Sunday, September 12, 2010

Dead in the Dregs by Peter Lewis (Book Review)

Mysterious Reviews: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller and Crime Novel Reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

Dead in the Dregs by Peter Lewis. A Babe Stern Mystery. Counterpoint Trade Paperback, August 2010.

Peter Lewis introduces Babe Stern, owner of a small, out of the way bar in Napa Valley, whose ex-brother-in-law is found floating in a vat of freshly crushed grapes at a local winery in Dead in the Dregs.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Dead in the Dregs by Peter Lewis.

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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.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Ms. Terri Reviews Nightmare Adventures: The Witch's Prison

Games of Mystery

Review of Nightmare Adventures: The Witch's Prison by Ms. Terri, game reviewer for the Omnimystery Family of Mystery Websites.

Told as backstory (which strongly suggests a sequel may be in development), Nightmare Adventures: The Witch's Prison is a typical point-and-click adventure game in that the objective is to move forward in the game by collecting items, using them in an appropriate manner, and solving puzzles along the way. But it is atypical in some of the ways in which information is collected and retrieved, and the puzzles are really quite innovative and contextually relevant within a creative, mystery storyline. This game is enthusiastically recommended.

Read her complete review on Games of Mystery.

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is your source for mystery-themed video, electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, murder mystery weekends and mystery getaway vacations, and more mysterious fun!

The Bishop by Steven James (Book Review)

Mysterious Reviews: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller and Crime Novel Reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

The Bishop by Steven James. A Patrick Bowers Mystery. Revell Hardcover, August 2010.

FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers is brought in to investigate a series of murders in which the killer leaves absolutely no trace of forensic evidence -- but does leave clues as to who is next on the list to be killed -- in The Bishop, the fourth mystery in this series by Steven James.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Bishop by Steven James.

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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.

Inspector Lewis in Dark Matter, Sunday, September 12th, on PBS

Masterpiece Mystery! Inspector Lewis

Tomorrow, Sunday September 12th, the third of five new episodes of Series III of Inspector Lewis airs on PBS (check your local listings for air times).

In "Dark Matter", Oxford professor and amateur stargazer Andrew Crompton emerges from a church confessional, cryptically exclaiming that on Friday at 3:15, he'll have an "excess of joy." Later, Crompton is found dead at the foot of the stairs in the Oxford observatory. The investigation draws Detective Inspector Lewis (Kevin Whately) and Detective Sergeant Hathaway (Laurence Fox) into the ethereal writings of a 17th-century astronomer and a modern-day circle of scientists and musicians, and their unexpected connections to the deceased. The cosmos aside, there's a dark deception at the center of the case, one that Lewis and Hathaway won't be able to fully comprehend until Friday at 3:15.

Inspector Lewis is a spin-off of the long-running Inspector Morse mysteries, based on characters created by crime novelist Colin Dexter.

The first two series of Inspector Lewis are available on DVD from Telemystery: Inspector Lewis. This third series will be released on DVD on October 12th, and may be pre-ordered.

Broken by Karin Fossum (Book Review)

Mysterious Reviews: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller and Crime Novel Reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

Broken by Karin Fossum. Non-series. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Hardcover, August 2010.

Some authors say they never outline a story or create character profiles, preferring instead to simply start writing and let the character and plot develop in real time, as it were. Karin Fossum, author of the Konrad Sejer mysteries, has taken this process a step further, developing it into Broken, a her first stand-alone novel of suspense.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Broken by Karin Fossum.

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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.

Noomi Rapace ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") Cast in Sherlock Holmes Sequel

Noomi Rapace

In a bit of casting news, the Heat Vision blog of The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Noomi Rapace has been signed to star as the female lead in the sequel to Sherlock Holmes.

Rapace is probably best known to American audiences as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (and its Swedish-language sequels). Sherlock Holmes II will be her first English-language film.

Sherlock Holmes II, which has yet to begin production, will also star returning leads Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson.

Friday, September 10, 2010

BBC Releases Archived Radio and Television Items on Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie (signature logo)

In recognition of the 120th anniversary of the author's birth, the BBC today released a small collection of radio and television items related to Agatha Christie from its archives.

Christie herself was renowned for her shyness and reticence in public, but in this collection one can listen to testaments from those who knew her and see some of the efforts made to analyze the secret of her amazing success. There's also an amusing interview from 1962 with the author, Richard Attenborough, and Mysie Monte on the 10th anniversary of her play The Mousetrap.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, New for Nintendo DS

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (Nintendo DS)
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (Nintendo DS)

This weekend, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future is released, the third entry in this popular series of puzzle adventure games for the Nintendo DS.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future places the professor and his trusted apprentice Luke at the center of a spellbinding adventure after they receive a strange letter –- sent by Luke 10 years in the future. According to this message something is askew in the days to come. The London of the future is in chaos and disarray, and according to Luke, the only person who can help set things right is Professor Layton.

