FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[Fbone]

The Crow Trap: The First Vera Stanhope Mystery by Ann Cleeves is $2.99.

https://smile.amazon.com/Crow-Trap-F...s%2C169&sr=8-1

[Tarana]

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Soji Shimada. This is book 4 of the Pushkin Vertigo series (currently 24 books). Japanese translation.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Zodiac-...kbubemail11-20
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...5Hn_erPJEPkvAA

[Carmelreader]

Originally Posted by issybird

This looks self-published to me. Am I missing something?

They are from a UK publisher. I have read a number of their (publisher) books, including the first of this series. Very British and I did enjoy them. No Ann Cleeve's though.

[sufue]

Joffe Books publishes Nicholas Rhea's Constable Nick series - I've read many titles in that series and enjoyed them.

They also publish Faith Martin's various series, some of which are previously published titles where the rights seem to have reverted, and some of which seem to be new. I'm not a fan, but it's not the publishing, I just don't click with the ones I've tried.

I don't know anything about Michael Hambling as an author, but to me, Joffe Books looks like a legit independent publisher focusing on mystery/thriller e-books. They have a wide group of authors, provide editing and marketing services, are members of The Crime Writers' Association (who do the Dagger Award) and the Independent Publishers Guild...

Originally Posted by Carmelreader

They are from a UK publisher. I have read a number of their (publisher) books, including the first of this series. Very British and I did enjoy them. No Ann Cleeve's though.

[ZodWallop]

The Wreck of the Mary Deare by Hammond Innes is $1.99 at Amazon US.

This thrilling nautical mystery begins with an empty ship coasting through the dark and unfolds into a courtroom drama.

On a cold, foggy night, a little sailboat called the Sea Witch is cruising calmly through the dark when a freighter suddenly rears out of the mist on a collision course. The crew of the small craft leaps into action, straining the Sea Witch’s sails to the limit, barely getting her out of the way. John Sands, captain of the Sea Witch, catches a glimpse of the great ship as it passes by: Her name is Mary Deare, and her crew is nowhere to be seen.

A salvage expert, Sands sees a payday in the abandoned, drifting hulk. He finds one man aboard the Mary Deare, the first officer, who has driven himself half-mad trying to sail the freighter on his own. Getting the ship safely to port and unraveling the mystery of why it was abandoned will push Sands to his breaking point—and reveal the true nature of greed on the high seas.

The inspiration for a film of the same name starring Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston, this incredible nautical adventure is a chilling story of maritime justice, and the terrible things that happen when the order is given to abandon ship.

[sufue]

It looks as if Mysterious Press/Open Road may have gotten the e-rights to some Perry Mason titles by Erle Stanley Gardner. There are several, mostly from the middle of the series, that seem to have been uploaded in April, 2020, with new covers that have a big red "HBO" bubble in the upper left corner. Early pricing on these seems to have been absurd ($17.09), but now several have dropped to $2.99. That's still too pricey for me for very old backlist, in a series with almost 100 titles, but may be of interest to some folks.

Here's a link for Kindle US that picks up the five that are currently at $2.99, along with a couple of strays: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=digital-t...1&ref=sr_adv_b

Oh, and the same five are also $2.99, but coupon/VIPable, at Kobo US. Here's a much cleaner link at Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Q...9&fcmedia=Book

[sufue]

A Deadly Divide is the most recent (2019) in the Esa Khattak/Rachel Getty series by Ausma Zehanat Khan. It has dropped to £0.99 at Kindle UK. Per SYKM, the first title in this series won/was a finalist for several "Best First" awards...

link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07WC3PW9N

Spoiler:

IN A TOWN FULL OF SECRETS, WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

In the aftermath of a mass shooting in a mosque, small town tensions run high. Clashes between the Muslim community and a local faction of radical white nationalists are escalating, but who would have motive and opportunity to commit such a devastating act of violence?

Detectives Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty from Canada's Community Policing Unit are assigned to this high-profile case and tasked to ensure the extremely volatile situation doesn't worsen. But when leaked CCTV footage exposes a shocking piece of evidence, both sides of the divide are enraged.

As Khattak and Getty work through a mounting list of suspects, they realise there's far more going on in this small town than anyone first thought...

A Deadly Divide is a piercingly observed, highly topical thriller by former human rights law professor and award-winning author Ausma Zehanat Khan.

[sufue]

Two titles in the Amory Ames series by Ashley Weaver have dropped to £1.89 at Kindle UK.

Death Wears a Mask, #2: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0156WO9PI

A Most Novel Revenge, #3: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01FL7I6HA

I had a chance to read an ARC of a recent title in the series a while back, and liked it, although it was very cozy. I also read and enjoyed the first title in the series, although again very cozy. The first title, Murder at the Brightwell, drops to £0.99 from time to time, although it's only £1.66 right now, which is not too bad if you want to try in order: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00N01TS36/

[sufue]

An omnibus of four titles in the Maigret series by Georges Simenon has dropped to £5.99 at Kindle UK, which is a nice price if you don't have any of them. Several have been on sale individually in the past, though, so check carefully before you buy. Also, keep in mind that some (many?) Maigret titles have different names in different countries or have been republished with different names at different times.

