Friday, July 14, 2006

Profile: Lauren E. Smith, Author of Ashley Enright Investigations

Lauren E. Smith didn't have to look very far to find her first editor, writes Katherine Lewis of the Naples (FL) Daily News. Her 10-year old nephew was happy to read her first book. His enthusiastic response prompted Smith to submit her manuscript for publication, the result being her first children's mystery, Ashley Enright Investigations.

Ashley Enright Investigations by Lauren E. SmithSynopsis from Publish America, Smith's publisher: Ashley isn’t nosey, just curious and intelligent. When she looks out her bedroom window one night, she notices a light flickering in the window of an abandoned lighthouse. She knows that something is not right, but doesn’t want to call the police just yet. Ashley investigates the mystery with her best friend, Josh Stewart, who draws comic books featuring superheroes. What the two friends discover at the lighthouse in Donnybrook will change someone’s life forever.

In her article, Lewis continues that Smith, a fan of mysteries herself, wanted to share her love of the genre with children. "I wanted to tap into innocence and be creative. I also wanted to write a book that didn't have the violence that so many books do," she said. "The characters will tell me when I am done," she adds. "Ashley is 12 years old and I want to keep the characters around that age."

Ashley Enright Investigations has been a success for Smith who has signed a contract to get the second book of the series published. Ashley Enright and the Mystery at Millers Pond should be available early next year.

Read the rest of the profile of Lauren E. Smith on NaplesNews.com here.

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Thursday, July 13, 2006

Self Publish Mysteries Adds Current News Articles

Self Publish MysteriesSelf Publish Mysteries, a comprehensive source of articles, books, news, resources, and websites for authors who want to write and self-publish their mystery books, has added a new feature to keep you current on this rapidly expanding business: self publishing news articles from around the world.

Each week, Self Publish Mysteries will provide links to the most relevent new articles on writing and self publishing from a wide variety of online sources. While the emphasis will be on selecting news that is most relevant to mystery books, any writer or self publisher will find the articles interesting and informative.

In addition, Self Publish Mysteries will soon be expanding its list of online resources to better serve writers of all genres. Look for updates in this section next week!

Self Publish Mysteries is a member of the Mystery Nexus family of websites for readers and collectors of mysteries and detective fiction.

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Press Release: Nancy Drew Danger by Design from Her Interactive Goes Gold

Games of MysteryWorld’s Favorite Female Sleuth Embarks on Fourteenth PC Mystery Next Month

Bellevue, WA, July 11, 2006 – Never fashionably late, Her Interactive today announced Nancy Drew: Danger by Design has gone gold. The fourteenth installment in the award-winning mystery series that has sold more than 3 million units worldwide, Nancy Drew: Danger by Design will be available nationwide at the end of this month.

Nancy Drew 14: Danger by Design“From the start, Her Interactive has been committed to high quality design and production values for each successive Nancy Drew PC game, and more importantly, increasing the fun,” said Megan Gaiser, president and CEO of Her Interactive. “With its immersive storyline, rich character development, intuitive interface and vivid graphics, Nancy Drew: Danger by Design underscores our commitment to quality, and we are excited that the game will be released right on schedule.”

Nancy Drew: Danger by Design finds Nancy in Paris where she was sent by a nervous investor to check on Minette, a leading fashion designer whose strange, unexplained behavior may delay her Spring Collection and potentially derail the fashion house. Strange threats and unwelcome guests arrive for Minette. Unsettling rumors dating back to an unsolved, historic mystery distract Nancy from the current task at hand.

As Nancy, players will sort through the web of suspects to look for clues. From Minette’s old flame Dieter von Schwesterkrank to gorgeous model Jing-Jing Ling, deceit is woven deep within the fashion industry. Whether exploring the underground catacombs or abandoned metro stations for clues, players will need to rely on their powers of observation and deductive reasoning to solve this international mystery, and help Minette launch her Spring Collection on time.

Rated “E” for Everyone, Nancy Drew: Danger by Design will be available nationwide this month for a suggested retail price of $19.99. More information about Her Interactive and the Company’s entire line of exciting Nancy Drew games can be found online at www.herinteractive.com.

Order your copy of Nancy Drew: Danger by Design today! Find information about the entire series of Nancy Drew mystery games and more at Games of Mystery.

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Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Mystery Book Review: When Good Bras Go Bad by Gayle Trent

Mysterious ReviewsMysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of When Good Bras Go Bad by Gayle Trent. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

When Good Bras Go Bad by Gayle TrentSynopsis (from the publisher): Myrtle Crumb, the sassy sixty-something sleuth, must go undercover in the middle school cafeteria to prove her granddaughter is not a thief. Still, Sunny knows more than she's telling: and it's starting to affect her relationship with her grandmother. Is Sunny's new friend Alicia the thief? If so, how far will Sunny go to protect her? Sunny might be fixing to learn a powerful lesson: that betrayal "is like when a good bra goes bad. First it lets you down, and then that underwire pokes you right in the heart."

