Stump Speech Murder by Patricia Rockwell is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Stump Speech Murder by Patricia Rockwell as today's second free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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Stump Speech Murder by Patricia Rockwell
A Pamela Barnes, Acoustic Mystery
Publisher:

This is the fourth, and most recent — just published this month — mystery in this series featuring Professor Pamela Barnes, an expert in acoustics.

About Stump Speech Murder (from the publisher): James Grant, a young politician with everything going for him, including the most recent polls, gives a rousing stump speech in a local park. His campaign for mayor against the entrenched incumbent looks unstoppable. That is, until the police discover him standing over his wife’s dead body with the murder weapon in his hands. It certainly looks as if James is guilty.

But psychologist and acoustics expert Pamela Barnes has other ideas — and they include helping this young man prove his innocence and succeed in his bid for mayor. Can Pamela’s knowledge of sound help her find the real killer and exonerate James? Or will this young politician’s most recent stump speech be his last?

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

A Smudge of Gray by Jonathan Sturak is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Smudge of Gray by Jonathan Sturak as today's free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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A Smudge of Gray by Jonathan Sturak
Publisher: Pendan Publishing

About A Smudge of Gray (from the publisher): Detective Brian Boise is about to embark on the biggest case of his career. After being thrust into law enforcement on the footsteps of his father, Detective Boise finds himself on the trail of a murder suspect he could never have imagined, the mysterious businessman, Trevor Malloy.

Trevor is an irresistible hit-man with everything going for him, while Detective Boise is a cutthroat detective going against the grain. These two men, both breadwinners and keystones of their families, play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. They are a contrast of each other and as their game progresses, their worlds contort and the line between black and white blurs.

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

Nominees for the 2011 Agatha Awards Announced

The nominees for the 2011 Agatha Awards have been announced by Malice Domestic for books published during 2011 that honor the "traditional mystery." The winners will be announced at the Agatha Awards banquet to be held on Saturday, April 28, 2012, during Malice Domestic conference.

Best Novel
• The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews
• The Diva Haunts the House by Krista Davis
• Wicked Autumn by G. M. Malliet
• Three Day Town by Margaret Maron
• A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

Best First Novel
• Dire Threads by Janet Bolin
• Choke by Kaye George
• Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry
• Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab
• Tempest in the Tea Leaves by Kari Lee Townsend

Best Non-Fiction
• Books, Crooks and Counselors by Leslie Budewitz
• Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making by John Curran
• On Conan Doyle by Michael Dirda
• Wilkie Collins, Vera Caspary and the Evolution of the Casebook Novel by A. B. Emrys
• The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris

Best Short Story
• "Disarming" (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, June 2011) by Dana Cameron
• "Dead Eye Gravy" (Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology) by Krista Davis
• "Palace by the Lake" (Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology) by Daryl Wood Gerber
• "Truth and Consequences" (Mystery Times Ten) by Barb Goffman
• "The Itinerary" (WMA Presents the Rich and the Dead) by Roberta Isleib

Best Children's/Young Adult
• Shelter by Harlan Coben
• The Black Heart Crypt by Chris Grabenstein
• Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby
• The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey
• The Secret of the Skeleton Key by Penny Warner

Best Historical Novel
• Naught in Nice by Rhys Bowen
• Murder Your Darlings by J. J. Murphy
• Mercury's Rise by Ann Parker
• Troubled Bones by Jeri Westerson
• A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

indicates a review by Mysterious Reviews.

Review: The Eden Prophecy by Graham Brown

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Eden Prophecy by Graham Brown.

The Cart Before the Corpse by Carolyn McSparren is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Cart Before the Corpse by Carolyn McSparren as today's third free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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The Cart Before the Corpse by Carolyn McSparren
A Merry Abbott, Carriage Driving Mystery
Publisher: Belle Books

This is the first mystery (of two to date) in this series, which introduces Georgia horse trainer Merry Abbott.

