Mystery Book Review: The Christmas Cookie Killer by Livia J. Washburn

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Christmas Cookie Killer by Livia J. Washburn. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Christmas Cookie Killer by Livia J. Washburn
A Fresh-Baked Mystery with Phyllis Newsom

NAL Books (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-451-22534-1 (0451225341)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-22534-4 (9780451225344)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $14.00

Review: Retired school teacher and amateur sleuth Phyllis Newsom investigates the murder of a neighbor in The Christmas Cookie Killer, the third mystery in this series by Livia J. Washburn.

It’s just a week before the neighborhood Christmas cookie exchange at Phyllis' home, and the cookie baking contest which follows. All seems well in the quiet community of Weatherford, Texas. That is until Phyllis takes a plate of the cookies to her elderly neighbor, Agnes Simmons, who is housebound because of a broken hip. Phyllis returns minutes later to lend Agnes a set of snow flake cookie cutters so she and her granddaughter could make cookies together, but Agnes is dead. She has been strangled with the sash from her robe. Before Phyllis can dial 911, she is attacked from behind, receiving a blow to the head, and loses consciousness. The police arrest Agnes’ grandson, Randall. He is already wanted by the police for possession of drugs with intent to sell. Phyllis does not believe Randall would kill his own grandmother so decides to do a little investigating on her own. When Phyllis sets out to ask the neighbors if they had seen any unusual cars or strange people on the street recently, she is shocked at their distrustful approach in response to her seemingly innocent questions. This leads her to discovering secrets that some of her neighbors are concealing: spousal abuse, illicit love affair, drunkenness, and other acts Agnes may have witnessed while sitting by her window. Were any of these secrets appalling enough to kill for? At the risk of her own life, Phyllis sets out to make that determination.

The Christmas Cookie Killer is an absorbing mystery and yet a delightfully captivating story. Phyllis and her tenants have a great friendship and camaraderie. The solution to the mystery remains, as it were, a mystery until the very end. And following the story are fantastic recipes of not only cookies but also a complete Christmas dinner. So in the spirit of the season, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good read!

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Christmas Cookie Killer and to Penguin Group for providing a copy of the book for this review.

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

If you are interested in purchasing The Christmas Cookie Killer from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Yuletide is here—and retired teacher cum amateur sleuth Phyllis Newsom looks forward to finishing up this unlucky year. But she won’t be hanging up her apron just yet—because this year’s Christmas bake-off is going to be cutthroat.

Phyllis would like to think she’s entering the Christmas cookie contest for the fun of it—but that’s not exactly true. She can’t imagine anyone beating her snowflake-shaped lime sugar cookies. Then, during her annual Christmas cookie exchange, Phyllis heads over to the elderly Mrs. Simmons’s home and finds her dead, in a pile of lime sugar cookies. But with a number of names on Santa’s naughty list, this case may be a hard cookie to crumble.

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: BBC1 Orders 4 More Episodes of George Gently

Last week we reported the availability of the first series of George Gently episodes on DVD. C21Media.net is now reporting that BBC One has ordered four additional episodes (made-for-television movies) to air during 2009. No specific titles have yet been announced.

George Gently stars Martin Shaw in the title role as a Scotland Yard Inspector in the mid-1960s. The series also stars Lee Ingleby as his partner Detective Sergeant John Bacchus.

George Gently is based on the long-running series of crime novels by Alan Hunter featuring the inspector, the first of which was published in 1955 (Gently Does It) and the last in 1999 (Gently Mistaken). Hunter died in 2005.

Peter Flannery, who adapted the novels, says of the series, "The youthful rebellion element of the film – the jukebox cafes, biker gangs and drugs running – contrast brilliantly with Gently's old-school persona; and the spectacular landscapes, including wild fells and rugged coastline, really add to the dramatic visual style of the piece."

Series 1 of George Gently (consisting of three episodes) is available on DVD from Mysteries on TV: George Gently. A short trailer can be viewed below:

Please visit 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.

