Telemystery: Hulu Acquires US Rights to French Crime Drama, Braquo

Hulu has picked up the exclusive US rights to the French crime drama Braquo. The popular series has aired two seasons in France and has been commissioned for a third. (The title is slang for "heist".)

The storyline follows four Paris policemen, who see their lives change when their colleague commits suicide following a case where he is being unfairly blamed. Determined to clear his name they start an investigation of their own, only to find that the police department itself stands in their way.

Braquo, in French with English subtitles, will stream on Hulu's ad-supported and paid platforms in the US. The English-language remake rights were acquired by Asylum Entertainment earlier this year.

David Suchet Confirms Next Season of Poirot Will Be the Last

David Suchet, who has so memorably portrayed Agatha Christie's Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot for so many years, has confirmed that the next season of Poirot episodes will be the last.

Speaking at the The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, Suchet said, "The moustache is going to be hung-up I am afraid, that's it. I'll be not only saying good bye to, but having to bury, one of my very dearest best friends who has changed the course of my life."

In the final episode of the series, "Curtain: Poirot's Last Case" — based on the 1975 novel of the same title — Poirot will die (as he does in the book).

Suchet first played the character in "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook", which premiered in January, 1989. The final season of the series is expected to complete all the works featuring Poirot, including "Labours of Hercules", a collection of short stories published in 1947; "Dead Man's Folly", based on the 1956 novel; "The Big Four", based on the 1927 novel, which was itself, based on a collection of short stories; "Elephants Can Remember", based on the 1972 novel; and "Curtain: Poirot's Last Case".

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Curtain: Poirot's Last Case
Agatha Christie
A Hercule Poirot Mystery

The house guests at Styles seemed perfectly to Captain Hastings: there was his own daughter Judith, an inoffensive ornithologist called Norton, dashing Mr Allerton, brittle Miss Cole, Doctor Franklin and his fragile wife Barbara, Nurse Craven, Colonel Luttrell and his charming wife Daisy, and the charismatic Boyd-Carrington.

So Hastings was shocked when Poirot declared that one of them was a five-times murderer. True, the ageing detective was crippled with arthritis, but had his deductive instincts finally deserted him?

      

Le French Book Treachery in Bordeaux Sweepstakes: Enter for a Chance to Win a Trip to France!

Le French Book continues its promotion of a new line of translated French crime novels today with Treachery in Bordeaux, a classic whodunit set in French wine country, where pleasure, expertise and mystery meet. Here, the wine is served up with money, duplicity, crime, and jealously — all the ingredients needed to distill a fine detective series.

"It is set in vineyards and has an Epicurean hero, embodying that French something people love, while shedding a present-day light on time-honored images of the country," says Le French Book founder and translator Anne Trager. "That is why we are giving readers a second chance to enter sweepstakes to experience both the country and its wine."

From today through October 29th, 2012 you can enter to win a trip to France at TreacheryInBordeaux.com. Other prizes include "A Taste of France", eighteen bottles of French wine, and one of five different books by bestselling authors.

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Treachery in Bordeaux
Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen
A Benjamin Cooker, Winemaker Detective Mystery (1st in series)

In modern-day Bordeaux, there are few wine estates still within the city limits. The prestigious grand cru Moniales Haut-Brion is one of them. When some barrels turn, world-renowned winemaker turned gentleman detective Benjamin Cooker starts asking questions. Is it negligence or sabotage? Who would want to target this esteemed vintner? Cooker and his assistant Virgile Lanssien search the city and the vineyards for answers, giving readers and inside view of this famous wine region.

      

Please Welcome Novelist John Pearce

by John Pearce

We are delighted to welcome novelist John Pearce as our guest.

John's debut novel, Treasure of Saint-Lazare (Alesia Press, October 2012), is a thriller set in Paris and his hometown of Sarasota, Florida.

Today John introduces us to Eddie Grant, the protagonist of his book, as well as telling us a bit more about the storyline.

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Imagine: You're rich, half-American, living in Paris, and on the way to recovery from that really bad year when the family members closest to you were killed. And back into your life comes a living reminder of that past, one you'd really rather not revisit. But you can't ignore her because for a brief few days she was very important, and she brings a cryptic letter that blows up all the emotional barriers you've erected.

Photo provided courtesy of
John Pearce

And that's the way it was in 2008 for Eddie Grant, the protagonist of my new novel Treasure of Saint-Lazare, a thriller set in Paris and Sarasota, FL. It's a quest novel of the old school — nothing supernatural, nothing unexplainable, no deus ex machina.

Eddie's father Artie, who died in mysterious circumstances in 2001, was one of the American intelligence officers who spent the first years after World War II searching for artworks stolen by the Nazis for the grand museum Hitler planned for Linz, the one he was sure would supplant the Louvre. He and his partner Roy Castor spent years looking for one special painting, a luminous self-portrait by Ralphael, which the Nazis looted from a museum in Poland at the beginning of the war. In 1945 it disappeared in shipment from Poland to southern Germany — or did it?

