FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[sufue]

Now the second through fifth titles in this series have dropped to $2.99 at Kindle US, but not at Kobo US, at least yet. And the two mentioned below are still at $2.99 at both Kindle and Kobo US. So if you want to pick up a lot of this series at pretty reasonable prices, now is your moment!

The Crypt Thief, #2: https://www.amazon.com/Crypt-Thief-H...dp/B00BH0VQ1Y/

The Blood Promise, #3: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Promise...dp/B00E2RWQHC/

The Button Man, #4: https://www.amazon.com/Button-Man-Hu...dp/B00IW4DP44/

The Reluctant Matador, #5: https://www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Mat...dp/B00NEUI2P8/

Originally Posted by sufue

Two titles in the Hugo Marston series by Mark Pryor have dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US, one of which is the most recent in series.

The Bookseller, #1
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Bookseller-Fi...dp/B00C4B2LRI/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-bookseller-1

The Paris Librarian, #6
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Paris-Librari...dp/B0180SLMC8/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-paris-librarian

[sufue]

Two titles in the Mrs. Bradley series by Gladys Mitchell have dropped to $1.49 at Kindle US.

Dance to your Daddy is a little more than half-way through the long series.
link: https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Your-Da...dp/B00IEIIO9O/

Spoiler:

Dame Beatrice Lestrange Bradley is typically consulted for her astute detective skills, but her most recent invitation is anything but typical. She has been summoned to the home of an unknown relative, Romilly Lestrange, who asks not for her assistance in solving a crime, but for her psychiatric opinion of his wife. The young woman, according to Romilly, has developed a troubling habit of tossing items and pets off a cliff top! But Romilly’s wife, Rosamund, tells a different story—one of repression and deceit at the hands of her captor. As Dame Beatrice attempts to discern the eccentric from the criminally insane, the news of a family inheritance arises, followed by the discovery of another relative’s dead body floating in the sea. Dame Beatrice must use skills both psychoanalytic and sleuthing to uncover the truth…for never has a case been closer to home, and never has her life been in such peril.

Legendary crime fiction author Gladys Mitchell sends her most notorious detective into her most perplexing case: the mystery of the Lestrange family itself.

The Crozier Pharaohs is the last in the series.
link: https://www.amazon.com/Crozier-Phara...dp/B00IEJHRZ0/

Spoiler:

Trouble starts in the quiet coastal village of Abbots Crozier when Bryony and Morpeth, the eccentric Rant sisters of Crozier Lodge, decide to breed Pharaoh hounds, the oldest domesticated dogs in the world.

The sisters reluctantly take on a kennel-maid to care for the Pharaohs but, some time after her arrival, their Labrador, Sekhmet, is stolen. The theft leads to the discovery of a dead body in the river. Is the unidentified corpse connected with the night prowler who has been tapping on the windows of Crozier Lodge? Before the mystery can be solved, a second body is found on the moor.

When suspicion falls on the Rants' kennel-maid, Dame Beatrice Lestrange Bradley and Laura Gavin are called in to retrace the steps of the dead men and find out how and why they died.

[sufue]

All six titles in the John Russell series by David Downing have dropped to $1.99 at both Kobo and Kindle US. Titles include:

• Zoo Station
• Silesian Station
• Stettin Station
• Potsdam Station
• Lehrter Station
• Masaryk Station

Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Qu...cmaxprice=2.00

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/?se...price-asc-rank

[sufue]

Someone Always Knows is the most recent (2016) in the Sharon McCone series by Marcia Muller, at least for a few more days, until the new title comes out on August 8. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Someone-Alway...dp/B00P74VH5Q/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/someone-always-knows

Spoiler:

Finally settled into their new home after losing their house in a fire, and fully established in their new shared offices, private investigator Sharon McCone and her business partner husband Hy are starting to feel comfortable. That calm is shattered when Hy's former colleague Gage Renshaw--a shady troublemaker who they had presumed dead--reappears, and it's unclear what he wants from his prosperous former associate.

Meanwhile, Sharon has a new client with a desire to rid a derelict house he's just bought in the city's notorious Western Addition neighborhood from intruders, drug users, and thugs. However, the abandoned house holds its share of secrets, and soon Sharon is contending with more than a simple eyesore as she searches for the individual who is obsessed with destroying her life....

[sufue]

Murder at the Brightwell is the first in the Amory Ames series by Ashley Weaver. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/mur...the-brightwell
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Bright...dp/B00IWUXVME/

Spoiler:

Shortlisted for the Edgar Awards

Ashley Weaver’s debut mystery, Murder at the Brightwell, is a delicious, stylish novel in which murder invades British polite society and romance springs in unexpected places, and a wonderful testament to the enduring delight of the traditional mystery.

“An elegant Christie-esque 1930s romp.” —Deborah Crombie

“If you love Downton Abbey, you'll adore Ashley Weaver’s charming debut.”—Susan Elia MacNeal

“A witty and charming debut mystery with a believably spunky sleuth and a compelling story of love that never runs smoothly.” —G.M. Malliet

“It’s more terrible than you think, Mrs. Ames. It appears that Mr. Howe was murdered.”

