Mystery Book Review: No Such Creature by Giles Blunt

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

No Such Creature by Giles Blunt
Non-series

Henry Holt (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-8050-8062-7 (0805080627)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8050-8062-9 (9780805080629)
Publication Date: May 2009
List Price: $25.00

Review: Giles Blunt advances an interesting crime caper-type premise in his latest stand-alone thriller No Such Creature, but doesn't really develop it much beyond simple storytelling.

Magnus "Max" Maxwell and his great-nephew Owen Maxwell are gentlemen thieves, charming their victims as they relieve them of their jewels and money, all the while eschewing violence of any kind. Their carefully executed crimes and cleverly devised disguises keep them out of jail but not out of the sights of a band of thieves of thieves known as the Subtractors. As Max and Owen begin their cross-country journey from California back to their home in New York City, they're followed by the Subtractors, who are determined to take -- by any means necessary -- everything the Maxwells have so artfully acquired.

It isn't quite clear what the author was trying to achieve with No Such Creature. In some ways, the novel has the potential to be a comic caper, what with Max's theatrical approach to his profession, his Shakespearean way of speaking, even the massive motor home that incongruously serves as their home away from home. But any humor in the narrative is subdued, to say the least. Then again, it also has the potential to be a suspense novel or thriller with the Maxwells unknowingly being chased by the ruthless Subtractors ... but the leisurely pacing of the plot suggests otherwise. Even the mysterious Sabrina, the daughter of a colleague (as it were) of Max's who enters the picture about a third of the way through, doesn't clarify much. Is she really the innocent young woman she appears to be, or is there something more sinister lurking just beneath the surface? And while No Such Creature is entertaining in its own way (the dialog, in particular, is exceptionally witty: "If he's so awful, why were you so friendly to him?" "That, my boy, is one of the cruelties of incarceration. One must choose one's friends from a very murky pool."), it's ever so slightly disappointing as it fails to meaningfully engage the reader's participation in the journey. It should be noted, though, that the ambiguous ending, while completely in keeping with the rest of the novel, is nonetheless delightfully unexpected.

Special thanks to Henry Holt for providing an ARC of No Such Creature for this review.

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

If you are interested in purchasing No Such Creature from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right. No Such Creature (Kindle edition) is also available. Learn more about the Kindle, Amazon's Wireless Reading Device.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Eight years ago, Owen Maxwell was saved from a foster home by the arrival of his uncle Max from England. Once a promising Shakespearean actor, Magnus “Max” Maxwell has since put his dramatic skills to new use: a master of disguise, a virtuoso of foreign dialects, and a performer to his core, he has become an extremely successful gentleman thief. Every summer, Max and Owen take a road trip across the United States, pulling off elaborate robberies along the way. But this year is different. Their first, dazzlingly executed summer heist captures the interest of the Subtractors.

Long believed an urban myth, the Subtractors are a gang of vicious thieves who prey on other thieves. They will abduct a fellow crook known to have completed a lucrative job and proceed to “subtract” parts of his body until he tells them where they can find the loot. “No such creature,” Max says, when Owen first suspects that they may be in the Subtractors’ sights. But in this, as in so many things, Max will prove to be disastrously wrong.

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Nintendo Confirms Release Date for Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

In more news from E3 2009, Nintendo confirmed a US release date of August 24, 2009, for Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, the second game in this popular series for the DS. (Amazon.com briefly, and apparently inadvertently, listed the game with this date several weeks ago before removing it.)

A new mystery is afoot! Puzzle master Professor Layton and his apprentice, Luke, have stumbled upon another mystery. It’s up to them to navigate their way through numerous puzzles to determine who – or what – caused the death of Professor Layton’s mentor, Dr. Schrader. Was it the mysterious Elysian Box, rumored to kill all who open it? Professor Layton and Luke find a clue that begins their adventure: a train ticket for the Molentary Express.

The game features over 150 new brain teasers, riddles, and logic puzzles. Players with a Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection will also have access to 33 additional puzzles, to be made available one per week after the game launches.

The first game in the series, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, was recently seen in a commercial featuring Lisa Kudrow.

View the official trailer for the new game below:

To find more mystery games available on the Nintendo DS, please visit our website Games of Mystery.

