Monday, May 23, 2011

Mr. E. Reviews Flawless

Flawless (DVD Cover)
Available on
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A thoughtful, nicely crafted film with a well-developed plot that takes a couple of unexpected turns along the way. Demi Moore is very good as a 1960-era female corporate executive, reserved and tightly wound yet just a little bit fragile. The role of custodian Hobbs seems as if it were written for Michael Caine; it fits him like a glove.

Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews Flawless.

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

Mystery and Suspense Films, New This Week on DVD (110524)

Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller Films on DVD and/or Blu-ray Disc

Checking through our list of films currently scheduled for release this week on DVD and/or Blu-ray disc, shown below are those that fall into the mystery, suspense, thriller and adventure categories.

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I Am Number Four
Purchase/Rental Options
Available on DVDAvailable on Blu-ray DiscAvailable on Amazon Instant VideoAvailable on iTunesAvailable on Netflix

I Am Number Four (2011)

After nine aliens flee their home planet to find a peaceful life on Earth, their plans are shattered by pursuers who must kill them in number order. Three are dead. Number Four is a an extraordinary teen masking his true identity named John (Alex Pettyfer), who uses his extraordinary abilities to battle his enemies. Living in the small town he now calls home with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), aids him in his deadly fight while he tries to protect his human girlfriend, Sarah (Dianna Agron), and connect with the others who share his powers.

Adapted from the young adult thriller I Am Number Four by the pseudonymous Pittacus Lore (James Frey and Jobie Hughes). Also available: I Am Number Four (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo plus Digital Copy). (PG-13; 109 minutes)

HarperCollins to Publish New Michael Crichton Novel

Michael Crichton

HarperCollins announced yesterday that it will posthumously publish a new Michael Crichton novel this November.

Before his death in 2008, Crichton was working on a high-concept, technological thriller about a biotech company in Hawaii and a group graduate students who become stranded in a rainforest.

Now, bestselling author Richard Preston -- whose fiction books include The Cobra Event, and whose non-fiction books include The Hot Zone, which was the basis for the film Outbreak, and a trio of books about viruses collectively known as "Dark Biology" -- has finished the book, which will be published as Micro.

"Michael was writing at the top of his game, with a grand sense of adventure, into an eerie world that seems almost beyond imagining," Preston says in a statement. "For me, it was an irresistible challenge to finish the novel, and I was driven by a desire to honor the work and imagination of one of our time's most visionary and creative authors."

Writer, screenwriter, and director Michael Crichton is possibly best known for his "Jurassic Park" novels but he is also wrote many other thrillers, some of which have been adapted for film, including Rising Sun, Sphere, and Congo.

Mystery Godoku Puzzle for May 23, 2011

A new has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now available on our website.

Godoku is similar to Sudoku, but uses letters instead of numbers. To give you a headstart, we provide you a mystery clue to fill in a complete row or column (if you choose to use it!).

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Mystery Godoku Puzzle for May 23, 2011

This week's letters and mystery clue:

A D F I L R S T Y

Nancy Pickard edited a collection of short stories centered around this American personage (9 letters).

We now have two weeks of our puzzles on one page in PDF format for easier printing. Print this week's puzzle here.

Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy the weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

BAFTA Winners Include Sherlock and The Killing

BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards for television were handed out earlier today, and a couple of crime dramas took home honors.

The Best Drama Series award went to Sherlock, a contemporary adaptation of the character Sherlock Holmes.

The Best Supporting Actor award was won by Martin Freeman for his performance as Dr. John Watson in Sherlock.

The Best International program award was given to the Danish series Forbrydelsen, airing in the UK as The Killing. The series also serves as the inspiration for AMC's The Killing, current airing here in the US.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Casting News for Cable Series Adaptation of Transporter Films

Transporter (Film Series)

Earlier this year Cinemax announced it was developing a 12-episode crime drama based on "The Transporter" series of theatrical thrillers.

Now we're learning that the two primary roles for the new series have been cast. Chris Vance (Mental; recurring roles on Prison Break, Burn Notice, Dexter) will play expert driver and professional transporter Frank Martin -- played by Jason Statham in the three "Transporter" films -- who has only three rules: never change the deal, no names, and never open the package. Andrea Osvárt will play his handler, an ex-CIA operative who organizes his missions.

Production is expected to begin this summer.

(Source: Deadline|Hollywood.)

Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost, Premieres Sunday May 22nd on CBS

Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost (CBS)

The seventh made-for-television film featuring Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone airs this Sunday, May 22nd, on CBS at 9 PM (ET/PT).

Titled Innocents Lost, the movie is not based on any of Parker's books, but is an original screenplay co-written by Tom Selleck, who plays Jesse Stone, the police chief of the small coastal town of Paradise, Massachusetts.

In Innocents Lost, Jesse Stone, once again on overload after being reinstated as Paradise police chief, looks into the death of a teenaged girl and is unofficially involved in the case of a convicted murderer who he thinks may be innocent. (Omnimystery News note added following the airing of the movie: Jesse Stone is not reinstated as Paradise's chief of police, despite the synopsis provided by, and still available on, the CBS website.)

Innocents Lost completed filming in late 2009
, not long before Selleck agreed to star as Commissioner of the NYPD in the CBS series Blue Bloods. Selleck said in an interview that an eighth Jesse Stone movie was being written and that he had hoped to film it following production of Blue Bloods' first season, but we have heard nothing more about it since then.

We are huge fans of this series of movies, and hope that CBS (and Selleck) continue to produce them. The first six films in the Jesse Stone series are available on DVD from Telemystery: Jesse Stone.

Watch the television commercial for Innocents Lost below.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Review: Show Me Good Land by Shonna Milliken Humphrey

Show Me Good Land by Shonna Milliken Humphrey
More information about the book

Show Me Good Land by Shonna Milliken Humphrey. Non-series. Down East Books Hardcover, April 2011.

Far more of a character study -- or possibly more accurately, a way-of-life study -- than a mystery, this novel of suspense is a fascinating snapshot into the life experiences of a random ensemble of very interesting people, with a common connection to a town but not necessarily to each other.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Show Me Good Land by Shonna Milliken Humphrey.

Purchase Options: Amazon.com Print Edition

Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense Titles for June 2011

eHarlequin.com: Save 20% On Your Order

eHarlequin.com has released the list of June 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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Behind the Badge by Susan Sleeman
Amazon.com (print and/or Kindle editions)Barnes & Noble (print and/or NookBook editions)

Behind the Badge by Susan Sleeman

A killer is threatening the life of rookie cop Sydney Tucker's sister—unless Sydney turns over evidence from a drug bust. But she doesn't have the evidence. Not that the thug believes her. Now she and the sibling in her care are under the watchful eye of Logan Lake police chief Russ Morgan…but will his protection be enough? The killer is closing in, picking off the people and places that mean the most to Sydney. A list that now includes Russ. To protect her loved ones, will she pay the ultimate price—her life?

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Lawman-in-Charge by Laura Scott
Amazon.com (print and/or Kindle editions)Barnes & Noble (print and/or NookBook editions)

Lawman-in-Charge by Laura Scott

Former crime-scene investigator Megan O'Ryan helped convict the St. Patrick's Strangler, who killed Megan's sister. Now she's trying to heal in a small Wisconsin town. But a copycat killer is at work in Crystal Lake, and Sheriff Luke Torretti needs Megan's help … on the case and at home, where the widower's troubled teenage son has become a suspect. The boy claims he's innocent—and Megan believes him. Because the more she and Luke investigate, the more Megan becomes convinced that her own past has brought the killer to Crystal Lake. And without Luke's help, the next victim will be her.

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Out of Time by Shirlee McCoy
Amazon.com (print and/or Kindle editions)Barnes & Noble (print and/or NookBook editions)

Out of Time by Shirlee McCoy

Someone plans to disrupt the 175th anniversary celebration of the Battle of the Alamo—and it's Alamo Ranger Susannah Jorgenson's job to stop the culprit. But that means partnering with Levi McDonall, who skipped town years ago with her heart. Levi's now a Texas Ranger, sworn to protect her at any cost, but Susannah knows she'll pay the price if she falls for him again. She has to stay focused on their goals—to eliminate the threat and solve the murder of Levi's captain. But an unknown killer is watching … ready to eliminate them.

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Protecting Her Own by Margaret Daley
Amazon.com (print and/or Kindle editions)Barnes & Noble (print and/or NookBook editions)

Protecting Her Own by Margaret Daley

hing short of her dad's stroke could bring professional bodyguard Cara Madison back to Virginia. But her homecoming turns explosive with a pipe-bomb package addressed to her father. Cara knows two things for sure. First, someone's after either her father or her … or both. And second, this job is too big to handle on her own. Unexpected help comes from agent Connor Fitzgerald. Years ago she'd walked away from him…and love. Now, despite their unresolved feelings, they must join forces—and settle their scarred past—to survive.

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Review: The Sloth's Eye by Linda Lombardi

The Sloth's Eye by Linda Lombardi
More information about the book

The Sloth's Eye by Linda Lombardi. A Hannah Lilly Mystery. Five Star Hardcover, May 2011.

The murder mystery plot is both topical and well developed and includes a number of credible suspects to keep readers guessing. But the real star here is small mammal zookeeper Hannah, an appealing amateur sleuth that readers will want to get to know better.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Sloth's Eye by Linda Lombardi.

Purchase Options: Amazon.com Print Edition

Mystery Bestsellers for May 20, 2011

Bestselling Hardcover Mystery Books

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending May 20th, 2011 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

The 11th Southern Vampire mystery, Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris, retains its spot atop this list this week. Another title, which debuted last week, moves into the top 15.

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The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
More information about the book

Moving up from 26 to 9 is The Snowman by Jo Nesbo, the 7th mystery to feature Norwegian police detective Harry Hole (though only the 4th to be published in English).

Oslo in November. The first snow of the season has fallen. A boy named Jonas wakes in the night to find his mother gone. Out his window, in the cold moonlight, he sees the snowman that inexplicably appeared in the yard earlier in the day. Around its neck is his mother’s pink scarf.

Hole suspects a link between a menacing letter he’s received and the disappearance of Jonas’s mother—and of perhaps a dozen other women, all of whom went missing on the day of a first snowfall. As his investigation deepens, something else emerges: he is becoming a pawn in an increasingly terrifying game whose rules are devised—and constantly revised—by the killer.

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For more mystery books news, 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, May 19, 2011

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Opens in Theaters Friday, May 20th

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

The fourth film in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, On Stranger Tides, opens in theaters this Friday, May 20th, 2011.

Adapted from the 1988 action/adventure book On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, the film stars Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, who crosses paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penélope Cruz). He's is not sure if it's love—or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the "Queen Anne's Revenge," the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past.

Watch a trailer for the film below.

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