Three Character Posters for Thriller Argo

Three character posters from the true story-inspired thriller Argo have been released by the studio (right, below; click for slightly larger images). The taglines: "The missiong was a movie." "The movie was a cover." "Hollywood bought the plot."

Directed by Ben Affleck from a screenplay by Chris Terrio, Argo is based on former CIA technical operations officer Tony Mendez's account of the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

The film stars Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez (right), John Goodman as scriptwriter John Chambers (below left), and Alan Arkin as producer Lester Siegel (below right) together with Bryan Cranston, Kyle Chandler, and Victor Garber.

Argo opens in theaters October 12th, 2012.

Telemystery: USA Renews Covert Affairs and White Collar

USA Network announced today that both Covert Affairs and White Collar have been renewed.

Covert Affairs, which is currently airing its third season — though on a short break; it returns on October 16th — has been picked up for a fourth season of 16 episodes. The series has typically aired during the summer and fall.

White Collar, which recently concluded the first half of its fourth season, has been given an order of 16 episodes for its fifth season. The series typically airs in two phases, the first half during the summer and the remaining episodes during the winter (after the first of the year).

We've updated this information to our new Telemystery Scoresheet, a list of all US series that are currently, or soon will be, airing on the networks.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120925)

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 Hardcover Mysteries for October 2012

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has updated its list of new hardcover mysteries with books scheduled for publication in October 2012. Please note that some titles may publish early, and may already be available, and some may be delayed, published at a later date.

Below we're listing those authors with returning series characters, new series characters, and non-series or stand-alone mysteries in separate sections. All titles are available on our October new mystery books page, which will become the default home page for the site on October 1st.

• Authors with mysteries featuring returning series characters (in italics) this month:

Tasha Alexander (Lady Emily Ashton, 7th) •  V. C. Andrews (Kindred Series, 2nd) •  C. C. Benison (Father Tom Christmas, 2nd) •  Michael A. Black (Leal and Hart, 3rd) •  Alison Bruce (Gary Goodhew, 4th) •  JoAnna Carl (Lee McKinney, Chocoholic, 12th) •  Joelle Charbonneau (Rebecca Robbins, 3rd) •  Laura Childs (Carmela Bertrand, Scrapbooking, 10th) •  Patricia Cornwell (Kay Scarpetta, 20th) •  Justin Cronin (Passage Trilogy, 2nd) •  Jeanne M. Dams (Dorothy Martin, 12th) •  Nelson DeMille (John Corey, 6th) •  James D. Doss (Charlie Moon, 17th) •  Elizabeth J. Duncan (Penny Brannigan, 4th) •  Ruth Dudley Edwards (Robert Amiss, 12th) •  Loren D. Estleman (Sherlock Holmes Short Stories •  Duncan Falconer (John Stratton, 8th) •  Jasper Fforde (Thursday Next, 7th) •  Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain (Murder, She Wrote, 38th) •  Dalton Fury ("Delta Force", 2nd) •  Rick Gavin (Nick Reid, 2nd) •  Barbara Hambly (Benjamin January, 10th) •  David Handler (Berger and Mitry, 9th) •  Charlaine Harris (Aurora Teagarden, 7th) •  Ellen Hart (Jane Lawless, 20th) •  Keigo Higashino (Manabu Yukawa, Detective Galileo, 2nd) •  Susan Hill (Simon Serrailler, 7th) •  Bill James (Harpur and Iles, 29th) •  David James (Amanda Thorne, 2nd) •  Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn, 14th) •  Darynda Jones (Charlotte "Charley" Davidson, 4th) •  Solomon Jones (Michael Coletti, 3rd) •  Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis (Nina Borg, 2nd) •  Todd Keisling (Donovan Candle, 2nd) •  Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga ("The Walking Dead", 2nd) •  Michael Lister (John Jordan, 5th) •  G. M. Malliet (Max Tudor, 2nd) •  Archer Mayor (Joe Gunther, 23rd) •  Keith McCarthy (Eisenmenger-Fleming, 9th) •  Jo Nesbø (Harry Hole, 9th) •  James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein (Daniel X, 5th) •  Anne Perry (Christmas Novellas, 11th) •  Brent Pilkey (Jack Warren, 3rd) •  Stella Rimington (Liz Carlyle, 7th) •  Imogen Robertson (Harriet Westerman, 3rd) •  Patrick Robinson (Mack Bedford, 4th) •  Michael Robotham (Joe O'Loughlin, 5th) •  John Sandford (Virgil Flowers, 6th) •  Alexander McCall Smith (Isabel Dalhousie, Sunday Philosophy Club, 9th) •  Sally Spencer (Monika Paniatowski, 5th) •  Shirley Tallman (Sarah Woolson, 5th) •  Patrick Taylor (Irish Country, 7th) •  Jane Tesh (David Randall, Grace Street, 2nd) •  Charles Todd (Holiday Tale •  M. J. Trow (Kit Marlowe, 3rd) •  Jeri Westerson (Medieval Noir, 5th) •  Lis Wiehl and Pete Nelson (East Salem Trilogy, 2nd) •  David Wong (David and John, 2nd) •  Sheila York (Lauren Atwill and Peter Winslow, 3rd)

