Mystery Book Review: Close Call by John McEvoy

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

Close Call by John McEvoy
A Jack Doyle Mystery

Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-495-3 (1590584953)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-495-8 (9781590584958)
Publication Date: March 2008
List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): With the help of furrier-to-the-mob Moe Kellman, ex-amateur boxer and failed advertising account executive Jack Doyle is hired as publicity director at Monee Park, a struggling suburban Chicago track owned by heiress Celia McCann.

Celia is fighting to keep the business afloat while awaiting passage of a law allowing the introduction of lucrative video slot machines at Monee Park. Meanwhile, she is under pressure from her co-heir and cousin, Niall Hanratty, to close the track and sell the valuable property to real estate developers. Working hard to convince Celia to sell are a pair of hired thugs from Chicago’s Canaryville neighborhood. Celia, whose husband is afflicted with ALS, is determined to maintain the business inherited from her beloved uncle Jim Joyce.

The exploits of star sprinter Rambling Rosie help Celia’s cause, as do the efforts of the redoubtable Doyle, again a somewhat reluctant knight errant who rises to the occasion when needed.

Review: John McEvoy's second horse-racing mystery featuring publicist Jack Doyle, Close Call, charms the reader with the joys and pitfalls of running a modern race track.

Celia McCann has inherited 51% of a nearly bankrupt track from her uncle. Her cousin, Niall Hanratty, who lives in Ireland, has inherited the other 49%. Celia’s uncle raised her from childhood and taught her all about the track, the horses, their trainers, and the riders. She loves the life. But the Monee track, about twenty miles south of Chicago, is suffering. Because of the recent influx of gambling boats in and around the Chicago area, many of the gamblers have left the racetrack to seek out the “boats”. A bill pending in the Illinois Senate to allow video slot machine on the track premises would increase revenue not only for the track but for the state as well. But this could take time. An old friend of Celia’s uncle, “furrier-to-the-mob" Moe Kellman, comes to Celia’s aid by offering to lend her the money to “stay alive” and keep the track running until better days come. He urges Jack Doyle to write the ads and news briefs for the track. In the meantime, Niall, himself a track owner in Ireland, has been told that it would be more advantageous for him to convince Celia to sell the Monee track for future development. Celia defiantly opposes the idea. It’s a tug-of-war between cousins that rapidly descends into violence and has Doyle right in the middle.

Close Call isn't so much a mystery as it is a suspense novel with a light touch. The plot examines Celia's personal issues as well as her professional ones: her husband is succumbing to Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) and she's not certain where the threats against the track are coming from, including one to kill a valuable horse that enthralls crowds and brings them back. Her cousin claims he's not responsible but if not him, who?

More than the plot itself, the characters in Close Call make it a winning story about devotion to one's family and dedication to one's beliefs with gentle wit and undying love. And because it's a mystery (or suspense novel), there's a bit of crime as well but it's clearly a secondary element here.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Close Call and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

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: The Mod Squad

Mysteries on TV, your source for the most complete selection of detective, amateur sleuth, private investigator, and suspense television mystery series now available or coming soon to DVD, has only new season of a series being released this week.

Three young, hip, undercover cops in southern California were The Mod Squad, a crime drama that aired on ABC for 5 seasons from 1968 through 1973. Michael Cole played Pete Cochran, a weathly white guy with a record, Clarence Williams III (who later starred in the Mystery Woman series) played Linc Hayes, a black man from Watts, and Peggy Lipton played Julie Barnes, a runaway living on the streets, all of whom were recruited by Captain Adam Greer (played by Tige Andrews) for a covert police unit to help bridge the generation gap. The series was an instant hit with viewers and remains an iconic series of the 60s today.

The first season episodes have been split into two DVD sets. The Mod Squad Season 1 Volume 2 DVD set of 4 discs contains the final 13 episodes of the first season that aired during the spring of 1969 and is being released this week. The Mod Squad Season 1 Volume 1 with the first 13 episodes of the season was released several months ago and is also available.

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

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Mysteries on DVD: Nancy Drew 2007

Mysteries on DVD, the website for mystery books that have been adapted into movies, is thrilled to announce that at long last the Nancy Drew movie from last year is now available on DVD. Scheduled for release tomorrow, it's available today to order.

