Foxy Roxy by Nancy Martin, A Roxy Abruzzo 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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Foxy Roxy by Nancy Martin
A Roxy Abruzzo Mystery (1st in series)
Minotaur Books (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: January 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-67318-5

About Foxy Roxy (from the publisher): Big truck, big dog, big hair. Bad attitude.

Roxy Abruzzo is the sexy, streetwise niece of a Pittsburgh crime boss, and she’s trying to stay on the straight and narrow ... most of the time. But now and then temptation is just too much for hot-blooded Roxy. As she prowls the mean streets looking for architectural treasures, she can't help swiping an ancient Greek statue that's not exactly hers. Then the statue's owner, heir to a billion-dollar steel fortune, gets himself killed, and the police investigation sweeps Roxy into a mess that requires all of her wits and wiles to escape. All this plus a dotty grand dame, a slippery lawyer, and an avaricious socialite or two makes for a lethal combination of danger and desperation—with Roxy in the middle.

Foxy Roxy was originally published in hardcover as Our Lady of Immaculate Deception.

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About Nancy Martin: The author of 48 pop fiction novels in mystery, suspense, historical and romance genres, she created her first mystery series in 2002 featuring the Blackbird Sisters, three impoverished Main Line heiresses who adventure in couture and crime. Nancy lives in Pittsburgh, serves on the board of Sisters in Crime and is a founding member of Pennwriters. Visit her website at NancyMartinMysteries.com.

Read the first chapters of Foxy Roxy below.

Second Season of Archer Premieres Thursday, January 27th on FX Networks

FX Network's animated comic spy caper series, Archer, returns for its second season tomorrow, Thursday, January 27th at 10 PM (ET/PT).

The series features the voices of H. Jon Benjamin as the highly skilled yet incredibly vain master spy Sterling Archer; Aisha Tyler as fellow agent provocateur Lana Kane; and Jessica Walter as Archer;s domineering mother and the rapacious CEO of International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS), Malory Archer. Although their work of espionage, reconnaissance missions, wiretapping and undercover surveillances is daunting and enigmatic, every covert operation and global crisis are actually unmitigated occasions for the ISIS staff to undermine, sabotage and betray each other for personal gains, pleasures and prosperity.

In the second season opener, titled "Swiss Miss", another attempt to secure funding for ISIS has Malory dragging her agents to the luxury winter resort town of Gstaad to protect a Swiss billionaire's daughter from a kidnapping threat. But Archer soon finds out the real threat is his protectee.

The first season of the series is available from Telemystery: Archer.

Nominations for the 2010 Hammett Prize Announced

In more Mystery Award news today, the North American branch of the International Association of Crime Writers have announced the nominees for the annual Hammett Prize, given for literary excellence in the field of crime writing.

The winner will be announced during the 2011 New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Fall Conference.

The nominees are:

• Get Capone: The Secret Plot that Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster by Jonathan Eig (Simon & Schuster)
• Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (William Morrow)
• Iron River by T. Jefferson Parker (Dutton)
• The Nearest Exit by Olen Steinhauer (Minotaur Books)

Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare for posting this information.

Film Adaptation of The Hunger Games Set to be Released in March 2012

We've been following the news surrounding the film adaptation of the young adult thriller The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins with great interest. It hasn't been cast, nor has any production begun, but the producers have set a release date: March 23rd, 2012.

Collins is reportedly writing the screenplay, to be directed by Gary Ross.

The first in the futuristic Hunger Games trilogy, the storyline features Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called "The Hunger Games."

You can read the first chapter(s) of The Hunger Games below. Use the Aa button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

ABC Orders Crime Drama Pilot with Edgar Allan Poe as Sleuth

We're learning (via Inside TV) that ABC has ordered a crime drama pilot for a series featuring Edgar Allan Poe as a sleuth using unconventional methods as he investigates dark mysteries in 1840s Boston. Chris Hollier (Alias, Kyle XY) is writing the screenplay.

