No Game for a Dame by M. Ruth Myers is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature No Game for a Dame by M. Ruth Myers 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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No Game for a Dame
M. Ruth Myers
A Maggie Sullivan Mystery
Publisher: Tuesday House

Private eye Maggie Sullivan knows the streets of Depression-era Dayton, Ohio, as well as she knows an emery board. With a gin bottle in her desk, a .38 under her seat, and a great pair of legs she can hold her own against the toughest opponent.

Then a routine case makes her a murder suspect and the target of a crime boss who's got friends at City Hall.

Moving through a landscape where people line up at soup kitchens, Maggie draws information from sources others overlook: The waitress at the dime store lunch counter where she has breakfast; a corner newsboy; a nightclub cigarette girl in the rooming house where she lives. She shifts to a war of wits when she wants something from her shutterbug pal on the evening paper or the new cop teamed with her late father's partner.

Before Maggie finds all the answers she needs, she's drugged and left in a ditch, has tea in the kitchen of a local cathouse and gambles her own life to save two others.

  

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.

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

The Third Coincidence by David Bishop is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Third Coincidence by David Bishop 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 Third Coincidence
David Bishop
A Jack McCall Mystery
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

Headlines scream across the nation as a country in near panic pleads for the capture of the killers. With little progress, U.S. President Samuel Schroeder asks Jack McCall, a veteran of the CIA and Defense Intelligence, to head up a special multi-agency task force to find the killers. A frustrated and unhappy FBI designates, as its representative, Rachel Johnstone, an agent with whom Jack has had some personal history.

The Third Coincidence unfolds amidst continued assassinations, accusations that the president is attempting to form his own secret police, and confirmation hearings for reluctant nominees to fill the vacant positions while the Supreme Court struggles to sustain a quorum. Will a terrorist group or a mad assassin succeed in destroying these revered intuitions?

  

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.

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

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending August 10, 2012

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending August 10th, 2012 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Yet another week with the stand-alone thriller Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn sitting atop the list.

No new titles enter the list this week. However, in situations like this, we typically feature the highest placing new book (position in parentheses).

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(17): A Foreign Country
Charles Cumming

On the vacation of a lifetime in Egypt, an elderly French couple are brutally murdered. Days later, a meticulously-planned kidnapping takes place on the streets of Paris. Amelia Levene, the first female Chief of MI6, has disappeared without a trace, six weeks before she is due to take over as the most influential spy in Europe. It is the gravest crisis MI6 has faced in more than a decade.

Desperate not only to find her, but to keep her disappearance a secret, Britain’s top intelligence agents turn to one of their own: disgraced MI6 officer Thomas Kell. Tossed out of the Service only months before, Kell is given one final chance to redeem himself — find Amelia Levene at any cost. The trail leads Kell to France and Tunisia, where he uncovers a shocking secret and a conspiracy that could have unimaginable repercussions for Britain and its allies. Only Kell stands in the way of personal and political catastrophe.

          

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This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Television and Film on Blu-ray Disc (120809)

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.

Telemystery: A Welcome Grave by Michael Koryta Optioned by CBS

CBS Television has optioned the rights to Michael Koryta's third "Lincoln Perry" mystery, A Welcome Grave, with the intent of developing a series around its character.

Lincoln Perry was introduced in 2004 in the winner of the St. Martin's Press Best Private Eye Novel Contest, Tonight I Said Goodbye. The most recent in the series, The Silent Hour, was published in 2009.

The ebook formats of A Welcome Grave are currently priced by the publisher, Minotaur Books, at a discounted price of $2.99.

(Related article: Deadline.)

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A Welcome Grave
Michael Koryta
A Lincoln Perry Mystery (3rd in series)

Once a rising star on the Cleveland police force, Lincoln Perry ended his career when he left one of the city's prominent attorneys, Alex Jefferson, bleeding in the parking lot of his country club — retribution for his affair with Perry's fiancée.

Now Jefferson is dead, the victim of a brutal murder, and his widow has called upon Perry for a favor he knows he shouldn't accept but can't turn down: to find Jefferson's estranged son, partial beneficiary of the dead man's fortune. The case is simple enough, a routine "locate", and he'll be paid plenty of money for the work. The encounter should be simple, too: a brief exchange of information and maybe an empty condolence before Perry gets back into his truck and returns home. Instead, he's loaded into a police car and taken to a rural jail while Jefferson's son is zipped into a body bag.

