FREE/BARGAIN - Mystery, Suspense, Thriller - 2015

[sufue]

Enemies at Home is the 2nd in Lindsey Davis' Flavia Alba (daughter of Marcus Didius Falco) series. It recently dropped from $9.99 to $5.99 in the Kindle US store, no idea why or for how long. $5.99 is not a great sale price, but Davis' books tend to range $7.99 and up, and are not couponable/discountable, so I thought I'd toss this one into the thread.

link: http://www.amazon.com/Enemies-Home-F...dp/B00H6EJQQM/

Spoiler:

"There are rules for private informers accepting a new case. Never take on clients who cannot pay you. Never do favours for friends. Don't work with relatives. If, like me, you are a woman, keep clear of men you find attractive.

"Will I never learn?"

In Ancient Rome, the number of slaves was far greater than that of free citizens. As a result, often the people Romans feared most were the "enemies at home," the slaves under their own roofs. Because of this, Roman law decreed that if the head of a household was murdered at home, and the culprit wasn't quickly discovered, his slaves—all of them, guilty or not—were presumed responsible and were put to death. Without exception.

When a couple is found dead in their own bedroom and their house burglarized, some of their household slaves know what is about to happen to them. They flee to the Temple of Ceres, which by tradition is respected as a haven for refugees. This is where Flavia Albia comes in. The authorities, under pressure from all sides, need a solution. Albia, a private informer just like her father, Marcus Didius Falco, is asked to solve the murders, in this mystery from Lindsey Davis.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Are none of Walsh's "Wimsey" books available in the US? I think she's written four now, and I've enjoyed all of them.

That's good to hear. I shall keep an eye out for further deals on them.

[pendragginp]

Yes, I was going to suggest the library.

[sufue]

The Widow's Son is the third in the Rare Book series by Thomas Shawver. It has fairly recently dropped from $2.99 to $0.99 at Amazon US for an unknown amount of time.

link: http://www.amazon.com/Widows-Son-Rar...dp/B00OEXM6QA/

Spoiler:

Sure to please fans of Lawrence Block, John Dunning, and Christopher Fowler, the new Rare Book Mystery plunges readers into a centuries-old struggle of blood, faith, family, and revenge.

In 1844, Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, died at the hands of an angry mob who stormed his jail cell in Carthage, Illinois. Shortly after, a radical faction of Smith’s followers swore to avenge Smith’s death by killing not only the four men deemed most responsible, but to teach their heirs to eliminate future generations of the prophet’s murderers as well.

One hundred and seventy years later, rare book dealer Michael Bevan is offered a valuable first-edition Book of Mormon that bears a strange inscription hinting at blood atonement. Within days of handing the book over for authentication, the volume disappears and two people lie dead. Michael soon learns that his friend Natalie Phelan, whose only crime is her genealogy, is the likely next victim. One of her would-be murderers has fallen in love with her, another is physically incapable of carrying out the act, but other avenging angels remain on the loose.

When Natalie is kidnapped, Michael must venture into a clandestine camp of vengeful men hell-bent on ritual sacrifice. To save her life, the book dealer needs all his worldly courage, brawn, and wits. But to defeat fanatics driven by an unholy vision, a little divine intervention couldn’t hurt.

[sufue]

And a couple more by Gribble:

She Died Laughing is in the Anthony Slade series, at $0.99 for about 1/2 more day, before going to $1.99 for an unknown amount of time.
link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0176N79FC

Spoiler:

Superintendent Anthony Slade arrives on the Riviera in search of lovely Gloria Kincaid. Before he finds her a killer strikes, and she dies with laughter spilling from her lips. In the company of Inspector Henry Duval, of the Sûreté Nationale, Slade faces one of his most puzzling cases. The two detectives, who worked in double harness previously in The Frightened Chameleon, now have to find a murderer who strikes again, and yet again.

