Mystery Books News's Page

Breaking the Wall of Crime Fiction, an Article in Publishers Weekly

In an article earlier this week in the Publishers Weekly Talkback section, Jordan Foster writes about breaking the wall of crime fiction.

What separates the genre of crime fiction from literary fiction may be more membrane than wall, Foster writes, but it's still a barrier that is often tricky to penetrate. The very act of categorizing brings with it an implicit ranking and the idea that anything shelved under “genre” is somehow lacking. In particular, the genre's rigidness of structure seems to work against it. Yet crime novelists have come up with myriad ways to work around this perceived limitation.

In the end, Foster writes, what matters to writers and readers of crime fiction—and fiction in general—is the quality of the writing, the depth of the characters, the intricacies of the plot, and the richness of the setting. “When you're working to make a sentence as perfect as it can be,” says Tana French, author of the Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox mystery series, “or to make a character real and vivid and three-dimensional, how and whether you do that isn't dependent on where the book will be shelved.”

Read this interesting article in its entirety here.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Mystery Bestsellers for November 27, 2009

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending November 27, 2009 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

A quiet Thanksgiving week, with little change among the top 15, with only one new title entering the list.

A rollicking adventure thriller marks Pirate Latitudes by the late Michael Crichton.

The Caribbean, 1665. A remote colony of the English Crown, the island of Jamaica holds out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Port Royal, its capital, is a cutthroat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses.

In this steamy climate there's a living to be made, a living that can end swiftly by disease—or by dagger. For Captain Charles Hunter, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking, and the law of the land rests with those ruthless enough to make it.

Word in port is that the galleon El Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is awaiting repairs in a nearby harbor. Heavily fortified, the impregnable harbor is guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, a favorite commander of the Spanish king himself. With backing from a powerful ally, Hunter assembles a crew of ruffians to infiltrate the enemy outpost and commandeer El Trinidad, along with its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloodiest tales of island legend, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he even sets foot on foreign shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry stand between him and the treasure.

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.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

Games of Mystery: Mystery Case Files, Dire Grove Collector's Edition, New from Big Fish Games

Games of Mystery, your source for mystery-themed electronic and board games, parties for kids and adults, and murder mystery weekends and mystery getaway vacations, is pleased to announce the availability of a new mystery game from Big Fish Games released today. 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.

Be the first to play Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove with this special Collector's Edition.

Considered a fairytale, its telling was common at campfires and as a bedtime story meant to frighten small children into staying in their beds through the night. However, a recently unearthed artifact in the United Kingdom corroborates the legend and so begins a journey of survival for a small band of graduate students in the secluded resort of Dire Grove.

The exclusive Collector's Edition includes bonus "Easter egg" levels and puzzles that reveal secrets related to both past and future Mystery Case Files episodes. The integrated Deluxe Strategy Guide also includes extra video outtakes, concept art, screenshots, and desktop wallpapers.

Visit the website, MCF: Dire Grove, for more information about the game, including a game trailer.

Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove Collector's Edition, a Big Fish Game exclusive, may be downloaded and purchased for $19.95 with a Big Fish Game Club membership. A demonstration version for this Collector's Edition is not available. The $6.99 standard edition, with a free trial version, will be available in early December.

Watch a preview video below:

Get any 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.

Read our new game reviews by Ms. Terri: Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy (Review), Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (Review), The Hardy Boys: The Perfect Crime (Review), Enlightenus (Review), and Nick Chase: A Detective Story (Review).

Big Fish Games: Bestsellers

Big Fish Games: New releases

And don't forget to visit Games of Mystery for all kinds of mysterious fun!

Return to Mystery Books News ...

First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: Nancy Drew Titles for December 2009

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is your source for information on over 100 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), is pleased to announce Nancy Drew series books that are scheduled for release during December, 2009.

— ◊ —

Princess Mix-Up Mystery by Carolyn Keene
Series: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew

24th book in this series featuring an 8-year-old Nancy Drew.

No summary available.

Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew books are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

— ◊ —

Green-Eyed Monster by Carolyn Keene
Series: Nancy Drew, Girl Detective

1st book in the Eco-Mystery Trilogy.

George, Bess, and I were so excited when we won an amazing vacation at an eco-resort in Costa Rica. Fun, sun, surf -- all in the name of ecology and helping to keep our planet clean. But, as always, dirty business seems to follow me wherever I go, and this resort isn't as spic 'n' span as we originally thought.

After a string of increasingly dangerous "accidents," it seems that there is a jealous predator staying at the resort, making trouble for the management and the guests. Against the urging of my friends, I know that I need to take this case and get to the bottom of it before our entire week at Casa Verde is ruined -- or worse. Can I uncover who is sabotaging the press tour before it's too late? Or will our vacation come to an unhappy end?

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

— ◊ —

Return to Mystery Books News ...

First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: New Titles for December 2009

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids, your source for information on over 100 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), is pleased to announce a selection of new mystery books (including series books) scheduled for publication during December, 2009.

— ◊ —

January Joker by Ron Roy
Calendar Mysteries

First book in a planned series of twelve.

Green Lawn, we have a problem! When Bradley Pinto wakes up in the night to strange lights in his backyard, he thinks there are aliens in town. When he sees three-toed footprints in the snow, he’s sure of it. His twin, Brian, and friends Lucy and Nate aren’t so certain. But then Lucy’s cousin Dink, the twins’ brother, Josh, and Nate’s sister, Ruth Rose, all disappear. Are there really aliens in Green Lawn? And where could they be taking Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose?

Calendar Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

— ◊ —

February Friend by Ron Roy
Calendar Mysteries

Second book in this series.

It's a Valentine's Day party! Bradley is passing out his class’s valentines, but one of them has no name on it. Inside, the card tells the class to look in the closet. When they open the closet door, the kids find a rabbit named Douglas in a cage! What mysterious “friend” left him there? And why? Then the bunny gets sick. It’s up to Bradley, Brian, Lucy, and Nate to track down his owner and figure out what is wrong with poor little Douglas.

Calendar Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

— ◊ —

Return to Mystery Books News ...