Games of Mystery: Dark Fall, Blood of Betrayal, and Jack Keane, New from Amazon Video Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, murder mystery weekends and mystery getaway vacations, and more mysterious fun, is pleased to announce this week's new mystery and suspense games available for immediate download from Amazon Video Games.

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Dark Fall

A cryptic voice message left by your brother, a talented architect redeveloping an old train station and hotel in a now abandoned area, draws you into a strange new world. Armed with your wits and ghost hunting gadgets, embark on a frightening journey with the aid of clues left behind by the ancients to uncover the mystery of Dark Fall.

Windows Vista / XP (247 MB download).

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Masters of Mystery: Blood of Betrayal

It's late one night and Carrie Chase's dinner plans get interrupted by two grisly murders in a nearby condominium penthouse. Taking her new detective with her, Chase begins unravelling the clues behind these deaths and what she discovers leads to an unravelling of her past she never imagined possible. Enter the shoes of Carrie Chase as she works her way through deception, heartache, interoffice romance and a betrayal so deep it will change her life forever!

Windows Vista / XP (146 MB download).

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Jack Keane

The British Empire is bogged down in difficulties. Trouble is brewing in the Indian colonies. Tooth Island, an island cloaked in mystery, is ruled by the strange Doctor T., a tea-grower and trader obsessed by a sinister cat-and-mouse game with England. He has been accused of using self-bred plant pests to ruin the tea harvests all over India. Yet the truth is: Could there be a lot more at stake? And what can be done against his plans? Queen Victoria decides to send off one of her best men to find out.

Windows Vista / XP (696 MB download).

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A complete list of downloadable mystery games is available on our Games of Mystery: Amazon.com Game Download page.

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Mystery Bestsellers for December 18, 2009

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending December 18, 2009 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

A quiet week, with little change among the top 9 bestsellers. A new title enters the list this week, one that has lurked just below our cutoff for the past several weeks.

Joseph Wambaugh's third Nathan "Hollywood Nate" Weiss mystery, Hollywood Moon moves into 13th position this week.

There's a saying at Hollywood station that the full moon brings out the beast -- rather than the best -- in the precinct's citizens. One moonlit night, LAPD veteran Dana Vaughn and "Hollywood" Nate Weiss, a struggling-actor-turned cop, get a call about a young man who's been attacking women. Meanwhile, two surfer cops known as Flotsam and Jetsam keep bumping into an odd, suspicious duo -- a smooth-talking player in dreads and a crazy-eyed, tattooed biker. No one suspects that all three dubious characters might be involved in something bigger, more high-tech, and much more illegal. After a dizzying series of twists, turns, and chases, the cops will find they've stumbled upon a complex web of crime where even the criminals can't be sure who's conning whom.

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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eHarlequin Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense Titles for January 2010

eHarlequin.com has released the January 2010 titles in their Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense series. Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense books combine suspense, romance, hope and faith to create a unique page-turning series that today’s readers love. To purchase any of the books below, click on the book title. (Previous months titles can be found on the backlist page.)

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Storm Warning by Linda Hall

1st mystery in the Whisper Lake series.

The rustic lakeside homestead is supposed to be a refuge for widow Nori Edwards. However, the moment the single mom arrives, strange and frightening things start happening. Former police officer Steve Baylor—the only resident who'll step foot on the "cursed" property—vows to protect Nori. And catch the shadowy someone dead set on terrorizing her. For the first time, she feels safe. But danger won't stay hidden forever … and neither will Nori's stalker, who's waiting for a chance to let a deadly storm roll in.

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Twin Targets by Marta Perry

1st mystery in the Protecting the Witnesses series.

The Witness Protection Program was supposed to keep Jade Summers's sister safe. So why is U.S. Marshal Micah McGraw saying her twin is dead? Jade doesn't get the chance to ask because their meeting is interrupted by Ruby's killers. The Mob is after Jade…but neither Micah nor Jade know why. Somehow, it's connected to a decades-old crime. Finding the truth could be disastrous, but lives depend on it. Several women are in danger … and Jade is the first one in the killer's sights.

