Warner Bros. Announces Limited Edition Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Soundtrack Collector's Set

A few days ago we mentioned a new video discussing the composer and score for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. Now, Warner Bros., the studio producing the film, has announced a limited edition collector's set of the soundtrack to the film. Available to pre-order now at a special price from the studio (and currently about $8 less than Amazon.com's price), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Soundtrack: Limited Edition Collector's Box Set is expected to be available on December 21st, 2010 with free shipping; the website indicates that orders received prior to December 10th should arrive in time for gift giving.

This set includes a full digital download of the soundtrack, with instructions sent to buyers on November 16th, three days before the film hits theaters. Also included in the set is a bonus CD with six extra tracks of unreleased music from the film, a 7" vinyl picture disc, an exclusive unreleased poster, original 35 mm film cells, an autographed piece of sheet music, and more! A numbered Certificate of Authenticity will also be provided.

For more information about this limited edition collector's set, or to place an order, use this link.

Film Adaptation of Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas Confirmed

A month or so ago, we reported that a film adaptation of Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz may be in the works.

Now, Screen Daily (via ComingSoon.net) is confirming that the project is moving forward and that Stephen Sommers (The Mummy movies) will direct his own screenplay.

Odd Thomas is a short-order cook in Pico Mundo, a small desert town in California, who can see -- but not hear -- the dead. "The dead don't talk. I don't know why." He tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd's otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one.

In the first book of the series, a mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd's deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15.

There are also two graphic novels in the series: In Odd We Trust and published last month Odd Is On Our Side.

Online Scavenger Hunt Begins for ABC Family's New Mystery Series, Pretty Little Liars

To help promote its new mystery series, Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family has begun an online scavenger hunt in which one can win a special VIP screening of the January premiere of the series for up to 10 people.

Here's the clue for the first mission: "I've put a photo of some of my work on the internet. But where? Write down the word I wrote on the mirror when the lights are Flickring. -A" (OK, we're lost and don't get it. Do you?)

Part of the mystery here is, Who is "A"? The series is set in Rosewood, a perfect little town. So quiet and pristine, you'd never guess it holds so many secrets. Some of the ugliest ones belong to the prettiest girls in town -- Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily, four estranged friends whose darkest secrets are about to unravel.

One year ago, Alison, the Queen Bee of their group, disappeared and the girls swore they'd never tell what really happened that night. They thought their secrets would bond them together, but just the opposite is true. Then again, who's to say what the truth is in Rosewood. It seems everyone in town is lying about something.

Now, as the mystery surrounding Alison's disappearance resurfaces, the girls begin getting messages from "A," saying –- and threatening –- things only Alison would know. But it couldn't be Alison. Could it? Whoever it is, they seem to know all the girls' secrets, and seem to be watching their every move. The girls are friends again, but will they be there for each other if their dark secrets come to light?

Pretty Little Liars premieres Monday, January 3rd, 2011, at 8 PM (ET/PT) on ABC Family.

Top Mystery in the Amazon Best of 2010 is Faithful Place by Tana French

Amazon.com has recently released its Best of 2010 list of editors' picks for the best books of the year.

There aren't many mysteries or novels of suspense on the list, but the best of them, in second place, is Tana French's third Dublin Murder Squad mystery, Faithful Place.

We agree it is an exceptional novel. In our review, published earlier this year on Mysterious Reviews, we said, "Faithful Place is written in an expansive, literary style, immersing the reader into the lives of a multi-generational family," adding that the novel "has elements of a police procedural as well as elements of a standard whodunit-style mystery, and will likely appeal to readers who enjoy either genre. With a cast of memorable characters and an intriguing plotline, Faithful Place will certainly be remembered as among the best suspense novels to be published this year."

Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet, Available for $2.99 Today and Tomorrow Only

Here's a new promotion from Big Fish Games: the popular game James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet is now available for just $2.99 when you use the coupon code greatgame at checkout. But hurry: this special price is only available today and tomorrow (expires Friday, November 5th, 2010).

