FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[sufue]

Two more Ike Schwartz books on sale for $1.99 each right now - the first and second in the series. And, as before, discountable at Kobo US. Note that I had previously bought Secrets, and it doesn't show as purchased on the webpage - the publisher must have updated the edition...

It would be great if they marched through the series putting them on sale - I have a couple of holes I wouldn't mind filling.

Artscape, #1
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VPKSX4D
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/artscape-8

Secrets, #2
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VQMKC55
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/secrets-407

Originally Posted by sufue

And since today is apparently "not-on-sale-very-often" day, Frederick Ramsay's books don't go on sale very often either, and now here are three: two in his historical Gamaliel series, which I haven't read (yet), and one in his Ike Schwartz series, which I have read most of, and liked. All are $1.99 each, and discountable at Kobo US.

The Eighth Veil, Gamaliel #1
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VLBR1SP
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-eighth-veil-6

Holy Smoke, Gamaliel, #2
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VNH1VDL
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/holy-smoke-22

The Eye of the Virgin, which sounds as if it should be part of the Gamaliel series, but is really Ike Schwartz, #6
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VMH5384
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...f-the-virgin-4

[sufue]

Poisoned Pen Press seems to be feeling their oats right now, and putting a few authors/series on sale that usually don't go on sale, and are pretty expensive when not on sale.

Painted Veil is the second in the historical Tito Amato series by Beverle Graves Myers. It's on sale for $1.99 in the US, and discountable at Kobo US. I luckily picked several of these up back in Fictionwise days, since I haven't seen any of these on sale in years. This is a really nice six-book series that I wish were longer.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VMH4QPL
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/painted-veil-7

Spoiler:

Venice, 1734. Neglecting his vocal practice for dubious pleasures, singer Tito Amato finds himself demoted to secondary roles and overshadowed by a visiting star. When the murder of scene painter Luca Cavalieri threatens to close the opera house, Tito jumps at the chance to regain his worth by finding the killer.

Suspicion falls on members of a Jewish ghetto family that produces masks for the theater. But Tito discovers a mysterious veil that leads him in a different direction. Assisted by Augustus Rumbolt, an Englishman making his Grand Tour, Tito is soon on the trail of Dr. Palantinus, a masked figure who heads a secret society that charges exorbitant fees to partake of its enticing rituals.

But who is behind the mask of Palantinus? Tito's search for the answer pierces the treacherous depths of a city dedicated to masquerade and pleasure, where ancient hatreds thrive, cultures uneasily coexist, and where opera is the stuff of daily life.

[sufue]

And one more PPP ^^^

I very much enjoyed Joanne Dobson's Karen Pelletier books back when I was reading them mostly during graduate school - the academic background seemed quite appropriate. Now the fifth book in the series, The Maltese Manuscript, is on sale for $1.99 in the US, and discountable at Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VPKRW2M
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...e-manuscript-5

Spoiler:

In classic noir tradition, English Professor Karen Pelletier gains a client when a Rottweiler named Trouble and his famous private-eye-novelist owner walk through her door. The next thing you know, the Enfield library is missing a truckload of its treasures. Then a thief is found dead in the stacks, his neck broken. With a real private eye on the case, the hunt is on—for the manuscript of Hammett's famous novel, The Maltese Falcon; for the missing books; and for potential murder suspects.

[sufue]

And yet one more ^^^^ PPP author/series with a couple of unusual price drops.

A while back Mary Reed and Eric Mayer wrote a series set in Constantinople, featuring John, the Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian. I really liked this series, and when I was lucky enough to visit Istanbul on a business trip, I enjoyed the background knowledge I'd picked up while reading it. (And also while reading Barbara Nadel's contemporary Inspector Ikmen series...and Jason Goodwin's Investigator Yashim books...and...)

Now the first in the series, One for Sorrow, is on sale for only $2.99 in the US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VMH4KG8
Kobo US (discountable): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-for-sorrow-35

And the tenth, Ten for Dying, is even less at the moment - it's $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VPKSF86
Kobo US (also discountable): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ten-for-dying-5

Another of many series that I wish had kept going...

[sufue]

A whole batch of books in Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series have recently dropped to $2.99 at Kindle US, but sadly not at Kobo US, at least as of now, where they would be discountable. But, $2.99 is a pretty good price, and some of these don't go on sale very often, so if you're looking to plug some holes, take a look. A couple of early ones, but mostly later in the series.

Nine titles is too many for me to type out and do all the links, but here's a link to the series webpage: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086WFFPCM...kindle_edition

And then when I was checking Kindle UK for this, just for fun, I noticed that Murder in Williamstown, which is the twenty-second and most recent book (2023), is on sale in the UK for £0.99, probably just for today.

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BLLH11H8
Kobo UK: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/mur...williamstown-2

[maddz]

Originally Posted by sufue

And yet one more ^^^^ PPP author/series with a couple of unusual price drops.