Could be interesting ... but seems to us to be heavily dependent on casting. The right actor could pull it off; get the wrong actor, and it becomes a farce.

The BBC to Produce New Adaptation of The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens

The BBC is reporting that a screenplay for a made-for-television adaptation of the unfinished classic novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens has been completed by Gwyneth Hughes, who has also penned a new ending.

Dickens died in 1870 before completing the book, leaving the ending intriguingly ambiguous -- though he reportedly gave his friend and biographer John Forster a brief outline of the story, which recounts the troubled romance of Rosa Bud and the book's titular character, who later vanishes. Was Drood murdered, and if so by whom? All clues point to John Jasper, Drood's lugubrious uncle, who coveted Rosa. Or did Drood orchestrate his own disappearance?

The adaption forms part of a season of programs to air later this year on TV and radio to celebrate the printed word for the BBC's Year Of Books.

You can read the first chapter(s) of The Mystery of Edwin Drood below:

Lindsey Davis to Receive CWA Diamond Dagger Award

Historical crime novelist Lindsey Davis is to be awarded the prestigious Cartier Diamond Dagger by the Crime Writers' Association.

The award, which is sponsored by Cartier, honors outstanding achievement in the field of crime writing. The Diamond Dagger will be presented by Cartier UK's Executive Chairman Arnaud Bamberger at a date and venue yet to be arranged.

Davis is best known for her Marcus Didius Falco series of mysteries set in late first century Rome. The tenth book in the series, Two for the Lions, won the inaugural Ellis Peters Historical Award (previously known as the CWA Historical Dagger) in 1989.

First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: New Titles for February 2011

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is pleased to announce a selection of new mystery, suspense and thriller books (including series books) scheduled for publication during February 2011, listed in approximate order of reading level, from books for younger readers to books for teens.

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The Fenway Foul-Up 
David A. Kelly
Ballpark Mysteries: 1st in series

Thanks to Kate's mom, a sports reporter, cousins Mike Walsh and Kate Hopkins have tickets to the Red Sox game and All Access passes to Fenway Park. But as they're watching batting practice before the game, the lucky bat of Red Sox star slugger Big D is stolen ... right in front of dozens of people. Without the bat, Big D can't seem to hit a thing. Can Kate and Mike figure out who pinched the bat before Big D and the Sox chalk up a loss? Includes a fun fact page about Boston's Fenway Park.

Ballpark Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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The Pinstripe Ghost 
David A. Kelly
Ballpark Mysteries: 2nd in series

Mike and Kate are waiting for Kate's mom at a boring press conference in Yankee Stadium when the team official says something that makes Mike perk up his ears. There are rumors that the ghost of Babe Ruth is haunting the new stadium! A chill air blasts down a service hallway before every home game, along with various thumps and bumps. Is the Bambino really searching for his missing locker? Includes a fun fact page about New York's Yankee Stadium.

Ballpark Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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Suzy and the Sewing Room Mystery 
Jamie Eppler
A Suzy Mystery: 1st in series

When seven-year-old Suzy gets the unexpected news from Mom and Dad that she will have to spend the summer at her Oma and Opa's house, she dreads the months ahead. But time soon begins to fly by as Suzy discovers many thrilling adventures awaiting her while away from home. Join Suzy in a summer of mystery and fun, as she discovers a lurking secret hiding in Oma's sewing room. Will she be able to muster the courage to get to the bottom of it? Or will whatever is hiding in Oma's sewing room forever stay a mystery?

The Suzy mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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Sabotage Surrender 
Carolyn Keene
Nancy Drew, Girl Detective

The third title in the Sabotage Mystery trilogy.

No synopsis available.

Nancy Drew, Girl Detective stories are recommended for readers aged 10 and older.

