Telemystery: Blue Bloods, Castle, Kojak, Psych, and Terra Nova, 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 special episode collection being released this week.

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Blue Bloods
Season Two

Tom Selleck stars as Frank Reagan, the New York Police Commissioner in this crime drama featuring a multi-generational family of cops.

He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry, during his stint as commissioner.

A source of pride and concern for Frank is his eldest son Danny, a seasoned detective, family man, and Iraqi War vet who on occasion uses dubious tactics to solve cases.

The sole Reagan woman in the family, Erin, is a N.Y. Assistant D.A. and newly single parent, who also serves as the legal compass for her siblings and father.

Jamie is the youngest Reagan, fresh out of Harvard Law and the family's "golden boy"; however, unable to deny the family tradition, Jamie decides to give up a lucrative future in law and is now a newly minted cop.

The second season of this CBS drama aired from September 2011 through May 2012. The third season premieres on Friday, September 28th.

      

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Castle
Season Four

Television's most unlikely crime-fighting team of novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) and NYPD homicide detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) is back and their relationship is stronger than ever!

Prepare for a season full of suspense, as Castle works to identify Beckett's shooter while Beckett struggles with the aftermath of her near-death encounter. All the while, the duo tackles a new batch of New York City's most interesting cases.

Castle gets spooked while investigating the death of a ghost hunter, a sexy insurance investigator helps out when a valuable sculpture vanishes and Castle is taken hostage during a bank robbery. Meanwhile, the Triple X Killer returns to New York and the team must race against the clock when Castle and Beckett go missing.

This fourth season of the series aired on ABC from September 2011 through May 2012. The fifth season premieres on Monday, September 24th.

And don't miss Richard Castle's fourth "Nikki Heat" mystery, Frozen Heat, also published tomorrow.

      

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Kojak
Season Five

Telly Savalas is back as the brilliant and brazen Lieutenant Theo Kojak for the final season of one of television s grittiest and most memorable detective dramas.

Season Five cases involve a psychotic murderer, a homicide-ridden hospital, cops on the take and the reemergence of a killer from Kojak’s past: once thought dead!

This fifth and final season of the series originally aired on CBS from October 1977 through March 1978. Though the series ended its run with this season, two "special" episodes and five made-for-television movies subsequently aired.

  

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Psych
Psych-o-ween

This special DVD set features four frightful Halloween-themed episodes of the series, including two never before seen on DVD: "This Episode Sucks" and "Heeeeere's Lassie."

It's not all candy and costumes for Shawn and Gus, as they tackle spooktacular cases from mummies to ghosts to vampires. On these All Hallows' Eves, it's all tricks and no treats for your favorite Psych-os!

  

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Terra Nova
The Complete Series

It is the year 2149, and humanity is in the final throes of extinction. Those fortunate enough to escape are allowed to travel back in time 85 million years to an outpost known as Terra Nova. For the Shannon family, it's a chance to reunite and start over.

But once there, they face giant, carnivorous dinosaurs, and mysterious forces conspire to destroy the entire experiment — and everyone involved in it!

This Fox series, which aired during Fall 2011, had a lot of potential, just not a lot of viewers and was canceled after one season.

      

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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.

Enter to Win a Copy of Whiskey Island, a Milan Jacovich Mystery by Les Roberts

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to offer our readers a chance to win a copy of Whiskey Island, the latest "Milan Jacovich" mystery by Les Roberts (Gray & Co., August 2012 hardcover and ebook formats). Entry details below.

This is the sixteenth book in the series, which began in 1988 with Pepper Pike. Milan Jacovich (pronounced MY-lan YOCK-ovich) is an ex-cop, Vietnam veteran, and former football player, now a private investigator with a master's degree, a taste for klobasa sandwiches and Stroh's beer, and a knack for finding trouble.

Les tells us that some of the most fun he has in writing this series is creating new characters, who will not only fill out the story but will, hopefully, entertain, irritate, and fascinate readers. Here is a list of some of the people you'll meet in Whiskey Island …

Photo provided courtesy of
Les Roberts; photo copyright Ann Sanfedele Photography

• Berton K. Loftus — He's a Cleveland city councilman already convicted of taking bribes. Terrified of going to prison, he'll do anything to lighten his sentence. He hires Milan Jacovich and Kevin O'Bannion (aka "K.O.") because someone is trying to kill him.