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Games of Mystery: Holiday Mystery Parties for Kids and Adults

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed games, parties, and vacations, has some suggestions for your next holiday party. With Christmas less than 6 weeks away, it isn't too early to think about hosting a mystery at your home this season. We have three party ideas here, but visit our site for many more.

Developed for a children's mystery party is The Christmas Crimes. Bebe Bumbletree is hosting a Christmas party for all her friends and is determined for everything to be perfect. The eggnog has snowman-shaped ice cubes floating in it, she’s borrowed Christmas music from her parents’ CD collection, and she has even hung mistletoe in hopes of catching her secret crush, Barry Broadbarn, underneath. She rented a Christmas movie for them all to watch and has bought and wrapped a gift for each of her guests, which she carefully placed under the tree. Everything is perfectly planned – that is, until strange things start happening, things Bebe is not expecting, and certainly won’t stand for. Before the night is through, the Christmas Crimes will be solved!

This Christmas-themed kid's mystery party has three mini-mysteries: the mystery of the headless snowman, the case of the toppled tree and the mystery of the missing presents. An optional adult player and even the family pet can join in the fun! For 8 to 9 guests, ages 7 to 12. Rated E.

Also for kids (actually, the whole family) is The Case of the Stolen Menorah. A letter arrives from a long lost great uncle who happens to be an archaeologist. In his letter, he discloses that he has discovered a scroll that mentions the menorah from the second temple. According to the scroll, after the first miracle of oil, the menorah would always stay lit; it actually was an eternal flame. He believes that your menorah could be the original menorah. His grandmother insisted that one of your ancestors rescued it before the temple was looted. He never believed her, but now he urges you to light the menorah and see how long the candles burn. If the candles don’t burn out, then you’ve got a precious artifact on your hands! Curiosity gets the best of the family, and everyone decides to check out the claim. When they go to get the family menorah, it’s gone!

The clues and games culminate in a scavenger hunt. This mystery party is perfect for the whole family, 6 or more players, ages 6 and older. Rated E.

And for adults, there's I'm Dreaming of a Red Christmas. Residents of the North Pole are accustomed to keeping secrets. They swear never to disclose the location of Santa’s Workshop, and they keep Santa’s identity anonymous. A Santa Claus serves for a term. When he retires, he appoints his successor. Most retired Santas then leave the North Pole and travel the world with their spouses. The current Santa showed no signs of retiring. In recent years, he bewildered the sweet Pole folk with what can only be described as “poor choices;" he even bordered on being bad-listed! Somebody decided that enough was enough and laced his eggnog with poison at the Annual Christmas Eve party. His death comes as a guilty relief to most, but now there’s no Santa to deliver the gifts at midnight. The Pole Folk must discover the killer, in order to convince someone else to step up to be Santa and save Christmas! For once, the North Pole has a secret that is too big to keep.

This scripted Christmas mystery is set on Christmas Eve at the North Pole and is designed for a large group of guests, 18 and older. Rated M.

For more suggestions on mystery parties for kids, teens, and adults, visit Games of Mystery where you'll also find all types of mysterious fun!

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Mysteries on TV: Bones, Burke's Law, and Hawaii Five-O, New on DVD This Week

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, is profiling three series that have season DVDs being released this week.

Bones is based on characters created by forensic anthropologist and mystery author Kathy Reichs and stars Emily Deschanel as Dr. Temperance Brennan who has an uncanny ability to read clues left behind in a victim's bones. The series also stars David Boreanaz as Special Agent Seeley Booth of the FBI's Homicide Investigations Unit. Bones debuted on Fox in 2005 and is currently in its fourth season.

The Bones: Season Three DVD set of 5 discs contains all 15 episodes that aired from September 2007 through May 2008. Additional features on the DVD set include extended episodes, a gag reel, and four bonus episodes from season four. For more information about the series, visit the official site on Fox.com.

