MystereBooks: Shadow of the Serpent by David Ashton, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Shadow of the Serpent by David Ashton, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Birlinn.

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 (04/18/2013 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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Shadow of the Serpent by David Ashton
An Inspector James McLevy Mystery
Publisher: Birlinn

Known as the father of forensics and a likely influence on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, real-life police inspector James McLevy is here reinvented by David Ashton in a thrilling mystery …

1880, Edinburgh: Election fever grips the city. But while the rich and educated argue about politics, in the dank wynds of the docks it's a struggle just to stay alive. When a prostitute is brutally murdered, disturbing memories from thirty years ago are stirred in McLevy who is soon lured into a murky world of politics, perversion and deception — and the shadow of the serpent.

    

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: Madness and Murder by Jenny Hilborne, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Madness and Murder by Jenny Hilborne, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Severn House.

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 (04/18/2013 at 1:00 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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Madness and Murder by Jenny Hilborne
A Mac Jackson Mystery
Publisher: Severn House

Homicide detective Mac Jackson is on a collision path with a civilian in his hunt for a killer. A lack of evidence leaves him frustrated. With the body count rising, he questions his own ethics when he considers risking the life of an innocent woman to put the killer within reach. The stakes are high if his gamble fails.

Jessica Croft begins a new life in San Francisco, ninety miles from the sinister secrets and the madness that destroyed her family. She hopes to find tranquility, maybe even love, but her chance for happiness is threatened when she finds herself the target of a madman. Unwilling to live a life of fear, Jessica takes a bold risk to draw him out; unaware of the trap he has already set for her.

  

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.

Telemystery: Terry Moore's Comic Series Rachel Rising Optioned for Television

Terry Moore's comic series Rachel Rising has been optioned for television, with the author serving as executive producer. The series is being shopped to both broadcast and cable networks.

The storyline follows a woman named Rachel, who wakes up in a shallow grave in the woods and discovers the freshly murdered body in the dirt is her own. With events of the previous night a blur, Rachel seeks out her boyfriend Phillip. But Phillip has a new girl now and Rachel is beginning to suspect she rose from the grave for a reason … revenge!

Moore continues to write the comic, with the 15th issue currently available in stores. (The author recently posted that he has completed the 18th issue.) Issues 1 through 6 are available in trade paperback as The Shadow of Death; issues 7 through 12 have been collected as Fear No Malus.

Cinemystery: New Trailer for Fantasy Crime Drama R.I.P.D.

Earlier this week we featured a teaser poster for the fantasy crime thriller R.I.P.D. Now we have the first trailer for the film (embedded, below).

Adapted from the comic of the same title by Peter M. Lenkov, Ryan Reynolds stars as Nick Walker and Jeff Bridges as Roy Pulsipher, who, as members of the Rest In Peace Department, a team of undead police officers, protect the living while investigating Nick's own murder.

Directed by Robert Schwentke from an adapted screenplay by Phil Hay, R.I.P.D. opens in theaters July 19th, 2013.

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Telemystery: BBC Developing Remake of 1980s Crime Drama Bergerac

BBC is developing a remake of the 1980s drama Bergerac, which starred a pre-Midsomer Murders John Nettles in the title role.

Airing for ten years — from 1981 through 1991 — the series featured Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac, an officer in Le Bureau des Étrangers, a (fictional) division of the States of Jersey police department. (Jersey is a small island off the coast of Normandy, France.) Eighty-one episodes were filmed, plus an annual Christmas special.

BBC expects the new series, if it is commissioned, to be a prequel to the original, something similar to what ITV is doing with its series Endeavour, featuring a young Inspector Morse.

Smoking Ruin by D. R. Martin is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Smoking Ruin by D. R. Martin as today's fourth free mystery ebook (A Marta Hjelm Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, April 18, 2013 at 7:40 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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Smoking Ruin
D. R. Martin
A Marta Hjelm Mystery
Publisher: Conger Road Press

Minneapolis PI Marta Hjelm failed to prevent a preventable murder. Her guilt has brought her right to the edge of burnout and dropout. But a prize specimen from her ancient past — her cheating ex-husband — appears out of nowhere with a gig too good to turn down. One last job, Marta figures, can't hurt.

But hurt it does, as Marta tries to make sense of a terrorist plot at a major ad agency. In the dead of a long, bitter Minnesota winter, Marta struggles to survive attempts on her life. To understand her conflicted feelings toward an ex who wants her back and toward the man who healed her when everything was dark. To make peace with the ghost of a victim she should have saved. And to crack open multiple conspiracies that lead to murder and smoking ruin.

