The winners of the CWA International, Non-Fiction, Library, Short Story, Debut and Ellis Peters Historical Daggers were announced this evening by the Crime Writers' Association at an Awards Ceremony in the Library at One Birdcage Walk in London. These are the first "daggers" of the year, with the winners of the remaining awards — Gold, Ian Fleming Steel, and John Creasey (New Blood); links are to the longlists — being announced later this year.
In addition to the winners (below), thriller novelist Frederick Forsyth was recognized with the CWA Diamond Dagger for his life-long contributions to crime fiction.
• International: The Potter’s Field by Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli (Mantle)
• Non-Fiction: The Eleventh Day by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan (Doubleday)
• Library: Steve Mosby
• Short Story (tie): "Laptop" (Best Eaten Cold and other stories) by Cath Staincliffe (The History Press) and "The Message" (also Best Eaten Cold and other stories) by Margaret Murphy (The History Press)
• Debut: Beached by Sandy Gingras
• Ellis Peters Historical: Icelight by Aly Monroe (John Murray)
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Winners of the CWA Summer 2012 Daggers Announced
This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Television and Film Blu-ray Discs (120705)
Here is this week's list of the top bestselling mystery and suspense television and film Blu-ray discs available from Amazon.com.
We're using a script to embed an RSS feed from Amazon.com, which is frequently updated, but if you cannot see the box below — or have scripts blocked — you can use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com.
Review: The Wowzer by Frank Wheeler Jr.
We've just published our Review of The Wowzer by Frank Wheeler Jr.. Thomas & Mercer Trade Paperback, May 2012.
Our rating:
Available to purchase from …
Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120705)
Here is today's list of the top bestselling free Kindle mysteries, suspense novels and thrillers.
We're using a script to embed an RSS feed from Amazon.com, which is updated hourly, but if you cannot see the box below — or have scripts blocked — you can use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com.
Peter Leonard: All He Saw Was The Girl (excerpt)
We are delighted to feature crime novelist Peter Leonard as our guest blogger today with an excerpt from his new thriller All He Saw Was The Girl (The Story Plant, May 2012 trade paperback and ebook editions).
Peter is visiting with us courtesy of Partners in Crime Tours. We encourage you to take a look at the other participating sites; you can see his complete tour schedule here.
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Photo provided courtesy of
Peter Leonard
Excerpt from All He Saw Was The Girl …
Sharon was thinking, who was this guy lived in a five-thousand-square-foot house — not that his taste was any good — on Lake St. Clair, had nothing but leisure time or so it seemed?
He called her four, five times a day, said, "How you doing?"
And Sharon would say, "Same as I was when you called fifteen minutes ago."
"Baby, I miss you. Tell them you're sick, we'll go to the casino." Or he'd be at the track or a Tigers day game, he'd say, "I gotta see you. Take the afternoon off, I'll send a car."
She'd been going out with him for three weeks and it was getting serious. They'd meet at noon, check into a hotel a couple times a week and spend two hours in bed, screwing and drinking champagne. It was something, best sex she'd ever had in her life. He did things to her nobody had ever done before. She'd say, where'd you learn that? And he'd say, you inspire me, beautiful. The only bad thing, he called her Sharona, or my Sharona. Everything else was great so she let it go.
They'd take his boat out on Lake St. Clair and she'd sunbathe topless. Something she'd never done in her life and never imagined herself doing. She felt invigorated, liberated. He always told her she looked good, complimented her outfit. Showered her with gifts, bought her clothes and jewelry. She felt like a teenager again. They'd meet and talk and touch each other and kiss. She was happy for the first time in years. She had to be careful. Ray, the next time he came home, might notice something and get suspicious.Why're you so happy? she could hear him saying — like there was something wrong with it.
But this relationship with Joey also made her nervous. Things were happening too fast. She was falling for him and she barely knew him, and she was married.
