Millennium Entertainment announced in a press release yesterday that the company had acquired the US rights to Rampart. The film, co-written by crime novelist Elmore Leonard and its director Oren Moverman, stars Woody Harrelson as Dave Brown, a cop long ago unleashed from the rules of the Los Angeles Police Department, and is based in part on a real LAPD scandal from the 1990s.
Assigned to the Rampart Precinct, Brown is dedicated to doing "the people’s dirty work" and asserting his own code of justice, often blurring the lines between right and wrong to maintain his action-hero state of mind. When he gets caught on tape beating a suspect, he finds himself in a personal and emotional downward spiral as the consequences of his past sins and his refusal to change his ways in light of a department-wide corruption scandal seal his fate.
The film's large supporting cast includes Ben Foster, Robin Wright, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon, Ice Cube, Brie Larson, and Ned Beatty. Millennium expects to release Rampart this year.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Millennium Acquires US Rights to Elmore Leonard-Scripted Rampart
OMN Welcomes Laura Caldwell, Author of the Izzy McNeil Mysteries
Omnimystery News is pleased to welcome Laura Caldwell, author of the Izzy McNeil mysteries. The fourth book in this series is Claim of Innocence (Mira Books, August 2011 paperback and ebook editions).
Today Laura writes about the dangers of writing real people into fiction.
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For years, when a charity asked me to donate something for their silent auction, I'd give signed books or a book club visit. Eventually, I wanted to be more creative. So I offered a chance to get your name in an upcoming Izzy McNeil mystery.
Photo provided courtesy of
Laura Caldwell
I was surprised by the enthusiasm. The chance to be a fictional character (my choice—you might be a cop from Rogers Park or a neurosurgeon from Taiwan) was raising a lot more funds for charity than a mountain of signed books. A powerful local politico spent a few thousand to get his daughter's name in the novels. (She ended up a national NBC correspondent). A gentleman from Marian Central Catholic High School, my alma mater, paid well to get his daughter in the game. (She became a U.S. Attorney from the Northern District).
Only twice have I put a real, living person in my book. The first was Rose, the owner and proprietor of Rose's bar on Lincoln Avenue. (Don't worry. It's not as scary on the inside as it looks on the out). I adore Rose—both the woman and the bar—so when I found myself writing about Izzy and Sam going to a dive bar on a spring afternoon, I stopped and thought, Why not put in the real thing?
And so, for a short scene, Izzy and Sam sat in Rose's. They even spoke to her briefly about Polish beers.
When I got my advanced copies, I practically skipped over to Rose's with a novel hot off the presses.
"There you are," I said excitedly to Rose, standing on the rung of a jankety bar stool. "There you are," I said again, pointing to her printed name.
She peered at the book, which I'd opened to the page on which she appeared. I would later learn that she did not read English well. Never had, never particularly wanted to. Still, I knew she could spot her own name. And in my novel!
"Eh," she said, giving the book a single nod of her head, her white curls barely moving.
"That's you!" I was like a two-year-old caught by the sight of themselves in a mirror. Or some barely adult version thereof.
No matter how many times I read Rose her passage, pointed to the words, highlighted and penciled the paragraphs, she remained unimpressed. Finally, she took the copy from my hands and placed the book behind the bar with all the other random crap (mostly glossy magazine pictures from 80s and a few portraits of a patron and his deceased wife). I stared at the book, taking great pride in making it behind the bar at Rose's.
When I returned a few weeks later, it was gone. "Where did it go?" I asked Rose.
"Eh," she said, shrugging this time.
So it was years before I even considered putting someone else, someone real, in my novels. But it happened again in a similar way. I had a scene (an opening scene of Claim of Innocence) where my main character triumphantly walks out of the civil courthouse, having lost her argument, sure, but not having made an ass of herself. I wrote about the judge who made Izzy feel listened to and respected, even though he would rule against her. And then I knew who I had to have in the book—Judge William Maddux—a legend. He'd been orphaned, become Mayor of Boystown (made popular in the Spencer Tracy movie), gotten a football scholarship to Notre Dame, became a Capital police officer in Washington D.C. (even as he was attending, and succeeding, at Georgetown law school), moved to Chicago, became wildly successful as a defense attorney and later personal injury, and eventually ascended to the bench where he became a forward-thinking, keep-the-wheels-of-justice-moving-quickly kind of judge and eventually became the Presiding Judge of the civil division of Cook County, the most litigious place in the nation.