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Smoke Screen by Stephanie Newton

First, his fiancée was murdered. Next, a dear friend. Is an arsonist targeting firehouse chaplain Jake Rollins through his loved ones? FBI agent Chloe Davis is on the case—even though it brings her far too close to the handsome pastor. Chloe has always worked undercover, trusting only herself. How can she believe a man who says he knows her—and loves her—for who she is? Only when the smoke begins to clear will Chloe learn to see past her doubts and fears … and find the vengeful killer closer than anyone realizes.

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Endless Night by Dana Mentink

On the run, Jackie Swann returns to the last place anyone would look for her: Alaska's Delucchi Lodge. The retreat was the site of her brother Danny's fatal accident—and is home to pilot Roman Carter, the man she once loved. The man she still blames for Danny's death. But the Delucchis have secrets of their own that throw her back into Roman's path. With no one to trust, Jackie finds danger closing in on all sides, and the final showdown could leave her lost in an endless night … or bring the truth to light.

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If you enjoy the suspense books in this series, you can get 2 free Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense books plus 2 free gifts just for giving the automatic program a try. Accepting your two free Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense books and mystery gifts places you under no obligation to buy anything. You may keep the books and gifts and return the shipping statement marked cancel. If you do not cancel, about two months later, and then every other month, eHarlequin will send you four additional Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense books.

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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Dreamworks Animation to Adapt Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez

Variety is reporting that Dreamworks Animation will film an adaptation of Gil's All Fright Diner, the 2006 debut comic / thriller / fantasy / horror novel by A. Lee Martinez. Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) is set to direct.

About Gil's All Fright Diner: Welcome to Gil's All Night Diner, where zombie attacks are a regular occurrence and you never know what might be lurking in the freezer ...

Duke and Earl are just passing through Rockwood county in their pick-up truck when they stop at the Diner for a quick bite to eat. They aren't planning to stick around-until Loretta, the eatery's owner, offers them $100 to take care of her zombie problem. Given that Duke is a werewolf and Earl's a vampire, this looks right up their alley. But the shambling dead are just the tip of a particularly spiky iceberg. Seems someone's out to drive Loretta from the Diner, and more than willing to raise a little Hell on Earth if that's what it takes. Before Duke and Earl get to the bottom of the Diner's troubles, they'll run into such otherworldly complications as undead cattle, an amorous ghost, a jailbait sorceress, and the terrifying occult power of pig-latin. And maybe -- just maybe -- the End of the World, too.

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Games of Mystery: Dark Tales, Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue Collector's Edition, New from Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and murder mystery weekends 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 Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Be the first to play Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder in the Rue Morgue with this special Collector’s Edition. Use your hidden object and adventure game talent to solve a dreadful murder in the Rue Morgue! Experience all the exclusive Collector’s Edition extras including additional adventure and hidden object scenes, puzzles, and a preview of the next game in the series! The integrated Deluxe Strategy Guide also includes exclusive music files, concept art, screensavers, and desktop wallpapers.

The standard version of the game, without the extras included in the Collector’s Edition, will be released in 2 to 3 weeks.

Also available: Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's Murder in the Rue Morgue Game Walkthrough.

Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's Murder in the Rue Morgue Collector's Edition, a Big Fish Games exclusive, may be downloaded and purchased for $19.95 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version is not available.

Watch a preview video below:

Get any game for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. Other benefits include the $2.99 Daily Deal, Tomorrow's Game Today, and special member rewards. And if you purchase any 6 games within a single month, you earn a free game with the Big Fish Game Club Monthly Punch Card!

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy (Review), Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (Review), The Hardy Boys: The Perfect Crime (Review), Enlightenus (Review), and Nick Chase: A Detective Story (Review).

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

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

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Sony in Discussions to Option English Language Film Rights to The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Sony Pictures is in final discussions to option the English language film rights for the thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the other two books of the Millennium trilogy by the late Stieg Larsson. Swedish language film versions of the books have already been released, the first of which will open in the US in March 2010; MBN featured a clip from the film last week.

The article is quick to point out that the Sony films would not be remakes per se, but adaptations from the original books.

About The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired to get to the bottom of the disappearance -- and possible murder -- of a Harriet Vanger, a young woman from one of the wealthiest families in Sweden who vanished 40 years ago. He's assisted by world-class computer hacker Lisbeth Salander in his investigation, and together, this unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism—and an unexpected connection between themselves.

Read our review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on Mysterious Reviews.

