FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[myrosia]

Sue Grafton's "A" through "O" books are on sale for $2.99 each on Amazon US. I think it's today only, a Kindle daily deal

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ds=Sue+Grafton

[sufue]

Prime Cut is the eighth in the the Goldy Bear Schulz series by Diane Mott Davidson. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Prime-Cut-Gol...dp/B002WJM5VY/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/prime-cut-1

Spoiler:

A caterer's nightmare...

Caterer Goldy Schulz is convinced things couldn't get worse. An unscrupulous rival is driving her out of business. An incompetent contractor has left her precious kitchen in shambles. And she has just agreed to cater a fashion shoot at a nineteenth-century mountain cabin with her mentor and old friend, French chef André Hibbard.

A dash of cold-blooded murder...

Together Goldy and André struggle in a hopelessly outdated kitchen to cater to a vacuous crowd of beautiful people whose personal dramas climax when a camera is pitched through a window...into the buffet. Then Goldy's contractor is found hanging in the house of one of her best friends. A second murder follows and Goldy must somehow solve a mystery and prepare for a society soirée that could make--or break--her career.

A recipe for disaster...

It's a mystery that involves the dead contractor's unwholesome past, a food saboteur, the theft of four historical cookbooks, and an overzealous D.A. who has suspended Goldy's detective husband, Tom, from the force. What Goldy discovers is the perfect recipe for murder. And she may be dessert!

[sufue]

Jack of Spies is the first in the Jack McColl series by David Downing. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Jack-Spies-Mc...dp/B00H12CP58/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/jack-of-spies-1

Spoiler:

Set on the eve of the First World War, across oceans and continents, steamliners and cross-country trains, David Downing’s complex and thrilling new espionage novel takes us all the way back to the dawn of that most fascinating of 20th century characters—the spy.

It is 1913, and those who follow the news closely can see the world is teetering on the brink of war. Jack McColl, a Scottish car salesman with an uncanny ear for languages, has always hoped to make a job for himself as a spy. As his sales calls take him from city to great city—Hong Kong to Shanghai to San Francisco to New York—he moonlights collecting intelligence for His Majesty's Secret Service, but British espionage is in its infancy and Jack has nothing but a shoestring budget and the very tenuous protection of a boss in far-away London. He knows, though, that a geopolitical catastrophe is brewing, and now is both the moment to prove himself and the moment his country needs him most.

Unfortunately, this is also the moment he begins to realize what his aspiration might cost him. He understands his life is at stake when activities in China suddenly escalate from innocent data-gathering and casual strolls along German military concessions to arrest warrants and knife attacks. Meanwhile, a sharp, vivacious American suffragette journalist has wiled her way deep into his affections, and it is not long before he realizes that her Irish-American family might be embroiled in the Irish Republican movement Jack's bosses are fighting against. How can he choose between his country and the woman he loves? And would he even be able to make such a choice without losing both?

[sufue]

The Anatomist's Wife is the first in the Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomists-Wi...dp/B008EXNOZI/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-anatomist-s-wife

Spoiler:

THE FIRST LADY DARBY MYSTERY

“A riveting debut…an original premise, an enigmatic heroine, and a compelling Highland setting…a book you won’t want to put down.”—New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn

Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister’s estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes.

Kiera wants to put her past aside, but when one of the house guests is murdered, her brother-in-law asks her to utilize her knowledge of human anatomy to aid the insufferable Sebastian Gage—a fellow guest with some experience as an inquiry agent. While Gage is clearly more competent than she first assumed, Kiera isn’t about to let her guard down as accusations and rumors swirl.

When Kiera and Gage’s search leads them to even more gruesome discoveries, a series of disturbing notes urges Lady Darby to give up the inquiry. But Kiera is determined to both protect her family and prove her innocence, even as she risks becoming the next victim…

[sufue]

Lady of the Ashes is the first in the Lady Of Ashes series by Christine Trent. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Ashes-Bo...dp/B009L93GL6/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lady-of-the-ashes

Spoiler:

Only a woman with an iron backbone could succeed as an undertaker in Victorian London, but Violet Morgan takes great pride in her trade. While her husband, Graham, is preoccupied with elevating their station in society, Violet is cultivating a sterling reputation for Morgan Undertaking. She is empathetic, well-versed in funeral fashions, and comfortable with death's role in life--until its chilling rattle comes knocking on her own front door.

