FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[sufue]

A few fairly random Edward Marston titles have been dropping to £1.90 at Kindle UK, most recently see here and here.

And here are a couple more:

The Mad Courtesan, Nicholas Bracewell, #5
link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mad-Courtes...dp/B00APDW5HS/

Spoiler:

Butchery outside a London brothel leaves Westfield's Men in disarray While England is brought low by rumours of Queen Elizabeth's declining health, celebrated theatre company Lord Westfield's Men suffer their own bitter blows. A vicious feud between players causes chaos; a rival company launches a new production; a mysterious beauty reduces their leading actor to a lovelorn wreck; and a brutal murder leaves the group of actors reeling. With matters so fraught, even a performing horse becomes a threat. Stage manager Nicholas Bracewell, accustomed to damage control, is the only man with the wit to keep the company afloat. As the Queen sinks towards death, Nicholas begins to discern the connections between the company's misfortunes and the larger shadow falling over England . . .

A Date with the Executioner, Bow Street Rivals, #3
link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Date-Execut...dp/B01M0PLJ6D/

Spoiler:

1817. Dawn breaks on a summer’s day in Chalk Farm, London, and the scene is set for a duel between a lady’s ardent admirers. Fearless thief-taker Paul Skillen has been teaching Mark Bowerman how to shoot properly, and although Paul is not sanguine about his clumsy pupil’s chances, he stands as his second.

At the last moment the duel is broken up by Bow Street Runners. They are overjoyed to include Paul, one of their enemies and rivals, in the arrest. However, despite the interruption, the passions behind the duel seem to spill out into the full light of day when Bowerman is stabbed to death in a stranger’s garden.

Paul and his twin, Peter, are determined to see justice done and a race against the Runners begins, where the brothers must pick a path through threads of inheritance and treachery, with a beautiful woman at the heart of the web.

[sufue]

Kobo US is having an under $1 sale, most, if not all, also coupon/VIPable. Sale is through May 7. I actually spotted a few titles that are not the usual...

The best deal that I saw was Meet Collins and Burke, an omnibus of the first three titles in the Collins and Burke series by Anne Emery: Sign of the Cross, Obit, and Barrington Street Blues. Link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/meet-collins-and-burke

I also spotted titles by: Peter Bowen, Jane Langton, Shirley McKay, Barbara Corrado Pope, Denzil Meyrick, Elena Forbes, William F. Buckley Jr., Kjell Ola Dahl and others. Not a lot of titles by any one author, and some are first in series that go on sale often, but still, I spotted a few titles of interest, which is sort of rare for me in Kobo's sales.

link to the sale page: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/p/99sale18

Oh, and I missed "Cozy Mystery" and "Thrillers" sections further down. Additional authors I recognize or find interesting: Carl Hiaasen, Jack Higgins, Randy Wayne White, Raymond Benson, Ian Hamilton (oddly enough, listed in the cozies) and Elaine Viets.

[sufue]

Now $0.99 at Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Frangipani-Tr...dp/B075WRF64F/

Originally Posted by sufue

If you are willing to take your murder with a big dose of cozy...

Ovidia Yu's The Frangipani Tree Mystery is the first in Yu's Crown Colony series set in 1930's Singapore. It has dropped to £0.99 at Kindle UK, possibly due to the imminent release of the 2nd in the series, due in June.

I've read and quite enjoyed Yu's Auntie Lee series, set in modern day Singapore, possibly because I've been lucky enough to have a couple of business trips to Singapore, so I can picture some of the settings/culture. But although Yu does deal with some troubling subjects from time-to-time, there still is a lot of cozy in her books too. I haven't read this one, but it will float in somewhere near the top of my TBR list.

Anyway, here's the link for Frangipani: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Frangipani-...dp/B01MSIHY1D/

[sufue]

Target Practice is a collection of three early (pre Nero/Archie) Rex Stout stories, presumably novellas, since there are only three in the book. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US (coupon/VIPable). I've not read any of the early Rex Stout titles that have come out in the last few years - has anyone read and enjoyed?

