Nailed by Joseph Flynn is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Nailed by Joseph Flynn as today's second free mystery ebook (A Ron Ketchum Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, March 28, 2013 at 7:20 AM ET. 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.

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Nailed
Joseph Flynn
A Ron Ketchum Mystery
Publisher: Stray Dog Press

Ron Ketchum saw his share of the dark side of life as a cop in Los Angeles. Then he left L.A. to become the chief of police in the Sierra Nevada resort town of Goldstrike. One sunny morning in the mountains, though, he comes upon a crime unlike anything he's ever seen before. He finds the body of an African American man nailed to a tree.

The victim is a highly respected minister, and his father is the nationally known televangelist Jimmy Thunder. Ron, on the other hand, has described himself in court as a recovering bigot.

Goldstrike's mayor for life and movie icon, Clay Steadman, wants Ron to catch the killer fast. Adding to the pressure, the victim's grandmother comes to town. She tells the media mob that has descended on Goldstrike that God will curse the town until the killer is caught.

That's when a rogue mountain lion begins attacking people. At first, the attacks happen on the wilderness outskirts of Goldstrike. Then the predator moves into town, leaping a fence into a family's backyard. Finally, it turns the tables on one of the hunters sent out to bring it down.

Looking for a killer, hunting a lion and defending his own integrity — makes being a cop in L.A. seem like the good old days.

  

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.

Rusty Nail by J. A. Konrath is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Rusty Nail by J. A. Konrath as today's free mystery ebook (A Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, March 28, 2013 at 7:10 AM ET. 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.

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Rusty Nail
J. A. Konrath
A Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels Mystery
Publisher: J. A. Konrath

Someone is sending Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels of the Chicago Police Department snuff videos. The victims are people she knows, and they share a common trait — each was involved in one of Jack's previous cases. With her stalwart partner hospitalized and unable to help, Jack follows a trail of death throughout the Midwest, on a collision course with the smartest and deadliest adversary she's ever known.

During the chase, Jack jeopardizes her career, her love life, and her closest friends. She also comes to a startling realization — serial killers have families, and blood runs thick.

  

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.

White House Down: US and International Teaser Trailers

Yesterday we had a new poster for the action thriller White House Down; today the studio has released two teaser trailers, one domestic and one international. We've embedded both, below.

Capitol policeman John Cale (Channing Tatum) has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service of protecting President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). Not wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group. Now, with the nation's government falling into chaos and time running out, it's up to Cale to save the president, his daughter, and the country.

Directed by Roland Emmerich from an original screenplay by James Vanderbilt, White House Down opens in theaters June 28th, 2013.

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Telemystery: CBS Renews 6 Crime Dramas, No News on 4 Others

CBS announced today the series renewals for a large number of its dramas including …

• Blue Bloods (for a fourth season);

• Elementary (for a second season);

• Hawaii Five-0 (for a fifth season);

• The Mentalist (for a sixth season);

• NCIS: Los Angeles (for a fifth season); and

• Person of Interest (for a third season).

Several telemystery series were not mentioned — not yet renewed but not yet canceled, either. These are Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, Golden Boy, and Vegas.

Keep up to date on the status of your favorite mystery and suspense television with our Telemystery Scoresheet. We've updated it with today's news.

Review: Helsinki Blood by James Thompson

A Mysterious Review of …

Helsinki Blood by James Thompson. An Inspector Kari Vaara Mystery.

Review summary: This crime novel is a prime example of how quickly a once promising series can degenerate into irrelevancy. Not to put too fine a point on it, but there is absolutely nothing about this novel that is worth recommending. Maybe one has to hit rock bottom before things can look brighter; if so, then this book (in this series) is its nadir. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Helsinki Blood
James Thompson
An Inspector Kari Vaara Mystery
Putnam (March 2013)

Publisher synopsis: Kari Vaara is recovering from the physical and emotional toll of solving the Lisbet Söderlund case when he's approached with a plea: an Estonian woman begs him to find her daughter, Loviise, a young woman with Down syndrome who was promised work and a better life in Finland … and has since disappeared.

