FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[sufue]

A Prisoner of Privilege is the 18th and most recent (2019) in Rosemary Rowe's Libertus series, set in Roman Britain. It has dropped to £1.27 at Kindle UK. I really like this series, and so I'm happy to see this most recent title on sale at good price. This is one that I hit the "buy" button on before I even did the post, so as not to miss it!

And, if you want to try the series in order, the first nine titles are published by Headline and have been long-term (at least the last couple of years) at $3.99/£3.99 in the US/UK, which is not totally awesome, but is still pretty reasonable. Sadly, the later titles are published by Severn House and are mostly $10 and up (!!!) in the US, and £5.79 and up in the UK - sigh! Which is why it's extra-nice to see the most recent one on sale...

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prisoner-Pr...dp/B07TVF168K/
Kindle UK/Smile: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Prisoner-...dp/B07TVF168K/

Spoiler:

The arrival of a high-ranking spy for the Emperor Severus spells trouble for Libertus in this gripping historical mystery set in 2nd century Britain.

On a misty day in February, CE 194, Libertus, pavement maker by trade and now reluctant councillor, is summoned to meet his patron at the local public baths. Marcus Septimus is concerned because a distant cousin from Rome has announced his impending arrival and Marcus is convinced he is a spy for the Emperor Severus, despatched to Glevum to investigate reports of an ‘act of treason.’

Meanwhile, Libertus has concerns of his own. The local money-lender has been seeking his counsel, but before they can meet, a violent and untimely death occurs … and before long Libertus finds himself a prisoner of his new-found rank, fighting for the truth amidst accusations of treason and murder.

[Tarana]

Other than Elizabeth Peters, I don't know these other authors, but the books all looked interesting.

The Deeds of the Disturber By Elizabeth Peters $.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Amelia Peabody mystery series

The Last Train By Michael Pronko $.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Book 1 Detective Hiroshi series - set in Japan. Won several mystery awards.

The Body in the Belfry By Katherine Hall Page $1.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
cozy

I See You By Clare Mackintosh $1.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
psychological thriller

[sufue]

Thanks!

I needed this one. I can vouch for this series, at least the early parts of it - I read a lot of the early titles in DTB days and liked them. It is, as @Tarana mentions, quite cozy, but fun, and Faith's food is fun to dream about too. Belfry is the first in the series.

Also the 14th in the series, The Body in the Attic, is semi-long-term at $1.99 at Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GHN8JI

Originally Posted by Tarana

Other than Elizabeth Peters, I don't know these other authors, but the books all looked interesting.

{edited other books}

The Body in the Belfry By Katherine Hall Page $1.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
cozy

{edited other book}

[sufue]

Who Speaks for the Damned is the next-to-most-recent (2020) in the Sebastian St. Cyr series by C. S. Harris. I had a chance to read and review an ARC of this a while back, and really liked it. It's on sale today for $1.99 in the US, and £1.49 in the UK...

Kindle US: https://smile.amazon.com/Speaks-Damn...dp/B07TX4QL6S/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/who...for-the-damned
Kindle UK: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Speaks-Da...dp/B07TX4QL6S/

Spoiler:

Sebastian St. Cyr investigates the mysterious life and death of a nobleman convicted of murder in this enthralling new historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Why Kill the Innocent....

It's June 1814, and the royal families of Austria, Russia, and the German states have gathered in London at the Prince Regent's invitation to celebrate the defeat of Napoléon and the restoration of monarchical control throughout Europe. But the festive atmosphere is marred one warm summer evening by the brutal murder of a disgraced British nobleman long thought dead.

Eighteen years before, Nicholas Hayes, the third son of the late Earl of Seaford, was accused of killing a beautiful young French émigré and transported to Botany Bay for life. Even before his conviction, Hayes had been disowned by his father, and few in London were surprised when they heard the ne'er-do-well had died in disgrace in New South Wales. But those reports were obviously wrong. Recently Hayes returned to London with a mysterious young boy in tow--a child who vanishes shortly after Nicholas's body is discovered.

Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is drawn into the investigation by his valet, Jules Calhoun, an old friend of the dead man. With Calhoun's help, Sebastian begins to piece together the shattered life of the late Earl's ill-fated youngest son. Why did Nicholas risk his life and freedom by returning to England? And why did he bring the now-missing young boy with him? Several nervous Londoners had reason to fear that Nicholas Hayes had returned to kill them. One of them might have decided to kill him first.

[sufue]

Rehearsing For Death, which seems to be a re-titling of Peckover Joins the Choir, is the seventh in the Inspector Peckover series by Michael Kenyon. It's bad enough when there are different editions of the same book, so it doesn't necessarily show up that you've bought it before. It's even worse when they change the entire title. Grrrr

In any case, though, whatever you want to call it, it's FREE right now at Kindle US and UK...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G3VAFE0
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01G3VAFE0

Spoiler:

A ruthless criminal and two detectives undercover in a choir, who will be discovered first?