Amory Ames, a wealthy young woman questioning her marriage to her notoriously charming playboy husband, Milo, is looking for a change. She accepts a request for help from her former fiancé, Gil Trent, not knowing that she’ll soon become embroiled in a murder investigation that will not only test her friendship with Gil, but also will upset the status quo with her husband.

Amory accompanies Gil to the luxurious Brightwell Hotel in an attempt to circumvent the marriage of his sister, Emmeline, to Rupert Howe a disreputable ladies man. There is more than her happiness at stake, however, when Rupert is murdered and Gil is arrested for the crime. Matters are further complicated by Milo’s unexpected arrival, and as the line between friend and foe becomes less clear, Amory must decide where her heart lies and catch the killer before she, too, becomes a victim.

[Little.Egret]

More Golden Age detection, free until Friday

Music Tells All: A Bobby Owen Mystery by E.R. Punshon

The House of Godwinsson: A Bobby Owen Mystery by E.R. Punshon

Diabolic Candelabra: A Bobby Owen Mystery by E.R. Punshon

Helen Passes By: A Bobby Owen Mystery by E.R. Punshon


https://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search...r=dean+street*

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?url=sear...r=dean+street*

https://www.amazon.ca/s/?url=search-...r=dean+street*

[sufue]

A bunch of US Open Road/Patricia Wentworth/Miss Silver titles are $1.99 right now. Probably for a short time. These are almost all at both Kindle US and Kobo US, which is a little bit differently than recently.

Titles:

• Mr. Brading's Collection, #17
• The Case is Closed, #2
• Eternity Ring, #14
• The Case of William Smith, #13
• Latter End, #11
• Lonesome Road, #3
• Miss Silver Deals with Death, #6
• In the Balance (Kindle only, not Kobo), #4

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/?se...price-asc-rank
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Qu...cmaxprice=2.00

[issybird]

Originally Posted by sufue

All six titles in the John Russell series by David Downing have dropped to $1.99 at both Kobo and Kindle US.

I can recommend this series. The sense of Berlin is palpable; I don't even care if it's right.

Downing's current series, set during WWI, Is dreadful.

[sufue]

The Emerald Scepter, which I had thought was a stand-alone title by Paul Kemprecos, turns out to be (per SYKM) the first in a short two-book series featuring Matinicus “Matt” Hawkins. I've read Kemprecos' more traditional mystery Aristotle Plato "Soc" Socarides series in DTB and quite enjoyed them, but not so sure from the blurb that this title is my sort of thing. But, WTH, Scepter has dropped to $0.99 at Kindle US, and I like the Soc series, so maybe I'll try it...

link: https://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Scept...dp/B00LXG9QGO/

Spoiler:

Something bad happened to Matinicus “Matt” Hawkins in Afghanistan.
The ex-SEAL was grievously wounded in an ambush that killed men under his command and almost ended his life. When he pushed for an investigation, he was kicked out of the Navy with a psychiatric discharge. The doctors put his shattered leg back together, but the bitterness destroyed his marriage.

Five years later, Hawkins is jerked out of his tranquil life as a designer of undersea robots. A super-secret government group wants him to go back to Afghanistan on a strange and dangerous mission.

A Georgetown University historian has unearthed evidence that could lead to the fabulous treasure of Prester John, a legendary Christian ruler of an eastern empire.

The historian has disappeared, and the government wants Hawkins to track down the treasure as a matter of national security. The centerpiece of the trove, an emerald-encrusted gold scepter, is the linchpin in the Prophet's Necklace, code-name for a plot that is intended to kill more people than the attack on the Twin Towers and rally others to the terrorist cause.

Hawkins sees his mission to foil the plot as an opportunity to search for answers. He pulls together an eclectic team that includes his ex-wife, a former comrade-in-arms and a mentally unstable computer whiz.

Backed by his unlikely team, Hawkins will travel thousands of miles and hundreds of years on an amazing time-space odyssey. He’ll face off against a cold-blooded killer. Probe the underwater secrets of an ancient tomb. Navigate the treacherous stands of an unimaginable conspiracy. And in the process, will discover that there are treasures even more valuable than gold.

This is a new release of a previously published edition.

[sufue]

Voyage into Violence is the 22nd (SYKM) or 21st (blurb) in the Mr. and Mrs. North series by Richard and Frances Lockridge, depending on whether you count a book of short stories. This is one of my favorite series. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle US.

link: https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-into-V...dp/B01BM1TJI4/

Spoiler:

Sailing to Havana, Mr. and Mrs. North find their vacation dogged by death

Stepping out of her stateroom, Pamela North is rather disappointed to see a man with a sword. She had hoped this cruise would be a respite from murder, mayhem, and crime, and she finds pirates to be dreary. As it happens, she’s wrong on all counts. The man with the sword is no pirate, and this trip will not offer an escape from death.