One more missing girl is a drop in the barrel for a police department that is understaffed and overburdened, but for Kari, the case is personal: it's a chance for redemption, to help the victims his failed black-ops unit was intended to save, and to prove to his estranged wife, Kate, that he's still the man he once was. His search will lead him from the glittering world of Helsinki's high-class clubs to the darkest circles of Finland's underground trade in trafficked women … and straight into the path of Loviise's captors, who may be some of the most untouchable people in the country.

As Kari works his new case, a past one comes back to haunt him when powerful enemies return to settle unfinished business. In a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, he is propelled toward a reckoning in which the stakes are life or death … and only the victors will be left standing.

      

MystereBooks: Sweet Poison by David Roberts, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Sweet Poison by David Roberts, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Robinson.

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 (03/27/2013 at 3:00 PM ET). 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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Sweet Poison by David Roberts
A Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Robinson

It is August 1935 and the Duke of Mersham is hosting one of his influential parties, bringing together public figures interested in improving Anglo-German relations. One of his guests is General Sir Alistair Craig VC, who swallows poison in the duke's excellent port and dies just as latecomer Lord Edward Corinth and journalist Verity Browne arrive on the scene. The unlikely pair — the younger son of a duke and a journalist committed to the Communist Party find common ground as they seek for the truth behind the genera's murder and discover that everyone present — including the duke himself — had a motive for wanting Sir Alistair out of the way.

  

Important Note: This book was listed at the above mentioned price 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.

MystereBooks: Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Robinson.

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 (03/27/2013 at 2:30 PM ET). 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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Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson
A Lord Francis Powerscourt Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Robinson

England 1892: Mystery surrounds the death of Queen Victoria's grandson …

Victoria, Queen and Empress, is in the 54th year of her reign, when her grandson Prince Eddy, eldest son of the Prince of Wales, is found slaughtered in his bed at Sandringham. Terrified of more royal scandal, the Prince of Wales and his spindoctors decide to cover up the facts and the murder is disguised as death by influenza.

Lord Francis Powerscourt, an Irish investigator, is privately asked to find the killer. His quest takes him on a journey through the prince's debauched and dissolute past, across Europe to the misty waterways of Venice where, amidst scandal and suicide, Powerscourt finally unravels the mystery of the sweet prince's last goodnight.

  

Important Note: This book was listed at the above mentioned price 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.

MystereBooks: Detective, the 1st Stanley Hastings Mystery by Parnell Hall, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Detective by Parnell Hall, now available at a special price, courtesy of the author.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (03/27/2013 at 2:00 PM ET). 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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Detective by Parnell Hall
A Stanley Hastings Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Parnell Hall

First published in hardcover by Dutton in 1987, this mystery was nominated for an Edgar Award and a Shamus Award for Best First Novel.

Stanley Hastings, the world's most unlikely private eye, a struggling actor/writer trying to support his wife and kid in New York City, who chases ambulances for a negligence lawyer and carries a camera instead of a gun and photographs accident victims and the cracks in the sidewalk that tripped them, tackles his first real case, tracking down the murderers of a client he could not save because he wasn't a real detective.

      

Important Note: This book was listed at the above mentioned price 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.

MystereBooks: Cold Burn by Kit Ehrman, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Cold Burn by Kit Ehrman, now available at a special price, courtesy of the author.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (03/27/2013 at 1:30 PM ET). 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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Cold Burn by Kit Ehrman
A Steve Cline Mystery (3rd in series)
Publisher: Kit Ehrman

First published in hardcover by Poisoned Pen Press in 2005.

When Bruce Claremont quit his job working on a thoroughbred breeding farm and vanished, his sister Corey asks barn manager Steve Cline for help. So Steve slips into Bruce's world, and the more he learns, the more he suspects that Corey may never see her brother again.

Because all is not as it seems in this pastoral setting where secrets and jealousies and obsessions are the norm, and the present seems to be repeating its fiery past. If Steve's not very careful, he just might get burned …

      

Important Note: This book was listed at the above mentioned price 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.

Nominees for the 2013 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award Announced

The short list (nominees) for the 2013 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award have been announced by the organizers of the Bloody Words Mystery Conference (via YouTube video).

