Press Release: Unlock the Secrets of a Haunted Manor in Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Big Fish Games, a leading developer and distributor of casual games, today announced the launch of Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst, a thrilling game that puts game players in the role of Master Detective to solve the mystery surrounding the Ravenhearst manor.

This is the third episode in Big Fish Games’ top-selling franchise, Mystery Case Files. The two previous episodes, Mystery Case Files: Huntsville and Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects, set online sales records in 2005 and 2006. Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects currently remains the top-selling casual game, a position it has held since it launched in April 2006, according to Logler.com, a site which tracks the top 10 global casual games based on data from major download portals.

Unlock the Secrets of a Century Old Mystery ...

Rumors surrounding the history of stately Ravenhearst Manor have circulated for decades. The recently acquired diary of Emma Ravenhearst may hold the key to unraveling the history of this unsettling place, yet all the pages are missing. Players assume the role of Master Detective to unlock secrets held within Ravenhearst, scouring 32 rooms in the manor for cleverly hidden clues. Locating and assembling diary pages help tell the history of the house and, ultimately, unlock the mystery. The game includes hundreds of items to find, which are new and different each time the game is played.

Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst also includes a hidden “easter egg” in the game that gives players a chance to enter a contest that will award them with the opportunity to have a photograph or character of their likeness embedded in a scene in the next Mystery Case Files episode after Ravenhearst.

Read the entire press release here.

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News: Murder the Write Way

Tess Gerritsen, bestselling author of the Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles mysteries, writes in the Washington Post that as an author of mystery novels and medical thrillers, she inhabits a world in which killers are ruthlessly efficient and assassins seldom make mistakes. So when she considers the recent death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned with radioactive polonium in London, the sheer clumsiness of the crime astonishes her.

She adds, Litvinenko's killer chose a poison that is rare and easily tracked: polonium-210. Extremely toxic, polonium is difficult to handle and it leaves a telltale trail of radioactive contamination, which British police have used to trace the poison's spread -- and presumably the killer's footsteps -- throughout London. The villain may as well have left a trail of breadcrumbs. The poison allowed the victim to live for days, during which he was able to provide police with vital information.

Had this been a fictional account, Gerritsen suggests alternative methods of murder that would have been more efficient. And, if she were writing this story, the plot suggests a specific villain as the mastermind behind the murder. Or does it?

Read her entire analysis on WashingtonPost.com here.

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Mystery Bestsellers for December 15, 2006

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending December 15, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

New this week: The time has come for Meredith Gentry to put aside her detective work and fulfill her ultimate obligation to the world of Faerie - where her efforts to conceive an heir to the throne of the Unseelie Court are crucial to restoring magic, and life itself, to the fey kingdom in Mistral's Kiss, the 5th book in this series by Laurell K. Hamilton. As plots and counterplots are hatched, and strategies and subterfuges played out, the destiny of an entire world turns upon the fortunes of Merry Gentry: object of obsession, target of treachery, pawn of uncertain fate. Publishers Weekly states that "Lots of earth-shattering, supernatural sex and a rousing climactic battle will have Hamilton's fans panting for more."

Also new this week, the latest thriller from Greg Iles: True Evil. If you wanted to kill your spouse and get away with it, you had to do something truly ingenious: something that wouldn't even be perceived as murder. And that was the service that Andrew Rusk had found a way to provide. Like any quality product, it did not come cheap. Nor did it come quickly. Who is this merciless assassin? Why is murder an art form for him? And what clues could exist to lead them to a man of such twisted talents? Not even the clients who hire him know his identity, and the lawyer who works with him fears him above all else. Most terrifying, those who choose murder over divorce soon learn a terrible truth: once set in motion, the instrument of their anger cannot be stopped. The Washington Post says, "True Evil will be too dark for some readers, but for those who enjoy lush, full-tilt thrillers, it will be engrossing and fun."

Be sure to check out our new, updated Mystery Bestsellers aStore to purchase any of the bestselling mysteries featured on our website!

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Press Release: The Moon Affects the Stock Market

El Dorado Hills, CA (PRWEB) December 14, 2006 -- A research paper discussed in the November issue of Harvard Business Review adds credence to the theory that author Robert Taylor developed years ago and set forth in his groundbreaking recent book Paradigm: the macro movement of the stock market can be predicted by gravitational fluctuations.

According to Taylor, who has worked with leading academicians and research scientists, the macro movement of the stock market is predictable. Gravitational fluctuations, such as those caused by the moon and other celestial bodies, influence masses of humans to feel simultaneously bullish or bearish about the stock market.

An article from the June 5, 2006 issue of BusinessWeek titled "The Sun, the Moon, and the Market," details Taylor's conclusions. Reporter Adrienne Carter called Paradigm "The Da Vinci Code for the Wall Street set."

Taylor packaged his research into the fiction mystery thriller Paradigm in order to reach a wider audience than a scientific journal. At the end of the book is a lengthy academic presentation of his science called "The Taylor Effect," and information on how readers can prove it to their own satisfaction. The recent Harvard published peer-reviewed study supports Taylor's findings.