But once again, my subject found themselves unimpressed. Not that Judge Maddux wasn't excited to be in my book. He was. He'd sent messages via a few friends of mine, attorneys who regularly appeared in front of him. Make sure she brings the book, he'd say whenever there was a Chicago attorney outing we would both attend. I'd been bragging about his cameo in the book for a few years; now it was time to pay the piper.
It started well. On a sunny Friday in June (which renders everyone in Chi-town bonkers-happy) a group of judges and attorneys met at a sparkling new restaurant overlooking the Chicago river. The silverware gleamed, the glasses reflected myriad colors of smiles and laughs around the room. I handed the book proudly to the judge, a hush dying over the table.
The judge started reading. He chuckled appreciatively; a grin grew on his handsome, tanned face. But then his eyes went flat. Nodded. Closed the book. Put it face down on the table.
It was like Rose's all over again. I felt my confidence tanking. "What?" I asked, incredulous.
"My eyes are brown," he said.
I picked up the book. I read,
I was writing off the fact that although Maggie's opponent had won the motion, and the complaint temporarily dismissed, Judge Maddux had said "Nice argument, counsel" to me, his wise, blue eyes sparkling.
Judge Maddux had seen every kind of case in his decades of practice and every kind of lawyer. His job involved watching people duke it out, day after day after day. For him to say "Nice argument" was a victory. It meant I still had it.
I looked at the judge. His eyes were indeed chestnut brown. "But they have sort of a blue-ish tinge," I said.
He frowned.
"And you seem like a blue-eyed person," I said inanely. I looked around the table. "Doesn't he?" I said to the other lawyers and judges.
A few people half-nodded. "I guess," my friend, Karen, said.
Everyone turned back to their appetizers, while Claim of Innocence lay forlorn next to the judge's plate.
Never again, I swore to myself. Sure, I'd still let people's names be in the books, but only when I could make them whatever kind of character I wanted. Enough of this trying to capture the real essence of someone in a fictional novel.
But I have a feeling I'll forget this shame soon. And someone will so impress me, make such a good argument for why they, the real person, should have a conversation with Izzy. Could that be you? Or someone you know? If so, email me your suggestions to info@lauracaldwell.com. I might be dumb enough to go a third round.
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Before beginning her writing career, Laura was a partner in a Chicago law firm, specializing in medical malpractice defense and entertainment law. In 2001 she joined Loyola University Chicago School of Law and has taught Advanced Litigation Writing and International Criminal Law among others. She is now a Distinguished Scholar in Residence and the Director of Loyola's Life After Innocence Project, which aids former prisoners following exoneration.
For more information about Laura and her books, visit her website at LauraCaldwell.com.
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About Claim of Innocence:
It was a crime of passion—or so the police say. Valerie Solara has been charged with poisoning her best friend. The prosecution claims she's always been secretly attracted to Amanda's husband…and with Amanda gone, she planned to make her move.
Attorney Izzy McNeil left the legal world a year ago, but a friend's request pulls her into the murder trial. Izzy knows how passion can turn your life upside down. She thought she had it once with her ex-fiancé, Sam. Now she wonders if that's all she has in common with her criminally gorgeous younger boyfriend, Theo.
It's Izzy's job to present the facts that will exonerate her client—whether or not she's innocent. But when she suspects Valerie is hiding something, she begins investigating—and uncovers a web of secret passions and dark motives, where seemingly innocent relationships can prove poisonous …
Scoop by Kit Frazier is Today's Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Scoop by Kit Frazier 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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Scoop by Kit Frazier
A Cauley MacKinnon Mystery (1st in series)
Smashwords
Originally published by Midnight Ink as a trade paperback in 2006, Scoop introduces Austin (Texas) newspaper obituary writer Caulet MacKinnon. In our review of the book, we said, "Kit Frazier has created a smart, independent, strong-minded woman to be the heroine of her series, and with Scoop has written a solid mystery that should appeal to a wide range of readers."
