Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending June 08, 2012

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending June 8th, 2012 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Charlaine Harris's Deadlocked is in a tight race for the top spot with John Sandford's Stolen Prey, with the former just edging out the latter for a win this week. Three new titles debut.

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New at number 8 is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, which goes by the tagline "Marriange can be a real killer."

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River.

Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media — as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents — the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter — but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

Purchase Options:

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Three spots lower at number 11 is The Bourne Imperative by Eric Van Lustbader, the 10th in the series and the 7th by this author.

The man Jason Bourne fishes out of the freezing sea is near death, half-drowned and bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound. He awakens with no memory of who he is or why he was shot — and Bourne is eerily reminded of his own amnesia. Then Bourne discovers that the Mossad agent named Rebeka is so determined to find this injured man that she has gone off the grid, cut her ties to her agency, and is now being stalked by Mossad's most feared killer. Do the answers to these mysteries lie back in southeast Lebanon, in a secret encampment to which Bourne and Rebeka escaped following a firefight weeks ago?

The complex trail links to the mission given to Treadstone directors Peter Marks and Soraya Moore: find the semi-mythic terrorist assassin known as Nicodemo.

In the course of Bourne's desperate, deadly search for a secret that will alter the future of the entire world, he will experience both triumph and loss, and his life will never be the same.

Now everything turns on the amnesiac. Bourne must learn his identity and purpose before both he and Rebeka are killed. From Stockholm to Washington, D.C., from Mexico City to Beijing, the web of lies and betrayals extends into a worldwide conspiracy of monumental proportions.

Purchase Options:

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Another two places lower at number 13 is the debut stand-alone thriller The 500 by Matthew Quirk.

A year ago, fresh out of Harvard Law School, Mike Ford landed his dream job at the Davies Group, Washington's most powerful consulting firm. Now, he's staring down the barrel of a gun, pursued by two of the world's most dangerous men. To get out, he'll have to do all the things he thought he'd never do again: lie, cheat, steal-and this time, maybe even kill.

Mike grew up in a world of small-stakes con men, learning lessons at his father's knee. His hard-won success in college and law school was his ticket out. As the Davies Group's rising star, he rubs shoulders with "The 500," the elite men and women who really run Washington — and the world. But peddling influence, he soon learns, is familiar work: even with a pedigree, a con is still a con.

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.

Stephen Hunter's The 47th Samurai to be Adapted for Film

Stephen Hunter's fourth "Bob Lee Swagger" mystery, The 47th Samurai, is being adapted for film. It will be the second in the series to be adapted: Point of Impact, which introduced the character, was made into 2007's Shooter.

The storyline here follows Bob Lee Swagger and Philip Yano, who are bound together by a single moment at Iwo Jima, 1945, when their fathers, two brave fighters on opposite sides, met in the bloody and chaotic battle for the island. Only Earl Swagger survived.

More than sixty years later, Yano comes to America to honor the legacy of his heroic father by recovering the sword he used in the battle. His search has led him to Crazy Horse, Idaho, where Bob Lee, ex-marine and Vietnam veteran, has settled into a restless retirement and immediately pledges himself to Yano's quest.

Bob Lee finds the sword and delivers it to Yano in Tokyo. On inspection, they discover that it is not a standard WWII blade, but a legendary shin-shinto katana, an artifact of the nation. It is priceless … but worth killing for. Suddenly Bob is at the center of a series of terrible crimes he barely understands but vows to avenge. And to do so, he throws himself into the world of the samurai, Tokyo's dark, criminal yakuza underworld, and the unwritten rules of Japanese culture.

Robert Kamen (The Fifth Element, Kiss of the Dragon, Taken) will write the adapted screenplay, which is tentatively titled The Sword. No director has been named for the project.

(Related article: The Hollywood Reporter.)

Review: Skeleton Picnic by Michael Norman

We've just published our Review of Skeleton Picnic by Michael Norman. A J. D. Books Mystery. Poisoned Pen Press Hardcover, April 2012.