• Tobe Blaine — New in Cleveland, she is now second-in-command at the CPD Homicide Division. She's attractive, she's aggressive, she's the kind of cop nobody should mess with, and her crackling wit is almost as dangerous as her gun.

• Seena Bergman — She's a middle-aged prostitute who is "kept" in an elegant riverside apartment where she plies her trade; she's well-known among local politicos and for her repertoire of sometimes grotesque "kinks."

• Jeff and Vicki Ogrin - A bizarre couple, they are wealthy landlords who live in a run-down joint on the near west side of Cleveland. Vicki is constantly angry and always ready to argue. Jeff is a bit of a wimp who weighs almost five hundred pounds.

• Jim Hundley — County Prosecutor (aka "district attorney") who has emerged as the most powerful politician in the area. He wants to be governor some day; therefore he keeps all sorts of personal secrets and has the habit of refusing to tell anyone anything.

• Sergei Chemerkin — A Russian emigre, he has many businesses, but his most profitable is a jewelry-theft ring, which he keeps alive and flourishing by bribing the current politicians to ignore it.

To learn more about Les and his books, visit his website at LesRoberts.com.

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Whiskey Island
Les Roberts
A Milan Jacovich Mystery (16th in series)

An oversized appetite for fine dining, flashy suits, and Las Vegas call girls has made Cleveland councilman Bert Loftus the target of media scrutiny and an FBI investigation that may end his career. Now he says someone is trying to kill him. Eager to identify his attacker but not so eager to work with the cops, Loftus turns to private investigator Milan Jacovich for help.

A working P.I. can't afford to be too choosy about his clients, so Milan takes the job though he s not inclined to take Loftus s story seriously. At least it will be an opportunity to break in his new employee, young powder-keg Kevin "K.O." O'Bannion.

Milan and K.O. quickly notice that something smells fishy and it isn t just the Whiskey Island Marina, where local power brokers down pricey drinks in front of Lake Erie sunsets. Loftus and several Cleveland landlords appear to be involved in something much darker than a typical cash-for-favors trade.

After a kinky call girl is found dead near the Cleveland Zoo and secret sex tapes are discovered in her downtown high-rise, Milan and K.O. must follow a trail of bribes, bullet casings, and debauchery to find the killer and uncover the true menace amid the muck of local government corruption.

Luckily they have the help of Cleveland police detective Tobe Blaine, a tough-as-nails officer recently relocated from Cincinnati. She and Milan team up in their search for clues and discover they have much more in common than crime …

          

For a chance to win one of three copies of Whiskey Island — your choice of hardcover or ebook — courtesy of Gray & Co., visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Les Roberts: Whiskey Island" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code — 8193 — for a chance to win! (One entry per person, US residents only; contest ends September 17th, 2012.)

Pandora's Succession by Russell Brooks is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Pandora's Succession by Russell Brooks 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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Pandora's Succession
Russell Brooks
Publisher: Russell Brooks

CIA operative Ridley Fox never stopped hunting his fiancée's killers — a weapons consortium called The Arms of Ares. When an informant leads him to an old bunker outside of Groznyy, Chechnya, Fox is captured, beaten, and left for dead. When the informant rescues him, Fox learns that his capture was no coincidence: someone had set him up — possibly another government agent. Fox barely escapes after learning that Ares has acquired a hyperdeadly microbe — called Pandora — that is believed to have wiped out ancient civilizations.

The trail leads Fox to Tokyo where he discovers that people within the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Japanese Intelligence want Pandora for themselves. The only person Fox can trust is a woman from his past who he nearly got killed.

  

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.

We Don't Need No Stinking Badges by Peter S. Fischer is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature We Don't Need No Stinking Badges 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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We Don't Need No Stinking Badges
Peter S. Fischer
The Hollywood Murder Mysteries
Publisher: The Grove Point Press

Joe Bernardi was the new guy in Warner Brothers Press Department so it was no surprise when Joe was given the unenviable task of flying to Tampico, Mexico to bail Humphrey Bogart out of jail without the world learning about it.

