The Mystery Bookshelf: Miss Dimple Disappears by Mignon F. Ballard, a Mystery Introducing Dimple Kilpatrick

The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a world of mystery and suspense, is pleased to feature a new crime novel we recently received from the publisher.

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Miss Dimple Disappears by Mignon F. Ballard
A Dimple Kilpatrick Mystery (1st in series)
Minotaur Books (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: September 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-62682-2

About Miss Dimple Disappears (from the publisher): It is 1942, and most of the men in the town of Elderberry, Georgia, have gone to war. One frosty morning just before Thanksgiving, young schoolmistress Charlie Carr and her fellow teachers are startled to find that the school custodian, Wilson “Christmas” Malone, has neglected to stoke the furnace or empty the wastebaskets — and then is found dead in a broom closet, the apparent victim of a heart attack. But when Miss Dimple Kilpatrick, who is as dependable as gravity and has taught Elderberry first graders — including Charlie — for nearly forty years, disappears the following day, town residents are shaken down to their worn, rationed shoes. Knowing that Miss Dimple would never willingly abandon her students, Charlie and her friend Annie begin sleuthing — and uncover danger surprisingly close to home.

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About the author: A native of Calhoun, Georgia, Mignon Ballard received her degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. She is the author of the Augusta Goodnight mysteries as well as other novels for adults and children. She lives with her husband, Gene, in Fort Mill, South Carolina, where she enjoys spending time with friends and family, as well as walking, baking, and bridge, and is active in her church and community theater. Visit her website at MignonBallard.com.

Purchase Options for Miss Dimple Disappears:

Review: The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson

The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson. Non-series. The Other Press Trade Paperback, June 2011.

This historical fact-inspired novel is written in such a style that it includes the language of the time and place, giving it an air of authenticity that provides a strong foundation for its fictionalized storyline.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson.

OMN Welcomes Mystery Author Liz Strange

Omnimystery News is pleased to welcome writer Liz Strange. A published author of paranormal, horror and fantasy fiction, her first mystery is Missing Daughter, Shattered Family (MLR Press, September 2011 trade paperback and ebook editions), which introduces Toronto PI David Lloyd.

Today Liz writes about the traditional detective story … with a twist.

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I’m often asked where I get my ideas from. Sometimes the answer is very clear cut — a news segment, song lyrics, sometimes just an image. The story behind Missing Daughter, Shattered Family and the book’s central character, David Lloyd, was more muddied. The final story came from a culmination of several incidents (both real and imagined), my love for dance, a desire for story set close to home (SE Ontario) and my support of GLBT rights.

So where did this jumble of ideas and experiences take me? First, to the development of my detective, a character I wanted to stand out from his peers. David Lloyd doesn’t possess super powers, he isn’t the offspring of royalty or famous parents and he doesn’t drive a cool car. He is a regular guy — a son, grandson, ex-husband and former police man. He’s also gay. Now that isn’t the controversy-stirring premise it might have been, say, twenty years ago, but it is outside of the traditional elements of a standard detective novel.

David Lloyd was once a police officer for the Metro Toronto Police department. He came from a solid middle-class family, had a lovely wife and reputation as a hard-worker and dedicated professional. Yet despite all of his success, he wasn’t happy. He was living a lie, and the stress of keeping his secret was killing him. Finally he couldn’t take it any longer.

The decision to come clean, or come out if you will, changed his life forever. At the time he had no idea where the truth would take him, or the consequences to his physical well-being and his career. A shocking homophobic attack would leave him partially deaf and with a bum knee. Even worse he would never be able to return to active duty as a police officer. Refusing to give up, David uses this tragedy as a stepping stone for the next phase of his life by opening his own detective agency.

One thing still haunts him though. The men responsible for his attack were never brought to justice. David is sure he knows who was responsible, and he won’t stop until he can prove it. This part of the story was partially inspired by a real-life situation, a viscious attack on a young police officer in my hometown that was never solved. My twist on the event came from the inspiration for the attack.

Fast forward five years in David’s life and he’s brought into the case of a troubled young woman who’s gone missing, a former dancer. Here I got to live out my childhood fantasy of being a professional dancer, and was able to incorporate this unique niche of society into the fabric of the story.

All in all I think the elements came together in a pleasing, cohesive way, birthing a strong, compelling character that I hope to continue writing about for many years.

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Liz Strange — yes, it is her real name! — loves to hear from her readers and will answer any questions sent her way. You can learn more about Liz and her books on her website, LizStrange.com.

