Mystery Book Review: The Woman Who Attracted Money by Steve Chandler

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Woman Who Attracted Money by Steve Chandler. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Woman Who Attracted Money by Steve Chandler
A Robert Chance Mystery

Robert Reed (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-934759-40-6 (1934759406)
ISBN-13: 978-1-934759-40-0 (9781934759400)
Publication Date: October 2009
List Price: $14.95

Review: Bestselling personal growth coach Steve Chandler, who has over 20 non-fiction books to his credit, turns to crime fiction introducing ex-cop Robert Chance in The Woman Who Attracted Money, the first of an expected series of twelve books.

Chance now works as a life coach ... and a private investigator when the need arises. And one has. He learns that a good friend, Tom Dumar, has been found dead in his real estate office, an apparent suicide. But in his discussions with Chance, Tom was eagerly looking forward to the future. Could Chance have not known his friend as well as he thought? A client, Madison Kerr, an advertising strategist and computer hacker, wants to help. She knew Tom, and possibly more importantly, his business partner Glen Gibbon, who is suspected of being involved in some shady deals. In fact, she thinks she knows who killed Tom, even though the police officially ruled his death a suicide. Chance wants to believe her, but where's the evidence?

Their inquiry is hampered by the fact that everything in Tom's office was removed following the police investigation by his partner. Furthermore, Tom's body was cremated. But Susan, Tom's wife, also believes her husband didn't take his own life. When her house burns to the ground, a clear case of arson, Chance fears for Susan. And when Madison hacks into Glen Gibbon's computer and finds photos taken of Susan without her knowledge, as if he were stalking her, they're convinced Glen may have had something to do with Tom's death.

The Woman Who Attracted Money is a light, entertaining mystery, and one with interesting characters and humor, making it both delightful and easy to read. Much of the appeal here is in the interaction between Robert Chance and Madison Kerr. Chance is methodical and insightful, Madison buoyant and fearless. The mystery plot is nicely structured and well paced. It's a strong start to this series that promises to have interesting cases for the two, a bit of gentle life coaching for the reader, and a touch of romance between Chance and Madison.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Woman Who Attracted Money and to Steve Chandler for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

If you are interested in purchasing The Woman Who Attracted Money from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Chandler’s suspense novel features ex-cop Robert Chance and his investigator friend and romantic interest, Madison Kerr. This book is the first in a 12-book series.

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Mystery Book Review: The Midnight Curse by L. M. Falcone

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Midnight Curse by L. M. Falcone. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Midnight Curse by L. M. Falcone
Non-series

Kids Can Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-55453-358-9 (1554533589)
ISBN-13: 978-1-55453-358-9 (9781554533589)
Publication Date: March 2010
List Price: $16.95

Review: L. M. Falcone's third comic supernatural thriller written for middle-school level readers has a brother and sister trying to avoid The Midnight Curse.

11-year-old fraternal twins Lacey and Charlie are off to England after their mother receives a letter stating that they've been included in the will of the recently deceased Jonathan Edward Darcy, a great-great-uncle on their father's side. But strange things begin to occur after they arrive at Blaxton Manor, their uncle's home, including a whispered voice from inside a bottle that ominously tells Charlie that "the midnight curse has been passed on to you." The twins soon meet up with Daniel, a ghost about their own age living in the house, who tells them the story of how generations of Darcy men have been cursed ... and since Charlie is the last remaining male in the family, the curse is now on him. Lacey is determined to learn more about the curse -- and how it can be lifted -- so she can save her brother from a lifetime of fear.

The Midnight Curse can probably best be described as a madcap adventure, the literary equivalent of being trapped in an amusement park funhouse. The overall story arc makes sense, but the pathway taken is circuitous, and often seems arbitrary. Written at an age-appropriate level, middle school readers might enjoy being taken along for the ride, but a critical look at the narrative reveals significant plot conveniences, if not outright holes, including what seems to be a complete disregard for the passage (or lack thereof) of time, ironic given how important time is the story.

