Finalists for the 2012 Ngaio Marsh Award Announced

Here's some "awards" news we missed from last week.

The finalists for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel of 2011 have been announced. Now in its third year, the award is given for the best crime, mystery, or thriller novel written by a New Zealand citizen or resident.

This year's winner will be presented on September 1st as part of the upcoming Christchurch Writers Festival.

• Collecting Cooper by Paul Cleave (Simon & Schuster)
• Luther: The Calling by Neil Cross (Simon & Schuster)
• By Any Means by Ben Sanders (HarperCollins)
• Bound by Vanda Symon (Penguin)

Please Welcome Crime Novelist Fred Lichtenberg

by Fred Lichtenberg

We are delighted to welcome novelist Fred Lichtenberg to Omnimystery News today.

Fred's new thriller is Double Trouble (Fred Lichtenberg Press, June 2012 trade paperback and ebook formats).

A former government employee and "numbers" guy, we asked Fred, "What Makes this Accountant Tick?"

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People are always asking me why I decided to write given my accounting background.

Photo provided courtesy of
Fred Lichtenberg

It's true, I am a "numbers" guy. So what do accountants write about? For me: Murder.

I knew from a young age that I was a good story teller, but never put anything on paper until I reached my forties. So when I decided to take writing seriously, murder was first in line. I love reading murder mysteries especially the psychologically driven novels by Jonathon Kellerman. My favorite is Silent Partners.

In Double Trouble, mistaken identity is the underlying theme that moves the story along.

Charlie Quinn is a washed-out detective (defective detective) from Fort Lauderdale. He's led a painful life, has known betrayal, deceit and quite honestly, has little going for him until by chance, he runs into his twin in a Fort Lauderdale parking lot. His twin, Frankie Marcone, is a happy go lucky hit man for the mob but doesn't have time for a family reunion and bolts. It seems Marcone stole diamonds from his boss and is planning a long vacation. Quinn won't take no for an answer and attempts to track Marcone down only to become enmeshed in Marcone's dark world. The boss wants his diamonds back!

Hunter's World, my first published novel, is also psychologically driven. In fact, the victim was a psychologist! It takes place in a small town on Long Island. The chief of police is investigating the only murder his town has known and the evidence (paintings of the victim and some of the town women in compromising positions), if went public, could cripple the town's moral foundation. The protagonist must balance his position as a police officer with the love of his town. The more he pushes for justice the more someone behind the scenes is pushing to have him evicted from his office.

I published a short story titled "666 Kendall Drive", a horror/humorous story of how one man's investment in the rental real estate market can go terribly wrong. It takes place in South Florida, where else?

And as for numbers, I'm finishing up Murder 1040. It has to do with the murder of an IRS agent when he uncovers fraud, money laundering, and drugs during an audit. Murder 1040 will be published next year.

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Fred Lichtenberg is a native New Yorker who lives with his wife in Jupiter, Florida. In addition to his novels and short story, he wrote and produced a one-act play titled The Second Time Around … Again, a comedy about finding love in a nursing home, at the Lake Worth Playhouse.

He is a member of Mystery Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers. Learn more about Fred and his work by visiting his website at FredLichtenberg.com.

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Double Trouble
Fred Lichtenberg
Publisher: Fred Lichtenberg Press, June 2012

The day washed-out detective Charlie Quinn unexpectedly meets Frankie Marcone in a Fort Lauderdale parking lot his life changes forever. Little does he know that Marcone is a hit man for the mob. Or that he and Marcone are identical twins separated at birth!

Marcone, who stole diamonds from his boss, isn't looking for a family reunion and disappears. When Quinn discovers that Marcone is killed in a fiery accident, he flies to New York to find out more about his long lost brother. But when the boss's henchmen bump into Quinn and demand the diamonds or else, Quinn defies reality and becomes Frankie Marcone.

Delving into his brother's dark past, Quinn learns about his own and it's not pretty. Lies, betrayal and deception follow him every step of the way. The enemy is closing in. Will Quinn succeed in tracking down the diamonds before his fate mirrors his twin brother's?

