Mystery Bestsellers for August 07, 2009

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending August 07, 2009 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Last week's featured new bestseller, The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson, assumes the top spot this week. Little other change in the top 10, though.

New this week at number 15 is Inherent Vice by reclusive author Thomas Pynchon, whose previous novels have been grand in both scope and length (but not mysteries). It’s been awhile since Doc Sportello has seen his ex-girlfriend. Suddenly out of nowhere she shows up with a story about a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer whom she just happens to be in love with. Easy for her to say. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic sixties in L.A., and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” except that this one usually leads to trouble. Despite which he soon finds himself drawn into a bizarre tangle of motives and passions whose cast of characters includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, a tenor sax player working undercover, an ex-con with a swastika tattoo and a fondness for Ethel Merman, and a mysterious entity known as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentists. (MBN note: For more information, see our post on Inherent Vice, which includes a very entertaining trailer for the book, narrated by the author.)

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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Mystery Book Review: The Second Savior by Mark Bouton

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Second Savior by Mark Bouton. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Second Savior by Mark Bouton
An LAPD Mystery

Five Star (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59414-766-3 (1594147663)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59414-766-1 (9781594147661)
Publication Date: July 2009
List Price: $25.95

Review: Mark Bouton's second LAPD mystery to feature detectives Rick Dover and his partner Falcon, The Second Savior, combines disparate, and seemingly incompatible, elements of inspirational and crime fiction in a single remarkable novel.

Dover and Falcon have decided to confront a Crip leader known as Kinks in an effort to scale back the gang violence in the community. As they walk up to him exiting a liquor store, the area is suddenly sprayed with bullets from a passing car. Kinks is badly hurt, his girlfriend dead. Falcon isn't hurt and Dover escapes serious injury when a carpenter working on the building's facade elbows him aside, taking three slugs himself. The detectives think members of a rival gang, the Bloods, are responsible and will try again once they learn Kinks isn't dead. And try they do, this time successfully, but in the process also killing the cop guarding Kinks in the hospital. Falcon and Dover need eyewitnesses to help put the killers away but the most important one, the carpenter at the scene of the shooting, one Jake Carroll, is missing, having left the hospital of his own accord soon after surgery to remove two of the bullets that hit him, the third being too risky to remove as it was lodged near his spine. Dover and Falcon believe they can put the killers away for good, but their case would be a lot stronger with the testimony of Jake Carroll.

The Second Savior is a most unusual police procedural. The characters are particularly well developed, from the two detectives Dover and Falcon, who couldn't be more different yet work together seamlessly as a team, to Stagger, the leader of the Bloods faction responsible for the shootings, a 'banger with short term goals but no long term objective. But little is known about the enigmatic Jake Carroll (though take note of his initials and his profession). Jake risks his own life to save Dover's, then disappears after making what seems to be a miraculous recovery after being severely injured. Though the story is replete with symbolism, it doesn't weigh down the brisk pacing, with Dover and Falcon methodically and relentlessly buttoning down their case against Stagger.

Dover and Falcon are also working on a second murder investigation, which seems an unnecessary diversion from the primary plot, but it does allow them to show off other facets of their considerable skills as detectives.

A slight disappointment is the ending, which is a little too mystical for a book that is otherwise set in rock solid reality. Still, The Second Savior is an impressive, in many ways quite singular, novel that will appeal to a wide cross-section of mystery readers. (For readers who may be concerned about the language used in the book: the cops and gangs frequently use street language, which at times can be course. But it rarely seems inappropriate or offensive, nor is it used to excess.)

Special thanks to Mark Bouton for providing an ARC of The Second Savior for this review.

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

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): Homicide detectives Rick Dover and Falcon seek to stem the flow of drugs in South-Central and stop a bloody war between Crips and Bloods. In approaching Kinks, a Crip kingpin, they get caught in a drive-by shooting by rival Bloods. A workman bulldogs Dover, saving him, but catching three slugs in the back. Kinks is only wounded, but his girlfriend is killed. The persistent Bloods later kill a police guard and Kinks in the hospital. Meanwhile, the workman, Jake Carroll, has miraculously skipped out of the ICU and his apartment.