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About Missing Daughter, Shattered Family:

When a brutal homophobic attack ended David Lloyd's career as a police officer, his life was changed forever. Five years later David is running his own private detective agency, where a missing person's case comes to his attention. Digging into the circumstances of her disappearance forces David to realize he has not dealt with what happened to him, and that he can no loner deal with his long-time partner's fear of being honest about their relationship.

Solving the case might not only bring peace to a shattered family, but could finally put David's own demons to rest.

Pre-Order the Ebook Omnibus of Three Silver Bear Thrillers by Derek Haas for a Special Price

This December, Pegasus Books is publishing Dark Men, the third title in the Silver Bear series of thrillers by Derek Haas. But just a month later, in mid-January, Mulholland Books has a listing for an ebook omnibus of all three books: The Silver Bear, Columbus, and Dark Men.

This ebook omnibus can be pre-ordered today, and here's the best part: it's currently priced at just $2.99! That's an amazing deal since the ebook editions of the first two books are priced at $7.99 and $9.99, respectively. (No pricing yet for the ebook edition of Dark Men.)

We suggest you snap up this bargain while it's available. Here are the relevant pre-order links: Amazon.com (Kindle edition) and BN.com (Nook Book edition). As always, please confirm the price of your purchase before completing your transaction; prices can and do change without notice. (And as an aside: Prior to publishing this post, we reached out to Mulholland Books to confirm this pricing, but didn't get a response from the publisher.)

About the series: He calls himself Columbus. His real name never meant much to him anyway. He never knew his father, an earnest young congressman, a rising star in the Democratic Party named Abe Mann, or his mother, a prostitute whose involvement with Mann would prove dangerous.

All Columbus cares about is his next target. A hit man whose quickly made a name for himself as one of the best despite his years, you can be sure he'll fulfill whatever contract's been given him. Even if those who put out the hit have other plans in mind.

The Mystery Bookshelf: The Demon's Parchment by Jeri Westerson, a Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Mystery

The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a world of mystery and suspense, is pleased to feature a new crime novel we recently received from the publisher.

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The Demon's Parchment by Jeri Westerson
A Crispin Guest, Medieval Noir Mystery (3rd in series)
Minotaur Books (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: September 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-60926-9

About The Demon's Parchment (from the publisher): In fourteenth century London, Crispin Guest is a disgraced knight convicted of treason and stripped of his land, title and his honor. He has become known as the “Tracker” — a man who can find anything, can solve any puzzle and, with the help of his apprentice, Jack Tucker, an orphaned street urchin with a thief ’s touch — will do so for a price.

But this time, even Crispin is wary of taking on his most recent client. Jacob of Provencal is a Jewish physician at the King’s court, even though all Jews were expelled from England nearly a century before. Jacob wants Crispin to find stolen parchments that might be behind the recent, ongoing, gruesome murders of young boys, parchments that someone might have used to bring forth a demon which now stalks the streets and alleys of London.

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About the author: A journalist and noted blogger on things mysterious and medieval (Getting-Medieval.com), Jeri Westerson lives with her family in Menifee, California. Visit her website at JeriWesterson.com, and learn more about her series character at CrispinGuest.com.

 Crime novels by Jeri Westerson reviewed by Mysterious Reviews: Veil of Lies (2009).

Purchase Options for The Demon's Parchment:

Deadly Gamble by Connie Shelton is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Deadly Gamble by Connie Shelton as today's second 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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Deadly Gamble by Connie Shelton
A Charlie Parker Mystery (1st in series)
Secret Staircase Books

This first in a series was originally published in hardcover by Intrigue Press in 1995. Since then, the author has written nine other books plus a Christmas novella featuring the character. Connie Shelton is also the author of another mystery series featuring pastry chef — and amateur sleuth — Samantha Sweet.

About Deadly Gamble (from the publisher): Charlie Parker, an accountant and partner in an Albuquerque private investigation firm, is visited by her old school friend, Stacy North. Stacy's Rolex watch is missing and she begs Charlie to help locate it before her husband finds out. Things are complicated by the fact that Stacy had been seeing another man, Gary Detweiller, and he's the one she suspects of having stolen the watch. With a little detective work, Charlie retrieves the missing watch and all should be well. But three days later, Detweiller is murdered. All eyes turn to Stacy as the prime suspect.

Once again, Stacy begs Charlie's help in proving her innocence. As she begins to ask questions, Charlie learns that Detweiller's life was not as simple as first perceived and that any number of people had grievances against him. And before she can pinpoint the killer, her own life is in danger as well.

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):

Apple Free iBook Download Link (via iTunes).

