Firsts on the 1st: New Series Characters Being Introduced in August 2010 Mysteries

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books recently updated its list of August 2010 hardcover mysteries as well shelved new August paperbacks on The Mystery Bookshelf.

In this series of monthly posts, which we call Firsts on the 1st, we're introducing readers to new series characters who will make their mysterious debut during August.

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Title: Beneath the Dark Ice
Author: Greig Beck
Series Character: Alex Hunter
Format: Mass Market Paperback

What we know about the character: Captain Alex Hunter leads a group of highly trained commandos.

His first assingment: When a plane crashes into the Antarctic ice, exposing an enormous cave system, a rescue and research team is dispatched. Twenty-four hours later, all contact is lost.

Captain Hunter and his team, along with a group of scientists, are fast tracked to the hot zone to find out what went wrong. Meanwhile, the alluring petrobiologist Aimee Weir is sent to follow up on the detection of a vast underground reservoir. If the unidentified substance proves to be oil, every country in the world will want to know about it—even wage war over it. Or worse.

Once suspended into the caves, Alex, Aimee, and the others can’t locate a single survivor—or even a trace of their remains. Nor is there a energy source, only specters of the dead haunting the tunnels. But soon they will discover that something very much alive is brewing beneath the surface. It is a force that dates back to the very dawn of time—an ancient terror that hunts and kills to survive …

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Title: Bridger
Author: James Patrick Hunt
Series Character: Daniel Bridger
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Daniel Bridger is a thief who works high dollar scores.

His first "case": Bridger is a disciplined professional and he has kept out of prison by sticking to a certain set of rules. Rule 1: never work with a partner. Rule 2: never, under any circumstances, work with the mob. But when Maggie Chan, his beautiful ex-girlfriend, comes along and talks him into stealing a four million-dollar coin collection, Bridger gets a little careless and forgets one of the most important rules: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Before the job barely begins, he is beaten unconscious and framed for the murder of a corrupt judge and his mistress.

Now he's on the run from the mob and the police. Someone has set him up. And Bridger's going to make sure that someone's going to pay for it.

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Title: Treachery in the Yard
Author: Adimchinma Ibe
Series Character: Tamunoemi Peterside
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Tamunoemi Peterside is a homicide detective in Nigeria.

His first case: Detective Peterside is drawn into the politics of Nigeria when a bomb goes off at Mr. Pius Okpara’s home. Mr. Okpara is locked in a conflict with a political rival, as both men are seeking their party’s nomination prior to the general election.

As Detective Peterside investigates, one murder leads to another and soon events appear to be spiraling out of control. The more he digs, the more corruption surfaces. Soon he is not sure whom to trust, including even his own mentor.

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Title: Murder Past Due
Author: Miranda James
Series Character: Charlie Harris
Format: Mass Market Paperback

What we know about the character: Charlie Harris is a librarian in Mississippi.

His first case: Everyone in Athena, Mississippi, knows Charlie and his Maine coon cat named Diesel that he walks on a leash. They also know his former classmate-turned-famous bestselling novelist, Godfrey Priest.

But someone in Athena took Godfrey off the bestseller lists -- permanently, and with extreme prejudice. Now, Charlie and Diesel must browse through the history section of the town's past to find a killer.

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Title: The Quick and the Thread
Author: Amanda Lee
Series Character: Marcy Singer
Format: Mass Market Paperback

What we know about the character: Marcy Singer is a 30-something entrepreneur who owns an embroidery shop in a small town on the Oregon coast.

Her first case: When Marcy opens an embroidery specialty shop in quaint Tallulah Falls, she throws a soiree and a Stitch-In. Soon, Marcy's sign-up sheet for embroidery classes fills up and everyone in town seems willing to raise a glass -- or a needle -- to support the newly-opened Seven Year Stitch.

Then Marcy finds the shop's previous tenant dead in the store-room, a message scratched with a tapestry needle on the wall beside him. Now Marcy's shop has become a crime scene, and she's the prime suspect. She'll have to find the killer before someone puts a final stitch in her.

