Press Release: 22nd Annual Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Fair Announces Featured Authors

CHICAGO, May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- From toddler-wielding parents to antique book collectors to fiction aficionados, the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Fair has something to please book lovers of all kinds. The Fair -- the largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest -- is expected to draw nearly 90,000 visitors to the two-day showcase, set in Chicago's historic Printers Row neighborhood June 3-4.

As always, the Fair tackles timely topics, including immigration, the death penalty and the environment; features panels of au courant bloggers-turned-authors and graphic novelists; and welcomes more than 100 literary luminaries. Among the authors scheduled to appear are:

Michael Connelly: The bestselling mystery author switches to nonfiction for a collection of articles written during his tenure as a crime reporter in "Crime Beat." Readers will learn how real life influences fiction.

The Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Fair is presented in association with the Chicago Public Library. Sponsors of this year's fair include Target, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Jewel-Osco, C-SPAN and Columbia College Chicago.

The Chicago Tribune operates the Printers Row Book Fair as part of the company's ongoing commitment to the written word and its support of literacy and literary endeavors. For more information about the Fair and a complete list of programs and exhibitors, go to http://www.printersrowbookfair.org.

Read the entire press release which lists all featured authors here.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, michael connelly.

News: Elmore Leonard Gets Lifetime Nod

Elmore Leonard, the doyen of crime thriller writers, received a lifetime achievement award Wednesday, May 10th, from the UK Crime Writers Association, writes the Hollywood Reporter.

Leonard, who has seen many of his novels such as Get Shorty, Rum Punch, and 3:10 to Yuma turned into movies, received the 21st Diamond Dagger during a packed reception at London's Savoy Hotel.

The Michigan-based Leonard, who has previously been named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, released his latest book, The Complete Western Stories, this month.

Read the entire article, as published by Reuters UK, here.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, elmore leonard.

New Mystery Hardcover Titles for May 2006 (updated)

An updated list of new hardcover mysteries for May 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website. Twelve additional titles have been added including ...

The sixth outing for Wyoming game and fish warden Joe Pickett in C. J. Box's latest mystery, In Plain Sight. Kirkus Reviews states that Box "... continues to write the sharpest suspensers west of the Pecos. " Publishers Weekly adds that the author "... expertly evokes Wyoming's landscape, wildlife, people and politics."

The seventh Lincoln Rhyme mystery, Cold Moon by Jeffrey Deaver, pits the quadriplegic NYPD detective against a brilliant criminal mastermind called the Watchmaker. Kirkus Reviews asks the question, "Which of the leads, revelations, twists and confessions can be trusted, and which have been planted for purposes best known to the Watchmaker? Deaver, an old pro at pulling rugs out from under readers, adds a piquant complication this time ..."

Kathryn R. Wall's sixth Bay Tanner mystery, Bishop's Reach, finds the Hilton Head Island (SC) inquiry agent up to her lovely green eyeballs in clients with hidden agendas. Adds Publishers Weekly, "Oozing Southern charm, this whodunit flows like hot molasses to a deliciously clever conclusion."

And though it is folly to judge a book by its cover, sometimes a dust jacket evokes powerful yet subtle images of mystery. Such is the case with The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl. Baltimore lawyer Quentin Clark explores the puzzling circumstances of Edgar Allan Poe’s demise and discovers that the writer’s last days are riddled with unanswered questions.

Visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books often where we provide readers and collectors of mysteries with the best and most current information about their favorite mystery authors, books, and series.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, new mysteries.

Weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle for 05/15/2006

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: Holly Winter became a dog trainer to the Mob in this mystery by Susan Conant (with “The”). 9 letters: A D E F G H O R T.

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!

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

Editorial: Garden Whodunits Need to Get Details Right

Linda Brazill of the Madison (WI) Capitol Times recently took a critical look at gardening mysteries, and concluded that several came up a bit short, horticulturally speaking.

"Gardens seem like the perfect setting for mysteries.", she writes. "There are any number of poisonous plants, like foxglove and monkshood, that make ideal murder weapons to say nothing of deadly cocktails conjured up to kill weeds. There are mazes to hide in, borders to bury the body in, and an endless supply of historical allusions and poetic inspiration."

She adds that three recent horticultural whodunits all have something to recommend them but none of them quite made a compelling argument for setting their stories in gardens.

Of the three books mentioned, Brazill notes that in Susan Wittig Albert's most recent mystery, Bleeding Hearts with China Bayles, she gets all the garden and herb information correct. In addition, "The very last pages [of the book] contain the lovely lemony recipes that China's catering crew made during the course of the story."

Anthony Eglin's second English Garden mystery, The Lost Gardens, is more problematic. She notes that, "On a visit to the famed English garden Hidcote Manor to show the American homeowner what a grand estate garden looks like, our sleuth points out cherry trees, cannas, oriental poppies and skunk cabbage all apparently blooming at the same time. I don't believe that even the Brits could manage that gardening sleight of hand."

Finally, Brazill looked at Carol Goodman's The Ghost Orchid. She found that the sense of the garden and the detail and description of it overwhelmed the characters. Goodman's earlier mysteries were complex but not confusing, a critical distinction and one that mars The Ghost Orchid. In short, "A glorious mix if a bit of a mess."

Read the entire article, as published on Madison.com, here.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, susan wittig albert, anthony eglin, carol goodman.

Profile: Domenic Stansberry, North Beach Noir

With the publication this month of the second entry in the classical noir North Beach mystery series by Marin County resident Domenic Stansberry, The Big Boom, San Francisco Chronicle writer Carolyn Jones ran a brief profile of this local mystery author.

Stansberry was born in Washington, D.C., but lived in North Beach for many years before moving to Corte Madera. The Big Boom is his sixth published novel. Last year, his book The Confession won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best paperback original mystery novel.

The Big Boom takes place in North Beach during the dot-com heyday, when illusions of never-ending wealth melded with the illusions of San Francisco's most literary neighborhood. Private investigator Dante Mancuso gets a call from the Italian American parents of his childhood sweetheart, a dot-com publicist who's gone missing. Shortly thereafter, a woman's corpse washes up from the bay, and the mystery begins.