Read the entire press release here.

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News: Stephen King to win MWA Grand Master Award

Stephen King has been announced as the recipient of the most prestigious honor the Mystery Writers of America bestow: The Grand Master Award given for lifetime achievement, writes Otto Penzler in The New York Sun.

He adds, although mainly famous as the author of the most terrifying horror fiction published during the past half-century or more, the multitalented Mr. King has also produced a strong body of work in the mystery/crime/suspense genre.

A long-time aficionado of mystery fiction, King stated: "I'm delighted to be getting the Grand Master Award and to be joining the likes of some of my greatest idols and teachers — people like John D. MacDonald, Ed McBain and Donald E. Westlake. The award means a great deal to me personally because it's an award from people who understand two things: the importance of good writing and the importance of telling stories."

Read the rest of the story here.

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Mystery Godoku: Weekly Puzzle for December 11, 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 letters and mystery clue: A B D E F I L N R. This is the title of the second mystery in the Mechelle Deakes series by Lynn Abercrombie (9 letters).

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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Mystery Bestsellers for December 08, 2006

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending December 08, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

The 4th book in the Hannibal Lecter series by Thomas Harris debuts in the second position at both Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com this week. In Hannibal Rising, the evolution of his evil is revealed. Synopsis (from the publisher): Hannibal Lecter emerges from the nightmare of the Eastern Front, a boy in the snow, mute, with a chain around his neck. He seems utterly alone, but he has brought his demons with him. Hannibal's uncle, a noted painter, finds him in a Soviet orphanage and brings him to France, where Hannibal will live with his uncle and his uncle's beautiful and exotic wife, Lady Murasaki. Lady Murasaki helps Hannibal to heal. With her help he flourishes, becoming the youngest person ever admitted to medical school in France. But Hannibal's demons visit him and torment him. When he is old enough, he visits them in turn. He discovers he has gifts beyond the academic, and in that epiphany, Hannibal Lecter becomes death's prodigy.

Be sure to check out our new, updated Mystery Bestsellers aStore to purchase any of the bestselling mysteries featured on our website!

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Press Release: Mystery Writers of America to Honor Bookstores

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Two bookstores, which have been major supporters of fiction and non-fiction crime writers, will be honored by Mystery Writers of America with the Raven Award for 2007. Kathy and Tom Harig of Mystery Loves Company bookstore, and Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books bookstore will be presented with the Raven at the 2007 Edgar® Awards Banquet to be hosted by Al Roker of NBC's "Today." Established in 1953, the Raven is awarded by MWA's Board of Directors for outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing.

Kathy and Tom Harig are being presented with the Raven for the role that Mystery Loves Company has played in supporting the careers of hundreds of established and emerging crime writers, and in connecting mystery enthusiasts from the Maryland community with authors. Mystery Loves Company's two stores are located in Baltimore and Oxford, Maryland.

Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books is being presented with the award for the support that his Books & Books bookstores have given writers over the years, as well as for his leadership in founding and chairing the largest book fair in the country, Miami Book Fair International. Books & Books' three stores are located in Florida's Miami-Dade County.

The Edgar Awards, or "Edgars," as they are commonly known, are named after Mystery Writers of America's patron saint Edgar Allan Poe and are awarded to authors of distinguished work in various categories. The Edgar Awards Banquet will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, NYC, on April 26, 2007.

Read the entire press release here.

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Press Release: New Online Sweepstakes for Mystery Author Lisa Gardner

North Conway, NH (PRWEB) December 5, 2006 -- What kind of writer invites readers to "Kill A Friend, Maim A Buddy?" Avid readers of New York Times bestselling mystery and suspense author, Lisa Gardner, know that while Gardner may not look like the dark, twisted type, she has her macabre side. On her website, readers can enter the "Kill A Friend, Maim A Buddy" online sweepstakes and nominate a friend, family member, coworker, boss, fellow mystery lover -- or even themselves -- to be the Lucky Stiff who meets their demise in Lisa Gardner's 2008 novel. The winner's nominee gains immortality, while the winning entrant receives a signed copy of the novel.

As devilishly devious as the sweepstakes may be, Gardner is quick to point out, "Kill A Friend, Maim A Buddy is meant as a harmless bit of fun. We ask that those entering the sweepstakes don't provide a physical description of the proposed Lucky Stiff or details about the manner in which they'd like to see the person die. It's a contest, not the starting shot at revenge -- or couples therapy." Entries will be accepted online at the Kill A Friend, Maim A Buddy Sweepstakes entry page until 11:59 p.m. ET, May 25, 2007, after which the winner will be randomly selected.

Gardner's most recent release, Gone, which will be published in paperback on December 26, 2006, recently received a reviewers' pick award from San Francisco Chronicles as one of the best books of 2006.

Read the entire press release here.

