Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B. J. Daniels is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B. J. Daniels as today's free mystery ebook. 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 we urge you to download it while it is still available for free.

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Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B. J. Daniels
Non-Series
Harlequin

B. J. Daniels is the author of dozens of Harlequin novels. Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch was originally published under the Harlequin Intrigue imprint in 2006.

About Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch (from the publisher): After Hudson Savage betrayed her, Dana Cardwell hoped never to lay eyes on the seductive cowboy again. Until a bunch of old bones showed up on her family ranch. Suddenly her former lover was back in her life in a big way – to investigate a decades-old crime.

Five years ago, Hud left town with a heart-load of regrets. But now, as acting interim marshal, he had a job to do. And this time he wasn't walking away. Because now Dana's life was on the line – as the unsuspecting target of a killer who still walked the canyon. Hud would do whatever it took to keep Dana close. Even if it meant risking his own heart for a second chance for both of them ...

Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

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Dreamworks Acquires Film Rights to Fever Series of Fantasy Suspense Novels by Karen Marie Moning

Dreamworks has acquired the rights to the five books in the "Fever" series of romantic suspense fantasy thrillers by Karen Marie Moning with the intention of producing a live-action film. The first book in the series, Darkfever, was published by Delacorte Press in 2006.

The series features MacKayla "Mac" Lane, a perfectly ordinary 21st century woman to whom something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death — a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone — Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed — a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae …

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane — an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book — because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands …

The other books in the series are Bloodfever, Faefever, Dreamfever, and Shadowfever.

(Source: Variety.)

Nominees for the 2011 TV and Film Daggers (Crime Thriller Awards) Announced

Last night we posted the nominees for the Fall 2011 CWA Dagger Awards, and made passing reference to the Film and TV Daggers, previously known as the Crime Thriller Awards, which are given out by the British network ITV. Our friends at The Rap Sheet provided the details for these latter awards, which we are listing below. The winners will be announced during a broadcast of the CWA Dagger Awards winners on October 11th on ITV3.

The Film Dagger:
• True Grit (Paramount Pictures)
• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Momentum Pictures)
• Brighton Rock (Optimum Releasing)
• Source Code (Optimum Releasing)

The TV Dagger:
• Case Histories (Ruby Films, BBC One)
• Luther (BBC One)
• The Shadow Line (Company Pictures, BBC Two)
• Zen (Left Bank Pictures, BBC One)
• Vera (ITV Studios, ITV1)

The International TV Dagger:
• The Killing† (Arrow Films, BBC4)
• Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sky Atlantic)
• Castle (ABC Studios, Alibi)
• Dexter (Showtime Networks, FX Channel)
• Spiral (Son Et Lumiere, BBC 4)

Best Actress Dagger:
• Sofie Gråbøl for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC4)
• Brenda Blethyn for Vera (ITV Studios, ITV1)
• Maxine Peake for Silk (BBC One)
• Olivia Williams for Case Sensitive (Hat Trick Productions, ITV1)
• Sue Johnston for Waking the Dead (BBC One)
• Kelly Reilly for Above Suspicion (La Plante Productions, ITV1)

Best Actor Dagger:
• Idris Elba for Luther (BBC One)
• Lars Mikkelsen for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC4)
• Steve Buscemi for Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sky Atlantic)
• Jason Isaacs for Case Histories (Ruby Films, BBC One)
• Rufus Sewell for Zen (Left Bank Pictures, BBC One)

Best Supporting Actor Dagger:
• Rafe Spall for The Shadow Line (Company Pictures, BBC Two)
• Bjarne Henriksen for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4)
• Søren Malling for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4)
• John Lithgow for Dexter (Showtime Networks, FX Channel)
• Aidan Gillen for Thorne (Stagereel/Cité Amérique, Sky One)

Best Supporting Actress Dagger:
• Ann Eleonora Jørgensen for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4)
• Kelly Macdonald for Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sky Atlantic)
• Ruth Wilson for Luther (BBC One)
• Amanda Abbington for Case Histories (Ruby Films, BBC One)
• Tara Fitzgerald for Waking the Dead (BBC One)

† This is the original Danish version of the series, not the AMC version shown here in the US.

Two Crime Drama Projects in Early Development for Fox

The Fall 2011 Prime Time Crime season hasn't even begun and we're already getting news on what may be coming next.

Fox has two crime drama projects in the works, with some interesting elements in each.

Stranger Planet involves a hard-boiled LA cop, who works with two aliens — from another planet presumably, and not from across the border — to solve intergalactic mysteries on Earth. The network has given the project a put pilot commitment.

The second is an unnamed series featuring two female cops — the twist here is that they're subjects of a reality series — who solve crimes in LA's toughest neighborhoods, to which Fox has given a script commitment.

(Source: Deadline|Hollywood.)

Review: The Devil Colony by James Rollins

The Devil Colony by James Rollins. A Sigma Force Thriller. William Morrow Hardcover, June 2011.

