Compendium of Mystery News 070824

Today's compendium of recently published mystery news articles:

• NPRs 4-part series Crime in the City, crime novelists and the places they and their characters inhabit continues with John Burdett's Bangkok, Laura Lippman's Baltimore, and Michael Connelly's Los Angeles.

• Jamie Portman of the CanWest News Service talks to mystery author Howard Engel who continues to recover from a stroke six years ago that rendered him able to write but unable to read. He humorously states that he's setting next year's Benny Cooperman mystery on the Malaysian peninsula. "There, it doesn't much matter whether he can read the signs or not because he doesn't know the language anyway!"

• USA Today's latest book roundup covers four new mysteries.

• Otto Penzler writes about Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer in his most recent column on NYSun.com.

• The BBC has some images of Agatha Christie's crime novels that have been adapted as comic strip editions.

• And on a related subject, Pam Hobbs in the Globe and Mail writes about the upcoming Torquay's Agatha Christie Murder Mystery Festival.

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Mystery Bestsellers for August 24, 2007

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending August 24, 2007 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

The Quickie regains the top spot this week, but in contrast to last week when no new titles appeared on the list, two new mysteries debut this week.

First up: Suzanne Brockmann's romantic suspense novel Force of Nature is the 11th entry in the Troubleshooters series. Florida private investigator and ex-cop Ric Alvarado finds himself deep undercover with Annie, his beautiful new Girl Friday who is far more interested in fieldwork than filing. They're working for notorious crime boss Gordon Burns. One mistake from his painfully inexperienced partner, and they're both dead. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Jules Cassidy's life isn't in much better shape. For years, the FBI has been trying to prove Gordon Burns's ties to terrorist activity. Now, thanks to Ric and Annie, Jules has found a way into the lion's den. As the heat rises, so do the risks they're all willing to take - in the line of duty, for the sake of loyalty, and in the name of something that runs even deeper.

Also new this week: Sweet Revenge, the 14th culinary mystery in the Goldy Schulz series by Diane Mott Davidson. Goldy Schulz is thrilled to be catering a holiday breakfast feast for the staff of the Aspen Meadow Library. But little does she know that on the menu, alongside the Great Expectations Grapefruit, Chuzzlewit Cheese Pie, and Bleak House Bars, is a large helping of murder. But the holiday madness is only just beginning for Goldy. Soon she's drawn into the dangerous, double-crossing world of high-end map dealing. And like the ghost of Christmas past, Sandee—yes, the Sandee Brisbane who killed Goldy's ex-husband, the Jerk, but is supposed to be dead—keeps making an appearance. Could she be out to prove that revenge is sweet? Publishers Weekly says that Davidson is "at the top of her form" and adds, "Readers will happily sink their teeth into Goldy's latest case and come away hungry for more."

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Mystery Book Review: Stuff to Die For by Don Bruns

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of Stuff to Die For by Don Bruns. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Stuff to Die For by Don Bruns
A James Lessor and Skip Moore Mystery

Oceanview Publishing (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-933515-10-4 (1933515104)
ISBN-13: 978-1-933515-10-6 (9781933515106)
Publication Date: September 2007
List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Best friends James Lessor and Skip Moore are hardly on the fast track. While James works as a line cook at Cap'n Crab, Skip spends his days selling—or rather, attempting to sell—security systems to people who (a) have no money, and (b) have nothing they care to protect.

James and Skip aren't upwardly mobile, but they're about to get literally mobile when James spends a surprise inheritance on a white box truck. An investment in the future, he surmises, as these two are starting a business—solely devoted to hauling other people's stuff.

But the fledgling business takes a shocking turn when James and Skip unload the contents of their first moving job and find some unexpected cargo—a bloody human finger.

James and Skip must scramble to stay one step ahead of the perpetrators of the gruesome crime in this witty, gritty mystery about big dreams, big ideas—and big trouble.

Instead of chasing the American dream, James and Skip will be running for their lives.

Review: Don Bruns, author of the Mick Sever rock-and-roll mysteries, introduces a new series featuring James Lessor and Skip Moore, two underemployed best friends and roommates living in south Florida, in Stuff to Die For, a comedy-buddy-mystery that for the most part works on all three levels.

