The Walk by Lee Goldberg is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Walk by Lee Goldberg 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 Walk by Lee Goldberg
Publisher: Five Star

About The Walk (from the publisher): It's one minute after the Big One.

Marty Slack, a TV network executive, crawls out from under his Mercedes. Downtown L.A. is in ruins. The sky is thick with black smoke. His cell phone is dead. The freeways are rubble. The airport is demolished. Buildings lay across streets like fallen trees. It will be days before help can arrive. Marty has been expecting this day all his life. He's prepared. He knows there is only one thing he can do … that he must do: get home to his wife Beth, go back to their gated community on the far edge of the San Fernando Valley. All he has to do is walk.

But he will quickly learn that it's not that easy. Looters rampage through the streets. His dangerous, unpredictable journey home will take him through the different worlds of what was once Los Angeles. There's no power. No running water. No order. Marty Slack thinks he's prepared. He's wrong. Nothing can prepare him for this ordeal, a quest for his family and for his soul, a journey that will test the limits of his endurance and his humanity, a trek from the man he was to the man he can be … if he can survive … The Walk.

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.

Nuclear Winter Wonderland by Joshua Corin is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Nuclear Winter Wonderland by Joshua Corin 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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Nuclear Winter Wonderland by Joshua Corin
Publisher: Kunati

About Nuclear Winter Wonderland (from the publisher): Adam Weiss’ twin sister, Anna, is kidnapped by Ebbetts, an unpleasant and possibly cancer-ridden man who might have plans that involve a nuclear device. Desperately searching for Anna, Adam acquires a couple of sidekicks: Filbert, a man of small stature who used to do something brutal for the Mob, and Cherry Sundae, a Croatian female clown who only speaks Spanish.

If all that isn’t enough to make you dive right into the novel, consider this: it is remarkably polished and stylishly written (remarkably, because the author hasn’t been doing this for years: this is his first novel). It is richly comic, surreal without being silly — except where it intends to be silly — and playful in its use of language.

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.

Nice Girl Does Noir by Libby Fischer Hellmann is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Nice Girl Does Noir by Libby Fischer Hellmann 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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Nice Girl Does Noir by Libby Fischer Hellmann
A Short Story Collection
Publisher: CreateSpace

About Nice Girl Does Noir (from the publisher): A collection of crime fiction short stories in print, some of them award-winners, by the author of the Ellie Foreman and Georgia Davis mystery series and featuring her series characters.

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 Séance by Heather Graham is Today's Barnes&Noble Nook Daily Find

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Séance by Heather Graham as today's Barnes&Noble Daily Find. The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, January 14, 2012.

Note: Amazon.com is matching the price for this ebook for today only.

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The Séance by Heather Graham
Publisher: Mira Books

About The Séance (from the publisher): A chill falls over Christina Hardy's housewarming party when talk turns to a recent murder that has all the hallmarks of the so-called "Interstate Killer" murders from fifteen years before. To lighten the mood, the guests drag out an old Ouija board for a little spooky fun…and that's when things become truly terrifying.

Summoned by the Ouija board, the restless spirit of Beau Kidd, the lead detective—and chief suspect—on the original case, seeks Christina's help: the latest killing isn't a copycat crime, and he wants his name cleared. Back in the real world, cop-turned-writer Jed Braden is skeptical of Christina's ghostly encounters, but his police sources confirm all the intimate details of the case—her otherworldly source is reliable, and the body count is growing.

The spirits are right. The Interstate Killer is still out there, and Christina's life is hanging in the balance between this world and the next.

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):

B&N Nook Daily Find — Available 01/14/2012 only.

NBC Orders Pilot for Midnight Sun, Adapted from the Israeli Crime Thriller Timrot Ashan

Last August NBC acquired the US rights to the Israeli crime thriller Timrot Ashan (Pillars of Smoke). Today the television network ordered a pilot for a potential series, now titled Midnight Sun.

In the Israeli series, the police investigate a cult from the Golan Heights that has mysteriously disappeared. With little assistance from the local population, the lead investigator discovers a political conspiracy with potential environmental consequences. The US version is expected to be set in Alaska though the overall storyline is the same. Lisa Zwerling (FlashForward, The Event) has written the pilot's screenplay and will executive produce.

(Related article: Deadline.)

A&E Planning Psycho Prequel and US Version of Danish Crime Drama

Since last Tuesday, the television and cable networks have been presenting at the Television Critics Association Winter Tour and today featured the some of the latter.

Earlier today we reported that A&E provided an update to the schedule for its crime drama Longmire, but the cable network also had other news to share.

