Oliver Stone May Direct Leonardo DiCaprio as Travis McGee in Film Adaptation of The Deep Blue Good-By

Last September, we reported that Leonardo DiCaprio had signed on to play Travis McGee in a film adaptation of the first novel in the series, The Deep Blue Good-by by John D. MacDonald. Now Variety is reporting that Oliver Stone may direct from an adapted screenplay written by Dana Stevens.

This isn't Stone's only recent move into crime novel adaptations. It was just last month that we reported that Stone had closed a deal to produce and direct an adaptation of the upcoming crime thriller Savages by Don Winslow.

About The Deep Blue Good-by (from the publisher): Cathy Kerr is innocence turned helpless desperation—all because of the smiling freckle-faced stranger named Junior Allen who has stolen a fortune in gems that her father had smuggled into the country. Cathy has nowhere to turn—except to another stranger, that man named Travis McGee—who is a walking pillar of cold rage as he follows the depraved wreckage of Junior Allen's trail.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Games of Mystery: The Mystery of the Crystal Portal, Beyond the Horizon, New from Big Fish Games

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.

— ◊ —

Embark on a breathtaking adventure to the world of mysteries and unsolved puzzles.

Many years have passed since Nicole’s father went missing. He knew something very important, something which could change the cause of humanity. Nicole has traveled the globe in search of her beloved father and trying to solve the mystery of the Crystal Portal and the key to her father's disappearance. In this sequel, new adventures await Nicole and her fellow friend Igor. Are you ready to join them as they travel all around the world in attempt to solve the greatest mystery ever? From her home in New York City to distant lands on the other side of the world, solve tricky puzzles and help Nicole find her father!

See also the first game in this series, The Mystery of the Crystal Portal.

Also available: The Mystery of the Crystal Portal: Beyond the Horizon Strategy Guide and The Mystery of the Crystal Portal: Beyond the Horizon Game Walkthrough.

The Mystery of the Crystal Portal: Beyond the Horizon may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (168.22 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 our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy (Review), Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (Review), The Hardy Boys: The Perfect Crime (Review), Enlightenus (Review), and Nick Chase: A Detective Story (Review).

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

— ◊ —

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!

Return to Mystery Books News ...

The Mystery Bookshelf: The Mao Case by Qiu Xiaolong, a Chen Cao Mystery

The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a library of new mysteries, is pleased to feature a new mystery series title we recently received from the publisher.

— ◊ —

The Mao Case by Qiu Xiaolong
A Chen Cao Mystery (6th in series)
St. Martin's Minotaur (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: March 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-60123-2

About The Mao Case (from the publisher): Chief Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Department is often assigned cases considered politically "sensitive" and now the Minister of Public Security insists that Chen personally take on a "special assignment." Leery of international embarrassment, the party is concerned about rumors related to Chairman Mao. Jiao, the granddaughter of an actress who had a "special relationship" to Mao, has moved into a luxury apartment and become involved with a new social set centered around the remnants of pre-Communist Shanghai society. All without any visible means of support.

Worried that Jiao has inherited some sort of artifact that could prove damaging to Mao’s reputation, Chen has been given a few short days to infiltrate her social circle, determine if the feared material exists and, if it does, retrieve it quietly. And if he fails, the consequences will be unpleasant for all concerned.

— ◊ —

About Qiu Xiaolong: The author of five previous novels featuring Inspector Chen, he was born and raised in Shanghai, where he was a renowned poet, having written and translated several volumes of poetry. Qiu lives with his family in St. Louis (MO). Visit his website at QiuXiaolong.com.

Return to Mystery Books News …

ABC Renews Castle for Third Season

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that ABC has officially renewed Castle for a third season.

The series stars Nathan Fillion as bestselling mystery author Richard Castle, who teams up with NYPD Homicide Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) to solve crimes in the city. She also serves as the inspiration for a new series of books he's writing, featuring NYPD cop Nikki Heat.

The first of these books, Heat Wave, has been a bestseller itself. The book's real author, however, remains a mystery.

About Heat Wave (from the publisher): A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.

Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly best-selling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. PulitzerPrize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

First in a Series of Posters from HBO to Promote the Third Season of True Blood

HBO has begun issuing downloadable posters as part of their marketing effort for the third season of True Blood. The first in a series of 12 is shown to the right; The Hollywood Reporter has a more provocative one (maybe the second in the series?).

True Blood is based on the series of Southern Vampire mysteries by Charlaine Harris, and features telepathic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse (played by Anna Paquin). A collection of short stories featuring the character, A Touch of the Dead, was published last October.

The third season of True Blood begins on June 13th at 9 PM (ET/PT).