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Title: A Bad Day's Work
Author: Nora McFarland
Series Character: Lilly McFarland
Format: Trade Paperback

What we know about the character: Lilly Hawkins is a TV news camerawoman.

Her first case: Nothing seems to be going Lilly’s way. She’s one of the hardest working "shooters" at her hometown television station, but her pit-bull personality and a series of unlucky blunders have put her job in jeopardy.

So when an urgent story breaks in the middle of the night, Lilly is determined to turn her bad luck around and get the respect she deserves. But the pressure is on; either she delivers amazing video or she’s fired. After busting her butt and dodging the cops, Lilly has what could be the biggest scoop of her career—exclusive video of a murder scene. Or does she have it? Lilly is stunned when the tape played in front of the entire newsroom is nothing but dead air.

Soon she’s on the run from criminals and police, both of whom claim Lilly’s video is the key to solving the murder and think she pocketed the real tape. Can she escape her pursuers long enough to catch the killer, or will she end the day as the next victim?

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Title: Mirror Image
Author: Dennis Palumbo
Series Character: Daniel Rinaldi
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Daniel Rinaldi is a trauma expert who specializes in treating victims of violent crime. He works with the Pittsburgh Police Department.

His first case: A fragile, troubled college kid desperate for a role model, a sense of identity, Kevin Merrick has begun dressing like Rinaldi, acting like him, mirroring his appearance. Before Daniel has a chance to work this through with his patient, he finds Kevin brutally murdered. Stunned, he and the police suspect that he, not Kevin, had been the intended target.

Feeling responsible, Rinaldi is determined to help find the killer, who’s begun leaving death threats for the psychologist. His journey takes him through a labyrinth of friends and colleagues, any one of whom may be the killer. It also includes an affair with a beautiful, free-spirited Assistant DA with secrets of her own. And when Kevin’s identity as the estranged son of a Bill Gates-like biotech giant is revealed, the investigation of his murder turns into a national story … even as another person turns up dead.

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Title: Sketch Me If You Can
Author: Sharon Pape
Series Character: Rory McCain
Format: Mass Market Paperback

What we know about the character: Rory McCain is a police sketch artist.

Her first case: When her uncle dies, Rory gets a list of clients from his private detective business and a beautiful, old house with a ghostly inhabitant: Federal Marshal Ezekiel Drummond, aka Zeke.

Having a ghost as a housemate is bad enough, but as Rory's drawn into one of her uncle's unsolved cases and faces a cold-blooded killer, she may need the marshal's supernatural help to stay alive.

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Title: The Death of an Ambitious Woman
Author: Barbara Ross
Series Character: Ruth Murphy
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Ruth Murphy is the acting police chief in a suburb of Boston.

Her first case: It's the first warm day of spring, and Ruth Murphy is in a terrific mood. She's just made the final cut in the selection process for permanent chief of police in New Derby, a large, economically divided suburb of Boston.

Then Tracey Kendall, a prominent New Derby businesswoman, slams her luxury SUV into a scenic New England stonewall. Because Tracey was talking on her cell phone with her young son seconds before impact, obvious causes like heart attack, falling asleep, and suicide are ruled out. When the handsome mechanic who worked on Tracey Kendall's car disappears, a world of suspects opens up, including Tracey's unfaithful artist husband, her greedy business partner, a jealous best friend, and the husband's desperate art dealer.

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For a list of more mysteries scheduled for publication during August, please visit our New Mysteries home page. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a library of new mysteries, also updated with August 2010 releases.

Please also 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.

Harlequin Mira Mystery and Suspense Titles for August 2010

eHarlequin.com has announced the August 2010 titles for their Mira imprint, the brightest stars in women's fiction. From all titles available, we've only listed those that are mystery, thriller, or suspense on this page. For more information or to purchase any of the books below, click on the book title or book cover. (Previous months titles can be found on the backlist page.)