Starring Emma Roberts as the famous girl sleuth, Nancy Drew isn't based on a specific title in the series created by Carolyn Keene but on the character herself. In this entertaining movie, Nancy accompanies her father from River Heights to Los Angeles where she enrolls in Hollywood High. But she's soon investigating a series of clues that may lead to solving the unexplained death years ago of a legendary movie star, Dehlia Draycott.

Though clearly intended for a early teen audience, anyone who's read the Nancy Drew books regardless of current age will likely enjoy this updated version.

In addition to the feature film from 2007, the DVD has a number of other features including a gag reel, a music video, and more.

Play the official trailer from Warner Brothers for the movie below; it takes about 30 seconds to start, but the quality is excellent:

For more information about the Nancy Drew series, books, and movies, visit our Nancy Drew lens on Squidoo.

Visit the Mysteries on DVD website to discover more mystery books that have been adapted for film and are available on DVD.

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for March 10, 2008

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle 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 C E I K N P R V. Marijane Meaker wrote a series of suspense pulp fiction books in the 1950s and 1960s using this pen name (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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Mystery Book Review: The Price by Alexandra Sokoloff

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

The Price by Alexandra Sokoloff
Non-series

St. Martin's Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-312-35751-6 (0312357516)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-35751-1 (9780312357511)
Publication Date: February 2008
List Price: $23.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): Boston's Briarwood Medical Center is a bewildering maze of six separate hospitals symbiotically entwined, connected by glass bridges, underground tunnels, indoor and outdoor gardens -- its own self-contained city. But Briarwood, like every hospital, is also a threshold ... to the other side.

Idealistic Boston District Attorney Will Sullivan has it all: a beautiful, beloved wife, Joanna; an adorable five-year old daughter, Sydney, and a real shot in the Massachusetts Governor's race. Then Will's life is shattered when Sydney is diagnosed with a malignant, inoperable tumor. Now Will and Joanna are living at Briarwood Hospital, waiting for their daughter to die. Joanna is slowly losing her mind with grief and Will himself starts to question his own sanity. He has begun to see bizarre and inexplicable things around him -- patients disappearing from elevators, monstrous nuns watching from the shadows.

The strange occurrences seem to center around a charismatic counselor named Salk, who befriends Will and talks mysteriously about the power of faith to heal. But when Sydney suddenly, miraculously begins to improve, Will suspects that Joanna has made a terrible bargain to save their daughter's life. Now he must uncover the truth in order to save them all.

Review: Alexandra Sokoloff's second thriller, The Price, ponders the question: for what price, and at what cost, is one willing to pay to save someone they love.

Will Sullivan, the son of a former governor of Massachusetts, has announced his candidacy for the same office when his daughter, Sydney, is diagnosed with stomach cancer. Both he and his wife Joanna are devastated. The tumor is inoperable and there seems to be nothing the doctors can do other than make her comfortable. While Will wonders the halls of the hospital in which his daughter is dying, he sees and hears what he can only believe are hallucinations ... or miracles. A young boy suffering from advanced leukemia that has but hours to live is, the following day, dressed and ready to go home, apparently cured. A policeman shot several times in the head and chest, not only survives but is up the next day awaiting his discharge papers. A man, just skin and bones dying of AIDS, is later seen walking around, the picture of health. Is prayer the answer? In the hospital chapel, Will goes to pray but is met by a man named Salk who tells him there is a way to save his daughter. But would Will be willing to pay the price?

The Price is simultaneously a mesmerizing yet decidedly eerie novel. It penetrates the mind to the depths of irrational fear then spawns an optimistic sense of euphoria. Most readers will be able to picture themselves in the position of Will or his wife Joanna and quickly answer that yes, whatever it takes, no matter the price, save my daughter. And yet, can the price be too high?

This suspenseful novel reads much like an episode from The Twilight Zone, a real situation in a surreal environment. The Price is fascinating, absorbing, and hard to put down.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Price and to St. Martin's Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

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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Pre-Order Discounted Mysteries: Featured Titles for 03/11/2008

Amazon.com recently began offering an additional 5% discount on selected titles if ordered before the publication date. We've collected the most popular mysteries that are included in this program and listed them on a new site, Pre-Order Mysteries.

