Adaptation of The Front by Patricia Cornwell Premieres This Saturday on Lifetime

This Saturday, April 17th at 9 PM (ET/PT), Lifetime presents the premiere of its made-for-television movie adaptation of The Front by Patricia Cornwell. The film stars Andie MacDowell as Massachusetts District Attorney Monique "Money" Lamont and Daniel Sunjata as State Police Officer Win Garano, who reopen the investigation of the brutal, decades-old murder of a young blind woman in an effort to generate much-needed publicity for Lamont's political aspirations.

The Front is a sequel to At Risk, an adaptation of which premiered last Saturday, and which will air as an encore presentation on Saturday at 7 PM (ET/PT).

Watch a preview of both films following the synopsis of The Front below.

About The Front (from the publisher): District Attorney Monique Lamont, a hard-charging woman with powerful ambitions and a troubling willingness to cut corners, has a special job for Massachusetts state investigator Win Garano. As part of a new public relations campaign about the dangers of declining neighborhoods, she’s sending him to Watertown to “come up with a drama,” and she thinks she knows just the case that will serve. Garano is very skeptical, because he knows that Watertown is also the home base for a loose association of municipal police departments called the "Front", set up in order that they don’t have to be so dependent on the state—much to Lamont’s anger. He senses a much deeper agenda here—but he has no idea just how deep it goes. In the days that follow, he’ll find that Lamont’s task, and the places it leads him, will resemble a house of mirrors—everywhere he turns, he’s not quite sure if what he’s seeing is true.

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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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