Slowly the weft and woof of a tangled skein of mystery unfolds into a pattern of almost unbelievable duplicity. A white Jaguar crashes on the Grande Corniche. A yacht steams first into French waters, then Italian, then back again. Marcus Mordayne, one of the more florid wayside blooms along the torturous path of international crime, provides his own complications, for his own personal reasons. Tragedy unfolds in a deserted house in Juan-les-pins. Such facts provide the painstaking Yard man with pieces that fir into an extravagant jigsaw of human emotions.

The Glass Alibi is in the Anthony Slade series, at $0.99 for about 1/2 more day, before going to $1.99 for an unknown amount of time.
link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0176N71Y6

Spoiler:

A young man is caught up in a mystery that begins for him when two plain-clothed men approach him one night outside his flat. From that moment his life changes. By the next morning he is a subject for newspaper paragraphs and he knows what it means to live the furtive existence of a fugitive.

For a week that strange double life continues, always under the eyes of Slade, who is hunting a callous murderer. It is possible that he would not have continued with this desperate game had it not been for lovely June Kragle, herself sought by the police. The two make a bid to help the police - only to find that Slade takes the rubber in a thrilling finale that breaks a killer's glass alibi.

Originally Posted by sufue

Several titles by Leonard Gribble are on US Kindle Countdown.

At $0.99 for about 1/2 more day before going up to $1.99 for an unknown amount of time:

The Frightened Chameleon is in the Anthony Slade series.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Frightened-Cha...dp/B013RIQEXI/

The Yellow Bungalow Mystery is in the Anthony Slade series.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Bungalo...dp/B013RIQ3DE/

At $1.99 for about one more day before going up to $2.99 for an unknown amount of time:

Murder First Class is in the Anthony Slade series.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Muder-First-Cl...dp/B00HRC5P8Q/

The Riddle of the Blue Moon is a non-series title.
link: http://www.amazon.com/Riddle-Blue-Mo...dp/B00L7TSJV0/

[sufue]

Killed in the Ratings is the first in the Matt Cobb series by William DeAndrea. (I'm rather fond of this series...)

It's on sale at $1.99 for the rest of the day today as part of Open Road Media's "Early Bird" email specials.

Spoiler:

An electrifying puzzle, corporate sleuth Matt Cobb is set up in a TV-world murder
This Edgar Award–winning debut novel introduces Matt Cobb, vice president of special projects at a large television network—where “special projects” means anything sensitive, or even fatal, that the company wants to keep quiet. Cobb’s no stranger to following mysterious orders, so when he receives a telephone call asking him to visit a hotel room he obliges. The invitation, however, means a dead body, a sharp blow to the head, and suspicion from the police that he committed the crime. And while one of the detectives put on the case has known Cobb since he was a child, the other is convinced of his guilt. Can Cobb stay on point when the stakes are so high? Can he find the real killer and persuade the police of his innocence? And what do television ratings have to do with it all?

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/...d=3tlOQdzHnLEC

BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kill...rea/1000454961

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AEGIHRI

[sufue]

Just noticed that Saving the Queen, the first in the Blackford "Blackie" Oakes series by William F Buckley, is priced at $1.99, which is below its usual $7.99 or so, at least according to eReaderIQ. eReaderIQ also indicates that the price dropped around Nov 1, leading to a suspicion that it might be on a monthly sale, going back up around Nov 30. Just might be, no idea really, but if you want to try this series, you might move pretty quickly...

link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0116EBXUE

Spoiler:

When the Queen’s life is threatened, it takes a remarkable CIA agent to save her

Blackford Oakes has never been afraid of obeying orders. During the war, it’s what kept him alive. When he leaves the air force for Yale, Oakes is studious, temperate, and polite. He knows how to follow rules—but he also knows the secret to breaking them: Never tell a little lie when a big lie will do. He’s exactly the man the CIA is looking for.