Perry soon learns that Jefferson's millions are the target of a thirst for revenge that hasn't been satisfied by blood. As a pair of deadly assailants push deep into the investigator's life, they bring with them police from two states who are determined to see Perry in jail.

      

Important Note: Any prices mentioned above were correct 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.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120809)

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.

Dexter Season 7 Poster

The seventh season poster for Dexter has been released by Showtime (right; click for slightly larger image). The tagline: "He saw. She saw. It's all on the table."

Based on a character created by Jeff Lindsay, who has featured him in series of novels, the most recent of which is Double Dexter, the series stars Michael C. Hall as the Miami forensic blood spatter expert … and a serial killer.

Dexter Season 7 premieres on Sunday, September 30th at 9 PM (ET/PT) on Showtime.

The Mystery Bookshelf: Dancing with the Demons by Peter Tremayne, a Sister Fidelma of Cashel Mystery

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.

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The Chalice of Blood by Peter Tremayne
A Sister Fidelma of Cashel Mystery (21st in series)
St. Martin's Minotaur (Trade Paperback)
Publication Date: August 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1-250-00407-9

About The Chalice of Blood (from the publisher): Ireland AD 670: When an eminent scholar is found murdered in his cell in the Abbey of Lios Mor, fear spreads among his brethren. His door was secured from the inside, with no other means of exit. How did the murderer escape? And what was the content of the manuscripts apparently stolen from the scholar's room?

Abbot Iarnla insists on sending for Sister Fidelma and her companion Brother Eadulf to investigate the killing. But even before they reach the abbey walls, there is an attempt on their lives. As the mystery deepens, Fidelma and Eadulf must also wrestle with problems of their own, problems which threaten to separate them forever …

Purchase Options for The Chalice of Blood:

  

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About the author: Peter Tremayne is the fiction pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis, a renowned scholar on the Ancient Celts and the Irish. As Tremayne, he is best known for his stories and novels featuring 7th century Irish religieuse Fidelma of Cashel. He lives in London. Visit his website based on the series character at SisterFidelma.com.

New Banner for Skyfall

A new banner-sized poster for the upcoming James Bond thriller Skyfall has been released by the studio (below; click for larger image) and we're not feeling any energy from this at all.

OK, we get that the marketing folks are trying to introduce us to the characters. There's Bond (Daniel Craig), the femme fatale Severin (Bérénice Marlohe), the villain Silva (Javier Bardem), but who is the fourth person with a gun in her hand? We think it is Eve (Naomie Harris), but we're at all sure what her character role is. (She may be the 00-agent who "kills" Bond in the trailer; it's a little hard to tell.)

No update to the brief synopsis that's been around for a while: "Bond's loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost."

Directed by Sam Mendes from a screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan, Skyfall opens in theaters November 9th.

Review: Macbeth by A. J. Hartley and David Hewson

A Mysterious Review of …

Macbeth by A. J. Hartley and David Hewson.

Review summary: The authors take William Shakespeare's tragedy of regicide and its aftermath, filling in and expanding on the storyline, in an authentic and generally enjoyable novelization of the classic tale, enhanced by strong character development and an atmospheric setting. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Macbeth
A. J. Hartley and David Hewson
Thomas & Mercer (May 2012)

Publisher synopsis: Set in eleventh-century Scotland, this novel is rich with ancient clans battling fiercely against one another and against the foreign marauders raiding their borders. Macbeth, Lord of Moray, and his wife, Skena, are loyal patriots, willing to kill or be killed to protect the Scottish kingdom. Yet the greatest danger to their beloved homeland is proving to be the king himself, Duncan, whose corrupt, bloody reign threatens to destroy the country. After Macbeth meets a trio of witches, the frustrated hero begins to think that perhaps Scotland needs a new king — him. But what begins as a plan fueled by the best of intentions soon spirals into murder, treachery, and personal collapse.

  

Get a Better Read on Conspiracy This Month from Amazon

Get a better read on conspiracy during August 2012 with a selected list of action-packed titles filled with tangled deceptions that build to shocking finales.

Try these mysteries and thrillers full of conspiracies from Amazon Publishing for $4.99 or less on Kindle and up to 60% off in print. Featured authors include Sean Chercover, Kyle Mills, J. C. Carleson, J. Gregory Smith, and David Lender.

