FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[sufue]

A few titles from the Kindle UK Black Friday sale, at £0.99 each. I didn't find many to my taste, so you may want to take a look yourself if your tastes are different than mine...

The Voice of the Violin, Inspector Montalbano #4, by Andrea Camilleri
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voice-Violi...dp/B004KSRVCS/

Blackout, Dark Iceland #3, by Ragnar Jónasson
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackout-Da...dp/B01BOGQDIG/

All three of the King's Hound series by Martin Jensen that have been translated into English - I am SO SO bummed that Amazon Crossing quit after translating only three of the original titles - I almost feel like pulling a Pete Buttigieg and learning Danish (yeah, yeah, not Norwegian), except I'm busy slogging through Harry Potter in Spanish to try to practice my newly learned Spanish right now...

The King's Hounds, #1: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kings-Hound...dp/B00BCPEWQU/

Oathbreaker, #2: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oathbreaker...dp/B00ELN0KCK/

A Man's Word, #3: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mans-Word-K...dp/B00NIXMCQ6/

[cromag]

Originally Posted by sufue

...
All three of the King's Hound series by Martin Jensen that have been translated into English - I am SO SO bummed that Amazon Crossing quit after translating only three of the original titles - I almost feel like pulling a Pete Buttigieg and learning Danish (yeah, yeah, not Norwegian), except I'm busy slogging through Harry Potter in Spanish to try to practice my newly learned Spanish right now...

The King's Hounds, #1: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kings-Hound...dp/B00BCPEWQU/

Oathbreaker, #2: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oathbreaker...dp/B00ELN0KCK/

A Man's Word, #3: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mans-Word-K...dp/B00NIXMCQ6/

I wish Amazon would do all of the series, too. I really enjoyed these books. They're $0.99 at Amazon US. They've been on sale before, so check carefully.

The King's Hound

[sufue]

SIGH! Every now and then (like now), when I am reminded of these, and since they were translated into English by Amazon Crossing, I use the "Propose a book for translation" form (https://translation.amazon.com/submissions) to suggest the next in the series, which is, per SYKM, Den tredje mønt, or in English, The Third Coin. It's probably not quite appropriate since the form seems to be for authors or rights-holders of books, and not for general reader suggestions. But, WTH!

However, I think it's probably futile, since they seem to have decided that sales of the first three must not justify any more.

Back when it looked like they might do the whole series, I actually e-mailed the author too, and asked him if any more were coming in English, and he said it's up to Amazon. DOUBLE SIGH!

Originally Posted by cromag

I wish Amazon would do all of the series, too. I really enjoyed these books. They're $0.99 at Amazon US. They've been on sale before, so check carefully.

The King's Hound

[sufue]

Murder in Mind, apa The Work of a Narrow Mind, is the 16th in the Hillary Greene series by Faith Martin. It is free right now at Kindle US. I haven't read any titles in this series, but as they go free from time to time, I've picked up quite a few of them. So sometime soon I may have to try the ones I have . (And, all of them seem to go on sale for $0.99 pretty often, so if I did like the series, it'd be cheap....)

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J5Y94Y1

Spoiler:

Looking for a brilliant best-selling murder mystery with a feisty female detective?

DETECTIVE HILLARY GREENE IS SOLVING THE COLD CASES NO ONE ELSE COULD CRACK.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “THE WORK OF A NARROW MIND.”

Seventy-five-year-old Sylvia Perkins was found battered to death in her home in 2010. The murder weapon was suspected to be a fire poker and it seems she was quite popular with older gentlemen.

Her grandson Robbie inherited everything, but he can’t be placed at the scene of the crime.

WHO KILLED THIS HARMLESS OLD WOMAN AND WHY? AND WHAT SECRETS WAS SHE HIDING?

Hillary also has a new boss and a baffling cold case to contend with, not to mention a marriage proposal to consider.

Hillary Greene has returned to Thames Valley Police HQ, acting as a cold-case consultant for the Crime Review Team, looking into murders which the police have never been able to solve.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to go back. But solving crimes is irresistible for Hillary Greene.