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Peter Leonard has published four novels: Quiver, Trust Me, All He Saw Was The Girl, and Voices of the Dead. He lives in Birmingham, Michigan. For more information about the author and his books, visit his website at PeterLeonardBooks.com.
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About All He Saw Was The Girl:
Rome: McCabe and Chip, two American exchange students, are about to become embroiled with a violent street gang, a beautiful Italian girl and a flawed kidnapping plan.
Detroit: Sharon Vanelli's affair with Joey Palermo, a Mafia enforcer, is about to be discovered by her husband, Ray, a secret service agent.
As these two narratives converge, the reader is taken on a thrilling ride through the backstreets of Italy's oldest city.
Epiphany by David Hewson is Today's Fifth Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Epiphany by David Hewson as today's fifth 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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Epiphany by David Hewson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Originally published in 1996, this is the author's second stand-alone. He also writes the "Nic Costa" mystery series.
About Epiphany (from the publisher): A group of Californian students frequent a remote old house to experiment with LSD. One of them, Michael Quinn, is both highly intelligent and truly evil. The search for pleasure turns to nightmare when a child is killed. Quinn is responsible for this and other crimes, but implicates the others who include the gentle Paul Dunsany and the pragmatic Hal Jamieson. As the police net begins to close, it is Jamieson who leads the search for an escape.
Twenty years later, just as Quinn is unexpectedly released from jail, a mysterious young Englishwoman named Joni Lascelles begins to ask question that will unravel the past. She seeks out Dunsany. Does he want to get involved again in this dangerous business? In the end, he has no choice. Because as the trail leads back into the closed world of software mogul Hal Jamieson, it becomes apparent that the horror of the past is poised to engulf the present, leaving no one untouched by its power.
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):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
The Forgotten Mission by Gus Leodas is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Forgotten Mission by Gus Leodas as today's fourth 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 Forgotten Mission by Gus Leodas
A World War II Cold Case Mystery
Publisher: Kensington
About The Forgotten Mission (from the publisher): What was the deadly secret of Shuller's Land? The last crop on the Long Island farm was planted in 1942, the year the land died from the horror of that one long night. Decades later, the abandoned weathered barn that leaned precariously from old age still waited for a strong wind to complete the collapse before someone discovered its horrible secret.
Investigator Mitchell Pappas found artifacts at the farm belonging to World War II German spies. So began his mission to unravel the mystery of the forgotten farm and the disappearance of the spies and the farmer's teenage daughter, Melissa.
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):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
An Eye for Murder by Libby Fischer Hellmann is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature An Eye for Murder by Libby Fischer Hellmann 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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An Eye for Murder by Libby Fischer Hellmann
An Ellie Foreman Mystery
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
This is the first full-length mystery with this character. Ellie Foreman was introduced in the short-story, "The Day Miriam Hirsch Disappeared".
About An Eye for Murder (from the publisher): August, 1944, Prague is where the story begins with a seemingly casual exchange of information. But in wartime, is any act, any one thing, trivial? Decades later, in contemporary Chicago, the consequences emerge through the medium of television. Documentary filmmaker Ellie Foreman gets a letter prompted by the success of her show "Celebrate Chicago". One viewer was the elderly Ben Sinclair. When he suddenly dies, his landlady Mrs. Fleischman finds Ellie's name among his effects and writes to her. Ellie, who hasn't a clue about a connection to Ben, is curious. And she agrees to help dispose of Ben Sinclair's possessions. She became a filmmaker to help people tell their stories. The books and wartime relics Ben left behind — will they be enough to tell his?
All too soon, Mrs. Fleischman dies. Then Ben's things are stolen from Ellie's suburban home. The single mom, working to move past her ex, doesn't know what to think. But she has to scramble for work and is soon embroiled in producing a campaign video for a steel magnate running for a Republican seat in the Illinois Senate. Despite these distractions, Ellie stays focused on her odd link to the dead man and turns to her father, a retired lawyer with deep roots in Chicago's Jewish community, for insights into the mystery of Ben Sinclair. In time, a terrifying scenario develops that reaches back into several pasts. From the political present of the North Shore to the buried memories of the city's ethnic neighborhoods, the components of Ben's story eventually merge into an explosive climax.
