Free and Bargain Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Ebooks October 2012

[koland]

Originally Posted by Quake1028

The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted: A Psychological Thriller is free (again?) on Amazon.

repeat from Jan, it looks like

Yet another fake publisher name (except, Straightline Press is a real press, just it's in England and does black/white prints, not books)

[mitford13]

Free on Amazon:

Gone the Next by Ben Rehder (author of the Blanco County books)

Meet Roy Ballard, freelance videographer with a knack for catching insurance cheats. He's working a routine case, complete with hours of tedious surveillance, when he sees something that shakes him to the core. There, with the subject, is a little blond girl wearing a pink top and denim shorts—the same outfit worn by Tracy Turner, a six-year-old abducted the day before. When the police are skeptical of Ballard's report—and with his history, who can blame them?—it's the beginning of the most important case of his life.

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True crime from Stackpole Books:

Alphabet Killer: The True Story of the Double Initial Murders (True Crime) by Cheri Farnsworth

Between 1971 and 1973, three young girls, ages ten to eleven, were found sexually assaulted and slain near Rochester, New York. The girls all had double initials for their first and last names and were found dead in suburbs with names in which the first letter co-ordinated with the girls' initials. Two prime suspects later committed suicide. A third suspect, Kenneth Bianchi, went to California where he went on to become one of the infamous Hillside Stranglers, but to this day he insists he had nothing to do with the so-called Double Initial, or Alphabet, murders. The crimes remain unsolved, but interest in the case was re-energised with the release of a fictionalised motion picture loosely based on the murders. This factual account, the first book fully devoted to the case, explores the crime and the ongoing investigation

[mitford13]

Originally Posted by NightBird

...

While looking for these I found three bargain books from Wakefield by Steve J. Spears, 1.95 each, at Amazon. Originally published in 2003, 2004, and 2005.

NightBird,
Thanks for finding more bargains from Wakefield - I picked up all three!

[mitford13]

Nonfiction on Amazon:

Guns for Hire: The Modern Adventure Thriller (Including interviews with Gerald Seymour, Steve Berry, Alan Furst, Stephen Leather, Andy McNab and Chris Ryan by Barry Forshaw

Traditional masters of the high-energy adventure thriller such as John Buchan and Ian Fleming have been widely recognised as among the most talented and influential writers of the last century.

But in this ground-breaking critical study, the leading crime and film expert Barry Forshaw argues they are merely the tip of the iceberg. There are dozens or modern adventure thriller writers who are their equal - and while they may be hugely popular with the public they are ignored by literary editors.

In Guns for Hire: The Modern Adventure Thriller, Forshaw has written an unmissable guide to the writers who are underappreciated, and sometimes looked down upon -- but who need to be brought readers’ attention again.

And he looks at the best-selling thriller writers who have not enjoyed any serious critical attention.

In Guns For Hire, he provides an exuberant examination of a massively popular genre and a guide to the best thriller writing on the market today.

[BelleZora]

Thanks for the tip about Guns For Hire by Barry Forshaw. Love books about mysteries and thrillers. Forshaw's Death in a Cold Climate about Scandinavian mystery fiction has gone on my wish list.

[mitford13]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

Thanks for the tip about Guns For Hire by Barry Forshaw. Love books about mysteries and thrillers. Forshaw's Death in a Cold Climate about Scandinavian mystery fiction has gone on my wish list.

Thanks for reminding me about the Scandinavian book, BelleZora. I saw it as a pre-order at some point but then forgot about it. Still too pricy for me now, but have started tracking it on my wishlist.

You might be interested in Blasted Heath's books of crime interviews (there are 3), they really get some top-notch writers. I have Vols 1 & 3, if you ever want to borrow just send me a PM.

This is the first: The Crime Interviews: Volume One

[BelleZora]

Thanks Mitford13. I picked up Vol. 1 of The Crime Interviews a month ago, but I'm about 3 years behind on my TBR. I'm on book 153 for the year (Prather's "The Case of The Vanishing Beauty", Shell Scott #1) so I'm trying to catch up. (The darned Romance thread has muddled my goal of reading every significant mystery...award winner, American & British crime writers '100 best' lists, best sellers in their eras, or I just like the author).

The Scandinavian book is out of my price range, too, but perhaps patience will win out. A few months ago I picked up some of Karin Fossum's books on the KDD and have now purchased the rest. I've been Nordic binging ever since.

[NightBird]

Originally Posted by mitford13

NightBird,
Thanks for finding more bargains from Wakefield - I picked up all three!

YW! I got the first one.

Another freebie from Robert W. Walker.

Dying Breath (Dean Grant Series #4)

BREATHLESS DEATH

He felt most alive when he watched them die--writing, breathless, gasping for oxygen that wasn't there. But he could only draw out the pleasure for so long before his victims expired. And then it was time to choose another...

AN AIRTIGHT CASE

Death by asphyxiation. That's what Chicago medical examiner Dr. Dean Grant was forced to conclude by the gruesome evidence before him. Recognizing the work of a serial killer, Grant knew he'd have to move fast. The Windy City was in a panic, waiting for him to crack his most bizarre case yet... a case he vowed to solve even if it was with his dying breath...

The Bone Chamber by Robin Burcell from HarperCollins is $.99.

Kobo

B&N

[spindlegirl]

He felt most alive when he watched them die--writing, breathless, gasping for oxygen

As long as they could write while they died, doesn't sound too bad

[Loosheesh]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

As long as they could write while they died, doesn't sound too bad

(*writhing in amusement*)

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by NightBird

The Bone Chamber by Robin Burcell from HarperCollins is $.99.

