A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow is Today's Featured Free Kindle Mystery

MystereBooks is pleased to feature a mystery title that is currently available in Kindle eBook format for free from Amazon.com. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically only until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so download it today!

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A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow
A Kate Shugak Mystery (1st in series)
Gere Donovan Press (Kindle eBook)
Download Link

This book was (and in fact still is, as of today) available as a free iBook from iTunes but is now offered as a free Kindle edition.

About A Cold Day for Murder (from the publisher): Somewhere in the hinterlands of Alaska, among the millions of sprawling acres that comprise “The Park,” a young National Park Ranger has gone missing. When the detective sent after him also vanishes, the Anchorage DA’s department must turn to their reluctant former investigator, Kate Shugak. Shugak knows The Park because she’s of The Park, an Aleut who left her home village of Niniltna to pursue education, a career, and the righting of wrongs. Kate’s search for the missing men will take her from self-imposed exile back to a life she’d left behind, and face-to-face with people and problems she'd hoped never to confront again.

Read the first chapter(s) of A Cold Day for Murder below. Use the Aa button to adjust the display settings (font size, line spacing, word density).

A&E Renews Breakout Kings for Second Season

In a move that comes as a surprise to us, A&E has renewed Breakout Kings for a second season.

In the first season, U.S. Marshals Charlie Duchamp (played by Laz Alonso) and Ray Zancanelli (Domenick Lombardozzi) form a special task force composed of the three most elusive convicts Ray ever captured: Lloyd Lowery (Jimmi Simpson), a former child prodigy and behaviorist/psychiatric expert whoexcels in psychoanalysis; Shea Daniels (Malcolm Goodwin), an ex-gangbanger who knows how to work the system, both in prison and on the street; and Erica Reed (Serinda Swan), a sexy expert tracker who learned her trade from her bounty hunter father.

We thought the series had been canceled, and were not terribly surprised or disappointed, having watched a couple of episodes and never finding it engaging. Maybe our expectations were too high, thinking that it would be a cross between Leverage and Prison Break, two series we do enjoy. It actually is, kind of, sort of, but not really.

Production is expected to begin soon for a second season premiere early next year.

(Source: Deadline|Hollywood)

Review: The Counterfeit Madam by Pat McIntosh

The Counterfeit Madam by Pat McIntosh. A Gil Cunningham Mystery. Soho Constable Hardcover, June 2011.

There's definitely something appealing about crafting a late medieval tale around vices and crimes that might by many to be considered of relatively modern origin (i.e. counterfeiting) and towards that end, the mystery works. Still, one has to balance what is arguably an entertaining story against the circuitous pathway taken to realize this.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Counterfeit Madam by Pat McIntosh.

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OMN Welcomes Kaspar Von Langfeld, Author of the YA Thriller Don't Speak to the Dead

Omnimystery News is pleased to welcome mystery author Kaspar Von Langfeld, whose new young adult thriller is Don't Speak to the Dead (Smashwords, May 2011 eBook).

Today, Kaspar visits us from the beyond and answers some of our questions about the book. And he's also providing five of our readers with an opportunity to win a copy of his ebook. Visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Kaspar Von Langfeld: Don't Speak to the Dead" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (1810) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 07/19/2011.)

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Photo provided courtesy of
Kaspar Von Langfeld

Kaspar, when did you start writing books?

Kaspar Von Langfeld: After my death I wandered around near the place in San Francisco where I mysteriously died in 1852. In 2009 I found these two brothers and followed them because I sensed they had an affinity towards the dead. My hunch was confirmed in 2010 when I found these same two brothers, Flynn and Cooper, assisting a fellow ghost. This was the first time in 150 years that I was excited enough to document an event that I witnessed.

Who did the brothers help in your story?

KVL: They helped a millionaire banker named Maxfield Goldman who was murdered in 1928. Max had the good fortune of crossing paths with the boys and they were willing to take on the adventure of solving the mystery of his death!

Why the title, Don’t Speak to the Dead?

KVL: If you ever speak to us or even think of us you are taking a risk! Flynn and Cooper quickly found this out when Maxfield Goldman kidnapped them. If you communicate with the dead we expect your help and we take it seriously.

You seem to have a vested interest in these boys and their stories. Why do you observe them so closely?

KVL: Down here in the netherworld these two are very important. There are only few of the living that we connect with. When a window opens between our worlds someone can be helped if the living are willing to offer assistance. Flynn and Cooper know that now. Of course, my hope is that these two could one day help me!

Are there more stories coming from the netherworld?

KVL: There are many more stories than can possibly be written down. As for me, I’ll stick with Flynn and Cooper and write about them. They live in San Francisco where I lost my life and the likelihood that we connect is much greater since time and place coincide. At the moment they’re helping Charlie Kong in 1906. I’m following them closely, recording everything that is happening in their adventure.

Thank you for talking to with today, Kaspar. Is there anything else you want to say to our readers?