I've created a world of bad guys, from Nazi sympathizers to the twisted son of a Stasi agent, who will kill without a second thought if it will bring them closer to the painting and the trove of gold bullion they believe is hidden with it.

The story veers from Paris to Sarasota, FL, and back again. It brings Eddie close once again — very close — to Jen Wetzmuller, daughter of Artie's wartime partner, who is just another roadside victim on the evil search for the treasure.

My goal in creating Eddie Grant and the galaxy of characters around him was to fulfill the novelist's classic wish, to show his character's development in response to the surrounding story and in turn the other characters' changes as they are drawn into his quest. At the same time, I wanted to him him the urges and needs everyone has, including his search for a lasting romantic relationship after years of short-term failures.

Treasure of Saint-Lazare was published yesterday (October 8th) as a Kindle Select edition; it will be available as a trade paperback and hardcover book within a few weeks.

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You can learn more about John and his book on his Goodreads author page, follow posts on his blog PartTimeParisian.com, or find him on Twitter.

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Treasure of Saint-Lazare
John Pearce
Publisher: Alesia Press

A letter from his father's World War II colleague in the Monuments Men pulls Eddie Grant reluctantly into a web of intrigue and death and launches him on a dangerous search for the most valuable piece of Nazi loot that remains missing, a famous Raphael self-portrait.

A wealthy French-American businessman and former U.S. Special Forces officer, Eddie is unexpectedly given a chance to solve the murder of his family seven years before. The quest takes him from his Paris home to Sarasota, where his father's wartime colleague has just died under suspicious circumstances. The colleague's daughter Jen, whom he last saw when they had a brief but torrid affair 20 years ago, brings him the cryptic letter. It's the starting gun for a whirlwind chase, ending in Paris, for the painting and the gold bullion that's thought to be with it.

  

Fatal Mistake by CB Lovejoy is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Fatal Mistake by CB Lovejoy 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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Fatal Mistake
CB Lovejoy
A Gabby de Sales Mystery
Publisher: Laughing Fish

Gabriela is a newspaper editor, nothing more. Tired of her longtime career, she takes a job as a spokeswoman for a U.S. Navy base, not realizing that her new employers have plans for her that go far beyond issuing press releases.

There's a lot more going on in St. Mary's County, Maryland, than Gabby ever realized, and soon she is right in the middle of a dangerous mess.

  

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.

Bluegrass State of Mind by Kathleen Brooks is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Bluegrass State of Mind by Kathleen Brooks 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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Bluegrass State of Mind
Kathleen Brooks
Publisher: CreateSpace

McKenna Mason, a New York City attorney with a love of all things Prada, is on the run from a group of powerful, dangerous men. McKenna turns to a teenage crush, Will Ashton, for help in starting a new life in beautiful horse country. She finds that Will is now a handsome, successful race horse farm owner. As the old flame is ignited, complications are aplenty in the form of a nasty ex-wife, an ex-boyfriend intent on killing her, and a feisty race horse who refuses to race without a kiss. Can Will and McKenna cross the finish line together, and more importantly, alive?

      

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.

Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth by Jane O'Connor is Today's Kindle Daily Deal for Kids

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth by Jane O'Connor as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal for Kids.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Tuesday, October 09, 2012.

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Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth
Jane O'Connor
A Fancy Nancy Early Chapter Mystery
HarperCollins

Nancy Clancy is growing up and ready for a whole new adventure … in her chapter book debut!

Nancy and her best friend, Bree, have everything they need to solve a mystery, from their totally professional trench coats to their top-secret code.

But when crime strikes in their classroom, will these super sleuths be able to crack the case?

Find out in the glamorous start to an all-new chapter book series featuring everyone’s favorite fancy girl!

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.

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Mariana by Susanna Kearsley as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Tuesday, October 09, 2012.

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Mariana
Susanna Kearsley
Bantam

The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew at once that it was her house. Now, twenty-five years later, by some strange chance, she has just become the new owner of the sixteenth-century Wilshire farmhouse.

But Julia soon begins to suspect that more than coincidence has brought her there. As if Greywethers were a portal between worlds, she finds herself abruptly transported back in time. Stepping into seventeenth-century England, Julia becomes Mariana, a beautiful young woman struggling against danger and treachery, and battling a forbidden love for Richard de Mornay, handsome forebear of the present squire of Crofton Hall.

Each time Julia travels back, she becomes more enthralled with the past, falling ever deeper in love with Richard … until one day she realizes Mariana's life threatens to eclipse her own — and that she must find a way to lay the past to rest, or risk losing a chance for love in her own time.

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.

Adele Skyfall Trailer

Somehow, someway, we missed posting the "Adele Skyfall" trailer last week. We're remedying that now, embedding it below.

This is the end …
Hold your breath and count to ten …
Feel the earth move and then …
Hear my heart burst again.

For this is the end …
I've drowned and dreamt this moment …
So overdue I owe them …
Swept away I'm stolen …

Let the Skyfall, when it crumbles, we will stand tall, face it all together.

Let the Skyfall, when it crumbles, we will stand tall, face it all together … at Skyfall.

"Skyfall" is available to download from iTunes or from Amazon MP3.

