Mysteries on TV: Columbo, Ironside, Kidnapped, and NCIS

It's a very mysterious week with 4 television series coming out on DVD:

Columbo, The Mystery Movie Collection, 1989, contains five made-for-television movies that were shown in 1989 over a decade after Columbo the series ended its run. Peter Falk returned to play the Los Angeles police detective.

The movies on this 3 disk set are: Columbo Goes to the Guillotine featuring Anthony Andrews; Murder, Smoke, and Shadows with Fisher Stevens; Sex and the Married Detective starring Lindsay Crouse; Grand Deceptions featuring Robert Foxworth; and Murder, a Self Portrait with Patrick Bauchau.

Ironside, Season 1, starred Raymond Burr as the San Francisco Chief of Detectives who survives an assassination attempt but is left paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. Hired by the department as a special consultant, he and his team investigate crimes in association with the authorities.

Raymond Burr took on the role of Ironside just one year after Perry Mason ended its long television run.

The 1st season ran for 28 episodes during the 1967/1968 television season on NBC. The 8 disk DVD set also includes the pilot which aired in 1966.

Kidnapped, The Complete Series, starred Timothy Hutton and Dana Delaney as a wealthy and powerful New York couple whose teenage son has been kidnapped. The couple hire a former FBI agent turned "retrieval specialist" to work outside the law while keeping the family's secrets behind closed doors.

Kidnapped aired on NBC in September and October 2006 and was cancelled after just 5 episodes, the remaining being available at the time on the NBC.com website. All 13 episodes are included on this 3 disk DVD set and are shown in widescreen presentations.

[Mystery Books News Editor's comment: Somehow we missed this series when it came out last year, but we've already ordered our copy! It sounds like our kind of television.]

NCIS, Season 3, starred Mark Harmon as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, these special agents travel the globe to investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties. The season begins following the devastating loss of one of their special agents to a terrorist at the close of season 2. Further complicating matters for Gibbs is his former lover who is the new director of NCIS.

The 3rd season ran for 24 episodes during the 2005/2006 television season on CBS. The 6 disk DVD set includes all episodes presented in wide screen format.

Visit the Mysteries on TV website to discover more television mystery series currently available on DVD.

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Mystery Book Review: Napoleons Pyramids by William Dietrich

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of Napoleon's Pyramids by William Dietrich. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Napoleon's Pyramids by William Dietrich
An Ethan Gage Mystery

HarperCollins (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-06-084832-4 (0060848324)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-084832-3 (9780060848323)
Publication Date: February 2007
List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Ethan Gage, assistant to Ben Franklin and expatriate American in post-revolutionary France, wins an ancient—and possibly cursed—medallion in a card game one night. It turns out that the medallion, covered in seemingly indecipherable symbols, may be linked to a Masonic mystery. That same night, however, Ethan is framed for a prostitute's murder and barely escapes France with his life.

Faced with either prison or death, Gage is offered a third choice: to accompany the new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, as France sails to conquer Egypt—with Lord Nelson's fleet following close behind. Once Gage arrives, he encounters incredible surprises: one in the form of a beautiful Macedonian slave and another in the dawning knowledge that the medallion may solve one of the greatest riddles of history—who built the Great Pyramids, and why. What is revealed to Gage is more shocking than anyone could ever have imagined.

Review: William Dietrich has blended the characters of the Indiana Jones and Rick O'Connell (of the Mummy movies) into the energetic and resourceful Ethan Gage, an American living in late 18th century France, and inserted him into a magnificent adventure, Napoleon's Pyramids.

Ethan is probably best described as an intellectual neer-do-well, someone undoubtedly capable of greater things but willing to whatever is needed just to get by. An associate of Ben Franklin, he parlays his knowledge of the new science of electricity into a trip to Egypt as one of many savants in the company of France's new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. Unable to invade England, Napoleon creates a new mission to expand the empire of France: the "liberation" (read conquest) of Egypt. An incidental objective, and the reason for his entourage of scientists and engineers, is to solve the mythical secrets of the Great Pyramid. An ancient Egyptian medallion, which Ethan won in a card game in Paris, may hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of the Pharaohs.