Tears in Tripoli by Paul A. Rice is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Tears in Tripoli by Paul A. Rice 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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Tears in Tripoli
Paul A. Rice
A Jake Collins Mystery
Publisher: FeedARead.com Publishing

This is the first mystery in this series.

Providing security for international media teams is old-hat for Jake Collins. He's been there and he's done that. However, his latest little jaunt, one that sees him travelling right into the heart of Libya, soon turns out to be a trip with a difference.

The day after Jake arrives in Libya, the rebel assault upon the heart of Tripoli begins. The destruction of Colonel Gadaffi's compound, a giant, walled village in the heart of the troubled city, is the Rebel's only goal, and they will not be stopped. Jake soon finds himself in the thick of the fighting, racing through the war-torn streets of Tripoli with a camera crew under his wing. It's never easy trying to stay alive in a world ripped-apart by revolution and madness, especially when some people seem absolutely determined to get themselves killed.

Finding himself surrounded by death and love, sadness and joy, it seems to JC that there are enough tears in Tripoli for a man to drown in. Jake Collins doesn't do tears, and he's not that keen on drowning, either.

  

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.

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

Footnote to Murder by L. A. Taylor is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Footnote to Murder by L. A. Taylor 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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Footnote to Murder
L. A. Taylor
Publisher: FTL Books

This long out of print mystery was initially published by Walker in 1983.

Marge Brock is a divorced mother of three teenagers trying to make a living in Boston as a researcher. When an author hires her to research unsolved murders, she is grateful for the assignment. However, as she gathers information about a series of unsolved murders in Great Britain and in Boston, she begins to wonder whether one of the members of the circle of friends that she had in Great Britain, and now has in Boston, might be the killer.

Her suspicions only increase as she begins to notice that she is being followed, and her apartment is broken into and ransacked. Can she find out who the killer is before she becomes a victim herself?

  

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.

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

Kill Smartie Breedlove by Joni Rodgers is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Kill Smartie Breedlove by Joni Rodgers 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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Kill Smartie Breedlove
Joni Rodgers
Publisher: Stella Link Books

Recently widowed private dick Shep Hartigate, a dishonored cop reduced to chasing cheating spouses for a ruthless Houston divorce lawyer, teams up with free-spirited pulp fiction writer Smartie Breedlove to find out who’s killing the inconvenient exes of Texas—including Smartie’s BFF, Charma Bovet, a centerfold with a heart of gold.

Could Shep’s gorgeous but unscrupulous employer really have a secret bimbo/mimbo hit list? Or is Smartie Breedlove a few peeps shy of an Easter basket?

A colorful cast of problematic lovers, long-suffering family, and stalwart friends (both two-legged and four-legged) close ranks around Smartie and Shep as they sift clues and maneuver to stay alive. Calling on her longtime companions Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Daphne du Maurier, Smartie finds a roadmap to the hard-boiled plot twists and U-turns drawing her perilously close to a damaging past that left her scarred and now threatens to destroy her.

  

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.

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

Nominees for the 2012 Davitt Awards Announced

The nominees (short list) for the 2012 Davitt Awards were announced earlier today the Sisters in Crime Australia. The awards recognize the best in crime fiction and true crime written by Australian women.

The winners will be announced at the Gala Annual Davitt Award Dinner at the Celtic Club in Melbourne on Saturday, September 1st, 2012.

Best Adult Fiction …
• Beyond Fear by Jaye Ford (Bantam)
• A Decline in Prophets by Sulari Gentill (Pantera Press)
• Death and the Spanish Lady by Carolyn Morwood (Pulp Fiction Press)
• Love Honour & O'Brien by Jennifer Rowe (Allen & Unwin)
• The Courier's New Bicycle by Kim Westwood (Harper Voyager)
• Shattered Sky by Helene Young (Hachette)

Best Children's/Young Adult's Fiction …
• The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky (Allen & Unwin)
• Dangerously Placed by Nansi Kunze (Random House)
• Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay (Walker Books)

Best True Crime …
• The Australian Book of Family Murders by Wendy Lewis (Pier 9/Murdoch Books)
• Cold Case Files: Past Crimes Solved by New Forensic Science by Liz Porter (Pan/Macmillan)