Though the conference won't be held this year — plans are being made the event in 2014 and 2015 — the winner of this award will be announced during the Gun Club & Quilting Bee Gala Award Reception on May 29th, 2013 in Toronto.

The nominees are …

• Threaded for Trouble by Janet Bolin (Berkley)
• Food for the Gods by Karen Dudley (Ravenstone)
• A Small Hill To Die On by Elizabeth J. Duncan (Minotaur Books)
• A Private Man by Chris Liang (Seraphim)
• Blood Bath & Beyond by Michelle Rowen (Obsidian)
• The Mastersinger from Minsk by Morley Torgov (Dundurn)

(Hat tip to Janet Rudolph for alerting us to this list.)

Create Your Own Game of Thrones House Sigil

Fans of Game of Thrones can create their own House Sigil.

Visit JoinTheRealm.com and choose one of two options: to create your own or have the site do it for you (via your Facebook information).

The third season of Game of Thrones, based on the "Song of Ice and Fire" epic fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, premieres on March 31st, 2013 at 9 PM (ET/PT) on HBO.

Nominees for the 2013 Barry Awards Announced

The nominees for the 2013 Barry Awards have been announced by Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine honoring the best works published in the field of crime fiction.

The winners will be announced September 19th, 2013 at the Opening Ceremonies of Bouchercon 2013 in Albany, New York. All subscribers and readers of the magazine are eligible to vote.

The nominees are …

Best Novel …
• Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay (NAL)
• Dead Scared by S. J. Bolton (Minotaur Books)
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Crown)
• Defending Jacob by William Landay (Delacorte Press)
• Live by Night by Dennis Lehane (William Morrow)
• The Black House by Peter May (Silver Oak)

Best First Novel …
• The Yard by Alex Grecian (Putnam)
• A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller (Minotaur Books)
• The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen (Putnam)
• The Dark Winter by David Mark (Blue Ridge Press)
• Sacrifice Fly by Tim O'Mara (Minotaur Books)
• Black Fridays by Michael Sears (Putnam)

Best Paperback Original …
• Pago Pago Tango by John Enright (Thomas & Mercer)
• Bloodland by Alan Glynn (Picador)
• The Other Woman's House by Sophie Hannah (Penguin Press)
• Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal (Bantam)
• Blessed Are the Dead by Malla Nunn (Washington Square)
• Beneath the Abbey Wall by A. D. Scott (Atria Books)

Best Thriller …
• The Last Refuge by Ben Coes (St. Martin's Press)
• A Foreign Country by Charles Cumming (St. Martin's Press)
• Red Star Burning by Brian Freemantle (Minotaur Books)
• The Right Hand by Derek Haas (Mulholland Books)
• House Blood by Mike Lawson (Atlantic Monthly)
• The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva (Harper)

Authors on Tour: Athol Dickson — January Justice

with Athol Dickson

We are delighted to be a host site for novelist Athol Dickson, who is currently on tour with Partners in Crime Book Tours. We encourage you to visit all the host sites on the tour; you can find his schedule here.

Athol's first book in a new mystery series — The Malcolm Cutter Memoirs — is January Justice (Author Author, November 2012 trade paperback and ebook formats).

Today we are pleased to feature an excerpt from the book as well as give you an opportunity to win a copy; details below.

