Enter a Dark, Mysterious and Captivating World in Black Mirror II: Reigning Evil, New for Windows PC

Twelve years ago, an unspeakable darkness was banished from Black Mirror Castle … or so they thought! It's time to re-enter a dark, mysterious and captivating world in the sequel Black Mirror II: Reigning Evil.

When solitary Darren Michaels befriends the beautiful Angelina, he has no idea what the fates hold in store for him. The alluring Angelina has also attracted the eye of several others; and when she suddenly disappears, Darren finds himself questioning what has happened to her while he is haunted by a series of torturous and ever-intensifying nightmares.

Darren's search for his missing friend and his own sanity take him on a chilling expedition from his small New England town to Willow Creek, England - and the reigning evil of Black Mirror Castle. Darren's journey will immerse him in the dark secrets and turbulent history of the castle's ill-fated Gordon Family. Legend has it that the Gordon's were haunted by an ancient curse that ultimately led to their demise more than a decade earlier. Will Darren be able overcome these demons and find Angelina? Or will he become the curse's next victim?

Black Mirror Castle is reincarnated with over 100 atmospheric locations to explore and 40 different characters to interact with. Will Darren's search lead him to redemption or the hell of insanity? The answers can only be found in the Black Mirror -- for once you gaze into it, you won't be able to look away.

Black Mirror II: Reigning Evil is scheduled to be released on February 8th, 2011, and may be pre-ordered. It is indicated as Rating Pending, but the original is rated M for Mature.

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Games of Mystery is your source for mystery-themed video, electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, murder mystery weekends and mystery getaway vacations, and more mysterious fun!

I-play to Release Dying for Daylight February 11th

Last November, I-play announced a collaboration with crime novelist Charlaine Harris to produce a casual game based on one of her characters.

The game developer has now released a new trailer for its upcoming PC title, Dying For Daylight and announced the date the game will be available: February 11th. (The new trailer is embedded below).

In the game, created in collaboration with the author, players to take on the role of Dahlia Lynley-Chivers, a vampire with a devastating sense of fashion and a razor-sharp wit, who appears in several of Harris' short stories.

The trailer introduces viewers to Dahlia, as well as the vivid and eerie environments she must explore while uncovering clues in a journey to procure a legendary sun potion that allows vampires to survive in daylight.

Available for PC download beginning February 11, 2011, every vampire will have their day!

Reviews of Mystery and Suspense Books for Kids, New This Week on Book Trends (110205)

Book Trends, a review site for young adult and children books, published several new book reviews this past week. We're presenting here a summary of those in the mystery/suspense/thriller category.

Scared to Death by Norah McClintock. The third mystery in the Chloe & Levesque series, recommended for readers aged 13 and older. Lexile measure: N/A. Reviewed by a 6th grade student, who writes, "I think this book is an amazing story with interesting characters and ominous tension rising throughout the book. Chloe is a smart character who is open to new ideas which, is one of my favorite things about her." (Read the entire review.)

For more reviews of children and young adult books of all genres, visit Book Trends; their reviews will amaze you! You can also follow Book Trends on Twitter.

Solve the Dark Mystery of a Submerged Town in Phantasmat, New from BFG

Games of Mystery is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery casual game from Big Fish Games released today and available to BFG Club members. 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.

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After crashing your car in the middle of nowhere, you stumble upon The Drowned Dead Hotel, a lonely forgotten structure leaning from a cliff. Beneath lies a dark and cold lake that used to be a lively town, submerged after a dam accident. What secrets are buried at the bottom of the muddy waters? Who are the mysterious inhabitants of the hotel? Uncover the dark mystery of a sunken town in this beautifully hand-drawn adventure game, that blends multiple game modes with an engaging and stirring storyline, and get to the bottom of a long forgotten tragedy.

For a more in-depth playing experience, check out the Phantasmat Collector's Edition, full of exclusive extras not available in the standard game, including a bonus adventure, wallpapers, replayable levels, and more.

