FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[ZodWallop]

The first two Simon Ark collections by Edward D. Hoch are on sale. These are stories that originally appeared in the mystery pulps. I first heard of them via the Paperback Warrior podcast. I think the blog does a better job of explaining the stories than I would. TLDR - These are mysteries that may or may not have a supernatural angle to them. That is always left up to the reader.

Simon Ark may or may not be a 2,000 year old occult detective who is endlessly searching for Satan. He teams with an unnamed narrator who normally presents each Simon Ark story in first-person perspective. These stories have Ark and the narrator somewhere on Earth investigating a weird menace that typically has more in common with crime-fiction than the supernatural. But, Hoch writes the stories subjectively with the reader still thinking something creepy really happened long after the last page is read. That is sort of the Ark gimmick with these tales.

The first collection is City of Brass: And Other Simon Ark Stories. $2 at Amazon, full price at Kobo

The second collection is The Quests of Simon Ark: And Other Stories. $2 at Amazon and Kobo.

[GA Russell]

Speaking of Hugh Pentecost, here is a novelet called Cancelled in Red.

Triple Detective Magazine
Fall, 1949

Three novelets plus five short stories.

$1.99

https://www.radioarchives.com/Triple...l_p/re1349.htm

[salty-horse]

Never Flinch (Holly Gibney #4) by Stephen King is $3 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)

From Stephen King, “a writer of towering brilliance” (The Spectator), a “cinematic, brilliant” (The New York Times) psychological thriller exploring vigilante justice and a diabolical serial killer—featuring the beloved Holly Gibney and a dynamic new cast of characters.

When the Buckeye City Police Department receives a disturbing letter from a person threatening to “kill thirteen innocents and one guilty” in “an act of atonement for the needless death of an innocent man,” Detective Izzy Jaynes has no idea what to think. Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhinged act of retribution? Izzy turns to her friend Holly Gibney for help.

Meanwhile, controversial and outspoken women’s rights activist Kate McKay is embarking on a multi-state lecture tour, drawing packed venues of both fans and detractors. Someone who vehemently opposes Kate’s message of female empowerment is targeting her, disrupting her events, and growing bolder. Holly is hired to be Kate’s bodyguard—a challenging task with a headstrong employer and a determined adversary driven by wrath and his belief in his own righteousness.

Featuring a riveting cast of characters, including world-famous gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, King’s twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion—a feat of storytelling only this master of suspense and horror could pull off.