We've just published our Review of Bloodline by James Rollins. A SIGMA Force Thriller. William Morrow Hardcover, June 2012.
Our rating:
Available to purchase from …
Friday, July 13, 2012
Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120713)
Here is today's list of the Bestselling Free Kindle Crime Fiction: the top nine mysteries, novels of suspense, 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 click on the image to the right or use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com.
The Mystery Bookshelf: The Playdate by Louise Millar
The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a world of mystery and suspense, is pleased to feature a new crime novel we recently received from the publisher.
— ◊ —
The Playdate by Louise Millar
Atria Books (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: July 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1-4516-5667-1
About The Playdate (from the publisher): In a quiet London suburb, a group of mothers relies on each other for friendship, favors, and gossip. But some of them shouldn’t be trusted, and others have dark secrets.
When Callie moved into her new neighborhood, she thought it would be easy to fit in. The other parents have been strangely hostile, though, and her frail daughter Rae is finding it impossible to make friends. Suzy, with her rich husband and her three energetic children, has been the only one to reach out, although their friendship has recently felt inexplicably strained. Now the police have suggested that someone dangerous may be living in their neighborhood, and the atmosphere feels even more toxic. Then there’s the matter of Callie’s ex-husband, and the shocking truth behind their divorce … a truth that she would do anything to hide.
— ◊ —
About the author: Louise Millar was raised in Scotland and began her journalism career in music and film magazines. A former senior editor at Marie Claire, she has written for Red, Psychologies, Stella, the Observer, Glamour, Stylist, and The Guardian. She lives in London with her husband and daughters.
Purchase Options for The Playdate:
Lauren Carr, Author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries
We are delighted to welcome back crime novelist Lauren Carr.
Lauren is the author of two mystery series — with a third to come. Her most recent book is a "Mac Faraday" mystery, Shades of Murder (Acorn Book Services, May 2012 trade paperback and ebook editions).
Today Lauren tells us about her path to intrigue and mayhem. In addition to the contest she mentions within her post, she's also giving one of our readers a chance to win a copy of her new mystery; details below.
— ◊ —
How did you get started as an author? What was your first professional job as a writer? These are questions that authors are often asked by readers who are curious about what puts a seemingly normal person on the path to getting paid for writing about intrigue and mayhem.
Photo provided courtesy of
Lauren Carr
So, here is my story about what put me on my current path of writing about chaos, deception, and mayhem.
Back when I was in high school, students aspiring to go on to college took college preparatory classes, while those planning to go straight into working at the General Motors plant that employed most of Lordstown, Ohio, population and then some, didn't.
Since I had no intention of spending my life chained to an assembly line, but rather traveling the world writing murder mysteries like Agatha Christie, I took the college prep classes. I found one problem with this path. While I was studying how to format footnotes, those students training to work for General Motors were learning creative writing. For a future novelist, this seemed vastly unfair.
My friend Suzanne was the class mouse. Resembling Velma in Scooby Doo, she wore turtle neck sweaters that covered up all her flesh for fear of someone actually seeing her. Donning big coke bottle glasses, she would hide behind me in class and chastise me for raising my hand to answer questions because when people turned to look at me, they might actually see her cowering behind me.
So, you can imagine her state when she was informed that the term project for her creative writing class was to write a short story and read it out loud in front of the class.
Just in case you can't imagine: Suzanne fainted.
For weeks, my best friend fretted and whined while I drooled with envy. They got to use their imaginations while I was studying all the parts of a bibliography.
I tried to help her as best I could. I'd suggest, "Write about something interesting that happened to you."
"Nothing interesting ever happens to me," Suzanne would reply.
She was right there. The girl went to school and then home to watch reruns of The Brady Bunch. She wasn't allowed to watch The Partridge Family, which her mother considered too racy. She didn't go to school games, date, or leave her yard. This teenage girl had never even been to a pajama party or kissed a boy. Having never experienced anything, she had no material for a story.
As the deadline approached, Suzanne became more desperate while I got more jealous. "Write about your dog's flea problem."
"How can I write a whole story about my dog's fleas?" she asked.
My writer's imagination took off.
By the time D-Day arrived, Suzanne had nothing except hives.
I submitted a proposal for my first professional writing assignment. "Do you want me to write your story for you?"
"It's due after lunch," Suzanne whimpered.
"You go get my lunch and I'll write it."
With a deadline of one study hall and lunch period, I wrote her story. Suzanne paid for the project with a cheeseburger, fries, and diet Coke. Time was so short that she didn't even have time to read it before the teacher ordered her to the front of the room to read it out loud.
To her horror, the class roared with laughter while she read her short story about a girl tasked with writing a short story for her creative writing class. It was a story within a story. Her first story idea had been one about her dog's fleas, but she rejected that idea for yet another and then another idea until the deadline was upon her. Having rejected all other premises, she sat down to pen her short story entitled, "My Dog Has Fleas."
My classmates talked about it for days. They declared it hilarious and clever. Stating that it was unique, imaginative and well written, Suzanne's teacher gave my story an "A".
