Friday, March 01, 2013

Firsts on the 1st: New Series Characters Being Introduced in March 2013 Mysteries

Mystery Books for March 2013 featuring New Series Characters

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books recently updated its list of March 2013 hardcover mysteries as well as shelved new March paperbacks on The Mystery Bookshelf.

In this series of monthly posts, which we call Firsts on the 1st, we're introducing readers to new series characters who will make their mysterious American debut in print during March.

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The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott
Print and/or Kindle EditionKobo eBookApple iBook

Title: The Christie Curse
Author: Victoria Abbott
Series Character: Jordan Kelly, Book Collector
Formats: Mass Market Paperback and ebook

What we know about the character: Jordan Kelly is a book collector and literary investigator in Harrison Falls, New York.

Her first case: In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared — making headlines across the world — only to show up eleven days later at a spa under an assumed name. During those eleven days, did she have time to write a play?

Jordan Kelly needs a new job and a new place to live. She's back in Harrison Falls, New York, living with her not so law-abiding uncles, in debt thanks to a credit card — stealing ex and pending grad school loans.

Enter the perfect job, a research position that includes room and board, which will allow her to spend her days hunting down rare mysteries for an avid book collector. There's just one problem: her employer, Vera Van Alst — the most hated citizen of Harrison Falls.

Jordan's first assignment is to track down a rumored Agatha Christie play. It seems easy enough, but Jordan soon finds out that her predecessor was killed while looking for it, and there is still someone out there willing to murder to keep the play out of Vera's hands. Jordan's new job is good … but is it worth her life?

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Tainted Mountain by Shannon Baker
Print and/or Kindle EditionKobo eBook

Title: Tainted Mountain
Author: Shannon Baker
Series Character: Nora Abbott
Formats: Trade Paperback and ebook

What we know about the character: Nora Abbott owns a ski resort in northern Arizona.

Her first case: All Nora Abbott wants to do is make enough snow to save her ski resort from the drought that is ravishing Northern Arizona. But now her husband has been murdered; angry protestors have occupied her mountain; her overbearing mother has blown into town; and energy tycoon Barrett McCreary has launched what might just be a hostile takeover of the cashstrapped resort.

To make matters worse, the local Hopi tribe claims making snow on the mountain will upset the balance of the earth, so Nora turns to the ruggedly handsome Cole Huntsman for help. The only trouble is that Huntsman seems to be playing from both sides of the deck. And when a fortune in uranium claims are at stake, double-dealing is a deadly strategy.

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Paging the Dead by Brynn Bonner
Print and/or Kindle EditionApple iBook

Title: Paging the Dead
Author: Brynn Bonner
Series Character: Sophreena McClure, Family History
Formats: Trade Paperback and ebook

What we know about the character: Sophreena McClure is a genealogist.

Her first case: Sophreena McClure is an expert at unearthing other people's secrets. Using old documents and photographs, Soph and her business partner, Esme Sabatier — also a gifted medium — trace family histories and create heritage scrapbooks.

Their latest client, Dorothy Pritchett Porter, is thrilled with their research into Morningside's most prestigious clan. But before Dorothy can proudly display her new scrapbooks on Founders' Day, she's found murdered. It seems the ties that bind can also strangle, for Dorothy has been killed using the Pritchett family pearls.

Pegged as prime suspects, Sophreena and Esme turn their investigative skills from the dearly departed to the alive and dangerous, hoping to pin down the real killer among Dorothy's kinfolk. Sophreena's scrapbooking club members, crafty in more ways than one, pitch in to help. As the Pritchett ancestral roots turn out to be more tangled than anyone suspected, Sophreena wonders just how many skeletons lurk in this family closet — and whether she and Esme are destined to join them.

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Murder by Chance by Pat Dennis
Print and/or Kindle EditionKobo eBook

Title: Murder by Chance
Author: Pat Dennis
Series Character: Betty Chance
Formats: Trade Paperback and ebook

What we know about the character: Betty Chance is the owner of Take A Chance Tours, a Chicago-based company specializing in gaming destinations.