Smashwords Free Book Download Link.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

The Rap Sheet Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the NBC Mystery Movie

Our friends over at The Rap Sheet are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the NBC Mystery Movie by profiling over the next few weeks — our guess is it may take longer than that! — all of the shows that participated in the series.

First up is arguably the most popular — it was certainly the longest running — of these shows, Columbo, starring Peter Falk as the LAPD homicide detective. There's a fascinating history to the show presented, from its roots in 1960 to the whole concept of a "rotating wheel" of shows contributing to an "umbrella" series. (The other two shows part of the original series were McCloud and McMillan & Wife.)

Check out The Rap Sheet's post on Columbo, and follow along as they make their way through the 13 or so other shows that were part of the NBC Mystery Movie.

Dead Reckoning by Ronie Kendig is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Dead Reckoning by Ronie Kendig 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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Dead Reckoning by Ronie Kendig
Non-Series
Abingdon Press

This stand-alone is the author's first novel. She has since written three books in her "Discarded Heroes" series, with a fourth coming out next year.

About Dead Reckoning (from the publisher): Underwater archeologist Shiloh Blake is consumed with passion for the water and inflamed at the injustices of life, blaming her secret agent father for her mother's death. When her first large-scale dig traps her in the middle of an international nuclear arms clash, she flees for her life. When she spots a man trailing her, the questions are, Who is he? and How is he always one step ahead?

Reece Jaxon is a former Navy SEAL and now serves his country as a spy. His life is entangled by the beguiling Shiloh Blake as he hunts down the sources to a nuclear dead drop in the Arabian Sea near Mumbai, India. The only way to end this nightmare and prevent a nuclear meltdown is to join forces with Reece. Will Shiloh violate her vow to never become a spy like her father?

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.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Second Season of Luther Premieres Wednesday, September 28th on BBC America

The second season of Luther premieres tomorrow, Wednesday September 28th, on BBC America.

Idris Elba stars as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, a brilliant and emotionally impulsive detective tormented by the darker side of humanity.

Two new two-part episodes will be presented in this second season, which originally aired earlier this year on the BBC in the UK. In the opener, Luther returns to work still plagued by the death of his ex-wife to face a surreal and nightmarish case of a masked murderer determined to enter into folklore. As the body count rises, Luther must use all his skills to stop the killer, at the same time trying to rescue an old acquaintance's daughter from the dangerous world of prostitution.

Watch a preview for the season below.

Review: Full Black by Brad Thor

Full Black by Brad Thor. A Scot Harvath Thriller. Atria Hardcover, July 2011.

Though there's a comfortable familiarity with the way in which the storyline of this thriller progresses, it never seems stale or derivative, even if some of the secondary characters are not developed much behind generic stereotypes. Still, Scot Harvath is clearly the star here, and the primary reason why this book is as exciting as it is.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Full Black by Brad Thor.

Lionsgate Options Film Rights to Dead Island Game

Earlier this month we announced the release of the zombie thriller adventure game Dead Island … a paradise to die for.

Today, Deep Silver, the game's developer, announced that Lionsgate Entertainment has optioned the film rights to develop a feature inspired by the game.

The game was introduced earlier this year via a trailer that tells the story of a family on vacation at a tropical resort, which is besieged by zombies. (The release trailer is embedded below.)

Like the trailer that will serve as its primary creative inspiration, the film will be an innovation of the zombie genre because of its focus on human emotion, family ties and non-linear storytelling. Said Lionsgate co-COO Joe Drake of the property's acquisition, "Like the hundreds of journalists and millions of fans who were so passionate and vocal about the Dead Island trailer, we too were awestruck." He continued, "This is exactly the type of property we're looking to adapt at Lionsgate — it's sophisticated, edgy, and a true elevation of a genre that we know and love. It also has built in brand recognition around the world, and franchise potential."

And in news we missed from about a week ago, the Dead Island novel based on the game's storyline was published.

Dead Island is available on Windows PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

(Source: Deep Silver.)

Recently Published Indie Mysteries (110927)

We're always on the lookout for new mystery, suspense and thriller books, and with this series of recurring posts, we're looking at Indie Mysteries, books published by small, independent publishers, or self-published, that recently caught our eye ... and may be of interest to you too. Most of these titles, selected primarily from the Smashwords website, are ebook only, though some may also be available in a print format.

