Wednesday, February 27, 2013

MystereBooks: Island Blues by Wendy Howell Mills, Now at a Special Price

Island Blues by Wendy Howell Mills

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Island Blues by Wendy Howell Mills, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (02/27/2013 at 4:00 PM ET). Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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Island Blues by Wendy Howell Mills

Island Blues by Wendy Howell Mills
A Sabrina Dunsweeney, Island Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Read our review of Island Blues by Wendy Howell Mills

Sabrina Dunsweeney desperately needs a job. After moving to isolated Comico Island with her parakeet Calvin to start a new chapter of her life, Sabrina is discovering that life in a beautiful, tropical environment isn't all fun and games.

When the town council offers her employment as the islands first official ombudsman to cope with the burgeoning tourist influx, Sabrina is thrilled. Her first order of business is to deal with a number of burglaries. But as she digs deeper into the theftless break-ins, she begins to suspect that this mystery originated in the rum-soaked days of prohibition.

Then, Sabrina must face the Hummers who have booked a week at one of the local hotels. The Hummers claim that they can hear a hum that no one else can, and they believe they can only rid themselves of the annoying, persistent noise by following very private rituals. When the spokesman of the Hummers is murdered, Sabrina develops a theory that makes her the target of a killers rage. Will survive her first week on the job?

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Important Note: This book was listed at the above mentioned price on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

MystereBooks: The Dangerous Edge of Things by Tina Whittle, Now at a Special Price

The Dangerous Edge of Things by Tina Whittle

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Dangerous Edge of Things by Tina Whittle, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (02/27/2013 at 3:30 PM ET). Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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The Dangerous Edge of Things by Tina Whittle

The Dangerous Edge of Things by Tina Whittle
A Tai Randolph Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Tai Randolph thinks inheriting a Confederate-themed gun shop is her biggest headache — until she finds a murdered corpse in her brother's driveway. Even worse, her supposedly respectable brother begins behaving in decidedly non-innocent ways, like fleeing to the Bahamas and leaving her with both a homicide in her lap and the pointed suspicions of the Atlanta PD directed her way. Suddenly, she has to worry about clearing her own name, not just that of her wayward sibling.

Complicating her search for answers is Trey Seaver, field agent for Phoenix, an exclusive corporate security firm hired to investigate the crime. Trey is fearless, focused, and — much to Tai's dismay — utterly impervious to bribes, threats and clever deceptions. Still in recovery from the car accident that left him cognitively and emotionally damaged, Trey has constructed a world of certainty and routine. He has powerful people to answer to, and the last thing he wants is an unpredictable stranger "detecting" on Phoenix turf.

Tai's inquiry leads her from the cold-eyed glamour of Atlanta's adult entertainment scene to the gilded treachery of Tuxedo Road. Potential suspects abound, including violent stalkers, vengeful sisters, and a paparazzo with a taste for meth. But it takes another murder — and threats to her own life — to make Tai realize that to solve this crime, she has to trust the most dangerous man she's ever met.

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Important Note: This book was listed at the above mentioned price on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

MystereBooks: Two Silver Rush Mysteries by Ann Parker, Now at a Special Price

Silver Lies by Ann Parker

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Silver Lies by Ann Parker, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (02/27/2013 at 3:00 PM ET). Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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Silver Lies by Ann Parker

Silver Lies by Ann Parker
An Inez Stannert, Silver Rush Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

As 1879 draws to a close, this Rocky Mountain boomtown has infected the world with silver fever. Joe Rose, a precious-metals assayer, was found trampled into the muck behind Inez Stannert's saloon. A lady educated on the East Coast, Inez has a past that doesn't bear close scrutiny, including her elopement with a gambling man who has recently disappeared.

Most townsfolk, including Inez's business partner, Abe Jackson, dismiss Joe's death as an accident. But Inez wonders: Why was this loving husband and father carrying a brass token good for "one free screw" at the parlor house of Denver madam Mattie Silks?

When Joe's widow Emma asks Inez to settle Joe's affairs, almost against her will, Inez uncovers skewed assays, bogus greenbacks, and blackmail.

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Iron Ties by Ann Parker

Also available: The second mystery in this series, Iron Ties, priced at just $2.99 (as of the date and time of this post, 02/27/2013 at 3:00 PM ET).

