Enter to Win an Original Painting by Author and Artist Jonathan Santlofer

History and fiction collide with deadly consequences in the third Kate McKinnon novel — a story of bitter revenge, where the past invades the present and a decades-old secret proves fatal.

The Killing Art (William Morrow and Co., ISBN: 0-060-54107-5) is Jonathan Santlofer's most gripping and chilling story yet. The author, who is also an acclaimed artist, has created works of art just for the book that tantalize and challenge readers by using well-known symbols in innovative ways, allowing them to decode the clues along with Kate.

A masterwork of both suspense fiction and art, The Killing Art will impress both thriller readers and art fans as the plot twists and turns toward a shocking climax.

Enter to win an original painting by author and artist Jonathan Santlofer!

Visit the HarperCollins website and take the quiz just for fun and continue to see how well you guessed. Complete the entry form for your chance to win. All answers can be found in The Killing Art by Jonathan Santlofer.

Archer Mayor Credits Mystery Fan with Story Idea

An article in the Rutland (VT) Herald reports that mystery author Archer Mayor credits a fan of his books with helping him fill in the details of the last half of his most recent mystery, St. Albans Fire.

Accord to Mayor, the latest Joe Gunther mystery may not have been completed if it wasn't for a big fan who stopped by the author's home looking to get a book signed. That big fan also happened to be the head of the Arson Task Force in Newark (NJ). And suddenly the theme, the crime and the second half of the latest tale about Vermont police officers slipped into place. "It was serendipity," Mayor said at his home in Newfane (VT) on Friday during a break in book signings. "The cloud was lifted and the book fell into place. It probably would have been a completely different story otherwise."

Read the rest of the article here.

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has several first edition Archer Mayor mysteries available, together with a link to Amazon.com to purchase his latest, St. Albans Fire.

Sara Rosett: New Mystery Author

It's always a treat to read of an author about to publish their first mystery book. Sara Rosett, of Macon GA, is the author of the upcoming Moving is Murder and writes in her blog about a recent visit to an elementary school to discuss writing; the visit was also reported in the local paper, the Macon Telegraph.

Rosett told the children it has taken six years to get her mystery book published: "... two years to write the book, two more years to find an agent, and two more years to find a publisher," she said. But she never gave up!

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books will be looking for Rosett's mystery in the near future, and will be happy to feature it on our website.

Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers (11/18/2005)

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending November 18, 2005 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Mystery Book Survey Contest

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has started a mystery book survey contest. Each day, a random question about mystery books will be presented together with an entry form to the contest. Once a statistically sufficient number of responses has been received, results will be posted in this blog. As a Thank You! for completing the survey, the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books is sponsoring a contest; the prize is a $25 gift card awarded monthly to one winner among all eligible entries. (Complete rules are presented on the survey contest entry page.)

Visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books daily to answer the survey and be entered into the contest!

New Mystery Hardcovers for December 2005

A list of new mystery hardcover titles to be published in December 2005 has been created on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website. This list will be updated over the next few weeks as more mystery book titles are announced.

BookFinder.com Acquired by Abebooks

BookFinder.com has been acquired by Abebooks, based in Victoria BC. BookFinder.com, a price comparison shopping service dedicated to books based out of Berkeley CA, will remain an independently operated and managed entity. Abebooks connects buyers with sellers via its five websites and is dedicated solely to books. It does not compete with its booksellers by also owning and selling books. The purchase of BookFinder.com continues Abebooks' growth through organic development and acquisition.

See the press release of the acquisition on Abebooks' website.

Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers (11/11/2005)

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending November 11, 2005 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Mini-Mysteries (Minute Mysteries)

Mini-mysteries or minute mysteries are short mystery stories that can be read in as little as two minutes and end with a question challenging the reader to solve the mystery; the solution is given separately. Most mini-mysteries involve crimes, though mini-mysteries written for children may involve a puzzling situation instead. Mini-mysteries typically include all the essential elements of the traditional whodunit such as suspects, clues, alibis, etc.

Many schools use mini-mysteries as an effective resource in the classroom. Students become intrigued by the elements that comprise detective fiction and learn to use critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and logic to analyze the clues given and propose a reasonable solution based on the facts presented in the story.

Mini-mysteries appeal to readers of all ages and abilities for the simple reason that everyone enjoys a puzzle and there's satisfaction in following the clues and coming up with the solution.