Read the entire profile by Carolyn Jones of Domenic Stansberry here.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, domenic stansberry.

Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers (05/12/2006)

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending May 12, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

(The original text of this posting was inadvertantly deleted; the links, however, have been restored.)

Visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books often where we provide readers and collectors of mysteries with the best and most current information about their favorite mystery authors, books, and series.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery bestsellers.

Press Release: A Mystery You Can Only Find in the Public Library

Announcing the release of Glass Chameleon, seventh mystery in the Deets Shanahan Mystery Series. This release discusses the significance of library edition publishing within the context of the mainstream publishing industry.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 11, 2006 — They are rarely reviewed in the mainstream newspapers and seldom found on the bookshelves of Borders or Barnes & Noble. Though available through such online bookstores as Amazon.com, they are books specifically published for libraries.

This is the case for Ronald Tierney’s Deets Shanahan mystery series, the seventh of which — Glass Chameleon — will be released in the U.S. in July. Severn House, a U.K. publisher noted for high-quality, hardback library editions of mysteries, thrillers and other books, picked up the series ten years after the original publisher dropped it.

“This was during the time when many mid-list writers disappeared,” Tierney said about his series that featured a septuagenarian Indianapolis private eye. “I’m glad he’s back. Of course I hope for wider distribution. Nonetheless it’s reassuring that he’s in the libraries. But what this says to mystery lovers who might want to go beyond the mainstream mysteries is ‘Check out your local library. They have books you won’t find anywhere else.’”

Tierney’s new book takes place in his native Indianapolis and pre-Katrina New Orleans.

“I think Glass Chameleon is the most provocative of the Shanahan books,” Tierney continued. “As we’re growing up, we are often advised not to discuss sex, politics and religion in polite company. That’s pretty much what the book is about. It’s not polite. It’s still funny, I hope, but it doesn’t shy away from current controversial issues in the process of finding a murderer.”

Booklist said this about the new book: “A plot chock-a-block with unexpected twists, a succinct writing style…unusual characters, and deadpan humor add up to a top-notch read in Tierney’s still-stellar series.”

To find out more about Severn House and its authors, visit www.severnhouse.com. For more information about Tierney’s Shanahan series, visit www.ronaldtierney.com. Tierney, an Indianapolis native, currently lives in San Francisco where he is working on several fiction projects.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books

News: Tom Selleck Hoping to Star as Jesse Stone for a Long Time

Cynthia Littleton of the Hollywood Reporter writes that Tom Selleck is hoping to continue with the Jesse Stone telefilms as a recurring franchise for CBS. The most recent installment, Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise, was broadcast last week on CBS and earned the best reviews of the three movies so far. It also ranked as CBS' second-most-watched movie of the season with nearly 15 million viewers.

Selleck is quick to give CBS credit for allowing him to make the kind of movies he wants to make with the Stone franchise.

"I don't think you need an explosion in the first 10 minutes," Selleck said. "You don't need to do ripped-from-the-headlines stuff. If the audience likes the character enough, they'll go with you when he goes into a dark room at home alone, pours a scotch and sits down to think a while."

The Jesse Stone mysteries on CBS are based on the novels by best-selling mystery author Robert B. Parker.

Read the entire Hollywood Reporter article, as published on Philly.com, here.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, jesse stone, robert b. parker, tom selleck.

New Feature: Weekly Updates of Online Mystery Reviews

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has added a new feature for our visitors.

In addition to mysteries that we review, every Wednesday we'll post links to other online reviews of recently published mystery books. A brief summary of the review is also provided. (Book titles will be linked to Amazon.com where reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, among others, are also posted.)

We recognize the value of the diversity of opinions reviewers have for mysteries, and look forward to your visits to Mysterious Reviews to keep current on your favorite mystery books, authors, and series characters.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery book reviews.

Mystery Book Review: The Abortionist's Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has published its review of The Abortionist's Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde on its website. For our blog readers, it is reprinted here in its entirety.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Two weeks before Christmas, Diana Duprey, an outspoken abortion doctor, is found floating in her pool, a bruise the size of a golf ball visible through her dark curls. A national figure, Diana inspired passion and ignited tempers, never more so than on the day of her death.

Her husband, Frank, an attorney in the D.A.’s office for more than twenty years, had fought bitterly with her on the day of her murder. Yet to reveal the nature of their fight would cost him not only his career but something greater still—a relationship he will go to any lengths to protect. Diana’s daughter, Megan, a college freshman, had also quarreled with Diana that day, and her role in her mother’s murder will prove more significant than she ever could have anticipated. The Reverend Stephen O’Connell, founder of the town’s pro-life coalition, obviously had issues with Diana, but his anger extended beyond the political to the personal—namely, Dr. Duprey’s involvement with his own troubled teenager. Meanwhile, the detective on the case grapples to make sense of it all. His investigation implicates many in this town and reveals a series of gross miscalculations, each one challenging what we know, or think we know, about community, fidelity, justice, and love.

Review: "... some people had the power to dig themselves into the very deepest part of your brain and stay there until you paid them the attention they demanded."

This passage, from Elisabeth Hyde's stellar mystery The Abortionist's Daughter, a complex character study of people brought together by the murder of Diana Duprey, an abortion provider for a small town outside Denver, can be applied to most of the people in the book and is one of the reasons this is such an intriguing story. As the police investigate the murder, the relationships Diana had with her family and associates are carefully disclosed in a way that adds credibility to the plot and depth to the characters. The conclusion, though not unexpected, is nonetheless startling and dramatically revealed.

The title is something of a misnomer, and unfortunately tends to be erroneously suggestive. Though the daughter plays a prominent role in the book, the title implies the story is about her. It isn't. Furthermore, the use of the word "abortion" in any form is provocative. Some prospective readers may shy away thinking that the story is about abortion. It isn't. When a detective on the case calls the victim an "abortionist", her daughter quickly corrects him: she was an "abortion provider". It was her profession, but Hyde wisely doesn't take sides on the issue primarily because it is largely a plot device, to set up a professional and personal relationship between Diana and the founder of the town's pro-life coalition. It's unclear why either the author or the publisher chose this title as it unnecessarily detracts from an otherwise outstanding work of mystery fiction.