Now Dover and Falcon must solve multiple murders, threats to other witnesses, and find Jake Carroll, the main witness who seems strangely elusive, a man with no past and no ties in the present. They eventually find him, but must protect him until trial. The top Blood, Stagger, eliminates weak members of his group, then seeks to kill other witnesses. In a dramatic confrontation, flying lead strikes both saints and sinners, and Carroll manages to slip away again under mystical circumstances.

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Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice: WSJ Article and Book Trailer

The Wall Street Journal published an article last week on Thomas Pynchon's latest novel, Inherent Vice, a noirish novel set in Los Angeles at the end of the 1960s, calling it his most accessible to date. The book features a dope-smoking private investigator who sets out to solve the disappearance of a land developer.

Book synopsis: It’s been awhile since Doc Sportello has seen his ex-girlfriend. Suddenly out of nowhere she shows up with a story about a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer whom she just happens to be in love with. Easy for her to say. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic sixties in L.A., and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” except that this one usually leads to trouble. Despite which he soon finds himself drawn into a bizarre tangle of motives and passions whose cast of characters includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, a tenor sax player working undercover, an ex-con with a swastika tattoo and a fondness for Ethel Merman, and a mysterious entity known as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentists.

The article discusses the debate among Pynchon's fans and critics as to whether the novel is a sophisticated parody or maybe just a shorter version of the author's typically lengthy works (a novella, as it were). Or maybe Pynchon is embracing a new genre for him, this being his first "mystery".

A single sentence near the top of the article says that the film rights are being handled by Creative Artists Agency. None of Pynchon's previous novels have been filmed.

Inherent Vice is in bookstores this week. See a trailer for the book below, which Pynchon narrates as his character Doc Sportello (and don't miss the wry comment he makes at the end about the price of the book).

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USA Network Announces Slate of Series Under Development

In a press release yesterday, USA Network announced its slate of new series under development, including several crime dramas and mystery-related shows, summaries of which are provided below.

Good Cop, Bad Cop: Sibling rivalry is taken to new heights when an estranged brother and sister are paired up as cops in their small hometown.

Busy Bodies: A soccer mom teams up with a gay stay-at-home dad to solve mysteries in the suburbs.

Untitled Stephen J. Cannell / Scott Kaufer Project: An ex-con car mechanic goes undercover.

Hotel Dix: An old school hotel detective is brought back to work at a modern hotel.

Gourmet Detective: A food detective travels the world and stumbles across mysteries of the palate … and murder.

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Dreamworks Releases Trailer for The Lovely Bones, Based on the Novel by Alice Sebold

Dreamworks Pictures has released the first trailer for The Lovely Bones, based on the bestselling 2002 novel The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, and Saoirse Ronan. It is directed by Peter Jackson.

Book synopsis: When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. This was before milk carton photos and public service announcements, she tells us; back in 1973, when Susie mysteriously disappeared, people still believed these things didn't happen. In the sweet, untroubled voice of a precocious teenage girl, Susie relates the awful events of her death and her own adjustment to the strange new place she finds herself. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. With love, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie watches her family as they cope with their grief, her father embarks on a search for the killer, her sister undertakes a feat of amazing daring, her little brother builds a fort in her honor and begin the difficult process of healing. In the hands of a brilliant novelist, this story of seemingly unbearable tragedy is transformed into a suspenseful and touching story about family, memory, love, heaven, and living.

Though the book is not a mystery in a traditional sense (it opens with the statement, "I was fourteen years old when I was murdered on December 6, 1973" and proceeds to describe the crime and its aftermath), the trailer, which can be seen below, seems to imply the film is a suspense thriller. Regardless, it seems beautifully shot, the cast is stellar, and Peter Jackson is an outstanding filmmaker. The Lovely Bones is scheduled for a December release.

