Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (131126)

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

• Our Featured Title is Mystery Trackers: Black Isle.

• The current Catch of the Week is Awakening: The Skyward Castle, just $2.99 through Sunday, December 01, 2013 only.

Visit the Omnimystery Entertainment Network for more games of mystery and suspense!

— ♦ —

Our Featured Title today is Mystery Trackers: Black Isle

After a journalist is kidnapped after beginning an investigation, it's up to you to learn the truth behind Black Isle. Years ago an earthquake struck leaving the island deserted. None of the buildings seem to be damaged, however, and a hooded figure seems to be stopping people from discovering the truth. Investigate a supposedly abandoned island, find the missing journalist and learn a sinister secret!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour.

— ♦ —

The current Catch of the Week is Awakening: The Skyward Castle

This is the tale of young Princess Sophia, who awakens from a magical century-long slumber into a land threatened by an ancient evil. Braving the dangers of an unfamiliar world, Princess Sophia has travelled far to discover the fate of her exiled kingdom. Having no magic of her own in a land built with living magic, she must overcome the many foes, perils and obstacles with her wit, skill and allies. Can Princess Sophia lift the curse that plagues her people? Find out in this epic conclusion!

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, December 01, 2013.

Winners of the 2013 Swedish Crime Novel Awards Announced

The winners of the 2013 Swedish Crime Novel Awards were announced over the weekend by the Svenska Deckarakademin (Swedish Crime Academy).

The winners are …

• Bästa svenska (Best Swedish Novel): Den osynlige mannen från Salem by Christoffer Carlsson

• Bästa översatta (Best Translated Novel): Utsuddade spår (The Missing File) by Dror Mishani [Israel]

• Debutpriset (Best Debut Novel): Väster om friheten by Thomas Engström

• Faktabokpriset (Best Non-Fiction Book): Från Holmes till Sherlock by Mattias Boström

(Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare for alerting us to this news.)

Telemystery: A&E Officially Renews Longmire for a 3rd Season

Executive producer John Coveny tweeted the news in August, but it wasn't made official until today: A&E has renewed Longmire for a third season.

"Longmire has become one of the most compelling dramas on television with a devoted audience and we are so proud of the show," said David McKillop, General Manager and Executive Vice President of A&E. "We are thrilled to continue our wonderful partnership with Warner Horizon Television, the production team, and the talented cast and crew led by the exceptional Robert Taylor."

Longmire, a contemporary crime thriller set in Big Sky country, is based on the Walt Longmire mystery novels by Craig Johnson. The series stars Robert Taylor as Walt Longmire, the charismatic, dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, along with Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bailey Chase, Cassidy Freeman, and Adam Bartley.

A New "Slow Boil" Trailer for HBO's True Detective

A new "slow boil" trailer has been released by HBO for its upcoming crime drama True Detective (embedded, below). Based on everything we've seen to date, here's hoping there is some substance behind the style because these trailers are certainly stylish.

In 2012, Louisiana State Police Detectives Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson) are brought in to revisit a homicide case they worked in 1995. As the inquiry unfolds in present day through separate interrogations, the two former detectives narrate the story of their investigation, reopening unhealed wounds, and drawing into question their supposed solving of a bizarre ritualistic murder in 1995. The timelines braid and converge in 2012 as each man is pulled back into a world they believed they'd left behind. In learning about each other and their killer, it becomes clear that darkness lives on both sides of the law.

True Detective premieres January 12, 2014 at 9 PM ET/PT.

— ♦ —

Review: Limit by Frank Schatzing

A Mysterious Review of Limit by Frank Schatzing.

Review summary: This sci-fi thriller presents a surprising, compelling storyline that could have engaged readers and pulled them into the mystery. But at over 1200 pages, many will get bogged down by the research, and lose sight of the plot that should have been mesmerizing. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Limit
Frank Schatzing
Jo Fletcher Books (November 2013)

Publisher synopsis: In 2025, entrepreneur Julian Orley opens the first-ever hotel on the moon. But Orley Enterprises deals in more than space tourism — it also operates the world's only space elevator, which in addition to allowing the very wealthy to play tennis on the lunar surface connects Earth with the moon and enables the transportation of helium-3, the fuel of the future, back to the planet. Julian has invited twenty-one of the world's richest and most powerful individuals to sample his brand-new lunar accommodation, hoping to secure the finances for a second elevator.