KVL: Yes, thank you for taking time to listen to what an old ghost writer from 1852 has to say. To show you how grateful I am, I’m giving away five e-copies of this story to OmnimysteryNews.com readers. I hope you enjoy the account of Flynn and Cooper in their first adventure, Don’t Speak to the Dead. For more information, visit my website at KasparVonLangfeld.com.

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About Don't Speak to the Dead: This fast paced, exciting story with plenty of surprising twists and turns features two brothers, who are abducted by a ghost and taken back in time to solve his murder. Will they bring the culprit to justice and make it back alive? Cooper falls in love, Flynn gets shot and when they return they are not the same boys that left.

Don't Speak to the Dead is available as an ebook from Smashwords.

For a chance to win a copy of Don't Speak to the Dead, courtesy of the author, visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Kaspar Von Langfeld: Don't Speak to the Dead" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (1810) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 07/19/2011.)

HBO to Develop Carl Hiaasen's Caper Skinny Dip

HBO confirmed today that it is developing Carl Hiaasen's 2004 novel Skinny Dip for television. Into a series, mini-series, or something else isn't known (at least to us).

The story involves Chaz Perrone, who might be the only marine scientist in the world who doesn't know which way the Gulf Stream runs. He might also be the only one who went into biology just to make a killing, and now he's found a way — doctoring water samples so that a ruthless agribusiness tycoon can continue illegally dumping fertilizer into the endangered Everglades. When Chaz suspects that his wife, Joey, has figured out his scam, he pushes her overboard from a cruise liner into the night-dark Atlantic. Unfortunately for Chaz, his wife doesn't die in the fall.

Clinging blindly to a bale of Jamaican pot, Joey Perrone is plucked from the ocean by former cop and current loner Mick Stranahan. Instead of rushing to the police and reporting her husband's crime, Joey decides to stay dead and (with Mick's help) screw with Chaz until he screws himself.

While Joey haunts and taunts her homicidal husband, and Chaz's cold-blooded cohorts in pollution grow uneasy about his ineptitude and increasingly erratic behavior, Mick Stranahan discovers that six failed marriages and years of island solitude haven't killed the reckless romantic in him.

(Source: The Hollywood Reporter)

USA Orders Buddy Cop Series Common Law to Series

It's been 7 months since we had an update on Common Law, a buddy cop crime comedy/drama that USA Network was considering for series. Now we're learning the cable network has indeed ordered an 11 episode season of the series.

Warren Kole and Michael Ealy star as mismatched partners, whose constant bickering has their caption (Jack McGee) sending them to couples counseling.

Though the original premise had the cops part of the LAPD, production is scheduled to begin next month in New Orleans ... so maybe the venue has been changed (and if so, for the better, in our opinion).

(Source: Deadline|Hollywood)

Review: A Study in Lavender by Joseph R. G. DeMarco, editor

A Study in Lavender by Joseph R. G. DeMarco, editor. A Sherlock Holmes Anthology. Lethe Press Trade Paperback, July 2011.

This decidedly eclectic anthology of gay-themed short stories does not feature the famous consulting detective or Dr. John Watson in every tale, but does take inspiration from them in crafting the plots. Most are an interesting extension to, or in some cases, a reinterpretation of, the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: A Study in Lavender by Joseph R. G. DeMarco, editor.

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Read the first chapter(s) of A Study in Lavender below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

Mr. E. Reviews Rain Fall

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Somewhere in this tangled mess of a movie there may actually be a credible, interesting thriller. Though adapted from the first in the series of popular John Rain novels by crime novelist Barry Eisler, the film is edited in such a way that there is little continuity within the storyline, making it at best difficult to follow.

Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews Rain Fall.

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

Mr. E. Reviews The Mechanic

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First and foremost, this is an often violent action film, though most of the action sequences are well structured, cleverly written, and exciting to watch. Jason Statham is perfectly cast in the lead here and Donald Sutherland, in a relatively brief appearance, is excellent as his mentor.

Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews The Mechanic.

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

Set off on a Historical Adventure in Mystery Quest: Curse of the Ancient Spirits, New for Nintendo DS

Set off on a historical adventure in Mystery Quest: Curse of the Ancient Spirits, a gripping thriller and a mysterious ghost story!

When Virginia and Professor MacNara happen upon a 500 year beach wreck, they discover that the ship, laden with mysterious artefacts, once belonged to Christopher Columbus, discoverer of America. Columbus’s ship was thought to have vanished from the seas centuries ago, and so when they board the mighty galleon they are shocked when to find that the ravages of time have not affected the ship and everything is in its place, exactly how it was 500 years ago. The mystery further continues when Professor MacNara inexplicably dies. Now alone, Virginia must begin to piece together the mysteries in the search for her dad’s murderer in this historical tale of time portals, ghost stories and gripping adventures!

Mystery Quest: Curse of the Ancient Spirits is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 5th, 2011, for Nintendo DS. It is ESRB rated E10+, Everyone, 10 and older.

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Games of Mystery is your source for mystery-themed video, electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, murder mystery weekends and mystery getaway vacations, and more mysterious fun!