When he arrived he discovered that Bogie wasn't the problem. So-called accidents were occurring daily on the set, slowing down the filming of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and putting tempers on edge. Everyone knows who's behind the sabotage, it's the local Jefe who has a finger in every illegal pie.

But suddenly the intrigue widens and the murder of one of the actors throws the company into turmoil. Day by day, Joe finds himself drawn into a dangerous web of deceit, duplicity and blackmail. A lot of people would like to see these movie-making yankees go home …

  

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 Godoku Puzzle for September 10, 2012

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now available on our website.

Godoku is similar to Sudoku, but uses letters instead of numbers. To give you a headstart, we provide you a mystery clue to fill in a complete row or column (if you choose to use it!).

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This week's letters and mystery clue:

A E G H I M N R T

The second "Joona Linna" mystery by Lars Kepler, published in Swedish as Paganinikontraktet, has this English title, with "The" (9 letters).

We now have two weeks of our puzzles on one page in PDF format for easier printing. Print this week's puzzle here.

Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy the weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

Review: Diners, Dives & Dead Ends by Terri L. Austin

A Mysterious Review of …

Diners, Dives & Dead Ends by Terri L. Austin. A Rose Strickland Mystery.

Review summary: There is a real disconnect between what the title and cover suggests for this mystery. Often bleak, the plot is thinly developed and the mostly interesting cast of characters is never fully realized. Not a very promising start to this series. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Diners, Dives & Dead Ends
Terri L. Austin
A Rose Strickland Mystery
Henery Press (July 2012)

Publisher synopsis: As a struggling waitress and part-time college student, Rose Strickland's life is stalled in the slow lane. But when her close friend, Axton, disappears, Rose suddenly finds herself serving up more than hot coffee and flapjacks. Now she's hashing it out with sexy bad guys and scrambling to find clues in a race to save Axton before his time runs out.

With her anime-loving bestie, her septuagenarian boss, and a pair of IT wise men along for the ride, Rose discovers political corruption, illegal gambling, and shady corporations. She's gone from zero to sixty and quickly learns when you're speeding down the fast lane, it's easy to crash and burn.

      

This Week's Bestselling Large Print Mystery and Suspense Books (120909)

Here is this week's list of the top ten bestselling mystery and suspense books in large print format 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.

MystereBooks: The First Three John Ceepak eMysteries Now Just 99 Cents Each

Chris Grabenstein has discounted the first three books in his "John Ceepak" series of mysteries to just 99 cents each! There's no mention on his website on when this special offer will end, so our advice is to act now if you're interested!

John Ceepak is a police officer in the coastal town of Sea Haven, New Jersey. The first book in the series, Tilt-a-Whirl, was honored in 2006 with an Anthony Award for Best First Novel.

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Tilt-a-Whirl
Chris Grabenstein
A John Ceepak Mystery (1st)

There isn't much fun in the sun when a billionaire real estate tycoon is found murdered on the Tilt-A-Whirl at a seedy seaside amusement park in the otherwise quiet tourist town of Sea Haven, New Jersey.

John Ceepak, a former MP back from Iraq, has just joined the Sea Haven Police Department. The job offer came from an old Army buddy who wanted to give him at least a summer's worth of R&R to escape the horrors of war.

Instead, Ceepak heads up the murder investigation. He is partnered with Danny Boyle, a 24-year-old, part-time cop who doesn't carry a gun and only works with the police by day so he has enough pocket money to play with his beach buddies by night.

  

Check out the special Amazon Whispersync offer associated with this title.

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Mad Mouse
Chris Grabenstein
A John Ceepak Mystery (2nd)

It's almost Labor Day, and the end of summer could mean the end of someone's life.

Young Danny Boyle, the part-time summer cop "down the shore" in Sea Haven, New Jersey, gets taken on a wild ride when he and his longtime beach buddies become the unwitting targets of a mad-man's twisted scheme for revenge. Fortunately, John Ceepak, the cop with a soldier's unshakeable code of honor, stays at Danny's side to help him negotiate the quick twists and turns that threaten to destroy his life, his friends, and everything about the world he loves.

  

Check out the special Amazon Whispersync offer associated with this title.

