From now through December 24th, 2012, Amazon has discounted 50 of its most popular titles — 33 adult books and 17 children books — to just $5. These are trade paperback editions of the books; the Kindle ebooks, where available, are also discounted and are typically — at least when we checked — priced between $3 and $4.75.
We've picked out a selection of mystery, suspense and thriller books from those listed, and present them below with a synopsis. Click on the book cover or title to visit Amazon and purchase.
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The Detachment by Barry Eisler
A John Rain Thriller (7th in series)
When legendary black ops veteran Colonel Scott "Hort" Horton tracks Rain down in Tokyo, Rain can't resist the offer: a multi-million dollar payday for the “natural causes” demise of three ultra-high-profile targets who are dangerously close to launching a coup in America.
But the opposition on this job is going to be too much for even Rain to pull it off alone. He'll need a detachment of other deniable irregulars: his partner, the former Marine sniper, Dox. Ben Treven, a covert operator with ambivalent motives and conflicted loyalties. And Larison, a man with a hair trigger and a secret he'll kill to protect.
From the shadowy backstreets of Tokyo and Vienna, to the deceptive glitz and glamour of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and finally to a Washington, D.C. in a permanent state of war, these four lone wolf killers will have to survive presidential hit teams, secret CIA prisons, and a national security state as obsessed with guarding its own secrets as it is with invading the privacy of the populace.
But first, they'll have to survive each other.
30 Pieces of Silver by Carolyn McCray
The Betrayed Series
The Eiffel Tower is attacked … by a Christian suicide bomber.
Within the twisted wreckage a cache of bones is found. Bones that are inscribed with ancient Greek, letters that identify the remains as those of John the Baptist—and a promise to guide the seeker to the tomb of the Savior himself.
Tasked with untangling this millennia-old mystery, Dr. Rebecca Monroe, a paleo-archeologist, and Special Forces, Sergeant Vincent Brandt are hounded across three continents to attempt to piece together the bones' clues. But their quest will not be an easy one. Born at the foot of the Cross, a secret society known only as the Knot has guarded the Savior's bones, and they will do anything—even commit genocide—to protect the dark and controversial truth of Christ's final days.
When Feno Chemical spilled an experimental pesticide in rural Iowa, scores of people died. Those who survived contamination were herded into a US Army medically maintained quarantine and cut off from the world. Dosed with powerful drugs to combat the poison, their bodies give off a sickly sweet smell and the containment zone becomes known simply as Flowertown.
Seven years later, the infrastructure is crumbling, supplies are dwindling, and nobody is getting clean. Ellie Cauley doesn't care anymore. Despite her paranoid best friend's insistence that conspiracies abound, she focuses on three things: staying high, hooking up with the Army sergeant she's not supposed to be fraternizing with and, most importantly, trying to ignore her ever-simmering rage. But when a series of deadly events rocks the compound, Ellie suspects her friend is right — something dangerous is going down in Flowertown and all signs point to a twisted plan of greed and abuse. She and the other residents of Flowertown have been betrayed by someone with a deadly agenda and their plan is just getting started. Time is running out. With nobody to trust and nowhere to go, Ellie decides to fight with the last weapon she has — her rage.
The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning by Hallgrimur Helgason
With some 66 hits under his belt, Tomislav Bokšić, or Toxic, has a flawless record as hitman for the Croatian mafia in New York. That is, until he kills the wrong guy and is forced to flee the States, leaving behind the life he knows and loves. Suddenly, he finds himself on a plane hurtling toward Reykjavik, Iceland, borrowing the identity of an American televangelist named Father Friendly.
With no means of escape from this island devoid of gun shops and contract killing, tragicomic hilarity ensues as he is forced to come to terms with his bloody past and reevaluate his future.
The Spy Lover by Kiana Davenport
Fleeing drought and famine in China, Johnny Tom arrives in America with dreams of becoming a citizen. Having survived vigilantes hunting "yellow dogs" and slave auction- blocks, Johnny is kidnapped from his Mississippi village by Confederate soldiers, taken from his wife and daughter, and forced to fight for the South. Eventually defecting to the Union side, he is promised American citizenship in exchange for his loyal services. But first Johnny must survive the butchery of battles and the cruelties inflicted on non-white soldiers.
Desperate to find Johnny, his daughter, Era, is enlisted as a spy. She agrees to work as a nurse at Confederate camps while scouting for the North. Amidst the unspeakable carnage of wounded soldiers, she finds solace in Warren Petticomb, a cavalryman who lost an arm at Shiloh. As devastation mounts in both armies, Era must choose where her loyalties lie — with her beloved father in the North, or with the man who passionately sustains her in the South.
A Dangerous Talent by Charlotte Elkins and Aaron Elkins
An Alix London Mystery (1st in series)
Alix London has a promising career as an art consultant, a sumptuous condo in Seattle's toniest neighborhood, a gorgeous figure, and a presence that exudes Ivy League breeding and old money. She has it all … or does she?
