FREE/BARGAIN — Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers

[Gardenman]

Originally Posted by sufue

An Unholy Alliance is the second in the Matthew Bartholomew series by Susanna Gregory. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GW4QD7M
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/an-unholy-alliance-4



Oh yeah, and if you want to read in order, the first title in this series, A Plague on Both Your Houses, is long-term at $0.99.
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GW4QD72/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-p...-your-houses-1


And rather randomly, the eleventh title in the series, The Mark Of A Murderer, is long-term at $1.66...both a fairly random title and a fairly random price...
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GW4Q8IQ/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...f-a-murderer-1

Thanks picked up An Unholy Alliance

[sufue]

Based on the table of contents in the sample, The Complete Jake Samson Mystery Series Vol 1-6 is pretty much what it says it is - the six titles in the 1980s - 1990s series by Shelley Singer. It is free right now at Kindle US. I remember reading and enjoying a couple of titles in this series way back when. I don't remember much about them, to be sure, but I must have enjoyed them since I still have the DTB . The blurb indicates that this omnibus also includes a dystopian thriller, Torch Song.

link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FRKXQE4

Spoiler:

All six wonderfully wry and witty Bay Area adventures of Jake Samson and Rosie Vicente in one handy box set—PLUS A BONUS BOOK!

“Singer has a good ear for dialogue among the witless …” -San Francisco Bay Guardian

NICE JEWISH COP TURNS PI...

Ex-Chicago-cop (now unlicensed PI) Jake Samson is living the life of “an urban gentleman farmer” in laid-back Oakland, California, occasionally “handling discreet matters” to keep his cats, Tigris and Euphrates, in kitty treats.

His lesbian BFF, Rosie the carpenter, and her justice-dispensing two-by-four are the perfect complements to his relaxed casual style – no room for macho posturing with this crew! Readers will love their easy, breezy relationship, and wish they had a friend like either one of them.

WHO WILL LIKE Jake and Rosie: Fans of Parnell Hall's Stanley Hastings series, Tony Dunbar's Tubby Dubonnet series, Bill Pronzini's "Nameless" Detective series, Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series, Susan Dunlap's Jill Smith series, Julie Smith's Rebecca Schwartz series ... and vintage TV series like COLUMBO, THE ROCKFORD FILES, HARRY O, MAGNUM, and HAWAII FIVE-O. Also LGBT fans!

TORCH SONG’s post-apocalyptic kick-ass heroine will particularly appeal to LGBT readers, young adults, and people of all ages who never met a dystopian thriller they didn't love.

SAMSON'S DEAL

When an acquaintance is the primary suspect in his wife’s murder, Jake and Rosie go inside a radical right wing activist group to which the wife is connected. An assortment of Berkeley kooks and interesting plot twists keep things hopping till the very end.

FREE DRAW

Jake’s buddy and quasi-boss calls in a favor when his nephew is accused of murder. It's up to Jake and Rosie to find the real killer, and they've got a number of suspects: the victim's fellow executives at a questionable correspondence school, his divided and bitter family, and his quirky Marin County neighbors--a truly odd assortment of California woods dwellers.

FULL HOUSE

An ark in the middle of suburban Oakland is interesting but not strange by California standards. Even one built by peaceful cultists preparing for the coming flood. Until sometime private eye Jake Samson is hired to find Noah, their leader, who has disappeared with a lovely devotee and a quarter million in cash. The cult suspects foul play, but the police aren’t convinced.

SPIT IN THE OCEAN

The North Coast Sperm Bank in tiny Wheeler, California has been knocked over, and the perp’s tossed its assets in the ocean, leaving a religious-nut note of explanation. Just a prank, says Wheeler law enforcement. But the bank hires Jake Samson and his ever-sharp Watson, Rosie Vicente to find out who made the unauthorized withdrawal. As a storm brutalizes Wheeler, a bank employee slips in the mud and falls to her death.

SUICIDE KING

Jake's never been a big fan of politics, but Rosie invites him to a posh California fundraiser for an energetic gubernatorial candidate of the liberal underdog Vivo party, and Jake can't resist. It's all fun and political games until the candidate’s aide finds her boss in her backyard, hanging naked from an acacia tree. The police rule the death a suicide, but Jake and the aide suspect foul play, and she hires Jake to find the culprit. He finds campaign shenanigans, affairs, a possible German mafia connection, and more danger than our hero could possibly have imagined.

ROYAL FLUSH

Laid-back, unlicensed PI Jake Samson is understandably nervous about infiltrating a local Marin County neo-Nazi group called the Aryan Command.