Just before Oakes graduates, an old friend recruits him to work for the Company. His military background, knowledge of French, and family in London make Oakes a perfect choice for the most glamorous role the CIA has to offer: deep-cover agent. When his 1st assignment reveals Soviet espionage inside Buckingham Palace and a plot against the young Queen, Oakes will throw the rulebook out the window.

Saving the Queen is the 1st book in the Blackford Oakes Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

[ATDrake]

A few last minute couponable Nordic mystery deals from Corvus Atlantic via Kobo UK's Black Friday sale (prices good through the weekend, probably matched in the other UK stores, but the contest coupons expire in a couple more hours):

@ £0.99: Where the Shadows Lie by British author Michael Ridpath (SYKM, Wikipedia), 1st in his Fire and Ice series starring returned expat Icelandic detective Magnus Jonsson. This was previously offered as an iTunes UK-exclusive Free Book of the Week, and is a dirt cheap price (not discounted in North America, even though it's got the same publisher, and is $8.99 CAD, and the money-saving omnibus of #1-2 is $11, but it works out cheaper to buy them separately with coupons with the current promo). I've had this series on my wishlist for a while, and have snapped this one up to try.

@ £1.49 each: #2 & #3 of Norwegian author Anne Holt's (SYKM, Wikipedia) award-winning Hanne Wilhelmsen series starring a lesbian police officer in Oslo. In North America, #1 & #2 are currently on sale for $1.99 each from Scribner (non-couponable), as detailed in this post earlier in the month. #3 is $17 CAD, so if you're willing to travel, you can continue the series much more cheaply.

• Blessed Are Those Who Thirst, 2nd in series
• Death of the Demon, 3rd in series

The 1st Hanne Wilhelmsen book and the 1st in her Johanne Vik series starring a legal researcher in Oslo are introductory sale-priced at £2.49 (couponable):

• Blind Goddess, HW #1
• Punishment, JV #1 (this series is not yet available in North America)

If you'd like to browse the Mystery/Crime listings for Kobo's Black Friday sale, here are the UK & Canada versions.

@ $4.99 from Random House's Vintage digital (couponable), Jar City by Icelandic author Arnaldur Indri∂ason (SYKM, Wikipedia) is a reasonable price if you've got decent couponage (his books don't usually go on sale, and are usually $12 CAD and up, and from two different imprints, so only some of them are couponable). ETA: he's out from Simon & Schuster's Minotaur in the US, which is non-couponable, but much of the series appears to be discounted to $4.99 USD and there's a money-saving omnibus of #1-3 at $12 USD.

Also, the John le Carré megapromo for $4.99 each (non-couponable) from Random Penguin House Canada is still going, and has a dedicated promo page here: Kobo Author Spotlight: John le Carré. Apparently it's to promote some sort of newly-released biography (not on sale).

[ATDrake]

Soho Crime currently has a number of $1.99 specials on standalone and 1st-in-series novels, which are couponable @ Kobo. As is usual for Soho, these are generally quality works, some from award-winners and nominees, from various countries, including Sweden's Helene Tursten (whose series has been adapted into a long-running and highly popular set of TV movies). A couple of them have been previously offered free or deep-discounted in various stores, so you might need to check your libraries before purchasing.

I'm doing last minute shopping before my coupons expire, so here's the auto-search linkage, which should pull all of them up.

[sufue]

I have particularly liked the four books in the Omar Yussef Sirhan series by Matt Rees (or Matt Beynon Rees). They're set in Palestine, and pretty bleak, but a great sense of atmosphere (even if bleak) and good stories. If I hadn't already bought and read them, I'd do it now

Three of the four, The Bethlehem Murders (#1), The Saladin Murders (#2) and The Fourth Assassin (#4), are on sale via the Kobo UK link that ATDrake provides below. For some reason, the third, The Samaritan's Secret, is not part of the sale - it's at £2.60-ish, while the other three are £0.99.

They've been published with some different titles, so check carefully if you already have some of them...

Originally Posted by ATDrake

{edited}

If you'd like to browse the Mystery/Crime listings for Kobo's Black Friday sale, here are the UK & Canada versions.