On Earth, meanwhile, cybercop Owen Jericho is sent to Shanghai to find a young female hacker known as Yoyo, who's been on the run since acquiring access to information that someone seems quite determined to keep quiet. As Jericho closes in on the girl and the conspiracy swirling around her, he finds mounting evidence that connects her to Julian Orley as well as to the entrepreneur's many competitors and enemies. Soon, the detective realizes that the lunar junket to Orley's hotel is in real and immediate danger.

      

A New MystereBook: A Murderous Affair by Jonathan Digby

Here is a mystery, suspense, or thriller ebook that we recently found by sleuthing (as it were) through new or recently reissued titles from independent publishers during November 2013 priced $4.99 or less …

A Murderous Affair by Jonathan Digby is the author's debut novel, an Elizabethan murder mystery set in London.

— ♦ —

A Murderous Affair by Jonathan Digby
A John Lovat Mystery
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Publication Date: November 24, 2013
Price: $3.99 (as of 11/25/13 04:30 PM ET)

The year is 1588. The Spanish Armada has recently been defeated, and Queen Elizabeth rides in triumph through a celebrating London. But even in peace, the city has a deadly underbelly.

When the body of a Portuguese nobleman turns up on the banks of the Thames with a seal around his neck all fingers point towards Lord Rokesby as the murderer — particularly as the foreigner was last seen at a dinner party at his house the night before.

Yet there is more to this murder than meets the eye. John Lovat, Lord Rokesby's illegitimate brother, is called in to dig deeper into the events surrounding the death. And the more he uncovers, the more complex the crime becomes. Soon Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's chief counsellor and spy-master, takes an interest in the case.

And Lovat finds himself caught up in "A Murderous Affair" — one that involves murder, betrayal and infidelity and which will take him from grand houses to the mean streets of Elizabethan London as he tracks down the truth.

  

Important Note: This book was listed for the price indicated on the date and time as shown. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Green, Book Zero: The Beginning and The End by Ted Dekker, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Green by Ted Dekker, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins.

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 (11/25/2013 at 4:00 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.

— ♦ —

Green by Ted Dekker
Book Zero: The Beginning and The End
Publisher: HarperCollins

As foretold by ancient prophets, an apocalypse destroyed Earth during the twenty-first century. But two thousand years later Elyon set upon the earth a new Adam. This time, however, He gave humanity an advantage. What was once unseen became seen. It was good and it was called … Green.

But the evil Teeleh bided his time in a Black Forest.

Then, when least expected, a twenty-four year old named Thomas Hunter fell asleep in our world and woke up in that future Black Forest. A gateway was opened for Teeleh to ravage the land. Devastated by the ruin, Thomas Hunter and his Circle swore to fight the dark scourge until their dying breath.

But now The Circle has lost hope. Samuel, Thomas Hunter's cherished son, has turned his back on his father. He gathers the dark forces to wage a final war. Thomas is crushed and desperately seeks a way back to our reality to find the one elusive hope that could save them all.

    

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.

A New MystereBook: Behind the Walls by Elaine Orr

Here is a mystery, suspense, or thriller ebook that we recently found by sleuthing (as it were) through new or recently reissued titles from independent publishers during November 2013 priced $4.99 or less …

Behind the Walls by Elaine Orr is the sixth mystery in this series, which begs the question, Who can get in so much trouble as they renovate a storm-damaged house? Jolie and friends, but of course!

