Primetime Crime: CSI NY, 6th Season Opener

The 2009/2010 Season for Primetime Crime returns this week with new series and episodes!

The sixth season premiere of CSI: NY airs Wednesday on CBS at 10 PM ET/PT with an episode titled "Epilogue". Following a spray of machine gunfire, the CSI team rises from the chaos. But when one member's life is significantly changed, it proves to be the emotional motivation they need to piece together their lives and ultimately find the shooter.

Watch a preview of the season premiere of CSI: NY below:

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Primetime Crime: Criminal Minds, 5th Season Opener

The 2009/2010 Season for Primetime Crime returns this week with new series and episodes!

In an episode titled "Nameless, Faceless", Hotch's unexplained absence quickly becomes apparent when the team is called back together to profile a killer who is targeting an emergency room doctor, on the fifth season premiere of Criminal Minds (Wednesday, 9 PM ET/PT on CBS).

Evil hits home in the first episode of the season. Watch a preview of the season premiere of Criminal Minds below:

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Games of Mystery: Women's Murder Club in Twice in a Blue Moon, New for Windows PC

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and getaway vacations including murder mystery weekends, is pleased to announce the availability of a new game for Windows PC.

Women’s Murder Club: Twice in a Blue Moon is the third game in this series based on the Women's Murder Club novels by James Patterson.

Women’s Murder Club: Twice in a Blue Moon continues the adventures of the Women’s Murder Club in San Francisco. The bizarre clues left behind at a murder scene lead Lindsay to a hundred year old murder by the famed Jack the Ripper. The WMC suspects a copy-cat killer as new murders mirror those of famous serious killers of the past. The tension heightens as they try to catch the copy-cat killer before he kills again.

Women’s Murder Club: Twice in a Blue Moon is currently scheduled for release for Windows PC platforms on September 24th, 2009, and may be pre-ordered now. It is rated T for Teen. The previous games in the series are Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet and Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey.

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

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Warner Bros. Planning a Sequel to Sherlock Holmes?

The Risky Biz blog on The Hollywood Reporter website is reporting that, three months before its theatrical release, Warner Bros. is planning a sequel to Sherlock Holmes.

It is expected that Robert Downey Jr. would return as the consulting detective and Jude Law as Dr. Watson. And it's possible that all the buzz this past summer regarding Brad Pitt appearing as Moriarty in the film might actually refer to the sequel instead.

Nothing concrete on the sequel yet, nor is it likely to be, until Sherlock Holmes hits theaters on December 25th, 2009.

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Primetime Crime: NCIS, 7th Season Opener, and the Premiere of NCIS Los Angeles

The 2009/2010 Season for Primetime Crime returns this week with new series and episodes!

The 7th season opener of NCIS airs on CBS Tuesday night at 8 PM (ET/PT) with an episode titled "Truth or Consequences". As the hunt for Ziva's replacement begins, Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and his remaining team members must head back to work with the past still weighing heavily on their minds.

Immediately following at 9 PM (ET/PT) is the series premiere of NCIS: Los Angeles with an episode titled "Identity". Newly located in a Los Angeles mission, the NCIS Office of Special Projects (OSP) welcomes Special Agent G. Callen (Chris O'Donnell) back to the team and races to solve a kidnapping case.

Watch a sneak peak for the 7th season of NCIS below, followed by a behind-the-scenes introduction to the characters of NCIS: Los Angeles:

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Primetime Crime: The Forgotten, New Series Premiere

The 2009/2010 Season for Primetime Crime returns this week with new series and episodes!

ABC premieres a new series on Tuesday at 10 PM (ET/PT), The Forgotten. In the pilot, viewers are introduced to Alex Donovan (Christian Slater) and the rest of The Forgotten Network, a team of dedicated amateurs who work on murder cases involving unidentified victims. They must first solve the puzzle of the victim's identity in order to then help catch the killer. Their initial case is of a "Highway Jane", a young woman murdered and left in the woods.

Take a first look of The Forgotten below:

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Mysteries on TV: Castle, Law & Order SVU, and The Mentalist, Season DVDs Available This Week

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 three series that have season DVDs being released this week.

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A bestselling novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) and a New York City detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) delve into real world crime in Castle.

In the premiere episode, a copycat killer recreates the murder scenes depicted in Castle's novels. Finding true life mysteries more stimulating than fiction, Castle continues to offer his professional insights to Detective Beckett -- whether she wants them or not. Sparks fly and a hint of romance hangs in the air as these two strong personalities investigate some of the most puzzling crimes on the NYPD's docket.

