The Next Ex by Linda L. Richards is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

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

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The Next Ex by Linda L. Richards
A Madeline Carter Mystery
Mira/Smashwords

This is the second mystery for Madeline Carter, a very appealing and interesting character that we described as a grown-up Nancy Drew in our review of the book.

About The Next Ex (from the publisher): Even by Hollywood standards, five is a big number if you're counting ex-wives.

Teaching an indulged rich wife to dabble in the stock market is the last thing former stockbroker Madeline Carter wants to do. But she's lived among the Hollywood elite just long enough to recognize the ubiquitous "favor for a favor" when she sees it, so she reluctantly agrees to tutor the current wife of "A" list film producer Maxi Livingston.

Up until a couple of days ago the only thing Madeline knew about Maxi was what she'd read in the tabloids. But she soon learns a whole lot more, including the fact that the current Mrs. Livingston has plans to build a nest egg for herself — in the stock market. Interesting.

But "interesting" doesn't begin to cover it when Maxi's ex-wives are killed off one by one and Madeline finds herself in the middle of a scenario worthy of the most imaginative screenwriter — where she is the prime suspect.

Very interesting, indeed.

Read our review of The Next Ex by Linda L. Richards.

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):

Smashwords Free Book Download Link.

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

Judgment by Lee Goldberg is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

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

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Judgment by Lee Goldberg
The Jury Series
Adventures in Television

This action/adventure novel was published in 1985 by Lee Goldberg under the pen name Ian Ludlow. Originally titled .357: Vigilante, it is the first of four books in this series.

About Judgment (from the publisher): Brett Macklin was a freewheeling son of sunny California, a collector of vintage cars and a connoisseur of beautiful women. But when his father is murdered by a street gang, Macklin becomes something else — a deadly weapon against crime, a relentless vigilante who won't stop until he's wiped out the killers who have turned Los Angeles into a war zone.

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.

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

The Body and the Blood by Michael Lister is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

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

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The Body and the Blood by Michael Lister
A John Jordan Mystery
Pulpwood Press

This is the fourth mystery in this series featuring Florida prison chaplain John Jordan.

About The Body and the Blood (from the publisher): It’s known as the Protective Management Unit. It’s a closed society within a closed society, housing Florida state inmates who wouldn’t survive in open population at Potter Correctional Institution. In it, John Jordan witnesses the most baffling crime of his career—a seemingly impossible murder he would swear could not have happened had he not seen it with his own eyes.

John has come to the PM unit because of a note he received announcing a murder would take place during the Catholic Mass. As he observes the priest offering up the body and the blood, an inmate enters the unit, walks over to his cell, and is locked inside alone. A little while later, John notices a pool of blood spreading out from beneath the cell door. The inmate is dead, his body and his blood separated from one another.

The inmate, a talented artist and quite possibly an innocent man, was sensitive and kind, just a few short days from parole. Who would want to kill him and why? Before John can answer these questions, he’s got to figure out how he was killed.

Suspects abound, including the Catholic Priest conducting the mass, the two PM officers, the victim’s sister, who visited him just prior to his death—something she hadn’t done in four years—and a handful of inmates, one of whom was the victim’s lover.

As the investigation proceeds, John uncovers crime after crime, and an openly racists family with plenty they aren’t open about. After taking a closer look at them, John’s best friend, Merrill Monroe, disappears.

Attempting to balance his fragile reconciliation with his ex-wife and the high-stakes investigation, John is soon overwhelmed and wonders if the life he’s hoped for is even possible. Just when he thinks he can’t take anymore, a second disappearance brings with it the demand for a dangerous prison break and a daring exchange. When John finally figures out how the crime was committed and who’s behind it, an exciting climax follows that reveals the shocking solution, sees someone close to John shot, and carries for John the ultimate personal price—one he’s not sure he can pay.

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.

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

Driven, James Sallis's Sequel to Drive, to be Published in April 2012

Last week Keith Rawson posted the news that Driven, the sequel to James Sallis's thriller Drive — which was adapted into a feature film released earlier this year — would be published in April 2012. The publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, also provided him with draft artwork for the cover (right).