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Author Book Tour: Mary Stanton Visits Books Ahoy

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating this week's online book tour for author Mary Stanton whose new mystery, Angel's Advocate, is published this week by Berkley. Angel's Advocate is the second mystery in the Beaufort & Company series to feature Savannah attorney Bree Beaufort.

Today, Wednesday, June 3rd, Mary will be visiting 1 blog site:

• Book's Ahoy where she is the guest blogger.

We're also thrilled to announce that Mary 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 Mary's tour page, Author Book Tour: Mary Stanton.

We hope you have the opportunity to stop by each of the tour sites this week to learn more about Mary, her series character Bree Beaufort, and what makes Savannah such an ideal setting for this Southern Gothic series.

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Nintendo to Develop DS Game based on James Patterson's Women's Murder Club

According to many sources (see CNET News, for example), on display at the Nintendo E3 2009 press conference was a handful of yet-to-be officially announced portable gaming titles for the DS. Among them was Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion, based on the series of crime novels by James Patterson.

Although no specific information about the game(s) was released, with the title itself being overly generic, we would guess it (they) would be similar to the two popular casual mystery games already available for Windows PCs based on the mystery series: Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet and Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey. Both are hidden object games that require the player to investigate crime scenes, interrogate suspects, and examine evidence to unmask a killer.

We'll provide updates as additional information becomes available. In the meantime, for more mystery games available on the Nintendo DS visit Games of Mystery.

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Casual Mystery Game Series to be Based on Murder, She Wrote

In a press release today, Legacy Interactive announced a licensing agreement with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group (UPDPG) to develop video games based on the popular television drama series House M.D. and the classic TV mystery series Murder, She Wrote.

According to the company, Murder, She Wrote will be adapted as a light adventure, hidden object game on the PC that evokes the feel and themes of the long-running television series. The game, which features five all-new mysteries, takes place primarily in the quaint New England town of Cabot Cove, Maine. Each case follows acclaimed crime novelist Jessica Fletcher, a sharp-eyed senior citizen with a nose for clues, as she unravels a series of puzzling murders. Each mystery is a standalone story with its own clues and beautiful locations ranging from Maine to Vermont to England. Helping Jessica solve the crimes will be other well-loved characters from the show, including Dr. Seth Hazlitt and Sherriff Mort Metzger.

Casual mystery games, especially those based on series characters, continue to rapidly grow in popularity. Examples available from our own website, Games of Mystery, include Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, the detectives from CSI: NY, and Sherlock Holmes.

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Sara Paretsky, V. I. Warshawski, and the Chicago Cubs

Chris McNamara, Special to the Chicago Tribune, reports on an interesting conversation with mystery writer Sara Paretsky in which she discusses baseball (specifically the Cubs) and her series character V. I. Warshawski. Paretsky has a new book in the series coming out this September, the first in four years to feature the Chicago private investigator, titled (appropriately enough) Hardball.

When asked who's the bigger Cubs fan, the author or her character, Paretsky says, "Definitely V.I. She is more intensely interested in sports, though I have to say I'm quite a sweat sock. I'm someone who watches sports but doesn't play them. In September we're releasing my new book Hardball in which the murder weapon is a baseball signed by Nellie Fox. Take that Sox fans. The book is about V.I.'s father who grows up a Sox fan but in an act of rebellion switches his loyalty to the Cubs. I can't tell you who gets murdered with the baseball."

She also has a determined opinion on the Cubs club roster. "They should definitely talk to me before making trades. I could save them from making big mistakes."

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Mystery Book Review: Death Was in the Picture by Linda L. Richards

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Death Was in the Picture by Linda L. Richards. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Death Was in the Picture by Linda L. Richards
A Kitty Pangborn Mystery

St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-312-38339-8 (0312383398)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-38339-8 (9780312383398)
Publication Date: January 2009
List Price: $24.95

Review: After her successful Los Angeles debut in Linda L. Richard’s Death Was The Other Woman, Kitty Pangborn, gal Friday to shamus Dexter Theroux, is back for an encore. Like Kitty’s first adventure, this one’s another fun-filled romp complete with bizarre but rounded characters slinging Depression-era slang like “gams,” “sawbuck,” “okies,” “mook” and “sheesh,” knocking noggins, and acknowledging 1930’s icons (Irving Thalberg) and historical landmarks (Hollywood and Vine). It’s “déjà vu all over again” for lovers of the hard-boiled detective genre, but this time with a tinge of noir at the end.

