TNT Renews Perception for a Second Season

TNT has renewed its freshman crime drama Perception for a 13-episode second season.

Eric McCormack stars as Dr. Daniel Pierce, an eccentric neuroscience professor with paranoid schizophrenia who is recruited by the FBI to help solve complex cases. Pierce has an intimate knowledge of human behavior and a masterful understanding of the way the mind works. He also has an uncanny ability to see patterns and look past people's conscious emotions to see what lies beneath.

"Perception has captured the imagination of TNT's audience of armchair detectives with wonderfully intricate cases, emotionally charged situations and, of course, a terrific cast led by Eric McCormack," said Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies. "Daniel Pierce is a truly unique and fascinating addition to television's pantheon of crime solvers. We look forward to seeing where Perception takes us next."

We have to admit the series hasn't clicked with us. We watched the first two episodes and then it sort of drifted off our radar. It is only mid-way through its first season, so maybe we'll check it out again; the next episode, the sixth of ten ordered for this season, airs this coming Monday at 10 PM (ET/PT).

This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Television and Film on Demand (120817)

Here is this week's list of the top bestselling mystery and suspense television and film videos available to watch or download from Amazon Instant.

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.

BBC One Planning Remake of The Lady Vanishes

BBC One is planning a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller from 1938, The Lady Vanishes. The 90-minute made-for-television movie stars Tuppence Middleton as wealthy, young socialite Iris Carr, who is comforted by Miss Froy after fainting on a train platform, before waking up to discover her good Samaritan has vanished.

Screenwriter Fiona Seres has adapted the script from the original source material, the 1936 novel The Wheel Spins by Ethel White, which also served as the basis for Hitchcock's film. According to BBC News, filming is expected to begin later this month in Budapest.

"Fiona's adaptation of The Wheel Spins deftly weaves together the intriguing stories of a psychologically complex group of characters … played out against the tense backdrop of the Balkans in the 1930s," said BBC Drama's Kate Harwood.

The Lady Vanishes is scheduled to air this Christmas.

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The Wheel Spins
Ethel White

The protagonist of the story is Iris Carr, who suffers a blackout just before boarding a train that is traveling across Europe to London. On board the train, the still-woozy Iris befriends a certain Mrs. Froy, a fellow Englishwoman who is perhaps a bit eccentric but seems to be for the most part agreeable and benign. Mrs. Froy is the "vanishing lady" of Hitchcock's title, and it is Mrs. Froy who mysteriously disappears while Iris is napping. Her inexplicable departure throws Iris into a mind-bending mystery that will make her alternately question her sanity and the designs of the people around her. When Iris asks about Mrs. Froy, everyone on board the train denies ever having seen the old woman. Although Iris could perhaps be swayed due to the knock on her head that Mrs. Froy was merely a vivid hallucination, a few stray details suggest that something more sinister is happening, and Iris resolves to get to the bottom of the mystery.

      

Copper Premieres August 19th on BBC America

This Sunday, August 19th, the historical crime drama Copper premieres on BBC America at 10 PM (ET/PT).

Tom Weston-Jones stars as Kevin Corcoran, an Irish-American former boxer turned cop, returns from the Civil War to find his wife missing and his daughter dead. Corcoran seeks justice for the powerless in the notorious immigrant neighborhood of Five Points. Bonded by battle to two Civil War compatriots — Robert Morehouse (Kyle Schmid), the wayward son of a wealthy industrialist, and Matthew Freeman (Ato Essandoh), an African-American physician who secretly assists the forensic investigations — Corcoran is thrust into the contrasting worlds of elegant and corrupt Fifth Avenue, and the emerging black community in Northern Manhattan. The three men share a secret from the battlefield that inextricably links their lives forever.

In the opening episode, titled "Surviving Death", with New York City still recovering from the Draft Riots of 1863, Detective Kevin Corcoran finds himself investigating the murder of a young Five Points girl that hits uncomfortably close to home.

Watch a sneak peek of the premiere below.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120817)

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.

New Trailer for Homeland Season 2

Showtime has just released a new trailer for the second season of its thriller Homeland.

Hero or traitor? M.I.A. in Afghanistan for eight years and subjected to unthinkable torture at the hands of al-Qaeda, Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) is finally coming home. CIA officer Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) believes he has been turned and become part of a plot to be carried out on American soil. But the volatile Carrie has some demons of her own.

The second season of Homeland premieres on September 30th at 10 PM (ET/PT).