The Castle: Season One DVD set of 3 discs contain the 10 episodes that aired on ABC in spring 2009 as a mid-season replacement series. The DVD also features bloopers and outtakes, and featurettes showing which classic detective shows inspired the series and a write-along with Nathan Fillion. The second season opener airs tonight at 10 PM (ET/PT).

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Follow dedicated detectives Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) as they work with New York City's most heinous criminals, including abusive foster parents, neglectful doctors, vicious smugglers and sadistic kidnappers in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Compelling guest stars this season include the return of Stephanie March as ADA Alexandra Cabot, Carol Burnett, Carol Kane, Hilary Duff, Cicely Tyson, Alex Kingston, Dabney Coleman, Martin Mull, and Ellen Burstyn, who won an Emmy for her guest appearance as Stabler's mother Bernadette.

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season Ten DVD set of 5 discs contain the 22 episodes that aired on NBC from September 2008 through June 2009. The 11th season premieres Wednesday, September 23rd, at 10 PM (ET/PT).

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The Mentalist is Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), a celebrity psychic whose wife and child are viciously murdered by an elusive serial killer called Red John. Devastated, Patrick admits his paranormal act is fake, renounces his earlier life and uses his astonishing skills of observation and analysis -- talents that made him appear psychically gifted -- to bring killers to justice.

At crime scenes across California, Patrick now helps an elite team of detectives break their toughest cases. But no matter how many criminals he catches, Patrick never forgets his central goal: Find Red John. And bring him down.

The Mentalist: Season One DVD set of 6 discs contain the 23 episodes that aired on CBS from September 2008 through May 2009. The second season premieres Thursday, September 24th, at 9 PM (ET/PT).

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

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for September 21, 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 B C E J L M O Y

She is the author of the romantic thriller Cold Midnight. (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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Primetime Crime: Castle 2nd Season Opener

The 2009/2010 Season for Primetime Crime returns this week with new series and episodes!

The 2nd season opener of Castle airs on ABC Monday night at 10 PM (ET/PT) with an episode titled "Deep in Death". Castle is wrestling with how to repair his relationship with Beckett, while struggling to finish his soon-to-be-published bestseller, Heat Wave. But circumstances force the pair back together to investigate the mysterious murder of a man found dead, tangled in the limbs of a tree.

Watch a sneak peak for the 2nd season below, followed by a behind-the-scenes look at filming the second season opener:

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Primetime Crime: CSI Miami 8th Season Opener

The 2009/2010 Season for Primetime Crime returns this week with new series and episodes!

The 8th season opener of CSI: Miami airs on CBS Monday night at 10 PM (ET/PT) with an episode titled "Out of Time" in which Horatio flashes back 12 years to reveal how Miami's CSIs first met and became a team. Meanwhile, Delko's life hangs in the balance after being discovered unconscious in the Everglades. Eddie Cibrian (Third Watch) joins the cast as Jesse Cardoza, an officer from the Hollywood Division who joins the squad in Miami.

Watch a sneak peak for the 8th season below, followed by a behind-the-scenes look at how Horatio got his sunglasses:

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eHarlequin Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense Titles for October 2009

eHarlequin.com has released the October 2009 titles in their Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense series. Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense books combine suspense, romance, hope and faith to create a unique page-turning series that today’s readers love. To purchase any of the books below, click on the book title. (Previous months titles can be found on the backlist page.)

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Guarded Secrets by Leann Harris (book cover shown)

"If I die, it won't be an accident."

At the time, Lilly Burkstrom brushed aside her ex-husband's words. Then he dies—"accidentally"—in a convenience store robbery, and she starts to wonder. Turning to the police doesn't help. They don't see the danger closing in on her, not even when someone breaks into her house and her ex-husband's apartment. Only Detective Jonathan Littledeer understands her fears, having lost his own family. He's determined to keep the single mom safe. He's not going to let another "accident" claim Lilly or her daughter before he can bring the killer's guarded secrets to light.

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Hearts in the Crosshairs by Susan Page Davis

She came for her inaugural address—and found herself dodging bullets, instead. Newly elected Maine governor Jillian Goff doesn't know why someone wants to kill her. But she knows they came close. Too close. Enter Dave Hutchins. A member of the state's Executive Protection Unit, Dave's mission is to protect the governor and find the would-be assassin. Without getting emotionally involved. Yet the more time Dave spends with Jillian, the less he can imagine ever leaving her side. Not with her life—and his heart—caught in the crosshairs.

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Double Take by Jenness Walker (book cover shown)

Cole Leighton can barely believe his eyes. A woman on his bus has just been abducted—in an exact reflection of a scene from the bestselling novel he's reading. Someone is bringing the book to life…and isn't above forcing an innocent woman to follow the story to its tragic end. Using the novel as his playbook, Cole catches up with the beautiful victim—but rescuing Kenzie Jacobs doesn't keep her safe for long. The killer is writing his own ending, and none of the twists and turns lead to happily ever after.

