FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by kyrilson

Anytime I see a book title with comments like this within the title, it's an insta-pass for me.

What if it is Stupid Action/Thriller: A gripping book you just can't insta-pass?

[kyrilson]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

What if it is Stupid Action/Thriller: A gripping book you just can't insta-pass?

I might have to pick that one up, just cus.

[sufue]

Death at Hazel House is the first in the Sukey Reynolds series by Betty Rowlands. It was originally published back in the 1990s as An Inconsiderate Death. It's free right now at Kindle and Kobo US and Kindle UK...and probably at other e-tailers too.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PP376JW
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/death-at-hazel-house
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PP376JW

Spoiler:

Meet Sukey: talented gardener, fabulous photographer… amateur detective?

Sukey Reynolds is loving life in her gorgeous house in the countryside, spending her days trimming the tulips and making fabulous feasts. She has a steady job at the local police station as a photographer, she only wishes she’d made it as a fully-fledged detective when she was younger…

But when Sukey is asked to photograph an unusual break-in at the stunning Hazel House, she finds herself thrown into the midst of a bewildering mystery. The body of a beautiful woman has been found in the house, and the precious family safe has been emptied…

Perhaps handsome Hazel House is not as heavenly as it once seemed?

When a pair of beautiful gold earrings from Hazel House turn up in suspicious hands, Sukey is sure that the police have got the wrong end of the stick about this case, and she decides to snoop around the people who knew the dead woman. But who is the rotten apple? Could it be the timid tradesman, the fickle fitness coach or perhaps the hapless husband?

Despite her sleuthing, Sukey is no closer to catching the culprit, until she goes to photograph another house, where someone is secretly watching her. But who is going to listen to her theories, when she’s only a police photographer? Does Sukey have what it takes to crack this curious case by herself?

If you love murder mysteries by Agatha Christie, Faith Martin or Joy Ellis, then this unputdownable novel from the bestselling queen of cozy crime will have you hooked!

This book was previously published as An Inconsiderate Death.

[GA Russell]

Blood on the Rocks

novelette by William Campbell Gault

and

eight other stories

$1.99

https://www.radioarchives.com/Popula...51_p/re537.htm

[sufue]

There's a Joffe Free Friday mystery today, and also a western (other fiction) and a romance - see those threads if you are interested...

His Third Victim, first in the Matt Brindle series by Helen H Durrant

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0769TDC8N
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0769TDC8N

Spoiler:

A man is shot dead and his body is dumped on the moors. His arm is stamped with the Chinese symbol for sorry.

There have been five unsolved murders with the same hallmark. The police can’t find any motive or connection between the victims.

Bella Richards was close to the murdered man. She lives with her five-year-old son and has begun a new life in the local area. But although clearly grief-stricken, she is not telling the police everything she knows.

Detective Talbot Dyson wants his most trusted inspector on the case. But DI Matt Brindle is out of action. He was badly injured and his sergeant was killed in a criminal ambush. He is drawn into the investigation and must decide whether he wants to go to back to his old life.

What is the real connection between the victims and who will be next?

[GA Russell]

The Executioner

Books 1–3:
War Against the Mafia,
Death Squad, and
Battle Mask

$2.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M1D5J00

[ZodWallop]

Blood Sugar by Daniel Kraus is $2 at Amazon (full price at B&N and Kobo)

This is a Hard Case Crime book, so great old-fashioned cover art.

From the co-author of the New York Times–bestselling novelization of The Shape of Water comes the blood-curdling story of a Halloween night where trick-or-treat becomes life-or-death

In a ruined house at the end of Yellow Street, an angry outcast hatches a scheme to take revenge for all the wrongs he has suffered. With the help of three alienated kids, he plans to hide razor blades, poison, and broken glass in Halloween candy, maiming or killing dozens of innocent children. But as the clock ticks closer to sundown, will one of his helpers—an innocent himself, in his own streetwise way—carry out or defeat the plan?

Told from the child’s point of view, in a voice as unforgettable as A Clockwork Orange, Kraus’ novel is at once frightening and emotional, thought-provoking and laugh-out-loud funny. It’ll make you rethink your concepts of family, loyalty, and justice—and will leave you double-checking the wrappers on your Halloween candy for the rest of your days.

[GA Russell]

Nobody Walks

by Mick Herron

$1.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZW8UUS

[sufue]

A Mystery at Carlton House is the twelfth in the Captain Lacey mystery series by Ashley Gardner, which is a pen name for Jennifer Ashley - or the other way around - I have trouble remembering...

It's free right now at Kindle US and UK. This series started off conventionally pubbed, then went to self-pubbed, but I've read almost all (all?) of them, and have liked all that I've read.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5L2QGW
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N5L2QGW

Spoiler:

1818-19: Captain Lacey is drawn into affairs of the highest in the land when his friend Grenville is asked by the Prince Regent to look into odd happenings in his lavish abode of Carlton House. Objects of value have gone missing, paintings and sculpture have been moved, and the Regent suspects ghosts or other malign spirits.

The Bow Street Runners have a more human suspect for these doings, and Captain Lacey is asked by a Runner to help him prepare a case against the man they’ve already arrested.

But the suspect is under the protection of James Denis, a leader of crime, which brings Lacey head-to-head with him once more. Opposing Denis can be dangerous, and so can dividing the loyalties of the men who work for him.

