FREE/BARGAIN - Mystery, Suspense, Thriller - 2016

[Mort1997]

Free Today on Amazon UK - A Murder Most Macabre by Edmund Glasby

'Jeremy Lavelle, leader of the esoteric Egyptian Society the Order of the True Sphinx, had illegally purchased the mummy of Aj-Merak, an ancient Egyptian scribe, in its three and a half thousand year old sarcophagus. At a secret gathering of his Society, watched by his enthralled followers, he had opened the coffin, and unwrapped the mummy. Whilst the head was that of the ancient scribe, his shrivelled and desiccated, rotted brown face staring eyelessly up from his Middle Kingdom coffin, from the neck down, wrapped up in the layers of bandages, was not the mummified remains which they had expected. Stunned and horrified, Lavelle and a helper had then proceeded to extricate the bloody, a decapitated corpse of a recently-killed man. The group behind the acquisition of the mummy, anxious to keep the police out of the case, enlist the help of a private investigator - Adam Blake. For Blake, the case offer an escape from his more mundane work of digging into match fixing in illegal boxing, and has no qualms about downing tools on his other cases to look into the mystery of the contaminated sarcophagus. However, once in the employment of the society, a sceptical Blake finds himself at odds with the superstitions of his bosses’ beliefs in the ancient Egyptian occult. Bemused by the methods and dogmas these apparent men of industry indulge in, Blake sets about methodically digging into the murky world of the Order’s associates. He soon realises just how nonsensical a world he has marched into, leaving him to questioning his own beliefs. '


UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Most-...ndeavour+press

US
http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Most-Ma...ndeavour+press

Au
http://www.amazon.com.au/Murder-Most...ndeavour+press

Can
http://www.amazon.ca/Murder-Most-Mac...ndeavour+press

[Mort1997]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

You are welcome.

Endeavour Books reprint.

I expected Mort1997 to post it but perhaps he was unsure of the category ?

Yup - Quilty of judging a book by its cover - thought it was Romance/Drama

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Mort1997

Free Today on Amazon UK - A Murder Most Macabre by Edmund Glasby

'Jeremy Lavelle, leader of the esoteric Egyptian Society the Order of the True Sphinx, had illegally purchased the mummy of Aj-Merak, an ancient Egyptian scribe, in its three and a half thousand year old sarcophagus. At a secret gathering of his Society, watched by his enthralled followers, he had opened the coffin, and unwrapped the mummy. Whilst the head was that of the ancient scribe, his shrivelled and desiccated, rotted brown face staring eyelessly up from his Middle Kingdom coffin, from the neck down, wrapped up in the layers of bandages, was not the mummified remains which they had expected. Stunned and horrified, Lavelle and a helper had then proceeded to extricate the bloody, a decapitated corpse of a recently-killed man. The group behind the acquisition of the mummy, anxious to keep the police out of the case, enlist the help of a private investigator - Adam Blake. For Blake, the case offer an escape from his more mundane work of digging into match fixing in illegal boxing, and has no qualms about downing tools on his other cases to look into the mystery of the contaminated sarcophagus. However, once in the employment of the society, a sceptical Blake finds himself at odds with the superstitions of his bosses’ beliefs in the ancient Egyptian occult. Bemused by the methods and dogmas these apparent men of industry indulge in, Blake sets about methodically digging into the murky world of the Order’s associates. He soon realises just how nonsensical a world he has marched into, leaving him to questioning his own beliefs. '


UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Most-...ndeavour+press

US
http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Most-Ma...ndeavour+press

Au
http://www.amazon.com.au/Murder-Most...ndeavour+press

Can
http://www.amazon.ca/Murder-Most-Mac...ndeavour+press

Got it!

I thoroughly enjoy a "shrivelled and desiccated, rotted brown face" They're quite the party rage, you know.