The railroad is coming west, all the way to Leadville and its rich Rocky Mountain mines, not to mention its millionaires. And who is coming to celebrate the arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande but Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States and former commander of the Union armies.

Like other residents in the Colorado boomtown this summer of 1880, Inez Stannert regards the news as mixed. With her business partnership in the Silver Queen Saloon shaky and the bonds of family tightening (her husband is still missing and her young son is still back East), Inez doesn't need the lawlessness of Leadville to turn, once again, into murder.

But Inez isn't the only one with iron ties to the past. Some folks have wicked memories of the war, others have a stake in the competing railroad lines. And photographer Susan Carothers, Inez's friend, is caught in the deadly crossfire …

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Important Note: These books were listed at the above mentioned price on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

MystereBooks: Two Storm Kayama Mysteries by Deborah Turrell Atkinson, Now at a Special Price

Primitive Secrets by Deborah Turrell Atkinson

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Primitive Secrets by Deborah Turrell Atkinson, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (02/27/2013 at 2:30 PM ET). Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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Primitive Secrets by Deborah Turrell Atkinson

Primitive Secrets by Deborah Turrell Atkinson
A Storm Kayama Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

When Storm Kayama walks into her lucrative Honolulu law firm one morning, she's shocked — and grieved — to find her adopted uncle at his desk, stiff and cold. Years before, Miles Hamasaki had fulfilled a promise to Storm's father and brought her to be raised with his own family. But, as questions surround Miles' death and her adopted family begins to close ranks, Storm suspects that he has been murdered.

Heading to the Big Island for a weekend escape from escalating pressures, she narrowly escapes a terrible accident. Storm takes refuge in the home of her Aunt Maile, a traditional Hawaiian healer, and Uncle Keone, a paniolo on the huge Parker Ranch. There she encounters a legend from her youth and a family totem, or 'aumakua, which Aunt Maile promises will protect her. As Storm struggles to heal her own childhood wounds and bring justice to Hamasaki's killer, she also comes to grip with the rifts in her own life and culture.

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The Green Room by Deborah Turrell Atkinson

Also available: The second mystery in this series, The Green Room, priced at just $2.99 (as of the date and time of this post, 02/27/2013 at 2:30 PM ET).

Storm Kayama needs to build her clientele, so when surf promoter Marty Barstow's wife walks into her new law office, Storm agrees to represent her. It looks like a bitter divorce situation, but Storm feels for Stephanie, who seems lonely and frightened.

When Stephanie's son Ben, a promising surfer, invites her to O‘ahu's North Shore to watch a surfing contest, Storm jumps at the chance. Not only will it be a thrill to observe the meet, but Storm will also have the opportunity to watch a distant cousin compete. Nahoa Pi‘ilani has grown from a mischievous kid to a surfer of international renown, and he seems to have put the trouble that once brewed between their families behind him.

Then a child delivers a package to Nahoa. Inside the plain wrapper is an ancient Hawaiian weapon, a wooden club encircled with shark's teeth. Storm recognizes the lei o manō. It's a threat, a call to battle.

Soon, as if she were in the green room — the underwater space where tons of churning water can imprison a surfer — Storm is buffeted and disoriented by local legend, greed, and cutthroat competition, and must confront a killer and a haunting incident from her past.

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Important Note: These books were listed at the above mentioned price on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (130227)

Top 100 Free Kindle Mysteries and Thrillers, updated hourly by Amazon.com

Here is today's list of the Bestselling Free Kindle Crime Fiction: the top nine mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers.

We're using a script to embed an RSS feed from Amazon.com, which is updated hourly; as an alternative, you can click on the image to the right or use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com, which includes a list of both the Top 100 Paid and Top 100 Free Kindle Mysteries and Thrillers.

Poster, Trailer for Art Heist Thriller Trance

Trance (April 2013)

A new poster (right; click for larger imate) and red-band trailer for the art heist thriller Trance were released earlier this month … which we missed at the time. The film's tagline: "Inside the mind. Outside the law."

