Mysteries on TV: Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, New This Week on DVD

Mysteries on TV, your source for the most complete selection of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series now available or coming soon to DVD, is profiling one series that has a season DVD being released this week.

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Julia McKenzie is introduced as the new Miss Marple in this fourth series of episodes to feature Agatha Christie's amateur sleuth from St. Mary Mead.

Donning the trademark tweeds as if they were made for her, McKenzie assumes the Marple mantle in four gripping new adaptations of Christie mysteries. With her ladylike manners and modest appearance, Dame Agatha’s spinster sleuth blends into the background of fashionable society. However, her razor-sharp mind and no-nonsense view of human nature make her a formidable foe to evildoers, cracking the cases that even the professionals can’t solve.

Picturesque English scenery, grand estates, witty scripts, and lavish post-WWII period detail provide the perfect frame for the four mysteries included in the Miss Marple: Series Four DVD set of 4 discs: A Pocket Full of Rye, Murder is Easy, They Do It with Mirrors, and Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

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Visit the Mysteries on TV website to discover more television mystery series currently available on DVD.

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Games of Mystery: Dream Sleuth, New at PlayFirst 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 a new mystery game available from PlayFirst Games. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: PlayFirst Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Play the first hidden object adventure in the Book of Mystery series, Dream Sleuth! After having some remarkably clear dreams about a missing little girl, you decide to take matters into your own hands and investigate her disappearance using your dreams as a guide. Find the clues, solve puzzles, and play mini-games to unlock the adventure. Follow your dreams to the end of the mystery now!

Dream Sleuth is available to purchase for $9.95 with the PlayFirst PlayPass program. A trial version may be downloaded (88.3 MB) and played for one hour for free.

Other popular games on our download PlayFirst Mystery Games page include the Mystery PI series of casual games, Mystery P.I.: The Vegas Heist and Mystery P.I.: The Lottery Ticket, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet, and Private Eye.

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

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for August 03, 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:

A E K L M R V W Y

She is the author of a mystery series featuring hospital nurse Caroline Rhodes (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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Mystery Book Review: DeKok and the Mask of Death by A. C. Baantjer

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of DeKok and the Mask of Death by A. C. Baantjer. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

DeKok and the Mask of Death by A. C. Baantjer
An Inspector DeKok Mystery

Speck Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-933108-30-4 (1933108304)
ISBN-13: 978-1-933108-30-8 (9781933108308)
Publication Date: July 2009
List Price: $24.00

Review: Amsterdam Police Inspector DeKok is puzzled by the disappearance of four young women from the same hospital, which denies they were ever there in the first place, in DeKok and the Mask of Death, the 27th mystery in this series by A. C. Baantjer (and the 10th in an updated series, translated into English by Speck Press).

The first woman is reported missing by her boyfriend, Richard Netherwood. She had been feeling a bit lethargic and listless, so her doctor referred her to a hospital for additional testing. When she didn't return, Netherwood asked about her but was told by hospital staff they had no record of admitting her. DeKok later learns, almost by accident, that another woman was "lost" by the same hospital, a prostitute who worked for a local hustler. When two more women are reporting missing, DeKok knows something is seriously amiss, but no one is cooperating in providing any information that could lead him to the solution of this particularly vexing mystery.

For much of DeKok and the Mask of Death, the "gray sleuth" (as he is referred to in the text) seems restless himself, more interested in the upcoming Sail Amsterdam, an event only held every five years in which tall ships from around the world anchor in the harbor, than in his investigation. He admits as much himself in this passage about halfway through the book:

[DeKok] intensely disliked the mysterious disappearance of people. He preferred to start his investigations with an honest-to-goodness corpse -- a corpse with clear signs of murder, like a strangled throat, a dented skull, recognizable bullet holes. In his long career he had never been able to immediately bring all his faculties to bear when there was no corpse. The looming possibility that the presumed deceased would suddenly appear alive and well made him unsure at the beginning of a case.

This reluctance on the part of DeKok to be engaged causes the reader to feel somewhat similarly: the case simply isn't all that interesting. It isn't until DeKok recognizes that a potentially valuable book, a "miracle book" published in 1550, is related to the women's disappearance, and the subsequent murder of man who knew one of the women, that his interest (and the reader's) is piqued.

