MystereBooks: The Sixes by Kate White, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Sixes by Kate White, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins.

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 (04/15/2013 at 7:00 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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The Sixes by Kate White
Publisher: HarperCollins

Read our review of The Sixes by Kate White

Phoebe Hall's Manhattan life has suddenly begun to unravel. Right after her long-term boyfriend breaks off their relationship, she's falsely accused of plagiarizing her latest bestselling celebrity biography. Looking for a quiet place to put her life back together, Phoebe jumps at the offer to teach in a sleepy Pennsylvania town at a small private college run by her former boarding school roommate and close friend, Glenda Johns.

But behind the campus's quiet cafÉs and leafy maple trees lie evil happenings. The body of a female student washes up on the banks of a nearby river, and disturbing revelations begin to surface: accusations from coeds about abuses wrought by a secret society of girls on campus known as The Sixes. To help Glenda, Phoebe embarks on a search for clues — a quest that soon raises painful memories of her own boarding school days years ago.

As the investigation heats up, Phoebe unexpectedly finds herself falling for the school's handsome psychology professor, Duncan Shaw. But when nasty pranks turn into deadly threats, Phoebe realizes she's in the middle of a real-life nightmare, not knowing whom she can trust and if she will even survive.

Plunging deeper into danger with every step, Phoebe knows she's close to unmasking a killer. But with truth comes a terrifying revelation: your darkest secrets can still be uncovered … and starting over may be a crime punishable by death.

      

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.

Cinemystery: Screenwriter Named for Film Adaptation of Marcus Sakey's Brilliance

Last month we reported that Marcus Sakey's soon-to-be-published novel Brilliance had been optioned for film. Today we're learning that the studio, Legendary, is moving quickly forward with the project by naming David Koepp as screenwriter.

Koepp is probably best known for his high-profile book adaptations, including Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and more recently Dan Brown's Angels & Demons. His most recent completed screenplay is for Jack Ryan starring Chris Pine, based on a character created by Tom Clancy, currently in post-production.

More information about Brilliance is below; the book is scheduled to be published this Summer by Thomas & Mercer.

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Brilliance
Marcus Sakey

In Wyoming, a little girl reads people's darkest secrets by the way they fold their arms. In New York, a man sensing patterns in the stock market racks up $300 billion. In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They're called "brilliants", and since 1980, one percent of people have been born this way.

Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists. His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant drenched in blood and intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in — and betray his own kind.

  

Dana Stabenow Launches Campaign to Establish Storyknife Writers Retreat

Mystery author Dana Stabenow has launched a campaign to raise $1 million to build Storyknife Writers Retreat, Alaska's only retreat for female writers and only the second residency of its kind in the world.

Stabenow says that the first thing that her writing ever earned her was a residency at the Hedgebrook Farm retreat for women writers on Whidbey Island, Washington. "It was the first time anyone ever acted like writing was a real job," she adds. The author's vision for Storyknife is to pass that gift on to a new generation of female writers.

Stabenow is probably best known as the author of the "Kate Shugak" mysteries set in Alaska, though she has also written a second series set in the state featuring tropper Liam Campbell.

The proposed retreat takes its name from the English translation for the Yupik word yaaruin or "storyknife". Traditionally, Yupik girls would use yaaruin made from wood, bone, antler or ivory, to carve stories in snow and in riverbanks to amuse and instruct their younger siblings.

"I came across mention of storyknives in one of the early explorer diaries and I couldn't rest until I knew more," Stabenow says. "As a traditional Alaska Native vehicle for storytelling, it is the perfect metaphor for what we hope to accomplish at Storyknife. I'm hoping we get a lot of Alaska Native women writers applying for residencies at Storyknife, too."

For more information about the program, including ways to support it, visit Storyknife.org.

MystereBooks: Mobbed by Carol Higgins Clark, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Mobbed by Carol Higgins Clark, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Scribner.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $3.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (04/15/2013 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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Mobbed by Carol Higgins Clark
A Regan Reilly Mystery (14th in series)
Publisher: Scribner

PI Regan Reilly and her husband, Jack, head of the NYPD Major Case Squad, plan to spend the weekend at the Jersey shore with her parents. Regan's mother, suspense writer Nora Regan Reilly, will be celebrating her birthday on Saturday. But Regan's weekend gets off to an early start when she receives a phone call from her mother asking if she'd hop on a train right away.