The two principal characters, Lacey and Charlie, also present something of a problem. The book is narrated from the point of view of Lacey, who, not unexpectedly, spins things her way. She introduces herself and her brother as "not at all alike", she being "cool, calm and sophisticated" and Charlie as "a pain in the butt". That's fine, as far as it goes, and her perspective is generally amusing. But Charlie comes across as wildly immature in the story, acting much younger than his age, screaming "I'm gonna die" with annoying regularity. There's something incongruous about their portrayal here that simply doesn't serve the story well.

Still, it's likely that most younger readers will overlook these issues and be thrilled to accompany Lacey and Charlie on their adventure to discover the secret behind The Midnight Curse.

Special thanks to Raab Associates for providing an ARC of The Midnight Curse for this review.

Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): A deep, raspy voice whispered, “The midnight curse has been passed on to you!”

Thus begins a frightfully wacky adventure that will have young readers turning every page in spine-tingling anticipation. Lacey and her twin brother, Charlie, are visiting England to find out if they inherited anything from their reclusive uncle Jonathan, but before long, Charlie realizes he might not have inherited anything but the family curse. It’s a bad one — he’ll shrivel up and die unless someone ventures to the attic to face a malevolent spirit.

Curse removal is a complicated game involving a gothic cast of shifty characters. The twins sure have stirred things up, and the clock is ticking on Charlie’s curse. Can they finish what they started?

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Mystery Book Review: The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers by Thomas Mullen

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers by Thomas Mullen. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers by Thomas Mullen
Non-series

Random House (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-4000-6753-7 (1400067537)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4000-6753-4 (9781400067534)
Publication Date: January 2010
List Price: $26.00

Review: Thomas Mullen's second novel, The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers, follows the exploits -- and the deaths -- of two young men who lead a well-publicized life of crime in Indiana during the Great Depression.

Jason and Whitman "Whit" Fireson, known far and wide as the Firefly brothers, are successful bank robbers, their daring crimes documented -- and glamorized -- by the press. That is until they are shot dead while hiding out following their largest take to date. Much to their surprise, they awaken (come to life?) in the morgue, the blood drying around their multiple, presumably fatal, bullet wounds. They flee, unsure what had happened but sure that their mother, Jason's girlfriend and Whit's wife, need to know they're alive. But staying dead may be more difficult than robbing banks for the brothers, as a second and third death await them.

It's tempting to try to label The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers as something other than a historical novel. It's certainly historical, no argument there, with sweeping and illustrative narrative describing the 1930s environment in which the Firefly brothers live (and die). Yet, from the way it is written (but not structured), there's a distinct impression that the author may also want the book to be considered more than just a literary exercise, to be more of, for lack of a better term, a thriller. Or, given its subject matter, an allegorical thriller. But it's paced far too slowly for a thriller and, somewhat paradoxically given how violent some of the scenes are, it's too light, almost playful, to generate any sustained suspense, even when it comes to the basic question of how and why the brothers are reborn, as it were. (To be fair, the publisher never characterizes the book as a thriller in any way, but as an "imaginative and spirited saga".)

There is the (initially clever) surreal immortality aspect of the principal characters and the parallels drawn between the time period of the story and that of today, but by the third death, the concept becomes derivative, pedestrian even. The book is ably written, to be sure, and the brothers are charming and charismatic characters, but in the end, the plot lacks focus and closure. Despite its interesting and provocative title, readers expecting a mystery, suspense or crime novel may well be disappointed.

Special thanks to Random House for providing a copy of The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers for this review.

Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): Jason and Whit Fireson are bank robbers known as the Firefly Brothers by the press, the authorities, and an adoring public that worships their acts as heroic counterpunches thrown at a broken system.

