The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer is Today's Barnes&Noble Nook Daily Find

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer as today's Barnes&Noble Daily Find. The deal price of $2.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, February 18, 2012.

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The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer
Publisher: Grand Central

About The First Counsel (from the publisher): Shadow is the Secret Service code name for First Daughter Nora Hartson. And when White House lawyer Michael Garrick begins dating the irresistible Nora, he's instantly spellbound, just like everyone else in her world. Then, late one night, the two witness something they were never meant to see. Now, in a world where everyone watches your every move, Michael is suddenly ensnared in someone's secret agenda. Trusting no one, not even Nora, he finds himself fighting for his innocence — and ultimately, his life.

Important Note: Barnes&Noble updates its Nook Daily Find every day at approximately midnight PT. The title referenced above is available at a discounted price for Saturday, February 18, 2012 only.

Download Link(s):

B&N Nook Daily Find.

Kind of Blue by Miles Corwin is Today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Kind of Blue by Miles Corwin as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal. The deal price of $0.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, February 18, 2012.

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Kind of Blue by Miles Corwin
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

This first in a series, written by a former crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, introduces LAPD homicide detective Ash Levine. The next book in the series, Midnight Alley, is expected to be published this spring.

About Kind of Blue (from the publisher): When a legendary ex-cop is mudered in L.A, the pressure's on to find the killer. Lt. Frank Duffy needs his best detective on the case, but his best detective, Ash Levine, quit a year ago. A tenacious, obsessive detective, Ash resigned after Latisha Patton, the witness in a homicide case he was working, was murdered. Without his job, Ash is left unanchored — and consumed with guilt that he somehow caused Latisha's murder.

When he's asked to rejoin the force, Ash reluctantly agrees. Getting his badge back could give him the chance to find Latisha's killer. Ash dives headfirst into the shadowlands of Southern California to investigate the ex-cop's murder. But even when he has a suspect in custody, something about this case doesn't sit right with Ash, and he continues working the increasingly dangerous investigation while quietly chasing leads in Latisha's murder. Unable to let either case go, Ash finds that his obsessive nature might prove fatal.

Important Note: Amazon.com updates its Kindle book deal every day at approximately midnight PT. The title referenced above is available at a discounted price for Saturday, February 18, 2012 only.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

New Poster for The Cold Light of Day

A new poster for the action-thriller The Cold Light of Day has been released (right; click for larger version). This poster's tagline: "Instinct is his greatest weapon." We like this poster quite a bit more than the previous one, though we're not altogether keen on this new tagline.

Henry Cavill starts as Will Shaw, who arrives in Spain for a weeklong sailing vacation with his family. But the stressed young businessman is not in a holiday mood. His start-up company just went under and his tense relationship with his disciplinarian father Martin (Bruce Willis) only makes matters worse. But when the family is kidnapped by what turns out to be intelligence agents hell-bent on recovering a mysterious suitcase, Will suddenly finds himself on the run. His whole world turns upside down when Martin reappears, revealing he is an undercover agent tangled in an intergovernmental web of lies and secrets. During a clandestine rendezvous, Martin is killed by a sniper, and Will must find a way to get the rest of his family back alive.

The film, which also stars Sigourney Weaver, is directed by Mabrouk El Mechir from a screenplay by Scott Wiper and John Petro.

Being fans of all three principal actors, we'd probably see this film anyway, but it looks solid enough on its own merits as a thriller. Look for it in theaters April 6th, 2012. Watch a trailer below.

UK Trailer for Film Adaptation of Jo Nesbø's Headhunters

A UK trailer (via Yahoo! movies UK) for the film adaptation of Jo Nesbø's 2008 crime caper Headhunters has been released; we've embedded it below. The movie's tagline is alternately "The chase is on" and "The hunt is on".

Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) is a successful, high-powered headhunter living way beyond his means, lavishing gifts on his stunning blonde trophy wife. He supplements his income by stealing rare artworks from his clients. Handsome Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his original Rubens seem like an irresistible target but Clas lives the life of a Bond villain and the two men are soon embroiled in a deadly feud.

The film was released under its Norwegian title Hodejegerne last August. It will air during the Glasgow Film Festival tomorrow and open in the UK on April 6th, 2012. To our knowledge, the film does not (yet) have a US release date.

New Poster for Sci-Fi Thriller Lockout

A new poster for the sci-fi thriller Lockout has been released (right; click for larger version). The tagline: "Take no prisoners."

Guy Pearce stars as a man wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage against the US, who is offered his freedom if he can rescue the President's daughter (Maggie Grace) from a prison orbiting 50 miles above the Earth, in which 500 of the world's most dangerous criminals are housed. They're supposed to have been kept asleep by sophisticated technology … but now they've all been awakened and have taken over the facility.

The film is directed by Stephen Saint Leger and James Mather from their screenplay co-written with Luc Besson. It opens in theaters April 20th, 2012. Watch a trailer below.

Penguin Relaunching Dutton Guilt Edged Mystery Imprint

Penguin Group is relaunching "Dutton Guilt Edged Mysteries" this summer as a digital imprint.

Dutton Guilt Edged Mysteries will be dedicated to discovering and publishing original crime short stories and novellas as eBooks. Each month, DGE will publish a modern work between ten thousand and fifty thousand words that has a sharp, fresh voice and captures the noir spirit in an exciting, imaginative, and modern way.

Guilt Edged Mysteries — the original logo is shown, left — began publication in 1947, with the last titles appearing in 1956. Among the early books published was the first Mike Hammer mystery, I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane.

Authors are encouraged to contact Penguin and submit their work. Visit the imprint's FAQ page for more information.

The New West Crime Comic Optioned for Film

The two-issue near-future crime comic The New West is being optioned for film.

Written by Jimm Palmiotti and illustrated by Phil Noto, the storyline is set in the aftermath of an electromagnetic bomb that has destroyed all technology in Los Angeles, and follows Daniel Wise, a former LAPD detective, who must rescue a kidnapped mayor in this new, hostile environment. His only resources are his horse and a sword.

The New West was published in 2005 by Black Bull Comics.

(Related article: The Hollywood Reporter.)

Two Repeat Free Mysteries are Today's Third and Fourth Featured MystereBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to feature two repeat freebies from December 2011 as today's third and fourth free mystery ebooks.

These titles were listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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Provincetown Follies, Bangkok Blues by Randall Peffer
A Cape Islands Mystery
Publisher: Tyrus Books

This first in a series of five (to date) introduces Michael DeCastro, a Massachusetts public defender on Cape Cod.

About Provincetown Follies, Bangkok Blues (from the publisher): Tuki Aparecio did not kill her lover. She did not burn down the Painted Lady — at least, not with fire. Tuki lit up the stage nightly, with her hair in braids and her glorious costumes; glittering, smoldering, singing her heart out for an audience who loved her. She brought the house down with her performances. But she's innocent of murder, innocent of arson.

How can Michael DeCastro possibly hope to defend this beautiful drag queen, who brings with her a whole pack of nasty little secrets, straight from Bangkok's notorious tenderloin district? She speaks in aphorisms, the wisdom of the Buddha combined with the lyrics of Whitney Houston. She is fascinating. And Michael can't let her go to jail.

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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Child of Silence by Abigail Padgett
A Bo Bradley Mystery
Publisher: Mysterious Press/Smashwords

This first in a series of five mysteries introduces Bo Bradley, a child abuse investigator for San Diego County’s Department of Social Services, a job involving an endless chain of crises that range from the merely ridiculous to the flat-out terrifying.