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Casting Underway for The Raven

/Film is reporting casting is underway for The Raven, a fictional account of the last five days of Edgar Allan Poe's life. The storyline reportedly includes the writer taking part in the hunt for a serial killer whose murders have been inspired by Poe's stories. The film is being directed by James McTeigue (Ninja Assassin).

"It's like the poem, The Raven, itself, crossed with Se7en," said McTeigue. "It should be pretty cool. The script is really good and everyone responds to it really well."

The screenplay is written by Hannah Shakespeare and Ben Livingston.

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Young Adult Mystery Book Review: Hannah's Winter by Kierin Meehan

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Hannah's Winter by Kierin Meehan. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Hannah's Winter by Kierin Meehan
Non-series

Kane/Miller (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-933605-98-7 (1933605987)
ISBN-13: 978-1-933605-98-2 (9781933605982)
Publication Date: March 2009
List Price: $15.95

Review: Japanese culture comes to life in Hannah’s Winter by Kierin Meehan. Instead of starting high school, Hannah, an Australian native, is forced to accompany her mother to Japan while she investigates interesting plants. Although Hannah is not thrilled at this prospect, she is welcomed into the Maekawa family who takes her in as one of their own while her mother tours the gardens of Japan. Hannah’s mother gives her the assignment to complete her correspondent work and learn 1000 kanji during the three months she is in Japan. While pursuing her studies, Hannah befriends Miki Maekawa along with Hiro, a boy in the neighborhood whose father has gone missing. It isn’t long before Hannah begins to experience strange happenings – a mysterious note, a ghost flinging chocolate donuts, and unexplained smoke. Hannah must make sense of all the oddities because in order to stop it all, she must help the ghost – an “ocean boy” find peace.

As a study in culture, Hannah’s Winter is excellent. It is filled with imagery that paints a thorough description of the many lands of Japan. Plus, the reader gains glimpses into the traditions that enrich Japanese culture. Hannah has the opportunity to take part in several traditions such as the Setsubun – a bean throwing festival designed to ward off evil demons and bring in happiness. Throughout the story, Hannah must travel to shrines and gardens and seashores –each time offering the reader a little more insight into Japanese life. In a humorous account, Hannah experiences school where she must go to the bathroom. “When I went into the cubicle I found what looked like a small hand basin set into the floor. Big panic … It took me so long to figure out what to do I almost missed the start of the Japanese lesson.” In addition to learning about Japanese culture, the reader gains insight into Australian culture as well. Learning about the cultural differences and traditions is arguably one of the best parts of the book!

As a piece of literature, Hannah’s Winter is an enjoyable read. Hannah is a very well-developed character who adds humor and sarcasm to an otherwise more serious story. Even Hannah’s eccentric mother, who “talks in capitals when she’s being assertive, which is most of the time” and has purple hair, is a joy – though it’s a shame she only appears on a few of the pages of the text. The primary story is interesting, yet it’s shocking that the Japanese family doesn’t seem bothered by a ghost. The author addresses this later in the story when Hannah’s mother returns with a story and Hannah thinks, “This family didn’t turn a hair when a ghost moved in, but Liana’s adventures had them stunned.” Nonetheless, it is odd that a ghost doesn’t alarm the family more. In solving the mystery, the children have only an enigmatic poem as a guide. It seems at times that interpreting the poem and following through with the steps happens a little too easily. Having them work harder and really show the obvious struggle that anyone would face with a cryptic poem would have enhanced the story. It is as if they just fall into finding the next step – rather than really understanding what they are doing. The secondary story of Hiro and his missing father is slightly less compelling. Everything gets tied up in the end, but in many ways it is a little too tidy. Finally, occasionally the story grows confusing with the multitude of Japanese names, terms, and places, however muddling through is worth it in the end. All in all, Hannah’s Winter is a solid debut novel for Kierin Meehan who combined mystery, paranormal, and culture into one story. Readers will eagerly await more adventures with characters such as Hannah and her mother.

