Uncover the Deadly Truth in Women's Murder Club: Little Black Lies, a New Mystery Game from I-play

In a press release today, I-play, a division of Oberon Media, announced the release of the fourth game in the Women's Murder Club series, Little Black Lies.

Based on characters created by bestselling crime novelist James Patterson, this thrilling interactive game has more twists and turns than ever, including allowing players the option to play as the killer for the first time ever in a chilling epilogue.

"As the millions of fans who have downloaded the first three games will attest, interactive games are a great way to tell a Women's Murder Club story," says Patterson. "Seeing the characters come to life in the beautiful environments I-play creates is an ongoing thrill for me."

In Women's Murder Club: Little Black Lies, a cold case heats up when a true-crime author is put on ice. Famous for uncovering the truth, Regina Blacklock learns that sometimes the truth can be deadly. When Blacklock is discovered in her car, authorities find a strange clue leading them straight to the Women's Murder Club. Through more than 29 beautifully illustrated scenes, players must collect evidence to piece together clues in eight shocking investigations. The game offers endless re-playability, providing hours of edge-of-your-seat crime solving as players discover what this present day homicide has to do with the 1975 murder of a local teenager.

Women's Murder Club: Little Black Lies is now available on Iplay.com and includes an exclusive excerpt from James Patterson's next book in the Women's Murder Club series, 10th Anniversary, scheduled for publication next spring.

Watch a trailer for the game below.

Mysteria Film Group Options Rights to Adventure Game MYST

MYST: The Motion Picture has been in development for years. Cyan Worlds, the creator of the immensely popular adventure game, has a project summary on the film's website dating back to 2006. Now, it appears the project has taken a substantial step forward towards reality.

Deadline is reporting, and the games developer is confirming, that the Mysteria Film Group has optioned the film rights. With several games in the series as well as three tie-in novels, there is a wealth of material from which to draw.

"Our aim with this project is to stretch the genres it operated within, much like the source material did," Adrian Vanderbosch of Mysteria said. "It is such an innovative property and by utilizing the novels as our primary resource, we have the opportunity to offer audiences the essence of MYST without being limited only to the famous island of the first game. Our focus has always been on creating an entirely new visual experience driven by engaging characters and an epic narrative."

James Franco Options Film Rights to Stephen Elliott's The Adderall Diaries

Variety is reporting that actor/director/screenwriter James Franco has optioned the film rights to Stephen Elliott's The Adderall Diaries, with an eye towards directing his own adaptation.

Subtitled "A Memoir of Moods, Masochism and Murder", the book is described as a gripping account of the notorious San Francisco murder trial of Hans Reiser, accused of killing and hiding the body of his wife, Nina, who was having an affair with his best friend Sean Sturgeon. In a bizarre twist, and separate from the trial, Sturgeon confessed to killing eight people, though none were related to Reiser's case. Author Elliott knew Sturgeon from a BDSM club they both attended -- hence his connection to the whole affair.

Christopher Plummer Cast in Film Adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

More casting news for the film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the first novel in the Millennium trilogy of thrillers by Stieg Larsson.

The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog is reporting that Christopher Plummer has been cast as Henrik Vanger, patriarch of one of Sweden's wealthiest families, who hires journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to discover what happened to his niece, who disappeared over 40 years ago. Rooney Mara will play Lisbeth Salander, who Blomkvist hires to assist him with the investigation.

Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson, A Medieval Noir Mystery with Crispin Guest (2nd in series)

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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Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson
A Medieval Noir Mystery with Crispin Guest (2nd in series)
Minotaur Books (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: September 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-64944-9

About Serpent in the Thorns (from the publisher): Convicted of treason, Crispin Guest was stripped of his title, his land, his money and his friends. Now with only his considerable wits to sustain him, Guest works the mean streets of 14th century London, building a small reputation for his skill.

In 1383, a simple-minded tavern girl comes to his door—a body was found where she works and she’s the only person who could have killed him. Except for the fact that the man was killed in place by a precisely aimed crossbow bolt. Making matters worse, the murdered man was one of three couriers from the French king, transporting a relic intended to smooth the troubled relations between France and England. Events quickly spin out of control and Guest now finds himself the prime suspect in the murder, one with terrible diplomatic implications. As the drumbeat of war between the two countries grow, Guest must unravel the con spiracy behind the murder to save not only his country, but himself as well.

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About Jeri Westerson: A journalist and noted blogger on things mysterious and medieval (Getting-Medieval.com), she lives with her family in Menifee, California. Visit her website at JeriWesterson.com, and learn more about her series character at CrispinGuest.com.

Read the first chapters of Serpent in the Thorns below.

Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn (Book Review)

Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn. A Lady Julia Grey Mystery. Mira Books Trade Paperback, October 2010.

Lady Julia Grey, now Lady Brisbane after her marriage to detective Nicholas Brisbane, travels to a picturesque Indian village in the foothills of the Himalayas to investigate murder on a tea plantation in Dark Road to Darjeeling, the fourth mystery in this series by Deanna Raybourn.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn.

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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.