About Child of Silence (from the publisher): When an old Paiute woman finds a four-year-old boy tied to a mattress in an abandoned shack in the hills above San Diego, Bo gets the case. Staff at St. Mary's Hospital for Children assume the boy is mentally impaired because he cannot talk, but Bo remembers a little sister named Laurie. The boy, like Laurie, is deaf. Bo tangles with the system, first in attempts to place her young client in a foster home where sign language is used, and later, after someone has tried to shoot the child, in a desperate, manicky, midnight flight into the desert to save his life.

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

The Beholder by David Bishop is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Beholder by David Bishop as today's second free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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The Beholder by David Bishop
A Maddie Richards Mystery
Publisher: Telemachus Press

This first in a series introduces Phoeniz (Arizona) homicide detective Maddie Richards.

About The Beholder (from the publisher): Maddie has one of the highest solve rates in America. Her success leads her chief of police to assign her a serial killer case. Some sicko the press calls the Beholder is killing beautiful women. Her chief describes the case as "a career maker or breaker, get me?"

She has an ex-husband she still cares for, but who was bad for her and her ten-year-old son. Her widowed mother who lives with her is both a blessing and a trial. And, oh yes, her ex-husband has married an extremely wealthy and politically connected woman who cannot give birth. So, Maddie's ex is filing a motion to obtain permanent custody of their son, citing the risks attendant to Maddie's police work endanger the boy. If that were not enough, the brother-in-law of the chief of police is using his position as an administrative assistant to sexually harass Maddie. She could file a formal complaint, but the good-old-boys network in the department is watching how she handles the situation.

Further complicating Maddie's life is two love interests: Gary Packard, a hunk who recently moved in across the street, and Lincoln Rogers, a confirmed bachelor, who lives thousands of miles away and works for the FBI.

As the case develops Maddie learns that the victims all wore the same bra size. She must decide if this is merely a coincidence or a criterion the killer uses when selecting his victims. She also finds that each of the victims is somehow connected to the Phoenix police department. This realization isolates her further as she must pursue the killer without disclosing this theory to her department because, if her suspicion is correct, the Beholder would learn she is closing in.

As the story races toward its climax, Maddie is betrayed by those closest to her, and she begins to believe her own name may be on the killer's list.

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

A Cure to Die For by Stephen G. Mitchell is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Cure to Die For by Stephen G. Mitchell as today's free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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A Cure to Die For by Stephen G. Mitchell
Publisher: Creative Artists

About A Cure to Die For (from the publisher): A genetically engineered cure for the common cold turns out to be a cure for cancer. It threatens to put a major pharmaceutical company, along with about half the medical community, out of business. They will stop at nothing to destroy it before it destroys them.

Amid harrowing kidnappings, manhunts, political and corporate intrigue, Wall Street corruption, drug addiction, suicides, arrests and terrifying escapes--in the Montana wilderness, in the high-tech world of Houston, Texas, in the political cesspool of Washington, D.C., in the teeming jungles of Mexico and on a 26,000 square mile Indian reservation — a man and a woman fight to survive the perilous journey where the fate of a healthy planet hinges on the survival of a tiny seed.

A crisis of medical and corporate greed sweeps the country. The government and the media conspire with the medical industry to keep a miracle drug off the market. The book is a medical thriller that is part adventure, part mystery and part love story; a novel about two people who stand against a broken world.

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending February 17, 2012

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending February 17th, 2012 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

We have a new number 1! Last week's featured title, Kill Shot, the 12th thriller featuring Mitch Rapp by Vince Flynn, has jumped from number 10 to land in the top spot this week.

One new title debuts.

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Coincidentally, coming in at number 10 this week is Private Games by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan.

Private, the world's most renowned investigation firm, has been commissioned to provide security for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Its agents are the smartest, fastest, and most technologically advanced in the world, and 400 of them have been transferred to London to protect more than 10,000 competitors who represent more than 200 countries.

