Mystery Book Review: Chasing the Bear by Robert B. Parker

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Chasing the Bear by Robert B. Parker. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Chasing the Bear by Robert B. Parker
A Young Spenser Novel

Philomel (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-399-24776-9 (0399247769)
ISBN-13: 978-0-399-24776-7 (9780399247767)
Publication Date: May 2009
List Price: $14.99

Review: Robert B. Parker uses a present-day conversation between Spenser (a Boston private investigator who has appeared in some 36 novels thus far) and his ladyfriend Susan to introduce readers to his character as a teenager in Chasing the Bear, a non-mystery novel that nonetheless could serve as an introduction to a potential mystery series featuring the PI for young adults.

Spenser is living with his father and his mother's two brothers (his mother having passed away when he was very young) in some unnamed Rocky Mountain state (Denver seems to be the closest major city), where he learns about life and responsibility from the three men. Though employed as carpenters, each of the adult men is an accomplished boxer, using the sport to keep both body and mind in shape. Spenser not only learns how to fight, but also when to fight: some things are simply not important enough to fight over. How to know the difference? "Most people know what's right," Spenser's uncle says. It's also important to know when the odds are stacked against you, and the smart thing to do is not to fight at all, possibly the hardest lesson of all for Spenser to learn.

Adults who have read any of the Spenser books will likely appreciate Chasing the Bear more than the intended audience, young adults who in all likelihood have never read any of the series. Indeed, one of the best aspects of the book is that the author has written the book for an adult (albeit without excessive violence and coarse language). Just as Spenser's father and uncles never treated him like a kid, Parker doesn't treat the reader like one either. The stories Spenser relates to Susan demonstrate a progression from learning something on an abstract level to applying it in a real-life situation.

Parker's typically brisk pacing keeps the plot moving forward, and alternating chapters between Spenser in the present and Spenser in the past provides an interesting perspective to the story. Though one might have expected, or maybe hoped, that more of a mystery might have been presented here, Chasing the Bear is a terrific introduction to Spenser, for readers and fans of all ages.

Special thanks to Penguin Group for providing an ARC of Chasing the Bear for this review.

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

If you are interested in purchasing Chasing the Bear from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right. Chasing the Bear (Kindle edition) is also available. Learn more about the Kindle, Amazon's Wireless Reading Device.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Spenser's father and two uncles, all three boxers and carpenters, raised him to be tough. However, his father also taught him something even more important: Sometimes the toughest thing a guy can do is walk away from a fight.

Between learning to spar from his father and uncles, Spenser forms a friendship with Jeannie. Jeannie's relationship with her abusive father challenges this paramount lesson of knowing when to walk away from a fight. When she gets into trouble, Spenser knows he has a difficult decision to make. Should he trust his gut and risk his own life to save hers?

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Producers Option Joseph Finder's Thriller Killer Instinct

Variety is reporting that Joseph Finder's 2006 bestselling novel and winner of the 2007 Thriller Award for Best Novel, Killer Instinct, has been optioned by Chockstone Pictures and DeFina Film Productions.

Synopsis: Jason Steadman is a 30-year-old sales executive for a major electronics company in Boston. He's witty and well-liked but, to the chagrin of his ambitious wife, it looks like Jason's career has hit a ceiling. He lacks the one thing that could help him get ahead: the killer instinct. All that changes when Jason meets Kurt Semko, a former Special Forces officer just back from Iraq. Looking for a decent pitcher for the company softball team, Jason gets Kurt, who was once drafted by the majors, a job in Corporate Security. Soon, good things start to happen for Jason and bad things start to happen to Jason's rivals. Too late does Jason discover that Kurt has been paving his path to the top by the most efficient, devious means available. Now that his new best friend has become the most dangerous enemy imaginable, Jason stands to lose far more than his job.

"The book appealed to us on two levels: as a terrific thriller and also as a parody of the technology industry that is scary and funny at the same time," said Steve Schwartz of Chockstone.

Finder's 1998 novel High Crimes was made into the 2002 thriller starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. Adaptation of his 2004 novel Paranoia is reported as being "in development".

