FREE/BARGAIN - Mystery, Suspense, Thriller - 2014

[sufue]

There is another book in this same series by Micheal Lister on sale as part of the US Kindle Countdown deal program. The Body and the Blood is the fourth in the John Jordan series, and it's $0.99 for about 3 more days before going up to $1.99 (which is still less than the "digital list price" of $3.49.

Lister's books appear free and/or discounted fairly often via Kindle Countdown or KDP Select, so if you like them, keep an eye out.

link: http://www.amazon.com/Body-Blood-Jor.../dp/B006K66480
blurb:

Spoiler:

It’s known as the Protective Management Unit. It’s a closed society within a closed society, housing Florida state inmates who wouldn’t survive in open population at Potter Correctional Institution. In it, John Jordan witnesses the most baffling crime of his career—a seemingly impossible murder he would swear could not have happened had he not seen it with his own eyes.

John has come to the PM unit because of a note he received announcing a murder would take place during the Catholic Mass. As he observes the priest offering up the body and the blood, an inmate enters the unit, walks over to his cell, and is locked inside alone. A little while later, John notices a pool of blood spreading out from beneath the cell door. The inmate is dead, his body and his blood separated from one another.

The inmate, a talented artist and quite possibly an innocent man, was sensitive and kind, just a few short days from parole. Who would want to kill him and why? Before John can answer these questions, he’s got to figure out how he was killed.

Suspects abound, including the Catholic Priest conducting the mass, the two PM officers, the victim’s sister, who visited him just prior to his death—something she hadn’t done in four years—and a handful of inmates, one of whom was the victim’s lover.

As the investigation proceeds, John uncovers crime after crime, and an openly racists family with plenty they aren’t open about. After taking a closer look at them, John’s best friend, Merrill Monroe, disappears.

Attempting to balance his fragile reconciliation with his ex-wife and the high-stakes investigation, John is soon overwhelmed and wonders if the life he’s hoped for is even possible. Just when he think’s he can’t take anymore, a second disappearance brings with it the demand for a dangerous prison break and a daring exchange. When John finally figures out how the crime was committed and who’s behind it, an exciting climax follows that reveals the shocking solution, sees someone close to John shot, and carries for John the ultimate personal price—one he’s not sure he can pay.

Originally Posted by ATDrake

Free from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon:

Flesh and Blood by Michael Lister (SYKM), a short story collection and 3rd book in his John Jordan Mysteries starring a Florida prison chaplain, originally out from small press Pottersville in 2006. We've previously received two of his Adams Media books as official publisher promo freebies some years ago if you're in the mood for more Florida-set crime fiction, and another John Jordan book was a KDP freebie a few years ago which you might have picked up then as well.

NB: the Publisher's Weekly review says that some of the stories are more faith-exploring parables than mysteries and thus may have more appeal for a Christian-oriented audience. YMMV.

Spoiler:

John Jordan is back—investigating eternal mysteries woven into the fabric of everyday life. Within the confines of seemingly ordinary cases, John explores the ineffable and inexplicable, the profoundly mysterious within the mundane.

In this diverse collection of cases, John investigates the Shroud of Turin, a pregnant virgin, a daring prison break, a Hurricane Katrina orphan who might just be the Second Coming, a desperate woman who sleeps with one too many men, a bloody body on the rec yard, a mystery that turns on a single observation, and a murder in which John himself is the prime suspect—all this as he deals with depression and battles alcoholism.

These stories are puzzles, whodunits, and enigmas, but they are much more. John Jordan doesn't just solve crime, he investigates the hidden heart of humanity and the mysterious world in which we live. Here are temporal answers and eternal questions, and at the center of it all, a conflicted man of faith and doubt, flawed, but faithful, who ministers mercy even as he thirsts for justice.

[ATDrake]

Bargain @ $2 each from Amazon's exclusive AmazonCrossing imprint for translated works (price good in Canada & US, but not in UK or other country stores which I spot-checked):

Two medieval historical mysteries by Danish author Martin Jensen (SYKM), in his The King's Hound series set in 11th-century Oxford under the Danelaw (Wikipedia), starring a manuscript illuminator and his half-Danish/half-Saxon buddy, both working for King Canute (Wikipedia).