    

Tulip Season by Bharti Kirchner is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Tulip Season by Bharti Kirchner 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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Tulip Season
Bharti Kirchner
A Mitra Basu Mystery
Publisher: Booktrope Editions

Bharti Kirchner recently visited Omnimystery News as a guest blogger. Read more about her mysteries here.

Kareena Sinha, an Indian-American domestic-violence counselor, disappears from her Seattle home. When the police dismiss suspicions that she herself was a victim of spousal abuse, her best friend, Mitra Basu, a young landscape designer, resolves to find her.

Mitra's search reveals glimpses of a secret life involving her friend and a Bollywood actor of ill repute. Following the trail, Mitra is lured back to India where she uncovers the actor's ties to the Mumbai underworld and his financial difficulties - landing her in a web of life-threatening intrigue where Mitra can't be sure of Kareena's safety or her own.

  

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.

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

Dangerous Undertaking by Mark de Castrique is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Dangerous Undertaking by Mark de Castrique 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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Dangerous Undertaking
Mark de Castrique
A Barry Clayton Mystery
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Barry Clayton has a job he doesn’t want. When his father became stricken with Alzheimer’s, Barry left the Charlotte police force for the small mountain community of Gainesboro, North Carolina, where his family runs the local funeral home. "Buryin’ Barry" reluctantly assumed the mantle of town undertaker, trying to fit his life into this somber profession.

Almost at once it turns deadly. At the graveside service for an elderly woman, a grieving grandson strides in clad like Clint Eastwood in a duster, rips out a shotgun, and murders his family. Then the shooter turns the weapon on Barry. "Take a message to my grandmother," Dallas Willard shouts. "Tell her they tried to take the land. Tell her I love her." The blast hits Barry in the shoulder.

Barry is not cut from the same black cloth as his father, and his irreverent wit and independence have already won him the friendship of the county sheriff, one-eyed war hero Tommy Lee Wadkins. Besides, Barry’s a police pro.

Trusting his wounds to the hands of local surgeon Susan Miller, Barry begins a search for both the killer and the reason for his crime. It isn’t long before a second shooting occurs — but when Dallas Willard’s body is discovered at the bottom of a quarry pond, it becomes clear that Gainesboro is caught in the grip of something more than a deadly family quarrel.

Read our review of Dangerous Undertaking by Mark de Castrique.

    

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.

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

A Cutthroat Business by Jenna Bennett is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Cutthroat Business by Jenna Bennett 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 Cutthroat Business
Jenna Bennett
A Savannah Martin Mystery
Publisher: Jenna Bennett

Everyone has warned new-minted realtor Savannah Martin that real estate is a cutthroat business. But Savannah doesn’t think she’s supposed to take the warning literally … until an early morning phone call sends her to an empty house on the ‘bad’ side of town, where she finds herself standing over the butchered body of a competitor, face to face with the boy her mother always warned her about.

Rafe Collier is six feet three inches of testosterone and trouble; tall, dark, and dangerous, with a murky past and no future — not the kind of guy a perfect Southern Belle should want to tangle with. In any way. But wherever Savannah turns, there he is, and making no bones about what he wants from her.

Now Savannah must figure out who killed real estate queen Brenda Puckett, make a success of her new career, and avoid getting killed — or kissed — by Rafe, all before the money in her savings account runs out and she has to go back to selling make-up at the mall.

    

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.

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

Dark River Road by Virginia Brown is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Dark River Road by Virginia Brown as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Tuesday, August 07, 2012.

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Dark River Road
Virginia Brown

Virginia Brown writes the Dixie Divas mystery series and the Blue Suede Memphis Mysteries.

One powerful man has always controlled this small Southern town. Unchallenged, until now.

Like everyone else in Cane Creek, Mississippi, Chantry Callahan grew up in the shadow of town boss Bert Quinton. Quinton held the lives of local people in his harsh grasp, never letting go. He knew where all their secrets were buried, along with the bodies of anyone who had dared to defy him. As a boy, Chantry couldn't best Quinton. Couldn't protect the people he loved, including his own mother. But now Chantry is grown. He's come back for answers. And for justice.

Important Note: This book was listed at the price mentioned above 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.

