FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[cc_in_oh]

Originally Posted by sufue

Again twelve titles in Robert Goldsborough's continuation of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin series are on sale for $1.99 - $2.99, but this time including the 13th and most recent, The Battered Badge, and not including the first, Murder in E Minor. Link below is still good...



EDIT: Also on sale at Kobo US this time: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Qu...cmaxprice=3.99

I've read the whole series and enjoyed enough to actually pay for the two that weren't available at any of my libraries. But IMO Battered Badge came to such an unexpectedly premature and unsatisfying conclusion (not just to me but to both Wolfe and Cramer) that I suspect it might be only the beginning of a multi-part story.

[GA Russell]

Today only...

The Black Angel - Cornell Woolrich - $1.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008AUC4QA

*****

Oliver Quade, the Human Encyclopedia (complete?) - $1.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HG1SZW6

*****

Tough as Nails: The Complete Cases of Donahue - Frederick Nebel - $1.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FAIL0WY

*****

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye - Horace McCoy - $1.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JCZEPS

[sufue]

It seemed abrupt to me too, although I didn't think of interpreting that as the beginning of a multi-part story. Interesting thought...

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

I've read the whole series and enjoyed enough to actually pay for the two that weren't available at any of my libraries. But IMO Battered Badge came to such an unexpectedly premature and unsatisfying conclusion (not just to me but to both Wolfe and Cramer) that I suspect it might be only the beginning of a multi-part story.

[sufue]

Fair Game is the 5th (SYKM) or 4th (blurb) in the Keith Calder series by Gerald Hammond. It is free right now at Kindle US.

link: https://www.amazon.com/Fair-Game-Kei...dp/B07D1381BK/

Spoiler:

When Ray Grass died he left an estate worth millions, a valuable collection of firearms and a will full of his own mischievous sense of fun. He had been an enthusiastic sportsman and when the fatal accident enquiry brought in a verdict of accidental death, due to his carrying a loaded gun while climbing a fence, his neighbours and acquaintances shook their heads sadly at the folly of rich bachelors.

But for some of his friends such carelessness was uncharacteristic, so reluctantly (but with an eye on the gun collection) Keith Calder agreed to accompany the solicitor, Enterkin, to Grass’s estate and make his own enquiries.

Once Calder learnt the detailed facts of the ‘accidental’ death, he knew the verdict had been wrong and set about trying to prove the truth. Not an easy task, since he was surrounded by a large number of people who, in very individual and bizarre ways, would benefit hugely from Grass’s death.

He discovered that one of the policemen on the case shared his doubts. As they piece together the events of the death they find more than one murder and run into grave danger.

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. Most of his novels were published under his own name, but he also wrote under the pseudonyms Arthur Douglas and Dalby Holden.

[cc_in_oh]

Originally Posted by sufue

It seemed abrupt to me too, although I didn't think of interpreting that as the beginning of a multi-part story. Interesting thought...

Hopefully the next one will be back on track, though at 80 Goldsborough may be starting to think about a continuation author of his own. He's come up with some good stories, from music to baseball, but my favorite by far is the one about the murdered continuation author...

[sufue]

The Pope of Palm Beach is the latest (2018) in the Serge Storms) series by Tim Dorsey. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Pope-Palm-Bea...dp/B072HFRNZY/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-pope-of-palm-beach

Spoiler:

From Florida’s king of mayhem—"compulsively irreverent and shockingly funny" (Boston Globe) New York Times bestselling author Tim Dorsey—comes a diabolically madcap adventure featuring the indomitable Serge A. Storms.

No one worships the Sunshine State as much as Serge A. Storms. Perpetually hunting Floridian arcana and lore, he and his permanently baked sidekick, Coleman, are on the road again. This time they’re on a frenzied literary pilgrimage that leads them back to Riviera Beach, the cozy seaside town where the boys spent their formative years.

Growing up, Serge was enthralled by the Legend of Riviera Beach, aka Darby, a welder at the port who surfed the local waves long before the hot spots were hot. A god on the water, the big-hearted surfer was a friend to everyone—the younger surfers, cops, politicians, wealthy businessmen and ordinary Joes—a generosity of spirit that earned him the admiration of all. Meanwhile, there was a much murkier legend that made the rounds of the schoolyards from Serge’s youth—that of the crazy hermit living in a makeshift jungle compound farther up the mysterious Loxahatchee River than anyone dared to venture.

Then Serge moved away. But never forgot.

Now he’s back, with those legends looming larger than ever in the rearview mirror of his memory. As his literary odyssey moves north from Key West, closer and closer to his old stomping grounds, Serge digs into the past as only Serge can. Along the way, he unintentionally disturbs some long-forgotten ground, attracting the attention of a cast of villains that only Florida can produce.

