First Clues Review: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is delighted to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer
The Enola Holmes Series

Puffin (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-14-241190-6 (0142411906)
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-241190-2 (9780142411902)
Publication Date: May 2008
List Price: $6.99

Review written by Viveka, Age 14, Grade 8. Date of review: May 2009.

Review: In this second addition to the "Enola Holmes Mystery Series", two-time Edgar Award winner Nancy Springer once again drops readers into Victorian England where they experience all the very real danger and intrigue of London side by side with the heroine Enola Holmes.

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady is a continuation of The Case of the Missing Marquess. Enola, whose name backwards spells "alone", was named by her suffragist mother. "You will do very well on your own, Enola," is what her mother continually told. This memory of her mother's words is the source of Enola's strength, courage, and bravery. Enola is alone in what was then the world's biggest, darkest, dirtiest city. After running away (in the first book), she has masqueraded in this wild city as Ivy Meshle, Dr. Ragostin's secretary.

As she communicates with her run-away mother through the personal ads in the Pall Mall Gazette, she learns through Dr. Watson, a friend of her brother's, that her brother is greatly distressed with the worry of her whereabouts. Sherlock Holmes is the most well known detective. He, however, has failed to solve the mystery of his own missing little sister. But Enola has reason to believe that he has in fact caught on to the ciphers that their mother and she have been publishing. Her too clever brother is hunting her down. For the sake of her freedom she must escape by speed, cleverness, and trickery. But what can she do to ease her loneliness?

Dr. Watson has also, accidentally, informed Dr. Ragostin of the disappearance of Lady Cecily. Dr. Ragostin is a perditorian. "Dr. Ragostin" has his first case. Therefore Enola has her first case. When she ventures into the missing lady's bed chamber, she notices some hidden charcoal drawings that make her feel as though she has found her soul mate. Bravely wandering the streets at night, Enola must continue her quest to find the left-handed lady. In order to save Lady Cecily, Enola risks revealing more than she should. Will her own loneliness betray her?

Suspense, action, even some romance; this book has it all. This sequel is your typical mystery book with a twist. Throughout the book it has its readers guess the solution to the mystery. The clues don't fit and the readers are almost pulled into the story as detectives themselves. Nothing is given away until the very last chapters. This 4½ star book (out of 5) will keep you guessing till the very end. You won't be able to keep yourself from turning the page.

If you are interested in purchasing The Case of the Left-Handed Lady from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

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Mystery Book Review: Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry
Non-series

Metropolitan Books (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-8050-8927-6 (0805089276)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8050-8927-1 (9780805089271)
Publication Date: March 2009
List Price: $20.00

Review: Hannah Berry's debut mystery, Britten and Brulightly, is an exquisitely drawn, well-crafted noir thriller written as a graphic novel.

Fernandez Britten is a private investigator whose specialty is tracking down cheating spouses and exposing their secret lives. "I had made something of a name for myself in the field," he says. "That name was 'The Heartbreaker'." But he's tiring of the depressing work, so he and his partner, Stewart Brulightly (a teabag), decide to accept more challenging assignments, in particular murder cases. And he prefers the term "private researcher" to describe his work; it has less connotations.

His latest case is the fiancé of a man who killed himself. But she thinks it was murder, or at least he was coerced to do the deed. "He would never have used a pencil to write his final words. He was better than that. I bought him a perfectly good fountain pen for Christmas." Britten's investigation ... err, research ... suggests she may be right. But it also suggests she may not want to know the truth either.

Britten and Brulightly is quirky, clever, and gorgeous to look at. The images have a subtle wash of color to them and are filled with wonderful details. For such a short novel, the story is satisfyingly rich in plotting and the characters have surprising depth. Stewart (the teabag) is something of an anomaly. It isn't clear whether he's Britten's alter ego, his conscience, or just a figment of Britten's imagination. He provides, though, an interesting contrast to the somewhat sedate character of Britten, and often plays devil's advocate to his thought process.

About the only drawback to the book, and it's a significant one, is that the first-person narrative text is exceptionally hard to read. The block text used for the dialog is fine, but the odd cursive letters and low contrast between the text and the background make reading Britten's words a real challenge. It really detracts from the pleasure of reading what is otherwise a singular graphic novel.

