ComingSoon.net is reporting that John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape from New York) will direct a film adaptation of the vampire comic-thriller Fangland by John Marks. Already in development, Hilary Swank has been attached to star in the project.
About Fangland (from the publisher): Evangeline Harker is an employee of the legendary TV news magazine The Hour. Sent on assignment to Transylvania, she delivers more than a story when mysterious e-mails, coffins, and a creepy guy named Torgu descend on the show's New York office.
Friday, June 04, 2010
John Carpenter to Direct Film Adaptation of Fangland by John Marks
Gary Oldman may be Cast as George Smiley in Film Adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
The Daily Mail is reporting that Gary Oldman is in negotiations to play Cold War spy George Smiley in the film adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré. Originally published in 1974, it was the fifth book to feature the British agent and the first of the so-called "Karla Trilogy".
Sir Alec Guinness previously played the character in a multi-part BBC series, which aired in 1979.
About Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (from the publisher): It is now beyond doubt that a mole, implanted decades ago by Moscow Centre, has burrowed his way into the highest echelons of British Intelligence. His treachery has already blown some of its most vital operations and its best networks. It is clear that the double agent is one of its own kind. But which one? George Smiley is assigned to identify him. And once identified, the traitor must be destroyed.
Nominations for 2010 Anthony Awards Announced
The nominees for the Anthony Award were announced today on the Bouchercon2010 blog. Named for the late Anthony Boucher, the award winners, chosen by the attendees of the convention, will be announced this October during Bouchercon in San Francisco.
The nominees are:
Best Novel:
◊ The Last Child by John Hart (Minotaur Books)
◊ The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston (Ballantine Books)
◊ The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
◊ The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
◊ The Shanghai Moon by S. J. Rozan (Minotaur Books)
Best First Novel:
◊ The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 
◊ Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley
◊ A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield
◊ The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville
◊ In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff
Best Paperback Original:
◊ Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott (Simon & Schuster)
◊ Tower by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman (Busted Flush Press)
◊ Quarry in the Middle by Max Allan Collins (Hard Case Crime)
◊ Death and the Lit Chick by G. M. Malliet (Midnight Ink)
◊ Air Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Best Short Story:
◊ "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" (Crossroad Blues) by Ace Atkins (Busted Flush Press)
◊ "Femme Sole" (Boston Noir) by Dana Cameron (Akashic Books)
◊ "Animal Rescue" (Boston Noir) by Dennis Lehane (Akashic Books)
◊ "On the House" (Quarry: Crime Stories by New England Writers) by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Level Best Books)
◊ "Amapola" (Phoenix Noir) by Luis Alberto Urrea (Akashic Books)
Best Critical Non-Fiction:
◊ Talking about Detective Fiction by P. D. James (Knopf)
◊ The Line Up by Otto Penzler, ed. (Little, Brown and Company)
◊ Haunted Heart by Lisa Rogak (St. Martin's Press)
◊ Dame Agatha's Shorts by Elena Santangelo (Bella Rosa Books)
◊ The Talented Miss Highsmith by Joan Schenkar (St. Martin's Press)
Mystery Book Review: The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo
Review of The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo
Oslo police inspector Harry Hole -- the "lone wolf" of his department -- investigates a series of bizarre murders in The Devil's Star (original Norwegian title: Marekors), the fifth mystery in this series (though only the third available in English) by Jo Nesbo.
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews.
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The Devil's Star
Jo Nesbo
A Harry Hole Mystery
Harper (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-06-113397-3 (0061133973)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-113397-8 (9780061133978)
Publication Date: March 2010
List Price: $25.99
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Mysterious Reviews is your source for the latest mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime novel reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.
Daniel Craig in Talks to Star in English-Language Film Adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
It's somewhat amusing to read Alex Billingham writing on FirstShowing.net this morning that no less than three sources are claiming "exclusively" that Daniel Craig is in talks to assume the lead role of Mikael Blomkvist in the English-language film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson to be directed by David Fincher. Even more surprising is Billingham's professed amazement that there's any interest outside of Hollywood in this project; maybe he doesn't realize the book is a worldwide phenomenon that has won countless awards and that people who actually read books may also be interested in films.
