Find a Legendary Tomb in The Serpent of Isis: Your Journey Continues, New from BFG

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.

— ◊ —

Your objective is to locate the Tomb of Isis and finish the search that Robert’s grandfather started! Travel the globe and find clues that will help on your search! After Professor Thomas Penroy is kidnapped, it’s up to you to take over the hunt for the legendary Tomb of Isis. Unravel ancient mysteries and solve incredible riddles in this perplexing hidden object adventure game.

See also the previous game in this series, The Serpent of Isis.

The Serpent of Isis: Your Journey Continues may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (453.05 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 Ms. Terri's reviews of the adventure and casual mystery games featured on this site, including Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy, Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!, Enlightenus, and many more!

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!

Mr. E. Reviews New Tricks Season 3

Available on

Though I was intrigued by the premise — retired cops using their years of experience to solve cold cases — I was disappointed in this series (or at least this season of it). What troubled me most was how terribly simplistic the plotlines were. None of these cases were all that difficult to solve — the clues were there ready to be followed like breadcrumbs — which had me wondering, why they weren't solved in the first place.

Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews New Tricks Season 3.

— ◊ —

Mr. E. Reviews is your source for mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama reviews of television and film.

Innocents Lost, the 7th Jesse Stone Film, to Air on CBS May 22nd

CBS has scheduled the seventh Jesse Stone film, Innocents Lost, for Sunday May 22nd, 2011, at 9 PM (ET/PT).

Based on a character created by the late Robert B. Parker, Innocents Lost is not adapted from any of Parker's novels, but is an original screenplay co-written by Tom Selleck, who plays Jesse Stone.

The plotline finds Jesse, once again on overload, looking into the death of a teenaged girl and unofficially involved in the case of a convicted murderer who he thinks may be innocent. He's also battling his familiar demons, alcohol and his ex-wife.

Kathy Baker and Kohl Sudduth reprise their roles as the Paradise Police Force. Also returning are William Devane, Stephen McHattie, Saul Rubinek and William Sadler.

Innocents Lost was filmed in Nova Scotia in late 2009. Selleck, who is now starring in the CBS crime drama Blue Bloods, has said he is eager to make an 8th movie, which he hopes to film this summer.

Mystery Bestsellers for February 25, 2011

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending February 25th, 2011 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson remains atop the list for something like nine months now, but otherwise there was significant movement, with three new titles debuting.

— ◊ —

Coming in at number 8 is Treachery in Death, the (we've lost count) entry in the long-running near-future series by J. D. Robb.

Detective Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, are following up on a senseless crime -- an elderly grocery owner killed by three stoned punks for nothing more than kicks and snacks. This is Peabody's first case as primary detective -- good thing she learned from the master.

But Peabody soon stumbles upon a trickier situation. After a hard workout, she's all alone in the locker room when the gym door clatters open; and-while hiding inside a shower stall trying not to make a sound, she overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. It doesn't take long to realize they're both crooked -- guilty not just of corruption but of murder. Now Peabody, Eve, and Eve's husband, Roarke, are trying to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down-knowing all the while that the two are willing to kill to keep their secret.

— ◊ —

Two spots lower at number 10 is the 14th mystery in the Hannah Swensen series, Devil's Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke.

These days, everyone in Lake Eden, Minnesota, is buzzing with activity, and Hannah Swensen is no exception. But no matter how busy she may be, Hannah can always find time to help a friend in need -- especially when there's a murder to investigate.

A new minister is in town to cover for Reverend Bob Knudson, who's honeymooning with Hannah's good friend Claire. But when the replacement is found face down in a plate of devil's food cake with a bullet in his head, Hannah starts asking questions. She soon discovers that the good Reverend wasn't quite the saintly fellow he appeared to be. It will take some more digging to find the culprit, but Hannah is sure of one thing: even the most half-baked murder plot can be oh so deadly ...

— ◊ —

And at number 13 is the first in a new series, Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

At twelve, Gideon Crew witnessed his father, a world-class mathematician, accused of treason and gunned down.

At twenty-four, summoned to his dying mother's bedside, Gideon learned the truth: His father was framed and deliberately slaughtered. With her last breath, she begged her son to avenge him.