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Overkill by Joseph Teller
A Jaywalker Mystery (4th in series)

Harrison J. Walker—Jaywalker, to the world—is a frayed-at-the-edges defense attorney with a ninety-percent acquittal rate, thanks to an obsessive streak a mile wide. But winning this case will take more than just dedication.

Seventeen-year-old Jeremy Estrada killed another boy after a fight over a girl: shot him point-blank between the eyes. No one disputes those facts. This kid is jammed up big-time, but almost unable to help himself. He's got the face of an angel but can hardly string together three words to explain what happened that day … yet he's determined to go to trial.

All they've got is a "yesbut" defense, as in: "Did you kill him?" "Yes, but …" Jaywalker is accustomed to bending the rules—this case will stretch the law to the breaking point and beyond.

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Kiss of Death by P. D. Martin
A Sophie Anderson Mystery (5th in series)

A young woman's body is found with puncture marks on her neck, and soon the delicious word vampire is on everyone's lips. All of FBI profiler Sophie Anderson's skills—psychic and psychological—will be needed for her to determine whether this was a thrill kill or something even more sinister.

Exploring the blood bars and Goth clubs of L.A., Sophie immerses herself in the seductive culture of self-styled vampires. Posing as the alluring Lady Veronica and infiltrating a notorious clan, Sophie will learn just how deep the fantasy goes for some believers.

When life requires death, nothing is sacred.

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White Heat by Brenda Novak
A Department 6 Novel of Suspense (3rd in series)

A dangerous cult has recently taken over the desert ghost town of Paradise, Arizona. Members worship at the feet—and in the bed—of its charismatic leader, Ethan Wycliff, and obey his orders blindly. They've already tried to murder one woman and they're implicated in the disappearance of another.

Nate Ferrentino, who works for private security contractor Department 6, has been assigned to infiltrate this group. It's a challenge he welcomes—until he learns that colleague Rachel Jessop will be going undercover with him. Thanks to their shared history, he'd much rather go alone …

The problem is, only married couples can participate in cult rituals. So, like it or not—and they don't—Rachel and Nate must pretend to be husband and wife.

There's no choice. Because if Wycliff isn't exposed, if he isn't stopped, more people will die. And Rachel might be one of them.

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Black Friday by Alex Kava
A Maggie O'Dell Mystery (7th in series)

On the busiest shopping day of the year, a group of idealistic college students believe they're about to carry out an elaborate media stunt at the largest mall in America. They think the equipment in their backpacks will disrupt stores' computer systems, causing delays and chaos, disrupting capitalism, if only for a moment.

What they don't realize is that instead of jamming devices, their backpacks contain explosives. And they're about to become unwitting suicide bombers.

FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell must put her own political troubles aside to work with Nick Morrelli and figure out who's behind this terrorist plot—a massacre that's all the more frightening when a tip reveals that Maggie's brother is one of the doomed protestors.

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Swept Aside by Sharon Sala
A Storm Front Novel of Suspense (3rd in series)

Shell-shocked after a nightmarish school shooting, Amalie Pope retreats to an aging plantation house near Bordelaise, Louisiana, to heal, physically and emotionally. She's there barely an hour when a tornado rips through bayou country, mercifully leaving the house intact. She's stranded, but unafraid—until a knock on the door.

Four escaped prisoners barge inside, and in an instant Amalie is a hostage again. These men are wounded, desperate and dangerous—with one exception. Undercover DEA operative Nick Aroyo is on the run with the gang he's infiltrated. The only thing he wants more than this collar is to protect fragile, frightened Amalie, who has surrendered herself to his care, body, soul…and heart. But he'll have to play the thug in order to keep her—and his secret—safe, because even though the storm has passed, the danger remains …

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Kill Me Again by Maggie Shayne
A Secrets of Shadow Falls Novel of Suspense (2nd in series)

I'm not who they say I am.

Trust me.

But can she?

Reclusive novelist Aaron Westhaven, a man she's admired—and more—for years, has accepted Olivia Dupree's invitation to speak at a local fundraiser. But the day he's due to arrive, she gets a call summoning her to the bedside of a John Doe whose sole possession is her business card.

