eHarlequin Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense Titles for May 2010

eHarlequin.com has released the May 2010 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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Covert Pursuit by Terri Reed

Boston homicide detective Angie Carlucci thought she was getting a much-needed vacation. But her Florida Keys holiday is interrupted when she sees someone dump a body bag in the ocean. In the tangle between arms dealers and treasure hunters, she's the only witness—and the main target. Unless a certain boat captain can keep her safe …

A pretty cop complicating his mission—and endangering his cover—is the last thing federal agent Jason Bodwell needs. Yet the more Jason and Angie work together, the closer they grow. Jason's willing to risk his life to solve the case … what will he risk for love?

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Dead Ringer by Sharon Dunn

Facts about the Mountain Springs Serial Killer:

• He targets women with long dark hair and blue eyes.

• He finds his victims through an online dating service.

• He's about to strike again.

When a distress call sends Detective Eli Hawkins to Lucy Kimbol, he senses danger straightaway. With her long dark hair and beautiful blue eyes, Lucy's a dead ringer for the local killer's other victims. And she is a member of the online dating service the killer frequents. But with her painful past, Lucy is reluctant to believe Eli's warnings. Winning her trust is the only way to keep her safe … if Eli is not already too late.

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Fatal Secrets by Barbara Phinney

"For my baby's safety, I must give her up …"

An old letter is all Kristin Perry has of her birth mother. When the Witness Protection Program couldn't keep mother or daughter safe, the woman fled "underground." With the help of private investigator Zane Black, Kristin tries to track her down. Instead, though, she finds herself the target of a series of deadly "accidents." Zane's still searching for her missing mother—but now Kristin's starting to wonder if her family reunion will be the death of them all …

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Secret Agent Father by Laura Scott

He has a son?

Although he's never met the boy who arrives on his doorstep, undercover DEA agent Alex McCade can't deny the truth. The four-year-old is his child, and—like father, like son—little Cody has landed himself in the middle of a dangerous situation. Shelby Jacobson, Cody's aunt, tells Alex that Cody is the only one who can identify his mother's killer. So now the killer is after them both. With his newfound family in danger, Alex will do anything to keep Cody—and Cody's beautiful aunt—safely by his side.

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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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Today's Featured Free Kindle Mystery: The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross

Kindle Mysteries is pleased to feature a mystery title that is currently available in Kindle eBook format for free from Amazon.com. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price, so download it today!

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The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross
A Ty Hauck Mystery (1st in series)
William Morrow (Kindle eBook)
Download Link

About The Dark Tide (from the publisher): An explosion rips through New York City's Grand Central Station one morning, destroying the train Karen Friedman's husband, a successful hedge fund manager, is riding in to work. Days later, with many bodies still unidentifiable, Karen resigns herself to the awful truth: her husband of eighteen years is dead.

On that same day, a suspicious hit-and-run accident leaves a young man dead in Karen's hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut. Ty Hauck, a detective, becomes emotionally caught up in the case and finds a clue that shockingly connects the two seemingly unrelated events.

Months later, two men show up at Karen's home digging into Charles's business dealings. Hundreds of millions of dollars are missing -- and the trail points squarely to Charles. With doubt suddenly cast on everything she has ever known, Karen, with Hauck, steps into a widening storm of hedge fund losses, international scams, and murder. And as the investigations converge, these two strangers touched by tragedy are pulled into a deepening relationship and unwittingly open the door to a twisted -- and deadly -- conspiracy.

Read our Review of The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross at Mysterious Reviews.

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Mystery Book Review: Without Mercy by Lisa Jackson

Without Mercy
by Lisa Jackson
Non-series

Kensington (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-7582-2564-4 (0758225644)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-2564-1 (9780758225641)
Publication Date: April 2010
List Price: $25.00

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Review: A school where students are inexplicably dying is the setting for Lisa Jackson's latest terrifying stand-alone thriller, Without Mercy.

Julia "Jules" Farentino has just been laid off from her job as a school teacher due to cutbacks. She's taken a job as a waitress until she can line up more suitable employment. She suffers from migraines and nightmares, not only because of her current situation, but from a miserable, traumatic childhood. Her mother married Rip Delaney, her father, twice, but in-between wed Max Stillman, which resulted in a half-sister for Jules, Shaylee. During her mother's second marriage to her father, Rip was murdered when Jules was a teenager and Shay just 12-years-old; his killer was never caught. The two girls dealt with it differently, Jules by internalizing and Shay by turning to a live of juvenile crime.