Phantasmat (Standard Edition) may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (175.48 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour.

Watch a preview video below:

Get any standard 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! (Collector's Editions earn 3 punches each, half-way towards your free game!)

Read Ms. Terri's reviews of the adventure and casual mystery games featured on this site, including Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy, Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!, Enlightenus, and many more!

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

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Games of Mystery is your source for mystery-themed video, electronic, and board games, parties for kids and adults, and murder mystery weekends and mystery getaway vacations!

CBS Films Acquires Rights to Futuristic YA Thriller Legend by Marie Lu

The Wrap is reporting that CBS Films has pre-emptively acquired the film rights to Legend, a futuristic young adult thriller, and the first of an expected trilogy, by Marie Lu. The book is scheduled to be published by Putnam in November 2011.

Set in 2130, the United States is gone, along with its flooded coasts. North America's two warring nations, the western Republic and the eastern Colonies, have reached a breaking point. In the midst of this broken continent and dark new world are two teenagers who will go down in history ...

Born into the slums of the Republic's Lake sector, fifteen-year old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. A mysterious boy with no recorded image or fingerprints. A boy who should no longer exist. A boy who watches over his family until one evening, when the plague patrols mark his family's door with an X -- the sign of plague infection. A death sentence for any family too poor to afford the antidote. Desperate, Day has no choice; he must steal it.

Born to an elite family in the wealthy Ruby sector, fifteen-year old June is the Republic's most promising prodigy. A superintelligent girl destined for great things in the country's highest military circles. Obedient, passionate, and committed to her country -- until the day her brother Metias is murdered while on patrol during a break-in at the plague hospital.

Only one person could be responsible. Day. And now it's June's mission to hunt him down. The truth they'll uncover will become legend.

NBC Orders Pilot for Remake of Prime Suspect

It was almost a year ago that NBC shelved its remake of Prime Suspect. Now we're learning (via The Hollywood Reporter) that the network has picked up a pilot for the series, set in a New York precient dominated by men.

The original Prime Suspect, which aired seven "seasons" over a period of 15 years, stars Helen Mirren as Detective Chief Inspector (and later Detective Superintendent) Jane Tennison, and was created by crime novelist Lynda La Plante. NBC's remake is scripted by Alexandra Cunningham (Desperate Housewives, Fastlane).

What held NBC up last year was reportedly difficulty in casting the lead. No word yet on who might be up for the part this time around.

Jeff Bridges Cast in YA Fantasy Adaptation The Seventh Son

In some casting (and potential casting) news, Just Jared is reporting that Jeff Bridges will play the role of John Gregory in The Seventh Son, a film adaptation of the young adult fantasy novel The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney.

Published under the heading "The Wardstone Chronicles" in the UK, the books of "The Last Apprentice" series feature the seventh son of a seventh son, Thomas J. Ward, who is sent to apprentice under John Gregory, the County Spook, a powerful figure who deals with evils of the dark.

Offers are out to Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four) for the role of Thomas and to Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) for the role of a suspected witch (presumably the Alice Deane character in the book).

The are currently seven books in the series, with an eighth to be published this year.

15 Mysterious Facts about Midsomer Murders

DCI Thomas Barnaby solved his final murder this week as ITV aired the last episode of Midsomer Murders to star John Nettles as the lead investigator for Causton CID. (Fans in the US won't likely see the episode until 2012 at the earliest.)

In a look back at the series, The Telegraph has published 15 mysterious facts about Midsomer Murders, noting that it has featured 222 murders, 11 accidental deaths, 11 suicides, and 7 deaths from natural causes over its 14 year / 81 episode run (to date). Be advised: There are one or two spoilers in the list.

One fact they don't mention is that the series is based on characters created by crime novelist Caroline Graham. Indeed, the series pilot and many of its early episodes were adapted from her mysteries featuring Barnaby. (One of the mysterious facts noted by The Telegraph is that the series was originally titled Barnaby; Anthony Horowitz, who wrote several of the early screenplays, suggested Midsomer Murders.)