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Author Book Tour: Mary Stanton Visits Wendi's Book Corner and Mystery Books News

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating this week's online book tour for author Mary Stanton whose new mystery, Angel's Advocate, is published this week by Berkley. Angel's Advocate is the second mystery in the Beaufort & Company series to feature Savannah attorney Bree Beaufort.

Today, Friday, June 5th, Mary will be visiting 2 blog sites:

• Wendi's Book Corner where Angel's Advocate is reviewed; and
• Mystery Books News where Mary discusses character development.

We're also thrilled to announce that Mary is giving away a signed copy of her new book to one lucky tour visitor. Visit each tour site on the day indicated and pick up a unique PIN to be used to enter the giveaway on that day. The entry form can be found on Mary's tour page, Author Book Tour: Mary Stanton.

We hope you have the opportunity to stop by each of the tour sites this week to learn more about Mary, her series character Bree Beaufort, and what makes Savannah such an ideal setting for this Southern Gothic series.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Two Recently Discovered Poirot Short Stories to be Published

Bookseller.com is reporting that two unpublished short stories by Agatha Christie featuring her Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot have been discovered in her summer home Greenway. The stories, found inside 73 notebooks on the property, which was recently opened to the public, will be revealed in Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making by John Curran (HarperCollins, September 2009).

"The Mystery of the Dog's Ball" was eventually turned into the novel Dumb Witness, but unlike other Christie short stories-turned-novels it remains unpublished. It was not uncommon for Christie to work out details of plot and character in short story format before reworking them as full-length novels. The other story, "The Capture of Cerberus", was written to complete The Labours of Hercules, a collection which followed the 12 cases Poirot chose to end his career. Christie eventually scrapped the story and wrote a different version, with the same title, for the book.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

2009 Arthur Ellis Award Winners Announced

The 2009 Arthur Ellis Awards were given out were given out last night by the Crime Writers of Canada in recognition of excellence in Canadian crime writing. The winners were:

Best Novel: Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay
Best First Novel: Buffalo Jump by Howard Shrier
Best Juvenile: War Brothers by Sharon E. McKay
Best Short Story: Filmsong by Pasha Malla
Best Crime Writing in French: Le Chemin des brumes by Jacques Cote
Best Unpublished Crime Novel: Louder by Douglas A Moles
Best Non-Fiction: Mafiaboy: How I Cracked the Internet and Why It's Still Broken by Michael Calce and Craig Silverman.

Congratulations from MBN to the winners!

Visit Mystery Book Awards for a complete list of previous winners as well as winners of over 30 other awards recognizing excellence in mystery fiction.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Mary Stanton Visits MBN to Discuss Memorable Character Development

Mystery Books News is thrilled to welcome Mary Stanton, who is on tour this week to promote the second mystery in her Beaufort and Company series, Angel's Advocate.

In Angel's Advocate, Savannah attorney Brianna "Bree" Winston-Beaufort is back to business unusual. With her most peculiar (a.k.a. “dead”) clientele and her anything-but-angelic staff, Bree finds that money’s a bit tight at Beaufort & Company. After all, while the dead certainly need Bree’s help in appealing to a higher court, they’re not exactly paying clients. Bree finally lands a case to help pay the bills when she is hired to represent Lindsey Chandler, a spoiled teenager accused of stealing a Girl Scout’s cookie money. But this isn’t exactly a case of petty theft, since Lindsey allegedly tried to run over said Girl Scout with her Hummer. And if that weren’t bad enough, Lindsey is anything but remorseful, making this case – and Bree, by association – the talk of Savannah.

Mary’s career as a fiction writer began with the publication of her first novel, The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West, in 1984. Mary sold her first mystery to the Berkley Publishing Group in 1994, and has since published three series with them under the nom de plume Claudia Bishop. The Beaufort and Company mysteries are the first to be published under her real name.

With over 30 books to her credit, Mary wanted to share with our readers how she develops characters. To be sure, the characters in Angel's Advocate and its predecessor, Defending Angels, are both unique and (literally) extraordinary.

Great fiction begins with great characters, Mary says. Every story rises and falls on its characters. Below is an excellent exercise I use myself, which is designed to help create memorable characters.