Each week we'll feature here those titles that are scheduled for publication during the coming week to alert you that the pre-order discount from Amazon.com for these titles will end after the books are published. On the Pre-Order Mysteries website, we have eligible titles scheduled to be published over the next 6 weeks that you may pre-order.

This week's featured pre-order discounted mysteries:

Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein. The 10th mystery for Manhattan District Attorney Alexandra Cooper. Scheduled publication date: 03/11/2008.

Another Thing to Fall by Laura Lippman. The 10th mystery for Baltimore private investigator Tess Monaghan. Scheduled publication date: 03/11/2008.

The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte by Laura Joh Rowland. Charlotte Bronte investigates a murder in this intriguing novel. Scheduled publication date: 03/13/2008.

Close Call by John McEvoy. The 2nd mystery for Chicago race track publicist Jack Doyle. Scheduled publication date: 03/15/2008.

The Iron Tongue of Midnight by Beverle Graves Myers. The 4th mystery for opera singer Tito Amato set in Venice during the Baroque period. Read a review of The Iron Tongue of Midnight on Mysterious Reviews. Scheduled publication date: 03/15/2008.

To qualify for the additional 5% discount at checkout, you must order these books prior to their date of publication. See the terms and conditions for the 5% discount program on the Amazon.com site or at Pre-Order Mysteries.

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 Book Review: The Vagabond Virgins by Ken Kuhlken

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written a review of The Vagabond Virgins by Ken Kuhlken. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Vagabond Virgins by Ken Kuhlken
A Hickey Family Mystery

Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-461-9 (1590584619)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-461-3 (9781590584613)
Publication Date: February 2008
List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): In the weeks before the 1979 Mexican elections, San Diego P.I. Alvaro Hickey follows newspaper accounts of the stories Baja California campesinos are spreading about visits from the Holy Virgin. She’s admonishing them to vote the corrupt and tyrannical PRI out of power. Though Alvaro doubts her divinity, he’s firmly on her side. He harbors deep personal and political antipathy to the PRI, even before Lourdes Shuler comes asking him to unite her with her sister Lupe, whom she claims is the campesinos’ Virgin.

He’s not the kind to turn down an appeal for help, especially from a beauty he senses might fill a missing part of him. Besides, the published sketch a savant girl drew of the Virgin looks identical to Lourdes. He imagines she might not have a sister. Then, on their way to dinner, they pick up a tail. Lourdes admits the man could’ve been sent by her brother Andres, an advisor to the Mexican president, to retrieve the fortune in gold she stole from her dead father. She claims their father was a German Nazi, and that her sister murdered him. Alvaro chooses to stand with the lady while realizing she might become his last adventure. And as yet, even while they travel the back roads and trails of Baja, he doesn’t know about the infamous comandante of the Mexican federal police who has come from the capital to rid the land of this Virgin, who may be the lady at Alvaro’s side.

Review: Ken Kuhlken's fifth mystery in the Hickey family series, The Vagabond Virgins, focuses on Alvaro Hickey, a San Diego private investigator who is hired to locate a woman posing as the Virgin Mary who is traveling the countryside with a very specific message to the faithful: vote the current government in Mexico out of power.

The woman who hires Alvaro is the Virgin's sister, Lourdes Garcia. When presented with a drawing of the Virgin, as personified by Lupe Garcia, Alvaro notes that Lourdes bears a striking resemblance between the two women. Could it be that Lupe doesn't exist and that Lourdes and Lupe are one and the same? Notwithstanding the million dollars in gold that Lourdes has smuggled across the border, Alvaro agrees to help her and begins a journey fraught with danger through Baja California in search of the Virgin Mary.

It would be inaccurate to state that not much happens in The Vagabond Virgins. There is a subtle sort of suspense that builds as the story progresses and there's certainly a fair amount of concentrated action. In the end, though, it seems as if there isn't much substance here. In this regard, it's rather disappointing because there are parts of the book that are really quite well done.