Our resident film and television reviewer, Mr. E., has published a number of reviews of the series; you can find them on the Mr. E. Reviews website.

Though John Nettles is retiring as Thomas Barnaby, the popular series continues production with Neil Dudgeon taking over as DCI John Barnaby, the former DCI's cousin (and introduced in episode 75, "The Sword of Guillaume"). Jason Hughes, who plays DS Ben Jones, Barnaby's partner, will continue in the same role. Four new episodes are scheduled to air on ITV later this year.

Mystery Bestsellers for February 04, 2011

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending February 4th, 2011 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

No change in the top three from last week, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson remains atop the list, with James Patterson's latest taking over the 4th spot.

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Tick Tock is the fourth mystery by James Patterson (and Michael Ledwidge) to feature NYPD Detective Michael Bennett.

A rash of horrifying crimes tears through the city, throwing it into complete chaos and terrorizing everyone living there. Immediately, it becomes clear that they are not the work of an amateur, but of a calculating, efficient, and deadly mastermind.

The city calls on Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside retreat with his ten adopted children, his grandfather, and their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine. Not only does it tear apart their vacation, it leaves the entire family open to attack.

Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI Agent Emily Parker. As his affection for Emily grows into something stronger, his relationship with Mary Catherine takes an unexpected turn. All too soon, another appalling crime leads Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer's pattern and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan.

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Moving up from 19 to 8 is Heartstone, the 5th Matthew Shardlake mystery by C. J. Sansom.

It is Summer, 1545, England is at war, and Matthew Shardlake is about to encounter the most politically dangerous case of his career.

While a massive French fleet prepares to attack, every able-bodied man is being pressed into military service. Meanwhile, an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr asks Shardlake to investigate claims of "monstrous wrongs" committed against a young ward of the court.

Shardlake's inquiries take him and his loyal assistant, Jack Barak, to Hoyland Priory and Portsmouth, where the English fleet is gathering. There they uncover a startling link between the ward and a woman incarcerated in Bedlam.

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Finally, new this week at number 14 is The Death Instinct, the second Stratham Younger mystery by Jed Rubenfeld.

Under a clear blue September sky, America's financial center in lower Manhattan became the site of the largest, deadliest terrorist attack in the nation's history. It was September 16, 1920. Four hundred people were killed or injured. The country was appalled by the magnitude and savagery of the incomprehensible attack, which remains unsolved to this day.

War veteran Dr. Stratham Younger and his friend Captain James Littlemore of the New York Police Department are caught on Wall Street on the fateful day of the blast. With them is the beautiful Colette Rousseau, a French radiochemist whom Younger meets while fighting in the world war. A series of inexplicable attacks on Rousseau, a secret buried in her past, and a mysterious trail of evidence lead Young, Littlemore, and Rousseau on a thrilling international and psychological journey-from Paris to Prague, from the Vienna home of Dr. Sigmund Freud to the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., and ultimately to the hidden depths of our most savage instincts. As the seemingly disjointed pieces of what Younger and Littlemore learn come together, the two uncover the shocking truth behind the bombing.

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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.

Vince Flynn: "This is a Battle I Do Not Plan on Losing"

The Rap Sheet posted a personal note from thriller novelist Vince Flynn, which itself was posted on the author's website, and we wanted to share the information with our readers.

In November, at the end of my last tour, I was diagnosed with Stage III metastatic prostate cancer. Just a few years ago, this diagnosis would have been a death sentence. Today, specialists are making great strides in the areas of hormone therapy and immune response, and there are several very promising drug trials that are changing the landscape of how prostate cancer is treated.

My treatments are working very well, and my near term prognosis is extremely good. In other words, I have more than a few Rapp novels left in me. My attitude is strong, and I feel better than I have in years. I am blessed to be surrounded by a wonderful wife, family, and great friends who have been extremely supportive. My faith has seen me through the darkest moments, and early on, when the diagnosis was not entirely accurate, things were very dark indeed. I am also blessed that I live in a part of the country that is known for great medical care. I have a wonderful group of doctors who are confident that I can beat this thing. For those of you who have gotten to know me, it will not be a surprise to you that this is a battle I do not plan on losing. As with any cancer, this is serious, but the good news is that I have lots of options for slowing this thing down, and then hopefully killing it.