Answer the following questions as rapidly as you can. If you stop to think, you may end up editing yourself, and that’s not good at this stage of the game!

1. Is your character male or female?
2. How old is your character?
3. How tall?
4. What color eyes?
5. What color hair?
6. What is your character’s full name?
7. Where did he/she go to school?
8. How does your character earn a living?
9. Does your character have brothers and sisters? Who are they? What are their names?
10. Does your character have parents? Who are they? What are their names? Are they alive or dead?
11. Does your character have special skills? What are they?
12. Does your character have hobbies or recreational things to do? What are they?
13. Name two of your character’s closest friends.
14. Where does your character live?
15. What is your character’s greatest love?
16. What is your character’s greatest fear?
17. What person/thing does your character hate the most?
18. If your character had dinner party—who would be there?
19. If your character could change one thing about him/herself—what would it be?
20. Who is your character’s hero?

We are thrilled to announce that Mary Stanton is giving away a signed copy of her book, Angel’s Advocate, to one lucky tour visitor. Go to Mary’s book tour page, http://mary-stanton.omnimystery.com/, enter your name, e-mail address, and this PIN, 6670, for your chance to win. Entries from this blog site will be accepted until 12:00 Noon (PT) tomorrow. No purchase is required to enter or to win. The winner (first name only) will be announced on Mary’s book tour page next week.

A very special Thank You from MBN to Mary Stanton for visiting us today and sharing some insight on character development. Please be sure to visit all the host sites on Mary's tour this week.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Mystery Bestsellers for June 05, 2009

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending June 05, 2009 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

A fairly quiet early summer week on the mystery bestseller list this week. Though there was some major shuffling (for example, one of last week's featured titles, The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly, moved into the top spot), there were no new titles entering the top 15 this week.

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.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Mystery Savings: Save up to 10% this month at Alibris.com

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

Save up to 10% off books, music, and movies at Alibris.com. From now through June 30, 2009, the following coupon codes can be used to save on all your purchases from one of the largest online retailers with an inventory of over 80 million books, music, and movies.

JEUNET for $3 off $30 or more;
ALMODOVAR for $5 off $50 or more;
ALTMAN for $7 off $70 or more;
GREENAWAY for $10 off $100 or more.

Click on the Alibris banner below to start shopping. For even more savings, search for books that are eligible for free shippping. When Alibris is listed as a book's seller, it ships from their warehouse and is eligible for free shipping to U.S. addresses. Click on the Free Shipping link on the right side of the home page to browse for books that qualify.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Mystery Book Review: Little Lamb Lost by Margaret Fenton

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Little Lamb Lost by Margaret Fenton. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Little Lamb Lost by Margaret Fenton
A Claire Conover Mystery

Oceanview Publishing (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-933515-51-1 (1933515511)
ISBN-13: 978-1-933515-51-9 (9781933515519)
Publication Date: June 2009
List Price: $24.95

Review: Margaret Fenton introduces Birmingham (AL) social worker Claire Conover, a compassionate social worker proud of her vocation, who is devastated when a two-year-old child assigned to her for safekeeping is found dead of an overdose of an illegal drug in Little Lamb Lost.

Claire is devastated when Ashley's son Michael dies. After feeling assured that Ashley was sober and drug free through random testing, Claire had no doubt that Angela could take care of her son. But when Michael dies from an overdose of a drug found in the toddler's juice bottle, the police immediately arrest Angela who quickly pleads guilty to the charges concerning his death. Claire, however, cannot bring herself to believe that Angela could kill Michael or allow him to be killed. She wants to prove, not only to herself, but to the system that hired and trusted her, that she was not wrong about Angela. But Claire’s search for the truth is hampered when Angela is determined to take the blame and not cooperate with Claire. Claire, however, is not be dissuaded. In her mission to discover the truth about what happened, Claire uncovers hidden secrets of a few who had a motive to see Michael, and even Ashley, dead. There was Michael's father, a drug addict, the son of a wealthy influential family; Ashley’s step-father, a perpetual drunk and gambler, who thought maybe he might collect money from insurance on their deaths; Ashley’s ex-boyfriend wanted her but not her son; or Ashley’s current boyfriend, who had done drugs with Ashley and has a violent temper. Will Claire be able to find the truth? Or will she, too, become a victim?

