Friday, January 12, 2007

Mystery Bestsellers for January 12, 2007

Mystery BestsellersA list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending January 12, 2007 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Plum Lovin by Janet EvanovichJanet Evanovich's "between the numbers" mystery featuring Stephanie Plum, Plum Lovin', debuts at the top of the Borders/Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com lists this week. Mysterious men have a way of showing up in Stephanie Plum's apartment. When the shadowy Diesel appears, he has a task for Stephanie -- and he's not taking no for an answer. Annie Hart is a "relationship expert" who is wanted for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Stephanie needs to find her, fast. But someone wants to find Annie even more than Diesel and Stephanie. Someone with a nasty temper. And someone with "unmentionable" skills. With Stephanie in over her head, things are sure to get a little dicey and a little explosive, Jersey style!

Exile by Richard North PattersonAlso new this week is the international thriller Exile by Richard North Patterson. David Wolfe is a successful San Francisco lawyer, he's about to get married, and he's being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif--the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law school--he begins a completely unexpected journey. The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco; soon, Hana herself is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice: Will he, a Jew, represent Hana--who may well be guilty--or will he turn away the one woman he can never forget?

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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Thursday, January 11, 2007

Mystery Book Review: The Dirt-Brown Derby by Ed Lynskey

Mysterious ReviewsMysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of The Dirt-Brown Derby by Ed Lynskey. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.The Dirt-Brown Derby by Ed Lynskey

The Dirt-Brown Derby by Ed Lynskey
A Frank Johnson Mystery

Mundania Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-8253-0510-1 (1594262322)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8253-0510-8 (9781594262326)
Publication Date: July 2006
List Price: $12.00

Synopsis (from the publisher): PI Frank Johnson is hired by Mary Taliaferro, a wealthy aristocrat owning a horse estate near Middleburg, Virginia.

Mary's teen-age daughter Emily has died in a riding tragedy. The local law enforcement says it’s an accident. Mary thinks it’s murder.

Frank is broke and the money Mary offers is too good to pass up, but his case quickly becomes more complicated when the stable manager is murdered one day after he starts his investigation.

Frank soon discovers that there is much more going on here, and he is determined to get to the truth, even if it kills him!

Review: Ed Lynskey's debut mystery, The Dirt-Brown Derby, introduces private investigator Frank Johnson, and is sure to please fans of hard-boiled detective fiction.

After being offered an obscene amount of money to take a case ("Let's set your retainer at, oh, say $50,000." "What if I say no?" "$200,000 is my final offer"), PI Frank Johnson is persuaded to look into the death of Emily Taliaferro, the daughter of Mary Taliaferro, a Virginia horse breeder who is convinced she was murdered. The cause of death: her head was crushed by a thoroughbred. Initially, Frank tends to agree with the police who rule the young woman's death a tragic accident, but when the horse's trainer is found dead the next day, he's convinced to dig deeper.

Lynskey doesn't waste any time getting to the action in The Dirt-Brown Derby. Within the first few paragraphs, Frank is confronted by local toughs who are willing and able to show him he's not welcome in their town. After putting them in their place, he then tests the limits of police tolerance. All this suggests that, from the author's perspective, actions speak louder than words, at least in terms of character development. It's quite clear from the first chapter what kind of PI Frank is: tough, uncompromising, willing to bend a few rules in the interest of the truth (and at times just to see if he can get away with it), and more than a little cynical.

What's also clear from the first chapter is that there isn't much of a mystery here. Most readers will know who killed Emily right away, and can probably make an educated guess at the motive as well. The reason to continue reading is to enjoy Lynskey's portrayal of Frank Johnson, his descriptive, noir-ish style of writing, and the colorful cast of characters he's populated the book with. What would have elevated this book into the top tier is some unexpected plot twist instead of the telegraphed conclusion provided.

Special thanks to Ed Lynskey for providing a copy of The Dirt-Brown Derby for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

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News: Michael Connelly to Co-Author Equalizer Screenplay

More Hollywood news!

