Mystery Book Review: Mission: Murder by Betty Kerr Orlemann

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Mission: Murder by Betty Kerr Orlemann. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Mission: Murder by Betty Kerr Orlemann
A Hattie Farwell Mystery

ShadowDance Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-9771329-1-9 (0977132919)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9771329-1-1 (9780977132911)
Publication Date: August 2008
List Price: $12.95

Review: Betty Kerr Orlemann introduces retired school teacher Hattie Farwell, living on her family farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and investigating the suspicious death of a dear, old friend in Mission: Murder, the first in a proposed series to feature the octogenarian amateur sleuth.

Hattie had known Annie Turner most of her life. Annie's daughters, Anna and Brooke, referred to her as Aunt Hattie, one of the family. Just before Thanksgiving, Annie is struck down and killed by a hit-and-run driver. The police treat her death as an unfortunate accident, but Hattie isn't so sure. Then Anna, on her way to Hattie's house, is chased by a car and forced off the road, badly injuring her. This was no accident; someone deliberately tried to kill Anna. Though there is nothing to link the incidents, Hattie is sure there must be a common thread between the death of Anna's mother and the attempt on her life.

Hattie Farwell is a delightful woman and Mission: Murder is a pleasure to read. Hattie's backstory adds depth and interest to her character and provides an understanding as to her motivation in pursuing this case. For example, Hattie prefers to wear what she finds comfortable, and what Hattie finds comfortable are “long skirts – usually black – immaculate white blouses and black lace-up boots.” If she were pressed to explain her choice, she would say it was her way of paying homage to a strong woman whom she loved, admired and respected, her grandmother. The underlying message here: family and respect, and respect of family, are everything.

The plot of Mission: Murder is well thought out and there are many twists and turns that keep the briskly paced story fresh and exciting. In short, this debut is a fine cozy and readers will be eagerly looking forward to Hattie's next outing.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Mission: Murder and to Word Forge Books for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

If you are interested in purchasing Mission: Murder from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): The suspicious death of her lifelong best friend jolts octogenarian Hattie Farwell out of a comfortable retirement in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania. When Annie Turner is killed leaving a Philadelphia concert, a grieving Hattie is suddenly flung into the world of high-stakes political intrigue, drifting amid a web of deceit and the uncomfortable dynamics of the family her friend left behind.

Police efforts turn up more questions than answers, and Hattie’s patience wears thin. Finally, aided by Annie’s granddaughters and her huge dog, Wolf, Hattie sets out to pursue her own theories about what really happened to Annie.

Between Wolf’s nose for trouble and Hattie’s determination to solve the murder, she finds herself navigating an unsavory—and increasingly dangerous—path to the truth. America’s latest unlikely sleuth uncovers the ugly underside of political campaigns, marital infidelity, and more than one old family secret that someone will stop at nothing to keep hidden.

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for May 25, 2009

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

C E I K L N T W Y

Harry Kemelman featured this New England college professor in his short stories (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!

   

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Games of Mystery: The Omega Stone, Riddle of the Sphinx II, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games by visiting our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

After years of digging, noted archeologist, Sir Gil Blythe Geoffrey uncovered a secret chamber and an ancient papyrus scroll that revealed the whereabouts of an ancient treasure, The Ark of the Covenant. Further exploration led to the discovery of another prophetic scroll, the contents of which unravels an ominous mystery. In The Omega Stone: Riddle of the Sphinx II, you are called upon to lead the exploration and examination of the origins of this sacred scroll, whose symbols point to cultures of great intelligence. This game features full screen animations and stunning, realistic 3D images.

Also available: The Omega Stone: Riddle of the Sphinx II Strategy Guide.

The Omega Stone: Riddle of the Sphinx II may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. Due to its large size, a demonstration version is not available.

Watch a preview video below:

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Adventure Chronicles: The Search for Lost Treasure, Syberia and Syberia II, The Serpent of Isis, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey, and Nick Chase: A Detective Story.

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (Review), and Nick Chase: A Detective Story (Review).

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Games of Mystery: Jake Hunter Detective Story, New for Nintendo DS

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and getaway vacations including murder mystery weekends, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game for the Nintendo DS. More mystery games for this platform are available on our recently updated Games of Mystery: Nintendo DS webpage.

Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past features three brand new stories, one made exclusively for Nintendo DS. Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past also includes a brand new mode, Jake Hunter Unleashed, which incorporates brand new art direction and six mind-boggling comedic stories. As an added bonus, the game includes the first three stories from Jake's original adventure, Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles, all re-localized with creative imagination and flare.

Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past Nintendo DS is currently scheduled for release on May 26th, 2009.

Don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all types of mysterious fun!

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First Clues Review: The Dark Stairs by Betsy Byars

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is delighted to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

The Dark Stairs by Betsy Byars
The Herculeah Jones Series

Puffin (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-14-240592-2 (0142405922)
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-240592-5 (9780142405925)
Publication Date: February 2006
List Price: $5.99

Review written by Breanna, Age 13, Grade 7. Date of review: May 2009.

Review: The book I choose to review was The Dark Stairs written by Betsy Byars. The book is the first book in the Herculeah Jones series, introducing the main characters, the feel of the story, and Byars chosen writing style for this series. This book is patterned the same as the rest of the series, so if you like this book you will probably like the others, however if you don’t like this book, the rest of the series won’t interest you either.

Herculeah Jones is not your average girl, she’s strong, tall, flexible, and very athletic. She has inkling for danger, a strong mind, and an insatiable curiosity. Her mother is a private investigator, her father a policeman. When she spots her father over at “Dead Oaks”, a place of local legend, and the scene of an unsolved murder mystery, and later sees her mother with a very mysterious man who seems overly concerned with this place, Herculeah’s inner detective is awakened and the adventure begins. The plot is very slow in the beginning and it’s hard to stay interested, but as the mystery progresses it’s hard to put the book down, however, this not until more than halfway through the book. Herculeah was a somewhat boring character and hard to connect with. Meat (Herculeah’s friend and “sidekick”) is a bit more of a complex and entertaining character. The setting is wonderful. In the small average town, the mystery house where a man disappeared and a man was said to have been murdered. The voice is engaging and interesting.

Overall the mystery of The Dark Stairs earned a total of 2½ stars from this reviewer.

If you are interested in purchasing The Dark Stairs from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

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First Clues Review: Dead Letter by Betsy Byars

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is delighted to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

Dead Letter by Betsy Byars
The Herculeah Jones Series

Puffin (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-14-240564-7 (0142405647)
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-240564-2 (9780142405642)
Publication Date: June 2006
List Price: $5.99

Review written by Danielle, Age 12, Grade 7. Date of review: May 2009.

Review: The thrilling and suspenseful mystery Dead Letter written by Betsy Byars is a book from The Herculeah Jones mystery series. If you like mysteries that you read while sitting on the edge of your seat and that you just can never seem to get your nose out of the pages, then this book is definitely right for you. It is certainly a page turner that everyone should march on over to their local library to check out.

When the determined detective girl, Herculeah, buys a coat that drew her attention at her local store Hidden Treasures, something unexpected was found in the lining. When she finds a worrying letter from a desperate woman in distress saying that a man is going to kill her, and that she is being held captive, Herculeah jumps on the case. With her incredible hair frizzing up whenever she is in danger, Herculeah is on her toes but never fails to persevere to solve the case through every twist and turn. With her sidekick/best-friend Meat always on her side they are determined to find this woman’s killer. On the way, they are put in danger, and their friendship and trust is tested by this deadly letter, but nothing stops this amazing duo.

This fascinating mystery will never fail to thrill you through the breathtaking plot and the impressive characters like Herculeah’s best friend Meat, whose humor brings a special twist to the book and her police detective father who gives away the information that will stun you. The spine chilling plot has cliffhangers and special clues that no one wants to miss. No one can resist this adventurous Herculeah Jones mystery.

To find out where the dead letter came from read this sensational mystery. Once anyone picks up this book, Dead Letter they will not be able to put it down.

If you are interested in purchasing Dead Letter from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

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Mystery Book Review: Divine Geometry by Geraldo Simas

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Divine Geometry by Geraldo Simas. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Divine Geometry by Geraldo Simas
Non-series

Schiel & Denver (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-84903-008-1 (1849030081)
ISBN-13: 978-1-84903-008-3 (9781849030083)
Publication Date: April 2009
List Price: $9.99

Review: Geraldo Simas pens a variation in the treasure seeking thriller adventure category with Divine Geometry, this time tracking artifacts purportedly written by famed mathematician Pythagoras.

While on an expedition in southern Italy, a team of archeologists come across a polished granite container in the shape of a perfect octahedron, one of the "five regular polyhedrons [that are] the riddle of the creation of the world." Inside they expect to find, and in fact do find, a collection of manuscripts. Unfortunately, the manuscripts are written in code and there is no Rosetta stone, as it were, to decipher them. Returning to their hotel, the relics are stored in a closet as they are too large for the hotel safe. By morning, all but one of the manuscripts have disappeared, apparently stolen during the night. News of the theft leaks out and a reporter, vacationing in the Mediterranean, is assigned to follow up. She's quickly drawn into the quest, not only for the missing relics, but also to discover what they may mean.