Special thanks to Random House for providing the ARC of The Abortionist's Daughter for this review.

Review Copyright © 2006 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

Visit Mysterious Reviews for other reviews of current and older mystery books.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery book review.

News: Mystery Novelist Herbert Burkholz, 73

Herbert Burkholz, 73, a mystery novelist who briefly was a speechwriter at the Food and Drug Administration in the 1990s, died of lung cancer April 30 at Washington County Hospital in Hagerstown (MD), reports the Washington Post.

Burkholz wrote several mysteries, including a series with a group of mind-reading CIA agents known as "the Sensitives". He also collaborated with Clifford Irving on a number of spy thrillers.

Read the Washington Post's profile of Herbert Burkholz here.

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

News: "Lost" Book Clues in Fans

Bad Twin, written by fictitious Oceanic Flight 815 passenger Gary Troup (an anagram of "purgatory") on the ABC series "Lost", is being billed as the last manuscript from the author, who supposedly dropped the book off at his publisher just days before perishing on the flight.

The plot centers on the detective Paul Artisan who is hired to track down the "bad twin" Zander Widmore by his "good twin" Cliff. Along the way, Artisan enlists the help of a good buddy who just so happens to be well-versed in biblical parables and metaphors on the meaning of life.

Gina Serpe, writing for E! Online, reports that, as expected, Bad Twin is full of references to the prime-time series, including several mentions of the 17th century philosopher John Locke, a makeshift boat named Escape Hatch, allusions to life being complicated and unable to be boiled down to something as simple as, say, "a string of numbers," and of course, most of the action takes place on a mysterious--and fictional--island.

Serpe adds, "For those fans wishing to check out more of Troup's work, they may want to dig up his first novel, The Valenzetti Equation. That is, if it actually existed they might. The book is described as centering on a mathematical equation that predicts the apocalypse, and while no more specifics have been released, it's likely 'Lost' fans could hazard an accurate guess as to which numbers may be involved in the solution."

Read the rest of the E! Online story here.

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

Weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle for 05/08/2006

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 is the title of James O. Born’s second mystery that features FDLE agent Bill Tasker. 9 letters: A C E H K O S V W.

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!

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

Profile: Elaine Viets, author of the Dead-End Job Mysteries

No animals were harmed in the creation of Murder Unleashed, the fifth entry in Elaine Viets' award-winning Dead-End Job mystery series and her first hardcover whodunit. The former St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist-turned-serial mystery writer commits murder in her mind only.

Viets researches all her Dead-End Job mysteries by working the jobs she writes about. Such research doesn't just give Viets an inside look at the occupations in question. It also gives her a megacast of characters.

Viets is a native of St. Louis, though she now lives in Fort Lauderdale with her husband, Don Crinklaw, and her "writing companion," Harry, her rescue cat. She also is the mastermind behind five other mysteries, which are packaged into two other series. Her next book, High Heels Are Murder, is due out in November and features "Mystery Shopper" Josie Marcus.

Read the entire profile of Elaine Viets by Sarah Newman in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and featured on STLtoday.com, here.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, elaine viets.

News: Oxygen Network 2007 Lineup to Include Mystery Series

The Oxygen network announced that it is continuing to re-write the rulebook for womens television with its most ambitious development slate to date for 2007. Included in its plans are pilots for two new mystery series.

Nicky Velnet, a one hour scripted action, drama. Nicky Velvet is a picky crook, who steals the seemingly valueless for a hefty fee of course. Need the water stolen from a swimming pool or the rare ivory comb from a dangerous thugs back pocket? Nicky will execute the job using her intuition and intellect to outsmart her dupe. Based on the 88 mystery books by Edward Hoch.

Robin Hudson Mysteries, a one hour scripted dramedy, mystery. Robin Hudson is a quirky, third-string reporter for the All News Network and just can't seem to win. When she becomes involved in a New Year's Eve murder mystery she discovers her uncanny ability to solve crimes better than the police. Based on the series of books by Sparkle Hayter.

Read about all of the Oxygen network's planned series and movies in The Futon Critic.

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

Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers (05/05/2006)

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending May 05, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

New this week is James Patterson's latest "Beach" thriller, Beach Road. Reviews have been decidedly mixed, with Publisher's Weekly stating, "Bestseller Patterson shows signs of having gone to the well too often in this slapdash collaboration with de Jonge, his coauthor on The Beach House (2002). ... Fans can only hope that Patterson soon returns to the level he achieved with his Alex Cross series."

Also new is Bad Twin , the book tie-in to the ABC series "Lost". Though Gary Troup is a fictional author (the book was written by "a well-known mystery writer"), Hyperion has released the following statement regarding Troup: "It is with a mix of pride and sorrow that Hyperion presents Bad Twin, the last novel by a wonderful author who was taken from us in the very prime of his writing life. As many readers are already aware, Gary Troup has been missing since September 2004, when the jetliner that was carrying him from Sydney to Los Angeles crashed somewhere over the South Pacific. While nothing is more human than to hope for miracles, reason tells us that the author and his fellow-travelers cannot have survived this disaster."

Visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books often where we provide readers and collectors of mysteries with the best and most current information about their favorite mystery authors, books, and series.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery bestsellers.

Online Mystery Book Reviews

Margaret Cannon, Crime Book reviewer for the Globe and Mail, recently published her reviews of 6 new mystery books.

Promise Me, by Harlan Coben, Dutton: "After six years, Harlan Coben brings him back in a story so solid, a plot so complex, that it's one of his best."

Nicotine Kiss, by Loren D. Estleman, Forge: "This is a superb novel, and Estleman's lovely, lyrical writing style makes it a pleasure. There's not a thing to improve."

The Death of Achilles, by Boris Akunin, Random House: "The joy of Akunin's novels isn't just in the plot, although these are superior. He has the same zest for the chase and the sheer fun of it all that makes Holmes so wonderful."