It sounded like a good idea at the time. Skip (who narrates the story) and James decide to get into the hauling business. Everybody's got stuff they need to move and they (mostly James) think what with a little luck and hard work they can parlay their newly acquired box truck into a fleet in a few years. Never mind that neither one knows how to back up a truck without damaging something. Their first job comes via a reference: their friend Emily knows a woman who's going through a divorce and wants her husband's stuff hauled away. Seems easy enough, until while putting the stuff into storage, they discover a human finger with a class ring attached bearing the name of same school and graduating year as Skip and James. Maybe this plan of hauling other people's stuff wasn't such a good idea after all.

The plot gets a little complicated at this point. The finger belongs to the class jock, Vic Maitlin, who, unbeknownst to but a few, saved Skip's life in high school. Consequently, Skip feels obligated to find out what transpired to cause Vic's finger to be in his possession. He and James end up getting hired to locate Vic by his father, an investor who is mixed up with a group of Cuban exiles plotting an invasion of their homeland. This all could have ended up being rather silly, or worse seriously dull, but Bruns handles it reasonably well, keeping the plot moving briskly forward, avoiding (with one notable exception) tangential plot points that would detract from the story, and instilling the characters with endearing qualities. The one exception is the incongruent subplot involving Emily's pregnancy that serves no relevant purpose being in this book.

Stuff to Die For doesn't pretend to be more than it is, escapist fun in the form of a generally entertaining mystery. If for that reason alone, it deserves considerable credit.

Special thanks to Maryglenn McCombs Book Publicity for providing a copy of Stuff to Die For for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

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Mystery Book Review: Last Breath by Mariah Stewart

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of Last Breath by Mariah Stewart. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Last Breath by Mariah Stewart
The "Last" Trilogy

Ballantine Books (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-345-49224-2 (0345492242)
ISBN-13: 978-0-345-49224-1 (9780345492241)
Publication Date: July 2007
List Price: $19.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): As renowned archaeologist Dr. Daria McGowan readies the most important project of her career–a University museum exhibit showcasing the priceless artifacts her great-grandfather unearthed a century earlier in the Middle East–she makes a shocking discovery: many of the most significant pieces have vanished. Panicked, Daria turns to the FBI.

Solving the mystery is an assignment that Connor Shields is more than happy to accept: Daria is the same intriguing blonde archaeologist he’s had on his mind since their paths first crossed two years ago. Working together to track down the stolen artifacts, Daria and Connor discover a trail of bodies–collectors who have met brutal, bizarre ends at the hands of a killer whose murderous methods are based on the rituals of an ancient civilization.

Amid rumors of a curse and mounting pressure from both the FBI and the University, Daria and Connor race to unmask their enemy and unravel a mystery stretching across oceans and centuries. All the while, an ingenious murderer follows a sinister plan to gather the coveted antiquities and one last acquisition–Daria.

Review: Archaeologist Daria McGowen returns from a dig in Iran to oversee the display of artifacts unearthed by her great-grandfather a century ago in Last Breath, the third and final entry in this trilogy of thrillers by Mariah Stewart.

The fabled city of Shandihar in the Middle East had been buried beneath the desert sands after an earthquake a thousand years ago, its treasures presumably lost forever. In the early 20th century, Alister McGowen, with the backing of a wealthy patron, Benjamin Howe, discovered the city and its artifacts, the most important of which he carefully cataloged and crated to be shipped to the US. 100 years later, these artifacts are to be displayed in a new museum at the university founded by the patron, Howe University. Daria, McGowen's great-granddaughter, is asked to coordinate the effort. To her shock and dismay, she finds several important artifacts missing ... possibly stolen. She immediately calls FBI Agent Conner Shields, a man she had met in Morocco on her way home. Working together, they discover a number of "collectors" who have acquired the pieces. Visiting each of their homes, Daria and Connor find the owners dead, tortured by methods described in the annals of the ancient city, and the artifacts gone. As they continue their investigation, they learn of a woman who calls herself the Goddess of Darkness, a high priestess of Shandihar, and her guardians who obey her every command, including one to kill Daria and Connor before they can expose her.