• Authors with mysteries introducing characters in a new series (in italics) this month:

Claude Berube (Connor Stark) •  John Billheimer (Lloyd Keaton) •  Carolyn Hart (Nela Farley) •  Andrew Hunt (Art Oveson) •  David Mark (Aector McEvoy) •  Peter May ("Isle of Lewis Trilogy") •  D. J. McIntosh ("The Mesopotamian Trilogy") •  Tim O'Mara (Raymond Donne) •  Mark Sullivan (Robin Monarch)

• Authors with non-series or stand-alone mysteries this month:

Dale Allan •  Piero Degli Antoni •  Albert Ashforth •  Iain Banks •  Robert Olen Butler •  Max Byrd •  Dorothy Cannell •  David Carnoy •  Reed Farrel Coleman •  Matthew J. Costello •  Mark Z. Danielewski •  Ted Dekker •  Louise Erdrich •  Felix Francis •  John Grisham •  Gerald Hammond •  William Heffernan •  Sheridan Hough •  Victoria Jenkins •  John Kerr •  Thomas M. Kostigen •  Dennis Lehane •  Donna Leon •  Jo-Ann Mapson •  Wil Mara •  John Martel •  Val McDermid •  Linda McDonald •  Peter Murphy •  Michael Newton •  Josh Pahigian •  James Patterson and Marshall Karp •  Andrew Rosenheim •  Robert J. Seidman •  Beth Tashery Shannon •  B. A. Shapiro •  Robin Sloan •  Richard Smolev •  Eva Maria Staal •  Larry D. Thompson •  Eliza Wood

For more information on any of these titles, please visit the October new mysteries page on our website. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where you can discover a library of new mystery, suspense and thriller books, also updated with October 2012 releases.

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

The Poisoned Pencil, a New YA Imprint from Poisoned Pen Press

Yesterday we briefly mentioned that Poisoned Pen Press was creating a new young adult imprint, The Poisoned Pencil. Today we received the full press release from the publisher with more details.

"Our goal with The Poisoned Pencil is to publish young adult mysteries that are fast-paced and relevant to today's teens — books that adults will also want to read," said publisher Jessica Tribble. The Poisoned Pencil is particularly interested in works with off-beat approaches and narrative choices that reflect the complexity and ambiguity of today's world.

Veteran editor Ellen Larson will serve as editor of The Poisoned Pencil. And with the first books expected to be published in Fall 2013, the new imprint is actively seeking manuscripts of between 45,000 to 90,000 words in all traditional mystery forms.

"Anything goes," says Larson. "As long as the protagonist is between the ages of 12 and 18, it's young adult. I'm excited to begin reviewing submissions, seeing what's out there, and building our list."