Divine Geometry is a stirring, well-paced novel and it's hard for the reader not to get caught up in the excitement as everyone takes two steps forward, one step backward in solving the puzzles surrounding the manuscripts. But there's also the sense that this path has been taken before. To be sure, the names and places have been changed, but the destination is the same. In addition, though the plot moves along briskly, there are numerous detours into history or geography lessons that are not only unnecessary but also somewhat distracting. It's as if the author wasn't able to seamlessly incorporate the information into the story or simply didn't have sufficient confidence in the reader to understand the situation within the context of the story. Finally, more than a few formatting errors in production result in a less than professional quality to the overall book.

In the end, Divine Geometry isn't an unwelcome entry in this increasingly overcrowded subgenre, it's just not a remarkable one.

Special thanks to Geraldo Simas for providing a copy of Divine Geometry for this review.

Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

If you are interested in purchasing Divine Geometry from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): In South Italy, an archaeological expedition sponsored by a computer science business man from India discovers a relic inside a container with an octahedron shape, containing five encrypted manuscripts.

But due to the expedition leader's lack of attention, four of the group are robbed in a violent plot, the same night of the discovery.

As dark forces begin to merge, the discovery and the theft become front page news in the world media. Such are the repercussions, the events trigger different global media companies to budget resources to dig deeper into the sensational story.

The goal of deciphering the remaining manuscript, as well as to discover the whereabouts of the others that had disappeared, become the challenge for several people, but primarily for a reporter from The New York Times and a Le Monde colleague.

The suspicion that it could be work of Pythagoras, the master of Samos who was known to have lived in that particular region, awake all sorts of interests in this taut and exciting mystery.

A disaster of catastrophic proportions, the origin of which is still a mystery for the scientific community, could have a direct connection with this discovery.

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David Suchet to Star in Orient Express Documentary

The Guardian is reporting that David Suchet will embark on a journey across Europe aboard the famed Orient Express for a documentary commissioned by ITV. The Orient Express was the setting for one of Agatha Christie's most famous novels, Murder on the Orient Express featuring her private detective Hercule Poirot. Suchet, probably best known for his inimitable portrayal of Poirot, has never filmed a version of the book but that will change as ITV has ordered 4 new Poirot episodes including Murder on the Orient Express.

The Guardian article notes that the documentary will touch on the incident in 1929 that inspired Christie's book: the train was stuck in a snowdrift for 10 days, 60 miles outside Istanbul, carrying a full complement of passengers who survived only with the assistance of nearby Turkish villagers. The film will also use archive material to tell the train's history from its inaugural "Express d'Orient" journey across Europe in 1883 to its role in both world wars.

Most of the Poirot episodes and movies with David Suchet are available on DVD from Mysteries on TV: Hercule Poirot. Murder on the Orient Express is also available as an adventure game featuring the voice of David Suchet from Games of Mystery: Agatha Christie.

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First Clues Review: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is delighted to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
The Enola Holmes Series

Puffin (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-14-240933-2 (0142409332)
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-240933-6 (9780142409336)
Publication Date: November 2007
List Price: $6.99

Review written by McKenzie, Age 14, Grade 8. Date of review: May 2009.

Review: Action, adventure, suspense, these words all describe The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer. It is the first of three novels in the Enola Holmes series.

The main character, Enola Holmes, is a 14-year-old girl, and the younger sister of renowned detective, Sherlock Holmes. When Enola Holmes realizes her mother has strangely gone missing, she embarks on a mission to go out and find her. She knows that her mother sometimes leaves for a few days, but never this long. When Enola's mother is still not back on her birthday, she tries to find out more. She is finally able to escape while being sent off to boarding school by her brothers and begins to search for her mother. Disguised as a widow, she journeys to the city of London. On the way, Enola stumbles upon the case of the young missing Marquess of Basilwether also known as Lord Tewksbury. When she arrives in London, she and the missing Marquess are kidnapped. They manage to escape the men. Enola then leaves Lord Tewksbury to again try to find her missing mother.

This relatively short mystery has many intense chapters. It is puzzling at points, but never very confusing. I recommend this book to kids ages 10 through 14. Nancy Springer provides great images of what the characters are doing and where they are. It really helps you to picture it in your mind. I recommend this book because it is always interesting and not a very long read. I give it two thumbs up.