Thanks for making me aware of this new romance author.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Mort1997

Free Today on Amazon UK - A Murder Most Macabre by Edmund Glasby

'Jeremy Lavelle, leader of the esoteric Egyptian Society the Order of the True Sphinx, had illegally purchased the mummy of Aj-Merak, an ancient Egyptian scribe, in its three and a half thousand year old sarcophagus. At a secret gathering of his Society, watched by his enthralled followers, he had opened the coffin, and unwrapped the mummy. Whilst the head was that of the ancient scribe, his shrivelled and desiccated, rotted brown face staring eyelessly up from his Middle Kingdom coffin, from the neck down, wrapped up in the layers of bandages, was not the mummified remains which they had expected. Stunned and horrified, Lavelle and a helper had then proceeded to extricate the bloody, a decapitated corpse of a recently-killed man. The group behind the acquisition of the mummy, anxious to keep the police out of the case, enlist the help of a private investigator - Adam Blake. For Blake, the case offer an escape from his more mundane work of digging into match fixing in illegal boxing, and has no qualms about downing tools on his other cases to look into the mystery of the contaminated sarcophagus. However, once in the employment of the society, a sceptical Blake finds himself at odds with the superstitions of his bosses’ beliefs in the ancient Egyptian occult. Bemused by the methods and dogmas these apparent men of industry indulge in, Blake sets about methodically digging into the murky world of the Order’s associates. He soon realises just how nonsensical a world he has marched into, leaving him to questioning his own beliefs. '


UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Most-...ndeavour+press

US
http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Most-Ma...ndeavour+press

Au
http://www.amazon.com.au/Murder-Most...ndeavour+press

Can
http://www.amazon.ca/Murder-Most-Mac...ndeavour+press

I find myself forced to get this book, simply to find out how many Egyptological errors it contains .

Thanks, Mort!

[Mort1997]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I find myself forced to get this book, simply to find out how many Egyptological errors it contains .

Thanks, Mort!

Yes - I did have a flashback to last time I posted an Egytian mystery when I read the blurb to this! Hopefully this will be more entertaining for you

[Mort1997]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Got it!

I thoroughly enjoy a "shrivelled and desiccated, rotted brown face" They're quite the party rage, you know.

Thanks for making me aware of this new romance author.

Well at least you can sit comfortably for this one

And the 'romance' author was the Elizabeth Harris book but you never know it could be that nothing says true romance like a "shrivelled and desiccated, rotted brown face" but where I am not sure

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Mort1997

Yes - I did have a flashback to last time I posted an Egytian mystery when I read the blurb to this! Hopefully this will be more entertaining for you

I always enjoy reading such things. Spotting the errors is half the fun of it! Thanks again for posting it.

[sufue]

Five titles by Edmund Crispin just dropped from $6.99 to $4.99 in the US Kindle store, no idea for how long. That's not much of a sale, but Crispin is a pretty classic UK mystery author, and so I thought I'd post them. While looking, I also noticed that another Crispin title is only £0.99 in the Kindle UK store, so there's a link to that one too.

Swan Song
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Swan-Song-Gerv...dp/B00JIWJG8I/

Spoiler:

When an opera company gathers in Oxford for the first post-war production of Wagner's Die Meistersinger its happiness is soon soured by the discovery that the unpleasant Edwin Shorthouse will be singing a leading role. Nearly everyone involved has reason to loathe Shorthouse but who amongst them has the fiendish ingenuity to kill him in his own locked dressing room?

In the course of this entertaining adventure, eccentric Oxford don and amateur sleuth Gervase Fen has to unravel two murders, cope with the unpredictability of the artistic temperament, and attempt to encourage the course of true love.

Erudite, eccentric and entirely delightful - Before Morse, Oxford's murders were solved by Gervase Fen, the most unpredictable detective in classic crime fiction.

Love Lies Bleeding
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Lies-Blee...dp/B00G9AFE8S/

Spoiler:

Castrevenford school is preparing for Speech Day and English professor and amateur sleuth Gervase Fen is called upon to present the prizes. However, the night before the big day, strange events take place that leave two members of staff dead. The Headmaster turns to Professor Fen to investigate the murders.

While disentangling the facts of the case, Mr Fen is forced to deal with student love affairs, a kidnapping and a lost Shakespearean manuscript. By turns hilarious and chilling, Love Lies Bleeding is a classic of the detective genre.

Erudite, eccentric and entirely delightful - Before Morse, Oxford's murders were solved by Gervase Fen, the most unpredictable detective in classic crime fiction.