Regan had just finished delivering bad news to a high school classmate. Hayley Patton is a successful New York City event planner, who had become suspicious that her beau, Scott, was seeing other women and hired Regan to follow him. When Hayley got the lowdown on Scott's treachery, she vowed revenge with such vehemence that Regan is worried that Hayley might go too far.

Turns out Nora had also just spoken to an agitated high school classmate. Karen Frawley Fulton, who lives in San Diego, called Nora after learning her mother's plans for the day. To Karen's shock, Edna Frawley just sold their home at the Jersey shore and is having a garage sale to end all garage sales. Everything the beautiful young actress Cleo Paradise left behind when she recently rented the house is up for grabs. The irrepressible Edna even rented a plane to fly over the beach touting the sale, using Cleo's name as bait. Karen's heading East but asks Nora to please go to the house and, she hopes, curtail any other outrageous antics her mother probably has in mind. Nora agrees and asks Regan to join her.

Regan and Nora arrive at the Frawley home to find a mob of garage-sale junkies waiting at the front gate. Regan is astonished to see Scott's brand-new fiancée, who quickly makes herself scarce.

Once inside the house, Regan becomes increasingly suspicious about why Cleo left so many belongings behind when she vacated Edna's home unexpectedly. Was she in that much of a hurry? Regan wonders. "Where did Cleo go?" is a question too many people are suddenly asking. But no one has the answer. It isn't long before Regan finds herself searching for Cleo, whose next hours may be her last.

      

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: The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Ballantine 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 (04/15/2013 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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The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry
A Cotton Malone Thriller (7th in series)
Publisher: Ballantine Books

Four presidents of the United States have been assassinated — in 1865, 1881, 1901, and 1963 — each murder seemingly unrelated. But what if those presidents were all killed for the shocking same reason: a clause contained in the United States Constitution? This is the question faced by former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone.

When President Danny Daniels is nearly killed in the heart of Manhattan, Malone risks his life to foil the murder — only to find himself at odds with the Commonwealth, a secret society of pirates first assembled during the American Revolution.

Racing across the nation and taking to the high seas, Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt must break a secret cipher originally possessed by Thomas Jefferson, unravel a mystery concocted by Andrew Jackson, and unearth a document forged by the Founding Fathers themselves — one powerful enough to make the Commonwealth unstoppable.

      

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.

Cinemystery: First Trailer for The Hunger Games — Catching Fire

The first trailer for The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire has been released by the studio; we've embedded it below.

The film opens as Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a "Victor's Tour" of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow (Donald Sutherland) prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) — a competition that could change Panem forever.

Directed by Francis Lawrence from an adapted screenplay by Michael Arndt, and based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire opens in theaters November 22nd, 2013.

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Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games Trilogy (2nd in series)

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty.

But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion.

The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

    

Click on the Amazon.com button to check out the special Whispersync offer associated with this title.

Telemystery: Spies of Warsaw, New This Week on DVD and Blu-ray Disc

The BBC mini-series Spies of Warsaw aired earlier this year in the UK, and more recently here in the US on BBC America, and is now available on DVD and Blu-ray disc this week.

This thrilling spy story, shown in two 90-minute episodes, is set in Poland, Paris, London and Berlin in the years leading up to the Second World War, and is centered on French and German intelligence operatives, who are locked in a life-and-death struggle on the espionage battlefield.

Information about the mini-series is provided below together with the book from which it was adapted.

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Spies of Warsaw

David Tennant and Janet Montgomery star in this BBC made-for-television two-part adaptation of Alan Furst's spy novel set in Poland, Paris and Berlin in the years leading up to the Second World War.

At the French embassy in Warsaw, the new military attaché, Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier (Tennant), is drawn into a world of abduction, betrayal and intrigue in the diplomatic salons and back alleys of the city. At the same time, the handsome aristocrat is involved in a passionate love affair with a Parisian woman of Polish heritage (Montgomery), a lawyer for the League of Nations.