This is a crime mystery full of well-observed characters, which will have you gripped from start to the absolutely thrilling conclusion.

[sufue]

Circle of Danger is the second in the Constable Kerr/inspector Fusil series by Roderic Jeffries, originally published using the pen name, Peter Alding.

It is free right now at Kindle US and UK.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NDRSN32
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NDRSN32

Spoiler:

A body has washed up at Fortrow Docks…

This is now the third drowning within three months and individually they are deemed accidents by the coroner. But looking at them as a whole, Detective Inspector Fusil cannot shake the feeling that there is more to the deaths.

Detective Constable Kerr leads the investigation which places him in the middle of what was previously a well concealed drug ring. Following leads, he is ordered to get close to Jane Waynet in an attempt to gather more information. Is she involved in the crimes? An innocent caught in the middle? Their relationship soon blossoms into something more, but he can’t help wondering if this an attempt to distract him from the case?

Her hesitance to answer any questions should be a warning. But Kerr is seemingly blinded by his feelings. Believing that she is being forced into loyalty to the drug lord, Kerr refuses to break the courtship off. Despite orders from his superiors to back off. Lost in a sea of emotions, Kerr pushes forward with a new determination to catch the criminals.

But can he catch them without endangering Jane?

Circle of Danger is a gripping crime novel, full of suspense that will keep you guessing right until the end.

[sufue]

Aunt Dimity and The King's Ransom is the 23rd in Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity series. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076GQHNJ1
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/aun...-king-s-ransom

Spoiler:

In the 23rd installment of the bestselling Aunt Dimity series, a dark and stormy night kicks off a ghost chase in rural England

On a dull and dreary October day, Lori Shepherd and her husband Bill set off for the historic town of Rye, on the southeast coast of England, for a quiet weekend together without the kids. Bill must first pay a visit to a reclusive client--but after Lori drops him off, a powerful storm drives her off course and leaves her stranded in an ancient, rambling inn called The King's Ransom. When Lori is spooked by ghostly noises in the night, Aunt Dimity reminds her rather tartly that not all ghosts intend to harm the living.

But the longer Lori is stuck at the inn, the stranger things seem. She learns that the inn was once a hangout for smugglers, and that it's riddled with secret tunnels the smugglers used to reach a network of hidden caves. Then there's the inn's cook--a brawny, gruff ex-con--who seems to have a beef with a mysterious French guest. Are the noises Lori hears made by the spirits of long dead smugglers? Or should she be more worried by the inn's living inhabitants? Joining forces with her new friend Bishop Wyndham, and guided by Aunt Dimity's wise counsel, Lori sets out to discover once and for all who--or what--is haunting The King's Ransom.

[sufue]

A Red Herring Without Mustard is the third in Alan Bradley's excellent IMO Flavia de Luce series. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle US as part of the Daily Deal, matched at Kobo US. It doesn't drop in price very often, or for very long, and is normally priced at more than $10 in the US, so grab it fast if you want it.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Herring-W...dp/B004C43FTS/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-r...hout-mustard-2

Spoiler:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Alan Bradley, author of the most award-winning series debut of any year, returns with another irresistible Flavia de Luce novel

In the hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey, the insidiously clever and unflappable eleven-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce had asked a Gypsy woman to tell her fortune—never expecting to later stumble across the poor soul, bludgeoned almost to death in the wee hours in her own caravan. Was this an act of retribution by those convinced that the soothsayer abducted a local child years ago? Certainly Flavia understands the bliss of settling scores; revenge is a delightful pastime when one has two odious older sisters. But how could this crime be connected to the missing baby? As the red herrings pile up, Flavia must sort through clues fishy and foul to untangle dark deeds and dangerous secrets.

[sufue]

Again at $2.99; links below are still good. Per eReaderIQ it only seems to go on sale about once a year, and then only for a very brief period, so grab it now if you want it!

Originally Posted by sufue

The "30th Anniversary Edition" of Indemnity Only, which is the first title in Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle US and Kobo US. SYKM says Indemnity Only came out in 1982, not quite sure what a "30th Anniversary Edition" means in e-book anyway, but WTH... Maybe it's the afterword by the author???