[sufue]

Stray Shot is the 13th in the Keith Calder series by Gerald Hammond. It is free right now at Kindle US and Kindle UK.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Stray-Shot-Ke...dp/B07JCCZ54S/
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stray-Shot-...dp/B07JCCZ54S/

Spoiler:

In Stray Shot, the latest installment in this popular series, Simon joins forces with Calder, as the two investigate a dognapping that rapidly turns ugly.

When Simon’s dog is stolen during a hunt, and another disappears on the same day, at first it seems just a freak incident; but when one dog reappears, only to be stolen again—along with some samples of a revolutionary new shotgun cartridge—it becomes clear that something more foul is afoot.

As Simon traces the scent across the Atlantic, and dognapping turns to murder, Keith Calder finds himself embroiled in a mystery that takes all his wits, and those of Simon as well, to solve.

[Fluribus]

Thomas Harris - Hannibal: A Novel (Hannibal Lecter Book 3) at Amazon.com for $2.99.

[sufue]

Something made me start clicking through the Kobo summer beach sale, and I spotted two or three mystery series that are new to me that look interesting, but are sadly at sale price points ($2.99 and up, a little less with VIP) that I need to think about a bit. But I thought I'd post anyway, since each of them looked kind of interesting.


The first (and only) three titles in Steph Cha's Jennifer Song series - of interest to me because they are set in LA (where I live) and the heroine sounds engaging - all on sale at $2.99 each at both Kindle and Kobo US

Follow Her Home
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Follow-Home-J...dp/B009LRWU8S/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/follow-her-home

Beware Beware
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Beware-Junipe...dp/B00ID8G5RS/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/beware-beware

Dead Soon Enough
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Soon-Eno...dp/B00SET2W5A/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dead-soon-enough


For something completely different, the first title in Dianne Freeman's Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh series, which, per SYKM, won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best First Novel, the 2019 Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery, and was a finalist for the 2019 Mary Higgins Clark Award; sadly the just-released second title is $12.99 at Kindle US, and even more at Kobo US, so hopefully I don't buy and read this one too soon and like it a lot...

A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder, $2.99, coupon/VIPable at Kobo
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Etiquette-Mur...dp/B07638LZZB/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-l...e-and-murder-3

more soon...

[sufue]

and more...

The two titles in the Frank Yakabuski series by Ron Corbett are $3.99 each at Kobo (coupon/VIPable), but at Kindle US the first one is $1.99 and the second one is not on sale, or at least not much on sale, at $8.99. So I think I might try the first one from Kindle, and then if I like it, put a watch on the other one at eReaderIQ. Per SYKM, each of these was a finalist for one award.

Ragged Lake
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Ragged-Lake-F...dp/B071CX8MYG/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ragged-lake

Cape Diamond
Kindle US/price check only: https://www.amazon.com/Cape-Diamond-...dp/B07DWRN76G/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cape-diamond


The two titles currently available (third one is coming in September) in Dave Butler's Jenny Willson series are $2.99 each at Kobo (coupon/VIPable) and $2.51 each at Kindle US. Per SYKM, the first title won a 2018 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.

Full Curl
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Full-Curl-Jen...dp/B01MSH158U/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/full-curl

No Place for Wolverines
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/No-Place-Wolv...dp/B0784PJT5P/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/no-...for-wolverines

[ZodWallop]

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot by Lettice Cooper is $1.99 at Amazon US.

“Please to remember, The Fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot.” —Traditional English Rhyme

The legend of Guy Fawkes and the infamous Gunpowder Plot is a deeply rooted part of English identity. The fateful events of November 5, 1605 are still celebrated across the country with bonfires, sparklers, and the now-ubiquitous Guy Fawkes mask. But few revelers know the real story behind one of the most infamous conspiracies ever attempted.

How did a small band of Catholic conspirators organize such an audacious plot? Were they noble freedom fighters or merely seventeenth century terrorists? In this meticulously researched historical novel, Lettice Cooper conjures the desperation and danger behind one of the most significant events in modern history.

[ZodWallop]

A Man's Game by Newton Thornburg is $1.99 at Amazon US.

Jimbo Slade, a drug dealer and prostitute, is also a suspect in a number of rapes and murders in Seattle. He’s outwitted the police and justice system before, but when the brutal killer targets teenager Kathy Baird, her father takes matters into his own hands. Turning the tables, Jack Baird slowly wins Slade’s trust, and soon he finds himself sharing Slade’s lifestyle—cruising the city’s sewers, lying to his family and the cops. He knows he can trust no one—not with the ruthless justice he has planned.

“Thornburg is such an accomplished writer and the story so complex that the reader is left with much to ponder . . . Not an easy book to forget.” —Library Journal

[sufue]

Too Many Cooks is the fifth in the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin series by Rex Stout. It has dropped to £1.99 at Kindle UK.

link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003V4BPTC

Spoiler:

As Nero Wolfe prepares to speak at a gathering of the world’s great chefs, one is found indelicately murdered. When the target for killing shifts to himself, the great detective must close this case quickly or his next meal may be his last.