For more information about submitting manuscripts, see The Poisoned Pencil submission page on the publisher's website.

Members of the news media wishing to request additional information about The Poisoned Pencil are kindly asked to contact Maryglenn McCombs by phone: (615) 297-9875, or by email: maryglenn@maryglenn.com.

Please Welcome Stephen Jared

by Stephen Jared

We are delighted to welcome actor and novelist Stephen Jared as our guest.

Stephen's second novel is the mystery Ten-A-Week Steale (Solstice Publishing, March 2012 trade paperback and ebook formats), set in the early years of Hollywood. And early Hollywood is the subject of his post today. (All photos are provided courtesy of Stephen Jared, and may be clicked on to see a larger image.)

— ◊ —

Los Angeles started as other Southwest American cities. There was nothing unusual about her birth. It was Hollywood that eventually dressed her up in funny clothes, gave her personality. When great barns were erected and cameras began to grind, riches came and depravity followed, the likes of which had perhaps not been seen since the days of ancient Rome (one of the silent era's favorite settings).

Cecil B. DeMille's office is still around from this time, exactly as it was. After running away from stage disappointments and creating a career as master of the cinematic spectacle, DeMille worked at an office on Vine, just south of Hollywood Boulevard. It has since been moved to Highland, across from the Hollywood Bowl where it remains today as part of a sad little museum (the nearby blind palm reader gets more foot-traffic).

Walk a block south and there's a movie theater built ninety years ago to resemble an Egyptian temple. The first premiere at the Egyptian was Robin Hood. Douglas Fairbanks shot his epic swashbuckler only two boulevards south of the theater. His studio is still there and for many years I've driven by, always imagining I could see the Robin Hood castle rising into the clouds high above studio walls. Back when Fairbanks was king of Hollywood, his playgrounds were visible from miles away.

Tragically, while Manhattan and the nation's capital flaunt their history, Los Angeles hides hers. She insists on obsessively transforming herself to appear young and trendy. She disguises herself as a Vanity Fair for giants. But if you travel on foot beneath billboards and wall adverts you might discover a few places where she hides her relics.

While Mann's Chinese Theater, the Hollywood sign, and various movie studios have been re-contextualized into our modern era, there are many lesser known locations that have maintained the aesthetics of their times; these are the places that intrigue me the most.

When Douglas Fairbanks separated from Mary Pickford, he stayed at the Trianon Apartments. The French Normandy building is still there, looking exactly as it did then. Both Ronald Reagan and James Cagney lived for a time at the Montecito. The first Academy Awards ceremony was held at The Roosevelt Hotel in 1929, and while renovations have occurred, the Spanish-style hotel continues to serve as a portal to an earlier Hollywood.

The Alto Nido Apartments was home to Fatty Arbuckle for three years, and still stands only a couple doors up from where Nathanael West wrote The Day of the Locust (Personally, I hate West. Judging from his most famous novel where he demeans marginal figures among the Hollywood community, he would've hated me. He's lucky he's not around today cause I'd punch his lights out.).

I've lived in Los Angeles for over twenty years, and have been reading about Hollywood's history most of my life. My new novel, Ten-A-Week Steale, began with a single inspiration: to write a story that accurately resurrected Hollywood during the 1920s. All locations are real. Steale's apartment still stands (barely).

In fact, in my research, I discovered two silent film actresses lived at the Leland Avenue apartment during the 1920s. Classic films and action-oriented pulps influenced me a great deal as to story and characterizations. But the first inspiration was my love of this extraordinary city.

Occasionally, I catch her looking at me. "Do you know who I am?" she asks. "How much do you know about my past?" Truthfully, it's hard for me to see beyond the beauty she once was.

— ◊ —

As an actor Stephen Jared has appeared in numerous feature films and television series, as well as commercials for both radio and television. His writings, including articles and interviews, have appeared in various publications. In 2010, he self-published his first book, an adventure novel titled Jack and the Jungle Lion, which received an honorable mention in the 2011 Hollywood Book Festival. He lives in Pasadena, California.

