Reviews of Mystery and Suspense Books for Kids, New This Week on Book Trends (120825)

Book Trends, a review site for young adult's and children's books, published several new book reviews this past week. We're presenting here a summary of those in the mystery/suspense/thriller category.

Island of Thieves by Josh Lacey. Lexile measure: 640L. Reviewed by a 6th grade student, who writes that this book "… has high octane action throughout the whole story … an awesome book that will hook you to the very last page." (Read the full review of middle school grade thriller here.)

Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson. Lexile measure: N/A. Reviewed by an 8th grade student, who writes, "I really loved [this book]! It was phenomenal! I would say that this book has a genre of mystery/romance. At times it creates suspense with romance at the same time." (Read the full review of this teen novel here.)

For more reviews of children and young adult books of all genres, visit Book Trends; their reviews will amaze you! You can also follow Book Trends on Twitter.

Dead Pretty by Roger Granelli is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Dead Pretty by Roger Granelli 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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Dead Pretty
Roger Granelli
Publisher: Accent Press

Mark Richards, having rebuilt his life after a traumatic, deprived past, is a private investigator in London. When his beautiful girlfriend, Lena, is brutally and sadistically slain his life is turned upside down.

In his search for her killers, he becomes hunter and hunted, exacting revenge whilst trying to stay alive. His quest turns into a bloody rites of passage, which takes him from London to the Midlands, to the hills of south Wales, and, ultimately, to Amsterdam, where the savage climax of the book is played out amidst the seedy back alleys of the red light district.

  

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 Blood of Tyrants by Peter S. Fischer is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Blood of Tyrants by Peter S. Fischer as today's free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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The Blood of Tyrants
Peter S. Fischer
Publisher: The Grove Point Press

A crowded restaurant in Washington, D.C. A powerful Congressman is lunching with a wealthy contributor who suddenly rises from his chair and shoots the Congressman dead in front of a hundred witnesses. Quietly, he resumes his seat, placing the gun on the table as he awaits the authorities. Thus begins ten days of terror, ten days in which the nation teeters on the brink of anarchy.

Inadvertently drawn into this murderous conspiracy is Paul Castle, a once promising newspaper reporter, now the host of a third rate cable show that deals in sleaze and scandal. Castle suddenly finds himself a pawn in a series of bizarre murders that have gripped the nation in fear. Secretly aided by an avuncular New York homicide detective and hounded by an ambitious FBI agent, Castle seeks to get to the bottom of the mystery and in the process, regain his lost self-respect. With the future of the country at stake he knows he cannot afford to fail.

  

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.

Teaser Trailer for HBO's The Girl

HBO has released a teaser trailer for The Girl, its upcoming biography (of sorts) of Alfred Hitchcock, specifically his relationship with Tippi Hedren, who starred in his classic film The Birds.

The Girl stars Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock and Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren. The timeframe of the drama covers the period from the production of The Birds (1963) to Hedren's next film with Hitchcock, Marnie (1964). Much of the screenplay is adapted from the book Spellbound by Beauty by Donald Spoto.

The Girl premieres on HBO on Saturday, October 20th at 9 PM (ET/PT).

Two Character Posters for Looper

Two character posters for the time-travel crime thriller Looper have been released by the studio (right; click for larger images).

The first shows Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an younger Bruce Willis — or maybe it's the second showing Bruce Willis as an older Joseph Gordon-Levitt. (The resemblance is uncanny, nothing short of remarkable.)

Regardless, the two actors play the same character in the same time frame, courtesy of the future invention of time travel … which, unfortunately, has been outlawed, and available only on the black market. When Joe of the future (Willis) is returned to be executed by Joe of the present, well, that presents something of a dilemma for both men. Or is it the same man?

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Looper opens in theaters September 28th, 2012. This is one film we're anxious to see this year.

Nominees for the 2012 Crime Thriller Awards Announced

Earlier today we posted the short lists for the Fall 2012 CWA Dagger Awards, the winners of which will be announced this coming October.

But there are actually going to be many more winners announced on that same evening, those of the Crime Thriller Awards.

For crime fiction fans — and if you're reading this, you're probably one of those — there is the Bestseller Dagger, where readers choose the winner. The nominees are …

• Jo Nesbø
• Anthony Horowitz
• Kathy Reichs
• Stuart MacBride
• Ann Cleeves

Vote for your favorite author here.

And then there is the fan vote for the best "Detective Duo of the Year". These are from television series, but most have been adapted from, or based on characters from, crime novels.

• Above Suspicion (DCI James Langton and DI Anna Travis)
• Lewis (DI Robbie Lewis and DS James Hathaway)
• Scott & Bailey (DCs Janet Scott and Rachel Bailey)
• Vera (DCI Vera Stanhope and DS Joe Ashworth)
• Whitechapel (DI Joseph Chandler and DS Ray Miles)
• DCI Banks (DCI Alan Banks and DS Annie Cabbot)

Voting on these duos won't open until Friday, September 7th, but here is the link to visit.