Now it appears they have at last met their end in a hail of bullets. Jason and Whit’s lovers—Darcy, a wealthy socialite, and Veronica, a hardened survivor—struggle between grief and an unyielding belief that the Firesons have survived. While they and the Firesons’ stunned mother and straight-arrow third son wade through conflicting police reports and press accounts, wild rumors spread that the bandits are still at large. Through it all, the Firefly Brothers remain as charismatic, unflappable, and as mythical as the American Dream itself, racing to find the women they love and make sense of a world in which all has come unmoored.

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Finalists Announced for the 2009 ForeWord Book of the Year Award

The finalists for ForeWord Magazine's 2009 Book of the Year Awards have been announced. The awards were established to bring increased attention from librarians and booksellers to the literary achievements of independent publishers and their authors. 60 categories are represented, including one for mystery. The finalists are:

◊ Death at Solstice by Lucha Corpi
◊ Deer Season by Aaron Stander
◊ Dixie Noir by Kirk Curnutt
◊ Every Boat Turns South by J. P. White
◊ Hard Stop by Chris Knopf
◊ In Their Blood by Sharon Potts
◊ Jump by Tim Maleeny
◊ Justice for All by Radclyffe
◊ Quiet Teacher by Arthur Rosenfeld
◊ Rupture by A. Scott Pearson
◊ The Big Wake-Up by Mark Coggins
◊ The Khan Dilemma by Ron Goodreau
◊ The Pier by Bill Noel
◊ Tower by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman
◊ Why Did You Die in the Park? by Patricia K. Batta
◊ Wrath by Robert Santora
◊ Wyatt's Revenge by H. Terrell Griffin

A complete list of all finalists is available here. The winners (gold, silver, bronze in each category) will be announced at BookExpo America on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010, in New York City.

indicates a review by Mysterious Reviews.

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Michael Connelly Sues Paramount for Inflated Costs associated with the Film Rights to the First Two Harry Bosch Novels

Sometimes film adaptations of mystery novels don't go quite as smoothly as all parties might like. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Michael Connelly is suing Paramount over excessive costs associated with the author's buy-back of the exclusive rights given to the studio for the first two books in his Harry Bosch series, The Black Echo and The Black Ice, originally published by Little, Brown (respectively) in 1992 and 1993.

According to the article, Paramount exclusively optioned the film rights in 1995 for a 15 year period, after which Connelly had the right to reacquire them for all out-of-pocket development costs if no films were made. None were, so when Connelly tried to do so this year, there was no documentation to support the amount of costs the studio claims were incurred.

Stay tuned.

About The Black Echo (from the publisher): For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal ... because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war.

Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam.

From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit. Pitted against enemies inside his own department and forced to make the agonizing choice between justice and vengeance, Bosch goes on the hunt for a killer whose true face will shock him.

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Mystery Book Review: Spade & Archer by Joe Gores

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Spade & Archer by Joe Gores. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Spade & Archer by Joe Gores
Non-series

Knopf (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-307-26464-5 (0307264645)
ISBN-13: 978-0-307-26464-0 (9780307264640)
Publication Date: February 2009
List Price: $24.00

Review: Joe Gores takes on the risky project of penning a prequel to The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett's mystery introducing Sam Spade, with Spade & Archer, chronicling some of the early cases of the famous private eye.

In 1921 -- some seven years before the events that take place in The Maltese Falcon -- Sam Spade resigns his position as a Seattle-based investigator for the Continental Detective Agency. Moving south to San Francisco, he sets up an independent agency as "Sam Spade, Esq.", which is quickly shortened to just "Sam Spade" after his new receptionist, Effie Perine, says it seems "more elegant". He's open to about any case, but no domestic matters. His buddy Sid Wise, a lawyer, is a source for new clients, and Spade hits his stride when a missing persons case is referred to him. Posing as a shipyard inspector, he's drawn into a separate case involving a fortune in stolen gold. The two cases are solved nearly simultaneously, setting him up for bigger and better (those are relative terms) things.