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Indemnity-Onl...dp/B003EJDGRS/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/indemnity-only-1

[sufue]

Ghost Gone Wild is the fourth in the Bailey Ruth series by Carolyn Hart, who is probably better known for her Annie Laurance/Max Darling/Death on Demand series, which was one of the earliest series I started reading after I branched out from Agatha Christie and Rex Stout. Ghost has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C1N92U8
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ghost-gone-wild

ADD: also on sale at Kindle UK for £1.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00C1N92U8

Spoiler:

New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Hart’s good-hearted spirit just can’t say no to an earthly rescue in the fourth Bailey Ruth Ghost novel...

As far as emissaries from Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions go, Bailey Ruth is far from the top of the go-to list for assignments in the eyes of her boss, Wiggins. So she’s surprised when she’s dropped off on the outskirts of her old hometown, Adelaide, Oklahoma, at the home of young Nick Magruder. When a window cracks and a rifle barrel is thrust inside, only Bailey Ruth’s hasty intervention saves Nick from taking a bullet. But after she materializes to reassure him, she finds she can’t go back to vanishing. What gives?

It turns out Bailey’s been tricked by Nick’s late aunt to come to his rescue, which means Wiggins has no idea where she is—and now she may be trapped in Adelaide forever. Unless she can help snare the person who wants Nick dead...

[sufue]

Back in the 1970s through 1990s, Simon Brett wrote 17 titles in his Charles Paris series. Then after a 15-year hiatus, he's recently written three more in the series.

The second of these (or 19th overall) is Cinderella Killer, which has just gone on sale for $1.99 at Kindle and kobo US (coupon/VIPable) and £1.99 at Kindle UK.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Cinderella-Ki...dp/B00LMDXK92/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cinderella-killer-the
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LMDXK92

Spoiler:

A Christmas production of Cinderella is marred by a series of killings in the waspishly funny new Charles Paris mystery

Landing a minor part in the Empire Theatre Eastbourne’s Christmas production of Cinderella, Charles Paris soon discovers that his main role is to gently introduce the show's baffled American star, famous sitcom actor Kenny Polizzi, to the bizarre customs of English pantomime.

During their convivial sessions in the local pub, Charles finds himself increasingly caught up in Polizzi’s tangled affairs as the American fends off a vengeful soon-to-be-ex-wife, an obsessed groupie, and a barely-controlled drink problem. But Charles is about to be far more involved than he might wish when he stumbles across a body beneath Eastbourne Pier, a neat bullet hole in the centre of the forehead.

As the world’s press descends on Eastbourne, the pantomime rehearsals descend into chaos and he himself comes under suspicion, it’s up to Charles to put his renowned sleuthing skills to the test to find out who really killed his fellow cast member – and why.

Simon Brett is the winner of The CWA Diamond Dagger 2014.

[sufue]

An omnibus of all four titles in the 1990s-era Hubbert and Lil series by Gallagher Gray (pen name for Katy Munger) is free right now at Kindle US and UK. eReaderIQ shows that Hubbert & Lil: The Complete Series goes free for a very short time every few months, although I've not noticed it before. So if you want it free, grab it now, or if you miss it free this time, put your own eReaderIQ notice on it for the next time...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F8FMQ5F
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07F8FMQ5F

Spoiler:

A WITTY, URBANE TEAM OF SAVVY, SOPHISTICATED SENIOR SLEUTHS TAKE MANHATTAN BY STORM!

“Gray has the rare talent of being able to combine humor with sensitivity, and high comedy with realistic portrayals of genuine people.” —The Virginian-Pilot

“With a fond eye for the eccentric, Gray gives the streets of Hell's Kitchen the air of a gritty English village.” —Publishers Weekly

To know Aunt Lil is to love her. Everybody’s favorite senior amateur sleuth is eighty-four years young, with a taste for Bloody Marys at any time of day, a fine-tuned appreciation of life’s other pleasures, and a world class talent for detecting. Her nephew, Theodore Hubbert—T.S. for short—is her witty, beleaguered sidekick in a quartet of wild adventures that careen from the staid Wall Street bank where T.S. spent thirty years, through Hell’s Kitchen and Manhattan’s fashion world, with a grand finale at the ballet.