Claire Conover is not only an amateur sleuth out to solve a crime, she's a woman of deep convictions, a woman who understands that people need second chances, that they need someone to believe in them even if they don't believe in themselves. She sees past the superficial images people project to the world, and is loyal in the face of danger. Little Lost Lamb is a mystery to be sure, but it is more: a story of love and sacrifice, of responsibility and devotion, of truth and consequences, and possibly most important of all, it is the story of a child.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Little Lamb Lost and to Maryglenn McCombs Book Publicity 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 Little Lamb Lost from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right. Little Lamb Lost (Kindle edition) is also available. Learn more about the Kindle, Amazon's Wireless Reading Device.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Social worker Clare Conover honestly believed she could make a difference in the world until she gets the phone call she's dreaded her entire career. One of her young clients, Michael, has been found dead and his mother, Ashley, has been arrested for his murder. And who made the decision to return Michael to Ashley? Claire Conover.

Ashley had seemingly done everything right -- gotten clean, found a place to live, worked two jobs, and earned back custody of her son. Devastated but determined to discover where her instincts failed her, Claire vows to find the truth about what really happened to Michael.

What Claire finds is no shortage of suspects. Ashley's boyfriend made no secret that he didn't want children. And Ashley's stepfather, an alcoholic and chronic gambler, has a shady past. And what about Michael's mysterious father and his family? Or Ashley herself? Was she really using again? Amidst a heap of unanswered questions, one thing is for certain: Claire Conover is about to uncover secrets that could ruin lives -- or end her own.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

eHarlequin's Free Book Friday: Bought for the Frenchman's Pleasure by Abby Green

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. Sometimes it's a mystery or suspense title, sometimes (alas) not, but it's always a great way to start your weekend!

This Friday's free book (06/05/2009) is a Harlequin Presents novel.

Bought for the Frenchman's Pleasure by Abby Green
Series: Mistress to a Millionaire

As a top model, Sorcha Murphy commands a high price. But a terrible, hidden secret is about to return to haunt her.

Romain de Valois knows Sorcha is damaged goods—her hedonistic reputation speaks for itself. But he wants her for one final assignment, and he's prepared to pay. Romain believes Sorcha hasn't changed her ways, and decides to change the deal: her paycheck will be recouped in the bedroom!

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:

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Nominees for The David Award for Best Mystery of 2008 Announced

The nominees for this year's David Award for mysteries published during 2008 were announced today by the editors of Deadly Ink Press. The winner will be announced during the Deadly Ink Conference later this month.

Antiques to Die For by Jane K. Cleland,
Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris,
Sleight of Hand by Robin Hathaway,
Death of a Cozy Writer by G. M. Malliet,
A River to Die For by Radine Trees-Nehring, and
Death Will Get You Sober by Elizabeth Zelvin

indicates a review by Mysterious Reviews.

Congratulations from everyone at MBN to the nominees!

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Mystery Parties: Plan Your Summer Fun Today!

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties, getaways and vacations, has a recommendation for your next party.

Is it possible that we're into June already? Summer is officially just around the corner and that means golf outings, backyard barbecues, and the perfect opportunity to plan a murder ... a murder mystery party, that is! Here are some popular suggestions (but our Mystery Party pages have many, many more).

Welcome to the Neighborhood. Ricki Mortis is beginning to realize why he purchased his new home for a song: his neighbors are loony. In the four months he's lived there, he's been accused of stealing lawn ornaments, soliciting foolish relationships, disregarding town building code, and murdering a beloved family pet. Whether or not he is guilty of these crimes remains to be solved. Nevertheless, the damage is done: The neighbors hate him. In an effort to mend fences and reverse bad first impressions, Ricki invites the neighbors to a good, old-fashioned backyard barbecue. But when the guests arrive, Ricki Mortis is dead.

Time to call the cops? Well that wouldn't be any fun! Someone's got the brilliant idea to fire up the grill and transform the BBQ into a murder mystery party. The result is a night filled with cooky characters, lots of laughs, and one unforgettable whodunit.