Spade & Archer reads a lot like a continuous series of short stories, with recurring characters and interlocking storylines. Gores seems to have captured the essence of Sam Spade exceptionally well; the rapid, clipped dialog pitch perfect. Discussing an early case with Effie, he says,

"[The police and the detectives] are thinking big and complicated. I'm thinking small and simple." He touched a finger to the tip of her nose. "Simple is always best, sweetheart."

The overall tone to the book isn't quite as dark and noir-ish as one might expect, the chapter titles deftly adding a light, entertaining touch, but it is certainly written in the style of Hammett and quite enjoyable. Fans of The Maltese Falcon and its author can rest assured that all due respect was paid to the original, and will not be disappointed with Spade & Archer.

Special thanks to Random House for providing a trade paperback edition (Vintage Crime, March 2010, 978-0-307-27706-0) of Spade & Archer for this review.

Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): It’s 1921—seven years before Sam Spade will solve the famous case of the Maltese Falcon. He’s just set up his own agency in San Francisco and he gets off to a quick start, working cases (he doesn’t do domestic) and hiring a bright young secretary named Effie Perrine. When he’s hired by a prominent San Francisco banker to find his missing son, Spade gets the break he’s been looking for. He spends the next few years dealing with booze runners, waterfront thugs, banking swindlers, gold smugglers, and bumbling cops. He brings in Miles Archer as a partner to help bolster the agency, though it was Archer who stole his girl while he was fighting in World War I. All along, Spade will tangle with an enigmatic villain who holds a long-standing grudge against Spade. And, of course, he’ll fall in love—though it won’t turn out for the best. It never does with dames.

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Cory Doctorow's Young Adult Thriller Little Brother Optioned for Film

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that AngryFilms producer Don Murphy (Transformers, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) has optioned the young adult political thriller Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (the title a play on Big Brother by George Orwell). The production company is currently seeking a director and screenwriter.

About Little Brother (from the publisher): Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works – and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.

But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days.

When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.

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Games of Mystery: The Lost Cases of 221B Baker St., New at Big Fish Games

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

Return to 221 Baker St. and play as the famous consulting detective Sherlock Holmes to solve 16 mysterious crimes in Victorian England. Dust off your magnifying glass and use your astute observational skills to gather evidence in 60 brilliantly rendered locations around Victorian England including Stonehenge, Marlsbury Castle, London's Music Hall and more!

Unlock vital clues by playing over 50 mind-bending puzzles and mini-games in each case, including anagrams, cryptograms, and more. Featuring over 40 levels of hidden object and find the difference gameplay. Interact with more than 100 lively characters including Watson, Mycroft, and Inspector Lestrade. Each clue leads you closer to catching the culprit in some of Holmes' toughest cases!

Also available: The Lost Cases of 221B Baker St. Game Walkthrough.

See also the previous game the series, The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes.

The Lost Cases of 221B Baker St. may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (237.66 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour.

Watch a preview video below:

Get any standard game for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. Other benefits include the $2.99 Daily Deal, Tomorrow's Game Today, and special member rewards. And if you purchase any 6 games within a single month, you earn a free game with the Big Fish Game Club Monthly Punch Card! (Collector's Editions earn 3 punches each, half-way towards your free game!)

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy (Review), 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: I, Alex Cross by James Patterson

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of I, Alex Cross by James Patterson. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
An Alex Cross Mystery

Little, Brown (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-316-01878-3 (0316018783)
ISBN-13: 978-0-316-01878-4 (9780316018784)
Publication Date: November 2009
List Price: $27.99

Review: Murder hits too close to home for famed detective Alex Cross as he returns in the 16th book in James Patterson’s Alex Cross series, I, Alex Cross.

Just as Alex is about to delve into a new and exciting time in his life, it seems as if everything instead is crashing down around him. First, Nana, one of the most beloved characters in the Alex Cross books, is fighting for her life as her frail heart battles against her overwhelming spirit. And, in between hospital visits, Alex must use his training as a psychologist, a detective and FBI agent to try and make sense of yet another killing spree in D.C. But this isn’t just another brutal murder, this time it involves one of his own – his estranged niece. Through investigating her death, he must come face to face with disturbing news about his niece and the illicit life she chose that led to her untimely murder. What’s more alarming is the powerful political ring that appears to be interwoven amidst murder, sex and betrayal. As the facts become clearer, Alex must tread carefully as he investigates the most powerful people in America.