Save 25% on Selected Titles, This Weekend at Kobo

From now through Monday, August 20th, 2012, Kobo is offering 25% off a single title from a select group of ebooks.

Here is the coupon code — aug1725yz — and here is the link to the list of eligible books.

When we checked there were 121 books on the list, a good number of which were crime novels. All the "Nikki Heat" mysteries by Richard Castle are there, many books by Lisa Jackson, a handful of cozies by Joanne Fluke and several thrillers by John Lutz. Notable single titles include Drive by James Sallis and The Siege of Trencher's Farm by Gordon Williams, both of which were adapted into films.

One coupon per customer, and it should be applied during checkout; look for the "Have a gift card or promo code?" and enter it there.

Remember … this promotion ends on August 20th, 2012 at 11:59 PM ET.

Death Turns a Trick by Julie Smith is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Death Turns a Trick by Julie Smith 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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Death Turns a Trick
Julie Smith
A Rebecca Schwartz Mystery
Publisher: booksBnimble

This is the author's debut mystery, first published in 1982 by Walker.

Rebecca Schwartz, nice Jewish lawyer with a few too many fantasies, is happily playing the piano in a whorehouse when she suddenly finds herself assigned to make sure a near-naked state senator escapes a police raid. That dirty job done, a lovely evening turns even more delightful when she’s picked up by the cops and spends the next two hours at the Hall of Justice. Could this day get any worse? Of Course! Guess who arrives home to find a dead hooker on her living room floor?

Handsome Parker Phillips, Rebecca’s new beau and the most attractive man she’s met in ages, is arrested for the murder. (Worse, she suspects he might actually have done it.)

On the plus side, another very attractive man is following the case — reporter Rob Burns of the San Francisco Chronicle, a possible ally. And there are other possibilities.

  

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.

The Shadow Chaser by John Matthews is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Shadow Chaser by John Matthews 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.

— ♦ —

The Shadow Chaser
John Matthews
Publisher: Penguin

Andre Lemoine, one of the world's leading geneticists, is on the verge of the medical breakthrough of the century: a link with rare primates that could unlock a vital key in the search for a cure for AIDS.

But part of Andre's quest is driven by a pressing medical threat within his own family, and when his breakthrough brings him into conflict with two ambitious ruthless rivals — it plunges Andre into the race of his life; a race which takes Andre from the dark jungles of Africa and Brazil to the seamy back-streets of Paris and Philadelphia. A nightmare world of thieves, hookers and pimps, lab bombers and FBI agents — far removed from the safety of his lab bench.

For Andre the stakes have never been higher. Because, as the threat to those Andre loves looms stronger, it becomes a race through the shadows of his family's dark past to, ultimately, face death head-on.

  

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.

Pursuit and Persuasion by Sally Wright is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Pursuit and Persuasion by Sally Wright 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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Pursuit and Persuasion
Sally Wright
A Ben Reese Mystery
Publisher: Ballantine

The sudden death of rich, generous Scottish professor Georgina Fletcher seems like a tragic accident. Indeed, American archivist Ben Reese can scarcely believe that it was not. But Georgina had foreseen her death, and had laid down a secret trail of evidence pointing to a hard-hearted murder committed by someone with much to gain if she died — or to lose if she lived.

Was it the brilliant sculptor Georgina had educated and supported? The beautiful student who is also her heir? Her late husband's business associates? Or a jealous colleague in her own department?

It appears that someone very close to her not only killed with fiendish cleverness but wants to ensnare Ben like a blind rat in a live trap — from which he'll never escape …

  

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.

Organize or Die by Laura McClure is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Organize or Die by Laura McClure 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.

— ♦ —

Organize or Die
Laura McClure
Publisher: CreateSpace

Ruth Reid thinks her old life is dead. She’s abandoned her crappy career, her unavailable boyfriend, and her hopeless idealism. But just as she’s settling into her new life, which involves a bottle of scotch, her cat, and her Brooklyn couch, she learns that her former colleague, the famed Victoria Shales, has been murdered in the middle of a major union organizing campaign.

Against her better judgment, Ruth agrees to take Victoria’s place and rescue the campaign — if she can. With the election clock ticking loudly, Ruth scrambles to pull together a ragtag group of workers who can help her outgun the company and outrun a pair of deadly thugs who also want her to take Victoria’s place — in the cemetery.

  

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.

