The Inspector Morse 25th Anniversary Collection

Here is a special treat for fans of Inspector Morse: the Inspector Morse 25th Anniversary Collection.

Crime novelist Colin Dexter first introduced the Oxford police officer in 1975 in Last Bus to Woodstock. Twelve years later John Thaw made his first appearance as Inspector Morse in "The Dead of Jericho", which was adapted from the fifth book in the series.

John Thaw went on to star in 33 episodes in the series. He became in the eyes of many — and probably most importantly, Colin Dexter — Endeavour Morse. As John Thaw's health failed in real life, so did Inspector Morse's in the books. Indeed, the final episode in which he starred, "The Remorseful Day", is adapted from the last of the books by Dexter to feature Morse, the one in which the detective dies. Thaw died just over a year later.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the award winning Inspector Morse television series, this complete murder mystery collection contains all thirty-three episodes plus three bonus programs: The Making of Morse, The Story of Morse, and the 25th anniversary special Inspector Morse's Oxford. Also included is the fascinating guidebook The Oxford of Inspector Morse by Bill Leonard.

Production on The Equalizer Film to Begin April 2013

Last December we reported that Denzel Washington was cast as Robert McCall in film adaptation of The Equalizer. Now we're learning that Sony is moving forward with production, looking to start on-location filming in Boston next April.

The studio seems to be careful in describing the project as being inspired by the late-1980s crime drama, not a remake per se. Washington will play the former covert agent, who hates injustice and sets out to aid its victims. If successful at the box office, this film will almost certainly be the first of a franchise to feature the character.

Marty Graham: Reporter and New Mystery Author

We are delighted to welcome reporter and novelist Marty Graham to Omnimystery News.

Marty is the author of a new mystery, Uncontestable (Marty Graham, May 2012 ebook), introducing San Diego private investigator Emm Zinko.

Today she tells us how remarkable turns in otherwise unremarkable news stories can become the foundation for fictional storylines.

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"You can't make this stuff up." Reporters really do say that to each other, usually in a hushed tone as we slink away from a story that took a remarkable turn. If we're smart, we write it down for future use.

Photo provided courtesy of
Marty Graham

Sometimes those remarkable left turns become the news story though, usually, they are more trivia than central to the story. But my collection of these vignettes grew, I realized the only way they'd get written is in a novel where the protagonist is a reporter.

For example, one night in Houston a few years back, I was part of a group of reporters at an impromptu press conference in front of an oil refinery that sure seemed to be burning out of control. People in the homes nearby had called the news media when parts of the structure started blasting off.

An impossibly calm spokesman for the oil refinery stood in front of the blazing chemical plant, and with cameras rolling, explained how this was a routine maintenance event. As he said it, a van-sized chunk blasted off the top of the refinery and landed 50 yards behind him. The TV crews and photographers ran to one side to try to get the spokesman positioned facing the cameras in front of the burning chunk and the spokesman skittered out of their line of sight, shouting "A routine maintenance event." Then he ran for the refinery entrance as more explosions followed.

I don't expect I'll ever get to write that story into a novel, but it remains in my vignette file, one of nearly a hundred sketches of singularly incredible things I've gotten to see as a reporter.

My first novel, Uncontestable, and my half-finished second novel draw long and hard on the file I've stuffed full of those peculiar sidelights. The four-wheeling Jeep driver who zipped around a firefighter trying to keep him out of a flood, drove right into the water and then needed to be rescued by that same fireman, for example, came out of the vignette file.

Those kinds of moments make reporters love the job as much — if not more than — the serious, often heart-breaking stories we cover every day. And they enrich and forever change the mindset of the people who witness them, whether they're real reporters or Emm Zinko, the fictional character at the center of Uncontestable.

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Marty Graham is a reporter with more than a decade of experience in online, print and video media. She earned a masters degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and has worked as a reporter in Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., the San Francisco Bay area and Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and many other great places.

She won the Associated Press Public Service award at the Peninsula Times Tribune in Palo Alto, California and has been recognized for her work by the Society of Professional Journalists, the San Diego Press Club and other groups.

Before she went to journalism school, she was a private investigator licensed in Wisconsin and Illinois. She worked on cases ranging from insurance fraud to murder, had a motorcycle gang as a long-term client and worked on several investigations that brought down corrupt cops and public officials.

Born in Milwaukee, where she was a photographer and partner in a fanzine that covered the local music scene in the mid-1980s, she's since lived in a dozen different cities chasing her journalism career.