Our rating:

Available to purchase from …

New Poster for End of Watch

Last month we featured a teaser poster and first trailer for the crime docu-drama End of Watch. Today a new poster for the film has surfaced (right; click for larger version). The poster's tagline: "Every moment of your life they stand watch."

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as young Los Angeles police officers Taylor and Zavala as they patrol the city's meanest streets of south central Los Angeles. The action unfolds entirely through footage from the handheld HD cameras of the police officers, gang members, surveillance cameras, and citizens caught in the line of fire to create a riveting portrait of the city's darkest, most violent corners, the cops who risk their lives there every day, and the price they and their families are forced to pay.

End of Watch is written and directed by David Ayer. "Watch your six" in theaters September 28th, 2012.

The Mystery Bookshelf: The Devil She Knows by Bill Loehfelm

The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a world of mystery and suspense, is pleased to feature a new crime novel we recently received from the publisher.

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The Devil She Knows by Bill Loehfelm
Picador (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: June 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1-250-00759-9

About The Devil She Knows (from the publisher): Maureen Coughlin’s life isn’t turning out as planned. At twenty-nine, she’s stuck waiting tables in a Staten Island bar, and her only excitement comes from the next cigarette or a discreet dash of coke before her shift. But when a tryst between her coworker Dennis and an aspiring state senator named Frank Sebastian turns deadly, Maureen is jolted out of her routine. Soon she’s on the run through the borough’s seedy underbelly, desperate to stop Sebastian. She thinks she has seen the face of evil — and she doesn’t know the half of it.

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About the author: Bill Loehfelm was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Staten Island; he lives in New Orleans with his wife, the writer AC Lambeth. He was the first winner of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Fresh Kills.

Purchase Options for The Devil She Knows:

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120607)

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 Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning by Hallgrimur Helgason, Kindle Edition, Now at a Special Price

Earlier today we wrote about the first "Phryne Fisher" mystery by Kerry Greenwood, now available at a special price from publisher Poisoned Pen Press, and afterwards we did a little poking around in Amazon's 99 cent Kindle mystery store — there is actually no such place, but you can use this link as a way to simulate one — and found a book we recently reviewed: the Icelandic comic crime thriller The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning by Hallgrimur Helgason. (It was originally published in 2008 as 10 ráð til að hætta að drepa fólk og byrja að vaska upp; this edition is the author's own translation into English.)

The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning is a very different, rather unusual kind of crime novel, one we termed "odd" in our review but one we basically enjoyed nonetheless.

The storyline is centered on Tomislav Bokšić, or Toxic, who has a flawless record as hitman for the Croatian mafia in New York. That is, until he kills the wrong guy and is forced to flee the States, leaving behind the life he knows and loves. Suddenly, he finds himself on a plane hurtling toward Reykjavik, Iceland, borrowing the identity of an American televangelist named Father Friendly. With no means of escape from this island devoid of gun shops and contract killing, tragicomic hilarity ensues as he is forced to come to terms with his bloody past and reevaluate his future.

To give you a sense of the character, here is Toxic's "Top 10" list of handy tips:

1. Don't miss the target. People tend to get a bit upset if they notice you're trying to kill them.
2. Don't waste a bullet. You have to think about the environment, too — you really shouldn't add an unnecessary gunshot to an already noisy city.
3. Morning is for murder. Nobody expects a bullet for breakfast.
4. Don't kill a priest. He who kills a man of the church will be killed by a church.
5. Don't confuse killing and murder. Murder is for amateurs, killing is for the professionals.
6. If you have to take on another person's identity, never let it be a priest. With that collar around your neck, your sex appeal is gone.
7. When you're dating, don't talk about your job — unless you're overseas. Foreign girls are crazy about guys who kill Americans.
8. Embrace every new passport they give you. It's always nice to get a new life now and then.
9. Don't kill the wrong guy. Or you'll end up in Iceland.
10. When in Iceland, stop the killing. There are so few of them.