This party, which is especially suited for outdoor entertaining, is designed for 9 to 12 guests, ages 13 and older. It is rated T. Follow this link, Welcome to the Neighborhood, for more information about this party.

Caddy Shacked. This party banquet takes place at the Snobwood Country Club where the members and employees have gathered to celebrate the winners and distribute the awards for the 38th Annual Club Golf Championship. Unfortunately, the winner was unable to attend! The champion was in a play-off with the top seeded member, and then it was sudden death for him! His body was found right before the party, floating in the pond next to the caddy's shack. The victim, an idol to some and a despicable character to others, apparently created an enemy that ended his career. The victim’s death will now be examined by the invited guests of Snobwood to determine who clubbed the champion.

The Snobwood Country Club is the setting for this murder mystery game for 8-14 players. Who, at this fashionable establishment, clubbed the champion?

All 8 to 14 guests will have fun playing out their individual characters and investigating this unpredictable event. It is rated M. Follow this link, Caddy Shacked, for more information about this party.

Retro Reality Check. The passengers of a tour ship are shipwrecked on a desert island. The newcomers soon discover that the island is already occupied with castaways. These castaways are trapped in the decade they arrived at the island; they have lost contact with civilization, although occasionally they hear crackles from the two way radio they were able to salvage from the wreckage of their boat. Now the radio has been misplaced by one of the castaways. Or, is somebody intentionally sabotaging attempts of rescue? Who would take the radio, and why? To make matters worse, they discover that the island doesn’t have enough water for everybody. It’s up to the passengers to find the missing radio before the water is gone, and all hope of rescue is gone.

A light-hearted mystery (no murder) targeted to a large group of young teens with a lot of energy and imagination. This is a spoof on reality and classic TV shows. The host can optionally choose to divide guests into teams and play the games "Survivor" style.

This tropical themed party is designed for 15 or more guests, ages 13 and older. It is rated T. Follow this link, Retro Reality Check, for more information about this party.

Visit Games of Mystery: Mystery Parties for a wide selection of parties for kids, teens, and adults. You'll find all sorts of themed parties available to suit every occasion throughout the year.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

What a Mystery! Mystery Stories by 5th Grade Students

We're constantly, and generally pleasantly, surprised by the people we meet on Twitter.

Today, as the result of a follow, we discovered a new website, What a Mystery!, mystery stories written by 5th graders.

According to the site, this collection of mysteries was inspired by a visit to the class by author Mark de Castrique. We were immediately impressed: de Castrique's most recent book, Blackman's Coffin, was noted by us as one of the best mysteries of 2008.

New student stories will be posted on the site between today and June 10th. Please visit and comment!

We're enthusiastic supporters of student writing and reviews. Our own First Clues, Mysteries for Kids website features mystery book reviews written by middle school students.

If you'd like to follow us on Twitter, our ID is mysteries.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Author Book tour: Mary Stanton Visits Bookish Ruth

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating this week's online book tour for author Mary Stanton whose new mystery, Angel's Advocate, is published this week by Berkley. Angel's Advocate is the second mystery in the Beaufort & Company series to feature Savannah attorney Bree Beaufort.

Today, Thursday, June 4th, Mary will be visiting 1 blog site:

• Bookish Ruth where the author is interviewed.

We're also thrilled to announce that Mary is giving away a signed copy of her new book to one lucky tour visitor. Visit each tour site on the day indicated and pick up a unique PIN to be used to enter the giveaway on that day. The entry form can be found on Mary's tour page, Author Book Tour: Mary Stanton.

We hope you have the opportunity to stop by each of the tour sites this week to learn more about Mary, her series character Bree Beaufort, and what makes Savannah such an ideal setting for this Southern Gothic series.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Mystery Savings: Save 10-15% on One Item at BN.com

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

From today through June 14, 2009, save an additional 10% off one item at BN.com. (BN members can save 15%). Some restrictions apply.

Simply use coupon code L3X9E4D at checkout. (BN members should use coupon code Y9J9V7F.) The discount will be applied to the most expensive eligible item in the order -- not the entire purchase -- and will be deducted after all other discounts, including (if applicable) the standard member discount, are applied.

Return to Mystery Books News ...