Free (Kindle DRM-free) Killer Karma by Lee Killough [Paranormal Mystery] + KDP

[ATDrake]

Well, a KDP Select exclusive-or-else backlist sf/fantasy double-feature to make up for the dearth of stuff from the slushpile in recent days.

2 of Lee Killough's proto-paranormal investigative/urban fantasies from before the field became what it is now later written in the style of her original ones and published by specialty sf/fantasy press Meisha Merlin shortly before they engaged in that murder-suicide pact with their proposed publication schedule (which would have included new Diane Duane and John Morressy, sigh) have been yanked from Smashwords and temp-freebied by her re-publisher.

While I still think this is a putting-all-your-eggs-in-one-basket move and unfortunate for her readers who need a different format and have bad Calibre skillz or live in one of those smaller European/Asia-Pacific Amazon-slaps-a-$2-Whispernet-surcharge-per-book countries, I hope things turn out decently for the author's sake.

And at least they're still DRM-free and the author has priced her stuff very affordably at $2.99 a pop. Perhaps if they decide to de-exclusivise the more interesting-looking titles I'll pick a few more up after 90 days.

And there's a bunch of short stories and some backlist/self-pub stuff by established sf/fantasy authors I'm not particularly familiar with but who have a bit of name-brand recognition. Plus a couple of mystery and romances, since they inevitably pop up as well, being offered in far greater numbers to begin with.

Anyway, on to the Lee Killough offerings, free without DRM for who knows how long:

Killer Karma ghost cop tries to solve own murder @ Amazon main, UK, DE, ES, FR, IT.

Inspector Cole Dunavan finds himself in the middle of a parking garage with no memory except of his murder. After remembering who he is and accepting that he is now a ghost, he has more problems. He is a ghost with no idea how being a ghost works. No one sees or hears him. He cannot move objects and initially cannot move through closed doors. He learns to his horror that his body has not been found the circumstances of his disappearance make it appear he betrayed his marriage and was killed by his mistress...who has also disappeared. Only he knows the woman was an informant...and he is still on earth because his obsession with capturing a felon put her in mortal danger. While he works at saving her, he struggles to communicate with his former partner, to get straight with his wife, and learn the identity of his killer.

Wilding Nights closeted werewolf cop secretly hunts one of her own @ Amazon main, UK, DE, ES, FR, IT.

Homicide detective Allison Goodnight has a big problem. A rogue werewolf killed the victim in her latest case. She knows the signs; she is a werewolf, too. Her whole family is. It is urgent that she close this case without revealing the killer’s nature before humans’ racial memory of her kind awakens. But her new partner Zane Kerr is watching her with unnerving intensity. He is disturbed by her secretive behavior on this case. And when the description of a woman seen with the victim matches a number of Allison’s relatives, he has to wonder if she is trying to protect, not catch, the killer. He is determined to find out. Which could be fatal for him. If he learns too much, Allison may have to turn killer herself to protect her people.

Former Baen author Doranna Durgin's sf short story Fountane Of is free.

Nebula award-winner Eric James Stone's sf short story Salt of Judas is free, though may not be tomorrow, as he offers these things one day at a time, it seems.

But you can still get the actual award-winning story he wrote, That Leviathian etc. at Smashwords using a coupon.

Anarchy Books is offering 9 assorted freebies, linkage to keyword search with price pre-sorted low to high (watch for sneak reversions as Amazon can be tricky about counting the $0.00 "prime lending" price among the $0.00 "buy with 1-click" pricing when a title newly becomes non-free).

I recognize the names of Andy Remic (previous fantasy freebie Kell's Legend was a B&N Free Fridays offering) and Eric Brown (also published by Infinity Plus, imprint of the now defunct British sf/fantasy online mag), and Gary McMahon's blurb says he's had stories included in Year's Best Fantasy & Horror collections.

I don't know who the other people are, but probably worth picking up if you're interested and they're still free. And some of them say that they've got accompanying soundtracks over at the publisher website, which sounds like an interesting tie-in concept.

Jon F. Bexley's epic fantasy The Blackgloom County is published by small press Five Star (who've also done story collections by Esther Friesner and Brian Stableford) and there's a Publisher's Weekly review in the description.

Speaking of Five Star, author Aris Whittier is offering her FS-published romantic suspense A Fatal Embrace for "Set Your Own Price" over at Smashwords, and you can set it to free. Her other books are priced at 99 cents.

Speaking of romance, Catherine Kean's medieval historical romantic suspense A Knight's Vengeance, paperback-published by Medallion Press who've given us a fair amount of freebies, is also KDP-selected. Her other novels are $2.99.

Speaking of plain old suspense, Berkley-published cozy mystery writer Tim Myers offers 2 of his works:

Iced, which the blurb says is atypical of his usual stuff

A Family of Strangers, a "Traditional Novel", whatever that means, but it's a cozy that says it's an Agatha award nominee. And it's DRM-free. His other books are mostly $2.99 and if there's anything left on Smashwords, he tends to offer discount coupons during Read an Ebook Week.

MIRA-published crime/thriller-writer Rick Mofina offers a short story, Three Bullets to Queensland. I seem to recall him also being Canadian.

And speaking of my fellow Canadians, this one does look kind of self-pub, but Donna Carick's The First Excellence ~ Fa-ling's Map (Li Fa-ling mystery series) looks like it's got an interesting premise and it's free. And it's got a Kirkus Review, whatever that is. And you're probably picking up worse-written things from the KDP select slushpile anyway.

Anyway, happy reading if you decide to get anything.

[Dr. Drib]

Got a bunch. Thanks!


Don

[Blue Tyson]

Gary McMahon is definitely worth a look.

[emellaich]

What is a cozy mystery? This is a new term for me.

[bgalbrecht]

Be careful out there, several of the books are now only Kindle Prime free. Thanks for the links though.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by emellaich

What is a cozy mystery? This is a new term for me.

Check here for all your answers:

http://www.cozy-mystery.com/Definiti...y-Mystery.html



Don

[ATDrake]

I crossed out everything that's now showing non-free for me in Canada and here are a few more:

Neptune's Orphans sf short story by Sarah A. Hoyt, tie-in to her award winning novel Darkship Thieves

My Ride with Gus literary fiction novel by Charlie Carillo (2 previous Kensington-published litfic freebies)

7 assorted erotica by Selena Kitt, who co-authored one of those previous Blake Crouch freebies

2 Smashwords self-pub by backlist authors, available to all:

Christmas in Time time-travel romance novella by Kensington-published cozy mystery & romance author Peggy Webb

In Too Deep firefighter contemporary romance novella by Harlequin/Berkley-published Kathryn Shay

[Xanthe]

Thanks for letting us know about these!