Important Note: The prices indicated for these books are current as of the date of this post, but can and do change without notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

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A Plot to Die For
by C. A. Larmer
A Roxy Parker, Ghostwriter Mystery (2nd in series)
Self Published (Ebook)
September 2011
Price as of the date of this post: $2.99

When ghostwriter Roxy Parker accepts a job at a tropical island resort, she expects little more than a good story and a touch of sunstroke. Instead she stumbles upon her hotelier client, dead and buried in a plot of sand, her head protruding ghoulishly for the crabs to devour. And around her, an ensemble cast of glamorous guests who all appear to be hiding something behind their Gucci sunglasses.

Shadow of Innocence
by Ric Wasley
A Michael Prescott and Bridget Connolly Mystery (1st in series)
Imajin Books (Ebook)
September 2011
Price as of the date of this post: $3.99

The Newport Folk Festival provides a groovy backdrop for this drug-and-sixties-music-soaked mystery, featuring partners in love and danger, Mick and Bridget, hopping on their motorcycles and into action. As the family of detectives quip, banter, and swing into action, posh Newport is threatened by a perverse, shadowy secret. Mick and Bridget's exuberance and optimism manage to glimmer through even the darkest of perils, as they delve into a seamy world of drugs and sex, and are forced to match wits with both the the mob and a shadowy psychopathic killer.

Devil's Harvest
by Margery Scott
Non-Series
Self Published (Ebook)
September 2011
Price as of the date of this post: $2.99

When surgical resident Taryn Hayes becomes the prime suspect in a renowned physician's murder, the only person who can help her is Luke Dawson, a private investigator searching for information about a friend's sudden death. Taryn, a believer in facts, and Luke, a man who trusts his gut instincts, clash as their investigation leads them to a link between the two cases. At the same time, they can't deny opposites attract. But will they survive long enough to catch a killer before he strikes again, and to find out if their chemistry is merely physical, or something more?

Also available in a Kindle edition.

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For more recently published Indie Mysteries, visit the Smashwords Mystery and Detective category page or the Thriller and Suspense category page.

The Mystery Bookshelf: Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander, a Lady Emily Ashton Mystery

The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a world of mystery and suspense, is pleased to feature a new crime novel we recently received from the publisher.

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Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander
A Lady Emily Ashton Mystery (5th in series)
Minotaur Books (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: September 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-38381-7

About Dangerous to Know (from the publisher): Returning from her honeymoon with Colin Hargreaves and a near brush with death in Constantinople, Lady Emily convalesces at her mother-in-law’s beautiful estate in Normandy. But the calm she so desperately seeks is shattered when, out riding a horse, she comes upon the body of a young woman who has been brutally murdered. The girl’s wounds are identical to those inflicted on the victims of Jack the Ripper, who has wreaked havoc across the channel in London. Emily feels a connection to the young woman and is determined to bring the killer to justice.

Pursuing a trail of clues and victims to the beautiful medieval city of Rouen and a crumbling château in the country, Emily begins to worry about her own sanity: She hears the cries of a little girl she cannot find and discovers blue ribbons left in the child’s wake. As Emily is forced to match wits with a brilliant and manipulative killer, only her courage, keen instincts, and formidable will to win can help her escape becoming his next victim.

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About the author: Tasha Alexander attended the University of Notre Dame, where she signed on as an English major (with a concentration in Medieval Studies) in order to have a legitimate excuse for spending all her time reading. She and her husband, novelist Andrew Grant, divide their time between Chicago and the UK. Visit her website at TashaAlexander.com.

Purchase Options for Dangerous to Know:

OMN Welcomes Mystery Author Susan Tornga

Omnimystery News is pleased to welcome Susan Tornga, whose debut mystery is Seashells in the Desert (Treble Heart Books, July 2011 trade paperback and ebook editions).

Today Susan writes about incorporating factual information into historical fiction. And she's also giving one of our readers the opportunity to win a copy of her book! See entry details below.

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"There are no ladies west of Dodge and no women west of Albuquerque."

That was a popular saying in the 1880's on America's frontier. Men outnumbered women ten to one and it is easy to imagine pretty much what those women did. They were wives or they were …

Photo provided courtesy of
Susan Tornga

Then an Englishman named Fred Harvey changed all that. The first Harvey House appeared in Topeka, Kansas in 1876 at the Santa Fe Railroad depot. Fred Harvey quickly opened both dining establishments and lodging facilities along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe lines from Chicago west to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and south to the Gulf of Mexico.

Before Harvey, train passengers could expect little more than slop at rest stops. Often, it actually was "slop." Passengers were given only fifteen to thirty minutes to eat and the cooks would purposefully delay meal service so that food was left on plates. That would be scraped back into the pot and served to the next unsuspecting group of travelers.

