The Big Deal on Mysteries by S. J. Bolton, James Grippando, and Nicola Upson

The Big Deal is back at Amazon.com, with discounts of up to 85% on over 500 Kindle ebooks through May 27th, 2013.

Every day during the promotion we are choosing several books to feature from the mystery/suspense/thriller category. If the price has been matched by another vendor, we'll provide a link to their site, too. All books that we feature are currently (as of the date and time of this post) priced $2.99 or less.

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Beyond Suspicion by James Grippando
A James Swyteck Legal Thriller (2nd in series)
Publisher: HarperCollins

Criminal lawyer Jack Swyteck doesn't handle many civil cases. But this one is different. His client, Jessie Merrill, is a gorgeous ex-girlfriend who's being sued.

At the trial, Jack pulls off a brilliant victory and Jessie gets a hefty settlement. But then Jack finds out it was all a scam. Two days later, Jessie's body turns up floating in Jack's bathtub. As the evidence mounts against him, Jack finds himself on a collision course with dark secrets from the past and a possible killer is beyond suspicion.

      

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An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson
A Josephine Tey Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: HarperCollins

March 1934. Revered mystery writer Josephine Tey is traveling from Scotland to London for the final week of her play Richard of Bordeaux, the surprise hit of the season, with pacifist themes that resonate in a world still haunted by war. But joy turns to horror when her arrival coincides with the murder of a young woman she had befriended on the train ride — and Tey is plunged into a mystery as puzzling as any in her own works.

Detective Inspector Archie Penrose is convinced that the killing is connected to the play, and that Tey herself is in danger of becoming a victim of her own success. In the aftermath of a second murder, the writer and the policeman must join together to stop a ruthless killer who will apparently stop at nothing.

      

Click on the Amazon button to see also the special Whispersync offer associated with this title.

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Now You See Me by S. J. Bolton
A Lacey Flint Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Minotaur Books

One night after interviewing a reluctant witness at a London apartment complex, Lacey Flint, a young detective constable, stumbles onto a woman brutally stabbed just moments before in the building's darkened parking lot. Within twenty-four hours a reporter receives an anonymous letter that points out alarming similarities between the murder and Jack the Ripper's first murder — a letter that calls out Lacey by name. If it's real, and they have a killer bent on re-creating London's bloody past, history shows they have just five days until the next attempt.

No one believes the connections are anything more than a sadistic killer's game, not even Lacey, whom the killer seems to be taunting specifically. However, as they investigate the details of the case start reminding her more and more of a part of her past she'd rather keep hidden. And the only way to do that is to catch the killer herself.

      

Important Note: 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.

A Conversation with Mystery Author Helen Smith

with Helen Smith

We are delighted to welcome mystery author Helen Smith to Omnimystery News today, courtesy of Cozy Mystery Book Reviews, which is coordinating her current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find her schedule here.

Helen's new mystery is Invitation To Die (Thomas & Mercer, March 2013 trade paperback and ebook formats), introducing amateur sleuth Emily Castles. (The book was first published as a four-part Kindle serial during March and April of this year.)

We recently had a chance to talk to Helen about her book.

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Omnimystery News: Why did you choose to create a series character for your new mystery?

Photo provided courtesy of
Helen Smith

Helen Smith: I enjoy getting to know recurring characters over several books in a series and I hope readers of my Emily Castles books will feel the same way. Emily is twenty-six and I'm planning to keep her at that age rather than ageing her in real time. Her core qualities will remain the same, so she won't change very much, although she will get better at sleuthing as the series progresses!

OMN: Into what mystery genre would you place Invitation To Die?

HS: I would categorize it as a humorous British mystery. It falls under the category of a cozy mystery, too, because all the violence is off the page and there is no profanity or sex in the book. I think it's helpful for readers to know what they're getting, and people who like British mysteries or cozies are likely to give it a go, so I'm hoping there are plenty of advantages in marketing it in that category.

OMN: Give us a synopsis of the book in a tweet.

HS: Invitation To Die: Amateur sleuth Emily Castles teams up with eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel in this entertaining British mystery.

OMN: How much of your own personality or experience did you put into Invitation To Die?

HS: I put quite a lot of myself into my main characters but I invent most of the situations. For example, Emily makes her living doing temporary office work, going from job to job and never quite finding something that satisfies her. When I started out writing, I supported myself and my daughter by doing temporary office work. But I have never solved any murders!