You can learn more about the author and his books at StephenJared.com, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.

— ◊ —

Ten-A-Week Steale
Stephen Jared

He returned from the war … to a town
full of lies!

Returned from the Great War, living in 1920s Hollywood, Walter Steale is hired as muscle by his politician brother while a platinum blond, renowned for playing empty-headed nymphets in the flickers, rekindles his faith in the world. But before long, lies stack up around his work, and Steale finds himself on the front lines of corruption.

Once he confronts his brother, Steale's dirty work is used against him to protect powerful state leaders. Forced into the life of a fugitive, with the secret love of a film star at his side, the former GI fights to expose the state's true enemies while hiding in the shadows of a thriving new metropolis where everyone is dancing fast, chased by sorrow, drugged by the dream of change.

      

MystereBooks: Two More Poisoned Pen Press 1st in Series eMystery Discounts!

Checking our e-mail this morning brought the wonderful news that Poisoned Pen Press has announced that two more first-in-series mystery titles are free on iTunes, 99 cents on Amazon and Kobo. An additional title from each author is also discounted, to $2.99 from all three vendors.

— ♦ —

An Easy Thing
Paco Ignacio Taibo II
A Héctor Belascoarán Shayne Mystery (1st in series)

Set amidst the political turbulence and social unrest of contemporary Mexico City, this crime novels introduces English-speaking readers to Taibo’s human and world-weary protagonist, independent detective Héctor Belascoarán Shayne.

In this debut outing, our hero, who, incidentally, possesses an insatiable appetite for Coca Cola and cigarettes, tackles three cases simultaneously: a killing in a corrupt factory; the deadly threats against a former porn starlet’s teenage daughter; and, strangely, the search for Emiliano Zapata, folk hero and leader of the Mexican Revolution, rumored to be alive and hiding out in a cave outside Mexico City.

      

Also available, the second in this series, discounted to $2.99: Some Clouds (Kindle / iTunes / Kobo)

— ♦ —

Stealing the Dragon
Tim Maleeny
A Cape Weather Mystery (1st in series)

Soon after an ancient talisman is smuggled out of Hong Kong, a container ship filled with Chinese refugees runs aground on Alcatraz, the crew murdered.

The Chinese Triads suspect one of their own, a female assassin named Sally known to have a complex relationship with a San Francisco detective named Cape Weathers. But when Sally goes missing, Cape becomes the focus of the Triads’ attention, and soon the police and FBI have him on their radar. Cape quickly realizes he’s screwed if he doesn’t find out what really happened on board the ship.

He soon seeks the aid of two neurotic cops, a drug lord, an autistic computer genius, a mayoral candidate, and a reporter with sentient hair.

From there, it all goes to Hell.

      

Also available, the third in this series, discounted to $2.99: Greasing the Piñata (Kindle / iTunes / Kobo)

— ♦ —

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.

The Emerald Lizard by Chris Wiltz is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Emerald Lizard by Chris Wiltz 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.

— ♦ —

The Emerald Lizard
Chris Wiltz
A Neal Rafferty Mystery
Publisher: Premier Digital Publishing

This is the third mystery in this series.

A phone call at midnight. A cocktail lounge on New Orleans' West Bank. A young woman who wants to photograph prostitutes and re-create Bellocq's famous Storyville portraits. And murder. These are the threads that lead private eye Neal Rafferty into a labyrinth of danger in the Crescent City … where crime is always hot, spicy, and full-flavored with suspense.

The phone call is from his old girlfriend Jackie Silva. A loan shark named Bubba Brevna is threatening to collect from Jackie the traditional way … with pain. He's already moved into her establishment — The Emerald Lizard — with a bouncer called Godzilla, some call girls, and a set of muscular twins with one brain between them who are running "chicken drop" contests on the dance floor. What Rafferty can't foresee is that, within days, The Emerald Lizard will be torched and Jackie Silva will be dead; soon, the young photographer will be missing.