Relatively short, and written in a spare, crisp manner with all loose ends tied up in time for the tall ships to arrive, DeKok and the Mask of Death is not the most clever of the series but satisfying nonetheless.

Special thanks to Speck Press for providing an ARC of DeKok and the Mask of Death for this review.

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

If you are interested in purchasing DeKok and the Mask of Death from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): A strange incident leads DeKok to discover the disappearance of a woman from an Amsterdam hospital. Upon further investigation, he is surprised to find that three more women have disappeared in the same mysterious way. The seasoned detective soon finds himself following a trail with many twists and turns, losing his way many times but relying on his usual dogged determination and sharp observation to see him through.

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Mystery Book Review: Mind Scrambler by Chris Grabenstein

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

Mind Scrambler by Chris Grabenstein
A John Ceepak Mystery

St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-312-38231-6 (0312382316)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-38231-5 (9780312382315)
Publication Date: June 2009
List Price: $24.95

Review: Sea Haven (NJ) detectives John Ceepak and Danny Boyle are in Atlantic City for a deposition when they run into Danny's old flame Katie, who invites them to a magic show starring her current employer, a show during which she is murdered, in Mind Scrambler, the fifth mystery in this series by Chris Grabenstein.

Katie is working as a nanny for illusionist Richard Rock's two children when she meets up with Ceepak and Danny. She invites them to the "Rock 'n' Wow" show, but whispers to Danny that she needs to talk to him right after. Ceepak and Danny have another reason to see the show: Richard Rock thinks one of his competitors will try to steal his most popular illusion during the show, and having two cops in attendance may help thwart the theft. After the show completes, apparently without incident, Danny visits Katie's suite only to discover her dead, tied to a chair and strangled. Security cameras show him, and just him, entering her suite and he is initially a suspect. But he's soon cleared, the security camera evidence notwithstanding, and works with the ACPD to discover who killed Katie and why.

A locked room mystery with elements of magic and illusion would seem to be an ideal foundation for a crime novel. But Grabenstein fails to deliver here, and Mind Scrambler ultimately disappoints. Ceepak and Danny take a little getting used to. That they're patterned after Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is obvious, Ceepak being methodical in his investigation, Danny being impatient and impetuous. Danny also narrates the story, using present tense no less. Ceepak treats Danny with affectionate condescension, not unlike the way Holmes treats Watson. At one point, after Danny draws a conclusion, Ceepak says, "Of course. Well done, Danny! Excellent analysis." One can almost visualize Ceepak patting Danny on the head. Ceepak is also apt to making statements worthy of the great consulting detective. "We must redouble our efforts to separate illusion from reality. We must be certain we know what we are looking at, not what we might be looking at."

It's not Ceepak and Danny who are the problem here, but the other characters. The author makes no attempt to instill any originality into any of them, resorting to caricatures instead. The mystery plot, the various illusions and misdirection are all developed and handled quite well, which makes it all the more discouraging that the non-series characters are so predictable in their actions and reactions. How refreshing this mystery could have been had the stereotypical characters done something out of character, as it were. Ceepak just might have said, "Roger that."

Special thanks to St. Martin's Minotaur for providing a copy of Mind Scrambler for this review.

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

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): John Ceepak and Danny Boyle are making the rounds in Atlantic City when Danny runs into his former crush, Katie. She’s working for a magician named Rock, and her life seems to be in better order than Boyle could have hoped for. But Ceepak and Boyle soon find themselves on another case when Katie is found strangled to death. It is up to Ceepak and Boyle to find out who killed her. Their lives and the lives of others depend on it.

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Harlequin Worldwide Mystery Titles for August 2009

eHarlequin.com has announced the August 2009 titles for their Worldwide imprint, your partner in crime. Amateur sleuths, traditional cozies, police procedurals and private-eye fiction, written by award-winning authors. To purchase any of the books below, click on the book title or the book cover. (Previous months titles can be found on the backlist page.)

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Closer Still by Jo Bannister
A Brodie Farrell Mystery (8th in series)

Brodie Farrell has all but put her detective agency, Looking for Something?, on hold while she tends to her new baby, born with a rare condition. Now, as her son's health issues stabilize and longtime friend Daniel Hood offers to care for him, she finds herself drawn back to the business of searching—particularly for a killer who some suspect is Dimmock Police superintendent Jack Deacon … her baby's father.