World-class cuisine, charming company . . . The secret ingredient is poison.

Everyone knows that too many cooks spoil the broth, but you'd hardly expect it to lead to murder. But that's exactly what's on the menu at a five-star gathering of the world's greatest chefs. As guest of honor, Wolfe was lured from his brownstone to a posh southern spa to deliver the keynote address. He never expected that between courses of haute cuisine he and Archie would be compelled to detect a killer with a poison touch—a killer preparing to serve the great detective his last supper.

[sufue]

Murder on Amsterdam Avenue is the 17th in the Gaslight series by Victoria Thompson. It has dropped to £1.49 at Kindle UK. I read the first handful of titles in this series in DTB and enjoyed them, but the later titles don't go on sale much in ebook, so I don't have an opinion of the series in the last decade or so.

link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00O2BKL0W

Spoiler:

In this mystery From the national bestselling author of Murder on Trinity Place, midwife Sarah Brandt and former police detective Frank Malloy investigate a murder in the secretive, high-society world of nineteenth-century New York City...

In the midst of Sarah and Frank’s wedding preparations, Sarah accompanies her mother on a condolence call to the Upper West Side, where Charles Oakes, the son of family friends, has died unexpectedly after suffering from a mysterious disease. But Charles’s father believes his son was poisoned, and would like Sarah and Frank to look into the matter with the utmost discretion.

Putting off their own personal affairs, Sarah and Frank soon learn that not everyone wants to know more about Charles’s death, particularly if he was murdered. As they unravel secrets that reach back to the Civil War, they also discover that they are in the company of a very present danger...

[sufue]

Death at Sea: Montalbano's Early Cases by Andrea Camilleri is apparently pretty much what it says it is - a recent (2018) compilation of short stories from early in Inspector Montalbano's career. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US. I'm quite fond of this series, although titles are usually pricey and don't go on sale very often in the US (but do go on sale a bit more often in the UK).

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079KV6SYK
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/death-at-sea

Spoiler:

“You either love Andrea Camilleri or you haven’t read him yet. Each novel in this wholly addictive, entirely magical series, set in Sicily and starring a detective unlike any other in crime fiction, blasts the brain like a shot of pure oxygen... transporting. Long live Camilleri, and long live Montalbano.”
—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

Set on the Sicilian coast, a collection of eight short stories featuring the young Inspector Montalbano

In 1980s Vigàta, a restless Inspector Montalbano brings his bold investigative style to eight enthralling cases. From jilted lovers and deadly family affairs to assassination attempts and murders in unexpected places, Death at Sea is the perfect collection to escape into Andrea Camilleri's unforgettable slice of Sicily.

[sufue]

Now also on sale for $1.99 in the US...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O2BKL0W
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/mur...sterdam-avenue

Originally Posted by sufue

Murder on Amsterdam Avenue is the 17th in the Gaslight series by Victoria Thompson. It has dropped to £1.49 at Kindle UK. I read the first handful of titles in this series in DTB and enjoyed them, but the later titles don't go on sale much in ebook, so I don't have an opinion of the series in the last decade or so.

link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00O2BKL0W

[Tarana]

The Cat Who Played Post Office by Lilian Jackson Braun is $1.99 at both Amazon and Kobo. This is book 6 in the series.

[sufue]

Twice Bitten is the ninth in the John Cunningham/Three Oaks series by Gerald Hammond. It is free right now at Kindle US and UK.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SQCKJ4G
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Twice-Bitte...dp/B07SQCKJ4G/

Spoiler:

John Cunningham, veteran gun-dog trainer, stumbles into a dog-switching scheme that ends up in blackmail and, eventually, murder...

Mim, one of the litter of pups born at Three Oaks Kennels, is a throwback to Clunie, a champion with a strong and difficult temperament. John’s kennel-maid, Daffy, tries to train the highly strung pup for gun work, but when the task proves impossible, John agrees to sell Mim to local farmer and businessman Quentin Cove.

So imagine John’s surprise when a year later the supposedly gun-shy Mim begins winning at field trials. Perhaps, as Daffy believes, John wrote Mim off too soon. Or is there a more sinister reason for the bitch’s sudden success? And what is it that Cove’s farm manager, Dougal Webb, has learned about Three Oaks Kennels—information so damning he believes he can try a spot of blackmail? That is, until he suddenly disappears...

[sufue]

Now $2.99 at Kindle US and Kobo US...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V4BPTC
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/too-many-cooks-1

Originally Posted by sufue

Too Many Cooks is the fifth in the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin series by Rex Stout. It has dropped to £1.99 at Kindle UK.

link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003V4BPTC