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending August 17, 2012

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending August 17th, 2012 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

We've lost track of how many weeks the stand-alone thriller Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn has been at the top spot of our list … and based on its score, it looks to remain there for a few more weeks at the very least.

Two new titles enter the list this week (position in parentheses).

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(12): The Prophet
Michael Koryta

Adam Austin hasn't spoken to his brother in years. When they were teenagers, their sister was abducted and murdered, and their devastated family never recovered. Now Adam keeps to himself, scraping by as a bail bondsman, working so close to the town's criminal fringes that he sometimes seems a part of them.

Kent Austin is the beloved coach of the local high school football team, a religious man and hero in the community. After years of near misses, Kent's team has a shot at the state championship, a welcome point of pride in a town that has had its share of hardships.

Just before playoffs begin, the town and the team are thrown into shock when horrifically, impossibly, another teenage girl is found murdered. When details emerge that connect the crime to the Austin brothers, the two are forced to unite to stop a killer-and to confront their buried rage and grief before history repeats itself again.

            

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(14): The St. Zita Society
Ruth Rendell

Life for the residents and servants of Hexam Place appears placid and orderly on the outside: drivers take their employers to and from work, dogs are walked, flowers are planted in gardens, and Christmas candles lit uniformly in windows. But beneath this tranquil veneer, the upstairs-downstairs relationships are set to combust.

Henry, the handsome valet to Lord Studley, is sleeping with both the Lord’s wife and his university-age daughter. Montserrat, the Still family’s lazy au pair, assists Mrs. Still in keeping secret her illicit affair with a television actor — in exchange for pocket cash. June, the haughty housekeeper to a princess of dubious origin, tries to enlist her fellow house-helpers into a "society" to address complaints about their employers. Meanwhile, Dex, the disturbed gardener to several families on the block, thinks a voice on his cell phone is giving him godlike instructions — commands that could imperil the lives of all those in Hexam Place.

            

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First Trailer for The Last Stand

Yesterday we featured the first poster for the action crime thriller The Last Stand. Today, we have the first trailer for the film.

Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his big screen return in a film reportedly budgeted in excess of $50 million.

After leaving his LAPD narcotics post following a bungled operation that left him wracked with remorse and regret, Sheriff Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger) moved out of Los Angeles and settled into a life fighting what little crime takes place in sleepy border town Sommerton Junction. But that peaceful existence is shattered when Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), the most notorious, wanted drug kingpin in the western hemisphere, makes a deadly yet spectacular escape from an FBI prisoner convoy.

With the help of a fierce band of lawless mercenaries led by the icy Burrell (Peter Stormare), Cortez begins racing towards the US-Mexico border at 250 mph in a specially-outfitted Corvette ZR1 with a hostage in tow. Cortez' path: straight through Sommerton Junction, where the whole of the U.S. law enforcement, including Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker) will have their final opportunity to intercept him before the violent fugitive slips across the border forever.

At first reluctant to become involved, and then counted out because of the perceived ineptitude of his small town force, Owens ultimately rallies his team and takes the matter into his own hands, setting the stage for a classic showdown.

The Last Stand, directed by Jee-woon Kim, is scheduled to open in US theaters January 18th, 2013.

Review: A Shared Confidence by William Topek

A Mysterious Review of …

A Shared Confidence by William Topek. A Devlin Caine Mystery.

Review summary: This is a delightful mystery, with authentic period details providing a colorful backdrop to the clever schemes being played by the good guys against the bad guys, one which will appeal to readers who enjoy crime caper-style novels. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

A Shared Confidence
William Topek
A Devlin Caine Mystery
Central Avenue Publishing (May 2012)

Publisher synopsis: Kansas City, 1935. Private detective Devlin Caine receives a telegram from his estranged older brother, a Baltimore banker who's been framed for embezzlement. At his brother's request, Caine comes to Baltimore, expecting nothing more than to offer a little useful advice. But in short order, he finds himself deeply involved in an elaborate confidence scheme.

Never try to con a con, but Caine finds himself forced into doing just that. And he may just have the experience and know-how to take on a veteran master of the long con. But can he handle three different government agencies, his former boss, and a violent Chicago mobster who also appear on the scene?

Working in a strange city and employing cons on top of cons, Caine struggles to save not only his brother's career, but possibly his own hide.

      

This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Television and Film on Blu-ray Disc (120816)

Here is this week's list of the top bestselling mystery and suspense television and film Blu-ray discs available from Amazon.com.

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.