Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Mystery Bookshelf: New Paperback Mysteries for January 2008

Mystery Bookshelf: Discover a Library of New Mysteries

has updated its website to include over 50 new mass market paperback mystery books scheduled for publication in January 2008. Below is a preview of these mysteries:

Though the scheduled publication date is reported to be January for these books, actual available dates tend to be somewhat fluid with some books already on the shelves and a few not shipping until the following month.

For more information on any of these titles, please visit website. Paperback mysteries published over the past 6 months are also available for browsing, conveniently sorted by author, series character, and date.

Discover a library of new mysteries at the !

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Monday, December 31, 2007

Mystery Book Review: Rumpole Misbehaves by John Mortimer

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

Rumpole Misbehaves by John MortimerBuy from Amazon.com
Rumpole Misbehaves by John Mortimer
A Rumpole of the Bailey Mystery

Viking (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-670-01830-9 (0670018309)
ISBN-13: 978-0-670-01830-7 (9780670018307)
Publication Date: November 2007
List Price: $23.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) may be the pride and joy of the New Labour Party, but they don't cut much ice with Horace Rumpole-he takes the old-fashioned view that if anyone is going to be threatened with a restriction of their liberty then some form of legal proceeding ought to be gone through first. Not that Hilda agrees, of course, but she's too busy completing her memoirs to dissuade him from taking an interest when one of the Timson children is given an ASBO for playing football in the street. And pretty soon he realizes something fishy is going on. Why are the residents pursuing their vendetta against the Timson boy quite so strongly? Could they have a sinister reason for not wanting him on their street?

Review: Horace Rumpole (Rumpole of the Bailey) returns for another case in Rumpole Misbehaves, a delightful mystery in a short novel format by John Mortimer.

It starts out simple enough. A 12-year-old boy has been accused of letting his soccer ball roll into a quiet up-scale neighborhood where the residents are obsessed with keeping everything quiet. They promptly file a complaint against the boy citing an Anti-Social Behavior Order. Rumple is asked by the boy’s father to represent him. When the boy receives a second complaint, Rumple again goes to court on the boy’s behalf, this time to keep the court from sending the boy to a youth prison. In searching out why the residents would complain about a ball rolling on their street, Rumple finds the actual reasons for the complaints: some of the residents are involved in buying and selling young women from foreign countries for the purpose of prostitution. One such young woman, who happened to live on this quiet street, was going to blow the whistle, so to speak, but before she could she was murdered. Although the police have a clear cut case against a civil servant accused of the crime, Rumple goes to his defense.

Rumpole is a criminal lawyer for defense in London’s Old Bailey. He has yet to be elected to the Queen's Council (QC). The QCs are the leaders of the trial proceedings. They wear black silk robes and white wigs and argue the most important cases. With his present case, he needs a QC to lead him. But Rumple has ways of getting around this rule! Yet all actions have consequences, and at one point Rumpole is called upon to defend himself against a complaint of the Anti-Social Behavior Order. He has been accused of eating and drinking cheap wine in his office, singing aloud in his room causing embarrassment to fellow lawyers, and increasing the risk of global warming by smoking a small cigar in his room.

This interesting case is both topical and complex, but the real joy here is in the character of Rumpole and how he uses the system to both his advantage and that of his client. Interspersed between chapters of Rumpole's legal adventures are those of his wife, Hilda (She Who Must Be Obeyed), who offers her own droll and amusing view on life.

Though relatively short, the author covers a lot of material in Rumpole Misbehaves, with great success. It is a wonderful addition to this terrific series.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of for contributing her review of Rumpole Misbehaves and to Viking for providing a copy of the book for this review.

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

For more visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which 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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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for December 31, 2007

Mystery GodokuMystery Godoku Puzzle for December 31, 2007A new has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now 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 C D I O N T U. This is the title of the debut thriller in the Shefford-Johnson series by Wanda L. Dyson (9 letters).

New! We now have our puzzles in PDF format for easier printing. Print this week's puzzle here.

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 30, 2007

New Hardcover Mysteries for January 2008

New Hardcover Mystery Books for December 2007

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has updated its list of scheduled for publication in January 2008. For series fans, over half of the new books are series titles; we've summarized these below:

The Serpent's Daughter by Suzanne Arruda. The 3rd adventure mystery featuring Jade Del Cameron set in Africa.