Teenage Hitchcockian Thriller Planned

Deadline|London is reporting that BBC Films and Slingshot Productions are planning a teen thriller tentatively titled Teens on a Train, loosely based on the Alfred Hitchcock film Strangers on a Train, which itself was adapted from Patricia Highsmith's debut novel of psychological suspense, also titled Strangers on a Train.

Interestingly, the idea for the film was developed from a Hitchcockian script-writing competition that Slingshot held in 2007. It may be moving forward now that a judge has dismissed the lawsuit brought by the estate of Cornell Woolrich that the 2007 film Disturbia did not infringe on the Hitchcock film Rear Window, which was based on a Woolrich short story.

ABC Family Orders Pilot based on The Nine Lives of Chloe King Series by Celia Thomson

Deadline|TV is reporting that ABC Family has ordered three pilots for the network, one of which is based on "The Nine Lives of Chloe King" series of paranormal suspense books for middle school readers by Celia Thomson.

In the first book of the series, The Fallen, Chloe thinks she is just a normal 16-year-old girl until she falls from Coit Tower in San Francisco and dies. But then she wakes up to find things have changed in her new life. She has the ability to see in the dark. And she has claws. And someone is trying to kill her. Luckily she has eight lives to go.

Two additional books are in the series: The Stolen and The Chosen. Celia Thomson is a pen name used by Liz Braswell, who writes other young adult novels as Tracy Lynn.

The Fall Trilogy: Reconstruction, the Second Chapter in the Adventure Suspense Game Series, New at 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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The adventure continues in this second chapter of The Fall Trilogy. You were trapped in a mysterious temple in Asia, but now you've escaped and about to regain your family when disaster strikes, and you have a bad fall. You wake up in a building where an unknown contact briefs you for a brand new mission: If you find the USB key, you will be one step closer to finding your family!

See also the first game in the series, The Fall Trilogy Chapter One: Separation

Also available: The Fall Trilogy Chapter Two: Reconstruction Strategy Guide and a The Fall Trilogy Chapter Two: Reconstruction Game Walkthrough.

The Fall Trilogy Chapter Two: Reconstruction may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (139.62 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!

Fox Cancels Lone Star; Third Season of Lie to Me to Air in its Time Slot on Mondays

In a somewhat indirect manner, Fox announced today it has canceled its new series Lone Star after airing just two episodes. In a press release, the network states that the third season of Lie to Me will take over the time slot of Lone Star, starting next Monday, October 4th with the season premiere.

Lone Star was one of the shows we featured in our Prime Time Crime series last week.

Universal Planning Film Adaptation of Little Girl Lost by Richard Aleas

The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog is reporting that Universal is planning a film adaptation of Little Girl Lost by Richard Aleas. Jonathan Levine is attached to direct a screenplay written by Michael Bacall.

Little Girl Lost was first published in 2004 and features New York City private investigator John Blake looking into the murder of a stripper in the city -- his former high school girlfriend, who ten years earlier had left him to marry an optometrist and a lead a quiet life in the Midwest.

Aleas is a pseudonym used by mystery author Charles Ardai.

Jared Harris Reportedly Cast as Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes II

More casting news for Sherlock Holmes II!

A few days ago we reported that Stephen Fry had been cast to play Sherlock Holmes's brother Mycroft in the sequel to the 2009 film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Today, Latino Review is reporting that Jared Harris will play Holmes's arch-enemy, Professor James Moriarty. Harris is currently starring as Lane Pryce on AMC's Mad Men.

There hasn't been confirmation from the studio or the actor yet, and Latino Review has been wrong in the past regarding this character. Two years ago, the site reported that Russell Crowe would play Moriarty in the first Sherlock Holmes. Of course, we now know that didn't happen, as Moriarty only appeared briefly in the film and was played by an uncredited actor (presumably not Crowe).

Mr. E. Reviews Midsomer Murders: Set 16

Midsomer Murders has rapidly become one of my favorite "go to" series, new episodes of which I eagerly look forward to watching. The scripts are typically well plotted and written, the performances by the recurring and guest cast uniformly first rate, and the production values remarkably high. There's always some new evil lurking in the villages of Midsomer County to challenge DCI Tom Barnaby ... and by extension, those who watch.

Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews: Midsomer Murders: Set Sixteen.

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Mr. E. Reviews is your source for mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama reviews of television and film.

Amazon.com's New Kindle for the Web

This morning, Amazon.com announced Kindle for the Web, a way for potential buyers of Kindle editions to read the first chapter or so of a book from a website.

We wanted to take the application for a test drive, as it were, and since we were featuring the mystery Naked Heat by Richard Castle last night, we though we'd follow up with a post including the first two chapters of the book, embedded below. (We've chosen a height of 480px, which may be a little short ... we may have to experiment a bit with that.)

Try it out yourself, and let us know if you think this is something we should continue to do for featured titles on Omnimystery News.

Chap Taylor to Adapt Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog is reporting that screenwriter Chap Taylor (Changing Lanes) will adapt Gideon's Sword, the first thriller in the Gideon Crew series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Michael Bay (Transformers) is producing for Paramount.

Few details are known about the storyline other than Gideon Crew, who was 12-years-old when he witnessed the brutal murder of his father, now plans revenge 20 years later. But a mysterious witness to the crime confronts Gideon, offering him the chance of a lifetime.

Gideon's Sword publishes February, 2011.