Violet's peculiar but happy life soon begins to unravel as Graham becomes obsessed with his own demons and all but abandons her as he plans a vengeful scheme. And the solace she's always found in her work evaporates like a departing soul when she suspects that some of the deceased she's dressed have been murdered. When Graham's plotting leads to his disappearance, Violet takes full control of the business and is commissioned for an undertaking of royal proportions. But she's certain there's a killer lurking in the London fog, and the next funeral may be her own.

Equal parts courage, compassion, and intrigue, Christine Trent tells an unrestrained tale of love and loss in the rigidly decorous world of Victorian society.

[sufue]

The Murder Stone is a non-series title by Charles Todd. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Stone-...dp/B000QCS8VK/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-murder-stone-1

Spoiler:

Charles Todd’s critically acclaimed novels featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge have been hailed by The Washington Post Book World as “one of the best historical series being written today.” The New York Times Book Review calls Todd’s mysteries “meticulously wrought...harrowing psychological drama.” Now he stakes out new territory in this mesmerizing stand-alone novel of one woman’s dark journey through family obsession, wartime secrets, and a chilling legacy.…

The Murder Stone

The Great War is still raging in the autumn of 1916, when Francesca Hatton’s beloved grandfather dies on the family estate in
England’s isolated Exe Valley. Grieving for the man who raised her, Francesca is stunned to find an unsigned letter among his effects, cursing the Hattons and their descendants. Now a stranger has shown up on her doorstep, accusing her grandfather of being a murderer.

Ex-soldier Richard Leighton blames Francis Hatton for the death of his mother, who vanished nearly a quarter of a century earlier. Her body was never found, only a shawl stained with her blood. And Leighton is not the only one with a claim on Francesca’s grandfather. On the day of his funeral, unexpected visitors arrive with the mourners, and Francesca is besieged by charges of Hatton’s vicious dealings. Yet there is also a shy young woman who praises his secret generosity.

At the center of the intrigue is an unusual white stone that lies hidden in a secluded garden where Francesca once played with her five male cousins, all of them dead now on the battlefields of France. According to the terms of Hatton’s will, the Murder Stone must be dug up and transported to Scotland, where it is to be buried forever. But before Francesca can begin the journey, a series of ominous “accidents” occur, culminating in the discovery of a bleeding body on the Murder Stone itself.

Was Hatton the loving, caring protector his granddaughter always believed him to be?
Or a vindictive, secretive man who cultivated dangerous enemies? Francesca sets out in pursuit of the truth—and into the sights of someone determined to exact a revenge long overdue.

[sufue]

Brighton Belle is the first in the Mirabelle Bevan series by Sara Sheridan. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Brighton-Bell...dp/B010ZZXZNI/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/brighton-belle-2

Spoiler:

“Great fun. The world needs Mirabelle’s feistiness, intelligence, and charm.”—James Runcie, author of the Grantchester mysteries

In post-World War II England, former Secret Service operative Mirabelle Bevan becomes embroiled in a new kind of intrigue…

1951: In the popular seaside town of Brighton, it’s time for Mirabelle Bevan to move beyond her tumultuous wartime years and start anew. Accepting a job at a debt collection agency seems a step toward a more tranquil life.

But as she follows up on a routine loan to Romana Laszlo, a pregnant Hungarian refugee who’s recently come off the train from London, Mirabelle’s instincts for spotting deception are stirred when the woman is reported dead, along with her unborn child.

After encountering a social-climbing doctor with a sudden influx of wealth and Romana’s sister, who seems far from bereaved and doesn’t sound Hungarian, Mirabelle decides to dig deeper into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. Aided by her feisty sidekick—a fellow office worker named Vesta Churchill (“no relation to Winston,” as she explains)—Mirabelle unravels a web of evil that stretches from the Brighton beachfront to the darkest corners of Europe. Putting her own life at risk, she must navigate a lethal labyrinth of lies and danger to expose the truth.

[sufue]

Deadlock is the second in the V.I. Warshawski series by Sara Paretsky. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Deadlock-V-I-...dp/B004J4X708/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/deadlock-5

Spoiler:

When Chicago Black Hawks hockey legend Boom Boom Warshawski slips off a wharf and drowns in Lake Michigan, cousin V.I. questions the report of accidental death and rumors of suicide.

V.I. searches for leads and finds a trail of violence and corruption. It takes her to the center of Chicago's powerful shipping industry. There she ferrets out her cousin's killer -- but nearly gets painted out of the picture -- permanently!