Narrator Kitty starts the story routinely enough with Dex hired by Xander Dean, a mug “only a couple of cheesecakes shy of three hundred pounds.” Dean wants Dex to shadow heart-throb actor Laird Wyndham at a party. But since things are never as simple as they seem, especially in mystery novels, Kitty and Dex are soon wrapped in a web of intrigue, a set-up for a sex scandal and a murder for which Wyndham is arrested and charged, despite his claims of a frame. Wyndham’s long-time lawyer then hires Dex to clear the actor. But the harder Dex and Kitty dig to clear their client, the deeper they get into the glue, especially when Xander Dean would sooner break Dex’s bean than let him break their original contract and defend the suspected murderer. As Dex, Kitty and Mustard scratch and sniff on Wyndham’s behalf, and Dex and Kitty attend the Masquers Annual Ball, they uncover some unlikely connections to the League of Decency, the Sodalists, the Hays Office, the William Morris Agency, and the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930. They follow leads stretching from Chicago to Pittsburgh to St. Louis to a Hollywood film set, giving new meaning to “going behind the scenes” with Kitty as an extra in a lead-lined dress, Dex as a faux financier blowing smoke and Mustard as his chauffer. In their search for the truth and its consequences they come across a hophead victim named Fleur McKenzie and an off-the-wall Hollywood trophy wife with a houseful of cats. They encounter several starlets with legs that won’t quit, and a couple of incompetent “flatfoots” monikered Houlahan and O’Reilly who work for Chief Roy E. Steckel. There’s coffee called “joe” and a conflicted anti-Semite censor called Joe Breen. And all the while Kitty’s still recalling her Dad and how he lost his fortune and his life, still berating Mustard for calling her “Kitty,” and still living with Marjorie Oleg, once her nanny and now her landlady and favourite cook. Most of all, she’s still fiercely loyal to Dex despite his frequent TKOs in his battles with the bottle, old memories and new enemies. And once the intrepid trio has sufficiently ragged on the suspects and yakked over the clues about the murder and the frame, Kitty outlines a final scenario with a surprise ending that undoubtedly would have sent the real “Mean” Joe Breen and the boys at the 1930s Hays Office scrambling for their censors’ scissors.

In her author’s note, Linda Richards says that the more research she did for her novel, the more she felt this was “a story worth telling.” She’s right.

Special thanks to M. Wayne Cunningham (mw_cunningham@telus.net) for contributing his review of Death Was in the Picture.

Review Copyright © 2009 — M. Wayne Cunningham — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): In 1931, while most of Los Angeles is struggling to survive the Depression, the business of Hollywood is booming. And everyone wants a piece. The movies have always been cutthroat and, as girl Friday Kitty Pangborn is about to find out, that’s more than a metaphor.

Kitty’s boss, private detective Dexter Theroux, has been asked to help leading man Laird Wyndham prove his innocence. The actor was the last person to be seen with a young actress who died under very suspicious circumstances, and the star has fallen from the big screen to the big house. Wyndham’s a dreamboat, but that isn’t the only thing that has Kitty hot under the collar. Dex has already signed a client -- one who’s hired him to prove Wyndham’s hands are not as clean as they look.

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Mystery Book Review: Wrongful Death by Robert Dugoni

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

Wrongful Death by Robert Dugoni
A David Sloane Mystery

Touchstone (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-4165-9100-1 (1416591001)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-9100-9 (9781416591009)
Publication Date: April 2009
List Price: $25.00

Review: Robert Dugoni's second legal thriller to feature David Sloane, Wrongful Death, has the Seattle attorney with an unblemished record taking on a case with seemingly impossible odds of winning.

Sloane, who has just won a million dollar plus wrongful death verdict, is approached by a woman who wants him to take legal action against the United States and its military in what she believes is the wrongful death of her husband, James Ford, a National Guardsman who was killed in Iraq. Whereas a wrongful death verdict can be proven and won in a civil case, it is for all intents and purposes impossible to win the same verdict against the military by virtue of the “Feres Doctrine.” This age old doctrine specifies that when an inductee takes the oath of enlistment, he or she swears to protect the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. At that same time the inductee (and/or any member of their family) also forfeits their right to sue the government or the military, or any superior officers therein, for any injury or death which incurs “incident to service”, even if it could be proven that those superior officers acted negligently or deliberately to deprive the inductee of their Constitutional rights. Sloane, a former wounded member of the military himself, feels compelled to take the case and find some justice for James Ford and his family even though it is clear in his mind that he would in all likelihood lose.