Earlier this year we posted the trailer for the Swedish-language film based on the book.
About The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (from the publisher): A spellbinding amalgam of murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue.
It’s about the disappearance forty years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden ... and about her octogenarian uncle, determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder.
It’s about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet’s disappearance ... and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age—and a terrifying capacity for ruthlessness to go with it—who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism—and an unexpected connection between themselves.
Mystery Bestsellers for June 04, 2010
A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending June 04th, 2010 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.
The top 10 sees some major shuffling, with last week's featured title, the third and final thriller in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson, assuming the top position (where it's likely to remain for quite some time). One new title debuts this week.
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New in 14th position this week Jeffery Deaver's The Burning Wire, the ninth mystery in the Lincoln Rhyme with the quadriplegic New York detective on the trail of a killer whose weapon of choice cripples the city with fear.
The weapon is invisible and omnipresent. Without it, modern society grinds to a halt. It is electricity. The killer harnesses and steers huge arc flashes with voltage so high and heat so searing that steel melts and his victims are set afire.
When the first explosion occurs in broad daylight, reducing a city bus to a pile of molten, shrapnel-riddled metal, officials fear terrorism. Rhyme, a world-class forensic criminologist known for his successful apprehension of the most devious criminals, is immediately tapped for the investigation. Long a quadriplegic, he assembles NYPD detective Amelia Sachs and officer Ron Pulaski as his eyes, ears and legs on crime sites, and FBI agent Fred Dellray as his undercover man on the street. As the attacks continue across the city at a sickening pace, and terrifying demand letters begin appearing, the team works desperately against time and with maddeningly little forensic evidence to try to find the killer. Or is it killers ... ?
Meanwhile, Rhyme is consulting on another high-profile investigation in Mexico with a most coveted quarry in his crosshairs: the hired killer known as the Watchmaker, one of the few criminals to have eluded Rhyme’s net.
Juggling two massive investigations against a cruel ticking clock takes a toll on Rhyme’s health. Soon Rhyme is fighting on yet another front—and his determination to work despite his physical limitations threatens to drive away his closest allies when he needs them most ...
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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.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Nominations for the 2010 Nero Award Announced
Earlier this week the nominees for the 2010 Nero Award were announced by the Nero Wolfe Society. The award is given to recognize literary excellence in the mystery genre, the winner announced at the Black Orchid Banquet, which is traditionally held on the first Saturday in December in New York City..
The nominees are:
◊ The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch
◊ The Crack in the Lens by Steve Hockensmith
◊ Faces of the Gone by Brad Parks
The Mystery Bookshelf: The Lord of Death by Eliot Pattison, a Shan Tao Yun 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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The Lord of Death by Eliot Pattison
A Shan Tao Yun Mystery (6th in series)
(Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: June 2010
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-642-0
About The Lord of Death (from the publisher): Shan Tao Yun is an exiled Chinese national and a former Beijing investigator on parole from the Tibetan gulag to which he had been consigned as punishment. He is ferrying a corpse on muleback over the slopes of Chomolungma—Everest—at the request of a local wisewoman who says the gods have appointed this task to him, when he encounters what looks like a traffic accident. A government bus filled with imprisoned illegal monks has overturned. Then Shan hears gunfire. Two women in an approaching sedan have been killed. One is the Chinese minister of tourism; the other, a blond Westerner, organizes climbing expeditions. Though she dies in his arms, Shan is later met with denials that this foreigner is dead.
Shan must find the murderer, for his recompense will be the life and sanity of his son, Ko, imprisoned in a Chinese “yeti factory” where men are routinely driven mad.
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About Eliot Pattison: A world traveler and frequent visitor to China, whose numerous books and articles on international policy issues have been published on three continents, he is the author of six books set in Tibet featuring former Inspector Shan Tao Yun, including the Edgar Award-winning first novel in the series, The Skull Mantra. Visit his website at EliotPattison.com.
