Enter the HBO True Blood Escape the Everyday Sweepstakes for a Chance to Win $10,000

HBO is offering fans of its hit series True Blood a chance to win $10,000 in the Escape the Everyday sweepstakes.

Battle to collect items, enter codes and play three instant win games daily for the chance to win the complete True Blood Season 1 DVD Set and other great prizes.

True Blood is based on the series of Southern Vampire mysteries by Charlaine Harris and stars Anna Paquin as telepathic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie is "cursed" with the ability to listen in on people's thoughts but is tolerant of vampires who have no brainwave activity. She's particularly attracted to Bill Compton (played by Stephen Moyer), a handsome 173-year-old living up the road. But as Sookie is drawn into a series of mysteries surrounding Bill's arrival in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, her tolerance of vampires will be put to the test.

Click on the banner below to begin your hunt in HBO's True Blood Escape the Everyday sweepstakes.

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New Hardcover Mysteries for July 2009

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has updated its list of new hardcover mysteries with books scheduled for publication in July 2009.

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 July mystery books page. We're also using the "carousel" widget by Amazon.com to display a random selection of titles; refreshing this page will change the selection displayed.

• Authors with mysteries having returning series characters (in parentheses) this month:

Rennie Airth (John Madden), Susanne Alleyn (Aristide Ravel), Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow), A. C. Baantjer (Jurriaan DeKok), Brett Battles (Jonathan Quinn), James Scott Bell (Ty Buchanan), Anna Blundy (Faith Zanetti), Rhys Bowen (Her Royal Spyness), Suzanne Brockmann (Troubleshooter), James Lee Burke (Hackberry Holland), Mike Carey (Felix Castor), Kathryn Casey (Sarah Armstrong), Chris Collett (Tom Mariner), Darwyn Cooke (Parker), P. C. Doherty (Hugh Corbett), Kate Ellis (Joe Plantagenet), Clyde W. Ford (Charlie Noble), Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza (Inspector Espinosa), Michael Genelin (Jana Matinova), Lee Goldberg (Monk), Philip Gooden (Thomas Ansell), Mitchell Graham (Katherine Adams), Kerry Greenwood (Phryne Fisher), Susanna Gregory (Matthew Bartholomew), Carolyn Haines (Sarah Booth Delaney, Southern Belle), Judith Koll Healey (Alais Capet), Steve Hockensmith (Holmes on the Range), Dorothy Howell (Haley Randolph), Declan Hughes (Ed Loy), J. A. Konrath (Jack Daniels), Julie Kramer (Riley Spartz), Chris Kuzneski (Jonathon Payne and David Jones), Deryn Lake (John Rawlings), Mike Lawson (Joe DeMarco), David Liss (Benjamin Weaver), Steve Martini (Paul Madriani), Pat McIntosh (Gil and Alys Cunningham), Lynda La Plante (Anna Travis), John Ringo (Posleen War), James Rollins (Sigma Force), Pauline Rowson (Andy Horton), Daniel Silva (Gabriel Allon), Chris Simms (Jon Spicer), Karin Slaughter (Grant County), Eric Stone (Ray Sharp), Steven M. Thomas (Robert Rivers), Nicola Upson (Josephine Tey), Donald E. Westlake (John Dortmunder)

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

Mark Bouton (LAPD), Nick Brownlee (Jake Moore and Daniel Jouma), Kwei Quartey (Darko Dawson), Andrea J. Sisco (Penelope Santucci), Laura Wilson (Ted Stratton)

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

Jeff Abbott, Elizabeth Adler, Mary Kay Andrews, Liz Balmaseda, Stephen L. Carter, F. G. Cottam, Blake Crouch, Harry Dolan, George Dawes Green, Richard Hack, Jane Stanton Hitchcock, Linda Howard, Greg Iles, Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen, Jamie S. Rich and Joelle Jones, David Levien, David Morrell, Nora Roberts, Theresa Schwegel, Vikas Swarup, Robert W. Walker, Robert Ward, Gordon Zuckerman

For more information on any of these titles, please visit the 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 mysteries, also updated with July 2009 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.

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First Clues Review: The Falcon's Malteser by Anthony Horowitz

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 Falcon's Malteser by Anthony Horowitz
The Diamond Brothers Series

Puffin (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-14-240219-2 (0142402192)
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-240219-1 (9780142402191)
Publication Date: July 2004
List Price: $6.99

Review written by Kevin, Age 11, Grade 6. Date of review: June 2009.

Review: Need a laugh, need a thrill? Then The Falcon’s Malteser is the book for you. As the first book in the Diamond Brothers series, it puts comedy into an action story. Main character Nick Diamond, age 13 and brother of Herbert Simple, is on a dangerous adventure.

