Games of Mystery: Alexandra Fortune in the Mystery of the Lunar Archipelago, New at Big Fish 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 the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games by visiting our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Click for more information →

Join Alexandra Fortune as she sets out to find her missing grandfather! Unravel the age-old mystery of the Lunar Archipelago, a cluster of islands that contains remnants of every great civilization throughout history and hides a treasure of unimaginable worth. As you guide Alexandra through this thrilling hidden object quest, you'll solve ingenious puzzles, enjoy visually stunning locations and crack a mystery that has the potential to change the world!

Also available: Alexandra Fortune: Mystery of the Lunar Archipelago Game Walkthrough.

Alexandra Fortune: Mystery of the Lunar Archipelago may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (193.41 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour.

Watch a preview video below:

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Adventure Chronicles: The Search for Lost Treasure, Enlightenus, Cate West: The Vanishing Files, Return to Mysterious Island 2: Mina's Fate, and Nick Chase: A Detective Story.

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (Review), The Hardy Boys: The Perfect Crime (Review), Enlightenus (Review), and Nick Chase: A Detective Story (Review).

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

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

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Mystery Bestsellers for October 30, 2009

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending October 30, 2009 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

No change at the top this week, with The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown remaining in the top spot, but two new books enter the top 15.

Coming in at number 4 is The Scarpetta Factor, the 17th mystery in the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell. It is the week before Christmas. A tanking economy has prompted Dr. Kay Scarpetta—despite her busy schedule and her continuing work as the senior forensic analyst for CNN—to offer her services pro bono to New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In no time at all, her increased visibility seems to precipitate a string of unexpected and unsettling events. She is asked live on the air about the sensational case of Hannah Starr, who has vanished and is presumed dead. Moments later during the same telecast she receives a startling call—in from a former psychiatrist patient of Benton Wesley's. When she returns after the show to the apartment where she and Benton live, she finds an ominous package—possibly a bomb—waiting for her at the front desk. Soon the apparent threat on Scarpetta's life finds her embroiled in a surreal plot that includes a famous actor accused of an unthinkable sex crime and the disappearance of a beautiful millionaires with whom Lucy seems to have shared a secret past.

Entering the list in 10th position is the non-series thriller True Blue by David Baldacci. Mason "Mace" Perry was a firebrand cop on the D.C. police force until she was kidnapped and framed for a crime. She lost everything-her badge, her career, her freedom-and spent two years in prison. Now she's back on the outside and focused on one mission: to be a cop once more. Her only shot to be a true blue again is to solve a major case on her own, and prove she has the right to wear the uniform. But even with her police chief sister on her side, she has to work in the shadows: A vindictive U.S. attorney is looking for any reason to send Mace back behind bars. Then Roy Kingman enters her life. Roy is a young lawyer who aided the poor until he took a high-paying job at a law firm in Washington. Mace and Roy meet after he discovers the dead body of a female partner at the firm. As they investigate the death, they start uncovering surprising secrets from both the private and public world of the nation's capital. Soon, what began as a fairly routine homicide takes a terrifying and unexpected turn-into something complex, diabolical, and possibly lethal.

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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NBC Considering a New Crime Drama Featuring an Agoraphobic Magician

Last month we reported that ABC had ordered a pilot featuring illusionists Penn and Teller. Now Variety is reporting that NBC is considering a drama featuring a crime solving magician.

The untitled project centers on a magician whose career is in ruins after he develops stage fright and agoraphobia -- a Monk variant? A law enforcement agency recruits him to help them solve some of their toughest cases. "It won't be as much of a whodunit as a 'how the hell do we catch him.'" said one of the writers.

We were recently discussing with screenwriter in the industry the 1973 series The Magician starring Bill Bixby and wondering why some studio hasn't updated this terrific series. The ABC and NBC projects don't quit fit the mold exactly, but they're a start.

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First Clues Student Review: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis

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.

The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis
The 39 Clues Series

Scholastic (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-545-06043-5 (0545060435)
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-06043-1 (9780545060431)
Publication Date: March 2009
List Price: $12.99

Review written by Ashir, a 6th grade student. Date of review: October 2009.

Review: Are you a fan of books with action and adventure? If you are then you will enjoy The 39 Clues: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis. It is the fourth book in The 39 Clues series. The main characters in this series are Dan who is 11 and has an amazing memory, and Amy, 14, who is very intelligent.

