Mystery Godoku Puzzle for December 24, 2012

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now available on our website.

Godoku is similar to Sudoku, but uses letters instead of numbers. To give you a headstart, we provide you a mystery clue to fill in a complete row or column (if you choose to use it!).

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This week's letters and mystery clue:

A B C E I K L S T

The first Delta Force thriller by Dalton Fury has this title (9 letters).

We now have two weeks of our puzzles on one page in PDF format for easier printing. Print this week's puzzle here.

Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy the weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (121223)

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; as an alternative, you can click on the image to the right or use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com, which includes a list of both the Top 100 Paid and Top 100 Free Kindle Mysteries and Thrillers.

Six Mysteries from Bell Bridge Books is Today's Third Featured Set of Free MystereBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to feature six mysteries from Bell Bridge Books (Kindle format only) as today's set of free mystery ebooks.

These titles were 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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

Record of Wrongs by Bryan Gilmer is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Record of Wrongs by Bryan Gilmer as today's second free mystery ebook (A Jeff Davis Swaine Thriller; Kindle format only).

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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

Nothing Hidden by Paulette Bullinger is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Nothing Hidden by Paulette Bullinger as today's free mystery ebook (A Mystery Set in Early 1900s North Dakota; Kindle format only).

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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

The Abduction by John Grisham is Today's Kindle Daily Deal for Teens

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Abduction by John Grisham as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal for Teens.

The deal price of $2.99 is valid only for today, Sunday, December 23, 2012.

MystereBooks: The Grifters by Jim Thompson, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Grifters by Jim Thompson, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Mulholland Books.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $1.99 from the listed vendors (below) 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.

Review: City of Saints by Andrew Hunt

A Mysterious Review of …

City of Saints by Andrew Hunt.

Review summary: The winner of the 2011 Tony Hillerman Prize for best debut mystery set in the American West, this is a compelling murder mystery with a strongly developed protagonist. Possibly the first of a series, readers would likely welcome a sequel featuring these characters. (Click here for text of full review.)

MystereBooks: Apple Turnover Murder, a Hannah Swensen by Joanne Fluke, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Kensington.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $2.99 from the listed vendors (below) 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.

MystereBooks: The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $2.99 from the listed vendors (below) 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 (121222)

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; as an alternative, you can click on the image to the right or use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com, which includes a list of both the Top 100 Paid and Top 100 Free Kindle Mysteries and Thrillers.

Reviews of Mystery and Suspense Books for Kids, New This Week on Book Trends (121222)

Book Trends, a review site for young adult's and children's books, published several new book reviews this past week. We're presenting here a summary of those in the mystery/suspense/thriller category.

Till Death Do Us Bark by Kate Klise. A 43 Old Cemetery Road Mystery. Lexile measure: 710L. Reviewed by a 6th grade student, who writes, "A puzzling page turner with twists … this gripping story is full of mystery, but has many jokes and humor that makes you crack up." (Read the full review of this mystery novel here.)

Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield. Lexile measure: N/A. Reviewed by a 6th grade student, who writes, "[T]he perfect mix of mystery, romance and suspense. I felt like I was in the place of Clare Knight, going through everything in the book, and I'm sure you will too. The characters were realistic and well rounded, and I could picture and feel everything that was happening." (Read the full review of this novel of suspense here.)

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead. Lexile measure: 670L. Reviewed by a 6th grade student, who calls the book "excellent", adding, "Even though it does start off on a slow start, it does have many dramatic moments that make it flow very smoothly. The whole book is was very suspenseful with many shocking moments." (Read the full review of this suspense thriller here.)

For more reviews of children and young adult books of all genres, visit Book Trends; their reviews will amaze you! You can also follow Book Trends on Twitter.

MystereBooks: This Week's Update of Kindle Crime Fiction Priced $2.99 or Less (121222)

Every month Amazon publishes a list of 100 Kindle books priced $3.99 or less. We thought we'd take that idea and improve on it, publishing a list of 100 Kindle mystery books priced $2.99 or less and updating it every week!

Here is our general criteria for selecting titles to include: books from major or specialty publishers of crime fiction and those written by authors familiar to us. There are far more than 100 to choose from, so we use our best judgment to narrow it down.

And just a reminder … as we add new titles, older ones are removed from the list. These books aren't likely to be repeated, so we encourage you to check in frequently!

A couple of notes before we get started …

• Bloomsbury has 10 or so of its "Bloomsbury Reader" editions of out-of-print mysteries available for $1.99; the regular price is $7.99. We haven't included these on our list, but you can use this link to see them on Amazon.

• Some of these titles — especially those that are also available from Kobo and/or iTunes — were mentioned earlier this week in separate posts featuring discounted mystery ebooks.

And now on to today's rather lengthy update!

When Good Bras Go Bad by Gayle Trent is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature When Good Bras Go Bad by Gayle Trent as today's fourth free mystery ebook (A Myrtle Crumb Mystery; Kindle format only).

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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

A Fashion To Kill by Mickey Wyte is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Fashion To Kill by Mickey Wyte as today's third free mystery ebook (The Manhattan Mysteries; Kindle format only).

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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.