This explosive novel effectively blends a fictional account of an event in Iraq with headlines ripped from today's news. Five men of the National Guard from Seattle had been called to duty and sent to Iraq where they were part of the same company. On a mission to deliver food, cigarettes and other items to the soldiers in the field of battle, four of the men were injured, one was killed. James Ford, the dead soldier, had pulled their captain from a collapsing building to safety before dying; the captain’s legs were paralyzed for life. All received the Purple Heart. At the time, the four surviving men gave almost identical accounts of the actions leading up to and including the death of Ford. But can this be possible? Sloane knows that it is highly unlikely. But before he can talk to all of them, one committed suicide and one was murdered. A third man was killed shortly after Sloane talked to him, and the fourth now works for the corporation that had contracts in Iraq providing a conflict of interest. In the meantime, Sloane and his family are threatened with violence if he does not stop his inquiry. Will he be able to uncover the deceit, obtain justice for the death of Ford, and still keep his family out of harm’s way?

An exciting, moving tale of loyalty, deceit, friendship, duty, greed, and valor, Wrongful Death is an exceptional novel that not only ranks among the best of its genre, it is among the best books to be published this year.

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

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

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): Just minutes after winning a $1.6 million wrongful-death verdict, attorney David Sloane confronts the one case that threatens to blemish his unbeaten record in the courtroom. Beverly Ford wants Sloane to sue the United States government and military in the mysterious death of her husband, James, a national guardsman killed in Iraq. While a decades-old military doctrine might make Ford's case impossible to win, Sloane, a former soldier himself, is compelled to find justice for the widow and her four children in what is certain to become the biggest challenge of his career.

With little hard evidence to go on, Sloane calls on his friend, reclusive former CIA agent turned private investigator Charles Jenkins, to track down the other men serving with Ford the night he died. Alarmingly, two of the four who returned home alive didn't stay that way for long, and though the mission's wheelchairbound commander now works for a civilian contractor, he refuses to talk. The final -- and youngest -- soldier is also the most elusive, but he's their only shot at discovering the truth -- if Sloane and Jenkins can keep him alive long enough to tell it.

Meanwhile, Sloane isn't the only one on a manhunt. As he propels his case into a federal courtroom, those seeking to hide the truth threaten Sloane's family, forcing his new wife Tina and stepson Jake into hiding, where they become the targets of a relentless killer. Now Sloane must race to uncover what really happened on that fatal mission, not only to bring justice to a family wronged but to keep himself and the people closest to him from becoming the next casualties.

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Mystery Writers Also Cook! Literary Feast, the Famous Authors Cookbook

Oline H. Cogdill tweeted us this morning, saying Mystery Writers Also Cook!

She was referring to a new book, Literary Feast: The Famous Authors Cookbook, that features many recipes submitted by mystery authors.

She makes note of a few (Alexander McCall Smith, a fruit cake recipe; J. A. Jance, Sugarloaf Cafe's Sweet Rolls; Elaine Viets, a fruit smoothie, Faye Kellerman, Moon Music Ribs; Jonathan Kellerman, Midtown Manhattan) and while scouting around we found two more mentioned: David Baldacci, Eggplant Parmigiana; and Jo Dereske, Lemon Pudding Cake.

The cookbook can be purchased from Thrift Books, the proceeds of which benefit the King County (Washington) Library System's literacy and reading programs.

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Author Book Tour: Mary Stanton Visits Musings of a Bookish Kitty and Mystery Reader Discussion

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating this week's online book tour for author Mary Stanton whose new mystery, Angel's Advocate, is published this week by Berkley. Angel's Advocate is the second mystery in the Beaufort & Company series to feature Savannah attorney Bree Beaufort.

Today, Tuesday, June 2nd, Mary will be visiting 2 blog sites:

• Musings of a Bookish Kitty where Mary will be interviewed; and
• Mystery Reader Discussion where Angel's Advocate will be reviewed.

