First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: New Titles for June 2011

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 June 2011, listed in approximate order of reading level, from books for younger readers to books for teens.

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Thea Stilton and the Star Castaways 
Thea Stilton
A Geronimo Stilton Special Edition (5th in series)

Thea Stilton is out of this world!

A professor at Mouseford Academy is organizing a trip to outer space, and the Thea Sisters are invited. The mouselings are headed on a fabumouse mission ... to the moon! After much preparation, the mice blast off. But when they arrive at their lunar vacation spot, things start to go wrong, including spaceship wrecks and rebellious robots. Can the Thea Sisters save the day?

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

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The Missing Heir 
Tracy Barrett
The Sherlock Files (4th in series)

Xena and Xander have just learned that their shy classmate, Alice, is the heir to a royal throne! Then they discover that their ancestor, Sherlock Holmes, had his suspicions about the kidnapping and return of Alice's grandmother, the princess of Borogovia.

Alice is to be crowned on her thirteenth birthday ... but she goes missing days before the ceremony. Who would kidnap a princess? Where would they hide her in a city where Xena and Xander Holmes — and the police! — are looking for her? And then there’s the biggest mystery of all: Is Alice really the princess?

The Sherlock Files are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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Theodore Boone: The Abduction 
John Grisham
A Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer Mystery (2nd in series)

When his best friend, April, disappears from her bedroom in the middle of the night, no one, not even Theo Boone -- who knows April better than anyone -- has answers.

As fear ripples through his small hometown and the police hit dead ends, it's up to Theo to use his legal knowledge and investigative skills to chase down the truth and save April.

The Theodore Boone mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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Rue for Repentance 
Felicity Pulman
The Janna Mysteries (2nd in series)

After her mother dies and her home is burned to the ground, Janna is forced to flee for her life. She is given shelter at a manor farm, but all is not as it seems. A child goes missing and Janna puts her life on the line to find him, but who can she turn to for help—Edwin, the outlaw who stole from her in the forest; the villain Godric, who has turned against her; or Hugh, the handsome nobleman, who stands to gain everything if the child dies? Janna needs all her courage, wit, and common sense to solve the mystery of the child's disappearance, but time is running out.

The Janna Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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Pish Posh 
Ellen Potter
Non-series

Super-snobby eleven-year-old Clara Frankofile has all she could possibly want. Her parents are rich, she lives in an apartment with its own roller coaster, and anyone who is anyone in New York City is terrified of her. Each night at her parents' fashionable restaurant, Pish Posh, Clara watches the celebrity diners, deciding who is important enough to stay and who must be banished. But Clara's world turns upside down when she discovers a mystery happening right under her nose. With the help of her new friend -- a brilliant twelve-year-old jewel thief -- Clara begins to look at life differently, and she may just be able to solve this most intriguing case.

This book is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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The School for the Insanely Gifted 
Dan Elish
Non-series

Daphna Whispers is insanely gifted. At age two and a half, she composed her first sonata. At age eight, she completed an opera. And now, at eleven and three-quarters, she is orchestrating a piano rhapsody.

With a résumé like that, it's no wonder she is a student at the prestigious Blatt School for the Insanely Gifted. But as sixth grade draws to a close, Daphna's mind is far from the upcoming "Insanity Cup" competition. She's preoccupied by her mother's disappearance two months ago.

When a mysterious man breaks into Daphna's small New York apartment, Daphna discovers that her mother's disappearance wasn't a random accident. Her mother knew something — and now somebody is after Daphna. What starts out as a simple fact-finding trip to the basement with her friends spirals into an international expedition. And while Daphna hopes to uncover the secret of her mother's disappearance on her global trek, the last thing she expects to uncover is an outrageous secret about the Blatt School.

And one insanely shocking secret about herself.

This book is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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The Mistaken Masterpiece 
Michael D. Beil
The Red Blazer Girls (3rd in series)

Sophie is nose to fist with her arch-rival, Livvy, all while taking care of movie-star Nate Etan's dog, when Father Julian hires the Blazers to help him authenticate a painting. Mayhem and mystery follows as the girls attempt to uncover the truth. Oh, and, uh, Sophie's friend-who-is-not-a-boyfriend, Raf, is back ...

