The Independent Book Publishers Association announced the winners of the annual Benjamin Franklin Awards yesterday in New York City, recognizing excellence in independent publishing.
Many categories and genres are represented, with the winner of this year's Mystery/Suspense category being A. Scott Pearson's second "Eli Branch" novel, Public Anatomy (Oceanview Publishing).
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Winners of the 2012 Benjamin Franklin Awards Announced
Invisible Armies by Jon Evans is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Invisible Armies by Jon Evans 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.
— ◊ —
Invisible Armies by Jon Evans
Publisher: Minotaur Books
About Invisible Armies (from the publisher): From the mines of remote India, to the streets of Paris and the lights of Las Vegas, Danielle Leaf is pursued by a terrible secret.
Danielle came to India to find herself. Then she agreed to deliver a passport for her ex-boyfriend, legendary computer hacker Keiran Kell. It seemed like a simple favor for a friend - until she was abducted by thugs and imprisoned in a nightmarish cell.
She is soon joined by another captive: Laurent, a Foreign Legionnaire turned international activist. Their daring escape is only the beginning. Now Danielle has been drawn into a war between a transnational mining company that is poisoning thousands of Third World farmers, and the invisible armies of anti-corporate protestors who oppose it. A cause, finally, that she can believe in.
Amidst a whirlwind romance on the Goa coast, bloody street battles in Paris, cyberspace duels between shadowy hackers, and a bomb gone wrong in London, Danielle, Laurent and Keiran grow more deeply involved in this battle than they ever expected … until the line between right and wrong begins to blur. For both sides of this war are willing to kill for their cause — and both sides hide deadly secrets.
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.
Roselli's Gold by Michael Parker is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Roselli's Gold by Michael Parker 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.
— ◊ —
Roselli's Gold by Michael Parker
Publisher: Acclaimed Books
This thriller was originally published in hardcover in the UK under the title The Third Secret.
About Roselli's Gold (from the publisher): During the Second World War, Captain Miles Roselli hides three dead comrades and a fortune in Vatican gold in the Tibesti Mountains of the northern Sahara. Twenty years later, he is forced into a battle of wits when the secret of the gold bullion is revealed. Roselli was the only man alive who knew anything about the gold’s whereabouts and never expected the truth to come to light. The slaughter of a gold bullion dealer in London opens up a race for the gold, which involves the Italian mafia and the Vatican. But for the Holy See of Rome, the gold is of little interest to them, it is the document that had been stolen from the Secret Archives and concealed with the gold; its revelation could do lasting damage to the Roman Catholic Church. Roselli has to call on all his old instincts and the guile of a Desert Rat to protect his name, his family and the truth that lies buried beneath the Tibesti Mountains.
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.
The Brimstone Murders by Jeff Sherratt is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Brimstone Murders by Jeff Sherratt 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.
— ◊ —
The Brimstone Murders by Jeff Sherratt
A Jimmy O'Brien Mystery
Publisher: Innova Press
This is the third mystery in this series featuring the Southern California attorney.
About The Brimstone Murders (from the publisher): Robbie Farris stabbed his junior college professor twenty-seven times. At his arraignment, Robbie pulls a gun and escapes. After his mother is found murdered in her shabby house trailer, Robbie's lawyer, Jimmy O'Brien, is led into the seemingly unrelated worlds of high-profile, religious evangelism and old-fashioned Mojave Desert borax mining. Jimmy fights the clock, the cops, and the DA in his effort to find and return Robbie before he himself is charged with Section 187-murder in the first degree.
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.
South Beach Shakedown by Don Bruns is Today's Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature South Beach Shakedown by Don Bruns 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.
— ◊ —
South Beach Shakedown by Don Bruns
A Mick Sever Mystery
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
This is the third mystery featuring the musician/amateur sleuth.
About South Beach Shakedown (from the publisher): Someone is about to make a killing in the music industry. Why would songwriting legend Gideon Pike mysteriously disappear just when he is about to turn a 30-year career into a multi-million dollar profit?
Music columnist Mick Sever is back in Don Brun’s third suspense masterpiece. This time he’s looking for answers and his missing friend in the gritty backrooms of South Beach’s biggest nightclubs, dodging suicide speedboats and running from sniper fire. What surfaces is how the major players in the music industry are not making the headlines, they’re just pulling the strings that create them. Hit it right, and the royalties – even someone else’s – can rake in millions for the rest of your life. The key is finding Gideon before Korean mobster Jimmy Shinn does. Jimmy is ready to cash in on the one secret that will bring Gideon to his knees and strip away what’s left of his career, his fortune, and his life. Whoever gets to Gideon first will ether save him or pull the trigger.
The deadly race is on.
Read our review of South Beach Shakedown by Don Bruns.
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, June 04, 2012
Nominations for the 2012 Shamus Awards Announced
The nominees for the 2012 Shamus Awards have been announced by the Private Eye Writers of America recognizing excellence in the private eye genre. The winners will be announced during Bouchercon this coming October in Cleveland.