About Scoop (from the publisher): Cauley MacKinnon is staring down the barrel of twenty-eighth birthday, certain the only things standing between her and certain doom are instinct, pure dumb luck and a kick-ass hairdresser. Starting over after a truly bad marriage and armed with a freshly minted journalism degree, Cauley is disappointed to find that the only job she can get in her hometown of Austin is as an obituary writer — something that only happens to interns who've been very good, or reporters who've been very bad.
Somehow, Cauley's managed to do both. While on the hunt for a story that will get her off the Death Page, Cauley's life takes a turn for the worse when hapless childhood friend, Scott Barnes, threatens suicide and barricades himself in a dilapidated old shed where he phones Cauley for help. Cauley is soon devastated when she discovers Barnes dead at his computer with an empty bottle of bourbon and a computer-generated suicide note. Soon, Cauley is up to her eyelashes in dead bodies and everyone wants to know what Barnes said in the shed — the last time anyone saw him alive.
Read our review of Scoop by Kit Frazier.
Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.
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Friday, September 23, 2011
New Trailer for One for the Money
A new trailer for the film adaptation of Janet Evanovich's One for the Money has been posted on the Yahoo! Movies website. We've embedded it below.
The film stars Katherine Heigl as series character Stephanie Plum. Desperate for some fast cash, Stephanie turns to her last resort: convincing her sleazy cousin to give her a job at his bail bonding company … as a recovery agent. True, she doesn't even own a pair of handcuffs and her weapon of choice is pepper spray, but that doesn't stop Stephanie from taking on Vinny's biggest bail-jumper: former vice cop and murder suspect Joe Morelli — yup, the same sexy, irresistible Joe Morelli who seduced and dumped her back in high school. Nabbing Morelli would be satisfying payback — and a hefty payday — but as Stephanie learns the ins and outs of becoming a recovery agent from Ranger, a hunky colleague who's the best in the business, she also realizes the case against Morelli isn't airtight. Add to the mix her meddling family, a potentially homicidal boxer, witnesses who keep dying and the problem of all those flying sparks when she finds Morelli himself … well, suddenly Stephanie's new job isn't nearly as easy as she thought.
One for the Money opens in theaters January 27th, 2012.
ABC Acquires Global Adventure Series Project Zero Hour
Earlier today we reported that Prison Break producer and screenwriter Nick Santora had sold a crime drama project to Fox. Now we're learning that ABC has acquired a series project from the creator of Prison Break, Paul Scheuring.
Zero Hour is described as an epic adventure that has an everyman traveling the globe collecting clues that will unlock a mystery surrounding the Twelve Apostles … and also clues to his own identity. Scheuring will write the pilot script and executive produce.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter.)
Sherlock Holmes's First Case on the Nintendo 3DS Announced
Focus Home Interactive announced today that Sherlock Holmes has signed on for his first investigation on the Nintendo 3DS.
In Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Frozen City, a mysterious snowstorm has fallen upon London, so cold that even the Thames is starting to freeze. Sherlock Holmes is called in to investigate. Players will explore amazing environments, meet and interrogate many colorful characters, and examine objects and clues in order to discover the evidence that will help solve this incredible case.
The game is expected to be released during the first half of 2012.
(Source: The Adventure Games of Sherlock Holmes.)
Fox to Develop Crime Thriller Project created by Nick Santora
Crime novelist and television screenwriter Nick Santora (Prison Break) has sold a project to Fox titled The Raiding Party. The premise is three brothers and their mother carrying on the family business established by their grandfather: robbing banks. Santora is writing the pilot script and will co-executive produce.