Her first case: Can three scrappy, single women of varied ages find happiness in a new travel business specializing in casino junkets? All bets off when Betty Chance finds a body in a tour bus that arrives at the casino hotel.

At fifty, Betty is unemployed, divorced and penniless, but with her stunningly beautiful niece Lori, she opens Take A Chance Tours, a Chicago-based company specializing in gaming destinations. Betty quickly becomes close friends with Tillie, the perky, effervescent bus driver who happens to be an ex-con.

As soon as the tour bus arrives at Moose Lake Bay Resort and Casino in northern Minnesota, Betty and her driver Tillie, discover a dead body in the locked bathroom of their motor coach. The 350-pound corpse is riddled with stab wounds. With Tillie and Lori's help, Betty puts her amateur sleuth ability to work and searches for the killer.

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What's a Witch to Do? by Jennifer Harlow
Print and/or Kindle EditionKobo eBook

Title: What's a Witch to Do?
Author: Jennifer Harlow
Series Character: Mona McGregor, Midnight Magic
Formats: Trade Paperback and ebook

What we know about the character: Mona McGregor runs the Midnight Magic shop in Goodnight, Virginia, and is the High Priestess of a large coven.

Her first case: High Priestess might sound like an '80s hair band, but its Mona McGregor's life. She runs the Midnight Magic shop in Goodnight, Virginia, and leads a large coven. She's also raising two nieces and hasn't been with a man for fifteen years … until a handsome doctor takes an interest in her. But Mona's life really heats up when Adam Blue, a sexy werewolf, arrives at her door. Adam informs her that someone wants her dead and he is there to protect her. Hell's bells! When a demon begins stalking her, Mona has to suspect her coven members, and even her family.

With two handsome men and a determined demon after her, Mona teams up with Adam to find out who really wants her dead … and who really wants her.

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Bolero by Joanie McDonell
Print and/or Kindle Edition

Title: Bolero
Author: Joanie McDonell
Series Character: Nick Saylor
Formats: Trade Paperback and ebook

What we know about the character: Nick Sayler is a private investigator in New York City.

His first case: Despite his bronze star with its prized V for valor, Nick Sayler was once a thief, junkie, and prime suspect in a murder case. Now he's a mostly changed man, a private investigator with a long list of rich clients and a good life. But even after ten years there's not enough whiskey in the world to wash away acid-etched memories of Julia Carteret, the beautiful woman who took a bullet meant for him.

He never expected a second chance to make things right until he got a midnight call from a distraught young doctor and a plea from a fragile dancer with no money, no memory, nothing in her pocket except Sayler's card, and the number 44 carved across her back. With bewitching violet eyes she looks so much like Julia, Sayler thinks keeping her safe could put him back on the road to redemption. But not long after he takes her home to his Hudson River barge, he learns that she has a past as dark as his own, and soon he's protecting her from a patient sociopath with seemingly preternatural power to be in two places at once.

Sayler needs his wingman Meriwether, the brilliant savant, and his restless backup, Tommy Fallon NYPD homicide, whose dicey investigative methods keep them under the radar, which is the only place to be when Sayler taunts danger. As he nears old secrets linking the dancer to a strange group: a voluptuous redhead, a concert pianist, a skateboarder, and a Polish nanny, he starts to learn why the murderer's sex-stoked obsession can't end until the girl is dead. When the killer who never sleeps gets the best of an exhausted Sayler on an isolated island off the coast of Connecticut, in Manhattan's meatpacking district, and on the streets of Harlem, smart money might bet both ways, except for one sure thing: in spite of his bad leg and worse habits, no matter what the cost, Nick Sayler will not let another woman die.