James McAvoy stars as Simon, a fine art auctioneer, who teams up with a criminal gang to steal a Goya painting worth millions of dollars. But after suffering a blow to the head during the heist he awakens to discover he has no memory of where he hid the painting. When physical threats and torture fail to produce answers, the gang's leader Frank (Vincent Cassel) hires hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson) to delve into the darkest recesses of Simon's psyche. As Elizabeth begins to unravel Simon's broken subconscious, the lines between truth, suggestion, and deceit begin to blur.

Directed by Danny Boyle from an original screenplay by Joe Ahearne and John Hodge, Trance opens in theaters April 5th, 2013. Watch the red-band trailer below.

First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: New Titles for March 2013

Find mystery books for the young sleuth in your family at 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 titles) scheduled for publication during March 2013, listed in approximate order of reading level, from books for younger readers to books for teens and young adults.

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Cupcake Chaos by Carolyn Keene

Cupcake Chaos
Carolyn Keene
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew

These series titles, with younger aged amateur sleuths based on the original characters in the "Nancy Drew" series, are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

More information about the book

Spring has sprung in River Heights, along with a brand-new cupcake café! The Lucky Ladybug, run by twin bakers and celebrities Gwendolyn and Carolyn Porter, is the talk of the town. Nancy, Bess, and George can't wait to taste some of the delicious cupcakes!

But on the day of the opening, the ceremony — and the cupcakes — are ruined by hundreds of live ladybugs that invade the store. It's up to Nancy and the Clue Crew to get to the bottom of this cupcake disaster before the Lucky Lady Bug Cupcake Café has to close for good!

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Secret Sand Sleuths by Sarah Kinney

Secret Sand Sleuths
Sarah Kinney
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew Graphic Novels

This series of graphic novels are an extension of the "Clue Crew" series of books, and are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

More information about the book

A beautiful sand sculpture at the modern art museum is ruined! Fortunately, Nancy and the Crew are on the scene, and while they might not understand all the artwork, they know they like to solve a mystery! Following a mysterious hum, they get lost in the vast museum, and may end up facing more than they can handle.

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Hold Fast by Blue Balliett

Hold Fast
Blue Balliett

This stand-alone novel is recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

More information about the book

Where is Early's father? He's not the kind of father who would disappear. But he's gone … and he's left a whole lot of trouble behind.

As danger closes in, Early, her mom, and her brother have to flee their apartment. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to move into a city shelter. Once there, Early starts asking questions and looking for answers. Because her father hasn't disappeared without a trace. There are patterns and rhythms to what's happened, and Early might be the only one who can use them to track him down and make her way out of a very tough place.

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The First Samurai by Geronimo Stilton

The First Samurai
Geronimo Stilton
Geronimo Stilton Graphic Novels

These graphic novels are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

More information about the book

It's feudal Japan of the first Tokugawa dynasty, and the Pirate Cats are trying to be assigned a specific fiefdom by the emperor. Why? You'll have to read this tale to find out — it will be a legendary romp, with Geronimo Stilton unwittingly becoming a legendary swordsman, Trap showing off his legendary appetite, and Thea Stilton accidentally inventing Kabuki theater! A rattastic tale of honor, acrobatics, and … cars?

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The Boardwalk Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Boardwalk Mystery
Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Boxcar Children

The books in this long-running series are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

More information about the book

The Aldens are visiting the New Jersey shore and enjoying the beach and the boardwalk attractions. A family friend has just bought an amusement pier, and the children are excited to help out. But there are rumors that the rides aren't safe, and someone has stolen a zombie from the haunted house! Can the Boxcar Children find out what's behind all the trouble?

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Thea Stilton and the Dancing Shadows by Thea Stilton

Thea Stilton and the Dancing Shadows
Thea Stilton
Geronimo Stilton

The books in this spin-off to the "Geronimo Stilton" mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

More information about the book

The Thea Sisters are headed to Italy for a ballet competition! But the mouselets aren't just there to dance — they are there to investigate. A group is plotting to rig the prestigious contest, and the future of the mouselets' new friend — an aspiring ballerina — is at stake! Can the Thea Sisters stop this scheme before it's too late?

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The Secret of the Long-Lost Cousin by

The Secret of the Long-Lost Cousin
M. Masters, based on a concept by Bruce Lansky
Can You Solve the Mystery?