Meanwhile Lacey has his family to worry about—his daughter, his wife, and new members who have joined. In addition, he’s not convinced that either Denis or the Runners have the right idea in this matter. He must produce the correct answer before Denis loses his patience or one malevolent Runner in particular makes Lacey answer for the crimes.

[sufue]

Dead by Midnight is the twenty-first in Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series. I read a lot of the early books in this series in DTB, and enjoyed them, but sort of lost track of the series later on, mostly because the e-book titles don't go on sale very often. Still, here's this one for $1.99 in the US, and discountable at Kobo US...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HD62MQ
Kobo US (discountable): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dead-by-midnight-12

Spoiler:

Solving puzzles comes naturally to Annie Darling, cheerful owner of the Death on Demand mystery bookstore on the lovely sea island of Broward's Rock. Annie is aided and abetted by her admiring husband, Max, who runs an unusual business that offers help to people in trouble.

A recent death appears to be suicide, but Annie suspects murder. To solve the case, she unravels the mystery of a towel hidden at midnight in a gazebo, the lack of fingerprints on a crystal mug, blood on a teenager's blue shirt, and the secret of a lovers' tryst.

Annie believes she has set the perfect trap for a merciless killer until her cell phone rings and Death whispers in her ear.

[sufue]

I have fond, although somewhat hazy, memories of liking several of the books in Robert Richardson's Augustus Maltravers series back in DTB days. And per SYKM, the first in the series, The Latimer Mercy, won the 1985 New Blood Dagger, and per the blurb it also won the 1985 CWA John Creasey Memorial award.

Now there's an omnibus of all six of the books in the series going for $0.99/£0.99 at Kindle US/UK. It's a Kindle Countdown Deal good for five more days and a bit.

All of the books in the omnibus have been free/discounted before, so check before you buy - although at that price it could be worth picking up the omnibus even if you only need/want one. And also note that per their annoying tendency, Joffe/Lume books have retitled some of the books...I've noted these in the blurb below.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGVWHF4K
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CGVWHF4K

Spoiler:

BOOK 1: AN ACT OF EVIL {orig: The Latimer Mercy}
When a rare edition of a sixteenth-century Bible is stolen from Vercaster Cathedral, visiting playwright, Augustus Maltravers, regards the theft as an amusing distraction. But when the severed hand of a missing local actress is discovered, Augustus begins to suspect that her death is somehow connected to the stolen Bible.

BOOK 2: SKELETON KEY {orig: Bellringer Street}
Augustus and his girlfriend seek a tranquil weekend at the picturesque estate of the Earl of Pembury. But their plans soon unravel when a skeleton disappears from the cellars. The next day, the heir to the estate is found dead. Augustus finds himself embroiled in a terrifying game of vengeance and murder.

BOOK 3: THE BOOK OF THE DEAD
When Augustus finds himself stranded on his way to Cumbria, he seeks refuge at Carwelton Hall. Amidst the treasures displayed, he stumbles upon an unpublished story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But the next morning, his delight turns to dismay when the hall’s owner is found dead, and the priceless manuscript is missing.

BOOK 4: THE DYING OF THE LIGHT
In Cornwall for a peaceful getaway with his girlfriend, Augustus's plans for relaxation are shattered when a local artist is found dead. While the death has been ruled an accident, Augustus can’t shake the feeling that someone wanted the sculptress dead.

BOOK 5: MURDER IN WAITING {also: Sleeping in the Blood}
Seeking inspiration for a new article, Augustus investigates the death of Barry Kershaw, a famous record producer who died unexpectedly in 1968. Police concluded his death was an unfortunate accident, but Augustus suspects foul play. As he unearths the past, he must decipher the fine line between accident and intention.

BOOK 6: THE LAZARUS TREE
When famous London poet Patrick Gabriel is found murdered beneath the legendary Lazarus Tree, it casts a dark shadow over the quaint village of Medmelton. Augustus's arrival sparks an investigation that uncovers dark superstition and tradition. With the village gripped by fear, Augustus races to expose the chilling truths lurking in the shadows.

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

LOL!

Am I the only one who NEVER clicks on a book referred to as "gripping?"

I received an email today from Southern Living entitled...

Ina Garten's Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce Is Simply "Breathtaking"

[jkrzok]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I received an email today from Southern Living entitled...

Ina Garten's Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce Is Simply "Breathtaking"

I'm guessing I'd choke on it?

[Fbone]

Murder as a Fine Art (Thomas and Emily De Quincey Book 1) by David Morrell is $2.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008TUNSUW...v_ov_lig_dp_it

[sufue]

Payback in Death is the 57th and most recent (until a new one comes out early next year) in JD Robb's Eve Dallas/In Death series. It's £0.99 right now in the UK.

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BQDPWPGX
Kobo UK: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/pay...er-in-death-57

Spoiler:

Lt. Eve Dallas is back and this time she's investigating the death of one of her own

When a retired police officer is found dead in his home, Lt. Eve Dallas and the team are called to the scene to investigate. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, former Captain of Internal Affairs. At first glance it looks like suicide but Eve thinks there could be more to this carefully laid scene than meets the eye.

Captain Greenleaf put a lot of cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. Did the weight of the job finally prove too much for him? Or could this be a case of payback in death.....