New Selection of 99 Cent Poisoned Pen Press eMysteries

Though they haven't announced it on their website yet, it looks like specialty mystery publisher Poisoned Pen Press has released a new selection of ebooks priced at just 99 cents each! We found 10 titles we hadn't seen before (listed below) but all of April's selected titles are still discounted so there is a lot to choose from. (Use this general link to see all Poisoned Pen Press titles currently available for 99 cents each.)

Important Note: The titles listed below were available for 99 cents each 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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Spiked 
Mark Arsenault
Series: An Eddie Bourque Mystery (1st in series)

The Reunion 
Curt Autry

Final Approach 
Rachel Brady
Series: An Emily Locke Mystery (1st in series)

The Poet's Funeral 
John M. Daniel
Series: A Guy Mallon Mystery (1st in series)

Speak Now 
Margaret Dumas
Series: A Charley Fairfax Mystery (1st in series)

The Coffin Trail 
Martin Edwards
Series: A Lake District Mystery (1st in series)

Pest Control 
Bill Fitzhugh
Series: A Bob Dillon Mystery (1st in series)

Looking for Chet Baker 
Bill Moody
Series: An Evan Horne Mystery (5th in series)

Mute Witness 
Charles O'Brien
Series: An Anne Cartier Mystery (1st in series)

The Rock Hole 
Reavis Z. Wortham
Series: A Ned Parker Mystery (1st in series)

Special Offer: Robert Dugoni's Murder One eBook Now Just $1.99 (limited time only)

Here's a special ebook offer: Robert Dugoni's fourth legal thriller to feature David Sloane, Murder One, is currently available to download for just $1.99! (Kindle, Nook, and iTunes versions are available at this price, from now through May 21st, 2012. As always, please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.)

We missed reviewing Murder One when it was published last year, but we greatly enjoyed the previous two in the series, calling Wrongful Death "among the best books to be published [in 2009]" and saying that 2010's Bodily Harm "is an exciting thriller populated with crisply drawn characters."

In Murder One, a year after the devastating murder of his wife, attorney David Sloane has returned to Seattle after three months in Mexico. At a black-tie dinner where he's been persuaded to give the keynote address, Sloane reconnects with Barclay Reid, opposing counsel in his most prominent case. Barclay is suffering from her own personal tragedy — the death of her teenage daughter from a drug overdose. In the aftermath, Barclay has begun an intense crusade against the Russian drug traffickers she holds responsible for her daughter's death, pursuing them with a righteousness that matches Sloane's own zeal for justice. Despite their adversarial past, Sloane is drawn to Barclay and for the first time since his wife died, he finds himself beginning to have romantic feelings again.

But when Barclay's crusade stalls and a Russian drug dealer turns up dead, she stands accused of murder, and Sloane is her chosen defender. Amid the swirling media frenzy, in his first criminal case, Sloane finds himself once again in harm's way, while mounting evidence suggests that Barclay is a woman with many secrets — and may not be quite as innocent as she seems.

The fifth book in the series, The Conviction, publishes next month.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120511)

Here is today's list of the top bestselling free Kindle mysteries, suspense novels and thrillers.

We're using a script to embed an RSS feed from Amazon.com, which is updated hourly, but if you cannot see the box below — or have scripts blocked — you can use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com.

Casting Update for RED 2

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Byun-Hun Lee have joined the original cast of the 2010 action thriller RED — Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, and Helen Mirren — in its sequel, somewhat unimaginatively titled RED 2.

Based on the graphic novel RED by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, the premise involves a group of retired — the "R" in RED — and extremely dangerous — the "ED" in RED — CIA operatives, who do fun and amazing things with high tech weaponry. OK, that's not the original storyline but that's what the film was, and presumably its sequel will be, about. (Read our review of RED.)

Dean Parisot will direct RED 2 from a screenplay by brother Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber (Whiteout, Battleship, and the original RED). It is currently scheduled to open in theaters August 2nd, 2013.

(Related article: The Hollywood Reporter.)

ITV Commissions Murder Mystery A Mother's Son

Hermione Norris, Martin Clunes, Paul McGann and Alexander Arnold are set to star in the original murder mystery drama A Mother's Son for ITV1.

Written by Chris Lang, the storyline follows Rosie, a recently remarried woman (Norris), who suspects her son Jamie (Arnold) may be responsible for the death of a teenaged schoolgirl. Clunes play's Rosie's current husband Ben, with McGann playing her ex-husband and Jamie's father David.

"A Mother's Son is the story of an ordinary mother tormented by her suspicions and thoughts that her son may be capable of murder," said Victoria Fea, Commissioning Executive at ITV. "She's confronted with this terrifying dilemma and has to ask herself, should she go to the police and give him up? She'll wrestle with this throughout what is a very compelling drama."

Filming on the two-part drama is expected to begin later this month on location in London and Suffolk.

Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce Mysteries Optioned for Television Movies

Sam Mendes's Neal Street Productions has acquired the film and television rights to the "Flavia de Luce" mysteries by Alan Bradley. The first book in the series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, introduced the 11-year-old amateur sleuth and won numerous literary awards including the Arthur Ellis Award, the Agatha Award, and the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel.

The books are expected to be developed into a series of made-for-television films.

What surprised us a bit in the news item (via Quill & Quire) was the mention that this is — or at least, is planned to be — a 10-book series. Sure enough, in news we missed from earlier this year, Bradley extended his previous six-book deal to ten. Four have been published to date and the author lists on his website two additional titles: Speaking from Among the Bones (2013) and The Dead in their Vaulted Arches (2014).