Dr. Dre Developing Crime Drama for FX

Music industry executive Andre Romelle Young — better known as Dr. Dre — is developing a contemporary crime drama set in Los Angeles for FX Networks.

The untitled project is expected to include elements of the music business and the business of crime. Young will co-executive produce with creator Sidney Quashie.

Four Timeline Banners for The Bourne Legacy

This Friday the fourth "Bourne" film, The Bourne Legacy, opens in US theaters and the studio is still rolling out promotional materials. Four timeline banners have been released (below; click for slightly larger images). They're called "Facebook banners" on the film's website, but we're not exactly sure what that means.

Twelve years ago, audiences were introduced to Jason Bourne when he was pulled unconscious from the Mediterranean. Over the course of three films, they followed his journey to survive and discover his identity. They watched his CIA handlers mount an increasingly desperate worldwide manhunt. They learned about the Treadstone program and Bourne's special skills and abilities, and at the trilogy's conclusion, they may have even felt the story was complete. The Bourne Legacy pulls back the curtain to expose a darker layer of intrigue, a deeper mythology, and a new hero who must battle to stay alive when his program suddenly becomes a liability.

Jeremy Renner stars as Aaron Cross, one of six agents in a program called Outcome. Unlike the CIA's Treadstone, Outcome agents have been developed and trained for use by the Department of Defense. More than assassins, Outcome agents are designed for use in isolated, high-risk, long-term intelligence assignments. The behavioral science that was suggested as the underpinning of the Treadstone agents has been upgraded and advanced, but it's the shared origins of these two programs that makes Outcome so vulnerable as Bourne's story becomes public knowledge.

(There's much more to the background of the film, which can be found in an interesting, if also lengthy, PDF document.)

Directed by Tony Gilroy from an original screenplay co-written with Dan Gilroy, and inspired by a character created by Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Legacy opens this Friday, August 10th.

This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Audiobooks (120806)

Here is this week's list of the top ten bestselling mystery and suspense audiobooks (books on CD).

We're using a script to embed an RSS feed from Amazon.com, which is frequently updated, 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.

Mr. E. Reviews Lockout

Purchase/Rental Option(s)

I kept expecting — hoping — that the screenwriters of this multi-combo sci-fi action-thriller romantic-adventure would take what was sure to be a familiar storyline and stock characters down a new pathway or off in an unexpected direction but, alas, it was not to be. It's a watchable film but a completely forgettable one as well.

Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews Lockout.

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Mr. E. Reviews is your source for mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama reviews of television and film.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120806)

Here is today's list of the Bestselling Free Kindle Crime Fiction: the top nine mysteries, novels of suspense, 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 click on the image to the right or use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com.

George Gently Series 6 Episode Information

Earlier this year BBC commissioned four new 90-minute episodes of its historical crime drama George Gently, starring Martin Shaw as the titular police inspector in 1968 Northumberland.

Today we're learning a bit more about those episodes, which will comprise the sixth season of the series.

"Gently and [his side-kick] Bacchus return to Durham and Northumberland, my home turf, with plenty more murders and cases to solve," says writer Peter Flannery. "It's 1968 with huge changes in society at that time, and hopefully our series continues to give a real portrait of the age."

In the first episode, "Gently Northern Soul", racial unreset that is sweeping the US reaches the shores of Britain. But in Newcastle, a haven of equality can be found at the Carlton Ballroom all-nighter. All that is destroyed, however, when a young black girl, Dolores Kenny, is murdered, leading Gently to uncover a disturbing and racialist undercurrent growing within the local community.

In "Gently With Class", antipathy for the upper classes' outmoded social graces and their abuse of privilege is growing by the day. Gently and Bacchus experience the inflated authority of their "social betters" first hand, when a beautiful young girl called Ellen Mallam is found dead in the passenger seat of a an upturned car registered to local aristocrats.

Gently and Bacchus are thrown into an emotionally wrought case in "The Lost Child", when a middle class couple's adopted child is kidnapped. It takes them to a Mother and Baby home where young single mothers are forced to give up their babies — where the shame of illegitimacy still burns the cheeks of single mothers.