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Trial By Fire by Cara Putman

Her mother's house was first. Then her brother's. County prosecutor Tricia Jamison is sure she's next on the arsonist's list. But who is after her family? And why does every fire throw her in Noah Brust's path?

Noah can't forgive Tricia. Her failure to protect him on the stand the previous year meant his father's reputation was ruined. Yet every time the firefighter is near her, he's drawn to her again. The vulnerability she hides under her confident veneer surprises and moves him. Torn between Tricia's safety and his own bitterness, Noah belatedly remembers the first rule of firefighting: don't get burned.

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If you enjoy the suspense books in this series, you can get 2 free Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense books plus 2 free gifts just for giving the automatic program a try. Accepting your two free Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense 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 four additional Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense 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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Games of Mystery: Slingo Mystery, 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 →

Help Maggie Gold track down her ex-husband's murderer! Freddy's new wife is set to inherit his fortune, and leave Maggie without a cent! Explore a huge casino to find the final secrets left behind by Freddy in Slingo Mystery: Who's Gold? Unlock unique Slingo machines to open up different game modes, as you progress through amazing hidden object scenes and solve the mystery behind Freddy's death. Can you help Maggie get what's rightfully hers?

Slingo Mystery: Who's Gold? may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A sample version (112.67 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour; the full unlimited version is 241.07 MB.

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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Mystery Book Review: Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell

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

Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell
A Witchcraft Mystery with Lily Ivory

Obsidian (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-451-22745-X (045122745X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-22745-4 (9780451227454)
Publication Date: July 2009
List Price: $6.99

Review: Juliet Blackwell (a pseudonym for one of the two sisters who together write as Hailey Lind) debuts a new mystery series with Secondhand Spirits, featuring San Francisco vintage clothing store owner Lily Ivory ... who also happens to be a natural born witch.

Originally from Texas, Lily is relatively new to the Bay Area, having drifted around the world unsure where to settle and what to do with her life. She has opened a vintage clothing store, partly because it's an interesting business, but also because it allows her to connect in a special way to people of the past. When Frances Potts offers to sell her a rack full of dresses from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, she can't resist. But there's something both unusual and familiar about the old woman, and her clothes produce a disturbing reaction in Lily. When Frances is later killed, and a neighbor girl goes missing, Lily is sure there's a connection. Though she doesn't know many people in her new home town, she assembles a group of local witches in order to unmask the killer and find the little girl.

At times Secondhand Spirits reads more like a meticulously researched paper on modern witchcraft than it does a mystery. To be sure, there are plenty of cozy elements--lots of girl talk; Lily pursued by two very different, but mysterious in their own way, men; clothes and shoes, even if they are from a different era; and a pot-bellied pig, who is really a creature of uncertain origin just assuming that form, taking the place of a cat--but the mystery plot is especially thin here. The focus seems to be much more on the rules and rituals, spells and potions, dos and don'ts of witchcraft. It's possible the author is simply laying a solid foundation for the series, but some of what goes on could easily have been moved to the second or third book, allowing the mystery storyline to be considerably tightened and the overall plot to be somewhat more cohesive. Lily, though, is a well-developed character, one with human insecurities and doubts, but also quite clever and resourceful. While there are a lot of interesting bits about witchcraft in Secondhand Spirits, she is the reason to read the book and to look forward to the next in the series.

Special thanks to Penguin Group for providing a copy of Secondhand Spirits for this review.

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

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): Lily Ivory feels that she can finally fit in somewhere and conceal her "witchiness" in San Francisco. It's there that she opens her vintage clothing shop, outfitting customers both spiritually and stylistically.

Just when things seem normal, a client is murdered and children start disappearing from the Bay Area. Lily has a good idea that some bad phantoms are behind it. Can she keep her identity secret, or will her witchy ways be forced out of the closet as she attempts to stop the phantom?

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Mystery Book Review: Black & White & Dead All Over by John Darnton

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Black & White & Dead All Over by John Darnton. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Black & White & Dead All Over by John Darnton
Non-series

Anchor Books (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-307-38742-9 (0307387429)
ISBN-13: 978-0-307-38742-4 (9780307387424)
Publication Date: August 2009
List Price: $15.00

Review: John Darnton provides an insider's view of the world of newspaper publishing, with a little murder on the side, in the entertaining Black & White & Dead All Over.