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Pizzicato: The Abduction of the Magic Violin 
Rusalka Reh
Non-series

A light-hearted whodunit featuring a fair-haired orphan named Darius Dorian, who has a sly wit and a curious way of approaching most any predicament. Darius is none too pleased to be paired with Archibald Archinola, a master violinmaker, for a school project, especially when he thinks about his rival—fellow orphan and constant nemesis Max—being surrounded by Porsches at Auto Frederick for the same assignment. But when Darius discovers an old violin in a glass case and strikes the chords, a cut on his hand magically disappears, and suddenly studying with the violinmaker proves to be anything but dull. As a greedy doctor works to get his hands on the magic fiddle, Darius is forced to pull a few strings to save the magic violin’s power.

This mystery is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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Death Cloud 
Andrew Lane
Young Sherlock Holmes: 1st in series

It is the summer of 1868, and Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. On break from boarding school, he is staying with eccentric strangers—his uncle and aunt—in their vast house in Hampshire. When two local people die from symptoms that resemble the plague, Holmes begins to investigate what really killed them, helped by his new tutor, an American named Amyus Crowe. So begins Sherlock’s true education in detection, as he discovers the dastardly crimes of a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent.

Young Sherlock Holmes stories are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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The Bone Magician 
F. E. Higgins
Non-series

Pin Carpue is on his own in the world. His mother is dead and his father is missing after being labeled a suspect in a rash of murders. Pin finds a job working for the local undertaker as a body watcher, making sure people are really dead before they’re buried. The body he’s supposed to be watching tonight is currently surrounded by three people engaged in a most unusual ceremony. An old man, a bone magician, and his young female assistant are waking a woman so her grieving fiancé can have one last goodbye with her. Pin can’t believe it will work, but then the dead woman sits up and speaks.

Pin is determined to discover how the magic works. He cannot believe they are raising the dead. He cannot believe his father is a murderer. Then Pin himself nearly becomes the killer’s next victim.

This paranormal story is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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The Fourth Stall 
Chris Rylander
Non-series

Do you need something? Mac can get it for you. It's what he does—he and his best friend and business manager, Vince. Their methods might sometimes run afoul of the law, or at least the school code of conduct, but if you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can pay him, Mac is on your side. His office is located in the East Wing boys' bathroom, fourth stall from the high window. And business is booming.

Or at least it was, until one particular Monday. It starts with a third grader in need of protection. And before this ordeal is over, it's going to involve a legendary high school crime boss named Staples, an intramural gambling ring, a graffiti ninja, the nine most dangerous bullies in school, and the first Chicago Cubs World Series game in almost seventy years. And that's just the beginning. Mac and Vince soon realize that the trouble with solving everyone else's problems is that there's no one left to solve yours.

This mystery is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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The Visconti House 
Elsbeth Edgar
Non-series

Laura Horton is different. Not in any noticeable, first-glance kind of way; but inside, she’s equally uncomfortable around the snippy girls in her class and the strange boy, Leon, who just moved in nearby. She’d rather be writing or drawing or spending time with her free-spirited family in their eccentric old house. But Laura and Leon are more alike than they first realize. They’re both outsiders. They both have secrets. And try as she might to avoid him, Laura finds herself drawn to Leon’s quiet boldness as surely as she is driven to find out more about her home’s enigmatic former owner. Together they probe the mysteries of the Visconti House, making an exploration into the past that will change their lives — and open their hearts — forever.

This book is recommended for readers aged 13 and older.

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You Killed Wesley Payne 
Sean Beaudoin
Non-series

A darkly hilarious update of classic pulp-noir, in which hard-boiled seventeen year-old Dalton Rev transfers to the mean hallways of Salt River High to take on the toughest case of his life. The question isn't whether Dalton's going to get paid. He always gets paid. Or whether he's gonna get the girl. He always (sometimes) gets the girl. The real question is whether Dalton Rev can outwit crooked cops and killer cliques in time to solve the mystery of "The Body" before it solves him.

This whodunit is recommended for readers aged 13 and older.

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First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is your source for information on over 200 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).