In this second game of the series, based on characters created by mystery author James Patterson, a morning jog presents a chilling find, and a new wave of fear descends upon San Francisco. Study murder scenes with SFPC homicide detective Lindsay Boxer, medical examiner Claire Washburn, and hotshot crime reporter Cindy Thomas. Find hidden objects inside nine investigations, brain-bending puzzles, strikingly-beautiful artwork, and an all-new spine tingling storyline. Discover the truth and stop a psychotic killer!

Our game reviewer, Ms. Terri, recently reviewed the fourth game in the series, Little Black Lies, saying, "Murder mystery fans will be pleased to know that, while the whodunit plot is a little flimsy, it is well executed and, in no small way, helps propel the game forward and keep the player involved." Read her full review at Games of Mystery: Women's Murder Club: Little Black Lies.

New customers can receive a free BFG Club Membership for one month. BFG Club Members save 30-70% on all games, have early access to new games, and have the opportunity to earn free games every month!

On the Case with Holmes and Watson, Graphic Novel Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes Stories

When we were putting together our list of new children and young adult mystery and suspense books for November, we came across a new series of "On the Case with Holmes and Watson" graphic novel adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories that we wanted to learn more about.

"Are you a detective?" Get on the case with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to solve an impossible mystery. See if you can figure out how Holmes pulls the facts together so quickly. Clues at the back of the book will reveal his process of reasoning and how he solved the crime.

There are currently six titles in the series, adapted by Murray Shaw and M. J. Cosson and illustrated by Sophie Rohrbach; three were published last August, three this month.

The titles are:

A Scandal in Bohemia: Has Sherlock Holmes met his match? (Cover illustrated above right.)

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are asked to help the King of Bohemia find a very important photograph. It won’'t be easy. The King's former love, Irene Adler, has hidden the photograph. Holmes must don a clever disguise, stage a brawl, and even fake a house fire to find the mysterious image! But has Holmes underestimated Irene Adler?

The Adventure of Abbey Grange: After a murder, lies run wild at the Abbey Grange. Will the truth be told?

Scotland Yard calls in Holmes and Watson to investigate the murder of Sir Eustace Brackenstall. But the evidence doesn't match up with the witnesses' stories. Holmes knows foul play is afoot. Will he find the killer? Or is this one mystery too difficult to solve?

The Adventure of the Blue Gem: A hat, a goose, and a priceless blue gem ... Can Sherlock Holmes add up the clues?

When countess's blue gem is stolen and winds up inside a goose, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson jump on the case. But will they ever find the thief? Or is it just a wild goose chase?

The Adventure of the Dancing Men: Can Holmes decode the message of the dancing men?

When Hilton Cubitt finds strange messages around his house, he is puzzled. When his wife sees them, she is terrified! Cubitt turns to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for answers. Will the duo be able to crack the case before disaster strikes?

The Adventure of the Speckled Band: "It was the band. The speckled band!"

After her sister Julia dies suddenly, Helen Stoner worries that she is the killer's next target. With her last words, Julia insisted that the "speckled band" murdered her. Can Holmes and Watson discover the identity of the speckled band before Helen falls victim as well?

The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire: A mother sucks the blood from her baby's neck! Could she be a vampire?

Do vampires really exist? Robert Ferguson thinks so. In fact, he believes his wife is one! He calls upon Holmes and Watson to solve the case. Will they find an explanation for the wife's strange behavior? Or are they facing a real vampire?

All books are in trade paperback format, are 48 pages in length, and have a list price of $6.95 each. See below an example of some of the pages from The Adventure of the Dancing Men:

It's not clear from the publisher's website if there are more titles to come, but this looks like an interesting series of adaptations of the stories from the Sherlock Holmes canon that would appeal to a wide range of readers ... ourselves included!

Fox Schedules New Crime Drama The Chicago Code

Fox Television has announced that its new crime drama The Chicago Code (originally announced as Ride-Along) will premiere after the Super Bowl in February 2011. It will subsequently take over the Monday 9 PM (ET/PT) time slot previously occupied by the canceled Lone Star.

