FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[sufue]

The Corpse in the Waxworks is the fourth in John Dickson Carr's Henri Bencolin series. It's $1.99 today at Kindle US, as part of today's Daily Deal, and price-matched/discountable at Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VDWDS19
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...n-the-waxworks

Spoiler:

"The purpose, the illusion, the spirit of a waxworks. It is an atmosphere of death. It is soundless and motionless... Do you see?"

Last night Mademoiselle Duchêne was seen heading into the Gallery of Horrors at the Musée Augustin waxworks, alive. Today she was found in the Seine, murdered. The museum's proprietor, long perturbed by the unnatural vitality of his figures, claims that he saw one of them following the victim into the dark—a lead that Henri Bencolin, head of the Paris police and expert of 'impossible' crimes, cannot possibly resist.

Surrounded by the eerie noises of the night, Bencolin prepares to enter the ill-fated waxworks, his associate Jeff Marle and the victim's fiancé in tow. Waiting within, beneath the glass-eyed gaze of a leering waxen satyr, is a gruesome discovery and the first clues of a twisted and ingenious mystery.

First published in 1932 at the height of crime fiction's Golden Age, this macabre and atmospheric dive into the murky underground of Parisian society presents an intelligent puzzle delivered at a stunning pace. This new edition also includes the rare Inspector Bencolin short story "The Murder in Number Four" by John Dickson Carr, and an Introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger-Award winning author Martin Edwards.

[sufue]

If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you have a few more days to pick two books for free, as part of Amazon's First Reads program. These expire at the end of the month. There are three that might be of interest (IMO) to folks on this thread:

Broadway Butterfly by Sara DiVello is described as "Historical Crime" and the blurb indicates it's based on a true crime: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJMDBZTW

To Die For is described as a "Thriller", and the blurb seems consistent with this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BH95XKB1

What Never Happened is also described as a "Thriller", but seems a tad less thrillerish to me - not sure why, just seems that way. I do like the twist (mentioned in the blurb) that an obituary writer might pick up on a series of suspicious deaths quite early on: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4JYZND9

[sufue]

To Kill a Troubadour is the fifteenth in Martin Walker's Bruno/Dordogne series. It's on sale today at Kindle UK for £0.99 as part of today's Daily Deal. I had an ARC of this a while back and really liked it - the storyline is oddly prescient, which was even more obvious back when I was reviewing it in mid-2022.

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0987BB8ZG

Spoiler:

When a musician’s new song hits a political nerve, he finds himself in the crosshairs of Spanish nationalists’ ire, and it’s up to Bruno to track down the extremists who seem ready to take deadly measures, in another delightful installment of the internationally acclaimed series featuring Bruno, Chief of Police.

“As usual, Walker concocts a satisfying dish featuring an intriguing lead character who moves through enviable settings and enjoys wonderful meals while tracking down criminals.”—Booklist

Les Troubadours, a folk music group that Bruno has long supported, go viral with their new number, “Song for Catalonia,” when the Spanish government suddenly bans the song. The songwriter, Joel Martin, is a local enthusiast for the old Occitan language of Périgord and the medieval troubadours, and he sympathizes with the Catalan bid for independence. The success of his song provokes outrage among extreme Spanish nationalists. Then, in a stolen car found on a Périgord back road, police discover a distinctive bullet for a state-of-the-art sniper's rifle that can kill at three kilometers, and they fear that Joel might be the intended target.

The French and Spanish governments agree to mount a joint operation to stop the assailants, and Bruno is the local man on the spot who mobilizes his resources to track them down. While Bruno tries to keep the peace, his friend Florence reaches out for help. Her abusive ex-husband is about to be paroled from prison and she fears he will return to reclaim their children. Will Bruno and Florence be able to prevent this unwanted visit? Despite the pressures, there is always time for Bruno to savor les plaisirs of the Dordogne around the table with friends.

If you want to read my full review, it's on my blog...the URL is in my signature...