The dynamic partners in crime reveal an impressive array of smarts, street savvy, and moxie, mixed with a poignant compassion for those embroiled in the professional jealousies, chilling family secrets, and sexual predation they uncover. They’re a thoroughly endearing odd couple—T.S. with his perfectly groomed appearance and impeccably ordered existence (overseen by his imperious felines, Brenda and Eddie) is the perfect counterpoint to the captivating force of nature that is Auntie Lil.

Fans of Miss Marple, Miss Silver, Miss Seeton, Mrs. Pollifax, Jessica Fletcher, Agatha Raisin, Henrie O, Hercule Poirot, and their many distinguished silver-haired colleagues, will be thoroughly delighted. Aficionados of cozy authors like Dorothy Cannell, Carolyn Hart, M.C. Beaton, Joanne Fluke, Jana DeLeon, and Alexander McCall Smith will be equally charmed!

PARTNERS IN CRIME (Hubbert & Lil Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)
SENIOR SLEUTHS, BLOODY MARYS, AND BOTH KINDS OF FAT CATS…

Before he’s even had his first post-retirement cup of coffee, a murder in the stuffy Wall Street bank from which T.S. retired hours earlier launches his second act. With partners dropping like flies, his flamboyant Auntie Lil steps in to facilitate his career change from personnel manager to amateur sleuth.


CAST OF KILLERS (Hubbert & Lil Cozy Mystery Series Book 2)
A MYSTERIOUS GROUP OF ELDERLY ACTRESSES—WITH SECRETS TO KILL FOR…

Auntie Lil has “volun-told” T.S. into serving lunch at a Manhattan soup kitchen when suddenly a little old lady jumps up, clutching at her throat… and drops dead. The soup kitchen regulars, a crew of snooty failed actresses from the Eisenhower era, appear so grief-stricken that Auntie Lil (once again) offers up her nephew’s services, this time to sort out the woman’s real identity. After all, T.S. muses, it’s not like she was murdered.Famous last words.

DEATH OF A DREAM MAKER (Hubbert & Lil Cozy Mystery Series Book 3)
THE SECRET LOVES OF SENIOR SLEUTHS--AND A MOST UNTIMELY MURDER!

As we should expect, the brilliantly vital Auntie Lil has a colorful past—which includes a larger-than-life love affair with a fabled multimillionaire. But when the gentleman suddenly asks to see her after twenty years and then is killed in a car bomb explosion in Manhattan, Auntie Lil sets out—with trusty T.S. by her side—to solve the puzzling crime and clear Max’s name of suspicions of mob-entanglement.

A MOTIVE FOR MURDER ((Hubbert & Lil Cozy Mystery Series Book 4)
THE DANCE OF THE DANGLING CORPSE: MURDER AT THE BALLET

When a body is discovered swinging from the curtain at The Nutcracker, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy takes on a whole new meaning. As the ballet board’s latest member, Auntie Lil is a natural to investigate the murder. She even takes her first ballet lesson—stay tuned for hilarity!

[sufue]

Kobo US is having a 60% off on cozy mysteries sale today only, with coupon code BFTUESDAY, as part of their run-up to Black Friday.

The splash page is here: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/p/blackfriday2019usa

There are several categories listed, including "No case is too tough for these ladies to crack", "Cozy up with a blanket and a book", "Only ace investigators can solve these bonkers mysteries", and "Crime will never be ancient history". I haven't had a chance to dig through these in detail, but at first glance, it looks like there's a heavy proportion of Open Road titles, and 60% off the standard prices for Open Road titles is still more than the $1.99 or $2.99 that most of them go on sale for fairly often. So evaluate carefully before you buy!

Still, if you have a title you're looking for that rarely goes on sale (but is couponable at Kobo), you might take a look...

ADD: I tested the coupon on a couple of non-listed titles by authors who also have some titles on the lists and it didn't work, so from my sample set of 2, it appears the coupon really is limited to the listed titles. Your mileage could still vary, though.