This new series of short cases are probably best suited for readers at the upper end of the 7 to 9 age group.

More information about the book

Twelve-year-old amateur sleuths — and best friends — Hawkeye Collins and Amy Adams love to solve cases. They invite readers to follow the clues and sketches to solve crimes in their hometown of Lakewood Hills.

All of the books in the "Can You Solve the Mystery?" series contain 9-10 short mysteries. Readers are given written clues as well as visual clues to help them solve the crime. The answers and a brief wrap-up are given in the back of the book.

Three additional books in the series are also being published this month …

The Case of the Chocolate Snatcher and 8 other mysteries

The Case of the Video Game Smugglers and 9 other mysteries

The Case of the Mysterious Dognapper and 9 other mysteries

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Day of Doom by David Baldacci

Day of Doom
David Baldacci
The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers

The books in this action adventure series are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

More information about the book

It started with a kidnapping. A shadowy organization known only as the Vespers snatched seven members of the Cahill family and demanded a series of bizarre ransoms from around the world. Thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister Amy began a global treasure hunt, determined to bring back whatever Vesper One needed, so long as it kept the hostages safe.

But when they deliver the last ransom, Amy and Dan discover Vesper One's terrifying endgame. The objects he demanded are vital pieces in a Vesper plot that will harm millions of innocent people. Now the two siblings and their friends are in an all-out sprint to stop Vesper One … before the whole world goes BOOM.

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The Alamo by Roland Smith

The Alamo
Roland Smith
I, Q

These action thrillers are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

More information about the book

Fresh off a "too close" encounter with the terrorist group, the Ghost Cell, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Q and Angela head to San Antonio, Texas. As their parents' band, Match, prepares for a concert at the Alamo, the two discover that the Ghost Cell has its tentacles everywhere, including the Lone Star State. With each passing hour, Q and Angela uncover more clues and discover more leads. And the mysterious Boone and his SOS group leave them with more questions than answers, for there is much more to Boone than meets the eye. With time running out to stop another Ghost Cell attack, Angela and Q and the others begin to wonder. Are they following the Ghost Cell or is the Ghost Cell following them?

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Strike Three, You're Dead by Josh Berk

Strike Three, You're Dead
Josh Berk

This stand-alone mystery, which may also serve as the first in a new series, is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

More information about the book

Lenny Norbeck is a die-hard baseball lover. Unfortunately, he's no player himself (according to him, he's "the worst there ever was.") But he'd make a heck of an announcer. He gets a lot of practice sitting with his best friends, Mike and Other Mike, watching Phillies games from their lawn couch — a sweet outdoor TV arrangement Mike's dad hooked them up with. Being a real announcer is his dream, and he gets his chance to prove himself when he enters an "Armchair Announcer" contest and wins. The prize: he gets to be the broadcaster, live, for one inning at a real Phillies game.

The game goes very wrong, though. Before Lenny gets to do his inning, a young, promising pitcher fresh out of the minors literally drops dead on the mound. The official verdict is that he died of a heart attack, but Lenny has a hunch there's something more going on. So he and the Mikes set out to investigate. The suspects are many, and though the trio barks up the wrong tree a few times, they are always right on the heels of the real killer.

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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; Junior Sleuths, ages 10 to 12; and Apprentice Sleuths, ages 13 and older).

Please Welcome Author Amnon Kabatchnik

Omnimystery News: Guest Author Post
by Amnon Kabatchnik

We are delighted to welcome author Amnon Kabatchnik as our guest today.

Amnon's fourth volume in his "Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection" series is Blood on the Stage: 1975-2000 (Scarecrow Press, September 2012 hardcover and ebook formats).

We asked Amnon to tell us how the series came about and what's next for him.

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As an author, I am often asked what triggered the books I wrote. When I reflect on what inspired me to create and compile the four volumes of the Blood on the Stage: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery and Detection Series (1900-1925; 1925-1950; 1950-1975; and 1975-2000) as well as Sherlock Holmes on the Stage: A Chronological Encyclopedia of Plays Featuring the Great Detective it is clear that these projects are the culmination of two of my life-long loves: reading and theatre.