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):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
The Kill by Jonas Saul is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Kill by Jonas Saul 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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The Kill by Jonas Saul
Publisher: Imagine Press
About The Kill (from the publisher): The son of the most ruthless Mafia boss in eastern Canada is killed, and the father wants revenge.
Darwin Kostas is a law-abiding Canadian, a writer with a new bride and a long list of phobias. His fear of the dark keeps him inside after the sun goes down. He also suffers from aichmophobia, an irrational fear of sharp and pointed objects. If confronted with a knife or a needle, his fear manifests as an out-of-control rage.
He's also the man who accidentally killed the heir to the Fuccini syndicate.
When the newlyweds honeymoon in Rome, a hit team follows. They keep waving things at Darwin — pointy things, like knives. He just can't control himself when that happens, and accidentally kills a few more "made men". The Mafia believes Darwin is a trained killer, hired to take them out, and declare all-out war on the neurotic novelist.
Darwin returns to Toronto, but the hits keep coming, the FBI closes in, and a local biker gang offers Darwin their help.
Darwin just wants to be left alone with a light on.
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):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
Cooking the Books by Bonnie S. Calhoun is Today's Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Cooking the Books by Bonnie S. Calhoun 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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Cooking the Books by Bonnie S. Calhoun
A Sloane Templeton Mystery
Publisher: Abingdon Press
This is the first mystery in this series.
About Cooking the Books (from the publisher): After her mother dies from a heart attack, Sloane Templeton goes from Cyber Crimes Unit to bookstore owner before she can blink. She also "inherits" a half-batty store manager; a strange bunch of little old people from the neighborhood who meet at the store once a week, but never read books, called the Granny Oakleys Book Club; and Aunt Verline, who fancies herself an Iron Chef when in reality you need a cast iron stomach to partake of her culinary disasters. And with a group like this you should never ask, "What else can go wrong?"
A lot! Sloane begins to receive cyber threats. While Sloane uses her computer forensic skills to uncover the source of the threats, it is discovered someone is out to kill her. Can her life get more crazy?
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):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Shortlist for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2012 Crime Novel of the Year Announced
The short list for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Crime Novel of the Year has been announced by the festival organizers. We're listing it below. The winner will be announced by a public vote and a panel of experts; online voting begins tomorrow, July 5th, and will run through July 17th. The winner will be announced on July 19th.
It was also announced that Colin Dexter would receive the Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award.
The 2012 shortlist …
• Now You See Me by S. J. Bolton (Transworld)
• Where the Bodies are Buried by Chris Brookmyre (Little, Brown)
• The Burning Soul by John Connolly (Hodder & Stoughton)
• The End of the Wasp Season by Denise Mina (Orion)
• Black Flowers by Steve Mosby (Orion)
• Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson (Transworld)
(Hat tip to Shots Magazine for alerting us that the shortlist had been published.)
Review: Mr. and Mrs. Bunny — Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath
We've just published our Review of Mr. and Mrs. Bunny — Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath. Schwartz & Wade Hardcover, February 2012.
Our rating:
Available to purchase from …
This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Television and Film on DVD (120704)
Here is this week's list of the top bestselling mystery and suspense television and film Blu-ray discs available from Amazon.com.
We're using a script to embed an RSS feed from Amazon.com, which is frequently updated, but if you cannot see the box below — or have scripts blocked — you can use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com.
Four e-Mysteries by Connie Shelton, Free during July 2012
MystereBooks is pleased to feature four e-mysteries by Connie Shelton that are available for free — when combined a coupon code; details below — courtesy of the author via Smashwords. Available formats include .mobi (Kindle), .epub (Nook, Sony, Apple), PDF, RTF, and more.
Three are the first books in her "Charlie Parker" series of mysteries; the fourth is the first in her newer "Samantha Sweet" series.