Gene Barry starred as Amos Burke, the Los Angeles multi-millionaire chief of detectives, in Burke's Law, a series that ran for two and a half seasons on ABC from September 1963 through January 1966. Each episode featured unusual plot twists, glamorous settings and a fabulous list of A-list guest stars. They also featured a "Burke's Law", a witticism or other pithy comment ("Look innocent when you're suspicious", "If catching a killer was easy, anyone could do it", "To catch a criminal, you have to think like one", and dozens more). Episodes were titled "Who killed ..." followed by a character name or profession and opened with the murder taking place. It was up to Burke and his detectives to identify the killer.

The Burke's Law: Season One, Volume Two DVD set of 4 discs contains the 16 episodes that aired during the second half of the first season, from January through May 1964.

Jack Lord starred as Steve McGarrett, the head of a (fictional) elite state police unit, for 12 seasons in Hawaii Five-O. Filmed entirely in Hawaii, the series had a terrific look and storylines derived from its remote setting.

In August of this year, The Hollywood Reporter reported that CBS had ordered a pilot for an updated version of the series (dubbed Hawaii Five-O 2.0). Like the original series, it chronicles the workings of the fictional Hawaiian state police department but in the new series, McGarrett's son Chris will be the top cop. The famous opening music will be back as will a version of the classic closing line "Book 'em, Danno".

The Hawaii Five-O: Season Five DVD set of 6 discs contain all 22 episodes that aired from September 1972 through March 1973 on CBS.

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

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for November 17, 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 E F M N O S T W

In this 2002 bestseller by Jennifer Crusie, falling in love can be murder (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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Mysteries on TV: Monk to End After 8 Seasons

UPI is reporting that the USA Network series Monk has been cancelled. The network has ordered 16 episodes which will debut next summer and will mark the eighth and final season of the series. Though the series has enjoyed strong ratings, the cost to produce the series may have contributed to the decision to end the show.

Monk stars Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, a San Francisco police detective who leaves the force following the unsolved murder of his wife Trudy. Developing an extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, he is consumed by peculiar obsessions and wracked with hundreds of phobias. Now working as a private consultant, Monk continues to investigate cases in the most unconventional ways.

This year's annual special holiday episode, titled Mr. Monk and the Miracle, will air November 28th at 9 PM ET. The second half of the current seventh season returns in January 2009 on USA Network.

The first six seasons of Monk all available on DVD from Mysteries on TV: Monk. In addition, Lee Goldberg writes a companion series of tie-in mysteries. The seventh book in the series, Mr. Monk is Miserable, will be released in hardcover next month with the sixth, Mr. Monk Goes to Germany, out in paperback.

Please visit 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.

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Games of Mystery: Mystery Stories Berlin Nights, New at Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed games, parties, and vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Join journalist Michelle Deanfield as she unravels the mystery surrounding a lost marvel in Mystery Stories: Berlin Nights. Archeologists have uncovered a century-old machine that could end the world's energy problem. Can Michelle, with the help of a dashing, German engineer, thwart the efforts of an ominous sect and ruthless ex-KGB agents, in a pulse-pounding race to collect the hidden components of the generator? Buy Mystery Stories: Berlin Nights today and find out!

Mystery Stories: Berlin Nights, a Big Fish Games exclusive, may be downloaded and purchased for as little as $6.99 with the Big Fish Game Club Jumbo Pack. A demonstration version is available to download (102.70 MB) and to play free for one hour.

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, the Carol Reed mystery Remedy, Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown, Mystery Chronicles: Murder Among Friends, and The Treasures of Mystery Island.

Visit Games of Mystery for all types of mysterious fun!

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Mystery Book Review: Wobble to Death by Peter Lovesey

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Wobble to Death by Peter Lovesey. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Wobble to Death by Peter Lovesey
A Sergeant Cribb Mystery

Soho Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-523-7 (1569475237)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-523-2 (9781569475232)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $14.00

Review: Wobble to Death was Peter Lovesey's first mystery, originally published in 1970, and introduced Sergeant Cribb. Set in the Victorian London, it was the first of eight mysteries featuring the sergeant that involved sports-related deaths. Soho Press is reissuing (at least) the first two as trade paperbacks.

