Disney has acquired the film rights to Agatha Christie's character Miss Marple, and envisions creating a comtemporary setting for the amateur sleuth. Mark Frost (Hill Street Blues, Twin Peaks) will write the screenplay, which is expected to be an original story, not one adapted from one of the many Christie novels.
Several actresses have played Jane Marple over the years, starting with Margaret Rutherford, who portrayed her in the 1961 film Murder She Said. The most recent made-for-television adaptations star Julia McKenzie.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter)
Monday, March 28, 2011
Disney Acquires Film Rights to Miss Marple Character
Mystery and Suspense Films, New This Week on DVD (110329)
Checking through our list of films currently scheduled for release this week on DVD and/or Blu-ray disc, shown below are those that fall into the mystery, suspense, and thriller categories.
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Purchase/Rental Options
Black Swan (2010)
Black Swan follows the story of Nina (Academy Award winner Natalie Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre for the opening production of their new season, "Swan Lake," he narrows his choices to Nina and a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis). "Swan Lake" requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina becomes dangerously more in touch with her dark side -- a recklessness that threatens to destroy her. (R; 108 minutes)
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Purchase/Rental Options
All Good Things (2010)
Inspired by the most notorious missing person’s case in New York history, All Good Things is a love story and murder mystery set against the backdrop of a New York real estate dynasty in the 1980s.
Robert Durst, scion of the wealthy Durst family, is suspected but never tried for killing his wife Kathie, who disappeared in 1982 and was never found.
The film stars Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst and Frank Langella as the powerful patriarch, and captures the emotion and complexion of this real-life unsolved mystery. (R; 101 minutes)
Body of Proof Premieres Tuesday, March 29th, on ABC
ABC's long-delayed crime drama Body of Proof airs its premiere episode tomorrow, Tuesday March 29th, at 10 PM (ET/PT).
Body of Proof follows the life and career of Medical Examiner Megan Hunt (Dana Delany), once a high-flying neurosurgeon, who now works in Philadelphia's Medical Examiner's Office after a car accident abruptly ended her neurosurgery career. As a Medical Examiner Megan applies her vast medical knowledge, keen instincts and variously charming and scalpel-like personality to the task of solving the medical mysteries of the dead and bringing the people responsible for their deaths to justice.
In the opening episode, Dr. Megan Hunt teams up with her partner, medical investigator and former cop Peter Dunlop (Nicholas Bishop), when a female jogger is found floating in the Schuylkill River. Megan's investigation takes her out in the field where she meets old-school cop Detective Bud Morris (John Carroll Lynch), who is exasperated by Megan's tenacity and bull-headedness. But his partner, Detective Samantha Baker (Sonja Sohn), possesses a quiet respect for Megan's input, even if Morris doesn't. Meanwhile, as she's is trying to solve the female jogger's death, Megan has to solve a personal puzzle of her own -- what is the perfect present for her daughter's 12th birthday?
Watch a short preview to the series below.
Telemystery: In Plain Sight and Vega$, New This Week on DVD
Telemystery, your source for one of the most comprehensive selections of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series, mini-series and made-for-television movies, now available on or coming soon to DVD or Blu-ray disc, is profiling two series being released this week.
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Mary McCormack and Frederick Weller return in the third season of In Plain Sight, a crime drama about relocating and protecting career criminals … and some innocent folks too.
U.S. Marshal Mary Shannon (McCormack) spends her days (and often her nights) working for WITSEC, the highly secretive Federal Witness Security Program. Whether she’s counseling a former hit man about how to date someone who's not a prostitute or guarding a co-conspirator in a massive mortgage fraud, scheme Mary knows that her quirky-but-trusted partner, the aptly-named Marshall (Weller), will always watch her back.
The In Plain Sight: Season Three DVD set of 3 discs contain the 13 episodes that originally aired on the USA Network from March through June 2010.
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Robert Urich stars as private investigator Dan Tanna in Vega$.
Driving around Las Vegas in his vintage Thunderbird while solving private cases, he is also on retainer to a wealthy casino owner Phil Roth (Tony Curtis) to keep crime out of his hotels. He is helped by his smart and sexy assistant Beatric (Phyllis Davis) and his enthusiastic, yet inept, legman Binzer (Bart Braverman). The series also stars Greg Morris as LVPD Lt. David Nelson.
The Vega$: Season Two (Volume 2) DVD set of 3 discs contain the final 11 episodes of the second season that aired from January through June 1980 on ABC.
Also available this week: Vega$: The Complete Second Season (which combines the separately released Season 2 Volumes 1 and 2).
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Visit the Telemystery website to discover more television mystery series currently available on and coming soon to DVD and Blu-ray disc.
Production Begins on Three New DCI Banks Crime Novel Adaptations
ITV has announced that production has begun on three made-for-television adaptations of Inspector Alan Banks mysteries by crime novelist Peter Robinson. Stephen Tompkinson and Andrea Lowe star as the DCI and his partner DS Annie Cabbott. The three books being adapted are Playing with Fire, Friend of the Devil, and Cold is the Grave. The latter book was the winner of the 2001 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
These new episodes were commissioned by the network after the success of the DCI Banks: Aftermath, an adaptation of a mystery of the same title that aired last October on ITV to strong ratings.
There are currently 19 books in the Inspector Banks series.
(Source: Press Release)
You can read the first chapter(s) of Playing with Fire below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.
Mystery Godoku Puzzle for March 28, 2011
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!).
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This week's letters and mystery clue:
A C E F K O R S T
This is the title of the second book in the Patrick St. James mystery series by John Simpson (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!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Winners of the 2011 Left Coast Crime Awards Announced
The winners of the 2011 Left Coast Crime Awards were announced yesterday. The awards recognize the best mystery in several categories.
