Mystery Godoku Puzzle for January 23, 2012

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!).

— ◊ —

This week's letters and mystery clue:

A B D H I M R S T

He introduced jack-of-all-trades Virgil Cain in 2012's Red Means Run (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!

Nominees for the 2011 Hammett Prize Announced

The nominations for the 2011 Hammett Prize have been announced by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers for literary excellence in the field of crime fiction.

The winner will be chosen by three distinguished outside judges: Kevin Connolly, Canadian poet and editor; Eileen Hutton, founder of Brilliance Audio; and Paula J. Massood, author of Black City Cinema: African American Urban Experiences in Film. The winner will be announced during the Bloody Words Conference in Toronto, June 1st through 3rd, 2012. The winner will receive a bronze trophy designed by sculptor Peter Boiger.

The nominees are:

• Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster)
• Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
• The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje (Knopf)
• The Informant by Thomas Perry (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
• The Killer is Dying by James Sallis (Walker & Co.)

(Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare for alerting us to this news.)

Harlan Coben Writing Screenplay Adaptation of His New Thriller Stay Close

Crime novelist Harlan Coben and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Bodyguard) are working together to write a film adaptation of Coben's upcoming stand-alone thriller Stay Close, which they expect to have completed to coincide with the publication of the book in mid-March.

Despite the popularity of Coben's novels, only one of his books has been made into a film, the French-produced Tell No One. (Warner Bros. has since picked up the rights to produce an English-language version.) The author acknowledges that he's trying something a little different here. "Every one of my books has either been optioned or is under option," he says. "And it seems to me that this situation with Larry isn't much different than an option deal where a producer gets somebody to acquire, then has a script written and then something goes wrong."

Stay Close follows three people living lives they never wanted. Megan is a suburban soccer mom who once upon a time walked on the wild side. Now she's got two kids, a perfect husband, a picket fence, and a growing sense of dissatisfaction. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer, but at age forty he finds himself in a dead-end job posing as a paparazzo pandering to celebrity-obsessed rich kids. Jack is a detective who can't let go of a cold case — a local husband and father disappeared seventeen years ago — and spends the anniversary every year visiting a house frozen in time, the missing man's family still waiting, his slippers left by the recliner as if he might show up any moment to step into them.

Hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect, the three will find that the past doesn't recede. Even as the terrible consequences of long-ago events crash together in the present and threaten to ruin lives, they will come to the startling realization that they may not want to forget the past at all. And as each confronts the dark side of the American Dream — the boredom of a nice suburban life, the excitement of temptation, the desperation and hunger that can lurk behind even the prettiest facades — they will discover the hard truth that the line between one kind of life and another can be as whisper-thin as a heartbeat.

(Related article: Deadline.)

Mr. E. Reviews Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Purchase/Rental Option(s)

No doubt many will see this film for its martial arts and action sequences, but it is also quite effective as a murder mystery. Detective Dee approaches the case like any seasoned private investigator would: assume that everyone — including your client — is lying to you but that clues to the truth are buried somewhere within the lies being told. As a bonus: it is visually stunning.

Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.

— ◊ —

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

ABC Orders Pilot for Adaptation of 666 Park Avenue

ABC has ordered a pilot for a potential series adaptation of the supernatural novels by Gabriella Pierce, taking its title from the first book in the series, 666 Park Avenue.

The pilot's storyline is expected to generally follow that of the book — though possibly from the perspective of a different set of characters — which asks the question: What if your mother-in-law turned out to be an evil, cold-blooded witch … literally?

Ever since fabulously wealthy Malcolm Doran walked into her life and swept her off her feet, fledgling architect Jane Boyle has been living a fairy tale. When he proposes with a stunning diamond to seal the deal, Jane can't believe her incredible luck and decides to leave her Paris-based job to make a new start with Malcolm in New York.

But when Malcolm introduces Jane to the esteemed Doran clan, one of Manhattan's most feared and revered families, Jane's fairy tale takes a darker turn. Soon everything she thought she knew about the world — and herself — is upended. Now Jane must struggle with new-found magical abilities and the threat of those who will stop at nothing to get them.

The second book in the series, The Dark Glamour, was published this past August.