OMN: What about the setting for the book?

HS: I set my books in real places but I change them. Invitation To Die takes place in a hotel in Bloomsbury, London. I had a hotel called the Russell Hotel in mind but I changed a lot of details about it, including the name and the layout. I use London as a setting for a lot of my books because I live here and I love it. But it's a much smaller, friendlier London than the real one — neighbors know each other and help each other out. The goodies and baddies all know each other and are connected in some way. There's a village feel to the London I write about.

OMN: Tell us about your writing process.

HS: I plan the book by doing an outline. I always know the shape of the story and how it will end. I find the story develops as I begin to write but because I know where I'm heading I don't get lost.

OMN: If the book were to be optioned for film or television, who would you choose to play the lead roles?

HS: I'd love to see the series on television. The main character, Emily Castles, is a sweet-natured young woman with short hair and dimples, so Carey Mulligan would be a great choice to play her. Her side-kick is a middle-aged philosophy professor. I'd love to see her played by Miriam Margolyes.

OMN: What's next for you?

HS: I have just finished the follow-up to Invitation To Die. It's called Beyond Belief and it's set in Torquay at a conference of philosophers, psychologists, mediums, hypnotists and TV psychics. Celebrated magician and self-professed sceptic Edmund Zenon has offered £50,000 to anyone who can prove the existence of the paranormal that weekend. When a death by drowning is predicted in a vision, Emily is called in to investigate.

I'm just about to start writing the next book in the series which is set at the Edinburgh Festival. Emily takes part in a theater show in which the boundaries between reality and art begin to blur. She finds herself in danger when she tries to investigate the death of a fellow performer.

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Helen Smith is a member of the Writers Guild of Great Britain and English PEN. She traveled the world when her daughter was small, doing all sorts of strange jobs to support them both — from cleaning motels to working as a magician's assistant — before returning to live in London where she wrote her first novel.

She writes novels, poetry, plays and screenplays and is the recipient of an Arts Council of England Award. She's a long-term supporter of the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture and mentors members of an exiled writers group to help them tell their stories. She likes knitting but she doesn't like driving. She likes dancing.

Learn more about Helen by visiting her website, EmperorsClothes.co.uk, or finding her on Facebook and Twitter.

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Invitation To Die
Helen Smith
An Emily Castles Mystery (1st in series)

Twenty-six-year-old Emily Castles is out of work … again. So when famous romance author Morgana Blakely offers her a job helping out at a conference in London, Emily accepts. Just as eagerly, American blogger Winnie Kraster accepts an invitation from Morgana to attend as a guest, not realizing she has, in effect, accepted an invitation to die.

As a cast of oddball characters assembles at the conference hotel, grievances, differences, and secrets begin to emerge. When Winnie goes missing, and then is found murdered nearby, Emily begins to suspect that someone involved with the conference is responsible. Could it be one of the organizers, one of the authors, a member of the hotel staff, or even the supplier of the chocolates for the conference gift bags? Emily teams up with guest speaker and eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel to find out.

  

The Secret Viking by Martin Myers is Today's Fifth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Secret Viking by Martin Myers as today's fifth free mystery ebook (A Paranormal Literary Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, May 18, 2013 at 7:50 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 Secret Viking
Martin Myers
A Paranormal Literary Thriller
Publisher: Martin Myers

In researching the deceased novelist Helga Rittersporn, literary scholar August Dallou discovers that Helga had planned an exposé of her Polish novelist husband, Myroj Krupinski, who had abandoned her a few years before her death. Dallou is startled to learn that Myroj Krupinsky was actually an assumed identity of a 1300-year-old Viking warrior-poet, Thorsten the Rood, who had stopped aging after a blow to his head at age 44. Aware that, despite not aging, he is mortal, and could expire from illness, accident or violence, Thorsten had learned to live peacefully, guarding his secret to stay alive. And so, as the warrior ebbed, the poet flowed, and he practiced his writing craft all over the world, frequently changing place, name, wives and families. Now, 1254 years after being struck on the head, and hiding behind a series of cover-up identities (of which Myroj Krupinsky was but one), Thorsten the Rood, the life-extended Viking, walks in secret among us today.