Titles in the omnibus are listed in the blurb, and keeping the "different title" thing in mind, it's nice that they tell you a bit about each one.

link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ZGZDAW4

Spoiler:

The second annual omnibus edition includes four memorable titles from the past year of Maigret publishing: The Saint-Fiacre Affair (the one where Maigret goes back to the place of his birth), The Misty Harbour (the one where Maigret is left tied up on a rainy quayside all night), Maigret (the one where Maigret comes back from retirement) and The Judge's House (the one where Maigret is exiled to a mussel farming community).

Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels.

[sufue]

If you're interested in Empress Matilda, whose war with King Stephen forms the background for the Cadfael series by Ellis Peters, there's a bio that looks pretty good on sale for £4.99 at Kindle UK.

Info and link in this post in the non-fiction thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh....php?p=3986136

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by sufue

It looks as if Mysterious Press/Open Road may have gotten the e-rights to some Perry Mason titles by Erle Stanley Gardner. There are several, mostly from the middle of the series, that seem to have been uploaded in April, 2020, with new covers that have a big red "HBO" bubble in the upper left corner. Early pricing on these seems to have been absurd ($17.09), but now several have dropped to $2.99. That's still too pricey for me for very old backlist, in a series with almost 100 titles, but may be of interest to some folks.

Here's a link for Kindle US that picks up the five that are currently at $2.99, along with a couple of strays: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=digital-t...1&ref=sr_adv_b

Oh, and the same five are also $2.99, but coupon/VIPable, at Kobo US. Here's a much cleaner link at Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Q...9&fcmedia=Book

HBO has announced that it will air a new Perry Mason series. This will be the Perry of the early days, hard-boiled.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

HBO has announced that it will air a new Perry Mason series. This will be the Perry of the early days, hard-boiled.

I hope they pick someone who will be able to carry it off.
Apache

[Tarana]

Top Secret Twenty One by Janet Evanovich $2.99. Book 21 of the Stephanie Plum series.

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Top-Secret-...9034926&sr=8-1
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/top...vugUKgQTA4AfGQ
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/top...dpid=tekz25v83

BTW, thanks everybody for researching that publisher.

[sufue]

Ooh, thanks! I don't read this series, but my cousin does, on her Kindle, and I tell her whenever I spot one on sale...

Or in this case, you spot one on sale

Originally Posted by Tarana

Top Secret Twenty One by Janet Evanovich $2.99. Book 21 of the Stephanie Plum series.

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Top-Secret-...9034926&sr=8-1
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/top...vugUKgQTA4AfGQ
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/top...dpid=tekz25v83

BTW, thanks everybody for researching that publisher.

[sufue]

I have since read and really really liked The Hot Country. I've also read a couple of the later titles, which are also good, but not as good as this one IMO.

And, it has now dropped to £0.99 at Kindle UK. It's also part of KU in the UK if you have a subscription to that and just want to try it.

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00OFI6GQ0

Spoiler:

A US war correspondent is plunged into the Mexican civil war in “a whip-smart tale of intrigue and espionage” by the Pulitzer Prize winner (CNN.com).

Undaunted by enemy territory and sweltering heat, American journalist Christopher “Kit” Marlowe Cobb has arrived in Mexico in the spring of 1914. The country is rocked by civil war, the American invasion of Vera Cruz, and the controversial presidency of Victoriano Huerta, El Chacal (The Jackal).

Marlowe thinks he’s found his first big headline in the attempted assassination of a priest—the bullet miraculously rebounding off the holy man’s cross. Employing a young pickpocket to help him identify the sniper, Cobb is soon led into a far more dangerous story: German officials, with ammunition ships docked in the port, are showing up in the city. When Cobb falls for a young Mexican laundress, he believes he’s found a soft respite from hard news. If only she were as innocent as she seems.

Originally Posted by sufue

Three titles on sale for a bit more than I usually like to purchase at, but the first two are titles by authors whose books rarely go on sale, and the other is set in such an interesting time period that I'm probably going to buy it, especially since I have a yen for historical mysteries...

{edited}

The Hot Country is the first in the Christopher Marlowe Cobb series by Robert Olen Butler. It has gone on sale for $3.91 at Kindle US. I'm usually reluctant to spend that much on a new-to-me author, and on a book that calls itself a thriller rather than the mystery, but the setting/timing (Mexican civil war, during US invasion of Vera Cruz, in the run-up to WWI) make this sound pretty intriguing to me. So I'm probably going to buy this one...
link: https://www.amazon.com/Country-Chris...dp/B008DYIGR4/