James Patterson and 28 Co-Authors Write First Chain Thriller

Here's a bit of mystery book news that flew under our radar.

Next month, James Patterson is publishing what is being called the first "chain thriller", a book written by the bestselling author plus 28 other contributing writers. Titled AirBorne, more details can be found on the book's website (hosted by the Australian division of Borders Books, which may be one of the reasons it escaped our attention).

Patterson will write the first and last chapters. Each of the 30 in total chapters will be released one day at a time starting Friday, March 20, 2009. There's no synopsis for the book (yet), but aspiring writers were told to write a fast-paced, thrilling chapter in the style of Patterson, 750 words or less.

And it's not at all clear whether the book, when published, will be available outside of Australia. Visitors to the website can enter to win a signed copy, but only Australian residents are eligible. (Presumably a Kindle version will be available regardless.)

Still and all, it ought to be an interesting read. We'll set a reminder for March 20th to check out the first chapter.

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Author Online Book Tour: Barbara Levenson Visits Booking Mama and Murder by 4

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating this week's online book tour for Barbara Levenson whose new mystery, Fatal February, was published earlier this month by Oceanview Publishing. Fatal February is the author's debut mystery and features Mary Magruder Katz, a criminal defense attorney in Miami.

Today, Friday February 20th, Barbara will be visiting 2 blog sites:

• Booking Mama where a review of Fatal February will be posted; and
• Murder by 4 which is welcoming Barbara as a guest blogger.

We're also thrilled to announce that Barbara is giving away a signed copy of her new book to one lucky tour visitor. Visit each tour site on the day indicated and pick up a unique PIN to be used to enter the giveaway on that day. The entry form can be found on Barbara's tour page, Author Book Tour: Barbara Levenson, which also has a complete schedule of Barbara's tour including a biography and more information about Fatal February.

We hope you have the opportunity to stop by each of the tour sites later this week to learn more about Barbara and her series character Mary Magruder Katz.

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Mystery Bestsellers for February 20, 2009

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending February 20, 2009 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

No change in the top 4 bestselling mysteries this week with John Grisham and James Patterson retaining the top two positions this week with their respective thrillers, The Associate and Run for Your Life.

Just missing the top 15 last week and moving up to the 9th position this week is Dog On It, Spencer Quinn's debut mystery. Meet Chet, the wise and lovable canine narrator of Dog on It, who works alongside Bernie, a down-on-his-luck private investigator. Chet might have flunked out of police school ("I'd been the best leaper in K-9 class, which had led to all the trouble in a way I couldn't remember exactly, although blood was involved"), but he's a detective through and through. In this, their first adventure, Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of Madison, a teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavory characters. A well-behaved, gifted student, she didn't arrive home after school and her divorced mother is frantic. Bernie is quick to take the case -- something about a cash flow problem that Chet's not all that clear about -- and he's relieved, if vaguely suspicious, when Madison turns up unharmed with a story that doesn't add up. But when she disappears for a second time in a week, Bernie and Chet aren't taking any chances; they launch a full-blown investigation. Without a ransom demand, they're not convinced it's a kidnapping, but they are sure of one thing: something smells funny. Their search for clues takes them into the desert to biker bars and other exotic locals, with Chet's highly trained nose leading the way. Both Chet and Bernie bring their own special skills to the hunt, one that puts each of them in peril. But even as the bad guys try to turn the tables, this duo is nothing if not resourceful, and the result is an uncommonly satisfying adventure. With his doggy ways and his endearingly hardboiled voice, Chet is full of heart and occasionally prone to mischief. He is intensely loyal to Bernie, who, though distracted by issues that Chet has difficulty understanding -- like divorce, child custody, and other peculiar human concerns -- is enormously likable himself, in his flawed, all-too-human way. Publishers Weekly calls Dog On It a "winning debut" and Kirkus Reviews adds, "Chet's amusing, perceptive canine take on the human characters should appeal to hard-boiled fans and canine fanciers alike." We recently reported that Universal Pictures had acquired the film rights to Dog On It.