I am currently working with Brian Haig on our joint novel and have started the next Rapp novel that should be out in October of 2011. Please keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers, and I will try to keep you posted as things progress.

Our thoughts and best wishes are with Vince Flynn and his family.

We had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Flynn's most recent Mitch Rapp novel, American Assassin, a prequel to the series, calling it "a pulse-pounding thriller, one not easily put down."

You can read the first chapter(s) of American Assassin below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

NBC Pulls Chase from Schedule, Orders Pilot for Alternate Reality Series REM

Some prime time crime news out of NBC.

Just yesterday we learned that NBC has cut The Cape to 10 episodes, effectively canceling it at the end of this month.

Now the network has pulled the low-rated Chase, starring Kelli Giddish as US Marshal Annie Frost, who tracks down violent criminals on the run, from its schedule, effective immediately. It will likely be replaced by (start groaning now) the game show Minute to Win It.

In other news, NBC has picked up (according to Deadline: Hollywood) a pilot for REM, an Inception-styled thriller about a cop who wakes up after an accident to find he is living in two different realities.

Enter to Win a Collection of Julia Spencer-Fleming Mysteries from Minotaur Books

If you haven't already done so, head on over to Minotaur Books, where the publisher is giving three readers a chance to win all six books in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series by Julia Spencer-Fleming plus an advanced reading copy of the seventh, One Was a Soldier, scheduled to be published this April. You have until March 1st, 2011 to enter.

The first book in the series In the Bleak Midwinter, was the winner of the 2001 Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best Traditional Mystery Novel Contest. The book went on to be honored with the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel, and several others. The fifth book in the series, All Mortal Flesh, was given the Nero Award in 2007.

The mysteries are set in the Adirondack town of Millers Kill in upstate New York, and feature Episcopal priest, The Reverend Clare Fergusson and the local Chief of Police, Russ Van Alstyne.

You can find out how it all started by reading the first chapter(s) of In the Bleak Midwinter below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

Cold Weather Opens in Theaters (Limited) Friday, February 4th

Rather than feature the two thrillers opening widely in theaters tomorrow, Friday February 4th (those would be Sanctum and The Roommate), we thought we'd spotlight an indie mystery with a limited initial run.

Cris Lankenau stars as Doug, a self-styled Sherlock Holmes who has abandoned an academic career in forensic science to return home to Portland (Oregon). He lands a dead-end job working in an ice factory, but soon finds an opportunity to use his passion and skill in detective work when his ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) goes missing. Enlisting a team of ramshackle slacker-sleuths, Doug leads his team down a complex trail of clues and increasingly close to the discovering the mysterious truth about Rachel.

Written and directed by Aaron Katz, you can watch the trailer below.

The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman (Mystery Book Review)

The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman. A Tess Monaghan Mystery. William Morrow Trade Paperback, January 2011.

This novella -- a format rarely used by authors, but one that has great appeal nonetheless -- works as a simply presented whodunit that plays out in an unexpected manner. The storyline is, to be sure, a little thin here and there and goes off on seemingly unrelated tangents, but the credibly developed mystery plot offers a satisfactory and enjoyable puzzle to solve.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman.

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Read the first chapter(s) of The Girl in the Green Raincoat below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

A&E Developing Boston-based Crime Drama Overload

Deadline|Hollywood is reporting that A&E is potentially adding to its slate of prime time crime series, developing Overload, a crime drama set in Boston and featuring a female detective blessed -- and cursed -- with hyper-acute senses.

John Pogue (Ghost Ship, The Skulls, U.S. Marshals) and Irwin Winkler (The Mechanic, the Rocky films) are behind the project.