New Previews Available for Hawaii Five-O, CBS This Fall
A few weeks ago we posted the opening credits for the remake of Hawaii Five-O on CBS this fall. While visiting the CBS site this morning, we noticed a two new preview videos published last week by the network, both of which can be seen below.
Here's the official description of the new series from a CBS press release:
Hawaii Five-O is a contemporary take on the classic series about a new elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the Islands' sun-drenched beaches. Detective Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin), a decorated Naval officer turned cop, returns to Oahu to investigate his father's murder and stays after Hawaii's governor persuades him to head up the new team: his rules, her backing, no red tape and full blanket immunity to hunt down the biggest "game" in town. Joining McGarrett is Detective Danny "Danno" Williams (Scott Caan), a newly relocated ex-New Jersey cop who prefers skyscrapers to the coastline but is committed to keeping the Islands safe for his 8-year-old daughter; and Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim), an ex-Honolulu Police Detective wrongly accused of corruption and relegated to a federal security patrol, who is also a former protégé of McGarrett's father. Chin's cousin, Kono (Grace Park), is a beautiful and fearless native, fresh out of the academy and eager to establish herself among the department's elite. McGarrett vows to bring closure to his father's case while the state's brash new FIVE-0 unit, who may spar and jest among themselves, is determined to eliminate the seedy elements from the 50th state.
Third Season of Flashpoint Premieres Tomorrow on CBS
Flashpoint returns for its third season on CBS tomorrow, Friday June 4th at 9 PM (ET/PT). An ensemble crime drama, the series is based on the tough, risk-filled lives of a group of cops in the Strategic Response Unit (SRU, inspired by Toronto's Emergency Task Force). It's a unique unit that rescues hostages, busts gangs, defuses bombs, climbs the sides of buildings and talks down suicidal teens. Members of a highly-skilled tactical team, they're also trained in negotiating, profiling and getting inside the suspect's head to diffuse the situation to try and save lives.
In the season premiere titled "One Wrong Move", the SRU team is faced with the daunting task of finding and dismantling bombs set throughout the city by an eco-terrorist group, and a member of the team sacrifices his own life to save the lives of many others.
Watch a short preview of the episode below:
Games of Mystery: Claire Ellery in Strange Cases, The Lighthouse Mystery
Games of Mystery is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery casual game from Big Fish Games released today and available to BFG Club members. 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.
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FBI Agent Claire Ellery’s latest strange case has become personal. Tom, her former partner, has died under bizarre circumstances. As Agent Ellery delves deeper into the mystery of his death, she finds that Tom himself has laid a trail of clues for her -- a trail that leads her into a sinister web of corporate betrayal and the arcane. Follow the cards to solve this strange case and vindicate your partner’s untimely demise.
See also the first game in this series, Strange Cases: The Tarot Card Mystery and the collector's edition of this game, Strange Cases: The Lighthouse Mystery (Collector's Edition), which includes a bonus case ("The Case of the Missing Scientist"), an embedded strategy guide, a downloadable soundtrack, and more.
Also available: Strange Cases: The Lighthouse Mystery Strategy Guide and a Strange Cases: The Lighthouse Mystery game walkthrough.
Strange Cases: The Lighthouse Mystery may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (181.07 MB) may be downloaded and played for free for one hour.
Watch a preview video below:
Get any standard game for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. Other benefits include the $2.99 Daily Deal, Tomorrow's Game Today, and special member rewards. And if you purchase any 6 games within a single month, you earn a free game with the Big Fish Game Club Monthly Punch Card! (Collector's Editions earn 3 punches each, half-way towards your free game!)
Read Ms. Terri's reviews of the adventure and casual mystery games featured on this site, including Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy, Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!, Enlightenus, and many more!
Big Fish Games: Bestsellers
Big Fish Games: New releases
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Games of Mystery is your source for mystery-themed video, electronic, and board games, parties for kids and adults, and murder mystery weekends and mystery getaway vacations!
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Mystery Book Review: Shadow of the Wolf Tree by Joseph Heywood
Review of Shadow of the Wolf Tree by Joseph Heywood
Michigan Department of Natural Resources "Woods Cop" Grady Service investigates a number of mysterious activities that seem to be centered around a secret, gated, and heavily secured compound in the middle of the Upper Peninsula in Shadow of the Wolf Tree, the seventh mystery in this series by Joseph Heywood.