Although there are several websites that offer mini-mysteries to read online, the best way to enjoy these stories is in print form where they can be shared together with your family. Though mini-mysteries are popular, they can be difficult to locate in your local bookstore. Amazon.com offers many mini-mysteries that can be purchased online and delivered to your doorstep.

Hyperion to Publish "Lost" Fictional Mystery Manuscript

Variety is reporting that Hyperion, the publishing unit of Disney (which owns ABC), will publish a fictional manuscript based on a script idea from the series "Lost". Producers of the show intend to introduce a new storyline centering on the discovery of this manuscript as the work of a fictitious author who perished in the "Lost" plane crash. According to production sources, the novel will be called "Bad Twin" and is a private-eye mystery about a wealthy heir's search for his evil sibling. Hyperion has hired a "well-known" mystery writer to author the book.

Read the original Variety article here, and a related article from the Honolulu StarBulletin here.

Featured Mystery: Cover Your Assets by Patricia Smiley

Mysterious Press is scheduled to release this week the second mystery to feature L. A. business consultant Tucker Sinclair, Cover Your Assets by Patricia Smiley. If you enjoyed the first entry in this series, False Profits, you're in for a treat with Cover Your Assets.

After discovering the lethal side of climbing the corporate ladder, Tucker leaves her fast-track career at Aames & Associates and opens her own management consulting firm. But four's a crowd at the beach cottage she shares with her actress mother, Pookie, Pookie's twenty-pounds-and-counting Westie terrier, and Pookie's new aging hippie boyfriend, Bruce.

With life as normal as it's ever going to get, Tucker's totally blindsided when a cop appears on her doorstep one sunny, spring morning. His news is even more shocking: Evan Brice has just been found stabbed to death. An aspiring poet-turned-agent-to-wannabe-stars, Brice was once the love of Tucker's life. Until he dumped her and married her best friend-now the prime suspect in his murder. With the media dogging her every step and celebrity hounds out for blood, it's up to Tucker to find out who wanted Brice dead.

Between the feng shui-ing of her home, a persistent homicide detective on her tail, and the trials of landing a date for her ex-husband's wedding, Tucker uncovers a Hollywood A-list of enemies and lovers…and a secret life that leads her into the dark underbelly of the drug and porn industries. Speeding in her silver Boxster from the scene of the crime into the sordid detritus of one man's past, she will have to make sure she's got her back covered-or a determined murderer will cancel her account for good.

Cover Your Assets is featured as a new mystery hardcover title for November 2005 on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

New Mystery Hardcovers for November 2005 (updated)

A list of new mystery hardcover titles to be published in November 2005 has been updated on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website. In particular, check out Air Dance Iguana (the fifth Alex Rutledge Key West mystery) by Tom Corcoran and Cover Your Assets (the second Tucker Sinclair mystery) by Patricia Smiley.

Author Profile: William G. Tapply

William G. Tapply is the author of the Boston-based Brady Coyne mystery series. The 21st of these, Nervous Water, was recently published by St. Martin's Press. He is also the author of numerous books about fly fishing and the outdoors. Tapply’s handbook, The Elements of Mystery Fiction: Writing a Modern Whodunit, is used in writing classes and workshops across the country. He is a Contributing Editor for Field & Stream, a columnist for American Angler, and has written hundreds of articles, stories and essays on many subjects for dozens of other publications.

William G. Tapply is married to Vicki Stiefel, herself an author of crime fiction, and together run The Writers Studio at Chickadee Farm. They live in Hancock, NH.

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books carries many hardcover first editions of William G. Tapply's books. Visit Amazon.com to find all of our featured author's works.

Sarah Graves Nail Biter Repair Tips Sweepstakes

Sarah Graves, author of the wonderful Home Repair is Homicide mystery series, is sponsoring a sweepstakes on her website. She's giving you the chance to submit your own helpful fix-its in the Nail Biter Repair Tips Sweepstakes. To enter, submit your contact information on her website together with a two-sentence repair tip that anyone can use around the home. The top entries will be judged by Sarah Graves herself and ten lucky winners will receive an autographed copy of Nail Biter. Hurry! Entries must be submitted by November 11, 2005.

Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers (11/04/2005)

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending November 04, 2005 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.