Monday, October 31, 2011

Mystery Godoku Puzzle for October 31, 2011

A new 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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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for October 31, 2011

This week's letters and mystery clue:

A B E I L M O R T

This city’s "Blues" are mentioned in the first Tess Monaghan mystery by Laura Lippman (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!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Games of Mystery and Suspense: Uncharted 3, Drake's Deception for PlayStation 3

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PlayStation 3)
Buy from Amazon.com

A search for the fabled "Atlantis of the Sands" propels fortune hunter Nathan Drake on a trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

When the terrible secrets of this lost city are unearthed, Drake's quest descends into a desperate bid for survival that strains the limits of his endurance and forces him to confront his deepest fears.

This third game in the "Uncharted" franchise — the first two are Drake's Fortune and Among Thieves — continues the adventures of the swashbuckling treasure hunter Nathan Drake, this time as he finds himself in a new variety of challenging environments.

Sony is currently working on a film adaptation of the first game in the series, with the most recent news being the hiring of a new director/screenwriter.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 1st, 2011, exclusively for PlayStation 3. Also being released are Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Collector's Edition and the PlayStation 3 320GB "Uncharted 3" Bundle.

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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!

Mad Money by Linda L. Richards is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks: Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller eBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Mad Money by Linda L. Richards 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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Mad Money by Linda L. Richards

Mad Money by Linda L. Richards
A Madeline Carter Mystery
Mira/Smashwords

This first in a series of three introduces former stock broker, current day trader Madeline Carter. Though we didn't read this book, we did enjoy the second two in the series, The Next Ex and Calculated Loss.

About Mad Money (from the publisher): When her best friend is killed in front of her at the New York City brokerage where they both work, Madeline Carter quits her job and aims for a safer life on the warm coast. But life has a way of interrupting the best laid plans and it isn’t long before Madeline’s quiet new life of day trading in the Malibu hills is interrupted by kidnapping, murder and a run-in with a corporate psychopath.

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 Apple Free iBook Download Link (via iTunes).

Smashwords Free eBook Smashwords Free Book Download Link.

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

Fuse of Armageddon by Sigmund Brouwer and Hank Hanegraaff is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks: Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller eBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Fuse of Armageddon by Sigmund Brouwer and Hank Hanegraaff 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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Fuse of Armageddon by Sigmund Brouwer and Hank Hanegraaff

Fuse of Armageddon by Sigmund Brouwer and Hank Hanegraaff
Non-Series
Tyndale House

About Fuse of Armageddon (from the publisher): Nothing more could go wrong for maverick hostage negotiator Mulvaney Quinn. First stabbed in the hand during a failed terrorist bust, then arrested for a hate crime he didn't commit. Now Quinn must come face to face with his past in order to stop the worst terrorist threat of all time — a plot to bring about the ultimate religious uprising by destroying one of the most sacred relics in history.

But the Fuse of Armageddon has already been lit. With the clock ticking down toward a global catastrophe, Quinn must team up with the most unlikely ally of all — the woman who arrested him — to bring down an even more unlikely coalition of enemies. Facing an unholy trinity of a Jewish fanatic, a Muslim terrorist, and a "Christian" freedom fighter, only Quinn can stop them from achieving their goal. But will he be in time? Or is it already too late? Because when Armageddon is unleashed, the fate of the entire world hangs in the balance.

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 Book Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Chicago Area Libraries to Host Love is Murder Mini-Conferences in November

Love is Murder

Chicago-area residents have the opportunity next month to get a peek into a mystery author's thought process and gain insight into the business side of an author's life at one of two "Love is Murder" mini-conferences being held during November.

Libraries in Waukegan and Lincolnshire will host local-area authors, who will discuss the joys — and challenges — of publishing. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, mingle with the authors and network with other attendees.

As a special bonus, one registered participant at each even will win a ticket to Love is Murder XIII Mystery Writers' Conference, to be held at the InterContinental Chicago O'Hare in February 2012, a prize valued at $275.

The mini-conferences are free to attend, but registration is required to be entered into the raffle.

Writers Revealed: Mystery Writers Panel
Saturday, November 5th, 2011, 1 to 3 PM
Waukegan Public Library, 128 N. County St., Waukegan IL
To register call (847) 623-2041 or visit WaukeganPL.org
Featured authors are Andrew Grant, Shane Gericke, Tasha Alexander, and Luisa Buehler

Love is Murder Mini-Con
Saturday, November 12th, 2011, 2 to 4 PM
Vernon Area Public Library, 300 Olde Half Day Rd., Lincolnshire
To register call (847) 634-3650 or visit VAPLD.info
Featured authors are Raymond Benson, Michael Harvey, Jeffrey Small, and Robert Goldborough

Note: The Vernon Area Library event will be preceded by an Agatha Christie presentation with actress Betsy Means at 1 PM.

Review: Covenant by Dean Crawford

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Covenant by Dean Crawford.

Review: A Double Death on the Black Isle by A. D. Scott

Reviews of Mystery and Suspense Books for Kids, New This Week on Book Trends (111029)

Book Trends: Reviews of Young Adult and Children Books

Book Trends, a review site for young adult and children books, published several new book reviews this past week. We're presenting here a summary of those in the mystery/suspense/thriller category.