This book has not been made into a movie, but the author, Nancy Springer, has won the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery twice.

If you are interested in purchasing The Case of the Missing Marquess from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

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Games of Mystery: Righteous Kill 2, Revenge of the Poet Killer, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games by visiting our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

In Righteous Kill 2: Revenge of the Poet Killer, the exciting sequel to Righteous Kill, your assignment as an investigator in the NYPD is to hunt down a copycat killer and try to stop a rash of murders across New York City! Work through multiple murder scenes, collecting evidence and clues, and examine the items in exciting forensic based mini-games. Put all the clues together to determine who the new Poet Killer is before another victim is found, and decide who to trust as the suspects begin to include those inside the police force.

Also available: Righteous Kill 2: Revenge of the Poet Killer Strategy Guide and a Righteous Kill 2: Revenge of the Poet Killer Game Walkthrough.

Righteous Kill 2: Revenge of the Poet Killer, a Big Fish Games exclusive, may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (185.33 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour.

Watch a preview video below:

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Adventure Chronicles: The Search for Lost Treasure, Syberia and Syberia II, The Serpent of Isis, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey, and Nick Chase: A Detective Story.

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (Review), and Nick Chase: A Detective Story (Review).

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

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Mystery Bestsellers for May 22, 2009

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending May 22, 2009 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

No change in the top 3 bestselling mysteries this week, but two titles that just missed the cutoff last week move up, one jumping all the way into 4th position.

The 19th Lucas Davenport mystery by John Sandford, Wicked Prey, is number 4 this week. The Republicans are coming to St. Paul for their convention. Throwing a big party is supposed to be fun, but crashing the party are a few hard cases the police would rather stayed away. Chief among them is a crew of professional stickup men who’ve spotted several lucrative opportunities, ranging from political moneymen with briefcases full of cash to that armored-car warehouse with the weakness in its security system. All that’s headache enough for Lucas Davenport—but what’s about to hit him is even worse. A while back, a stray bullet put a pimp and petty thief named Randy Whitcomb in a wheelchair, and, ever since, the man has been nursing his grudge into a full head of psychotic steam. He blames Davenport for the bullet, but it’s no fun just shooting him. That wouldn’t be painful enough. Not when Davenport has a pretty fourteen-year-old adopted daughter that Whitcomb can target instead. And then there’s the young man with the .50 caliber sniper rifle and the right-wing-crazy background, roaming through a city filled with the most powerful politicians on earth.

Moving up 12 positions into the 7th spot is Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard. Jack Foley, the charming bank robber from Out of Sight, is serving a thirty-year sentence in a Miami penitentiary, but he's made an unlikely friend on the inside who just might be able to do something about that. Fellow inmate Cundo Rey, an extremely wealthy Cuban criminal, arranges for Foley's sentence to be reduced from thirty years to three months, and when Jack is released just two weeks ahead of Cundo, he agrees to wait for him in Venice Beach, California. Also waiting for Cundo is his common-law wife, Dawn Navarro, a professional psychic with a slightly ulterior motive for staying with Cundo: namely, she wants his money. And with the arrival of Jack, she sees the perfect partner in a plan to relieve Cundo of his fortune. Cundo may be Jack's friend, but does that mean he can trust him? And can either of them trust Dawn? The Washington Post says of Road Dogs, "[Y]et another gem in a career that has endured for more than half a century."

On our bestseller page, we've added an icon next to every title that is available for immediate download onto the Amazon Kindle. To learn about this wireless reading device, visit the Amazon Kindle page for more information.

The top four mystery bestsellers this week are shown below:

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.

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New Trailer for Bruce Willis Futuristic Thriller Surrogates

FirstShowing.net has the first official trailer for the new Bruce Willis futuristic thriller Surrogates. Produced by Disney's Touchstone Pictures and directed by Jonathan Mostow (U-571, Terminator 3), the film is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele. A special edition hardcover edition of The Surrogates is scheduled for a July 2009 release and is intended as a companion volume to the film.

Synopsis: The year is 2054, and life is reduced to a data feed. The fusing of virtual reality and cybernetics has ushered in the era of the personal surrogate, android substitutes that let users interact with the world without ever leaving their homes. It's a perfect world, and it's up to Detectives Harvey Greer (Willis in the movie) and Pete Ford of the Metro Police Department to keep it that way. But to do so they'll need to stop a techno-terrorist bent on returning society to a time when people lived their lives instead of merely experiencing them.