I've had these on the wishlist for a while since I have this inordinate fondness for cultures that produce dragon boats and historicals with real history in them are my 2nd-favourite mystery subgenre. Also, sufue recommended these when they were last on sale in May. The current price-drop seems kind of random (it isn't obviously tied into any other promotion I can spot going on), so no idea how long it'll last, but I'm happy this morning (well, mostly happy, considering the "Sunshine Coast" version of snowmageddon I woke up to this morning, which I will be shovelling shortly ).

The King's Hounds, 1st in series

The first in the bestselling Danish series of historical mysteries

The newly crowned King Cnut of Denmark has conquered England and rules his new empire from Oxford. The year is 1018 and the war is finally over, but the unified kingdom is far from peaceful.

Halfdan’s mixed lineage—half Danish, half Saxon—has made him a pauper in the new kingdom. His father, his brother, and the land he should have inherited were all taken by the new king’s men. He lost everything to the war but his sense of humor. Once a proud nobleman, Halfdan now wanders the country aimlessly, powered only by his considerable charm and some petty theft. When he finds an unlikely ally in Winston, a former monk, he sees no reason not to accept his strange invitation to travel together to Oxford. Winston has been commissioned to paint a portrait of the king at the invitation of his new wife, and the protection of a clever man like Halfdan is well worth its price in wine and bread.

But when the pair’s arrival in court coincides with news of a murder, the king has a brilliant idea: Why not enlist the newly arrived womanizing half-Dane and the Saxon intellectual to defuse a politically explosive situation? The pair represents both sides of the conflict and seem to have crime-solving skills to boot. In their search for the killer, Halfdan and Winston find seduction, adventure, and scandal in the wild early days of Cnut’s rule.

Oathbreaker, 2nd in series

Halfdan and his master, Winston the Illuminator, are guests in a monastery when they’re awakened in the middle of the night and asked to solve a crime. A monk praying in the church has been brutally murdered, and his severed hand offers the first clue of a motive. As they investigate who could have committed such a heinous atrocity—and why—Halfdan and Winston must negotiate bitter rivalries within the monastery’s hierarchy, a sensitive class structure, and the tension between the new laws King Cnut has sworn to uphold and the codes of honor that precede them. With peace in England on shaky ground and the king’s favor of paramount importance, Halfdan and Winston follow a precarious path toward answers that no one is sure they want.

This second novel in Martin Jensen’s acclaimed King’s Hounds series delves deeply into a chaotic world where alliances change, but oaths are forever.

[ATDrake]

Bargain @ $2.99 for probably Canada-only for probably today only (Nov 29th) from HarperCollins (non-couponable) as the Canadian Kobo Deal of the Day (seems price-matched at the other Canadian stores; is $17.99 in the US):

The Andrew Gross E-Book Bundle: The Dark Tide, Don't Look Twice, and Reckless by popular novelist Andrew Gross (SYKM, Wikipedia), an omnibus edition containing #1-3 of his Ty Hauck series of suspense thrillers starring the eponymous Connecticut-based police lieutenant turned global security employee. Incidentally, The Dark Tide has been previously been offered to us free several years ago, and is listed as a Finalist for both the Nero & Thriller Awards over at SYKM.

Get three electrifying thrillers from #1 New York Times bestselling author Andrew Gross in one e-book, including: The Dark Tide, Don't Look Twice, and Reckless.

Thriller readers will love Ty Hauk [sic], the Greenwich, Connecticut detective who finds himself caught in a deadly maze of cover-up and corruption involving frightening financial conspiracy.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

Bargain @ $2 each from Amazon's exclusive AmazonCrossing imprint for translated works (price good in Canada & US, but not in UK or other country stores which I spot-checked):

Two medieval historical mysteries by Danish author Martin Jensen (SYKM), in his The King's Hound series set in 11th-century Oxford under the Danelaw (Wikipedia), starring a manuscript illuminator and his half-Danish/half-Saxon buddy, both working for King Canute (Wikipedia).

I've had these on the wishlist for a while since I have this inordinate fondness for cultures that produce dragon boats and historicals with real history in them are my 2nd-favourite mystery subgenre. Also, sufue recommended these when they were last on sale in May. The current price-drop seems kind of random (it isn't obviously tied into any other promotion I can spot going on), so no idea how long it'll last, but I'm happy this morning (well, mostly happy, considering the "Sunshine Coast" version of snowmageddon I woke up to this morning, which I will be shovelling shortly ).

The King's Hounds, 1st in series

The first in the bestselling Danish series of historical mysteries

The newly crowned King Cnut of Denmark has conquered England and rules his new empire from Oxford. The year is 1018 and the war is finally over, but the unified kingdom is far from peaceful.