The Black Heart Crypt by Chris Grabenstein. The 4th book in the "Haunted Mystery" series. Lexile measure: N/A. Reviewed by a 6th grade student, who writes, "[This book] is so good I did not want to put it down. When I finished I was left wanting to read more! I had never read a book written by Chris Grabenstein, but now I am compelled to read more of his books. If you like mystery, suspense, and a little bit of humor, then I would highly recommend this book." (Read the full review here.)

For more reviews of children and young adult books of all genres, visit Book Trends; their reviews will amaze you! You can also follow Book Trends on Twitter.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Review: The Concert Killer by R. J. McDonnell

Review: Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon.

Fortunes of War by Gordon Zuckerman is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks: Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller eBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Fortunes of War by Gordon Zuckerman 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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Fortunes of War by Gordon Zuckerman

Fortunes of War by Gordon Zuckerman
Non-Series
Greenleaf

About Fortunes of War (from the publisher): In the financial devastation of the 1930s, a greedy, power-hungry group of German industrialists plot to usher in the National Socialist Party in order to rearm Germany and reap the financial rewards. Thus rises Hitler. With Hitler in power, the Six Sentinels, graduates of an elite American doctoral program, uncover the industrialists' plan to hoard hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal war profits. Using their financial and familial connections around the globe, they work to foil the machinations of the financiers of the Third Reich. In a daring strategy of Robin Hood style thievery, the sentinels put their lives on the line to serve justice — and thus become embroiled in a dangerous and violent international conspiracy.

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 Book Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

Barnes&Noble Free Nook Book B&N Free Nook Book Download Link.

Apple Free iBook Apple Free iBook Download Link (via iTunes).

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

Winner of the 2011 T. Jefferson Parker Mystery Award Announced

Mystery Book Awards

Earlier this week the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA) awards were handed out, with Savages by Don Winslow winning the 2011 T. Jefferson Parker Mystery Award, named in honor of the crime novelist, a lifelong resident of the area.

Winslow has previously been honored with a Shamus Award for Best PI Hardcover in 2000 and two Falcon Awards.

(Hat tip to The Rap Sheet for alerting us to the winner.)

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending October 28th, 2011

Bestselling Hardcover Mystery Books

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending October 28th, 2011 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

No change among the top five this past week, with the latest Jack Reacher thriller, The Affair by Lee Child retaining the top spot. One new title debuts this week.

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The Litigators by John Grisham

John Grisham's new legal thriller The Litigators enters the list at number 12.

The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.

And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him.

With their new associate on board, F&F is ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make the partners rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx, the number one cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire after several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money.

A little online research confirms Wally’s suspicions—a huge plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg has to do is find a handful of people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won’t even have to enter a courtroom!

It almost seems too good to be true.

And it is.

Purchase Options: Amazon.com Print/Kindle EditionBarnes&Noble Print/Nookbook EditionApple iBookstore eBookGoogle eBookKobo eBookIndie Bound: Independent BooksellersThe Book Depository: Free Worldwide Shipping

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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.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Thomas Perry's Crime Novel Strip to be Adapted for Film

Strip by Thomas Perry

Thomas Perry's 2010 crime novel Strip is being adapted for film. Aaron Stockard (Gone Baby Gone, The Town) will write the screenplay.

Strip opens with aging but formidable club owner Claudiu "Manco" Kapak robbed by a masked gunman as he places his cash receipts in a bank's night-deposit box. Enraged, he sends out half a dozen security men to find the witless culprit. Their search leads them to Joe Carver, an innocent but hardly defenseless newcomer who evades capture and sets out to make Kapak wish he'd targeted someone else. Meanwhile, the real burglar, Jefferson Davis Falkins, and his new girlfriend Carrie seem to believe they've found a whole new profession: robbing Manco Kapak. Lieutenant Nick Slosser, the police detective in charge of the puzzling and increasingly violent case, has his own troubles, including worries about how he's going to afford to send the oldest child of each of his two bigamous marriages to college without making their mothers suspicious. As this strange series of events explodes into a triple killing, Carver finds himself in the middle of a brewing gang war over Kapak's little empire, while Falkins and Carrie journey into territory more dangerous than they could have ever imagined.

(Source: Deadline.)

The Double Opens in Limited Release this Friday, October 28th, 2011

The Double (2011)

The murder mystery The Double opens in limited release this Friday, October 28th, 2011.

Based on an original story by crime novelist Derek Haas and his writing partner Michael Brandt (who also directed), the film stars Richard Gere as retired CIA operative Paul Shepherdson, who teams with rookie FBI agent Ben Geary (Topher Grace) to solve the mysterious murder of a US senator that bears the distinctive trademark of the legendary Soviet assassin "Cassius".

Having spent his career chasing Cassius, Shepherdson is convinced his nemesis is long dead, but is pushed to take on the case by his former supervisor, Tom Highland (Martin Sheen). Meanwhile, Geary, who wrote his Master's thesis on Shepherdson's pursuit of the Soviet killer, is certain that Cassius has resurfaced. As Shepherdson and Geary work their way through crimes both past and present, they discover that Cassius may not be the person they always thought him to be, forcing both to re-examine everything and everyone around them.

Watch a trailer for The Double below.

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