The victim is Joe Loomis, a nasty underworld character with a grudge against Deacon, who calmly threatened Brodie and baby Jonathan. Loomis's dying words have incriminated the police superintendent, and now the brass have removed Deacon from the case for both motive and opportunity. But when suspicions of a terrorist attack turn the focus away from the circumstantial and toward the truly horrifying, Brodie finds herself in the midst of a panic-stricken town turning violent—while a killer watches closely from the sidelines.

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Dead Hot Shot by Victoria Houston
A Loon Lake Mystery with Paul "Doc" Osborne (9th in series)

Thanksgiving morning in Loon Lake, Wisconsin, is interrupted by the discovery of wealthy resident Nolan Reece, found floating by her dock just hours after a posh engagement party for her daughter. Chief of police Lewellyn Ferris, shorthanded without a coroner, deputizes retired dentist and close companion Paul Osborne to assist with cause of death—accident, suicide … or murder? Judging from the lack of grief displayed by the family, and signs of a struggle, Lew and Doc suspect the latter.

But the holiday isn't over before more tragedy strikes—a fatal shooting at the local general store. And, whether it's coincidence or something deeper, a case of credit-card theft is tied to the small Wisconsin town. As Lew and Doc work to make sense of the sudden death and strange doings, the tragic yet inevitable turn of events takes them both by surprise.

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Point No Point by Mary Logue
A Claire Watkins Mystery (7th in series)

Summer is beating down on Pepin County, Wisconsin, and deputy sheriff Claire Watkins is beginning to sweat. First, there's a floater—an unidentified male shot in the gut. Next, a frantic phone call from an old friend, Chet Baldwin, found sobbing and lying next to his dead wife, Anne, shot in the head. Murder or suicide? Claire suspects the former, but it puts a huge strain on her relationship with live-in boyfriend, Rich, also Chet's best friend.

Things go from bad to worse when Chet attempts suicide in custody and Claire begins to second-guess her instincts. A broken arm and a tortured conscience add to her struggle, especially when she begins to suspect that the body in the water and the death of Anne Baldwin may be linked. The how and the why soon lead to more tragedy, as the complexities of the human heart prove love and death are often inexorably linked.

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If you enjoy the books in this series, you can join Worldwide Mystery and get 2 free books plus 2 free gifts just for giving the automatic program a try. Accepting your two free Worldwide Mystery books and mystery gifts places you under no obligation to buy anything. You may keep the books and gifts and return the shipping statement marked cancel. If you do not cancel, about two months later, and then every other month, eHarlequin will send you three additional Worldwide Mystery books.

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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Harlequin Mira Mystery and Suspense Titles for August 2009

eHarlequin.com has announced the August 2009 titles for their Mira imprint, the brightest stars in women's fiction. From all titles available, we've only listed those that are mystery, thriller, or suspense on this page. To purchase any of the books below, click on the book title or the book cover. (Previous months titles can be found on the backlist page.)

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Face Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan
A Charlotte "Charlie" McNally Mystery (2nd in series)

Veteran TV reporter Charlotte McNally fights for justice, journalism—and the battle against on-air aging. The good news: she's got explosive evidence to free an innocent woman from prison. The bad news: that makes Charlotte—and someone she loves—the real killer's next target.

Charlotte knows she has what it takes to get the story. Unfortunately, the more Charlotte snoops around, the more people turn up dead.

Read our Review of Face Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan.

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Cold Case by Kate Wilhelm
A Barbara Holloway Mystery (11th in series)

Twenty-two years ago, controversial author David Etheridge and ambitious state senator Robert McCrutchen were investigated in the death of a young coed. But a circle of secrecy guaranteed the case was never solved.

When Etheridge returns to Eugene, Oregon, McCrutchen is his grudging host—until the senator is found shot dead. Now Etheridge is back where he was two decades ago—suspected of murder. Only this time, with the cold case reopened, he's facing a double charge.

Barbara must battle the prosecution and the court of public opinion, which has already tried and convicted Etheridge for both murders. As the pressure mounts, Barbara ties the past and present together, risking her own life to preserve justice.