New at number 10 is Among the Mad, the 6th mystery in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. It’s Christmas Eve 1931. On the way to see a client, Maisie Dobbs witnesses a man commit suicide on a busy London street. The following day, the prime minister’s office receives a letter threatening a massive loss of life if certain demands are not met -- and the writer mentions Maisie by name. After being questioned and cleared by Detective Chief Superintendent Robert MacFarlane of Scotland Yard’s elite Special Branch, she is drawn into MacFarlane’s personal fiefdom as a special adviser on the case. Meanwhile, Billy Beale, Maisie’s trusted assistant, is once again facing tragedy as his wife, who has never recovered from the death of their young daughter, slips further into melancholia’s abyss. Soon Maisie becomes involved in a race against time to find a man who proves he has the knowledge and will to inflict death and destruction on thousands of innocent people. And before this harrowing case is over, Maisie must navigate a darkness not encountered since she was a nurse in wards filled with shell-shocked men. Publishers Weekly says that Among the Mad "raises the stakes considerably for [Winspear's] psychologically astute sleuth" and adds that the author "does her usual superb job of portraying London between the world wars."

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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Mystery Author Lee Child Elected President of MWA

In a press release today, the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announced that Lee Child has been elected its president and will serve a one-year term beginning this month. Child will succeed Harlan Coben. Child is a New York Times best-selling author of the Jack Reacher series, published in 43 countries and 30 languages worldwide.

The MWA Board of Directors also elected Frankie Y. Bailey to serve as Executive Vice President and Larry Light as Treasurer. Each will serve a one year term ending in February 2010.

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First Clues Review: Behind the Curtain by Peter Abrahams

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.

Behind the Curtain by Peter Abrahams
The Echo Falls Mysteries

HarperCollins (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-06-073706-9 (0060737069)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-073706-1 (9780060737061)
Publication Date: May 2007
List Price: $6.99

Review written by Kevin, Age 11, Grade 6. Date of review: February 2009.

Review: If you are looking for a book to get you biting your nails and laughing your pants off at the same time, then this is the book for you. This superb novel, Behind the Curtain, written by Peter Abrahams is an excellent read. This is the second book in the series of the top-notch Echo Falls novels.

This story starts out with the main character, Ingrid Levin-Hill, in math class. She is not paying attention in math class so she is picked for Math Fest. Math Fest is a math competition held at the High School and viewers come to watch. Ingrid’s least favorite class is math. One day when she gets home her brother Ty wants her to spot him for his bench press. Ingrid notices that Ty is benching a lot more than he usually does. When he stands up she sees numerous amounts of acne on his back. Ty has always been an acne-free kid. The next morning Ingrid hears that this new woman from New York named Julia LeCain has come to fill the position of Ingrid’s dad’s job. On the morning of Math Fest Ingrid wakes up thirteen minutes before it starts. She has to rush in order to get there in time. While Ingrid is on her bike … darkness. She sees nothing and she is in a very small space. She is in the trunk of a car! Her hands and feet and mouth are duct taped. She feels around for an unlocking mechanism. Then … click she can fell the air rushing on her face. She feels the urge to jump; when the car slows for a turn … she jumps. She rolls down a hill and into a gully. When she finally arrives at math fest, it is over. She tells the police chief and they try to find some evidence to prove that she was kidnapped. After a while Ingrid goes to the hospital to visit her soccer coach, who is sick, and she sees a door slightly ajar. She walks in and finds some steroids in a bottle in a locked cabinet. She finally connects all of these things together and figures out the whole plan. Will the evidence be enough to solve the two cases, or will people just think that she is crazy?

This novel was just as good, if not better than the first novel. This divine second crime novel is a great read if you’re having a bad day or you need some action look no further. This book is filled with all kinds of twisty-turvey scenes and intelligent happenings. I really like the way the author made the scenes so that you could figure out the crime before she does. I would recommend the book to ages 12 to adult. The content in the book is a little to mature for the ages younger than the ones listed. There is some violence and some cursing, but overall the book is phenomenal. I cannot wait until the next one is released.

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

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on over 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 Author Matt Beynon Rees Writes on Nablus and the Samaritans

Crime novelist Matt Beynon Rees wrote a three-part series yesterday in the GlobalPost examining the Palestinian town of Nablus in the West Bank and its people, the Samaritans. Nablus served as the setting for Rees' most recent book, The Samaritan's Secret, which we recently reviewed and declared the best mystery we've read this year (to date). [MBN note: See Mysterious Reviews: The Samaritan's Secret by Matt Beynon Rees.]

Rees has also produced a video (see below) in which he explores the hidden world of the Samaritans and ends discussing additional background material he used to develop the plot for the book.