Dan and Amy find themselves in Japan looking for the fourth clue in their search for the 39 clues which their grandmother has prepared them for. The choice was theirs: they could have taken $1 million and left, which most others did but Dan, Amy and a few others took the deadly challenge. In Japan they are with their uncle Alistair and have made an alliance with him because he helped them get to Japan and find a hotel to stay at. Alistair takes them to a library where they encounter their cousins, the Holts, and are taken to a railway station where they are forced to search on the tracks for the next clue. Amy’s foot is stuck under a part of the railroad track and Dan tries to pull her out but they find that there is a secret compartment and they investigate. They have also made an alliance with their other cousins Ian and Natalie Kabra who promised to help them. Will they keep it up or will one of them break their alliance?

I think this is a very enjoyable and humorous book. For example when Dan and Amy found the overlay (a shaped page) the letters t-o-o-t-a were written on the bottom of the page, Amy says, it’s Toyota. “The letters. They spell Toyota without the y.” Dan replies with a wry comment, “Great Amy. Our next clue is buried in a Sienna minivan.” I liked how the author put a lot of action in the main storyline. The best examples of the action are when Dan, Amy and Alastair are followed into the market by ninjas in taxis. Overall this is a great book for anyone 7 or older to read and enjoy.

If you are interested in purchasing The Sword Thief 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 four different age categories: New Sleuths (ages 4 to 6), Future Sleuths (ages 7 to 10), Sleuths in Training (ages 10 to 12), and Apprentice Sleuths (ages 13 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 Book Review: The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl

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

The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl
Non-series

Random House (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-8129-7802-1 (0812978021)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8129-7802-5 (9780812978025)
Publication Date: October 2009
List Price: $15.00

Review: Matthew Pearl blends fact and fiction, and posits a plausible solution to mystery surrounding Charles Dickens' final, unfinished novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood in The Last Dickens, the author's third suspense novel to feature historic literary figures.

Dickens' novel relates the story of Edwin Drood, an honest if sometimes disturbed young man, who vanishes after provoking the anger of his devious uncle. Dickens had promised his publishers, Fields and Osgood in Boston, that the book would have a curious and new ending. The publishers had been serializing the novel monthly in their trade magazine, anticipating a total of twelve installments. Six of a twelve installments had already been printed. The final installments were en route from London to Boston when Dickens died. A young man from the publishing company, Daniel Sand, was sent to accept delivery of the package at the wharf. After he signs for it, but before he can deliver it, he is killed and the package disappears. James Osgood has a few mindful questions: Who knew the package of installments was aboard the vessel? What could the thief gain by stealing the package? No one could publish the work as it would immediately be discovered. Believing the package to be irrevocably lost, Osgood decides to go to London to determine if there might be other copies of the novel in Dickens’ workroom. Maybe he had told someone about the novel and how the mystery would end. Before he leaves, though, Osgood is reminded by his partner Fields that the purpose of his trip is solving the mystery of the Edwin Drood manuscript, not to create a new mystery of his own making.

This fictional literary mystery within a factual literary mystery is absolutely captivating. Daniel's death appears to be accidental, but he was fleeing from someone with a menacing cane, one with the head of a horned beast, when he's run down by an omnibus. A lawyer, Sylvanus Bendall, is nearby and tries to help, but can do nothing before Daniel dies. Bendall takes possession of Daniel's package and realizes immediately what it is, and how valuable it potentially is. In the meantime, Osgood sails from Boston to London accompanied by Daniel's sister, Rebecca. On board, he's attacked by someone with an identical cane possessed by the person who stalked Daniel. While in London, Osgood and Rebecca are taken through underground tunnels, ghastly opium dens, and anywhere else literary pickpockets and bookaneers frequent, all in an effort to locate a copy of the missing novel.

Atmospheric and cleverly plotted, The Last Dickens is a brilliant novel that proposes an innovative solution to one of the literary world's most enduring mysteries. Readers will have a hard time putting down.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Last Dickens and to Random House for providing a trade paperback edition of the book for this review.

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

If you are interested in purchasing The Last Dickens from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Boston, 1870. When news of Charles Dickens’s sudden death reaches his struggling American publisher, James Osgood sends his trusted clerk, Daniel Sand, to await the arrival of Dickens’s unfinished final manuscript. But Daniel never returns, and when his body is discovered by the docks, Osgood must embark on a quest to find the missing end to the novel and unmask the killer. With Daniel’s sister Rebecca at his side, Osgood races the clock through a dangerous web of opium dens, sadistic thugs, and literary lions to solve a genius’s last mystery and save his own – and Rebecca’s – lives.