She currently lives in a pink house in San Diego, a base for mischief that includes silversmithing, sailing, hiking, playing in the ocean and working up the courage for that last big felony.

You can learn more about Marty and her books by visiting her website at MartyGraham-Writer.com.

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About Uncontestable:

On the mend from a couple of very difficult years marked by the recession, the death of her beloved father and the complete collapse of her profession, award-winning journalist Emm Zinko is trying out a new profession, as a private investigator.

Unfortunately, her first clients — victims of what may be a swindle — turn up dead and someone is trying to kill her. The man hunting her leaves a trail of carnage after he shoots at her and misses. Her home is invaded, and her dog is stolen as the prime suspect, a federally protected money launderer goes missing.

Complications swirl — a damaged homicide detective forms a strange attachment to her dog, her marijuana crop matures and she discovers her stepmother didn't set up the trust for Emm and her brothers the way she'd promised.

Set against the backdrop of San Diego, from gorgeous beaches to a mid-city neighborhood wrapped around a canyon, to inches from Mexico — the farms and Border Patrol hunting grounds of the Tijuana River Valley.

Her superpower lies in who she knows — the neighbors who look out for her, the hackers, cops, and experts she's befriended at work, and the networks she can tap. But will that be enough to save her when no one can figure out why Emm is a target?

Murder in Steeple Martin by Lesley Cookman is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Murder in Steeple Martin by Lesley Cookman as today's third 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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Murder in Steeple Martin
Lesley Cookman
A Libby Sarjeant Mystery
Publisher: Accent Press

This is the first mystery in this series featuring the actress and amateur sleuth.

Artist and ex-actress Libby Sarjeant is busy directing a play for the opening of a new theatre in her village when one of her cast is found murdered. The play, written by her friend Peter, is based on real events in his family, disturbing and mysterious, which took place in the village during the last war. As the investigation into the murder begins to uncover a tangled web of relationships in the village, it seems that the events dramatised in the play still cast a long shadow, dark enough to inspire murder.

Libby's natural nosiness soon leads her into the thick of the investigation, but is she too close to Peter s family, and in particular his cousin Ben, to be able to recognise the murderer?

  

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.

Map of Bones by James Rollins is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Map of Bones by James Rollins 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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Map of Bones
James Rollins
A SIGMA Force Thriller
Publisher: HarperCollins

First published in 2005, this is the second book in this popular series.

During a crowded service at a cathedral in Germany, armed intruders in monks' robes unleash a nightmare of blood and destruction. But the killers have not come for gold; they seek a more valuable prize: the bones of the Magi who once paid homage to a newborn savior … a treasure that could reshape the world.

With the Vatican in turmoil, SIGMA Force under the command of Grayson Pierce leaps into action, pursuing a deadly mystery that weaves through sites of the Seven Wonders of the World and ends at the doorstep of an ancient, mystical, and terrifying secret order. For there are those with dark plans for the stolen sacred remains that will alter the future of humankind … when science and religion unite to unleash a horror not seen since the beginning of time.

  

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.

Chameleon by William Diehl is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Chameleon by William Diehl 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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Chameleon
William Diehl
Publisher: Story Merchant Books

Frank O'Hara is a brilliant investigative reporter who’s been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his searing expose of the CIA. In the face of CIA retaliation — the agency has sent a string of assassins after him — O’Hara has "disappeared" into the Japanese countryside, mastering the most arduous disciplines of self-defense and mental stamina. Charles Gordon Howe, the crippled owner of a Boston television station and newspaper, receives a mysterious tip on what could be the biggest story since Watergate. He decides O’Hara is the only man who could possibly break the story, and after forcing the CIA to call off its hunt, he sends Eliza Gunn, his own top reporter, to bring O’Hara in.

Together, O’Hara and Eliza, five feet tall, tough and beautiful, embark on a far-flung journey — from Boston to the Caribbean islands and ultimately back to Japan. They are chasing someone known only as Chameleon, feared by all, known by none, is quite possibly the most menacing and mysteriously elusive person alive.

Their chase takes O’Hara and Eliza through the dangerous, absurd and mind-boggling realms of huge oil cartels, big business and international conspiracies connecting back to World War II and leads them along a devastating path of ruthless destruction.

  

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 Gingerbread House by Carin Gerhardsen is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Gingerbread House by Carin Gerhardsen as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Tuesday, July 24, 2012.

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The Gingerbread House
Carin Gerhardsen
A Conny Sjöberg, Hammarby Mystery
Publisher: Mainly Murder

This is the first in this series of Swedish thrillers, originally published in 2008 as Pepparkakshuset.

