Winners of the 2010 LA Times Book Prizes Announced

The 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes were handed out last night to kick off the annual Festival of Books. The prizes honor the best books published in 2010 in a several categories.

For Mystery/Thriller, the winner was Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (William Morrow).

A Dance with Dragons, the Fifth Book in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" Series by George R. R. Martin, Available to Pre-Order

If you've been enjoying Game of Thrones on HBO, you'll be happy to learn that the fifth book in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of fantasy/adventure books by George R. R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons, is available to pre-order. It is scheduled to be published this July. Game of Thrones is adapted from the first book in the series, A Game of Thrones.

It's been a long six years since the previous book in the series, A Feast for Crows, was published, and with A Dance with Dragons weighing in at 1200 pages, there's a lot of material to cover.

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again -- beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has three times three thousand enemies, and many have set out to find her. Yet, as they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

To the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone -- a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, will face his greatest challenge yet. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

And from all corners, bitter conflicts soon reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.

Nominations for the 2011 Arthur Ellis Awards Announced

The nominees for the 2011 Arthur Ellis Awards have been announced by the Crime Writers of Canada, recognizing excellence in Canadian crime writing. The winners will be announced at an award banquet on June 2nd, 2011 at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Victoria, BC.

◊ Best Crime Novel
Slow Recoil by C. B Forrest (RendezVous Crime )
In Plain Sight by Mike Knowles (ECW Press)
The Extinction Club by Jeffrey Moore (Penguin Group)
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Little, Brown)
A Criminal to Remember by Michael Van Rooy (Turnstone Press)

◊ Best First Crime Novel:
The Damage Done by Hilary Davidson (St. Martin's Press)
The Debba by Avner Mandleman (Random House)
The Penalty Killing by Michael McKinley (McClelland & Stewart)
The Parabolist by Nicholas Ruddock (Doubleday)
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens (St. Martin's Press )

◊ Best Crime Novel in French
La société des pères meurtriers by Michel Châteauneuf (Vent d’Ouest)
Dans le quartier des agités by Jacques Côté (Éditions Alire)
Quand la mort s'invite à la première by Bernard Gilbert (Québec Amerique)
Cinq secondes by Jacques Savoie (Libre Expression)
Vanités by Johanne Seymour (Libre Expression)

◊ Best Crime Non-Fiction
On the Farm by Stevie Cameron (Alfred A. Knopf)
Northern Light by Roy MacGregor (Random House)
Our Man in Tehran by Robert Wright (HarperCollins)

◊ Best Juvenile/Young Adult Crime Book
Pluto's Ghost by Sharee Fitch (Doubleday)
Lost For Words (The Worst Thing She Ever Did) by Alice Kuipers (HarperCollins)
Victim Rights by Norah McClintock (Red Deer Press)
The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz (HarperCollins)
Borderline by Allan Stratton (HarperCollins)

◊ Best Crime Short Story
"The Bust" by William Deverall (Whodunnit: Sun Media’s Canadian Crime Fiction Showcase)
"So Much in Common" by Mary Jane Maffini (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"The Big Touch" by Jordan McPeek (Thuglit.com)
"In it Up to My Neck" by Jas R. Petrin (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"The Piper's Door" by James Powell (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

◊ Best First Unpublished Crime Novel
When the Bow Breaks by Jayne Barnard
Better Off Dead by John Jeneroux
Uncoiled by Kevin Thorton

(Hat tip to The Rap Sheet for alerting us to this announcement.)

Dean Koontz's Twilight Eyes to be Adapted for Television Miniseries

Starz is developing a project, expected to be an 8-part miniseries, adapted from Twilight Eyes, the story of a man with psychic powers by Dean Koontz. If completed, it would mark the cable network's first original series.

Twilight Eyes features Slim MacKenzie, a young man blessed -- or cursed -- with the ability to see those that are out there lurking in the darkest shadows of an eerie, moonlit carnival. Feeding their twisted needs with human suffering. And fiendishly plotting the downfall of the human race. They're out there -- unseen by normal eyes, all too visible to Slim -- but don't scream. They'll hear you.

Originally published in 1985, the adaptation is expected to be updated to take place in the current day. Koontz will co-executive produce with his former agent Rob Lee and Stephen Tolkin, who previously adapted two of the author's novels for television and who will also write the screenplay for this one.

(Source: Deadline|Hollywood.)

Next Jack Ryan Film Gets Another New Screenwriter

Will the next Jack Ryan film ever get made?

Yet another screenwriter, David Koepp, has come on board to rewrite the script for a prequel to the series of films already adapted from Tom Clancy's novels, previously starring Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck as CIA agent Jack Ryan. Chris Pine is lined up for the role in this "origin" story, how Ryan came to be with the CIA, but the script for the untitled film -- not adapted from any of Clancy's novels -- has proved to be a real stumbling block.