The Nail Knot by John Galligan is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Nail Knot by John Galligan as today's second free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ◊ —

The Nail Knot by John Galligan
A Ned "Dog" Oglivie Fly Fishing Mystery
Publisher: Tyrus Books

This is the first (of four to date) mystery in this "fly fishing" series featuring Ned "Dog" Oglivie

About The Nail Knot (from the publisher): The going has gotten tough, and Dog has gone fishing. Fly fishing. For trout. All across America. At least until his money runs out …

Driven by tragedy to turn his back on human society, the Dog is on a quest to fish himself into oblivion. And he's nearly made it. Playing the back highways of America in a wounded old RV … provisioned with a supply of peanut butter sandwiches, bad cigars, and vodka-Tang … armed with a loaded pistol (for when the money runs out) … the Dog is nearly at the end of his tether when he rolls into little Black Earth, Wisconsin, intending to fish the yellow sally stonefly hatch … and finds a body instead.

Who killed Jake Jacobs, fellow fly fisher and late-coming agitator who was trying to save Black Earth Creek? Why was Jacobs disfigured in such a peculiar way? Why does the Dog give a damn? Can he rekindle his faith and interest in humankind? By caring about the death of a stranger, can the Dog recover his own life? Can he untie the Nail Knot?

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

B&N Free Nook Book Download Link.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Psychosomatic by Anthony Neil Smith is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Psychosomatic by Anthony Neil Smith as today's free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ◊ —

Psychosomatic by Anthony Neil Smith
Publisher: Point Blank

This debut novel is a noir nightmare that asks how much is too much in a relationship … and what is the cost of leaving?

About Psychosomatic (from the publisher): Because Lydia didn't have arms or legs, she shelled out three thousand bucks to a washed up middleweight named Cap to give her ex-husband the beating of his life.

But the beating turns to murder, and the murder into lust and desperation between Lydia and an underworld clean-up man. Meanwhile, overgrown frat boy car thieves take up cop killing as a side hobby. When these paths cross, a horror show of violence unfolds as they all slide into a hell of their own design, surrounded by the neon and noise of the casino strip on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Violent, vivid, life at hyper-speed.

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Review: A Corpse's Nightmare by Phillip DePoy

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: A Corpse's Nightmare by Phillip DePoy.

Bad Karma by Dave Zeltserman is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Bad Karma by Dave Zeltserman as today's fourth free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ◊ —

Bad Karma by Dave Zeltserman
A Bill Shannon Mystery
Publisher: Five Star/StoneGate Ink

About Bad Karma (from the publisher): In this sequel to Bad Thoughts, originally published in 2009, Bill Shannon and his ex-wife, Susan, are reunited and living in Boulder, Colorado. When Shannon is hired to investigate the brutal murder of two college students, he finds himself mixed up with evil yoga studios, dangerous Russian mobsters, and worse!

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

From the Ashes by Jeremy Burns is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature From the Ashes by Jeremy Burns as today's third free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ◊ —

From the Ashes by Jeremy Burns
A Jonathan Rickner Thriller
Publisher: The Fiction Studio

Published just this month, this is the author's first novel.

About From the Ashes (from the publisher): Graduate students Jonathan and Michael Rickner, sons of eminent archeologist Sir William Rickner, are no strangers to historical mysteries and archeological adventures. But when Michael is discovered dead in his Washington, D.C. apartment, Jon refuses to believe the official ruling of suicide. Digging deeper into his brother’s work, he discovers evidence that Michael was murdered to keep his dissertation research buried.

Joined by Michael’s fiancée Mara Ellison, Jon travels to New York where he uncovers the threads of a deadly Depression-era conspiracy – one entangling the Hoover Administration, the Rockefellers, and the rise of Nazi Germany – and the elite cadre of assassins that still guard its unspeakable secret.

Finding themselves in the crosshairs of the same men who killed Michael, Jon and Mara must navigate a complex web of historical cover-ups and modern-day subterfuge, outwitting and outrunning their all-powerful pursuers as they race through the monuments and museums of Manhattan in a labyrinthine treasure hunt to discover the last secret of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., before their enemies can bury the truth – and them – forever.

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

B&N Free Nook Book Download Link.

Apple Free iBook Download Link (via iTunes).

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.