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Whack-a-Mole
Chris Grabenstein
A John Ceepak Mystery (3rd)

An innocent discovery on the beach in Sea Haven leads to a string of gruesome clues and one chilling conclusion: a long dormant serial killer is poised to strike again.

In another fast-paced thrill ride, Danny and Ceepak, the cop with a strict moral code, race against the clock to undercover a hidden mole with a twisted code all his own. If they don't catch the killer in time, someone they love may become the next victim.

  

Check out the special Amazon Whispersync offer associated with this title.

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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.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120909)

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.

Whispersync for Voice, Amazon's New Feature Connecting Kindle eBooks with Audible Audiobooks

Amazon has introduced Whispersync for Voice, a new feature allowing you to switch back and forth between reading a Kindle ebook and listening to the Audible audiobook.

Available for thousands of titles, if you own both the Kindle version and the Audible version of a book, you can seamlessly move from one to the other without ever losing your place.

And while this is a wonderful new feature, Amazon makes it even more attractive with special pricing. You can sometimes pick up the Kindle version and Audible version of a book for less than the list price of the Audible version alone … and sometimes for little more than the standard Kindle book price. (Audible versions are typically quite expensive.)

First, to see if this might be of interest to you, you can try it for free. There are (as of the date we're posting this) 27 free books from which to choose.

Let's pick the Sherlock Holmes novel The Sign of Four. The Kindle version is free, and you need purchase it first using the 1-click button. On the acknowledgment page, you'll see the option to add the Audible book for free (see image at right). Click on the "Buy at Audible.com" button and log in. (You can use your Amazon account username and password there since Amazon owns Audible.) Complete your purchase. You'll now need the free Audible app to listen, but this is a one-time download — available for iPhone (or iPod Touch), Android devices, and any Kindle eInk reader, tablet, or reading device. (The app was pre-installed on our Kindle Fire.) And here's something exciting: with the new Kindle Fires, you can read and listen simultaneously with real-time highlighting.

Now that you've tried it, here are some examples of remarkable savings, which — to be fair — are mostly applicable to those readers, who are already interested in buying the Audible edition of the book in the first place.

Important Note: The prices mentioned here were valid as of the date and time of the post, but may change at any time, and may be different on the date and time you read this. You should consider what follows to be illustrative examples only.

Poisoned Pen Press has recently been discounting a number of its first in series books to just 99 cents, sometimes free. Several of these titles have Audible editions. One such book is the first in the "Phyne Fisher" series by Kerry Greenwood, Cocaine Blues. Currently the Kindle format is available for free … but you can add the Audible edition for just $4.99. The standard price for the Audible edition alone is $20.95.

Here's another example. Chris Grabenstein is currently offering the Kindle format of his Anthony Award-winning mystery Tilt-a-Whirl for 99 cents. You can add on the Audible edition for just $1.99. The standard price for the Audible edition alone is $15.95. So for less than three dollars, you can have both versions of the book!

Not every Kindle book has an Audible edition, and even when there is one, it may not be available at a significantly reduced price. But if you are interested in an Audible book, it can certainly pay to check first if the Kindle edition has a "Whispersync for Voice" option attached to it … and if so, if there is a discount associated with the option.

For example, Karin Slaughter's new thriller Criminal has a Kindle format price of $13.99 with a discounted Audible add-on price of $4.99, or about $19 in total. The standard price of the Audible edition alone is $19.95. You'd be better off purchasing the Kindle book first then add on the Audible edition than buying the Audible version alone.

This program is new enough that Amazon hasn't made searching for these deals all that easy … yet. Here's where we suggest you start: The Whispersync for Voice Kindle Store. We've pre-selected three keywords to search for — mystery, suspense, thriller. All of the Kindle books listed have Audible editions available with them.

A couple of final notes:

If you already own the Kindle book, and if there is a discounted Audible edition available for it, you'll see a message indicating such on the book's product page. You do not need to buy it again to take advantage of the Audible offer.

As we come across what we think are especially good Kindle/Audible deals on books we feature, we'll be sure to mention them in our posts.

This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Games to Download (120908)

Here is this week's list of the top ten bestselling games to download from Amazon.com, many of which have a mystery or suspense theme.

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.

See also these pages: Mystery Games to download to your PC and Mystery Games available as Android Apps.