FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[sufue]

So, I finally actually read my email, and figured out why Joffe had the non-Friday freebie yesterday. Apparently this is their tenth anniversary, and so for a week, they are having a daily freebie.

And in honor of my having mentioned not too long ago that Simon Brett's Mrs Pargeter series is my favorite of the ones they publish , today's freebie is A Nice Class of Corpse, which is the first Mrs Pargeter book. So, if $0.99/£0.99 is bit much for you for eight books , you can try the first one free if you grab it today.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RSZKRQ6
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09RSZKRQ6

Spoiler:

Meet Mrs Melita Pargeter, a vivacious widow whose mystery-solving talents come in handy when a murderer stalks a hotel for well-to-do retirees.

She checks into the Devereux Hotel on England’s sunny south coast. Where secrets hide behind every door and the sea-views are to die for . . .

Her arrival, in a fancy car and a flurry of silk, causes much excitement among the elderly residents.

By next morning, they have something new to talk about — the discovery of a crumpled body at the foot of the stairs.

The victim is old Mrs Selsby, timid occupant of the hotel’s most coveted sea-front room. Everyone says her death was a tragic accident, but Melita’s not so sure.

Wealthy Mrs S. just happens to have left her fortune to her fellow Devereux residents. And then there’s the matter of her jewellery. A priceless collection that seems to be disappearing piece by piece . . .

Melita may be pushing seventy, but she still has a trick or two left up her sleeve.

Can she catch the killer before anyone else dies?

Meet your next favourite sleuth in this wonderfully witty whodunit.

[sufue]

The Beekeeper's Apprentice is free right now at Kindle UK, but not at Kobo UK or in the US. (Appears to be different publishers...)

Great book, great series...

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006WB7JOG

Originally Posted by sufue

The Beekeeper's Apprentice is the first in the Laurie R. King's excellent (IMO) Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle US.

link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GQ6043A

[sufue]

Before She Dies is the fourth Posadas County title by Steven F Havill. It has dropped to $1.99/£1.99 in the US/UK, and discountable at Kobo...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VMH5P48
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/before-she-dies-10
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VMH5P48

Spoiler:

Posadas Register reporter Linda Real barely survives her nighttime patrol with one of Undersheriff Bill Gastner's deputies. He is killed by a more accurate shotgun blast than the one that ruins her face. Teamed with his intuitive, observant detective Estelle Reyes-Guzman and her usual sharp eye for physical evidence, Bill implicates Tammy Woodruff, the thrill-seeking daughter of the local Republican County Chairman, in the brutal assault. Before he can interrogate her, though, Tammy hightails it. Soon she is found crushed to death after her truck goes off the road while she's loaded with booze - in fact, far too much alcohol, for anyone to have consumed....

[sufue]

If you don't have enough on your TBR list , here's Martin Edwards' view of 100 classic crime books you may want to read. He has been the editor? something? for the British Library's Crime Classics series of republished Golden Age books. And although I suppose it is technically non-fiction, I'm posting The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books here, because it just belongs here, with the mystery readers! Oh yeah, and it's on sale at Kindle US right now for $1.99.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VNH2DZ7

Spoiler:

2018 Macavity Award winner for Best Nonfiction

2018 Anthony Award nominee for Best Critical/Nonfiction Book

This book tells the story of crime fiction published during the first half of the twentieth century. The diversity of this much-loved genre is breathtaking, and so much greater than many critics have suggested. To illustrate this, the leading expert on classic crime discusses one hundred books ranging from The Hound of the Baskervilles to Strangers on a Train which highlight the entertaining plots, the literary achievements, and the social significance of vintage crime fiction. This book serves as a companion to the acclaimed British Library Crime Classics series but it tells a very diverse story. It presents the development of crime fiction—from Sherlock Holmes to the end of the golden age—in an accessible, informative and engaging style.

Readers who enjoy classic crime will make fascinating discoveries and learn about forgotten gems as well as bestselling authors. Even the most widely read connoisseurs will find books (and trivia) with which they are unfamiliar—as well as unexpected choices to debate. Classic crime is a richly varied and deeply pleasurable genre that is enjoying a world-wide renaissance as dozens of neglected novels and stories are resurrected for modern readers to enjoy. The overriding aim of this book is to provide a launch point that enables readers to embark on their own voyages of discovery.

[sufue]

Joffe's tenth anniversary freebie for today has been free before (at least I have it, and wouldn't if it hadn't been free), but apparently I missed posting it back then...

The Malvern Murders, Inspector Ravenscroft #1, by Kerry Tombs
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082J48ZKW
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082J48ZKW

Spoiler:

Before Jack the Ripper terrorized London, Police Inspector Samuel Ravenscroft patrolled the grimy streets of Whitechapel – but he’s no Inspector Abberline.

Malvern, 1887. Clever and hard-working, Ravenscroft nonetheless has the worst record in the force. He lets a murderer escape during a chase and is banished to the spa town of Malvern for a water treatment to cure his asthma.

MURDER FOLLOWS THE INSPECTOR

Ravenscroft accepts a dinner invitation from a new acquaintance, Jabez Pitzer. Before the dinner gong can sound, the maid finds Pitzer slumped over his desk – dead. Ravenscroft sees two glasses on a small side table. One has a powdery residue at the bottom and the faint smell of bitter almonds.

A BODY IN THE LIBRARY

Ravenscroft immediately recognizes the signs – Pitzer has been poisoned. But the local authorities are reluctant to believe there is a murderer in Malvern.

He may be recovering his strength, but Ravenscroft has all his wits intact. He finds himself pulled into the investigation. Hungry to prove himself, Ravenscroft is determined to solve the case. But the bodies mount up. Someone is killing local luminaries.

WHO WILL BE NEXT?

A mysterious woman in black was witnessed speaking to each of the victims. Who is she and why does death seem to follow her? And does a local cartel of businessmen have anything to do with it?

RAVENSCROFT IS OUT OF THE SMOKE BUT MALVERN HAS ITS OWN DEADLY FIRES

THE MALVERN MURDERS is packed with delicious dialogue, sly humour and Victorian atmosphere. Perfect for fans of M.R.C. Kasasian, E.S. Thomson, Oscar De Muriel and Karen Charlton.

MEET THE DETECTIVE
Inspector Samuel Ravenscroft, unmarried and over forty, is a detective in the Whitechapel branch of the Metropolitan Police. Painfully asthmatic, he is often overlooked by his superiors in favour of his pushier colleagues. But Ravenscroft is keen to prove himself and strives to overcome his physical limitations. His tools are forthright questioning, close examination of the evidence and personal intuition. He often finds that the solution to many crimes is buried deep in the past.

With his trusty Bradshaw, Ravenscroft and his colleague Constable Tom Crabb, travel around the Three Counties, overlooked by the Malvern Hills, bringing criminals to justice.