The other Dagger Awards to be handed out during the festivities are …

Film Dagger …
• The Guard
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• Drive
• The Dark Knight Rises
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

TV Dagger (and this would be British TV) …
• Whitechapel
• Sherlock
• Appropriate Adult
• Line of Duty
• Wallander

International TV Dagger …
• The Killing (Denmark)
• Boardwalk Empire (US)
• Homeland (US)
• Dexter (US)
• The Bridge (Sweden/Denmark)

Best Actress Dagger …
• Sofie Gråbøl (for The Killing, Denmark)
• Claire Daines (for Homeland)
• Brenda Blethyn (for Vera)
• Sofia Helin (for The Bridge)
• Maxine Peake (for Silk)

Best Actor Dagger …
• Dominic West (for Appropriate Adult)
• Damien Lewis (for Homeland)
• Steve Buscemi (for Boardwalk Empire)
• Benedict Cumberbatch (for Sherlock)
• Kenneth Branagh (for Wallander)

Best Supporting Actress …
• Sarah Smart (for Wallander)
• Una Stubbs (for Sherlock)
• Frances Barber (for Silk)
• Kelly MacDonald (for Boardwalk Empire)
• Archie Panjabi (for The Good Wife)

Best Supporting Actor …
• Alan Cumming (for The Good Wife)
• Phil Davis (for Silk and Whitechapel)
• Laurence Fox (for Lewis)
• Martin Freeman (for Sherlock)
• Alun Armstrong (for Garrow's Law)

All the winners will be announced Thursday, October 18th with the televised ceremony airing on October 23rd.

Spanish Poster for Killing Them Softly

Yesterday we had the first US theatrical poster for the crime thriller Killing Them Softly, adapted from the novel Cogan's Trade by George V. Higgins.

Today we have the first highly stylized Spanish-language poster for the film, titled Mátalos Suavemente (right; click for slightly larger image).

Brad Pitt stars in the film as Jackie Cogan, who is hired to track down three guys who foolishly robbed a mob-protected card game.

Written and directed by Andrew Dominik, Killing Them Softly opens in US theaters October 19th, 2012 … but a month earlier in Spain, the UK, and a few other European countries on September 21st.

This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Television and Film on Demand (120824)

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.

Rat — Wedding — Bow — Hints to Sherlock Season 3

Last year Steven Moffat hinted at the titles of the three episodes that would be part of the second season of Sherlock with these three words: "Woman. Hound. Fall." It turns out, of course, that the episodes aired were based on, respectively, "A Scandal in Bohemia" (the "woman", as in Irene Adler); The Hound of the Baskervilles (the "hound"); and "The Final Problem" (which took place on Reichenbach Falls).

A couple of hours ago the series creator teased fans with three words for next season: "Rat. Wedding. Bow."

Almost certainly "rat" is in reference to "The Giant Rat of Sumatra", an unpublished adventure. In "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire", Holmes mentions to Watson the case of the Giant Rat of Sumatra, referring to it as "a story for which the world is not yet prepared".

"Wedding" could refer to "The Noble Bachelor", a bride who disappears on the day of her wedding to the titular character. Of course it could also refer any of several stories involving Watson's own marriage plans.

Finally, and possibly most sadly, "bow" most probably refers to "The Last Bow", the last story in which Sherlock Holmes appears. If so, it would also mark the end of this television series, which given the increasingly hectic film schedule of star Benedict Cumberbatch, seems more and more likely.

Sherlock hasn't begun production on its third season yet, and it isn't expected to air until Fall 2013.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120824)

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.

Save 25% on Selected Titles, This Weekend at Kobo

From now through Monday, August 27th, 2012, Kobo is offering 25% off a single title from a select group of ebooks.

Here is the coupon code — aug2425ab — and here is the link to the list of eligible books.

As of this morning, there were 74 titles listed, including quite a few crime novels. It looks like most, maybe all, of the "Patrick Bowers" thrillers by Steven James are there; mysteries by Rick Mofina, Mary Burton, Nancy Bush, and Lis Wiehl; two Commissario Guido Brunetti mysteries by Donna Leon; and a entry in the Aimée Leduc series by Cara Black.

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 27th, 2012 at 11:59 PM ET.

ITV Recommissions Three Crime Dramas

ITV announced today that the network has recommissioned three crime dramas.

A third season of Vera has been ordered, consisting of four 120-minute episodes. Brenda Blethyn stars as Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, a character created by crime novelist Ann Cleeves. We really enjoyed the first season — read Mr. E.'s review here — but will have to wait until November to see the second season, when it is released on DVD here in the US.