Now, with a new purpose in his life, Gideon crafts a one-time mission of vengeance, aimed at the perpetrator of his father's destruction. His plan is meticulous, spectacular, and successful.

But from the shadows, someone is watching. A very powerful someone, who is impressed by Gideon's special skills. Someone who has need of just such a renegade.

For Gideon, this operation may be only the beginning ...

— ◊ —

The top four mystery bestsellers this week are shown below:

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.

Shadow Ranch, a New Nancy Drew Mobile Mystery Gamebook App

Her Interactive has released a new Nancy Drew Mobile Mystery app for the iPad/iPhone/iPad Touch.

Shadow Ranch is an interactive gamebook app that lets players decide how the story unfolds as they play games and solve mysteries, both big and small. As you navigate the mysterious events at Shadow Ranch, you will soon find yourself in a world of long lost treasure, phantom horses, rough and tumble cowboys, and fearsome creatures of the wild desert.

In the game, Nancy is off to lend a hand at Shadow Ranch with her two best-friends, Bess and George. But when she arrives, she quickly discovers that Shadow Ranch hides a darker past. A recent rash of ghost sightings and a series of horrible accidents, have been driving customers away from Shadow Ranch in droves, and with business at a standstill, it's only a matter of time before it closes the doors for good. It'll be up to you, as Nancy Drew to piece together the mysterious events at Shadow Ranch, before it's owners are forced to ride off into the sunset.

Two versions of the gamebook app are available: Shadow Ranch (standard edition) and Shadow Ranch HD (high definition edition).

Watch a trailer for the game below.

New Hardcover Mysteries for March 2011

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has updated its list of new hardcover mysteries with books scheduled for publication in March 2011. Please note that some titles may publish early (and may already be available) and some may be delayed, published at a later date.

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 March new mystery books page (which will become the default home page for the site on March 1st).

• Authors with mysteries featuring returning series characters (in italics) this month:

Catherine Aird, C. D. Sloan (22nd) — Barbara Allan, Trash and Treasures (5th) — Stephen Anable, Mark Winslow (2nd) — David Armstrong, Frank Kavanagh (6th) — Kate Atkinson, Jackson Brodie (4th) — Jefferson Bass, Body Farm (6th) — Simon Beaufort, Geoffrey Mappestone (8th) — Cara Black, Aimee Leduc (11th) — Rhys Bowen, Mollie Murphy (10th) — C. J. Box, Joe Pickett (11th) — Chelsea Cain, Archie Sheridan (4th) — Laura Childs, Tea Shop (12th) — Harlan Coben, Myron Bolitar (10th) — Jack Coughlin and Donald A. Davis, Sniper (4th) — Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul, Oregon Files (8th) — Mary Daheim, Emma Lord (22nd) — Tim Davys, Mollisan Town Quartet (3rd) — Anna Dean, Miss Dido Kent (2nd) — David Dickinson, Lord Francis Powerscourt (10th) — Carola Dunn, Daisy Dalrymple (19th) — Martin Edwards, Short Story Anthology — Linda Fairstein, Alex Cooper (13th) — Jasper Fforde, Thursday Next (6th) — Joanne Fluke, Hannah Swensen (14th) — John Galligan, Fly Fishing (4th) — Lisa Gardner, D. D. Warren (3rd) — J. G. Goodhind, Honey Driver (7th) — Jason Goodwin, Yashim Togalu (4th) — Dolores Gordon-Smith, Jack Haldean (5th) — Heather Graham, Krewe of Hunters (2nd) — C. S. Harris, Sebastian St. Cyr (6th) — Charlaine Harris, Aurora Teagarden (2nd) — Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, Bill Slider (13th) — Tony Hays, Malgwyn ap Cuneglas (3rd) — Veronica Heley, Abbot Agency (4th) — Charlotte Hinger, Lottie Albright (2nd) — Jonathan Kellerman, Alex Delaware (26th) — Lou Manfredo, Joe Rizzo (2nd) — Henning Mankell, Kurt Wallander (10th) — Scott Mariani, Ben Hope (2nd) — Nancy Martin, Roxy Abruzzo (2nd) — Peter May, Enzo Macleod (5th) — Russel D. McLean, J. McNee (2nd) — Ian Morson, William Falconer (8th) — Walter Mosley, Leonid McGill (3rd) — A. Scott Pearson, Eli Branch (2nd) — T. Dawn Richard, May List (4th) — Michael Robertson, Reggie Heath (2nd) — Jeremy Robinson, Jack Sigler (3rd) — Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker, Gotham Central (4th) — Alexander McCall Smith, No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (12th) — Sally Spencer, Monika Paniatowski (3rd) — James Thompson, Kari Vaara (2nd) — Keith Thomson, Charlie and Drummond Clark — Maggie Toussaint, Cleopatra Jones (2nd) — Dan Wells, John Wayne Cleaver (3rd) — Laura Wilson, Ted Stratton (2nd) — Darryl Wimberley, Barrett Raines (5th).

