FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[sufue]

Every time I look at the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series by Robert Crais, I'm surprised by how many awards the various books in the series have been finalists for, or have won. Not surprised because the series isn't good (it is), but just the sheer number is impressive - much like Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series.

Anyway, Voodoo River is the fifth title in the series, and has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US. This is one of a few titles in the series that I didn't have in e-book, so I'm happy to see this price drop...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CRLGSSI
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/voodoo-river-1

Spoiler:

Elvis Cole finds himself deep in the bayou of Louisiana searching for the estranged parents of a television star -- but something deadly is looking for him.

L.A. private eye Elvis Cole is hired by popular television star Jodie Taylor to delve into her past and identify the biological parents who gave her up for adoption thirty-six years before. Cole's assignment is to find out their biological history and report back.

It seems all too clear cut. But when he gets to Louisiana and begins his search, he finds that there's something much darker going on. Other people are also looking for Taylor's parents, and some are ending up dead.

And when Cole realizes that his employer knew more than she was telling, Voodoo River becomes a twisting tale of identity, secrets, and murder.

[sufue]

The Summer House is a non-series title by Christobel Kent, whose short Sandro Cellini series I've enjoyed. It has dropped to $0.99 at Kindle and Kobo US, and I may give it a try.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FMCC2JP
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-summer-house-26

Spoiler:

Rose Fell's friends think she's taking a big risk when she leaves the security of home and career to move to the beautiful but isolated village of Grosso, near Genoa. But after a year of emotional turmoil Rose no longer has any ties back home, and she relishes the challenges of a new start.

Making a home, however, in the ravishing, haunted landscape of Italy's Riviera coast turns our to be lonelier than Rose had anticipated. And it is only when she is asked to write a profile on one of her reclusive neighbours, the once-glamorous film star Elvira Vitale, that Rose feels her new life is really beginning.

But when a young girl's body is found on the local beach, and the following day Elvira's hard-working cleaner, Ania, goes missing, Rose finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation that threatens the idyll she has worked so hard to establish.

[kyrilson]

Originally Posted by sufue

Every time I look at the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series by Robert Crais, I'm surprised by how many awards the various books in the series have been finalists for, or have won. Not surprised because the series isn't good (it is), but just the sheer number is impressive - much like Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series.

Anyway, Voodoo River is the fifth title in the series, and has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US. This is one of a few titles in the series that I didn't have in e-book, so I'm happy to see this price drop...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CRLGSSI
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/voodoo-river-1

Why surprised? Do you not like them? I think they're pretty good. I've been picking these up whenever they go on sale, seems like one of them does every couple weeks or so.

[sufue]

As I said in parentheses later in the paragraph, it is good. I do like them. As I also like Lousie Penny's as-much-or-more-awarded Inspector Gamache series.

But, I also like many other much-less-awarded series just as much or even a lot more. So that's the element of surprise for me - that a few series seem to soak up a disproportionate chunk of the awards/nominations - title after title after title. I haven't done any statistical analysis of this or anything, so this is just my impression, but that's the issue for me - not that I don't like this series on its own.

Originally Posted by kyrilson

Why surprised? Do you not like them? I think they're pretty good. I've been picking these up whenever they go on sale, seems like one of them does every couple weeks or so.

[sufue]

Free again at Kindle US. Link below is still good...

Originally Posted by sufue

Based on the table of contents in the sample, The Complete Jake Samson Mystery Series Vol 1-6 is pretty much what it says it is - the six titles in the 1980s - 1990s series by Shelley Singer. It is free right now at Kindle US. I remember reading and enjoying a couple of titles in this series way back when. I don't remember much about them, to be sure, but I must have enjoyed them since I still have the DTB . The blurb indicates that this omnibus also includes a dystopian thriller, Torch Song.

link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FRKXQE4

And also free at Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01FRKXQE4

[sufue]

Second Watch is the second to last (2015) in JA Jance's JP Beaumont series, which she seems to have been slowing down on in favor of the Ali Reynolds and Joanna Brady series (and also some titles with both Beaumont and Brady in them). In any case, Watch has dropped to £1.99 at Kindle UK.

link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KA100VI

Spoiler:

From New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance, a suspenseful mystery from the creator of Arizona sheriff Joanna Brady and Seattle homicide detective J. P. Beaumont.

Getting old is hell. J. P. Beaumont is finally taking some time off to have knee-replacement surgery. But instead of taking his mind off work, the operation plunges him into one of the most perplexing and mind-blowing mysteries he's ever faced.