Now 17, Shay is still in trouble. In a final effort to try to straighten her out, and keep her out of jail, the girls' mother enrolls Shay in the Blue Rock Academy, an elite boarding school known for turning wayward kids around. Not surprisingly, Shay hates it there, and even though there's no love lost between the sisters, she secretly calls Jules and begs her to get her out. Jules reads up on the academy and learns it has an excellent reputation ... yet a few months back a student disappeared, and quite recently a teacher was fired for having an inappropriate relationship with another student. The position to replace the teacher is still open, and Jules applies, and is immediately hired. Hoping Shay won't reveal their true relationship, Jules goes undercover at the school in an attempt to discover the truth behind the events at the academy.

Jackson does a fine job in creating memorable characters in Without Mercy, the students particularly well drawn. The setting is appropriately atmospheric, and though the overused plot device of having a violent storm bear down on the campus, preventing anyone from leaving, is a little contrived, it is effectively used. The book itself could probably have been trimmed by 100 pages or so without any loss of continuity, it tends to be a little wordy in places, but this is a minor criticism as the unexpected twists in the plot as it develops help maintain the tension and suspense. And the identities of those at the academy who can be trusted -- and those who cannot -- come as a surprise. Overall, Without Mercy is an alternately captivating and frightening -- and sometimes frighteningly captivating -- thriller and is recommended.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Without Mercy and to Joan Schulhafer Publishing and Media Consulting for providing a copy of the book for this review.

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

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Synopsis (from the publisher): Ever since her father was stabbed to death in a home invasion, Julia “Jules” Farentino has been plagued by nightmares. Her half-sister, Shaylee, now seventeen, has had her own difficulties since the tragedy, earning a rap sheet for drug use, theft, and vandalism. Still, when Jules learns of her mother’s decision to send Shay to an elite boarding school in Oregon, she’s skeptical. Blue Rock Academy has a reputation for turning wayward kids around — but one of its students went missing a few months earlier and her body has never been found.

On impulse, Jules applies for a teaching job at the Academy. Shortly before Jules arrives, a student is found hanged, another near death, and a hysterical Shay believes it’s murder. Then another girl is found dead. There’s no doubt something sinister is at hand. And Jules has become the next target of a bloodthirsty killer without limits, without remorse, without mercy …

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Mysterious Reviews is your source for the latest mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime novel reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

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Warner Bros. Acquires Film Rights to the Swedish Thriller Snabba Cash by Jens Lapidus

The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog is reporting that Warner Bros. has acquired the remake rights for Zac Efron to produce and star in an adaptation of the Swedish language thriller Snabba Cash by Jens Lapidus. Translated into English as "Fast Cash" or "Easy Cash" or possibly "Quick Cash", the novel was originally published in 2006 and is the first in a trilogy by the author collectively known as Swedish Noir; it was made into a Swedish language film that was released earlier this year.

The plot follows three men with interconnected stories: JW, a guy who lies about his background as he sells cocaine to upper class guys; Jorge, who escapes from prison and goes about looking for revenge against those that framed him; and Mrado, a fearsome gang leader. Their lives cross in a fateful way that can only end in a battle of life and death. The road runs through the finest salons in Östermalm, through prisons and the most powerful criminal gangs, the dirty suburban brothels where girls are being held -- in short, through a living hell. And why? For fast cash!

About Snabba Cash (from the publisher, in Swedish): Snabba cash är en spänningsroman för 2000-talet, en skildring av samhällets mörka sida där känslokalla psykopater som saknar spärrar styr. Med ett rättframt språk och imponerande berättardriv skildrar Jens Lapidus brottets obönhörliga logik mitt ibland oss. På Stureplan, i Sollentuna, i villaförorterna. Det är en bild av Sverige som anas i medierna, men som vi inte riktigt vill kännas vid.

JW är stureplanskillen som säljer kokain på de hetaste inneställena. Överklasskillarna han hänger med anar inte att han är en uppkomling som ljuger om sin bakgrund. Han vill vara som dom.

