Deadline|New York is reporting that New Regency has optioned the film rights to Three Seconds, the fifth mystery in the Sundkvist and Grens series by Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström.
The novel, published in 2009 under the title Tre Sekunder in the authors' native Sweden, is just the second of the series to be published in the US. It was recognized with the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award 2009 for "Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year".
In the book, a man is forced to seize control of one of Sweden’s maximum security prisons ... from the inside. It's an operation assigned by the police force. And by the Polish mafia. He realizes he is on his own, can trust no one, and that from the moment his double play is revealed he will become a huge liability for police and mafia alike. He calls himself Paula and he knows he could be dead in just three seconds.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Film Rights Optioned for the Swedish Thriller Three Seconds by Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström
OMN Welcomes Sharon Henegar, Author of the Willow Falls Mysteries
Omnimystery News is delighted to welcome Sharon Henegar as our guest blogger. Sharon's first book in her Willow Falls series is Sleeping Dogs Lie (Saturday Books, August 2010 Trade Paperback, 978-0-9840648-4-7).
Today, Sharon writes about Slow Book Cookery.
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Readers sometimes ask me how long it takes to write a book. I blush to admit that the initial idea for Sleeping Dogs Lie, the first in my Willow Falls series, occurred to me over thirty years ago.
You don’t want to rush into these things. Really.
I sat in the car one night waiting for my husband to come out of the grocery store. The place: Eugene, Oregon; the year: 1977. I thought, what if Steven came out and got into another car and drove away? Would he be a spy who’d been leading a double life during the five years we’d been married? Had someone for some unknown reason handed him their car keys and begged him to drive the car somewhere? Had he robbed a cashier, stolen the car keys from another shopper, miraculously found that person’s car without hesitation, and made his getaway? I played idly with several scenarios. A few minutes later Steven came out of the store, got calmly into our car, and drove us home.
I was a little disappointed.
The years flew by. I wrote this and that, and sometimes I'd think about that what-if. It stubbornly refused to leave my head—or get any further. What I needed (and didn’t know I needed) was a writing group.
Part of my philosophy of life (if I can give it so grand a name) is that things happen when they are supposed to. I moved to Southern California in 2001, where I knew no one except my husband. I saw a notice for an evening class at one of the local universities on getting started as a writer. Maybe this was what I needed. But I felt intimidated at going by myself—and I had no idea where the campus was. So I dropped by the office of one of my new colleagues. Though I barely knew her I asked if she’d like to take this writing class with me. To her own amazement she said yes.
The class turned out to be okay but not great. I'm unimpressed by teachers who begin a session with the words, “So what do you guys want to know about?” (My translation: “I'm completely unprepared and hope you won’t notice I'm winging it.”) We both enjoyed the process of free writing as a kick start, but the lasting benefit of the class was that we met two other writers we liked. We started a writing group. And we were off.
We agreed that we’d each bring something we’d written to our first meeting, and you know what I pulled out of mothballs. I knew that an idea I hadn't been able to shake for thirty years was compelling. I began to write in the first person, and discovered someone named Louisa had been hanging around waiting for me to tell her story. Unfortunately Louisa and I were equally clueless about what happened next. Fortunately I had three creative plotters in my group.
We brainstormed. They asked questions about the two characters in the scene. Answers at the time: I don’t know—but this time I knew I'd be able to find out. We all made wild guesses about who these people were and what might happen next. I made notes and wrote another section in time for our next meeting. Each month I got further. I wrote myself (and Louisa) into corners. The group helped us out again. We surged forward, backtracked, sidestepped, tripped once or twice, and kept writing. And then something magical happened.
I got to type the words “The End” on my page. (They come right after Louisa explains what she’s learned on her journey through the book, which is “I bite.”)
Of course it wasn’t really the end. It was the beginning of learning about rewriting, and the realization that Sleeping Dogs Lie was the first in a series. Louisa had a lot more to say, which I wanted to find out about because quite frankly the woman cracks me up. Luckily for me I'm not the only one who’s found her funny, or who enjoys a cozy thriller.