Halfdan’s mixed lineage—half Danish, half Saxon—has made him a pauper in the new kingdom. His father, his brother, and the land he should have inherited were all taken by the new king’s men. He lost everything to the war but his sense of humor. Once a proud nobleman, Halfdan now wanders the country aimlessly, powered only by his considerable charm and some petty theft. When he finds an unlikely ally in Winston, a former monk, he sees no reason not to accept his strange invitation to travel together to Oxford. Winston has been commissioned to paint a portrait of the king at the invitation of his new wife, and the protection of a clever man like Halfdan is well worth its price in wine and bread.

But when the pair’s arrival in court coincides with news of a murder, the king has a brilliant idea: Why not enlist the newly arrived womanizing half-Dane and the Saxon intellectual to defuse a politically explosive situation? The pair represents both sides of the conflict and seem to have crime-solving skills to boot. In their search for the killer, Halfdan and Winston find seduction, adventure, and scandal in the wild early days of Cnut’s rule.

Oathbreaker, 2nd in series

Halfdan and his master, Winston the Illuminator, are guests in a monastery when they’re awakened in the middle of the night and asked to solve a crime. A monk praying in the church has been brutally murdered, and his severed hand offers the first clue of a motive. As they investigate who could have committed such a heinous atrocity—and why—Halfdan and Winston must negotiate bitter rivalries within the monastery’s hierarchy, a sensitive class structure, and the tension between the new laws King Cnut has sworn to uphold and the codes of honor that precede them. With peace in England on shaky ground and the king’s favor of paramount importance, Halfdan and Winston follow a precarious path toward answers that no one is sure they want.

This second novel in Martin Jensen’s acclaimed King’s Hounds series delves deeply into a chaotic world where alliances change, but oaths are forever.

Thank you I picked both up.
Apache

[ATDrake]

Free from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon: (linkage for the lot)

Mirror, Mirror, Rapid Eye, & Ring of Truth by Agatha Award-winner Elena Santangelo (SYKM), 3 mystery shorts with supernatural elements in her Twins series starring twin psychologists, at least one of them originally published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

In this short murder mystery of about 4000 words, a man sees premonitions of serial murders but no one believes him, until psychologist Sara Ziegler is sure that her twin sister Gen is the next victim.

Free from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon:

The Lucinda Legacy by Robert Mitchell, a treasure-hunting adventure thriller originally out from Queensland-based small publisher Boolarong Press in 1991. This is the novel that won him the Australian writing prize mentioned in his bio-blurb.

Diamonds
Eight million dollars' worth.

The Lucinda, the pearl lugger that led the fathers of the sons to the sparkling stones. The lugger which bequeathed the legacy of that fateful day in March 1942 to those sons. A legacy kept hidden until.....

But are they still waiting in their secret place? Do they still wail for the dead and those soon to be dead?

The sons of the fathers, urged on by that legacy forty-four years further on. Mistrust fighting hate, anger curbed by greed, as the sons race across the great continent of Australia towards destiny, towards the once booming town of Broome, towards...

Eight million dollars.

Free again from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon:

Murder on Moloka'i by Chip Hughes, 2nd in his Surfing Detective series of mystery/thrillers, originally out from small press Island Heritage Publishing (from whom I've read one or two Hawaiian-specialty history books from the library in the past, IIRC) in 2004. This is a new edition expanded with behind-the-scenes author's notes, which may be of interest to aspiring writers or people who just like behind-the-scenes stuff.

This new Slate Ridge Press edition of the classic Hawaiian mystery concludes with “The Making of MURDER ON MOLOKA’I”—fifty-five pages of previously unpublished excerpts and explanatory notes by the author. These bonus materials give us a glimpse into the creative process behind the book and expand our conception of the Surfing Detective and his Hawai‘i. A must for fans of the wave-riding gumshoe!

When Boston heiress Adrienne Ridgely strides into his Honolulu office, Surfing Detective Kai Cooke likes what he sees, but doubts what he hears. Adrienne’s sister, environmental activist Sara Ridgely-Parke, plunged to her death from a mule on Moloka‘i – the first fatal incident on the soaring cliffs above Kalaupapa’s fabled leper colony. Murder, cries Adrienne, perpetrated by Sara’s ex-husband, developer J. Gregory Parke. Cooke flies to Moloka‘i, tracking tantalizing leads to an unlikely murder that, despite himself, he starts to believe in.