Quantity or quality? This is the question that comes to mind while reading yet another James Patterson novel. James Patterson has definite talent for writing and his storylines are creative and timely – this cannot be denied. Having read nearly every James Patterson novel, and certainly every Alex Cross novel, it can be concluded though that as time goes on, James Patterson seems to be emphasizing quantity over quality. Having published a total of nine novels in 2009 alone, James Patterson is certainly in the forefront of suspense writers today. However, as a result, is the quality being sacrificed? Most definitely. James Patterson will always be a favorite author, and the Alex Cross series will always be a good solid read, however, the last few novels pale in comparison to the earlier titles such as Along Came a Spider. Certainly the two colliding stories in I, Alex Cross are interesting. Readers are fully committed to Nana, and her death would be felt by millions. Plus Alex’s countless love interests throughout the series have the reader celebrating now that he appears to have found happiness. But the logistics of solving a multiple murder and being at the hospital every available moment treads on the unrealistic. The reader wants to believe, “Well it’s Alex Cross – of course he can manage to be everywhere he needs to be, even if it rips him apart.” But, sometimes it just doesn’t seem believable. Nonetheless, I, Alex Cross is one of those books that keeps readers up at night to finish it in a hurry. The reader is anxiously awaiting the news about Nana’s health, and although the identity of Zeus (the sadistic killer) is evident relatively early on in the book, the reader is left excited to find out how he can possibly bring down a person of such power and influence. So, aside from the fact that I, Alex Cross does not meet the standards of James Patterson’s earlier novels in the series, it is still quite an enjoyable one-day read.

Special thanks to Margo Nauert for contributing her review of I, Alex Cross and to for providing of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2010 — Margo Nauert — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): Detective Alex Cross is pulled out of a family celebration and given the awful news that a beloved relative has been found brutally murdered. Alex vows to hunt down the killer, and soon learns that she was mixed up in one of Washington's wildest scenes. And she was not this killer's only victim.

The hunt for her murderer leads Alex and his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, to a place where every fantasy is possible, if you have the credentials to get in. Alex and Bree are soon facing down some very important, very protected, very dangerous people in levels of society where only one thing is certain -- they will do anything to keep their secrets safe.

As Alex closes in on the killer, he discovers evidence that points to the unimaginable -- a revelation that could rock the entire world.

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Mysteries on TV: The Prisoner Mini-series, 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 a mini-series being released on DVD this week.

— ◊ —

Last November, AMC presented The Prisoner, a 6-part miniseries, a reinterpretation of the British 1960s cult hit that starred Patrick McGoohan as a man confined within a mysterious village.

In this new version, Jim Caviezel stars as Six (McGoohan's character), who finds himself inexplicably trapped in The Village with no memory of how he arrived. As he explores his environment, he discovers that his fellow inhabitants are identified by number instead of name, have no memory of any prior existence, and are under constant surveillance. Not knowing whom to trust, Six is driven by the need to discover the truth behind The Village, the reason for his being there, and most importantly -- how he can escape.

Ian McKellen stars as Two, the enigmatic man who seems to run The Village.

The The Prisoner: The Complete Miniseries DVD set of 3 discs contain the 6 episodes (each running about 50 minutes) that aired on AMC over three consecutive nights, from November 15th through 17th, 2009.

— ◊ —

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

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Warner Bros. To Film Live Action Adaptation of Bleach Manga

The Hollywood Reporter blog Heat Vision is reporting that Warner Bros. is planning a live-action film adaptation of the Bleach (ブリーチ) manga by Tite Kubo. Since first appearing in August 2001, Bleach has been continuously serialized, and the source for an animated television series, several feature films, even video games.