Risking his life, Mercier works in the shadows amid a remarkable cast of characters, some known to him as spies, some never to be revealed. It is a city where people drink and fight and spy and love, because no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

    

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The Spies of Warsaw
Alan Furst

An autumn evening in 1937. A German engineer arrives at the Warsaw railway station. Tonight, he will be with his Polish mistress; tomorrow, at a workers' bar in the city's factory district, he will meet with the military attaché from the French embassy. Information will be exchanged for money …

War is coming to Europe. French and German intelligence operatives are locked in a life-and-death struggle on the espionage battlefield. At the French embassy, the new military attaché, Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier, a decorated hero of the 1914 war, is drawn into a world of abduction, betrayal, and intrigue in the diplomatic salons and back alleys of Warsaw. At the same time, the handsome aristocrat finds himself in a passionate love affair with a Parisian woman of Polish heritage, a lawyer for the League of Nations.

Colonel Mercier must work in the shadows, amid an extraordinary cast of venal and dangerous characters — Colonel Anton Vyborg of Polish military intelligence; the mysterious and sophisticated Dr. Lapp, senior German Abwehr officer in Warsaw; Malka and Viktor Rozen, at work for the Russian secret service; and Mercier's brutal and vindictive opponent, Major August Voss of SS counterintelligence. And there are many more, some known to Mercier as spies, some never to be revealed.

      

New Mystery/Suspense from Carina Press: Killer Kitchens by Jean Harrington

Carina Press is a digital-first imprint from Harlequin, publishing books in an interesting and diverse selection of genres including contemporary romance, steampunk, gay/lesbian fiction, science-fiction, fantasy, and — but of course — mystery and suspense.

One new title is being released this week: Killer Kitchens by Jean Harrington (listed under Cozy Mystery) …

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Killer Kitchens
Jean Harrington
A Deva Dunne, Murders by Design Mystery (3rd in series)

Interior designer Deva Dunne just may have hit the jackpot. Sure, her new client Francesco Grandese talks tough and has shady friends, but he has the eye of a connoisseur, and a huge, empty mansion he wants her to decorate.

Deva's boyfriend, police lieutenant Victor Rossi, has misgivings about her promising job — especially when he accompanies her to one of Francesco's dinner parties. After Francesco returns a dish to the kitchen untasted, the chauffeur promptly scarfs it down and drops dead from cyanide poisoning.

Has the killer made a terrible mistake and murdered the wrong person? Or was the dead man the intended victim? The only thing Deva knows for certain is someone present that night committed murder. And it seems everyone--from the dinner guests to the kitchen help — has a motive.

      

A Conversation with Author Melissa Simonson

with Melissa Simonson

We are delighted to welcome novelist Melissa Simonson to Omnimystery News today, courtesy of Red Adept Publishing, which is sponsoring her book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the host sites on the tour; you can find her schedule here.

Melissa's new mystery thriller is Blood Echo (CreateSpace/Red Adept Publishing, April 2013 trade paperback and ebook formats).

We recently had a chance to talk to the author about her book. And following our conversation you'll find a form in which you can enter to win one of four great prizes! Details below.

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Omnimystery News: How much of you is in your book? In other words, do you "write what you know"?

Photo provided courtesy of
Melissa Simonson

Melissa Simonson: I always find "write what you know" to be weird advice. Generally I'm pretty boring, so nobody would be interested in reading about my personal experiences. I can say that my main character is mostly me. Like Iris, I've had horrible drug addictions (though not anymore) and co-dependent relationships. Her dialogue, the way she speaks and thinks, is also pretty much identical to me.

OMN: Tell us about your writing process.

MS: I never outline. I'd blame it on laziness, but it's not that, either — I just can't bring myself do it. I sit there and stare at a blank Word doc for a few minutes before I give up. Not long ago I mentioned this to my mother, asked her why I found it so difficult to outline, and she gave me this strange look, laughed, and then said, "You never do things the way you're supposed to. Everything you do is chaotic."

Fair enough.

Normally when I begin an manuscript, I have a foggy idea of what happens in both the beginning and end. Everything in between just comes as I write.

OMN: Where does the action in the book take place?

MS: Manhattan … a place I've actually never been to, though I would love to go. Sadly, most of my research has been limited to Google and the zillions of episodes of Law & Order: SVU that I've seen. I did try to remain true to the Upper East Side though, and I looked at tons of pictures of penthouses (which only made me jealous, because I want one).

OMN: Are there any authors whose books you rush out to buy as soon as they are published?

MS: When I was younger, it used to be the Harry Potter series. I'd hole up in my room for the entire day, reading, and I'd get infuriated when my mother would make me stop and force me to eat dinner.