Was the mule prodded or spooked or drugged? Did Parke do it for vengeance, or Adrienne for an inheritance, as Parke alleges? Soon Kai uncovers a motive more noxious than either of these – entangling him in the shady dealings of big-time developers, corrupt politicians, and underworld thugs. As he hops from island to island seeking a pivotal clue, the clock ticks down on more than the P.I.’s case or even his own life. The future of Moloka‘i itself is at stake.

[HarryT]

Today's Amazon UK Kindle Daily Deal has nine of Ken Follett's thrillers available at 99p each:

• Eye of the Needle
• The Third Twin
• A Place Called Freedom
• Lie Down With Lions
• The Hammer of Eden
• Code to Zero
• The Man From St Petersburg
• The Key to Rebecca
• Night Over Water

A great deal if you don't have the books already (unfortunately I do). Ken Follett is one of the best thriller writers around, to my mind.

[ATDrake]

Free again from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon:

My Gun Has Bullets by screenwriter & tie-in novelist Lee Goldberg (SYKM, IMDB, Wikipedia), 1st in his Charlie Willis series of humorous mysteries set in Hollywood, starring an ex-cop turned security agent, this installment originally out from St. Martin's Press in 1995.

When Beverly Hills Police Officer Charlie Willis pulls over a speeding Rolls Royce hell-bent for Neiman Marcus, he’s surprised to see Esther Radcliffe, the geriatric star of the TV series Miss Agatha, behind the wheel. He’s even more surprised when she guns him down and keeps on driving. A few hours later, he wakes up in the intensive care unit…to find a William Morris agent, a network president, and the head of Pinnacle Studios standing at the foot of his bed. They have a proposal for him: if he forgets who shot him, they’ll make him the star of his own series, My Gun Has Bullets. Charlie takes the deal, trading his real badge for a fake one…and so begins an uproarious but deadly romp through the wonderful world of TV make-believe…with real bullets.

Free from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon: (linkage for the lot)

Those Damn Butlers, a mystery short by Arthur Ellis Award-finalist Sharon Rowse (SYKM), along with 2 repeats of previously offered mystery shorts.

Free from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon:

Dark Eye of the Jaguar by Robert Mitchell. This is a newly-written treasure hunt thriller involving Australians chasing down artifacts from the Boxer Rebellion in Beijing, but if you enjoyed the Boolarong Press-published backlist freebies he offered previously, perhaps you might like to give this one a try as well.

Free from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon:

The Partnership: A Novel by Stephen J. Harper (presumably no relation to the namesake current Canadian prime minister), an adjunct professor at Northwestern University, and himself once a litigator. This is apparently a self-published legal thriller, but it quotes a favourable Midwest Book Review, and Harper has also written award-winning non-fiction on true crime and the law, out from Basic Books and Borealis, which are imprints of the Big 6, so perhaps you might be interested in giving his novel a try.

[ATDrake]

Bargain @ $1.99 each from Simon & Schuster's Touchstone imprint (non-couponable) in the standard Canada & US stores (linkage goes to Kobo), may also be matched in other regions:

• Wrongful Death: A Novel by Robert Dugoni (SYKM), 2nd in his David Sloane series of legal thrillers starring a Seattle attorney, this installment involving a mysterious military death and a ruthless killer.
• Bodily Harm: A Novel, 3rd in the David Sloane series, this installment involving some corporate espionage in the quote-unquote "cutthroat toy industry". Do they think these are likely to be mistaken for true crime cases that they'd need to subtitle them "A Novel"?

Also bargain @ $1.99 each from Soho's Crime imprint (couponable @ Kobo if you want something decent-quality and cheap to use up your lesser coupons upon; should be the same basic price in the standard Canada & US stores, may be matched in other regions, etc.):

• Blood of the Wicked by the late Leighton Gage (SYKM, Wikipedia), 1st in his Chief Inspector Mario Silva Investigation series of police procedurals set in Brazil, involving federal crime cases across the country. We've previously received this one as a freebie a long time ago.
• Siren of the Waters by Michael Genelin (SYKM, Wikipedia), 1st in his Commander Jana Matinova series of police procedurals set in Slovakia. We've previously received this #1, and also #3 as freebies a long time ago.
• Converging Parallels by Crime Writers' Association Award-winner Timothy Williams (SYKM, Wikipedia), 1st in his Commissario Piero Trotti series of police procedurals set in 1970s Italy. SYKM says that this particular novel was a 1982 Finalist for the New Blood Dagger Award. We have not previously received it free and are very unlikely to, since Soho stopped giving away the full-length freebies several years ago.