The Red Blazer Girls books are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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The Bones of the Holy 
Jennifer Allison
A Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator Mystery (5th in series)

When Gilda Joyce's mother announces her engagement to a man from St. Augustine, Florida, Gilda is appalled. She hasn't even given him the "Joyce Family Application" yet! But as the wedding preparations get under way, Gilda realizes she has much bigger concerns. Why does her soon-to-be stepdad keep calling Mrs. Joyce by his ex-wife's name? And why is Mrs. Joyce acting like she's possessed?

With only a few short days before her mother says "I do," Gilda knows this much for sure: it's going to take every ounce of her sleuthing skill and psychic savvy to solve this one!

The Gilda Joyce mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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California Schemin' 
Carolyn Keene
A Nancy Drew, Girl Detective Mystery

The first book in the Malibu Mayhem Trilogy. No summary available.

Nancy Drew, Girl Detective Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 and older.

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Photo Booth 
Lewis Helfand
Non-series

He wanted to change the past, but first he would have to alter the future ...

A new deadly drug is about to flood the streets of New York City. The police have no leads on who is producing the drug, or where it is coming from. As far as Praveer Rajani, a reckless Interpol agent, is concerned the only way to prevent countless deaths lies in a handful of mysterious photographs.

Within the photographs, Praveer can see images of places he has never known, and people he has long forgotten. But what are the photographs leading him to? Is Praveer being told that his life is spiraling out of control, and he now has one chance to put things right?

Or are the photographs related to a murder that Praveer is desperate to solve? Perhaps they are showing the love that his brother, Jayendra, let slip away or even the family that his sister, Nisha, wants back?

This graphic novel is recommended for readers aged 13 and older.

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Uncommon Criminals 
Ally Carter
A Heist Society Thriller (2nd in series)

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world.

That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long — and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is ... the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend — the gorgeous Hale — and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time. Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

The thrillers in this series are recommended for readers aged 13 and older.

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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).

Sony's Adaptation of the Game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Starts Anew

The film adaptation of the thriller/adventure game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is back to square one with the departure of director David O. Russell, his script, and Mark Wahlberg, who was set to star as Nathan Drake.

The Los Angeles Times has an in-depth review of how the film came to be and what is believed to have caused Russell and Sony to part ways. Clearly there were two clashing visions here: Russell's desire to use the game as a backdrop for a completely different plotline (an art heist film involving a family of international thieves) and Sony's desire to have the film more directly relate to the gameplay itself. Neither party is commenting officially, however Sony apparently still wants to make the film, though a Summer 2012 release date seems unlikely.

In the game, which was originally released in 2007 for PlayStation 3, Nathan Drake, a descendent of Sir Francis Drake, is seeking the lost treasure of El Dorado. A sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, was released in 2009.

You can watch an early trailer for the game below.

Review: On Hallowed Ground by John Lantigua

On Hallowed Ground by John Lantigua. A Willie Cuesta Mystery. Arte Público Press Trade Paperback, March 2011.

Setting a brisk pace from the start, the unexpected victim of a kidnapping seems to be the key to the crime, a plot point that both drives the storyline and keeps readers interested in the outcome. A solid entry in this series, new readers will likely want to seek out previous mysteries featuring this Miami PI.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: On Hallowed Ground by John Lantigua.

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New Hardcover Mysteries for June 2011

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has updated its list of new hardcover mysteries with books scheduled for publication in June 2011. Please note that some titles may publish early (and may already be available) and some may be delayed, published at a later date.

Below we're listing those authors with returning series characters, new series characters, and non-series or stand-alone mysteries in separate sections. All titles are available on our June new mystery books page (which will become the default home page for the site on June 1st).

• Authors with mysteries featuring returning series characters (in italics) this month:

Hal Ackerman (Harry Stein, 2nd) — Clive Cussler and Grant Blackwood (Fargo Adventure, 3rd) — Jan Burke (Irene Kelly, 11th) — Linda Castillo (Kate Burkholder, 3rd) — Rory Clements (John Shakespeare, 2nd) — Sandra Carey Cody (Jennifer Connors, 4th) — Jeffery Deaver (James Bond) — John DeMers (Brett Baldwin, 2nd) — Paul Doiron (Mike Bowditch, 2nd) — Robert Dugoni (David Sloane, 4th) — Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum, 17th numbered) — Geraldine Evans (Rafferty and Llewellyn, 14th) — Joseph Finder (Nick Heller, 2nd) — Conor Fitzgerald (Alec Blume, 2nd) — Dorothy Francis (Key West, 2nd) — Lee Goldberg (Mr. Monk, 12th) — Thomas Greanias (Sam Deker, 2nd) — Peter Guttridge (Brighton Trilogy, 2nd) — David Hagberg (Kirk McGarvey, 15th) — Carolyn Haines (Sarah Booth Delaney, 11th) — Barbara Hambly (Benjamin January, 10th) — Steve Hamilton (Alex McKnight, 8th) — Charlaine Harris (Aurora Teagarden, 3rd) — Richard Helms (Judd Wheeler, 2nd) — David Housewright (Rushmore McKenzie, 7th) — Dorothy Howell (Haley Randolph, 4th) — Edward Ifkovic (Edna Ferber, 2nd) — Craig Johnson (Walt Longmire, 7th) — Jim Kelly (Peter Shaw, 3rd) — Jon Land (Caitlin Strong, 3rd) — Sophie Littlefield (Stella Hardesty, 3rd) — Peter Lovesey (Peter Diamond, 11th) — D. P. Lyle (Dub Walker, 2nd) — Adrian Magson (Harry Tate, 2nd) — Edward Marston (Robert Colbeck, 8th) — Jeanne Matthews (Dinah Pelerin, 2nd) — Pat McIntosh (Gil and Alys Cunningham, 7th) — Ken Mercer (Will Magowan, 2nd) — Laurie Moore (Dallas/Ft. Worth News, 3rd) — Hakan Nesser (Van Veeteren, 5th) — Bill Pronzini (Nameless Detective, 35th) — Robert Randisi (Rat Pack, 6th) — Ted Riccardi (Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) — James Rollins (Sigma Force, 7th) — Kate Sedley (Roger the Chapman, 20th) — Maggie Sefton (Kelly Flynn, Knitting, 10th) — Karin Slaughter (Will Trent, 3rd) — April Smith (Ana Grey, 4th) — Robert K. Tanenbaum (Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi, 23rd) — Mark Terry (Derek Stillwater, 4th) — Victoria Thompson (Gaslight, 13th) — Rebecca Tope (Thea Osbourne, 8th) — Michael Wiley (Joe Kozmarski, 3rd).

• Authors with mysteries introducing characters (in italics) in a new series this month:

Ace Atkins (Quinn Colson) — Sara Gran (Claire DeWitt) — Lars Kepler (Joona Linna) — Amy Myers (Jack Colby) — Reavis Z. Wortham (Ned Parker, Red River).

• Authors with non-series or stand-alone mysteries this month:

David Abbott — S. J. Bolton — Gary Braver — Alafair Burke — Bill Cameron — Thomas H. Cook — Timothy Craig — Judi Culbertson — William Dietrich — Martin Edwards — R. J. Ellory — Bob Graham — J. L. Hammer — Elin Hilderbrand — David Ignatius — Morag Joss — Michael Koryta — Ron Liebman — Rosamund Lupton — Pascal Marco — Michael Marshall — Margaret McLean — Tom McNeal — Jim Nisbet — Bobbie O'Keefe — Félix J. Palma — Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall — Ken Policard — Steven Pressfield — Ruth Rendell — Phil Rickman — Michael Robotham — Adam Ross — Marcus Sakey — David Schmahmann — Erica Spindler — Gene Stratton-Porter — Tom Clancy and Peter Telep — S. J. Watson — Daniel H. Wilson — Robin Yocum — Daphna Edwards Ziman — Richard Zimler.

For more information on any of these titles, please visit the June new mysteries page on our website. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where you can discover a library of new mystery, suspense and thriller books, also updated with June 2011 releases.

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.

Memorial Day Weekend Promotions from Big Fish Games

This Memorial Day weekend, Big Fish Games is running two promotions that may be of interest to our readers.

The first is for both new and existing customers. You can purchase any standard edition game for just $4.99 by using the coupon code NINEYEARS at checkout. This offer ends Monday, May 30th, 2011.

The second is for new customers only. You can purchase the adventure thriller Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened for just $2.99. Investigate a mysterious series of disappearances in the Louisiana bayou country and use your wits to track down a dark group of Cthulu-worshippers. Use coupon code sherlock2 at checkout. This offer, too, ends Monday, May 30th, 2011.

Watch the trailer for Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened below. You can find a complete list of BFG mystery, thriller and suspense games -- both casual and adventure -- on Games of Mystery.

Mystery Bestsellers for May 27, 2011

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending May 27th, 2011 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Not much in the way of change this week, with Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris, retaining its spot atop this list this week. Another title, which debuted last week, moves into the top 15.

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Moving up from 25 to 10 is The Jefferson Key the 7th Cotton Malone thriller by Steve Berry.