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News: Clooney Reportedly Buying Rights to Grisham Bestseller The Innocent

For the second time in less than a week, we have news that George Clooney is getting involved with movie adaptations of mystery books. Variety (and others) are reporting the Clooney and Warner Independent Pictures are buying the screen rights to the latest John Grisham bestseller, The Innocent Man. Last week we noted that Clooney had signed on to produce and star in the James Ellroy mystery, White Jazz.

According to Variety, Grisham ultimately will be paid a seven-figure sum against the gross participation deal if The Innocent gets made. His approval of the deal came only after several conversations with Clooney and partner Grant Heslov.

The deal is the first studio pact in several years for Grisham, whose previous courtroom thrillers The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, and A Time to Kill routinely sparked fevered auctions and seven-figure movie deals, culminating in a then-record $8 million deal from New Regency for Runaway Jury.

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 Godoku: Weekly Puzzle for December 04, 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 letters and mystery clue: A C G H L M N O P. Mary Anna Evans’ mysteries feature Faye ________, a student of archaeology: (last name only, 9 letters).

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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Mystery Book Review: A Fatal Appraisal by J. B. Stanley

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of A Fatal Appraisal by J. B. Stanley. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

A Fatal Appraisal by J. B. Stanley
A Collectible Mystery with Molly Appleby

Berkeley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-425-21264-5 (0425212645)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-21264-6 (9780425212646)
Publication Date: October 2006
List Price: $6.99

Synopsis (from the publisher): Amateur sleuth Molly Appleby has a keen knowledge of antiques, a special fondness for collectibles, and a canny acquaintance with the criminal mind ...Molly Appleby is in Richmond Virginia, to cover a taping of the hit antiques show Hidden Treasures. But after the show's main appraiser inspects an 18th-century desk with hidden compartments, she finds him dead. Molly thinks that the antique desk holds the key to this 21st-century crime. It's up to her to collect the clues before more new blood is shed over old rarities.

Review: A Fatal Appraisal is the second mystery in this series to feature Molly Appleby, a reporter for Collector's Weekly. The series also features collecting and appraisal tips.

Molly is in Richmond (VA) to cover a television show patterned after the real TV series, Antiques Roadshow. There are the alliterative experts (Frank for furniture, Alicia for art, Clarke for china, Tony for toys, and so on), a host, a producer, and others that are part of the drama. Inevitably, one is found dead (was it murder?), and it's up to Molly to determine who was responsible.

A Fatal Appraisal starts off strong. Molly Appleby is a very appealing, energetic character. She is not only good at her job, she seems to enjoy it despite a less than desirable boss. She probably eats a bit too much and her figure shows, but life is full of compromises. She's trying to find time to develop a relationship with that special someone and is convinced he's worth the effort. In short, a very strong, well developed, lead character for the series.

The other characters associated with the show are varied and serve the plot adequately as suspects when Frank the furniture expert is found dead under mysterious circumstances.

It is at this point in the book that the story starts to meander, never quite finding its way back to its promising premise. Contributing factors include the general lack of motivation for anyone to kill Frank, the murder "weapon" (as it were) that is hardly a guarantee for success, and, in an odd way, the appearance of Molly's mother, who seems to dominate the latter half of the book.

Scattered between chapters is a side story that takes place in 1776 involving one of the pieces of furniture currently being displayed on the fictional Hidden Treasures show. It's actually rather interesting and does provide a unifying thread tying the past to the present.

Finally, the examples of hidden compartments in furniture provided at the end are marred by the small size and poor quality of photos. A link to a website with larger photos, in color, would have been a nice touch.

Special thanks to Breakthrough Promotions for providing a copy of A Fatal Appraisal for this review.

Review Copyright © 2006 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

Visit Mysterious Reviews for other reviews of current and upcoming mystery books. The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery book review, book review. Omnimystery keyword(s) referenced: Richmond.

News: Clooney to Star In and Produce White Jazz

About a month ago we reported that a sequel to L. A. Confidential was in the works. Titled White Jazz, the fourth and final book in James Ellroy's L. A. Quartet series, Melbourne native Guy Pearce was in talks to play Ed Exley, a character common to both books.

The Hollywood Reporter (and others) are now reporting that George Clooney has signed on to star in and produce White Jazz for Warner Independent. Clooney will play a corrupt police lieutenant assigned to a potentially explosive case for the Los Angeles Police Department during a time when the department is under investigation for corruption. Production is set for 2008.

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News: Bob Morris on His New Book, Bermuda Schwartz

Ex-NFL player-turned-PI Zack Chasteen returns in February 2007 in Bermuda Schwartz, the 3rd mystery in the "island" series that began with Behamarama. The Royal Gazette (Bermuda) provides an update on the author's activities, quoting from a recent interview with Morris on the plot of Bermuda Schwartz, "Oh, it's just your typical tale of shipwrecks and lost treasure and money laundering and palm trees and love and a teeny bit of sex and death by icepick and, oh yeah, the search for the True Cross of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

He adds, "I went to Bermuda a couple of years ago to write a magazine story, then decided it had all the makings of a good place to commit murder and started cobbling together the pieces. I'm off next to Trinidad to research the fourth book in the series – Trinidday-O."