Rafferty begins a dark journey of guilt, grief, and revenge amidst the stink of corruption that will send him into the deadly shadows of narrow streets and twisted hearts.

  

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.

Doubleback by Libby Fischer Hellmann is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Doubleback by Libby Fischer Hellmann 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.

— ♦ —

Doubleback
Libby Fischer Hellmann
A Georgia Davis Mystery
Publisher: Libby Fischer Hellmann

This second mystery in the series was first published by Bleak House Books in 2009.

Little Molly Messenger is kidnapped on a sunny June morning. Three days later she's returned, apparently unharmed. Molly's mother, Chris, is so grateful to have her daughter back that she's willing to overlook the odd circumstances.

A few days later, the brakes go out on Chris's car.

An accident? Maybe. Except that it turns out that Chris, the IT manager at a large Chicago bank, may have misappropriated three million dollars. Not convinced that his daughter is safe, Molly's father hires PI Georgia Davis to follow the money and investigate Chris's death.

Working with video producer Ellie Foreman, the two women track leads from Northern Wisconsin to an Arizona border town, where illegal immigrants, smuggled drugs, and an independent contractor called Delton Security come into play. Georgia and Ellie go to great lengths to find the truth, and Georgia discovers that you can cross a line, but sometimes you have to double back.

Read our review of Doubleback by Libby Fischer Hellmann.

  

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

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.

Blood Land by R. S. Guthrie is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Blood Land by R. S. Guthrie 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.

— ♦ —

Blood Land
R. S. Guthrie
A James Pruett Mystery
Publisher: Blu Pencil Publishing

Crime's an ugly constant in the big city. L.A. Chicago. New York. But when a savage murder brutalizes a small town and neighbor turns on neighbor, a tough-as-nails cop is essential to restoring order.

When billions of dollars in natural gas rights hang in the balance and the town's top law officer's wife is slain by her own blood, a reluctant hero is forced to battle his own demons and ultimately choose between justice, revenge, and duty.

  

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.

Naked Heat and Heat Rises by Richard Castle is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Naked Heat and Heat Rises by Richard Castle as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 each is valid only for today, Tuesday, September 25, 2012.

— ♦ —

Naked Heat
Richard Castle
A Nikki Heat Mystery
Hyperion

When New York’s most vicious gossip columnist, Cassidy Towne, is found dead, Heat uncovers a gallery of high profile suspects, all with compelling motives for killing the most feared muckraker in Manhattan.

Heat’s murder investigation is complicated by her surprise reunion with superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook. In the wake of their recent breakup, Nikki would rather not deal with their raw emotional baggage. But the handsome, wise-cracking Pulitzer Prize-winning writer’s personal involvement in the case forces her to team up with Rook anyway. The residue of their unresolved romantic conflict and crackling sexual tension fills the air as Heat and Rook embark on a search for a killer among celebrities and mobsters, singers and hookers, pro athletes and shamed politicians.

— ♦ —

Heat Rises
Richard Castle
A Nikki Heat Mystery
Hyperion

The bizarre murder of a parish priest at a New York bondage club opens Nikki Heat’s most thrilling and dangerous case so far, pitting her against New York’s most vicious drug lord, an arrogant CIA contractor, and a shadowy death squad out to gun her down. And that is just the tip of an iceberg that leads to a dark conspiracy reaching all the way to the highest level of the NYPD.

But when she gets too close to the truth, Nikki finds herself disgraced, stripped of her badge, and out on her own as a target for killers, with nobody she can trust. Except maybe the one man in her life who’s not a cop: reporter Jameson Rook.

In the midst of New York’s coldest winter in a hundred years, there’s one thing Nikki is determined to prove: Heat Rises.

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

Important Note: These books were 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.

Telemystery: ITV Renews Whitechapel for a Fourth Season

ITV has ordered a fourth season (series) of Whitechapel … which will air as the third season here in the US. (The first two seasons that aired in the UK, three episodes each, were combined into the first season here when it aired on BBC America.)

