Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense Titles for October 2011

eHarlequin.com has released the list of October 2011 titles in their Love Inspired Suspense series. Love Inspired Suspense books combine suspense, romance, hope and faith to create a unique page-turning series that today’s readers love.

For more information about the book from eHarlequin.com, click on the book cover; other purchase options (Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, and The Book Depository) are also provided..

— ◊ —

Nightwatch by Valerie Hansen

Fire captain Mitch Andrews can't forget the three young children he saved from a fire. A suspicious fire that left them orphans. In the care of foster mother Jill Kirkpatrick, he knows the little ones will be loved. Even if the sweet, strong widow won't let Mitch close to her. But suddenly the kids—and Jill—are in terrible danger…and one of the children is missing. Mitch and Jill will risk everything to find the stolen girl and keep a makeshift family of five together forever.

— ◊ —

The Captain's Mission by Debby Giusti

When one of his soldiers is killed by live ammunition during what was supposed to be a simple training exercise, Captain Phil Thibodeaux wants answers. Even if it means working with the Criminal Investigation Division that seems certain to pin the blame on him. But after CID agent Kelly McQueen defends his conduct, Phil realizes that there's more to the dedicated agent than meets the eye. Maybe she's someone he can trust, after all. And he'll need someone to rely on as investigations lead him to doubt everyone else—even his own soldiers.

— ◊ —

Freezing Point by Elizabeth Goddard

Casey Wilkes didn't realize her simple human-interest story would put her life at risk—again. After fleeing her home and journalism job in Portland, she wanted to live under the radar for a while. But when her interviewee starts dodging her questions, her reporter instincts kick in and she finds herself in over her head …

Homeland security agent Jesse Mitchell has been undercover as an ice sculptor for months, trying to infiltrate a smuggling ring. He wants to avoid trouble, and that's just what Casey brings. Now someone has a target set on Casey. Saving her could blow his cover, but leaving her unprotected endangers him even more—especially his heart.

— ◊ —

Princess in Peril by Rachelle McCalla

When insurgents attack the king's motorcade, scattering the royal family, bodyguard Levi Granaldo has one goal—to protect the princess. Even though he knows Princess Isabelle distrusts him. On the run together, they flee to New York, to the shelter of a sanctuary established by Levi's father. But their safety can't last. After a surprise attack divides the pair, Isabelle is forced to face some hard truths. The danger she's in is getting deadlier by the day … and she'll never be able to face it without Levi by her side.

— ◊ —

The Shakespeare Manuscript by Stewart Buettner is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Shakespeare Manuscript by Stewart Buettner as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically only until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so we urge you to download it while it is still available for free.

— ◊ —

The Shakespeare Manuscript by Stewart Buettner
Non-Series
Performance Arts Press

About The Shakespeare Manuscript (from the publisher): Not one of Shakespeare’s plays exists in manuscript form until a failing bookseller discovers a long-lost, early version of Hamlet. In an attempt to trace the puzzling manuscript's origins, its new owner finds he can’t trust the identity of play’s author and soon has doubts about his own. But by then, the race to stage the new Hamlet is on, taking a toll on everyone involved. In the end, the new play leaves audience and actors alike wondering about the unexpected and moving consequences of the play they’ve just experienced.

Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Apple Free iBook Download Link (via iTunes).

Smashwords Free Book Download Link.

Review: Dead Man's Switch by Tammy Kaehler

Dead Man's Switch by Tammy Kaehler. A Kate Reilly Racing Mystery. Poisoned Pen Press Hardcover, August 2011.

The author clearly knows the world of racing, and easily integrates that knowledge into her narrative. Unfortunately, the murder mystery storyline isn't nearly as interesting or as crisply written as the race scenes in the book. Kate Reilly is an engaging character and there would seem to be a lot of potential for this series, but the plots have to be more original — or just more solidly developed — to get readers to come back to the track.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Dead Man's Switch by Tammy Kaehler.

Winners of the 2011 Shamus Awards Announced

The winners for the 2011 Shamus Awards were announced last night by the Private Eye Writers of America during a banquet at Bouchercon, honoring excellent work in the PI genre.

In the winners list below, the book's PI is indicated in brackets following the title.

• Best PI Hardcover: No Mercy [Mercy Gunderson] by Lori G. Armstrong (Touchstone)

• Best First PI Novel: In Search of Mercy [Dexter Bolzjak] by Michael Ayoob (Minotaur Books)

• Best PI Paperback Original: Asia Hand [Vincent Calvino] by Christopher G. Moore (Grove/Atlantic)

• Best PI Short Story: "The Lamb Was Sure To Go" by Gar Anthony Haywood (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, November 2010)

• Best PI Series Character: V. I. Warshawski, created by Sara Paretsky

• The EYE Lifetime Achievement Award: Ed Gorman

 indicates a review is available from Mysterious Reviews.

(Hat tip to The Rap Sheet.)

ABC Family Orders More Lying Game, Cancels Nine Lives

ABC Family has ordered additional episodes (a back order to fill out a complete season) to its new series The Lying Game, adapted from the young adult thriller of the same title by Sara Shepard. At the same time, the network has canceled its freshman drama The Nine Lives of Chloe King, which is based on a character featured in a series of young adult novels by Celia Thomson.

In other news, ABC Family has ordered to pilot Intercept, a project that features a group of college students, "who get roped into solving crimes when one of them creates a high-tech communication device that intercepts conversations throughout the West Coast."