The manga have been collected as graphic novels in English, the most recent of which, Bleach Volume 30, was published earlier this month.

About Bleach (from the publisher): Hot-tempered 15-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki has the unsettling ability to see spirits who are unable to rest in peace. His sixth sense leads him to Rukia, a Soul Reaper who destroys Hollows (soul-devouring monsters) and ensures the deceased find repose with the Soul Society. When she's injured in battle, Rukia transfers her sword and much of her power to Ichigo, whose spiritual energy makes him a formidable substitute Soul Reaper. But the orange-haired teenager isn't sure he wants the job: too many risks and moral dilemmas.

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for March 22, 2010

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:

D E F H I N O T W

La sombra del viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a Spanish language thriller, is translated as The Shadow … (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: Freeze Frame by Peter May

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

Freeze Frame by Peter May
An Enzo Macleod Mystery

Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-694-8 (1590586948)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-694-5 (9781590586945)
Publication Date: March 2010
List Price: $24.95

Review: Forensic scientist Enzo Macleod tackles the fourth of seven unsolved, cold case crimes when he travels to the Ile de Groix off the coast of Brittany, France, in Freeze Frame, the 4th mystery in this series by Peter May.

Adam Killian was murdered twenty years ago at his home on the island. Stricken with lung cancer, he only had a few weeks to live anyway. But before his death he called his daughter-in-law on the mainland, pleading with her that if he should die before his son, her husband, returned from a trip to Africa, that she preserve his study exactly as it was at the time of his death, that he would know what to do. In an a cruel twist of fate, Killian's son was killed in an accident returning to France. His wife, Jane, honored her father-in-law's wishes and sealed the room. At the time, the police investigating his murder botched the case against their prime suspect, the jury ultimately delivering a not guilty verdict ... though everyone on the island seems to think he was guilty. Jane wants to sell the house but allows Enzo the opportunity one last chance to do what no one else has been able: to solve the murder of Adam Killian.

Freeze Frame is, to put it simply, an outstanding mystery, coupling the best aspects of a whodunit with those of a investigative procedural, a "little island mystery" as one of the residents puts it. The first few chapters serve as a historical amuse bouche, whetting the reader's appetite for the remarkable tale that follows. Here's a passage when Enzo first enters the room where Killian was killed:

He felt a strange thrill of anticipation, all his instincts on suddenly heightened alert. Here was the room where Killian had died. The room in which he had somehow created a message for his son, a message that the young man had never seen, and which had never been deciphered by anyone since. He laid his overnight bag down in the hall, and took three steps back in time to an early fall night in September, 1990.

The puzzle is intricate, the investigation and observational deductive reasoning by Enzo flawless.

The only minor drawback to the book is a subplot involving Enzo and his on-again / off-again relationship with Charlotte, who unexpectedly shows up on the island with "news". Though it weighs the story down, it fortunately doesn't consume too many pages, allowing Enzo (and the reader) to get back to solving this cold case, possibly the best of the series to date.

Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of Freeze Frame for this review.

Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): A promise made to a dying man leads forensics ace Enzo Macleod, a Scot who's been teaching in France for many years, to the study which the man's heir has preserved for nearly twenty years. The dead man left several clues there designed to reveal the killer's identity to the man's son, but ironically the son died soon after the father. So begins the fourth of seven cold cases written up in a bestselling book by Parisian journalist Roger Raffin that Enzo rashly boasted he could solve (he's been successful with the first three). It takes Enzo to a tiny island off the coast of Brittany in France, where he must confront the hostility of locals who have no desire to see the infamous murder back in the headlines. An attractive widow, a man charged but acquitted of the murder -- but still the viable suspect, a crime scene frozen in time, a dangerous hell hole by the cliffs, and a collection of impenetrable messages, make this one of Enzo's most difficult cases.