Morris is a contributor to National Geographic Traveler, Bon Appetit, Islands, Robb Report, Latitudes and other publications. Bahamarama was a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Mystery Novel and chosen by the Library Journal as one the year's Top Five Mysteries. The second mystery in the series, Jamaica Me Dead, was released in October 2005 and was a BookSense Pick by the American Booksellers Association (ABA).

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Mystery Bestsellers for December 01, 2006

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending December 01, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

No new mysteries this week on the bestseller lists. Just a bit a reshuffling of last week's books. Cross by James Patterson retains the top spot at both Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com with Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen in second place.

Be sure to check out our new, updated Mystery Bestsellers aStore to purchase any of the bestselling mysteries featured on our website!

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Press Release: MWA Holds Second Annual Short Story Contest

NEW YORK, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- MWA:Reads, a Mystery Writers of America literacy program that encourages children and teens to read mysteries by joining authors with students, parents, teachers, and librarians, will hold its second annual Joan Lowery Nixon Award mystery writing contest in 2007. The announcement was made today by MWA:Reads National Chairperson Daniel J. Hale. Since its inception eight years ago, MWA:Reads (formerly Kids Love a Mystery) has involved thousands of students and scores of authors all across the United States.

The Joan Lowery Nixon Award mystery writing contest allows students to use their language arts skills along with their imagination to create their own unique mystery story. The contest is named after the prolific American writer of historical fiction and mysteries for children and young adults, Joan Lowery Nixon. She is the founder of MWA:Reads, as well as the only person ever to win the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar® Award for Best Juvenile Mystery four times. Lowery passed away in 2003.

Contest details:

The Joan Lowery Nixon Award mystery writing contest is open to students from the second through the tenth grades. There are two age categories: Grades 2-5 and Grades 6-10. Only one story per student may be submitted, as specified in the contest rules. The entries will be judged in the area of creativity and proper use of the English language. The winner of each category will receive a $250 cash prize.

Submissions for the contest will be accepted beginning February 3, 2007 (Joan Lowery Nixon's birthday) but no later than February 28, 2007. Students in public and private schools, as well as home-schooled students, are encouraged to participate. Visit MWA:Reads for complete contest rules.

Winners will be announced at Mystery Writers of America's 2007 Edgar® Awards on April 26, 2007. All decisions are final.

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Mystery Book Review: Caribbean Calling by J. D. Gordon

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of Caribbean Calling by J. D. Gordon. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Caribbean Calling by J. D. Gordon
An Eddie Gilbert Mystery

Red Engine Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-9745652-8-8 (0974565288)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9745652-8-6 (9780974565286)
Publication Date: October 2006
List Price: $15.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Chicago-area firefighter Eddie Gilbert is headed back to the Florida Keys and the open seas of the Caribbean. A beautiful woman and an interesting job offer are waiting.

Caribbean Calling plays out amid lush tropical settings and authentic slices of life in the Florida Keys and other areas in the Caribbean. It’s adventure, action and romance unfolding in an area of the world that is a natural breeding ground for dark characters who deal in everything from gun-running to drugs and white slavery. It’s the resurfacing of old enemies who still carry a grudge. It’s hot nights in the South. It’s the Caribbean calling.

Review: Caribbean Calling is the second mystery in this series to feature Eddie Gilbert, a firefighter from the Chicago suburbs, who travels to Tampa on a month-long “interview” for a job with a company whose business is never quite clearly identified.

One of his early assignments is to locate the daughter of a wealthy client. A doctor, she was working with a relief organization on a tiny third-world island nation in the Caribbean when her regular phone calls home suddenly ceased. Eddie hooks up with a partner in Key West and the two of them are off to uncover what happened to the young doctor.

Caribbean Calling is an ambitious effort that fails to deliver on its promise. Gordon has for the most part developed genuinely interesting characters and locales, drafted an intriguing adventure in which they can participate, but then misses the mark entirely when tying it all together. It’s almost as if the author created an intricate outline of a story with detailed descriptions of people, places, and events, and then converted the whole thing into paragraph form and called it a book.

One of the problems for the reader is that there is too much reliance on knowing what happened in the first book of the series, Island Bound, to understanding some of the character motivation in this second book. The pointless preface suggests there may be some interpersonal conflict to be resolved, yet when it happens it’s a disappointment.

Finally, Eddie himself is a bit of a contradiction. Portrayed as a hero and James Bond-type of character, he keeps his ego in check, has a softer and arguably weaker side, and follows far more often than he leads. As the principal character of an action, adventure, mystery series, he comes off as something of a wimp who doesn’t engender the respect of the reader.

Special thanks to Breakthrough Promotions for providing a copy of Caribbean Calling for this review.

Review Copyright © 2006 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

Visit Mysterious Reviews for other reviews of current and upcoming mystery books. The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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News: Cowboys and Turkeys

This amusing anecdote of Tony Hillerman has been around since 2001, but it bears repeating every so often.