The movie has an oddly creepy website, ChooseYourSurrogate.com, that provides precious little information about the film per se (yet) but sure sets a tone for the film.

View the trailer below:

Surrogates is expected in theaters September 25, 2009.

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eHarlequin's Free Book Friday: The Son Between Them by Molly O'Keefe

eHarlequin.com gives you another reason to love Fridays! Buy two or more books this Friday and they'll give you their weekly featured book absolutely free! That's right, every Friday, enjoy a featured free book with the purchase of two or more other titles! (Your free book will automatically be added to your cart.)

This Friday's free book (05/22/2009) is a Harlequin Super Romance novel.

The Son Between Them by Molly O'Keefe
The "A Little Secret" Series

For ten years Samantha Riggins and J. D. Kronos have convinced themselves they have the perfect relationship. No strings, no commitment, no future. All that changes when the son Sam gave up for adoption walks into her shelter. The son J.D. knows nothing about.

The presence of their child breaks through all the rules they've lived by. And suddenly what Sam thought she knew about J.D. turns out to be wrong. Are the feelings they share enough to keep them together? Especially now when the biggest secret is the one Sam never saw coming.

Keep up to date by subscribing to eHarlequin.com's free newsletter that contains the latest information about their series of books as well as informing you about subscriber-only special offers and new products. Click on the banner below to subscribe for free:

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Focus Pictures to Adapt Dean Koontz Thriller The Husband

Variety is reporting that Focus Features is moving forward with an adaptation of the Dean Koontz 2006 bestselling thriller The Husband. Ole Bornedal will draft a new script and will direct.

The Husband presents a simple premise: What would you do for love? Would you die? Would you kill? When landscaper Mitchell Rafferty gets a phone call saying his wife has been kidnapped and he can get her back for $2 million cash, he thinks it must be some kind of joke. But whoever is on the other end of the line is dead serious. He has Mitch’s wife and he’s named the price for her safe return. The caller doesn’t care that Mitch runs a small two-man landscaping operation and has no way of raising such a vast sum. He’s confident that Mitch will find a way. If he loves his wife enough.

We reviewed The Husband when it was originally published, asking the rhetorical question, Could this possibly happen to me?, adding "that its images will haunt the reader long after the last page has been read." (Full text: Review of The Husband by Dean Koontz.) It's a first-rate thriller and has the potential to be a terrific suspense film.

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First Clues Review: Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is delighted to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz
The Alex Rider Series

Puffin (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-14-240614-7 (0142406147)
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-240614-4 (9780142406144)
Publication Date: February 2006
List Price: $7.99

Review written by Alana, Age 12, Grade 7. Date of review: May 2009.

Review: Alex Rider the CIA’s one and only teenage agent, is back on another eye opening case in a story called Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz. It begins with the main character Alex receiving a seemingly innocent invite by the CIA to the national Wimbledon tournament. He reluctantly agrees for the simple reason that he is told that he is only there to keep an eye on things after a strange break-in, where nothing was taken and no damage occurred there, but it was the night before the opening match. Although the CIA claims there is no danger, a strange security guard that catches Alex’s eye sparks a chain reaction that ends up sending Alex to a far away island called Cayo Esqueleto or Skeleton Key. Two other agents called Troy and Byrne are sent with him to spy on a shady Soviet general called General Sarov. Once again he is told that he is sent there only to act as cover for the two more skilled agents. But, as is his way he uncovers an astonishing secret on the island that if not dealt with will lead to the end of the world.

This book is a page turner that will keep you excited the entire story. It’s a story that’s packed with action and so many twists and turns that you won’t ever know what’s coming next. I loved how the plot never ran cold, the story remained interesting and never failed to entertain me. It is told in a second person point of view that gives the reader a new way to experience this spine tingling mystery. The story takes place mostly in the underbelly of the Russian Government on Skeleton Key. It’s a race against time to uncover the secret of what the shady general is hiding and also what Alex himself must do to save the world from harm yet again.

As you the reader make your way through the story you will find it switches from person to person while telling the story to give you a wide view of what’s going on throughout the plot. For some people this may erase a sense of suspense that most people look for in a mystery. It explains occurrences that may still be unknown to the main character, leaving you unsurprised or affected at all when these secrets finally reveal themselves to Alex himself. Despite that flaw, this story is an amazing read and is a great story to add to the list of books you have read and enjoyed greatly. I give it four out of five stars and I hope you enjoy this wonderful book.

If you are interested in purchasing Skeleton Key from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

Return to Mystery Books News ...