Jorge är latinon som kan allt om koks och som går i land med en osannolikt tjusig rymning från Österåkeranstalten. Väl ute planerar han en grym hämnd mot dem som satte dit honom, juggemaffian med Radovan i spetsen.

Mrado är underhuggare till Radovan. Tidigare var han en av krigsförbrytaren Arkans fruktade pojkar. Det enda han kan: att tortera och plåga utan hänsyn.

Dessa tre mäns vägar korsas på ett ödesdigert sätt som bara kan sluta i en kamp om liv och död. Vägen dit går genom de finaste salongerna på Östermalm, genom fängelser och de tyngsta kriminella gängen, genom skitiga förortsbordeller där flickor hålls fångna, ja, kort sagt, genom ett helvete. Och varför? För snabba cash!

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Sony's Columbia Pictures Acquires English Language Film Rights to The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson

Last December we reported that Sony's Columbia Pictures was in discussions to option the English language film rights to the Millennium Trilogy of thrillers by Stieg Larsson. Today, in a press release, the studio made it official.

Yellow Bird AB produced the Swedish language films based on the three books in the series: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Yellow Bird CEO Mikael Wallen said the US versions will be produced by Scott Rudin, whose credits include the Academy Award-winning No Country for Old Men while Schindler's List scriptwriter Steve Zaillian will adapt the books for the big screen. Wallen added that the script should be finished "before the summer" and will change some parts of Larsson's story, but remain based in Sweden.

According to the press release, no director has been selected, yet news reports from a couple of weeks ago indicate that David Fincher (The Game, Panic Room) had been confirmed as the director. Another discrepancy surrounds filming of the script, which previous reports suggest would begin in the fall but the press release states early next year.

About The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (from the publisher): A spellbinding amalgam of murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue.

It’s about the disappearance forty years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden ... and about her octogenarian uncle, determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder.

It’s about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet’s disappearance ... and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age—and a terrifying capacity for ruthlessness to go with it—who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism—and an unexpected connection between themselves.

Read our review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

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The 2010 Spotted Owl Award Winner is Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Alan Bradley has been named by the Friends of Mystery as the winner of 2010 Spotted Owl Award for his debut novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. The mystery, set in 1950’s Britain, is the first in a series featuring young Flavia de Luce as the protagonist. It's a popular choice, having won this year's Dilys Award and nominated for an Agatha Award and a Macavity Award. It previously won the 2007 Debut Dagger Award for an unpublished manuscript.

The Spotted Owl Award winner is chosen by a volunteer committee of Friends of Mystery members from a list of nominee mysteries, the authors of which must reside in the Pacific Northwest. A total of 72 books were considered for this year's award.

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eHarlequin Silhouette Romantic Suspense Titles for May 2010

Sparked by danger, fueled by passion, eHarlequin.com has released the May 2010 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! For more information or to purchase any of the books below, click on the book title or book cover. (Previous months titles can be found on the backlist page.)

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Memory of Murder by Kathleen Creighton

Is my father a murderer?

Caring for a mother with Alzheimer's was heartbreaking enough for Lindsey Merrill. But when her mother made bizarre but adamant claims that Lindsey's loving father was a killer, it was too much to bear. So she turned to detective Alan Cameron for guidance. Before long, the single dad's soothing reassurances morphed into a smoldering attraction …

Evidence quickly mounted that all was not as it seemed in the Merrill family. As a professional, Alan was obliged to pursue the case—as a man, he had to shield this special woman from pain. Would his shocking discovery break her heart just as he was making it his very own?

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The Medusa Proposition by Cindy Dees

Reporter Paige Ellis and billionaire Tom Rowe are bound to cross paths at the economic summit on the island of Beau Mer. But the sparks flying between them are off the charts. And then there's the body that washes ashore, forcing them to work together to catch a killer who's turned his sights on Tom.

As a member of the all-female Medusa squad, Paige is put into service as Tom's temporary bodyguard. Apparently the U.S. government finds his body as important as she does enticing … and infuriating. But Tom, whose Special Forces past hides just beneath his expensive suits, will prove to be the Medusa's equal under fire … and irresistible at close range.

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The Sheik's Command by Loreth Anne White

Aid worker Nikki Hunt only wanted to ask Sheik Zakir Al Arif for safe passage across his war-torn country. She never expected to be taken prisoner by the handsome, secretive sheik. Or to be attracted by the lust his dark stare set off in her—a lust as hot as the Sahara.