The Weinstein Company has hired mystery author Michael Connelly and Terrill Lee Lankford to write the screenplay for the upcoming action thriller, The Equalizer, based on the 1980's series of the same name. Paul McGuigan has been signed to direct.

According to IMDB, the film will feature a veteran covert operative who, seeking redemption for his dark deeds, quits a CIA-like agency and puts a classified advertisement in the paper that reads simply: "Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer."

A release date has not been set.

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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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

News: ABC Picks Up Women's Murder Club Series

Various sources are reporting that ABC Television has picked up the crime drama Women's Murder Club based on the series by James Patterson. Brett Ratner will produce and also direct its first episode. The series revolves around four women who solve murder cases. The first book in the series, 1st to Die, was made into a movie in 2003. The most recent book in the series, The 5th Horseman, was released in February, 2006.

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 Book Review: Chameleon by Richard Hains

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

Chameleon by Richard Hains
Non-series

Beaufort Books (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-8253-0510-1 (0825305101)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8253-0510-8 (9780825305108)
Publication Date: May 2006
List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Jon Phillips is head bond trader at one of Wall Street’s largest investment banks and lives the American dream in the heart of New York’s decadent banking community. But, after years of selfishness and extravagance, he plans his exit through an unprecedented and ultimately fraudulent deal in the US government bond market. A high-ranking colleague, who sits on the bank’s main board, has teamed up with a Russian financier in order to provide Jon with one of the key elements vital to the success of his ingenious scheme.

The deal goes spectacularly wrong and Jon’s world collapses. As the Russians desperately attempt to recover their lost millions, Jon is thrown into a deadly game of cat and mouse. From the seedy nightspots of downtown NYC to the plush yacht clubs of the Hamptons, pastoral aristocratic England, and Southern Australia’s endless beaches, past lovers, new menaces, and numerous apparently accidental deaths line his trail. Jon’s survival now depends on putting the past behind him and becoming a calculated predator instead of the vulnerable prey.

Review: The biography of Richard Hains included on the dust jacket states he is a financial expert and successful global investor. His first novel, Chameleon, draws extensively on this knowledge, especially in the first third of the book.

Jon Phillips, a financial wizard to whom excess is a way of life, devices a scheme that will net him millions based on rumors and false information, yet sees his profits turn to massive losses when news breaks that the Chairman of the Federal Reserve may have had a heart attack while in the company of an underage companion. Jon is immediately fired from his position, and becomes the fall guy for his company when the losses become known to their investors. When Jon's brother is murdered in a case of mistaken identity, Jon decides to take matters into his own hands and plots to personally recover all the money and exact revenge on the men who killed his brother.

Hains has tried to combine a financial thriller with a novel of international intrigue with mixed results. Readers who enjoy the nuts and bolts of stocks and bonds trading will get a thrill out of the first 100 pages or so. Hains provides enough information to keep readers interested without getting bogged down in esoteric details. But once the financial action stops, so does a lot of appeal of the book from this perspective.

The final two thirds of the book is largely an international race between Jon and those who are pursuing him and those he is pursuing. And for the most part, it's interesting, if not always credible, fiction. For example, it's hard to believe that Jon can travel the world using his own passport and remain undetected. It's even harder to believe that he can do so after he fakes his own death. Twice.

Finally, Hains has scattered lurid, explicit, and utterly pointless sex scenes throughout the book. They're written in such an emotionless manner that they're neither alluring nor appealing, and they're certainly not erotic. To his (or his editor's) credit, they are mercifully brief.

Special thanks to Maryglenn McCombs Book Publicity for providing a copy of Chameleon for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

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Monday, January 08, 2007

News: Transplant Patient that Inspired Blood Work Dies

Mysteries on DVDThe Associated Press is reporting that Terrell Hansen, the inspiration for the book Blood Work by Michael Connelly, has died. He was 65. Hansen was a friend of Connelly; they met at a book signing event in 1992 for the author's first novel, Black Echo.