A&E plans a prequel series to the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller Psycho. An original scripted drama titled Bates Motel, the series would be centered on Norman Bates, and provide a backstory into how he came to become the character we've all seen in the film.

Also in development is an American version of the Danish series Den som dræber (Those Who Kill), which is based on an original concept by crime novelist Elsebeth Egholm. The Danish drama follows the inquiries of a special unit at Copenhagen's police force, consisting of detective inspector Katrina Ries Jensen and forensic psychiatrist Thomas Schaeffer, who specialize in serial killers that do not fit within traditional behavioral patterns.

Film Adaptation of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Gets New Screenwriter

Warner Bros. acquired the film rights to Ernest Cline's debut multi-genre thriller Ready Player One even before it was published last August. And the studio has apparently been hard at work on an adaptation — we've clearly missed all the news about this project to date, since this is the first we're hearing about it — because now we're learning that Eric Eason is coming on board to polish — or rewrite, depending on your point of view — the script.

The book is set in the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune — and remarkable power — to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved — that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt — among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life — and love — in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

(Related article: Variety.)

A&E Announces Production, Premiere Dates for Longmire

A&E announced today that its original crime drama Longmire will begin production this March, with the premiere of the series scheduled for Summer 2012.

Longmire is based on a character created by crime novelist Craig Johnson, and will star Robert Taylor as as Walt Longmire, the charismatic, dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming.

The opening storyline for the series has Longmire struggling since his wife's death. At the urging of his daughter, Cady (played by Cassidy Freeman), Longmire knows that the time has come to turn his life around. With the help of Vic (Katee Sackhoff), a female deputy new to the department, he becomes reinvigorated about his job and committed to running for re-election. When Branch (Bailey Chase), an ambitious, young deputy, decides to run against him for sheriff, Longmire feels betrayed but remains steadfast in his dedication to the community. Longmire often turns to close friend and confidant Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) for support as he sets out to rebuild both his personal and professional life, one step at a time.

(Source: A&E press release.)

DC Comics Releases Cover Art for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Graphic Novel

Last October DC Comics announced that the Millennium trilogy of crime novel thrillers by Stieg Larsson would be adapted into graphic novels.

Today, the publisher announced more information about the first in the series, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which will be published as two volumes by its Vertigo imprint. The cover art for the first volume is shown (right; click for larger version).

The story is by Denise Mina and Leonardo Manco with art by Andrea Mutti. The cover was drawn by Lee Bermejo. The release date of this first volume in the series is scheduled for November 2012.

"We're thrilled to be adapting this incredible story into a series of graphic novels," Vertigo Executive Editor Karen Berger said in a statement. "Denise, Lee, Leonardo and Andrea have such great passion for the material and stylistically they're a perfect match to bring it to comics life. Their beautifully dark and visceral work will certainly blow us all away."

There are at least two other versions being considered, one by Belgian publisher Dupuis for the European market (a nine-volume adaptation, scheduled for release later this year), and the other a manga from Japan.

Crime Novelist Reginald Hill Has Died

The Guardian is reporting that crime novelist Reginald Hill has died. He was 75.

Hill is probably best known for his long-running series of DS Andy Dalziel and DI Peter Pascoe police procedurals set in Yorkshire, the characters of which appeared in 12 seasons of Dalziel and Pascoe on BBC.

Hill also wrote another series featuring private investigator Joe Sixsmith and a large number of stand-alones, including several under the pen name Patrick Ruell.

His books have won numerous literary mystery awards worldwide, and in 1995 he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement (Diamond Dagger) Award by the Crime Writers' Association.

Ian Rankin paid tribute to Hill, saying, "His plotting was elegant and his characters were larger than life," adding "[he was a] traditional crime writer, but with a modern sensibility."

(Related article: The Guardian.)

Film Adaptation of Robert Ludlum's The Sigma Protocol Gets New Screenwriters

Every couple of months or so film adaptations of one or more of Robert Ludlum's non-Bourne thrillers get an update. (The Bourne novels are in a category all to their own.) The lastest news is that The Sigma Protocol is getting a team of new screenwriters: Irwin Winkler — who will also produce with Captivate Entertainment, which owns the rights to Ludlum's books — and Jose Ruisanchez.