The winners are:
◊ Lefty Award (for best humorous mystery): The Pot Thief Who Studied Einstein by J. Michael Orenduff 
◊ Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award: The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear
◊ Hillerman Sky Award (for best Southwest mystery): The Spider's Web by Margaret Coel (Berkley)
◊ Watson Award (for best mystery with a sidekick): Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson
(Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare, who attended Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe, for posting the results.)
Saturday, March 26, 2011
First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: New Titles for April 2011
First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is pleased to announce a selection of new mystery, suspense and thriller books (including series books) scheduled for publication during April 2011, listed in approximate order of reading level, from books for younger readers to books for teens.
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A Monster of a Mystery
Franklin W. Dixon
The Hardy Boys Secret Files (5th in series)
When the actor who plays popular comic character Morpho the Morph Monster comes to town for a fan day -- along with his famous Morpho Mask and Morph Spork -- everyone, including Frank and Joe, is excited to meet the man behind the mask. But at the event, Morpho's Spork goes missing! And until the Spork is returned, the entire event will be put on hold! It's up to Frank and Joe to crack the case -- and return the Spork to its rightful owner!
The Hardy Boys Secret Files (5th in series) are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.
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The Disappearance of Drover
John R. Erickson
Hank the Cowdog (57th in series)
Hank and Drover are excited when a quick nap in the back of Slim's pickup turns into a trip to town. But the excitement turns to drama when they find themselves at the livestock show -- and Drover decides to take off to visit his mother. Can Hank track down his faithful sidekick before Slim heads back to the ranch? Or is he off on a wild goose chase?
Hank the Cowdog (57th in series) are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.
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Vespers Rising
Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson
The 39 Clues: Book 11
The Cahills thought they were the most powerful family the world had ever known. They thought they were the only ones who knew about Gideon Cahill and his Clues. The Cahills were wrong.
Powerful enemies — the Vespers — have been waiting in the shadows. Now it’s their time to rise and the world will never be the same.
The 39 Clues: Book 11 are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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Cold Case
Julia Platt Leonard
When 13-year-old Oz Keillor finds a dead body in his family restaurant, he is soon caught up in a mystery where the stakes are high. His older brother is the prime suspect, and Oz quickly finds out that the murder may be tied to the death of their father years earlier, who was accused of selling nuclear secrets to rouge governments.
With the fate of his family in balance, it's up to Oz to try and crack the case, with the help of his best friend, Rusty. It's a quest that has more twists and turns than the dusty roads of New Mexico -- with the answer being closer to home than Oz ever could have imagined.
Non-series are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh
R. L. LaFevers
A Theodosia Throckmorton Mystery (4th in series)
Theodosia sets off to Egypt to return the Emerald Tablet—embedded with the knowledge of some of the ancient world’s most guarded secrets. Accompanied by her cat, Isis (smuggled along in a basket), Theo plans to return the artifact, then explore the mysteries surrounding her own birth and oh, yes— help her mother dig up treasures on her archeological expedition.
But nothing ever works out as planned, especially when a precious treasure appears suddenly, and then just as suddenly disappears ...
When the Serpents of Chaos get involved, Theo finds she’s digging up a lot more than she expected!
A Theodosia Throckmorton Mystery (4th in series) are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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The Maltese Mummy
Trina Robbins
A Chicagoland Detective Agency Graphic Novel (2nd in series)
A friend has vanished, a mummy's amulet is missing, and there's a weirdo out there looking for human brains and hearts. The Chicagoland Detective Agency -- run by Megan, Raf, and his talking dog Bradley -- have more than enough cases on their hands (and paws). But where to start? Megan's too busy for private-detecting. Her haikus won her tickets to meet the drop-dead gorgeous rock star Sun D'Arc. Raf is sure that Sun is too good not to be really bad. He must be involved in one of their cases. And what about Sun's suspiciously familiar manager? Or the pushy new girl at school? Can Bradley, dog genius, pull his team together and sniff out what suspect goes with which case?
A Chicagoland Detective Agency Graphic Novel (2nd in series) are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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Akata Witch
Nnedi Okorafor
Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits. And then she discovers something amazing-she is a "free agent," with latent magical power. Soon she's part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But will it be enough to help them when they are asked to catch a career criminal who knows magic too?
Non-series are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is your source for information on over 200 mystery series for children and young adults, where each series is conveniently listed under four different age categories (New Sleuths, ages 4 to 6; Future Sleuths, ages 7 to 9; Sleuths in Training, ages 10 to 12; and Apprentice Sleuths, ages 13 and older).
Reviews of Mystery and Suspense Books for Kids, New This Week on Book Trends (110326)
Book Trends, a review site for young adult and children books, published several new book reviews this past week. We're presenting here a summary of those in the mystery/suspense/thriller category.
Dial M for Mongoose by Bruce Hale. The 15th mystery in the Chet Gecko series, recommended for readers aged 7 to 9. Lexile measure: N/A (though other books in this series range from 410L to 580L). Reviewed by a 5th grade student, who writes that the book "combines a mixture of mystery and humor", adding that the book was "very well written" and "the characters were very funny." (Read the entire review.)
For more reviews of children and young adult books of all genres, visit Book Trends; their reviews will amaze you! You can also follow Book Trends on Twitter.
Friday, March 25, 2011
No Less in Blood by D. M. Pirrone (Mystery Book Review)
No Less in Blood by D. M. Pirrone. Non-series. Five Star Hardcover, March 2011.
This multi-faceted story is more about interpersonal relationships than the underlying mystery, though there are elements of suspense that are handled well. The plot, with its multiple points of view and alternating timeline, is easy to follow, the narrative clearly written and fast-paced. Those who appreciate a strong, family-centric drama will be taken in by this debut novel.
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: No Less in Blood by D. M. Pirrone.
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