Special thanks to Henry Holt for providing a copy of Britten and Brulightly for this review.

Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

If you are interested in purchasing Britten and Brulightly from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Private detective Fernández Britten is an old hand at confirming the dark suspicions of jealous lovers and exposing ugly truths of all varieties. Battered by years of bearing ill tidings, he clings to the hope of revealing, just once, a truth that will do some good in the world. It is a redemption that has long eluded him.

Then Britten and his unconventional partner, Brülightly, take on the mysterious death of Berni Kudos. The official verdict is suicide, but Berni’s fiancée is convinced that the reality is something more sinister. Blackmail, revenge, murder: each new revelation stirs up the muddy waters of painful family secrets, and each fresh twist takes the partners further from Britten’s longed-for salvation. Doing good in the world, he discovers, may have more to do with silence than truth.

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Nominations for 2009 Anthony Award Announced

The nominations for the 2009 Anthony Awards have been posted on the Bouchercon 2009 World Mystery Convention website. The award is named for the late Anthony Boucher (William Anthony Parker White), well-known writer and critic from the New York Times, who helped found the Mystery Writers of America. The winners are selected by registered attendees of the conference. Below are the nominations for three of the seven categories:

Best Novel:
Trigger City by Sean Chercover [William Morrow]
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly [Little, Brown]
Red Knife by William Kent Krueger [Atria]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson [Knopf]
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny [St. Martin's Minotaur]

Best First Novel:
Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris [Minotaur]
Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer [Doubleday]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson [Knopf]
Death of a Cozy Writer by G. M. Malliet [Midnight Ink]
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith [Grand Central]

Best Paperback Original:
The First Quarry by Max Allan Collins [Hard Case Crime]
Money Shot by Christa Faust [Hard Case Crime]
State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy [Berkley Prime Crime]
In a Dark Season by Vicki Lane [Dell]
South of Hell by P. J. Parrish [Pocket Star]

indicates a review by Mysterious Reviews.

Congratulations from everyone at MBN to the nominees!

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ABC Renews Castle, Lost; Announces The Forgotten and Happy Town

ABC announced its 2009 / 2010 television schedule this morning. There were few surprises as much of their schedule had already been pre-announced to the press (if not officially confirmed). We'll take a look at the mystery, suspense, and crime series here.

New drama series on ABC include:

The Forgotton: From executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer comes a crime show in which a team of dedicated amateurs work on cases involving unidentified victims. After the police have given up, this group must first solve the puzzle of the victim's identity in order to then help catch the killer. The Forgotten is scheduled to air Tuesdays at 10 PM (ET/PT).

Happy Town: Haplin, Minnesota, "Happy Town," is approaching almost a decade of peace after being riddled for years by unsolved kidnappings. But in the wake of this small town's first crime in seven years, some dark truths are being revealed about some familiar faces. They say every town has its secrets ... that doesn't even begin to describe Happy Town. Happy Town is a currently scheduled to be a mid-season replacement.

Returning drama series on ABC include:

Castle: When viewers first met Richard Castle -- a famous mystery novelist and divorced father raising his teenage daughter, while being kept grounded by his Broadway diva mother -- he was bored with his own success. He then found out that a real-world killer was staging murder scenes depicted in his novels. Castle was questioned by NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, a bright and aggressive detective who kept her investigations under tight reins, especially the years-old unsolved murder of her own mother. Though they instantly clashed, sparks of another sort began to fly, leading both to danger and a hint of romance as Castle stepped in to help find the copycat killer. Once that initial case was solved, together Castle and Beckett built on their new relationship investigating more strange homicides in New York. In the season finale, Castle, against Beckett's direct order to stay out of her mom's case, unearthed information in that homicide which may end his relationship with her forever. Castle is scheduled to air Mondays at 10 PM (ET/PT). The first season of Castle will be released on DVD in September.

