Weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle for 02/06/2006

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is 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!). This week's mystery clue: This was the title of Steve Martini's eighth legal thriller featuring Paul Madriani: (9 letters: A B D E L O P T U).

Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy this new feature from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery godoku, sudoku, godoku.

New Website for the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has a new website. Rather, a new design for its website!

As we've grown, it became clear that the previous website was insufficient to meet our priorities of providing readers and collectors with the best, most current information on mysteries and detective fiction on the internet. As a result, two major changes were made.

First, the sale of high quality and collectible mystery books was moved to First Edition Mysteries, a new division of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books. This change was initiated in late 2005 and the conversion is more than 50% complete.

Second, reviews of mysteries were moved to Mysterious Reviews, another new division of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books. This transition is nearly done and should be completed within the next few days.

The remaining features (new titles, weekly updates to the bestseller list, information about mystery authors and publishers, a weekly godoku puzzle, the mystery survey and signed book contests, and more) continue to be featured on the new site.

Please take the opportunity to visit our new site, and let us know what you think!

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery book reviews, first edition mysteries.

Duluth-Based Mystery Novel Enjoys Success

The Duluth (MN) NewsTribune recently ran a profile of Brian Freeman, author of the Jonathan Stride mystery Immoral, who was in Duluth researching his third book of the series. Immoral is nominated for an Edgar by Mystery Writers of America as best first novel by an American author. Other nominees in that category are Megan Abbott (Die a Little), Scott Frost (Run the Risk), Alison Gaylin (Hide Your Eyes) and Theresa Schwegel (Officer Down).

Immoral is set in Duluth and Las Vegas and centers on Detective Jonathan Stride who investigates the disappearance of a not-so-nice teenage girl. In a Pioneer Press interview last fall, Freeman summed up his writing philosophy: "I hope I write thrillers that are emotionally grounded, reaching a denouement with no artificial solution, a strong sense of place and characters readers genuinely like." Freeman's second mystery, Stripped, which continues Detective Stride's adventures, will be out this fall.

The entire article can be read here.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, brian freeman, jonathan stride, edgar, edgar award.

Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers (02/03/2006)

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending February 03, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Two new mysteries appear on the Barnes&Noble list (but are oddly absent from the mystery bestseller list for Amazon.com): Gone by Lisa Gardner (published in late January) and A Necessary Evil by Alex Kava (published this week).

Of Gone, Publisher's Weekly states: "A terrifying woman-in-jeopardy plot propels Gardner's latest thriller, in which child advocate and PI Lorraine 'Rainie' Conner's fate hangs in the balance. ... Sympathetic characters, a strong sense of place and terrific plotting distinguish Gardner's new thriller."

No early reviews of A Necessary Evil, but from the publisher: "Someone is killing Catholic priests across America and it quickly becomes very clear to Maggie O'Dell -- the FBI profiler assigned to the case -- that more than one perpetrator is responsible. As she begins to drill down into the facts, Maggie discovers a disturbing Internet role-playing game for youths who have been victims of male authority figures -- including Catholic priests."

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery bestsellers, lisa gardner, alex kava.

Kellerman Son Joins Family Business with Novel

Being the son of best-selling mystery authors means never being too far from the headlines ... especially if you've written a mystery novel yourself!

Jesse Kellerman, the oldest son of bestselling mystery authors Jonathan Kellerman and Faye Kellerman, has published his first mystery book, Sunstroke, to generally positive reviews. He knows what everyone’s thinking: His name got him published. But in interviews he points out that his parents’ publisher passed on Sunstroke and his parents' agent did the same regarding him. And, he adds, if his lineage is so powerful, why was one of his earlier, unpublished novels rejected by 21 editors?

Read more about Jesse Kellerman, his family and his writing, in this MSNBC news article.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, jesse kellerman, jonathan kellerman, faye kellerman.

Online Reviews for Already Dead and Sunstroke

Leslie McGill, writing for the Kansas City Star (and published in philly.com), recently reviewed two mystery books: Already Dead by Charlie Huston and Sunstroke by Jesse Kellerman.

Of Already Dead, she writes "It would be hard to find a hipper, edgier New York vampire mystery ... Or, actually, a hipper, edgier New York mystery of any kind."

Of Sunstroke, she writes "I was all set to hate Jesse Kellerman’s Sunstroke ... when you’re the offspring of best-selling authors Faye and Jonathan Kellerman, how hard can it be to get published?" But she adds "I am very happy to report that Jonathan and Faye’s kid can actually write."

Leslie McGill's reviews are always fun to read and right on the mark. Read these two reviews here.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, jesse kellerman, charlie huston, leslie mcgill.

Mystery Book Contest for February 2006

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has posted the February Mystery Book Contest on its website. Enter daily for your chance to win a signed copy of Endangered Species by Nevada Barr. Entries will be accepted through the end of February.

The winner of the January contest (a signed copy of Partner in Crime by J. A. Jance) will be announced on this blog soon. Thanks to all for participating!

