A Gift for Murder by Karen McCullough. A Heather McNeil Mystery. Five Star Hardcover, January 2011.
This delightful murder mystery introducing a new amateur sleuth includes some laughs, a touch of romance, and an abundance of red herrings. Heather is an engaging lead, and her supporting cast offers both contrast and balance to her role.
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: A Gift for Murder by Karen McCullough.
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Paramount has optioned the soon to be published young adult mystery Forgotten by Cat Patrick, and has Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) lined up to star (via Deadline|New York).
In the book, each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can "remember" are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you'd easily forget, yet try as she might, London can't find him in her memories of things to come.
When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it's time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting -- before it destroys her future.
Forgotten is scheduled to be published by Little, Brown in June, 2011.
eHarlequin.com has released the list of March 2011 titles in their Love Inspired Suspense series. Love Inspired Suspense books combine suspense, romance, hope and faith to create a unique page-turning series that today’s readers love.
For more information about the book from eHarlequin.com, click on the title or cover; other purchase options are also provided.
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Double Identity
Sophie Clarkston is shocked to learn that she isn't who she thinks. Her birth certificate is forged. Her name — made up. And her widowed "father" is suddenly missing, leaving behind a heartbreaking letter asking forgiveness. Desperate for answers, Sophie turns to private investigator Cain Garrison in tiny Promise, Virginia. But the moment they leave his office, her life is threatened and her home ransacked. Who is after her? And who, exactly, is she? With questions about his own past, Cain vows to help Sophie uncover the truth. Before someone comes out of the shadows to keep it hidden forever.
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Code of Justice
Her sister's last words shake FBI agent Heather Sloan to the core. They also convince her that the helicopter crash only Heather survived wasn't an accident. Sheriff's deputy Jeremy Latham is assigned the case — he's the one who can help Heather find the person responsible … once she convinces him they should work together. As they dig for the truth, they learn to trust and care for each other. Will they lose it all when the killer targets Heather? She's willing to risk her life to find her sister's killer — but her code of justice could cost her the chance to win Jeremy's love.
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Mission: Out of Control
Brody "Wick" Wickham is a former Green Beret turned security agent — with a 100 percent mission success rate. No way is his new assignment changing that. Even if it's protecting a diva American rock star while she's on tour in Europe. Except Veronica "Vonya" Wagner isn't just a beautiful celebrity used to having her way — she's the daughter of a U.S. Senator. And she's hiding a dangerous secret. When Wick discovers what's at stake, how far over the line will he go to keep them both alive?
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Face of Danger
Giving murder victims a face is forensic artist Paige Bryant's specialty. She can always put the pieces together. But her work turns dangerous when Texas Ranger Cade Jarvis brings her a special project related to the notorious Lions of Texas. Identifying the victim could help with the ongoing search for the murderer of Cade's boss … yet it also draws deadly attention to Paige. As she contends with attack after attack with only Cade's protection, the two of them draw closer together, learn to open their hearts … and struggle to identify the face of danger before it's too late.
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Keep up to date by subscribing to eHarlequin.com's free newsletter that contains the latest information about their series of books as well as informing you about subscriber-only special offers and new products. Click on the banner to subscribe for free.
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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Help Sarah find her missing friend Emilia, who was taken away by a dark being in the middle of the night! As a member of the private detective Mystery Agency, it's up to you to investigate the person responsible for Emilia's disappearance. Dive into a dark atmosphere and help save Sarah's friend before time runs out and it's too late!
Mystery Agency: A Vampire's Kiss may be downloaded and purchased for $6.99 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version (69.09 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!
A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending February 18th, 2011 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.
Though The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson remains atop the list, last week's featured title, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, in only its second week, moves solidly into the top 4.
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Debuting last week at number 16 and moving up to number 9 this week is the third mystery with 11-year-old Flavia de Luce, A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley.
