Review: Hazardous Material by Kurt Kamm

A Mysterious Review of …

Hazardous Material by Kurt Kamm. A Firefighter Mystery.

Review summary: This suspense and sometime action thriller is very character-centric, focusing on the physical and psychological pain of a LA County Fire Department HazMat specialist. The storyline is a dark one, interesting and at times thought-provoking, and keeps the reader's attention right through the final chapter, just to see how it all turns out. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Hazardous Material
Kurt Kamm
A Firefighter Mystery
MCM Publishing (May 2013)

Publisher synopsis: Bucky Dawson is a HazMat Specialist with Los Angeles County Fire Department HazMat Task Force 129. His station is in Lancaster, CA — an area populated with meth labs and outlaw motorcycle gangs, as well as Edwards AFB, NASA, and top-secret aerospace facilities.

One night, Task Force 103 is called out to support a Sheriff's raid on a meth lab in the Mojave Desert. In the darkness, Bucky sees his sister at the door of a double-wide trailer before it explodes.

Bucky's life is in chaos. He is divorced, lonely and struggling with a painkiller addiction. His Battalion Chief tells him to stop using the pills. Will Bucky's promising career come to an end? Will motorcycle thugs prevent him from discovering the secret from his sister's past? Why does the Sheriff's use of a military drone to search for a meth lab lead Bucky into a deadly confrontation with a brilliant aerospace scientist?

Can Bucky survive the challenges in his life?

  

Too Pretty To Die, a Debutante Dropout Mystery by Susan McBride, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Too Pretty To Die by Susan McBride, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Avon.

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 (06/22/2013 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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Too Pretty To Die by Susan McBride
A Debutante Dropout Mystery (5th in series)
Publisher: Avon

They call them "pretty parties", and they're the latest rage among Dallas debutantes — get-togethers with light refreshments, heavy gossip, and Dr. Sonja Madhavi and her magic Botox needles. Former socialite Andy Kendricks normally wouldn't be caught dead at such an event, but she's attending as a favor to her friend Janet, a society reporter in search of a juicy story. And boy does she find one when aging beauty queen Miranda DuBois bursts into the room — drunk, disorderly, and packing a pistol.

Miranda's wrinkles have seen better days, and she blames it all on Dr. Madhavi. Luckily, Andy calms her down and gets her home to bed … where she's found dead the next morning. The police suspect suicide, but Andy knows that no former pageant girl would give up that easily. She's determined to find Miranda's killer herself, but she'll have to be careful. After all, Botox can make you look younger, but it can't bring you back from the grave.

      

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.

Chicago Shiver, a Harry Pines Adventure by Terry Holland, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Chicago Shiver by Terry Holland, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Down and Out Books.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $2.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (06/22/2013 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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Chicago Shiver by Terry Holland
A Harry Pines Adventure
Publisher: Down and Out Books

Harry Pines lives in Hawaii in "a better lifestyle than you'd expect from a squared-up ex-con." He manages a beachfront apartment setup that he owns in partnership with his friend Muhammad Ali, a Chicago restaurateur.

Harry is a man of many dangerous skills — he was an Army Ranger — and has a hard case toughness that he used in prison to fight and kill for his safety. He knows he has bounced back through dumb good luck and good friends and he's always ready to pay back for that good fortune.

So when Muhammad asks him to come to Chicago to resolve the odd case of a woman found strangled dead in her bed behind doors and windows deadbolted from within, and an unconscious bleeding man atop her, Harry can't say no. Not to Muhammad who believes in the innocence of the man in the bed.

Harry finds himself in jail before the case breaks, and under deadly assault from a pair of professional killers. Chicago Shiver ultimately takes Harry Pines to the pinnacle of Chicago political power. And there he finds the truth.

  

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.

Season of Death, an Inupiat Eskimo Mystery by Christopher Lane, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Season of Death by Christopher Lane, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Avon.

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 (06/22/2013 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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Season of Death by Christopher Lane
An Inupiat Eskimo Mystery
Publisher: Avon

Inupiat police officer Ray Attla joins two of his police buddies for a three-day caribou hunt in the Alaskan Bush country. But when gear and supplies are lost, the trio fishes for food and pulls in the remains of a human head. Ray assumes the deceased fell victim to a tragic accident — until he and the party are dodging bullets.