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Author Online Book Tour: Barbara Levenson Visits Allie's Musings and Jen's Book Thoughts

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating this week's online book tour for Barbara Levenson whose new mystery, Fatal February, was published earlier this month by Oceanview Publishing. Fatal February is the author's debut mystery and features Mary Magruder Katz, a criminal defense attorney in Miami.

Today, Thursday February 19th, Barbara will be visiting 2 blog sites:

• Allie's Musings where Barbara will be interviewed; and
• Jen's Book Thoughts which is welcoming Barbara as a guest blogger.

We're also thrilled to announce that Barbara is giving away a signed copy of her new book to one lucky tour visitor. Visit each tour site on the day indicated and pick up a unique PIN to be used to enter the giveaway on that day. The entry form can be found on Barbara's tour page, Author Book Tour: Barbara Levenson, which also has a complete schedule of Barbara's tour including a biography and more information about Fatal February.

We hope you have the opportunity to stop by each of the tour sites later this week to learn more about Barbara and her series character Mary Magruder Katz.

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Games of Mystery: Emerald City Confidential, New at PlayFirst Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce a special price for a mystery game available from PlayFirst Games. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: PlayFirst Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Work with the world's most cunning detective in the shadowy underbelly of the Emerald City of Oz in Emerald City Confidential. As Petra, you'll be lured deep into mysteries involving new foes and familiar faces; Scarecrow, Lion, Dorothy and Toto included. This is Oz as you've never seen it before. Solve your detective's quest and unravel a conspiracy of magic and intrigue! Follow a case through five chapters full of puzzles, witnesses, suspects, and allies. There are a total of 36 characters with full voiceover, 6000 lines of spoken dialog that add depth and intrigue to this game.

Emerald City Confidential, a PlayFirst exclusive, is available to purchase for $9.95 with the PlayPass program. A trial version is available to download for a 60 minutes of play (Windows PC, 80.2 MB).

Watch a video preview below:

Other popular games on our download PlayFirst Mystery Games page include other Mystery PI games, Mystery P.I.: The Vegas Heist and Mystery P.I.: The Lottery Ticket, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet, and Private Eye.

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

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Mystery Book Review: No More Dying by David Roberts

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of No More Dying by David Roberts. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

No More Dying by David Roberts
A Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne Mystery

Soho Constable (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-539-3 (1569475393)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-539-3 (9781569475393)
Publication Date: February 2009
List Price: $25.00

Review: Lord Edward Corinth investigates a pre-war assassination plot in No More Dying, the ninth mystery in this series by David Roberts.

The year is 1939. Hitler's Germany is advancing on all fronts, and the threat of world war seems imminent. British intelligence learns of a secret plot to kill its Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, because he believes that, with the help of the United States, England can defeat Germany. The US Ambassador to England, Joseph Kennedy, however, has said America will not get involved. Lord Edward Corinth is asked to stay close to Churchill. Separately, Verity Browne, a reporter and card-carrying member of the Communist Party, has ordered her to do whatever necessary to make a connection with the Ambassador, even if it means using her fiancé, Lord Edward.

Verity and Lord Edward are an odd couple, to be sure. Verity doesn't believe in "anything that makes a woman less than a man" but she's in love with Lord Edward, her polar opposite. She is convinced their love for each other will withstand all obstacles brought forth by their contrasting beliefs and diverse backgrounds, and from both their families and friends.

The couple is invited to the Astor estate where Ambassador Kennedy and his sons, Joe Jr. and Jack, are staying. Verity despises the environment she finds herself in, but when a fellow reporter, also a Communist, is found dead, she cannot leave. The next day, another man is found murdered in a similar manner. Lord Edward, who fancies himself an amateur sleuth, always wonders why dead bodies turn up where they ought not. Are these deaths related, or somehow connected to the plot the kill Churchill? Verity is facing problems of a different sort. Members of her party are acting in a manner contrary to her strongly held views. Does she look the other way for the sake of the party or confront them for the sake of her beliefs?

Lord Edward and Verity realize they have a better chance working together with Scotland Yard to solve these murders and identify the threat facing the Prime Minister.