It's tempting to think of Napoleon's Pyramids as simply being a literary version of Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Mummy, but it is much more reminiscent of the imaginative tales of Jules Verne. As with Verne's novels, there's something about Ethan's journey that is so fantastic and so incredible that the reader is able to readily dismiss notions of the utter implausibility of some of the action and simply share in the adventure as presented. It certainly helps that Dietrich has effortlessly incorporated real historical events, mathematical conundrums, and the general wonder of the pyramids and the region into his story.

While Napoleon's Pyramids is not the perfect historical adventure story—a plethora of details often interrupt the otherwise non-stop action—it is certainly a thrill ride worth experiencing.

It should be noted that the rather abrupt ending to the book is somewhat intentional: the author has already announced that a sequel is in development based on Napoleon's invasion of the Holy Land.

Special thanks to The Book Report Network for a copy of Napoleon's Pyramids for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 - Hidden Staircase Mystery Books - All Rights Reserved.

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Profile: People Expect P D James to be Sinister

The Cambridge Evening News is reporting that celebrated author P. D. James says that people expect her to be sinister. "People sometimes smile and say: 'How can a benign looking great-grandmother write such terrible things?'" she laughs.

The 87-year-old writer published her first novel, Cover Her Face, in 1962, when she introduced the poet detective Adam Dalgliesh to the world. Since then she has written 16 novels featuring Dalgliesh, as well as a series featuring her female sleuth Cordelia Gray. Both of these characters have been portrayed on film with Roy Marsden and Martin Shaw playing Dalgliesh at different times, and Helen Baxendale starring as Cordelia Gray. She has also written two non-series novels, one of which, The Children of Men, was made into a critically acclaimed movie in 2006 and was recently released on DVD.

When asked if The Lighthouse, published in 2005, was the last book to feature Dalgliesh, James replied, "It won't be his last because I am currently writing another. When you're 87 you're never quite sure how much time you have left and I suppose I thought there may not be another one. It's very lucky for him - he doesn't age, but I do."

James also comments on today's mystery authors. "Certainly there's very little in common between the modern detective story and the ones written by Agatha Christie's generation between the wars - the so-called 'golden age'. Nowadays we're much more realistic about crime; we know more about scientific investigation and things like DNA testing have changed everything. In the old days it was much more naive and simplistic."

Read the rest of the profile of P. D. James on Cambridge-News.co.uk here.

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Profile: Randy Wayne White Talks about Doc Ford

Chris Kridler, writing for Florida Today, recently profiled Randy Wayne White, the Pine Island resident who has written 14 books in the Doc Ford series. His most recent book, Hunter's Moon, was published last month.

White says that his characters still surprise him. "The characters do indeed evolve," he said. "When I began the Doc Ford series, I wrote a detailed bio for the main characters." Doc Ford is a marine biologist and ex-government agent, the intellectual; Tomlinson is his spiritual buddy. "I knew from the beginning they were involved in a sort of death dance, because I think those two cerebral components in me are often at odds."

When asked about his latest book, Hunter's Moon, White says, "It's my favorite thriller of the series by far, but not all the Ford books are thrillers. Some are mysteries, and some are thrillers, and some are, I don't know what they heck they are."

Read the rest of Kridler's profile of Randy Wayne White on FloridaToday.com here.

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are 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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Mystery Godoku: Weekly Puzzle for April 23, 2007

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: E G I M N O Q U Y. This Cambridge University nurse is featured in mysteries by Jill Paton Walsh (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!

Mystery Book Review: Dark Room by Andrea Kane

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

Dark Room by Andrea Kane
Non-Series

William Morrow (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-06-074134-1 (0060741341)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-074134-1 (9780060741341)
Publication Date: March 2007
List Price: $23.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Seventeen years ago, Morgan Winter was traumatized by the discovery of her parents' brutally murdered bodies in a Brooklyn basement on Christmas Eve. Now shocking new evidence overturns the killer's conviction and Morgan is confronted with the horrifying realization that the real killer is still out there.