Also, the coupon does work on some titles on the list that are already on sale, or inexpensively priced. For example, Postmark Murder by Mignon G. Eberhart is on sale for $1.99 (or $1.79 VIP) and the coupon takes an additional 60% off that.

So what I did was sort each of the four lists for the four categories by price, and check out the inexpensive ones near the beginning to see if I wanted anything, and I found just a couple of titles of interest...

[sufue]

The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree is the first in the Darling Dahlias series by Susan Wittig Albert. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003NX7OB4
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...-cucumber-tree

Spoiler:

The country may be struggling through the Great Depression, but the good ladies of Darling, Alabama, are determined to keep their chins up and their town beautiful. Their garden club, the Darling Dahlias, has just inherited a new clubhouse and garden, complete with two beautiful cucumber trees in full bloom.

But life in Darling is not all garden parties and rosemary lemonade.

When local blond bombshell Bunny Scott is found in a suspicious car wreck, the Dahlias decide to dig into the town's buried secrets, and club members Lizzy, Ophelia, and Verna soon find leads sprouting up faster than weeds. The town is all abuzz with news of an escaped convict from the prison farm, rumors of trouble at the bank, and tales of a ghost heard digging around the cucumber tree. If anyone can get to the root of these mysteries, it's the Darling Dahlias.

[sufue]

Over time, most, or maybe all, of the individual titles in Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series have been on sale at Kindle UK, usually at £0.99. Now, if you've missed the first few in the series and want to catch up, there's an omnibus of the first three titles as part of the Kindle UK Daily Deal for £0.99 for the whole omnibus.

The Berlin Noir Series contains March Violets, The Pale Criminal, and A German Requiem.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076H6BKNZ/

Spoiler:

Berlin Noir: the first three thrillers in the internationally acclaimed and bestselling Bernie Gunther series. Ex-policeman Bernie Gunther thought he'd seen everything on the streets of 1930s Berlin. But then the Nazis came to power, and Bernie realised the most dangerous criminals were the ones in charge.

'The greatest anti-hero ever written' - Lee Child

MARCH VIOLETS
Hired by a wealthy industrialist to investigate the murder of his daughter and her husband, Bernie finds himself drawn into the lethal internal politics of the Nazi party. When Hermann Goering himself calls Bernie in with a task for him that throws his existing case into a whole new light, he must weigh up his hatred of the Nazis against his desire to live.

THE PALE CRIMINAL
Five German schoolgirls are missing. Four have been found dead, victims of horrific ritual murders. Bernie Gunther is reluctant to investigate, but when Reynhard Heydrich gives you an order, you obey it if you want to stay alive. What Bernie discovers is far worse than a lone madman: an occult conspiracy at the very heart of the Nazi Party.

A GERMAN REQUIEM
Postwar Vienna was supposed to be somewhere quiet for Bernie to lie low. Then he is asked to clear an old Kripo colleague's name of murder. This man belonged to a secret society of Nazi hunters, and before he knows it Bernie is face to face with men who have been presumed dead for years. They got away with their crimes once. Bernie will see it doesn't happen again.

[ZodWallop]

Chinatown Beat (A Detective Jack Yu Investigation Book 1) by Henry Chang is $1.99 at Amazon US.

A detective returns to the Chinatown of his childhood in this “classic noir, filled with longing, violence, and that uniquely urban melancholy” (Richard Price).

After four years on the NYPD, Det. Jack Yu is transferred to the precinct of his childhood: Chinatown. Though he’s the only officer on the beat who speaks Chinese, he’s not entirely at home in the old neighborhood. His father is dead, his childhood friends are now gangsters, and the memory of his murdered blood brother is all too fresh. A secret society of organized smugglers and gamblers run half the precinct; vicious gangs rule the rest.

Assigned to catch a serial rapist, he’s just getting used to the streets again when community leader and tong boss Uncle Four is gunned down. And his beautiful young mistress, just arrived from Hong Kong, goes missing. The 99% white, English-speaking force doesn’t know where to begin, and it’s up to Jack to plunge himself into the secretive, closed community of his youth—and come to terms with his painful past—as he searches for a killer lurking just beyond his grasp.