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eHarlequin Silhouette Romantic Suspense Titles for January 2010

Sparked by danger, fueled by passion, eHarlequin.com has released the January 2010 titles in their Silhouette Romantic Suspense series. Let yourself be swept away with characters who fall in love under larger-than-life circumstances. In Silhouette Romantic Suspense, suspense, emotion and glamour combine to create these highly charged books! For more information or to purchase any of the books below, click on the book title or book cover. (Previous months titles can be found on the backlist page.)

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Criminal Deception by Marilyn Pappano

This is far from over.

After being the target of a Mob hit intended for his twin brother, Joe Saldana had settled in to his trauma-free life in Copper Lake. But when his brother's girlfriend, Liz Dalton, entered the coffee shop looking for his twin, Joe found his new life suddenly unraveling. The threat still existed—and so did the white-hot attraction between Joe and Liz.

A U.S. Marshal, Liz had taken precautions to ensure her pretend boyfriend's safety. Now that he had escaped protective custody, she had to find him and bring him in to testify. She didn't count on needing Joe's help, on deceiving him yet again. She could only count on wanting him despite all the reasons she shouldn't…

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The Agent's Proposal by Lyn Stone

Her cover: sexy heiress on a French Riviera spree. Her mission: find the terrorist hacker threatening to shut down America's power grid. And SEXTANT agent Tess Bradshaw plans to play this first assignment strictly by the book. But to successfully stay under cover, she needs ex-CIA agent Cameron Cochran's wild-card expertise in breaking all the rules.

Cameron has taken this case strictly to clear his name. Helping this innocent newbie strip down to her secrets to play bad-girl bait is a nice but distracting bonus. With the clock ticking and lethal mercenaries closing in, surrendering to each other might be their only chance…

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The Private Bodyguard by Debra Cowan

Won't marriage interfere with your being dead?

Dr. Meredith Boren goes to her lake house to box up her past—a past that included her dead ex-fiancé, Gage Parrish. But in the middle of the night she finds the handsome fire investigator, very much alive, wounded and bleeding at her kitchen sink.

Now as they search for a vengeful arsonist, Gage risks his life again to protect the woman he still loves. And although Meredith is tempted to give herself over, body and soul, it'll take more than Gage returning from the dead for her to trust him again…

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A Doctor's Watch by Vickie Taylor

A year after the death of her husband, single mother Mia Serrat finally got herself back on track…when a mysterious accident left her fearing for her life—and her heart. Mia knew that Ty Hansen, the hotshot psychiatrist assigned to her case, was the last man she should be falling for. Yet their professional relationship quickly became personal. Very personal. Their forbidden romance screeched to a halt when Mia's son went missing and she was named as the prime suspect. Could she convince Ty of both her sanity and her innocence before it was too late?

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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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Games of Mystery: Samantha Swift and the Mystery of Atlantis, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and murder mystery weekends 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 Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

More twists than ever before as archaeologist-adventurer Samantha Swift races across the globe visiting the lost tribes of Atlantis in a daring search for the missing pieces to an Atlantean treasure. Each tribe hold a piece of an ancient artifact that tunes into the Senses, and it's up to Sam to recover them before the relic is used for evil. Dire consequences for humanity are at stake from a calculating new villain who crosses her path at every turn.

Players can delve into more than 40 hidden-object adventure levels with clever puzzles to solve all along the way. For the first time, players can customize their adventure. Choose a relaxed experience with a robust hint system, or a timed challenge with scoring. Repeat the fun in either mode and unlock the special hidden object mode for those times when you just want to seek and find.

See also the first two games in the series, Samantha Swift and the Hidden Roses of Athena and Samantha Swift and the Golden Touch.

Also available: Samantha Swift and the Mystery from Atlantis Strategy Guide and Samantha Swift and the Mystery from Atlantis Game Walkthrough.

Samantha Swift and the Mystery from Atlantis may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (163.24 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour.

Watch a preview video below:

Get any game for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. Other benefits include the $2.99 Daily Deal, Tomorrow's Game Today, and special member rewards. And if you purchase any 6 games within a single month, you earn a free game with the Big Fish Game Club Monthly Punch Card!

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy (Review), Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (Review), The Hardy Boys: The Perfect Crime (Review), Enlightenus (Review), and Nick Chase: A Detective Story (Review).

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

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

Return to Mystery Books News ...