Four United States presidents have been assassinated — in 1865, 1881, 1901, and 1963 — each murder seemingly unrelated and separated by time.

But what if those presidents were all killed for the same reason: a clause in the United States Constitution — contained within Article 1, Section 8 — that would shock Americans?

This question is what faces former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone in his latest adventure. When a bold assassination attempt is made against President Danny Daniels in the heart of Manhattan, Malone risks his life to foil the killing — only to find himself at dangerous odds with the Commonwealth, a secret society of pirates first assembled during the American Revolution. In their most perilous exploit yet, Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt race across the nation and take to the high seas. Along the way they break a secret cipher originally possessed by Thomas Jefferson, unravel a mystery concocted by Andrew Jackson, and unearth a centuries-old document forged by the Founding Fathers themselves, one powerful enough — thanks to that clause in the Constitution — to make the Commonwealth unstoppable.

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For more mystery books news, 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.

Winners of the 2010 Lambda Literary Awards Announced

The 23rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards were handed out by the Lambda Literary Foundation this evening, honoring the best of LGBT fiction and non-fiction in over 20 categories, including gay and lesbian mystery, for books published in 2010.

The winners of these latter categories are ...

◊ Gay men's mystery: Echoes by David Lennon (Blue Spike)

◊ Lesbian mystery: Fever of the Bone by Val McDermid (HarperCollins).

Review: Ashes of the Earth by Eliot Pattison

Ashes of the Earth by Eliot Pattison. A Hadrian Boone Mystery. Counterpoint Hardcover, April 2011.

Far more about character and setting than storyline, this novel set in post-apocalyptic America, while very good on its own -- indeed, it is unquestionably a superior novel of suspense -- it simply doesn't compare favorably with the author's other outstanding mystery series.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Ashes of the Earth by Eliot Pattison.

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

OMN Welcomes Lauren Carr, Author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries

Omnimystery News is delighted to welcome Lauren Carr, whose second mystery in the Mac Faraday series is Old Loves Die Hard (CreateSpace, April 2011 Trade Paperback, 978-1-4609-3513-2).

Today Lauren is writing about what goes into creating a detective or hero in a mystery novel. And she's also providing our readers with an opportunity to win a copy of both books in the series. Visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Lauren Carr: Old Loves Die Hard" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (5017) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 06/09/2011.)

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Photo provided courtesy of Lauren Carr

Similar to the way several elements come together to turn a meal into an exceptional dining experience, there are many different ingredients that go into an interesting detective in a mystery.

The protagonist is the reader’s tour-guide through a mystery novel. It is second only to the plot in importance for writing your book. Even if the trip was to Paris or through Disney World, would you want to go if you had to spend it with an obnoxious or boring tour guide? I can’t count how many mysteries, while intriguing, I didn’t finish because I didn’t care or even despised the detective.

Joshua Thornton, the protagonist in A Small Case of Murder and A Reunion to Die For, was the widowed father of five children. A JAG lawyer, he had left the military after his wife’s death and returned to his childhood home in Chester, West Virginia, the same small rural town where I had grown up.

I’ve been surprised by how many authors have admitted to putting a lot of themselves into their protagonists. I didn’t realize until after A Small Case of Murder came out that I had put a lot of me into the single father escaping from parenthood by diving into solving mysteries. A new mother when I wrote A Small Case of Murder, I had come to discover that mystery writing was my escape.

After my second Joshua Thornton book, A Reunion to Die For, was released in 2007, my sister-in-law asked me to write a mystery placed at her vacation home in Pelican Lake, Wisconsin. I had another mystery in mind, but the plot required a detective more than it did a lawyer. Plus, my single father Joshua was housebound by his five children. There was no plausible reason to place him in Wisconsin to solve a case.

I had to come up with a new mystery protagonist.

By the time I had begun to think about the protagonist for the Mac Faraday mysteries, my son was nine years old and more independent. Maybe subconsciously I was looking to reflect my feeling of independence because I was looking to create a detective more independent than Joshua Thornton.

Yet, my protagonist had to be a family man. I didn’t want a womanizing, love ‘em and leave ‘em detective. By him being in a committed relationship for several years and raising children, then the reader would see him as a solid dependable character.

With all that in mind, I made Mac a detective who was starting Chapter Two in his life. His marriage has ended. I chose for him to be divorced because someone once noticed that I keep killing off my men’s wives and loved ones. However, because Mac is a good guy, I had his marriage end because of her, not him.