Fleeing on foot to an archaeological dig, Ray suspects that unearthed artifacts are not the only remains to be uncovered. Coincidentally, or at the hands of the Inupiat gods, Ray encounters a young Athabascan girl who is gifted with a "special sight". The girl's visions arm Ray with fragments of information and he follows her lead into the wilderness to hunt a cagey killer who has declared open season on the police officer.

  

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.

Chasing the Dead, a Suspense Thriller by Joe Schreiber, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Chasing the Dead by Joe Schreiber, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Ballantine Books.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $2.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (06/22/2013 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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Chasing the Dead by Joe Schreiber
A Suspense Thriller
Publisher: Ballantine Books

"You have a very lovely little girl," breathed the voice on the phone. And just like that, Susan Young is drawn into a living nightmare.

A stranger has kidnapped Sue's daughter, Veda. But he doesn't want her money, only her suffering — and he will kill Veda if Sue doesn't follow his every command. With detailed instructions, the faceless abductor leads Sue into a blinding snowstorm on the longest night of the year, to a place she has not traveled to since childhood. The voice on the other end of the line somehow knows Sue's deepest, most chilling secret — an ominous incident from her past, buried long ago …

Across the loneliest back roads of Massachusetts, in the black expanse of a New England winter, Sue is forced to confront her most awful fears as she is met at each step by ever increasing horrors created by a monster who is surely something less than human. In the hope of saving her daughter from a kidnapper whose origin seems darker than anything she could ever have imagined, Sue will discover just how much trauma and fright the human body is capable of absorbing.

      

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

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: Whodunnit? Premieres Sunday, June 23rd on ABC

ABC's murder mystery reality series Whodunnit? premieres tomorrow, Sunday, June 23rd, 2013 at 9 PM ET/PT.

In the opening episode, thirteen strangers arrive at the sprawling estate called Rue Manor and are met by Butler Giles (Gildart Jackson), who welcomes them to their new residence where they will play out their high stakes game of murder and intrigue. Before they can even settle in, the guests are thrown straight into the game after making a startling and gruesome discovery — one of their own, bloodied and dead on the floor of the great room.

The remaining guests must put their investigative skills to the test in this riveting mystery reality competition. Players will use a variety of crime scene investigation techniques to meticulously uncover evidence in a series of puzzling murders and to ultimately reveal who among them is the killer. Some players will form alliances in the competition, while others will choose to go it alone in their quest for the grand prize of $250,000. The contestants will be guests on a glamorous estate called Rue Manor with a steward, Butler Giles, and each week must solve a new crime in order to advance in the game. Failure to solve the crime will lead to a player's demise, until only three are left. In the final episode, one player will unmask the killer and take home the $250,000 prize.

Series creator Anthony E. Zuiker has written a companion book to Whodunnit?; more information about it, below the preview trailer.

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Whodunnit? Murder in Mystery Manor
Anthony E. Zuiker

A grand estate. Ten unsuspecting guests. A diabolical game of life and death.

Ten excited guests arrive at the Westlake Estate, expecting a lavish retreat. They are the winners of a sweepstakes to "Live Like a Billionaire for a Week". But what was supposed to be a promising escape soon turns into a horrific nightmare.

Within hours of arrival, the guests sit down for an extravagant dinner. When they pull their party poppers as instructed, a loud chorus of bangs resounds, followed by earsplitting screams as the guest seated at the head of the table bursts into flames and slumps to the floor. The others are told they must solve the crime or be the next victim.

The killer, their diabolical host, is hiding among the frightened guests. Is the murderer the well-toned trophy wife, the retired deputy sheriff, the stoned college dropout, or perhaps the sweet, homely grandmother? The killer toys with them, inviting the guests to explore the lavish estate, from the stables to the hedge maze, in an effort to uncover the gory details of how the murderer pulled off such a gruesome murder.

Alliances are forged carefully and information is shared warily, since none of the remaining guests knows whom to trust. The next to die a hideous death will be the one with the least accurate solution to the latest murder. In the end, only three guests will remain: the winner, the loser, and the killer.

      

Blood Double, A Carroll Monks Mystery by Neil McMahon, Now at a Special Price

Earlier this week HarperCollins discounted over 100 of its mystery, suspense and thriller ebooks to just $0.99 cents each. Since then we've been featuring titles by authors with whom we are familiar.

