Mystery Godoku Puzzle for August 22, 2011

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!).

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This week's letters and mystery clue:

A D E H L M N O T

It was a brewski for this person in the title of the 3rd Sherri Travis mystery by Phyllis Smallman (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!

A Dirty Business by Joe Humphrey is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Dirty Business by Joe Humphrey as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically only until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so we urge you to download it while it is still available for free.

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A Dirty Business by Joe Humphrey
A Kevin Bailey Mystery (1st in series)
Cliffhanger Press

About A Dirty Business (from the publisher): When Kevin Bailey, a black, jobless twenty-something returns to New York City from a recent hermitage in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, he finds himself both broke and homeless. Armed with a degree in criminal justice, he immediately leans on an associate and former employer for a needed job referral. This leads to a position with the Frank Givens detective agency in Midtown. Bailey is hired for various reasons, three of which are the fact that he comes cheap, he's green enough to be taught, and his boss is swamped with cases. Frank Givens tosses Bailey a case that should have been fairly routine: a New York City socialite requires dirt on her son's fiancée based on her suspicions of gold digging.

After the client, Selena Eldritch, supplies Bailey with a photo of her son Edward Eldritch and his blonde fiancée, Donna Greenwood, the investigation is underway, and Bailey eventually tails Edward Eldritch to a quaint historical village hours outside of Manhattan. There, Edward meets with a brunette, and Bailey soon follows the pair into a local tavern where he then discovers that the brunette's name is in fact Donna Greenwood. Who, then, is the blonde in the photo? And why does Selena Eldritch believe her to be Donna Greenwood? Bailey sets out to uncover the truth behind this mystery, but as he begins to dig deeper, he soon learns a few intriguing facts. The blonde in the photo, Norma Vidon, has actually been missing for quite some time, and the police have even given up their investigation into her disappearance.

Bailey continues to dig even further, uncovering weird obsessions, betrayals, and not a little deceit and, of course, dead bodies begin turning up. What started out as an average, relatively simple assignment soon develops into a complex case full of pretzel twists; one difficult enough for Kevin Bailey to truly prove himself. But he is up to the task?

Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

Review: Betrayal of Trust by J. A. Jance

Betrayal of Trust by J. A. Jance. A J. P. Beaumont Mystery. William Morrow Hardcover, July 2011.

This murder mystery is an interesting combination of politics, privilege, parenting, and teenage rivalry and angst. The characters are realistically drawn and act in a credible manner, which adds both drama and intrigue to the well-paced storyline that has plenty of surprises for the reader.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Betrayal of Trust by J. A. Jance.

The Kramer and Zondi Mysteries by James McClure

Before his death in 2006, crime novelist James McClure wrote eight books in the award-winning Kramer and Zondi mystery series, set in South Africa. Last summer, Soho Press began to reissue the books, long out of print, as trade paperbacks in their original order of publication. This month, the fourth in the series, Snake, is published.

Lieutenant Tromp Kramer of the Trekkersburg Murder and Robbery Squad, an Afrikaner, and his partner Detective Sergeant Mickey Zondi, a Bantu, were introduced in 1971 in The Steam Pig, which was honored with the CWA Gold Dagger Award as the best crime novel of the year.

In addition to his series mysteries, McClure wrote several non-fiction books and other novels, including the spy thriller Rogue Eagle, which won the CWA Silver Dagger in 1976.

We are delighted that Soho Press has elected to reissue the Kramer and Zondi mysteries to a new generation of readers. Though it is not necessary by any means to read the series in order — the storylines of each book are self-contained — new readers may still want to start at the beginning with The Steam Pig, in which the detectives investigate the murder of a beautiful blonde, who has been killed by a bicycle spoke to the heart, Bantu gangster style.

In the most recently published book in the series, this month's Snake, Kramer and Zondi have their hands full. On the same day that an adult entertainer known as Eve is found accidentally strangled to death in her dressing room, her pet python wrapped dead around her neck, a beloved candy shop owner named "Lucky" Siyayo is shot to death at his counter in a botched robbery. The detective duo quickly realize neither death is as simple as it looks on the surface: Lucky Siyayo's cash register was all but empty the day he was murdered, which suddenly throws a whole rash of fatal neighborhood robberies into perspective — were none of them robberies at all? It becomes clear a killer is on the loose, but Zondi and Kramer must figure out what the killer is after.

Mystery, Suspense and Thriller Adventure and Casual Games, New This Week from BFG (110820)

Games of Mystery is pleased to announce the availability of new mystery, suspense and thriller adventure and casual games from Big Fish Games released during this past week. 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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Five explorers have disappeared while searching for evidence of ancient astronauts! Join the Unsolved Mystery Club in the hunt for the missing explorers and unlock ancient secrets of the past. Explore exotic locations around the world and uncover artifacts supporting the existence of visitors from other worlds!

For a more in-depth playing experience, check out the Unsolved Mystery Club: Ancient Astronauts Collector's Edition, with features not available in the standard edition, including bonus gameplay, an integrated strategy guide, character art, screensavers and concept art, musical soundtrack, and early access.

See also the previous game in this series, Unsolved Mystery Club: Amelia Earhart.

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After crash landing onto an extraordinary string of uncharted islands, you find yourself suddenly thrust into adventure! You’re soon on the hunt for a ruthless pirate holding the valuable and dangerous secrets of this long lost island chain. Use your Hidden Object skills to discover the buried mysteries that lead you deeper and deeper into the secrets of this fifth game of the "Hidden Expedition" series.

This is a special Collector's Edition with features not available in the standard edition, including bonus gameplay, an integrated strategy guide, wallpapers and screensavers, concept art, musical soundtrack, and early access.

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Help Angel figure out what is real and what is in her head as she attempts to escape from a hospital for the criminally insane! Steeped in psychological horror, the storyline in this game follows the wife of the central character in the original game, Twisted Lands: Shadow Town, as she attempts to escape the mental hospital in which she's imprisoned. Explore a haunting environment and discover the terrible origins of horrors as you go on Angel’s mystifying quest. Escape the twisted landscape of the mind!

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won’t find in the standard version including an integrated strategy guide, bonus gameplay, concept art, musical soundtrack, and early access.

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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 Ms. Terri's reviews of the adventure and casual mystery games featured on our site, including Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy, Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!, Enlightenus, and many more!

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!

Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B. J. Daniels is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B. J. Daniels as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically only until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so we urge you to download it while it is still available for free.

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Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B. J. Daniels
Non-Series
Harlequin

B. J. Daniels is the author of dozens of Harlequin novels. Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch was originally published under the Harlequin Intrigue imprint in 2006.

About Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch (from the publisher): After Hudson Savage betrayed her, Dana Cardwell hoped never to lay eyes on the seductive cowboy again. Until a bunch of old bones showed up on her family ranch. Suddenly her former lover was back in her life in a big way – to investigate a decades-old crime.

Five years ago, Hud left town with a heart-load of regrets. But now, as acting interim marshal, he had a job to do. And this time he wasn't walking away. Because now Dana's life was on the line – as the unsuspecting target of a killer who still walked the canyon. Hud would do whatever it took to keep Dana close. Even if it meant risking his own heart for a second chance for both of them ...

Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

B&N Free Nook Book Download Link.

Kobo Free eBook Download Link.

Dreamworks Acquires Film Rights to Fever Series of Fantasy Suspense Novels by Karen Marie Moning

Dreamworks has acquired the rights to the five books in the "Fever" series of romantic suspense fantasy thrillers by Karen Marie Moning with the intention of producing a live-action film. The first book in the series, Darkfever, was published by Delacorte Press in 2006.

The series features MacKayla "Mac" Lane, a perfectly ordinary 21st century woman to whom something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death — a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone — Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed — a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae …

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane — an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book — because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands …

The other books in the series are Bloodfever, Faefever, Dreamfever, and Shadowfever.

(Source: Variety.)

Nominees for the 2011 TV and Film Daggers (Crime Thriller Awards) Announced

Last night we posted the nominees for the Fall 2011 CWA Dagger Awards, and made passing reference to the Film and TV Daggers, previously known as the Crime Thriller Awards, which are given out by the British network ITV. Our friends at The Rap Sheet provided the details for these latter awards, which we are listing below. The winners will be announced during a broadcast of the CWA Dagger Awards winners on October 11th on ITV3.