(Source: ABC Family Press Release.)

Harlequin Romantic Suspense Titles for October 2011

Sparked by danger, fueled by passion, eHarlequin.com has released the list of October 2011 titles in their Romantic Suspense series. Let yourself be swept away with characters who fall in love under larger-than-life circumstances. In Harlequin Romantic Suspense, suspense, emotion and glamour combine to create these highly charged books!

For more information about the book from eHarlequin.com, click on the book cover; other purchase options (Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, and The Book Depository) are also provided.

— ◊ —

Rancher Under Cover by Carla Cassidy

American surgeon Caitlin O'Donahue nearly lost her life doing volunteer work in the sultry jungles of El Salvador. She escapes to her childhood ranch to discover her father is in hiding. Now the place that was once safe seems dangerous. The only man she can trust is a stranger—a gorgeous rancher with an agenda and deep-set secrets.

Undercover agent Rhett Kane is hell-bent on busting Caitlin's father. His assignment doesn't include protecting Caitlin … or taking her under cover in the most sensual way. When his dual lives collide, he's left with the ultimate choice. Will he choose love over duty—and will it cost him his life's mission?

— ◊ —

The Doctor's Guardian by Marie Ferrarella

He first saw Dr. Nika Pulaski hyperventilating in a trapped elevator. Ever the rescuer, Detective Cole Baker felt an instant protectiveness … and sizzling want. Her cheerfulness, not to mention her killer looks, had him reconsidering his loner status. But he couldn't trust her, the prime suspect in a rash of hospital deaths.

Who was Nika Pulaski? She outlasted her colleagues at the hospital and spent every minute caring for others. But patients were dying. With every tear she shed, Cole couldn't mask his own emotions, this pull toward a potentially dangerous woman. He raced to find the killer stalking Nika's patients, even if it was the woman he loved. Was she an optimistic healer or a sociopath?

— ◊ —

Tempted by His Target by Jill Sorenson

Wanted for the murder of a Mexican drug lord's son, party girl Isabel Sanborn fled to Oaxaca. Now she owes her life to Brandon Knox, a passing tourist who just saved her from a hit man.

But Knox is no accidental hero—he's an undercover U.S. marshal assigned to bring Isabel to justice. Instead, wanting to protect her, he joins her on the lam…with cartel goons and corrupt police in hot pursuit!

And as the danger escalates, sexual tension sizzles. For the first time in his career, Brandon considers jeopardizing his mission to safeguard his target. And though Isabel can elude the authorities, she can't escape her feelings …

— ◊ —

Operation Baby Rescue by Beth Cornelison

Elise Norris wants nothing more than to be a mother. Her joy turns to agony when newborn baby girl Grace dies mysteriously—before the single mom could even say goodbye. But grief-stricken Elise can't shake the feeling that the final chapter of Grace's story isn't yet written …

As he works through his own tragic loss, widower Jared Coleman and his one-year-old daughter become captivated by Elise. But while investigating the strange circumstances behind Grace's death, their new friend teeters close to an explosive secret. Can Jared protect her—or is he in over his head in a desperate life-or-death struggle?

— ◊ —

Winners of the 2011 Macavity Awards Announced

The winners of the Macavity Awards, recognizing outstanding crime fiction and non-fiction, were announced last night by Mystery Readers International at Bouchercon 2011.

The winners are …

• Best Mystery Novel: Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)

• Best First Mystery Novel: Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva (Forge Books)

• Best Mystery Non-Fiction: Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: 50 Years of Mysteries in the Making by John Curran (HarperCollins)

• Best Mystery Short Story: "Swing Shift" in Crimes by Moonlight: Mysteries from the Dark Side by Dana Cameron (Berkley)

• Sue Feder Historical Mystery: City of Dragons by Kelli Stanley (Minotaur Books)

(Hat tip: Mystery Fanfare.)

Review: The Magdalena Curse by F. G. Cottam

The Magdalena Curse by F. G. Cottam. Non-series. St. Martin's Press Hardcover, August 2011.

The story unfolds in a truly bizarre manner and may challenge your beliefs in the occult. Not a book for the faint of heart or the easily unnerved, but a wonderful book if you like to be involved in what you read.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Magdalena Curse by F. G. Cottam.

Deadly Sanctuary by Sylvia Nobel is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Deadly Sanctuary by Sylvia Nobel as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically only until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so we urge you to download it while it is still available for free.

— ◊ —

Deadly Sanctuary by Sylvia Nobel
A Kendall O'Dell Mystery (1st in series)
Nite Owl Books

Originally published in trade paperback in 1998, Sylvia Nobel has written a total of four books in this series.

About Deadly Sanctuary (from the publisher): Beautiful, strong-willed reporter Kendall O'Dell is drawn into an evil web of conspiracy beyond anything she could have ever imagined when she accepts a position at a small newspaper in isolated Castle Valley, Arizona. Her assignment: Find out why her predecessor mysteriously vanished while working on a story concerning the unsolved deaths of two teenage girls. Why is the sheriff so hostile to her inquiries? Why is the woman operating the local shelter for homeless girls so secretive? And how is attractive rancher Bradley Talverson involved?

When the body of a third girl is discovered in the desert not far from a private mental institution, Kendall's life hangs in the balance as she strives to uncover the horrifying secret.

Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

B&N Free Nook Book Download Link.

Apple Free iBook Download Link (via iTunes).