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews.
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Shadow of the Wolf Tree
Joseph Heywood
A Woods Cop Mystery with Grady Service
Lyons Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-59921-900-X (159921900X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59921-900-4 (9781599219004)
Publication Date: May 2010
List Price: $16.95
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Mysterious Reviews is your source for the latest mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime novel reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.
Fourth Season of Burn Notice Premieres Tomorrow on USA Network
Burn Notice returns for its 4th season on USA Network tomorrow, Thursday June 3rd (9 PM ET/PT).
The series stars Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen, a blacklisted spy who didn't get a letter from human resources when he was fired ... he was burned ... and finds himself stranded in sun-soaked Miami. After coming face to face with the group of people that burned him, Michael must figure out his next move, all while staying ahead of anyone else that may have him in their crosshairs. In the meantime, he continues to use his unique skills and training to help people in desperate need of assistance.
The action-packed 4th season commences introducing a new counterintelligence expert, Jesse Garcia, played by Coby Bell, who loves to fight bad guys just as much as Michael does. Heating up the night with our hot undercover agent are Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), the beautiful ex-IRA operative and ex-girlfriend of Michael; Sam (Bruce Campbell), our favorite washed-up military intelligence muscle; and Michael's mother (Sharon Gless), who is one tough cookie herself.
In tomorrow's episode, "Friends and Enemies", Michael helps Fiona and Sam protect a lawyer against the city's most dangerous biker gang. Meanwhile, he must team up with an unlikely ally to stop a looming terrorist threat ... but quickly finds that no mission is without its price.
The Mystery Bookshelf: In the Dead of Winter by Abbey Pen Baker, a Myrl Adler Norton 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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In the Dead of Winter by Abbey Pen Baker
A Myrl Adler Norton Mystery (1st in series)
Irregular Special Press (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: February 2010
ISBN-13: 978-1-901091-39-7
About In the Dead of Winter (from the publisher): Myrl Adler Norton was, by all accounts, one of the most remarkable women of the twentieth century. The daughter of the acclaimed opera singer Irene Adler, she was a respected professor of logic at Smith College as well as one of the most famous consulting detectives of all time. The books of her exploits, written by her lifelong friend and confidante Faye Martin Tullis, are among the most popular in the history of detective literature. Now, with this previously undiscovered manuscript, the true story behind the meeting of these two friends and their first case comes to light.
In 1918, while a student at Smith College, Faye first encountered Myrl, an enigmatic figure with an interesting past. When a local actress is found dead amid bizarre circumstances, Myrl takes an interest in the murder, and the two travel to Brattleboro, Vermont, to investigate.
There they uncover a twisted conspiracy, one far more dangerous than simple murder -- and learn the truth about Myrl's real father, the world's most famous consulting detective.
Originally published by St. Martin's Press in 1994, this revised edition sets the scene for the next Myrl Adler Norton mystery, Death at the Round Table, to be released exclusively by The Irregular Special Press in late 2010.
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About the author: Though it appears that Abbey Pen Baker is merely editing her great aunt’s unpublished manuscripts and out-of-print books, “it’s not true” she says. Really, Abbey Pen Baker wrote them. And really, she is Rebecca Morean.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Mr. E. Reviews: Foyle's War Set 6
Review of Foyle's War Set 6.
No doubt my joy was shared by millions of other Foyle's War fans when I learned in April 2008 that ITV, after canceling the series just a few months earlier, had commissioned three additional episodes. It seems like forever and day has passed since then, but in April of this year those episodes aired on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery! and today they're available to purchase on DVD. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely.
Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews.
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Foyle's War Set 6
Director: Various
Original air date(s): 04/11/2010 to 04/25/2010.
DVD release: 06/01/2010.
Studio: Acorn Media.
Recurring character(s): DCI Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen), Sgt. Paul Milner (Anthony Howell), Samantha Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks).
Rating: Not Rated.
Running time: 300 minutes.
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Mr. E. Reviews is your source for mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama reviews of television and film.
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