The "dead" is Theodore S. Ratnoff, The New York Globe's editor in charge of style, standards, and usage--the "coin of the realm", as it were--and famous for dressing-downs to subordinates, especially copy editors, who "labored in suffering obscurity like half-blind medieval monks churning out illuminated manuscripts." Someone apparently took exception to one of his verbal lashings of the whip for a dangling modifier or figurative stabs with red-hot poker for a pejorative anonymous quote to thrust an editor's spike, once used before computers to literally kill a story, into the senior editor. Investigative reporter Jude Hurley is assigned the story. "Don't worry," he tells his boss, metro editor Bernie Grabble, "If I solve the murder, you'll be the second to know ... right after the murderer, of course. We'll need comment from him."

Black & White & Dead All Over can be read as a murder mystery, but (as illustrated by some of the quotes provided above) it's almost more entertaining as color commentary on the state of the newspaper publishing business today, replete with characters who are thinly disguised versions of their real-life counterparts. The murder investigation itself is crafted really well, with plenty of suspects and motives and red herrings. The attention to detail is remarkable, stemming from the author's considerable knowledge of the industry, and adds to the authenticity of the story. And though the plot frequently teeters on the edge of being overly complicated, in the end it comes down to Jude Hurley being the good reporter he is, realizing the facts behind the murder of Ratnoff, and later two others, are much simpler than the elaborate stories being put forth by those around him.

Special thanks to Random House for providing a trade paperback edition of Black & White & Dead All Over for this review.

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

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): A powerful editor is found dead in the newsroom—stabbed with the very spike he would use to kill stories—and in the cutthroat offices of The New York Globe, anyone could be the murderer. Could it be the rival newspaper tycoon? The bumbling publisher? The steely executive editor?

As more bodies turn up, it will fall on Priscilla Bollingsworth, a young and ambitious NYPD detective, and Jude Hurley, a clever and rebellious reporter, to navigate the ink-infested waters of the case.

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eHarlequin Silhouette Romantic Suspense Titles for October 2009

Sparked by danger, fueled by passion, eHarlequin.com has released the October 2009 titles in their Silhouette Romantic Suspense series. Let yourself be swept away with characters who fall in love under larger-than-life circumstances. In Silhouette Romantic Suspense, suspense, emotion and glamour combine to create these highly charged books! To purchase any of the books below, click on the book title. (Previous months titles can be found on the backlist page.)

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Passion to Die For by Marilyn Pappano (book cover shown)

"I wish to God you were dead."

Little did Ellie Chase know those would be the last words she ever spoke to her estranged mother. When Martha's body was found the next morning, all eyes were on Ellie … who couldn't remember what she'd done that night. So when Tommy Maricci—the man she refused to let herself love—came to her rescue, she couldn't say no.

Tommy believed in his former girlfriend's innocence—no matter how damning the evidence against her was. She may have broken his heart, but he took her into his home for protection. Because if Ellie wasn't the killer, someone had set her up. And Tommy refused to let anyone hurt the woman he loved.

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The Christmas Stranger by Beth Cornelison

After her husband's death, Holly Bancroft Cole knows Christmas won't be the same this year. Still grieving, she decides to complete the renovations on her North Carolina farmhouse and hires a construction worker. Drawn to his piercing eyes and gentle manners, Holly can't shake the feeling that secrets lie behind the handsome stranger's warm smile.

Haunted by memories, Matt Rankin can't remember the joy that simple pleasures bring until he meets Holly. When a harrowing attempt is made on her life, Matt realizes he can't live without this beautiful angel. Now he must protect the woman he loves at all costs—even if it means risking his own life.

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Cold Case Affair by Loreth Anne White (book cover shown)

Coming home was anything but safe to Muirinn O'Donnell. The successful journalist, single, pregnant and proud, was back in her Alaskan hometown, investigating her grandfather's death—and finding evidence of a conspiracy. Muirinn turned to the one person who could protect her—her first love, rugged bush pilot Jett Rutledge. Though years had passed since they'd seen each other, Muirinn trusted him.

She felt strong with Jett on her side, but wondered how long his kindness would last. Because Muirinn had kept a painful secret from Jett for eleven long years. If he found out, she feared he might never forgive her.

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The Agent's Secret Baby by Marie Ferrarella

Eve is pregnant with your baby.

The anonymous tip leads undercover DEA agent Adam Serrano back to his lost love, Eve Walters. The gorgeous veterinarian had stormed out of his life upon discovering the "truth" about his identity. Though it nearly killed him, disappearing had ensured her safety. Now he's a father and must see for himself that Eve is okay.

Renewed desire fuses them together despite all common sense. Then Eve and their baby become targets in his dangerous world. To survive, he must regain her trust. In the end, he needs to choose between family and duty, life and death.

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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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