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Third Trailer Released for Shutter Island, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane

Paramount delayed the release of Shutter Island until February 2010 but is keeping us interested by regularly releasing new trailers for the film. The third was released today and can be seen below.

Based on the thriller Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo as, respectively, U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule who travel to Shutter Island, a small island in Massachusetts’ Outer Harbor and home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to find an escaped murderous patient. But nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is what it seems. And neither is Teddy Daniels. Is he there to find a missing patient? Or has he been sent to look into rumors of Ashecliffe’s radical approach to psychiatry? The closer Teddy and Chuck get to the truth, the more elusive it becomes, and the more they begin to believe that they may never leave Shutter Island.

The trailer below contains a few scenes not previously shown in earlier trailers. Note: the volume was very loud when we played it, but the embed code doesn't allow us to preset a lower volume.

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The Mystery Bookshelf: A Place of Execution by Val McDermid

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.

— ◊ —

A Place of Execution by Val McDermid
Non-series
St. Martin's Minotaur (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: October 2009
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-64453-6

About A Place of Execution (from the publisher): On a freezing day in December 1963, Alison Carter vanishes from her rural village, an insular community that distrusts the outside world. For the young George Bennett, a newly promoted inspector, it is the beginning of his most difficult and harrowing case—a suspected murder with no body, an investigation with more dead ends and closed faces than he’d have found in the anonymity of the inner city, and an outcome that reverberates through the years.

Decades later Bennett finally tells his story to journalist Catherine Heathcote, but just when the book is poised for publication, he unaccountably tries to pull the plug. He has new information that he refuses to divulge, new information which threatens the very foundations of his existence. Catherine is forced to reinvestigate the past, with results that turn the world upside down.

— ◊ —

About Val McDermid: She was a journalist for sixteen years and is now a full-time writer and lives in South Manchester. A Place of Execution was the recipient of multiple awards, including the 2001 Anthony Award for Best Novel, the 2001 Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel, the 2000 Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel, the 2001 Dilys Award, and the 2000 Los Angeles Time Book Prize (mystery/thriller category). Later this month, an adaptation of A Place of Execution airs on PBS.

Mysteries by Val McDermid reviewed by Mysterious Reviews: A Darker Domain (2009).

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Games of Mystery: The Tudors, New at Big Fish 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 the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games by visiting our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Click for more information →

When King Henry VIII asks you to be his eyes and ears, you are drawn into a world of deception and murder. Travel across Europe as a spy and uncover conspiracies, assassination attempts, and other threats against England and her King! Find vital clues in even the simplest of objects as you explore the world of The Tudors. Political intrigue spans national borders in this historical hidden object game based on the TV series!

Also available: The Tudors Game Walkthrough.

The Tudors may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (145.62 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour.

Watch a preview video below:

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Adventure Chronicles: The Search for Lost Treasure, Enlightenus, Cate West: The Vanishing Files, Return to Mysterious Island 2: Mina's Fate, and Nick Chase: A Detective Story.

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (Review), The Hardy Boys: The Perfect Crime (Review), Enlightenus (Review), and Nick Chase: A Detective Story (Review).

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

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

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Mystery Book Review: Heir of the Dog by Judi McCoy

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

Heir of the Dog by Judi McCoy
A Dogwalker Mystery with Ellie Engleman

Signet (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-451-22847-2 (0451228472)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-22847-5 (9780451228475)
Publication Date: October 2009
List Price: $6.99

Review: Professional dogwalker Ellie Engleman and Rudy, her "yorkiepoo", a Yorkshire terrier/poodle, find murder in Central Park in Heir of the Dog, the second mystery in this series by Judi McCoy.

One evening Ellie and Rudy run across the lifeless figure of Gary Veridon, a homeless park dweller that they had befriended and often stopped and talked with. Since she had found the body (actually Rudy did) and reported it to the police, Ellie naturally comes under suspicion. Ellie has a bit of history here, having been involved in a dognapping homicide a few months ago. She becomes even more apprehensive when a vendor hands her an envelope addressed to “Ellie and Rudy” that had been written by the deceased. Contained in the envelope were a will and a key. Gary’s will left his entire estate to Rudy, with Ellie as the executor. What? Did that mean that Rudy was the sole owner of the trash Gary collected and kept in his beaten down cardboard box shelter that he called his home? Rudy thought there had to be more to it than that. And he was right, there was. The key was to a safety deposit box at a local bank. Sam, the police detective she had worked with on the dognapping case, went with her to the bank. There they find that Gary at one time had an estate of over two million dollars. He had, however, given large sums to various charities, leaving a balance of over $650,000. He had written a note for Ellie telling her that if she had the box she should know that he had been killed by his older brother, Thompson, who had spent 30 years in prison for the murder of their parents. When Sam checked the police files he finds that thirty years ago Thompson Veridon did murder his parents while his young brother, Gary, watched. Gary became a witness for the prosecution and Thompson was found guilty and sentenced to thirty years in prison. Now Thompson has been released from prison and is surely in search of Gary. He wants to collect the inheritence which he believes belongs to him. Did Thompson find Gary in the bowels of Central Park? Was it Thompson who killed Gary? If so, who else will he kill in order to obtain what he believes is his?