The Long Divorce
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Long-Divorce-G...dp/B00KGF0CDO/

Spoiler:

The little village of Cotton Abbas is home to both an irritating influx of England's newly rich and a deliciously weird clutch of long-time locals. Chief among the latter: Colonel Babbington, whose cat, Lavender, is remarkably clumsy and also convinced that he is responsible for saving the world from a Martian invasion. Lavender may be a little odd, to say the least, but his unusual psychic gifts prove unexpectedly helpful to Fen (visiting incognito) as he attempts to discover who is responsible for the village's epidemic of ugly anonymous letters.

Buried for Pleasure
http://www.amazon.com/Buried-Pleasur...dp/B00JIUWDGC/

Spoiler:

In the sleepy English village of Sanford Angelorum, professor and amateur detective Gervase Fen is taking a break from his books to run for Parliament. At first glance, the village he's come to canvass appears perfectly peaceful, but Fen soon discovers that appearances can be deceptive: someone in the village has discovered a dark secret and is using it for blackmail. Anyone who comes close to uncovering the blackmailer's identity is swiftly dispatched.

As the joys of politics wear off, Fen sets his mind to the mystery but finds himself caught up in a tangled tale of eccentric psychiatrists, escaped lunatics, beautiful women and lost heirs.

Holy Disorders
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Disorders...dp/B00HRCBW2O/

Spoiler:

Holy Disorders takes Oxford don and part time detective Gervase Fen to the town of Tolnbridge, where he is happily bounding around with a butterfly net until the cathedral organist is murdered, giving Fen the chance to play sleuth. The man didn't have an enemy in the world, and even his music was inoffensive: could he have fallen foul of a nest of German spies or of the local coven of witches, ominously rumored to have been practicing since the 17th century?

Tracking down the answer pleases Fen immensely - only the reader will have a better time.

Erudite, eccentric and entirely delightful - Before Morse, Oxford's murders were solved by Gervase Fen, the most unpredictable detective in classic crime fiction.

The Moving Toyshop
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moving-Toysh...dp/B00QPTAU3M/

Spoiler:

As inventive as Agatha Christie, as hilarious as P.G. Wodehouse - discover the delightful detective stories of Edmund Crispin. Crime fiction at its quirkiest and best.

Richard Cadogan, poet and would-be bon vivant, arrives for what he thinks will be a relaxing holiday in the city of dreaming spires. Late one night, however, he discovers the dead body of an elderly woman lying in a toyshop and is coshed on the head. When he comes to, he finds that the toyshop has disappeared and been replaced with a grocery store. The police are understandably skeptical of this tale but Richard's former schoolmate, Gervase Fen (Oxford professor and amateur detective), knows that truth is stranger than fiction (in fiction, at least). Soon the intrepid duo are careening around town in hot pursuit of clues but just when they think they understand what has happened, the disappearing-toyshop mystery takes a sharp turn…

Erudite, eccentric and entirely delightful – Before Morse, Oxford's murders were solved by Gervase Fen, the most unpredictable detective in classic crime fiction.

[Little.Egret]

free non-legal thriller

The Tumor: A Non-Legal Thriller (67pp) by John Grisham

John Grisham says THE TUMOR is the most important book he has ever written. In this short book, he provides readers with a fictional account of how a real, new medical technology could revolutionize the future of medicine by curing with sound.

THE TUMOR follows the present day experience of the fictional patient Paul, an otherwise healthy 35-year-old father who is diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Grisham takes readers through a detailed account of Paul’s treatment and his family’s experience that doesn’t end as we would hope. Grisham then explores an alternate future, where Paul is diagnosed with the same brain tumor at the same age, but in the year 2025, when a treatment called focused ultrasound is able to extend his life expectancy.

Focused ultrasound has the potential to treat not just brain tumors, but many other disorders, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, hypertension, and prostate, breast and pancreatic cancer.

For more information, you can visit The Focused Ultrasound Foundation’s website. Here you will find a video of Grisham on the TEDx stage with the Foundation’s chairman and a Parkinson’s patient who brings the audience to its feet sharing her incredible story of a focused ultrasound “miracle.”

Readers will get a taste of the narrative they expect from Grisham, but this short book will also educate and inspire people to be hopeful about the future of medical innovation.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AUYDNI6/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AUYDNI6/
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01AUYDNI6/

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

free non-legal thriller

The Tumor: A Non-Legal Thriller (67pp) by John Grisham

John Grisham says THE TUMOR is the most important book he has ever written. In this short book, he provides readers with a fictional account of how a real, new medical technology could revolutionize the future of medicine by curing with sound.