AP notes that Hansen, who was 51 when he received the transplant, never met the family of his donor, but he knew she was an 18-year-old girl killed in an auto accident. He gave Connelly complete access to his life in researching the book Blood Work, a mystery involving a retired FBI agent who investigates the death of the young woman whose heart he received in surgery. The book was published in 1998 and was a bestseller.

Blood Work was turned into a 2002 film of the same name, directed by Clint Eastwood, who starred as the heart transplant patient.

Visit the Mysteries on DVD website for more information on Blood Work, the book and the movie.

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Mystery Godoku: Weekly Puzzle for January 08, 2007

Mystery GodokuMystery Godoku Puzzle for January 08, 2007A 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 E I K O R T V Y. This Oxford historical novelist is featured in mysteries by Veronica Stallwood (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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Sunday, January 07, 2007

News: Online Mystery Games are Back from the Dead

Games of MysteryReuters is reporting that mystery games are back from the dead, thanks to surging interest from older gamers and digital technology that makes them cheaper to produce and distribute.

According to Reuters, mystery games were popular in the mid-1990s but then fell out of favor. Recently, however, publishers of two popular online mystery games, Mystery Case Files and Mystery at Mansfield Manor, have been attracting large numbers of players, and a disproportionate number of them are older women. Links to both these games are available on the Games of Mystery website.

Big Fish, creator of the Mystery Case Files series, plans a retail launch this spring at Wal-Mart and other major retailers to get recognition for the title with consumers who may be leery of buying online. The three current Mystery Case Files games have sold more than 700,000 units. The company plans six more installments of the mystery-themed games.

With not one dollar to spend on advertising, Rory Scherer, founder of Toronto company SR Entertainment, banked on the appeal of TV crime shows and mystery novels when he launched Mystery At Mansfield Manor last summer. The game's rich look and user-friendly website, praised by several reviewers, was achieved for $50,000, Scherer said. SR Entertainment recently inked a deal with Stonehenge Media Group to raise $2 million to make five more interactive games.

Read the entire story, as published on CNET News.com, here.

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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Friday, January 05, 2007

Mystery Bestsellers for January 05, 2007

Mystery BestsellersA list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending January 05, 2007 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers by Lilian Jackson BraunThe first new bestseller of the new year is The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers, the 29th installment in the long-running "The Cat Who ..." mystery series by Lilian Jackson Braun featuring James Qwilleran and his famous felines, Koko and Yum Yum. Moose County, 400 miles north of everywhere, is in an uproar (good and bad) following vast inheritances from wealthy old families. Only "Cool Koko" knows what's happening . . . and he's not telling. Jim Qwilleran thinks it's because he has more whiskers than ordinary cats, but who's counting? Meanwhile . . . Koko meets a piano tuner. Polly goes to Paris. Qwill writes a play (an absurdist play titled The Cat Who Got Elected Dog Catcher). And there's a mysterious death from a bee sting . . .

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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Thursday, January 04, 2007

Mystery Book Review: The Testament by Eric Van Lustbader

Mysterious ReviewsMysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of The Testament by Eric Van Lustbader. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.The Testament by Eric Van Lustbader

The Testament by Eric Van Lustbader
Non-series

Forge (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-765-31463-0 (0765314630)
ISBN-13: 978-0-765-31463-5 (9780765314635)
Publication Date: September 2006
List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Braverman Shaw--"Bravo" to his friends--always knew his father had secrets. But not until Dexter Shaw dies does Bravo discover that his father belonged to the Order of Gnostic Observatines, a hidden sect long believed extinct. For centuries, the Order has guarded a lost Testament that could shake Christianity to its foundations. Dexter Shaw was the latest Keeper of the Testament--and Bravo is his chosen successor.