Sergeant Cribb and his assistant, Constable Thackery, are called to investigate the murder of a contender in a race walking competition known as the “wobbles”. It is a popular sport also called a “Go as You Please Contest.” The object of this race is to see how far a man could walk, run or hobble for six days and six nights. By some it is considered a “bloody fiasco.” There is an entrance fee for the observers and participants ("pedestrians"), plus many townsmen put wagers on the outcome. It is an extraordinary occurrence that brings in a lot of money. At the start of the race, on a chilly, foggy November morning there are sixteen participants. Two of the men, Erskine Chadwick and Charlie Darrell, each a five hundred miler, are actual athletes who had trained vigorously for this event, and are the favorites to win. The others are men who joined for the thrill of it hoping to come in third or fourth, but having no real hope of winning. The winner is to receive five hundred pounds and a belt showing him to be known as the Champion Pedestrian of the World. On the second day, Darrell has fallen by severe leg cramps, like he had never experienced in the past. Before the day was over, he was dead – murdered. And soon thereafter, Darrell's trainer is found dead, with what appears to be a suicide note at his side. But Sergeant Cribb is suspicious of this. Those with potential motives are brought in for questioning. These include Darrell’s wife Cora, Erskine Chadwick and his trainer, and the sponsor and manager of the race. Although many feel the race should be cancelled, the sponsor, afraid of losing a lot of money, decides to continue the race “in honor of their fallen colleague”. Ironically, Sergeant Cribb also wants the race to continue to give him ample time to solve the crimes. This event, as it turns out, becomes a race to nab a killer before the race itself concludes.

Wobble to Death is a fascinating mystery involving an unlikely sporting competition. The author provides a historical background to this unusual event while setting the stage for a cleverly concocted murder. The characters are well drawn, colorful and droll, and the plot fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable. The book was a winner of the Macmillan First Crime Novel Prize in 1970 and later was later honored as one of the top 100 crime novels of all time by the Crime Writers Association (1990) and one of the top 100 crime novels of all time by the Mystery Writers of America (1995). Deservedly so.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Wobble to Death and to Soho Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.

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

If you are interested in purchasing Wobble to Death from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the author): A strange collection of so-called “proven pedestrians” starts at 1 am on a November Monday morning. By Tuesday one of them is dead. Tetanus from infection of a foot blister is suspected at first, but when Sergeant Cribb from Scotland Yard is called in he discovers that strychnine was being given as a stimulant. This is only the first of a series of revelations.

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: Jesse Stone No Remorse Wraps Up Production

Last week we reported that CBS had ordered a 6th Jesse Stone movie even though the fifth, Jesse Stone: Thin Ice, has not yet aired. The ChronicleHerald is now reporting that production on Jesse Stone: No Remorse has wrapped up in Nova Scotia.

Tom Selleck, who plays Jesse Stone, offered some interesting background information about the series in the ChronicleHerald article. Several years ago CBS had approached him about doing a movie, but Selleck wasn't enthusiastic about what was offered. He suggested the Stone mysteries by Robert B. Parker and Halifax as a location to film them. The result has been a reliable ratings winner for CBS and an Emmy nomination for Selleck last year for Jesse Stone: Sea Change.

Selleck is fully invested as executive producer and co-writer of the Jesse Stone made-for-television movies. "Having played Jesse, I can provide his voice. Because that’s essential. There’s a kind of out-of-time, almost ’40s film noirish look to our movies, and (Parker’s) books have that," he said to reporter Tim Arsenault. He adds that he's "perfectly willing, for the record, to do 20 or 25 of these just because the character’s so much fun."

The first four movies (Stone Cold, Night Passage, Death in Paradise, and Sea Change), each of which were based on existing Parker novels, are available on DVD from Mysteries on TV: Jesse Stone and are highly recommended by all of us here at Mystery Books News.

