FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[sufue]

The Other End of the Line turned out not to be the next to last in the series - thankfully there were a few more left, although now all published AFAIK. But it is £0.99 again in the UK.

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PV2ZL38
Kindle UK/Smile: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PV2ZL38

Originally Posted by sufue

The Other End of the Line is the next to last in the excellent IMO Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle US as part of the Daily Deal, matched at Kobo US. It's a bit unusual to see these price drops on fairly recent titles in this series in the US - they seem to happen much more often in the UK. But in any case, I'm happy!

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Other-Line-In...dp/B07M82PQCC/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...nd-of-the-line

[sufue]

If you haven't yet tried Martin Walker's excellent IMO Bruno series, now an omnibus of the first three books is on sale for £0.99 at Kindle UK. The books are: Bruno, Chief of Police (apa Death in the Dordogne); The Dark Vineyard; and Black Diamonds.

The Dordogne Mysteries: The Early Cases
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076PL92NK
Kindle UK/Smile: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076PL92NK

Spoiler:

Enjoy a feast of cosy crime at its best with the first three Dordogne Mysteries starring Bruno, Chief of Police. The perfect escapist read for a winter's night.

DEATH IN THE DORDOGNE
Bruno investigates the death of a local North African patriarch, in a case whose solution may lie in that most fraught part of recent French history: the Second World War. St Denis was part of Vichy France, with a strong Resistance movement. Will the people of St Denis allow Bruno to dig up their past in order to find the killer?

THE DARK VINEYARD
A Californian wine producer is planning to set up a wine-making business in the St Denis valley. The locals aren't happy, and when a violent death occurs at the vineyard, Bruno will have to draw on all his local knowledge to reach the truth.

BLACK DIAMOND
The black truffles of the Dordogne are world-famous and extremely valuable. But their price is being driven down by cheaper, adulterated truffles from China, and it seems Chinese organised crime is behind the fraud. A vicious murder in St Denis points Bruno in the direction of the scam. Will he be able to sniff out the culprit, and find the killer?

[ZodWallop]

The Lightkeepers by Abby Geni is $1.99 at Amazon US.

A nature photographer’s residency among the harsh natural beauty of the Farallon Islands takes a startlingly violent turn in this debut eco-thriller with echoes of Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer.

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED BY: People Magazine, Marie Claire, Entertainment Weekly, Buzzfeed, New York Times Book Review, San Francisco Chronicle

“A stunner: intense, surefooted, masterful. This is a book to swallow whole.” —Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers

In The Lightkeepers, we follow Miranda, a nature photographer who travels to the Farallon Islands, an exotic and dangerous archipelago off the coast of California, for a one–year residency capturing the landscape. Her only companions are the scientists studying there, odd and quirky refugees from the mainland living in rustic conditions; they document the fish populations around the island, the bold trio of sharks called the Sisters that hunt the surrounding waters, and the overwhelming bird population who, at times, create the need to wear hard hats as protection from their attacks.

Shortly after her arrival, Miranda is assaulted by one of the inhabitants of the islands. A few days later, her assailant is found dead, perhaps the result of an accident. As the novel unfolds, Miranda gives witness to the natural wonders of this special place as she grapples with what has happened to her and deepens her connection (and her suspicions) to her companions, while falling under the thrall of the legends of the place nicknamed ‘the Islands of the Dead.’ And when more violence occurs, each member of this strange community falls under suspicion.

[sufue]

Jane and the Year Without a Summer is the fourteenth and most recent (2022) in Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen series. It's on sale in the UK (£1.89) and US ($2.99) right now.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094GNHT1B
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B094GNHT1B
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/jan...thout-a-summer
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B094GNHT1B
Kindle UK/Smile: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B094GNHT1B

Spoiler:

May 1816: Jane Austen is feeling unwell, with an uneasy stomach, constant fatigue, rashes, fevers and aches. She attributes her poor condition to the stress of family burdens, which even the drafting of her latest manuscript—about a baronet's daughter nursing a broken heart for a daring naval captain—cannot alleviate. Her apothecary recommends a trial of the curative waters at Cheltenham Spa, in Gloucestershire. Jane decides to use some of the profits earned from her last novel, Emma, and treat herself to a period of rest and reflection at the spa, in the company of her sister, Cassandra.

Cheltenham Spa hardly turns out to be the relaxing sojourn Jane and Cassandra envisaged, however. It is immediately obvious that other boarders at the guest house where the Misses Austen are staying have come to Cheltenham with stresses of their own—some of them deadly. But perhaps with Jane’s interference a terrible crime might be prevented. Set during the Year without a Summer, when the eruption of Mount Tambora in the South Pacific caused a volcanic winter that shrouded the entire planet for sixteen months, this fourteenth installment in Stephanie Barron’s critically acclaimed series brings a forgotten moment of Regency history to life.