About The Cart Before the Corpse (from the publisher): Famous southern carriage-horse trainer Hiram Lackland, a handsome widower, dies mysteriously after retiring to a farm outside Mossy Creek. His estranged daughter, Merry Abbott, also a horse trainer, arrives to settle his estate. But Merry quickly plunges into bit-chomping dilemmas when her father's friend and landlord, mystery-novel maven Peggy Caldwell, insists he was murdered.

Before Merry can so much as snap a buggy rein, a handsome and annoying GBI investigator, Geoff Madison, is on her case. Then there's the troublesome donkey: Don Qui. Short for Don Quixote. And the fact that Hiram was teaching all of Mossy Creek's lonely women how to — ahem — drive his carriage.

Can Merry rein in the truth? What kind of horse play was her rakish dad involved in, and why would someone want to giddy-yup him into an early grave?

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

Indie Crime Comedy/Thriller Thin Ice Opens Friday, February 17th

The indie crime comedy/thriller Thin Ice opens for a limited engagement in theaters this Friday, February 17th.

Greg Kinnear stars as Mickey Prohaska, a small-time insurance agent looking for a way to jump-start his business, reunite with his estranged wife and escape the frigid Wisconsin weather. This self-proclaimed master of spin believes that salesmanship is about selling a story — all he needs is a sucker willing to buy it. He hits pay dirt with a lonely retired farmer (Alan Arkin), who is sitting on something much bigger than an insurance commission. But Mickey's attempt to con the old man spins out of control when a nosy, unstable locksmith with a volatile temper (Billy Crudup) dramatically ups the stakes, trapping him in a spiral of danger, deceit and double-crossing.

Directed by Jill Sprecher from a script co-written with her sister Karen Sprecher, the film — which was originally titled The Convincer — runs 93 minutes and is rated R for for language, and brief violent and sexual content. Watch a trailer for Thin Ice below.

Michael Jahn's Bill Donovan Mysteries

Photo courtesy of Michael Jahn

We recently had a chance to talk with Edgar Award-winning crime novelist Michael Jahn, who recently began releasing Kindle editions of his "Bill Donovan" mysteries under the series title "Michael Jahn's New York City Mysteries". Ten books in the series were originally published between 1982 and 2008.

Four of the titles are currently available: Murder on Theatre Row, Murder in Central Park, Murder on the Waterfront, and Murder in Coney Island. "I'm doing a George Lucas and Kindling them out of sequence," he says. "I'd like to claim there was some grand artistic vision involved in the sequencing, but to be honest they're the ones for which I have decent digital files. Most of the rest were written on a typewriter and I'll have to scan them. I'm putting it off as long as possible." These books are among the middle ones, for which the on-going story is less important, he adds.

Michael's family has been in New York for over 370 years, so don't take lightly his claim to know the terrain better than most mystery writers. A New York Times veteran whose syndicated column was published widely across America, Jahn's Bill Donovan mysteries detail the adventures of this brilliantly intuitive NYPD homicide detective; his wealthy, multiracial, defense attorney wife (who has a secret so deep not even she knows it); the beloved handicapped son who rapidly is becoming a part of Donovan's investigations; his associate, the muscle-bound wisecracking ("Groucho Marx with a nuclear weapon") detective and Brooklyn booster Brian Moskowitz; and his one-time lover, the endearingly raucous Cuban barmaid Rosie. The city itself is also a character, as is its endless supply of amazing locales and occasionally murderous eccentrics.

A simple, shared cover design is being used for these new editions (below; click for more information about each of the books).

To learn more about Michael Jahn and his work, visit his author page on Amazon.com.

Hurt Machine by Reed Farrel Coleman is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Hurt Machine by Reed Farrel Coleman as today's second free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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Hurt Machine by Reed Farrel Coleman
A Moe Prager Mystery
Publisher: Tyrus Books

Another repeat freebie from December 2011, this is the 7th and most recent title in this series featuring the ex-NYPD cop, now private investigator. In our review of the book, we said, "The cleverly devised murder mystery plot … is one of the best, maybe the best, of the year."