I don't exactly rush out to buy books anymore, but I definitely try to make sure I pick up a copy of any new Jeff Lindsay book.

OMN: What kinds of films do you enjoy watching?

MS: Anything directed by Guy Ritchie. My favorite movie is Snatch, with Fight Club and American History X tied for second. They've not influenced my books in any way, though.

OMN: What is next for you?

MS: I recently had an epiphany that my newest life's ambition is to be the female Richard Castle.

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Melissa Simonson has been writing on and off since she was in high school, but didn't start taking it seriously until about four years ago. She's a caffeine addict, a terrible driver, and has weird fascinations with rosary beads, complicated cocktails, and basically anything considered dark or creepy.

Since she saw him in her favorite movie Snatch, Melissa has wanted to marry Jason Statham.

When she's not writing, she can be found watching endless hours of Dexter or looking up random things on wikipedia.

Learn more about the author and her work on her website/blog LissaSimonson.wordpress.com.

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Blood Echo
Melissa Simonson

Obsession is the dark side of love …

Iris Avery and her best friend, Estella, spend their time drowning in the empty excesses indulged in by their crowd of Upper East Side snobs until Estella's sudden, shocking death. Iris searches for answers in everything from philanthropy to hypnotherapy, feeling her existence is nothing more than a dark half-life full of guilt and repentance, but finds only endless questions. And several of them revolve around her when she discovers she's connected to a high-profile murder.

Later, Iris begins hearing Estella's voice whispering cryptic commentary in her head, and she can't help but wonder if the hypnotherapy has been helping or hurting. Is her friend trying to warn her about something?

Bizarre packages pile up on her doorstep, and their meaning is obvious: Iris's secrets aren't so secret after all.

      

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If you cannot see the entry widget, use this link to enter.

One Last Lie by Rob Kaufman is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature One Last Lie by Rob Kaufman as today's second free mystery ebook (A Mystery Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, April 15, 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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One Last Lie
Rob Kaufman
A Mystery Thriller
Publisher: Rob Kaufman

Philip and Jonathan have had the perfect life together for ten years — fulfilling every dream, except that of having a child. Along comes Angela, Philip's college friend who apparently conquered her old demons of obesity and manic-depression.

After reacquainting and becoming good friends, the three decide to have a child together through artificial insemination of Jonathan's sperm. From that point, Philip and Jonathan's idyllic life begins to unravel. Angela's mask of deceit gradually slips as her pregnancy awakens psychological and physical problems, leaving Philip and Jonathan regretting ever allowing her into their lives.

Told from an elderly Jonathan's hospital bed, Angela's tangled web unwinds into heartbreak, deception, legal battles, and finally murder …

  

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.

Deliver Us From Evelyn by Chris Well is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Deliver Us From Evelyn by Chris Well as today's free mystery ebook (A Kansas City Blues Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, April 15, 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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Deliver Us From Evelyn
Chris Well
A Kansas City Blues Thriller
Publisher: Harvest House

Everyone from the Feds to the mob is scrambling to find the husband of heartless media mogul Evelyn Blake. But no one can decide which is worse — that he is missing, or that she is not …

Detectives Tom Griggs and Charlie Pasch are feeling the heat from on high to get this thing solved--even as Charlie is distracted by the inexplicable interest the Vice Squad has taken in a local comic book store.

Revenge-focused mobster Viktor Zhukov has figured out Blake was tied in with a rival gang's ambush.

Rev. Damascus Rhodes (his current alias) figures a man of the cloth can properly console the grieving Mrs. Blake.

By the end, some characters find unexpected redemption — and more than a few are begging, Deliver us from Evelyn …

  

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.

Look Into My Eyes by Lauren Child is Today's Kindle Daily Deal for Young Teens

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Look Into My Eyes by Lauren Child as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal for Young Teens.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Monday, April 15, 2013.

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Look Into My Eyes
Lauren Child
A Ruby Redfort Mystery
Candlewick

Ruby, a genius code-cracker and daring detective, along with her sidekick butler, Hitch, work for a secret crime-busting organization called Spectrum. Ruby gets into lots of scrapes with evil villains, but she's always ice-cool in a crisis. Just take a classic screwball comedy, add heaps of breathtaking action, and multiply it by Lauren Child's writing genius, and what have you got? Only the most exciting new middle-grade series since, like, ever.

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