{edited}

[sufue]

All four of Matt Witten's Jacob Burns series are on special of some sort again, although one is only for about 5 more hours:

Breakfast at Madeline's (#1) is free for an unknown amount of time. Info in this previous post.

Grand Delusion (#2) is at $0.99 for about 6 more days. Info in this previous post.

Strange Bedfellows (#3) is at $0.99 for about 5 more hours. Info in this previous post.

The Killing Bee (#4) is at $0.99 for about 6 more days. Info in this previous post.

[Mort1997]

Free on Amazon UK -Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance by Derrick Belanger

'Winter, 1890.
A deep freeze has fallen upon London, and its citizens remain huddled indoors. But the cogs of the criminal underworld never stop turning, and Holmes and Watson find themselves embroiled in a crime that rocks the centre of the art world. Sir Wellington is disturbed in the middle of the night, apprehending a thief attempting to steal his rare and valuable 14th portrait of King Edward III. In the kerfuffle that follows, the painting is set ablaze and the thief escapes. When the police track down the criminal to take him to the station, he is fatally shot by an unknown assailant. But the labyrinth of deceit grows even more impenetrable, as the painting’s provenance is called into question and Holmes and Watson find themselves in the midst of a vast conspiracy. It seems that this incident is just one of many at the hands of a powerful crime syndicate, duping the London’s wealthy into buying imitation artwork – with the renowned National Portrait Gallery supposedly at the centre... With usurped identities, shootings, chases and conspiracies, Holmes and Watson find themselves enmeshed in a tangled web of theft, forgery and murder. Can the famous duo untangle the mystery and expose the criminal network before it is too late? Or will this case prove too complex for even their brilliant minds?'


UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sherlock-Hol...ndeavour+press


US
http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holme...ndeavour+press

Au
http://www.amazon.com.au/Sherlock-Ho...ndeavour+press

Can
http://www.amazon.ca/Sherlock-Holmes...ndeavour+press

[BelleZora]

Three Pot Thief mysteries by Michael Orenduff from Open Road Media are on sale at Amazon and Google Play for $1.99 each. I've read the first two books in the series and they are a lot of fun, especially for those who enjoy New Mexico ambiance, food, and drink.

Amazon:

#1 - The Pot Thief who Studied Pythagoras: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HO12CTK

#2 - The Pot Thief who Studied Ptolemy: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HO12CSQ

#5 - The Pot Thief who Studied D.H. Lawrence: http://www.amazon.com/Thief-Studied-.../dp/B00HO12CWC

Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/search...&c=books&hl=en

[badgoodDeb]

Cyber Monday deals: not sure how to link this for you, but Amazon USA has 85% off on some selection of books. I just got 8 Dorothy Sayers books for $1.99 each. It would have been a few more than that, except that I already had a couple of them. I think if you just go to amazon.com, you'll be pointed to this deal. At least if you look at books, you will.

[Mort1997]

Free on Amazon UK -The Weight of Evidence by Roger Ormerod

'Fred Wallach had been shut away in a bare shed. He had no means of escape. Yet by morning, he had disappeared. When the private detectives David Mallin and George Coe are hired to recover the missing builder, what initially appears as a harmless joke, played by Fred’s colleagues, turns out to be something far more elaborate than first thought. As they begin searching for clues to locate Wallach, Mallin and Coe quickly unveil some dark secrets about their victim. Wallach, a callous and devious man, was disliked by a wide range of people. With nothing about the disappearance making sense, the mystery of the vanishing man appears an impossible case to solve. When the missing person case becomes a murder investigation, Mallin and Coe find themselves under mounting pressure to deliver a resul.. '


UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weight-Evide...ndeavour+press


US
http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Evidenc...ndeavour+press

Au
http://www.amazon.com.au/Weight-Evid...ndeavour+press

Can
http://www.amazon.ca/Weight-Evidence...ndeavour+press