Both of his children are grown and off to college. So he is an empty nester, who has been kicked out of his own nest.

Logically, with that much past behind him, Mac couldn’t be twenty-something. So, I made him a distinguished, handsome forty-seven year old with auburn hair that’s gray at the temples, and blue-eyes that remind people of his late birth-father, who he had never met.

Chapter Two in Mac Faraday’s life starts off with a bang.

The day his divorce becomes final, a lawyer chases Mac three blocks to inform him that the birth mother he had never known had died and left him $270 million dollars and an estate on Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. (In the meantime, the setting moved from Wisconsin to Maryland, but that’s another post.)

Why, you may ask, the back story? Why not simply have a millionaire detective living at an estate in Deep Creek Lake who solves mysteries to pass the time?

Every incident, every person we encounter, every experience contributes into making us who we are. Likewise, so does the back story of your protagonist. Even if I don’t tell the reader my protagonist’s life story, I have one that goes into creating his character, which dictates the action in the plot.

In It’s Murder, My Son, Mac Faraday and the Spencer Inn, the five-star resort he had inherited from his birth mother, get sued. His lawyer suggests that they settle and pay off the ambulance chasers to make them go away, even though Mac and the Inn did nothing wrong.

Detectives who have had shoot-outs with homicidal maniacs don’t roll over and play dead. It is not part of Mac’s personality to toss millions of dollars to ambulance chasers to go away. His reaction is to tell them, “Bring it on.”

Mac’s past life contributes directly to his reaction in Old Loves Die Hard when the same lawyer advices him to keep his blossoming relationship with Archie Monday secret. With the public and media suspecting Mac of killing his ex-wife and her ex-lover after their bodies are found in his penthouse suite, Mac’s lawyer suggests that he sneak around with his new love interest until things cool off for the sake of appearances.

 Mac made it only halfway across the dining room before he turned back to the table of his lawyer and hotel manager.
 “Ed,” Mac began, “you’re without a doubt one of the best attorneys in the world and I pay you a very hefty retainer for your advice. It’s because you know what you’re doing. And Jeff, if it weren’t for you, the Spencer Inn wouldn’t have kept its five-star rating all these years. But, you two have to understand, I have a problem.”
 “Mac—” Ed tried to say.
 Mac held up his hand. “Ever since I can remember, people have been telling me that I need to learn to do what I’m told. My adoptive parents, teachers, bosses—everyone. When I was a cop, officers I trained would get promoted over me even though my record was way better than theirs. My supervisors would tell me that I would go far if I’d just learn to do what I’m told to do.
 Ed and Jeff exchanged glances.
 “What I’m telling you, gentlemen, is that I respect your advice. You mean well and one of the things I pay you for is the benefit of your vast experience in these types of matters. But I wouldn’t do what I was told before I was rich and famous; I’m certainly not going to start now.”

If Mac Faraday was a twenty-something millionaire playboy who grew up on Deep Creek Lake, snow skiing in the winter and jet skiing in the summer without a care in the world, then he would have a different character make-up.

We would not have the same ingredients to create an interesting protagonist who refuses to roll over and play dead; who won’t do what he’s told; and who prefers jumping into solving murder mysteries to golf with the rich and famous.

In which case, we wouldn’t have the Mac Faraday Mysteries.

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Lauren Carr fell in love with mysteries when her mother read Perry Mason to her at bedtime. From murderous bedtime tales, she grew up to write mysteries for television and the stage. She wrote her first book after giving up her writing career to be a stay-at-home mom. For more information about the Lauren and her books, visit her website.

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About Old Loves Die Hard: Old loves die hard … and in the worst places. Mac Faraday, an underpaid homicide detective who inherits two-hundred-and-seventy million dollars and an estate on Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, from his birth mother on the day his divorce becomes final, is settling nicely into his new life at Spencer Manor when his ex-wife Christine shows up — and she wants him back! Before Mac can send her packing, Christine and her estranged lover are murdered in Mac’s private penthouse suite at the Spencer Inn, the five-star resort built by his ancestors. The investigation leads to the discovery of cases files for some of Mac’s murder cases in the room of the man responsible for destroying his marriage. Why would his ex-wife’s lover come to Spencer to dig into Mac’s old cases?

With the help of his new friends on Deep Creek Lake, Mac must use all of his detective skills to clear his name and the Spencer Inn’s reputation, before its five-stars — and more bodies — start dropping!