We're also thrilled to announce that Mary 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 Mary's tour page, Author Book Tour: Mary Stanton.

We hope you have the opportunity to stop by each of the tour sites this week to learn more about Mary, her series character Bree Beaufort, and what makes Savannah such an ideal setting for this Southern Gothic series.

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Theakstons Crime Writers Novel of the Year Shortlist Announced

The shortlist for the Theakstons Crime Writers Novel of the Year has been posted on the festival website. The winner is determined by the public with voting open from June 1st through July 22nd. (Click on the link above to vote for your favorite.)

The shortlisted novels are:

Death Message by Mark Billingham
The Accident Man by Tom Cain
Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child
Gone To Ground by John Harvey
Ritual by Mo Hayder
The Garden of Evil by David Hewson
A Cure for All Diseases by Reginald Hill
The Colour of Blood by Declan Hughes
Dead Man's Footsteps by Peter James
Broken Skin by Stuart MacBride
Beneath the Bleeding by Val McDermid
Exit Music by Ian Rankin
Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson
Savage Moon by Chris Simms

The winner will be announced during the festival, which runs July 23rd through the 26th in Harrogate (UK).

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Mystery Book Review: Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl
A Triple Threat Mystery

Thomas Nelson (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59554-705-3 (1595547053)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59554-705-7 (9781595547057)
Publication Date: April 2009
List Price: $24.99

Review: Lis Wiehl introduces three professional women, a Federal Prosecutor, an FBI Special Agent, and a Portland television news reporter, who call themselves the Triple Threat after a dessert they share weekly over which they discuss various aspects of their lives in Face of Betrayal.

When a 17-year-old girl goes missing, presumed kidnapped, all three women are brought together on the same case. Nicole Hedges, the FBI agent, is in charge of the investigation while Allison Pierce is pressured to find the perpetrator quickly. Cassidy Shaw, the reporter, is the face that brings the news, or lack thereof, to the viewing audience. It quickly becomes apparent that the missing girl, a page in the US Senate home for the Christmas holidays, was involved, possibly romantically, with the senior Senator from Oregon. Though he denies any wrongdoing, and claims that he had nothing to do with her being missing, the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming. Together the three women work the case from all angles, determined to uncover the truth behind the young girl's disappearance.

Face of Betrayal is all about character. Though the main plot involves the missing girl and serves to unify the women against a common danger, each of the characters has a compelling subplot unrelated to the case. Nicole, a black woman, feels she needs to work harder and smarter than her colleagues in the FBI. She's a single mother with a mysterious past in a job that requires her to be always prepared, on duty 24 hours a day. Allison, a hard-as-nails prosecutor, is newly pregnant after years of trying; she desperately wants a child but is concerned how she is going to be able to manage a family and a career. She's also being threatened by person or persons unknown, presumably as a result of one of her convictions. Cassidy is top local television talent, but wants more. She sees this case as her way out of Portland onto the national stage. She's also in an abusive relationship with a new boyfriend, something she refuses to recognize.

The author manages to keep these disparate subplots moving along at a brisk clip, but by moving in and out of them on a regular basis sacrifices much of the suspense that could have been generated by the primary case. There are, too, an unfortunate number of trite, stereotypical clichés presented (the right-wing Senator involved with an underage girl, prime among them) but on the whole, Face of Betrayal is a strong introduction to this series featuring a distinctive cast of appealing characters.

Special thanks to Goldberg McDuffie Communications for providing a copy of Face of Betrayal for this review.

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

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

Synopsis (from the publisher): While home on Christmas break, a seventeen-year-old Senate page takes her dog out for a walk and never returns. Reporter Cassidy Shaw is the first to break the story. The resulting media firestorm quickly ensnares Federal Prosecutor Allison Pierce and FBI Special Agent Nicole Hedges. The three unique women are life-long friends who call themselves The Triple Threat--a nickname derived from their favorite dessert and their uncanny ability to crack cases via their three positions of power.

Though authorities think Katie might have been kidnapped or run away, those theories shatter when Nicole uncovers Katie's blog. They reveal a girl troubled by a mysterious relationship with an older man. Possibly a U.S. Senator.

