy first printing, and is available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

A movie adaptation of the first book in the series, Angels & Demons, starring Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, is set to open May 15, 2009. Hanks previously starred in, the film version of the second book.

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Monday, April 20, 2009

Mysteries on TV: Hawaii Five-O, New This Week on DVD

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 one series that has a season DVD being released this week.

was one of the most successful crime dramas to air on television, running 12 seasons on CBS. In fact, it was the longest running crime series until began its 13th season in 2003. The series starred Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett, head of an elite (and fictional) state police force based in Honolulu. Aside from a handful of episodes, it was filmed entirely on location in Hawaii.

Last August it was widely reported that an updated version of the series was in the works for CBS, with the son of Steve McGarrett as the new head of Hawaii Five-O. Little information has been posted since then, with no mention of the series on CBS's ordered pilots for the 2009/2010 season. IMDB, however, still has a 2010 release date on its website.

The Hawaii Five-O: Season Six DVD set of 6 discs contains the 24 episodes that aired on CBS from September 1973 through February 1974.

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

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Games of Mystery: Jessica, Secret of the Caribbean, New at PlayFirst Games

Games of Mystery

, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce a new mystery game available from PlayFirst Games. You can find out more about these games from our page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Jessica: Secret of the Caribbean

After a series of mystical adventures and finding an ancient artifact (see Jessica: Mysterious Journey, the first game in this series), Jessica and Tony fall in love, get married and set up for a quiet honeymoon to the Caribbean. Things don't go according to plan when they get involved in a whole new hidden object adventure! Help Jessica rescue her kidnapped husband by finding the riches of Jessica's forefather, the famous pirate, Noel! Search intricately detailed scenes for hidden objects, solve perplexing puzzles, and discover a lost treasure tucked away in a secret location!

Jessica: Secret of the Caribbean is available to purchase for $9.95 with the PlayPass program. A trial version is available to download for a 60 minutes of play (Windows PC, 58.6 MB).

Other popular games on our page include the Mystery PI series of casual games, Mystery P.I.: The Vegas Heist and Mystery P.I.: The Lottery Ticket, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet, and Private Eye.

And don't forget to visit for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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