As the ship embarks on an eight-day voyage to Havana and Nassau, the Norths will find the sword-bearing gentleman is far from the strangest passenger onboard. The Carib Queen transports daiquiri-swilling dowagers, a bizarre private detective, and at least one jewel thief. And when one of their fellow passengers is found with a sword buried in his chest, Pamela and Jerry must find the killer—or risk spoiling their entire vacation.

A Voyage into Violence is the 21st book in the Mr. and Mrs. North Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

[sufue]

Something in the Water is the next to last in the Peter and Helen Marsh Shandy series by Charlotte MacLeod. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle US.

link: https://www.amazon.com/Something-Wat...dp/B009S33LYC/

Spoiler:

While vacationing in Maine, Professor Peter Shandy confronts a poisonous potpie

Massachusetts horticulturalist Peter Shandy is famous for his rutabagas, but he comes to Maine with a loftier plant in mind. Specifically, he wants to size up the world-renowned lupines of Frances Rondel, a nonagenarian whose legendary flowers are even more beautiful in life than they are in myth. Shandy is bitterly jealous, but finds a major distraction in the dining room of the country inn where he’s staying. He may grow wretched lupines, but no gardener can solve a murder like Peter Shandy.

The corpse belongs to the late Jasper Flodge, a local loudmouth with a toupee and a sizeable gut. Shoveling down the last bites of a chicken potpie, Flodge clutches his chest and falls dead. Suddenly with more to do than stopping to smell the lupines, Shandy must ask himself: Which Maine cook has the bad taste to flavor chicken with cyanide?

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by issybird

I can recommend this series. The sense of Berlin is palpable; I don't even care if it's right.

Downing's current series, set during WWI, Is dreadful.

I'll second that recommendation on the John Russel series. Good to know about Downing's WW1 series, I haven't tried that one yet.

[ATDrake]

Throughout August 31st at Kobo Canada, classic espionage & mystery author John le Carré (SYKM, Wikipedia), who has written many works adapted to film and TV, is the featured Author of the Month, with all his books from Penguin Canada for just $2.99-$4.99 CAD.

This includes the George Smiley series (all at $2.99), as well as an extensive selection of standalones. Linkage for the special promo page, and the two pages for George Smiley and Standalone Titles.

[sufue]

A couple of years ago, I was quite taken with The 13th Fellow, by Tracy Whiting, featuring Havilah Gaie as the protagonist. I was really happy to see a second Havilah Gaie title, Paris a Go-Go, come out recently and read it as soon as I noticed it, using KU. Both these titles are a little more chick-lit-y than I usuallly like, but there's enough academic snark in there to balance out, IMO. (Also, as I mentioned not too long ago, I'm a huge Francophile, so love the settings...) Now Paris a Go-Go has dropped to $0.99 as a US Kindle Countdown deal for almost 3 more days.

link: https://www.amazon.com/Paris-Go-Go-H...dp/B071H931SL/

Spoiler:

WHAT IF AN UNDERGROUND POLITICAL GROUP TRIED TO RECRUIT FOXY BROWN, PhD…?

Elegant Havilah Gaie is a worldly academic female sleuth who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Whiting’s breezy, sophisticated style keeps Havilah right in step with her self-image as “an academic version of Pam Grier’s characters: smart, quick on their feet, loyal with a keen sense of purpose.” She solves her mysteries with a blend of action and zee justly famous leetle gray cells. And ooo la-la! She is so à la mode! Like Parisian women, she always has just the right accessories stashed in her bag—pumps, scarf, a thick tome of intellectual erotica which doubles as a weapon…and she’s always ready for a quick change of international locale—this time from Paris to Venice, with a surprise journey on a famous train!

When a right-wing media personality is fished out of the Seine, two extremist factions start shooting at each other. Havilah, aka La Belle Américaine, has become a darling of the Parisian media, cast in the role of the voice of the left-wing American intellectual. Both groups try to use her as a pawn in the power struggle, and, after two more killings occur in her very presence, she becomes a suspect as well as a target.

Protection is close at hand, however, in the person of her current romantic interest, Thierry Gasquet, the handsome and debonair French police agent who protected her as a key witness during a murder investigation three months earlier..

Just as things are reaching the boiling point, Havilah’s Aunt Neet arrives in Paris for a visit. Classy, charming, and wise, she leaves the detecting to Havilah and Thierry, but takes Havilah’s life firmly in hand.

Everybody should have an Aunt Neet. She rolls (stylishly) with every punch, shooting, and change of venue, as Havilah and Thierry, now unsure of whom to trust in his agency, work together to solve the mystery—and do a little asskicking.

Sassy, savvy Havilah Gaie will appeal to fans of Attica Locke and of African-American sleuths like Charlotte Justice, Talba Walllis, Tamara Hayle, and especially Frankie Bailey’s Professor Lizzie Stuart—not to mention fans of Pam Grier! Set in Paris and Venice with a surprise journey on the Orient Express, this perfect blend of cozy mystery and action-adventure thriller will also delight those who enjoy international locales.

[GA Russell]

The Executioner Series, Books 1–3: War Against the Mafia, Death Squad, and Battle Mask - $2.99
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M1D5J00