Nominations for 2011 Dilys Award Announced

The nominations for the 2011 Dilys Award have been announced by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

The Dilys Award has been given annually since 1992 by IMBA to the mystery titles of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling. The Dilys Award is named in honor of Dilys Winn, the founder of the first specialty bookseller of mystery books in the United States.

The winner will be announced during this year's Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe, NM.

This year's nominees are:

Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Colin Cotterill  (Soho Crime)
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (Minotaur Books)
Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane (William Morrow)
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
Once a Spy by Keith Thomson (Doubleday)
Savages by Don Winslow (Simon & Schuster)

 indicates a review from Mysterious Reviews.

Winter's Bone Snares Four Top Academy Award Nominations

The Academy Award nominations for 2011 were announced this morning and we're thrilled to see Winter's Bone nominated in four top categories: Best Picture, Leading Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Supporting Actor (John Hawkes), and Adapted Screenplay. (See an Oscar ballot with all nominations here.)

Winter's Bone, which also won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2010, is adapted from the 2006 novel of the same title by Daniel Woodrell.

Omnimystery's resident TV and film reviewer called Winter's Bone "one of the best films of the year", adding "the outstanding performance by Jennifer Lawrence as a young woman determined to do whatever it takes to save her family [in] a superficially simple yet deceptively complex plot that keeps us engaged throughout." (Mr. E. Reviews Winter's Bone)

About Winter's Bone (from the studio): Deep in the Ozark Mountains, clans live by a code of conduct that no one dares defy—until an intrepid teenage girl has no other choice. When Ree Dolly's crystal-meth-making father skips bail and goes missing, her family home is on the line. Unless she finds him, she and her young siblings and disabled mother face destitution. In a heroic quest, Ree traverses the county to confront her kin, break their silent collusion, and bring her father home.

Watch the theatrical trailer for the film below (via Yahoo! Movies):

Open Season by Maryann Miller (Mystery Book Review)

Open Season by Maryann Miller. A Sarah Kingsly and Angel Johnson Mystery. Five Star Hardcover, December 2010.

A fairly unusual serial killer thriller in that the crimes being investigated, and the identity of the culprit, aren't as important to the story as how two women -- homicide detectives, one white, one black, and newly assigned as partners -- are affected by recent events in their professional and personal lives.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Open Season by Maryann Miller.

Purchase Options:

Mystery and Suspense TV and Films, New This Week on DVD (110125)

Checking through our list of not otherwise profiled television series and films currently scheduled for release this week on DVD and/or Blu-ray disc, shown below are those that fall into the mystery, suspense, and thriller categories.

 Available on DVD
 Available on Blu-ray Disc
 Available on Video on Demand (via Amazon.com)

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Man in a Suitcase Set One (1967) 

"Mac" McGill (Richard Bradford) is an ex-spy with a murky past and an uncertain future. Wrongfully dismissed by his bosses in U.S. intelligence, he decides to freelance as a private detective based out of London. McGill’s work takes him far and wide, yet seemingly always on a collision course with the British authorities, the Soviets, and his old colleagues in American espionage. Beset by enemies on all sides, he strives to clear his name and restore his reputation. But until he does, he remains on the run, taking jobs in the dark and dangerous corners of European society. (15 episodes)

Purchase Options: DVD

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Inspector Bellamy (2009) 

Inspector Paul Bellamy (Gérard Depardieu) and his wife are spending their vacation at her family home in a quiet town. But just as they're settling into their reassuringly predictable holiday routine, his perennially troubled younger brother shows up, joined by a mysterious stranger seeking Bellamy's protection. In French, with English subtitles. (NR, 1:50)

Purchase Options: DVD

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The Traveler (2010) 

On a dark Christmas Eve in a small town, the lone Sheriffs on the night shift encounter a mysterious man (Val Kilmer) who goes by the name of Mr. Nobody. As the night progresses, the Sheriffs discover that this isn't just a nobody, but a vengeful killer whose past threatens to haunt them all. (R, 1:36)

Purchase Options: DVD