Despite his success in television, Santora has said that being a published author "is the most exciting thing that’s happened in my professional career." His second novel, Fifteen Digits, is being published by Mulholland Books next year, which will also reissue his debut thriller Slip and Fall. He's also branching into graphic novels, with an original comic series Sandstorm to be published by DC Comics in 2012.
(Source: Variety.)
Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending September 23rd, 2011
A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending September 23rd, 2011 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.
Reassuming the top spot after several weeks is The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the third and final thriller in the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. Three new titles debut on the lists.
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New at number 8 is Heat Rises, the third mystery featuring NYPD homicide detective Nikki Heat by Richard Castle of the ABC crime drama Castle.
The bizarre murder of a parish priest at a New York bondage club opens Nikki Heat's most thrilling and dangerous case so far, pitting her against New York's most vicious drug lord, an arrogant CIA contractor, and a shadowy death squad out to gun her down. And that is just the tip of an iceberg that leads to a dark conspiracy reaching all the way to the highest level of the NYPD.
But when she gets too close to the truth, Nikki finds herself disgraced, stripped of her badge, and out on her own as a target for killers with nobody she can trust. Except maybe the one man in her life who's not a cop. Reporter Jameson Rook.
In the midst of New York's coldest winter in a hundred years, there's one thing Nikki is determined to prove: heat rises.
Purchase Options:
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At number 13 is the 16th Stone Barrington thriller, Son of Stone by Stuart Woods.
After an eventful trip to Bel-Air and a reunion with his sophisticated (and very wealthy) former love, Arrington Calder, confirmed bachelor Stone Barrington is looking to stay in New York and cash in on his partnership at Woodman & Weld. Not only is he a rain-maker of one of the richest white-shoe law firms, in town, he’s back in his element. Manhattan, after all, is his home, and no one is better than Stone at navigating both its shadowy underworlds and its chic high society.
But Arrington has other plans for Stone, and his life is about to take a turn he never imagined …
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Finally, at number 14 is the stand-alone thriller Lethal by Sandra Brown.
When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word.
But Honor soon discovers that even those close to her can't be trusted. Coburn claims that her beloved late husband possessed something extremely valuable that places Honor and her daughter in grave danger. Coburn is there to retrieve it — at any cost.
From FBI offices in Washington, D.C., to a rundown shrimp boat in coastal Louisiana, Coburn and Honor run for their lives from the very people sworn to protect them, and unravel a web of corruption and depravity that threatens not only them, but the fabric of our society.
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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.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Killer Elite, Adapted from a Novel by Ranulph Fiennes, Opens in Theaters Friday, September 23rd
The action thriller Killer Elite — an adaptation of the 1991 novel by Ranulph Fiennes, The Feather Men — opens in theaters this Friday, September 23rd.
Based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite pits two of the world’s most elite operatives — Danny, an ex-special ops agent (Jason Statham) and Hunter, his longtime mentor (Robert De Niro) — against the cunning leader of a secret military society (Clive Owen). Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly dangerous game of cat and mouse — where the predators become the prey.
Rated R, the film runs 105 minutes. Watch a trailer for the film below.
The Action Thriller Abduction Opens in Theaters Friday, September 23rd
Taylor Lautner stars as a young man unwittingly thrust into a deadly world of covert espionage in the action-thriller Abduction, opening in theaters this Friday, September 23rd.
For as long as he can remember, Nathan Harper (Taylor Lautner) has had the uneasy feeling that he's living someone else's life. When he stumbles upon an image of himself as a little boy on a missing persons website, all of Nathan's darkest fears come true: he realizes his parents are not his own and his life is a lie, carefully fabricated to hide something more mysterious and dangerous than he could have ever imagined.
Just as he begins to piece together his true identity, Nathan is targeted by a team of trained killers, forcing him on the run with the only person he can trust, his neighbor, Karen (Lily Collins). Every second counts as Nathan and Karen race to evade an army of assassins and federal operatives. But as his opponents close in, Nathan realizes that the only way he'll survive — and solve the mystery of his elusive biological father — is to stop running and take matters into his own hands.
Rated PG-13, the film runs 106 minutes. Watch a trailer for the film below.