Capitol Conspiracy by William Bernhardt. The 16th mystery with criminal defense attorney Ben Kincaid.

Eight Million Ways to Die by Lawrence Block. A hardcover reissue of the 5th Matthew Scudder mystery; it was originally published in 1982.

Monsieur Pamplemousse and the French Solution by Michael Bond. The 16th mystery in this long-running series.

Blue Heaven by C. J. Box. The 8th entry in this series for Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett.

Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance by Gyles Brandreth. The prolific author of children's books has written an adult mystery series featuring Oscar Wilde; this is the 2nd in the series, the first published in the US.

The Purrfect Murder by Rita Mae Brown. Mrs. Murphy returns for a 16th time in this entertaining series.

A Picture of Guilt by James Brownley. Alison Glasby, the first female crime correspondent for the London Sunday Herald, is introduced in this mystery.

Three Shirt Deal by Stephen J. Cannell. LAPD Detective Shane Scully investigates his 7th case in this book by the creator of several mystery series for television.

Even Cat Sitters Get the Blues by Blaize Clement. The 3rd cozy for professional pet sitter and amateur sleuth Dixie Hemingway.

First the Dead by Tim Downs. The 5th mystery for "bug man" Nick Polchak, a forensic entomologist.

Monday Night Jihad by Jason Elam and Steve Yohn. A former NFL Bronco kicker introduces professional football linebacker Riley Covington in his 1st mystery.

Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich. For Stephanie Plum fans that think one numbered book a year is not enough, a second "between the numbers" mystery is destined for the bestseller lists.

A Killing Karma by Geraldine Evans. The 2nd mystery featuring Detective Chief Inspector Will Casey and Detective Sergeant Thomas Catt.

The Apostate's Tale by Margaret Frazer. The 18th medieval mystery with Sister Frevisse.

Death Before Wicket by Kerry Greenwood. The 10th mystery featuring Melbourne socialite Phryne Fisher. A review by will be published during January.

Last Call by James Grippando. The 7th investigation for Miami lawyer Jack Swyteck.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. A hardcover reissue of the 1st book in the Southern Vampire series with telepathic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse.

KIA by Thomas Holland. The 2nd thriller in the Kel McKelvey series.

Lost or Found by Graham Ison. The 7th case for London detectives Brock and Poole.

The Skeleton Man by Jim Kelly. The 5th mystery for investigative journalist Philip Dryden set in the Norfolk region of England.

Dead Men by Stephen Leather. The 5th mystery for undercover cop Dan "Spider" Shepherd.

The Blood Ballad by Rett MacPherson. The 11th cozy for Missouri genealogist Victoria "Torie" O'Shea.

St. Patrick's Day Murder by Leslie Meier. The 14th holiday mystery for Maine newspaper reporter Lucy Stone.

Last Run by Hilary Norman. The 2nd case for Miami detective Sam Becket.

Frail Barrier by Edward Sklepowich. The 8th mystery for American expatriate writer Urbino Macintyre set in Venice.

The Queen's Gambit by Diane A. S. Stuckart. A new series introducing the legendary Leonardo da Vinci as a sleuth.

The Socorro Blast by Pari Noskin Taichert. The 3rd mystery for New Mexico public relations consultant Sasha Solomon.

Fiddle Game by Richard Thompson. The 1st in a new series featuring St. Paul bail bondsman Herman Jackson. A review by will be published during January.

A Pale Horse by Charles Todd. The 10th investigation for Inspector Ian Rutledge. A review by will be published during January.

Bone Machine by Martyn Waites. The 2nd mystery for investigative journalist Joe Donovan.

Of Blood and Sorrow by Valerie Wilson Wesley. After a long absence, single mother and ex-cop Tamara Hayle returns for a 7th mystery.

Beverly Hills Dead by Stuart Woods. The 2nd mystery by this bestselling author in a relatively new series featuring Beverly Hills security expert Rick Barron.

For more information on any of these titles, please visit the page on our website. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit where you can discover a library of new mysteries.

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are 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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