Only Alix knows that the image she presents to the world is a carefully constructed mirage that veils an embarrassing truth. A brilliant, once-promising art student, the daughter of a prominent New York art conservator, her world was left in ruins when her father went to prison for art forgery. Now a Harvard dropout with an emptied bank account, she is languishing in a career that has produced little more than a lucky house-sitting gig.
But all of that changes when Alix meets Christine Lemay, a novice art collector with money to burn and a hot tip on a recently discovered painting by American master Georgia O'Keeffe. Chris hires Alix to perform the authentication, an assignment that finally could launch Alix into the big leagues. But soon after her arrival in Santa Fe, she finds herself tangled up in a web of forgery, deceit—and murder. Anxious to avoid becoming the next victim, she teams up with FBI Special Agent Ted Ellesworth—and gets a little unlikely help from her roguish father—to uncover the truth behind the painting and those who would kill to have it.
The Immortalists by Kyle Mills
Dr. Richard Draman is trying desperately to discover a cure for a disease that causes children to age at a wildly accelerated rate — a rare genetic condition that is killing his own daughter. When the husband of a colleague quietly gives him a copy of the classified work she was doing before her mysterious suicide, Draman finally sees a glimmer of hope. The conclusions are stunning, with the potential to not only turn the field of biology on its head, but reshape the world. Soon, though, he finds himself on the run, relentlessly pursued by a seemingly omnipotent group of men who will do whatever it takes to silence him.
Macbeth by A. J. Hartley and David Hewson
Set in eleventh-century Scotland, rich with ancient clans battling fiercely against one another and against the foreign marauders raiding their borders. Macbeth, Lord of Moray, and his wife, Skena, are loyal patriots, willing to kill or be killed to protect the Scottish kingdom. Yet the greatest danger to their beloved homeland is proving to be the king himself, Duncan, whose corrupt, bloody reign threatens to destroy the country. After Macbeth meets a trio of witches, the frustrated hero begins to think that perhaps Scotland needs a new king — him. But what begins as a plan fueled by the best of intentions soon spirals into murder, treachery, and personal collapse.
Grave of Angels by Michael Prescott
Kate Malick's first calling was as a Carmelite nun, a life devoted to prayer and faith. Now she runs a Hollywood security service dedicated to protecting its clients. But Kate's most troublesome client, teenage celebutante Chelsea Brewer, is a walking, talking, slow-motion train wreck who's testing that devotion. The poster child for the pitfalls of childhood fame and fortune, Chelsea careens from one party to the next, riding the ragged edge between celebrity … and fatality.
When a huge bet is placed on her impending demise,Chelsea disappears, forcing Kate to leap into action. Searching Hollywood's darkest corners and seediest hiding places in a desperate attempt to find her client, Kate uncovers a tangled conspiracy of revenge and betrayal. But time is running out, and if Kate doesn't find Chelsea, the bet will leave one person rich, one woman shattered, and one young girl dead.
Carnival for the Dead by David Hewson
For as long as she can remember, Teresa Lupo has envied her aunt Sofia. After all, she is everything Teresa is not: beautiful, adventurous, wildly creative. While Sofia enjoyed passionate love affairs and traveled the world, thoughtful, methodical Teresa stayed close to home, working her way through the civil-service system to become Rome's senior police forensic specialist.
So when Sofia encounters "a few problems" at her new home in Venice, it is Teresa to whom she turns for help — only to vanish abruptly on the eve of Carnival. Teresa's only clues to her aunt's whereabouts are a mysterious letter, a bouquet of flowers, and a series of short stories by an unknown author, stories in which Sofia and Teresa inexplicably appear.
The bizarre narratives create a complex puzzle, one Teresa can solve only by immersing herself in the art and history of Venice and the fantastic spectacle that is Carnival. But the deeper she ventures into the shadowy spirit of the festival, the more Teresa comes to realize that nothing in the magical city is as it seems.
Camera Killer by Thomas Glavinic
On Good Friday a heinous double murder takes place in the woods, sending shockwaves through the quiet province of Styria, Austria. The murderer records the sickening crime on videotape, and a media frenzy ensues when a local news outlet obtains a copy. Producers and reporters go into overdrive building viewer excitement (and outrage) at the scheduled airing of the tape, while the coverage and the search for the killer transfix the rural populace.
Two couples celebrating the Easter holiday find their idyll interrupted by the breaking news. Against the backdrop of sensational twenty-four-hour news coverage, the four friends spend the weekend playing cards, chatting, cooking, eating, and drinking numerous bottles of red wine. The weekend, however, is marked by a palpable sense of unease and anxiety. Despite their best efforts to enjoy this rare time together, the couples are unable to stop talking about the murders or escape the constant news updates.
Repulsed by the airing of the crime, they question the ethics of showing such atrocities on television. Yet, for all their complaints, they're drawn to the coverage and, at times, almost giddy with excitement. While they sit inside watching for updates, outside the hunt for the killer intensifies. Will the airing of the footage help police track him down?
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Important Note: Any prices and/or special deals mentioned above were correct as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.
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