In the beginning of the story, private detective Herbert Simple gets an odd case from a dwarf, Johnny Naples. When Naples leaves, the brothers find out what the package is and what it means. Many dangerous men are involved with the box and the things that lead to it. Nick and Herbert come in counter with many strange people and end up in many strange situations. One of the most dangerous men that they meet is called the fat man. The two brothers find out the hotel that their client is staying at, they need to talk to him. When they arrive at the hotel, and go up to his room, they find him dead on the hotel bed. The smoking gun is on the ground next to him. Herbert picks it up, and the police kick down the door to find Herbert next to the dead man, holding the smoking gun. This is the first of many exciting incidents that happen to the Diamond Brothers in The Falcon’s Malteser. Can the brothers find out the mystery of the box, or will they die at the hands of the fat man. Check out the book at your local library.

Overall, I did not think the book was Anthony Horowitz’s best work. The book did contain suspense, action, comedy, and drama but not tied together very well. I think that the book jumped from scene to scene with random happenings that really didn’t make sense. Some of the characters were forgotten about in parts of the story and then were brought back at random parts of the story that really didn’t fit in. Also, the way that some of the characters did some of the things that they accomplished were way too far fetched. Elaborating is one thing, but exaggerating is another. If Mr. Horowitz toned down the exaggeration, the novel would’ve been ten times better because it would be more realistic. I would recommend this novel if you have nothing else to read, and you are using it as a pastime. For ages 12-25.

If you are interested in purchasing The Falcon's Malteser 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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Enter to Win a Copy of Linda Castillo's New Thriller, Sworn to Silence

St. Martin's Press is offering our readers a chance to win a copy of Linda Castillo's powerful new thriller, Sworn to Silence, in which some secrets are too terrible to reveal ... and some crimes are too unspeakable to solve.

In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and “English” residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish.

Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as Chief of Police. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. She’s certain she’s come to terms with her past—until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past—and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.

To enter to win a copy of Sworn to Silence, follow this link: Sworn to Silence Book Promotion Sweepstakes

For more information about the book or the author, please visit US.Macmillan.com/SwornToSilence.

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Summer Sleuthing 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 pass on a new promotion from Big Fish Games that was announced today.

We can't resist following any trail that includes the word "sleuth", and so we were pleasantly surprised when it led to this summer promotion from Big Fish Games.

Buy any 5 games between now and July 5th, 2009, and receive an exclusive Felix the Detective keychain! All games on the site are eligible, but of course, we're partial to mystery-themed games.

Games of Mystery has two pages of mystery games available from Big Fish Games: a list of adventure mystery games and a list of hidden object mystery games. We have also started posting reviews of these games. You can read these here: a review of Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!, a review of The Hardy Boys: The Perfect Crime, and a review of Nick Chase: A Detective Story.

Click on the banner below for more details or to start your summer sleuthing at Big Fish Games!

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

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Mystery Book Review: Choker by Frederick Ramsay

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

Choker by Frederick Ramsay
An Ike Schwartz Mystery

Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-635-2 (1590586352)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-635-8 (9781590586358)
Publication Date: June 2009
List Price: $24.95

Review: Picketsville (Virginia) Sheriff Ike Schwartz takes a vacation to the shores of Chesapeake Bay but that doesn't mean he's not on the job in Choker, the fifth mystery in this series by Frederick Ramsay

Just three days into his break he receives a call from his old friend and former colleague at the CIA, Charlie Garland. Charlie needs a favor. A young pilot, inexperienced in night flying, left an airport in Maryland and flew over the Bay on the foggy night of July 4th. He and his plane disappeared. Nick Reynolds, the pilot and the fiancé of Charlie's niece, left a cryptic message prior to leaving. The FAA and Coast Guard have searched for the plane but have found nothing. Maybe, reasons Charlie, Ike can take a fresh look at the case from his perspective on the Delaware border.

Meanwhile, back in Picketsville, a skull and bones have been found in an age-old sink hole once known as "Passion Pit", now simply the "Kaldron". Acting Sheriff Frank Sutherlin teams up with the Reverend Blake Fisher, who has lost some silver communion chalices recently, to look into it. Has a mysterious cult formed in the local high school?

Ramsay has a real flair for combining a little suspense, a dash of comedy, and a touch of romance into his novels. Choker is no exception. Taking place in a completely different setting than the other books in the series (and in some ways, introducing a different tone as well), it's a real pleasure following Ike on his investigation of the missing pilot and plane, working with (and sometimes in opposition to) a most remarkable cast of characters. It's all the book really needs to keep the reader's attention; the subplot back in Ike's home town is interesting, but adds little of value to the rest of the story.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Choker and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.