[sufue]

Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin books almost never go on sale in the US. Here one is, though! Fer-de-Lance is the first in the series and has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Fer-Lance-Ner...dp/B003V4BPG0/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fer-de-lance-2

Spoiler:

As any herpetologist will tell you, the fer-de-lance is among the most dreaded snakes known to man. When someone makes a present of one to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin knows he's getting dreadully close to solving the devilishly clever murders of an immigrant and a college president. As for Wolfe, he's playing snake charmer in a case with more twists than an anaconda -- whistling a seductive tune he hopes will catch a killer who's still got poison in his heart.

[sufue]

Open Road does seem to be drifting towards a new model of putting a lot of titles by one or two authors on sale, rather than single titles by a bunch of different authors, and more priced at $2.99 than the previous $1.99 that seemed to be sort of their standard sale price (sigh!). Today, there are a bunch of titles by Christianna Brand on sale for $2.99 at Kindle US. The link also includes the first title in Brand's Inspector Cockrill series, Heads You Lose, which is at $1.99. Too many titles and too little time for me to list them all, but if you are missing a title by Brand, chances are pretty good it's on sale today. So far, this doesn't seem to be matched at Kobo US, but I'm including a Kobo link too for price check purposes.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/?se...price-asc-rank
Kobo US (mostly for price check purposes): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Qu...cmaxprice=2.99

[bfisher]

Saint Peter's Fair (Brother Cadfael # 4) by Ellis Peters is on sale today at amazon.ca for $CDN 1.99
https://www.amazon.ca/Saint-Peters-C.../dp/B00LUZNVZK

[sufue]

And today's Open Road "author of the day" (actually from Ipso books, who seem to be affiliated in some way with Open Road, since their books show up in Open Road marketing emails) is Margery Allingham, with 11 titles in her Albert Campion series at $2.99 (and one otherwise at $1.99) at Kindle US. Not on sale, for now, at Kobo US, but I'm giving the link for price check purposes...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/?se...price-asc-rank
Kobo US (for price check): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Qu...cmaxprice=2.99

So if you are missing a Campion or two, check it out...

EDIT: Use caution - a number of these seem to be re-released editions, and don't show up as previously purchased, so check carefully before you buy...

[pdurrant]

Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie is £0.99 at Amazon UK this month

Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell is £1.99 at Amazon UK this month

To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey is £0.99 at Amazon UK this month

Three of Ed McBain's (Long Time No See, Let's Hear It For The Deaf Man and Calypso) are £0.99 at Amazon UK this month

[maddz]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie is £0.99 at Amazon UK this month

Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell is £0.99 at Amazon UK this month

To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey is £0.99 at Amazon UK this month

Three of Ed McBain's (Long Time No See, Let's Hear It For The Deaf Man and Calypso) are £0.99 at Amazon UK this month

I also spotted a Tess Gerritson at 99p:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apprentice-...Tess+Gerritsen

Note that bk 3 is also 99p:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sinner-Rizz...in%3A368165031

[sufue]

The Overlook, 13th in the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly, and Nine Dragons, 15th in the series, are also £0.99 in the Kindle UK monthly sale for March.

Overlook link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002U3CB7A/

Spoiler:

An execution on the overlook above the Mulholland Dam entangles Bosch with FBI Agent Rachel Walling and Homeland Security. The brilliant thirteenth Harry Bosch novel from the award-winning No. 1 bestselling author.

When a physicist is murdered in LA, it seems the killer has no fear of publicity, leaving the body on the Mulholland overlook, a site with a stunning view over the city. And when it's discovered that the victim turned over a quantity of a lethal chemical to his killer before he died, Harry knows he has more than just a single death to worry about.

Alongside the forces of Homeland Security, Harry realises he must solve the murder or face unimaginable consequences.

Dragons link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nine-Dragon...dp/B002S0KB6I/

Spoiler:

Harry Bosch is alone, without backup - and this time the case is personal. From the No. 1 bestselling author of The Lincoln Lawyer.

The shooting of a Chinese liquor store owner in LA brings Harry Bosch back to the Rodney King riots and the moment a stranger gave a young cop sanctuary. Now the debt must be repaid, and Harry soon discovers the old man's death was no ordinary hold-up.

Homing in on clues disregarded by the cops on the scene, Harry builds a picture of corruption and intimidation, with the local triads at the heart of it. But as he tries to build a case and breach the impenetrable wall of silence in the local community, he finds he is taking a dragon by the tail - a dragon whose talons reach well beyond LA, and even the States.

Suddenly the most precious thing in Harry's life is under threat, and he will need to leave the familiarity of his home turf, alone and without backup, if he is going to stop his worst nightmare from happening.