Trapped in an emotional hell, she hires Pete "Monty" Montgomery, the former NYPD detective who first investigated her parents' homicides. Now a PI, Monty has a personal score to settle—a promise he made to Morgan, the helpless child long ago, that he'd find her parents' killer. With nothing more than an old case file and the original crime scene photos, Monty enlists the specialized skills of his son, Lane, a photojournalist whose job is a perfect cover for the clandestine image analysis he conducts for the CIA. Constantly thrill-seeking, Lane is used to gambling and putting his own life on the line—for country, for journalistic integrity, for the adrenaline rush. But this time, the stakes are different . . . and this time, he can't afford to lose.

The murderer is still at large and has never stopped watching Morgan from the shadows, making sure a dark secret remains buried. Now, Morgan's fierce determination to uncover the truth consumes her, plunging her into the dark and terrifying past and an increasingly dangerous present.

Lane is closing in on the truth. But in a cruel twist of fate, what he exposes may be far more shocking and devastating to Morgan than anyone could imagine.

Review: Dark Room, by Andrea Kane, tells of the horror and sadness of Morgan Winter who was only ten years old when she ran happily into the room on Christmas Eve and found her parents lying on the floor, brutally murdered. Seventeen years have now passed; Morgan and her best friend, Jill Shore, have gone into a lucrative business together. Life is good! Then one day all the memories of the cruel assault and the violence begin to resurface as she is told that the man who was arrested for and convicted of the murder of her parents was innocent.

Andrea Kane vividly brings to life each character in her book, their roles, their traits and their temperaments. Monty, the crusty private investigator and former police officer who was in charge of the crime's investigation seventeen years ago, has been hired by Morgan to delve into the past and find the real killer of her parents. There’s the flamboyant Senator Shore and his loving wife, who were Morgan’s parents closest friends, and who became legal guardians of Morgan. They brought her up as their own with their young daughter, Jill, who was Morgan’s best friend from very early childhood. We are told about the Senator’s parents and his wife’s parents and Monty’s son. We meet some of their friends and colleagues, men and women, of seventeen years ago, some who were actively involved with the investigation back then.

Not only is this a mystery, it is a unique story of the love of parents and children, of men and women and warm friendships. All of the friends and family come to the aid of Monty. Some have stories that may be useful; others can talk to people who may remember the incident. Morgan has pictures and does the Senator and his wife. Much has happened in forensic science over the seventeen years, so these old clues may have new answers. Every one is a suspect now, friends, old comrades, and even the women involved with these men.

Piece by piece, Monty starts putting the seventeen-year-old puzzle together. When he is finished, he is as astonished as the reader to discover the culprit.

Andrea Kane's Dark Room is an "I don’t want to put it down" kind of book.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty for contributing her review of Dark Room and to Book Trends for providing an ARC for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which 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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Mystery Bestsellers for April 20, 2007

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending April 20, 2007 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

Debuting at the top of Amazon.com and second at Barnes&Noble.com this week: The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, the 8th entry in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series with Botswana's only female private detective, Precious Ramotswe, by Alexander McCall Smith. There is rarely a dull moment in her life, and in her newest round of adventures, challenges and intrigues, the same certainly holds true. But one thing above all else is keeping her occupied – her estimable husband, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. He has been hinting for some time now that he intends to do something special for their adopted daughter, Motholeli, and it seems that the time for this good deed has come. Of course, good deed or not, his plan is bound to hit some snags. And that’s when he will undoubtedly consider himself doubly – perhaps even triply – lucky to be married to the ever-resourceful, ever-understanding Precious Ramotswe.

Topping the Barnes&Noble mystery bestseller chart this week: The Woods, a non-series thriller by Harlan Coben. Twenty years ago, four teenagers at summer camp walked into the woods at night. Two were found murdered, and the others were never seen again. Four families had their lives changed forever. Now, two decades later, they are about to change again. When a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to the county prosecutor, the well-buried secrets of the prosecutor's family are threatened. Is this homicide victim one of the campers who disappeared with his sister? Could his sister be alive?

