Banner-Sized Poster for Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides

Disney has released a banner-sized poster for the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, On Stranger Tides. (Click on the image to see a larger version.)

Adapted from the novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, the film stars Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, who crosses paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penélope Cruz) and soon finds himself on board the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth. But Jack doesn't know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past.

On Stranger Tides opens in theaters May 20th.

Murder in the Palais Royal by Cara Black, An Aimée Leduc Investigation (10th in series)

The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a library of new mysteries, is pleased to feature a new mystery series title we recently received from the publisher.

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Murder in the Palais Royal by Cara Black
An Aimée Leduc Investigation (10th in series)
Soho Crime (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: March 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-883-7

About Murder in the Palais Royal (from the publisher): Just as Aimée is about to leave for New York City to follow up on a lead about a possible younger brother, her partner in Leduc Detective, René Friant, is wounded by a near-fatal gun shot. Eyewitnesses identify Aimée as the culprit. The police have pegged her as the guilty party. Aimée is distraught over René’s condition and horrified to be under suspicion.

At the same time, a large, mysterious sum appears in their firm’s bank account, and the tax authorities descend upon Aimée. She has no idea who would have sent this money.

It seems that someone is impersonating Aimée, someone who wants revenge. But for what? Two murders ensue. How do they relate to the youth whom Aimée’s testimony sent to jail in the very first Aimée Leduc investigation, Murder in the Marais?

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About Cara Black: She is the author of eleven books in the Aimée Leduc series, including her most recent, Murder in Passy. She frequently visits Paris but lives in San Francisco with her husband and son. Visit her website at CaraBlack.com.

 Mysteries by Cara Black reviewed by Mysterious Reviews: Murder in the Rue de Paradis (2008) and Murder in the Palais Royal (2010).

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

OMN Welcomes Julia Spencer-Fleming, Author of the Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries

Omnimystery News is pleased to welcome Julia Spencer-Fleming, whose mysteries are set in upstate New York and feature the Rev. Clare Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne. The next in the series, One Was a Soldier (Minotaur Books, April 2011 Hardcover, 978-0-312-33489-5), is published next month.

And she's also providing two of our readers with an opportunity to win an advanced reading copy of her book. Visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Julia Spencer-Fleming: One Was a Soldier" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (6607) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 03/22/2011.)

Today, Julia writes about what it's like to be an author and a mother.

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Photo provided courtesy of Julia Spencer-Fleming

What do you think is the number one question I get about being a writer? It's not, "Who's your agent?" or "Where do you get your ideas?" (I think the internet has started to scotch those two oldies.) If you guessed, "When are the hero and heroine of your series going to get it on?" you'd be partially correct — that's the most common question I hear about the books themselves. No, the most frequent question I hear is, "How do you write with three kids in the house?"

It's a good question. When most of us picture writers at work, we think of the solitary figure, hunched over a word processor, communing with the Muse — perhaps with a the help of a few Hemmingway-esque shots of whiskey. It's hard to reconcile this with a teenager who needs to tell you the details of his latest relationship drama RIGHT NOW. How do you get that Room of Your Own when your computer room has become the land of the Barbie Project Runway — and you can't get on the computer anyway, because your other child is busy looking up information for a five page report on mollusks that is due tomorrow. Did she forget to mention she needs a plastic cover?

In my early years as a writer, I was in about as ideal a situation as an author/mother can be. The success of my first two books enabled me to quite my law job and work from home full-time. My oldest two kids were in elementary school, with early bedtimes and almost no homework. My youngest was at a wonderful preschool a minute's drive from where my husband taught. I could work long hours during the day and stay up late in the evenings, answering the few pieces of reader email I got and reading others' mystery fiction for fun and edification (no one was asking be to blurb them in those days.)

Of course, as anyone who has them knows, the problem with kids is that they keep growing. All too soon, the oldest was in high school and her brother was a middle-schooler. She ran — cross country, indoor track, outdoor track. He ran the same seasons — but different dates and meets. She started acting. And hanging out at friends houses (always at least a half-hour drive away from our country home.) He began music lessons. In drumming. Drumming, by all that is holy! Then he started to play in a band. There was church youth group (his and hers), and play dates for the youngest, and trips to the library for research papers and family vacations. My writing time--so easy, so available I had never had to sacrifice anything for it--disappeared. My novel ground to a halt.

At one point I found myself at a dinner party describing my week. I realized I was spending most of my waking hours behind the wheel of a minivan.