Bargain @ slightly higher price points from Soho (the rest of their catalogue seems to start at $7 CAD, with most titles in the $12+ CAD range, and they're couponable, so I'm considering these the cheap deals):

• $2.99: Maisie Dobbs by Agatha Award-winner Jacqueline Winspear (SYKM, Wikipedia), 1st in the eponymous series starring a psychologist/investigator in Britain in the 1920s/30s, which apparently involves some treatment of post-WWI issues as well. These seem to be not only very popular, but also very highly rated, with SYKM listing 2 Awards (Agatha & Macavity) won for this 1st novel, along with additional 4 Finalist nods (Anthony, Edgar, Barry, & Dilys Awards). And many of the other books in the series have similar multiple nominations.
  
  NB: the Amazon blurb refers to a 10th anniversary outroduction from the author which only exists in the paperback, and cannot be found in the TOC listing in the sample of this ebook version.
• $4.99: Eye for an Eye by T. Frank Muir aka T. F. Muir (SYKM), 1st in his Detective Inspector Andy Gilchrist series of police procedurals set in Scotland. The others in the series are currently priced at $12.79 CAD.

[HarryT]

Six books in Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe" series are today's Amazon UK Kindle Daily Deal. The books are:

• Sharpe's Tiger
• Sharpe's Triumph
• Sharpe's Fortress
• Sharpe's Trafalgar
• Sharpe's Prey
• Sharpe's Rifles

All priced at 99p.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Six books in Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe" series are today's Amazon UK Kindle Daily Deal.

I bought the whole series when they were on offer back in December 2013. I must get around to starting them!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I bought the whole series when they were on offer back in December 2013. I must get around to starting them!

Yes, I bought the first few at full price, and then the rest in that same sale .

[Apache]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I bought the whole series when they were on offer back in December 2013. I must get around to starting them!

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, I bought the first few at full price, and then the rest in that same sale .

I did too even though I have them all and have read them all multiple times on paper.

Apache

[sufue]

Some more Endeavour Press titles on Kindle US Countdown Deal:


Parting Shot by Roger Ormerod is a non-series title at $0.99 for almost 5 more days, before going to $3.99. It's a repeat countdown deal.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Parting-Shot-R...dp/B00L66V8YO/
blurb:

Spoiler:

When fashion photographer and ex-cop Owen Tanner’s Scandinavian wife Karin vanishes from his apartment, he assumes that she has left him and their marriage is over.

But then his home is ransacked and he begins to wonder if he has jumped to the wrong conclusion.

And when he receives a distressed call from Karin in Sweden, his suspicions are confirmed.

Owen leaves immediately for Scandinavia, determined to find out the truth.

During the crossing, he meets beautiful Finlander Eija Karlsson who seems keen to help him in his quest.

But the couple are not alone.

When Own realises he is being tailed by an old colleague from the force, the Norwegian police and other more sinister figures, he finds himself somehow caught up in the middle of a hunt for international diamond thieves.

As events reach a climax, Owen finds himself falling for Eija, and uncovers a conspiracy behind his wife’s departure that is more terrifying than anything he could have imagined…

Praise for Roger Ormerod:

‘Eclectic, underrated, Ormerod can be relied upon to come up with the startling goods’ - Sunday Times

‘I am glad to announce that the detective novel is still alive and well in Mr Ormerod's skilful hands’ - The Spectator

A Canterbury Crime by Brian Kavanagh is the fourth in his Belinda Lawrence series, at $0.99 for almost 7 more days, before going to $3.99.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Canterbury-Cri.../dp/B00MNSYRSS
blurb:

Spoiler:

The ancient walled city of Canterbury has held many secrets over the centuries.

But none are more mysterious than the death of Professor de Gray.

When the amateur detective Belinda Lawrence is called in to evaluate the contents of the Professor's Tudor Manor House, she suspects foul play.

But why would anyone murder a harmless academic?

De Gray was about to publish a book that he promised would re-write the history of St Thomas Becket, who was murdered in the Cathedral in 1170.

Could that be a motive?

As she starts to investigate, Belinda uncovers an intricate web of secrets that leads to the killer - but which also threatens her life.

‘A Canterbury Crime’ is a brilliant re-invention of the classic English village murder mystery, following on from the best-selling 'Capable of Murder'.