No More Dying is a multi-faceted story that will resonate with readers. Real life historical figures mingle with richly drawn fictional characters, and are set within an electrifying murder mystery. This bleak time in world history provides a striking backdrop to the plot, and the complex but deeply satisfying love story between Lord Edward and Verity make the book not only fully developed but complete.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of No More Dying and to Soho Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing No More Dying from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Lord Edward Corinth embarks on his most important investigation. It is 1939 and it is clear that Britain will soon be at war and MI5 has learnt that an enemy agent has been dispatched to England to assassinate Winston Churchill. The assassin’s identity is unknown and Lord Edward, pursuing one line of enquiry, goes to Cliveden, the Astors' country house in Buckinghamshire.

Verity Browne is also at Cliveden, much as she despises the "Cliveden Set". She has been ordered by her superiors in the Communist Party to get as close as possible to one of the Astor’s guests, Joesph Kennedy, the American Ambassador in the UK. And when the ambassador’s sons Joe and Jack Kennedy discover the body of a man in Cliveden’s grounds, Verity is dismayed to recognize the dead man as a former journalistic colleague from the civil war which still rages in Spain.

The race against time to identify Churchill’s would-be assassin and the murderer of Verity’s friend takes the intrepid duo to Switzerland and a nail-biting climax on St Moritz’s icy Cresta Run.

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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First Clues Review: Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception by Wendelin Van Draanen

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.

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception by Wendelin Van Draanen
The Sammy Keyes Series

Random House (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-440-41992-1 (0440419921)
ISBN-13: 978-0-440-41992-1 (9780440419921)
Publication Date: May 2005
List Price: $6.50

Review written by Asheena, Age 12, Grade 6. Date of review: February 2009.

Review: Wendelin Van Draanen adds the eighth installment to her already amazing series with Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception. Sammy Keyes, a 13-year old sassy girl with a good sense for mysteries, get herself wrapped into a mystery, again. This is nothing new for Sammy who always seems to have a mystery on her shoulders. Well this time it all starts out with an art project that Sammy’s odd-ball art teacher assigns her …
 
Like every normal day Sammy is at school with her best friend, Marisa. But today her wacky out-of-the-normal art teacher assigns her art class a project but, before she can tell them what it is they have to take a “walk” with art. The teacher advises the art class to got to the Renaissance Faire, but Hudson, Sammy’s 72-year old friend wont have it. Instead she winds up going to the Vault, a local art gallery down-town, with her Grams and Hudson. What she sees at the Vault doesn’t impress her much; in fact she actually thinks its worthless art. One artist whose paintings look like big splats of paint in Sammy’s book fills her with disappointment until she walks past this Diane Rejiden’s painting which inspires her so much its overwhelming. Hudson also likes Diane’s paintings but Hudson likes her looks even more. There is a news reporter at the time too, who will write an article on one of the artists paintings. But then trouble comes … a robbery! A robber comes in and tries to rob Diane’s paintings. Fortunately her paintings are saved. The other painters think she set up the robbery so the reporter would write an article on her so she’d get fame. Sammy ends up trying to unwind he mystery. Even working vigorously, Sammy is stumped, but she also gains an unlikely ally, her grams. Her grandma is eager to help because Hudson, who is momentarily in love with Diane at the moment, needs to know Diane is guilty. Sammy does go to the Renaissance Faire where her own romance story with Casey (an 8th grade boy who supposedly has a crush on her and is also her worst enemy, Heather’s half brother) brews up.

I would recommend this book for middle school readers, only because there is some content that younger readers might not be able to understand. The book is very skillfully put together flowing easily from page to page, but at the same time very suspenseful, keeping you gripping the book until the very last page. The book is excellent and has unpredictable events; such as the gun the robber is holding is only a water gun. The book is enjoyable with an odd spiral of romance going on. The romance in the book going on also juices up the whole story. Wendelin Van Draanen does an excellent job of keeping the book together.

This book is highly enjoyable book and is perfect to just sit back relax and read.

If you are interested in purchasing Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

First Clue Mysteries is pleased to provide information on over 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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Author Online Book Tour: Barbara Levenson Visits Sam's Book Blog and Lesa's Book Critiques

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating this week's online book tour for Barbara Levenson whose new mystery, Fatal February, was published earlier this month by Oceanview Publishing. Fatal February is the author's debut mystery and features Mary Magruder Katz, a criminal defense attorney in Miami.

Today, Wednesday February 18th, Barbara will be visiting 2 blog sites:

• Sam's Book Blog where a review of Fatal February will be posted; and
• Lesa's Book Critiques which is welcoming Barbara as a guest blogger.