In a short space of time, several gruesome and apparently unrelated murders occur in central Stockholm. When criminal investigator Conny Sjöberg and the Hammarby police begin to suspect that there’s a link between the murders, Sjöberg goes completely cold. There is a killer out there whose motives are very special — and very personal — and one who will not be deterred.

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.

This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Audiobooks (120723)

Here is this week's list of the top ten bestselling mystery and suspense audiobooks (books on CD).

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.

TNT Options Marcia Clark's Rachel Knight Mysteries for Television

Mulholland Books is reporting that the "Rachel Knight" series of legal thrillers by Marcia Clark have been optioned for television by TNT.

Clark introduced the Los Angeles district attorney in Guilt by Association, first published in 2011 by Mulholland Books. She followed up that with the second in the series, Guilt by Degrees, of which we said is among the "top tier of legal thrillers to be published this year" and one "not to be missed" — Mysterious Reviews, May 2012.

Marcia Clark will executive produce the series with Dee Johnson, who will write the pilot screenplay.

The publisher also announced that Guilt by Association ebook will be priced at just $2.99 through the end of July.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120723)

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.

Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham: A First in Series MystereBook

Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham. A Tom Thorne Mystery. First Appearance: August 2001.

Earlier this year, Encore aired made-for-television adaptations of Mark Billingham's first two books in the "Tom Thorne" series, which led us to take a second look at these mystery novels.

Tom Thorne is a Detective Inspector in London and his first case is an unusual twist on the serial killer storyline. "Serial" yes; "Killer" no. At least not intentionally. And that is the ultimate clue that leads Thorne to the identity of the culprit.

Billingham followed up Sleephead with Scaredy Cat, another serial killer thriller with a twist. This novel was subsequently nominated for the CWA Gold Dagger.

There are currently nine books in the series, the most recent being The Demands (Mulholland Books, June 2012 hardcover, audiobook and ebook formats), which was published in the UK as Good as Dead.

The first two "Tom Thorne" books are long out of print here in the US, but they have recently been reissued as ebooks by InkWell Publishing, and are currently available for just $2.99 each.

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Sleepyhead
Mark Billingham
A Tom Thorne Mystery
InkWell Publishing, June 2012 ebook

Alison Willetts is unlucky to be alive. She has survived a stroke, deliberately induced by a skilful manipulation of pressure points on the head and neck. She can see, hear and feel; she is aware of everything going on around her, but she is completely unable to move or communicate. It's called Locked-In Syndrome. In leaving Alison Willetts alive, the police believe the killer's made his first mistake.

Then D.I. Tom Thorne discovers the horrifying truth; it isn't Alison who is the mistake, it's the three women already dead. ‘An appropriate margin of error' is how their killer dismisses them, and Thorne knows they are unlikely to be the last. For the killer is smart, and he's getting his kicks out of toying with Thorne as much as he is pursuing his sick fantasy …

Thorne knows immediately he's not going to catch the killer with procedure. But with little more than gut instinct and circumstantial evidence to damn his chief suspect, anaesthetist Jeremy Bishop, his pursuit of him is soon bordering on the unprofessional. Especially considering his involvement with Anne Coburn, Alison's doctor and Jeremy's close friend.

Thorne must find a man whose agenda is terrifyingly unique, and Alison, the one person who holds the key to the killer's identity, is unable to tell anybody …

  

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Scaredy Cat
Mark Billingham
A Tom Thorne Mystery
InkWell Publishing, June 2012 ebook

It was a vicious, calculated murder. The killer selected his victim at Euston station, followed her home on the tube, strangled her to death in front of her child. At the same time, killed in the same way, a second body is discovered at the back of King's Cross station. It is a grisly coincidence that eerily echoes the murder of two other women, stabbed to death months before on the same day.

It is DI Tom Thorne who sees the link and comes to the horrifying conclusion. This is not a serial killer the police are up against. This is two of them. Finding the body used to be the worst part of the job. Not any more. Now each time a body is found, Thorne must live with the knowledge that somewhere out there is a second victim, waiting to be discovered.

But whilst the methods might be the same, the manner of the killings is strikingly different and Thorne comes to realise that he is hunting two very different killers. One is ruthless and in control, while his partner in crime is submissive, compliant, terrified.

Thorne must catch a man whose need to manipulate is as great as his need to kill; a man who will threaten those closest to Thorne himself; a man, who will show him that the ability to inspire terror, is the deadliest weapon of all …

  

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.