Suzanne ran home to lock her door, watch a rerun of Bonanza, and never spoke to me again. (There's always one critic.)
The rave reviews of the class and teacher spurred me on to write mysteries. This is what writers do. When the chips are down, we look to our successes to keep us going on the path we want to take toward literary success. While "My dog Has Fleas" wasn't a big assignment that garnered a big payoff, I clung to that little story and the praise from the audience to this day
Over three decades later, I am now the author of six murder mysteries.
Contest!
Until the end of July, readers can enter a contest to name the murder victim in Dead on Ice.
From June 1-July 31, I am holding a contest to Name the Porn Star! The winner will win autographed copies of all three Mac Faraday Mysteries, and a copy of Dead on Ice, which will be released Fall 2012. (E-pub or print, winner's choice. Print versions are only available for winners in the US)
This fall, Dead on Ice, the first installment in a new series entitled the "Lovers in Crime Mystery", will be released. This book brings back Joshua Thornton and Cameron Gates, who we first meet in Shades of Murder.
In Dead on Ice, Cameron Gates is tasked with solving the murder of a missing porn star. The case has a personal connection to Joshua because the star's mummified body is found in an abandoned freezer in his cousin's basement.
It doesn't take long for their investigation to reveal that the risqué Hollywood legend's roots were buried in their small rural town, something that she had kept off her show business bio. She should have kept it off her road map, too. Because when this starlet came running home from the mob in 1985, it proved to be a fatal homecoming.
The contest is to provide both a stage name (naughty is okay, but it must be clean) and the real name of the murder victim in Dead on Ice. E-mail your suggestions to me (writerlaurencarr@comcast.net). Put Name the Porn Star in the subject line. Please include contact information, including mailing address and phone number.
— ◊ —
Lauren Carr fell in love with mysteries when her mother read Perry Mason to her at bedtime. The first installment in the Joshua Thornton mysteries, A Small Case of Murder was a finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Award. A Reunion to Die For was released in hardback in June 2007. Both of these books are in re-release.
Lauren is also the author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. The first two books in this series are It's Murder, My Son and Old Loves Die Hard.
Lauren's sixth book, Dead on Ice, will be released in Fall 2012. Dead on Ice will introduce a new series entitled "Lovers in Crime", in which Joshua Thornton will join forces with homicide detective Cameron Gates.
The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This spring, two books written by independent authors will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services.
She lives with her husband, son, and two dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
You can visit with Lauren online at her website MysteryLady.net, her blog Literary Wealth, or on Facebook. And while on Facebook check out Gnarly's page!
— ◊ —
About Shades of Murder:
Question: What do you get the man with everything? Answer: When that man is the heir of the late mystery writer Robin Spencer, retired homicide detective Mac Faraday, you get him cold case to solve.
Mac Faraday is the heir to an unbelievable fortune. This time the benefactor is a stolen art collector. But this isn't just any stolen work-of-art — it's a masterpiece with a murder attached to it. Ilysa Ramsay was in the midst of taking the art world by storm with her artistic genius. Hours after unveiling her latest masterpiece — she is found dead in her Deep Creek Lake studio—and her painting is nowhere to be found.
Almost a decade later, the long lost Ilysa Ramsay masterpiece has found its way into Mac Faraday's hands and he can't resist the urge to delve into the case.
A world away, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; former JAG lawyer Joshua Thornton agrees to do a favor for the last person he would ever expect to do a favor — a convicted serial killer. The Favor: Solve the one murder wrongly attributed to him. Joshua finds an unexpected ally in Cameron Gates, a spunky detective who has reason to believe the young woman known to the media only as Jane Doe, Victim Number Four, was the victim of a copycat. Together, Joshua and Cameron set out to light a flame under the cold case only to find that someone behind the scenes wants the case to remain cold, and is willing to kill to keep it that way.
Little do these detectives know that the paths of their respective cases are on a collision course when they follow the clues to bring them together in a showdown with a killer who's got a talent for murder!
For a chance to win a copy of Shades of Murder, courtesy of the author, visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Lauren Carr: Mac Faraday Mysteries" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code — 8110 — for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends July 20th, 2012.)
Death Trance by R. D. Zimmerman is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Death Trance by R. D. Zimmerman 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.
— ◊ —
Death Trance by R. D. Zimmerman
An Alex Phillips Mystery
Publisher: ScribblePub
This is the first in a series of three mysteries originally published in the mid-1990s. R. D. Zimmerman is also the author of the Todd Mills mystery series.
About Death Trance (from the publisher): With the help of his sister Maddy, a forensic psychiatrist, Alex attempts to find the killer of the woman he loved. Using forensic hypnosis, they delve into Alex's past, reliving events and uncovering unseen clues. But as they approach the horrible truth, the events of the past catch up to the present, bringing both Alex and Maddy into very real danger.
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.
Presumption of Innocence by Stephen Penner is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Presumption of Innocence by Stephen Penner 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.