— ♦ —

Behind the Walls by Elaine Orr
A Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Lifelong Dreams
Publication Date: November 24, 2013
Price: $3.99 (as of 11/25/13 03:30 PM ET)

There's something hidden behind the walls of the hurricane damaged house Jolie bought in her New Jersey beach town. Something someone seems willing to kill for. After Jolie and Scoobie find a small sack of jewelry as they do a mold attack on her bungalow, Jolie is pursued by a purse thief and a burglar. But the guy she's most worried about is the one who left an elderly auctioneer dead on her porch swing. In between appraising houses and planning a fundraiser for the food pantry (can you say liquid string contest?), Jolie tries to figure out if there is more stolen bounty around town. Is the feared killer the same person who burned some vacant houses, or the as-yet unmasked Peeping Tom? And are they willing to kill again to get to the hidden riches?

Her friends and local police warn her to butt out, but that's just encouragement for a woman who likes to get to the bottom of things. Jolie wrestles with fear as she tries to get her cat, Jazz, to feel at home in the new house. Maybe an unexpected visitor can be a substitute for Aunt Madge's golden retrievers.

And then there's her love life. Jolie also needs to decide if she really wants to get back with her former boyfriend, Ocean Alley Press reporter George Winters. Or are feelings for someone else trying to get her attention?

  

Important Note: This book was listed for the price indicated on the date and time as shown. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Lay Death at Her Door, A Novel of Suspense by Elizabeth Buhmann, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Lay Death at Her Door by Elizabeth Buhmann, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Red Adept Publishing.

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 (11/25/2013 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.

— ♦ —

Lay Death at Her Door by Elizabeth Buhmann
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing

The price of truth is murder …

Twenty years ago, Kate Cranbrook's eyewitness testimony sent the wrong man to prison for rape and murder. When new evidence exonerates him, Kate says that in the darkness and confusion, she must have mistaken her attacker's identity.

She is lying.

Kate would like nothing better than to turn her back on the past, but she is trapped in a stand-off with the real killer. When a body turns up on her doorstep, she resorts to desperate measures to free herself once and for all from a secret that is ruining her life.

    

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.

King and Maxwell by David Baldacci, New in Bookstores This Week

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published this week by Grand Central, is King and Maxwell by David Baldacci.

For a list of more new hardcover mysteries published this month, visit our New Mysteries page for November 2013. For new paperback mysteries, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where a selection of November 2013 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers are shelved.

— ♦ —

King and Maxwell
David Baldacci
Series: Sean King and Michelle Maxwell (6th)

It seems at first like a simple, tragic story. Tyler Wingo, a teenage boy, learns the awful news that his father, a soldier, was killed in action in Afghanistan. Then the extraordinary happens: Tyler receives a communication from his father … after his supposed death.

Tyler hires Sean and Michelle to solve the mystery surrounding his father. But their investigation quickly leads to deeper, more troubling questions. Could Tyler's father really still be alive? What was his true mission? Could Tyler be the next target?

Sean and Michelle soon realize that they've stumbled on to something bigger and more treacherous than anyone could have imagined. And as their hunt for the truth leads them relentlessly to the highest levels of power and to uncovering the most clandestine of secrets, Sean and Michelle are determined to help and protect Tyler — though they may pay for it with their lives.

      

Telemystery: Diagnosis Murder, Murdoch Mysteries, and Poirot, 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, Blu-ray disc, or Video-on-Demand, is profiling three season series from our site being released this week.

— ♦ —

Diagnosis Murder
Season Six

The pulse-pounding excitement is contagious this season as Dr. Mark Sloan (Dick Van Dyke) uncovers a new rash of deadly mysteries … and struggles to save his colleagues after a terrorist bombing at the hospital.

This sixth season of the long-running series originally aired on CBS from September 1998 through May 1999.

Volume 1:  Volume 2:

— ♦ —

Murdoch Mysteries
Season Six

At the dawn of the 20th century, Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) solves Toronto's trickiest cases with scientific insight and ingenuity in this award-winning mystery series.

From flying early aircraft to infiltrating nudist communities, consulting with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to helping a young Winston Churchill, Murdoch has always been a man ahead of his time. In Season 6, he also confronts legal and social challenges to be with his love, pathologist-turned-psychiatrist Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy). Meanwhile, Constable Crabtree (Jonny Harris) gains confidence as a policeman and a suitor to fetching coroner Dr. Emily Grace (Georgina Reilly).