Before Dexter died, he hid the cache where only Bravo could find it. Now Bravo, an accomplished medieval scholar and cryptanalyst, must follow the esoteric clues his father left behind. His companion in this quest is Jenny Logan, a driven young woman with secrets of her own. Jenny is a Guardian, assigned by the order to protect Bravo, or so she claims. Bravo soon learns that he can trust no one where the Testament is concerned, perhaps not even Jenny ...

Another secret society, the Knights of St. Clement, originally founded and sponsored by the Papacy, has been after the Order's precious cache since the time of the Crusades. The Knights, agents and assassins, will stop at nothing to obtain the treasure. Bravo has become both a target and a pawn in an ongoing war far larger and more deadly than any he could have imagined.

From New York City to Washington D.C., to Paris, to Venice, and beyond, the race is on for the quintessential prize ... the Testament.

Review: In Eric Van Lustbader's latest thriller, The Testament, scholar Braverman "Bravo" Shaw is on a personal journey to seek out a cache of secrets following clues left to him by his late father. This cache includes the mysterious substance quintessence (the fifth classical element after earth, fire, water, and air) which may have been used to resurrect Jesus after his crucifixion, and a testament, a long hidden and suppressed gospel purportedly written by Jesus after his "death". Public knowledge of the contents of the cache could be catastrophic to modern Christianity, and with several factions using whatever means necessary to locate it, it is essential that Bravo find it first.

If all this sounds familiar, it should. Millions of copies of a similarly plotted book have been sold, and that same book was made into a movie seen by millions more. It's something of a mystery why an author of Lustbader's caliber needed to write such a derivative work.

There are some redeeming qualities in The Testament. First, and most importantly, the book is well written. Characters are expressive and appropriately developed for a stand-alone thriller, locales (of which there are many) are realistically depicted, and the action is relentless. Second, the story is well plotted, if familiar. And in a nice, personal touch, Bravo's father lives on in his memory, and throughout the story, with italicized comments that are relevant to the situation at hand.

It's hard not to enjoy a book by Lustbader, and in the end, The Testament is no exception. But it is still disappointing that the story was so conventional.

Special thanks to The Book Report Network for providing a copy of The Testament for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

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Mystery Books: New Hardcover Titles for January 2007

Mystery BestsellersNew hardcover mystery titles scheduled to be published in January 2007 are now available on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

We thought we'd try something different this month, and provide summaries of the titles in order of entry in the mystery series (with non-series titles at the end).

• The 29th "The Cat Who ..." mystery, The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers by Lilian Jackson Braun.
• The 21st Richard Jury mystery, Dust by Martha Grimes.
• The 15th Kate Shugak mystery, A Deeper Sleep by Dana Stabenow, set in Alaska.
• The 14th Marti MacAlister mystery, Suddenly a Stranger by Eleanor Taylor Bland.
• The 14th Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery, Murder Among the OWLS by Bill Crider.
• The 14th Amanda Pepper mystery, All's Well That Ends by Gillian Roberts, set in Philadelphia.
• The 13th Stephanie Plum mystery, Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich, set in New Jersey.
• The 9th Alexandra Cooper mystery, Bad Blood by Linda Fairstein, set in New York City.
• The 9th Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery, A False Mirror by Charles Todd.
• The 8th Trish Maguire mystery, Evil Is Done by Natasha Cooper.
• The 8th Mandy Dyer mystery, Pressed to Kill by Dolores Johnson, set in Denver.
• The 6th Charlotte LaRue mystery, Scrub-A-Dub-Dead by Barbara Colley, set in New Orleans.
• The 4th Bernie and Libby Simmons mystery, A Catered Valentine's Day by Isis Crawford.
• The 4th Steve Cline mystery, Triple Cross by Kit Ehrman, set in Louisville (KY).
• The 4th Philip Dryden mystery, The Coldest Blood by Jim Kelly, set in Cambridge (UK).
• The 4th Gil Cunningham mystery, St. Mungo's Robin by Pat McIntosh.
• The 2nd Jade Del Cameron mystery, Stalking Ivory by Suzanne Arruda, set in Nairobi.
• The 2nd Body Farm mystery, Flesh and Bone by Jefferson Bass, set in Tennessee.
• The 2nd Mike Garrity mystery, Head Games by Thomas B. Cavanagh.
• The 2nd Lee Bartholomew mystery, How to Marry a Ghost by Hope McIntyre, set in the Hamptons.
• The 1st Jamaica Wild mystery, Wild Indigo by Sandi Ault, set in New Mexico.
• The 1st Johnny Hawke mystery, Forests of the Night by David Stuart Davies, set in London.
• The 1st Sophie Anderson mystery, Body Count by P. D. Martin, set in Washington D.C.
• The 1st Lady Julie Grey mystery, Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn, set in London.
• Non-series: The Song Is You by Megan E. Abbott, set in Los Angeles.
• Non-series: The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry.
• Non-series: The Killing Moon by Chuck Hogan, set in Massachusetts.
• Non-series: The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey, set in Chicago.