Heir of the Dog is an enjoyable, amusing mystery. Ellie is indeed in tune with Rudy; their conversations are comical and witty. But they aren't alone: the repartee between Ellie and Sam is also amusing. In fact, there is a lot of funny dialog between Ellie's friends, Sam, and the dogs she walks. But there's also a murder to be solved, and when Rudy is abducted and kept hidden by the killer for ransom, Ellie is ordered to deliver the inheritence for his safe return. Now it's personal: no amount of money can compare to the love shared with a canine buddy. In the end, Heir of the Dog is a charming and winning whodunit.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Heir of the Dog and to Penguin Group 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 Heir of the Dog from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right. Heir of the Dog (Kindle edition) is also available. Learn more about the Kindle, Amazon's Wireless Reading Device.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Professional dog walker Ellie Engleman is more than just a pal to her pooches -- she can also read their minds. When Ellie and her terrier mix Rudy find the corpse of a troubled-but-harmless park-dweller in Central Park, the dog walker becomes a prime suspect for murder.

When it turns out Rudy is the sole beneficiary of the victim's inheritance, Ellie, Rudy, and Detective Sam Ryder follow the trail of clues to a key to a safety deposit box that just might point to the motive and help them sniff out the real killer.

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TNT Orders George Clooney Produced Crime Drama Pilot

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that TNT has ordered a pilot for a crime drama featuring a Memphis cop who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator. Delta is executive produced by George Clooney. No casting was announced.

Earlier this month TNT ordered a pilot for a series based on characters created by mystery author Tess Gerritsen. TNT is also reportedly interested in picking up the crime drama Southland, recently cancelled by NBC.

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The Mystery Bookshelf: Dancing with the Demons by Peter Tremayne, a Sister Fidelma of Cashel Mystery

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.

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Dancing with the Demons by Peter Tremayne
A Sister Fidelma of Cashel Mystery (18th in series)
St. Martin's Minotaur (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: October 2009
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-58741-3

About Dancing with the Demons (from the publisher): In the late 7th Century, the High King of Ireland is killed at night in the middle of his compound. Who killed him is not in question -- there are unimpeachable witnesses that point directly to the clan chieftain responsible. Dubh Duin is, after all, found by the High King's guards in the High King's bed chamber holding the murder weapon. But with impending civil war in the balance, the motive for the murder becomes of paramount importance.

The Chief Brehon of Ireland asks Fidelma of Cashel -- sister to the King of Muman and a dailagh -- to investigate. What her investigations reveal is an intricate web of conspiracy and deception that threatens to unbalance the five kingdoms and send them spiralling into a violent and bloody civil war and religious conflict. And it's up to Fidelma to not only see to justice but to prevent the violent fracturing of an increasingly fragile peace.

— ◊ —

About the author: Peter Tremayne is the fiction pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis, a renowned scholar on the Ancient Celts and the Irish. As Tremayne, he is best known for his stories and novels featuring 7th century Irish religieuse Fidelma of Cashel. He lives in London. Visit his website based on the series character at SisterFidelma.com.

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Games of Mystery: Trapped, the Abduction, New at Big Fish 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 the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. You can find out more about these games by visiting our Mystery Games: Big Fish Download Games page or by clicking on the links provided below.

Click for more information →

You've woken up locked in the back of a truck with no idea as to how you got there. What was just an average day, has turned into a nightmare! Crack codes, solve puzzles, and avoid the traps laid out by a dangerous serial killer! Move through different locations while your psychotic kidnapper watches you the entire way. Plot your escape in Trapped: The Abduction, a dark and mysterious hidden object game.

Also available: Trapped: The Abduction Game Walkthrough.

Trapped: The Abduction may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (92.80 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour.