So far I've felt the incomparable thrill of “The End” three times. Sleeping Dogs Lie is available now; In Dogs We Trust will be published in early 2011 (“The End” comes after “Rollo barked”) and The Dog Prince still faces those rewrites. But Louisa insists I get busy on it, and with the help of my writing group I will.
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Sharon Henegar is a children's services librarian, living in Southern California with her husband, mixed breed dogs Lizzie and Edward, and cats Noll Baxter and Mrs. Wilberforce. Visit her website at SaturdayBooks.com/SharonHenegar.
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About Sleeping Dogs Lie: On a rainy October night, Louisa McGuire waits in the car while her friend Bob makes a dash into the grocery store. Soon he comes out again—but with him is a woman in a sleek red suit. She leads him to her Mercedes and they drive away. Has Louisa been ditched, or has Bob been kidnapped?
She enlists the help of her cousin Kay, owner of an antique store, and two intrepid canines, Jack and Emily Ann, to follow the scant clues to find Bob. Find him they do—but when they learn who he really is, they find out that the stakes are high. Will they avoid being the next victims of a cold-blooded murderer?
Sleeping Dogs Lie is available in trade paperback and popular eBook formats from Saturday Books.
Production on Burn Notice Prequel Underway
Last November, we reported that a made-for-television film prequel had been greenlighted for the popular USA Network series Burn Notice.
Now we're learning (via TV|Line) that production is underway in Bogota, Columbia. Directed by Jeffrey Donovan (who plays burned spy Michael Westen in the series) and starring Bruce Campbell (who plays Westen's friend Sam Axe), the film takes place in 2005 and feature's Axe's last mission as a Navy SEAL.
Other cast members include Chandra West (The Gates) as Sam's girlfriend, RonReaco Lee (Let's Stay Together, The Good Guys) and Kiele Sanchez (The Glades) as Americans providing humanitarian aid in Columbia, and John Diehl (The Shield, Point Pleasant) as Sam's commander.
The (apparently still untitled) Burn Notice prequel is expected to air on USA later this spring.
Tyler Perry Cast as Alex Cross in Film Adaptation of I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Tyler Perry will reprise Morgan Freeman's role as Alex Cross in a film adaptation of I, Alex Cross, the 16th book in this long-running series of mysteries by James Patterson. Rob Cohen will direct a screenplay, originally drafted by Patterson and Kerry Williamson.
Freeman played the homicide detective with a background in forensic psychology in two previous adaptations of Patterson's novels, Kiss the Girls (1997) and Along Came a Spider (2001). In a separate project, now apparently shelved, Idris Elba had been cast as Alex Cross in a film adaptation of the author's 12th book, simply titled Cross.
In I, Alex Cross, the detective is pulled out of a family celebration and given the awful news that a beloved relative has been found brutally murdered. Alex vows to hunt down the killer, and soon learns that she was mixed up in one of Washington's wildest scenes. And she was not this killer's only victim. The hunt for her murderer leads Alex and his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, to a place where every fantasy is possible, if you have the credentials to get in. Alex and Bree are soon facing down some very important, very protected, very dangerous people in levels of society where only one thing is certain -- they will do anything to keep their secrets safe.
You can read the first chapter(s) of I, Alex Cross below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.
Monday, January 31, 2011
ABC Family Orders Series Adaptation of The Nine Lives of Chloe King by Celia Thomson
Last September we reported that ABC Family had ordered a pilot for a drama adapted from The Fallen, the first book in "The Nine Lives of Chloe King" series of paranormal suspense novels by Celia Thomson.
Today Inside TV reports that the cable network has ordered nine episodes for the first season of the series, also titled The Nine Lives of Chloe King.
In the book, Chloe thinks she is just a normal 16-year-old girl until she falls from Coit Tower in San Francisco and dies. But then she wakes up to find things have changed in her new life. She has the ability to see in the dark. And she has claws. And someone is trying to kill her. Luckily she has eight lives to go.
You can read the first chapter(s) of The Fallen below. Use the Aa button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.
Set the Night on Fire by Libby Fischer Hellmann (Mystery Book Review)
Set the Night on Fire by Libby Fischer Hellmann. Non-series. Allium Press Hardcover, December 2010.