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Target-Practi...dp/B007W8MK3I/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/target-practice

Spoiler:

An invaluable sample of the early work of one of America’s finest mystery writers

Decades before detective Nero Wolfe and his sidekick, Archie Goodwin, first struck fear into the hearts of Manhattan’s criminals, Rex Stout wrote fiction for All-Stories Magazine. By the time the Wolfe series brought him fame, Stout had put his early work behind him, and made no effort to preserve it. At the time of his death, these early mysteries and suspense stories were thought to be lost forever, but deep in the Library of Congress lay copies of the original magazine. Published for the first time in 1997, these early gems show a writer deploying all the humor, style, and clever plotting that would make Nero Wolfe a star.

Included here are “Secrets,” Stout’s first mystery, “Target Practice,” a story of World War I, and “Justice Ends at Home,” whose main characters will look very familiar to fans of Nero and Archie.

[sufue]

The Reward Game is the second in the Keith Calder series by Gerald Hammond. It is a US Kindle Countdown deal at $0.99 for about 5 3/4 more days.

link: https://www.amazon.com/Reward-Game-K...dp/B07BWKV65H/

Spoiler:

Imagine returning to your parked car and finding a corpse in it...

This is exactly what happened to Molly Calder, and the discovery sparks the beginning of a tense trail for Molly and her husband Keith.

They have their work cut out in chasing reward money for missing gems and missing money: the search leads them from their rural setting to the heart of Glasgow—and they need help from family and friends along the way. Molly wants to buy Briesland House more than anything in the world, although she’s pretty keen on trying to keep her husband safe and sound—will she be successful?

‘With his expert knowledge of guns and his love of the Scottish countryside, Gerald created marvelous backgrounds against which he set puzzling, credible, and thoroughly entertaining whodunits. His books were not long tedious, padded, thrillers. Instead they are almost of another age, ingenious plots, characters with whom you want to spend time, and a world to which you eagerly anticipate returning.’ – Paul Bishop, author of Deep Water and A Bucketful of Bullets.

Born in 1926, Gerald Hammond lived in Scotland, where he retired from his profession as an architect in 1982 to pursue his love of shooting and fishing and to write full time. After his first novel, Fred in Situ, was published in 1965, Gerald became a prolific author with over 70 published novels. His last title, The Unkindest Cut, was published in 2012. Most of his novels were published under his own name, but he also wrote under the pseudonyms Arthur Douglas and Dalby Holden.

[sufue]

Dissolution is the first in the Matthew Shardlake series by CJ Sansom. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle US and Kobo US. I've read and quite enjoyed a couple of the titles in this series.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Dissolution-M...dp/B002TZ3EPM/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dissolution-4

Spoiler:

From the bestselling author of Winter in Madrid and Dominion comes the exciting and elegantly written first novel in the Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery series

Dissolution is an utterly riveting portrayal of Tudor England. The year is 1537, and the country is divided between those faithful to the Catholic Church and those loyal to the king and the newly established Church of England. When a royal commissioner is brutally murdered in a monastery on the south coast of England, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s feared vicar general, summons fellow reformer Matthew Shardlake to lead the inquiry. Shardlake and his young protégé uncover evidence of sexual misconduct, embezzlement, and treason, and when two other murders are revealed, they must move quickly to prevent the killer from striking again.

A "remarkable debut" (P. D. James), Dissolution introduces a thrilling historical series that is not to be missed by fans of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

[sufue]

The Big Killing is the second in the Bruce Medway series by Robert Wilson. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US (VIP/couponable).

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Killing-B...dp/B003WJQ6UY/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-big-killing-3

Spoiler:

Bruce Medway is the target of a deadly conspiracy in “this darkly tangled thriller” by the CWA Gold Dagger Award–winning author of A Small Death in Lisbon (Kirkus Reviews).