For a limited time only — and as of the date and time of this post — the book's US publisher, AmazonCrossing, has priced The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning Kindle edition at just 99 cents. Important note: Prices can and do change without notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the sale is the price of the book.

A Conversation with Richard Foreman

We are delighted to welcome Richard Foreman to Omnimystery News today.

Richard is the author of five (to date) stories featuring the classic character Arthur J. Raffles, a gentleman thief created in the 1890s by E. W. Hornung. The first three of these stories have recently been collected into the single volume Raffles: Omnibus (Endeavour Press, March 2012 ebook editions) … but are also available individually.

We recently had a chance to talk to Richard about recreating the character of Raffles.

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Omnimystery News: Why did you choose to write about Raffles as opposed to creating a new character?

Richard Foreman: Thankfully with an established character like Raffles, I can save time on exposition — and devote that time to giving the character an added depth, which I am conscious of trying to add to with each book. Raffles is the kind of character that no matter how many pieces of the jig-saw you might have, you'll never see the whole picture. I try to come up with plot developments and situations where Raffles and Bunny can still surprise me — and hopefully also the reader. The books can be read individually as self-contained episodes, though to get the most out of them I would recommend that they be read in order.

OMN: We've read the first of your new series and found it to be very character-driven. It also seems to tend more towards "crime caper" than "crime novel". Would you agree?

RF: I'm not too conscious of writing in the realm of one genre, but if pressed, I would say that the Raffles series is akin to the classic detective fiction of Sherlock Holmes, albeit Raffles of course operates on the opposite side of the law. I would hope though that Raffles straddles a few genres — a review described the book as a "mash-up" (I had to look the term up) — as opposed to falling in between two stalls.

OMN: We all probably have a little bit of a rogue in us … or at least would like to think so. Do you identify with Raffles in any way?

RF: A couple of people have said that I am like Raffles, and a couple have said that I am like Bunny. In terms of the dry sense of humour, old-fashionedness and the constant drinking that runs through the books, I'd be lying if I said that I was wholly absent from them. In terms of writing what I know, I was familiar with the period and golden age of cricket before starting, but the fun comes from learning new stuff and applying that.

OMN: Do you approach writing short-form fiction different than you would, say, a novel?

RF: Because the Raffles books are novellas, as opposed to full-length novels, I fortunately don't have to plan too much before wading in and writing a new story. The keystone is setting up the reveal/twist. Once I've got that set, everything else falls into place. But I try not to over-prepare. Man plans, God laughs.

OMN: Unlike the current trend of inserting historical fictional characters into contemporary settings, you chose to retain the time period of the original Raffles stories. How do you go about fact-checking the details?

RF: I'm fortunate enough to know a number of first-rate historians and historical novelists through my day job as a publicist, so I have help in some ways should I need it. I like to read one or two relevant books before or whilst writing a Raffles story, but in terms of what I need, Wikipedia knows where all the bodies are buried in regards to facts. I’m conscious of checking facts — and including some historical research — but not to the point where I might handicap the story. My brief as a novelist allows me to make things up.

I'm looking forward to writing a number of Raffles stories set around cricket matches and will duly spend some quality time at Lords and the Oval this summer to do so.

OMN: Back in 1977 Anthony Valentine played Raffles in a television series with plots based on the original stories. Do you think his portrayal was an accurate reflection of the character as you see him?

RF: I bought the box set of the Raffles TV series after I finished writing the second story, "Raffles: Bowled Over". Anthony Valentine plays the character with aplomb. He never cheapens Raffles, or plays him too camply or too darkly. His phrasing is excellent and I often find that when writing dialogue, I hear his voice in my head. Strangely though, I do not envision him when I idly think about who would play my Raffles. More so I think of Jeremy Northam.

OMN: Just one more question. What kinds of books do you enjoy reading for pleasure?

RF: In terms of fiction, I used to read the latest Flashman adventure within a week of publication. The same currently goes for reading Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May mysteries and Stephen Saylor's Gordianus the Finder books. In many ways I prefer reading non-fiction though, history in particular. It's a red-letter day when the latest books by Max Hastings, Andrew Roberts, Adam Zamoyski and Saul David are published. Raffles would enjoy the company of any of the above authors — and admire their libraries — I warrant.