Can this undeniably compelling man—survivor of an execution-style gunshot wound—really be the novelist the lonely Olivia has grown to think of as a near soul mate? If not, he can be in Shadow Falls for only one reason: to kill her.

Olivia, too, has secrets. And discovering the truth about the man in the hospital bed means dredging up her own past—a past she's been hiding from for sixteen years.

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Ghost Night by Heather Graham
The Bone Island Trilogy (2nd in series)

A slasher movie turns real when two young actors are brutally murdered on a remote island film set. Their severed heads and arms are posed in macabre homage to a nineteenth-century pirate massacre.

Two years later, survivor Vanessa Loren is drawn back to South Bimini by a documentary being made about the storied region. Filmmaker Sean O'Hara aches to see how the unsolved crime haunts her … and Sean knows more than a little about ghosts.

Lured by visions of a spectral figurehead, Vanessa discovers authentic pirate treasures that only deepen the mystery. Are the murders the work of modern-day marauders, the Bermuda Triangle or a deadly paranormal echo of the island's violent history? As Vanessa and Sean grow closer, the killer prepares to resume the slaughter … unless the dead can intervene.

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Encore Presentation of Poirot: Cat Among the Pigeons, Sunday August 1st on Masterpiece Mystery!

For the next four weeks, PBS's Masterpiece Mystery! will be showing encore presentations of previously aired episodes.

Tomorrow, Sunday August 1st (check your local listings), Hercule Poirot returns in "Cat Among the Pigeons". At the esteemed Meabowbank school for girls, Poirot (David Suchet) is helping friend and headmistress Miss Bulstrode pick her successor. With his flawless sense of human nature, Poirot learns that the teachers have more on their mind than mentoring young girls. When a sadistic gym teacher is found dead with a javelin through her heart, the girls get a shocking education in murder, and Poirot is drawn deep into a compelling case involving international espionage, a revolution in a foreign land and a missing princess. As the girls become increasingly hysterical and the teachers more guarded, can Poirot uncover a ruthless killer, the cat among the pigeons?

This will be followed over the next three weeks by episodes from last season of Inspector Lewis in anticipation of the premiere of Series III on August 29th.

Rubicon Premieres Tomorrow, Sunday August 1st, on AMC

Tomorrow, Sunday August 1st, the conspiracy thriller series Rubicon premieres on AMC (8 PM ET/PT). The series tagline is, "Not every conspiracy is a theory."

James Badge Dale stars as Will Travers, an analyst who cracks codes for a living at a New York City-based federal intelligence agency, who is thrown into a story where nothing is as it appears to be. In the pilot episode titled "Gone in the Teeth", Will suffers a shocking tragedy. While he considers leaving his job at API, he begins to uncover clues that point to a sinister conspiracy. Meanwhile, Katherine Rhumor (played by Miranda Richardson) questions her billionaire husband's unexpected suicide.

AMC has made the first episode available to view, in its entirety:

Ms. Terri Reviews Nightfall Mysteries: Asylum Conspiracy

Review of Nightfall Mysteries: Asylum Conspiracy by Ms. Terri, game reviewer for the Omnimystery Family of Mystery Websites.

Nightfall Mysteries: Asylum Conspiracy is a hidden object game that has a lot of adventure-style point-and-click elements to it. With its intriguing storyline and hours of gamplay, it will appeal to those players who like their games eerie and atmospheric.

Read her complete review on Games of Mystery.

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Games of Mystery is your source for mystery-themed video, electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, murder mystery weekends and mystery getaway vacations, and more mysterious fun!

Reviews of Mystery and Suspense Books for Kids, New This Week on Book Trends (100731)

Book Trends, a review site for young adult and children books, published several new book reviews this past week. We're presenting here a summary of those in the mystery / suspense category.

Conspiracy 365: April by Gabrielle Lord. The fourth book in the Conspiracy 365 series, recommended for readers aged 10 to 12. Lexile measure: 820L. Reviewed by a 7th grade student, who writes, "Overall, I think that this book is fantastic!!! It contains all the elements needed to create a great book. Some of these elements are memorable characters, plot twists, and an ending leaving you eagerly awaiting the next book."