The nominees are …
Best Hardcover PI Novel …
• Bye Bye, Baby by Max Allan Collins (St. Martin’s Press)
• 1222 by Anne Holt (Scribner)
• When the Thrill is Gone by Walter Mosley (Riverhead Books)
• A Bad Night's Sleep by Michael Wiley (Minotaur Books)
• The Highly Effective Detective Crosses the Line by Richard Yancey (Minotaur Books)
Best First PI Novel …
• The Plot Against Hip Hop by Nelson George (Akashic Press)
• Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
• The Ocean Forest by Troy D. Nooe (Ingalls)
• The Shortcut Man by P. G. Sturges (Scribner)
• The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams (Bantam Press)
Best Paperback Original PI Novel …
• Quarry's Ex by Max Allan Collins (Hard Case Crime)
• Threat Warning by John Gilstrap (Kensington)
• Serial by John Lutz (Kensington)
• Long Pig by James L. Ross (Perfect Crime Books)
• Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski (Mulholland Books)
Best PI Short Story …
• "A Bullet from Yesterday" by Terence Faherty (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
• "Mr. Monk & the Sunday Paper" by Lee Goldberg (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
• "Who I Am" by Michael Z. Lewin (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
• "Vampire Slayer Murdered in Key West" by Michael West (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
• "Dancer in a Storm" by L. A. Wilson (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
(Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare.)
Longmire is A&E's Most Watched Series Premiere to Date
If you watched the premiere of Longmire last night on A&E, you were among the 4+ million that did. Based on characters created by crime novelist Craig Johnson, and starring Robert Taylor as Walt Longmire, sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, it was the cable network's most watched series premiere to date.
We watched it ourselves and while we basically enjoyed it, we're a bit torn about Taylor as Longmire. (The rest of the cast is spot on.) Maybe it was the writing, with Longmire trying to balance dealing with the death of his wife — a year ago! — while taking on the trials and tribulations of his day job, but he came across to us as not portraying the strength that we've imagined within the character … having read three of the books in the series. Basically he came off as kind of wimpy. (It's OK to grieve, but the tear on the boot scene was cringe-worthy.) We'll definitely give the series a few more weeks, but we don't intend to stick around if Longmire doesn't develop — and develop quickly — into a more watchable character.
Mads Mikkelsen Cast as Hannibal Lecter in NBC's Crime Drama Hannibal
NBC is developing a crime drama based on the character of Hannibal Lecter — and using the first in the series of books to feature him, Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, as the starting point for its storyline. Regardless of how good the screenwriting may be or how high its production values, the key to this show's success will be its casting. (NBC doesn't have the best track record in this regard, but we digress …)
Today, NBC announced that Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen has been cast in the role. This may actually be an inspired choice on the part of the producers. He's largely an unknown here in the US and may be best remembered as the villain with the carpet beater in the James Bond film Casino Royale. And he just looks the part, which is probably more than half the battle.
The other key role in the series, criminal profiler Will Graham, has previously announced will be played by Hugh Dancy. In the book, Graham solicits Lecter's help in solving a series of murders … not realizing exactly who — or what — Hannibal Lecter is.
Hannibal is expected to premiere mid-season (early 2013) on NBC. Red Dragon, originally published in 1981, was previously adapted into two films, the 1986 Manhunter (with Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecter and William Petersen as Will Graham) and Red Dragon from 2002 (starring Anthony Hopkins and Edward Norton, respectively).
New Extended Trailer for Copper
Not 30 minutes after we posted a 30-second trailer for BBC America's new original crime drama Copper, the cable network uploaded a longer, one-minute version. We've embedded this new(er) one below.
Set in 1860s New York City, the series is centered on Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones), an intense, rugged Irish-immigrant cop working the city's notorious Five Points neighborhood. Corcoran is struggling to maintain his moral compass in a turbulent post-Civil War world while on an emotional and relentless quest to learn the truth about the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter.
Copper premieres on BBC America on August 19th, 2012.
New Trailer for Copper
BBC America has just uploaded a new trailer for its original historical crime drama, Copper; we've embedded it below. (It shows a bit more than the first one did!)
Set in 1860s New York City, the series is centered on Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones), an intense, rugged Irish-immigrant cop working the city's notorious Five Points neighborhood. Corcoran is struggling to maintain his moral compass in a turbulent post-Civil War world while on an emotional and relentless quest to learn the truth about the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter.
Copper premieres on BBC America on August 19th, 2012.
Mystery and Suspense Films, New This Week on DVD (120605)
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.
— ◊ —
Purchase/Rental Options
Safe House (2012)
Film Synopsis (from the studio): Denzel Washington stars as Tobin Frost, one of the CIA’s brilliant officers turned dangerous traitor, who stuns the intelligence community when he resurfaces in South Africa. While being interrogated in a safe house, brutal mercenaries attack, forcing rookie Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) to take the infamous Frost on the run. As the masterful manipulator toys with his reluctant protégé, shaking the young operative’s morality and idealism, the two unlikely allies must fight together to uncover who wants them both dead.