THE TUMOR follows the present day experience of the fictional patient Paul, an otherwise healthy 35-year-old father who is diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Grisham takes readers through a detailed account of Paul’s treatment and his family’s experience that doesn’t end as we would hope. Grisham then explores an alternate future, where Paul is diagnosed with the same brain tumor at the same age, but in the year 2025, when a treatment called focused ultrasound is able to extend his life expectancy.

Focused ultrasound has the potential to treat not just brain tumors, but many other disorders, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, hypertension, and prostate, breast and pancreatic cancer.

For more information, you can visit The Focused Ultrasound Foundation’s website. Here you will find a video of Grisham on the TEDx stage with the Foundation’s chairman and a Parkinson’s patient who brings the audience to its feet sharing her incredible story of a focused ultrasound “miracle.”

Readers will get a taste of the narrative they expect from Grisham, but this short book will also educate and inspire people to be hopeful about the future of medical innovation.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AUYDNI6/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AUYDNI6/
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01AUYDNI6/

I thought this sounded interesting, so I checked it out. But seeing the publisher makes me wonder if this is a story or an ad. The publisher is Focused Ultrasound Foundation (January 19, 2016).

[KyBunnies]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I thought this sounded interesting, so I checked it out. But seeing the publisher makes me wonder if this is a story or an ad. The publisher is Focused Ultrasound Foundation (January 19, 2016).

It is a little of both. They do ask for donations. But I think John Grisham wrote the story because he was friends with someone who had this and died.

[sufue]

Dancing Made Easy is the fourth in Phillip DePoy's Flap Tucker series. It's on US Kindle Countdown at $0.99 for about one more day. A couple of other books in this series have been on countdown recently, so if you like the series, keep an eye out.

link: http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Made-E...dp/B019QG3ICU/

Spoiler:

Flap Tucker is not your typical private investigator.

With his zen-like ability to step back and comprehend the bigger picture, Flap’s mysterious talents have established his reputation as the go-to guy for solving strange cases.

Now it’s January, and local oddball Joepye Adder has got him up in the cold, Atlanta dawn to show him the body of a girl hanging from a streetlight.

And notoriously violent Mickey “the Pineapple” Nichols has got a gun to his head demanding to know what happened to his dead girlfriend, Janey.

Two different corpses. Two different cases.

When another dangling corpse is added to the mix, Flap is sent spinning blindly through Atlanta’s underworld, where two mobsters fight violently over love and money, a brilliant musician withholds his secrets and a series of dances are interlinked with the murders.

And suddenly Flap’s usually trustworthy talents don’t seem to be working.

As a ruthless killer leads him through a set of esoteric clues, Flap struggles to find his footing in what might be his strangest case yet.

However, with the murderous beat quickening around him and the cops following their own routine, it is up to Flap to recover his special talents and unravel the truth.

Will he solve the mystery in time before the deadly dancer claims one last partner?

Dancing Made Easy is a gripping mystery thriller and the fourth in the Flap Tucker mystery series.

[sufue]

Some repeat US Kindle Countdown titles:

Fault Tree by Michaela Thompson/Mickey Friedman, at $1.99 for about 2 more days
info in this previous post: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho....php?p=3040599

Crime In Leper's Hollow, a title in the Thomas Littlejohn series by George Bellairs, at $0.99 for about 3 more days
link: http://www.amazon.com/Crime-Lepers-H...dp/B00NVMIQ50/

Spoiler:

The trip to Tilsey was meant to be a holiday for Detective Inspector Littlejohn.

But the DI soon finds himself caught up in a network of family intrigue involving hate, deception and murder.

In 'Crime in Leper's Hollow', DI Littlejohn must unravel the mysteries of the Crake family.

Starting with the death of Nicholas Crake, the affairs connected to the family seat, Beyle House, make for a gripping tale, one which George Bellairs tells with humour and suspense.

Dead March for Penelope Blow, a title in the Thomas Littlejohn series by George Bellairs, at $0.99 for about 4 more days
link: http://www.amazon.com/Dead-March-Pen...dp/B00OJ0ZOE4/

Spoiler:

The Blow’s old house stands proudly in post-war Nesbury.

But the building harbours strange secrets.

The owner, Mr William Blow, has left a financial mystery in the wake of his death.