Desperate to thwart a coup, Zakir was forced to hold the beautiful stranger captive—though what he really wanted was to take her to his bed. In close quarters, Nikki and Zakir succumbed to their explosive desire—until an enemy within forced an act of betrayal that could tear them apart forever …

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Meltdown by Gail Barrett

"I'm in this thing until I decide I'm out. You got that?"

With terrorists hot on her heels, nuclear chemist Zoe Wilkinson races to elude capture. The last person she expects help from is her ex-boyfriend Cooper Kennedy. But when their plane crashes, stranding them in the desert, the stifling heat pales in comparison to the scorching desire Zoe still feels …

On undercover assignment for the navy, Coop can't believe the woman who ruined his life is back. Zoe's always been trouble. And nothing's changed—not even the consuming lust she sets off in him. But when Zoe's kidnapped, Coop must race against the clock to protect the woman he loves.

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Mystery Book Review: Sham Rock by Ralph McInerny

Sham Rock
by Ralph McInerny
A University of Notre Dame Mystery

St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-312-58265-X (031258265X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-58265-4 (9780312582654)
Publication Date: April 2010
List Price: $24.99

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Review: The circumstances surrounding the disappearance 20 years earlier of a Notre Dame student attract the attention of Professor Roger Knight and his brother Philip, a retired private investigator, in Sham Rock, the 13th mystery in this series by the late Ralph McInerny.

At the height of the financial bubble prior to 2009, investment banker David Williams pledged millions to fund the Williams Center for Ethics on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Now, a year later and nearly broke, he returns to the university from which he graduated to inform the officials that his donation would be delayed. Separately, a former classmate of David's and once a close friend, Patrick Pelligrino, who is now a monk at a Trappist monastery in Kentucky, donates a lifetime of papers to the university archives. Included among these papers is a cryptic note that suggests David may have been involved in the disappearance of another classmate, Timothy Quinn, the third of the so-called "trinity" of friends, who left the campus while a student and was never seen again. Roger and Philip Knight are intrigued by the puzzle presented and set out to determine if there is any truth to the allegation that David Williams may have gotten away with murder so many years ago.

Sham Rock is not a typical mystery. About three-quarters of the book, the first 200 pages, is basically a setup to a murder that finally takes place and is resolved in the final 70 pages. To be sure, there is a lot of credible misdirection in the plot, which would seem to involve whether Timothy Quinn was killed or not and whether David Williams was involved or not. But it's clear from the various subplots that something else is going on. And there is some appeal, from a mystery reader's perspective, to not knowing exactly where the story is going. Yet the resolution is not all that satisfying. One would think that given the length of time spent on setting up the murder, the outcome would have more punch. Fans of the series will no doubt enjoy what is likely to be its final entry, but newcomers expecting more of a traditional mystery may be disappointed in Sham Rock.

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

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

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Synopsis (from the publisher): The University of Notre Dame relies on Roger Knight, the rotund professor of Catholic Studies, and his brother Philip, a semiretired PI, to investigate certain delicate situations that could put the school in a bad light. Students, faculty, and alumni, like David Williams, are all fair game.

Having been a successful financial adviser until recently, David has returned to campus to renege on a pledged donation to the university’s ethics program. While he’s there, one of his former classmates sends a letter confessing to the murder and a secret burial of one of their closest friends, a student who had gone missing decades before and was never found. As students, David, Patrick, and Timothy made up the “Trinity,” an irreverent nickname for three close friends and fierce rivals -- be it for on-campus prestige or the affections of a beautiful St. Mary’s student from across the road.

Ready to help the school put the whole sordid tragedy behind them, Roger and Philip set about the sad task of unearthing Timothy’s body, only to find that they have a much bigger mystery with which to contend.

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Mysterious Reviews is your source for the latest mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime novel reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

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Film Adaptation of Mystery Adventure Game The Last Express may be in Development

The folks over at /Film have speculated that Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers), who said in an interview that he was "working on a movie now that is … situated in 1914, basically, Indiana Jones-ish you could say, but also Hitchcockian" and adapted from another medium, may be working on a film adaptation of the video game The Last Express.