Finally, Gently's enemies from his London Met days come after him in "Gently in the Cathedral". Gently finds himself suspended from duty — powerless, unprotected and persecuted. He must confront his deepest fears and fight to the death.

The press package indicates the sixth season will premiere on Sunday of Week 34, which, if we're doing our calendar math correctly, would be August 19th, 2012, but this date has not yet been confirmed by BBC.

Russian Poster for Alex Cross

A new Russian poster for the crime thriller Alex Cross has been released by the studio (right, click for larger image). The tagline: "Жестокое преступление, Извращенный убийца, Смертельная игра." ("A brutal crime. A twisted killer. A deadly game.")

Adapted by Marc Moss and Kerry Williamson from the 2006 novel Cross by James Patterson, Tyler Perry stars as homicide detective Alex Cross, who hunts down the man (Matthew Fox) that killed his wife.

Directed by Rob Cohen, Alex Cross opens in US theaters October 19th, 2012.

Telemystery: 87th Precinct, Grimm, Jesse Stone, The Rookies, and Strike Back, 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 four series and one made-for-television movie being released this week.

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87th Precinct
The Complete Series

Manhattan's 87th Precinct forms the backdrop for this grim and gritty police drama based on the long-running series of novels by Ed McBain.

Storylines focus on neighborhood crime, and the tight-knit lives of the officers of the 87th and their families: Steve Carella (Robert Lansing) and his deaf/mute wife, Teddy (Gena Rowlands), rookie Bert Kling (Ron Harper), long-time veteran Roger Havilland (Gregory Walcott) and the wryly philosophical Meyer Meyer (Norman Fell).

87th Precinct aired for just one season of 30 episodes on NBC during the 1960/1961 television season.

  

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Grimm
Season One

The classic Grimms' fairy tales come to life like never before in the first season of this imaginative series that aired on NBC from September 2011 to May 2012.

Portland homicide detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) discovers he's descended from a long line of "Grimms", who are charged with keeping balance between humanity and the creatures of myth. With newly awoken abilities to detect the evil lurking among us, Nick struggles to keep his old life separate and safe as he becomes ever more entrenched in the ancient rivalries of the Grimm world.

Grimm has been renewed for a second season. NBC is capitalizing on its Olympics coverage and starting several series seasons early this year, including Grimm, which premieres on Monday, August 13th at 10 PM ET/PT.

        

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Jesse Stone
Benefit of the Doubt

Based on a character created by crime novelist Robert B. Parker, the "Jesse Stone" series of made-for-television movies have proved popular with viewers … just the wrong kind of viewers, according to CBS.

This eighth movie in the series will be the last, unless the producers, which include Tom Selleck and Michael Brandman, who took over writing the "Jesse Stone" books following the death of Parker, can find another network to air them.

Benefit of the Doubt has Jesse Stone's involuntary retirement ending when the young sheriff who replaced him is blown up in the town police car. The loyal staffers who worked for Jesse have abandoned the department and Jesse must try to solve the case on his own. It originally aired on CBS in May, 2012.

  

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The Rookies
Season Two

Gerald S. O’Loughlin, Georg Stanford Brown, Sam Melville, Michael Ontkean, and Kate Jackson star in this crime drama that explores both sides of the badge worn by a group of young officers from the Southern California Police Department (SCPD).

With intense cases involving a cop killer, a serial rapist, a rogue officer and an escaped convict as well as the off-duty drama that comes with being a cop, this intensely human series is sensitive, sometimes humorous and always filled with action, suspense and excitement.

This second season (of four) aired on ABC from September 1973 through March 1974.

  

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Strike Back
Season One

A high-octane, globe-spanning thriller with storylines ripped from today’s headlines, this Cinemax original series focuses on two members of a top-secret anti-terrorist organization known as Section 20: Michael Stonebridge (Philip Winchester), a British sergeant in the ultra secret Section 20 anti-terrorist team, and Damien Scott (Sullivan Stapleton), a Delta Forces operative who was disgraced and discharged on the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Based on the UK drama of the same title, which itself is adapted from a 2007 thriller by Chris Ryan, this first season of the series aired on Cinemax from August through Occtober 2011. The second season premieres on Friday, August 17th at 10 PM ET/PT.

    

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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.