A spree of art robbery is hitting Europe and every-time one has occurred, the Sealeigh choir – a travelling choir from a small village on the Kent coast – have held a concert nearby. Chief Inspector Henry Peckover and Detective Constable Jason Twitty are sent to become the choir’s newest recruits as part of an undercover investigation, but playing the part of professional singers and avoiding suspicion is no easy task. The routine of rehearsals and choir gossip is challenging and Peckover struggles to manage with Twitty’s flamboyant nature.

The entire choir is under suspicion and a ruthless criminal is in close proximity. It's a race against time who will be discovered first, the hidden thief or Peckover and Twitty? By the time the choir arrives in Ghent for their next concert, Peckover has discovered tantalizing information about several of its members. With the detectives hot on the thieves tale who will come out on top and how far will the criminal go to escape justice?

Rehearsing for Death is the latest Inspector Peckover mystery, following on from No Mercy, Cradling Death, The Man At The Wheel and Zigzag.

[sufue]

The first few titles in Leonardo Padura's Mario Conde series used to go on sale fairly often. I haven't noticed them on sale as much recently, but now here is the eighth book in the series, Heretics, on sale in both the US and the UK, and it's discountable at Kobo.

Note that there are a couple of editions of this - one by Farrar/Straus/Giroux and one by Bitter Lemon Press. It's the Bitter Lemon one that's on sale, with a yellow cover.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0GG0T7/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/heretics-73
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B083CW33MN

Spoiler:

In 1939, the Saint Louis sails into Havana with Jewish refugees seeking asylum. From the docks, nine-year-old Daniel Kaminsky watches as the as his parents are kept on the vessel. But the Kaminskys have a treasure that they hope will save them: a Rembrandt portrait of Christ. Inspector Conde is back to investigate the story of this lost painting.

Also, the third book in the series, Havana Red, is on sale for $0.99 in the US - and also discountable at Kobo. It's not on sale, at least as of now, in the UK.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DB3MEM
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/havana-red-1

[sufue]

The Night Hawks is the 13th and most recent in the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. So recent, in fact, that it's not even out in the US yet - it's coming June 29. But it is out and on sale for £0.99 today in the UK as part of the UK Kindle Daily Deal. Woo-hoo!

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Night-Hawk-...dp/B084S6J2QD/
Kindle UK/Smile: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Night-Haw...dp/B084S6J2QD/

Spoiler:

'SET IN DIVINE NORTH NORFOLK. INTENSELY ATMOSPHERIC AND GREAT' India Knight

Dr Ruth Galloway returns to the moody and beautiful landscape of North Norfolk to confront another killer. A devastating new case for our favourite forensic archaeologist in this acclaimed and bestselling crime series.

The Night Hawks, a group of metal detectorists, are searching for buried treasure when they find a body on the beach in North Norfolk. At first Nelson thinks that the dead man might be an asylum seeker but he turns out to be a local boy, Jem Taylor, recently released from prison. Ruth is more interested in the treasure, a hoard of Bronze Age weapons. Nelson at first thinks that Taylor's death is accidental drowning, but a second death suggests murder.

Nelson is called to an apparent murder-suicide of a couple at the isolated Black Dog Farm. Local legend talks of the Black Shuck, a spectral hound that appears to people before they die. Nelson ignores this, even when the owner's suicide note includes the line, 'He's buried in the garden.' Ruth excavates and finds the body of a giant dog.

All roads lead back to this farm in the middle of nowhere, but the place spells serious danger for anyone who goes near. Ruth doesn't scare easily. Not until she finds herself at Black Dog Farm ...

[Tarana]

Cry Wolf By Annette Dashofy $.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Cozy - Agatha Award nominee

[Tarana]

Iron Lake By William Kent Krueger $1.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Suspense

Bone Box By Faye Kellerman $1.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Crime/thriller

The Serial Killer’s Wife By Alice Hunter $.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
thriller
My first thought was that this was just idea copy from Stillhouse Lake (Rachel Caine) which is excellent suspense. Billed as thriller so maybe a different approach.

[Tarana]

Thea Barlow Cozy Mysteries Boxed Set By Carol Caverly $.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Cozy

Whiteout By Ragnar Jónasson $.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Crime - Icelandic author. Book 5 of 6.

[sufue]

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara won, per SYKM, the 2021 Edgar Award for Best Mystery. This appears to be Anappara's first mystery, but it didn't just win "Best First Mystery", but straight-out "Best Mystery". I haven't read this yet, but now I'm going to get to, because it has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Djinn-Patrol-...dp/B07RXFXFWL/
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/Djinn-Patro...dp/B07RXFXFWL/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dji...-purple-line-1

Spoiler:

Discover the “extraordinary” (The Washington Post) debut novel that “announces the arrival of a literary supernova” (The New York Times Book Review),“a drama of childhood that is as wild as it is intimate” (Chigozie Obioma).