Well, adversity is the mother of something. Maybe mothers. I realized that if I wanted my next book to be turned in during the same century as my last, I needed to Get Serious. I started rising at 4:30 every morning to write for an hour and a half before the day began. I went to bed at 8:00 evenings. I let my garden run to weed, unloaded at least a few of my volunteer commitments, and stopped going to the gym (okay, this last wasn't that much of a sacrifice.) I took to carrying my laptop everywhere, writing in university libraries and in the old choir loft of my church and in empty classrooms. Most importantly, I learned to compartmentalize my own reactions. When I was in writing mode, I wrote. I didn't think about the kids. I didn't worry about finding foam board for a class presentation or getting pants to replace the pairs my son had outgrown. A writer needs to be a little selfish and monomaniacal in order to bring that fictional world to life. Conversely, when I was in Mom mode, I tried to be there fully for the kids. It's true that my thoughts might drift into scene problems or characterization issues while putting still more miles on my long-suffering Town & Country, but by and large I was parenting, not plotting.

This past fall, we proudly drove our oldest girl to Northampton, MA and delivered her into the care of Smith College. One down, I thought. My life is going to get easier by a third.

Ha. That was before the youngest joined Garden club. And Rainbow girls. And the intramural basketball team. And our son, now in high school himself, started acting. And playing in the pep band. And taking more lessons.

"How do you do it?" people ask. And I answer honestly, "Hell if I know!"

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Julia Spencer-Fleming is the Agatha and Anthony Award-winning author of the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series. Read more about the 7th book, One Was a Solider, below. You can visit her website at JuliaSpencerFleming.com, or find her on Facebook and on Twitter.

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About One Was a Soldier: At the Millers Kill Community Center, five veterans gather to work on adjusting to life after war. Reverend Clare Fergusson has returned from Iraq with a head full of bad memories she's using alcohol to wipe out. Dr. George Stillman is denying that the head wound he received has left him with something worse than simple migraines. Officer Eric McCrea is battling to keep his constant rage from affecting his life as a cop, and as a father.

High school track star Will Ellis is looking for some reason to keep on living after losing both legs to an IED. And down-on-her-luck Tally McNabb has brought home a secret — a fatal one. Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne just wants Clare to settle down and get married — to him. But when he rules Tally McNabb's death a suicide, Clare sides with the other vets against him. Russ and Clare's unorthodox investigation will uncover a trail of deceit that runs from their tiny Adirondack town to the upper ranks of the Army, and from the waters of the Millers Kill to the unforgiving streets of Baghdad.

One Was a Soldier is available to pre-order in Hardcover and Kindle edition from Amazon.com (see icons below book cover above) and from other major and independent booksellers. You can also download Letters to a Soldier, a free Kindle preview of One Was a Soldier, with letters and a special note from Julia Spencer-Fleming.

For a chance to win an advanced reading copy of One Was a Soldier, courtesy of the author, visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Julia Spencer-Fleming: One Was a Soldier" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (6607) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 03/22/2011.)

Banish the Ghosts in Mystery Seekers: The Secret of the Haunted Mansion, 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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In a haunted mansion, excitement is around every corner! Use your hidden object skills to hunt for clues and rid the mansion of the spooky spirits! Explore beautiful locations and complete multiple missions, perplexing puzzles, and mesmerizing minigames to succeed. Banish the ghosts, uncover a mystery and live the adventure!

Mystery Seekers: The Secret of the Haunted Mansion may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (252.20 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!

Mystery and Suspense Films, New This Week on DVD (110308)

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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Purchase/Rental Options

The Next Three Days (2010)

When his wife, Lara (Elizabeth Banks), is sent to jail on murder charges she fervidly denies, college professor John Brennan (Russell Crowe) struggles to hold his family together, raising their son and teaching at college while he pursues every means available to prove her innocence. With the rejection of their final appeal, Lara becomes suicidal and John decides there is only one possible, bearable solution: to break his wife out of prison. Refusing to be deterred by impossible odds or his own inexperience, John devises an elaborate escape plot and plunges into a dangerous and unfamiliar world, ultimately risking everything for the woman he loves.

Liam Neeson and Brian Dennehy co-star in this remake of the French film Pour Elle. (PG-13; 122 minutes)

Telemystery: Dalziel and Pascoe, Judge John Deed, and The Walking Dead, 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 three series being released this week.

