Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The End of the Line by Stephen Legault.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Warner Bros. Acquires Film Adaptation of The Devil in the White City
A year or so ago we reported that Leonardo DiCaprio's production company had acquired the film rights to The Devil in the White City, the true story of a mass murderer, who killed scores of mostly young women around the time of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
Now we're learning that Warner Bros. has acquired the project and hired Graham Moore to write the adapted screenplay. DiCaprio is still expected to star as Henry H. Holmes, the serial killer.
Subtitled "Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America," the book tells the story of two men: Architect Daniel Hudson Burnham, the brilliant director of the World's Fair of 1893 in Chicago, the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C.; and Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his "World’s Fair Hotel" just west of the fairgrounds — a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths.
(Related article: Deadline.)
The Clinch Knot by John Galligan is Today's Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Clinch Knot by John Galligan as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically for a limited time only or 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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The Clinch Knot by John Galligan
A Ned "Dog" Oglivie Fly Fishing Mystery
Tyrus Books
This is the third (of four to date) mystery in this series.
About The Clinch Knot (from the publisher): The Dog is in Livingston, Montana, daydreaming about fishing the Stone and, as usual, subsisting on Swisher Sweets, vodka-Tang, and the hope that pretending to forget will be enough.
He's forged a few tenuous friendships, and now finds himself watching from the bank as troubled local girl Jesse Ringer leads D'Ontario Sneed into the swift current of young love. It's sweet, really … but some of the locals object to the relationship on the basis of Sneed's skin color.
Then the unthinkable: vibrant, wild Jesse is found shot in the head, and Sneed is passed out in her car, gun beside him, window seams taped, and engine running. Sneed is hospitalized for severe carbon monoxide poisoning and can't string together a sentence to defend himself, so it falls to the Dog.
If only the Dog could run from his life without ending up in the tangle and snarl of the lives of others. A man who wants to lose himself in the current must be careful of his backcast; it'll always keep him tethered to a life he's trying to forget.
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):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Review: The Blood Red Indian Summer by David Handler
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Blood Red Indian Summer by David Handler.
Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending December 16, 2011
A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending December 16th, 2011 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.
Although there was quite a bit of shuffling within the list this week, last week's number one title, The Litigators by John Grisham, remains atop the list again this week. No new titles debut in the top 15, though one just missed the cutoff and is profiled below.
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New at number 18 and certain to move into the top 15 next week is the 8th Harry Hole mystery, The Leopard by Jo Nesbø. It was originally published in Norway as Panserhjerte in 2009.
Two young women are found murdered in Oslo, both drowned in their own blood. Media coverage quickly reaches fever pitch: Could this be the work of a serial killer?
The crime scenes offer no coherent clues, the police investigation is stalled, and the one man who might be able to help doesn’t want to be found. Traumatized by his last case, Inspector Harry Hole has lost himself in the squalor of Hong Kong’s opium dens. Yet when he is compelled, at last, to return to Norway — his father is dying — Harry’s buried instincts begin to take over. After a female MP is discovered brutally murdered, nothing can keep him from the investigation.
There is little to go on: a piece of rope, a scrap of wool, a bit of gravel, an unexpected connection between the victims. And Harry will soon come to understand that he is dealing with a psychopath for whom "insanity is a vital retreat," someone who will put him to the test — in both his professional and personal lives — as never before.
Purchase Options:
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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, December 15, 2011
The Hunger Games Poster Puzzle Solved
It's scarcely been an hour since we read about The Hunger Games poster puzzle contest (via Facebook) that it has been solved and a winner announced.
It is, of course, old news now, but earlier today a poster puzzle hunt was on to celebrate 100 days until The Hunger Games opens in theaters on March 23rd, 2012. Pieces of the puzzle were distributed via Twitter and readers were asked to collect them and then solve the puzzle.
The result is shown right (click for larger image).
Review: Physical Education by Maggie Barbieri
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Physical Education by Maggie Barbieri.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Opens in US Theaters December 16th
This Friday, December 16th, the sequel to 2009's Sherlock Holmes opens in US theaters. Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the consulting detective in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Jude Law returns as his friend and sleuthing partner Dr. John Watson.
New to this film is the character of Professor James Moriarty (played by Jared Harris). Though Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room, Moriarty is Holmes' intellectual equal. But his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective.
When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade, points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder — a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction — all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history.
Watch a featurette for the film below.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Summit Entertainment Names Screenwriter for Adaptation of Jo Nesbø's Headhunters
Earlier this year we learned that Summit Entertainment had optioned the English-language film rights to Jo Nesbø's stand-alone art theft caper Headhunters. Today the studio announced that Sacha Gervasi (Henry's Crime) will write the adapted screenplay.
A Swedish-language film adaptation of the 2008 novel — originally published as Hodejegerne — was released in 2009 (though it is not yet available here in the US).
Headhunters introduces the charming villain Roger Brown, a man who seems to have it all: he is Norway's most successful headhunter, married to the beautiful gallery owner Diana, owns a magnificent house – and is living larger than he should. Meanwhile, he is playing at the dangerous game of art theft. At a gallery opening, his wife introduces him to the Dutchman Clas Greve. Not only is Greve the perfect candidate for the CEO position of the GPS company Pathfinder that Roger Brown is recruiting for; he is also in possession of "The Calydonian Boar Hunt" by Peter Paul Rubens, one of the most sought-after paintings in modern art history. Roger sees his chance to become financially independent, and starts planning his biggest hit ever. But soon, he runs into trouble — and it's not financial problems that are threatening to knock him over this time …
(Related article: Deadline.)