Recognizing Thorsten as the most prolific writer of all time and a potential treasure trove of literature and history, Dallou turns literary detective, determined to find the elusive warrior-poet and persuade him to share his thirteen centuries of knowledge. As Dallou chases Thorsten through numerous current identities, the secret Viking's tale spins out in glimpses of his protracted life, his writings, past and present, fragments of his work as poet, scribe, novelist, playwright, interspersed between episodes of Dallou's persistent hunt.

  

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.

Nikki's Secret by William Malmborg is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Nikki's Secret by William Malmborg as today's fourth free mystery ebook (A Novel of Suspense; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, May 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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Nikki's Secret
William Malmborg
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Darker Dreams Media

All Kimberly wanted was a fresh start, one that would allow her to finish college and move on with her life. Unfortunately, fate seems to have a different plan for her.

Within days of moving into her new ground floor apartment, she starts to get mail for a girl named Nikki, and not just any mail, but items of a sexual nature. Not long after that men start to show up, all of whom seem to think they will be having sex with Nikki. Pictures of her follow, along with threats. Someone is not happy with Nikki and believes Kimberly to be her.

Hoping to put a stop to this, Kimberly enlists the aid of the writer living above. Working together, they will attempt to uncover who this Nikki person is and end whatever game she is playing. Will their actions succeed and allow Kimberly to get that fresh start she desires? Only time will tell.

  

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.

Paid in Full by David Shaffer is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Paid in Full by David Shaffer as today's third free mystery ebook (A Harry Caine Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, May 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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Paid in Full
David Shaffer
A Harry Caine Mystery
Publisher: Alabaster Book Publishing

Harry Caine is a licensed California private investigator, who closed his one-man detective agency in Silicon Valley to try a new way of life in Washington, D.C. In a short time he becomes dissatisfied with his new job and builds a getaway boat, intending to sail away to the Caribbean Islands and never look back.

On the way south from Washington, D.C., a boating accident requires repairs, but Harry doesn't have enough money to pay the bill. A nefarious boat yard controller, exiled from his family's crime business in New Jersey, offers Harry a job delivering some boxes from Daytona Beach to a Silicon Valley scientist/inventor. Harry discovers the contents of the boxes he has delivered and is hired to find the who's and why's of a counterfeiting scheme, stolen currency paper and two murders. He gets caught up in this compelling coast-to-coast mystery and finds himself back in the detective business …

  

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 Illegal by AK Dawson is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Illegal by AK Dawson as today's second free mystery ebook (A Suspense Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, May 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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The Illegal
AK Dawson
A Suspense Thriller
Publisher: Unsung Books

It's Kate Walker's first day as a member of the Home Office Enforcement Team and she has been given a job to do. She not only has to evict an asylum seeker from the flat where he lives, but from the country.

The problem is that the immigrant, Vincent Mpolo, doesn't want to comply. He manages to escape and Kate is blamed for his flight.

When it is discovered that Vincent left a dead body behind, Kate decides that she has to track him down. Professional pride is at stake and something else too: Kate isn't entirely sure that Vincent is the murderer.

Her search takes her to the UK border and she soon finds out that it's one thing for an illegal immigrant to enter the country, but quite another to escape.

  

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.

Holy Mole Murder by Harol Marshall is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Holy Mole Murder by Harol Marshall as today's free mystery ebook (A Polly Berger Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, May 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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Holy Mole Murder
Harol Marshall
A Polly Berger Mystery
Publisher: Deerwood Books

Cinda Mae Bradbury, ex-stripper turned restaurateur, has a problem. Her sous chef disappeared in the middle of the night while making his famous Mole Poblano. Cinda Mae thinks someone kidnapped him in order to steal his Mole recipe. Private Investigator Polly Berger isn't so sure.

To complicate matters, Polly's ex, Hollywood Detective Johnny Birdwhistle, wants to charge Cinda's chef with murder. If that isn't enough, Polly's twin sister arrives from Pittsburgh in an effort to escape her abusive husband. And then there's the matter of the Sidereal Society Sisters. Could things get any worse for Polly?

  

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.

A Series of Unfortunate Events Books 1-3 by Lemony Snicket is Today's Kindle Daily Deal for Teens

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Series of Unfortunate Events Books 1-3 by Lemony Snicket as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal for Teens.

The deal price of $2.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, May 18, 2013.