Driven is available to pre-order from Amazon.com, which also has this description of the book:

As we exit the initial novel, Driver has killed Bernie Rose, "the only one he ever mourned," ending his campaign against those who double-crossed him. Driven tells how that young man, done with killing, later will become the one who goes down "at 3 a.m. on a clear, cool morning in a Tijuana bar." Seven years have passed. Driver has left the old life, become Paul West, and founded a successful business back in Phoenix. Walking down the street one day, he and his fiancée are attacked by two men and, while Driver dispatches both, his fiancée is killed. Sinking back into anonymity, aided by his friend Felix, an ex-gangbanger and Desert Storm vet, Driver retreats, but finds that his past stalks him and will not stop. He has to turn and face it.

(Related article: Lit Reactor.)

Mystery Godoku Puzzle for December 12, 2011

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now available on our website.

Godoku is similar to Sudoku, but uses letters instead of numbers. To give you a headstart, we provide you a mystery clue to fill in a complete row or column (if you choose to use it!).

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This week's letters and mystery clue:

E G I M N O R T W

In the title of this 2005 romantic thriller by Andrea Kane, someone is at the wrong place at this (9 letters).

We now have two weeks of our puzzles on one page in PDF format for easier printing. Print this week's puzzle here.

Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy the weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

Review: London Calling by James Craig

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: London Calling by James Craig.

The Remains by Vincent Zandri is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

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

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The Remains by Vincent Zandri
Non-Series
StoneHouse Ink

About The Remains (from the publisher): Thirty years ago, teenager Rebecca Underhill and her twin sister Molly were abducted by a man who lived in a house in the woods behind their upstate New York farm. They were held inside that house for three horrifying hours, until making their daring escape. Vowing to keep their terrifying experience a secret in order to protect their mother and father, the girls tried to put the past behind them. And when their attacker was hunted down by police and sent to prison, they believed he was as good as dead.

Now, it's 30 years later, and with Molly having passed away from cancer, Rebecca, a painter and art teacher, is left alone to bear the burden of a secret that has only gotten heavier and more painful with each passing year. But when Rebecca begins receiving some strange anonymous text messages, she begins to realize that the monster who attacked her all those years ago is not dead after all. He's back, and this time, he wants to do more than just haunt her. He wants her dead.

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.

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

The Sex Club by L. J. Sellers is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

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

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The Sex Club by L. J. Sellers
A Wade Jackson Mystery
Spellbinder Press

Eugene (Oregon) police detective Wade Jackson is introduced in this mystery, the first of three in the series (to date).

About The Sex Club (from the publisher): When a bomb explodes at a birth-control clinic and a young client turns up dead, Detective Jackson is assigned both cases. But are they connected? Kera, the clinic nurse who discovers that the girl's Bible group is really a sexual free-for-all, thinks they are. But confidentiality keeps her from telling the police, so she digs for the truth on her own and becomes the bomber's new target. Soon another girl is murdered. Can Jackson uncover the killer's shocking identity in time to stop the slaughter?

Read our review of The Sex Club by L. J. Sellers.

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.

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

The Basement by Stephen Leather is Today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Basement by Stephen Leather as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal. The deal price of $0.99 is valid only for today, Sunday, December 11, 2011.

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The Basement by Stephen Leather
Non-Series
AmazonEncore

Stephen Leather is the author of several mystery series as well as a number of stand-alones. The Basement is his latest book, published just last month.

About The Basement (from the publisher): New York is a city full of strangers. For NYPD detectives Turner and Marcinko, none are harder to figure out than the serial killer on the loose torturing and killing young women. In fact, right now, somewhere in the city, a woman is being held captive in a basement and it is up to the detectives to find her and the killer—before it’s too late.

As pressure mounts on Turner and Marcinko, their prime suspect is screenwriter wannabe Marvin Waller. He is becoming increasingly frustrated by his lack of success and the cops think he might be channeling his anger into murder—but he doesn’t seem to be at all concerned that they are hot on his trail. As Turner and Marcinko close in on Waller they have to wonder: is he the killer? And if he isn’t—who is?

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 Kindle Daily Deal 12/11/2011 Download Link.

A&E's 4-Hour Adaptation of Stephen King's Bag of Bones Begins Sunday, December 11th

A&E's two-night 4-hour mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's 1998 suspense thriller Bag of Bones begins tomorrow, Sunday December 11th, at 9 PM (ET/PT).