[sufue]

A couple of years later, Farewell, My Lovely is again $1.99 in the US. @BetterRead's link is still good for Kindle US, and here's for Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/farewell-my-lovely-4

Note, if you are lucky enough to live in/visit Canada or other countries with similar copyright, this is public domain. But not in the US...

Originally Posted by BetterRead

Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler is currently $1.99 at Amazon US.



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FBFM1Q

[ZodWallop]

Inspector Maigret Omnibus: Volume 1 by Georges Simenon is $1.99 at Amazon, B&N and Kobo US. I've never read any of the Maigret books, but am curious about them.

The omnibus contains: Pietr the Latvian; The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien; The Carter of 'La Providence'; The Grand Banks Café

[DuskyRose]

27Jul23 only, 150 Free Historical/Contemporary/Paranormal list of Cozy Mysteries. Links to various vendors.

https://cozymysterybookclub.com/bookblast/

[sufue]

I've quite liked the Simenon books that I've read, although with so many, it's hard to remember many specifics. And, I read most of them in DTB days, so the length of time that has passed doesn't help either. But I do remember reading them more for Maigret himself (and Mme Maigret) than for the specific cases. And I'm a sucker for mysteries set in France, and for police procedurals, although Maigret isn't always super-procedural...so YMMV...

A couple I remember liking enough to remember specifics are the one where he returns to his home town (The Saint-Fiacre Affaire, also known as Maigret Goes Home, and a couple of other similar titles), Maigret and the Hotel Majestic (which was written before the war, but published during), and Maigret and the Headless Corpse, which I remember because I wanted someday to go on a tour of the Saint-Martin canal, where the body was found, which I still haven't managed to do.

Pietr the Latvian, which is in this omnibus, is also pretty good - it's the first Maigret book, although there's a later prequel, and the early ones seemed a bit more pulp-ish to me than the later ones. (And I later found out this was the case, since I read not too long ago that Simenon had been writing pulp before Maigret...)

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Inspector Maigret Omnibus: Volume 1 by Georges Simenon is $1.99 at Amazon, B&N and Kobo US. I've never read any of the Maigret books, but am curious about them.

The omnibus contains: Pietr the Latvian; The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien; The Carter of 'La Providence'; The Grand Banks Café

[Tarana]

Murder à la Mode By Susan Kiernan-Lewis FREE at Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Mystery cozy.

[cc_in_oh]

He's a must read for mystery fans, though I like Camilleri better despite many unfavorable comparisons to Simenon...

Originally Posted by sufue

I've quite liked the Simenon books that I've read, although with so many, it's hard to remember many specifics. And, I read most of them in DTB days, so the length of time that has passed doesn't help either. But I do remember reading them more for Maigret himself (and Mme Maigret) than for the specific cases. And I'm a sucker for mysteries set in France, and for police procedurals, although Maigret isn't always super-procedural...so YMMV...

A couple I remember liking enough to remember specifics are the one where he returns to his home town (The Saint-Fiacre Affaire, also known as Maigret Goes Home, and a couple of other similar titles), Maigret and the Hotel Majestic (which was written before the war, but published during), and Maigret and the Headless Corpse, which I remember because I wanted someday to go on a tour of the Saint-Martin canal, where the body was found, which I still haven't managed to do.

Pietr the Latvian, which is in this omnibus, is also pretty good - it's the first Maigret book, although there's a later prequel, and the early ones seemed a bit more pulp-ish to me than the later ones. (And I later found out this was the case, since I read not too long ago that Simenon had been writing pulp before Maigret...)

[sufue]

The first three books in Vanda Symon's Sam Shephard series, set in Dunedin, New Zealand, are $0.99 each right now at Kindle US. I haven't read any of these, but have had my eye on them for a little while, since I tend to like police procedurals set in foreign places - foreign to me, at least ...

Overkill, #1
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FB5C56K

The Ringmaster, #2 (whose cover I thought looked like the LoTR with the Misty Mountains, until I figured out that the Misty Mountains were really circus tents...)
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KYZ9TT5

Containment, #3
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XSC4QS2

[Tarana]

The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown $1.99 Amazon, Kobo

The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins(book 2) By Antonia Hodgson $1.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N

A CWA Historical Dagger Award winner! In 19th-century London, Thomas Hawkins is sent to the gallows, accused of a murder he didn’t commit. Now, he must find a way to save his own life — and protect those he loves. “Pitch-perfect suspense… A fairly clued whodunit” (Publishers Weekly starred review).