The crime drama stars Rupert Penry-Jones as Detective Inspector Joseph Chandler, Phil Davis as Detective Sergeant Ray Miles and Steve Pemberton as Edward Buchan, and is set in Victorian London's Whitechapel district.

"The first full series of Whitechapel was a huge hit with the ITV audience with its unique take on the crime genre and the brilliantly original combination of Chandler, Miles and Buchan," said Laura Mackie, Director of Drama for ITV. "I'm so pleased that they're coming back to solve more historically inspired crimes.

The fourth season is expected to air in 2013.

Telemystery: ABC Orders Pilot for Fashion Murder Mystery

Deadline is reporting that ABC has ordered a pilot for Dress To Kill from Imagine Television, a thriller/soap set in the New York City fashion world with a storyline involving a whodunit-style mystery. Jessica Sharzer (American Horror Story) will executive produce.

Telemystery: FX Developing Drama Project Adapted from Crime Thriller Fargo

FX Networks is developing a drama based on the 1996 crime thriller Fargo.

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, who won an Academy Award for the film's screenplay, will executive produce the project. Noah Hawley (Bones, The Unusuals) will write the pilot script.

This is the fourth "prime time crime" project that FX has recently put into development. Just last we we reported on an adaptation of The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, which joined The Bridge and Bronx Warrants as possible series for the network.

— ♦ —

Fargo (1996)
A Film by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is a car salesman in Minneapolis who has gotten himself into debt and is so desperate for money that he hires two thugs to kidnap his own wife. Jerry will collect the ransom from her wealthy father, paying the thugs a small portion and keeping the rest to satisfy his debts.

The scheme collapses when the thugs shoot a state trooper and two innocent bystanders in rural Minnesota, drawing local Police Chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) into her first homicide investigation.

At first unaware that the homicides are connected to a Minneapolis kidnapping, Chief Gunderson draws closer to Jerry Lundegaard as his situation further unravels.

    

Telemystery: Your Fall 2012 Schedule for Tuesday, September 25th

Here is your Telemystery Schedule for Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 (all times are ET/PT) …

Tonight is pretty easy: 8 PM to 11 PM on CBS.

The night opens with the 10th season premiere of NCIS and "Extreme Prejudice". After Harper Dearing's bomb destroyed the navy yard and NCIS headquarters, the emotionally and physically damaged NCIS team must pick up the pieces and continue the hunt for the elusive suspect.

Next is the fourth season premiere of NCIS: Los Angeles. Following Callen's public shooting of the Chameleon on last season's finale cliffhanger, all is not well with the NCIS: LA team, as Callen is placed on suspension and Hetty adjusts to retired life in "Endgame".

Finally, the pilot of a new series, Vegas, premieres at 10 PM. (Actually 10:01 PM.) We were torn about this series at first, going back and forth as to whether we should include it here or not. But once we saw the word "murder" in the pilot synopsis, that made the decision an easy one! Here's what to expect: When rancher Ralph Lamb (Dennis Quaid) reluctantly accepts the role of sheriff in 1960s Las Vegas, he now has the authority to take on the mobsters looking to cash in on the casinos. Chicago mobster Vincent Savino (Michael Chiklis) is the new general manager of the Savoy, the swankiest casino on the strip, and they instantly clash as Lamb investigates the murder of the governor's niece.

Poisoned Pen Press to Publish YA Mysteries under New Imprint, Poisoned Pencil

Publishers Weekly is reporting that Poisoned Pen Press has created a new young adult mystery imprint, Poisoned Pencil. The first titles are expected to be published in Fall 2013.

"Our experience shows that today's young adults are sophisticated and savvy readers who seek good stories well told," said Poisoned Pen Press publisher Jessica Tribble. "Filling this important niche through the Poisoned Pencil not only affords us the opportunity to introduce new works of mystery to the young adult audience, but also serves to ensure future generations of voracious mystery readers."

This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Audiobooks (120924)

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.