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery book contest, nevada barr, j. a. jance.

Weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle for 01/30/2006

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is 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!). This week's mystery clue: Leslie Meier’s mysteries feature this Tinker’s Cove resident: (9 letters: C E L N O S T U Y).

Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy this new feature from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery godoku, sudoku, godoku.

Changes to the First Edition Mysteries Website

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books is changing hosting servers this coming week for First Edition Mysteries, your source for high quality and collectible mysteries. As a result of this change, it is likely that for a day or two the First Edition Mysteries website will be unavailable.

We're working to improve our service to you, and hope that this change is the first of several steps in that direction. More mysteries are being added each week to the online library of first editions available for sale to readers and collectors of mystery books.

Thank you for visiting our sites and we look forward to serving your mystery book needs.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, first edition mysteries, first editions.

Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers (01/27/2006)

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending January 27, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Memory in Death by J. D. Robb debuts at the top of the mystery bestsellers at both Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com. This book has been a pre-order bestseller for several weeks. Lieutenant Eve Dallas walks a tightrope between her professional duties and her private demons in what Publishers Weekly says " ... is number 22 in a series that still manages to feel fresh."

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery bestsellers, j. d. robb, eve dallas, memory in death.

Repairman Jack Follows Mystery to Bermuda

The Royal Gazette (Bermuda) ran an article recently on F. Paul Wilson, author of the Repairman Jack mystery series.

After golfing in Bermuda for a number of years, author F. Paul Wilson said the feel of Bermuda has changed and has become much more corporate.

However, this didn’t stop him from using Bermuda as a backdrop for Infernal, one of the latest Repairman Jack mysteries, released in November 2005 by Forge Books.

Infernal continues the adventures of Jack who is a "repairman" called upon to discreetly clean-up (in a knuckle-crunching way) various messes. This novel begins in New York City when Jack is reunited with his father only to lose him to a 9-11-like airport bombing. As Jack tries to solve the mystery of the bombing, he is unwillingly thrown back into contact with his estranged brother Tom, a crooked judge.

Read the rest of the article here.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, repairman jack, f. paul wilson, bermuda.

Kirkus Reviews on the Book Sense Picks for February

Earlier this month, Book Sense, the American Booksellers Association program, announced the February 2006 Book Sense Picks: 20 books that Dan Cullen, editor-in-chief of Book Sense Picks, called a "national staff picks presentation."

More than 1,200 independent bookstores will participate in the program, which Cullen said "was designed from the outset [to] give people flexibility and choice."

Four of these twenty books are mysteries; three were featured in the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books New Mystery Titles for January 2006; the fourth was included in the New Mystery Titles for February 2006.

Here is what Kirkus Reviews said about these mysteries:

Whale Season, by N. M. Kelby, is "deep-fried strangeness" with a "wacky, tacky premise: a Jesus-impersonating serial killer [who] rampages through Florida strip clubs and gator swamps."

Carved in Bone is "a neatly done mystery aimed straight at the CSI set. . . . Crime and science slug it out in this second book from writing team Jon Jefferson and Bill Bass."

"More of the same from [Carol] Goodman," in The Ghost Orchid: "Not half bad, not all that good."

"Inspired by the Baker Street genius, a Montana cowboy solves some murders at the cattle ranch where he works," in Steve Hockensmith’s Holmes on the Range:" a winning twist on a proven franchise."

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, book sense, n. m. kelby, jon jefferson, bill bass, carol goodman, steve hockensmith, mystery author.

Mystery Book Reviews from the Globe and Mail

Margaret Cannon recently reviewed several new mystery books for the Globe and Cannon. These books include:

Sunstroke, by Jesse Kellerman (son of Jonathan and Faye Kellerman)

Speak of the Devil, by Richard Hawke

Air Dance Iguana, by Tom Corcoran

Now You See Me, by Margaret Murphy

Murder at the Foul Line, edited by Otto Penzler

She has great things to say about all these books. Read her reviews here.


Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, jesse kellerman, jonathan kellerman, faye kellerman, richard hawke, tom corcoran, margaret murphy, otto penzler.

Weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle for 01/23/2006

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is 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!)

Previous puzzles will be stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy this new feature from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery godoku, sudoku, godoku.

Best-Selling Mystery Writer to Keynote Conference

If you dream of writing the great American novel or seeing your byline in newspapers and magazines, you’ll find advice, inspiration and empathy at the "Write on the Beach" conference Jan. 27-29, 2006, in Ocean Shores (WA).

The Daily World reports that renowned mystery writer J. A. Jance is headlining the fifth annual conference and will deliver the keynote address at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006. Consequently, for the first time ever, "Write on the Beach" is opening the keynote lunch to the general public. Tickets are $30 each, while conference registration, including the keynote lunch, costs $175. Students under 18 can attend for $35.

For more information on the conference, read the complete Daily World article here or visit the Write on the Beach website.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, j. a. jance, write on the beach.