Special thanks to Margo Nauert for contributing her review of Hannah's Winter and to Kane/Miller for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2009 — Margo Nauert — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission

If you are interested in purchasing Hannah's Winter from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Hannah would much rather be back in Australia, starting high school with her friends. But Japan turns out to be nothing like she'd imagined, and when Hannah and her new friend Miki find an ancient message in the stationery shop, they are drawn into solving a mysterious riddle. Why do the beans go berserk during the bean-throwing festival? Who is the evil-eyed woman at Sarumaru Shrine? Why is Hannah attacked by flying donuts? Is the ocean boy really trying to tell her something? A compelling combination of fact, fantasy, and humor, this middle-grade novel is filled with intriguing characters, exotic locations and baffling events.

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CrimeFest 2010 Adds Third Award Category

TheBookseller.com is reporting that CrimeFest, an annual festival of mystery in Bristol (UK), will add an e-book award to its current list of CrimeFest Awards, which currently includes one for the best humorous crime novel (the Last Laugh) and another for the best spoken mystery (the Sounds of Crime). The festival is also launching a new website later this year.

CrimeFest 2010 is scheduled for May 20th through 23rd of next year.

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Mystery Book Review: Missing Mark by Julie Kramer

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

Missing Mark by Julie Kramer
A Riley Spartz Mystery

Doubleday (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-385-52477-3 (0385524773)
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-52477-3 (9780385524773)
Publication Date: July 2009
List Price: $25.00

Review: Minneapolis television investigative reporter Riley Spartz is looking for a story that will capture viewers and increase ratings when she happens upon a most unusual want ad that piques her interest in Missing Mark, the second mystery in this series by Julie Kramer.

"For Sale: Wedding Dress, Never Worn" reads the ad. Riley sees a story here, but her editor tries to steer her in other directions: "Big Mouth Billy", a large mouth bass, has been stolen from an aquarium at the Mall of America; a K-9 unit is being targeted by a meth cartel; a serial killer is at large. Riley agrees these are all newsworthy but she still wants to learn more about that wedding dress.

It turns out the dress belongs to Madeline Post, a wealthy young woman engaged to Mark Lefevre. The groom-to-be attended the rehearsal dinner and then vanished ... six months ago. His mother was embarrassed by his action and didn't report him missing for quite some time, and when she did, the police didn't take her seriously. The man got cold feet, that's all. But there's a twist here for Riley the reporter: the presumed bride, Madeline, suffers from prosopagnosia, a disorder that prevents her from recognizing or remembering facial features. And the case turns deadly when just days after Riley interviews Mark's mother, she apparently kills herself. This may be the story that makes Riley's career.

Riley Spartz is a smart, likeable character who makes the story in Missing Mark shine. She also enjoys a delightful repartee with her co-workers, which keeps the dialog amusing and witty. The plot has just enough twists and turns to capture the one's attention, and keeps it as the Riley's investigation moves along at a brisk pace. Readers will be looking forward to more breaking news stories from this reporter.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Missing Mark and to Knopf Doubleday 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 Missing Mark from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right. Missing Mark (Kindle edition) is also available. Learn more about the Kindle, Amazon's Wireless Reading Device.

Synopsis (from the publisher): When Riley Spartz sees a want ad reading "Wedding Dress for Sale: Never Worn," her news instincts tell her the backstory might make an intriguing television sweeps piece.

The groom, Mark, last seen at the rehearsal dinner, never showed up for the wedding, humiliating his bride, Madeline—and her high-strung, high-society mother—in front of 300 guests. His own mother, eager to spare him further embarrassment, waited weeks before filing a missing-person report, and then learned how difficult it is to get police, or the media, interested in missing men.

Now Riley is up against a boss who thinks finding a famed missing fish will net the station higher ratings, a meth cartel trying to assassinate a K-9 dog because of his powerful nose for drugs, and a neighbor who holds perpetual garage sales that attract traffic at odd hours.

When her missing-person case leads to a murder investigation, Riley discovers a startling motive for Mark's disappearance—and a TV exclusive guaranteed to win the ratings ... if she lives to report it.

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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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