As the body count grows, so does the list of questions:

Why are the guys in the hard hats worried about the monkeys? When do you hack a motel air-conditioner? How does Coleman get high with cat toys? Who is expecting the dildo? And will book tours ever be the same after Serge decides to check one out?

Told in alternating flashbacks between Serge and Coleman’s childhoods and the present day, The Pope of Palm Beach is a witty and deliciously violent delight from the twisted imagination of Tim Dorsey.

[sufue]

The Last Detective is the first in the Peter Diamond series by Peter Lovesey. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Detectiv...dp/B004J4XGBS/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...eter-diamond-1

Spoiler:

"I am so excited for you to be at the very beginning of this trend-setting, beautifully written, vivid series."—from the introduction by LOUISE PENNY

In the first entry to the series and winner of the 1992 Anthony Boucher Award for Best Mystery Novel, Diamond must locate two missing letters attributed to Jane Austen to solve the murder of the "Lady in the Lake."

A woman’s body has been found floating in the weeds in a lake near Bath. There are no marks on her and no murder weapon. No one will identify her. It looks like Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond has his work cut out for him. Diamond is one of the last detectives of his kind, a gumshoe whose heroes solved crimes by question and answer, door stepping and deduction. To unravel this one, Diamond must locate two missing letters attributed to Jane Austen and defy his superiors in order to save a woman unjustly accused of murder.

[sufue]

Standing in Another Man's Grave is the 18th in the Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Standing-Anot...dp/B008ASGP3U/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sta...er-man-s-grave

Spoiler:

John Rebus returns to investigate the disappearances of three women from the same road over ten years.

For the last decade, Nina Hazlitt has been ready to hear the worst about her daughter's disappearance. But with no sightings, no body, and no suspect, the police investigation ground to a halt long ago, and Nina's pleas to the cold case department have led her nowhere.

Until she meets the newest member of the team: former Detective John Rebus.

Rebus has never shied away from lost causes - one of the many ways he managed to antagonize his bosses when he was on the force. Now he's back as a retired civilian, reviewing abandoned files. Necessary work, but it's not exactly scratching the itch he feels to be in the heart of the action.

Two more women have gone missing from the same road where Sally Hazlitt was last seen. Unlike his skeptical colleagues, Rebus can sense a connection - but pursuing it leads him into the crosshairs of adversaries both old and new.

Rebus may have missed the thrill of the hunt, but he's up against a powerful enemy who's got even less to lose.

On the twentieth anniversary of Ian Rankin's first American publication comes a novel bursting with the vitality and suspense that made its author one of crime fiction's most dazzling stars. STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN'S GRAVE is the triumphant return of John Rebus, and a riveting story of sin, redemption, and revenge.

[sufue]

Playing with Fire is now $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Fire-...dp/B000GCFXBI/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/playing-with-fire-10

Originally Posted by sufue

A couple of titles in the much nominated/awarded Inspector Banks series by Peter Robinson have dropped to £1.89 at Kindle UK.

Cold is the Grave, #11

Playing with Fire, #14

link for both: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/?...&price=189-189

[sufue]

The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes is the most recent (2017) in the Stewart Hoag series by David Handler. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Kaleidos...dp/B01MXNXA75/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...eidoscope-eyes

Spoiler:

HARLAN COBEN calls it "One of my all-time favorite series! ...David Handler is so good at writing one smart, funny page-turner after another that he makes it look easy."

Fans of JANET EVANOVICH and CARL HIAASEN, get ready. If you haven't yet discovered wisecracking sleuth Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag and his faithful basset hound Lulu, you're in for a sharp, hilarious treat.

Once upon a time, Hoagy had it all: a hugely successful debut novel, a gorgeous celebrity wife, the glamorous world of New York City at his feet. These days, he scrapes by as a celebrity ghostwriter. A celebrity ghostwriter who finds himself investigating murders more often than he'd like.

And once upon a time, Richard Aintree was the most famous writer in America -- high school students across the country read his one and only novel, a modern classic on par with The Catcher in the Rye. But after his wife's death, Richard went into mourning... and then into hiding. No one has heard from him in twenty years.

Until now. Richard Aintree — or someone pretending to be Richard Aintree — has at last reached out to his two estranged daughters. Monette is a lifestyle queen à la Martha Stewart whose empire is crumbling; and once upon a time, Reggie was the love of Hoagy's life. Both sisters have received mysterious typewritten letters from their father.