The unknown elements from the past, from the people Lila Hilliard meets to the items she finds among her late father's effects, and how they relate to the present events -- including attempts to kill her -- add to the overall intrigue of the story. But a lengthy, and largely unnecessary, backstory introduced midway through disrupts the flow of the story.
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Set the Night on Fire by Libby Fischer Hellmann.
Purchase Options: 
Read the first chapter(s) of Set the Night on Fire below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.
Mystery and Suspense TV and Films, New This Week on DVD and Blu-ray Disc (110201)
Checking through our list of films currently scheduled for release this week on DVD and/or Blu-ray disc, shown below are those that fall into the mystery, suspense, and thriller categories.
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The Long Good Friday (1980)
Entrepreneurial mob boss Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins) runs an underworld empire but his dreams are much bigger. He and his sophisticated wife (Helen Mirren) aspire to partner with American mobsters to turn the barren docklands of London into a development for the upcoming Olympics. But their perfect plan begins to unravel when a string of deadly bombings leads Shand to the stunning realization that he is being targeted by the IRA. A bloody race to hold on to his crumbling schemes brings him to an explosive climax in this taut, riveting thriller. (R, 1:53)
Purchase Options: DVD | Blu-ray | VOD
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Mona Lisa (1986)
An ex-convict, thug and a high-class call girl make for an unlikely and dangerous couple in a tale of frustrated love on the cruel streets of London's underworld. Bob Hoskins stars as George, a working class hood whose growing obsession with the exotic and cunning Simone (Cathy Tyson) will lead him down a dark and bloody path. The supporting cast includes Robbie Coltrane, Sammi Davis, and Michael Caine. (R, 1:14)
Purchase Options: DVD | Blu-ray | VOD
Telemystery: Blue Murder and Single-Handed, New This Week on DVD
Telemystery, your source for one of the most comprehensive selections of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series, mini-series and made-for-television movies, now available on or coming soon to DVD or Blu-ray disc, is profiling two series being released this week.
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Caroline Quentin stars as DCI Janine Lewis in Blue Murder, a British crime drama that aired for four seasons on an irregular schedule on ITV from 2003 through 2008.
On the job, Lewis deals with the ugly side of human nature, investigating Manchester’s most gruesome crimes. At home, she's a harried but devoted single mother of four, struggling to balance her challenging career with the stresses and rewards of family life.
Caroline Quentin perfectly captures Lewis's strength and vulnerability as she balances work and family, aided by her handsome, dedicated partner (Ian Kelsey).
The Blue Murder: The Complete Collection DVD set of 9 discs contain all 19 episodes of this series that follows the gritty realities of Lewis’s career from her initial promotion through personal and professional ups and downs — always presented with a touch of wry humor and keen observations about modern motherhood.
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When Garda Sergeant Jack Driscoll (Owen McDonnell) returns home to the windswept west coast of Ireland, his father — and predecessor at his new post — warns: "Out here, it’s a team of one." As chief law-enforcement officer in this insular community, Jack soon learns the hard truth in those words in Single-Handed, a series that premiered on RTE in Ireland and ITV in the UK in 2007.
Small-town life presents challenges he never faced in Dublin — among them, winning the respect of the villagers and escaping the shadow of his father (Ian McElhinney), whose methods relied more on pragmatism than principle.
The Single-Handed: Set One DVD set of 3 discs contain the three multi-part episodes "Natural Justice", "The Stolen Child", and "The Drowning Man".
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Visit the Telemystery website to discover more television mystery series currently available on and coming soon to DVD and Blu-ray disc.
Mystery Godoku Puzzle for January 31, 2011
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!).
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This week's letters and mystery clue:
A E G H I M N W Y
PI DD McGil is hunting for this author in the 2nd mystery in this series by Diane Gilbert Madsen (9 letters).
We now have two weeks of our puzzles on one page 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!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Mr. E. Reviews RED
All the principal actors have an easy rapport with each other, and seem to be enjoying the roles they're playing. But the story takes an awfully long time to get going, despite plenty of action scenes in the first hour of the film. It really isn't until about sixty minute mark that the plot starts to gel and get interesting.
Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews RED.
Available on: 
Mr. E. Reviews is your source for mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama reviews of television and film.