Topping this list is the character of Alvaro Hickey. His motives for taking on this case are complicated and are continually explored as he gets further into the search. He doesn't necessarily believe his client who is caught telling several lies but he's intrigued by her story. The mysterious man following them is unknown to Alvaro yet he instinctively knows he needs to keep one step ahead. There are other points as well that are noteworthy including a variation on the look-alikes that switch places to fool everyone, a scene every reader predicts will happen and is delighted nonetheless when it does.

But as a mystery, The Vagabond Virgins does not have a really compelling plot. To its credit, however, the story's narrative is very well done and it's populated with an interesting cast of characters.

Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of The Vagabond Virgins for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

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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Compendium of Mystery News 080307

A compendium of recently published mystery news articles:

• Buried deep within a press release announcing that TNT Plans Dramatic Increase in Original Programming, Setting the Stage for a Major Primetime Shift is this intriguing little tidbit: "... and an untitled drama based on characters created by crime novelist Tess Gerritsen." Elsewhere it's depicted as a mystery series set in Boston based on the novels of Tess Gerritsen. A quick check on the author's website and blog doesn't reveal any more information so we'll just have to wait and see what's in store!

• Playbill is reporting that internationally-known director and actor Brian Bedford will stage the US premiere of Agatha Christie's "lost" play, Chimneys, for the International Mystery Writers' Festival in Owensboro (KY) June 12-22. Chimneys is based on Christie's novel, The Secret of Chimneys, was to debut in London in 1931, but the only manuscript - in Christie's own handwriting - disappeared during her trip to North America and remained lost for more than 70 years. The play was discovered in Calgary it had its world premiere in October 2003.

• GameSpot is reporting that a new mystery game title will be available for the Nintendo DS later this year. In Unsolved Crimes, gamers will take on the role of a rookie detective working in homicide initially investigating the kidnapping of a beautiful wannabe model called Betsy Blake. Set in 1970s New York, the game will also feature another eight independent cases to be solved. [MBN Note: For more information about mystery games currently available for the Nintendo DS, visit Games of Mystery: Nintendo DS.]

• We updated our Mystery Book Awards website this past week with the nominees for several awards that have been recently announced, including those for the Edgars and the Agathas.

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Self Publish Mysteries: More Resources for Mystery Authors

Self Publish Mysteries, your source for information on writing and self-publishing your mystery book, has updated its website with more resources for new and established mystery authors including recent news articles and an updated selection of books. We also provide links to vendors of products that may be of interest to our visitors.

A new book publishing website that we visited and added to our list of recommended sites is 48HrBooks.com. By taking control of their own creative process, and becoming – in essence – their own book publishers, authors everywhere can finally achieve their dream of seeing their words – and their name – in print.

48HrBooks.com is a very cost-effective service for authors requiring 50 copies or more of their book. Four standard book sizes are available: 5.5" by 8.5", 6" x 9", 8.5" x 11", and 9" x 12". Final copies have lengths and widths that are 1/8" less. The standard finished product is a perfect bound book, black-and-white inside, with a full color cover that is UV coated with a high-glass protective coating.

Based on current pricing, 50 copies of a typical 250 page trade paperback mystery book would be less than $7.50 per book. 100 copies would be about $6 per book with 200 copies less than $5.50 per book. Books ship within 2 business days (shipping charges are calculated separately). A current promotion on the website offers 25 free copies with the purchase of 100 or more, the extra copies ideal for sending out to reviewers.

48HrBooks.com book publishers accepts PDF files as their preferred format. It's likely most authors already have a PDF application available to them but if not, the 48HrBooks.com website provides information on how to download a trial version of a program that creates PDF files. They will also accept non-PDF files but charge $50 to do the conversion, a steep amount in our opinion since most PDF converters are either free or available for purchase at a very low cost.

Another service offered by this publisher is getting an ISBN and barcode for your book. At $125, it's convenient but rather expensive. We'd recommend getting your ISBN and barcode directly from ISBN.org though the process can be (admittedly) confusing and frustrating.

There are other services 48HrBooks.com offers as well that may be of interest to authors including a very flexible Create-A-Cover book cover design package.

Overall, we think 48HrBooks.com is a valuable resource for self-published authors. If you are interested in more information on how to publish a book using 48HrBooks.com, please visit their website

Please visit the Self Publish Mysteries where you'll find a comprehensive list of articles, books, news, resources, and websites for mystery authors who are interested in writing and self-publishing their mystery books.