In this series, produced by Shawn Ryan (The Shield, The Unit, Lie to Me, Terriers), the audience is the passenger, taking an unpredictable ride through the streets of Chicago and navigating crime and corruption with the most respected -- and notorious -- cops in the city.

Jarek Wysocki (played by Jason Clarke) is a local legend and larger-than-life veteran of the Chicago Police Department. Like the city of Chicago, Jarek is razor blades and brass knuckles wrapped in politeness and egoless charm -- a man who throws away partners the way others throw away tissues.

Teresa Colvin (Jennifer Beals) arrived at the pinnacle of the Chicago Police Department in a short period of time. She's determined to implement changes before the mud that is Chicago politics clogs her office. As a result of Teresa's difficult choices, she has made some powerful enemies along the way, including two street gangs, the police officers' union and a city alderman who proves to be a dangerous adversary.

Jarek's new partner, Caleb Evers (Matt Lauria), is a smart young detective who desperately wants to prove himself. He is savvier and more observant than most people give him credit for, and just might make the perfect yin to Jarek's yang. Also in Jarek's charge is his niece, Vonda Wysocki (Devin Kelley), a rookie beat cop whose father, Jarek's brother, was killed in the line of duty when she was young. Jarek keeps close tabs on her and is less than thrilled to discover she's falling for her partner, Isaac Joiner (Todd Williams), a charismatic cop who takes unnecessary risks on the job that land him and Vonda in some dangerous situations.

Permanent Damage by Dean Barrett (Book Review)

Permanent Damage by Dean Barrett. A Scott Sterling Mystery. Village East Books Trade Paperback, October 2010.

Though the missing person murder mystery plotline is reasonably straight-forward at first, it gets complicated very quickly. Readers willing to overlook some narrative issues will be rewarded with an action-packed thriller that includes a lot of local Thai color.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Permanent Damage by Dean Barrett.

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

OMN Welcomes Rosemary and Larry Mild, Authors of Cry Ohana

Omnimystery News is delighted to welcome Rosemary and Larry Mild as our guest bloggers. Their latest novel, Cry Ohana (PublishAmerica, Trade Paperback, October 2010, 978-1-4512-1371-3), is subtitled Adventure and Suspense in Hawaii.

The couple work at dueling computers in their home office in Severna Park, Maryland. But only seven months of the year. During the winter, they write back-to-back in their Honolulu apartment, on the island of Oahu. In lieu of a Cry Ohana cover blurb, the Pualoa children featured in the book choose to tell the story from their own points of view. Had they known of blogging, this is what they’d have to say.

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Photo provided courtesy of
Rosemary and Larry Mild

Kekoa’s Blog

My name is Kekoa, Kekoa Pualoa, and I’m a Hawaiian teenager, the main character in Cry Ohana. Ohana means “family” in Hawaiian. My story is all about family—how I lost it and my search to regain what’s left of it. I’m supposedly descended from the alii, Hawaiian royalty.

As an island group in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii is the most isolated place on earth from any mainland. That’s why we’re so into family and aloha closeness. Kekoa means “warrior” or “fearless one.” Oh, you needn’t worry—I speak plenty good English with an occasional Hawaiian or pidgin word tossed in like a jalapeno for flavor. I’m tall for my age, thin, gangly, with sun-dark island looks, and dark hair that just won’t behave.

The Milds’ story plot leaves me without a mother or father before the age of two. My grandmother, Tutu Eme, takes care of my older sister, Leilani, and me for the next eleven years. Then bad things happen. Man, you wouldn’t believe how bad. They all begin when I witness the bludgeoning murder of my uncle—my dad’s brother, Big John Pualoa. The killer knows I saw him and he wants to silence me. You know what that means. I’m on the run from him throughout the story. My friends, other kids, they’ve all got a life: school, skate boarding, fishing, the beach and boogey boards, girls. I’m caught in the tentacles of a giant squid— Honolulu’s dark side, I mean, squeezed in and out of harm’s way.

I’m thrown into a number of diverse cultures—Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean and hauoli (Caucasian). Luckily, I get to make some pretty exciting friends: homeless Ol’ Chou and Mrs. Raggs; Andy Ballesteros and his sweet sister Maria; Sam and Mauro Osaka; the mysterious Hal; and my Black Lab, Ilio (“dog”).