Fred had a vision of sophistication. He was an Englishman after all. Cuisine replaced slop. A typical meal might be fried chicken or baked halibut with lobster sauce, exotic salads and a piece of fresh peach pie that was an entire quarter of one pie. Ice cream was not unusual either. Not only were the hungry travelers treated to such delights, but meals were served with military precision on delicate china and glistening silver by attractive, smiling waitresses.

At first the employees were all male, as was customary to the time and place. Then, in 1883, Mr. Harvey fired all of his waiters at the Raton, New Mexico Harvey House and brought in women. And not just any women. He looked for and found young ladies, well-educated, neat and of good character.

Although it was not a condition of employment, these women turned out to be courageous as well. Many left their homes with only twenty-four hours notice after their hiring, knowing that they might never see their families again.

The West was a raw, wild country and the women might face Indian attacks, disease, and rough living conditions.

Often, especially in the early years, the townspeople looked on the women as little more than harlots in white aprons. Some of Fred's "Girls" couldn't take it and returned to whatever they'd left behind. Most stayed, however, and went on to become the wives of ranchers, or even ranchers themselves, as well as schoolteachers, nurses, politicians and lawmen, ahem, law-women.

These facts are slipped into Seashells in the Desert to create true-to-life scenes that not only entertain but educate the reader.

I dedicated my historical mystery, Seashells in the Desert, to "the brave women who sacrificed so much to open the West for others." In Seashells the reader meets Tessa Crane, attractive, hard working and independent, one of Fred's "Harvey Girls." The story is set in Winslow, Arizona in 1895 when only a dining establishment existed.

In Winslow today, the elegant La Posada Hotel still serves delicious cuisine to travelers, although few arrive by train. The Harvey Company built La Posada in 1929. As can be said of the United States, the hotel has weathered the many ups and downs of economic catastrophes and the even greater tragedies of war. And, like our country, it has endured.

Winslow women regularly don Harvey Girl costumes and conduct tours of La Posada, a nostalgic look at the heyday of American rail travel.

Fred Harvey has been called the founding father of the American service industry. His methods are still taught in graduate schools in the areas of hotel and restaurant management, personnel management, advertising and marketing. What a mark this English gentleman made on the American West.

What do I love most about Fred Harvey? He has provided me with an enchanting array of Harvey Houses, one of which might just be the setting of the next Tessa Crane mystery. As for characters to appear in those books? I need look no further than the American frontier in the late nineteenth century, the home of a never-ending supply of bad guys and good guys. Figuring out which is which, I leave to my readers.

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Susan was raised in Tucson, an upbringing that fueled her love for the Arizona desert. Her work has appeared in several Chicken Soup for the Soul^® and Patchwork Path anthologies. She is a passionate traveler and is a frequent contributor to the online travel magazine InTheKnowTraveler.com. When not writing or traveling, she can usually be found on one of the many hiking trails in Arizona, including segments of the Arizona Trail. She resides near Tucson with her husband, Mark. Learn more about Susan and Seashells in the Desert on her website, SusanTornga.com.

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About Seashells in the Desert:

Tessa Crane loves her life as a Harvey Girl. Attractive, hard working and independent, she personifies the best of Fred Harvey's waitresses. She welcomes the passengers of the Santa Fe Railway several times each day as they travel to and from booming California. What she doesn t welcome, however, is the trouble that disembarks one October day in 1895.

When a beautiful woman is found murdered, Tessa wonders why her close friend, Lupe Castillo, is so distraught. Her question is answered when Sheriff Jed Bowman leads a posse to find Lupe s brother, Joaquin. Lupe begs for Tessa's help in uncovering the real murderer, but what they learn leads both women to believe that Joaquin may be guilty.

This is the story of secrets long buried, like the Seashells in the Desert. What happened in the past is unveiled in events of the present. Tessa, Lupe and Joaquin each hold tight to their own secrets. If the truth is to be uncovered, those secrets must be disclosed. Innocent people may be hurt, but that may be the only way to bring a murderer to justice.

For a chance to win a copy of Seashells in the Desert, courtesy of the author, visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Susan Tornga: Seashells of the Desert" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (5991) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 10/06/2011.)

Review: Stealing Mona Lisa by Carson Morton

Stealing Mona Lisa by Carson Morton. Non-series. Minotaur Books Hardcover, August 2011.

The planning and execution of the theft of the Mona Lisa (as promised by the title) is handled very well in this entertaining crime caper-style mystery. But after it takes place, the plot seems to lose its way, lacking much of the charm that was previously so much in abundance.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Stealing Mona Lisa by Carson Morton.