This third release contains the same addictive gameplay, hand-painted art style graphics and invocative music as its two predecessors, making it a must-have title for both new puzzle players and longtime fans of the series. Additional features include: 165 built-in puzzles, easy to use hint and game save systems and additional puzzles available for download on a weekly basis for a limited time following game launch.

The previous two games in the series are Professor Layton and the Curious Village and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future is scheduled for release this Sunday, September 12th. Watch a trailer for the game below:

The Last Talk with Lola Faye by Thomas H. Cook (Book Review)

Mysterious Reviews: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller and Crime Novel Reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

The Last Talk with Lola Faye by Thomas H. Cook. Non-series. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Hardcover, August 2010.

Martin Lucas "Luke" Paige, a Harvard-educated historian, is in a St. Louis museum on tour to promote his latest book, Fatal Choices, when a woman from his past -- his father's mistress -- come up to him, suggesting they might get together for a drink, talk about old times in The Last Talk with Lola Faye, a novel of suspense by Thomas H. Cook.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Last Talk with Lola Faye by Thomas H. Cook.

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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.

Samantha Swift and the Fountains of Fate, More Mystery and Adventure from AVG

Games of Mystery

Games of Mystery is pleased to announce this week's new mystery and suspense casual and adventure games available for immediate download from Amazon Video Games.

A complete list of downloadable mystery games is available on our Games of Mystery: Amazon Video Games Download page.

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Samantha Swift and the Fountains of Fate
Samantha Swift and the Fountains of Fate

Samantha Swift and the Fountains of Fate

When Samantha's quest to follow the trail of Cortez and the conquistadors is interrupted by the manipulative M'Alice, she embarks on a journey to reclaim the Emerald of Judgment. With the help of Dr. Butler and technology-whiz Adam, the archaeologist and adventurer soon discovers that she's in possession of an even greater artifact -- could this golden statuette lead her to the mythical Fountain of Youth?

As Sam, you'll circle the globe collecting waters of longevity, immortality and life that give the new-found artifact special powers. You'll have to solve brain-bending puzzles, and take on six hidden-object adventure missions while outwitting M'Alice and the evil Markus Payne.

From the swamps of the Florida Keys to the Great Wall of China, you'll have to collect tools to help you uncover finds for the Museum of Secrets Lost and thwart Payne's plans to capture the healing waters for himself!

See also the previous game in this series, Samantha Swift and the Mystery of Atlantis.

ESRB Rating: Everyone.

Windows Vista/XP (402 MB download).

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

Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas may be Adapted for Film

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
More information about the book

It's just a random tweet, so nothing may become of it, but Production Weekly is noting that director/screenwriter Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) may be interested in directing his own adaptation of Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz.

Here's what 21-year-old Odd Thomas has to say about himself (from the author's website): "I see dead people, spirits of the departed who, each for his own reason, will not move on from this world. Some are drawn to me for justice, if they were murdered, or for comfort, or for companionship; others seek me out for motives that I cannot always understand. This complicates my life."

The Odd Thomas series currently consists of four novels and two graphic novels (the latest, Odd Is on Our Side, to be published next month), so there's plenty of material from which to draw for a potential franchise.

Mystery Bestsellers for September 10, 2010

Mystery Bestsellers

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending September 10th, 2010 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

For the second straight week, just some minor shuffling among the top seven bestsellers with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson remaining on top. One new title debuts this week.

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Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay
More information about the book

Entering the list in the 15th position is Dexter is Delicious, the fifth thriller featuring serial killer Dexter Morgan by Jeff Lindsay. The television series Dexter is based on this character.

Dexter Morgan has always lived a happy homicidal life. He keeps his dark urges in check by adhering to one stead-fast rule ... he only kills very bad people. But now Dexter is experiencing some major life changes—don’t we all?—and they’re mostly wrapped up in the eight-pound curiosity that is his newborn daughter. Family bliss is cut short, however, when Dexter is summoned to investigate the disappearance of a seventeen-year-old girl who has been running with a bizarre group of goths who fancy themselves to be vampires. As Dexter gets closer to the truth of what happened to the missing girl, he realizes they are not really vampires so much as cannibals. And, most disturbing ... these people have decided they would really like to eat Dexter.

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The top four mystery bestsellers this week are shown below:

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg LarssonThe Postcard Killers by James PattersonStar Island by Carl HiaasenThree Stations by Martin Cruz Smith

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Mr. E. Reviews Cop Out

Mr. E. reviews mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama television and film for Omnimystery

Review of Cop Out.

I've been a fan of Bruce Willis since way back when, and will watch almost anything he plays in. I may not watch it again, but his presence pretty much guarantees that it will be seen at least once by me. And though I really don't care for buddy cop movies, the previews for Cop Out suggested it may have at least a few laughs in it, and if not worthy of a purchase, at least good for a rental.

Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews.

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Mr. E. Reviews is your source for mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama reviews of television and film.