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Richard Foreman runs Chalke, a freelance publicity and consultancy agency for authors. Richard is also the co-founder of Endeavour Press, the UK’s leading digital publisher. Richard is also the author of the historical novel A Hero of Our Time. He lives in London.

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About Raffles: Omnibus:

For the first time, all three of Richard Foreman's brilliant recreations of the classic Raffles stories are collected together in a single volume. This volume of three novellas will appeal to readers of the original Raffles stories, devotees of Sherlock Holmes, traditional detective stories, and fans of historical and cricketing fiction. The Omnibus includes:

Raffles: The Gentlemen Thief — Book One

Raffles, the famous cricketer and amateur cracksman, is back in an original adventure. Harry "Bunny" Manders, Raffles' biographer and accomplice, recounts the tale of the time they broke into the bookshop, Hatchard's of Piccadilly. Their mission? To steal a letter, formally owned by one Rene d'Aramis, which if published could compromise a prominent member of the government.

Yet, even more intriguing than their employment is their employer — a certain Mr Sherlock Holmes of 221b Baker Street. How will the master criminal fare against the legendary detective?

Raffles: Bowled Over — Book Two

Raffles decides to undertake a job close to home, at the Albany. His new neighbour is Rupert Robert Fuller, a powerful — and odious — financier. In order to distract Fuller, whilst he breaks into the banker's opulent apartment, Raffles calls upon his friend — the cricketing legend C.B. Fry.

Yet how much is Raffles being distracted himself Mary Flanagan, Fuller's beautiful and enigmatic maid? Has someone finally stolen the gentleman thief's heart?

Raffles: A Perfect Wicket — Book Three

Bunny is worried for his great friend. Since the disappearance of Mary Flanagan (the events of which are contained in the story Raffles: Bowled Over) Raffles has grown despondent, sick with boredom.

Thankfully a remedy is found, in the form of an invite to a party. The host is Lord Rosebery no less. Raffles considers the opportunity to be "a perfect wicket" in terms of the spoils to be had, and hatches a plan to rob the former Prime Minister.

Yet Lord Rosebery has also invited another guest up from London, a senior policeman, who confesses to Bunny that he has been tipped off that a notorious burglar will be attempting to rob the house over the weekend of the party.

Also available: Raffles: Caught Out — Book Four and Raffles: Stumped — Book Five.

Special Offer: Kerry Greenwood's First Phryne Fisher Mystery, Cocaine Blues

Every month or so this year Poisoned Pen Press has offered a selection of its ebooks for just 99 cents. We were checking this morning to see if there was a new June list — there isn't … yet — but we did notice one title we hadn't seen before at this price, the first Phryne Fisher mystery by Kerry Greenwood, Cocaine Blues.

The popular series character — she's appeared in some 18 or so mysteries to date — was introduced in 1989 in this tale of cocaine, communism and adventure. Phryne leaves the tedium of English high society for Melbourne, Australia, and never looks back. The London season is in full fling at the end of the 1920s, but the Honorable Phryne Fisher — she of the green-gray eyes, diamant garters and outfits that should not be sprung suddenly on those of nervous dispositions — is rapidly tiring of the tedium of arranging flowers, making polite conversations with retired colonels, and dancing with weak-chinned men. Instead, Phryne decides it might be rather amusing to try her hand at being a lady detective in Melbourne, Australia. Almost immediately from the time she books into the Windsor Hotel, Phryne is embroiled in mystery: poisoned wives, cocaine smuggling rings, corrupt cops and communism — not to mention erotic encounters with the beautiful Russian dancer, Sasha de Lisse — until her adventure reaches its steamy end in the Turkish baths of Little Lonsdale Street.

Although we haven't read this first title in the series, we have read eight others — you can find our reviews listed under Greenwood on Mysterious Reviews — and we can highly recommend them.