Prior Bad Acts, by Tami Hoag, Bantam: "The opening chapter of this novel is so chilling, some readers will wonder if they can read the whole thing. But I can promise that, by page six, they will be gripped, spellbound, held to the page. Hoag is a fine writer, but this is her best book by far."

Debts of Dishonor, by Jill Paton Walsh, St. Martin's Press: "This novel marks the return of her Cambridge sleuth, Imogene Quy, and it's as good an update of Dorothy L. as you are ever likely to see."

Oh Danny Boy, by Rhys Bowen, St. Martin's Press: "This is a slight novel with a bit of a romance in the plot, a lot of fun and some terrific historical writing. Fans of the British cozy will love it, and so will readers of historical fiction."

Read her complete reviews here.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, book review.

Mystery Trivia for May 2006

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has posted new mystery trivia questions for May 2006.

What well-known mystery author has been published under the pseudonyms Richard Stark, Tucker Coe, Samual Holt, and others?

What is the title of his first book published, under his real name, by Random House in 1960?

Visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books to see the answers to these questions as well as previous mystery book trivia questions from prior months.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery trivia.

Press Release: Top Mystery Author to Head "Line-Up" for Murder in the Grove

(OPENPRESS) April 26, 2006 -- One of the world's best known and best-selling mystery authors, Anne Perry, will make a rare visit to Boise to take part in a bit of murder, mayhem, and fun at Murder in the Grove 2006, to be held June 2-3. Murder in the Grove, the northwest’s only annual mystery conference, caters to both fans and writers of mystery fiction.

Perry has sold more than twenty million books. She writes the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, and the Inspector William Monk series, both set in Victorian England, a third series which takes place in England during World War I, and has written a number of stand-alone books as well. Born in England, Anne Perry has lived in the United States and New Zealand. She presently makes her home in Scotland.

The public is invited to meet Perry and the other mystery authors at a book fair and dessert party at Barnes & Noble on Friday, June 2 at 7 p.m. On Saturday, June 3, Murder in the Grove convenes from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Centre on the Grove with programs for both mystery fans and writers. Agents and editors will meet with authors looking for representation.

Local mystery authors Joanne Pence, Deborah Donnelly, Catherine Mulvany, and Kelly Jones plus authors C.J. Box, Carolyn Wheat, Bob Wiebezahl, Kirk Russell, Aileen Baron, Mary Buckham, Sylvia Hubbard, Larry Karp, Con Lehane, Rae Monet, Twist Phelan, J.D. Rhoades, Michael W. Sherer, Denise Swanson, Pari Noskin Taichert, and Pat White will join Perry as presenters at Murder in the Grove. Author/editor Denise Dietz will represent Five Star Press. Literary agents Meredith Bernstein and Jo Grossman will speak with aspiring writers. Forensic artist Carrie Stuart-Parks, DNA expert Dr. Greg Hampikian, and private investigator, Valerie Agosta will present workshops on crime investigation. For her contribution to the field of mystery, Sara Paretsky will receive the 2006 Ridley Award in absentia due to a recent injury.

For more information about the two-day conference, local authors Joanne Pence (Joanne@joannepence.com or 208/938-5995, website: www.joannepence.com), and Tammy Cooper (tlcooper@tlcooper.com or 208/375-8230, website: www.tlcooper.com) may be contacted at any time, or visit www.murderinthegrove.com.

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

The Mystery Bookshelf: New Titles for May 2006

The Mystery Bookshelf has updated its list of new paperback titles to include those to be released in May 2006.

Visit The Mystery Bookshelf to browse mass market paperback mysteries published since December 2005. (Older mysteries are moved to the archives which are searchable and still available from The Mystery Bookshelf.)

For each mystery, you can see the book cover, an overview of the book (synopsis), and notes about the book. For example, if the mystery is part of a series, the entry in that series is given.

Please visit The Mystery Bookshelf often! We are commited to providing readers of popular mysteries with the best and most current information about their favorite mystery authors, books, and series.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, paperback mysteries.

Weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle for 05/01/2006

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: Theresa Monsour's 3rd mystery featuring St. Paul homicide detective Sgt. Paris Murphy had this title. 9 letters: A D E H K O R S U.

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!

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

New Monthly Mystery Book Contest for May 2006

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has posted the May Mystery Book Contest on its website. Enter daily for your chance to win a signed hardcover copy of No Second Chance by Harlan Coben. Entries will be accepted through the end of May.

Check the mysterious winners page for winners of all contests sponsored by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books. Thanks to all for participating!

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery book contest, harlan coben.

News: MWA 2006 Edgar Award Winners

The Mystery Writers of America held its annual banquet last night at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York and announced the winners of the 2006 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television and film published or produced in 2005.

Best Novel: Citizen Vince by Jess Walter (Regan Books)

Best First Novel By An American Author: Officer Down by Theresa Schwegel (St. Martin's Minotaur)

Best Paperback Original: Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford (Dark Alley)

Best Critical/Biographical: Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak (Harcourt)

Best Fact Crime: Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick (HarperCollins)

Best Short Story: "The Catch" - Greatest Hits by James W. Hall (Carroll & Graf)

Best Young Adult: Last Shot by John Feinstein (Knopf Books for Young Readers)

Best Juvenile: The Boys of San Joaquin by D. James Smith (Simon & Schuster Children's Books)

Best Play: Matter of Intent by Gary Earl Ross (Theater Loft)

Best Television Episode Teleplay: Sea of Souls - "Amulet" Teleplay by Ed Whitmore

Best Motion Picture Screen Play: Syriana - Screenplay by Stephen Gaghan, based on the book by Robert Baer (Warner Brothers)

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books offers its congratulations to all nominees and winners!

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, edgar awards.

Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers (04/28/2006)

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending April 28, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Topping the charts at both Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com:

Promise Me by Harlan Coben, the 8th mystery to feature sports and entertainment agent Myron Bolitar after a 6 year absense. Publishers Weekly states, "Coben fans will find much to enjoy in this well-crafted suspense novel, which has a startling final twist."