Published in 2001 just months after the author's death, The Sigma Protocol is a stand-alone … though the studio hopes its adaptation may serve as the first of a franchise. In the book, Ben Hartman is vacationing in Zurich, Switzerland when he chances upon his old friend Jimmy Cavanaugh—a madman who’s armed and programmed to assassinate. In a matter of minutes, six innocent bystanders are dead. So is Cavanaugh. But when his body vanishes, and his weapon mysteriously appears in Hartman’s luggage, Hartman is plunged into an unfathomable nightmare. Meanwhile, Anna Navarro, field agent for the Department of Justice, has been asked to investigate the sudden, random deaths of eleven men throughout the world. The only thing that connects them? A secret file, over a half-century old, that’s linked to the CIA—and is marked with the same puzzling codename: Sigma. As Anna follows the connecting thread—and Hartman finds himself on the run—she ends up in the shadows of a relentless killer who is one step ahead of her … victim by victim. Now, she and Hartman together must uncover the diabolical secrets long held behind Sigma. It will threaten everything they think they know about themselves—and confirm their very worst fears …

"What we are really hoping to do is create a franchise, built around this ordinary guy who gets caught up in international intrigue, and who teams with this operative who is declared a rogue by the CIA," said Winkler. "Unlike Bourne, who is a trained assassin, this is an innocent guy traveling in Europe who gets in way over his head. And it has all the great Ludlum intrigue."

(Related article: Deadline.)

Twisted Perception by Bob Avey is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Twisted Perception by Bob Avey 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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Twisted Perception by Bob Avey
A Kenny Elliot Mystery
Publisher: Deadly Niche Press

About Twisted Perception (from the publisher): Porter, Oklahoma, holds a dark secret — and troublesome dreams plague Tulsa Police Detective, Kenny Elliot, who grew up in the small town. When a bizarre murder catapults Elliot into his past, he's brought face-to-face with the fabric of his nightmares.

A shiny necklace dangles from the rear-view mirror of the vehicle where Lagayle Zimmerman, the victim, is discovered. Nine years earlier, in Porter, a similar necklace swung from the mirror of a Mustang that harbored the mutilated bodies of Elliot's friends, Jonathan Alexander (Johnnie Boy), and Marcia Barnes. Most of the town believed Elliot killed his classmates, but no arrest was ever made.

Risking his job and his sanity, Elliot digs into his past to solve the murders and expose the truth.

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.

Death of an Obnoxious Tourist by Maria Hudgins is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Death of an Obnoxious Tourist by Maria Hudgins 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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Death of an Obnoxious Tourist by Maria Hudgins
A Dotsy Lamb Travel Mystery
Publisher: Five Star

This first in a series of three mysteries (to date) introduces history professor and amateur sleuth Dotsy Lamb.

About Death of an Obnoxious Tourist (from the publisher): Dotsy Lamb, history professor and recently divorced empty-nester, and her friend Lettie are on a group tour of Italy when an obnoxious woman traveling with her two sisters is murdered in her Florence hotel room. Dotsy enlists the aid of the scatty but observant Lettie and hooks up with the attractive carabinieri captain in charge of the investigation.

The killer may be a member of their tour group, a gypsy from a nearby camp, or any of four other people they've met since their arrival. There are motives galore. The murdered tourist has insulted practically everyone, her sisters have a monetary interest, and there may be a drug connection.

This story takes the group from Milan to Venice, Florence, and Capri.

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.

Hollywood Scandals by Gemma Halliday is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Hollywood Scandals by Gemma Halliday 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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Hollywood Scandals by Gemma Halliday
A Hollywood Headlines Mystery
Publisher: CreateSpace

Originally published in 2009 as Scandal Sheet, this series of mysteries by the author of the "High Heels" mysteries — where high crime meets high fashion — features characters working for the tabloid magazine L. A. Informer.

About Hollywood Scandals (from the publisher): Tina Bender is the gossip columnist at the infamous L. A. Informer tabloid. She knows everything about everyone who's anyone. And she's not afraid to print it. That is, until she receives a threatening note, promising, "If you don't stop writing about me, you're dead." Teaming with a built bodyguard, a bubbly blonde, and an alcoholic obituary writer, Tina sets out to uncover just which juicy piece of Hollywood gossip is worth killing over.

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 "87th Precinct" Series by Ed McBain is Today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The "87th Precinct" Series by Ed McBain as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal. The deal price of $0.99 per book is valid only for today, Friday, January 13, 2012.

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The "87th Precinct" Series by Ed McBain
The 87th Precinct Series
Thomas & Mercer

Master crime novelist Ed McBain's "87th Precinct" is one of the longest-running crime series ever published and helped McBain earn the Mystery Writers of America's "Grand Master Award" for lifetime achievement. Today only, 35 Kindle editions from the series are just $0.99 each.

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 — Available 01/13/2012 only.