There's a familiarity to this political thriller that is both comforting and yet also disappointing. The underlying storyline is strikingly compelling and the locations in which the action takes place are creatively drawn, but the interchangeable, generic characters that carry the plot forward fail to make it as engaging as it could have been.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Devil Colony by James Rollins.

Nominees for the 2011 Shamus Awards Announced

The nominees for the 2011 Shamus Awards were announced yesterday by the Private Eye Writers of America, honoring excellent work in the PI genre. In the list below, the book's PI is indicated in parentheses following the title.

◊ Best PI Hardcover:
No Mercy (Mercy Gunderson) by Lori G. Armstrong  (Touchstone)
The First Rule (Joe Pike) by Robert Crais (Putnam)
Voyeur (Remer) by Daniel Judson (Minotaur Books)
If the Dead Rise Not (Bernie Gunther) by Philip Kerr (Putnam)
Naked Moon (Dante Mancuso) by Domenic Stansberry (Minotaur Books)

◊ Best First PI Novel:
In Search of Mercy (Dexter Bolzjak) by Michael Ayoob  (Minotaur Books)
One Man's Paradise (Kevin Corvelli) by Douglas Corleone  (Minotaur Books)
Rogue Island (Liam Mulligan) by Bruce DeSilva (Forge Books)
Random Violence (Jade de Jong) by Jassy MacKenzie  (Soho Crime)
City of Dragons (Miranda Corbie) by Kelli Stanley (Minotaur Books)

◊ Best PI Paperback Original:
Hostage Zero (Jonathan Grave) by John Gilstrap (Kensington)
Nightshade (Sam Montcalm) by Tom Henighan (Dundurn Press)
Mister X (Frank Quinn) by John Lutz (Pinnacle)
The Panic Zone (Jack Gannon) by Rick Mofina (Mira Books)
Asia Hand (Vincent Calvino) by Christopher G. Moore (Grove/Atlantic)
The Little Death (Louis Kincaid and Joe Frye) by P. J. Parrish  (Pocket Star)

◊ Best PI Short Story:
"The God of Right and Wrong" by Steven Gore (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"The Lamb Was Sure To Go" by Gar Anthony Haywood (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"The Girl in the Golden Gown" by Robert S. Levinson (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"Phelan's First Case" by Lisa Sandlin (Lone Star Noir)
"A Long Time Dead" by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins (The Strand Magazine)

 indicates a review is available from Mysterious Reviews.

(Hat tip to The Rap Sheet.)

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending August 19th, 2011

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending August 19th, 2011 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Another quiet week on the bestseller list, with no change in the titles among the top 15, just a bit of rearrangement in overall order. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva retains the top spot.

In looking at pre-release sales data, however, come Labor Day, we're expecting a lot changes!

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.

Shortlist for the Fall 2011 CWA Dagger Awards Announced

The shortlists for the 2011 CWA Dagger Awards have been posted on the the Crime Writers' Association (CWA) website. The winners will be revealed at The Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards on Friday, October 7th, 2011 at the Grosvenor House, and televised the following Tuesday, October 11th, on ITV3, along with the Film and TV Daggers.

The four authors in contention for the CWA Gold Dagger ("Best Novel") are:

Tom Franklin for Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (Macmillan); Steve Hamilton for The Lock Artist (Orion); A. D. Miller for Snowdrops (Atlantic Books); and Denise Mina for The End of the Wasp Season (Orion).

For the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award ("Best Thriller"), the nominees are:

Michael Gruber for The Good Son (Atlantic Books); Steve Hamilton for The Lock Artist (Orion), Craig Smith for Cold Rain (Myrmidon), and S. J. Watson for Before I Go To Sleep (Doubleday).

For the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger ("Best First Novel"), the nominees are:

Conor Fitzgerald for The Dogs of Rome (Bloomsbury), Sam Hawken for The Dead Women of Juarez (Serpent's Tail), Danny Miller for Kiss Me Quick (Robinson), and S. J. Watson for Before I Go To Sleep (Doubleday).

Review: Chihuahua of the Baskervilles by Esri Allbritten

Chihuahua of the Baskervilles by Esri Allbritten. A Tripping Magazine Mystery. Minotaur Books Hardcover, July 2011.

This delightfully entertaining, darkly comic mystery — it is not a paranormal mystery, per se — has the staff of Tripping magazine traveling to the Colorado town of Manitou Springs to investigate the ghostly appearance of a dead chihuahua, whose photographs started a profitable business of selling designer clothing to owners of tiny dogs.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Chihuahua of the Baskervilles by Esri Allbritten.

Ridley Scott to Direct New Blade Runner Film

Earlier this year we reported that Alcon Entertainment had acquired the film and television rights to the 1982 film Blade Runner. Now we're learning that that film's director, Ridley Scott, will also direct its prequel/sequel. (No one is saying whether the intended film will take place before or after the events in the original. But it is clear that the rights acquired do not include a remake.)

Blade Runner is adapted — very loosely — from the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and stars Harrison Ford as bounty hunter Rick Deckard, who must track down four replicants, robots that are visually identical to humans and that work exclusively in off-world colonies, which have escaped and are hiding in Los Angeles.

(Source: Deadline|New York.)