Review: Gayle Trent's delightful second mystery in the Myrtle Crumb series, When Good Bras Go Bad, is a joy to read. It is, in a word, exceptional. Fully developed characters, a well thought out plot, expressive and eloquent dialog, are all deftly composed in a book that runs less than 100 pages. Ironically, it may take longer to read When Good Bras Go Bad than a book three times as long, if only to savor every word.

As a mystery, Trent has included the appropriate suspense elements, but there are comedic moments as well: Myrtle musing about boob trenches is laugh out loud funny! At its core, however, When Good Bras Go Bad is a story about relationships.

Trent helpfully includes insightful reading group questions at the conclusion of the book that should serve as the basis for some interesting discussions.

When Good Bras Go Bad is a gem of a mystery for all readers, regardless of preferred genre. It is enthusiastically recommended.

Special thanks to Grace Abraham Publishing for providing a copy of When Good Bras Go Bad for this review.

Review Copyright © 2006 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

Visit for other reviews of current and upcoming mystery books. The is commited to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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News: Publisher Dabbles in Murder and Mayhem

A few days ago, we published a news report on Felony & Mayhem Press, a small publisher in Greenwich Village that specializes in publishing out-of-print mysteries. At the Houston Chronicle, we found a similar article on Busted Flesh Press owner David Thompson. Busted Flesh Press expects to primarily publish crime novels that have slipped out of print

Chronicle writer Fritz Lanham writes that mystery fans will recognize the name as an homage to one of Thompson's favorite authors, John D. MacDonald, whose sleuth Travis McGee lives on the Busted Flush, a houseboat he won in a poker game.

Thompson, the longtime publicity manager at Houston's Murder by the Book, said frustration at seeing wonderful books go out of print prompted him to launch Busted Flush, adds Lanham.

He plans to release about six books a year in trade paperback, each retailing for between $15 and $18. He'll also do occasional limited editions — hardcover books priced at $175 — for the collectors' market.

Read this entire article on Chron.com here.

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: Mystery At Mansfield Manor Brings Intrigue To The Internet

Toronto's SR Entertainment Inc. Unveils Online Interactive Murder Mystery Movie

TORONTO, July 11 /CNW/ - SR Entertainment Inc. is ready to test your deductive skills with the launch of its new website Mystery at Mansfield Manor. Mystery at Mansfield Manor is an online, live-action interactive murder mystery movie. Hailed as a unique blend of Clue(TM) and a choose-your-own-adventure movie, the mystery gets underway witha click of a mouse button.

"On the eve of his forced early retirement Detective Frank Mitchell is sent to Mansfield Manor to solve the murder of wealthy oil industrialist Colin Mansfield Sr. After arriving at the manor, the viewer begins to take control over his actions," says Rory Scherer, producer and screenwriter for Mystery at Mansfield Manor. "Essentially, the viewer takes on the role of the lead character, Detective Mitchell, and must solve the murder before the story's midnight deadline."

MysteryAtMansfieldManor.com is a unique business model: once the viewer visits the website, a 10 minute introduction video plays in which Detective Mitchell interrogates the first suspect, Anna Mitrov, the victim's maid. She reveals her version of the evening through flashbacks and the clues start to roll in. After the introduction, the viewer pays a nominal $4.99 fee to continue the game and receives 72 hours of unlimited access to the complete website, including a Bonus Materials section with a behind-the-scenes documentary and photo gallery.

Gameplay progresses as the player interrogates suspects and eventually arrests one. Some suspects lie, others are truthful. It is up to the player to decipher who is lying and what clues led them to that conclusion. In the grand tradition of the choose-your-own-adventure genre, multiple endings exist in the body of the two and a half hours of video time. Gameplay gets even more involving as some interactive components allow the viewer to become even more immersed in the investigation.

Visit Games of Mystery for more online, interactive, and downloadable mystery games.

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Tuesday, July 11, 2006

News: Margaret Maron Cameos No Longer a Mystery

Marti Maguire of the Raleigh News & Observer reports that three colorful local characters will appear in mystery author Margaret Maron's upcoming book due out next year. She writes that Maron offered cameo appearances to anyone who donated $2,500 to the Johnston County Heritage Center, a local history clearinghouse where her mother was a longtime volunteer.

There were three takers: a Durham couple whose dog has a nose for trouble, a goat-raising bed-and-breakfast owner in Fuquay-Varina and an activist from Greenville for people with disabilities.

Maguire concludes with Maron saying she has little difficulty incorporating cameo appearances because her novels have so many characters, something her critics cite as a problem.

