Mystery Godoku Puzzle for March 25, 2013

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:

B D E F I N O R Y

Retired LAPD homicide detective Jack Till, now a PI, investigates this suspect in Thomas Perry's 2013 murder mystery, 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!

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (130325)

Here is today's mystery and suspense update from Big Fish Games …

• The Daily Deal is Nancy Drew: Secret of Shadow Ranch, just $2.99 today only!.

• The current Catch of the Week is Awakening: Moonfell Wood, just $2.99 through Sunday, March 31, 2013 only.

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Today's Daily Deal is Nancy Drew: Secret of Shadow Ranch

A phantom horse visits Shadow Ranch, leaving a trail of frightening "accidents". Local legend says the horse has come to avenge the hanging of its master, and that misfortune will befall whoever sets eyes on it. The ghostly horse tramples all hope of a restful ranch vacation for you, as Nancy Drew. You must discover the truth from the ghost stories quickly — you might be next on the list for unearthly revenge!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Monday, March 25, 2013 — for $2.99.

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The current Catch of the Week is Awakening: Moonfell Wood

After awaking from a century long slumber, Princess Sophia finds a world that is devoid of people! Help her find her friends and family and take her rightful place. Search gorgeous locations for helpful clues and discover Sophia's destiny in this beautiful Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game. Follow your fairy friend as you explore the incredible landscape and help Sophia find her people!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game at the special price of $2.99 through Sunday, March 31, 2013.

MystereBooks: Chosen for Death by Kate Flora, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Chosen for Death by Kate Flora, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, The Mystery Company.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (03/24/2013 at 2:30 PM ET). 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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Chosen for Death by Kate Flora
A Thea Kozak Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: The Mystery Company

First published in hardcover by St. Martin's Press in 1994.

Her little sister is dead, murdered in a picturesque Maine town. The police have no leads. Her heartbroken family wants to put it behind them, but Thea Kozak can’t let it drop. She’s always been a second mother to the child her parents adopted when she was eight.

Now there is one last thing Thea can do for her sister: make sure her killer doesn’t go unpunished.

  

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

MystereBooks: The Abbey by Chris Culver, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Abbey by Chris Culver, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Grand Central.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (03/24/2013 at 2:00 PM ET). 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 Abbey by Chris Culver
An Ash Rashid Mystery
Publisher: Grand Central

Ash Rashid is a former homicide detective who can't stand the thought of handling another death investigation. In another year, he'll be out of the department completely. That's the plan, at least, until his niece's body is found in the guest home of one of his city's most wealthy citizens.

The coroner calls it an overdose, but the case doesn't add up. Against orders, Ash launches an investigation to find his niece's murderer, but the longer he searches, the more entangled he becomes in a case that hits increasingly close to home. If he doesn't solve it fast, his niece won't be the only family member he has to bury.

  

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

Mr. E. Reviews Argo

Purchase/Rental Option(s)

The trick with films based on actual events, events for which the outcome is known to all, is to create an element of the unknown and to maintain a level of suspense or tension throughout. In this respect, Argo achieves this admirably. This is a tense, suspenseful thriller, no question about it. But it does have a significant flaw … and his name is Ben Affleck.

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

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

One Week Only: Purchase a NOOK HD+ and Get a NOOK Simple Touch for Free

For one week only, from March 24th through March 30th, 2013, when you purchase a NOOK HD+ tablet you receive a free NOOK Simple Touch! This is the perfect way to experience all that NOOK has to offer, combining NOOK HD+, the lightest full 9-inch HD tablet ever invented, with a free NOOK Simple Touch, the easy-to-use E-Ink reader.

In a press release announcing the promotion, Jamie Iannone, President of Digital Products at NOOK Media LLC, said, "By offering a free NOOK Simple Touch with the purchase of NOOK HD+, customers can fully experience all that the expansive NOOK Store™ of more than 3 million titles has to offer. NOOK HD+, with its must-see full HD 9-inch screen, is perfect for experiencing movies, apps, magazines and more, while NOOK Simple Touch is ideal for reading millions of books with crisp, clear text on a portable and lightweight device that's comfortable to hold for hours."

Customers can visit NOOK.com or visit the NOOK Digital Shops™ and displays in any of Barnes & Noble's nearly 700 bookstores for more information. Barnes & Noble offers Always Free NOOK Support in all of its neighborhood bookstores, with more than 35,000 NOOKsellers across the country ready to assist customers with setting up their NOOK devices.