When Miss Penelope becomes the latest member of the Blow family to die, it sparks one of Scotland Yard’s most complex investigations.

Who would kill Miss Penelope, a kind, Christian woman known best by Claplady, the local vicar, and Nesbury’s Salvation Army?

Was jealousy the cause of her death, or simply madness?

As Scotland Yard come under pressure to prosecute Miss Penelope’s killer, more witnesses crawl out of the woodwork to give their side of the story.

How many crimes must be committed before the mystery of the Blow family is finally solved?

‘Dead March for Penelope Blow’ is a witty crime thriller by one of the masters of the genre.

Past Shadows by Anthea Fraser, at $0.99 for about the next four days
link: http://www.amazon.com/Past-Shadows-A...dp/B010O1C0I4/

Spoiler:

Every summer Annabel Kendal joins her extended family on a holiday at her grandmother’s house in Devon.

Yet a dark shadow casts its presence over each trip – 28 years ago Annabel’s Aunt Hilary was brutally murdered on a similar holiday when Annabel was just a toddler.

With no one found guilty, the subject has been hushed away and is now taboo on their trips.

When an over-zealous journalist starts digging around the murder, the suspicion and guilt in Annabel’s family comes back to the surface.

Annabel starts researching into the truth, and the discovery of her much-maligned French mother Monique’s diary reveals some alarming details.

With the added pressure of her marriage struggling and a series of anonymous phone calls, Annabel is drawn into the middle of a dark family secret.

‘Past Shadows’ is another absorbing murder mystery from crime thriller author Anthea Fraser.

The Seven Razors of Ockam by Roger Ormerod is at $0.99 for about one more day
link: http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Razors-O.../dp/B0147QN3KQ

Spoiler:

How could a harmless raffle for the local hospital put the lives of seven people under threat from a crazed serial killer?

The town of Ockam is proud of its long history. Famed for forging weapons in various wars, its residents are sticklers for heritage and tradition.

When the town's Mayor, Bert ‘Slasher’ Harris, decides to choose the seven winners of a raffle in reverse order, the local crowd demand fair play.

As the angry mob becomes increasingly violent, the town’s most highly prized possession, the historic seven razors of Ockam, are stolen.

These seven cut-throat razors are each engraved with a day of the week... seven razors for seven attacks.

An anonymous killer is targeting the prize-winners, picking them off one day at a time.

It is up to Inspector Ralph Tomkins and Detective Constable Tony Finch to work out the identity of the slasher behind these seemingly unstoppable attacks before all the razors have been used.

Each target is kept under closely-watched police guard, yet the murders continue.

Can Inspector Tomkins and DC Finch find the killer before the week is up?

The Seven Razors of Ockam is a deftly-plotted thriller with moments of dark humour for the small-town detective duo.

Please note that Endeavour Press (several of these) sometimes relists titles in new listings rather than updating existing ones. As a result, it may not be obvious that you previously bought a particular title, so check carefully for a prior purchase.

[ATDrake]

Some Soho Press repeat mystery/crime bargains if you're looking to use Kobo's 50% off unlimited weekend promo coupon:

@ $1.99 each:

• The Big Both Ways by Shamus Award-winning John Straley (SYKM), a retro 30s mix of hard-boiled and screwball comedy road trip, from the looks of it, set between Seattle and Alaska
• White Sky, Black Ice by Stan Jones (SYKM), 1st in his Alaska-set Nathan Active series starring the eponymous Inupiak-descended State Trooper; this one was a Barry Award finalist
• Frozen Assets by Quentin Bates (SYKM), 1st in his Sergeant Gunnhildur Gísladóttir series set in Iceland

Kensington also has a bunch of couponable mystery/thrillers sale priced from $0.99-$2.99 (some of the lower-priced ones are novellas or serial installments, so caveat emptor, and we've also gotten a few as freebies in the past), including a whole lot of their suspense and cozy series from popular baking cozy authors like Joanne Fluke (SYKM) and Leslie Meier (SYKM), and more: linkage for the lot.

[Dr. Drib]

Here's the Amazon link for "The Big Both Ways," by John Straley:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Only $1.99, as opposed to 1.61 British pounds ($2.28), although coupons may be available from Kobo in order to reduce the price. You know where the thread is......so take a gander on over there and mosey around for a spell, pardner.