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The Missing File by D. A. Mishani
Print and/or Kindle EditionApple iBook

Title: The Missing File
Author: D. A. Mishani
Series Character: Avraham Avraham
Formats: Hardcover and ebook

What we know about the character: Avraham Avraham is a police inspector in Tel Aviv (Israel).

His first case: Sixteen year old Ofer, who left his home in Holon one morning on his way to school, disappeared without leaving a trace. Police inspector Avraham Avraham, guilt-ridden and determined to find the missing boy, is gradually consumed by the frustrating investigation that takes over his life.

It seems that the more he finds out about the boy and his life, the further he gets from the truth. And only one man, Ofer's older neighbor and private teacher Ze'ev Avni, has something to tell him. But will the neighbor's strange story save the investigation before it's too late?

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Show Me the Murder by Carolyn Mulford
Print and/or Kindle Edition

Title: Show Me the Murder
Author: Carolyn Mulford
Series Character: Phoenix Smith and Annalynn Carr Keyser, Show Me
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the characters: Former CIA covert operative Phoenix Smith and her best friend and acting sheriff Annalynn Carr Keyser solve crimes in their rural Missouri hometown.

Their first case: After a bullet shatters Phoenix Smith's career as a CIA covert operative, she returns to her rural Missouri hometown to recuperate and regroup. She arrives as her lifelong friend, civic leader Annalynn Carr Keyser, buries her husband, the sheriff. Everyone except the widow believes he shot his mistress and himself. Annalynn begs Phoenix to help prove he, too, was murdered.

The old friends employ their diverse skills and conflicting attitudes to discover what really happened and to survive.

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Marbeck and the Double-Dealer by John Pilkington
Print and/or Kindle EditionKobo eBook

Title: Marbeck and the Double-Dealer
Author: John Pilkington
Series Character: Martin Barbeck
Formats: Hardcover and ebook

What we know about the character: Martin Marbeck is an intelligencer in Elizabethan England.

His first case: 1600: A new century dawns. War with Spain has dragged on for fifteen years, the conflict in Ireland for six. Unease stalks England in the dying years of Elizabeth I's reign, and Elizabethan intelligencer Martin Marbeck is bored.

Then a message from his spymaster, Sir Robert Cecil arrives: the existence of a spy has been discovered, code-named Morera, and Marbeck must uncover the true identity of this traitor quickly, before rumours of the young King Philip III forming a new Armada prove themselves to be true.

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Some Enchanted Murder by Linda S. Reilly
Print and/or Kindle Edition

Title: Some Enchanted Murder
Author: Linda S. Reilly
Series Character: Apple Mariani
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Apple Mariani is a paralegal and title searcher in Hazleton, New Hampshire.

Her first case: Apple Mariani is accustomed to solving mysteries — mysteries such as missing heirs, lingering liens, and gaps in a chain of title. But when appraiser Lou Marshall is stabbed with an antique dagger at an estate sale, Apple finds herself plunged into the heart of a murder. For starters, she learns that the victim had entrusted her with a decades-old valentine only minutes before he was killed. Then things take a nasty turn when Apple's Aunt Tressa — the victim's new squeeze — is pegged as a prime suspect, and their elderly friend Lillian goes suddenly missing. Was Lillian kidnapped, or worse, because she witnessed the murder? And why had Lou been so anxious to get that faded old valentine, with its sugary poem, into Apple's custody?

Despite the local police chief's annoying lack of concern, Apple is sure Lillian is in trouble when a cryptic call from Lillian's cell phone awakens her late at night. Still haunted by childhood memories of her own mother vanishing, Apple knows she has to find her friend before it's too late. From the shelves of a local antique shop to the culinary horrors of the grungiest diner in New Hampshire, Apple and Tressa collect a series of clues that lead them in maddening circles … all the way to a frustrating dead end. But time is running out, because a desperate killer, whose patience is wearing thin, still has a deadly agenda …

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A Nose for Death by Glynis Whiting
Print and/or Kindle Edition

Title: A Nose for Death
Author: Glynis Whiting
Series Character: Joan Parker
Format: Trade Paperback

What we know about the character: Joan "Nosey" Parker is an amateur sleuth.