As a fixer, Bruce Medway makes his living doing things other people don’t want to do. And in the seedier corners of West Africa, there are plenty of tasks that need doing. For example, porn producer Fat Paul needs someone to deliver a video to the Ivory Coast, but the recipients will only trust a white man to make a drop. A Syrian millionaire wants Bruce to travel to Korhogo to fire someone on his payroll. And Martin Fall, head of security at a firm back home in England, needs a man to keep an eye on diamond hunter Ronald Collins.

Seems like three easy gigs for Bruce until two of his clients end up dead and the third goes missing. All three cases are dangerously tied to a group of Liberian rebels determined to wreak havoc wherever they go. Now, Bruce needs to outwit a band of killers all gunning for him before he becomes part of their swiftly rising body count.

“The action is furious and the one-liners . . . would have made even Raymond Chandler jealous.” —The Sunday Times

“Wilson writes concisely but poetically about a callously brutal side of African life that . . . ring[s] with a dark, sad credibility.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

[sufue]

Five titles by Ed McBain, mostly (all?) originally written under various pen names, have dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US (VIP/couponable). These are very recent price drops so more may be coming - if so, the links should pick them up too. Kindle link includes a stray Matthew Hope title. Titles include:

• Scimitar
• A Matter of Conviction
• Murder in the Navy
• Even the Wicked
• Vanishing Ladies

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/?se...price-asc-rank
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Qu...cmaxprice=1.99

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by sufue

Dissolution is the first in the Matthew Shardlake series by CJ Sansom. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle US and Kobo US. I've read and quite enjoyed a couple of the titles in this series.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Dissolution-M...dp/B002TZ3EPM/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dissolution-4

I heartily endorse this series, if you like historical mysteries.

[sufue]

Two more titles in this series have dropped in price, each to $1.99, at both Kindle and Kobo US (coupon/VIPable).

Vienna Waltz
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Suzanne-Ranno...dp/B004IWR3L0/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vienna-waltz-3

Spoiler:

Nothing is fair in love and war in this historical mystery featuring British spies Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch, “a must-read for fans of the Regency era” (Publishers Weekly).

Europe’s elite have gathered at the glittering Congress of Vienna—princes, ambassadors, the Russian tsar—all negotiating the fate of the continent by day and pursuing pleasure by night. Until Princess Tatiana, the most beautiful and talked about woman in Vienna, is found murdered during an ill-timed rendezvous with three of her most powerful conquests . . .

Suzanne Rannoch has tried to ignore rumors that her new husband, Malcolm, has also been tempted by Tatiana. As a protégé of France’s Prince Talleyrand and attaché for Britain’s Lord Castlereagh, Malcolm sets out to investigate the murder and must enlist Suzanne’s special skills and knowledge if he is to succeed. As a complex dance between husband and wife in search for the truth ensues, no one’s secrets are safe, and the future of Europe may hang in the balance.

“A perfect blend of history, mystery, romance, and suspense . . . Shimmers like the finest salons in Vienna.” —Deborah Crombie, New York Times–bestselling author

“Meticulous, delightful, and full of surprises.” —Tasha Alexander, New York Times–bestselling author

“Glittering balls, deadly intrigue, sexual scandals . . . The next best thing to actually being there!” —Lauren Willig, New York Times–bestselling author

“Absolutely gripping . . . Historical intrigue at its finest.” —Deanna Raybourn, New York Times–bestselling author

Imperial Scandal
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Scan...dp/B0063KB36Q/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/imperial-scandal-3

Spoiler:

British spies Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch investigate a murder in Brussels amid a whirlwind of war and revelry in this “superb” Regency-era mystery (Historical Novel Society).

Removed to glamorous Brussels in the wake of Napoleon’s escape from Elba, intelligence agent Malcolm Rannoch and his wife, Suzanne, warily partake in the country’s pleasures—lush, bucolic afternoons followed by nights filled with lavish balls. But with the Congress of Vienna in chaos and the Duke of Wellington preparing for battle, the festivities are cut short when Malcolm is sent on a perilous mission that unravels a murderous world of espionage.