Also, for the first time in many months, the top five books on the New York Time Bestseller List are all mysteries.

Visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books often where we provide readers and collectors of mysteries with the best and most current information about their favorite mystery authors, books, and series.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery bestsellers.

News: Random House Announces New Imprint: Mortalis

Random House has announced it is launching a new imprint, Mortalis, that will reissue classic and out-of-print mystery titles together with paperback originals. Set to start in spring of 2007, Mortalis will be republishing such classic mystery writers as Martin Cruz Smith, P. D. James, Agatha Christie and Wilkie Collins. Three original paperback titles will also be published: Boris Akunin's Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog, David Corbett's Blood of Paradise, and Alex Carr's An Accidental American.

Jane von Mehren, Random House trade paperbacks vice-president and publisher, said the new imprint is intended to bring authors who have appeared largely in mass market into trade paperback. The idea, she said, is to find authors who might benefit in a different format.

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

Press Release: Bay Area Author Creates Art Forger Alter-Ego in Feint of Art, Her Debut Mystery

Visit the world of art fakes, forgers, and felons with the new Annie Kincaid Art Mystery series. San Francisco Bay Area faux finisher has released her debut novel, Feint of Art, in which an ex-forger tries to go straight in the City by the Bay.


Oakland (HELIOGRAPHICA NEWS) 4/18/06 -- (HELIOGRAPHICA NEWS) -- Oakland artist Julie Goodson-Lawes began painting forgeries as a young girl. "In the old days, painters trained themselves by copying famous artists. I skipped art school in favor of learning by mimicry as well." Her abilities as a copyist led naturally to a career as a decorative painter and muralist. "If you want a Monet covering the bathroom walls or your daughter's portrait in the style of John Singer Sargent, I'm the artist to call."

After more than a decade as a professional painter-for-hire Goodson-Lawes used her insider knowledge of painting techniques and her interest in art forgery to write a novel on the subject. She paired up with her sister Carolyn, a historian, to pen the Annie Kincaid Mystery Series under the pseudonym Hailey Lind. The first in the series, Feint of Art, is now available in stores everywhere.

Feint of Art is a humorous take on the very real world of art forgery and theft. "The stories are based on actual events and characters " this is a fascinating realm of underground talent, runaway greed, and worldwide smuggling." Interpol estimates that art crime is the third most lucrative international crime, right after drugs and arms smuggling.

Goodson-Lawes brings her insider knowledge of art forgery techniques to the books. Feint of Art's main character, Annie Kincaid, learned art forgery at the knee of her grandfather Georges, a famous and unrepentant forger. Because Annie knows how to copy art, she also understands how to recognize forgeries and uses this ability to track down stolen paintings and drawings. "Forgers need a great deal of talent to copy the "signature" of a particular artist. They also need to understand the history of art so that they don't make easily identifiable gaffes like using pigments that weren't produced until after their painting was supposedly created. Then there are other basic forgery skills that are easy for an artist to master, such as how to make paper look old and how to force cracks into varnish. There are actual "how-to" handbooks on the subject."

Throughout the book Annie's grandfather offers insights into the world of art forgery, while artistic techniques and the histories of several famous paintings are discussed. The book also includes Annie's basic recipe for faux finishing walls and furniture.

For further information visit www.haileylind.com. Feint of Art, first in the new Annie Kincaid Art Mystery Series Available in paperback, $6.99; 328pp. Signet Mystery (January 3, 2006) ISBN 0-451-21699-7.

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Profile: Fame & Fortune - Author Carol Higgins Clark

Jay MacDonald of Bankrate.com (not your typical website for mystery author profiles!) recently interviewed Carol Higgins Clark, author of the Los Angeles private eye Regan Reilly mystery series and daughter of bestselling suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark.

MacDonald writes that growing up in New Jersey, Carol had her sights set on an acting career. When her mother was having trouble finding time to launch a literary career and work full time to support her five children, Carol volunteered to retype her manuscripts which quickly became runaway bestsellers. When an editor suggested that Carol try her hand at her mother's trade, she did so, giving it her own humorous spin.

Mother and daughter have teamed up on three best-selling holiday suspense novels, Deck the Halls, He Sees You When You're Sleeping and The Christmas Thief. In Carol's latest Regan Reilly adventure, Hitched (the title of all her mysteries are a single word ending in "-ed"), she marries her heroine to steady boyfriend Jack "No Relation" Reilly, ushering in a new chapter to her popular series.

Read his entire in-depth interview here.

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Weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle for 04/24/2006

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 Dashiell Hammett episodic mystery, released in 1929, was made into a miniseries in 1978 (with “The”). 9 letters: A C D E I N R S U.

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!

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Online Reviews for The Virgin of Small Plains

Two reviews for Nancy Pickard's stand-alone suspense book The Virgin of Small Plains have recently appeared online.


Synopsis (from the publisher): Small Plains, Kansas, January 23, 1987: In the midst of a deadly blizzard, eighteen-year-old Rex Shellenberger scours his father’s pasture, looking for helpless newborn calves. Then he makes a shocking discovery: the naked, frozen body of a teenage girl, her skin as white as the snow around her. Even dead, she is the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. It is a moment that will forever change his life and the lives of everyone around him. The mysterious dead girl–the “Virgin of Small Plains”–inspires local reverence. In the two decades following her death, strange miracles visit those who faithfully tend to her grave; some even believe that her spirit can cure deadly illnesses. Slowly, word of the legend spreads.

But what really happened in that snow-covered field? Why did young Mitch Newquist disappear the day after the Virgin’s body was found, leaving behind his distraught girlfriend, Abby Reynolds? Why do the town’s three most powerful men–Dr. Quentin Reynolds, former sheriff Nathan Shellenberger, and Judge, Tom Newquist–all seem to be hiding the details of that night?

Seventeen years later, when Mitch suddenly returns to Small Plains, simmering tensions come to a head, ghosts that had long slumbered whisper anew, and the secrets that some wish would stay buried rise again from the grave of the Virgin. Abby–never having resolved her feelings for Mitch–is now determined to uncover exactly what happened so many years ago to tear their lives apart.

