This has been a "travel week" for us so we're way behind on all our prime time crime news. We hope to get caught up tomorrow.
In the meantime, TNT announced in a press release today several new series in development that piqued our interest.
King and Maxwell is based on characters created by crime novelist David Baldacci. "Both are former secret service agents, and their unique skill set (not to mention their razor-sharp chemistry) often gives them a leg up on both suspects and conventional law enforcement."
The Last Ship, based on a novel of the same title by William Brinkley, has "the crew of a naval destroyer forced to confront the reality of a new existence when a pandemic decimates most of the earth's population." (We're really not fans of apocalyptic storylines, so this is probably the least interesting of the cable network's announcements today.)
Legends, based on the novel by Robert Littell, "follows a deep-cover operative named Martin Odum, who has an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job. But his own identity comes into question when a mysterious stranger suggests that Martin isn’t who he thinks he is."
Lew Archer, based on — not surprisingly — a character created by Ross Macdonald … though the press release gets the pseudonymous author's name wrong.
Tom Clancy's Homeland Security, which is set in the author's fictional world but doesn't seem to be based on any specific novel or character.
And an untitled "Murder Mystery Project", an "intriguing crime drama [that] will intimately dissect a single murder case over an entire season, from the commitment of the crime through the investigation, arrest and trial."
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
TNT Announces Prime Time Crime Series in Development
Indie Thriller The Samaritan Opens in Limited Release Friday May 18th
The Samaritan. Limited opening in theaters May 18, 2012.
After twenty‐five years in prison, Foley (Samuel L. Jackson) is finished with the grifter’s life. When he meets an elusive young woman named Iris (Ruth Negga), the possibility of a new start looks real. But his past is proving to be a stubborn companion: Ethan (Luke Kirby), the son of his former partner, has an ingenious plan and he wants Foley in. The harder Foley tries to escape his past, the tighter he is ensnared in Ethan’s web of secrets, until it becomes all too clear to Foley that some wrongs can never be made right.
Directed by David Weaver from an original screenplay co-written with Elan Mastai.
Running time: 90 minutes Not Rated.
Watch a trailer for the film below:
Stockholm Text Publishes Four Swedish Crime Novels
Stockholm Text is publishing this month four titles from Sweden's most popular and prolific female crime novelists, some of which are now available for the first time in the US.
The Dead of Summer by Mari Jungstedt is the fifth book in the Detective Anders Knutas mystery series, set on the most isolated island in the Baltic Sea, Gotska Sandön, north of Gotland. It was originally published in 2007 as I denna ljuva sommartid.
The Gingerbread House by Carin Gerhardsen is the first in the "Hammarby" series featuring criminal investigator Conny Sjöberg. It was originally published in 2008 as Pepparkakshuset.
Death of a Carpet Dealer by Karin Wahlberg is the seventh medical thriller to feature Police Commissioner Claes Claesson and his wife Veronika Lundborg, a physician at Oskarshamn Hospital. It was originally published in 2009 as Matthandlare Olssons död.
Finally, Killer's Island by Anna Jansson is the eleventh mystery in the Detective Maria Wern series. It was originally published in 2010 as I stormen ska du dö.
Click on the titles above or book covers below for more information about the books, or to purchase from Amazon.com.
Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120516)
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.
Valentined by Patricia Rockwell is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Valentined by Patricia Rockwell 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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Valentined by Patricia Rockwell
An Essie Cobb, Senior Sleuth Mystery
Publisher: Cozy Cat Press
This is the third, and most recent, mystery in this series.
About Valentined (from the publisher): It’s Valentine’s Day and most women would be thrilled to receive a card from a secret admirer. Not so, ninety-year-old Essie Cobb, one of the star residents of the Happy Haven Assisted Living Facility. When Essie finds an over-the-top, flowery, valentine from an unknown individual in her mailbox, she goes into detective mode. Who could this person be? Why would they send her such a card? Essie is determined to find out, even if she has to ask for help from her three friends — Opal, Marjorie, and Fay. When Essie’s snooping takes a dangerous turn, she finds herself thrust into the middle of a police investigation. Will Essie help the police solve this Valentine’s Day mystery or will she strike out on her own against an unknown foe who has anything but romance in mind?