Belinda Lawrence is a lively young heroine who pits her intellect against cold-blooded and ruthless killers - a character who is among the most memorable and engaging in modern detective fiction.

‘A Canterbury Crime' is perfect for fans of Peter James, Elizabeth George and Peter Robinson.

“A classy mystery that will keep you up half the night.” – Robert Foster, best-selling author of The Lunar Code.

“Mystery fiction at it’s very best.” – Tom Kasey, best-selling author of Trade Off.

Brian Kavanagh has many years’ experience in the Australian Film Industry in areas of production, direction, editing and writing. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian Film Editors Guild and an Australian Film Institute award for Best Editing for Frog Dreaming.

Goodnight and Good-bye by Timothy Harris is the first in his Thomas Kyd series. It's $0.99 for almost 5 more days before going to $3.99.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Good.../dp/B00MGYV39K
blurb:

Spoiler:

Meet Thomas Kyd, private investigator.

He's the guy who picks up the cases that Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe didn't stick around to handle.

‘Maybe if I'd followed my real impulses towards Laura Cassidy, a tragedy could have been averted. Maybe not...’

The first time Kyd saw her she was driving out of an underground garage with a naked man spreadeagled on the front of the car.

Somewhat less than a typical damsel in distress, but Kyd helped out all the same.

Laura was irresistible.

She was also a pathological liar and a junkie.

Perhaps if she hadn't married a screenwriter and orgy-enthusiast Kyd wouldn't have got himself knee-deep in a case where the light at the end of the tunnel is the glare of the oncoming train…

'Goodnight and Good-bye' is a brilliant detective story that draw on the traditions of classic noir fiction.

"No one since Chandler has captured the excess that is L.A. as well as Harris." - Robert A. Baker & Michael T. Nietzel, from Private Eyes; One Hundred and One Knights, A Survey of American Detective Fiction 1922-1984

"Tim Harris burns down the fences separating genre lit from the serious stuff. His great creation, Thomas Kyd...makes a welcome return in this superb book that sets a fresh standard for the field. Tim Harris is writing better than ever." - Jay Cocks, screenwriter, Gangs of New York

"At long last, someone has hit the bull's-eye dead center...Tim Harris has succeeded in bringing Chandler's vision to bear upon a more frightening time than even Marlowe may have been able to stomach." - New West Magazine

"The best of its kind...a must....Goodnight and Goodbye has something for every hard-boiled fan...a strong blending of all the classical elements that earmark the true private eye tale." - Mystery Magazine

Timothy Harris was born in Los Angeles and attended schools in Africa, Europe and New York. His later education was at Charterhouse and Peterhouse College, Cambridge. His three L.A. crime novels featuring Thomas Kyd are considered some of the finest of the genre. Harris' has had an equally successful career as a producer and screenwriter of numerous films including Trading Places, Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Space Jam, and Falling Down. He now lives in London with his family.

Founder Member by John Gardner is the fifth in his Boysie Oakes series, at $0.99 for almost seven more days, before going up to $3.99.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Founder-Member.../dp/B00KN6V07I
blurb:

Spoiler:

Deep in the heart of London a secret meeting is taking place.

Drastic plans are being put into action.

But Boysie Oakes, the suave, womanising special agent for British Intelligence, is unaware of the events unfolding around him - and is revelling in being free from the treacherous clutches of Special Security.

Boysie, his former boss Mostyn and Charlie Griffin, have set up their own Security Service, GRIMOBO.

Their first assignment has brought them to New York and Boysie has snatched a vacation at Cape Kennedy.

Life is looking up.

But, of course, something has to go wrong. It's just a small thing. Some light-fingered swine makes off with a Saturn V rocket.

What's more, Boysie seems to have disappeared too.

The same thieves that wanted the rocket want Boysie. For a change, though, they want him alive. Very much alive.

And totally functional.

Boysie’s holiday turns out to be the trip of a lifetime and he ends up travelling further than he ever expected. But all is not lost as of course a beautiful woman is also along for the ride.

And Boysie Oakes is about to be plunged into the most dramatic adventure of his career.