Other newcomers include the spy thriller Body of Lies by David Ignatius and the 11th mystery in the Regan Reilly series, Laced by Carol Higgins Clark.

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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Mystery Book Review: Acts of Violets by Kate Collins

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

Acts of Violets by Kate Collins
A Flower Shop Mystery

Signet (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-451-22074-9 (0451220749)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-22074-5 (9780451220745)
Publication Date: March 2007
List Price: $6.99

Synopsis (from the publisher): During the annual Pickle Fest, Abby Knight's boyfriend Marco Salvare inexplicably disappears for a day. When he returns, he's the main suspect in the death of a clown. It seems the cops have found Snuggles pushing up water-spurting daisies—and Marco was the last person seen leaving Snuggles's house. Although Marco is still a mystery to her, Abby knows he's innocent. Now she has to find a way to prove it.

Review: Acts of Violets is the disappointing fifth entry in the Flower Shop mystery series by Kate Collins. The series features florist Abby Knight who owns the Bloomers flower shop in (fictional) New Chapel, Indiana.

While attending the annual Pickle Fest, Abby is accosted by Snuggles the Clown. Nothing serious transpires, but when Abby mentions it to her boyfriend of several months, ex-cop and part-time private investigator Marco Salvare, he suddenly leaves the area. Abby is convinced that he's off to have a word with Snuggles, but then disappears for a day. Abby next hears about him when he's called in as a suspect in the death of a man, one Dennis Ryson also known as Snuggles the Clown. Marco asks Abby to help clear him name: "I need you to do what you do best. Snoop, pry, poke, eavesdrop, meddle—you know, make a nuisance of yourself." And she's off on a one-woman crusade to find the real culprit.

Ryson wasn't the most pleasant man in his neighborhood, and Abby soon narrows down the list of suspects to one of his neighbors. It's at this point in the book that one gets a sense that Collins is simply biding time with Abby, giving her things to do but not moving the story along much. Part of the problem is in the character of Marco and how Abby interacts with him. It's at times an elusive concept to be sure, but there's no chemistry between them. It goes well beyond the doubts Abby may have about their relationship; it's awkward and uncomfortable.

In the end, Collins manages to cleverly link a natural product and the flower in the title to Ryson's murder, but it all seems far too little too late. Acts of Violets is rather harmless reading and mildly entertaining but there are better choices in this genre.

Special thanks to Kate Collins for providing an ARC of Acts of Violets for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which 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 TV: Murder, She Wrote Season 6

New television mystery series to be released this week on DVD:

Murder, She Wrote, the sixth season, starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer Jessica Fletcher.

Whether Jessica was at home in Cabot Cove or traveling the world promoting her books or visiting old friends, murder was never far away. This season opens with Jessica in Athens, Greece, where she is reunited with a British secret agent who asks her to pose as his wife to rescue a kidnapped fellow spy. Other episodes in the season have Jessica visiting Palm Beach, Wall Street, California, and Jamaica.

The 6th season ran for 22 episodes during the 1989/1990 television season on CBS. The 5 disk DVD set also has a number of bonus features including interviews with Angela Lansbury and the cast, guest stars, and crew.

Visit the Mysteries on TV website to discover more television mystery series currently available on DVD.

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Mystery Godoku: Weekly Puzzle for April 16, 2007

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 G H I N R T W. John Sandford wrote this mystery with freelance video team member Anna Batory (with "The", 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!

News: Your Favorite Author May be Just a Brand Name

Kerry Lengel, writing for the The Arizone Republic, starts by asked a trick question: Who wrote Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell?

You're right, it isn't Tom Clancy, even though his name gets the biggest type on the cover of the book. All three Splinter Cell novels clear state that they were written by David Michaels.