As reported by Larry Thornberry in The American Spectator, Hillerman describes an evening when he found himself at a large intertribal meeting shortly after it was decided that, to be politically correct, American Indians should henceforth be called Native Americans. He was curious about what his friends, regular walking around Indians who'd never been to Washington and had never felt compelled to join an indignation group, thought of this label.

Most in the room said they preferred to be called by their tribal affiliation, i.e., they thought of themselves as Navahos, Apaches, Kiowas, Arapahos, Zunis, etc. One guy succinctly summed it up by saying, " I don't mind being called an Indian because Christopher Columbus went looking for India and got lost. I'm just glad he wasn't looking for Turkey."

Hillerman's most recent book, The Shape Shifter, is on bookshelves this month.

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Mystery Book Review: McMansion by Justin Scott

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

McMansion by Justin Scott
A Ben Abbott Mystery

Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-063-X (159058063X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-063-9 (9781590580639)
Publication Date: January 2007
List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Even the cozy New England town of Newbury, Connecticut, is not immune to the relentless spread of McMansions carpeting the countryside. Ben Abbott, realtor and private detective, is so incensed that he refuses to sell them. That Ben is not the only citizen of Newbury who is provoked by over-sized, ugly, wasteful houses becomes apparent when the corpse of Billy Tiller, Newbury's greediest developer, is discovered underneath his bulldozer.

The young and troubled eco-activist Jeff Kimball, who is arrested while sitting at the controls of the bulldozer, protests his innocence. Connecticut's state's attorney sees the opportunity to prosecute an open-and-shut TV murder trial that will vault him into the U.S. Senate. While Ira Levy, the small-town criminal defense lawyer hired by Jeff's hip-hop mogul father, longs to impress movers and shakers in New York City.

Ben Abbott, deep in debt to Attorney Levy for an expensive horse he gave to 12-year-old Alison, is forced to pay off the debt by trying to prove Jeff Kimball innocent of a crime that State Police Major Crime Squad Lieutenant Marian Boyce styles "perpetrator on bulldozer on victim."

It looks that way, says Ben Abbott. But in what order did they really stack up?

Review: Justin Scott's 4th book featuring realtor and private investigator Ben Abbott, McMansion, is a rather loosely constructed mystery populated with characters that seem more contrived than real.

Ben has been hired to look into an environmentalist's background by the attorney defending him, accused of the murder of a local real estate developer. The young man was arrested atop a bulldozer under which lay the crushed corpse. Ben quickly discovers that many of the developer's detractors had the means and a motive to kill the man, but which of them also had the opportunity to do so?

McMansion doesn't break any new ground here and contains a fairly routine outline of a murder mystery. For all practical purposes, Ben identifies the culprit early on when he ponders the crime scene. That leaves a lot of pages to fill. What could have made the book more interesting would have been development of good, complex characters and incorporating them and said outline into a new environment to make it more of a puzzle. McMansion tends to fail in both regards.

With only one or two exceptions, the characters here lack the multi-dimensionality that provides depth to a story. Even Ben seems a bit flat here. He doesn't want the case he's working on and resents the obligation to continue. Whining about the assignment in particular, and the title structures in general, doesn't endear him to the reader.

The setting also presents something of a problem. The fact that large homes on large lots are being purchased by people with more money than taste isn't a criminal act and by itself simply doesn't provide a strong foundation upon which to build this story. And the implication that the reason these houses exist is primarily due to the greed of developers and the corruption of zoning officials is absurd, even in a work of fiction.

There is a decent, credible murder plot buried here somewhere, but it seems Scott would rather bemoan what he perceives to be the sorry state of housing in Connecticut than craft an interesting mystery around the death of one of its developers.

Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of McMansion for this review.

Review Copyright © 2006 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

Visit Mysterious Reviews for other reviews of current and upcoming mystery books. The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, mystery book review, book review. Omnimystery keyword(s) referenced: connecticut, new york city.

Mystery Godoku: Weekly Puzzle for November 27, 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 letters and mystery clue: C E H M N O P R S. Set in 1920s Scotland, mysteries featuring Dandy Gilver are written by Catriona _____ (last name only, 9 letters).

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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Mystery Bestsellers for November 24, 2006

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending November 24, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

The 18th Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee mystery from Tony Hillerman debuts in the third position at both Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com this week. In The Shape Shifter, Joe's "last case", unsolved, continues to haunt him. It involved a priceless, one-of-a-kind Navajo rug supposedly destroyed in a fire. Suddenly, what looks like the same rug turns up in a magazine spread. And the man who brings the photo to Leaphorn's attention has gone missing. Leaphorn must pick up the threads of a crime he'd thought impossible to untangle. Not only has the passage of time obscured the details, but it also appears that there's a murderer still on the loose. Publisher's Weekly calls The Shape Shifters "masterful" and states, "The conclusion is sure to startle longtime fans of this acclaimed mystery series."