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Mystery Bestsellers for March 07, 2008

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending March 07, 2008 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

A bit more reshuffling on the mystery bestseller list this week with John Lescroart's Betrayal entering the top 4 and three new titles entering the top 15.

New in the 10th position is Benjamin Black's second mystery featuring Dublin pathologist Quirke, The Silver Swan. Two years have passed since the events of Christine Falls, and much has changed for Quirke. His beloved Sarah is dead, his surrogate father lies in a convent hospital paralyzed by a devastating stroke, and Phoebe, Quirke's long-denied daughter, has grown increasingly withdrawn and isolated. With much to regret from his last inquisitive foray, Quirke ought to know better than to let his curiosity get the best of him. Yet when an almost forgotten acquaintance comes to him about his beautiful young wife's apparent suicide, Quirke's "old itch to cut into the quick of things, to delve into the dark of what was hidden" is roused again. As he begins to probe further into the shadowy circumstances of Deirdre Hunt's death, he discovers many things that might better have remained hidden, as well as grave danger to those he loves. Publishers Weekly calls The Silver Swan "stunning" and adds "Quirke makes an appealing hero as the pieces of this unsettling crime come together in a shocking conclusion." Benjamin Black is the pseudonym of writer John Banville.

New in the 12th position is Joanne Fluke's 11th culinary cozy, Carrot Cake Murder. Summertime has finally arrived in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar bakery, is looking forward to warm, lazy days, eating ice cream, and sharing picnics with friends. But when a family reunion takes a deadly turn with Uncle Gus being murdered by an ice pick in his chest, it's up to Hannah to find a killer. A little snooping reveals that not everyone was celebrating Gus's return. And when Hannah unearths more secrets from Gus's past, she discovers even more people with an axe to grind. Now Hannah's got to sift through a long list of suspects to find a killer--even if it could mean a recipe for her own demise. Publishers Weekly says that Carrot Cake Murder is "filled with juicy scandal, delightfully eccentric characters and 21 tempting recipes" and notes that "the ending will leave cozy fans gasping for breath."

New in the 13th position is Christopher Rice's fourth suspense novel, Blind Fall. John Houck became a Marine to become a hero. But his life changed when he failed to notice an explosive device that ended up maiming the captain of his Force Recon Company, a respected Marine who nearly sacrificed himself to save John's life. Home from Iraq, John pays a visit to his former captain, only to discover the captain has been gruesomely murdered. John pursues a strange man he sees running from the scene, but he discovers that Alex Martin is not the murderer. Alex is, in fact, the former captain's secret male lover and the killer's intended next victim. When it becomes clear that local law enforcement has direct connections to the murder itself, John realizes that to repay his debt of honor, he must teach Alex Martin how to protect himself, even if that means teaching Alex to kill. In the process, John confronts the painful truth about the younger brother he was unable to protect and the older sister he always felt he failed. Christopher Rice is the son of novelist Anne Rice.

On our bestseller page, we've added an icon next to every title that is available for immediate download onto the Amazon Kindle. To learn about this wireless reading device, visit the Amazon Kindle page for more information. And don't forget to check our Pre-Order Mysteries page where you can save an additional 5% when you purchase your mystery books prior to their publication date.

The top four mystery bestsellers this week are depicted below:

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 Book Review: The Thieves of Faith by Richard Doetsch

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

The Thieves of Faith by Richard Doetsch
A Michael St. Pierre Mystery

Dell (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-440-24289-4 (0440242894)
ISBN-13: 978-0-440-24289-5 (9780440242895)
Publication Date: December 2007
List Price: $6.99

Synopsis (from the publisher): Since the times of Ivan the Terrible, generations of Russian leaders have turned the Kremlin into a fortress within a fortress, stocking its labyrinthine underground with secret vaults, elegant chambers, and priceless treasures. Now a master thief has the ultimate motivation to stage an assault on the Kremlin’s inner sanctum. Two lives depend on it. Thousands of years of religious faith hinge on it. And a man’s conscience, skill, and passion will not let him fail.