Please visit 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.

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MWA to Honor the Edgar Allan Poe Society and The Poe House with Raven Award

The Mystery Writers of America announced in a press release earlier this week that the Edgar Allan Poe Society and The Poe House in Baltimore have been been chosen as the 2009 recipients of the organization's Raven Award.

According to MWA's President Harlan Coben, the dual choice of the Edgar Allan Poe Society and The Poe House is doubly appropriate: "Not only does 2009 mark the anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday, but Mystery Writers of America has long-considered Poe a patron saint. In fact, the Raven Award, itself, is named after Poe's famous poem, and our Edgar^® Awards -- or 'Edgars,' as they're more popularly known -- are awarded annually to authors of distinguished work." [MBN note: See a list of past winners of the Edgars on Mystery Book Awards.]

The Mystery Writers of America's 63rd Annual Edgar^® Awards Banquet will be held next year at The Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on April 30, 2009.

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First Clues Review: Danger at the Zoo by Kathleen Ernst

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is delighted to introduce a new feature for our website, book reviews written by students. These students offer their unique perspective on the book in their review and provide a valuable resource to parents looking for new mystery adventures for their kids to read.

Danger at the Zoo by Kathleen Ernst
The American Girl Mystery Series

American Girl Publishing (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-58485-989-X (158485989X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-58485-989-5 (9781584859895)
Publication Date: March 2004
List Price: $6.95

Review written by Sarah, Age 11, Grade 6. Date of review: November 2008.

Review: If you like books that keep you in suspense, this is the book for you. It takes place in Cincinnati, Ohio during the great depression. This book is the 5th book in the series but you can read them in any order because each book is its own story. In the book, Danger at the Zoo, the main characters are Kit an 11-year-old girl who dreams of being a writer, Stirling a friend of Kit’s who is a boarder at their house and has a job working at the zoo, Will, a hobo who travels around and now has a job at the zoo with Stirling, Mr. Barta, a Hungarian monkey trainer who desperately wants to get into the zoo for free, and Otis a zoo worker who isn’t always pleasant, but loves animals.

The problem that Kit and Stirling are trying to solve is that someone is leaving the doors to the monkey house unlocked (and Will is the one who is supposed to lock them). There is also another problem, someone is stealing food and a suit from the Kittredge’s house. There are also other characters that are in the book. The characters are, Mrs. Kittredge (Kit’s mom) who spends her day’s preparing food and other things for the boarders, Miss Bravetti a young teacher who boards at the Kittredge’s house, Superintendent Stephan, the owner at the zoo who thinks Will is careless, so he blames Will for leaving the doors to the monkey house unlocked, Mrs. Dalrymple a boarder who likes to take charge and can be bossy, and lastly Rudy a young boy who works in the monkey house, and is very passionate about the monkeys.

I liked this book, it kept me on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out who could possibly be leaving the doors to the monkey house open. I also loved how the author shared Kit’s notes with the reader, so that the notes could help the reader figure out who maybe causing the problem. I also liked that Kit learned that she should focus and really work hard on her article, so that the article would be published. I think that you should read this book because it’s a great mystery that you can also learn from. There are two things that you learn when you read this book. The first thing you learn, is about the great depression and how little money everyone had, and you also learn a lesson about the amount of time you spend on things and how that affects the outcome. This book is appropriate for people in 3rd grade and older (adults might not enjoy this book as much as kids).

If you are interested in purchasing Danger at the Zoo from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on nearly 100 mystery series for children and young adults. Each series is conveniently listed under three different age categories (New Sleuth, ages 4 to 7; Future Sleuth, aged 7 to 10; and Sleuth in Training, ages 10 and older). If you have a favorite mystery series you'd like to see added to our site, please contact us.

All student book reviews are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner, print or electronic, without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Reviews are published here with permission of the copyright owner.