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Mystery Book Review: Vienna Secrets by Frank Tallis

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

Vienna Secrets by Frank Tallis
A Max Liebermann Mystery

Random House (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-8129-8099-9 (0812980999)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8129-8099-8 (9780812980998)
Publication Date: February 2010
List Price: $15.00

Review: Psychologist Max Liebermann is called upon to assist in the investigation of the brutal murder of a monk in Vienna Secrets, the fourth mystery in this series by Frank Tallis.

Brother Stanislav of the Piarist Order is found decapitated, his head seemingly twisted from his body. Detective Oskar Rheinhardt can hardly believe a single man could have had the strength to do such a thing. Even two men. But soon thereafter another body is found, a Catholic priest, killed in the same manner. Both men had been outspoken critics of Jews, likening them to a plague in the city. With their bodies found adjacent to a Plague Column, erected throughout the city to celebrate the end of the epidemic plague in the 17th century, the symbolism couldn't be more obvious. Are their murders the work of a Jewish sect out for revenge?

This supposition is quickly proved invalid, or at least unlikely, when the body of a rabbi is found, his head also placed near a plague column. Maybe someone is trying to start a religious war in Vienna, striving to get each side to blame the other -- but to what end? Some, however, think it is the work of the devil himself. Liebermann and Rheinhardt follow leads from one end of Vienna to the other in an attempt to solve these gruesome crimes.

Vienna Secrets takes place in 1903 at a time when dissention between Christians and Jews was very real in Vienna. The historical aspect to the story together with detailed descriptions of the cultural life in the city at that time lend a credible backdrop to the murder mystery, so much so that it's hard to separate fact from fiction. Max Liebermann is an interesting, conflicted character: a non-practicing Jew but also a physician, trained to heal the physically ailing, but now practicing the study of the mind. This solidly plotted historical mystery is a strong entry in this series.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Vienna Secrets and to Random House for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): In Freud’s dangerous, dazzling Vienna of 1903, an ingenious doctor and an intrepid detective again challenge psychotic criminals across a landscape teetering between the sophisticated and the savage, the thrilling future and the primitive past.

On opposite sides of the city, two men are found beheaded on church grounds. Detective Inspector Oskar Reinhardt is baffled. Could the killer be mentally ill, someone the victims came into contact with? Some are even blaming the murders on the devil. But when psychoanalyst Dr. Max Liebermann learns that both victims were vocal members of a shadowy anti-Semitic group, he turns his gaze to the city’s close-knit Hasidic community. The doctor is drawn into an urban underworld that hosts and hides virulent racists on one side and followers of kabbalah on the other. And as the evidence—and bodies—pile up, Liebermann must reconsider his own path, the one that led him away from the miraculous and toward a life of the mind.

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Games of Mystery: Millennium Secrets Emerald Curse, New from Big Fish Games

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

Kate McCormick receives a call from her old friend Archibald Jones, a professor who’s an expert in ancient civilizations. He asks her to retrieve a very important briefcase from a secret location in New York City and deliver it to the authorities, but before he can explain further, Kate hears voices and then the call ends abruptly.

Confused by this strange call, Kate begins her investigation that will take her to New York, Barcelona, the Bahamas and Mexico, with transfers to the ancient Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan. Kate’s adventure will be difficult and dangerous. She will face a mysterious organization, and during her quest she will uncover one of the ancient secrets of the Aztec Empire.

Millennium Secrets: Emerald Curse is the first in what is expected to be a series of detective games in this franchise.

Also available: Millennium Secrets: Emerald Curse Strategy Guide and a Millennium Secrets: Emerald Curse Game Walkthrough.

Millennium Secrets: Emerald Curse may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (133.50 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour.

Watch a preview video below:

Get any standard game for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. Other benefits include the $2.99 Daily Deal, Tomorrow's Game Today, and special member rewards. And if you purchase any 6 games within a single month, you earn a free game with the Big Fish Game Club Monthly Punch Card! (Collector's Editions earn 3 punches each, half-way towards your free game!)

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy (Review), 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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