Released in 1997, the storyline in the game is thought to be loosely based on Alfred Hitchcock's 1938 film The Lady Vanishes. The artwork and characters are drawn in an art nouveau style, and the setting is the Orient Express, both of which evoke Agatha Christie. Unfortunately, the game received very little marketing at the time as the publisher was acquired by another company and its game division shut down.

More information about the game can be found on designer Jordan Mechner's website.

About The Last Express (from the publisher): Paris, 1914. The world is on the brink of war and your life is about to change forever.

You are Robert Cath, a young American who is urgently summoned by his friend Tyler Whitney to join him on the train departing the Gare de l'Est, Paris, 24 July for Constantinople.

Arriving late, you are overcome with the heavy feeling of danger. Something has gone terribly wrong. Before you can grab hold of your senses, the adventure overtakes you, and you are plunged into a world of suspense, romance, international intrigue, and murder.

The Last Express allows you to move freely through the rich and detailed 3D environment of the world's most luxurious train, circa 1914, during its final European crossing prior to the outbreak of WWI.

Gameplay involves interacting with characters, exploring objects, engaging in action sequences and uncovering multiple story threads -- with your perspective shifting from 1st person to 3rd person for maximum dramatic effect.

The fluid, constantly-changing way the other characters react to you -- and the fact that the train moves relentlessly onward -- creates a sense of real-time suspense and unpredictability beyond that of a traditional adventure game.

Information gained is used to piece together a series of interrelated puzzles which advance you through the story. If you are clever enough, you ultimately discover the shocking secrets of The Last Express ... before it's too late!

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Games of Mystery: Art of Murder, Hunt for the Puppeteer, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery casual game from Big Fish Games released today and available to BFG Club members. 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.

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Nicole Bonnet is a young, but experienced, FBI agent following a series of mysterious and brutal murders. This time she has to face new challenges and solve another dark mystery that will take her to two continents –- from France and Spain to exotic Cuba. Her investigation requires courage, devotion and logical thinking. Find out why the perpetrator leaves mysterious dolls in 18th century costumes by the corpses of the murdered people. Determine what connects the victims, seemingly chosen by random, and discover this ruthless killer's motive. This point-and-click adventure game is full of intricate intrigue, interesting characters, absorbing dialog, and complicated puzzles.

See also the previous game in this series, Art of Murder: FBI Confidential.

Art of Murder: Hunt for the Puppeteer may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (256.47 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour; the full version is 1.87 GB.

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

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Games of Mystery is your source for mystery-themed video, electronic, and board games, parties for kids and adults, and murder mystery weekends and mystery getaway vacations!

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Disney's The Great Mouse Detective, Restored and Remastered, New on DVD Today

Available today is the newly restored, digitally remastered special edition of the 1986 Disney classic The Great Mouse Detective. Subtitled the "Mystery in the Mist Edition", the storyline borrows heavily from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and is based on Eve Titus's book Basil of Baker Street.

Bonus features on this DVD include a new "So You Think You Can Sleuth?" game, "The Making of The Great Mouse Detective", "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" sing-along song, and more!

About The Great Mouse Detective (from the studio): From the creators of The Princess and the Frog and The Little Mermaid comes the story of a clever little hero on a great big adventure. Join the Sherlock Holmes of Mousedom on a heroic journey unraveling clues through London. If you like Sherlock Holmes, you'll love The Great Mouse Detective. When the diabolical Professor Ratigan kidnaps the city's master toymaker, the brilliant Basil of Baker Street and his trusted sidekick Dawson set off to track down Basil's lifelong nemesis. Little do they know that the evil rat's trail leads all the way to The Queen at Buckingham Palace! Get on the case with Basil, the master of disguise, as he tries to elude the ultimate rattrap and foil the perfect crime.

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David Suchet Wants to Complete Filming Hercule Poirot Adaptations, but on His Own Terms

In a press release today, David Suchet stated that he wants to star in additional film adaptations of Hercule Poirot stories ... but on his own terms.

He said: "I only have six more stories to do and that will be the complete works of Hercule Poirot. I'm desperate to do it, while God gives me life."

But he added: "I'd probably say no if they asked me to film the final six on a limited budget."

Hercule Poirot appeared in 33 novels and 51 short stories by Agatha Christie from 1920 to 1975, and David Suchet has starred in the television adaptations since 1989 of all but six. To many people, he is Hercule Poirot.