HBO to Develop Josh Bazell's Beat the Reaper as Drama Series
Leonardo DiCaprio acquired the film rights to Josh Bazell's debut novel Beat the Reaper just after — maybe just before — its publication date in early 2009 but the project seems to have been backburnered since then. We had news earlier this year that a new director had come on board but little more was known, though DiCaprio was still expected to star in it.
Until today.
Now we're learning that instead of a theatrical film, the book will be used as the inspiration for a drama series on HBO. And instead of starring DiCaprio, it will be executive produced by him. The screenwriting team of Brian Koppleman and David Levien (Runaway Jury, Ocean's Thirteen) will write the script for the pilot.
The book features one Dr. Peter Brown, an intern at Manhattan's worst hospital with a talent for medicine, a shift from hell, and a past he'd prefer to keep hidden. Whether it's a blocked circumflex artery or a plan to land a massive malpractice suit, he knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men.
Pietro "Bearclaw" Brnwna is a hitman for the mob, with a genius for violence, a well-earned fear of sharks, and an overly close relationship with the Federal Witness Relocation Program. More likely to leave a trail of dead gangsters than a molecule of evidence, he's the last person you want to see in your hospital room.
Nicholas LoBrutto, aka Eddy Squillante, is Dr. Brown's new patient, with three months to live and a very strange idea: that Peter Brown and Pietro Brnwa might-just might-be the same person …
Now, with the mob, the government, and death itself descending on the hospital, Peter has to buy time and do whatever it takes to keep his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption alive. To get through the next eight hours — and somehow beat the reaper.
(Related article: The Hollywood Reporter.)
Ballistic by Paul Levine is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Ballistic by Paul Levine as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically for a limited time only or 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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Ballistic by Paul Levine
Non-Series
Nittany Valley
Paul Levine is the author of the popular Jake Lassiter mysteries. This book is inspired by his work as a screenwriter on the military drama JAG.
About Ballistic (from the publisher): A nuclear missile … A band of terrorists … And only two people who can prevent Armageddon.
It’s up to Sergeant Jack Jericho, who is haunted by an act of cowardice in his past, and Dr. Susan Burns, a psychiatrist trapped in the launch control capsule, to prevent a nuclear holocaust. That’s right. It’s time to buckle your seatbelts, because it just might be a thermonuclear night.
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):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
Before I Wake by Anne Frasier is Today's Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Before I Wake by Anne Frasier as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically for a limited time only or 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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Before I Wake by Anne Frasier
Non-Series
Onyx
About Before I Wake (from the publisher): Caught between dreams and reality ...
A madman murdered her family, leaving her a shadow of the woman she once was. So one-time criminal profiler Arden Davis did the only thing she could: She volunteered for an experiment to wipe out the horrific memories that haunted her every waking moment. But the experiment wasn’t quite the success they predicted—and now Arden is left sifting through random memories, trying to distinguish dreams from reality.
Then one night, Special Agent Nathan Fury shows up on her doorstep with an urgent appeal for help. She awakes to a living nightmare … The murderer, it turns out, is still on the streets. This time, Arden will risk everything—even her own sanity—to lure the killer out of hiding. Even if it means the killer is closer than she thought. Even if she herself becomes the number-one suspect …
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):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
The Grail Conspiracy by Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore is Today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal
MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Grail Conspiracy by Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal. The deal price of $0.99 is valid only for today, Wednesday, December 14, 2011.
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The Grail Conspiracy by Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore
A Cotten Stone Thriller
Midnight Ink
This first novel of four in the series, which introduced television journalist Cotten Stone, was the winner of the 2005 ForeWord Book of the Year Award for Best Mystery.
About The Grail Conspiracy (from the publisher): On assignment in the Middle East, Cotten stumbles upon an archeological dig that uncovers the world's most-sought-after religious relic: the Holy Grail. With his last dying breath, Dr. Gabriel Archer gives it to Cotten, uttering "You are the only one" in a language she's heard from only one other person — her deceased twin sister.
What begins as a hot news story for the ambitious young reporter soon turns into a nightmare when the Holy Grail is stolen and strange "accidents" befall her dearest friends. Running for her life, she turns to John Tyler, a priest with firsthand knowledge of religious artifacts, for help. An anonymous source leads them to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, where an abominable experiment is underway that — unless destroyed — promises to unleash an ancient evil upon the Earth.
Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Denzel Washington Cast as Robert McCall in Film Adaptation of The Equalizer
Sony Pictures is moving forward with its theatrical film adaptation of the late 1980s television crime drama The Equalizer with Denzel Washington in the role of ex-agent Robert McCall, who offers his services to those who cannot — for whatever reason — seek legitimate protection from the law.
There are a couple of … not necessarily problems, but issues … with this whole project. First, do we really need another film remake of a television series? And second, does Denzel Washington, whose character roles, even in thrillers, are frequently more cerebral-inclined than action-oriented, fit our mental image of "The Equalizer"? What do you think?
(Related article: Variety.)
Romantic Crime Novelist Mary Burton's Annual Holiday Recipes
Romantic crime novelist — and baker supreme — Mary Burton has provided us with her annual Holiday Recipe. But with a bonus, since there are two recipes to share this year. Not only does she feed readers' appetites for solving crimes, she feeds their appetites for sweets as well!
The first of this year's treats — Sweet Charlotte Molasses Cream Cheese Roll-ups — honor Charlotte Wellington, the defense attorney featured in her next novel Before She Dies (Zebra Books, February 2012 paperback). The second — Sonner's Predictably Delicious Pumpkin Pie Cake and Cupcakes — is a twist on a classic fall favorite.
Mary is as passionate about baking as she is about writing and has been creating and sharing holiday recipes with readers for the last few years. We're providing copies of her 2011 recipes below; click on the images for larger versions.
Thanks to Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting for forwarding these recipes from the author on to us.
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