[sufue]

A few random price drops, mostly, but not all, Open Road:

The Case of the Poisoned Eclairs is the fourth in the Masao Masuto series by EV Cunningham (pen name for by Howard Fast). It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US, coupon/VIPable. This was one of the first series I read back when first branching out from Agatha Christie and Rex Stout, and I quite enjoyed it at the time. It is interesting in that it tackled some of the ethnic/racial issues of the time, but still can be a little jarring in some of the type-casting if you don't keep in mind the era in which the series was written. It reminds me a little of John Ball's Virgil Tibbs titles in that way. This title was also free back in the Open Road freebie-thon in Dec, 2016, so check carefully before you buy.
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Poisoned-Ecla...dp/B006GKVYDA/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...isoned-eclairs

Spoiler:

A dog’s murder leads detective Masuto to a most unusual poisoning case

In Beverly Hills, murder has suddenly gone out of style. For five weeks, the head of the city’s tiny homicide squad, Zen detective Masao Masuto, has worked only robbery investigations. But after more than a month without a corpse, this dry spell is about to end.

The dead woman is Ana Fortez, a Chicana whose death was originally classified as terminal food poisoning brought on by a feast of botulism-infested éclairs. But because botulism can only grow in an airtight space, the medical examiner warns Masuto that the fatal bacteria must have been purposefully injected into the pastry. When a wealthy housewife’s dog drops dead after munching on premium chocolates, Masuto finds that her bonbons have been laced with the same toxin. He begins a search for a killer targeting the sweet tooth of Beverly Hills—proof that crime in Southern California never stays boring for long.

Deadly to the Sight is the sixth in the Mysteries of Venice series by the author with maybe the hardest name to spell that I've ever run into (thank heaven for cut-and-paste), Edward Sklepowich. I've been (re-)working my way through Donna Leon's Commisario Brunetti series set in Venice, and am going to tackle this one after that, I think. Deadly has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US, coupon/VIPable.
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Sight-...dp/B00QN352JC/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/deadly-to-the-sight

Spoiler:

Back in Venice after a long absence, Urbino Macintyre pursues a blackmailer

For two years, Urbino Macintyre has been away from his beloved city, wandering the streets of Morocco in search of material for his next book. When he steps off the train and into a gondola in Venice, he knows he has come home. His first stop is to see his beloved friend, the Contessa da Capo-Zendrini, a society butterfly who has two years of gossip stored up for him. But the contessa is not her usual lively self. She is being blackmailed, and only Macintyre can help.

He follows the blackmailer, an old woman from the lace-making island of Burano, seeking clues to her motives. When she is found murdered at a cocktail party, Macintyre slips into the expat society of the tiny, remote island, where land is expensive, life is cheap, and gossip can be a deadly weapon.

No Mark upon Her is the fourteenth in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series by Deborah Crombie. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Duncan-K...dp/B005HFI8YS/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/no-mark-upon-her

Spoiler:

New York Times Notable author Deborah Crombie is regularly named among the greats of British-set crime fiction (P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, Elizabeth George et al) for her riveting police procedurals featuring Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, Scotland Yard partners as well as devoted life-mates.

A brilliantly conceived and executed, deeply atmospheric mystery, No Mark Upon Her embroils Kincaid and James in the case of the puzzling drowning of a rower, a Met detective, on the Thames. A finely-hued and twisting tale of psychological suspense—a story rich in deadly secrets, salacious lies, and unexpected betrayals—No Mark Upon Her is everything Crombie’s fans have come to expect from this exceptional writer…and more.

Dead Meat is the fifth in the Brady Coyne series by William G. Tapply. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US, coupon/VIPable.
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Meat-Bra...dp/B00DZ4GT9E/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dead-meat-1

Spoiler:

In Maine, Brady investigates a deadly business deal

He may be a millionaire, but Vern Wheeler never forgot that he is a son of Maine—land of big sky, wide lakes, and the fattest salmon on the East Coast. To escape the boardroom, he buys a rundown fishing lodge in the wilds of his home state, and with his brother turns it into the most fashionable retreat in New England. After years of happy fishing, the Wheelers have no interest in selling Raven Lodge. But a local Native American group won’t take no for an answer.

Claiming that Raven Lodge is located on protected land, the Native Americans threaten to sue for ownership of the property, and Wheeler sends his attorney, fishing enthusiast Brady Coyne, to negotiate. But when Brady arrives at Raven Lake, he finds danger in and out of the water. A fisherman has been scalped, and placid, idyllic Maine is about to erupt into mayhem.

Clam Wake is the 29th in the Bed-and-Breakfast series by Mary Daheim. It has dropped to $0.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Clam-Wake-Bed...dp/B00FOPS5E4/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/clam-wake

Spoiler:

Innkeeper and irrepressible sleuth Judith McMonigle Flynn and cousin Renie face off against a cold-blooded killer in a beach community in this delightfully charming Bed-and-Breakfast mystery from USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Mary Daheim.

With the holidays gone and Hillside Manor almost empty, Innkeeper Judith McMonigle Flynn has a bad case of the blues. A housesitting stint at her aunt and uncle’s retirement home on Whoopee Island with cousin Renie seems like the ideal pick-me-up. Surrounded by retirees in the off-season sounds peaceful and pleasant--or so the duo thinks. But it isn’t long before a dead body pops up in their vicinity. Not surprising in an area full of older folks—until they learn it wasn’t a bad ticker that did in the victim, but a very sharp knife. With clouds of suspicion hovering over her and Renie, Judith reluctantly begins sleuthing—if only to prove they didn’t commit the crime.

But what she finds is puzzling. The victim reputedly didn’t have an enemy in the world--except for the killer. Digging for clams and answers, the cousins discover that retirement can be deadly—at least among the eclectic, eccentric residents of Obsession Shores.

T is for Trespass is the Tth in the Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton. It hs dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/T-Trespass-Ki...dp/B000W915M6/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/t-is-for-trespass-2

Spoiler:

Sue Grafton ups the ante for private investigator Kinsey Millhone like never before in this “taut, terrifying, transfixing”* #1 New York Times bestselling mystery in the Alphabet series.

Kinsey Millhone's elderly neighbor, Gus Vronsky, may have been the original inspiration for the term “Grumpy Gus.” A miser and a hoarder, Gus is so crotchety that after he takes a bad fall, his only living relative is anxious to find someone to take care of him and get back home as soon as she can.

To help, Kinsey runs a check on the applicant, Solana Rojas. Social security, driver's license, nursing certification: It all checks out. And it sounds like she did a good job for her former employers. So Kinsey gives her the thumbs-up, figuring Gus will be the ideal assignment for this diligent, experienced caregiver.

And the real Solana Rojas was indeed an excellent caregiver. But the woman who has stolen her identity is not, and for her, Gus will be the ideal victim...