Suchet also revealed that "[t]he word is, unofficially, some scripts may be in development. I'd like to think that over the next 18 months we could do six films and then I think he should hang up his spats. When he does I'll have two reactions. Thrilled to have achieved that -- a complete works of such an iconic literary figure. Then devastated, as it will be a death."

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NBC Orders Law & Order: Los Angeles for Fall 2010 Season

Deadline.com is reporting that NBC is not only leaning towards renewing Law & Order for a record-setting 21st season (with some financial help from TNT), but that the network has also picked up a 13-episode order for yet another spin-off of the series, Law & Order: Los Angeles. Brotherhood creator Blake Masters is on board to write the new series with creator Dick Wolf, to be set in (probably obviously) Los Angeles.

In addition, according to the article, Law & Order: SVU has been cleared for a 12th season, which, together with Law & Order: Criminal Intent on USA Network, will mean Wolf will have four Law & Order series on the air at the same time (and maybe five, if one counts Law & Order: UK).

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Ridley Scott to Produce Mini-Series Adaptation of Pompeii by Robert Harris

The Guardian is reporting that Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Body of Lies) is on board to produce a 4-hour mini-series adaptation of Pompeii by Robert Harris. Harris is the author of the thriller The Ghost, which was adapted into the recently released film The Ghost Writer starring Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor.

Scott described Pompeii as "a strong and compelling character drama set against a backdrop of a flourishing but ultimately doomed civilisation – exactly what makes great event television."

About Pompeii: All along the Mediterranean coast, the Roman empire's richest citizens are relaxing in their luxurious villas, enjoying the last days of summer. The world's largest navy lies peacefully at anchor in Misenum. The tourists are spending their money in the seaside resorts of Baiae, Herculaneum, and Pompeii.

But the carefree lifestyle and gorgeous weather belie an impending cataclysm, and only one man is worried. The young engineer Marcus Attilius Primus has just taken charge of the Aqua Augusta, the enormous aqueduct that brings fresh water to a quarter of a million people in nine towns around the Bay of Naples. His predecessor has disappeared. Springs are failing for the first time in generations. And now there is a crisis on the Augusta's sixty-mile main line -- somewhere to the north of Pompeii, on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.

Attilius -- decent, practical, and incorruptible -- promises Pliny, the famous scholar who commands the navy, that he can repair the aqueduct before the reservoir runs dry. His plan is to travel to Pompeii and put together an expedition, then head out to the place where he believes the fault lies. But Pompeii proves to be a corrupt and violent town, and Attilius soon discovers that there are powerful forces at work -- both natural and man-made -- threatening to destroy him.

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Crippen and Landru Announces Its Newest Short Story Collection, Appleby Talks About Crime by Michael Innes

Specialty mystery publisher Cripper and Landru notified us today that its latest collection of short stories, Appleby Talks About Crime by Michael Innes, is now available.

Under the pseudonym of Michael Innes, Oxford don John Innes Macintosh Stewart (1906-1994) was a dominant figure in the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, when the mystery story was an elegant and witty entertainment, when all the clues were given so that the reader (if quick-witted enough) could reach the solution at the same time as the detective.

Innes’s sleuth, Inspector Appleby (later, Sir John Appleby, Commissioner of Scotland Yard), who first appeared in 1936, is sophisticated and educated, just as capable of making an obscure allusion to an English poet as he was to read the clues left by the criminal. The cases Appleby investigates are often convoluted but with a touch of the fantastic, set often in the aristocratic world of country estates and gentleman’s clubs.

Appleby Talks About Crime includes 18 previously uncollected stories, often told by Appleby himself to the six-member Mystery Club, and all have the marvelous gloss of superb storyteller. The book includes an introduction by the editor, an essay on Appleby by Michael Innes, a reminiscence of her father by Dr. Margaret Macintosh Harrison, and a complete list of all the Appleby short stories. It is edited by John Cooper, who has previously compiled collections by Michael Gilbert and Julian Symons.

Two editions of the book are available: Appleby Talks About Crime (Hardcover) and Appleby Talks About Crime (Trade Paperback).

And a quick look at what's ahead for the publisher: The Columbo Collection, 12 original stories by William Link, the co-creator of Lietuenant Columbo, is currently in press and should be available next month!

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