— ◊ —
Presumption of Innocence by Stephen Penner
A David Brunelle Mystery
Publisher: Ring of Fire Publishing
About Presumption of Innocence (from the publisher): Homicide prosecutor David Brunelle faces the most difficult case of his career when an innocent young girl is murdered in a heinous, unforgivable way. The only evidence against the killer is the full confession of his accomplice — another young girl he also victimized. But the accomplice is charged with the murder as well, which means she has the right to remain silent. And she's so scared of the killer, she refuses to take a deal to testify against him. Brunelle can't just let the murderer walk, but how can he get a conviction when he has no admissible evidence and the killer is protected by the presumption of innocence?
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.
Good Cop, Dead Cop by Jennifer Petkus is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Good Cop, Dead Cop by Jennifer Petkus 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.
— ◊ —
Good Cop, Dead Cop by Jennifer Petkus
An AfterNet Mystery
Publisher: Mallard Mysteries
About Good Cop, Dead Cop (from the publisher): Alex Munroe hated being dead, but he hated not being a cop even more. Luckily the discovery of the afterlife means death isn't quite the disability it once was and new technology has allowed him to partner with rookie cop Linda Yamaguchi. Of course technology still can't give him a physical body or the ability to interact with the billions of other dead people, except through the Internet. But technology has allowed Alex to expand his mind and access the world of information in ways he would have never thought possible when alive, which is a useful skill when the dead start to go missing, and it's up to Alex and Linda to solve the mystery of their disappearance.
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.
Hazardous Duty by Christy Barritt is Today's Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Hazardous Duty by Christy Barritt 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.
— ◊ —
Hazardous Duty by Christy Barritt
A Gabby St. Claire, Squeaky Clean Mystery
Publisher: Princeton Halls Press
This is the first mystery in this series.
About Hazardous Duty (from the publisher): Gabby St. Claire dropped out of school on her way to completing a degree in forensic science. Instead, she did the next best thing: she started her own crime scene cleaning business. When a routine cleaning job uncovers a murder weapon the police overlooked, she realizes that the wrong person is in jail. But the owner of the weapon is willing to do anything to keep Gabby quiet. With the help of her neighbor, Riley Thomas, Gabby plays detective. But can Riley help her before another murder occurs?
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.
Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending July 13, 2012
A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending July 13th, 2012 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.
No change at the top this week with the stand-alone thriller Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn remaining a solid number 1.
It's a busy summer week! Three new titles debut.
— ◊ —
In one of the highest debuts we've seen in a long time, the second book in the "All Souls Trilogy", Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, comes in at number 6.
Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.
Purchase Options:
— ◊ —
Three spots lower is the fifth "Michael Bennett" mystery, I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge.
Detective Michael Bennett arrests an infamous Mexican crime lord in a deadly chase that leaves Bennett's lifelong friend Hughie McDonough dead. From jail, the prisoner vows to rain epic violence down upon New York City-and to get revenge on Michael Bennett.
To escape the chaos, Bennett takes his ten kids and their beautiful nanny, Mary Catherine, on a much-needed vacation to his family's cabin near Newburgh, New York. But instead of the calm and happy town he remembers from growing up, they step into a nightmare worse than they could have ever imagined. Newburgh is an inferno of warring gangs, and there's little the police-or Bennett-can do to keep the children safe.
As violence overwhelms the state, Bennett is torn between protecting his hometown and saving New York City. A partner in his investigations, federal prosecutor Tara McLellan, brings him new weapons for the battle-and an attraction that endangers his relationship with Mary Catherine.
Purchase Options:
— ◊ —
Finally, at number 14 is the latest "FBI Suspense" thriller, Backfire by Catherine Coulter.
San Francisco Judge Ramsey Hunt, longtime friend to FBI agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich, is presiding over the trial of Clive and Cindy Cahill — accused in a string of murders — when the proceedings take a radical turn. Federal prosecutor Mickey O'Rourke, known for his relentless style, becomes suddenly tentative in his opening statement, leading Hunt to suspect he’s been threatened — suspicions that are all but confirmed when Hunt is shot in the back.
Savich and Sherlock receive news of the attack as an ominous note is delivered to Savich at the Hoover Building: YOU DESERVE THIS FOR WHAT YOU DID. Security tapes fail to reveal who delivered the tapes. Who is behind the shooting of Judge Ramsey Hunt? Who sent the note to Savich? And what does it all mean? Savich and Sherlock race to San Francisco to find out … watching their backs all the while.
Purchase Options:
— ◊ —
For more mystery books news, please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
First 2 Minutes of Dexter Season 7
If you don't want to see the first 2-plus minutes of the Season 7 premiere of Dexter, do not click the play button below!
But if you do, Showtime has released a scene that picks up right where Season 6 ended.
The new season begins September 30th.
Official Comic-Con Poster for Total Recall
The official Comic-con poster for Total Recall was released today (via Yahoo! Movies) — right; click for slightly larger image — that has the same basic image as the Swedish version we posted yesterday. The poster's tagline is also the same: "Is it real. Is it recall."
Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he's got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life — real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.
Directed by Len Wiseman from a screenplay by Mark Bomback, James Vanderbilt, and Kurt Wimmer, Total Recall opens in US theaters August 3rd, 2012.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