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Warren Clarke stars as politically incorrect Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel and Colin Buchanan as sensitive and intellectual Detective Inspector Peter Pascoe in Dalziel and Pascoe, a police procedural based on characters created by criminal novelist Reginald Hill.

This season is as action-packed as ever, although two investigations affect the pair a bit too personally. Pascoe's wife, Ellie, puts her life and her marriage at risk when she gets perilously involved in a murder inquiry. Meanwhile, Dalziel becomes involved in a psychological game with a dangerous killer, who invents almost deliberately implausible alibis when his nearest and dearest begin dying around him. Can Dalziel succeed in proving the man's guilt?

The Dalziel and Pascoe: Season Three DVD set of 2 discs contain the four episodes that originally aired on BBC during March and October, 1998.

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Martin Shaw stars as Judge John Deed in this legal drama.

John Deed is not your average High Court Judge. Fit, strong and looking good for a man in his fifties, he is the bane of his more traditional colleagues. Often eschewing the cold objectivity of his profession, he meets the challenges of the courtroom and his personal life head on, wearing his heart on his sleeve. While this may lead him into trouble, he must stick to ideological beliefs

The Judge John Deed: Season Three DVD set of 2 discs contain the four episodes that originally aired on BBC during November and December, 2003.

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Andrew Lincoln stars as County Sheriff Rick Grimes, who awakes from a coma to find the world as he knows it gone, ravaged by a zombie epidemic in The Walking Dead, adapted from the graphic novels by Robert Kirkman.

On the outskirts of Atlanta, a small encampment struggles to survive as the dead stalk the survivors at every turn. Can Rick and the others hold onto their humanity as they fight to live in this terrifying new world? And, amidst dire conditions and personal rivalries, will they ultimately survive one another?

The Walking Dead: Season One DVD set of 2 discs contain the six episodes that aired on AMC from October through December, 2010.

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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.

Carl Hiaasen Wins Lifetime Achievement Award from Florida Humanities Council

The Florida Humanities Council has announced that crime novelist Carl Hiaasen has won the 2011 Florida Lifetime Achievement Award for Writing.

Widely known for his zany Florida noir novels with their wild and weird characters, the judges were also impressed with the breadth of his work, which includes hard-hitting newspaper columns, young readers' books, magazine articles, and provocative non-fiction. His most recent novel is Star Island, "... a canny blend of lunatic farce and savage satire." (New York Times Book Review)

"With their ripped-from-the-headlines timeliness, Hiaasen’s novels are hilarious, insightful and firmly rooted in Florida," said Janine Farver, executive director of the Florida Humanities Council, which originated the award last year, oversees the nomination process, convenes a panel of independent judges, and announces the winner. The Florida Humanities Council is the statewide, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The award will be presented to Hiaasen on March 23rd in Tallahassee at a special luncheon held at the Governor's Mansion.

It's Up to You to Save the Day in Pirate Mysteries: A Tale of Monkeys, Masks, and Hidden Objects, 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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Explore exotic lands while trying to save your demon possessed father in this fun and humorous hidden object game! Meet strange and quirky characters, solve ancient riddles, and journey through 30 unique and exciting locations on an adventure that stretches from the shores of the Atlantic to the darkest corners in the Land of the Dead!

Pirate Mysteries: A Tale of Monkeys, Masks, and Hidden Objects may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (110.11 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!

Mystery Godoku Puzzle for March 07, 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:

D G H I N O R U Y

Seattle reporter Jason Wade was introduced in this mystery by Rick Mofina (with "The") (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!

The Event Returns Monday, March 7th, on NBC

The Event returns tomorrow, Monday March 7th, at 8 PM (ET/PT) on NBC, which will air two episodes back-to-back.

The Event is an emotional, high-octane conspiracy thriller that follows Sean Walker (Jason Ritter), an everyman, who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his would-be fiancée Leila (Sarah Roemer), and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history.

Sean's quest will send ripples through the lives of an eclectic band of strangers, including newly elected U.S. President Elias Martinez (Blair Underwood); Sophia Maguire (Laura Innes), who is the leader of a mysterious group of detainees; and Leila's shadowy father (Scott Patterson). Their futures are on a collision course in a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind.

In "And Then There Were More", President Martinez and his longtime Chief of Staff charge the intelligence community with decrypting Thomas's satellite message, but more importantly determining to whom it was sent. While they are distracted, Thomas (Clifton Collins Jr.) unveils a surprise attack, but he does not anticipate a heroic stand-off with Blake Sterling (Zeljko Ivanek), who learns an important lesson about Sleepers from Maya.