Read the entire article on NewsObserver.com here where she describes what roles the characters will play in the book.

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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Monday, July 10, 2006

Mystery Book Review: 13 Days by L. A. Starks

Mysterious ReviewsMysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of 13 Days by L. A. Starks. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

13 Days by L. A. StarksSynopsis (from the publisher): What could spike gasoline prices even higher?

Energy executive Lynn Dayton thinks her challenge is fixing the troubled refinery her company has just acquired on the Houston Ship Channel. But soon she must save it, and other oil refineries, from the industrial havoc and deaths directed by a French saboteur, simultaneously fighting off threats to her own life.

As Lynn deals with chemical leaks, disloyal employees, a new season of hurricanes, and mounting casualties, Robert Guillard, a corrupted idealist, plans to manipulate her through her vulnerable sister.

But Robert underestimates his prey.

Review: L. A. Starks' first novel, 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy, is a topical international thriller set in large part at one of the many oil refinery complexes that border the Houston Ship Channel.

Lynn Dayton, the oil industry executive at the center of 13 Days, is stretched so thin, both professionally and personally, that she barely has time to deal with all the issues at hand. And that is part of the problem with this book. Starks has included so many subplots involving Lynn that they ultimately dilute the effectiveness of this otherwise well written and thought out suspense novel. Had she scaled back the scope of material included, the end result would have been a much more focused, far more suspenseful, book.

13 Days moves along at a brisk pace and is generally intelligently written. The conspiracy plot is just absurd enough to be totally believable, and it is refreshing that Starks selected a group other than the stereotypical Middle Eastern extremists or the US Government to be the puppet master pulling the strings behind the conspiracy.

The book is prefaced by a list of key characters, some background notes, a map of the refinery, and a (ahem) simplified refinery process flow diagram. Many chapters are also preceded by definitions of terms that help the reader better understand and appreciate the complexity of the oil refining business, and, by inference, the difficulty Lynn faces in identifying the problems at her refinery.

Special thanks to Breakthrough Promotions for providing an ARC of 13 Days for this review.

Review Copyright © 2006 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

Visit for other reviews of current and upcoming mystery books. The is commited to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.
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Weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle for 07/10/2006

Mystery GodokuMystery Godoku Puzzle for July 10, 2006A 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: Jonathan Kellerman’s sleuthing shrink Alex Delaware returns for his 17th case in this thriller (with “A”) (9 letters): A C D E H L 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!

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Sunday, July 09, 2006

News: USA Today's Roundup of New Mysteries

Looking for a good mystery to read this summer? In the July 5th edition of USA Today, four new mysteries are recommended, three of which have links to excerpts.

No Good Deeds by Laura Lippman, the 8th mystery featuring Baltimore private investigator Tess Monaghan.

The Betrayed by David Hosp, the 2nd mystery featuring Darius Train and Jack Cassian, a mismatched pair of D.C. detectives.

What is Mine by Anne Holt, the debut mystery in a series featuring Johanne Vik, a former FBI profiler now working as an academic psychologist, and Norwegian Detective Inspector Adam Stubo.

The Art of Detection by Laurie R. King, the 5th book in the Kate Martinelli mystery series.

Read the entire article on USAToday.com, with links to excerpts, here.

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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Saturday, July 08, 2006

Mystery Book Review: Blown Away by Shane Gericke

Mysterious ReviewsMysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of Blown Away by Shane Gericke. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Bullet Trick by Louise WelshSynopsis (from the publisher): A serial killer is playing a deadly game. There are no rules except one: The killer always wins. The loser always dies.

Since joining the force, rookie cop Emily Thompson has had one ambition: to work homicide. Now she’s got her chance. A twisted sociopath is turning her safe Chicago suburb into a brutal killing field, and every single one of his grisly clues leads directly to Emily. In 72 hours, on her fortieth birthday, he intends to make her his greatest trophy. If she doesn’t stop him before then, Emily’s first case will be her last.

In a city gripped by terror, and with little more to go on than her instincts, Emily must match wits with a madman bent on chilling revenge. It is an investigation that will lead her into a nightmare world of unimaginable crimes, the dark secrets of her own past—and to a final shocking discovery…

Review: Blown Away, the debut police procedural thriller in a new series by Shane Gericke, gets high marks for action, but falls short on originality.

Rookie cop Emily Thompson finds herself the target of a psychopathic killer after (literally) stumbling across clues left for her to find, clues she and her fellow officers will need to decipher in order to identify him. Gericke, however, makes no effort to mask the identity of the killer to the reader, so Blown Away becomes more of a "whydunit" than a "whodunit".

There are several clever plot elements in Blown Away, the tautly written prologue is especially chilling, and some of the secondary characters are particularly interesting, but all of these are overshadowed by questionable lapses in logic as the plot unfolds and the depiction of a police force that at times seems unusually inept.