[Tarana]

Chump Change - G M Ford $1.99 Amazon
Private Investigator - set in Seattle area; Book 8 Leo Waterman series

I've read the first two books of this series and really enjoyed them. Note that the author died in late 2021, so the 12 books in this series is all there is.

[sufue]

Where it used to be just Inspector Ghote, there seem to be an increasing number of series set in India - mostly historical, but a few recent as well: Barbara Cleverly's Joe Sandilands series, Nev March's Jim Agnihotri books, Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry series, Vaseem Khan's Malabar House series, Abir Mukherjee's Wyndham/Banerjee books, Nev March's Jim Agnihotri series, and Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri/Most Private Investigators Agency books all come to mind. Whew! And now here's a new one that looks kind of interesting: The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra. And it's on sale in the US for $1.99 right now.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JPHM7WH
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B09JPHM7WH
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...ectives-club-2

Spoiler:

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

The first in a charming, joyful crime series set in 1920s Bangalore, featuring sari-wearing detective Kaveri and her husband Ramu. Perfect for fans of Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.

When clever, headstrong Kaveri moves to Bangalore to marry handsome young doctor Ramu, she's resigned herself to a quiet life.

But that all changes the night of the party at the Century Club, where she escapes to the garden for some peace and quiet—and instead spots an uninvited guest in the shadows. Half an hour later, the party turns into a murder scene.

When a vulnerable woman is connected to the crime, Kaveri becomes determined to save her and launches a private investigation to find the killer, tracing his steps from an illustrious brothel to an Englishman's mansion. She soon finds that sleuthing in a sari isn't as hard as it seems when you have a talent for mathematics, a head for logic, and a doctor for a husband . . .

And she's going to need them all as the case leads her deeper into a hotbed of danger, sedition, and intrigue in Bangalore's darkest alleyways.

[sufue]

Bag of Bones is the thirteenth and most recent (2022) in Jason Vail's Stephen Attebrook series. This series is/has been mostly self-pubbed (now with Hawk Publishing, which seems to be a romance publisher ???), but I've read most of the series and have liked all that I have read. And it's free, so you can just delete it if you hate it. And if I waited until I did read it, it probably wouldn't be free anymore, so here are links.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8JTLMW4
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B8JTLMW4

Spoiler:

The Ludlow beggar One-eye Dick finds the scattered bones of two dead men on a hillside north of the town — and a precious gold ring. Hoping to make some easy money, he sells the ring to Will Thumper, a well-known criminal in town, who then resells the ring to a crooked Ludlow goldsmith.

But the ring is identified as belonging to a wealthy cattle merchant and his bodyguard who went missing weeks before. Thumper is arrested and charged with the merchant’s murder and that of the bodyguard. Given Thumper’s unsavory reputation, it is obvious that the local jury who know him well will be happy to send him to the gallows regardless of the evidence.

Yet Stephen Attebrook, newly appointed as coroner for southern Shropshire, has doubts. These are strong enough to entice him to promise Thumper’s family that he will do what he can to exonerate the rogue.

Thumper’s dilemma is the least of Stephen’s troubles. For he must confront the campaign of one of his greatest enemies, Nigel FitzSimmons, to convict him of treason and the vendetta of the brother of a man he killed in battle. Defeat by either man means Stephen’s death and the confiscation of his manor.

[sufue]

Kill the Butler! is the sixth Inspector Peckover book by Michael Kenyon. It's free right now at Kindle US and UK.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GHJVRHC
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GHJVRHC

Spoiler:

When New York millionaire Lou Langley dies in a mysterious hit and run accident, questions are asked…

Henry Peckover, Chief Inspector from Scotland yard, is flown in to investigate.

Going in undercover as a quaint English butler, Peckover (aka Jarvis) will be clearing tables, serving drinks, and interviewing suspects.

And trying not to get caught, of course.

Jetlagged and exhausted, Peckover takes a night-time stroll along the beach.

But someone else is out that night, and when Peckover goes investigating he gets far more than he bargained for.

Things quickly escalate and he soon finds himself fending off an attack from the mysterious, dark figure.

In a desperate act of self-defence, he manages to get his teeth around the man’s ankle just before the suspect escapes.

Looking for bite marks, Peckover sets out to check the ankles of his two main suspects – the cook, Joop, and Ahoy’s caretaker, Timothy Thwaite.

The problem is that both of them have vanished.

Finding two men in New York will be hard enough, but storm clouds are on the way.

Hurricane Doris is coming and if Peckover doesn’t watch out, he’ll be swept away before he can find the killer.

Kill the Butler! is the latest instalment in the Inspector Peckover series.

[gunbad]

"Cotton comes to Harlem" by Chester Himes is $1.99 at both Amazon and Kobo.

[sufue]

A year-and-a-half later, The Odessa File is again £0.99 at Kindle UK. @CallOfCth'reader's link is still good...