The storyline is still believed to be based on Adam Cozad's original outline for a completely different film that was repurposed to be the Jack Ryan backstory, involving the circumstances surrounding his survival of a helicopter crash while serving in the Marines. Several screenwriters have come and gone since then. Koepp has considerable experience in franchise films, having written or co-written the screenplays for two of the Jurassic Park movies, the original Mission: Impossible film based on the TV series, the third Indiana Jones movie, and Angels & Demons, adapted from the Dan Brown bestseller.

Paramount, which is behind the project, hopes to start production early in 2012.

(Source: Deadline|New York.)

Mystery Bestsellers for April 29, 2011

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending April 29th, 2011 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Just a bit of shuffling among the top bestselling crime novels this week, with Michael Connelly's 4th Mickey Haller legal thriller, The Fifth Witness, retaining the top spot this week. No new titles debut in the top 15, but one, almost certain to move up next week, enters the list at number 16.

— ◊ —

In Bel-Air Dead, the 20th thriller to feature Stone Barrington by Stuart Woods, the attorney receives a rather unexpected phone call from Arrington Calder, the ex-girlfriend with whom he has a son. Arrington's much older husband, the actor Vance Calder, has just died, leaving her a fortune in Centurion Studios stock. Arrington has plans for the money and asks Stone to represent her in the sale of the company. But when he arrives at her home in Bel-Air to finalize the deal, things take a nasty turn. It seems many of Hollywood's rich and beautiful have Arrington and Centurion in their sights, and Stone finds himself dragged into a surprisingly deadly web of intrigue.

— ◊ —

For more mystery books news, 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.

Winners of the 2011 Edgar Awards Announced

The winners of the 2011 Edgar Awards were announced this evening, given annually by the Mystery Writers of America to honor the best in mystery writing.

Thanks to everyone who tweeted the results, which are given below.

◊ Best Novel: The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (Minotaur Books)

◊ Best First Novel: Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva (Forge Books)

◊ Best Paperback Original: Long Time Coming by Robert Goddard (Bantam)

◊ Best Fact Crime: Scoreboard, Baby: A Story of College Football, Crime and Complicity by Nick Perry (University of Nebraska Press).

◊ Best Critical Biographical: Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and his Rendezvouz with American History by Yunte Huang (Norton).

◊ Best Short Story: "The Scent of Lilacs" by Doug Allyn (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine).

◊ Best Juvenile: The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy by Dori Hillestad (Albert Whitman).

◊ Best Young Adult: The Interrogation of Gabriel James by Charlie Price (Farrar, Straus, Giroux)

◊ Best Play: "The Psychic" by Sam Bobrick (Falcon Theatre, Burbank CA).

◊ Best TV Episode: "Luther", Episode 1. Teleplay by Neil Cross (BBC America).

◊ Robert L. Fish Memorial Award: "Skyler Hobbs and the Rabbit Man" by Evan Lewis (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine).

◊ Grand Master: Sara Paretsky.

Review: Nine Man's Murder by Eric Keith

Nine Man's Murder by Eric Keith. Non-series. Ransom Note Press Trade Paperback, March 2011.

The plot of this carefully crafted, meticulously detailed mystery is certainly familiar, but that does not detract in any way from the appeal of the book. Readers will be kept in suspect from nearly the very beginning as to "whodunit" in this affectionate homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Nine Man's Murder by Eric Keith.

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Review: June Jam by Ron Roy

June Jam by Ron Roy. A Calendar Mystery. Random House Mass Market Paperback, March 2011.

The Pinto kids and their friends are at the top of their game here, coming up with creative ways of identifying the something -- or someone -- that is munching their way through the family strawberry patch, and ruining plans for a special treat for their Dad on Father's Day.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: June Jam by Ron Roy.

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R. L. Stine's It's the First Day of School ... Forever Optioned for Film

R. L. Stine's soon to be published children's book It's the First Day of School ... Forever! has been optioned by the Gotham Group, which intends to adapt it for a family-themed adventure film. The production company is also involved with the film adaptation of another young adult thriller, The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

In Stine's new book, Artie falls out of bed and hits his head -- hard -- on the first day of school. His Mom tells him he's just nervous because it's the first day of school. But then his brother gets syrup in his hair just as he's leaving home, and on the way to school he gets splashed by a puddle. It's not just the first day of school ... it's the worst day of school. On the second day of school, Artie falls out of bed and hits his head -- hard. His Mom tells him he's just nervous because it's the first day of school. Huh? Artie's in a loop and must find a way out, before it's the first day of school ... forever!

R. L. Stine is the author of over 300 books for children, which have sold over 400 million copies worldwide. He will serve as Thrillermaster at this year's ThrillerFest, July 6th through 9th, in Manhattan.

(Source: The Hollywood Reporter.)