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Red, White & Dead by Laura Caldwell
An Izzy McNeil Mystery (3rd in series)

Izzy McNeil is hot on the trail of one of Chicago's most notorious gangsters. Not that he realizes the crimson-tressed enchantress, a self-proclaimed "lapsed lawyer," is moonlighting as a private investigator. But when an unexpected run-in trashes Izzy's cover, she's swept into an evil underworld where she is definitely not safe.

That is until Izzy receives help from an unlikely source: the ultimate guardian angel. And the last person she ever dreamed she'd see again. Now Izzy is racing from Chicago to Rome, all the while battling personal demons, Mafiosi killers and red hot emergency desires.

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The Perfect Couple by Brenda Novak
A Last Stand Mystery (4th in series)

One afternoon in May, Zoe Duncan's thirteen-year-old daughter goes missing from her own backyard. The police think Samantha ran away because she's unhappy about her mother's upcoming marriage—but Zoe doesn't believe it. In fact, she's willing to do anything to bring Sam home, even if it means losing her job, her beautiful home, her fiancé. Even if it means divulging all her secrets to a private investigator.

Jonathan Stivers is a P.I. who donates his time to The Last Stand, a victims' charity in Sacramento. He's good at what he does, the best. But never has he had fewer leads to work with—or been more attracted to a client. Jonathan's sure of only one thing: Sam was taken by someone close to the family. He doesn't know how close until he realizes that the "perfect" couple next door is anything but.

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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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Mystery Author Michael Connelly to Appear on Second Season Premiere Episode of Castle

According to the website of bestselling mystery author Michael Connelly, he will be appearing on the second season premiere episode of ABC's "novel" crime drama Castle. The episode is scheduled to air September 21st at 10 PM (ET/PT).

In the series premiere earlier this year, mystery writers James Patterson and Stephen J. Cannell had cameos as Castle's poker playing buddies. Though the episode information for the second season premiere has been posted, there is no mention of what role Michael Connelly might play.

Watch an ABC promo for Castle below:

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Firsts on the 1st: New Series Characters Being Introduced in August 2009 Mysteries

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books recently updated its list of August 2009 hardcover mysteries as well put up new August paperbacks on The Mystery Bookshelf. In this post, which we're calling Firsts on the 1st, we're introducing readers to new series characters who will make their debut during August.

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Title: Hemingway Deadlights
Author: Michael Atkinson
Series Character: Ernest Hemingway
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize winning author Ernest Hemingway turns amateur sleuth in this hard-boiled series that mixes fact with fiction, set during the author's later years in Key West, Florida.

His first case: It is 1956 and Ernest Hemingway has spent much of the year at his home in Key West, hiding from tourists and autograph hunters. But a friend’s sudden death rouses Papa from his idyll. To say that the cause of death is suspicious is to put it lightly. It’s not every day that a part-time smuggler is impaled on a harpoon.

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Title: Sew Deadly
Author: Elizabeth Lynn Casey
Series Character: Tori Sinclair
Format: Mass Market Paperback

What we know about the character: Yankee Tori Sinclair has just moved to the tiny town of Sweet Briar, South Carolina, where she is the new librarian and is active in the sewing circle.

Her first case: Tori's been so busy adding a children’s corner to the library, winning over the women of the sewing circle, and trying to forget her cheating ex that she hasn’t had time to even baste together a pillow, never mind pay attention to the local gossip. Then she finds the town sweetheart dead at her back door, and everything else falls by the wayside. Everyone believes the police investigator, who’s just fixin’ to link Tori to the murder in a love triangle gone bad through a handsome third-grade teacher. To clear her name, Tori will have to rely on her new sewing sisters and stitch together the truth–or else she’ll be darned.

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Title: A Slice of Murder
Author: Chris Cavender
Series Character: Eleanor Swift
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Eleanor Swift owns a pizzeria in Timber Ridge (NC) called A Slice of Delight. She has a sassy and occasionally married sister, Maddy, and her ex-boyfriend, Kevin Jurley, is the town's police chief.

Her first case: Not too much happens in the sleepy little town of Timber Ridge, North Carolina -- which is fine with pizza-purveyor extraordinaire Eleanor Swift. The spunky owner of A Slice of Delight is trying to mend her broken heart and could use a little quiet time. But when a late night delivery customer turns up dead, she's in for just the opposite.

