Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending July 12, 2013

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending July 12th, 2013 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

No change in the order of the top five bestsellers this week, with Dan Brown's Robert Langdon thriller, Inferno, remaining at number one.

Three new titles debut [ranking in backets].

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[9]: Hidden Order
Brad Thor
— Scot Harvath (12th)

The most secretive organization in America operates without any accountability to the American people. Hiding in the shadows, pretending to be part of the United States government, its power is beyond measure.

Control of this organization has just been lost and the future of the nation thrust into peril.

When the five candidates being considered to head this mysterious agency suddenly go missing, covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath is summoned to Washington and set loose on the most dangerous chase ever to playout on American soil.

But as the candidates begin turning up murdered, the chase becomes an all-too-public spectacle, with every indicator suggesting that the plot has its roots in a shadowy American cabal founded in the 1700s.

With the United States on the verge of collapse, Harvath must untangle a web of conspiracy centuries in the making and head off the greatest threat America has ever seen.

Purchase Options

          

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[10]: Unseen
Karin Slaughter
— Will Trent (5th)

Will Trent is a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent whose latest case has him posing as Bill Black, a scary ex-con who rides a motorcycle around Macon, Georgia, and trails an air of violence wherever he goes. The cover has worked and he has caught the eye of a wiry little drug dealer who thinks he might be a useful ally. But undercover and cut off from the support of the woman he loves, Sara Linton, Will finds his demons catching up with him.

Although she has no idea where Will has gone, or why, Sara herself has come to Macon because of a cop shooting: Her stepson, Jared, has been gunned down in his own home. Sara holds Lena, Jared's wife, responsible: Lena, a detective, has been a magnet for trouble all her life, and Jared's shooting is not the first time someone Sara loved got caught in the crossfire. Furious, Sara finds herself involved in the same case that Will is working without even knowing it, and soon danger is swirling around both of them.

Purchase Options

          

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[11]: Bombshell
Catherine Coulter
— FBI Suspense (17th)

FBI Special Agent Griffin Hammersmith, last seen in Backfire, has been recruited by Dillon Savich to join his unit in Washington, D.C. Savich sees something special in Hammersmith, an almost preternatural instinct for tracking criminals.

While on his way to D.C., Hammersmith plans to visit his sister, Delsey, a student at Stanislaus School of Music in Maestro, Virginia. Before he arrives, he gets a phone call that Delsey was found naked, unconscious, and covered with blood after a wild party. The blood isn't hers — so who does it belong to?

Meanwhile, back in D.C., Savich and Sherlock have their hands full when the grandson of former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank is found murdered, every bone in his body broken, and frozen at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial.

Was Savich right — is Griffin gifted with a unique ability to "see" how criminals think? And will he figure out who was behind the attempt on Delsey's life — before it's too late?

Purchase Options

          

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (130712)

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

• The New Release is Final Cut: Encore (Collector's Edition).

• The current Catch of the Week is Tesla's Tower: The Wardenclyffe Mystery, just $2.99 through Sunday, July 14, 2013 only.

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

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Today's New Release is Final Cut: Encore (Collector's Edition)

Your murderous half-sister has escaped, and you've got the last piece of your father's treacherous film projector. The breakout success story returns for an encore as you uncover the truth about your father's dark secrets and find out who's really behind his death and his deadly invention …

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won't find in the standard version, including: bonus game; film strips and other collectibles; downloadable soundtracks; bonus wallpapers and concept art; and an integrated strategy guide.

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

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The current Catch of the Week is Tesla's Tower: The Wardenclyffe Mystery

Save the world from an experiment gone wrong! Nikola Tesla — villain or victim? It's the question everyone asks after what should have been his greatest invention drained the world of color. Tesla disappeared in the Ether that fateful day when his experiment went horribly wrong. Help him get back and bring the color back to your world!

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, July 14, 2013.

Cinemystery: Ben Affleck Likely To Be Lead in Film Adaptation of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Earlier this year, David Fincher announced he may direct a film adaptation of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. Since then, it seems almost certain that he would indeed do so — he's rewriting an early draft of a screenplay written by Flynn — leaving only the cast to be announced.