A series of dreams takes him back to his early days on the force with the Seattle PD, and then even earlier, to his days in Vietnam, reminding him of people and events he hasn't thought about in years. Are they just drug-induced hallucinations? Beaumont isn't so sure. When tugging on those threads from long ago leads to present-day murders, Beau's suspicions are confirmed. Some bodies from the second watch just won't stay buried.

[melmac]

Originally Posted by sufue

Second Watch is the second to last (2015) in JA Jance's JP Beaumont series, which she seems to have been slowing down on in favor of the Ali Reynolds and Joanna Brady series (and also some titles with both Beaumont and Brady in them). In any case, Watch has dropped to £1.99 at Kindle UK.

link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KA100VI

Do you have an opinion on which of the series is better? I’ve often thought about starting on JA Janice but always get lost on where to begin

[sufue]

I started reading JA Jance back in the early days of her JP Beaumont series, and have stuck with her through JP Beaumont and Joanna Brady. As you can tell from reading the blurbs, Beaumont is a homicide investigator in cold, rainy Seattle, and Brady becomes a sheriff in hot Arizona after her sheriff husband is killed.

I probably like the Brady series a smidge more, because my dad's family is from the southwest, and I'm big on enjoying the settings of the books I read. (Although strangely enough, I like both familiar settings, where I have lived or traveled a lot, and exotic settings, where I get to daydream/learn about someplace I've never been. I guess I just don't like boring settings .) Anyway both Beaumont and Brady are good series IMO.

I've somehow never read much of Jance's Ali Reynolds series, or the Ladd/Walker series, and I'm not quite sure why, It's probably mostly that with the huge increase in availability due to ebooks, I've just always had other series to read. It's not that I've read and disliked either series, I've just never really gotten started.

One other thought, I started reading these in DTB days, when my reading order was determined by which ones I found in my local used bookstores. So I can say for sure that there are a few major events, especially in the Beaumont series, that will be sort of spoilers for later books. So if you care about such things, you might try to read in order.

I hope this helps - I think you could be guided by your personal taste - rainy vs. hot, guy detective vs. lady sheriff, etc. - and see if you like Jance's writing. And I'm sorry I can't offer an opinion on the other two series...

Originally Posted by melmac

Do you have an opinion on which of the series is better? I’ve often thought about starting on JA Janice but always get lost on where to begin

[melmac]

Originally Posted by sufue

Spoiler:

I started reading JA Jance back in the early days of her JP Beaumont series, and have stuck with her through JP Beaumont and Joanna Brady. As you can tell from reading the blurbs, Beaumont is a homicide investigator in cold, rainy Seattle, and Brady becomes a sheriff in hot Arizona after her sheriff husband is killed.

I probably like the Brady series a smidge more, because my dad's family is from the southwest, and I'm big on enjoying the settings of the books I read. (Although strangely enough, I like both familiar settings, where I have lived or traveled a lot, and exotic settings, where I get to daydream/learn about someplace I've never been. I guess I just don't like boring settings .) Anyway both Beaumont and Brady are good series IMO.

I've somehow never read much of Jance's Ali Reynolds series, or the Ladd/Walker series, and I'm not quite sure why, It's probably mostly that with the huge increase in availability due to ebooks, I've just always had other series to read. It's not that I've read and disliked either series, I've just never really gotten started.

One other thought, I started reading these in DTB days, when my reading order was determined by which ones I found in my local used bookstores. So I can say for sure that there are a few major events, especially in the Beaumont series, that will be sort of spoilers for later books. So if you care about such things, you might try to read in order.

I hope this helps - I think you could be guided by your personal taste - rainy vs. hot, guy detective vs. lady sheriff, etc. - and see if you like Jance's writing. And I'm sorry I can't offer an opinion on the other two series...

Thank you, a huge help I love landscape playing a part in books, it’s a huge factor in determining what I’m going to read it doesn’t matter to me whether hot/cold city/country as long as it’s really vividly written. I think I’ll start with Beaumont and Brady and read in publication date order

[sufue]

$4.99 is not a great sale price for series fiction, but when it's for the latest (2019) in the Dave Robicheaux series by James Lee Burke, which has been sitting at $14.99, it's still quite a price drop. So, here's the info on The New Iberia Blues...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GNTW4X5/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-new-iberia-blues-2

This is part of the US Kindle Daily Deal, matched at Kobo US, so the price drop likely will disappear tomorrow...