Amnon Kabatchnik
Photo provided courtesy of
Amnon Kabatchnik

I was born in Tel Aviv. While my native tongue is right-to-left Hebrew, in my boyhood I learned the English language mostly through American movies and by wallowing in the paperbacks, with colorful, enticing picture covers, that came to Israel at the time. I began to dabble in the works of mystery writers Arthur Conan Doyle, Ellery Queen, Agatha Christie, S.S. Van Dine, Erle Stanley Gardner, Earl Derr Biggers (I still remember vividly the cover of Biggers' Charlie Chan novel The Black Camel), and became hopelessly enamored with detective fiction.

At first a faithful reader, I gradually developed a yen for collecting books in the genre, a passion that has prevailed and mushroomed through the years. By now I have amassed an enormous collection of detective novels, short story volumes, anthologies, true crime, horror, studies and biographies in the field — and play scripts, many out of print. What began as a hobby to collect any book by key mystery writers became a relentless hunt for first editions in dust jackets and fine condition. (Whenever I move to a new dwelling, my first and utmost consideration is the wall space for book cases — not an inexpensive requirement in Santa Monica, where I live).

Since first grade, I have performed in school plays, and following high school, I appeared in a semi-professional theatre in Tel Aviv, named Zira (The Ring). My life took a sharp turn when an invitation came from an uncle who lived in Lowell, Massachusetts to come to the U.S. for my studies. I enrolled at Boston University as both a Journalism and Theatre major.

It so happened that BU had decided to revamp the theatre area, engaged an actor from Ireland's Abbey Theatre, Michael Laurence, to head a new, professionally oriented department — and Laurence cast me (foreign accent and all) in the title role of Hamlet in a show that inaugurated a newly purchased theatre. My humble efforts at BU brought me a Rodgers & Hammerstein Award, a thousand dollars that were very meaningful to a newcomer.

After receiving a BS degree in Journalism and Theatre (summa cum laude), my professors urged me to enroll at the Yale University School of Drama. My affinity toward plays of suspense — which appealed to me because of their strong plots; driving, relentless forward movement; issues of life and death; and nerve-wracking, heart-pumping climaxes — caused me to choose for my thesis productions such dramas as Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit at BU, and Jacinto Benavente's The Passion Flower at Yale (years later, both plays would be included in my book Blood on the Stage).

I garnered my MFA degree in Directing at Yale and came to New York City to practice the field I had studied. I was fortunate to land the position of Assistant Director at the Phoenix Theatre to internationally renowned directors Tyrone Guthrie (on Friedrich Schiller's Mary Stuart and Karel Capek's The Makropolous Secret) and Tony Richardson (on Ionesco's The Chairs and The Lesson), and from then on I proceeded to direct off-Broadway, national road companies, summer stock, university theatres, and abroad (in Canada and Israel, returning to my home town to stage plays for the Habimah National Theatre).

I directed dramas and comedies by Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, George Bernard Shaw, Luigi Pirandello, Tennessee Williams, William Inge, Thornton Wilder, Lillian Hellman and scores of musicals, but whenever the opportunity came, my interest in the mystery play led me to choose such fare as Arsenic and Old Lace, Angel Street (Gaslight), The Cat and the Canary, The Mousetrap, Ten Little Indians, Dial "M" for Murder, Wait Until Dark, Night Watch, Bad Seed, The Heiress, Winterset, A Shot in the Dark, An Inspector Calls, Catch Me If You Can, Cliffhanger, and Dracula. A year or so ago I directed in New York a revival of the gothic thriller Ladies in Retirement for off-Broadway's Pulse Ensemble Theatre.

Blood on the Stage is a true labor of love. It combines my hobby of voracious reading of detective literature and my profession of directing plays. The project started years ago as a checklist of milestone plays in the genre and gradually developed into a full-scale endeavor. In the pursuit of old, out-of-print manuscripts and yesterday's newspapers and magazines, during the 1990s I traveled to a number of near and far libraries. Most helpful were the Olin and Uris libraries at Cornell University and the New York Public Library of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, Manhattan, where I found the scripts of obscure old melodramas as well as such lost plays as the stage version of The Mystery of the Yellow Room (1912), a locked-room classic by Gaston Leroux (author of the original novel, The Phantom of the Opera).