Be sure to check out our Mystery Books aStore to purchase any of the new 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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Monday, January 01, 2007

Mystery Godoku: Weekly Puzzle for January 01, 2007

Mystery GodokuMystery Godoku Puzzle for January 01, 2007A 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: E H K N O R T W Y. John Buxton Hilton wrote a series of mysteries featuring this Scotland Yard Superintendent (9 letters, last name only).

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, December 31, 2006

Mysterious Reviews: A Look Back at 2006

Mysterious ReviewsAs we look back at the mysteries we reviewed at Mysterious Reviews in 2006, there were only 5 that received our highest praise. Each of these noteworthy books deserve another mention before we begin the new year.

We don't review books "on a curve", but we want to acknowledge that some mysteries are simply better than others. In order for our readers to recognize this, most of the mysteries we review are awarded "average" marks. This doesn't mean they are bad; generally, it simply means that these books didn't impress us as much as those rated higher. Our highest rating is reserved for those few books that are exceptional in one way or another and we try to highlight in our review why we believe they deserve this high mark.

Here are the 5 mysteries from 2006, in the order in which they were published, that we believe deserve space on your bookshelf.

The Geographer's Library by Jon FasmanThrough a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon

When Good Bras Go Bad by Gayle TrentMessenger of Truth by Jacqueline WinspearFalse Harbor by Michael Donnelly

February 2006: The Geographer's Library by Jon Fasman. This book was published in hardcover in 2005, with the trade paperback, the one we reviewed, published in early 2006. We were captivated by both the literary adventure and the way it was presented to the reader. It is an exceptionally well-written book with an unexpected twist at the end.

May 2006: Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon, the 15th mystery to feature Venice Commissioner of Police Guido Brunetti, and a fine example of her body of work. Leon continues to impress us after all these years. In our review we wrote, "The storylines are multi-faceted, each side amplifying another, to produce a brilliance that is rare in detective fiction today." If you haven't read one of the mysteries in this series, make a resolution to do so in 2007; you won't be disappointed.

August 2006: When Good Bras Go Bad by Gayle Trent, the 2nd mystery in the Myrtle Crumb series. This slender book was an unexpected delight. Targeted to pre-teen girls, this gem of a mystery can be enjoyed by all. We said in our review, "Fully developed characters, a well thought out plot, and expressive and eloquent dialog, are all deftly composed in a book that runs less than 100 pages." A good example of never judging a book by its cover, its title, or its intended audience.

September 2006: Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear, the 4th mystery in the Maisie Dobbs series. Somehow, someway, we managed to miss reading the first three books in this award-winning series. We're glad we caught this one, however, which we found mesmerizing. With eloquent prose, finely drawn characters, a reasoned investigative process, and atmospheric settings, it truly was one of the year's best.

October 2006: False Harbor by Michael Donnelly, who demonstrates considerable talent as the author in his debut mystery. Though we found the plot somewhat formulaic in places, the depth of characterization, the descriptive locales, and the accomplished prose elevated this book into the top tier of mysteries published this year.