Lost: After Oceanic Air flight 815 tore apart in mid-air and crashed on a Pacific island, its survivors were forced to find inner strength they never knew they had in order to survive. But they discovered that the island holds many secrets, including a mysterious smoke monster, polar bears, housing and hatches with electricity and hot & cold running water, a group of island residents known as "The Others," and a mysterious man named Jacob. The survivors have also found signs of those who came to the island before them, including a 19th century sailing ship called The Black Rock, a downed Beechcraft plane from a failed drug run, the remains of an ancient statue, as well as bunkers belonging to the Dharma Initiative -- a group of scientific researchers who inhabited the island in the recent past. They also encountered a freighter stationed off the island that some thought would lead to their rescue, but ultimately almost caused their extinction. The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must continue to work together against all odds if they want to stay alive. But as they have discovered during their journey, nothing is what it seems, and danger and mystery loom behind every corner, with even those they thought could be trusted turning against them. Even heroes have secrets. The 6th and final season of Lost will return mid-season. The first 4 seasons of Lost are available on DVD; the 5th season will be released in September.

Canceled series on ABC include the NYPD crime drama The Unusuals, which was given a short run this past spring.

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NBC Renews Southland; Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU Also Return

NBC announced its 2009 / 2010 television schedule this morning. As with most of the other networks, there were few surprises as much of their schedule was already known.

There are no new mystery, suspense, or crime series for the network. Returning series on NBC include:

Law & Order: Renewed for a 20th season, this series looks at crime and justice from a dual perspective. In the first half-hour, detectives investigate crimes and apprehend suspects, while in the second half-hour, the focus shifts to the criminal courts as district attorneys work within a complicated justice system to prosecute the accused. Law & Order is scheduled to air Fridays at 8 PM (ET/PT). Seasons 1 through 6 and 14 of Law & Order are available on DVD.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: This hard-hitting and emotional series from the "Law & Order" brand chronicles the life and crimes of the Special Victims Unit of the New York Police Department, the elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes. The 11th season of the series is scheduled to air Wednesdays at 9 PM (ET/PT). Seasons 1 through 9 of Law & Order: SVU are available on DVD.

The other Law & Order series formerly on NBC, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, now airs on USA Network. New episodes begin May 31, 2009.

Southland: From the beaches of Malibu to the streets of East Los Angeles, Southland is a fast-moving drama that will take viewers inside the lives of cops, criminals, victims and their families. This series, which debuted earlier this spring, returns for a second season and is scheduled to air on Fridays at 9 PM (ET/PT).

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First Clues Review: The Angel of Death by Alane Ferguson

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is delighted to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

The Angel of Death by Alane Ferguson
The Forensic Mysteries

Puffin (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-14-241087-X (014241087X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-241087-5 (9780142410875)
Publication Date: February 2008
List Price: $6.99

Review written by Devin, Age 13, Grade 7. Date of review: May 2009.

Review: Twists and turns, mystery, and utter amazements. All these words describe the plot of the book The Angel of Death by Alane Ferguson. Cameryn is the main character. She is a 17-year-old girl who works as an assistant to the coroner. The Angel of Death is the second book in the series. The first book is The Christopher Killer and the third book is The Circle of Blood.

Cameryn is the assistant to her dad who is a coroner. When Kyle O’Neil finds their English teacher murdered in his own bed, he is shocked. Everyone in the city knew Mr. O’Neil as a nice and friendly guy. Who would kill him? As Cameryn teams up with a friend, Kyle, a boy that goes to school with Cameryn, gets drawn into her life. Will she be too wrapped up with Kyle that she won’t find the killer, before it’s too late?

I personally enjoyed The Angel of Death for many reasons. It was a great mystery that always kept me reading and turning the pages. I kept thinking that the murderer was one person but then a twist in the story would change who I thought the murderer was. It kept going on like that until I found out who the real murderer really was. It was a great experience.

Throughout the entire book, it was always filled with descriptive words that enhanced the readers’ visualization abilities. Another thing I really liked was that when it went from chapter to chapter, it flowed extremely well. One thing that I didn’t like is that the book was too short and I wanted to read more. I also liked that when I read the title, I would have no clue why the author would choose that title, but at the end of the chapter it was revealed to be a key part in the chapter.

In conclusion, The Angel of Death is a great and descriptive book that will keep you turning the pages. I would give this book a total thumbs up! Go read it!