Old Loves Die Hard is available in Trade Paperback and popular eBook formats (see icons below book cover above).

For a chance to win a copy of It's Murder, My Son and Old Loves Die Hard, courtesy of the author, visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Lauren Carr: Old Loves Die Hard" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (5017) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 06/09/2011.)

Read the first chapter of Old Loves Die Hard below; use the Aa settings button to adjust font size, line spacing, and word density.

More Casting News for Total Recall Remake

The remake of the 1990 sci-fi thriller Total Recall, itself an adaptation of the Philip K. Dick short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale", is scheduled to begin production next week in Toronto, and we're learning of some last minute casting news.

Colin Farrell has long been associated with the film, starring as Douglas Quaid, the role played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original. Now the two primary female leads have been cast: Kate Beckinsale as Lori (previously played by Sharon Stone) and Jessica Biel as Molina (previously Rachel Ticotin).

Total Recall 2012 (not the official title) will also star Brian Cranston as villain Vilos Cohaagen, Bill Nighy as resistance leader Quatto, and a "5 page monologue" cameo by Ethan Hawke.

Reportedly, the plot of the film will differ markedly from the original and be closer to the storyline in Dick's short story. The new story involves nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai, with Douglas Quaid (Farrell) a factory worker in the latter who begins to believe he is a spy, although he doesn't know for which side. Vilos Cohaagen (Cranston), the leader of Euromerica who, under the cover of protecting his people, is secretly readying an invasion of New Shanghai."

(Sources: Collider, The Hollywood Reporter)

Help Mark Twain Set History Straight in Midnight Mysteries 3: Devil on the Mississippi (Collector's Edition)

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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Mark Twain’s ghost has come to you seeking help. When Twain’s passion for literary history reignites a controversial debate about the true identity of Shakespeare, the age-old question resurrects one of the most evil interested parties. After waking the evil spirit, Twain sets about to rid his time of the darkness, but the plot only thickens. With Twain’s help, you have to unravel the connections to try to set history straight!

This is a special Collector's Edition with special features not found in the standard release, including bonus gameplay, an integrated strategy guide, concept art and wallpapers.

See also the other games in this series, Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy (Ms. Terri's review), and Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials.

Midnight Mysteries 3: Devil on the Mississippi (Collector's Edition) may be downloaded and purchased for $13.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (243.45 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!

Film Adaptation of This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel Gets Director, Screenwriter

This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel won't be published until this August, but that isn't stopping the film adaptation of the thriller from moving forward.

Matt Reeves (Let Me In, Cloverfield) will direct a screenplay written by Jacob Aaron Estes for Summit Entertainment.

In the book, Victor and Konrad are the twin brothers Frankenstein. They are nearly inseparable. Growing up, their lives are filled with imaginary adventures ... until the day their adventures turn all too real.

They stumble upon The Dark Library, and secret books of alchemy and ancient remedies are discovered. Father forbids that they ever enter the room again, but this only peaks Victor's curiosity more. When Konrad falls gravely ill, Victor is not be satisfied with the various doctors his parents have called in to help. He is drawn back to The Dark Library where he uncovers an ancient formula for the Elixir of Life. Elizabeth, Henry, and Victor immediately set out to find assistance in a man who was once known for his alchemical works to help create the formula.

Determination and the unthinkable outcome of losing his brother spur Victor on in the quest for the three ingredients that will save Konrad's life. After scaling the highest trees in the Strumwald, diving into the deepest lake caves, and sacrificing one’s own body part, the three fearless friends risk their lives to save another.

(Source: Deadline|New York.)

First Poster for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

There isn't much to it, but the first poster for Breaking Dawn, has been released (shown right; click for larger image).

The adaptation of the fourth and final book in the "Twilight Saga" by Stephenie Meyer is being released in two installments: Part 1 will be in theaters November 18th, 2011; Part 2 is scheduled for a year later, on November 16th, 2012.

Summit Entertainment has this to say about the film: The new found married bliss of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is cut short when a series of betrayals and misfortunes threatens to destroy their world.

After their wedding, Bella and Edward travel to Rio de Janeiro for their honeymoon, where they finally give in to their passions. Bella soon discovers she is pregnant, and during a nearly fatal childbirth, Edward finally fulfills her wish to become immortal.

But the arrival of their remarkable daughter, Renesmee, sets in motion a perilous chain of events that pits the Cullens and their allies against the Volturi, the fearsome council of vampire leaders, setting the stage for an all-out battle.