As of the date and time of this post, the Kindle edition of Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood was priced at 99 cents by the publisher and the iBooks edition (via iTunes) was free (though we suspect this may be a pricing error). Important note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the sale is the price of the book.

Dead On by Robert W. Walker is Today's Fifth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Dead On by Robert W. Walker as today's fifth 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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Dead On by Robert W. Walker
A Marcus Rydell Mystery
Publisher: Five Star

This may have been intended to be the first in a series, though no second book has (yet) been published.

About Dead On (from the publisher): Just when disgraced Atlanta cop-turned-private eye Marcus Rydell prepares to eat his gun, a kid in trouble, a call to duty, and a dirty blonde named Kat Holley stop him cold.

Kat pulls Marcus from his suicidal depression and his soon-to-be demolished apartment building—only to make him face his past. She leads him on a deadly hunt deep into the blackest forest in the Red Earth State. Near the Georgia-Tennessee border in the breathtaking Blue Ridge countryside, the pair watch a safe haven become their death trap.

They seek to destroy a local legend, a cave-dwelling ex-marine and murderer, a monster whose instincts and military training have allowed him to survive in the wilderness for four years, eluding the Feds as well as Atlanta PD. When the hunters become the hunted, they must duel with this psychotic deviant.

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.

The Warning by Jonas Saul is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Warning by Jonas Saul 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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The Warning by Jonas Saul
A Sarah Roberts Mystery
Publisher: Imagine Press

This is the second mystery in this paranormal series.

About The Warning (from the publisher): Sarah Roberts has spent the last four years helping people stay alive through the messages she receives from the dead.

She receives a daunting communication from the Other Side regarding her sister's murderer, and where she can find him, but the message is not clear enough to confirm the man's identity.

Then she receives The Warning, a message that tells her to stand down - let it go. She refuses and enters a complex where the odds are stacked heavily against her. The tables turn, and Sarah becomes the hunted rather than the hunter.

How many people have to die to catch one murderer? How far will Sarah go?

Sarah must face the absolute horror and reality that has become her life as an Automatic Writer. The Warning begins as a flame, ignites to a fire and explodes in an inferno of violence over a girl who receives messages from the dead to help the living.

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.

Beaumont Blues by Robert Fate is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Beaumont Blues by Robert Fate 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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Beaumont Blues by Robert Fate
A "Baby Shark" Mystery
Publisher: Capital Crime Press

This is the second case for PI Kristin "Baby Shark" Van Dijk.

About Beaumont Blues (from the publisher): September 1956. When a Texas oil heiress goes missing and bodies begin to fall it is up to newly-licensed P.I. Kristin Van Dijk and her cantankerous partner, Otis Millett, to confront dangerous Beaumont gangsters, prying Dallas cops, slick crooked lawyers, and a buxom waitress who smells like Evening in Paris. This is an anything-but-straightforward Baby Shark crime adventure that hits the ground running for its life from bullet-riddled page one to a hell-of-a-surprise climax you never saw coming.

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.

This Is Life by Seth Harwood is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature This Is Life by Seth Harwood 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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This Is Life by Seth Harwood
A Jack Palms Mystery
Publisher: CrimeWAV Books

This is the second mystery for the former actor.

About This Is Life (from the publisher): When a crooked cop is taken apart by a .50 caliber anti-tank gun and the SFPD rules it a suicide, Sergeant Mills Hopkins hires Jack to find the cop-killer — and who’s covering things up. Teaming with former NFL lineman Freeman Jones and sexy Federal Agent Jane Gannon, Jack discovers that Russian pimp and drug runner Alexi Akakievich is cleaning house. Across the city, beautiful young sex slaves are turning up dead — a public message to their politically connected owners that Akakievich no longer needs their business. Now he just wants their power.

Soon Jack finds himself dodging both .50 caliber shells and double-crosses as he struggles to determine how high the city’s corruption goes and how far he’ll descend into the violence and depravity of his new life to stop it.

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.