Tracking the genre's lost plays became an enjoyable part of the project. I was delighted to discover Owen Davis' Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Model (1906), arguably the most popular melodrama of its era, at the archives of the Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills, California, where I also unearthed the play Everybody Comes to Rick's (1940) by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison, the basis for the movie Casablanca. At some point I dug some dusty play scripts at the old, now defunct bookstores in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

A major surprise that I encountered upon the research trail were obscure, pirated dramatizations of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes adventure The Sign of Four, written and produced in America at the turn of the 20th century. I was also astonished by the large number of main-stream novelists, playwrights and poets who have mixed their ink with blood penning crime, mystery and detection plays. Among them are Great Britain's John Masefield, John Galsworthy, Somerset Maugham, John Osborne, Graham Greene, and the Americans Eugene O'Neill, John Steinbeck, Ayn Rand, William Saroyan, William Faulkner, Herman Wouk, Horton Foote, James Baldwin, Tennessee Williams.

Also, unexpectedly, some show business celebrities joined the fray: George M. Cohan, Mae West, Raymond Massey, Emlyn Williams, Michael Redgrave, Robert Shaw, Dore Schary, Woody Allen, and Stephen Sondheim.

All these authors, and many more, are represented in the four volumes Blood on the Stage, 1900-1925; Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950; Blood on the Stage, 1950-1975, and the newly published Blood on the Stage, 1975-2000. The productions are arranged in chronological order and are all works of enduring importance, pioneering contribution, singular innovation, or outstanding success. The stories involve murder, theft, chicanery, kidnapping, espionage, or political intrigue. Each entry contains a plot synopsis, production data, and the opinions of well-known critics and scholars. The latest book includes an overview of such memorable psychological thrillers and baffling whodunits as Deathtrap by Ira Levin, Buried Child by Sam Shepard, American Buffalo by David Mamet, Agnes of God by John Pielmeier, A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller, Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Jeffrey Archer, Hapgood by Tom Stoppard, A Few Good Men by Aaron Sorkin, Postmortem by Ken Ludwig, Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman, Killer Joe by Tracy Letts, and the musicals Chicago, Sweeney Todd, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera — altogether more than 80 plays produced in the last quarter of the twentieth century.

Now that I have covered the development of the mystery play throughout the 20th century (four volumes, 2558 pages), I am embarking on a prequel that will cite the most important theatrical works of crime and punishment beginning with the ancient Greeks — whose stages were awash with blood — and culminating at the end of the 19th century, a sort of "from Oedipus, the first stage investigator, to Sherlock Holmes, the greatest."

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Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Amnon Kabatchnik received his BS degree in theatre and journalism from Boston University where he graduated summa cum laude, and won the Rodgers & Hammerstein Award.

Kabatchnik also holds an MFA degree in directing from the Yale School of Drama. He served as Professor of Theatre at several universities, including Stanford University and Ohio State University, and directed numerous dramas, comedies, thrillers and musicals for off-Broadway, national road companies, resident theatres, summer stock, and abroad.

In addition to the Blood on the Stage volumes, Kabatchnik is also the author of Sherlock Holmes on the Stage: A Chronological Encyclopedia of Plays Featuring the Great Detective.

Visit Amnon Kabatchnik online at AmnonKabatchnik.com.

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Blood on the Stage: 1975-2000 by Amnon Kabatchnik

Blood on the Stage: 1975-2000
Amnon Kabatchnik

Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery and Detection

Amnon Kabatchnik provides an overview of the most important and memorable theatrical works of crime and detection of this period. Continuing the work of his previous volumes (1900-1925, 1925-1950, and 1950-1975), Kabatchnik describes more than 80 full-length plays produced in the last quarter of the 20th century, with an emphasis on New York and London performances.

Arranged in chronological order, the productions are all works of enduring importance, pioneering contributions, singular innovations, or outstanding success. Many of the most notable playwrights of the era are represented, including Ariel Dorfman, Larry Gelbart, Ira Levin, David Mamet, Terence Rattigan, Reginald Rose, Sam Shepard, Stephen Sondheim, Aaron Sorkin, and Tom Stoppard. The stories involve murder, theft, chicanery, kidnapping, political intrigue, or espionage, with each entry including a plot synopsis, production data, and the opinions of well-known and respected critics and scholars.

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