WINNER OF THE EDGAR® AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Time • The Washington Post • NPR • The Guardian • Library Journal

In a sprawling Indian city, a boy ventures into its most dangerous corners to find his missing classmate. . . .

Through market lanes crammed with too many people, dogs, and rickshaws, past stalls that smell of cardamom and sizzling oil, below a smoggy sky that doesn’t let through a single blade of sunlight, and all the way at the end of the Purple metro line lies a jumble of tin-roofed homes where nine-year-old Jai lives with his family. From his doorway, he can spot the glittering lights of the city’s fancy high-rises, and though his mother works as a maid in one, to him they seem a thousand miles away. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line plunges readers deep into this neighborhood to trace the unfolding of a tragedy through the eyes of a child as he has his first perilous collisions with an unjust and complicated wider world.

Jai drools outside sweet shops, watches too many reality police shows, and considers himself to be smarter than his friends Pari (though she gets the best grades) and Faiz (though Faiz has an actual job). When a classmate goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from TV to find him. He asks Pari and Faiz to be his assistants, and together they draw up lists of people to interview and places to visit.

But what begins as a game turns sinister as other children start disappearing from their neighborhood. Jai, Pari, and Faiz have to confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force, and rumors of soul-snatching djinns. As the disappearances edge ever closer to home, the lives of Jai and his friends will never be the same again.

Drawing on real incidents and a spate of disappearances in metropolitan India, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is extraordinarily moving, flawlessly imagined, and a triumph of suspense. It captures the fierce warmth, resilience, and bravery that can emerge in times of trouble and carries the reader headlong into a community that, once encountered, is impossible to forget.

[sufue]

Now $1.99 in the US...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Caribbean-Mys...dp/B000FC10ZW/
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/Caribbean-M...dp/B000FC10ZW/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-caribbean-mystery

Spoiler:

As Jane Marple sat basking in the tropical sunshine she felt mildly discontented with life. True, the warmth eased her rheumatism, but here in paradise nothing ever happened. Then a question was put to her by a stranger: 'Would you like to see a picture of a murderer?' Before she has a chance to answer, the man vanishes, only to be found dead the next day. The mysteries abound: Where is the picture? Why is the hotelier prone to nightmares? Why doesn't the most talked-about guest, a reclusive millionaire, ever leave his room? And why is Miss Marple herself fearful for her life?

Of note: A Caribbean Mystery introduces the wealthy (and difficult) Mr Jason Rafiel, who will call upon Miss Marple for help in Nemesis (1971) -- after his death.

As the blurb mentions, this book introduces Mr. Rafiel, who will be central in the plot of Christie's later book, Nemesis, which is one of my favorites of hers...

Originally Posted by pdurrant

A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie is also £0.99 at Amazon UK. I don't know how long this price will be there.

[sufue]

And another Agatha Christie book is also on sale for $1.99 in the US: Dumb Witness, which is the sixteenth in Christie's Hercule Poirot series.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Dumb-Witness-...dp/B000FC2RRM/
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/Dumb-Witnes...dp/B000FC2RRM/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dumb-witness

Spoiler:

In Agatha Christie’s Dumb Witness, Hercule Poirot investigates the very suspicious death of an elderly spinster who, fearing the very worst, had written to the great detective prior to her demise.

Everyone blamed Emily Arundell’s accident on a rubber ball left on the stairs by her frisky terrier. But the more she thought about her fall, the more convinced she became that one of her relatives was trying to kill her.…

On April 17th she wrote her suspicions in a letter to Hercule Poirot. Mysteriously, he didn’t receive the letter until June 28th…by which time Emily was already dead.…

[sufue]

Tombstone Courage is the second in JA Jance's Joanna Brady series. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US. Jance's books don't often go on sale in the US, so grab this one if you want it!

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JMKO82
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000JMKO82
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/tombstone-courage

Spoiler:

With grit, courage and dogged determination, Joanne challenged the status quo -- and won. Now, as newly elected Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, she must battle the prejudice and hostility of a mistrustful, male-dominated police force -- and solve a grisly double homicide that threatens to tear the sleepy desert community to pieces. For the two bodies baking in the harsh Southwestern sun are connected by sinister threads that reach back generations -- and by devastating family secrets of greed, hatred and shocking abuse that could destroy the innocent along with the guilty.

[sufue]

I really really like Margaret Frazer's Dame Frevisse series, and I'm also pretty fond of her Joliffe series. Unfortunately titles in either series don't go on sale very often - sigh! Now, however, the first title in each series is on sale for $3.99 each. Not a great sale price, and if you like them, the rest may be sort of pricey. But still, both are good series, especially the Dame Frevisse ones...

The Novice's Tale, Dame Frevisse #1
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AFYENF4
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00AFYENF4
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-novice-s-tale

A Play of Isaac, Joliffe #1
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LFDAF0
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B001LFDAF0
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-play-of-isaac-1