Telemystery: Endeavour, Inspector Lewis, and The Untouchables, 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 on pilot and two series being released this week.

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The hunt for a missing Oxford schoolgirl draws rookie Detective Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans), the conflicted young detective on the verge of resignation, back to the university he'd suddenly left only a few years before inEndeavour, originally a stand-alone episode that was so popular it is now the pilor for a series.

The solitary and cerebral Endeavour drives his first Jaguar, drinks his first pint and, to the sublime strains of opera, fights for the truth as he forges the identity that will someday become Inspector Morse.

Endeavour is available on DVD, Blu-ray disc, and Amazon Instant, and consists of episodes that originally aired on ITV in January 201 and this past summer on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery!

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Kevin Whately stars as Inspector Lewis in this spin-off from the original Inspector Morse series, based on characters created by crime novelist Colin Dexter.

He and his young partner Detective Sergeant Hathaway (Laurence Fox) continue to solve cases in the seemingly perfect academic haven of Oxford.

(The UK "series" numbering and the US "season" numbering are different; this is actually the fourth season of the series for US viewers.)

Inspector Lewis: Series Five is available on DVD and Blu-ray disc, and consists of four episodes that originally aired on ITV during April 2011.

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Robert Stack stars as Eliot Ness, the young U.S. Prohibition Bureau agent determined to smash the beer and booze empire of Al Capone in 1920s Chicago, in The Untouchables. The series is a fictionalized account of the characters and is based (in part) on the memoir of the same title by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, originally published in 1957.

This final season of the series is being released as two volumes.

The Untouchables: Season Four (Volume 1) is being released on DVD as is The Untouchables: Season Four (Volume 2), also on DVD. The fourth season aired on ABC from September 1962 through May 1963.

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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.

Mystery Godoku Puzzle for July 23, 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 I K N R S T

Ridley Pearson introduces John Knox and Grace Chu in this 2012 thriller, 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!

This Week's Bestselling Large Print Mystery and Suspense Books (120722)

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.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120722)

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.

Accused by Janice Cantore is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Accused by Janice Cantore 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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Accused
Janice Cantore
A Pacific Coast Justice Mystery
Publisher: Tyndale House

Detective Carly Edwards hates working in juvenile—where the brass put her after an officer-involved shooting—and longs to be back on patrol. So when a troubled youth, Londy Atkins, is arrested for the murder of the mayor and Carly is summoned to the crime scene, she's eager for some action. Carly presses Londy for a confession but he swears his innocence, and despite her better judgment, Carly is inclined to believe him. Yet homicide is convinced of his guilt and is determined to convict him. Carly's ex-husband and fellow police officer, Nick, appears to be on her side. He's determined to show Carly that he's a changed man and win her back, but she isn't convinced he won't betray her again.As the investigation progresses, Carly suspects a cover-up and strikes out on her own, uncertain whom she can trust. But when danger mounts, she begins to wonder if she made the right choice.

    

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.

Night Raider by Mike Barry is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Night Raider by Mike Barry 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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Night Raider
Mike Barry
Publisher: Prologue Books

Mike Barry is a pseudonym for Barry N. Malzberg, who wrote a total of fourteen books in this series in the early 1970s.

When a wolf leaves the pack, he lives only as long as he can kill by himself quicker and surer than any pack he runs up against. Meet a man beyond either forgiveness or vengeance. Meet the Man they Call The Lone Wolf. Better meet him now. The way he lives, he can’t live much longer.

Burt Wulff was a nice guy, once. A New York cop, narcotics division. But he’s seen too much destruction done by the poison in America’s veins - heroin. Too much corrupted and made foul, and finally one life too many - and too close - destroyed. Burt Wulff has gone beyond fear, beyond love, even beyond hate. He’s simply beyond giving the slightest damn whether he lives or dies, so long as he can kill the killers — thousands of them, all over America and all over the world.

  

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.

This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Games to Download (120721)

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.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120721)

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.

New French Poster for Lawless

A new French poster for crime thriller Lawless — titled here Des Hommes Sans Loi ("Men Without Law") — has been released (right; click for larger image).

Based on the true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers — bootlegging siblings played by Shia Labeouf, Jason Clarke, and Tom Hardy — who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia, Lawless is adapted from Matt Bondurant's novel The Wettest County In The World.

Directed by John Hillcoat from an adapted screenplay by Nick Cave, Lawless opens in US theaters August 29th, 2012.