The opening ceremony is hours away when Private investigator and single father of twins Peter Knight is called to the scene of a ruthless murder. A high-ranking member of the games' organizing committee has been killed. It's clear to Peter that this wasn't a crime of passion, but one of precise calculation and execution.

Newspaper reporter Karen Pope receives a letter from a person who calls himself Cronus claiming responsibility for the murders. He promises to restore the Olympics to their ancient glory and to destroy all those who have corrupted the games with lies, corruption, and greed. Immediately, Karen hires Private to examine the letter, and she and Peter uncover a criminal genius who won't stop until he's completely destroyed the modern games.

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.

Watch the Full Premiere Episode of NBC's Awake

Earlier this week NBC released the first 7-plus minutes from its new suspense thriller Awake. Today, the network has released the entire premiere episode; we've embedded it below.

Jason Isaacs stars as Detective Michael Britten, who has survived a car accident that seems to have claimed the lives of his wife and son … but they still exist in what seem to him to be parallel realities.

We haven't watched the entire episode yet, but it seems pretty good to us … so far. Besides, we're fans of Jason Isaacs, especially after seeing him in Case Histories.

The premiere episode of Awake — the series pilot, the same one as below, but with commercials — will air on Thursday, March 1st, 2012 at 10 PM (ET/PT).

Review: The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty

Read our …

Review of The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty. A Montana Fly Fishing Mystery. Viking Hardcover, February 2012.

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CWA Announces Frederick Forsyth as Winner of the 2012 Diamond Dagger

The Crime Writers' Association has announced that the 2012 winner of its prestigious Diamond Dagger award for lifetime achievement is Frederick Forsyth.

Chair of the CWA Peter James said, "Frederick Forsyth is a hugely deserving recipient and The Day of the Jackal remains one of the greatest thrillers of our times. He has set a new standard of research-based authenticity with his writing, which has had a major influence both on my work and on many of my contemporaries in the crime and thriller field. We are very thrilled that he has accepted this award."

The Diamond Dagger will be presented to Frederick Forsyth at an award ceremony later this year.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is Returning to BBC

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is returning to BBC.

Back in December 2010, a single episode aired that served as a pilot for a potential series. It proved to be hugely popular, and now Stephen Mangan is reprising his role as Douglas Adams' holistic detective. Described as "perennially broke and morally dubious, Dirk's methods are based on the fundamental interconnectedness of all things."

Adams, who may be best known for his "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series of books, originally published his comic crime fantasy novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency in 1987. The plotline goes something like this: What do a dead cat, a computer whiz-kid, an Electric Monk who believes the world is pink, quantum mechanics, a Chronologist over 200 years old, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (poet), and pizza have in common? Apparently not much … until Dirk Gently, self-styled private investigator, sets out to prove the fundamental interconnectedness of all things by solving a mysterious murder, assisting a mysterious professor, unraveling a mysterious mystery, and eating a lot of pizza — not to mention saving the entire human race from extinction along the way … at no extra charge!

The character also appeared in the 1989 sequel, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

Three new episodes for the BBC series are planned … or already filmed, it isn't clear to us which is the case. In Episode 1, Dirk discovers the connection between two unrelated cases: a client who believes the Pentagon is trying to kill him and another who's horoscopes appear to be coming true. In Episode 2, Dirk is called back to his old university to protect a valuable robot but within 24 hours it has been stolen and a dead body discovered, with Dirk and Richard Macduff (Darren Boyd) the prime suspect. In Episode 3, they are alarmed to discover that Dirk's old clients are being randomly murdered with Dirk as the only link. Rather than talk to the police, Dirk elects to leave the country but is waylaid by a series of seemingly unconnected events.

"Slipping back into Dirk's pointy shoes to renew my double act with Darren Boyd for three brand new episodes is, for me, about as good as it gets," says Stephen Mangan. "I wish I was Dirk."

The pilot has not been released on any media that we can find, nor has it aired here in the US on BBC America.

(Related article: BBC News.)