Kobo

B&N

The Bone Chamber is worth a look, especially at this price! It's a well-written and fast-paced thriller that's fun to read.

[NightBird]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

As long as they could write while they died, doesn't sound too bad

No - He means THE KILLER is "writing, breathless, gasping for oxygen."

[NightBird]

Free from New Pulp Press - Ugly Behavior by Steve Rasnic Tem.

Ugly Behavior collects 19 of Steve Rasnic Tem's best noir tales, ugly stories about people behaving quite badly indeed. These are the stories in that box under your bed, pushed all the way back against the wall, the one that takes some effort to get to, the one you thought your momma didn't know about.

[mitford13]

Two pre-orders I recently came across on Amazon - not sure if these are technically deals, but $4.99 seems pretty fair to me, and less than most new-releases...


The City of Shadows by Michael Russell (Oct 25)

Dublin 1934: Detective Stefan Gillespie arrests a German doctor and encounters Hannah Rosen desperate to find her friend Susan, a Jewish woman who had become involved with a priest, and has now disappeared.

When the bodies of a man and woman are found buried in the Dublin mountains, it becomes clear that this case is about more than a missing person. Stefan and Hannah trace the evidence all the way across Europe to Danzig.

In a strange city where the Nazi Party are gaining power, Stefan and Hannah are inching closer to the truth and soon find themselves in grave danger…

About the Author
After reading English at Oxford, Michael joined Yorkshire Television as a Script Editor on Emmerdale Farm, working his way up to Series Producer. He also spent two years in the Drama Department, first as Script Consultant then Producer, before leaving ITV to write full-time. He is a regular contributor to Midsommer Murders and recently scripted the last ever Touch of Frost which topped the ratings. He lives in Ireland with his family.

************************************************** ******

My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen (Dec 11)

Maria Kallio has just been assigned her first murder investigation. To prove to herself and her squad that she has what it takes to be a detective, she’ll have to solve the death of Tommi Peltonen. Found floating facedown at the water’s edge of his Helsinki villa, Tommi had invited his choir group to spend a weekend at his retreat. But beneath the choir’s seemingly tight-knit bonds seethed bitter passion and jealousy. As Maria sets out to determine the difference between friends and foes, she uncovers the victim’s unsavory past—and motives for all seven suspects. Now it’s up to her to untangle a complex set of clues before the killer strikes again.

The first book in Leena Lehtolainen’s bestselling Finnish crime series starring Detective Maria Kallio, My First Murder offers hard-boiled realism from a female perspective.

[sufue]

Bloody Twist by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera is $2.99 at Amazon. I don't know if you'd call this a sale, but $2.99 for a full length book (270 pages) seems pretty reasonable to me.

This seems to be another one of those cases where a long-inactive series is revived by an author now that digital publishing is making things easier.

With that said, I read several of the earlier books in this series in DTB back in the late 90's/early 00's and enjoyed them a lot. Looking back, I think these could be described as early chick-lit mysteries, although I'm not sure that term existed back then. I found the Cuban-American protagonist, Lupe Solano, engaging, and I enjoyed the Miami settings, especially since, at that time, I had a business trip to Miami once a year, so some of the atmosphere and culture seemed familiar.

Although sometimes an author's years-later return to a series doesn't work, sometimes it does too. I am a bit concerned that the blurb (see below) about the book isn't particularly well written - but for $2.99, and with a previous history of liking the author's books, I'm going to give this one a try.

Link is here, hopefully affiliate-link free, since I started by typing in www.amazon.com by hand, and then searching from there:

http://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Twist-S...s=bloody+twist

Blurb:

Bloody Twist is the seventh novel in the Bloody Series (three murders per book or your money is refunded) featuring Lupe Solano, the Cuban-American private investigator who lives and works in Miami.

Two years after having been shot, (Bitter Sugar), Lupe is back on the job, helping Tommy MacDonald, Miami’s premiere criminal defense attorney and sometime lover, with a case involving his new client, the mysterious Madeline Marie Meadows. Twenty-two year old Ms. Meadows is Miami’s highest paid call girl (her rate: $5,000. per hour), expensive, to be sure, especially in light of the fact that she is a virgin. Although Ms. Meadows has not been charged with any crime, she has taken the precaution of retaining Mr. MacDonald because she feels that it is highly likely that she will be. Ms. Meadows reports that she has been interviewed by Miami Homicide Detective Maxwell Anderson in relation to the murders of two men she knows well: Dr. Steinberg, the ob-gyn who verifies that she is a virgin and Mr. Robinson, a wealthy developer who is her steady client. Although Tommy is drawn to his newest client- originally from Dubuque, Iowa, Ms. Meadows is gorgeous, with a natural blond beauty not often seen in Miami’s plastic surgery happy town- he is skeptical of her story, and asks Lupe to begin an investigation.

In a race against time, Lupe finds herself conducting in effect, two investigations: the first, finding out who murdered three men; and the second, discovering who the ‘real’ Madeline Marie Meadows really is. Along the way, Lupe has to deal with such diverse elements as Napoleon and Josephine, Ms. Meadow’s killer Chihuahuas, as well as the Loredo twins, Ms. Meadows’ pimps, marketing geniuses who thought up the hook of labeling her as ‘Miami’s highest paid call girl who is a virgin’. Lupe enlists the help of her friend, Sweet Suzanne, the well-known Miami madam, and Nestor, the crack investigator to achieve that goal.