We're also thrilled to announce that Barbara is giving away a signed copy of her new book to one lucky tour visitor. Visit each tour site on the day indicated and pick up a unique PIN to be used to enter the giveaway on that day. The entry form can be found on Barbara's tour page, Author Book Tour: Barbara Levenson, which also has a complete schedule of Barbara's tour including a biography and more information about Fatal February.

We hope you have the opportunity to stop by each of the tour sites later this week to learn more about Barbara and her series character Mary Magruder Katz.

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Games of Mystery: P. J. Pride Pet Detective, Destination Europe, New at PlayFirst Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce a special price for a mystery game available from PlayFirst Games. You can find out more about these games from our Mystery Games: PlayFirst Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

P. J. remains true to her pet detective calling in P. J. Pride Pet Detective: Destination Europe, the sequel to the popular hidden object game. Help P. J. expose a diamond heist involving a mysterious cast of nefarious characters. Perplexing occurrences seem to follow P. J. everywhere. Paris was supposed to be the destination for a relaxing trip with her niece, but P. J.'s plans are cut short when exotic circus animals begin cropping up on Europe's city streets. Accompany P. J. and her niece, Ashley, on an unpredictable tour of unusual hidden object hot spots. Exotic locations, compelling suspect interviews, and clue-filled hidden object screens translate to another captivating adventure with P. J. Pride!

P. J. Pride Pet Detective: Destination Europe is available to purchase for $9.95 with the PlayPass program. A trial version is available to download for a 60 minutes of play (Windows PC, 101.0 MB).

Other popular games on our download PlayFirst Mystery Games page include other Mystery PI games, Mystery P.I.: The Vegas Heist and Mystery P.I.: The Lottery Ticket, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet, and Private Eye.

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

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Mystery Book Review: The Samaritan's Secret by Matt Beynon Rees

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Samaritan's Secret by Matt Beynon Rees. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

The Samaritan's Secret by Matt Beynon Rees
An Omar Yussef Mystery

Soho Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-545-8 (1569475458)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-545-4 (9781569475454)
Publication Date: February 2009
List Price: $24.00

Review: In Nablus, the West Bank, to attend the wedding of a close friend, teacher and historian Omar Yussef finds himself in the midst of a dangerous murder investigation in The Samaritan's Secret, the third mystery in this series by Matt Beynon Rees.

Invited by his friend, Sami Jaffari, to accompany him on a routine police matter, Omar Yussef is also present when the body of a young man is found. Brutally beaten to death, the victim, Ishaq, was the son of a Samaritan priest; coincidentally the same priest Sami Jaffari and Omar Yussef had been visiting to discuss a stolen sacred scroll. Omar Yussef learns Ishaq was a close associate of the former president of Palestine and in charge of managing the vast sums of money that were in hidden accounts around the world. A World Bank representative, in Nablus searching for $300 million that is still missing following the death of the president, had been scheduled to meet with Ishaq. But with his death, and the dead end that results in the search for the money, the World Bank has no choice but to cut off all aid to the Palestinian people. The police seem uninterested, or fearful, to pursue the murder investigation, leaving Omar Yussef determined to discover the truth.

The Samaritan's Secret is another exceptional entry in this series, not quite as sharply written as its predecessor, but outstanding nonetheless. Omar Yussef tends to waver between two objectives here, resolving the murder of your Ishaq and not allowing the World Bank to cut off support of his people. The two would seem to be related, but given the time frame involved, just 3 days, he realizes he may have to compromise one investigation to complete the other. This time element adds a subtle, yet incessant, tension to the story. It also means Omar Yussef initially overlooks some of the obvious, but highly improbable, solutions to the murder mystery in favor of the more expedient, if less practical, ones. Sharp-eyed readers will no doubt pick up on the identity of Ishaq's killer and the motive behind it early on, but it's easy to see how Omar Yussef, with the lack of a single purpose, misses all the clues laid out before him.

Given the setting, politics and conflict, not unexpectedly, play a significant role in The Samaritan's Secret. The politics of inclusion and exclusion, half-truths and outright lies, honor and deception, are evident on nearly every page. And the conflict between the various Palestinian factions, Islamic purists and realists, the absurdly rich and the desperately poor, and of course within families, drive much of the plot. All this is wrapped in a dark, at times claustrophobic, environment accompanied by the sights, smells, and sounds of what is to many a forbidding, if not forbidden, place.