Four years after the sudden death of his wife, forty-year-old bestselling novelist Mike Noonan (played by Pierce Brosnan) is still grieving. Unable to write, and plagued by vivid nightmares set at the western Maine summerhouse he calls Sara Laughs, Mike reluctantly returns to the lakeside getaway. There, he finds his beloved Yankee town held in the grip of a powerful millionaire, Max Devore (William Schallert), whose vindictive purpose is to take his three-year-old granddaughter, Kyra (Caitlin Carmichael), away from her widowed young mother, Mattie (Melissa George). As Mike is drawn into Mattie and Kyra's struggle, as he falls in love with both of them, he is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs, now the site of ghostly visitations and escalating terrors. What are the forces that have been unleashed here — and what do they want of Mike Noonan?

Part 2 of the series airs Monday December 12th, also at 9 PM (ET/PT).

Bag of Bones was the winner of the 1998 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel.

Watch a sneak peak of the series below.

Lifetime Cancels Against the Wall

Lifetime has elected not to renew its freshman crime drama Against the Wall for a second season. The series, which premiered this past summer, ran for 13 episodes.

Rachel Carpani stars as Abby Kowalski, a single Chicago police officer who finally is promoted to detective and assigned to Internal Affairs. But her dream job turns out a nightmare for her close-knit family of cops.

We have to admit we didn't see a single episode of the series. Though we follow television news quite closely and knew that the cable network had ordered the series, we did not know it was on the schedule until the second episode or so. It doesn't seem as if Lifetime did much to promote it, so it's little surprise that it has been canceled. (Looking back on our notes, we see that at the same time Lifetime ordered Against the Wall, it also ordered Exit 19, later renamed The Protector … which was canceled some time ago.)

Three Books by Rick Dewhurst are Today's Second Selection of Free MystereBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to three books by Rick Dewhurst as today's second selection of free mystery ebooks. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically for a limited time only or until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so we urge you to download it while it is still available for free.

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The Good Book Club by Rick Dewhurst
A Jane Sunday Mystery
Quotidian Books

Published earlier this year, this is the first book in the author's second PI series; his other mysteries feature Christian gumshoe Joe LaFlam (see other books below).

About The Good Book Club (from the publisher): Scheming to inherit the powerful pulpit of a mega-church, a pastor hires P.I. Jane Sunday to verify suspicions his father-in-law, the senior pastor, is having an affair. The case turns uglier when one dead pastor is found floating naked in his swimming pool, and Jane is hired by his widow to hunt the killer. Hot on the murder trail Jane is herself pursued by dreamboat lawyer Bertrand, but lasting memories of her abusive father inhibit the budding relationship, especially when questions of his credibility arise. Who killed the pastor? Is Bertrand true-blue?

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.

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Bye Bye Bertie by Rick Dewhurst
A Joe LaFlam Mystery
Quotidian Books

About Bye Bye Bertie (from the publisher): Joe LaFlam's struggle to be free from the fear of dying destitute and alone in an alley, under cardboard, just another discard of a world gone bad. His fear is magnified by doubts about his chosen profession. He has long sought to be a successful detective, but he has been thwarted by his incompetence and haunted by his insecurity. Bachelor LaFlam, who lives at home with his mother and who moonlights driving cab to pay the rent on his detective office, equates marriage with bliss and a successful career with bread on his future family's table. To be free once and for all, Joe vows to look death in the face by undertaking a desperate 21-day fast to twist God's arm to help him solve a prominent kidnapping case, make some good money, and get the girl, any girl. With God's help Joe figures the odds are now good that he won't end up dead and alone in some big-city alley under cardboard or newspapers or something bad like that.

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.

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My Fear Lady by Rick Dewhurst
A Joe LaFlam Mystery
Quotidian Books

About My Fear Lady (from the publisher): Christian gumshoe Joe LaFlam is wallowing in an existential crisis when the stunning Sissy Smith slinks into his office with a plea for help. Her man Jake Dano has been lured away by another woman and led into the bowels of Spelunkers Global, a secret society bent on world domination with whom Joe previously tangled in the first of the LaFlam mystery series, Bye Bye Bertie. Joe is eager to take the case, knowing that exposing the scum will solidify his professional reputation and reinforce his earthly purpose. He goes undercover underground, where, entrenched as one of them, earthly temptations abound.