  

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 Psalter by Galen Watson is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Psalter by Galen Watson as today's third 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 18, 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.

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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The Psalter
Galen Watson
A Mystery Thriller
Publisher: Galen Watson

A medieval prayer book, an Irish saint's prophecy of the last pope, and a forgery that changed the church — forever …

Father Romano has run afoul of the modern inquisitors before. This time, it leads to a medieval manuscript and murder. Was it an ordinary theft gone wrong or something more? The Carabinieri in Rome would like to know.

Michael Romano is an American priest working in the Vatican's Secret Archives with a penchant for stepping over the line. Church Inquisitors have noticed -- and they aren't happy. Nevertheless, Romano is also the Church's senior paleographer, an expert in ancient manuscripts, and his expertise is needed to examine a ninth-century codex known as a Psalter.

Father Romano's examination leads him into the past as he uncovers an historical narrative of medieval forgeries, Saracen invasions and a legendary fight for the richest kingdom on earth. Yet he has unwittingly become a target for those who will stop at nothing to possess the secret of the Psalter.

  

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.

Overlords of K Street by James Hargreaves is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Overlords of K Street by James Hargreaves as today's second free mystery ebook (A Political Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, April 18, 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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Overlords of K Street
James Hargreaves
A Political Thriller
Publisher: James Hargreaves

All Joel Wilson had ever wanted was to be a newspaper man. And after years of struggling in various small-town Minnesota papers he'd made it all the way to the New York Herald. But after years of budget and staff cuts and nothing but a depressing future on the horizon for the newspaper business, Wilson had taken a buyout. He'd moved to Costa Rica looking for a new life. A little seaside town, a Costa Rican girlfriend, and a relaxed, inconsequential life had given life a sweeter smell.

Soon the world he'd once covered for the Herald, the world of political corruption and power-mongering, came calling in the form of an old friend with awful news: His ex-wife, a U.S. attorney, has gone missing. The police, thinking her dead, have all but called off their inquiries. Joel and his old newspaper friends will not give up so easily.

Their search uncovers a web of corruption that leads from a plot of land in St. Augustine, Florida, all the way to the hallowed halls of Washington, D.C.

  

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.

Fuzzy Navel by J. A. Konrath is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Fuzzy Navel 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, April 18, 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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Fuzzy Navel
J. A. Konrath
A Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels Mystery
Publisher: J. A. Konrath

First published in hardcover by Hyperion in 2008.

Things are going well for Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels of the Chicago Police Department. She has solved some of the city's toughest and most high-profile homicides. Her personal life is finally in order. Her friends and family are safe and happy. And she just got a call that eased her mind like nothing else could: Alex Kork, one of the most dangerous criminals Jack ever arrested, killed herself while in jail.

But things sour quickly when a group of vigilantes on a murderous spree decide to take down a cop and the people she cares about … and they turn downright awful when Jack discovers that Kork may not be dead after all.

Trapped in her house with a psycho and everyone she cares about, and unable to leave because she's surrounded by snipers, the next eight hours will be the worst of Jack's life. And that's saying something.

  

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.

Fly By Wire by Ward Larsen is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Fly By Wire by Ward Larsen as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Thursday, April 18, 2013.

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Fly By Wire
Ward Larsen
A Jammer Davis Thriller
Oceanview Publishing

With its revolutionary fly-by-wire technology, the C-500 had become the freight airframe of choice. Until a routine delivery goes horribly wrong.

Falling like a stone from six miles up, a brand new C-500 crashes in central France, killing two pilots aboard. When French officials take over this highly public investigation, they call in the best there is: they call Frank Jammer Davis.

A retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, Davis is part of the NTSB's go-team. With a reputation for getting things done-and for steamrolling anyone who gets in his way-Davis starts to dig.

But just as Davis starts his investigation, news of the crash is overshadowed by a more spectacular disaster: suicide bombers attack oil refineries worldwide, sending governments and financial markets into a tailspin.

A relentless Davis keeps investigating, but uncovering the cause of the crash, and its terrifying connection to this worldwide disaster, reveals a conspiracy of unthinkable proportions — a conspiracy he might not be able to stop.Jammer Davis won't stop until he gets answers — or until somebody stops him from getting answers.

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.