But even then, as Lengel notes, the mystery of who wrote the books deepens. David Michaels is a pseudonym for professional ghostwriter Raymond Benson who acknowledges writing the first two books in the series. As to who wrote the third ... well, that remains unknown.

We have entered a new era in the branding of bestselling authors, Lengel writes. The poster boy for this 21st-century phenomenon is James Patterson, who had eight of the 100 most popular books of 2006, according to USA Today, and is scheduled to release six novels this year - that's one every two months. The majority of his books are written by "co-authors" who take a detailed outline and flesh it out, then turn it back to Patterson for edits.

There are many variations on the theme, from secret ghostwriters and credited co-authors to posthumous publication and next-generation torchbearers. For example, Robert Ludlum is still writing books despite the fact he died six years ago. His publisher doesn't make it obvious that he's still not writing them.

Lengel also points out there are other ways to brand an author. Having "theme" titles, for example. It's a technique that has worked for Janet Evanovich (One for the Money, Two for the Dough), another author who has made her name a bona-fide brand, although in this case without hiring lesser-known writers for the assembly line.

The fundamental question is, does it matter to you if your favorite author may not be who you think it is? For millions of readers, the answer is clearly no.

Read the entire article on the branding of popular authors on AZCentral.com here.

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Profile: Prosecutor has a Paper Trail Worth Following

Oline H. Cogdill, mystery book columnist for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, recently profiled Linda Fairstein, the former NYC prosecutor who is now a best-selling author. Her most recent book the Alex Cooper series, Bad Blood, was published in February.

"The law and literature -- those are two things I can't give up and I'm so fortunate that they feed off each other," Fairstein said during an interview in Miami.

Cogdill writes that when Fairstein joined the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in 1972, she was one of seven women on a staff of 180 lawyers. At the time, the district attorney didn't permit women to work on homicides or violent crimes, let alone prosecute them in court. Just four years later, Fairstein took over the newly formed sex crimes unit, revolutionizing the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse cases. "It's the work that kept me there," she says. "It became so richly rewarding on a professional level, on a personal level, on an emotional level to help make changes in the law."

She wrote her first four novels while still a prosecutor, and the pace was wearing her down. "When I was writing and prosecuting, prosecution came first," she said. But her novels were beginning to attract as much attention as her law career.

Fairstein's fifth novel, The Bone Vault, written after she left the D.A.'s office, became her breakout hit in 2003. Critics and readers have cited the authenticity in Fairstein's novels; the author says she pulls from real cases and events, though she has never fictionalized a real defendant or villain.

But the law still calls, Cogdill adds. She often does consulting work or gives seminars, workshops and discussions at law enforcement agencies or attorney groups around the country. Recently at the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office, she did a 90-minute informal training session on special victims and a discussion with the DNA Unit.

Read the rest of Cogdill's profile of this remarkable author on Sun-Sentinel.com here.

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Mystery Book Review: Ladykiller by Lawrence Light and Meredith Anthony

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written our review of Ladykiller by Lawrence Light and Meredith Anthony. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Ladykiller by Lawrence Light and Meredith Anthony
Non-Series

Oceanview Publishing (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-933515-05-8 (1933515058)
ISBN-13: 978-1-933515-05-2 (9781933515052)
Publication Date: April 2007
List Price: $22.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): In the city that never sleeps, evil is wide awake.

From the bright lights of Times Square to the dark alleys of New York, the Ladykiller is at work – and at prey.

Four women savagely murdered on the mean streets of New York. The Ladykiller leaves no trail, no clues.

The pressure is on for NYPD detective Dave Dillon: either he solves the crime, or he can kiss his job goodbye. When Dave joins forces with Megan Morrison, a beautiful young social worker, the search for a cold-hearted killer leads to a hot romance. But a host of forces threaten to intrude: Nita, Megan’s jealous mentor, would delight in derailing the romance between Dave and Megan, as would Jamie, a determined detective with her own not-so-hidden agenda. And Dave’s shadowy past is never far behind. The clock is ticking for Dave and Megan. Will they close in on the shocking truth behind the crimes, or will it close in on them?