Flavia had asked the old Gypsy woman to tell her fortune, but never expected to stumble across the poor soul, bludgeoned in the wee hours in her own caravan. Was this an act of retribution by those convinced that the soothsayer had abducted a local child years ago? Certainly Flavia understands the bliss of settling scores; revenge is a delightful pastime when one has two odious older sisters. But how could this crime be connected to the missing baby? Had it something to do with the weird sect who met at the river to practice their secret rites? While still pondering the possibilities, Flavia stumbles upon another corpse—that of a notorious layabout who had been caught prowling about the de Luce’s drawing room.
Pedaling Gladys, her faithful bicycle, across the countryside in search of clues to both crimes, Flavia uncovers some odd new twists. Most intriguing is her introduction to an elegant artist with a very special object in her possession—a portrait that sheds light on the biggest mystery of all: Who is Flavia?
As the red herrings pile up, Flavia must sort through clues fishy and foul to untangle dark deeds and dangerous secrets.
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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.
Malice Domestic has announced the nominees for the 2010 Agatha Awards.
A ballot listing each category's nominees will be given to all attendees of Malice Domestic 23, which will be held April 29-May 1, 2011. Attendees will vote by secret ballot, the ballots will be tabulated and the winners will be announced at the 2010 Agatha Awards banquet to be held on Saturday, April 30, 2011.
(Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare for alerting us that these were posted.)
◊ Best Mystery Novel
Stork Raving Mad by Donna Andrews (Minotaur Books)
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard (Ballantine)
Drive Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan 
Truly, Madly by Heather Webber (St. Martin's Press)
◊ Best First Mystery Novel
The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames (Berkley)
Murder at the PTA by Laura Alden (Signet)
Maid of Murder by Amanda Flower 
Full Mortality by Sasscer Hill (Wildside Press)
Diamonds for the Dead by Alan Orloff (Midnight Ink)
◊ Best Non-Fiction
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum (Penguin)
Sherlock Holmes for Dummies by Stephen Doyle & David A. Crowder (For Dummies)
Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: 50 Years of Mysteries in the Making by John Curran (Harper)
Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History by Yunte Huang by Yunte Huang (Norton)
Have Faith in Your Kitchen by Katherine Hall Page (Orchises Press)
◊ Best Short Story
"Swing Shift" (Crimes by Moonlight) by Dana Cameron (Berkley)
"Size Matters" (Thin Ice) by Sheila Connolly (Level Best Books)
"Volunteer of the Year" (Chesapeake Crimes: They Had it Comin') by Barb Goffman (Wildside Press)
"So Much in Common" by Mary Jane Maffini (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"The Green Cross" by Elizabeth Zelvin (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
◊ Best Children's/Young Adult
Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer by John Grisham (Dutton)
Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus by R. L. LaFevers (Houghton Mifflin)
The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee (Candlewick)
Virals by Kathy Reichs (Razorbill)
The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith (Atheneum)
Relativity Media announced today in a press release that Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Bone Collector) will direct Hunter Killer, a film adaptation of Firing Point, a yet-to-be-published sequel to the 2003 submarine thriller Final Bearing by George Wallace and Don Keith.
The plotline of the film follows an untested submarine captain who must work with a Navy SEAL team to rescue the Russian president, who has been taken prisoner during a military coup, in an effort to stop a rogue Russian General from igniting World War III.
Bestselling -- and self-published -- and only 26 years old -- author Amanda Hocking announced on her blog yesterday that her young adult Trylle trilogy of thrillers has been optioned for film. Terri Tatchell (District 9) will pen the screenplay.
The first novel in the series, Switched, was published just last July. When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed -- a world both beautiful and frightening ... and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.
The sequels are Torn (published November 2010) and Ascend (January 2011).
You can read the first chapter(s) of Switched below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.
Merciless by Mary Burton. An Alexandria Homicide Unit Mystery. Zebra Mass Market Paperback, February 2011.
This sequel to Senseless is set soon after the events of the previous book and features many of the same characters, though this time a serial killer who leaves the meticulously cleaned bones of his victims is being sought. But a loose plot and garden-variety villains fail to generate or maintain much suspense.
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Merciless by Mary Burton.
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Read the first chapter(s) of Merciless below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.
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