We are continuing our posts by highlighting those books by authors new to us that attracted our attention, titles we're adding to our summer reading queue.

Please remember: Prices are subject to change without notice, and were checked for this post as of 06/22/2013 at 10:00 AM ET. 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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Blood Double by Neil McMahon
A Carroll Monks Mystery
Publisher: HarperCollins

From the very start, Dr. Carroll Monks knew that the businessman dumped from a limousine in the parking lot of Mercy Hospital wasn't a typical San Francisco junkie. Even after Monks had rushed the dying man inside and brought him back from the precipice of a heroin overdose — after the danger had, seemingly, passed-Monks sensed that something more sinister was brewing.

Just how sinister, he couldn't have guessed. First a phalanx of lawyers and doctors descended on the hospital and whisked the man away before Monks could find out more about the suspicious circumstances surrounding his arrival. Then a small fire broke out in the hospital — an act of sabotage that resulted in the disappearance of the man's blood samples. But the real shock came the next morning, when the newspapers reported the mysterious disappearance of billionaire Lex Rittenour. Rittenour, a beloved computer wunderkind, had long been rumored to be developing a top-secret technology involving the human genome, the medical applications of which had the potential to place his name alongside those of Lister, Curie, and Salk. Now, just days before the unveiling of his breakthrough, Rittenour — whom Monks now recognizes as the man he saved in the ER the night before — had, according to his corporate spokesmen, "gone into seclusion".

What begins for Monks as an inquiry into Rittenour's disappearance unearths something far more diabolical — the horrific facts behind genetic research done in Rittenour's name — and pits him against a corporation of dubious ethics, ruthless commando-style tactics, and a multi-billion-dollar motivation to protect its dark secrets.

      

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.

Every Trace, a Novel of Suspense by Gregg Main, Now at a Special Price

Earlier this week HarperCollins discounted over 100 of its mystery, suspense and thriller ebooks to just $0.99 cents each. Since then we've been featuring titles by authors with whom we are familiar.

We are continuing our posts by highlighting those books by authors new to us that attracted our attention, titles we're adding to our summer reading queue.

Please remember: Prices are subject to change without notice, and were checked for this post as of 06/22/2013 at 9:30 AM ET. 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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Every Trace by Gregg Main
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: HarperCollins

Ellen has murder on her mind: an untraceable act of retribution for a horror that shattered her family and her childhood. After years of quietly searching, the time for action has arrived. Leaving her unwitting husband, Pete, she vanishes without a trace, taking to the road in pursuit of a man called Walker — a killer who can lead her to the evil prey she seeks.

With the slimmest of clues, a confused and desperate Pete begins to trace Ellen's path. As he pieces together the truth behind his wife's disappearance, he realizes that his ignorance of Ellen's secrets has not only jeopardized their marriage, but may also cost the woman he loves her life. Certain of nothing but the need to find her, Pete crisscrosses the country in a harrowing race against the clock that ends in a brutal, fiery confrontation on a desert mountain top — a stunnning shocker that will leave you guessing until the very end.

      

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.

The Island of Time by Matthew DeBettencourt is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Island of Time by Matthew DeBettencourt as today's second free mystery ebook (The Island Series; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, June 22, 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 Island of Time
Matthew DeBettencourt
The Island Series
Publisher: Tate Publishing

When an unidentified body is found on the second floor of a Detroit antique shop, Strawberry Sundae Investigations is on the case! Set in an age of androids and hovercars, the Sundaes have unlimited advanced technology at their disposal. Still, the evidence doesn't add up.

Little do they know the case would hit close to home when the only clues the victim left behind — in the form of a personal journal — reflect an erratically inconsistent timeline, suggesting the victim might not be from the present.

Their best lead creates another struggle for one of their members: Dawn Vañia. Her fiancé, Taran Flint, is the leading scientist working on a secretive project which he claims involves a breakthrough method in traveling through time.

  

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.

Society of the Nines by Danielle Bourdon is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Society of the Nines by Danielle Bourdon as today's free mystery ebook (The Society Series; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, June 22, 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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Society of the Nines
Danielle Bourdon
The Society Series
Publisher: Wildbloom Press

The wig, the fear, and the weapon; those are the first things private investigator Mahayla Breland notices when Emma Chapin walks in her door. All Emma wants is for Mahayla to find her missing son, a man on the run from a Cult that proves to have far darker, more sinister intentions than Mahayla could have ever imagined.