A while back Mary Reed and Eric Mayer wrote a series set in Constantinople, featuring John, the Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian. I really liked this series, and when I was lucky enough to visit Istanbul on a business trip, I enjoyed the background knowledge I'd picked up while reading it. (And also while reading Barbara Nadel's contemporary Inspector Ikmen series...and Jason Goodwin's Investigator Yashim books...and...)

Now the first in the series, One for Sorrow, is on sale for only $2.99 in the US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VMH4KG8
Kobo US (discountable): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-for-sorrow-35

And the tenth, Ten for Dying, is even less at the moment - it's $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VPKSF86
Kobo US (also discountable): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ten-for-dying-5

Another of many series that I wish had kept going...

Not on sale in the UK, but Kobo UK are a bit cheaper than Amazon UK, standardising on £3.99/book and £9.99 for the 1st 4 as a box set. Amazon are a mix of £3.99 and £4.99 and a bit over £10 for the set - and I have a 20% off code.

I might take a punt on these; they sound interesting; I wonder how much they owe to Procopius' Secret Histories?

[ZodWallop]

Where the Dead Sleep by Joshua Moehling is $3 at B&N and Kobo and $2.50 at Amazon(?)

This is the second in the Ben Packard series. I recently read the first one (which was also on sale not too long ago) And There He Kept Her. That one I very much recommend. Looking forward to trying the follow-up.

A small town's dark secrets turn deadly...

When an early morning call brings Deputy Ben Packard to the scene of a home invasion. Everyone Packard talks to has a story about Bill, but no one has a clear motive for wanting him dead. The business partner. The ex-wife. The current wife. The high-stakes poker buddies. Any of them—or none of them—could be guilty.

As the investigation begins, tragedy strikes the Sheriff's department, forcing Packard to make a difficult choice about his future: step down as acting Sheriff and pursue the quiet life he came to Sandy Lake in search of, or subject himself to the scrutiny of an election for the full-time role of Sheriff, a job he's not sure he wants.

There's a hidden history to Sandy Lake that Packard, ever the outsider, can't see. Bad blood and old secrets run deep. But an attempt on Packard's life means he's getting uncomfortably close to the dangerous legacy of the quiet Minnesota town. And someone will do anything to keep it hidden.

[sufue]

I don't know where they got their background history/details, but I do remember that the series tracked pretty well with Bernard Lewis’ The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years – whose "not-so-brief" several hundred pages I also read before my trip.

Originally Posted by maddz

Not on sale in the UK, but Kobo UK are a bit cheaper than Amazon UK, standardising on £3.99/book and £9.99 for the 1st 4 as a box set. Amazon are a mix of £3.99 and £4.99 and a bit over £10 for the set - and I have a 20% off code.

I might take a punt on these; they sound interesting; I wonder how much they owe to Procopius' Secret Histories?

[salty-horse]

The Slough House novels by Mick Herron are £1 each on Amazon UK. (EDIT: Except Spook Street)
EDIT: On Kobo, everything is now also on sale.

[Croptop]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

The Slough House novels by Mick Herron are £1 each on Amazon UK.
EDIT: On Kobo, everything is now also on sale, except Spook Street.

Sadly, still full price on Kobo's Canadian site. Disappointing.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

The Slough House novels by Mick Herron are £1 each on Amazon UK. (EDIT: Except Spook Street)
EDIT: On Kobo, everything is now also on sale.

£0.99 is the sale price on Kobo except for Spook Street and the novellas.

[SomeSteve]

The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen is $0.99 at Amazon US and Kobo US.

https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Orang.../dp/B00B1MSILY

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...orange-mystery

[sufue]

And now Murder in Williamstown is $2.99 at Kindle US, although not on sale at Kobo US, at least as of now. Not as nice as £0.99 in the UK (still good BTW), but not bad.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSVLM5VP

Originally Posted by sufue

{edited some other books}

And then when I was checking Kindle UK for this, just for fun, I noticed that Murder in Williamstown, which is the twenty-second and most recent book (2023), is on sale in the UK for £0.99, probably just for today.

Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BLLH11H8
Kobo UK: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/mur...williamstown-2

[sufue]

Five For Silver is the fifth in Mary Reed/Eric Mayer's John, the Lord Chamberlain series. It's $1.99 right now in the US, and discountable at Kobo US. Per SYKM, it was a finalist for the 2005 Bruce Alexander Award.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VLBR76C
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/five-for-silver-10

Spoiler:

In 542, Peter, John the Lord Chamberlain's elderly servant, claims a heavenly visitor revealed a murder to him. It transpires that Peter's old army friend has indeed been stabbed, but then John discovers that Gregory was not what he appeared to be.

John's quest for the truth leads him to churchmen and whores, lawyers and bear trainers. Suspects include a dealer in dubious antiquities, a resourceful bookseller, a court poet fixated on bereavement, and a holy fool who outrages the city by dancing with the dead and invading the empress' private bath....

[sufue]

Darkness, Take My Hand is $1.99 right now in the US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JMKSYC
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dar...take-my-hand-1

Originally Posted by Tarana

{edited other books}

Darkness, Take My Hand By Dennis Lehane $2.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Crime Fiction

{edited other books}