In the world of the Ladykiller, passion can turn deadly in a New York minute.

Review: The papers have coined the term Ladykiller to describe a serial killer who has already struck three times, and kills a fourth woman in the opening chapter of Ladykiller, a new book by the married writing team of Lawrence Light and Meredith Anthony. The couple have created a compelling character in NYPD detective Dave Dillon and crafted an interesting, if somewhat flawed, series of crimes for him to solve.

The four murdered women apparently have nothing in common, living in different areas of the city and having different socioeconomic backgrounds. But all were killed in the same way: a 45-calibre bullet through the right eye at close range. Detective Dave Dillon of the NYPD is assigned the case, and is aggressive in pursuing leads. Just when he thinks his investigation is making progress, there's a twist: a man is killed in the same manner. Was it wrong to assume the killer was simply stalking women? Could this latest murder be a copycat crime? Or is there a common thread linking these crimes that has nothing to do with gender?

There are a couple of plot points that tend to weaken the overall story. The crimes are set in 1991 where the NYPD seemingly have limited forensic skills (at least compared with what ostensibly is the norm today). This leaves the authors with the freedom to have the killer walk away from the crime scene leaving minimal evidence to be found by the authorities. Murders of this nature would seem to leave an abundance of clues and setting the book in the present day would require a killer that was far more careful. Furthermore, it seems highly improbable that one would calmly stare at their killer, someone who was pointing a gun just a few inches from their right eye, even if they knew them. Maybe once or twice, but some 6 or 7 people are ultimately killed in this way in Ladykiller. It's simply not credible.

The authors reveal the identity of the Ladykiller early in the book which removes a huge element of suspense from the story. Typically in a book with a known killer, the plot becomes a police procedural. But not in this case: there is nothing terribly methodical about the way Dillon handles his investigation. Thus to keep the reader's interest, what follows is a series of unexpected twists and turns that are hit-and-miss; some work within the context of the plot, some don't. Fortunately, the ending works, and provides an element of surprise that will have the reader thumbing back through the pages to see how they missed anticipating this startling conclusion.

Special thanks to Maryglenn McCombs for providing an ARC of Ladykiller for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which 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: John Banville Confronts Benjamin Black

Writing for Newsweek.com, John Banville conducts an interview with his alter-ego, Benjamin Black, author of Christine Falls. Not unlike the book, the interview has a noir-ish feel to it.

How did Black come to conceive of Christine Falls? “About three years ago I began to read Georges Simenon—not the Maigret books, a single one of which I’ve yet to read, but what he called his romans durs, his hard novels. I thought, if this kind of thing can be achieved in simple language and direct, lightweight narrative, then I want to try it myself.”

Aren't all your characters ciphers, especially Quirke? “So they are, ciphers all. Just like folks. You see, that’s the difference between you and me,” he says. “You devote pages to speculating on why this or that character did this or that action, without ever, of course, coming up with an answer or the shade of an answer. That’s your brand of phenomenology, if you’ll permit me one of the big words you’re always being berated for using. My way is by way of action. Your books think: mine look, look and report.”

Read the rest of this entertaining self-interview on Newsweek.com here.

[Mystery Books News Editor's note: A review of Christine Falls is available on the Mysterious Reviews website.]

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Mystery Bestsellers for April 13, 2007

A list of the top ten mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending April 13, 2007 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

New this week: Fresh Disasters, the 13th mystery in the Stone Barrington series, by Stuart Woods with the New York City attorney embarking on his most dangerous adventure yet when he takes on a job as a lawyer for a sleazy and clueless con man-and ends up getting embroiled in the underworld of the New York mafia. With the help of his ex-partner, Dino, Stone investigates crime boss "Datilla the Hun," and the rest of the mob family, encountering intrigue and danger at every turn. Will Stone finally take a stand, or will he end up at the bottom of Sheepshead Bay? Publishers Weekly states, "Woods delivers few surprises, but there are plenty of laughs as the pages speed by. Series regulars and newcomers alike will be perfectly satisfied."

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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