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):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
Two Sean Reilly Mysteries by Libby Sternberg are Today's Featured Free MystereBooks
MystereBooks is pleased to feature two "Sean Reilly" mysteries by Libby Sternberg as today's set of 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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Death is the Cool Night by Libby Sternberg
A Sean Reilly Mystery
Publisher: Istoria Books
About Death is the Cool Night (from the publisher): This is the brooding story of a classical pianist-turned-conductor who cannot remember the night his nemesis was murdered. Did he commit the crime—or did an enchanting soprano do it, a woman with whom he is falling in love? In the fall of 1941, as war creeps ever closer, his freedom and happiness depend on his ability to either identify the murderer or recall his own actions that night.
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):
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Lost to the World by Libby Sternberg
A Sean Reilly Mystery
Publisher: Istoria Books
About Lost to the World (from the publisher): In 1954 Baltimore, Sean Reilly investigates the murder of a Johns Hopkins researcher, a quiet, well-liked man whose true identity turns out to be just as much a mystery as that of his killer. The victim's death appears linked to the polio vaccine trials about to begin across the country.
A widower now, Detective Reilly struggles to stay focused on the case while being pulled in different directions--by his young sons' fears and needs, by his own desire for love and stability, and by his inability to get beyond his grief for his beloved wife. When a Hopkins secretary, herself a polio victim, feeds him information on the case, he begins to fall for her … as he also wonders if she played a part in the murder.
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):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120515)
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.
The Toymaker by Chuck Barrett is Today's Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Toymaker by Chuck Barrett 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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The Toymaker by Chuck Barrett
A Jake Pendleton Mystery
Publisher: Switchback Publishing
This is the second mystery to feature the former NTSB investigator.
About The Toymaker (from the publisher): Jake Pendleton faces a dilemma as the line blurs between right and wrong. After his judgment comes into question, Jake is entrusted to his new mentor, an eccentric old man who sees beyond Jake’s flaws. A man who makes "toys for spies".
A man known as The Toymaker.
Jake’s first assignment reunites him with Gregg Kaplan in a daredevil mission to rescue a fellow agent held captive in Yemen. He risks his life to stop the first attack of an al Qaeda mastermind. But now, with no one to trust but himself, can Jake stop the terrorist from destroying what is most precious to the free world?
Unfortunately, more trouble comes his way as a killer from his past threatens something more important to Jake than his own life, leaving him to make the hardest decision any man ever has to make …
Who to sacrifice.
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):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
Monday, May 14, 2012
NBC Orders Series based on The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard
Luther creator Neil Cross is adapting Colin Woodard's 2008 book The Republic of Pirates for a direct-to-series order for NBC. The 10-episode series is expected to premiere mid-season. The book's subtitle: "Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribeean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down".
In the early eighteenth century, the Pirate Republic was home to some of the great pirate captains, including Blackbeard, "Black Sam" Bellamy, and Charles Vane. Along with their fellow pirates — former sailors, indentured servants, and runaway slaves — this "Flying Gang" established a crude but distinctive democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone of freedom in which servants were free, blacks could be equal citizens, and leaders were chosen or deposed by a vote. They cut off trade routes, sacked slave ships, and severed Europe from its New World empires, and for a brief, glorious period the Republic was a success.
(Related article: The Hollywood Reporter.)
First Trailer for Gangster Squad
A new trailer for the film Gangster Squad has been released by the studio (below).
The film is adapted from the yet-to-be-published book by Paul Lieberman of the same title (Gangster Squad, St. Martin's Press October 2012 hardcover). Lieberman's book tells the story of two cops, O'Mara and Wooters, both of whom became obsessed with the Squad's priority target, the showboating Mickey Cohen. One set a trap for Mickey using his own guns, while the other formed an alliance with Mickey's fearless rival, Jack "The Enforcer" Whalen. Both of their crusades then came to a head on the same night in the last days of the 1950s.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer, the film stars Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling as cops John O'Mara and Ryan Gosling, with Sean Penn as Mickey Cohen. A release date has not yet been announced.
Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120514)
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.
Teaser Poster for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
A teaser poster for the Sin City sequel A Dame to Kill For has been released (right; click for larger version). The film itself hasn't even begun production, but that is expected later this year with a release date sometime in 2013.