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ONE OF THE STRANGEST THINGS ABOUT THE city was the sudden way it disappeared around the edges. One minute you were down on Sunset Boulevard surrounded by glass and concrete, and the next thing you knew you were up on Mulholland Drive, alone in the rough country. From a high window or a rooftop almost anywhere in Los Angeles you could see the mountains, and there was always something ravenous up there looking down.
 I was up among the hungry creatures, standing at the edge of a cliff, with Hollywood and Santa Monica far below me in the distance. One step forward and I would be in midair. I was looking down and wondering if Haley had considered how suddenly you could go from city to wilderness. Then I wondered if it was a distinction without a difference, if the city might be the wilderness and the wilderness the city, and maybe Los Angeles's edges seemed to disappear so suddenly because there really was no separation between sidewalks and mountain paths, buildings and boulders. Up in the mountains or down in the city, either way the carnivores were in control.
 I imagined Haley, out of her mind, running full speed off the cliff. I wondered what it had been like, that final second or two before she hit. Had she realized what was happening? Did she recognize the city lights below for what they were, or did she really think she was flying toward the stars? And did she think of me?
 Stepping closer to the edge, I slid the toes of my shoes into the air. I looked down two hundred feet, toward the spot where she had broken on the rocks. I stood one inch from eternity and tried to imagine life without her. I could not summon up a single reason why I shouldn't take that final step, except for one. I thought about the kind of animal who would drive someone to do what my wife had done. Predators like that were everywhere. I should know. I had trained for half my life to be one of them. I was hungry, looking down on the city. If I was going to live, the hunger would have to be enough, for now. But I would sink my teeth into him, sooner or later. I would do that for Haley, and for myself, and then maybe it would be my turn to see if I could fly.
 I stepped back from the edge.

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Photo provided courtesy of
Athol Dickson

Athol Dickson's mystery, suspense, and literary novels have won three Christy Awards and an Audie Award. January Justice, the first installment in a new mystery series called The Malcolm Cutter Memoirs, was published in late 2012. The second and third novels in the series, Free Fall in February, and A March Murder, are coming in 2013.

Athol lives with his wife in southern California. For more information about the author and his books, please visit his website at AtholDickson.com or find him on Facebook.

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January Justice
Athol Dickson
The Malcolm Cutter Memoirs (1st in series)

Reeling from his wife's unsolved murder, Malcolm Cutter is just going through the motions as a chauffeur and bodyguard for Hollywood's rich and famous.

Then a pair of Guatemalan tough guys offer him a job. It's an open question whether they're patriotic revolutionaries or vicious terrorists. Either way, Cutter doesn't much care until he gets a bomb through his window, a gangland beating on the streets of L.A., and three bullets in the chest.

Now there's another murder on Cutter's Mind. His own.

  

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Enter To Win a Copy of January Justice!
If you cannot see the entry form; use this link to enter.

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MystereBooks: Death on a Silver Tray by Rosemary Stevens, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Death on a Silver Tray by Rosemary Stevens, now available at a special price, courtesy of the author.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (03/27/2013 at 7:30 AM ET). 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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Death on a Silver Tray by Rosemary Stevens
A Beau Brummell Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Rosemary Stevens

First published in hardcover by Berkley in 2000, this mystery won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel.

When a desperate Duchess of York asks for his help, Beau Brummell wouldn't think of refusing. The cantankerous Countess of Wrayburn has been fatally poisoned, and her paid companion is the prime suspect. Unfortunately, the Duchess is the one who arranged the young woman's employment with the late Countess. If the accusations prove true, the scandal would ruin the Duchess's good name.

Ever the gentleman, Brummell hastens to the Wrayburn house to do some inquiring of his own. It doesn't take long to realize that more than one person had motive to poison Lady Wrayburn. And Beau Brummell is going to find out who they are. Because if there's one thing that's never in style, it's murder.

  

Important Note: This book was listed at the above mentioned price 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.

Capable of Murder by Brian Kavanagh is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Capable of Murder by Brian Kavanagh as today's second free mystery ebook (A Belinda Lawrence Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, March 27, 2013 at 7:20 AM ET. 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.

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Capable of Murder
Brian Kavanagh
A Belinda Lawrence Mystery
Publisher: Endeavour Press

An old lady's decaying body is found lying at the bottom of the stairs. The police believe it was simply an accidental fall that killed great-aunt Jane. But was it? When the young Australian Belinda Lawrence inherits her great-aunt's ancient cottage and garden on the outskirts of Bath she is convinced it was murder.

Her unexpected legacy comes shrouded in mystery. A secret room. Unknown intruders. A hidden ancient document. And then a second terrible killing.

Suddenly Belinda Lawrence is plunged into a terrifying mystery. Half of the village seem capable of murder. And if she can't find out who the killer is, she may be next.

  

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.