About Hurt Machine (from the publisher): At a pre-wedding party for his daughter Sarah, Moe Prager is approached by his ex-wife and former PI partner Carmella Melendez. It seems Carmella's estranged sister Alta has been murdered, but no one in New York City seems to care. Why? Alta, a FDNY EMT, and her partner had months earlier refused to give assistance to a dying man at a fancy downtown eatery. Moe decides to help Carmella as a means to distract himself from his own life-and-death struggle. Making headway on the case is no mean feat as no one, including Alta's partner Maya Watson, wants to cooperate. Moe chips away until he discovers a cancer roiling just below the surface, a cancer whose symptoms include bureaucratic greed, sexual harassment, and blackmail. But is any of it connected to Alta's brutal murder?

Read our review of Hurt Machine by Reed Farrel Coleman.

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

The St. Paul Conspiracy by Roger Stelljes is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The St. Paul Conspiracy by Roger Stelljes as today's free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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The St. Paul Conspiracy by Roger Stelljes
A Mac McRyan Mystery
Publisher: North Star Press/Roger Stelljes

This repeat freebie from December 2011 is the first title in this series, which introduces the St. Paul homicide detective.

About The St. Paul Conspiracy (from the publisher): The morning after Halloween the city of St. Paul awakens to find that a serial killer terrorizing the blue-collar working women of University Avenue has struck for the fifth time. The citizens of St. Paul are on edge.

For thirty-two-year-old fourth-generation St. Paul Homicide Detective Michael McKenzie "Mac" McRyan, his day was going to be less stressful. His day would involve paper work, coffee, and maybe even an early trip to the pub. Then his cell phone tells him his day is about to change. A body has been found in a high-end condominium between Summit and Grand Avenues; and it's not just anyone.

"Your day just got worse," Mac tells his captain.

The victim is Claire Daniels, the Twin Cities' most prominent political and investigative reporter. Claire was stunningly attractive. She had blonde hair, blue eyes and a curvaceous body she worked on relentlessly. Claire was the desire of every man in town.

With the Daniels murder on top of the latest serial killer attack, the political and media pressure on the St. Paul Police Department only builds and places Mac in the middle of a dangerous and high-stakes murder investigation that will ultimately have national political and security implications.

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

Ice Age by Brian Freemantle is Today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Ice Age by Brian Freemantle as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal. The deal price of $0.99 is valid only for today, Wednesday, February 15, 2012.

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Ice Age by Brian Freemantle
Publisher: Severn House

This is the first stand-alone thriller from the author of the Charlie Muffin spy novels.

About Ice Age (from the publisher): As the polar ice caps melt, scientists prepare for slowly rising sea levels. But there is a far more urgent threat, hitherto unimaginable, which in a matter of months—not decades—may destroy civilization as we know it.

A polar research station has gone quiet, and the crew that investigates finds four corpses—their bones arthritic, their skin withered, their hair reduced to tattered wisps. They are the bodies of the four scientists manning the station—none of them over forty-five years old. A terrifying virus, which causes adults to race to old age, has emerged from the ice where it has been locked since prehistoric times. Against such an ancient illness man has no immunity, and unless someone can stop it, the Earth is about to be swept clean by history’s deadliest plague.

Important Note: Amazon.com updates its Kindle book deal every day at approximately midnight PT. The title referenced above is available at a discounted price for Wednesday, February 15, 2012 only.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

Telemystery: NBC Orders Pilot for Crime Drama Notorious

In other news from NBC tonight — we earlier reported on the network ordering a crime thriller adapted from Thomas Harris's Red Dragon — a pilot has been ordered for a suspense series that sounds suspiciously like ABC's Revenge … our favorite new show of this season.