Three families and three friends, their worlds inexorably altered in the course of one night, must confront the ever-unfolding consequences in award-winning author Nancy Pickard’s remarkable novel of suspense. Wonderfully written and utterly absorbing, The Virgin of Small Plains is about the loss of faith, trust, and innocence . . . and the possibility of redemption.

From Ron Bernas of the Detroit Free Press: "Pickard keeps the surprises coming and the tension high all the way to the end. Several explanations of the night seem plausible, so anything seems possible, to Pickard's credit." He concludes, The Virgin of Small Plains "stands out from the pack." Read the entire review here.

From Dorman T. Shindler, special to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "With its perfectly sketched scenes (the ice storm that opens the novel, a moving scene of teenage love, another of a character defying Thomas Wolfe's missive about going home), sharply drawn characters and finely painted plot, The Virgin of Small Plains is a truly suspenseful novel." Read the entire review here.

Read a recent profile of Nancy Pickard here.

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Profile: Mystery Writer Finds a Beloved Character: Kansas

Dorman T. Shindler, special to Kansas City Star (and reprinted online at Philly.com), recently profiled mystery writer Nancy Pickard.

Shindler writes that four years ago Nancy Pickard was still hesitantly talking about writing her long-planned “Kansas novel.” Now she’s fielding offers from Hollywood and selling foreign reprint rights to publishers in dozens of countries. All because of her new, mainstream suspense novel, The Virgin of Small Plains.

Why didn’t she write about her home state before? Pickard replies, “It took me a long time to admit that I really love Kansas. I think I had sort of that feeling that (her character) Mitch had: It sort of galls to admit it. Plus we get so much bad P.R.!” Pickard adds with a laugh. And yet, along with the well-drawn characters Pickard manages to make the Sunflower State a supporting character.

Nancy Pickard is the author of the award-winning Jenny Cain mystery series as well as the Marie Lightfoot trilogy.

Read the rest of the profile of Nancy Pickard here. Also, read a summary of recent online reviews of The Virgin of Small Plains here.

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Games of Mystery Website Adds Links to Online Games

Games of Mystery, a website designed to provide visitors with information about all types of mystery-themed games including games for the PC, board games, and mystery parties for adults, teens, and children, has added links to online and downloadable games.

The popular Inspector Parker and Mystery Case Files: Huntsville games are currently available. The new Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects game will be added soon (see press release on this game). Other online games will be added over the next few weeks.

Visit Games of Mystery often to see what's new in mystery games!

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Press Release: Big Fish Studios Releases Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects

SEATTLE, April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Fish Studios, the game development division of Big Fish Games, today launched Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects, a thrilling game that puts game players in the role of a Master Detective. This title is the second in the Mystery Case Files series, a highly-anticipated sequel to Big Fish Studios' most successful game to date, Mystery Case Files: Huntsville, which broke all previous sales records, bringing in more than $2.4 million in the first four months.

"After we finished Huntsville, we hired more artists and diligently started working on the sequel," said Patrick Wylie, Vice President of Big Fish Studios. "The players have been e-mailing us on a daily basis, trying to see when Prime Suspects was going to launch. Their wait will be worth it."

"We finally got to put everything in Prime Suspects that we wanted to put into Huntsville," said Adrian Woods, the game's designer. "It's great to see players enjoying the added gameplay twists, as well as the collection of outlandish suspects. We're looking forward to challenging the audience with additional Mystery Case Files episodes in the near future."

Mystery Case Files is quickly establishing itself as a powerful brand and franchise from Big Fish Games. Mystery Case Files: Huntsville has been enjoyed by more than 8 million consumers, boasts more than 15 million crimes solved, and has remained the top download on almost all game portals that have released it, including AOL Games, Yahoo! Games, MSN Games, Pogo, Big Fish Games, Game Fiesta, Arcade Town, and Shockwave.

At 7am on April 6, Big Fish Games made Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects available on their Web site and reported record sales throughout the day, hitting a peak of 3.3 games per minute. If these pre-release numbers are any indication, Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects looks set to take the casual gaming industry by storm.

"Mystery Case Files: Huntsville has been one of our most successful games released," said Brandon Ross, Senior Content Producer at Yahoo! Games. "Judging from the new plot points and stunning screen shots we've seen, Prime Suspects appears to be another candidate for popularity on Yahoo! Games."

"The next installment looks to be bigger and better than its acclaimed predecessor," said Marc Saltzman, Casual Game Reviewer with online magazine Gamezebo. "Whether or not you've played Mystery Case Files: Huntsville, be on the lookout for Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects, as it looks to be a fun, challenging, and fresh game to help unleash your inner detective."

Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects transports game fanatics to Capital City, USA, a large metropolis where the Queen's Hope Diamond, on loan from Her Majesty the Queen, was just stolen from the Piazza Gallery Museum. Your job, as Master Detective, is to investigate all of the usual suspects and whittle them down to the five Prime Suspects. Perform thorough investigations, find the culprit, and recover the stolen gem.

There are plenty of suspects to eliminate and clues to search for within the game's 22 ever-changing levels -- a strong lure for players who seek long-term replayability. Adventure-style game mechanics enhance the gameplay by having players search for items which unlock subsequent levels. Thousands of constantly transforming clues are cleverly hidden throughout the beautiful illustrations in each of the 29 unique locations, creating a new experience each time you play. The stunning graphics are further enhanced by the original music, infused with immersive-environment audio and sound effects.

Big Fish Games Studios is dedicated to creating a diverse array of innovative, high-quality games that spur imagination and captivate players. By providing immersive gameplay in an accessible environment, Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects is poised to exceed the previous successes of titles from Big Fish Games Studios, including the best-selling community game Mahjong Towers Eternity, the beautiful Fairies and the innovative Magic Vines.

About Big Fish Games

Big Fish Games, Inc., a developer, publisher, and distributor of casual, family-friendly games, has one of the biggest and highest quality game catalogs on the Internet with over 300 titles, a global network reach of over 25 million monthly unique users, and distribution partners such as Nickelodeon and http://www.ivillage.com/. Through the efforts of a network of more than 300 game development partners, Big Fish Games offers consumers "A New Game Every Day" and makes acquiring and playing internet delivered downloadable and online games a safe, easy and reliable experience.

Big Fish Games has emerged as one of the world's largest and fastest-growing casual game destinations as measured by unique monthly users via comScore Media Metrix 2005 traffic reports. With help from leading game sites like Big Fish Games, Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN Games, Electronic Arts' Pogo, and AOL Games, the online games industry has grown from obscurity to a thriving, rapidly-growing market. Online games revenue reached $700 million in 2004 according to reports from IDC, a global market intelligence and advisory firm, and is projected to grow to $2.2 billion by 2008.

Big Fish Games, "Where the World Goes to Play." Visit Big Fish Games at http://www.bigfishgames.com/.

Website: http://www.bigfishgames.com/

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New Mystery Hardcover Titles for May 2006

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has prepared a list of new hardcover mystery books for May 2006. This is the first of three anticipated updates to this list.

Too many mysteries, too little time ...

The Art of Detection by Laurie R. King, in which San Francisco homicide detective Kate Martinelli crosses paths with Sherlock Holmes–in a spellbinding dual mystery. Fifth book in this series.

The Hard Way by Lee Child. On the trail of a vicious kidnapper, Jack Reacher is learning the chilling secrets of his employer's past ... and of a horrific drama in the heart of a nasty little war. Tenth mystery in this series.

Bad Twin by Gary Troup. The "Lost" mystery, a suspenseful novel that touches on many powerful themes, including the consequence of vengeance, the power of redemption, and where to turn when all seems lost.

Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon, the 15th mystery in the outstanding Commissario Guido Brunetti series, set in Venice. Read a review of this book by Mysterious Reviews.

The Bookwoman's Last Fling by John Dunning. Sixth mystery in the Cliff Janeway series, this one rich with the lore of both books and horses.

... and many, many more!

Mass market paperback mysteries for May 2006 will be posted next week on the new Mystery Bookshelf.

Visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books often to keep current on your favorite mystery authors and series.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, new mystery books, new mystery titles, new mysteries.

Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers (04/21/2006)

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending April 21, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Notable this week on the lists:

Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith, the latest installment in the bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Library Journal states, "... the seventh novel in this series is just as entertaining as the previous six." And Kirkus Reviews adds, "The denouement, which brings Mma Ramotswe face to face with evil, is the perfect climax to a tale as refreshing as a month in the country-the country of Botswana."

Visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books often where we provide readers and collectors of mysteries with the best and most current information about their favorite mystery authors, books, and series.

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New Website: The Mystery Bookshelf

A new website has been launched that provides a convenient list of recently published mass market mystery paperbacks.

The Mystery Bookshelf may be browsed by author, series character, or date of publication. A detailed description of each book including a depiction of the book cover and synopsis can be viewed by clicking on the mystery book title. Mystery titles on this website are updated frequently, and remain available for browsing for at least six months. (Older mysteries are moved to the archives.)

Notes are appended after the synopsis of the mystery book. These notes typically include what entry the book is in the mystery series, any awards the book may have won, if a hardcover edition is available, or interesting facts about the author.

Links are provided to purchase the books from Amazon.com.

The Mystery Bookshelf is commited to providing readers of popular mysteries with the best and most current information about their favorite mystery authors, books, and series. Please visit often!

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, paperback mysteries.

Profile: Down East Mystery Blends Home Repair, Homicide

Nancy Grape of Freeport (ME), freelance writer for Maine Today, recently wrote a profile of the author of the "Home Repair is Homicide" mystery series, Sarah Graves.

According to Grape, a mystery by Graves "... comes with an authentic Maine setting." The "Home Repair is Homicide"mysteries are typically set in Eastport, Maine.

"In 1823, Eastport's harbor was so busy, people said you could walk across the bay on the decks of ships waiting to come in," Graves writes. "Now a single scallop-dragger motored on it toward the Canadian shore."

In Graves' most recent mystery, Nail Biter, hyper-energetic Jake Tiptree and her best friend Ellie White have bought a run-down cottage in Quoddy Village that they plan to fix up and sell. Those plans give way, however, when requests to rent the cottage prove too enticing. And Jake and Ellie find themselves hosts to a group dallying with witchcraft.

Grape concludes her profile with, "Graves has crafted a mystery that blends home-based craftsmanship with the puzzle of a well-flavored mystery. She has also breathed life into characters who are Maine strong, not just in muscle but in integrity. Her heroine, a former money manager on Wall Street, is bright, perceptive and courageous. And she gets the job done, whether it means using her hands or her head."

Read the entire profile of Sarah Graves here.

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Weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle for 04/17/2006

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 Darren Williams second mystery and winner of the Australian/Vogel Literary Award. 9 letters: A B C D E L N T U.

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!

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

Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers (04/14/2006)

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending April 14, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Two "dark" mysteries make an appearance on the lists this week.

Dark Harbor by Stuart Woods, the 12th mystery to feature attorney Stuart Barrington. Stone enters the picturesque town Dark Harbor off the coast of Maine, where the shocking deaths of three people have cast a long shadow over this island haven-a locale as mysterious as it is exclusive.

Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson, the 11th culinary mystery featuring caterer Goldy Schulz. Kirkus Reviews states, "Goldy and her coterie always provide some enjoyable moments, although the mind-boggling denouement may send you to the kitchen to try the 11 appended recipes."

Visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books often where we provide readers and collectors of mysteries with the best and most current information about their favorite mystery authors, books, and series.

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Press Release: Chicago Area Author, Morgan Mandel, Shares Marshall Field's Memories In Two Wrongs, Her Debut Mystery

The Big Tree, the Walnut Room, Snowmen ice cream creations and Frango mints are some of the memories associated with Marshall Field's on State Street and shared by the author, Morgan Mandel, in her recently released mystery, Two Wrongs. Though fast paced, Two Wrongs slows down long enough for the reader to catch unique glimpses into Chicago lore and landmarks while relating its story of revenge and the healing power of love.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 10, 2006 -- With Chicago as a backdrop, the recently released Two Wrongs by Morgan Mandel explores the effects of wrongful imprisonment from both sides of the spectrum.

A brother seeks to avenge his sister's death by mistakenly identifying the wrong killer. When the wrongfully accused's innocence is proven and he's released from prison, it's too late. He's already been corrupted. Revenge takes him and his accuser to the final showdown at Marshall Field's. The action begins at the Walnut Room continues on to the Frango mints department, escalates up and down the escalators and climaxes on the atrium balcony overlooking the Burnham Fountain.

DePaul University, Chase Park, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, and other familiar Chicago landmarks are also included in Two Wrongs to provide the reader with a taste of nostalgia along with a shiver of trepidation.

This book is available in electronic form or trade paperback from the publisher at http://www.hardshell.com/. Also in paperback from Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com, Ingram's and your favorite bookstore by order.

Paperback ISBN#0-7599-4065-7
Electronic ISBN#0-7599-4062-2

For links to reviews and further information on Two Wrongs see http://www.morganmandel.com/

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Profile: Sue Grafton Solves Her Literary Problem

Jennifer Hewlett, of the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader, recently wrote a profile of Sue Grafton, author of the Kinsey Millhone mystery series, the most recent of which is "S" is for Silence.

Now the author, who figures it will take her 10 to 12 years to finish the alphabet, is on her seventh or so go at "T."

"I am struggling with 'T.' Why would I not?" she said.

With each book in the series, writing has become more difficult, she said.

The former hospital secretary holds a bachelor's degree in English with minors in fine arts and humanities from the University of Louisville. Her father, the late C. W. Grafton, a municipal bond attorney in Louisville, also wrote mystery fiction.

"I started my first novel when I was 22 years old. That one was never published," said Grafton, who turns 66 on April 24. She wrote two more books that went unpublished. Her fourth and fifth books were published when she was in her 20s. Her sixth and seventh books went unpublished. Grafton's eighth book was "A" Is for Alibi, the first in her highly successful Kinsey Millhone mystery series.

"I started writing in 1962 seriously and didn't publish 'A' until '82," she said. "You teach yourself to write by writing badly for a very long period of time."

Read Hewlett's entire profile of Sue Grafton here.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, sue grafton.

Weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle for 04/10/2006

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 John Sandford’s sixth mystery to feature Lucas Davenport. 9 letters: A B C D E L N T U.

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!

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

Press Release: Best-Selling Author James Byron Huggins to Release New Book, Sorcerer

(OPENPRESS) April 6, 2006 -- This April, best-selling author James Byron Huggins will release his third Whitaker House title, Sorcerer.

Ex-detective Michael Thorn has retired from the police force, and is eager to lead a normal life for once. His days of fighting to protect the innocent are over. But his “retirement” isn’t going to be the long-deserved rest he expected. His new home in rural New England has many strange stories surrounding it. But those are all just rumors…right? Then he discovers the skeleton in the basement and realizes the rumors are true. When the skeleton mysteriously disappears, Thorn is faced with an ancient mystery—one that leads to an even more ancient foe: the same sorcerer who fought Moses! Now, to protect his family, Thorn must figure out how a sorcerer from ancient Egypt ended up in America and how to defeat him before he regains his full power and wreaks havoc on the world. Thorn has help from a wise professor, a devout priest, and a sect of warriors sworn to protect the church. But will they be enough?

In the end, Thorn will face even larger questions—of good and evil, of God and the devil.

Best-known by his good vs. evil plots of historical or political significance, Sorcerer is only the latest title to follow best-sellers Nightbringer, Rora, and Cain. Of his novels, Amazon.com says, “Huggins can make the most outlandish material instantly credible by creating scenes of great power and imagination.”

A veteran novelist, James Byron Huggins’ life story reads more like fiction than fact. After working as a newspaper reporter, Huggins left journalism to help persecuted Christians in eastern Europe. From Texas, he worked with the Christian underground in the Iron Curtain, spending his life savings and becoming homeless. Huggins left America to offer assistance to Romanian Christians. He often remained hidden for days at a time in order to survive. After returning home, Huggins again worked as a journalist before becoming a policeman. Huggins then left law enforcement to pursue full-time writing.

Sorcerer is Huggins second 2006 release. In January his conspiracy novel, The Scam, was introduced.

Joy Ike Publicist
Whitaker House
1030 Hunt Valley Circle
New Kensington, PA 15068
Ph: 800.444.4484
E-mail: joy@whitakerhouse.com
http://www.whitakerhouse.com

###Professional Free Press Release News Wire

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Online Mystery Book Reviews

A couple of reviews for recently published mystery books have appeared in the press online.

From the Monterrey Herald website, a review of Cherry Cheesecake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery with Recipes by Joanne Fluke. "Along with this scrumptious and very satisfying mystery, the author includes 14 recipes for treats and desserts. Even if the story isn't something you devour with gusto, perhaps the peanut butter and jam cookies, the chocolate truffles, lemon crème torte or mini cherry cheesecakes will satisfy your sweet tooth."

From the Philadelphia Inquirer website, a review of Prior Bad Acts by Tami Hoag. "The gritty criminal element is made tangible without gratuitous gore, and the suspense will keep the most astute of mystery readers guessing until the gripping conclusion. Readers beware: Don't begin this novel unless you have plenty of time to finish it, because you likely won't be able to put it down."

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, joanne fluke, tami hoag.

Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers (04/07/2006)

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending April 07, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website. Not much has changed from last week.

Visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books often where we provide readers and collectors of mysteries with the best and most current information about their favorite mystery authors, books, and series.

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Mystery Trivia for April 2006

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has posted new mystery trivia questions for April 2006.

Janet Evanovich, author of the Stephanie Plum mysteries, recently introduced a new series character in Metro Girl. What is her name?

Janet Evanovich broke into the world of fiction with a small category romance titled Hero at Large. Under what pen name did she write this book?

Visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books to see the answers to these questions as well as previous mystery book trivia questions from prior months.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery trivia, janet evanovich.