The Film Dagger:
• True Grit (Paramount Pictures)
• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Momentum Pictures)
• Brighton Rock (Optimum Releasing)
• Source Code (Optimum Releasing)

The TV Dagger:
• Case Histories (Ruby Films, BBC One)
• Luther (BBC One)
• The Shadow Line (Company Pictures, BBC Two)
• Zen (Left Bank Pictures, BBC One)
• Vera (ITV Studios, ITV1)

The International TV Dagger:
• The Killing† (Arrow Films, BBC4)
• Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sky Atlantic)
• Castle (ABC Studios, Alibi)
• Dexter (Showtime Networks, FX Channel)
• Spiral (Son Et Lumiere, BBC 4)

Best Actress Dagger:
• Sofie Gråbøl for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC4)
• Brenda Blethyn for Vera (ITV Studios, ITV1)
• Maxine Peake for Silk (BBC One)
• Olivia Williams for Case Sensitive (Hat Trick Productions, ITV1)
• Sue Johnston for Waking the Dead (BBC One)
• Kelly Reilly for Above Suspicion (La Plante Productions, ITV1)

Best Actor Dagger:
• Idris Elba for Luther (BBC One)
• Lars Mikkelsen for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC4)
• Steve Buscemi for Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sky Atlantic)
• Jason Isaacs for Case Histories (Ruby Films, BBC One)
• Rufus Sewell for Zen (Left Bank Pictures, BBC One)

Best Supporting Actor Dagger:
• Rafe Spall for The Shadow Line (Company Pictures, BBC Two)
• Bjarne Henriksen for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4)
• Søren Malling for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4)
• John Lithgow for Dexter (Showtime Networks, FX Channel)
• Aidan Gillen for Thorne (Stagereel/Cité Amérique, Sky One)

Best Supporting Actress Dagger:
• Ann Eleonora Jørgensen for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4)
• Kelly Macdonald for Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sky Atlantic)
• Ruth Wilson for Luther (BBC One)
• Amanda Abbington for Case Histories (Ruby Films, BBC One)
• Tara Fitzgerald for Waking the Dead (BBC One)

† This is the original Danish version of the series, not the AMC version shown here in the US.

Two Crime Drama Projects in Early Development for Fox

The Fall 2011 Prime Time Crime season hasn't even begun and we're already getting news on what may be coming next.

Fox has two crime drama projects in the works, with some interesting elements in each.

Stranger Planet involves a hard-boiled LA cop, who works with two aliens — from another planet presumably, and not from across the border — to solve intergalactic mysteries on Earth. The network has given the project a put pilot commitment.

The second is an unnamed series featuring two female cops — the twist here is that they're subjects of a reality series — who solve crimes in LA's toughest neighborhoods, to which Fox has given a script commitment.

(Source: Deadline|Hollywood.)

Review: The Devil Colony by James Rollins

The Devil Colony by James Rollins. A Sigma Force Thriller. William Morrow Hardcover, June 2011.

There's a familiarity to this political thriller that is both comforting and yet also disappointing. The underlying storyline is strikingly compelling and the locations in which the action takes place are creatively drawn, but the interchangeable, generic characters that carry the plot forward fail to make it as engaging as it could have been.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Devil Colony by James Rollins.

Nominees for the 2011 Shamus Awards Announced

The nominees for the 2011 Shamus Awards were announced yesterday by the Private Eye Writers of America, honoring excellent work in the PI genre. In the list below, the book's PI is indicated in parentheses following the title.