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A Series of Unfortunate Events Books 1-3
Lemony Snicket
HarperCollins

Lemony Snicket's unhappy tale of the unlucky Baudelaire siblings begins with The Bad Beginning. In this short bothersome book alone, the three orphans encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

Should you not mind deadly serpents, slippery salamanders, lumpy beds, large brass reading lamps, long knives, and terrible odors, then proceed with caution to the second book in the miserable series, The Reptile Room.

Readers unbothered by inclement weather, hungry leeches, and cold cucumber soup will want to continue with the third installment, The Wide Window. Others will not.

If you've got the stomach to wade through the first three tragic tales in Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events", then this troubling collection might be the one for you. Several loathsome extras, including a compilation of unsettling quotations and a very disturbing portrait, await those who successfully complete the wretched journey. You've been warned!

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.

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, May 18, 2013.

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Five Little Pigs
Agatha Christie
A Hercule Poirot Mystery
William Morrow

Beautiful Caroline Crale was convicted of poisoning her husband, yet there were five other suspects: Philip Blake (the stockbroker) who went to market; Meredith Blake (the amateur herbalist) who stayed at home; Elsa Greer (the three-time divorcee) who had roast beef; Cecilia Williams (the devoted governess) who had none; and Angela Warren (the disfigured sister) who cried "wee wee wee" all the way home.

It is sixteen years later, but Hercule Poirot just can't get that nursery rhyme out of his mind …

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.

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (130518)

Here is today's mystery and suspense update from Big Fish Games …

• The New Release is Redemption Cemetery: Salvation of the Lost.

• The Daily Deal is Secrets of the Seas: Flying Dutchman, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is Mystery Trackers: Black Isle, just $2.99 through Sunday, May 19, 2013 only.

Visit the Omnimystery Entertainment Network for more games of mystery and suspense!

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Today's New Release is Redemption Cemetery: Salvation of the Lost

Escape from a mystical cemetery! A late-night subway takes a bizarre turn when you suddenly find yourself in a strange cemetery. An otherworldly entity has summoned you to free the cemetery’s lost souls. And to make sure you finish the job, she’s holding your dog hostage! To earn your freedom, you must help three spirits resolve some unfinished business from the past. Will you succeed, or is this the end of the line? Find out in this thrilling Hidden Object game!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour.

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Today's Daily Deal is Secrets of the Seas: Flying Dutchman

Uncover the Sea Secrets of the Flying Dutchman by finding hidden objects and solving adventuresome puzzles in this oceanic hidden object puzzle adventure game!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Saturday, May 18, 2013 — for $2.99.

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The current Catch of the Week is Mystery Trackers: Black Isle

Investigate a supposedly abandoned island when a journalist is kidnapped after beginning an investigation — it's up to you to learn the truth behind Black Isle. Years ago an earthquake struck leaving the island deserted. None of the buildings seem to be damaged, however, and a hooded figure seems to be stopping people from discovering the truth. Find the missing journalist and learn a sinister secret!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game at the special price of $2.99 through Sunday, May 19, 2013.

Review: Follow Her Home by Steph Cha

A Mysterious Review of …

Follow Her Home by Steph Cha. A Juniper Song Mystery.

Review summary: This murder mystery is written more along the lines of a teen novel than an adult one, with the lead character being more Nancy Drew than the Philip Marlowe she considers herself to be. The storyline is straight-forward enough, but is intercut with a backstory that is more intrusive than constructive and just doesn't work here. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Follow Her Home
Steph Cha
A Juniper Song Mystery
Minotaur Books (April 2013)

Publisher synopsis: Juniper Song knows secrets — how to keep them and how to search them out. As a girl, noir fiction was her favorite escape, and Philip Marlowe has always been her literary idol. So when her friend Luke asks her to investigate a possible affair between his father and a young employee, Juniper (or "Song" as her friends call her) finds an opportunity to play detective. Driving through L.A.'s side streets, following leads, tailing suspects — it all appeals to Song's romantic ideal of the noir hero. But when she's knocked out while investigating a mysterious car and finds a body in her own trunk, Song lurches back to the real L.A., becoming embroiled in a crime that goes far beyond role play. What's more, this isn't the first time Song has stuck her nose in other people's business. As she fights to discover the truth about her friend's family, Song reveals one of her own deeply hidden secrets, something dark and damaging, urging her to see the current mystery through, to rectify the mistakes of her past life.