Titled Notorious — no relationship to the Hitchcock classic — the potential series features a female detective returning uncover, as a maid's daughter, to the wealthy family in which she grew up in order to solve the murder of an heiress, who was once her closest friend. Liz Heldens (Friday Night Lights, Prime Suspect … the US version) will write the screenplay and serve as co-executive producer.

(Related article: The Hollywood Reporter.)

NBC Orders Crime Thriller Adapted from Thomas Harris's Red Dragon

NBC is bypassing the whole "let's make a pilot and then decide if we want a series"-process and ordering a 13-episode crime drama based on Thomas Harris's 1981 novel Red Dragon.

Though Hannibal Lecter is probably best known as a character in the multi-Academy Award winning film The Silence of the Lambs, he was actually introduced seven years earlier in Red Dragon. Indeed, the official log line from NBC for its series is, "One-hour contemporary thriller series featuring the classic characters from Thomas Harris's novel Red Dragon — FBI agent Will Graham and his mentor Dr. Hannibal Lecter — who are re-introduced at the beginning of their budding relationship."

Here's a synopsis of the book from the publisher: Will Graham stands in a silent, empty house communing with a killer. An FBI instructor with a gift for hunting madmen, Graham knows what his murderer looks like, how he thinks, and what he did to his victims after they died. Now Graham must try to catch him. But to do it, he must feel the heat of a killer's brain, draw on the macabre advice of a dangerous mental patient, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and follow a trail of microscopic clues to the place where another family has already been chosen to die — and where an innocent woman has found the Dragon first.

Jonny Lee Miller to play Sherlock Holmes in CBS's Elementary

Way back in 2008 when we reported that BBC had ordered a "contemporary update of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classics" we were — to say the least — not thrilled. This series turned out to be Sherlock and in our review of its first season, we called it "superb", adding that it was "creative and innovative with well written scripts and a great look yet still respect[ed] the characters originally created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle more than 100 years ago."

Now CBS wants to do the same, and we're once again not thrilled. Last month the network ordered a pilot for Elementary, calling it "modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes, with Sherlock now living in New York City." Our response: "Ugh."

Yes, we know we're being hypocrites on the subject.

But CBS seems determined to move forward, announcing today its choice for Sherlock Holmes: Jonny Lee Miller. All things considered, and despite our reservations about the series as a whole, not a bad choice. He most recently appeared as a major character in the fifth season of Dexter (as Jordan Chase) and plays the role of Roger Collins in the upcoming film Dark Shadows.

There's still no guarantee that the pilot will convert to a series, but based on our experience with the BBC production, we're at least willing to keep a somewhat, sort of, open mind.

Teaser Poster for Second Season of Game of Thrones

This scarcely merits a post given how minimal it is, but HBO has released a teaser poster for the second season of Game of Thrones (right; click for larger version).

Adapted from the series of "A Song of Ice and Fire" epic fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin — we believe this second season will generally follow the storyline of A Clash of Kings, the second book in the series — Game of Thrones returns on April 1st, 2012.

Since there isn't much news here, we thought we'd close with a replay of the splendid opening credits, a sublime combination of visual and audio that sets a perfect tone for the series.

Annotated Trailer for Gyakuten Saiban, based on the Ace Attorney Video Games

Last year we saw a trailer for Gyakuten Saiban (逆転裁判), a Japanese film based on the Ace Attorney character from a series of Nintendo DS video games. We didn't understand a word of it, but thought the visuals striking.

The film opened this past weekend in Japan — apparently to packed theaters — and while poking around we came across that very same trailer, but one where someone had annotated it, translating the text, dialog and voice-over. We've embedded that trailer below.

Gyakuten Saiban loosely follows the storyline of the first game in the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Hiroki Narimiya stars as Ryūichi Naruhodō, a defense attorney also known as Phoenix Wright, who finds himself in the middle of a 15-year-old murder mystery.

We think the film looks amazing. The director, Miike Takashi, has indicated he is looking for a worldwide release of the film but we have no specific information on when, or even whether, it will be available in the US.