About True Blood (from the network): Thanks to a Japanese scientist's invention of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. And while humans have been safely removed from the menu, many remain apprehensive about these creatures "coming out of the coffin." Religious leaders and government officials around the world have chosen their sides, but in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, the jury is still out.

Local waitress Sookie Stackhouse, however, knows how it feels to be an outcast. "Cursed" with the ability to listen in on people's thoughts, she's also open-minded about the integration of vampires -- particularly when it comes to Bill Compton, a handsome 173-year-old living up the road. But at the service of Bill's less virtuous vampire associates, Sookie is drawn into a series of catastrophes that will put their love to the test.

Watch a short (27 second) production video from the third season below:

Return to Mystery Books News ...

ITW Announces Finalists for 2010 Thriller Awards

The finalists for the 2010 Thriller Awards have been announced by the International Thriller Writers organization. These awards, in four categories, recognize the best books and short stories published in this genre during the previous year. The finalists are:

Best Novel:
◊ Vanished by Joseph Finder
◊ Long Lost by Harlan Coben
◊ Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay
◊ The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner
◊ The Renegades by T. Jefferson Parker

Best Paperback Original:
◊ Shadow Season by Tom Piccirilli
◊ Urge to Kill by John Lutz
◊ Vengeance Road by Rick Mofina
◊ The Coldest Mile by Tom Piccirilli
◊ No Mercy by John Gilstrap

Best First Novel:
◊ Fragment by Warren Fahy
◊ Dead Men's Dust by Matt Hilton
◊ Collision of Evil by John J. Le Beau
◊ Dracula: The Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker
◊ Running from the Devil by Jamie Freveletti

Best Short Story:
◊ The Desert Here and the Desert Far Away by Marcus Sakey
◊ A Stab in the Heart by Twist Phelan
◊ Aftershock & Others by F. Paul Wilson
◊ Iced by Harry Hunsicker
◊ Boldt's Broken Angel by Ridley Pearson

The winners will be announced during ThrillerFest V (July 7th - 10th, 2010) in New York City.

indicates a review by Mysterious Reviews.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Mystery Book Review: Murder in the Palais Royal by Cara Black

Murder in the Palais Royal
by Cara Black
An Aimee Leduc Investigation

Soho Crime (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-620-9 (1569476209)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-620-8 (9781569476208)
Publication Date: March 2010
List Price: $25.00

— ◊ —

Review: Private investigator Aimee Leduc is framed for the shooting of her business partner by someone who seems to have studied her closely -- or possibly knows her very well -- in Murder in the Palais Royal, the tenth mystery in this series by Cara Black.

Aimee learns that Rene Friant has been hospitalized with a collapsed lung, the result of a bullet to the chest. Unable to talk to him, she visits the scene of the crime -- their shared office -- only to discover that witnesses in the building describe someone very much like her as the shooter. Her only clue is that the woman wore an unusual motorcycle helmet, identical to one Aimee owns, available in only a couple of shops in Paris. She locates the store, and manages to acquire a surveillance video of the entrance where a woman, who even Aimee admits looks strikingly like her, hails a cab after purchasing the helmet. But the cab records indicate the woman was dropped off at Aimee's home address. The police have all the evidence they need to detain Aimee, but pulling a few strings in the department, she remains free to investigate on her own as to why someone has gone to a lot of effort to frame her -- for reasons unknown. Meanwhile, someone is depositing large sums of money into her bank account from an untraceable source outside the country, triggering a financial investigation by the authorities into the possibility that her office is laundering money from abroad.

Murder in the Palais Royal proceeds along at a brisk, at times frantic, pace. There's a lot going on here, especially since the titular crime doesn't even take place until well past the half-way point. In addition to the primary plotlines previously mentioned, there's a subplot that opens the book in which Aimee is preparing to leave for New York City to search for a brother she never knew she had, another having to do with the blackmail of a French government official, and still a third involving someone with surreptitious links to the CIA. In the less capable hands of another author, it would be a bit overwhelming. Still, it's not all that successful either. There's a sense that the reader is being taken along for a ride here, but is not fully engaged, drawn into the story, as it were. There is a direct link to the first book in the series, so it's possible that those who have not read it may not fully appreciate all that occurs -- and why it happens -- in this entry.

Special thanks to Soho Press for providing an ARC of Murder in the Palais Royal for this review.

Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

— ◊ —

Synopsis (from the publisher): Her partner, René, has been shot, and eyewitnesses have identified Aimée as the culprit. A mysterious deposit has been made to their firm’s bank account, interesting the taxman in their affairs. Someone seems to be impersonating Aimée; someone wants revenge. Two murders ensue. How do they relate to the youth whom Aimée’s testimony sent to jail in the very first Aimée Leduc investigation, Murder in the Marais?