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

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): His pilot’s rating barely a month old, Nick Reynolds drops off the radar at night over the Chesapeake Bay. Investigating agencies call it another tragic pilot error accident. No trace of the plane is found in the Bay’s murky waters.

Ike Schwartz, erstwhile sheriff of Picketsville, on vacation, is approached by Charlie Garland, an old CIA friend, to look into the disappearance. The missing pilot was engaged to Charlie’s niece and the family is not dealing well with the lack of closure. More importantly, Nick, just before his disappearance, had placed a call to Charlie. Was something other than pilot error involved in Nick's disappearance?

Ike accepts the assignment as a favor to Charlie and also because vacations do not work for him. Ike’s wide-eyed entry into a simple missing persons case catapults him into an international thriller á la Robert Ludlum with intimations of terrorism that might threaten the nation and its leaders. Clandestine operations, angry watermen and out of place dredging spoil complicate Ike’s efforts to unravel the mystery.

While this activity thrusts a reluctant Ike into harm’s way, back in Picketsville, The Rev. Blake Fisher and Acting Sheriff Frank Sutherlin sort out the mystery of the missing communion silver and a possible occult group operating in the high school.

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New Mystery Prize Package Giveaway! Killer Summer by Ridley Pearson

Mystery Book Contests is thrilled to announce a new mystery book prize package giveaway! Putnam has generously provided us with three tote bags filled with Ridley Pearson thrillers, including a signed copy of his latest Sun Valley mystery, Killer Summer, to be published next week.

Sheriff Walt Fleming's back in a third "killer" thriller when the world’s most elite wine connoisseurs descend on Sun Valley to taste and bid on the world’s best wines, including three bottles claimed to have been a gift from Thomas Jefferson to John Adams. With sky-high prices all but guaranteed for these historic items, it’s no wonder a group of thieves is out to steal them. Walt is soon caught in the middle of a heist of epic proportions—just not the heist he had prepared for ...

Enter daily! Provide your name and e-mail address on the Killer Summer giveaway entry form and correctly answer the contest question for a chance to win 1 of 3 mystery book prize packages courtesy of Putnam.

The prize package consists of a tote bag filled with a signed copy of Killer Summer by Ridley Pearson and two other Pearson paperbacks. Estimated prize package value: $60.

Remember to visit Mystery Book Contests regularly to check for new mystery book prize package giveaways.

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Mysteries on TV: Blood Ties, New This Week on DVD

Mysteries on TV, your source for the most complete selection of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series now available or coming soon to DVD, is profiling a series that has a season DVD being released this week.

Based on the novels by Tanya Huff, Blood Ties starred Christina Cox as private investigator Vicki Nelson who happens upon the scene of a terrifying murder, and she's hired by the victim's girlfriend to prove that her boyfriend was killed by a vampire. As Vicki pursues the investigation further, she crosses paths with someone else investigating the case for his own reasons: Henry Fitzroy (played by Kyle Schmid), the former Duke of Richmond and a 470-year-old vampire. To solve the brutal murder, Vicki finds herself collaborating -- against her better judgment -- with the suave and seductive Fitzroy. The relationship soon progresses beyond a purely professional arrangement, complicating her long-term love affair with ex-partner Detective Mike Celluci (Dylan Neal) ... and pretty well everything else in her life.

The Blood Ties: Season One DVD set of 4 discs contains the 13 episodes that aired during 2007 on Lifetime.

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

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for June 22, 2009

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now 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 F I K L N O S T

This short story by Jo Bannister appeared in 100 Menacing Little Murder Stories. (9 letters).

We now have two weeks of our puzzles on one page 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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Games of Mystery: Memento Mori, New for Windows PC

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and getaway vacations including murder mystery weekends, is pleased to announce the availability of a new game for Windows PC.

The secret to eternal life can be murder ...

In the chilling mystery game Memento Mori, when three priceless works of art are stolen from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the circumstances suggest that a secret society is behind the heist. Max, a reformed art forger, and Lara, the police detective who gave Max his second chance, team to find the missing art and unlock the mysteries of an ancient brotherhood obsessed with the 15th Century Latin work, “Ars Moriendi” or the “Art of Dying”. As Max and Lara’s theft investigation deepens, they discover that when the powerful worlds of art and religion collide, the result can be murder!

Memento Mori includes beautiful 3D graphics paired with an atmospheric soundtrack and 8 possible endings depending on the choices you make during the game.

Memento Mori is currently scheduled for release for Windows PC platforms on June 22nd, 2009, and may be pre-ordered now. (Note: some sites list the release date as July 7th, 2009.)

The game was originally released in Germany last October. View the teaser trailer (in German) below:

Don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all types of mysterious fun!

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