Skyfall opens in US theaters November 9th, 2012.

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Mystery and Suspense Films, New This Week on DVD (121009)

Checking through our list of films currently scheduled for release this week on DVD and/or Blu-ray disc, shown below are those that fall into the mystery, suspense, thriller and adventure categories.

See also a list of current mystery and suspense DVD, Blu-ray, or VOD deals on Amazon.com.

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The Raven (2012)

Directed by James McTeigue from an original screen play by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare.

Film Synopsis (from the studio): Baltimore, 1849. While investigating a horrific double murder, police detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a startling discovery: the killer's methods mirror the twisted writings of Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack). Suspecting Poe at first, Fields ultimately enlists his help to stop future attacks. But in this deadly game of cat and mouse, the stakes are raised with each gruesome slaying as the pair races to catch a madman before he brings every one of Poe's shocking stories to chilling life … and death.

Running time: 110 minutes. Rating: R for bloody violence and grisly images.

Purchase/Rental Options

        

Watch a trailer for the film below

Review: Detroit Breakdown by D. E. Johnson

A Mysterious Review of …

Detroit Breakdown by D. E. Johnson. A Will Anderson Mystery.

Review summary: This is a claustrophobic, quite disturbing historical murder mystery, made more so because it is based on a real place at a real time, one not so very far away and not so very long ago. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Detroit Breakdown
D. E. Johnson
A Will Anderson Mystery
Minotaur Books (September 2012)

Publisher synopsis: Will Anderson and Elizabeth Hume are called to the vast Eloise Insane Asylum outside of Detroit, where Elizabeth’s cousin Robbie is a patient and now a murder suspect. The victim, like three others before him at the asylum in recent months, was killed with the infamous “Punjab lasso,” the murder weapon of the Phantom of the Opera.

Certain of Robbie’s innocence, they begin an investigation with the help of Detective Riordan. Will has himself committed to the asylum to investigate from the inside, and Elizabeth volunteers at Eloise and questions people outside the asylum. While Will endures horrific conditions in his search for the killer, Elizabeth and Riordan follow the trail of a murder suspect all the way to Kalamazoo, where they realize the killer might still be at Eloise, putting Will in extreme danger. They race back to Detroit, but will they arrive in time to save Will and bring the killer to justice?

      

Steampunk Holmes: Legacy of the Nautilus

We recently received a press release announcing a soon-to-be-available "Steampunk Holmes" book app adapted from the first book in a new series featuring the famous consulting detective. Setting aside for the moment that we aren't quite sure what a book app is, we went in search of the source material.

This past June, Legacy of the Nautilus was published, a book we completely missed at the time. Based on the "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans", the story takes place in an alternative Steampunk universe (circa 1885), where the plans for Captain Nemo's mysterious Nautilus submarine have been stolen from the British Secret Service. There is only one man who can solve the case, Sherlock Holmes. With his bionic side-kick Doctor Watson, and his brilliant and lethal sister, Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock unravels a mystery that will shake the foundation of the British Empire.

The series website has more.

Steampunk Holmes is a mashup of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, characters, and stories from other 19th century works set in an alternative Steampunk universe. In the Steampunk Holmes Universe, a new, more compact and powerful steam engine has been invented, which powers everything from motorcycles to airships; computers, called Babbage Engines, are pervasive and critical to the information architecture of Victorian England; and the telegraph has evolved into a world wide network connecting Babbage Engines and people.

The adventures — Legacy of the Nautilus is but the first of several planned — will be published as interactive books; presumably this is where the "app" comes in, which we think is illustrated in the video embedded below. The publisher has kindly provided us with a copy of the (text-only) ebook; we'll take a look at it and let you know what we think.

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Legacy of the Nautilus
P. C. Martin
A Steampunk Holmes Adventure (1st)

The series starts in the year 1885, when Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are called in by Sherlock's sister, Mycroft Holmes, to help find the stolen plans of a very advanced submarine, the Nautilus, recovered from the watery grave of the most notorious terrorist of the British Empire, Captain Nemo. Who stole the plans and what will they do with them? This is a job for the world's greatest Amateur Detective and his trusty bionic sidekick.

But this is only the beginning of a series of adventures that will take Sherlock, Watson and Mycroft all over the world, encountering technological miracles, geniuses and mad men originally created by the early masters of speculative fiction, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Mary Shelley, and others.

  

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Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran is Today's Nook Daily Find

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran as today's Barnes & Noble Nook Daily Find.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Monday, October 08, 2012.

Note: The price has been matched by Amazon.com for today only.

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Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead
Sara Gran
A Claire DeWitt Mystery
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

This book was recognized with the 2012 Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel.

Claire DeWitt believes she is the world's greatest PI, even if few agree with her. A one-time teen detective in Brooklyn, she is a follower of the esoteric French detective Jacques Silette, whose mysterious handbook Détection inspired Claire's unusual practices.

Claire also has deep roots in New Orleans, where she was mentored by Silette's student the brilliant Constance Darling — until Darling was murdered. When a respected DA goes missing she returns to the hurricane-ravaged city to find out why.

 

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.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (121008)

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.