Till the Old Men Die by Janet Dawson is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Till the Old Men Die by Janet Dawson as today's fourth 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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Till the Old Men Die by Janet Dawson
A Jeri Howard Mystery
Publisher: Fawcett/Janet Dawson

This is the third mystery in this long-running series featuring the Oakland (California) PI.

About Till the Old Men Die (from the publisher): When Dr. Lito Manibusan, a Filipino professor of history at Cal State, is murdered, Jeri Howard's father, a colleague of the victim, hires her to find the man's next of kind and learn the truth behind his death.

Jeri discovers the pattern of death and deception leads from the Bay Area’s Filipino-American community all the way back to the Philippines and World War II.

After all, the past never dies. It’s just covered up.

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 Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

Burnt Offerings by Michael Lister is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Burnt Offerings by Michael Lister as today's third 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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Burnt Offerings by Michael Lister
Publisher: Pulpwood Press

About Burnt Offerings (from the publisher): Terror reigns over the North Florida National Forest, the coastal town of Bayshore, and the barrier island of Pine Key — a fiery terror whose flame threatens to consume the whole world.

An exacting and methodical killer whose weapon is fire is working on his masterpiece, and only a wounded and scarred FDLE agent and a retired ritual crimes expert hiding from the world in a cabin in the woods have any hope of stopping him.

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 Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

Skin Deep by Timothy Hallinan is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Skin Deep by Timothy Hallinan 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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Skin Deep by Timothy Hallinan
A Simeon Grist Mystery
Publisher: Dutton/Hallinan Consulting

This is the third mystery (of six) to feature the Los Angeles PI.

About Skin Deep (from the publisher): For a fee so big he can't turn it down, Simeon Grist is hired to watchdog the kind of guy he'd usually prefer to throw through the nearest window. Toby Vane is the golden boy of prime-time TV, whose gee-whiz smile and chiseled features are worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the lucrative syndication market. But Toby has a dark side that would take the shine off for his millions of adoring female fans: every now and then he beats up a woman, and almost any woman will do. When some of the women around Toby begin to turn up dead, Simeon has to figure out whether he's protecting a murderer – or whether one of Toby's multitude of enemies wants to put him away forever. And when Simeon meets the beautiful Nana, the whole situation becomes very personal, very fast.

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 Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

Kill All the Lawyers by Paul Levine is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Kill All the Lawyers by Paul Levine 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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Kill All the Lawyers by Paul Levine
A Solomon vs. Levine Legal Thriller
Publisher: Bantam/Nittany Valley

This is the third mystery (of four) in this series featuring the Florida lawyers.

About Kill All the Lawyers (from the publisher): It all starts with a 300-pound marlin stuck in Solomon’s front door. Prank? Threat? High tide? Even by South Florida standards, this registers as weird.

Soon, celebrity shrink “Dr. Bill” shows up. Just out of prison, he blames Solomon for his manslaughter conviction involving the death of a patient. Victoria Lord is used to her law partner and lover cutting corners to win. But Dr. Bill claims Solomon tried to lose!

As a lawyer who always follows the rules, Victoria is appalled by one of Solomon’s Laws: “Thou shalt not screw thy own client...unless thou hast a damn good reason.”

With Dr. Bill on the loose, neither Steve nor Victoria are safe, and their relationship – both personal and professional – is on the rocks. Will this be the end of Solomon and Lord?

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 Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending May 11, 2012

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending May 11th, 2012 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Last week's featured title, the 12th "Southern Vampire" mystery Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris, takes over the top spot on the list this week.

One new title debuts.

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Entering the list at number seven is the new "Women's Murder Club" mystery, 11th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.

Lindsay Boxer is pregnant at last! But her work doesn't slow for a second. When millionaire Chaz Smith is mercilessly gunned down, she discovers that the murder weapon is linked to the deaths of four of San Francisco's most untouchable criminals. And it was taken from her own department's evidence locker. Anyone could be the killer—even her closest friends.

Lindsay is called next to the most bizarre crime scene she's ever seen: two bodiless heads elaborately displayed in the garden of a world-famous actor. Another head is unearthed in the garden, and Lindsay realizes that the ground could hide hundreds of victims.

A reporter launches a series of vicious articles about the cases and Lindsay's personal life is laid bare. But this time she has no one to turn to—especially not Joe.

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.

Telemystery: ABC Renews Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Castle; NBC Orders Infamous; DirecTV Orders Rogue

We've been gone most of today, just returning, so haven't had much time to digest all the latest prime time crime television news … though we believe this to be a complete, if brief, summary of what was announced today …

ABC: Renews Once Upon a Time for a 2nd season, renews Revenge for a 2nd season, and renews Castle for a 5th season. (None of these are surprises as they are all strong ratings draws for the network.)

NBC: Orders new series Infamous. (This was previously known as Notorious.)

DirecTV: Orders new series Rogue. (This is the first we've heard about this, so will need to do a little more digging to see what the logline is here.)

Common Law Premieres on USA Friday, May 11th

The crime drama — and we're thinking it's more along the lines of comedy crime drama — Common Law premieres tomorrow, Friday May 11th, on USA Network.

Michael Ealy and Warren Kole star as Travis Marks and Wes Mitchell, two cops with a problem … each other. As partners, they were LAPD's dream team on the homicide squad, but constant bickering got in the way of their work and the two ended up on probation. To revive their flagging professional relationship, their Captain (Jack McGee) sends them to Dr. Ryan (Sonya Walger), a couples therapist who will help them try to understand and resolve their conflicts.

USA has uploaded a number of previews and clips; you can find them here. We've embedded a short 30-second promo below.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120510)

Here is today's list of the top bestselling free Kindle mysteries, suspense novels and thrillers.

We're using a script to embed an RSS feed from Amazon.com, which is updated hourly, but if you cannot see the box below — or have scripts blocked — you can use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com.