A Death at Fountains Abbey (Thomas Hawkins) Book 3 by Antonia Hodgson (Author) $2.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Book 3 of historical mystery series.

The Summerhouse By Patricia Wentworth $.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Miss Silver mystery

Kindness Goes Unpunished By Craig Johnson $2.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Walt Longmire series

[ZodWallop]

Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson is $2.99 at Amazon, B&N and Kobo US. This is the third Longmire book.

Walt brings Western-style justice to Philadelphia in this action-packed thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Land of Wolves

Walt Longmire has been Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, for almost a quarter of a century, but when he joins his good friend Henry Standing Bear on a trip to the City of Brotherly Love to see his daughter, Cady, he's in for a shock. Walt hasn't even put his boots up when Cady is viciously attacked and left near death on the steps of the Franklin Institute. He soon discovers that she has unwittingly become involved in a deadly political cover-up. Backed by Henry, Dog, Deputy Victoria Moretti, and the entire Moretti posse of Philadelphia police officers, Walt unpacks his saddlebag of tricks to mete out some Western-style justice.

[ZodWallop]

And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling is $2.99 at Amazon and Kobo US.

I've been waiting for this one to go on sale. I missed it last time.

They thought he was a helpless old man. They were wrong.

When two teenagers break into a house on a remote lake in search of prescription drugs, what starts as a simple burglary turns into a nightmare for all involved. Emmett Burr has secrets he's been keeping in his basement for more than two decades, and he'll do anything to keep his past from being revealed. As he gets the upper hand on his tormentors, the lines blur between victim, abuser, and protector.

Personal tragedy has sent former police officer Ben Packard back to the small Minnesota town of Sandy Lake in search of a fresh start. Now a sheriff's deputy, Packard is leading the investigation into the missing teens, motivated by a family connection. As clues dry up and time runs out to save them, Packard is forced to reveal his own secrets and dig deep to uncover the dark past of the place he now calls home.

Unrelentingly suspenseful and written with a piercing gaze into the dark depths of the human soul, And There He Kept Her is a thrilling page-turner that introduces readers to a complicated new hero and forces us to consider the true nature of evil.

[sufue]

Absolute Friends is £0.99 at Kindle UK right now...

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CV5Q65Z

Originally Posted by SomeSteve

Absolute Friends by John le Carré is $1.99 at Kobo US.

It's been at this price for a couple of days.

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/absolute-friends

[sufue]

Unnatural History by Jonathan Kellerman is £0.99 at Kindle UK right now, probably as part of the August monthly sale. But I’d still grab it now if you want it!

I came late to this series, having assuming (wrongly) that the series was more psychological thriller-ish than would be to my taste, since it has a psychologist as a protagonist. But I have liked the last few in the series, and keep meaning to go back and read the early ones. (There are just so very many of them...sigh!) But I did think Unnatural History was the weakest of the four or five I've read - it seemed just a little too improbable in places. But it was still pretty good, and well worth £0.99.

Oh yeah, and it’s price-matched at Kobo UK too.

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B1WGFDY9
Kobo UK: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/unnatural-history-3

Spoiler:

A gripping new crime novel featuring Alex Delware from the bestselling master of suspense.

When a photographer is found inside an LA warehouse slumped in bed, shot to death, it sets in motion a complex and dangerous case for Lieutenant Milo Sturgis and Psychologist Alex Delaware.

The victim had just received rave media attention for his latest project - images of homeless people living out their 'dreams'. But there were many who saw the work as crass exploitation.

Did anger turn to homicidal rage? Or do the roots of violence reach down to the victim's own family?

As new murders arise, Alex and Milo must peel back the layers of the case - and will find themselves coming up against in one of the deadliest threats they've ever faced...