◊ Best PI Hardcover:
No Mercy (Mercy Gunderson) by Lori G. Armstrong  (Touchstone)
The First Rule (Joe Pike) by Robert Crais (Putnam)
Voyeur (Remer) by Daniel Judson (Minotaur Books)
If the Dead Rise Not (Bernie Gunther) by Philip Kerr (Putnam)
Naked Moon (Dante Mancuso) by Domenic Stansberry (Minotaur Books)

◊ Best First PI Novel:
In Search of Mercy (Dexter Bolzjak) by Michael Ayoob  (Minotaur Books)
One Man's Paradise (Kevin Corvelli) by Douglas Corleone  (Minotaur Books)
Rogue Island (Liam Mulligan) by Bruce DeSilva (Forge Books)
Random Violence (Jade de Jong) by Jassy MacKenzie  (Soho Crime)
City of Dragons (Miranda Corbie) by Kelli Stanley (Minotaur Books)

◊ Best PI Paperback Original:
Hostage Zero (Jonathan Grave) by John Gilstrap (Kensington)
Nightshade (Sam Montcalm) by Tom Henighan (Dundurn Press)
Mister X (Frank Quinn) by John Lutz (Pinnacle)
The Panic Zone (Jack Gannon) by Rick Mofina (Mira Books)
Asia Hand (Vincent Calvino) by Christopher G. Moore (Grove/Atlantic)
The Little Death (Louis Kincaid and Joe Frye) by P. J. Parrish  (Pocket Star)

◊ Best PI Short Story:
"The God of Right and Wrong" by Steven Gore (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"The Lamb Was Sure To Go" by Gar Anthony Haywood (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"The Girl in the Golden Gown" by Robert S. Levinson (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"Phelan's First Case" by Lisa Sandlin (Lone Star Noir)
"A Long Time Dead" by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins (The Strand Magazine)

 indicates a review is available from Mysterious Reviews.

(Hat tip to The Rap Sheet.)

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending August 19th, 2011

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending August 19th, 2011 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Another quiet week on the bestseller list, with no change in the titles among the top 15, just a bit of rearrangement in overall order. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva retains the top spot.

In looking at pre-release sales data, however, come Labor Day, we're expecting a lot changes!

For more mystery books news, 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.

Shortlist for the Fall 2011 CWA Dagger Awards Announced

The shortlists for the 2011 CWA Dagger Awards have been posted on the the Crime Writers' Association (CWA) website. The winners will be revealed at The Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards on Friday, October 7th, 2011 at the Grosvenor House, and televised the following Tuesday, October 11th, on ITV3, along with the Film and TV Daggers.

The four authors in contention for the CWA Gold Dagger ("Best Novel") are:

Tom Franklin for Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (Macmillan); Steve Hamilton for The Lock Artist (Orion); A. D. Miller for Snowdrops (Atlantic Books); and Denise Mina for The End of the Wasp Season (Orion).

For the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award ("Best Thriller"), the nominees are:

Michael Gruber for The Good Son (Atlantic Books); Steve Hamilton for The Lock Artist (Orion), Craig Smith for Cold Rain (Myrmidon), and S. J. Watson for Before I Go To Sleep (Doubleday).

For the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger ("Best First Novel"), the nominees are:

Conor Fitzgerald for The Dogs of Rome (Bloomsbury), Sam Hawken for The Dead Women of Juarez (Serpent's Tail), Danny Miller for Kiss Me Quick (Robinson), and S. J. Watson for Before I Go To Sleep (Doubleday).

Review: Chihuahua of the Baskervilles by Esri Allbritten

Chihuahua of the Baskervilles by Esri Allbritten. A Tripping Magazine Mystery. Minotaur Books Hardcover, July 2011.

This delightfully entertaining, darkly comic mystery — it is not a paranormal mystery, per se — has the staff of Tripping magazine traveling to the Colorado town of Manitou Springs to investigate the ghostly appearance of a dead chihuahua, whose photographs started a profitable business of selling designer clothing to owners of tiny dogs.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Chihuahua of the Baskervilles by Esri Allbritten.

Ridley Scott to Direct New Blade Runner Film

Earlier this year we reported that Alcon Entertainment had acquired the film and television rights to the 1982 film Blade Runner. Now we're learning that that film's director, Ridley Scott, will also direct its prequel/sequel. (No one is saying whether the intended film will take place before or after the events in the original. But it is clear that the rights acquired do not include a remake.)

Blade Runner is adapted — very loosely — from the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and stars Harrison Ford as bounty hunter Rick Deckard, who must track down four replicants, robots that are visually identical to humans and that work exclusively in off-world colonies, which have escaped and are hiding in Los Angeles.

(Source: Deadline|New York.)