Spoiler:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The shocking death of a young woman leads Detective Dave Robicheaux into the dark corners of Hollywood, the mafia, and the backwoods of Louisiana in this gripping mystery from “modern master” (Publishers Weekly) James Lee Burke.

Detective Dave Robicheaux’s world isn’t filled with too many happy stories, but Desmond Cormier’s rags-to-riches tale is certainly one of them. Robicheaux first met Cormier on the streets of New Orleans, when the young, undersized boy had foolish dreams of becoming a Hollywood director.

Twenty-five years later, when Robicheaux knocks on Cormier’s door, it isn’t to congratulate him on his Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. Robicheaux has discovered the body of a young woman who’s been crucified, wearing only a small chain on her ankle. She disappeared near Cormier’s Cyrpemort Point estate, and Robicheaux, along with young deputy, Sean McClain, are looking for answers. Neither Cormier nor his enigmatic actor friend Antoine Butterworth are saying much, but Robicheaux knows better.

As always, Clete Purcel and Dave’s daughter, Alafair, have Robicheaux’s back. Clete witnesses the escape of Texas inmate, Hugo Tillinger, who may hold the key to Robicheaux’s case. As they wade further into the investigation, they end up in the crosshairs of the mob, the deranged Chester Wimple, and the dark ghosts Robicheaux has been running from for years. Ultimately, it’s up to Robicheaux to stop them all, but he’ll have to summon a light he’s never seen or felt to save himself, and those he loves.

Stephen King hailed New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke “as good as he ever was.” Now, with The New Iberia Blues, Burke proves that he “remains the heavyweight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed” (Michael Connelly).

[sufue]

Free again at Kindle US, link below is still good, and also at Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Badass-Broa...dp/B0723HRKMB/

Originally Posted by sufue

Badass Broads is a collection of titles by authors published by booksBnimble, including Julie Smith, Rob Swigart, Tracy Whiting, Adrienne Barbeau, and Shelley Singer. Several of the titles have been free before, either individually or in various collections, but this is a new (to me, at least) collection, and it's free too at Kindle US. I've read House of Blues, Paris a Go-Go, and Samson's Deal, and enjoyed all three.

Titles include:

• House of Blues (Smith)
• Tablet of Destinies (Swigart)
• Paris a Go-Go (Whiting)
• Love Bites (Barbeau)
• Samson's Deal (Singer)
• Torch Song (Singer)

link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0723HRKMB

[sufue]

Again $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US. Links below are still good...

Originally Posted by sufue

The Body in the Gazebo is the 19th in the Faith Fairchild series by Katherine Hall Page. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Body-Gazebo-F...dp/B004HD61FE/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-body-in-the-gazebo

[kyrilson]

Originally Posted by sufue

As I said in parentheses later in the paragraph, it is good. I do like them. As I also like Lousie Penny's as-much-or-more-awarded Inspector Gamache series.

But, I also like many other much-less-awarded series just as much or even a lot more. So that's the element of surprise for me - that a few series seem to soak up a disproportionate chunk of the awards/nominations - title after title after title. I haven't done any statistical analysis of this or anything, so this is just my impression, but that's the issue for me - not that I don't like this series on its own.

Ah, I see. Yes, I have noticed this before as well. It could be a case of reputation influencing the voters, perhaps? Seems a shame sometimes, there are so many good series out there that can get lost in the shuffle.

[sufue]

I've kind of thought that maybe it's the same voters all the time? Who knows...

But it leaves room for forums like this to talk about the much-awarded series and the less-awarded ones both!

Originally Posted by kyrilson

Ah, I see. Yes, I have noticed this before as well. It could be a case of reputation influencing the voters, perhaps? Seems a shame sometimes, there are so many good series out there that can get lost in the shuffle.

[sufue]

Just received the October Crime Classics newsletter - never mind that October is getting a bit long in the tooth .

Here are some sale prices coming up...I'm kind of busy, so not going to put links or blurbs for all of them...just go find them on the right day(s)...IMS these may be only at Kindle US, not Kobo US, but not absolutely sure...

Oct 1- 30, Hide My Eyes by Margery Allingham, $1.99

Oct 28 - Nov 3, The Black Spiders by John Creasey, $0.99

Oct 22 (tomorrow), The Allingham Casebook, $1.99, and Sweet Danger, also by Allingham, also $1.99

Oct 23, Castang's City by Nicholas Freeling, $1.99

Oct 24, The Case of the Late Pig, Allingham, $1.99

Oct 29, Coroner's Pidgin, Allingham, $1.99

Oct 31, The Beast Must Die, Nicholas Blake, $2.99