Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Frozen Assets by Quentin Bates (Mystery Book Review)

Frozen Assets by Quentin Bates
More information about the book

Frozen Assets by Quentin Bates. A Gunnhildur Gísladóttir Mystery. Soho Crime Hardcover, January 2011.

This first in a new series featuring Gunnhildur "Gunna the Cop" Gísladóttir and set in a rural fishing village in Iceland has an appealing lead character, one readers will want to get to know better, but whose murder investigation seems less important to the plot than a running commentary on the macroeconomic climate of the country in 2008.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Frozen Assets by Quentin Bates.

Purchase Options: Amazon.com Print Edition | Amazon.com Kindle Edition | Barnes&Noble NookBook | Kobo eBook

Read the first chapter(s) of Frozen Assets below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: New Titles For March 2011 (Part 1)

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is pleased to announce a selection of new mystery, suspense and thriller books (including series books) scheduled for publication during March 2011.

Due to the large number of titles being published, we're splitting the list into two, with books for readers aged 4 to 9 shown below, and books for readers aged 10 and older listed tomorrow.

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The Case of the Library Monster by Dori Butler

The Case of the Library Monster More Information about the book
Dori Butler
The Buddy Files: 5th in series

Buddy is in the school library and kids are taking turns reading with him. While Buddy listens to a ghost story, he hears rustling in the shelves behind him. He turns to look, but doesn't see anyone back there. He hears a book fall. Something smells strange. Not human ... not canine, not like anything Buddy has ever smelled before. Could it maybe be the school ghost Buddy has heard so much about? When the child he's sitting with leaves, Buddy goes over to the shelves to investigate ... and comes face to face with a mysterious creature that has a long, blue tongue.

The Buddy Files are recommended for readers aged 4 to 6.

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Thea Stilton and the Cherry Blossom Adventure by Thea Stilton

Thea Stilton and the Cherry Blossom Adventure More Information about the book
Thea Stilton
A Geronimo Stilton Special Edition: 4th in series

The Thea Sisters are off to Japan on a cultural exchange program. While they're busy exploring Kyoto and admiring the beautiful cherry blossoms, a valuable doll is stolen from a wealthy Japanese collector. Will the five mice be able to track down the doll and catch the thief?

The Geronimo Stilton books are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin

The Trouble with Chickens More Information about the book
Doreen Cronin
A J. J. Tully Mystery: 1st in series

J. J. Tully is a former search-and-rescue dog who is trying to enjoy his retirement after years of performing daring missions saving lives. So he’s not terribly impressed when two chicks named Dirt and Sugar (who look like popcorn on legs) and their chicken mom show up demanding his help to track down their missing siblings. Driven by the promise of a cheeseburger, J. J. begins to track down clues. Is Vince the Funnel hiding something? Are there dark forces at work — or is J. J. not smelling the evidence that’s right in front of him?

The J. J. Tully Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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Witches' Brew by Mary Labatt

Witches' Brew More Information about the book
Mary Labatt
A Sam & Friends Mystery: 4th in series

When three odd sisters with a collection of scraggly animals move into the house across the street, Sam and her friends grow suspicious. Then Sam thinks she's been hexed — these new neighbors must be witches! The friends search the sisters' house for a spell book to help Sam when the homeowners return unexpectedly. Will they boil the intruders in a witches' potion?

The Sam & Friends graphic novels are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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May Magic by Ron Roy

May Magic More Information about the book
Ron Roy
The Calendar Mysteries: 5th in series

The younger siblings of the A to Z Mysteries detectives — twins Bradley and Brian Pinto — are getting ready to celebrate Mother's Day by treating their mom to a show by Hypo, the world's greatest hypnotist. Brian hopes that if Hypo can hypnotize his mom into loving ducks, then she will let him raise ducks in their backyard. But when the Pinto family gets home from the show, the twins' mom starts acting strange. She splashes in the bathtub for hours, she leaves corn kernels all over, and — could it be? — she quacks! Bradley thinks his mom has actually turned into a duck! How did this happen? Can Bradley and Brian, with help from their friends Lucy and Nate, turn their mom back into their mom?