I’m itching to tell you the whole story, but the Milds won’t let me—especially who wins the courthouse shootout. They threaten to take away my loco moco if I do. That’s two sunny-side-up eggs on top of a huge hamburger amid a whole plateful of white sticky rice, all immersed in dark brown gravy. Yum!

Leilani’s Blog

I’m called Leilani, “heavenly one” in Hawaiian. Not only has Kekoa disappeared. Uncle Big John went missing around the same time. We’ve tried everything to find them, even calling the police twice, right up until Tutu Eme died a year ago. I was sixteen and alone, so I was forced to live with a foster family, the Wongs. Paul and Masako Wong are teachers at a private school where I go now. Bummer! I mean, it’s okay, but I miss my own high school friends. Numi Wong is my age and wants me to be the sister she never had. Her gorgeous hunk of a brother, Alex, wouldn’t give me the time of day when I first moved in. Now—well, things have sort of happened.

I have an oval face with large brown eyes and shoulder-length dark hair. I’d be considered beautiful if I just could lose a skosh of my roundness. I have a hair-trigger temper and am totally outspoken on Hawaiian issues. Don’t get me started. I miss my brother, Kekoa, terribly. Will I ever see him again? And where is our dad? I think he’s abandoned us. I wonder if I’ll ever find the love I need. I can’t tell you any of that or Rosemary might cut off my supply of mochi, a sweet rice dessert.

I’m grateful to Rosemary and Larry for their efforts to portray the struggles of our Hawaiian people, the loss of our precious kingdom, our heritage, our ways, and the importance of maintaining the aloha spirit. After all, Hawaii is the melting pot of the Pacific. I’m a budding artist—talented, I’m told. My dream is to create huge paintings of my Hawaii. And become famous, of course.

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A review of Cry Ohana by Tanzey Cutter in Fresh Fiction for Today’s Reader says: “I loved this story! The authors write with such eloquent detail, you can almost feel the island breezes and see the breathtaking scenery. I’ve been to Hawaii numerous times and lived there as a child, so I was familiar with the places described. This is an uplifting story of family and love, as well as an extremely suspenseful novel with a very satisfying ending.”

How can the Milds write about Hawaii with such authenticity? Honolulu is their second home so they can spend time with their daughter, Chinese son-in-law, and two college-bound granddaughters. They live deep in a rain-forest valley behind Diamond Head. Huge mango and avocado trees surround their house. They have to be quick about snatching the ripe fruits off the ground. Otherwise, the feral pigs get there first in the middle of the night.

How does the actual writing process work? “If it weren’t for Larry,” Rosemary says, “I wouldn’t write fiction at all. He conjures up our plots and writes the first draft. Then it’s my turn. I breathe life into the characters, intensify scenes, sharpen the dialogue. Sometimes I throw a new trait into a character. In Cry Ohana, Larry created a gentle, no-stress romance for Leilani and Alex. But I’m a combative sort, so I made her feisty to give her scenes more conflict. Of course, changing a character has consequences; it can actually derail the plotline, so I have to watch out.”

Then, with sleeves rolled up, the Milds “negotiate.” Here’s their typical scenario.

Larry: You cut that whole paragraph! It’s cruel, operating without anesthesia.

Rosemary: Just a little judicious pruning, dear.

Larry: But it took me hours to create those metaphors.

Rosemary: It’s too much already. Less is more.

Larry: Talk about overdoing. Your description of Mrs. Raggs goes on for a whole page.

Their jousting is short lived. They resign themselves to the compromises required. Maalox helps, too. They relish the writing process, although Larry says, “Some days it’s harder to get down and wordy. I still cringe when Rosemary even edits one of my short business letters. But we have to take Stephen King’s advice: ‘To write is human. To edit is divine.’ And Harlan Coben agrees with a more earthy comment: ‘If someone tells me he doesn’t rewrite I don’t want to party with him.’”