If you are interested in purchasing The Angel of Death from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

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Derrick Comedy's Film Mystery Team Picked Up by Roadside Attractions

In a press release yesterday, DERRICK Comedy announced that the US rights to their feature film Mystery Team have been acquired by Roadside Attractions. The movie debuted at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and a trailer can be viewed below.

“This film is a jaw-dropping mash-up of absurd comedy and a dark crime mystery,” said Eric d’Arbeloff, Co-President, Roadside Attractions, “It’s no wonder DERRICK’S shorts have been viewed over 100 million times online. Their enormous fan base will be a key part of this release. We’re thrilled to be working with the team.”

Synopsis: Oakdale’s Mystery Team was once a spunky band of kid detectives dedicated to solving child-sized mysteries: who put their finger in the pie, or who stole a tricycle. The town loved them for it. Now the Team is about to graduate from high school and move in to the real world, but they’re still storming the playground to bust little kids. Needless to say, the town of Oakdale is sick of it. Each member of the Team has a supposed specialty: Jason, the “Master of Disguise;” Charlie, the “Strongest Kid in Town;” and Duncan, the “Boy Genius.”

But those skills may not be enough when one day a neighborhood girl asks the team to find out who killed her parents. The Team is taken for the first time into Oakdale’s dark underbelly. A violent cartel of drug lords and strippers will threaten their lives, strain their friendships, and put their team slogan “NO CASE TOO HARD, NO CASE TOO TOUGH” to the test.

View the (probably NSFW) trailer below:

The film has a website but there's not much there yet. Mystery Team is expected to be in theaters this fall.

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Games of Mystery: Dream Chronicles The Chosen Child, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. 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.

Help Faye save her memories and family from the Fairy Queen of Dreams! Travel across multiple worlds full of magic and intrigue as you attempt to find Faye`s husband and daughter! Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child is an exciting hidden object adventure game full of suspense and fun. Can you interpret the mysterious dreams that Faye has been having and figure out where her daughter fits in this tale?

Also available: Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child Game Walkthrough.

Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A demonstration version (46.94 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour.

Watch a preview video below:

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Adventure Chronicles: The Search for Lost Treasure, Syberia and Syberia II, The Serpent of Isis, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey, and Nick Chase: A Detective Story.

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (Review), and Nick Chase: A Detective Story (Review).

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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First Trailer for Sherlock Holmes (2009)

FirstShowing.net has the first trailer for Guy Ritchie's version of Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. as the famous consulting detective and Jude Law as his faithful Dr. Watson. The movie also stars Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler and Mark Strong as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood.

You can watch the trailer below:

Sherlock Holmes will be in theaters December 25, 2009.

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Fox Renews Bones and Lie to Me, Adds Past Life for 2009/2010 Television Season

Fox Television officially announced its slate of programming for the 2009 / 2010 season this morning. We're taking a look at their mystery-themed series here.

Not unexpectedly, though it took them long enough to get the deal done, Fox renewed the popular Bones for two additional seasons. Based on characters created by forensic anthropologist and mystery author Kathy Reichs, Bones stars Emily Deschanel as Dr. Temperance Brennan who has an uncanny ability to read clues left behind in a victim's bones. The series also stars David Boreanaz as FBI Agent Seeley Booth who teams up with her on her investigations.

Bones is scheduled to air on Thursdays at 8 PM (ET/PT). The first 3 seasons of Bones are available on DVD.

Picked up as a mid-season entry is Past Life, a fast-paced emotional thriller inspired by the book The Reincarnationist by M. J. Rose. The series stars Kelli Giddish as a gifted psychologist and Nicholas Bishop as a former NYPD detective who work together to explore and unravel mysteries that must be solved in both the past and the present.

Past Life is scheduled to air on Tuesdays at 9 PM (ET/PT) in the spring of 2010.

Also renewed is Lie to Me for a second season. The series follows Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) and his team of deception experts as they assist law enforcement and government agencies to expose the truth behind the lies. We confess (!) we're torn about this show. We have a broad definition of "mystery" when it comes to television series, but we're still on the fence as to whether it qualifies.

Lie to Me is scheduled to air on Mondays at 9 PM (ET/PT) during the fall of 2009 only.

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