Watch a preview video below:

Other popular games on our download Big Fish Mystery Games page include several Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew games, games in the Mystery Case Files series and in particular the latest, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, Adventure Chronicles: The Search for Lost Treasure, Enlightenus, Cate West: The Vanishing Files, Return to Mysterious Island 2: Mina's Fate, and Nick Chase: A Detective Story.

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (Review), The Hardy Boys: The Perfect Crime (Review), Enlightenus (Review), and Nick Chase: A Detective Story (Review).

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

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

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Mystery Book Review: Dark Mirror by Barry Maitland

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

Dark Mirror by Barry Maitland
A Brock and Kolla Mystery

St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-312-38399-1 (0312383991)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-38399-2 (9780312383992)
Publication Date: September 2009
List Price: $24.99

Review: DCI David Brock and newly promoted DI Kathy Kolla of the Scotland Yard Serious Crimes Unit are assigned to investigate the death of a graduate student at the London Library in Dark Mirror, the 10th mystery in this series by Barry Maitland.

Marion Summers collapsed and died in a reading room. The pathologist attributed the cause to arsenic poisoning. Although her death could have been suicide, it seems highly unlikely: arsenic is now a rare poison and is no longer readily available. And Marion was two months pregnant. Brock and Kolla's investigation is thwarted from the beginning because so little information is forthcoming about the dead woman. She had vacated the apartment at the address she had given months before, leaving no forwarding address. As an undergraduate student, she had given her aunt's name and address in Scotland as a contact. But her aunt knows nothing about her current status, but does give Brock and Kolla the name and address of her mother and step-father in London. They, too, say they know nothing of Marion’s private life. Even Marion's life as a graduate student is something of a mystery. Her professor believed that Marion had assisted an author in obtaining material for her book, by possibly plagiarizing another work, but the author knows little of the source. Kolla takes the lead here and the more she looks into the information they have been given, the less she seems to know. More and more a tangled web is weaved, making this first case that Kolla heads a very complex case indeed.

Dark Mirror is a mystery filled with twists and turns. Central to the story is Marion Summers, an intelligent young woman without a close family or public social life, an enigma to those who know her. The solution to her murder lies in understanding the woman herself, and Kolla isn't sure she's up to the task. There's a sense of fallibility here that endears her to the reader. Fans of the series will appreciate how the characters are evolving. Dark Mirror isn't a fast-paced novel, but one that draws the reader into its nooks and crannies, much like the unusual and rarefied setting of the murder, the London Library.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Dark Mirror and to St. Martin's Minotaur 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 Dark Mirror from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.

Synopsis (from the publisher): Newly promoted to Detective Inspector, Kathy Kolla of the Serious Crimes Unit is called in by the forensic pathologist regarding the recent sudden death of a London student from what he’s determined to be arsenic poisoning. Marion Summers had no reason to be in contact with arsenic and, though once common, arsenic is now very hard to get hold of. The more Kolla investigates, the more she discovers that certain other things about Summers are also unusual. She moved three Octobers ago without leaving a forwarding address or informing her relatives. And her step-father has a disquieting past and, after attacking a constable in a pub, a not-so-savory present. With each turn in the investigation, it becomes increasingly clear that behind what really happened—and why—lies the most difficult-to-crack case the team has ever faced.

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First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys Titles for November 2009

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), is pleased to announce The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series books that are scheduled for release during November, 2009.

— ◊ —

Babysitting Bandit by Carolyn Keene
Series: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew

When a neighbor hires Nancy, Bess, and George to take care of her eighteen-month-old identical twins, the girls are happy to help. After all, the Clue Crew has stopped would-be thieves, uncovered scams, and recovered stolen objects -- how hard can watching a couple of babies be?

But being a mother's helper is trickier than they thought, especially when the twins' toys start disappearing. Can the Clue Crew look after the babies and figure out who's taking the toys, or are they in too far over their heads this time?

The 23rd book in this series featuring a young Nancy Drew.

Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew books are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

— ◊ —

Cliffhanger by Stefan Petrucha and Sarah Kinney
Series: Nancy Drew Graphic Novels

Nancy Drew is in a tight spot! It all starts when Nancy trails a masked jewel thief in the woodlands around River Heights. After running into a group of hikers, Nancy asks if they’ve seen anyone, only to find that one of the hikers is also the thief! When Nancy breaks off from the group to make a phone call, she is pushed from behind and ends up dangling from a tree root, afraid to call for help lest the crook find her. This time, its up to Bess and George to help their dear friend Nancy Drew.

The 19th graphic novel in this series based on the character created by Carolyn Keene.