Her first case: Chemist Dr. Joan Parker has the ability to name more scents that just about any other person on the planet. She can distinguish cane sugar from beet sugar, burning pine from spruce, and a man on the make from a man on the take. Combining scents to create food flavors is her occupation and her passion. Her understanding of the effects of all of the senses on human emotion and behavior is her pass key.

At fifty, Joan is at a transitional time of life. She's outspoken, sometimes to a fault, and, through her words, private thoughts and actions, provides the reader with candid insights into her romantic, sexual and emotional life. Joan is at first confused when she receives a reunion invitation to Madden High, the school from which she never graduated. After the death of her father, the family moved away. Her estranged husband, Mort, convinces her to attend. This is the first time that she's been back to the town of Madden in thirty years.

Her worst fear is realized when her name isn't on the invitation list when she arrives then she becomes the prime suspect in the murder of Roger Rimmer, the Mick Jagger of her high school class.

The upside of her return to Madden is Gabe. Her geeky best friend is now the handsome, compassionate Sgt. Theissen, head of the district RCMP detachment. Their passionate attraction leads to an illicit affair.

After Peg Chalmers, the only person who can explain why she was invited to the reunion, is found dead, Joan turns her research skills to the investigation. An intricate examination of Madden reveals buried secrets and makes Joan confront her own ghosts. Along the way she gains a new respect for her own mother.

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A Matter of Trust by Lis Wiehl and April Henry
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Title: A Matter of Trust
Author: Lis Wiehl and April Henry
Series Character: Mia Quinn
Formats: Hardcover and ebook

What we know about the character: Mia Quinn is an investigator with the Seattle District Attorney's office.

Her first case: One minute Mia Quinn is in her basement, chatting on the phone with a colleague at the prosecutor's office. The next minute there's a gunshot over the line, and Mia listens in horror as her colleague and friend Colleen bleeds to death.

Mia's a natural for heading up the murder investigation, but these days she has all she can do to hold her life together. As a new widow with a pile of debts, a troubled teenaged son, and a four-year-old who wakes up screaming at night, she needs more time with her family, not less — and working Colleen's case will be especially demanding. But Colleen was her friend, and she needs to keep her job. So she reluctantly teams up with detective Charlie Carlson to investigate Colleen's death. But the deeper they dig, the more complications unfold — even the unsettling possibility that someone may be coming after her.

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Capital Punishment by Robert Wilson
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Title: Capital Punishment
Author: Robert Wilson
Series Character: Charles Boxer
Formats: Hardcover and ebook

What we know about the character: Charles Boxer, ex-army, ex-police, is a private security specialist in kidnap and recovery in Mumbai (India).

His first case: Alyshia D'Cruz, daughter of Indian tycoon Frank D'Cruz, has grown up in London and Mumbai wanting for nothing. After a boozy evening out, she gets in the wrong cab home.

Enter Charles Boxer. Ex-army, ex-police, he has found his niche in private security. His specialty: kidnap and recovery. When D'Cruz hires Boxer to find Alyshia, Boxer knows Frank's crooked business empire has made him plenty of enemies. Despite the vast D'Cruz fortune, the kidnappers don't want cash, instead favoring a cruel and lethal game. But the British government doesn't want its big new investor to lose his daughter in the heart of the capital. The MI6 office in India follows Boxer's lead, and soon it seems more lives than Alyshia's are at stake as the trail crosses paths with a terrorist plot on British soil.

To save Alyshia, Boxer must dodge religious fanatics, Indian mobsters, and London's homegrown crime lords. Capital Punishment is a thrilling journey to the dark side of people and places that lie just out of view, waiting for the moment to tear a life apart.