"We're delighted to be back in production with Vera and working with Brenda and David [Leon as DS Joe Ashworth] again," said series producer Elaine Collins. "Despite her apparent chaotic approach to cracking crime, Vera is actually a very good detective albeit one driven by her own demons. We like to keep the viewers guessing as to what she'll do and say next as she's certainly a character who knows her own mind and isn't afraid to speak it."

Eight new 60-minute episodes of Law & Order UK have been ordered, representing its fourth (we think) season. There will be some cast changes this season, though executive producer Jane Featherstone promises "some brilliant and surprising storylines for the cast" (and presumably viewers, too).

Finally, a third season of eight episodes have been commissioned for Scott & Bailey, a series we admit we know very little about. Suranne Jones and Lesley Sharp play the titular characters, Detective Constables with the Manchester Metropolitan Police.

"Scott & Bailey has been such a phenomenal success and we're thrilled to be revisiting the characters," said Nicola Shindler, co-executive producer of the drama. "A third series really gives us the scope to explore another raft of great stories as we're constantly thinking about how we can develop the characters.

BBC Commissions Quirke, Adapted from the Crime Novels by Benjamin Black

BBC announced today that it has commissioned three 90-minute episodes of Quirke, each of which will be adapted from the first three mysteries in the series by Benjamin Black: Christine Falls (see below), The Silver Swan, and Elegy for April. (The number of titles now stands at five, with the most recent, Vengeance, published just this month here in the US.)

Gabriel Bryne will star as Quirke, the chief pathologist in the Dublin City Morgue. The setting for the series is the 1950s, "a time full of mystery, secrets and intrigue."

Andrew Davies and Conor McPherson will write the adapted screenplays.

"I am very excited by the prospect of seeing my character Quirke incarnated by Gabriel Byrne, a perfect choice for the part," said John Banville. "I know both Quirke and Benjamin Black will be wonderfully served by Andrew Davies and Conor McPherson, two masters of their craft." (Benjamin Black is a pen name used by John Banville.)

Filming begins later this year in Dublin. No indication of an air date was mentioned in the press release.

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Christine Falls
Benjamin Black
A Quirke Mystery (1st in series)

It's not the dead that seem strange to Quirke. It's the living. One night, after a few drinks at an office party, Quirke shuffles down into the morgue where he works and finds his brother-in-law, Malachy, altering a file he has no business even reading. Odd enough in itself to find Malachy there, but the next morning, when the haze has lifted, it looks an awful lot like his brother-in-law, the esteemed doctor, was in fact tampering with a corpse — and concealing the cause of death.

It turns out the body belonged to a young woman named Christine Falls. And as Quirke reluctantly presses on toward the true facts behind her death, he comes up against some insidious — and very well-guarded — secrets of Dublin's high Catholic society, among them members of his own family.

      

In our review of this book, we said it had "a mysterious, decidedly noir feel to it, evoking images of darkness and black-washed colors in the reader's mind. There's a persistent sense of intrigue in the story: who was Christine Falls, why are people trying to get Quirke to back off looking into her death, and how are Quirke's friends and family involved? Just as Quirke seems close to answering these questions, they drift further away, again out of reach." (Read our complete review of Christine Falls on Mysterious Reviews.)

Important Note: Any prices mentioned above were correct 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.

Authors on Tour: Laura Lippman — A Review of And When She Was Good

with Laura Lippman

We are thrilled to have been invited to participate in on online book tour featuring novelist Laura Lippman, courtesy of Partners in Crime Tours. We encourage you to check out her tour schedule and visit all the participating sites.

Laura's new novel is the stand-alone And When She Was Good (William Morrow, August 2012 hardcover, large print trade paperback, and ebook formats).

We were sent an advance copy of the book from the publisher, and our review of this title follows …

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Heloise Lewis finds that her career as a lobbyist for women's employment rights — a cover for her real job as a "suburban madam" — is threatened by a number of disconnected events that seem to be converging all at once in And When She Was Good, a stand-alone novel by Laura Lippman.

Heloise has no qualms whatsoever about what she does for a living, considering it a hospitality service in which she can take pride in how satisfied her clients are and how efficiently the operation runs. In a time of economic uncertainty, it provides her with a comfortable income and a good home and schools for her son. But the murder of another suburban madam, one who enjoyed a lifestyle comparable to her own, has her shaken. That crime, in and of itself, wouldn't be enough to make her think twice about possibly seeking an alternative means of support, but the potential and unanticipated release of the father of her son from prison, a man who doesn't know he even has a son, is far more troubling. And then there's her accountant, who seems to suddenly have developed a conscience about what she does. She's always considered him to be an asset to her organization, his confidentiality assured, but now he seems to have another agenda, one that jeopardizes the future her company.