Nancy Drew Graphic Novels are recommended for readers aged 10 and older.

— ◊ —

Killer Mission by Franklin W. Dixon
Series: The Hardy Boys

The 1st book in the "Killer" trilogy.

Mission: To investigate the shady goings-on at the exclusive private boarding school Willis Firth Academy.

Location: The mountains of New England.

Potential Victims: The brothers of Gamma Theta Theta, the most elite fraternity on campus, seem to be on the receiving end of all of Firth's biggest (and most dangerous) problems.

Suspects: The members of the frat may seem like brothers to everyone else, but Gamma Theta Theta insiders know that within the ivy-covered walls the boys are definitely not one big happy family ...

The Hardy Boys books are recommended for readers aged 10 and older.

— ◊ —

Chaos at 30,000 Feet! by Scott Lobdell and Paulo Henrique
Series: The Hardy Boys Graphic Novels

When inner city kids are gifted pilot lessons from a flight school, several of them go up but don't come down! Where did they go? Where did they land? Could they not have landed at all?

Joe and Frank take to the skies in this high flying adventure as the undercover brothers seek get to the bottom of this mystery ... even if they have to sail the clouds to get the answers!

The 19th graphic novel in this series based on characters created by Franklin W. Dixon.

The Hardy Boys Graphic Novels are recommended for readers aged 10 and older.

— ◊ —

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New Hardcover Mysteries for November 2009

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has updated its list of new hardcover mysteries with books scheduled for publication in November 2009. Please note that some titles may publish early (and may already be available) and some may be delayed, published at a later date.

Below we're listing those authors with returning series characters, new series characters, and non-series or stand-alone mysteries in separate sections. All titles are available on our November mystery books page. We're also using the "carousel" widget by Amazon.com to display a random selection of titles; refreshing this page will change the selection displayed.

• Authors with mysteries having returning series characters (in parentheses) this month:

Charles Atkins (Barrett Conyors), Greg Bear (Quantico), Michael Beres (Lazlo Horvath), Alex Bledsoe (Eddie LaCrosse), Simon Brett (Fethering), Emily Brightwell (Mrs. Jeffries), Don Bruns ("Stuff"), Jim Butcher (Dresden Files), Lillian Stewart Carl (Jean Fairbairn and Alasdair Cameron), Cassandra Chan (Phillip Bethancourt and Jack Gibbons), Cassandra Clark (Abbess of Meaux), Mark Coggins (August Riordan), Cleo Coyle (Coffeehouse), Barbara Cummings (Sister Mary Agnes), Clive Cussler and Justin Scott (Isaac Bell), Vicki Delany (Molly Smith), Charles Finch (Charles Lenox), Christopher Fowler (Bryant and May), Barbara Graham (Theo and Tony Abernathy), J. M. Gregson (Lambert and Hook), H. Terrell Griffin (Matt Royal), Derek Haas (Silver Bear), C. S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr), Cora Harrison (Burran), Ellen Hart (Jane Lawless), Steven F. Havill (Bill Gastner), Sue Henry (Maxie and Stretch), Victoria Houston (Loon Lake), James Patrick Hunt (Evan Maitland), Graham Ison (Brock and Poole), Martin Limón (George Sueno and Ernie Bascom), Jeff Markowitz (Cassie O'Malley), Barry Ozeroff (Ben Geller), James Patterson (Alex Cross), David Poyer (Dan Lenson), J. D. Robb ("In Death"), Richard A. Thompson (Herman Jackson), Joseph Wambaugh (Nathan "Hollywood Nate" Weiss), Livia J. Washburn (Delilah Dickenson), Eugenia Lovett West (Emma Street), Stella Whitelaw (Jordan Lacey), Dave Zeltserman (Bill Shannon)

• Authors with mysteries introducing new series characters (in parentheses) this month:

Joanna Challis (Daphne du Maurier), Sam Cole (Vincent Saldona and Mullet Mendes), Robert Knightly (Harry Corbin and Adele Bentibi), Al Roker and Dick Lochte (Billy Blessing), Sally Spencer (Monika Paniatowski)

• Authors with non-series or stand-alone mysteries this month:

Charles Brokaw, Ken Bruen, Roy Chaney, Kirk Curnutt, Alan Glynn, Allan Guthrie, James Hime, Linda Howard, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Jack O'Halloran, David L Robbins, David Schmahmann, Alice Sebold, Andrew Vachss

For more information on any of these titles, please visit the New Mysteries page on our website. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where you can discover a library of new mysteries, also updated with November 2009 releases.

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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