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Mystery Savings: Play More Games for Less with GameFly

Mystery Savings periodically provides our readers with current promotions that offer discounts or other incentives for purchasing mystery-themed products and services products through our partner websites. Below is a special offer recently received by us that we're pleased to pass on at this time.

From now through December 31, 2008, game rentals delivered to your door for $6.95 for your first month, or try the program for free! As a GameFly member, you can select from over 6000 games for all popular gaming platforms including Playstation 3, Xbox 360, GameCube, Nintendo DS and Wii, and more. Pre-paid postage on all rentals is included with your membership.

GameFly has dozens of mystery-themed games available including many of the Nancy Drew series games. Click on the banner below for more information about GameFly membership.

About GameFly: Founded in 2002, Los Angeles-based GameFly is the world's leading online video game rental service, delivering the best selection and availability. GameFly also offers hundreds of high quality, pre-played video games for sale at competitive prices.

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Mystery Bestsellers for November 14, 2008

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending November 14, 2008 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

No change in the top 2 mysteries this week with The Brass Verdict, the 14th mystery in the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly remaining atop the list for a fourth week.

New this week and debuting just off the list last week is Santa Clawed, the 17th mystery by Rita Mae Brown featuring Mrs. Murphy and Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen. The series is co-written with Brown's tiger-striped cat, Sneaky Pie. As Harry well knows, there’s hardly a place on earth cozier than Crozet, Virginia, at Christmastime. The snowflakes drifting lazily down, the soft glow of the winter light, the sound of old carols in the streets…even cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter get into the spirit batting ornaments and climbing the holiday tree. In fact, it’s this year’s tree that Harry and her husband, Fair, have gone to fetch when they find the one they’ve chosen grimly decorated with a dead body. The tree farm is run by The Brothers of Love, a semimonastic organization that tends to AIDS patients. The brothers live in a monastery atop the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains. Harry is surprised to find an old high-school friend associated with The Brothers of Love. Christopher Hewitt wasn’t a bad man, but good works weren’t exactly one of his priorities. But then, if even Scrooge could turn over a new leaf, certainly Chris could. And after the scandal that all but destroyed his life, there were probably few in Crozet who needed the gift of a second chance more. Harry knows she shouldn’t take it personally, but it was her tree that someone left the corpse under. Now, as the season grows merrier, a murderer is growing bolder. One by one, prominent men of Crozet are being crossed off Christmas shopping lists and added to the morgue. And if Harry and her four-legged helpers aren’t very good—and very careful—this Christmas may be her last.

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.

The top four mystery bestsellers this week are shown 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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Games of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual and CSI NY, New for PCs This Week

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed games, parties, and vacations, is pleased to announce the upcoming release of two new games available for Windows PCs, one based on a popular television series. Many other mystery games for this platform can be found at Games of Mystery: PC.

Scheduled for release on November 15th is Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual.

Professor Olivier Leroux, a well known archaeologist, is gone without a trace. The only person who can find him is his niece Sylvie. Frustrated with the police attempts to find her uncle she decides to commence her own private investigation. Which ultimately takes her to the ruins of an ancient church on Malta. It was there, that the scholar encounters a dark secret from biblical times. Not hesitating for a moment, she decides to solve the intriguing puzzle.

Her private investigation reveals there is an influential organization that wants the secret to remain a secret. Others want to lay their hands on the mysterious finding and will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Become Sylvie Leroux and find out what happened to the professor. Who are the people who wanted him to disappear? And uncover a conspiracy that is thousands of years in the making!

Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual, rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and older, is developed by City Interactive. More information about the game can be found at Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual Official Site. Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual has also been released in other countries as Testament of Sin.

Scheduled for release on November 18th is CSI: NY, The Game, based on the television series of the same name.

CSI fans can experience the world, characters and mysteries of CSI: NY. Piece together clues and uncover hidden evidence in the biggest city in America. Explore five brand-new, bizarre crimes and bring suspects to justice.