For more reviews of children and young adult books of all genres, visit Book Trends; their reviews will amaze you!

Emerald Curse and Hotel, New Games of Mystery from AVG

Games of Mystery is pleased to announce this week's new mystery and suspense casual and adventure games available for immediate download from Amazon Video Games.

A complete list of downloadable mystery games is available on our Games of Mystery: Amazon Video Games Download page.

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Millennium Secrets: Emerald Curse

Kate receives a call from her old friend Archibald Jones, a professor who's an expert in ancient civilizations. He asks her to retrieve a very important briefcase from a secret location in New York City and deliver it to the authorities, but before he can explain further, Kate hears voices and then the call ends abruptly. Help Kate save her friend and find the mysterious briefcase!

ESRB Rating: Not Specified.

Windows Vista/XP (134 MB download).

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Hotel

A medieval castle, now a luxury hotel, holds secrets beyond the wildest imagination. For detective Bridget Brightstone of NYPD, this is a once-in-a-lifetime investigation!

Meet an ancient Egyptian cult in a search of almighty artifact. Marcus Antonius, King Arthur and many others tried to keep this omni-powerful object hidden away from those who wanted to use its terrible powers for conquering the world. Stop the evil from rising from its grave!

Also available: Hotel Collector's Edition, which includes an integrated strategy guide, characters biography, bonus art and music, and more.

ESRB Rating: Not Specified.

Windows Vista/XP (155 MB download).

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Games of Mystery is your source for mystery-themed video, electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, murder mystery weekends and mystery getaway vacations, and more mysterious fun!

Journalistic Investigations: Stolen Inheritence, a New Game of Mystery from BFG

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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Mary's friend Lora has a wedding disaster: her inheritance has been stolen, and now Mary must crack the case and catch the crook! In this interactive hidden object game, you must explore interesting locations as you search for clues and try to figure out who exactly stole Lora’s artifacts, and what they want to do with them. Solve perplexing puzzles to advance, and make sure to keep your eyes peeled in order to help Mary save her friend Lora’s wedding!

Also available: Journalistic Investigations: Stolen Inheritance Strategy Guide and Journalistic Investigations: Stolen Inheritance Game Walkthrough.

Journalistic Investigations: Stolen Inheritence may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (173.30 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!

Film Adaptation of Dead Reckoning by Susan and Pierre LaTour Planned

ComingSoon.net is reporting that a film adaptation of the 1995 thriller Dead Reckoning by Susan and Pierre LaTour, Jr., is being planned. Cody Horn (Twelve, Flipped) is in negotiations to star.

The plot involves Catherine Lakey, a chemistry professor, who disappears one morning while walking along a Cape Cod beach. The police assume she committed suicide, but the woman's niece, Nancy, is not convinced. She soon learns that little is arbitrary in her aunt's disappearance, and that the tiny clues left behind point to more than her aunt's whereabouts.

TNT Renews Leverage, The Closer, and Rizzoli & Isles

Earlier today we reported that Timothy Hutton, star of TNT's drama caper series Leverage, tweeted that the network had ordered a fourth season.

Now The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that TNT has also ordered a seventh season of The Closer and a second season of its freshman crime drama Rizzoli and Isles, based on characters created by mystery author Tess Gerritsen.

"All three shows feature terrific casts, sharp writing and top-notch production teams," said Michael Wright, Executive VP and Head of Programming for TNT.

Prison Break Creator Nick Santora To Write Thriller for Mulholland Books

Several years ago we had the pleasure of reviewing Nick Santora's debut novel Slip and Fall. Yesterday, Mullholland Books announced that they have signed the author, who is also the writer/creator of several television series including the suspense drama Prison Break, to write a thriller titled Fifteen Digits, "about five 'invisible' thieves who work under the radar at a white shoe New York law firm and perpetrate a multi-million dollar heist."

Mulholland Books is a new crime novel imprint of Little, Brown.