The Calendar Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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June Jam by Ron Roy

June Jam More Information about the book
Ron Roy
The Calendar Mysteries: 6th in series

The younger siblings of the A to Z Mysteries detectives — Bradley, Brian, Nate and Lucy — are getting ready for Father's Day. They've decided that strawberry jam from the Pintos' strawberry patch would be a great gift. But something or someone has been taking bites out of the strawberrys! Polly the Pony, Pal and the dog, and the twins' brother Josh are all suspects. If the kids can't protect the strawberry patch from the mystery chomper, they might be in a real jam!

The Calendar Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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The Da Finchi Code by J. D. Smith

The Da Finchi Code More Information about the book
J. D. Smith
The Krow Twins: 1st in series

Twin Brothers Tommy and Terry Krow are no strangers to crime. In fact, they stole the book on it ...

The crime rate in East Wood is higher than a stork's armpit. The Bird Police think that the infamous Krow twins are to blame. They've been on their trail for years. First, there was the Great Crane Robbery, then there was that nasty business with Mad Mike and the Magpie gang. Now the terrible two have got involved with master forger Leonardo da Finchi. Old Mother Krow thinks the painting that her boys gave her is lovely. Will the secret code hidden in the painting lead the twins into a trap? Rookie copper Florissa Starling is on the case.

The Krow Twins books are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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Mystery in the Sand by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Mystery in the Sand More Information about the book
Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Boxcar Children Graphic Novels: 18th in series

The Aldens are spending sunny days at the shore and summer nights in a mobile home right on the beach! One morning, Benny finds a gold necklace in the sand. Soon a search for its owner begins, and a trail of clues leads the children to Tower House. What will the Boxcar Children find in the strange old mansion?

The Boxcar Children Graphic Novels are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is your source for information on over 200 mystery series for children and young adults, where each series is conveniently listed under four different age categories (New Sleuths, ages 4 to 6; Future Sleuths, ages 7 to 9; Sleuths in Training, ages 10 to 12; and Apprentice Sleuths, ages 13 and older).

Nominations for the 2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Announced

Mystery Book Awards

The Los Angeles Times has announced the nominations for its Book Prizes, honoring the best books published in 2010.

There are numerous categories; below are the nominees for Mystery/Thriller.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (William Morrow)
Faithful Place by Tana French Review of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (Viking)
I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman (William Morrow)
Collusion by Stuart Neville (Soho Crime)
City of Dragons by Kelli Stanley (Minotaur Books)

Mysterious Reviews indicates a review by Mysterious Reviews.

Gideon's War by Howard Gordon (Mystery Book Review)

Gideon's War by Howard Gordon
More information about the book

Gideon's War by Howard Gordon. A Gideon Davis Mystery. Touchstone Hardcover, January 2011.

Fans of international/political thrillers will appreciate that this novel by the executive producer of the Fox television series 24 is more than just a simple action/adventure story, that Gideon Davis is an interesting, well-developed character and the nuanced plot offers surprising depth and complexity.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Gideon's War by Howard Gordon.

Purchase Options: Amazon.com Print Edition | Amazon.com Kindle Edition | Barnes&Noble NookBook | Kobo eBook

Read the first chapter(s) of Gideon's War below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

Solve a 600 Year Old Mystery with Carol Reed in Blue Madonna, New from BFG

Games of Mystery

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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Blue Madonna: A Carol Reed Mystery
Blue Madonna: A Carol Reed Mystery

Did the artist Christina Falk really kill herself? If so, why did she phone Carol Reed the day before her death, wanting to hire her? And was it really Christina that called Carol?

With a dead client, Carol hasn't even got a case. And with so little information, she hasn't got any clues either.

But the last thing that Christina did was to ask for Carol's help, so Carol figures that the least she could do is look into it.

And when she uncovers several curious circumstances leading up to Christina's death, Carol just can't let it go.

Solve a 600-year-old mystery in this gripping adventure game!

Blue Madonna is the 7th entry in this series; the previous games are Black Circle, Remedy, Hope Springs Eternal (not available at BFG), Time Stand Still, East Side Story, and The Color of Murder.

Blue Madonna: A Carol Reed Mystery may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (99.50 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour; the full version is 452.40 MB.

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!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Film Adaptation Planned for Truth by Peter Temple

Truth by Peter Temple
More information about the book

ABC News (Australia) is reporting that Peter Temple's Miles Franklin Literary Award-winning crime thriller Truth is being adapted for film.

"It was just like the perfect storm for me, finding this book, finding that I actually could get the rights to it," said John Polson, who is expected to direct. "The characters are so well drawn, so original, so beautifully depicted and so devastating in some ways."