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

Larry Millett, Shadwell Rafferty — Taylor Stevens, Vanessa "Michael" Munroe — Caroline Taylor, P. J. Smythe.

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

V. C. Andrews — Wayne Arthurson — Louis Bayard — Erin Brockovich and C. J. Lyons — Philip Carter — Lorna J. Cook — Charles Cumming — Peter T. Deutermann — David Duffy — Brian Freeman — Kristin Hannah — Cara Hoffman — Cynthia Holz — Kōtaro Isaka — Graham Joyce — Patricia J. MacDonald — Fern Michaels — Manuel Muñoz — Andrew Neiderman — Gerard O'Donovan — Ray O'Hanlon — James Patterson and Neil McMahon — Jodi Picoult — Landis Potter — Ian Rankin — Luís Miguel Rocha — James Rollins — Lori Roy — Mark Russinovich — Jenny Shank — Maris Soule — Larry D. Thompson — Simon Tolkien — John Vorhaus — Don Winslow.

For more information on any of these titles, please visit the March 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 March 2011 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.

Warner Bros. To Remake The Bodyguard

Another week, another announced remake.

This time we're reading (via Deadline|New York) that the 1992 film The Bodyguard, starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, is being remade by Warner Bros. Though most people probably remember the film for its music, notably Whitney Houston's cover of Dolly Parton's ballad "I Will Always Love You", we appreciated the film for its well-crafted suspense-driven plot.

Reportedly, the plotline involves a (male) Iraqi war veteran assigned to protect a (female) singer in an age of high technology.

But if you're going to remake it, why not mix it up a bit. When the 1954 film A Star Is Born with Judy Garland and James Mason was remade in 1976 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, the male/female roles were reversed. Why not try the same here? It might even make this announced remake worthwhile.

OMN Welcomes Kathryn Lively, Author of Dead Barchetta

Omnimystery News is delighted to welcome Kathryn Lively as our guest blogger. Her most recent mystery, Dead Barchetta, introduces musician Matt "Lerxst" Johnston (CreateSpace, December Trade Paperback, 978-1-4499-5949-4).

Today, Kathryn writes about how the book came to be published.

— ◊ —

Dead Barchetta, my first mystery in six years, launched in eBook and print formats through DLP Books on December 21 (or 21/12/10 as they say in Europe). If you're a Rush fan (by that I mean the band, not the radio host), you'll know the significance of the date. If not, just Google 2112 and crank the volume to 11!

I can't tell you how excited I am to see this work finally available — Barchetta, while probably not my magnum opus, is nonetheless a work that languished in various stages of progress over the last five or so years. After writing my last mystery, Pithed (with Mundania Press), I had every intention of writing another mystery, and while attending RushCon 2112 in Toronto several years ago I had the idea of donating my skills to their annual auction. The winning bidder would become a character in the book. I was so excited at the time I actually started the book that weekend. Some people might tell you about a lady they saw in the Orbit Room bar, writing on bar napkins. I can't tell you where those scraps are now, but the words remained unwritten for many years.