Also new this week is the second joint effort by married bestsellers Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Capital Crimes. Two novellas are presented: Thy Sister's Keeper and Music City Breakdown. Making background appearances in these whodunits are reader favorites Alex Delaware, Peter Decker, and Rina Lazarus.

Be sure to check out our new HSMB Mystery Bestsellers AStore to purchase any of the bestselling mysteries featured on our website!

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: Burke Robicheaux Mystery to Start Filming

Production Weekly is reporting that an adaptation of James Lee Burke’s In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead, the 6th mystery in the outstanding Dave Robicheaux series, is set to begin pre-production next month in Louisiana. No mention yet in IMDB.

The only other Burke book featuring Robicheaux to be filmed was the second in the series, Heaven's Prisoners, starring Alec Baldwin as the Cajun detective.

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: Movie Based on The Three Investigators in Post-Production

It frequently happens that while searching for something, one ends up in quite a different place and what was originally searched for is long forgotten. It happened (again!) today. We stumbled upon a reference to "The Three Investigators" and immediately were transported back 40 years to when we collected these books as children. (Of course, a thorough search of the the closet shelves produced no books, no doubt donated to charity many, many years ago.)

Who are the three investigators? This website does a terrific job providing a history of the series. The books were created in the early 1960's by Robert Arthur and featured three boys: Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews. In order to promote the series and provide some name recognition, an Alfred Hitchcock character (based on the director of the same name) provided opening and closing remarks in many of the early books. In fact, the series was originally titled "Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators in ...".

And what prompted all this attention? Disney is reportedly in post-production on a movie based on The Three Investigators and the Secret of Skeleton Island, the 6th title in the original series. According to IMDB, filming took place in South Africa and the movie is scheduled for release sometime in 2007.

We'll try to keep a closer eye on what's happening with the franchise, and report back with more information when available.

Now if we can only remember what we were originally searching for ...

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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Profile: How to Write in High Heels with Elaine Viets

Sherri Winston, writing for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, recently spoke with mystery author Elaine Viets who writes the Dead End Job series featuring Helen Hawthorne and a new series featuring mystery shopper Josie Marcus. Her motivation to contact Viets: one of several new books on writing "Chick Lit", See Jane Write by Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs.

What is chick lit? "I think chick lit is really a marketing tool. It's a label publishers put on women's fiction. I think any woman's book that's smart and funny and a little cheeky gets labeled chick lit," Viets says.

Winston writes that Viets' view of chick lit mirrors the advice in See Jane Write. Viets says, "I think there are certain things that do define chick lit books. One is the friendships. The thing about real friends is they will tell you when you're going wrong. I think chick lit reflects women and how they see the world."

Because chick lit is often light and breezy, a lot of novices might think it's easier to write or is a lesser form of literature, Winston adds. Before you go thinking being funny is a piece of cake, Viets has this to say: "I think the hardest thing in the world is to be funny and get away with it. To be funny, you have to be honest, and people don't like honesty. And to be funny you have to have an edge. There are a hundred ways to offend people when you're being funny -- I've done 'em all. With humor, you're always walking an edge. You have to be very, very careful."

According to Viets, chick lit shares with all other forms of fiction four common important elements: Character, Plot, Setting, Motivation.

Read the rest of the Elaine Viets interview on Sun-Sentinal.com here.

Other recently published books on the subject of chick lit include: Will Write for Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel by Cathy Yardley, This Is Chick-Lit edited by Lauren Baratz-Logsted, and Chick Lit: The New Woman's Fiction by Suzanne Ferriss and Mallory Young.

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 Godoku: Weekly Puzzle for November 20, 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 letters and mystery clue: D E H I K M O S T. The Beth Austin mysteries, based on literary classics, were written by this author (9 letters).

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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News: New Self-Published Golf Mystery Available

There seems to be an increasing trend for authors to try to self-publish their mysteries, promoting and selling their work directly to their readers. We're partial to golf mysteries, and we came across a new self-published book that fits the category: Snowman by Dave Saari. We haven't read this book, nor have we been offered a copy for review, so we don't know if it's worth buying or not. But if you don't mind eBooks, it's available for $4.50 from Lulu.com. Paperback and hardcover versions are also available.

A synopsis (from the author/publisher): Matt Davidson, an underachieving golf bum and a somewhat nerdy engineer, inadvertently witnesses a shocking scene while playing golf, which launches him on an adventure that proves to be an emotional roller coaster ride. Though unsure what to do or how to do it, he drops everything to help a stunningly beautiful woman he’s never even met. His clumsy efforts soon entangle him in a web of sex, fraud, and abuse that could end up costing him his life.

We've reviewed several self-published mysteries in the past, and for the most part, they are reasonably good and often better than the run-of-the-mill bestsellers that some mystery authors produce these days. To help you decide in this case, however, the first few pages of Snowman are available online to read. The narrative isn't as polished as it could be, but as a golf mystery, it certainly has potential.