For Michael St. Pierre, history’s most daring heist is only one piece of an intricate puzzle reaching from an ancient monastery in Scotland to a hideaway in Corsica—where a madman has built an empire of terror. Haunted by his own family secrets, and surrounded by the precious few people he can trust, Michael will take on a mission that will make him the most hunted man in the world. But when an astounding truth, buried deep beneath the Kremlin, erupts with shattering force, he may unleash a relic too dangerous to possess.

Review: Richard Doetsch's second international thriller to feature Michael St. Pierre, The Thieves of Faith, has the retired master thief traveling to Moscow to undertake a challenge so daring and dangerous that he could not only lose his life but those of his family and friends as well.

Genevieve Zivera tells Michael of a gold box known as the Albero della Vita, the tree of life, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which, in the wrong hands, could bring death and destruction to the entire world. She asks him to obtain it. It's location: in a subterranean multi-leveled world complete with hidden libraries, secret tunnels, elegant chambers carved in white stone, raging rivers, mazes and crypts. In one of the rooms is the gold box. And all this is 12 stories below the present day Kremlin in Moscow.

But first he must obtain a map to guide him. Hidden in the canvas of a painting by an obscure artist is a map to this underground world. The painting is currently in Geneva and Michael must first steal it before attempting to break into the Kremlin.

Genevieve knows all this because her son Julian is master of this world. He too has been seeking the gold box but has been unable to find it. But if he does, he will use its powers for evil. Genevieve asks Michael to find the box first and destroy it regardless of any personal consequence to her.

The Thieves of Faith rests on the premise that if some truths are fables, then it follows that some fables may be truths. Doetsch explores this supposition in a spine-tingling thriller that mixes stories from the Bible, historical fact, and speculative fiction. Good and evil are explored, but also the benefits of love and the consequences of hate, and that the greatest powers of all are hidden in the simplest of things. This is an intriguing adventure from its very first pages through to its electrifying concluding chapters.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Thieves of Faith and to Breakthrough Promotions for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

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 Book Review: A Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written a review of A Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

A Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees
An Omar Yussef Mystery

Soho Crime (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-472-9 (1569474729)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-472-3 (9781569474723)
Publication Date: February 2008
List Price: $24.00

Synopsis (from the publisher): Omar Yussef, teacher-turned-detective, is sent to the troubled Gaza Strip to carry out a routine school inspection. There, he learns that a fellow teacher has been arrested, and, instinctively recognizing the signs of grave injustice, he sets out to investigate. The person responsible for the arrest is Colonel al-Fara, the most power - and dangerous - man in Gaza, and Omar's friends urge him not to intervene.

But Omar confronts the colonel, and finds himself caught in a ruthless power struggle involving weapons smuggling and assassination. When Omar's colleague is kidnapped and another is murdered, he begins to understand why people tell him that, in lawless Gaza, all crimes are connected. Omar is faced with the terrible realization that only he can save his colleague - and himself.

Review: Palestinian school teacher Omar Yussef travels with a UN contingent to the Gaza Strip to investigate the imprisonment of a university professor and finds far more than he bargained for in A Grave in Gaza, the second mystery in this series by Matt Beynon Rees.

Eyad Masharawi has been arrested for questioning how some officials in the Palestinian government in Gaza obtained their university degrees. In addition to his duties to the university, Eyad Masharawi is also on the payroll of the United Nations, three representatives of which are sent to Gaza to protest his arrest. Omar Yussef is one of these UN officials; the other two are James Cree, a Scotsman, and Magnus Wallender, a Swede. But soon after meeting with the commander of the security force holding Eyad Masharawi, Colonel Mahmoud al-Fara, Wallender is kidnapped and held for ransom in exchange for prisoner being held by a competing government faction in Gaza. One event doesn't seem to have anything to do with the other, but Omar Yussef is determined to free his academic colleague and pursues an investigation that ultimately proves to be fatal to many of the people involved.