Well, the John Lennon maxim held true for me. Life got in the way of these plans, along with other things. Other projects, work, editing, publishing, traveling ... and on top of that, what I'd written in Toronto sucked. I lost the motivation to write more as I encountered corner after corner where I could find no right turn. I couldn't get into the main character — originally written as a woman — and when I signed up for NaNoWriMo two years in a row with the intent on making this the project, I fizzled.

In order to stimulate my desire to write, I changed genres and chose a pen name under which I could write this steamier prose. A good plan in theory, but in my case it worked too well. Not only did I start writing more, I published and sold more. The demand for sexier works kept pushing back plans to write Barchetta.

Meanwhile, somebody had bid a pretty penny on this project, and while he understood the writer's block and my other schedule, I didn't want to let him down or go back on my promise to the charity RushCon sponsors.

In 2010, I swore, no more delays. I wrote in the wee hours when everybody slept. I texted dialogue from my phone to my email. I composed entire chapters on my iTouch. If I had a spare minute to write — at Starbuck's, at the movies, even waiting for Rush to take the stage at Jones Beach, I took the opportunity. In the process of writing this book, the hero changed genders (I'm more comfortable writing male characters, don't ask me why) and the story left Toronto and moved to New York. I added a secondary story and a love interest, then set up the ending to segue into book two.

Now, the book is here. I leave the final word up to you.

Friends have asked if this is the end of my romance non de plume. Not by a long shot. I have plenty of ideas to keep me busy, and rest assured you'll see those come to light soon as well. For now, though, I'm having a Captain Morgan's and Coke (Mexican Coke at that, they're selling it at Fresh Market!) in celebration for the book I thought I'd never finish.

After that, I plot out the sequel. Yes, I love pain. Bring it.

— ◊ —

About Dead Barchetta: Music tutor by day and tribute band guitarist by night, Matt "Lerxst" Johnston doesn't have an enemy in the world … so he thinks. One night a pretty young woman tries to smother him in his sleep, and it's not for the usual reasons a woman would have for wanting to inflict harm upon him! The dream he enjoyed at the time quickly spirals into a nightmare of mistaken identities and nosy investigators who threaten Lerxst's freedom, to say nothing of coming close to discovering his grandmother's secret "herb garden."

Armed only with a guitar and endless questions, Lerxst escapes the discomfort of his beach home and hides out in New York City to learn the true identity of his would-be assailant. Instead he learns more about himself and what he needs to do to survive the next attempt on his life.

And what a long, strange trip it is …

Dead Barchetta is available as a trade paperback and in popular eBook formats including Kindle Edition and NookBook. Learn more about the book at DeadBarchetta.com.

Watch a video trailer for Dead Barchetta below, after which you can read the opening chapter of the book; use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

Journey through a Mysterious Forest in Dark Parables: The Exiled Prince (Collector's Edition), New from BFG

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.

— ◊ —

Many centuries ago, a princess kissed a frog and transformed him into a handsome prince. Unlike the fable, however, they never ended happily ever after. It is rumored that the Frog Prince is still alive and now roams the deserted path in the Black Forest, capturing unsuspecting visitors. When the chancellor's daughter disappears, you are sent to investigate. Journey through the mysterious forest in a hidden world to find the missing princess and break an age-old curse in this eerie hidden object adventure game.

This is a special Collector's Edition full of exclusive extras you won’t find in the standard version, including an integrated strategy guide, bonus gameplay, wallpapers, concept art, an original soundtrack, and early access.

See also the first game in this series, Dark Parables: Curse of Briar Rose.

Dark Parables: The Exiled Prince (Collector's Edition) may be downloaded and purchased for $13.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (186.53 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour; the full version is 417.98 MB.

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 Ms. Terri's reviews of the adventure and casual mystery games featured on this site, including Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy, Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!, Enlightenus, and many more!

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!

Mr. E. Reviews Prison Break Season Two

Though the second season lacks some of the edgy, intellectual and crisply plotted episodes of the first season, and focuses too much early attention on the storylines of characters who will be written out, the newly introduced characters and overall story arc of two brothers making their way to freedom make for compelling television.

Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews Prison Break Season Two.

Available on:

Mr. E. Reviews is your source for mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama reviews of television and film.