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For a list of more hardcover mysteries scheduled for publication during March, please visit our New Mysteries home page. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a library of new mysteries, also updated with March 2013 releases. See also our regularly updated eBook site for new mysteries, suspense novels and thrillers, MysterEbooks.com.

Please also visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

A Conversation with Author Maureen Johnson

Omnimystery News: Author Interview
with Maureen Johnson

We are delighted to welcome author Maureen Johnson to Omnimystery News today.

Maureen's second thriller in her "Shades of London" series for young adults is The Madness Underneath (Putnam Juvenile, February 2013 hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats).

We recently had a chance to talk to the author about hew new book, which is set in the present but references a notorious criminal from history.

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Omnimystery News: Why Jack the Ripper? What's so interesting about a murder case from 1888?

Maureen Johnson
Photo provided courtesy of
Maureen Johnson; Photo credit Heather Weston

Maureen Johnson: That's what I wanted to know.

Jack the Ripper. The name means Victorian England. It means foggy streets, and carriages, and the glint of a silver knife. It was a story I was fascinated by as a child. It was a real life mystery, like in the books. There's something almost romantic about Jack.

This, when you think about it, is one of the most disturbing things possible. It would be exactly like saying there's something romantic about Ted Bundy or Charles Manson. The fifth murder of the Ripper series, the murder of Mary Kelly, is still considered one of the worst crime scenes in English history.

The real mystery is just what you ask: why is this man famous? He murdered prostitutes, women who barely registered on the Victorian social scale. He worked in East London, a place that was rife with murder. It genuinely does not make sense that this man should be an object of interest for over a hundred years.

The answer might be found in an incredibly boring fact. Up until 1855, there was a stamp tax on newspapers in England, making them far to expensive for many people to buy. Once that tax was abolished in that year, there was a surge in activity. Now everyone could afford a paper. One of the papers that popped up was called The Star, and the Star knew a good story when it saw one. Jack the Ripper was a creation of the media. Yes, there was a Whitechapel murderer, but truth be told, no one quite knows how many people he killed. It could have been four, or six, or more. (The canonical five are the five most likely victims, bearing certain signature injuries.) The publishers of The Star newspaper first saw the huge potential in the story, pumping it daily, adding frightening drawings. They were likely the ones who coined the name Jack the Ripper. (This is one of the reasons the first book in the series is called The Name of the Star).

Jack the Ripper is a story based on fact, but the lines between fiction and reality are blurry. The Scotland Yard case files are surprisingly paltry. Almost no evidence is still available for examination. The culprit is most assuredly dead. But what we have left is the fear, so carefully cultivated by the editors of that newspaper. The fear is so well drawn, it doesn't die. Jack the Ripper became part of a collective imagination. At the time when people were abandoning tales of bogeymen, the press provided a real-life substitute.

After 123 years, people are still trying to catch Jack the Ripper. The investigation has never stopped, not once. Even though this guy is clearly dead, people are still trying to find him. Jack the Ripper has armies of people investigating his case, filling in the gaps in the files, recreating the scenes. And since someone solves the case every year or so, there's always a documentary to watch, another story to tell. People have been giving Jack the Ripper the Wikipedia treatment since 1888. And it was from this point of fact that I started my story, and put the killer back on the streets of East London. I needed a character that would cause a panic — and the very name Jack the Ripper does just that.

OMN: The East End of London has changed quite a bit since Victorian times. Did this affect in any way the plotlines?

MJ: The "Shades of London" books are really about London, in many ways. The city is a character, of sorts. Much of the books are about the London that can't always be seen: the past, the underground, the secret services. Getting it right was vital.

I spend a lot of time in London, and I made sure I knew the East London neighborhood where the story mostly takes place. I did Ripper tours, then I worked on my own with maps and books. I researched underground tunnels — everything from the actual Underground, to sewers, to shelters, to graveyards and escape routes and (now known) secret bunkers.