No one knows what the demure and respectable Lady Julia Ashton was doing at the château where Malcolm and a fellow British spy were ambushed. But now her enigmatic life has been ended by an equally mysterious death. And as the conflict with Napoleon marches toward Waterloo, and Brussels surrenders to bedlam, Suzanne and Malcolm will be plunged into the search for the truth—revealing an intricate labyrinth of sinister secrets and betrayal in which no one can be trusted . . .

“A superb storyteller.” —Deanna Raybourn, New York Times–bestselling author

Originally Posted by sufue

The Paris Affair is a title in the Malcolm & Suzanne Rannoch series (which is also the Charles and Mélanie Fraser series) by Tracy (pen name Teresa) Grant. If this sounds confusing, it is - Grant does not write the series in chronological order, and the names of the main protagonists changed at one point due to some publishing issues.

I tried to explain this a little bit more in this previous post, which also contains a link to Grant's website, which does even more explaining. In spite of the effort it takes to keep things straight, I've read and enjoyed most of the titles in this series.

In any case, Affair has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Paris-Affair-...dp/B07BRXLY73/

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by sufue

The Reward Game is the second in the Keith Calder series by Gerald Hammond. It is a US Kindle Countdown deal at $0.99 for about 5 3/4 more days.

link: https://www.amazon.com/Reward-Game-K...dp/B07BWKV65H/

First published in 1980 by St. Martin’s Press.

Also on KU and on UK Countdown at 99p

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Reward-Ga...dp/B07BWKV65H/

[MickeyC]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I heartily endorse this series, if you like historical mysteries.

Since both you guys (who never get it wrong) recommended this, I had to grab it.

Thanks!

[badgoodDeb]

Then I'll give it a try too! Thanks guys.

[sufue]

In a Dark House is the 10th in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series by Deborah Crombie. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US. At Kindle it's part of the Daily Deal, so may just be for today only.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/House-Duncan-...dp/B000OI0E3Q/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/in-a-dark-house

Spoiler:

An abandoned Southwark warehouse burns next door to a women's shelter for victims of spousal abuse. Within it lies the charred corpse of a female body burned beyond all recognition. At the same time, workers at Guy's Hospital anxiously discuss the disappearance of a hospital administrator -- a beautiful, emotionally fragile young woman who's vanished without a trace.

And in an old, dark, rambling London house, nine-year-old
Harriet's awful fears won't be silenced -- as she worries about her
feuding parents, her schoolwork . . . and the strange woman who
is her only companion in this scary, unfamiliar place.

Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid -- lovers and former partners -- have their own pressing concerns. But they must put aside private matters to investigate these disturbing cases. Yet neither Gemma nor Duncan realize how closely the cases are connected -- or how important their resolutions will be for an abducted young child who is frightened, alone . . . and in serious peril.

[sufue]

A Casualty of War is the 9th and most recent (2017) in the Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US - a very nice price for a most-recent-in-series.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Casualty-War-...dp/B01N1YAWTU/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-casualty-of-war-3

Spoiler:

From New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd comes a haunting tale that explores the impact of World War I on all who witnessed it—officers, soldiers, doctors, and battlefield nurses like Bess Crawford.

Though the Great War is nearing its end, the fighting rages on. While waiting for transport back to her post, Bess Crawford meets Captain Alan Travis from the island of Barbados. Later, when he’s brought into her forward aid station disoriented from a head wound, Bess is alarmed that he believes his distant English cousin, Lieutenant James Travis, shot him. Then the Captain is brought back to the aid station with a more severe wound, once more angrily denouncing the Lieutenant as a killer. But when it appears that James Travis couldn’t have shot him, the Captain’s sanity is questioned. Still, Bess wonders how such an experienced officer could be so wrong.

On leave in England, Bess finds the Captain strapped to his bed in a clinic for brain injuries. Horrified by his condition, Bess and Sergeant Major Simon Brandon travel to James Travis’s home in Suffolk, to learn more about the baffling relationship between these two cousins.

Her search will lead this smart, capable, and compassionate young woman into unexpected danger, and bring her face to face with the visible and invisible wounds of war that not even the much-longed for peace can heal.