What begins as an innocuous missing persons case turns into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse — a game both Mahayla and the Society of the Nines are playing to win.

  

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.

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (130622)

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

• The New Release is Dark Parables: The Final Cinderella.

• The Daily Deal is Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is Puppetshow: Return to Joyville, just $2.99 through Sunday, June 23, 2013 only.

• Today's Special Deal — Summer Solstice Sale! All standard edition games are $4.99 each through Sunday, June 23rd, 2013. Use coupon code SUMMER at check out.

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

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Today's New Release is Dark Parables: The Final Cinderella

For decades, a mysterious witch, known as the evil Godmother, has been hunting maidens in search of the legendary "Cinderella". Play as the fabled detective, rescue the Final Cinderella from the evil Godmother's clutches, and stop her evil plans to conquer the world!

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

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Today's Daily Deal is Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart

Dive into an epic journey as a museum owner in pursuit of an undead pirate who has kidnapped your daughter! You quickly realize that the undead pirate is entangled in a tragic, centuries-old love story, and wants to resurrect his mistress with the youth's life force. You must act quickly to save the young girl's life before it is too late. Travel through haunting seas, ruined fortresses, and bone covered catacombs as you uncover secrets from the past!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Saturday, June 22, 2013 — for $2.99.

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The current Catch of the Week is Puppetshow: Return to Joyville

Travel back in time to help stop a terrible fire that started Felicia down her destructive path! This time traveling adventure takes you back to Joyville when Felicia was a small child. With the help of Felicia, try to stop the fire that incinerated her fathers theater. This fire horribly burned Felicia, and caused her to turn evil. By changing the past, Felicia hopes for a chance at redemption. Discover who the true villain is in this captivating adventure!

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, June 23, 2013.

Telemystery: NBC Announces Fall 2013 Series and Season Premiere Dates

NBC has announced its series Fall 2013 premiere dates. There's not a lot on the network for telemystery fans, though we are looking forward to the remake of Ironside.

All times, below, are ET/PT.

Monday (09/23/2013) …

10 PM: The Blacklist (series premiere)

Wednesday (09/25/2013) …

9 PM: Law & Order SVU (15th season)

Wednesday (10/02/2013) …

10 PM: Ironside (series premiere)

Friday (10/25/2013) …

9 PM: Grimm (3rd season)

Hannibal will return mid-season. And we're torn on Dracula, which we haven't included here but may change our minds on; its series premiere is Friday, October 25th at 10 PM.

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: Fangs Out by David Freed

A Mysterious Review of …

Fangs Out by David Freed. A Cordell Logan Mystery.

Review summary: Setting aside the wildly improbable premise upon which this murder mystery is based, the story that unfolds is a good one, exceptionally well plotted with plenty of nicely positioned twists and turns and cleverly conceived paths of misdirection. The only element that doesn't work is the main character's relationship with his ex-wife, the scenes of which are an unwelcome intrusion on an otherwise well crafted storyline. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Fangs Out
David Freed
A Cordell Logan Mystery
The Permanent Press (April 2013)

Publisher synopsis: Moments before he is executed, the killer of famed Vietnam War hero-pilot Hub Walker's daughter makes a startling allegation: the real murderer is Walker's close friend, a prominent U.S. defense contractor. Walker wants to hire somebody willing to spend a few days hunting up information that will refute the convicted killer's groundless but widely reported claims, and help restore his friend's good name. That somebody, as fate would have it, is sardonic civilian flight instructor, would-be Buddhist and retired military assassin Cordell Logan.

A Medal of Honor recipient married to a former Playmate of the Year, Walker resides in the swanky San Diego enclave of La Jolla, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Logan is convinced that working for Walker will be little more than a paid vacation — a chance to rub shoulders with a living legend while rekindling Logan's relationship with his own enticing ex-wife, Savannah. But after flying to San Diego in his beloved aging Cessna, the Ruptured Duck, Logan is quickly drawn into a vexing and deadly jigsaw puzzle. The deeper he digs, the murkier the truth appears, and the more in danger he finds himself. Who really killed the war hero's daughter, and why? Somebody in "America's Finest City" wants to stop Logan from asking questions, and will stop at nothing to silence him.