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: Festival to Celebrate New Mysteries and their Writers

Organizers for the first International Mystery Writers' Festival will showcase 12 works June 12-17, 2007 in Owensboro (KY). Some of the key players in the field, including Ira Levin, Sue Grafton, and Angela Lansbury, are expected to attend the event, dubbed, "Discovering New Mysteries," at Owensboro's RiverPark Center.

Festival leaders will introduce a new award, The Angie, named after Lansbury, the star of TV's Murder, She Wrote. She will be honored as "The First Lady of Mystery" said Zev Buffman, RiverPark President & CEO.

Buffman added, "This is the only new works festival in the English-speaking world specializing in staging and discovering new mysteries."

"Discovering New Mysteries" is still accepting submissions of original plays, screenplays and teleplays. Deadline for submissions is November 30, 2006. The "Festival Final 12" will be selected and notified February 15, 2007. Categories and prizes include: Best New Work, Play, $10,000; Most Promising New Writer, all categories, $5,000; Outstanding Screenplay or Teleplay, $2,500.

For more information, visit the RiverPark Center website 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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News: Focus Home Interactive to Release New Sherlock Holmes Mystery Game

Focus Home Interactive is reporting that the latest game in its Sherlock Holmes series, Sherlock Holmes-The Awakened, will be released early next year in the US. The game has traditional point-and-click game play, in a real time 3D environment, while offering numerous enigmas and varied puzzles including some that use physics and light for the first time.

The game, based on an excellent scenario, plunges the player into the heart of a terrifying investigation. Sherlock Holmes, assisted by the loyal Doctor Watson, investigates strange disappearances which seem related to the activity of a secret sect which worships the god Cthulhu. The adventure begins in London, in the renowned Baker Street, then on to investigating a disturbing psychiatric hospital near Bale, Switzerland, then on to Louisiana and finally to Scotland.

A trailer is available on the official Sherlock Holmes-The Awakened website.

Visit Games of Mystery for more mystery games of all kinds as well as mystery parties, mystery-themed vacations, and more!

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Mystery Bestsellers for November 17, 2006

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending November 17, 2006 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Several new mysteries are on the bestseller lists this week. Debuting in first position at both the Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com James Patterson's 12th Alex Cross mystery, simply titled Cross. Alex Cross was a rising star in the Washington, DC, Police Department when an unknown shooter gunned down his wife, Maria, in front of him. The killer was never found, and the case turned cold. Now a free agent from the police and the FBI, he's set up practice as a psychologist once again. Then Cross's former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favor. He is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown, one whose brutal modus operandi recalls a case Sampson and Cross worked together years earlier. When the case reveals a connection to Maria's death, Cross latches on for the most urgent and terrifying ride of his life.

In the second spot on both lists is Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen. Honey Santana has a scheme to help rid the world of irresponsibility, indifference, and dinnertime sales calls. She's taking rude, gullible Relentless, Inc., telemarketer Boyd Shreave and his less-than-enthusiastic mistress, Eugenie-the fifteen-minute-famous girlfriend of a tabloid murderer-into the wilderness of Florida's Ten Thousand Islands for a gentle lesson in civility. What she doesn't know is that she's being followed by her obsessed former employer. And he doesn't know he's being followed by Honey's still-smitten former drug-running ex-husband. And when they all pull up on Dismal Key, they don't know they're intruding on Sammy Tigertail, a half white-half Seminole failed alligator wrestler, trying like hell to be a hermit despite the Florida State coed who's dying to be his hostage. Publishers Weekly calls Nature Girl "another hilarious Florida romp".

Finally, just in time for the holidays, is the latest mystery by mother and daughter Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, Santa Cruise. Alvirah Meehan, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth; her husband, Willy; recently hitched private detective Regan Reilly and her groom, Jack, head of the NYPD Major Case Squad; and Regan's parents, Nora and Luke, are guests on the Royal Mermaid's maiden voyage, the Santa Cruise. On-board activities include a mystery seminar dedicated to a Ghost of Honor, the late Left Hook Louie, a champion prizefighter turned bestselling author. However, a terrified mystery fan swears she has spotted the Ghost of Honor in the ship's chapel. Then two Santa suits disappear from a locked supply room. A storm develops, and in the infirmary an attempt is made on the life of a seemingly feeble passenger. Back in Miami, a TV reporter is turning the cruise into a public-relations nightmare, thanks to her spies on the ship. As the Royal Mermaid sails through troubled waters, Alvirah, Regan, and Jack are uncovering the clues that lead them to dangerous criminals who were not on the original guest list!

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: Adventure Company Ships Murder on the Orient Express for PC

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Adventure Company, the leading publisher of adventure games, today shipped to retail its engrossing new PC game, Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express. The game is a thrilling murder mystery for both long-time and new Agatha Christie fans that presents an ideal blend of classic Queen of Crime style lifted from the pages of her acclaimed novel of the same name with additional deceptive twists and turns, making the interactive mystery a challenge for detectives of all skill levels.

Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express draws fans in as they step aboard a lavishly appointed 1930’s era train along with a cast of 25 intriguing characters led by acclaimed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and including philanthropist Samuel Ratchett and Princess Dragomiroff, all traveling from Istanbul to London. The game adds a new main character to the storyline as well, Antoinette Marceau, a train company employee, crime buff and a huge fan of Poirot’s. The luxurious rail trip quickly shifts gear when a heinous murder is committed, shocking everyone aboard and fueling a hunt for the killer.

Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express is equipped with a new mapping system, where icons of each rail car appear on the top of the game screen. Players simply click on the rail car they want to visit to move quickly and easily from place to place. There is also the ability to skip through dialogue by pressing the enter key. This is particularly useful if a player returns to a certain section of the game for a clue but does not want to burn time listening to dialogue they’ve already heard.

Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express is rated “T” (teen) and has moderate system requirements including Windows® 2000/XP and a 1.4 GHz Pentium® 3 processor.

The game is available to purchase on the Games of Mystery website on the Mystery Computer Games page.

Read the entire press release here.

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Mystery Book Review: A Trout in the Sea of Cortez by John Salter

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of A Trout in the Sea of Cortez by John Salter. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

A Trout in the Sea of Cortez by John Salter
Non-series

Counterpoint Press (hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-58243-342-9 (1582433429)
ISBN-13: 978-0-1-58243-342-4 (9781582433424)
Publication Date: September 2006
List Price: $24.00

Synopsis (from the publisher): Dennis Pratt doesn't want to go to Mexico. He's a guy knocking on forty, with a dead-end job, a lukewarm marriage, a distant daughter, and an incredible lack of enthusiasm for anything in his life. So little wonder that he's not very enthusiastic about the trip south of the border his wife's got planned. And as he becomes increasingly convinced that his wife is having an affair with a local alpha-male, obsessive thoughts begin to take over his life, and Pratt finds himself putting his job and his marriage at risk. He befriends a shifty father and daughter who live in a camper near the country club where Pratt is trying to learn how to play golf. He meets a mysterious artist and may or may not be falling in love with her. And his imagination runs wild about his wife and daughter. Only when en route to Mexico, and at their villa in Los Cabos on the Sea of Cortez, do the pieces start to fall into place, with disastrous results.

A quirky cocktail of obsession, adultery, revenge, hazardous waste, golf, murder, fatherhood, and love, A Trout in the Sea of Cortez is a smart, sarcastic, and riveting mid-life crisis murder mystery.

Review: A Trout in the Sea of Cortez is John Salter's first full-length novel, and while it might not be categorized as a murder mystery by most definitions, it is an interesting if somewhat over-long work of fiction.

Read as a mystery, the first three-quarters of the book represent the background material. The principal character is Dennis Pratt, a part-time hazardous waste employee, married to an apparently successful mortgage broker, with a daughter in college, living near Fargo. Pratt smokes too much, he drinks too much, and he suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, but none of these concern him as much as believing his wife of almost 20 years is having an affair. She has lost a lot of weight, has whipped her body into shape, and seems to be spending a little too much time with the local dentist.

Then there's the case of the missing mercury. Though his company doesn't handle highly toxic metal, he accepts $500 to take it anyway, thinking he can come up with a way to dispose of it. Striking a deal with the father of a girl who's selling used balls on the course where he plays golf, he discovers the mercury missing when he tries to buy it back. Worse for Pratt, the man is found murdered on the golf course and his daughter has vanished.

And so begins the mystery, soon after Pratt and his wife, together with three other couples and, no surprise, the dentist and his girlfriend, have arrived in the resort area of Los Cabos in Baja California, Mexico. The authorities in Fargo suspect Pratt of the murder, and the fact that he has apparently fled to Mexico seems proof of his guilt. Though the denouement isn't all that original, it cleverly unfolds in a way that may take the reader by surprise.

Salter has tried to combine two books in A Trout in the Sea of Cortez, and has generally succeeded. There's the well-written novel about a troubled family man, a husband and father who loves his wife and daughter, but is having difficulty adjusting to middle age. Then there's a murder mystery, really just a short story but a good one, that's been well integrated into the novel. As a mystery reader, one might have hoped for a little less of the former and a little more of the latter, but it's definitely worthwhile seeking this book out.

Special thanks to John Salter for providing a copy of A Trout in the Sea of Cortez for this review.

Review Copyright © 2006 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

Visit Mysterious Reviews for other reviews of current and upcoming mystery books. The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Mysteries on DVD: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

New on DVD this week is The Da Vinci Code, the movie adapation for the book of the same name by Dan Brown. A murder inside the Louvre and clues in Da Vinci paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years -- which could shake the foundations of Christianity.

Critics and controversy aside, The Da Vinci Code is a verifiable blockbuster. The film has taken in over $250 million to date while the book has sold over 100 million copies.

The Da Vinci Code DVD is available for pre-order now, and will be available for sale tomorrow. Click on the DVD cover to order from Amazon.com.

See more mystery books that have been adapted as screenplays at Mysteries on DVD.

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