Winners of the 2013 Lefty Awards Announced

The winners of the 2013 Lefty Awards were announced last night at Left Coast Crime in Colorado Springs … "where murder is the last resort."

And they are …

• The Lefty Award (for Best Humorous Mystery): The Girl Next Door by Brad Parks (Minotaur Books)

• The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award: Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder by Catrona McPherson (Minotaur Books)

• The Rocky Award (for Best Regional Mystery): As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson (Viking)

• The Watson Award (for Best Mystery Sidekick): Brouja Brouhaha by Rochelle Staab (Berkley Prime Crime)

(Hat tip to Janet Rudolph of Mystery Fanfare.)

The Russian Seduction by Nikki Navarre is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Russian Seduction by Nikki Navarre as today's third free mystery ebook (A Novel of Romantic Suspense; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, March 24, 2013 at 7:30 AM ET. 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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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The Russian Seduction
Nikki Navarre
A Novel of Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Affluent Press

Victor Kostenko was the golden boy of the Russian Navy, a submarine captain with a maverick image, until he lost his command for an act of treason he didn't commit. Arrogant, aggressive, and super-smart, the captain pairs his daunting reputation with an appetite for adventure. And he's never met a rule he won't break. Now it's rumored he'll do anything to get back in his government's good graces.

Political Counselor Alexis Castle is one of the highest-ranked diplomats at the U.S. Embassy, a rising star who yearns to live up to her father's legacy as a legendary ambassador. Brilliant and driven, she's always played by the rules. She'll torpedo her career for sure if she falls for one of the world's most dangerous men — a bad-boy Russian sub captain who breaks every rule in the book.

When a hard-line Russian leader invades a country the U.S. promised to protect, war can only be avoided by a risky undercover liaison between one man who has everything to gain … and a woman who has everything to lose.

  

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 Last Plea Bargain by Randy Singer is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Last Plea Bargain by Randy Singer as today's second free mystery ebook (A Legal Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, March 24, 2013 at 7:20 AM ET. 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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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The Last Plea Bargain
Randy Singer
A Legal Thriller
Publisher: Tyndale House

Plea bargains may grease the rails of justice, but for Jamie Brock, prosecuting criminals is not about cutting deals. In her three years as assistant DA, she’s never plea-bargained a case and vows she never will.

But when a powerful defense attorney is indicted for murder and devises a way to bring the entire justice system to a screeching halt, Jamie finds herself at a crossroads. One by one, prisoners begin rejecting deals. Prosecutors are overwhelmed, and felons start walking free on technicalities. To break the logjam and convict her nemesis, Jamie must violate every principle that has guided her young career.

But she has little choice. To convict the devil, sometimes you have to cut a deal with one of his demons.

  

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.

Carnival Noir by Craig McDonald is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Carnival Noir by Craig McDonald as today's free mystery ebook (A Chris Lyon Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, March 24, 2013 at 7:10 AM ET. 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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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Carnival Noir
Craig McDonald
A Chris Lyon Thriller
Publisher: Night Town Books

Sun Valley, Idaho. Former journalist Chris Lyon falls for Salome Arnaud, a dark-haired, dark-eyed stunner, seeking the whereabouts of her long lost father.

Soon enough, Chris is not only trucking with seedy touring carnivals, but becomes an increasing object of obsession of Salome’s stepfather and the fiend’s equally off-putting twin brother, a televangelist of dark reputation.

As Salome’s secret history is revealed, Chris realizes their fates are tangled in a sinister conspiracy stretching far back in time — a dark design fashioned by an ancient cabal of killers and Satanists who have Chris and Salome squarely in their sights.

  

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.

Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Sunday, March 24, 2013.

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Started Early, Took My Dog
Kate Atkinson
A Jackson Brodie Mystery (4th in series)
Little, Brown

Tracy Waterhouse leads a quiet, ordered life as a retired police detective — a life that takes a surprising turn when she encounters Kelly Cross, a habitual offender, dragging a young child through town. Both appear miserable and better off without each other-or so decides Tracy, in a snap decision that surprises herself as much as Kelly. Suddenly burdened with a small child, Tracy soon learns her parental inexperience is actually the least of her problems, as much larger ones loom for her and her young charge.