Meanwhile, in "Inostranka", newly appointed Alaskan Senator Catherine Lewis threatens to divulge information about the Mt. Inostranka detention facility on an episode of Hardball with Chris Matthews. Elsewhere, Sean and Leila get a fresh lead on the whereabouts of Samantha, but it leads them to a dramatic turn in their lives. James Dempsey (Hal Holbrook) foresees that he and Sean will once again cross paths.

Catch up with what's happened so far with the video below.

Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston (Mystery Book Review)

Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston. A Lauren Vancouver "Pet Rescue" Mystery. Berkley Prime Crime Mass Market Paperback, March 2011.

Despite this book's title and premise, there isn't much focus on animals in this first entry of a new series by the author of the "Pet Sitter" mysteries -- which will likely disappoint some readers, who may expect non-humans to play a more prominent role. Still, Lauren Vancouver is a likeable, efficient amateur sleuth, passionate about her work and smart about how she goes about her investigation.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston.

Purchase Options:  |  |  | 

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

Breakout Kings Premieres Sunday March 4th on A&E

Breakout Kings, a new crime drama from the producers of Prison Break, has its series premiere tomorrow, Sunday March 6th, at 10 PM (ET/PT) on A&E. The series tagline is "It takes a con to catch a con."

The series stars Laz Alonso and Domenick Lombardozzi as US Marshals Charlie Duchamp and Ray Zancanelli, who form a special task force composed of the three most elusive convicts Ray ever captured: Lloyd Lowery (Jimmi Simpson), a former child prodigy and behaviorist/psychiatric expert whoexcels in psychoanalysis; Shea Daniels (Malcolm Goodwin), an ex-gangbanger who knows how to work the system, both in prison and on the street; and Erica Reed (Serinda Swan), a sexy expert tracker who learned her trade from her bounty hunter father. Charlie and Ray also employ the services of Julianne Simms (Brooke Nevin), a civilian who acts as the group's handler -- all information, tips and data go through her.

In the pilot episode, the team is assembled and told their "reward" for assisting in the capture of an escaped prisoner: Every time they successfully nail the fugitive(s), they get to shave one month off their own sentences.

Watch a series preview below.

Chris Egan Cast as Edgar Allan Poe in ABC Series

One of the most promising (and possibly most risky) television series projects in development is ABC's re-imagining of Edgar Allan Poe an an investigator, who solves crimes in 1840s Boston using "unconventional" methods.

The network has now announced its lead for Poe, the series title, and it is Christopher (Chris) Egan, who most recently starred as David Shepherd in NBC's Kings.

A month ago, Inside TV talked to Suzanne Patmore-Gibbs, head of ABC's scripted development division, who had this to say about the character: "Certainly it will be someone with a larger than life personality… hopefully charismatic … and attractive … we’re literal about [Poe's] work, but not about his looks." Seems like Egan fits the bill on all counts!

Investigate Rumors of a Werewolf in Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Curse of the Full Moon

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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In the dark lane lit by a dim lantern we hear a scratching sound and we see a shadow of the opening door. Someone is coming outside. The person approaches his horse and mounts it. Suddenly a shadow of the wolf attacks the man and we see a shadow of the horse rearing, we hear horse roar, a sound of desperate struggle and an agonal shout ...Then it is all quiet ... and only the howl of the lonely wolf pierces the night ...

Called into a small city from the capitol, you have been put in charge of solving a string of mysterious murders! Around the same time as the murders, a wolf has been appearing around town and spooking the townsfolk. With rumors of a werewolf swirling, it’s up to you to get to the bottom of the mystery and set the record straight.

For a more in-depth gameplay experience, check out the Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Curse of the Full Moon Collector's Edition, full of exclusive extras not found in the standard version, including an integrated strategy guide, bonus gameplay, wallpapers and screensavers, concept art, original soundtrack, and more.

Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Curse of the Full Moon (Standard Edition) may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (215.19 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour; the full version is 434.80 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!

HBO to Air 15-Minute Preview of Game of Thrones on April 3rd

HBO has announced that it will air a 15-minute preview of its new series Game of Thrones on Sunday, April 3rd at 9 PM (ET/PT). The preview will be available immediately afterward online.

The 10-episode Game of Thrones is adapted from the books in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R. R. Martin, the first of which is titled A Game of Thrones. The struggle for the Iron Throne premieres on Sunday, April 17th.