Cry Ohana was the Milds’ first foray into fiction. Larry jokes, “We slaved over it for so long it was in danger of growing a beard.”

Rosemary says, “The hardest part for me was to stop writing it. Every winter we’re on Oahu, we become more local and find more good stuff to share. But according to Lawrence Block’s basic rule of fiction, every word must further the plot. Rhapsodic tangents slow the momentum and bore the reader. So ... in the late ’90s we stowed the manuscript of Cry Ohana on a shelf to age, cure, whatever.”

In 2001 the Milds took the plunge into a new direction, introducing their mystery series with Paco LeSoto, a dapper retired detective, and Molly Mesta, an eccentric housekeeper/cook. Molly whips up the English language in her own special stew that the authors call “Mollyprops.” She’ll criticize a villain for his “defecation of character.”

In Locks and Cream Cheese, mayhem erupts in a mansion on the Chesapeake Bay. Hidden rooms, locked doors and dead bodies embroil Black Rain Corners in scandal. Paco and Molly expose the mansion’s lurid secrets─and fall in love.

In Hot Grudge Sunday, Paco and Molly are married. They’d rather smooch than sleuth. But conspirators and thieves derail their honeymoon bus trip out West. Not even the Grand Canyon can suppress the out-of-control passions─and quest to kill.

Boston Scream Pie returns readers to historic Annapolis and southern Maryland. Young Caitlin Neuman hires the sleuths to decipher her nightmares of a lethal car crash. They lead to a harrowing tale of twins and two families plagued with jealousy, hatred—and murder.

At Left Coast Crime on the Big Island in 2008, the authors took part in a panel and Rosemary confessed: “Larry and I work at different speeds. I’m the tortoise.”

Larry chimed in: “There isn’t a hare of truth to that.”

The night they met, on a blind date, he slipped a pun or two into their dinner conversation. Rosemary retorted, “I bet you pun in your sleep.”

“Sure,” Larry said. “I was born in the Year of the Pun. That’s the thirteenth sign of the Zaniac.”

His puns still make her laugh. She’s pretty sure their marriage depends on it.

For more information about the authors and their books, please visit their website, Magicile.com.

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Cry Ohana is an adventure-thriller about the Pualoa family. When Hank Pualoa drives drunk, killing his beautiful wife, he tears apart his Hawaiian family ('ohana) and leaves the Islands in shame. His children thrive with their grandmother until twelve-year-old Kekoa witnesses the murder of Big John, his loving uncle. The murderer stalks him, plotting to kill his only witness. Kekoa flees, plunging into a hand-to-mouth life in the sugarcane fields, the Chinatown streets, and as a baker's helper to a Japanese couple. A stray black Lab becomes his only friend. He's lost his sister, Leilani, to a foster home, where she falls in love. Will sister and brother ever find the 'ohana they are looking for?

Cry Ohana vibrates with local color and breathtaking scenery. But danger lurks everywhere-at a Filipino wedding; at a Maui resort; and amid the Big Island's volcanic steam vents. Blackmail and betrayal erupt as the family struggles to re-unite and bring down the killer.

For a chance to win a copy of Cry Ohana, courtesy of the authors, visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Rosemary and Larry Mild: Cry Ohana" contest link, and enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (5019) in the entry form. (One entry per person; contest ends November 17, 2010.)

Brad Pitt to Star in Film Adaptation of Cogan's Trade by George V. Higgins

The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog is reporting that Brad Pitt has signed on to play the role of mob enforcer Jackie Cogan in a film adaptation of Cogan's Trade by George V. Higgins. Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which also starred Pitt) will write the screenplay and is expected to direct.

Originally published in 1974, the plot of Cogan's Trade tracks Jackie Cogan’s career in a gangland version of law and order. When the Mob’s rules get broken, he gets hired to ply his trade—murder. Cogan is called in when a high-stake card game under the protection of the Mob is heisted. Expertly, with a ruthless businessman’s efficiency, a shrewd sense of other people’s weaknesses, and a style as cold as his stare, Cogan moves with reliable precision to restore the status quo as ill-conceived capers and double-dealing shenanigans erupt into high-voltage violence.