With Emily Thompson as a lead, Gericke has created a dynamic cast of characters that, together with more original plots, should serve him well in future books in this series.

Special thanks to Breakthrough Promotions for providing a copy of Blown Away for this review.

Review Copyright © 2006 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

Visit for other reviews of current and upcoming mystery books. The is commited to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Game Preview: Nancy Drew in Danger by Design

Games of MysteryJack Allin of Adventure Gamers provided an advance look at the 14th game in the popular Nancy Drew Mystery Series for the PC, Danger by Design. The game is expected to begin shipping in early August.

Nancy Drew 14: Danger by DesignA famous fashion designer named Minette has fallen far behind in preparations for her upcoming show, and a concerned investor asks Nancy to secretly investigate under the guise of a new intern. Along with snooping out suspects, Nancy will also have to maintain her cover as an intern, and Minette proves to be a most demanding boss. Luckily for players, that means plenty of activities, and Danger by Design looks to have a nice variety of puzzles and minigames, writes Allin.

Almost everything about the game is classic Nancy Drew, so those with any experience at all with the series will feel right at home immediately. Allin concludes that the first-person, node-based, point and click interface is a breeze, and all the tried and true features from previous games have returned.

Another game in the series will be released in October: The Creature of Kapu Cave. The Hardy Boys debuted in last year's Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, and the boys return in the upcoming game, but this time they are much more involved, and players will have the chance to control both Frank and Joe in significant roles throughout the game.

Read his entire preview here.

Find information about the entire series of Nancy Drew mystery games and more at Games of Mystery.

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Profile: Tempa Pagel's Debut Mystery Raises Story from the Ashes

Jill Oestreicher Gross, writing for the Newburyport Current, recently reported on the debut mystery by Tempa Pagel that has its origins in a mystery 200 years old. In 1811, fire raged through Inn Street and Market Square and destroyed much of downtown Newburyport. To this day, it is still unknown how the fire started.

Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple by Tempa PagelGross writes that Tempa Pagel decided to devise a plot around the mystery, the result being her first novel, Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple. Three sections of the book are set in 1811, and the rest is set in present-day Newburyport.

Plot summary: When a storm damages the steeple of a local church, revealing a skeleton and a silver tankard that has been missing from the church plate since 1811, Andy Gammon, with her background in historical research, decides to mount an investigation. The mystery spills over into the present when a second body - this time a very recent one - is found at the church, and a fire is set on Andy's property, leading Andy to wonder if tragedies of the past are being recreated in the present.

Pagel started the novel in 1996 while a stay-at-home mother to her two children, who are now in college. "It was fun to try and weave a mystery around the history," she says.

Read the rest of the profile of Tempa Pagel on Newburyport TownOnline.com here.

The is commited to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series. Please visit often!

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Friday, July 07, 2006

New Mystery Hardcover Titles for July 2006 (updated)

New MysteriesAn update of new hardcover mysteries for July 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website. Three new titles have been added, and one (Sailing to Capri by Elizabeth A. Adler) has been pushed from June.

by Michael Bowen is the third mystery in the Rep and Melissa Pennyworth mystery series. Publishers Weekly states that "Bowen effectively captures his Midwestern locale and takes readers on a fast-paced, exciting ride."

The Next Time You Die by Harry Hunsicker is the second entry in the Dallas PI Lee Henry "Hank" Oswald mystery series. Publishers Weekly calls it "... macho mayhem to the max."

Bullet Trick by Louise Welsh is a follow up to her art-world noir mystery, The Cutting Room. Mysterious Reviews calls Bullet Trick "... a stylish noir thriller ...".

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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News: A Passion for Mysteries Spawns New Publisher

Susan Adams, writing for Forbes Magazine in its Entrepreneurs section, recently profiled Maggie S. Topkis whose passion for mysteries led to the creation of Felony & Mayhem Press, a small publishing house Topkis runs out of her cluttered two-bedroom apartment in Greenwich Village.

Adams writes that in business barely a year but with a list of 42 titles, including one hit, Topkis seems to be on her way to profitability. By the end of 2006, she predicts, she'll be breaking even on annualized sales of $1 million and paying herself a $50,000 salary. In the tightfisted world of publishing, where chain stores and online discounters make it tough to operate in the black, that's no small feat.

Topkis puts out paperbacks only, with 11-point type and generous margins. "The market for our books is definitely over 35," says Topkis, who is 46. "They've got older eyes." She sells mostly to non-chain stores; her list is packed with books she adores. "My stuff is pitched to women, and 60% to 70% of the line is British," she says. "Prose-driven, intricately plotted stuff."

Adams continues by providing a detailed summary of the company's finances, including start-up costs, unit costs, other expenses.

Read the entire article on Forbes.com here.

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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