Hoagy is already on the case, having been hired to ghostwrite a tell-all book about the troubled Aintree family. But no sooner does he set up shop in the pool house of Monette's Los Angeles mansion than murder strikes. With Lulu at his side — or more often cowering in his shadow — it's up to Hoagy to unravel the mystery, catch the killer, and pour himself that perfect single-malt Scotch... before it's too late.

[sufue]

The sixth Belfast series title (although SYKM calls this two different series), So Say the Fallen, has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/So-Say-Fallen...dp/B01A4ANR50/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/so-say-the-fallen-1

Originally Posted by sufue

Five titles in Stuart Neville's Belfast series have dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Titles are:

• The Ghosts of Belfast, #1 (finalist for lots of awards)
• Collusion, #2
• Stolen Souls, #3
• The Final Silence, #4
• Those We Left Behind, #5 (although SYKM calls this the first in a different series)

links for all five:
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/&se...&price=199-199
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Qu...cminprice=1.99

[sufue]

We Shall Inherit the Wind is one of the later titles in the Varg Veum series by Gunnar Staalesen. This looks pretty interesting, but according to SYKM, only a few of the titles in this series have been translated into English. This always makes me nervous - if I love the book, and know there are a bunch more out there, but they might never get translated, then I'll be cranky - my best example of this is Martin Jensen's excellent King's Hounds series, where Amazon Crossing only translated the first three, even though there are a couple more. Oh well - if I love it, hopefully it will be more like Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series, now at more than 20 titles in translation and still going strong...

Anyway, Inherit has dropped to $0.99 at Kindle US.

link: https://www.amazon.com/Shall-Inherit...dp/B06XR3KPNK/

Spoiler:

One of the fathers of Nordic Noir offers a chilling, timeless story of love, revenge, and desire, set against contemporary issues 1998. Varg Veum sits by the hospital bedside of his long-term girlfriend Karin, whose life-threatening injuries provide a deeply painful reminder of the mistakes he's made. Investigating the seemingly innocent disappearance of a wind-farm inspector, Varg Veum is thrust into one of the most challenging cases of his career, riddled with conflicts, environmental terrorism, religious fanaticism, unsolved mysteries, and dubious business ethics. Then the first body appears—tied to a cross, facing the mouth of the fjord.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by sufue

Fair Game is the 5th (SYKM) or 4th (blurb) in the Keith Calder series by Gerald Hammond. It is free right now at Kindle US.

link: https://www.amazon.com/Fair-Game-Kei...dp/B07D1381BK/

Also free elsewhere

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fair-Game-K...dp/B07D1381BK/

https://www.amazon.ca/Fair-Game-Keit...dp/B07D1381BK/

Gerald Hammond's Scottish gunsmith thrillers (recommended) are being reprinted by Endeavour and all are in the Kindle Unlimited program

Dead Game (Keith Calder Book 1) (1979 )
The Reward Game (Keith Calder Book 2) (1980 )
The Revenge Game (Keith Calder Book 3) (1981 )
Fair Game (Keith Calder Book 4) (1982 )
The Game (Keith Calder Book 5) by Gerald Hammond (1982)

[sufue]

One of the titles in Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series, Engaged to Die, recently dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US. However, while I was checking it out, I noticed that a bunch of other Hart titles seem to be semi-permanently in the $0.99 to $2.99 range. These are mostly later titles, but I do remember some of Hart's early books with fondness from DTB days, so may try another title or two.

These links pull up twelve Carolyn Hart titles, across her three main series, in the $0.99 to $2.99 range...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/?se...eyword=-basket
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Qu...cmaxprice=2.99

[sufue]

Innocent Blood is a prequel (although the 7th title in publication order) in the John Jordan series by Michael Lister. It is free right now at Kindle US.

link: https://www.amazon.com/Innocent-Bloo...dp/B00T6SYVOI/

Spoiler:

John Jordan’s very first case is his most shocking and devastating. Discover the secret that haunts this legendary detective to this day.

When John Jordan was twelve years old, he came face-to-face with the Atlanta Monster, Wayne Williams, the man who went to prison for the Atlanta Child Murders. Unconvinced Williams was responsible for all the murders, John returns to Atlanta six years later to discover the truth.

As John battles his demons and embarks on his first murder investigation, he learns the ropes from Michael Connelly’s iconic LAPD detective, Harry Bosch.

Both a shocking stand-alone mystery thriller and the true first book in an electrifying New York Times bestselling series, Innocent Blood will keep you guessing right up until the heart-stopping conclusion.

Get Innocent Blood today and see if you can solve the case before John Jordan does.

Features a special introduction by Michael Connelly.

"Another great ride with a very assured driver behind the wheel" - Michael Connelly.