Take on the role of CSI stars as you play the characters of Detectives Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera. A moody graphic-novel art style and more user-friendly interface will assure accessibility and hours of replay for all types of gamers. Improved gameplay includes new mechanics for conversations, blood work, computer use and more. Control interrogations and use evidence to reveal a suspect's lies. Take part in dramatic interrogations, and create atmospheric reenactments while exploring grisly crime scenes inspired by the show.

CSI: NY The Game includes an incredible variety of mini-games, including code breaking, facial reconstruction, identify locations from photos, triangulate shooter locations, manipulate the X-ray scanner, physics simulation reconstructions, identify poisons, compare samples for differences, Internet searching and more.

CSI: NY, The Game, rated T for Teen, is developed by Ubisoft. More information about the game can be found at the Ubisoft CSI: NY Game Site. Information about the television series, including available season DVDs, can be found at Mysteries on TV: CSI NY.

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all types of mysterious fun!

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Mystery Book Review: The DVD Murders by Bob Frey

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The DVD Murders by Bob Frey. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The DVD Murders by Bob Frey
A Frank Callahan Mystery

Infinity Publishing (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-7414-4972-2 (0741449722)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7414-4972-6 (9780741449726)
Publication Date: November 2008
List Price: $16.95

Review: Bob Frey introduces LAPD detective Frank Callahan on the trail of a ruthless killer of A-list actors in The DVD Murders.

Following the very public murders of two popular actors, a case to which Callahan and his partner Barry Jennings are assigned, the killer writes an op-ed piece for publication decrying the depravity of Hollywood, that movies, and by extension the actors that play in them, are destroying the moral integrity of the country. Because no one seems to be paying attention, or to even care, actors will continue to be targeted until a change is effected. Despite putting considerable resources on the investigation, little is accomplished, frustrating Callahan. He's convinced a psychological profile prepared by the FBI is their best chance to find the killer, but others on the task force disagree. In the end it comes down to an idea proposed by Barry's aunt that gives them the breakthrough that they need to ultimately find the killer.

The DVD Murders, not to put too fine a point on it, is a mess of a mystery. The book reviewed was an ARC published in August so it's possible many of the issues noted here have already been resolved prior to its expected November publication date. But setting aside the production issues -- countless misspelled words, erratic punctuation, and improper formatting for incorporated quoted text, to name just a few -- there are significant narrative problems. Examples of these include abrupt and inconsistent changes in points of view, and flashbacks that are erratically inserted into the middle of otherwise coherent passages.

And then there's the plot. The story has the potential of being an interesting, if more than a little bit derivative, mystery. But the author misses a prime opportunity to have some fun with it. Consider the irony of a gay cop investigating the murder of actors by someone who believes they can dictate the morals of the country by committing a cardinal sin. To be sure there are the occasional nuggets of social comedy with some characters being put in unfamiliar situations, but the author plays it straight, as it were, for much of the book. The investigation itself has a random, Keystone cops (without the humor) feel to it and even after implementing Barry's aunt's idea to catch the killer it takes far too long to do so. In the end, The DVD Murders is a tedious police procedural with little to recommend it.

Special thanks to Bob Frey for providing an ARC of The DVD Murders for this review.

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

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Synopsis (from the publisher): Follow Detective Frank Callahan, a big, rough, blue-collar sort of guy who happens to be gay, as he and his fellow Irish Catholic sidekick, Barry, pursue the elusive DVD killer across the streets of Hollywood, through gay bars and cruis­ing grounds, on a chase around Six Flags Magic Mountain, Forest Lawn, and other L.A. landmarks. Witness Callahan’s evolution from a seeker of personal glory to team player, his monumental showdown with a gay-bashing rival detective, the brutish Moose Kohler, and his reunion with his estranged lover, a fascinating character named Car. In the end, it’s good, old-fashioned police work with an assist from Barry’s Aunt Bee, a walking encyclopedia of film lore that leads to the killer’s downfall in an exciting climax reminiscent of Hollywood’s legendary gangster film, White Heat.

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