For the vast majority of its pages, maybe the first 75-80%, And When She Was Good is more of a "novel of anticipation" than a "novel of suspense". There are hints as to which direction the plot is headed early on, but none of these are confirmed until well into the second half of the book. There is an unsolved murder that puts Heloise on edge, and for good reason, but that isn't the focus here. Any of the "dunits" one comes to expect in crime novels — who, why, or how — don't appear to be all that important to this story, indeed, are hardly present. (Which should be a clue in and of itself …) This is in many ways an elaborately constructed character study, a tale of a woman who has learned to ably take care of herself and her son, in spite of where she's been, what she's been through, and in what situation she finds herself now. And just when it seems as if the most relevant question to be asked of this novel comes up — Is this all there is to the story? — an unexpected turn of events hits Heloise — and the reader — hard.

Lippman uses the technique of interlacing an extended backstory into And When She Was Good by alternating chapters between the present and the past. This narrative style works — and is needed most — when there is a requirement to establish a firm foundation from the past to support events in the present. But the author is so adept at defining characters, setting up scenarios and developing subplots that it really isn't necessary here … at least to the extent to which it is used, as it takes far too long for the timelines to converge. But this is a relatively minor quibble.

To be sure, the risk for readers here is one of expectation … or maybe false expectation. Lippman is possibly best known for her Tess Monaghan mysteries, for which she has been recognized by her peers and her fans with numerous awards. But she has also more recently written a number of award-winning literary novels, where crime is only on the periphery of, or incidental to, the main story. The present book tends to fall into the latter category, far more literary fiction than crime fiction, a cross-genre novel if you will, which takes a number of narrative risks that more often than not pay off ... and those that do, when they do, pay off handsomely indeed. And When She Was Good is a really quite exceptional novel but one that does require a bit of faith that it will come together in the end.

Review © 2012 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

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Photo provided courtesy of
Laura Lippman

Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at The (Baltimore) Sun. She began writing novels while working fulltime and published seven books about "accidental PI" Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism in 2001. She has been awarded every major prize in crime fiction.

A recent recipient of the first-ever Mayor’s Prize and the first genre writer recognized as Author of the Year by the Maryland Library Association, she lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband, David Simon, their daughter, and her stepson.

You can learn more Laura and her books by visiting her website at LauraLippman.com. You can also find her on Facebook.

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And When She Was Good
Laura Lippman
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: August 2012

When Hector Lewis told his daughter that she had a nothing face, it was just another bit of tossed-off cruelty from a man who specialized in harsh words and harsher deeds. But twenty years later, Heloise considers it a blessing to be a person who knows how to avoid attention. In the comfortable suburb where she lives, she's just a mom, the youngish widow with a forgettable job who somehow never misses a soccer game or a school play. In the state capitol, she's the redheaded lobbyist with a good cause and a mediocre track record.

But in discreet hotel rooms throughout the area, she's the woman of your dreams — if you can afford her hourly fee.

For more than a decade, Heloise has believed she is safe. She has created a rigidly compartmentalized life, maintaining no real friendships, trusting few confidantes. Only now her secret life, a life she was forced to build after the legitimate world turned its back on her, is under siege. Her once oblivious accountant is asking loaded questions. Her longtime protector is hinting at new, mysterious dangers. Her employees can't be trusted. One county over, another so-called suburban madam has been found dead in her car, a suicide. Or is it?

Nothing is as it seems as Heloise faces a midlife crisis with much higher stakes than most will ever know.

And then she learns that her son's father might be released from prison, which is problematic because he doesn't know he has a son. The killer and former pimp also doesn't realize that he's serving a life sentence because Heloise betrayed him. But he's clearly beginning to suspect that Heloise has been holding something back all these years.

With no formal education, no real family, and no friends, Heloise has to remake her life — again. Disappearing will be the easy part. She's done it before and she can do it again. A new name and a new place aren't hard to come by if you know the right people. The trick will be living long enough to start a new life.

        

The Spia Family Presses On by Mary Leo is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Spia Family Presses On by Mary Leo 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 Spia Family Presses On
Mary Leo
Publisher: Pryde Multimedia

Olive oil is the new wine. That's what Mia Spia and her family of recovering mobsters are hoping for here in Sonoma Valley, California, where they produce award-winning olive oil. It's been two long years of hard work for Mia and her overly optimistic mom, all the while keeping their former wise guys on the straight and narrow.

That is until ex-con Cousin Dickey arrives to throw a rotten olive into the mix. Soon there's a dead body, a nosy sheriff's detective, a curious fiancé, a severed pinky finger, and a randy past lover to contend with, prompting Mia to enlist her best friend, survival expert Lisa Lin, for help.

While trying to avoid being killed, the two women unravel family secrets, set a trap for a killer, and uncover information about Mia's missing father that can only lead to more rotten olives.

  

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.