As the three women race against time to find Katie alive, their increasing emotional involvement brings out their own inner demons and external enemies. There are many faces of betrayal, but they must find one face in a crowd of growing suspects before they become the next victims.

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First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: Beyond the Grave, Book 4 in The 39 Clues Series, Available Tomorrow

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is your source for information on over 100 mystery series for children and young adults where each series is conveniently listed under four different age categories (New Sleuths, ages 4 to 6; Future Sleuths, ages 7 to 9; Sleuths in Training, ages 10 to 12, and Apprentice Sleuths, ages 13 and older).

The 39 Clues: Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson
The 39 Clues Series

The hunt continues tomorrow with the release of the 4th book in The 39 Clues series, Beyond the Grave.

A clue found in Japan has Amy and Dan jetting off to Egypt to find out just what's behind the fierce rivalry between the Tomas and Ekaterina branches of the Cahill family. Was a clue stolen from the Tomas branch? Where is it now? And most important, can Amy and Dan get their hands on it before their rivals do?

It's a wild race that will take Amy and Dan deep down into the tombs of Egypt ... and right into the hands of the enemy.

Also being released tomorrow: The 39 Clues Card Pack 2, which includes 16 game cards (of 80 new cards) and secret clue records. No two packs are alike! The second card pack covers books 4 through 6 in the series.

The 39 Clues books are recommended for adventurers aged 10 to 12. The previous books in the series are Maze of Bones, One False Note, and The Sword Thief. See also the official website, The 39 Clues.

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The Mystery Bookshelf: The Headhunters by Peter Lovesey, an Inspector Hen Mallin Investigation

The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a library of new mysteries, is pleased to feature a new mystery series title we recently received from the publisher.

The Headhunters by Peter Lovesey
A Hen Mallin Mystery (2nd in series)
Soho Crime (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: June 2009
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-580-5

About The Headhunters (from the publisher): “I could cheerfully murder my boss,” Gemma remarks over coffee. She and her friend Jo joke about fantastic ways of committing the crime. The game is so amusing that in a double date with Jake and Rick they discuss forming a murder society and soon the quartet are calling themselves “The Headhunters.” But some of Rick’s suggestions sound uncomfortably serious.

On the following Sunday morning, Jo is horrified to find a dead body on the beach at Selsey. By the time the police have identified the victim Gemma and Jo have found another corpse. This time it’s a colleague of Gemma’s. Worse still, Gemma’s boss is missing …

About Peter Lovesey: The author of 26 highly praised mystery novels, Peter Lovesey has been awarded the CWA Gold, Silver, and Diamond Daggers (for Lifetime Achievement) as well as many US honors. He lives in West Sussex, England.

Mysteries by Peter Lovesey reviewed by Mysterious Reviews: The Secret Hangman (2008), Wobble to Death (2008), Abracadaver (2009), The Detective Wore Silk Drawers (2009), Mad Hatter's Holiday (2009), Skeleton Hill (2009)

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Mary Stanton's Book Tour for Angel's Advocate Starts Tomorrow

Mystery Books News is pleased to be coordinating this week's online book tour for author Mary Stanton whose new mystery, Angel's Advocate, is published tomorrow by Berkley. Angel's Advocate is the second mystery in the Beaufort & Company series to feature Savannah attorney Bree Beaufort.

Mary will be visiting nine blog sites this week:

Tuesday, June 02, 2009
• Musings of a Bookish Kitty: Author Interview
• Mystery Reader Discussion: Book Review

Wednesday, June 03, 2009
• Book's Ahoy: Author Guest Post

Thursday, June 04, 2009
• Bookish Ruth: Author Interview
• Michele, Only One L: Author Guest Post

Friday, June 05, 2009
• Wendi's Book Corner: Book Review
• Mystery Books News: Author Guest Post

Saturday, June 06, 2009
• Allie's Musings: Author Interview
• Shhh I'm Reading: Book Review

A complete schedule of Mary's tour including a biography and more information about Angel's Advocate can be found at Author Book Tour: Mary Stanton.

We're also thrilled to announce that Mary 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 Mary's tour page.

We hope you have the opportunity to stop by each of the tour sites this week to learn more about Mary, her series character Bree Beaufort, and what makes Savannah such an ideal setting for this Southern Gothic series.

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