If you haven't already read these mysteries, seek them out. They're worth the effort.

All of our mystery book reviews are conveniently organized by date, author, and "star" (or, in our case, "magnifying glass"). If you'd like to comment on our reviews, you may do so on this blog, or by sending a message to reviews@hsmb.com.

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

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Saturday, December 30, 2006

Mystery Book Review: False Harbor by Michael Donnelly

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

False Harbor by Michael Donnelly
An Egret Van Gerpin Mystery

Windstorm Creative (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-59092-129-1 (1590921291)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59092-129-6 (9781590921296)
Publication Date: October 2006
List Price: $15.99

Synopsis (from the publisher): A cryptic symbol on a block of marble …

Anton Gropius understands. The malicious vandal who ravaged his sculptures is not finished. About to unveil his culminating creation, two decades in the making, Gropius must first expose his tormentor.

Reclusive Gropius Stuns World ...

Friday Harbor journalist, Egret Van Gerpin, has the headline written even before intruding on the sculptor’s private island. By kayak, in a tempest. The cantankerous Gropius recruits Egret’s help to save his work from those he's invited to his sanctuary. A dark bargain, as she becomes the last bulwark against a murderous compulsion storming the sculptor's false harbor.

Review: Michael Donnelly introduces journalist Egret Van Gerpin in the outstanding mystery novel, False Harbor, set in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State.

Egret arrives, uninvited and unwelcome, on the private island retreat of famed sculptor and recluse Anton Gropius to interview him for an article. Rough seas prevent her from departing, stranding her on the island with Anton's family who have gathered to celebrate his 70th birthday. Anton is planning a surprise for his family: the unveiling of a series of sculptures on which he has been working since someone destroyed a collection 21 years earlier at a similar event. Tormented by the idea that someone may try to do the same now, he asks Egret to stay and observe since many of the same people who were at the event years ago are again on the island for his birthday celebration. When a close associate of Anton's is found dead at the bottom of a ravine, Egret believes it wasn't an accident and sets out to identify the culprit ... and possibly solve a 21-year-old mystery.

It's a rare pleasure to read such a polished debut mystery. The island setting is a perfect location for the story, and the characters are interesting and well developed. The plot is a bit formulaic in places, but this minor fault is more than made up for by the accomplished prose. Consider this passage, as Egret is walking along a trail on the island pondering her reason for being there: "... the path sucked the anxiety from my legs, slowing me, starving the future and past to nourish the present, making a gift of itself. I fell into a new rhythm, letting the earth push me along and feeling wealthy at owning it for the moment, my only responsibility being to do it no harm ...".

It isn't clear if False Harbor is the start of a series featuring Egret Van Gerpin or simply a stand-alone mystery as the book is subtitled "A San Juan Island Mystery". But this complex character deserves another outing. Seek out False Harbor; it's one of the year's best mysteries.

Special thanks to Michael Donnelly for providing a copy of False Harbor for this review.

Review Copyright © 2006 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

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Friday, December 29, 2006

News: Elijah Wood Joins Cast of The Oxford Murders

The Oxford Murders by Guillermo MartinezThe Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Elijah Wood has been signed to star in the upcoming movie The Oxford Murders based on the book of the same name by Guillermo Martinez. The movie will be directed by Alex de la Iglesia. It was previously announced that John Hurt will also star in the film.

The Oxford Murders involves a young Argentine mathematics student at Oxford (Wood) who finds his landlady - an elderly woman who helped decipher the Enigma Code during World War II - murdered. Meanwhile, leading Oxford logician Arthur Seldom (Hurt) receives an anonymous note bearing a circle and the words, "the first of the series." As more murders occur, Seldom guesses that they relate to his book about the parallels between investigations of serial killers and certain mathematical theorems. As he and the young student are drawn further into the game, it is up to the mentor and student to solve the puzzle before the killer strikes again.

The film is scheduled to begin shooting in London and Oxford in late January 2007.

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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