'Cool polished story-telling with all the sexy sidelines in the best James Bond tradition' Evening Standard

Before coming an author of fiction in the early 1960’s John Gardner was variously a stage magician, a Royal Marine officer and a journalist. In all Gardner has fifty-four novels to his credit, including Maestro, which was the New York Times book of the year. He was also invited by Ian Fleming’s literary copyright holders to write a series of continuation James Bond novels, which proved to be so successful that instead of the contracted three books he went on to publish some fourteen titles, including Licence Renewed and Icebreaker. Having lived in the Republic of Ireland, the United States and the UK, John Gardner sadly died in August of 2007 having just completed his third novel in the Moriarty trilogy, Conan Doyle’s eponymous villain of the Sherlock Holmes series.

Eleven That Went up to Heaven is the fifteenth in Anthea Fraser's David Webb series. It's a repeat countdown deal, and is at $0.99 for about 7 more days, before going up to $3.99.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Eleven-That-We.../dp/B00KMS6WOI
blurb:

Spoiler:

When Richard Vine, a wealthy businessman and the proprietor of Beckworth Grange, organises a publicity event at which twenty of his guests share his name, he little imagines that a few hours later five of them would be dead.

A fatal road accident leaves Detective Chief Inspector David Webb with a bewildering array of 'Richard Vines' to be traced, accounted for and investigated.

By the following day what appeared to be an accident has developed more sinister implications…

Among the victims was the minibus driver, John Bainbridge, a man apparently revered and loved by all that knew him.

Finding it hard to believe that this man could be as saintly as portrayed DCI Webb and Sergeant Jackson start to dig for the truth behind his immaculate image.

Meanwhile, an amateur writing school opens at Beckworth Grange, and its army of would-be sleuths and eccentrics all start doing their best to help, or in some cases hinder police inquiries.

Could the killer have been after the host Richard Vine?

If so, could he still be the target for murder?

‘Eleven That Went up to Heaven’ is a gripping crime novel featuring Anthea Fraser's popular detective David Webb.

Praise for Anthea Fraser:

“A superbly crafted, riveting, page-turner of a read" - Booklist

“Ms Fraser is her dependable elegant, guileful self withholding the killer's identity till a dying fall" - Sunday Times

'A well-mannered, well-plotted and well-told story' - Birmingham Post

'Sympathetic, well-executed book, in which full attention is paid to human feelings and failings' - Yorkshire Post

ANTHEA FRASER has written all her life but did not begin to take it seriously until after marriage, when she found herself at home with two small daughters and embarked on a correspondence course with the London School of Journalism. She wrote short stories before turning to novels of the supernatural, and then to crime. Her other books include ‘The Ten Commandments’, ‘The Seven Stars’ and ‘One is One and All Alone’.

Holy Murder by Rodney Hobson is in his Paul Amos series. It's $0.99 for about 4 more days, before going up to $3.99.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Detecti.../dp/B00L9FXQDS
blurb:

Spoiler:

Detective Inspector Paul Amos is just about to head off on his annual holiday when he gets an urgent phone call from Sir Robert Fletcher, the Chief Constable of Lincolnshire police.

A man has been killed in what appears to be an abseiling accident at St Botolph’s Church in Lincolnshire.

When Amos arrives on the scene it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident - Simeon’s ropes had been cut on purpose.

Simeon was a local hero, rescuing the farmers from ruin, and loved by all.

And most of the village had turned up to see their ‘celebrity’ scale the church wall.

So why would anyone want him dead?

As Amos delves deeper into the case, cracks in the story soon begin to appear.

Was Simeon really the benevolent philanthropist he claimed to be?

Or was he more of a sinner than a saint?

From Rodney Hobson, the author of the best-selling 'Dead Money', comes a tale of murder and vengeance. ‘Holy Murder' is a gritty murder mystery perfect for fans of Peter James, Peter Robinson and Ian Rankin.

Praise for Rodney Hobson:

"A fantastic read." - Tom Kasey, best-selling author of Trade-Off.

"Kept me guessing to the last page - and still surprised me. A gripping read." - Robert Foster, best-selling author of The Lunar Code.

And finally, Unlikely Graves by Rodney Hobson, in the same Paul Amos series, is free for an unknown length of time.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Unlikely-Detec.../dp/B00DDTNKKW
blurb:

Spoiler:

In the wolds of rural Lincolnshire, a corpse is discovered in a rubbish heap.

It is fifteen years since the man was killed.

Who is he?

And why has the body been found in such an unlikely grave?

Within the space of a few days another brutal murder is committed.

Detective Paul Amos must work out whether they are connected.

As he starts to dig into the case, he quickly discovers that the people of this small Lincolnshire community are not what they seem.