This sixth season of Murdoch Mysteries originally aired on CBC in Canada from January 2013 through April 2013. The seventh season of 18 episodes (as opposed to previous seasons' 13 episodes) is currently airing.

    

— ♦ —

Poirot
Series Ten

Agatha Christie's famous Belgian detective puts his “little grey cells” to work in these four feature-length mysteries from the hit series. These definitive adaptations have been beautifully remastered to capture all the sparkling details of the Art Deco era.

David Suchet stars as Hercule Poirot with guest stars including Michael Fassbender, Elliott Gould, Lindsay Duncan, Alice Eve, Honeysuckle Weeks, Lucy Punch, James D'Arcy, and Zoë Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver.

The episodes included on this set are:

The Mystery of the Blue Train — When a wealthy woman is brutally murdered aboard a train, Poirot searches both for the killer and the victim's priceless jewel.

Cards on the Table — A mysterious man invites Poirot to a dinner party — only to wind up dead during a bridge game.

After the Funeral — Poirot visits Enderby Hall to investigate the Abernethie family after two siblings die in short order.

Taken at the Flood — Poirot becomes involved with the wealthy Cloade family, whose past tragedies still haunt them.

    

— ♦ —

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.

Broken, A Will Trent, Grant County Mystery by Karin Slaughter, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Broken by Karin Slaughter, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Dell.

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 (11/25/2013 at 1:30 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.

— ♦ —

Broken by Karin Slaughter
A Will Trent, Grant County Mystery
Publisher: Dell

Read our review of Broken by Karin Slaughter

When Special Agent Will Trent arrives in Grant County, he finds a police department determined to protect its own and far too many unanswered questions about a prisoner's death. He doesn't understand why Officer Lena Adams is hiding secrets from him. He doesn't understand her role in the death of Grant County's popular police chief. He doesn't understand why that man's widow, Dr. Sara Linton, needs him now more than ever to help her crack this case.

While the police force investigates the murder of a young woman pulled from a frigid lake, Trent investigates the police force, putting pressure on Adams just when she's already about to crack. Caught between two complicated and determined women, trying to understand Linton's passionate distrust of Adams, the facts surrounding Chief Tolliver's death, and the complexities of this insular town, Trent will unleash a case filled with explosive secrets — and encounter a thin blue line that could be murderous if crossed.

    

Click on the Amazon button to see also the special Whispersync offer associated with this title.

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.

One Was a Soldier, A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery by Julia Spencer-Fleming, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Minotaur Books.

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 (11/25/2013 at 1:00 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.

— ♦ —

One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery (7th in series)
Publisher: Minotaur Books

On a warm September evening in the Millers Kill community center, five veterans sit down in rickety chairs to try to make sense of their experiences in Iraq. What they will find is murder, conspiracy, and the unbreakable ties that bind them to one another and their small Adirondack town.

The Rev. Clare Fergusson wants to forget the things she saw as a combat helicopter pilot and concentrate on her relationship with Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne. MP Eric McCrea needs to control the explosive anger threatening his job as a police officer. Will Ellis, high school track star, faces the reality of life as a double amputee. Orthopedist Trip Stillman is denying the extent of his traumatic brain injury. And bookkeeper Tally McNabb wrestles with guilt over the in-country affair that may derail her marriage.

But coming home is harder than it looks. One vet will struggle with drugs and alcohol. One will lose his family and friends. One will die.

Since their first meeting, Russ and Clare's bond has been tried, torn, and forged by adversity. But when he rules the veteran's death a suicide, she violently rejects his verdict, drawing the surviving vets into an unorthodox investigation that threatens jobs, relationships, and her own future with Russ.

As the days cool and the nights grow longer, they will uncover a trail of deceit that runs from their tiny town to the upper ranks of the U.S. Army, and from the waters of the Millers Kill to the unforgiving streets of Baghdad.

    

Click on the Amazon button to see also the special Whispersync offer associated with this title.

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.