— ◊ —

Mysterious Reviews is your source for the latest mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime novel reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Games of Mystery: The Blood River Files to be Released for iPhone Next Month

99games, a developer of casual games for the Apple iPhone, has been working on their first mystery game, and has recently been tweeting for beta testers.

Titled The Jim and Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files, the game is similar in appearance to the popular Professor Layton series of games for the Nintendo DS. According to 99games, in The Blood River Files players take on the role of Jim and Frank, who on an adventure-filled quest must solve a mystery left to them by their grandfather.

The developer estimates there are 20-30 hours of gameplay involving 4 chapters that include over 30 different characters, 60 puzzles and 8 mini-games. A hint system is included.

The Jim and Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files is expected to be available in the App Store in late April or early May. Watch a trailer for the game, uploaded by 99games, below:

— ◊ —

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!

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Cinemystery: Sherlock Holmes, New This Week on DVD and Blu-ray Disc

Director Guy Ritchie's reinterpretation (reinvention? reintroduction? reimagining?) of the famous consulting detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes is released on DVD and Blu-ray disc tomorrow. Starring Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson, the film is an action-packed adventure with a solid mystery worthy of the great detective himself at its core.

About Sherlock Holmes (from the studio): The hangman did his job, Dr. Watson declared the condemned man dead ... yet Lord Blackwood has emerged from the tomb to assert his deadly will over 1890 London. Is he in league with the forces of hell itself? Is the whole Empire in peril? It's a mystery macabre -- and only Sherlock Holmes can master it.

Original theatrical release date: December 25th, 2009. Available formats: Sherlock Holmes (DVD) and Sherlock Holmes (Blu-ray disc) combo pack, which includes the DVD version and a digital copy.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Mysteries on TV: Judge John Deed, Lawman, The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, and The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, 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 three series and one collection being released on DVD this week.

— ◊ —

Martin Shaw starred as The Hon. Mr. Justice Sir John Deed, or more simply Judge John Deed, in this British series that ran for 6 seasons.

Judge John Deed is an idealist at heart, and his more traditional colleagues regard him as a dangerous and unpredictable maverick. Deed is proof that power does not have to corrupt. Armed with a sharp intellect, rakish charm, keen wit and a passionate belief in justice, he has made it to the top on his own terms. Fearless and independent, he is sworn to serve State and Sovereign and will not allow himself to be influenced by Government lackeys. Even if it means making powerful enemies.

In addition to hearing cases before the court, Deed's personal life is also shown, with Queen's Counsel Jo Mills (Jenny Seagrove) being his primary love interest.

The Judge John Deed: Season One DVD set of 3 discs contains the 5 episodes (including the series pilot) that originally aired in 2001 on BBC.

— ◊ —

His movies have grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. He is an expert martial artist, with a 7th-degree black belt in akido. He’s considered to be in the same class of action heroes as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Chuck Norris.

But it turns out that Steven Seagal isn’t just an action hero in the movies. For the past 17 years, Seagal has been working as a Lawman, a fully-commissioned deputy sheriff in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. By day, a camera crew will ride shotgun with Deputy Sheriff Seagal. And the cameras will continue following him at night, as he pursues his many ventures (including energy drinks, songwriting, and animal activism) from a luxury hotel suite in New Orleans.

The Lawman: Season One DVD set of 2 discs contains the 4 episodes that aired during December 2009 on A&E.

— ◊ —

Dorothy L. Sayers’s alluring, aristocratic sleuth is played to perfection by Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey in these acclaimed BBC adaptations of the classic crime thrillers.

First seen on Masterpiece Theatre, where their success inspired the long running Mystery! series, each full-length drama features vivid characters, sparkling wit, and lavish 1920s settings.

The series also stars Glyn Houston as Bunter, his manservant and partner in crime.

The Lord Peter Wimsey: Set One DVD set of 3 discs contains the two episodes ("Clouds of Witness" and "The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club") that aired in 1972.

— ◊ —

Sherlock Holmes wasn’t the only fictional detective in Victorian London. Inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, other writers of the time created a colorful cast of sleuths: Dr. Thorndyke, Max Carrados, “Klimo,” Lady Molly, Detective Dagobert Trostler, the mysterious Mr. Laxworthy, and more, all collectively known in this series as the Rivals of Sherlock Holmes.

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: Set Two DVD set of 4 discs contain thirteen episodes that originally aired during the spring of 1973, including an adaptation of one of our personal favorite short stories of all time, "The Problem of Cell 13", published by Jacques Futrelle in 1905 and featuring Professor Van Dusen, who was also known as The Thinking Machine.

— ◊ —

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

Return to Mystery Books News ...