A Grave in Gaza is a remarkable book. It's not a murder mystery or a whodunit, but an elaborate puzzle with clues to its solution scattered up and down the Gaza Strip. A common theme here is that all crimes in Gaza are connected, and it is up to Omar Yussef to arrange the pieces of these disparate events to form a clear picture of not what has happened, that he already knows, but why it happened. The author uses dust as a metaphor in the story (a bit to excess, but that's a minor quibble). As the dust storms intensify, reducing visibility, so too is Omar Yussef's investigation clouded. The lack of clarity is pervasive. The layers of dust that accumulate on everyone and everything are symbolic of the layers of crime, corruption, and greed that seem to be suffocating this small territory. It is only when the puzzle is complete and the pieces fit perfectly together do the skies brighten and the dust storms abate.

Rees wisely leaves (for the most part) the macro politics of the region out of the story, focusing on the local politics of the Gaza Strip, incorporating them seamlessly into the plot. There's a different definition of normalcy here that some readers will likely find shocking and disturbing.

A Grave in Gaza, with its expressive narrative, intricate plot, and even its subtly clever title, is certainly one of the best mysteries to be published thus far this year.

Special thanks to Soho Crime for providing an ARC of A Grave in Gaza for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

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 Author Interview: Don Bruns

Don Bruns' Mick Sever mysteries explore the seamy side of the music business, flipping the industry on it's back and looking at the underbelly of power and corruption. Protagonist Mick Sever is a journalist who chronicles the history of rock and roll, and uncovers murder. Bruns himself is a road weary musician who made a meager living traveling and performing throughout the United States working with acts like Ricky Nelson, the Platters, Ray Charles and Eric Carmen.

Don Bruns on Grand Cayman.
Photo courtesy of Don Bruns.

Mysterious Reviews had a chance recently to talk to Don about his books and his music.

Mysterious Reviews: Your series character Mick Sever is an entertainment journalist. Is there a real-life inspiration for him? Or is he possibly something of an alter-ego?

Don Bruns: I wanted to set the mysteries in a rock and roll genre, but the idea of a musician who solved crime didn't seem to be believable. A journalist who writes about the entertainment industry seemed to be the perfect protagonist. And yes, I would like to be Mick Sever. Lots of money, tropical islands, paid travel, and beautiful women. I can dream..

You're a musician yourself. In which category would you place your music?

I lean toward ballads and just about anything you can play with three chords. I made a living doing music and stand-up comedy on the road for about 7 years, and got away with three chords for a long time. I've got an album out called Last Flight Out, and again ... three chords can go a long way!

Sue Grafton played a role early in your writing career. How did that come about?

Sue read my first manuscript...told me to throw it away and start over. I did, and she loved it. In front of about 1500 people in Washington D.C. she introduced me and told the publishers there someone needed to buy my book. That took me totally by surprise. Within two weeks I had a contract with St. Martin's Press.

For the Mick Sever series, the books are each set in different locales. How much does the location of your books affect how you develop the plot? In other words, do you come up with a plot and then decide where to set it, or do you develop a plot around a setting?

I've got an idea for the plot, but the location dictates the story. I pick an island and go. No rhyme or reason. In St. Barts Breakdown, I found that there have never been any murders on the island. That point became important to the story. In the March 2009 book, Bahama Burnout, I found that the penalty for murder is hanging. That becomes an important part of the plot.

After you have an idea for a book, do you write from an outline, or do you simply start and let the story evolve as you write?

When it comes to organization, I'm terrible. There are people who outline for six months and then write the book in 20 days. I don't outline at all and it takes me seven months to complete the story. To each their own.

For the audio versions of Jamaica Blue and Barbados Heat, your read your own books. Was that the publisher’s idea? Why didn't you continue with the subsequent books?

I wanted to do the read. I begged Blackstone Audio to let me do them, since I make a living doing voiceovers for commercials. After reading two of them, I realized the difference between 30 second radio spots and 300 page novels. Talk about work.

On your website you say, "There's enough crime, corruption, drugs, and slimy people in the music business to keep Mick Sever busy for a long time." Yet you published the first book in a new series with Stuff to Die For last year. What prompted you to start a new mystery series?

I grew up with the Hardy Boys, and I wanted to try a series based on two young men who are just starting out in life. My two kids were freshly out of college, and I picked up on the innocence, the verbal jabs that young people take at each other, the bravado that masks insecurity and built all of that into the characters. It was a great experience and the reviews regarding the two slacker guys have been even better than I dreamed.

An impressive video trailer was produced for Stuff to Die For. Did you have any input into how your characters or the plot were portrayed in the video?