A web of complex family relationships, revenge and dark secrets connect the cases.

But who is the killer?

The answer is more shocking than Amos could have imagined.

From Rodney Hobson, the author of the best-selling 'Dead Money', comes a tale of murder and vengeance. 'Unlikely Graves' brilliantly combines the suspense and character of the traditional masters of the British detective story such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie with the grittier story-telling of modern writers such as Peter James, Peter Robinson and Ian Rankin.

Praise for Rodney Hobson:

"A fantastic read." - Tom Kasey, best-selling author of Trade-Off.

"Kept me guessing to the last page - and still surprised me. A gripping read." - Robert Foster, best-selling author of The Lunar Code.

[sufue]

And a few other Kindle US Countdown Deals from other presses/authors:

The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons by Lawrence Block is the 11th in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series. It's a repeat countdown deal (or at least a repeat on sale, because I have it), and is $1.99 for about one more day, before going up to $2.99 for an unknown length of time. It looks as if it may be self-pubbed since it lists Block as the publisher, but I've read and enjoyed it, along with most of the rest of this series, so I'm posting anyway.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Burglar-Counte.../dp/B00G2K8IPQ
blurb:

Spoiler:

Ever since The Burglar on the Prowl climbed the bestseller lists in 2004, fans have been clamoring for a new book featuring the lighthearted and lightfingered Bernie Rhodenbarr. Now everybody's favorite burglar returns in an eleventh adventure that finds him and his lesbian sidekick Carolyn Kaiser breaking into houses, apartments, and even a museum, in a madcap adventure replete with American Colonial silver, an F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscript, a priceless portrait, and a remarkable array of buttons. And, wouldn't you know it, there's a dead body, all stretched out on a Trent Barling carpet...

One False Step is, according to SYKM, a non-series title by Joseph Flynn. It's at $1.99 for almost four more days before going up to $3.99.
link: http://www.amazon.com/One-False-Step.../dp/B004YQCPHW
blurb:

Spoiler:

Two cops…
Bibi Ferrer, San Diego homicide, receives a warning: Billionaire Anson Williams, will be done in by his new wife, Alexandra. Despite her best efforts, Bibi fails to prevent Williams’ death. Worse, she can’t prove Alexandra is the killer. All she can do is follow Alexandra to her Caribbean lair, the island of St. Bertram.
Things are even more personal for retired Chicago police captain Terry Dunne. His younger brother is killed by a contract assassin. His only clue: The hit-man might have unfinished business waiting for him on St. Bertram.
Two killers . . .
Avice Toussaint, formerly Alexandra Williams, isn’t every man’s idea of a knockout—only those with a pulse. She’s bored with luring wealthy men to their deaths. Problem is, her father wants her to continue. He’s ex-KGB. He kills people who defy him, no exceptions made for family.
George Beecher was an SAS commando, a master of combat. He was far less suited to following orders. After his court martial and discharge from the military, he continued to do the only thing he knew how: kill people. This time for money.
One plan . . .
Bibi and Terry cross paths. Not wanting to alert their prey, they decide to shadow each other’s killer. Get the goods on the killers and see that justice is done.
It’s a plan…but when do those things ever work out?

[BelleZora]

Free again: If Angels Fall (Tom Reed and Walt Sydowski #1) by Rick Mofina. First published by Pinnacle in 2000.

This book was a finalist for the 2001 Arthur Ellis Award for BEST FIRST NOVEL presented by the Crime Writers of Canada.

Tom Reed is a crime reporter with The San Francisco Star, whose superb journalistic skills earned him a Pulitzer nomination. But years later Reed’s life is coming apart. His editor wants him fired. His wife has left him to wrestle with his demons. Alone, Reed is tormented by the fear he may have caused the suicide of an innocent man suspected of murdering a two-year-old girl.

Reed’s friend on the case is legendary San Francisco Homicide Inspector, Walt Sydowski, who has one of California’s highest clearance rates. He is also a lonely widower haunted by the fact he cannot solve the girl's heartbreaking death.

Both men grapple with the past while they race the clock to learn the truth behind a several new abductions that have anguished the Bay Area, in this acclaimed thriller set in the late 1990s.

IF ANGELS FALL, is the first book of the five-book Tom Reed - Walt Sydowski series. It is followed by COLD FEAR, BLOOD OF OTHERS, NO WAY BACK and BE MINE.

AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00AL6X000

CA: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00AL6X000

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AL6X000

US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AL6X000