New Poster for Crime Thriller Only God Forgives

A new poster for the crime thriller Only God Forgives has been released by the studio (right; click for larger version). The tagline: "Time to meet the Devil."

Written and directed by Nicholas Winding Refn, the film is set in Thailand and stars Ryan Gosling as Julien, a drug kingpin tasked by his mother with avenging his brother's death, but with a mysterious, unhinged policeman following his every move.

Only God Forgives open in theaters July 13th, 2013. Watch a rather odd red-band teaser trailer for the film, below.

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Review: Desperado by Manuel Ramos

A Mysterious Review of …

Desperado by Manuel Ramos.

Review summary: The plot in this "mile high noir" unfolds in a reasonably straight-forward manner until about the two-thirds mark, at which point the path forward becomes a little more twisted, adding several layers of complexity, all to the better. Relatively short at just 180 pages, it's an appropriate length for what turns out to be a really good crime novel. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Desperado
Manuel Ramos
Arte Público Press (March 2013)

Publisher synopsis: Gus Corral can't quite believe it when an old high school buddy he hasn't seen in years asks him for help. Artie Baca looks as cool as ever; the hippest guy in high school now looks like a GQ cover boy, Chicano style. And like always, Artie has women problems, even though he's married. He's being blackmailed because of an imprudent fling-caught on video, of course. Artie has a prosperous real estate business and can afford to pay off the young girl, but he'll reward Gus handsomely for his help in convincing her that there won't be any future payments.

Gus's life hasn't been as successful; he manages his ex-wife's second hand shop after losing his job in the recession and claims to also work as the night watchman so he can live there too. He can really use the money Artie is offering and agrees to help, even though he knows Artie probably deserves the shake down.

But before Gus can deliver the money, Artie is dead and the police want to know why the deceased was carrying a check made out to his old high school chum. And when an armed stranger breaks into the shop in the dead of night, Gus knows there's more to the situation than meets the eye. An investigation into Artie's involvement in the gentrification of Denver's north side leads to harrowing encounters with dangerous criminals, both from the area and south of the border. Suddenly Gus is ensnared in the theft of one of the most revered religious symbols in the Catholic Latino world, a cloak bearing the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe. He's caught between warring gangs, and soon he and the people he cares about most are in a life-and-death predicament.

  

Oblivion, a Sci-Fi Action Thriller, Opens in Theaters Friday, April 19th

Oblivion. Opens in theaters April 19, 2013.

In the distant future, planet Earth has been decimated by an intergalactic battle against an alien race known as the Scavs. The majority of the mankind has been evacuated, leaving just a few solitary drone repairmen remaining on the planet's surface. Their job is simple — stand guard over the ruins of a once-great empire by patrolling the skies, and ensuring the drones continue to function.

Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is nearing the end of his mission to extract resources essential to the survival of the human race when he witnesses a spacecraft fall from the sky. Upon investigating, Jack discovers the capsule contains a mysterious woman. With mission control watching his every move from high up above the clouds, Jack embarks on a spectacular adventure that will not only challenge everything he's been taught about mankind's most defining battle, but perhaps alter the entire course of human history.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski from a screenplay co-written with Michael Arndt and William Monahan, and based on a graphic novel original concept by Joseph Kosinski.

Running time: 126 minutes Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, brief strong language, and some sensuality/nudity.

Watch a trailer for the film below:

Mr. E. Reviews Easy Money

Purchase/Rental Option(s)

This crime thriller is adapted from the first in the "Stockholm Noir" trilogy of books by Jens Lapidus and largely serves as an introduction to the character of Johan Westlund, who goes by JW. That's not to say there isn't a story, too — there is, and it's a fairly complicated story — but when all is said and done this film is really a character study. And a very good one at that.

Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews Easy Money.

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Mr. E. Reviews is your source for mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama reviews of television and film.

Cinemystery: Marisha Pessl's Literary Thriller Night Film Optioned for Film

Marisha Pessl's soon-to-be-published literary thriller Night Film as been optioned for film by Chernin Entertainment. Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) is attached to direct; a screenwriter has yet to be named.

Pessl's debut novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, was the winner in 2006 of the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize sponsored by the Center for Fiction. Night Film will be published in August 2013 by Random House (more details, below).

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Night Film
Marisha Pessl

On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley's life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive, cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova — a man who hasn't been seen in public for more than thirty years.

For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova's dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself.

Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova's eerie, hypnotic world.

The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time he might lose even more.