Last Breath is an excellent book in so many ways. The archaeological information is detailed enough to be interesting without being overwhelming, and significantly enhances the overall plot. The emotional highs and lows Daria experiences are realistically portrayed and add value to the story. And finally, and maybe most important of all, the mystery of who stole the artifacts and why make for a compelling and fast paced thriller.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Last Breath and to Book Trends for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

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Compendium of Mystery News 070822

Today's compendium of recently published mystery news articles:

• The Associated Press is reporting that Magdalen Nabb, author of the Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia mystery series, has died of a stroke in Florence, Italy. She was 60. Nabb also wrote stories for children and young adults. See also this profile of the author on the Telegraph.co.uk.

• Belinda Goldsmith interviews mystery writer Mary Daheim for Reuters. Mary Daheim says the best advice she received when she embarked on a writing career over 20 years ago was to not confuse her work with literature.

• Bill Keveney, writing for USA Today, says that television viewers love a good mystery, but with song? He reports on the upcoming CBS series Viva Laughlin. The CBS website calls the series (which is based on the BBC show Viva Blackpool) part drama, part thriller, part musical.

• Variety is reporting that James Patterson is entering the videogame business. Oberon Media has signed a deal with the author to produce numerous games with Patterson's brand name, most likely in the mystery or romance genres. Some will be based on Patterson's existing books, others on original stories.

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.

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Compendium of Mystery News 070821

Today's compendium of recently published mystery news articles:

• Laura Thompson writes in the Telegraph about Agatha Christie, a woman she says can be understood but not solved. Her book about the author, Agatha Christie: An English Mystery, will be published next month in the UK.

• Gaming Today provides some beautifully rendered screen shots for the upcoming PC game, Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun. This third installment of the series from The Adventure Company is scheduled for release in October 2007.

• Roberta Isleib, author of the Cassie Burdette golf mysteries, writes an essay in the latest series of Chicken Soup books, Chicken Soup for the Woman Golfer's Soul. (MBN Note: find all of Roberta Isleib's mysteries as well as many more sports-related mystery books at our partner website, Sports Mysteries.)

• Margaret Cannon reviews 5 recently published mysteries in her column on TheGlobeandMail.com.

• The Associated Press is reporting that J. K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel. (This information has been published on many websites; our link here is to FoxNews.com.)

• NPR begins a four-part series, Crime in the City, about crime novelists and the places they and their characters inhabit. First up: Donna Leon's Venice.

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.

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Mysteries on TV: JAG and Dexter

Mystery television series being released this week on DVD:

JAG, Season 4, starred David James Elliot as Cmdr. Harmon "Harm" Rabb, a former Navy pilot turned lawyer for the Judge Advocate General (JAG). The series also starred Catherine Bell as Lt. Col. Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie.

The fourth season of JAG aired on CBS from September 1998 through May 1999. This DVD set includes all 24 episodes from this season on 6 disks.

Watch the opening credits (from season 2) on YouTube.com here.

Dexter, Season 1, starred Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, a blood splatter expert for the Miami Police Department who also has a darker side: he locates and kills criminals that have escaped justice. The series is based on the crime thrillers Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.

The first season of Dexter aired on HBO in the fall of 2006. This DVD set includes all 12 episodes from this season on 4 disks.

Watch the opening credits on YouTube.com here.

Visit the Mysteries on TV website to discover more television mystery series currently available on DVD.

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Mystery Book Review: The Hellfire Conspiracy by Will Thomas

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written a review of The Hellfire Conspiracy by Will Thomas. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website. (MBN Note: Enter to win one of two copies of The Hellfire Conspiracy with bookplates signed by the author, generously provided by the publisher, that we are giving away this month on our Mystery Books Sweepstakes website.)

The Hellfire Conspiracy by Will Thomas
A Barker and Llewelyn Mystery

Simon & Schuster (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-406-54805-X (141654805X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-406-54805-8 (9781406548058)
Publication Date: July 2007
List Price: $24.00

Synopsis (from the publisher): When Barker and Llewelyn are hired to find a girl from the upper classes who has gone missing in the East End, they assume her kidnapping is the work of white slavers. But when they discover five girls have been murdered in Bethnal Green, taunting letters begin to arrive in Craig's Court from a killer calling himself Mr. Miacca.

Barker fears that Miacca might be part of the Hellfire Club, a group of powerful, hedonistic aristocrats performing Satanic rituals. He must track the fiend to his hideout, while Llewelyn confronts the man who put him in prison.

Review: Private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker and his assistant Thomas Llewelyn take on assignment to find a missing upper class twelve year girl in The Hellfire Conspiracy, the fourth mystery in this series by Will Thomas.