Meanwhile, Jackson Brodie is embarking on a different sort of rescue — that of an abused dog. Dog in tow, Jackson is about to learn, along with Tracy, that no good deed goes unpunished.

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.

Review: Ghostman by Roger Hobbs

A Mysterious Review of …

Ghostman by Roger Hobbs.

Review summary: This is an exciting, if also somewhat flawed, crime novel. The primary plot is interesting, is set up quickly and unfolds at a rapid clip. But the narrative is awkwardly constructed, the prose frequently inelegant, and an unnecessary backstory intrudes. Still, these are relatively minor criticims of the book as the overall story arc does indeed work well as an entertaining thriller. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Ghostman
Roger Hobbs
Knopf (February 2013)

Publisher synopsis: When a casino robbery in Atlantic City goes horribly awry, the man who orchestrated it is obliged to call in a favor from someone who's occasionally called Jack. While it's doubtful that anyone knows his actual name or anything at all about his true identity, or even if he's still alive, he's in his mid-thirties and lives completely off the grid, a criminal's criminal who does entirely as he pleases and is almost impossible to get in touch with.

But within hours a private jet is flying this exceptionally experienced fixer and cleaner-upper from Seattle to New Jersey and right into a spectacular mess: one heister dead in the parking lot, another winged but on the run, the shooter a complete mystery, the $1.2 million in freshly printed bills god knows where and the FBI already waiting for Jack at the airport, to be joined shortly by other extremely interested and elusive parties. He has only forty-eight hours until the twice-stolen cash literally explodes, taking with it the wider, byzantine ambitions behind the theft.

To contend with all this will require every gram of his skill, ingenuity and self-protective instincts, especially when offense and defense soon become meaningless terms. And as he maneuvers these exceedingly slippery slopes, he relives the botched bank robbery in Kuala Lumpur five years earlier that has now landed him this unwanted new assignment.

      

MystereBooks: Tender Death by Annette Meyers, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Tender Death by Annette Meyers, now available at a special price, courtesy of the author.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $2.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (03/23/2013 at 3:30 PM ET). 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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Tender Death by Annette Meyers
A Smith and Wetzon Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Annette Meyers

First published in hardcover by Bantam in 1990.

Wall Street headhunter and former Broadway dancer Leslie Wetzon uncovers a stock tendering scam run by stockbrokers and the Russian mob after an elderly woman acquaintance is murdered. A blizzard brings New York City to a halt, but doesn't stop Leslie from pursuing the murderer, even if it means her life is in danger.

    

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

MystereBooks: An Educated Death by Kate Flora, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature An Educated Death by Kate Flora, now available at a special price, courtesy of the author.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $2.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (03/23/2013 at 3:00 PM ET). 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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An Educated Death by Kate Flora
A Thea Kozak Mystery (4th in series)
Publisher: ePublishing Works!

First published in hardcover by St. Martin's Press in 1997.

When a young student drowns in a campus pond at a prestigious New England boarding school, tough businesswoman Thea Kozak faces what may be her most tragic mystery yet. The death rocks the private school world, and Thea is called in for crisis management and to reevaluate the school's rather careless procedures for keeping track of students.

But when Thea discovers that the young victim was pregnant, cooperation vanishes. Suddenly, no one will talk to her. Undaunted, Thea keeps digging, finding, beneath the school's genteel veneer, a host of nasty secrets. Suddenly, too many people want her gone so their secrets can be kept, and under one of those rocks she's overturned, there's a killer who doesn't want to be found.

      

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

MystereBooks: Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $1.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (03/23/2013 at 2:30 PM ET). 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 of the Mantis by Michael Stanley
A David "Kubu" Bengu Mystery (3rd in series)
Publisher: HarperCollins

In the southern Kalahari area of Botswana — an arid landscape of legends that speak of lost cities, hidden wealth, and ancient gods — a fractious ranger named Monzo is found dying from a severe head wound in a dry ravine. Three Bushmen surround the doomed man, but are they his killers or there to help? Detective David "Kubu" Bengu is on the case, an investigation that his old school friend Khumanego claims is motivated by racist antagonism on the part of the local police.

But when a second bizarre murder, and then a third, seem to point also to the nomadic tribe, the intrepid Kubu must journey into the depths of the Kalahari to uncover the truth. What he discovers there will test all his powers of detection … and his ability to remain alive.

      

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