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Title: Devil's Trill
Author: Gerald Elias
Series Character: Daniel Jacobus
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Daniel Jacobus is a blind, reclusive, crotchety violin teacher living in self-imposed exile in rural New England. He spends his time chain-smoking, listening to old LPs, and occasionally taking on new students, whom he berates in the hope that they will flee.

His first case: Daniel Jacobus is drawn back into the world he left behind when he decides to attend The Grimsley Competition at Carnegie Hall. The young winner of this competition is granted the honor of playing the Piccolino Stradivarius, a uniquely dazzling three-quarter-size violin that has brought misfortune to all who possessed it over the centuries. But the violin is stolen before the winner of the competition has a chance to play it, and Jacobus is the primary suspect. He sets out to prove his innocence and find the stolen Piccolino Strad.

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Title: A Bad Day for Sorry
Author: Sophie Littlefield
Series Character: Stella Hardesty
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Stella Hardesty dispatched her abusive husband with a wrench shortly before her fiftieth birthday. A few years later, she’s so busy delivering home-style justice on her days off, helping other women deal with their own abusive husbands and boyfriends, that she barely has time to run her sewing shop in her rural Missouri hometown.

Her first case: When young mother Chrissy Shaw asks Stella for help with her no-good husband, Roy Dean, it looks like an easy case. Until Roy Dean disappears with Chrissy’s two-year-old son, Tucker. Stella quickly learns that Roy Dean was involved with some very scary men, as she tries to sort out who’s hiding information and who’s merely trying to kill her. It’s going to take a hell of a fight to get the little boy back home to his mama, but if anyone can do it, it’s Stella Hardesty.

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Title: Bundle of Trouble
Author: Diana Orgain
Series Character: Kate Connolly
Format: Mass Market Paperback

What we know about the character: First-time mother Kate Connolly, on leave from her job as an office manager, takes on the role of private investigator to bring in a little extra cash. After all, the hours are flexible, she can bring the baby along on stake-outs, and if you’re going to be up all night anyway, you might as well solve some crimes!

Her first case: Kate receives a disturbing phone call telling her that a body has been pulled from San Francisco Bay, and the police think it may be her brother-in-law. Now, in addition to trying to solve the mystery of how one six-pound baby can generate ten times her weight in laundry, Kate finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation with multiplying victims. And when her husband is detained in connection with the crimes, Kate must crack the case faster than you can say “diaper rash” to keep her little family together.

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Title: Whack 'N' Roll
Author: Gail Oust
Series Character: Kate McCall
Format: Mass Market Paperback

What we know about the character: Kate McCall is a 60ish widow and crime and punishment junkie who lives at Serenity Cove Estates, a retirement community for "active" adults. She loves playing a dice game called Bunco, and her bi-monthly Bunco group is known as the "Bunco Babes".

Her first case: Kate and her friends discover a severed arm in a Wal-Mart bag while playing golf. Armed with The Complete Idiots Guide to Forensics, Kate sets out to solve the crime--much to the chagrin of Sheriff Sumter Wiggins. Along the way, Kate enlists the help of the Bunco Babes; together they are a force to be reckoned with as they eliminate possible victims then zero in on "persons of interest."

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For a list of more mysteries scheduled for publication during August, please visit our New Mysteries home page. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where you can discover a library of new mysteries, also updated with August 2009 releases.

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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Games of Mystery: She is a Shadow, 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.

Download →

In She is a Shadow, Hanna's son has been kidnapped by an old employer that wants her to go back to her criminal life. Hanna used to be "The Shadow", a master thief, but she gave it all up when her husband was murdered. Now it's up to you to use her skills to survive long enough to free her son, figure out who killed her husband, and bring down the mob in this exciting hidden object game. Sounds easy enough when you're ... a Shadow!

Also available: She is a Shadow Strategy Guide and a She is a Shadow Game Walkthrough.

She is a Shadow may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (97.14 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, Enlightenus, Cate West: The Vanishing Files, Return to Mysterious Island 2: Mina's Fate, and Nick Chase: A Detective Story.

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (Review), The Hardy Boys: The Perfect Crime (Review), Enlightenus (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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