OMN: You mention some of the activities you did in researching your books. Give us a top five list of Jack the Ripper — or maybe even just crime fiction — things to do in London.

MJ: 1. Take a Jack the Ripper walk with London Walks (with Donald Rumbelow, if you can). Taking a Jack the Ripper walk may seem like a touristy thing to do, but it's worth it, especially with a good guide. London Walks have some of the best guides, and Donald Rumbelow is a noted authority on the Jack the Ripper Case. He's actually contributed to the existing case file.

2. Go to the Ten Bells Pub. Most Ripper walks end here. The Ten Bells is today is a busy pub in a fashionable area. In 1888, it was a considerably more downtrodden affair, and one that comes up several times in the Ripper story. On the wall, the Ripper victims are commemorated in a plaque (including a sixth victim, Martha Tabram, who is not part of the "canonical five" victims that most experts agree were the work of the Ripper). It's worth seeing for its extensive Victorian tilework and unique atmosphere.

3. Go to Spitalfields Market. Square in Ripper territory, this bustling market — once just a large village market — is now extremely fashionable and fun. The area is full of amazing old buildings, now carefully restored. Definitely a place to get the flavor of Victorian London (without the disease or terrible hardship that was the signature of the area of the time, which is nice). If you're at the Ten Bells, you're very close. Just stroll over!

4. Go to the Museum of London. This is the museum dedicated to — you guessed it — London and its history. Anyone who's ever enjoyed a crime novel set in London will enjoy a trip here. The sights, sounds, layouts, and daily life of London in its very long history are all set out.

5. Go to the British Library. The British Library may be the greatest user-oriented library in the world. Modern, bright, huge, technologically savvy, and easy to use … it's like book Disneyland. They also often have exhibitions and special features, many of which would appeal to crime story lovers. They have several cafes and restaurants, and a large store with gifts for readers. If books are your thing, it is worth a trip.

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Maureen Johnson's first book in the "Shades of London" series, The Name of the Star, was nominated for an Edgar Award; she is currently working on the third (of four planned). She lives in New York City but travels to the UK on a regular basis. To learn more about the author, visit her website at MaureenJohnsonBooks.com or find her on Twitter.

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The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

The Madness Underneath
Maureen Johnson
The Shades of London (2nd in series)

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to get back to her friends.

But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades — the city's secret ghost-fighting police — are responsible for her return.

The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late.

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Bitter End by Chrstine Kling is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

Bitter End by Chrstine Kling

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Bitter End by Chrstine Kling as today's second free mystery ebook (A Seychelle Sulllivan Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, March 01, 2013 at 7:20 AM ET. 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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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Bitter End by Chrstine Kling

Bitter End
Chrstine Kling
A Seychelle Sulllivan Mystery
Publisher: Tell-Tale Press

The 4th mystery in this series, first published by Ballantine in 2007.

In the 1800s, Key West was built by wrecking skippers who in feats of derring-do raced to shipping disasters to save valuable cargos from the ocean depths. Today, as too many boats chase too few wrecks, salvage has turned into a cutthroat corporate enterprise. Seychelle Sullivan, who pilots a tug her father built by hand, is unable and unwilling to compete. She is overwhelmed by issues of love, trust, motherhood, career, and family. But when a friend is killed, Seychelle begins to suspect a chilling scenario: that modern-day wreckers are causing yachts to crash onto the reefs–and killing off whoever gets in the way.

Nestor Frias was piloting a billionaire’s luxury power yacht on its maiden voyage when it ran aground. A few days later, Frias was dead. His eight-months-pregnant widow is distraught, and a host of questions surround both Frias’s death and the ship’s accident. When another man dies while asking questions, Seychelle navigates the dangerous shoals and channels of the case and her life, unaware that a greater danger is looming: a murderous human storm designed perfectly for her.