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.

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

Mortal Sin by Paul Levine is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

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

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Mortal Sin by Paul Levine
A Jake Lassiter Mystery (4th in series)
Nittany Valley Productions

About Mortal Sin (from the publisher): Jake Lassiter has an ethical dilemma that isn’t on the Bar exam.

He’s sleeping with Gina Florio and defending Gina’s husband Nicky in a wrongful death suit. Complicating the issue: Nicky is mob-connected and homicidal in his own right.

It all begins when environmentalist Peter Tupton freezes to death on Florio’s property on the hottest day of a sweltering Miami summer. Hired to defend Florio in a civil suit, Lassiter becomes convinced that Tupton’s death was no accident.

The trail of evidence takes Lassiter deep into the Everglades, where Florio has hatched a scheme to bring casino gambling to an Indian reservation. But that’s only a cover for a more sinister ploy that oozes corruption, blood, and money. One false move, and Jake will be gator bait.

It’s the toughest case yet for the ex-linebacker, ex-public defender, ex-a-lot-of-things. Hard-boiled and philosophical, the savvy lawyer lives by his own rules. “They don’t call us sharks for our ability to swim.” In a world of deceit, perversity, and mayhem, he risks body and soul for truth, justice and the Lassiter Way.

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.

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

Christmas is Murder by C. S. Challinor is Today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Christmas is Murder by C. S. Challinor as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal. The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, December 10, 2011.

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Christmas is Murder by C. S. Challinor
A Rex Graves Mystery
Midnight Ink

Scottish barrister Reginald "Rex" Graves is introduced in this series debut. In our review, we said that the book is "an engaging whodunit populated with an interesting and imaginative mix of characters and a very appealing and charming sleuth."

About Christmas is Murder (from the publisher): Christmas in the English countryside — what could be more charming? Not even a blizzard can keep Rex Graves away from Swanmere Manor, a historic hotel in East Sussex. But instead of Christmas cheer, the red-haired Scottish barrister finds a dead guest. Was it a stroke that killed old Mr. Lawry? Or an almond tart laced with poison?

When more guests die, all hopes for a jolly holiday are dashed. Worst of all, the remote mansion is buried under beastly snow. No one can leave. Confined with a killer, no one can enjoy their tea without suspicion and scrutiny. Rex takes it upon himself to solve the mystery, but the most intriguing evidence — a burnt biography of President George W. Bush — offers few clues. Could the killer be the sherry-swilling handyman? The gay antiques dealer with a biting wit? The quarreling newlyweds? Surely, it's not Helen D'arcy, the lovely lass Rex seems to be falling for ...

Read our review of Christmas is Murder by C. S. Challinor.

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 Kindle Daily Deal 12/10/2011 Download Link.

Crime Fiction Books that When Published Will Catch the Attention of Hollywood

The Hollywood Reporter announced today that it is beginning a regular — no definition on what this means … weekly, monthly, otherwise slow news day? — post on recent book deals that "will catch the attention of consumers and Hollywood when they are published."

In their inaugural piece, they highlight five soon-to-be-published books, three young adult titles and two crime fiction. We're going to focus on the latter two here.

First up is Black Irish by Stephan Tatly, the first in a series about a Harvard-educated policewoman solving crimes in Buffalo (NY). The book itself involves — no surprise here — a serial killer, who taunts the heroine with cryptic messages. It is Tatly's first work of fiction and is expected to be published by Ballantine Bantam Dell in 2013.

Next is Fallen Angels by Connie Dial, with a storyline that seems far more interesting … at least to us. A newly promoted LAPD captain discovers that her husband's name shows up on a list of Hollywood's most powerful movers and shakers, found at the scene of a dead Hollywood starlet. Dial — a former head of LAPD's Hollywood Division — is the author of another mystery series, which features LAPD Internal Affairs sergeant Mike Turner. Fallen Angels will be published by The Permanent Press.

Not much in the way of reasoning is given by THR as to why these two books merit attention other than they feature female cops and are set in specific locations. Here's hoping future editions of this column spell out a little more as to why their highlighted titles are more deserving than hundreds of other books published every month.

(Source: The Hollywood Reporter.)