Directed by David Espinosa from an original screenplay by David Guggenheim, the film runs 115 minutes and is rated R for strong violence throughout and some language.
Watch a trailer for the film below:
Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120604)
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.
Telemystery: Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, New Tricks, Pretty Little Liars, and White Collar, 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 five series being released this week.
— ◊ —
A new day breaks for Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) when he's reinstated by the CIA, but his good fortune is impossibly short-lived in this season of Burn Notice.
Framed for murder and blackmailed by a diabolical foe, Michael and his team must do whatever it takes to clear his name and catch a killer. As the danger builds, Michael finally comes face-to-face with the man who burned him, leading to an explosive finale, after which nothing will ever be the same.
Burn Notice: Season Five is available on DVD, Amazon Instant, and iTunes and consists of episodes that originally aired on USA Network during the Summer and late Fall of 2011. The sixth season premieres on June 15th.
— ◊ —
Mary McCormack stars as tough, smart and sexy U.S. Marshal Mary Shannon, who works for the Witness Protection Program in In Plain Sight. The witnesses she helps to relocate—whether they’re career criminals or innocent people who have witnessed a crime—all share one thing in common: somebody wants them dead.
Putting her life on the line as she relocates and protects both innocent people and ruthless criminals, Mary struggles to find a balance between work and her personal life. Hiding in plain sight was never so much fun.
In Plain Sight: Season Four is available on DVD, Amazon Instant, and iTunes and consists of episodes that originally aired on USA Network during the Summer of 2011.
— ◊ —
Aging cops and traditional sleuthing trump high-tech gadgets and modern criminology in the British crime series New Tricks.
James Bolam, Alun Armstrong, and Dennis Waterman star as three detectives pulled out of retirement to unravel cases that stumped the Metropolitan Police. Their beautiful boss, Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman), keeps them on track — and mostly out of trouble — as they follow their hunches and bend the rules.
New Tricks: Season Seven is available on DVD and consists of episodes that originally aired on BBC during the Fall of 2010.
— ◊ —
Based on the best-selling series of young adult books by Sara Shepard, Pretty Little Liars returns for a second suspenseful season.
As four 16-year-old girlfriends — Aria, Hanna, Spencer and Emily — dealt with the aftermath of their best friend Alison's mysterious death, they believed their secrets were safe forever. Yet they began to receive threatening messages from someone named "A" who seemed to know their most private details — threatening everything they held dear in their picturesque suburban community. Now, the girls are the talk of the town — and not in a good way. Whoever said that change is good has never visited Rosewood, PA … or come across four pretty little liars.
Pretty Little Liars: Season Two is available on DVD, Amazon Instant, and iTunes and consists of episodes that originally aired on ABC Family during the Summer of 2011 and Winter of 2012. The third season premieres tomorrow, June 5th.
— ◊ —
Matt Bomer is back as con man turned FBI consultant Neal Caffrey for another thrilling season of high-class capers and criminal intrigue in White Collar.
Racing to stay one step ahead of the feds even as he helps his partner, Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay), bring down some of the world's most clever criminals. The stakes are at an all-time high as Neal struggles to come to terms with his own checkered past, but will his greatest con cost him everything?
White Collar: Season Three is available on DVD, Amazon Instant, and iTunes and consists of episodes that originally aired on USA Network during the Summer of 2011 and Winter of 2012. The fourth season premieres on July 10th.
— ◊ —
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.
The Last Justice by Anthony J. Franze is Today's Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Last Justice by Anthony J. Franze 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.
— ◊ —
The Last Justice by Anthony J. Franze
Publisher: Sterling & Ross
We said of this debut legal thriller that "it's the action-packed storyline that will keep readers turning the pages, trying to anticipate how it will all come together in the end."
About The Last Justice (from the publisher): Chaos erupts at the Supreme Court when an assassin guns down six justices as they are hearing a case.
Solicitor General Jefferson McKenna, the government's top lawyer in the Supreme Court, is appointed to the multiagency commission investigating the murders. As Congress draws battle lines over who will replace the slain justices, the commission follows clue after clue, each one pointing to an unlikely suspect: McKenna himself.
In a desperate bid to prove his innocence, McKenna, on the run with his deputy, Kate Porter, must track down a disgraced law clerk with ties to hidden Saudi assets. But their search leads to unexpected alliances, unearthing dark secrets and corruption at the highest levels — and the people with clues to the riddle keep turning up dead. From the marble halls of the high court to the inner corridors of the West Wing, from the D.C. housing projects to the desolate back roads of a New York Indian reservation, McKenna and Porter are on a collision course with a shadowy enemy who will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.
Read our review of The Last Justice by Anthony J. Franze.
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.
Mystery Godoku Puzzle for June 04, 2012
A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle 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!).
— ◊ —
This week's letters and mystery clue:
A D E G N O R S U
This adjective describes a lady in Martina Cole’s debut thriller, which was later adapted for a television mini-series (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!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