The intricate plot, memorable characters, expressive narrative, and relentless pacing will no doubt cause The Samaritan's Secret to be remembered as one of the best mysteries of the year.

Special thanks to Soho Press for providing a copy of The Samaritan's Secret for this review.

Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing The Samaritan's Secret from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right. The Samaritan's Secret (Kindle edition) is also available. Learn more about the Kindle, Amazon's Wireless Reading Device.

Synopsis (from the publisher): When Omar Yussef and his family arrive in Nablus for the wedding of a friend, police officer Sami Jaffari, trouble begins. An ancient sacred scroll has been stolen from the Samaritans, a tiny religions community that has lived in Nablus for millennia. Because he knows Omar Yussef is interested in history, Sami takes him along to investigate, but they find that the scroll has been mysteriously returned.

Then the body of a young man is discovered on the peak of the mountain where the Samaritans believe their ancient temple stood. The dead man, it turns out, was not just any Samaritan. He worked for the former Palestinian president and controlled hundreds of millions of dollars of government money that is now missing. If the World Bank cannot locate the money within the next several days, all its aid money to the Palestinians will be cut off. The police are only willing to take their investigation of this dangerous case so far, but Omar Yussef is determined to solve the murder and locate the money. Unless he can find it in time, all Palestinians will suffer.

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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New Hardcover Mysteries: An Interview with Linda Fairstein

Linda Fairstein's 11th mystery in the Alex Cooper series, Lethal Legacy, was published last week with the Assistant District Attorney summoned to an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side to investigate an assault. There she finds a neighbor convinced that the young woman was attacked, but the terrified victim, a conservator of rare books and maps, refuses to cooperate with investigators. Then another woman is found murdered in that same apartment with an extremely valuable book, believed to have been stolen. As Alex pursues the murderer, she is drawn into the strange and privileged world of the Hunt family, major benefactors of the New York Public Library and passionate rare book collectors.

Barnes & Noble has graciously allowed us to post an interview with author Linda Fairstein. Conducted by host Molly Pesce, Fairstein shares her experiences as the former head of the Sex Crimes Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney, and her extensive knowledge of the legal system that she has used to chronicle Alex's story through a string of bestsellers.

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First Clues Review: Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy by Wendelin Van Draanen

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.

Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy by Wendelin Van Draanen
The Sammy Keyes Series

Random House (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-440-41866-6 (0440418666)
ISBN-13: 978-0-440-41866-5 (9780440418665)
Publication Date: May 2002
List Price: $6.50

Review written by Asheena, Age 12, Grade 6. Date of review: February 2009.

Review: Wendelin Van Draanen has used her amazing sense of mystery to come out with the sixth installment of the already mesmerizing and amazing series. This book also has an unusual freaky twist that none of her other books have so far which makes it unique and even more fun to read.

Though Marisa was somewhat against it, Sammy and her run off to Hollywood! No one knows that they are gone, not Hudson, her 72-year old friend, and not even her own Grandmother! Sammy and Marisa (and Marisa’s entire luggage which is frankly a lot) race to get on the train to Hollywood. When they finally arrive they end up on the “bad side” of Hollywood. They get in a taxi and rush to the studio her mom is living in with all these other actors. Her mom’s boss can’t know that Sammy’s mom is married otherwise she’ll get fired. Sammy starts to notice her mom’s boss act all strange around her mom … the studio is surrounded with Egyptian-style artifact and one artifact that might scare someone to death if they saw it. Sammy wants to know why whenever her mom’s boss Max is around her mom he acts as if he is in love with her mom. Sammy feels very uncomfortable when she sees this and knows there is much more behind Max’s affection. Sammy uses her wits and with the help of her friend they set out to solve the mystery. Sammy starts thinking that wherever she goes a mystery creeps up behind her.

Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy was acceptable, but in some places it was difficult to understand and the over-all plot wasn’t very easy to understand and some parts I had to re-read because it was difficult to tell who was talking at certain times. The overall book was okay, but the plot was exciting. The book was a nice variation to her series and is definitely a pleasing book to a mystery lover. The book is also very suspenseful which is a good feature to any book but in this book it made it impossible to finish fast enough.

Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy was a so and so book but it was still quite fun to read.

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