The girl was abducted from the East End, a low class, seedy part of London. Barker and Llewelyn had heard that the white slavers were back who may have taken her to sell her to someone who would whisk her out of the country and concentrate their efforts there. During their intense search, however, they come upon knowledge that five other girls between the ages of eleven and fourteen had been found murdered and tossed in the river. They were nude, raped, their faces painted like some satanic ritual, and one finger cut off at the first knuckle. This was definitely not the work of the white slavers. They finally find the missing girl in the River Thames, nude, raped and strangled, with her face painted and one finger cut off at the knuckle. Though convinced the white slavers were not responsible for this crime, there are other sinister secret cults at work. Their search goes on in the darkest, most barbaric, desolate, and uncivilized parts of London. When another child, age eleven, disappears, Barker pledges to the parents that they will find her before she, too, is killed.

Though the crimes here are against children, the author doesn't dwell on the murders but instead focuses on the investigation by Barker and Llewelyn. When they discover who the malicious murderer is, Llewelyn professes surprise though Barker claims he knew it all along; most readers will as well.

Set in late 1880s London, the period and location details add a mysterious atmospheric layer to a well-paced plot. Despite the horrific nature of the crimes, The Hellfire Conspiracy is a pleasure to read.

Special thanks to Touchstone Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for providing a copy of The Hellfire Conspiracy for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

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Mystery Godoku: Weekly Puzzle for August 20, 2007

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is 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!).

This week's letters and mystery clue: A C E I L M N O P. A mystery with this laughing professional in the title won the 1971 Edgar Award for best novel (9 letters).

New! We now have our puzzles 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!

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Mystery Book Review: Deadly Vintage by Elaine Flinn

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written a review of Deadly Vintage by Elaine Flinn. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Deadly Vintage by Elaine Flinn
A Molly Doyle Mystery

Perseverance Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-880284-87-1 (1880284871)
ISBN-13: 978-1-880284-87-2 (9781880284872)
Publication Date: September 2007
List Price: $14.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Life is sweet for Molly Doyle. Treasures Antiques, the Carmel shop she manages, is doing well. Her niece, Emma, continues to enrich her life, and her personal relationship with Randall, the chief of police, has reached an interesting plateau. Eager to branch out into interior decorations, Molly takes on a lucrative commission to refurbish the wine tasting rooms at Bello Lago, a prestigious family-owned winery in Carmel Valley. But Molly soon finds herself in the middle of the dysfunctional family’s squabbles when they end in murder - and she’s a prime suspect! Even worse, Emma’s future is at stake when a stranger walks into Treasures and …

Review: Carmel-by-the-Sea antiques shop owner Molly Doyle again assumes the role of amateur sleuth in Deadly Vintage, the cleverly plotted fourth mystery in this series by Elaine Flinn.

Molly is presented with an opportunity to showcase her talents when she's hired by Carla Jessop, the daughter of a local vineyard owner, to decorate a wine tasting room in a traditional Italian manner. Carla's husband, Todd, a former dot-com executive, is vehemently opposed and wants to modernize both the winery and its image. The conflict becomes public when, at a dinner attended by all three, Molly throws a glass of wine in Todd's face he accuses her of selling fake antiques. A few days later, when Todd is murdered with Molly standing nearby, she needs to work with her close friend, chief of police Kenneth Randall, to clear her name and restore her reputation.

Deadly Vintage is not a book one rushes through. It is leisurely paced and appropriately so; the murder, for example, doesn't take place until well into the second third of the story. The characters are richly drawn and the narrative is filled with interesting details about the antiques business and the community. Of particular note is Molly's relationship with her niece Emma, which is both special and sweet. The twists and turns in the plot are all credible within the context of the story, and the killer (if not necessarily the motive) comes as a complete surprise.

A minor annoyance is Flinn's use of the word "merch" in place of "merchandise" or "goods". Antiques dealers may indeed use the term as part of their vernacular, and Molly herself often uses it when speaking to friends and colleagues. But when "merch" is used in a descriptive paragraph it is jarring. "She set about adding the new merch into the inventory on the computer." Or "She frequently rearranged merch in the shop." In an otherwise exceptionally well written book it is conspicuously out of place.

Special thanks to Perseverance Press for providing a copy of Deadly Vintage for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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