Originally Posted by CallOfCth'reader

I'm not sure if this belongs here or the general fiction thread, but here goes:

The Odessa File - Frederick Forsyth
Amazon UK £0.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Odessa-File...al-text&sr=1-3

(Kobo price matches)

[sufue]

The first book in Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series, Deal Breaker, is on sale for $2.99 today as part of the US Kindle Daily Deal, matched at Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SEGYIA
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000SEGYIA
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/deal-breaker-3

Spoiler:

The debut of Myron Bolitar, a hotheaded, tenderhearted sports agent and one of the most fascinating and complex heroes in suspense fiction, Deal Breaker is a page-turning classic from Edgar Award–winner and master storyteller Harlan Coben.

“One of the most engaging heroes in mystery fiction.”—Dennis Lehane

Sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron’s prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend—a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead—the deal starts to go sour. Trying to unravel the truth about a family’s tragedy, a woman’s secret, and a man’s lies, Myron is up against the dark side of his business—where image and talent make you rich, but the truth can get you killed.

“What sets Harlan Coben above the crowd are wit and wicked nonchalance.”—Los Angeles Times

[sufue]

Per the Publishers Weekly blurb on its webpage, Mike Hammer: Murder Never Knocks is the ninth Mike Hammer book produced by Max Allan Collins' "posthumous collaboration with Spillane". And Collins is, of course, a pretty well known author in his own right, and again per the webpage, is also Spillane's literary executor. So you can make what you wish of all of that.

In any case, Murder Never Knocks is on sale for $0.99 in the US right now...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010JYXK4Y
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B010JYXK4Y
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/mik...r-never-knocks

Spoiler:

Iconic tough-guy Mike Hammer is back—and this time, he’s knee deep in the glitz, gossip, and gore of Hollywood’s dark side—in this “taut, unrelenting thriller” full of “inherent suspense” (Pulp Fiction Reviews)

A failed attempt on his life by a contract killer gets Mike Hammer riled up. But it also lands him an unlikely job: security detail for a Hollywood producer having a party to honor his beautiful fiancée, a rising Broadway star. But it’s no walk in the park, as Hammer finds violence following him and his beautiful PI partner Velda into the swankiest of crime scenes.

In the meantime, Hammer is trying to figure out who put the hitman on him. Is there a connection with the death of a newsstand operator who took a bullet meant for him? A shadowy figure looking for the kill of his life?

[sufue]

Death and the Chapman has finally gone free at Kindle US now. No idea how long it will stay free, though, so grab it now if you want it! And it's still free several months later at Kindle UK.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099ZJ17DB

Originally Posted by sufue

Death and the Chapman, which is the first in Kate Sedley's Roger the Chapman series, is free right now at Kindle UK.

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B099ZJ17DB

It’s not free as of now at Kindle US.


Several of the other early titles in this series are also available at pretty good prices - info and links are in this previous post, although some of the prices have changed a bit.

[sufue]

Payback is the third in Mike Lupica's continuation of Robert B. Parker's Sunny Randall series. It's $2.99 today at Kindle US as part of today's Daily Deal, and matched at Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FZLGZDM
Kindle US/Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08FZLGZDM
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/rob...er-s-payback-1

Spoiler:

In her latest thrilling adventure, PI Sunny Randall takes on two serpentine cases that converge into one deadly mystery.

PI Sunny Randall has often relied on the help of her best friend Spike in times of need. When Spike's restaurant is taken over under a predatory loan agreement, Sunny has a chance to return the favor. She begins digging into the life of the hedge fund manager who screwed Spike over - surely a guy that smarmy has a skeleton or two in his closet - and soon finds this new enemy may have the backing of even badder criminals.

At the same time, Sunny's cop contact Lee Farrell asks her to intervene with his niece, a college student who reported being the victim of a crime but seems to know more than she's telling police. As the uncooperative young woman becomes outright hostile, Sunny runs up against a wall that she's only more determined to scale.

Then, what appear to be two disparate cases are united by a common factor, and the picture becomes even more muddled. But one thing is clear: Sunny has been poking a hornet's nest from two sides, and all hell is about to break loose.

[sufue]

Promises In Death is the 28th in JD Robb's In Death series. It's £2.99 at Kindle UK right now.

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002TXZSO4
Kindle UK/Smile: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002TXZSO4

Spoiler:

Inside the paralysed shell, she struggled, she strained. She looked up into the eyes of her killer. Into the eyes of a friend. Why?

Every cop gets angry when a police officer is killed. And Lieutenant Eve Dallas is no exception. Throwing every resource into solving Amarylis Coltraine's brutal murder, Eve encounters bitter opposition from Coltraine's fellow officers, who are desperate to take over the case. But when Eve receives a strange parcel containing Coltraine's badge and gun together with a note threatening the imminent arrival of her own ID, she knows the case has just got personal.

Then a link to millionaire Alex Ricker, son of a criminal she had put behind bars, heats things up even further. Ricker was romantically involved with Amarylis - did she leak information to him and then have a change of heart? Eve must put herself in extreme danger to get to the truth . . .