I turned the manuscript over to the producers. They asked for a personality sheet on each of the boys, so I did that. Favorite music, food, likes and dislikes. I felt like I was doing an article for Tiger Beat Magazine back in the sixties and we were profiling David Cassidy. The two guys in the movie couldn't be more perfect! [MR: View the trailer on our Don Bruns interview page.]

St. Barts Breakdown, the 4th book in the Mick Sever series, is being published this spring. When is the next book in the “Stuff” series coming out? And is there another island setting in the future for Mick?

Stuff Dreams Are Made Of comes out this September. The two boys turn their boxtruck into a traveling kitchen/restaurant and set up at a revival tent in Miami. Dead bodies, unscrupulous characters and a chance for the boys to make some fast money all play a part in the story. I think these two grown-up Hardy Boys have a future! And Mick is in the Bahamas in March, 2009. Ghostly things are happening at a recording studio and he's sent to investigate. One of the central "characters" in the Bahamas book is an old rusted out Cadillac that sits up on blocks. The Caddy is rumored to be one of Elvis Presley's vehicles.

We'd like to offer our special thanks to Don for taking the time to visit with us. For more information about Don, visit his website at DonBrunBooks.com. The complete text of this conversation, information about Don's books, and the video trailer for Stuff to Die For can be found on our Don Bruns interview page.

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Mystery Book Review: The Mystery at Comanche Canyon by Wayne Madsen

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written a review of The Mystery at Comanche Canyon by Wayne Madsen. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Mystery at Comanche Canyon by Wayne Madsen
The Misadventures of Inspector Moustachio

Community Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-9797572-8-2 (0979757282)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9797572-8-0 (9780979757280)
Publication Date: March 2008
List Price: $23.99

Synopsis (from the publisher): Jake, Alexa, and Rex jump through their Grandpa Moustachio's magnifying glass and are transported into a wild western world of deception and intrigue. Big Daddy, the biggest cow rancher there ever was and will ever be, calls upon Jake to find his beloved, kidnapped cows, one of which has an ancient map hidden on its hide: a map that leads to an important Indian burial ground and its treasure. Lurking behind every twist and turn is the evil Baron Von Snodgrass who will stop at nothing to steal the magnifying glass and seek his revenge on Jake Moustachio.

Review: The second misadventure of Inspector Moustachio, The Mystery at Comanche Canyon by Wayne Madsen, has Jake, his sister Alexa (aka Inspector Girl), and their cat Rex (the critter detective) jumping back in time to the Old West to find a missing treasure. The book is recommended for readers aged 9 to 12.

The story begins, innocently enough, with a recipe for barbeque sauce written generations ago. Jake discovers a tiny sketch on the back of the paper that he believes is a map that may lead to a long lost treasure that their great-great-great-grandfather was told about by a stranger but never found. With the time traveling magnifying glass in hand, the trio step back in time to solve this mystery.

The Mystery at Comanche Canyon is for the most part a delightful fantasy filled with colorful (literally and figuratively) characters. The story is surprisingly complex, combining puzzles with history and, of course, the paradox of time travel itself. At one point Jake muses, "Are events of time from both worlds the same or different? Could it be that history on one side of the magnifying glass is different from the other? And could people in one world alter time and events in the other?" Rhetorical questions to be sure in a children's book, but it is interesting that they are considered at all.

The book is clearly written at a level for pre-teenagers yet some of the situations in which the characters find themselves are particularly juvenile. Granted, Alexa is only 8 years old and animals speak on the other side of the magnifying glass, neither or which lend themselves to serious dialog. Still, the target audience of readers might find some of the silliness tedious. And the frequent use of capital letters, bold-faced type, and italics (sometimes all at the same time) will likely annoy most readers, regardless of age.

The Mystery at Comanche Canyon concludes by returning the children (and Rex) to their home and tying up all loose ends, including the mystery of the barbeque recipe. It's a strong addition to the series, the first book of which, The Case of Stolen Time, was honored as a Reading is Fundamental 2007 book pick.

Special thanks to Wayne Madsen for providing an ARC of The Mystery at Comanche Canyon for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

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.

Return to Mystery Books News ...