Amazon Kindle Book

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Dutch Me Deadly by Maddy Hunter is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

Dutch Me Deadly by Maddy Hunter

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Dutch Me Deadly by Maddy Hunter as today's free mystery ebook (A Passport to Peril Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, March 01, 2013 at 7:10 AM ET. 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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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Dutch Me Deadly by Maddy Hunter

Dutch Me Deadly
Maddy Hunter
A Passport to Peril Mystery
Publisher: Midnight Ink

The 7th mystery in this series.

As a travel escort for seniors, Emily Andrew-Miceli has led her feisty Iowa clan all over the world. This time, they’re off to see historic windmills, classic Rembrandts, and picturesque canals in Holland — if they can ever unplug from their smartphones, that is.

Joining them is the high school class from Bangor, Maine, whose 50th reunion celebration goes south faster than a fallen Brussel sprout soufflé as old rivalries start heating up. Worse, Emily’s hopes for a 100% survival rate on this trip are dashed when an important member of the tour suffers a tragic (and highly suspicious) accident. Then the saucy seniors’ wild night of drug-laced desserts and risqué shows in Amsterdam’s infamous Red Light District gets even more mysterious when one unpopular reunioner goes missing …

Amazon Kindle Book

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

The Collected by Brett Battles is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

The Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Collected by Brett Battles as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, March 01, 2013.

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The Collected by Brett Battles

The Collected
Brett Battles
A Jonathan Quinn Mystery
Brett Battles

A cleaner's tasks are simple: get rid of the body so that it will never be found, and make the scene of the kill look like nothing happened. Rule Number One: Don't get caught.

With Jonathan Quinn's career in question, his apprentice Nate has successfully taken on the role of full-fledged cleaner, using Quinn's name to keep the business working seamlessly in case his boss decides to return.

But Nate's latest job is not what it seems, and he finds himself on the wrong side of a trap. With Nate suddenly missing, Quinn and his partner Orlando set out to find him, and learn the reasons for Nate's disappearance are more atrocious than they anticipated.

Amazon Kindle Daily Deal

Important Note: This book was listed at the price mentioned above on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending March 01, 2013

Bestselling Crime Fiction: Hardcover Mysteries, Suspense Novels and Thrillers

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending March 1st, 2013 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

It should probably come as no surprise that Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn remains at the top of our list this week, with James Patterson's latest Alex Cross thriller, Alex Cross, Run coming in second.

Two new titles debut this week (position in brackets).

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Calculated in Death by J. D. Robb

[8]: Calculated in Death
J. D. Robb

An Eve Dallas Mystery (36th in series)

On Manhattan's Upper East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs, stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better.

A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and mother, Marta Dickenson doesn't seem the type to be on anyone's hit list. But when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the lieutenant knows Marta's murder was the work of a killer who's trained, but not professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence.

But when someone steals the files out of Marta's office, Eve must immerse herself in her billionaire husband Roarke's world of big business to figure out who's cruel and callous enough to hire a hit on an innocent woman. And as the killer's violent streak begins to escalate, Eve knows she has to draw him out, even if it means using herself as bait …

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Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

[14]: Red Velvet Cupcake Murder
Joanne Fluke

A Hannah Swensen Mystery (16th in series)

It's a hot summer evening in Lake Eden, Minnesota — and the Grand Opening of the refurbished Albion Hotel. Hannah Swensen's famous Red Velvet cupcakes are being served in the new Red Velvet lounge. The party starts off with a bang with the arrival of Doctor Bev, who left town in shame after she two-timed her fiancé.

But the gossip comes to a screeching halt when another partygoer takes a dive off the hotel's rooftop garden. As the police investigate, the only one who isn't preoccupied with the case is Doctor Bev. She's too busy trying to stir things up with her old flame Norman, who's reunited with Hannah. Just as Hannah's patience with Bev runs thin, her rival is found dead at the bottom of Miller's Pond. To everyone's shock, Hannah is now the target of a murder investigation — and she's feeling the heat in a way she never has before …

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