OMN Welcomes Mike Hogan, Author of The Ovary Wars

Omnimystery News: Authors on Tour

Omnimystery News is thrilled to welcome Mike Hogan as our guest blogger. Mike is the author of The Ovary Wars (The Peppertree Press, Trade Paperback, March 2010), which presents a provocative twist on terrorism as the basis for a novel of suspense.

Today, Mike writes about where the idea for his book originated. And he's also providing our readers with an opportunity to win a copy of his book. Visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Mike Hogan: The Ovary Wars" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (5502) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 09/23/2010.)

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Mike Hogan
Photo provided courtesy of
Mike Hogan

“Why did you write the book and where did you get the idea?” are common questions authors receive. The answers are myriad, with some appearing logical, and others appearing completely illogical, but that conclusion applies only to an outside observer. To the author the reasons are always completely logical.

I wrote The Ovary Wars because I believed I had an original, unique idea which could logically and easily be implemented. The Ovary Wars describes a new and very effective form of terrorism. By surreptitiously and permanently destroying the ovaries of most American women, terrorists cause pregnancies in the United States to become rare, and births to become almost non-existent. Preventing four million births is the same as killing four million people. Because the United States economy is based on a constantly increasing population, the lack of births sends the United States economy into an unstoppable tailspin that eventually ends in “The Greatest Depression.” The United States is almost completely destroyed. It is a bloodless form of terrorism designed to destroy the economy. There are no bodies, no explosions, no gun fights, and nobody notices until the effects have already occurred, and the United States is in a depression. How the ovaries are so easily destroyed is the novel’s mystery.

Is such a plot possible, or will the idea of permanently sterilizing women always remain in the realm of science fiction? The capability of permanently sterilizing women will soon be a reality. Such a concept is really just a small extension of present day methods of birth control, and it is simply a matter of time, a short time.

How about ethics? When the capability of destroying women’s ovaries is developed, is that an acceptable form of war or terrorism? Should a book be published that could possibly aid an enemy, or cause harm to the United States? Should the author feel any guilt if such harm occurs? The characters in the book had no qualms about implementing such a horrible and evil plot, and I suspect the characters in real life would feel the same.

Do I have plans to write future books? Of course. Will they have nefarious and evil plots? Of course. I hope you enjoy The Ovary Wars.

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Michael Hogan was born and raised in Albany, New York.

He graduated from Vincentian Institute, has a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross, an eMBA from West Virginia University, and an M.D. from Albany Medical College. He is a Board Certified Radiologist now practicing at West Virginia Hospital, he has had many medical articles published, as well as several cartoons.

He now resides in Morgantown, West Virginia with his wife Martha and his son Danny. He also has a daughter Colleen.

Visit his website at TheOvaryWars.com.

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The Ovary Wars by Mike Hogan
More information about the book

About The Ovary Wars: How does a terrorist kill four million people? He stops them from being born.

For no apparent reason, pregnancies in the United States become rare, and American births decrease exponentially. Because the United States economy is based on a constantly increasing population, the United States economy is undermined. The country begins an unstoppable spiral into "The Greatest Depression."

Not knowing how or why the infertility blight occurred, the United States President, and the investigating FBI agents, realize the perilous possibilities. Could the nationwide infertility have been caused by a virus, either naturally occurring or purposely spread? Could it have been caused by a secret cult or a radical religious group? Even al-Qaida is a possibility. If so, will there be another attack?

For a chance to win a copy of The Ovary Wars, courtesy of the author, visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Mike Hogan: The Ovary Wars" contest link, and enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (5502) in the entry form. (One entry per person; contest ends 09/23/2010.)

Blood Wedding by P. J. Brooke, a Max Romero Mystery

The Mystery Bookshelf: Discover a Library of New Mysteries

The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a library of new mysteries, is pleased to feature a new mystery series title we recently received from the publisher.

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Blood Wedding by P. J. Brooke
A Max Romero Mystery (1st in series)
Soho Constable (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: September 2010
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-854-7

Blood Wedding by P. J. Brooke
More Information About Blood Wedding by P. J. Brooke

About Blood Wedding (from the publisher): In his first major case, half Scots, half Spanish Sub-Inspector Max Romero must learn the price of truth: truth about the death of Leila, a beautiful Muslim girl, in the mountains south of Granada; truth about a terrorist outrage in Granada; and, worst of all, the truth about the disappearance of his beloved grandmother’s brother during the Spanish Civil War, a truth which throws fresh light on the betrayal and death of Federico Garcia Lorca, Spain’s most famous modern poet and play-wright.

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About the authors: P.J. Brooke is the writing name of husband and wife team Philip J. O’Brien and Jane Brooke. The couple divide their time between Scotland and the oldest part of Granada city, the Albayzin.

Mysterious Reviews: Mysteries Reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books Mysteries by P. J. Brooke reviewed by Mysterious Reviews: Blood Wedding (2009).

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