Important Note: All the titles in this post require that you use the coupon code SSWIN at checkout in order for the book to be repriced as free. This code is good through July 31st, 2012.
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Deadly Gamble by Connie Shelton
A Charlie Parker Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Smashwords
This first in a series was originally published in hardcover by Intrigue Press in 1995. Since then, the author has written nine other books plus a Christmas novella featuring the character. Connie Shelton is also the author of another mystery series featuring pastry chef — and amateur sleuth — Samantha Sweet.
About Deadly Gamble (from the publisher): Charlie Parker is a reluctant detective. As a partner in RJP Investigations, with her brother Ron, she really only intends to keep up the financial end of the business. He's supposed to be the investigator. But Stacy North, Charlie's former best friend, shows up and wants help in locating a missing watch, so Charlie agrees to help. When people start dying, Charlie knows she's in deep trouble.
Download Link(s):
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Vacations Can Be Murder by Connie Shelton
A Charlie Parker Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Smashwords
About Vacations Can Be Murder (from the publisher): Off to Kauai for a much-needed vacation, Charlie takes a helicopter tour with a gorgeous and fascinating pilot, Drake Langston. But partway through the tour they spot a body lying on the rocks below. When Drake's boss, Mack, is accused of murdering the victim, Charlie finds herself with another mystery to solve. Romance is in the air, too, as Charlie and Drake work together to find the answers.
Download Link(s):
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Partnerships Can Kill by Connie Shelton
A Charlie Parker Mystery (3rd in series)
Publisher: Smashwords
About Partnerships Can Kill (from the publisher): Charlie returns from her Hawaiian vacation to discover that her brother Ron is in love. But the younger woman, Vicky, seems manipulative and full of secrets. Meanwhile, Charlie offers to help a friend whose business partner apparently committed suicide. But did he? The questions get tricky as Charlie starts to investigate financial fraud and finds her own life on the line.
Download Link(s):
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Sweet Masterpiece by Connie Shelton
A Samantha Sweet Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Smashwords
Connie Shelton is also the author of the Charlie Parker mystery series. Sweet Masterpiece introduces pastry shop owner Samantha Sweet.
About Sweet Masterpiece (from the publisher): Samantha Sweet breaks into houses for a living — all perfectly legal as a caretaker for the USDA. But her real dream is to open her own pastry shop, Sweet's Sweets.
Life is a little crazy for Sam right now. At one of her break-in properties a dying woman insists that she take a small wooden box. Sam doesn't realize that the old woman was known locally as a bruja, a witch, until she begins to feel some strange effects from the box, herself.
Meanwhile, at another property, she finds an unmarked grave and the authorities come to investigate. The property owner disappeared a few months earlier and Sam wonders — who is the body in the grave? A small mural in the house leads to a connection with a famous artist; a bogus will points to possible fraud; and the handsome deputy investigating the case seems completely enchanted with Sam.
While Sam scrambles to fill bakery orders and keep her properties in order, she's equally intrigued with the idea of a new romance. It all makes for a delightful romantic mystery with elements of the paranormal.
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Savages Opens in Theaters Friday, July 6th
Savages. Opens in theaters July 06, 2012.
Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Aaron Johnson), a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and friend Chon (Taylor Kitsch), a former Navy SEAL, run a lucrative, homegrown industry — raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with Ophelia (Blake Lively). Life is idyllic in their Southern California town … until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them. When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Salma Hayek), and her enforcer, Lado (Benicio Del Toro), underestimate the unbreakable bond of the three friends, Ben and Chon — with the reluctant assistance of a dirty DEA agent (John Travolta) — wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.
Directed by Oliver Stone from a screenplay co-written with Don Winslow, from whose book the film was adapted, and Shane Salerno.
Running time: 140 minutes Rated R for strong brutal and grisly violence, some graphic sexuality, nudity, drug use and language throughout.
Watch a trailer for the film below:
