Purchase/Rental Option(s)
A lengthy, rather boring and uneventful backstory mars this thriller-lite film, though the final half hour makes up for a lot of lapses in energy that precede it.
Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews Limitless.
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Mr. E. Reviews is your source for mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama reviews of television and film.
Today only, Monday November 28th, 2011, the Kindle Daily Deal is being replaced by the Cyber Monday Deal, with hundreds of Kindle editions priced up to 75% off.
The Mystery and Thrillers category contains several hundred titles itself — 304 when we checked — with the vast majority priced between $0.99 and $2.99.
Today would be a great day to stock up on crime novels for your Kindle to read during the long winter months ahead!
A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle 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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This week's letters and mystery clue:
A E F H I J M N S
He is the author of the 2011 thriller Primacy (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!
CrimeFest 2012 announced this past week the preliminary program for its annual crime convention, which will be held May 24th through 27th in Bristol (UK) and will celebrate its fifth year of operation.
Their killer line-up of featured crime novelists is scheduled to include Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Sue Grafton, P. D. James and the writing team of Anders Roslund & Börge Hellström.
The convention regularly attracts top writers, readers, editors, publishers, agents and reviewers from around the world to celebrate the genre in an informal atmosphere. This year, the annual Crime Writing Workshop will be tutored by mystery author Janet Laurence, who will offer first-hand advice and tips for how to write a "killer" debut, with one-on-one feedback and entry into the CWA’s Debut Dagger Competition.
A special event this year will launch the novelization of the popular Danish crime drama Forbrydelsen, which aired as The Killing in the UK and was adapted under the same title in the US The event, in association with Pan Macmillan, will include an interview with David Hewson, responsible for the novelization, and surprise appearances from members of the show’s cast and production team.
For more information about CrimeFest 2012, visit their website at CrimeFest.com.
The folks at Mysterious Press wrote to let us know that they have marked down a select number of their ebooks to just $2.99 (for a limited time only).
The ten books listed below will give readers a chance to sample the diversity of authors represented by the publisher. All are currently available from Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble, and most from iTunes; we've provided order/information links for your convenience … but please remember to confirm the price of your book before you check out. Prices can and do change without prior notice.
( Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble )
( Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iTunes )
( Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble )
( Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iTunes )
( Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iTunes )
( Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iTunes )
( Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iTunes )
( Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iTunes )
( Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iTunes )
( Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iTunes )
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Stolen Souls by Stuart Neville.
Three TNT crime dramas pick up their seasons starting tomorrow, Sunday November 27th, 2011.
First up is Leverage on Sunday at 9 PM (ET/PT). In an episode titles "The Experimental Job", the team must go back to college and infiltrate the world of Skull & Bones secret societies when homeless veterans in the Boston area begin disappearing.
Next, on Monday at 9 PM (ET/PT), The Closer returns with an episode titled "Necessary Evil". The death of a high school principal who had been trying to clear his school from scandal suddenly causes Brenda and Fritz to fight over who has control of the case because an already existing investigation causes the cases to overlap.
Finally, an hour later on Monday at 10 PM (ET/PT), Rizzoli & Isles returns in "Can I Get a Witness?" in which the gal-pal sleuths investigate the shooting of a community activist. Before long, a witness emerges to testify against a notorious gang member and TV host Bill O'Reilly (playing himself) arrives and voices on-air disapproval of the police department.
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/thriller category.
Following Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci. A sequel to The Body of Christopher Creed. Lexile measure: N/A; the previous book is rated 720L. Reviewed by a 6th grade student, who writes, "The plot is very tense which is my favorite type of book. … Even if you don't like mysteries or thrillers I think you will still love this amazing book." (Read the full review here.)
For more reviews of children and young adult books of all genres, visit Book Trends; their reviews will amaze you! You can also follow Book Trends on Twitter.
The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has updated its list of new hardcover mysteries with books scheduled for publication in December 2011. Please note that some titles may publish early, and may already be available, and some may be delayed, published at a later date.
Below we're listing those authors with returning series characters, new series characters, and non-series or stand-alone mysteries in separate sections. All titles are available on our December new mystery books page, which will become the default home page for the site on December 1st.
• Authors with mysteries featuring returning series characters (in italics) this month:
Sandra Balzo (Maggy Thorsen, 7th) — D. C. Brod (Robyn Guthrie, 2nd) — Don Bruns (James Lessor and Skip Moore, 5th) — Stephen J. Cannell (Shane Scully, 11th) — Joanna Challis (Daphne du Maurier, 3rd) — Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney (Jack Ryan Jr., 3rd) — Reed Farrel Coleman (Moe Prager, 7th) — Kent Conwell (Tony Boudreaux, 12th) — Patricia Cornwell (Kay Scarpetta, 19th) — Colin Cotterill (Dr. Siri Paiboun, 8th) — Nick Drake (Rahotep, 3rd) — Robert Ellis (Lena Gamble, 3rd) — Monica Ferris (Betsy Devonshire, Needlecraft, 15th) — Jane Finnis (Aurelia Marcella, 4th) — Leighton Gage (Mario Silva, 5th) — H. Terrell Griffin (Matt Royal, 6th) — W. E. B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV (Presidential Agent, 7th) — Derek Haas (Silver Bear, 3rd) — Barbara Hambly (Benjamin January, 11th) — Tami Hoag (Oak Knoll, 3rd) — Anne Holt (Hanne Wilhelmsen, 8th) — Graham Ison (Brock and Poole, 11th) — Bill James (Harpur and Iles, 27th) — J. Sydney Jones (Karl Werthen, Viennese, 3rd) — Raymond Khoury (Sean Reilly and Tess Chaykin, 5th) — Robert Knightly (Harry Corbin and Adele Bentibi, 2nd) — Deryn Lake (John Rawlings, 14th) — Martin Limon (George Sueño and Ernie Bascom, 7th) — Ralph McInerny (Father Dowling Short Stories) — Amy Myers (Peter and Georgia Marsh, 8th) — Jo Nesbo (Harry Hole, 8th) — James Patterson and Jill Dembowski (Witch & Wizard, 3rd) — Ann Purser (Lois Meade, 13th) — Al Roker and Dick Lochte (Billy Blessing, 3rd) — Fay Sampson (Suzie Fewings, 4th) — Alexander McCall Smith (Sunday Philosophy Club, 8th) — Dana Stabenow (Kate Shugak, 19th) — Taylor Stevens (Vanessa "Michael" Munroe, 2nd) — Jan Costin Wagner (Kimmo Joentaa, 2nd) — Stuart Woods (Stone Barrington, 22nd) — Anthony E. Zuiker and Duane Swierczynski (Steve Dark, 3rd)
• Authors with mysteries introducing characters (in italics) in a new series this month:
Karen Charlton (Regency Reivers) — Stephen Hunter (Ray Cruz) — Clea Koff (Jayne Hall and Steelie Lander) — Lois Lamanna (Marlene Webb and Bethany Cunningham) — Edward Marston (Harvey Marmion)
• Authors with non-series or stand-alone mysteries this month:
Neal Baer and Jonathan Greene — Robin Cook — Gar Anthony Haywood — David James — P. D. James — Larry Karp — Dean Koontz — Ed Kovacs — Michael Z. Lewin — Craig McDonald — Kyle Mills — D-L Nelson — Paul Theroux — Elizabeth Voss
For more information on any of these titles, please visit the December new mysteries page on our website. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where you can discover a library of new mystery, suspense and thriller books, also updated with December 2011 releases.
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.
MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Dummy Line by Bobby Cole as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal. The deal price of $0.99 is valid only for today, Friday, November 25, 2011.
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The Dummy Line by Bobby Cole
Non-Series
AmazonEncore
Earlier this month we were delighted to welcome Bobby Cole as our guest blogger, who wrote about two sides of a thrilling adventure: the hunter and the hunted. The Dummy Line is his debut novel.
About The Dummy Line (from the publisher): Avid hunter Jake Crosby is thrilled that his nine-year-old daughter Katy shares his love of the outdoors. His wife, Morgan, on the other hand, does not, which means Jake and Katy enjoy an abundance of hunting, fishing, and camping trips together. So when they head off into the Alabama woods for a spring turkey hunt, Jake expects nothing out of the ordinary. But even his worst nightmares could not prepare him for what befalls them that evening, when a band of drug dealers attempts to break into their remote camp.
Desperate to protect his daughter and himself, Jake makes a gut-wrenching decision. His quick thinking enables him and Katy to escape … but brings the gang of vengeful criminals hot on their trail. Gambling on his knowledge of the land and hunting skills, he leads their bloodthirsty pursuers on a perilous cat-and-mouse game deep within the Noxubee River swamp. Jake knows they all won’t come out alive — but he will do whatever is necessary to make sure Katy does.
Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.
Download Link(s):
A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending November 25th, 2011 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.
Last week's featured title, V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton, makes a run for the top spot but is edged out by The Litigators by John Grisham, which retains the number one position for the third week in a row. Two new titles debut this week.
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Coming in at number 10 is the 18th numbered entry in the Stephanie Plum series, Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich.
Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, and she’s flying back to New Jersey solo. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. And a ragtag collection of thugs and psychos, not to mention the FBI, are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.
Only one other person has seen the missing photo — Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target, and she doesn’t intend to end up in a garbage can. With the help of an FBI sketch artist Stephanie re-creates the person in the photo. Unfortunately the first sketch turns out to look like Tom Cruise, and the second sketch like Ashton Kutcher. Until Stephanie can improve her descriptive skills, she’ll need to watch her back.
Over at the bail bonds agency things are going from bad to worse. The bonds bus serving as Vinnie’s temporary HQ goes up in smoke. Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls in love with their largest skip yet. Lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment. And everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii?
Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii. And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is … It’s complicated.
Purchase Options:
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Two spots lower at number 12 is Micro, a thriller by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston.
Three men are found dead in the locked second-floor office of a Honolulu building, with no sign of struggle except for the ultrafine, razor-sharp cuts covering their bodies. The only clue left behind is a tiny bladed robot, nearly invisible to the human eye.
In the lush forests of Oahu, groundbreaking technology has ushered in a revolutionary era of biological prospecting. Trillions of microorganisms, tens of thousands of bacteria species, are being discovered; they are feeding a search for priceless drugs and applications on a scale beyond anything previously imagined.
In Cambridge, Massachusetts, seven graduate students at the forefront of their fields are recruited by a pioneering microbiology start-up. Nanigen MicroTechnologies dispatches the group to a mysterious lab in Hawaii, where they are promised access to tools that will open a whole new scientific frontier.
But once in the Oahu rain forest, the scientists are thrust into a hostile wilderness that reveals profound and surprising dangers at every turn. Armed only with their knowledge of the natural world, they find themselves prey to a technology of radical and unbridled power. To survive, they must harness the inherent forces of nature itself.
Purchase Options:
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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.
The tenth entry in the popular Mystery Case Files series of casual adventure games was released today by Big Fish Games. In Escape from Ravenhearst, players are challenged to solve the most challenging case yet!
Mystery Case Files: Escape from Ravenhearst starts at the burned out Ravenhearst Manor, a mysterious 19th century mansion constructed by Charles Dalimar as a symbol of affection for his love, Emma Ravenhearst. From there players must follow the haunted past to learn more about the manor's mysterious origins, unearthing harrowing new details in the Ravenhearst tale as they move through the game to a unforgettable climax.
The game's engaging storyline is complemented by haunting performances from live actors that fans from the series have come to know and love, and is underscored by an original music soundtrack. The Collectors' Edition of Mystery Case Files: Escape from Ravenhearst also features additional gameplay, an integrated strategy guide, and a special game-play bonus features in the case book.
"We designed this game to push the envelope in ways that leave mainstream consumers in awe," said Adrian Woods, Senior Game Design Director for Big Fish Games. "And long-time avid fans of Mystery Case Files will get huge doses of what they know and love. The game includes deep, immersive adventure, interactive story, cinematic art and rewarding puzzles. Even more so than its predecessors, this chapter of Mystery Case Files will tap the deepest recesses of every player's psyche."
Mystery Case Files: Escape from Ravenhearst (Collector's Edition) is available to download today. A free trial version is also available.
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Blackbird Fly by Lise McClendon as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically only until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so we urge you to download it while it is still available for free.
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Blackbird Fly by Lise McClendon
Non-Series
Thalia Press
Lise McClendon is the author of two series mysteries. This is her first — and to date only — stand-alone.
About Blackbird Fly (from the publisher): A house in France connects three women together — the woman who owns the house, the woman who lives in the house, and the woman who died in the house sixty years before.
Merle Bennett inherits the house of her late husband, in a small village in the Dordogne. But when she arrives a deranged squatter won't let her inside. Secrets from the post-war period, when southwest France was left to wither by Nazi occupation, and secrets of a newer kind, occupy what should be a fine French summer for Merle. With her teenage son in tow, a sexy roofer in her kitchen, and a nasty discovery in the pissoir, there is plenty to keep her mind off her endless to-do list.
A story of murder, self-discovery, and family, deep in the heart of France.
Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.
Download Link(s):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Chicago Lightning by Max Allan Collins as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal. The deal price of $0.99 is valid only for today, Wednesday, November 23, 2011.
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Chicago Lightning by Max Allan Collins
A Nathan Heller Short Story Collection
Thomas & Mercer
Tough, cynical, and clever, ex-cop Nathan Heller is a private investigator in 1930s Chicago … where "lightning" means gunfire.
About Chicago Lightning (from the publisher): In this engaging collection of thirteen stories, Heller encounters gangsters and petty crooks, noble doctors and quacks, loving wives and wanton women, and even the occasional honest cop. All of the stories are based on real cases of the 1930s and 1940s. Heller's adventures feature some of the biggest names in 20th-century American crime history: Eliot Ness, Frank Nitti, Mickey Cohen, and Jack Ruby, just to name a few. Whether he is investigating a union shooting, going toe-to-toe with the female leader of a vicious hold-up crew, or playing a homeless man to pose as bait for an insurance racket, Heller's humorous, wryly cynical tone, and knack for keen social observation make for a cracking good read.
Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.
Download Link(s):
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