Adapted from the comic of the same title by Frank Miller (as part of his "Sin City" series), the storyline follows Dwight McCarthy, a man stuck with nothing but a seedy gumshoe job and some demons. Dwight's thinking of all the ways he's screwed up and what he'd give for one clear chance to wipe the slate clean, to dig his way out of the numb gray hell that is his life. And he'd give anything. Just to feel the fire. One more time. But he can't let himself lose control again, can't ever let the monster out. And then Ava calls.
Charlaine Harris's 13th Sookie Stackhouse Mystery Dead Ever After to End Series
Charlaine Harris's 12th Sookie Stackhouse mystery, Deadlocked, was published last week and this morning the author announced that the next in the series, Dead Ever After, will be the last book to feature the character.
"Save the date," Harris writes on her Facebook page. "[T]he final Sookie Stackhouse book, DEAD EVER AFTER, will be on sale May 2, 2013!"
The "Southern Vampire" mysteries serve as a basis for the HBO series True Blood, which will premiere its fifth season on Sunday, June 10th, 2012.
Mystery and Suspense Films, New This Week on DVD (120515)
Checking through our list of films currently scheduled for release this week on DVD and/or Blu-ray disc, shown below are those that fall into the mystery, suspense, thriller and adventure categories.
See also a list of current mystery and suspense DVD, Blu-ray, or VOD deals on Amazon.com.
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Purchase/Rental Options
One for the Money (2012)
Film Synopsis (from the studio): Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl) can't catch a break. At 30, she finds herself newly-divorced, recently laid-off, and living with her hamster in Trenton, New Jersey. Broke and desperate, she lands a job working for her slimy cousin and his bail bond business. In need of fast cash she latches on to his biggest case — a local cop wanted for murder who just happens to be the guy that broke her heart in high school. Stephanie gets resourceful and tough, as she is swept up in a suspenseful world of murder, deceit, with a bit of romance.
Directed by Julie Anne Robinson from a screenplay adapted from the first book in the Stephanie Plum series of "numbered" mysteries by Janet Evanovich. The film runs 106 minutes and is rated PG-13 for violence, sexual references and language, some drug material and partial nudity.
Watch a trailer for the film below:
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Purchase/Rental Options
Rampart (2012)
Film Synopsis (from the studio): Nothing fascinates like a dirty cop. In real life they're terrifying, but in the movies their upending of law and order can open deep explorations of psychology, morality and violence. So meet Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson). Brown is a cop long ago unleashed from the rules of the Los Angeles Police Department. Roving the streets in his black-and-white cruiser, he governs and punishes at will. His home life is a riddle. Somehow he has fathered children with two sisters. Somehow he still lives casually with them both, slipping in and out of a family life thats as tangled as his long career on the force. His own daughter calls him Date Rape. Thats because, years ago, Brown may have killed a rapist and gotten away with it. The shadow of the incident still haunts him, so when his Rampart division gets caught up in a corruption scandal, Brown makes an easy target. As the controversy seeps through the department and into city hall, this hardened, reckless officer finds himself at the center of a sordid L.A. story.
Written and directed by Oren Moverman from a story by James Ellroy, Rampart runs 108 minutes and is rated R for pervasive language, sexual content and some violence.
Watch a trailer for the film below:
Telemystery: Flashpoint, New This Week on DVD
Telemystery, your source for one of the most comprehensive listings of crime drama, amateur sleuth, private investigator, mystery and suspense television series, mini-series and made-for-television movies, now available on or coming soon to DVD or Blu-ray disc, is profiling one series being released this week.
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The emotional journey of a group of cops in the Strategic Response Unit (inspired by Toronto's Emergency Task Force) is the focus of the crime drama Flashpoint.
It's a unique unit that rescues hostages, busts gangs, defuses bombs, climbs the sides of buildings and talks down suicidal teens. Members of a highly-skilled tactical team, they're also trained in negotiating, profiling and getting inside the suspect's head to diffuse the situation to try and save lives.
Flashpoint: Season Four is available on DVD and consists of episodes that originally aired on CBS during the summer of 2011 and continuing on ION later in the year. A fifth and final season of the series has been ordered and is expected to premiere in October 2012 … presumably on ION, though we're not entirely sure of that.
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Visit the Telemystery website to discover more television mystery series currently available on and coming soon to DVD, Blu-ray disc, or video on demand.