Truth introduces Inspector Stephen Villani, head of homicide in Melbourne, Australia, who has a full agenda: a murdered woman in a penthouse apartment, three men butchered in a sadistic rampage, a tattoo-faced drug dealer corrupting his rebellious daughter, a crumbling marriage. As these seemingly unrelated events begin to unfold, Villani finds himself immersed in an unfamiliar world of political scandal and ethical ambiguity. He must navigate the inept bureaucracy that is the police department, all the while maintaining a solid front and trying to keep the press, his family, and his own past from breaking him completely. With each twist and every turn of this taut crime novel, Villani is forced to question whom he can trust.

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

(Hat tip to In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday for alerting us to this development.)

Mystery and Suspense Films, New This Week on DVD (110222)

Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller Films on DVD and/or Blu-ray Disc

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.

Available on DVD Available on DVD
Available on Blu-ray Disc Available on Blu-ray Disc
Available on VOD Available on Video on Demand (via Amazon.com)

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Suspicion

Suspicion (1987) Suspicion on DVD

Initially Johnnie Aysgarth (Anthony Andrews) seems to be the perfect rich man looking for a wife, and to the rich heiress Lina McLaidlaw (Jane Curtin), he seems to be the man for her. Soon though, he starts displaying a morbid interest in murders, shows himself unable to keep a job and is a compulsive gambler. Curtin's growing fears of her new husband become a certainty when she discovers that her life insurance that he is trying to borrow against can only be fulfilled in the event of her death ...

Suspicion is a made-for-television remake of the 1941 Alfred Hitchcock classic of the same title. (NR; 1:36)

Purchase Options: DVD

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The Milliennium Trilogy

The Milliennium Trilogy (2010) The Milliennium Trilogy on Blu-ray Disc

All three original Swedish-language adaptations of the Stieg Larsson thrillers, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo / The Girl Who Played with Fire / The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, in a single Blu-ray Disc set, together with a fourth disc that contains "Millennium: The Story", a 53 minute documentary detailing the phenomenon of the "Millennium" trilogy and the personal history of the author up until his tragic death before The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was published, interviews with Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, and more, all at a special price.

Purchase Options: Blu-ray

Telemystery: Midsomer Murders and New Tricks, New This Week on DVD

Telemystery, the most complete selection of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series now available or coming soon to 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 British series being released this week.

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Midsomer Murders: Set Seventeen, a Mystery TV Series
Information on Midsomer Murders: Set Seventeen

John Nettles stars as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby in Midsomer Murders, based on characters created by crime novelist Caroline Graham.

The Midsomer Murders: Set Seventeen DVD set of 4 discs contain the episodes that originally aired in the UK in March and July, 2009.

In "The Dogleg Murders", a peaceful afternoon on the links turns fatal when a man is bludgeoned at the notoriously difficult 13th hole. "The Black Book" is a complicated case, in which a brutal murderer begins targeting the Midsomer art world. Something is killing sheep in Midsomer Parva, and whispers abound that it’s the mysterious beast of Midsomer in "Secrets and Spies". And in "The Glitch", software magnate Clinton Finn funds the construction of a new building for a local school, but not everyone is impressed with his generosity.

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New Tricks: Season Three, a Mystery TV Series
Information on New Tricks: Season Three

Amanda Redman stars as Detective Chief Superintendent Sandra Pullman, who leads the office of the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad, consisting of three retired police officers whose police skills and intuition she relies on, in New Tricks.

The three retired detectives are played by Dennis Waterman, James Bolam and Alun Armstrong, a trio of crime busters capable of learning new tricks to crack tough crimes.

The New Tricks: Season Three DVD set of 3 discs contain the 8 episodes that originally aired on BBC from April through June 2006.

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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.

Find Your Missing Father in Relics of Fate: A Penny Macey Mystery, New from BFG

Games of Mystery

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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Relics of Fate: A Penny Macey Mystery
Relics of Fate: A Penny Macey Mystery

Jack Macey, Newtown's local PI, is kidnapped while investigating a series of robberies linked to a mysterious set of relics discovered in the town. You take on the role of Penny, his daughter, who discovers he's missing after finding a letter addressed to her at his office. Explore the town, talk to its inhabitants and solve intriguing puzzles in this exciting hidden object adventure game!

Relics of Fate: A Penny Macey Mystery may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (376.67 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

— ◊ —

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!

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