Today various sources are indicating that Ben Affleck will be the male lead … if scheduling details can be worked out. He will play Nick Dunne — see more details about the book, below — whose wife disappears … and the police believe he had something to do with it. The role of the titular wife was thought to be going to Reese Witherspoon — her company is producing the film — but apparently that seems unlikely now.

Affleck's next project was expected to be an adaptation of Dennis Lehane's Live By Night, a film in which he would both star and direct that may need to be pushed back by a couple of months if he agrees — and the studios involved go along — to Gone Girl.

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Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media — as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents — the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter — but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

      

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

Important Note: Any prices and/or special deals mentioned above were correct as of the date and time of this post. 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.

Winners of the 2012 Strand Critics Awards Announced

The winners of the Strand Critics Awards for the best mystery fiction published during 2012 have been announced by the editors of The Strand Magazine. The winners were decided by a select group of book critics from around the country.

• Best Novel: Defending Jacob by William Landay (Delacorte Press)

• Best First Novel: The 500 by Matthew Quirk (Little, Brown)

In addition, Faye Kellerman was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

(Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare for alerting us to this news.)

Black December, a Brendan Moran Crime Thriller by Scott Hunter, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Black December by Scott Hunter, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Myrtle Villa Publishing.

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 (07/11/2013 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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Black December by Scott Hunter
A Brendan Moran Crime Thriller (1st in series)
Publisher: Myrtle Villa Publishing

DCI Brendan Moran, world-weary veteran of 1970s Ireland, is recuperating from a near fatal car crash when a murder is reported at Charnford Abbey.

The abbot and his monks are strangely uncooperative, but when a visitor from the Vatican arrives and an ancient relic goes missing the truth behind Charnford's pact of silence threatens to expose not only the abbey's haunted secrets but also the spirits of Moran's own troubled past …

  

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.

Crushed, a Fredrickson Winery Mystery by Barbara Ellen Brink, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Crushed by Barbara Ellen Brink, now available at a special price, courtesy of the author.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (07/11/2013 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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Crushed by Barbara Ellen Brink
A Fredrickson Winery Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Barbara Ellen Brink

Creating the perfect wine can sometimes be murder …

When Adam Fredrickson shows up at his sister's California winery, footloose and carefree, looking for a temporary job and a chance to play his music, he doesn't expect to find the winery struggling financially, or that the girl next door might just be the girl of his dreams.

Margaret Parker, a single mom, newly hired as Chief winemaker at Fredrickson's, finds her simple world put to the test when her father is unexpectedly released from prison, and the man who got her pregnant at fifteen, shows up from Italy wanting to play daddy nine years too late.

It's crush time at Fredrickson Winery and everyone is working feverously to get the grapes in and ensure a great vintage. No one expects murder to be part of the joyous harvest season.

  

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: Fortune's Deadly Descent by Audrey Braun, Available this Month at a Special Price

Every month Amazon releases a new selection of Kindle books priced $3.99 or less.

Today's featured title from the Mystery & Thrillers category is Fortune's Deadly Descent by Audrey Braun. This Kindle book was listed at $0.99 as of the date and time of this post, Thursday, July 11, 2013 at 1:30 PM ET, and should be available at this price through the end of the month.

More information about the book is below; if other vendors have priced-matched this title, links to their sites are also shown.

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Fortune's Deadly Descent by Audrey Braun
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Read our review of Fortune's Deadly Descent by Audrey Braun

Memories of her dire past fade as Celia Hagen enjoys life in Switzerland as a best-selling author, surrounded by an extended family, her beloved Benicio, and their imaginative young son Benny. But when Benny disappears from a train during an unexpected stop in the French Provencal countryside, Celia suspects her past may not be buried after all.

With Benny gone, she quickly realizes her life wasn't nearly as idyllic as she believed. Infuriated by the unorthodox search efforts of Interpol and the French police, Celia, along with her older son Oliver, undertakes her own search, only to find that the village where Benny vanished has its own chilling history, and her interference in the case will have grave and irreversible consequences.

  

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

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.

Review: The San Francisco Splash by David A. Kelly

A Mysterious Review of The San Francisco Splash by David A. Kelly. The Ballpark Mysteries.

Review summary: The mysteries in this series aren't typically too demanding, but the one here is particularly light. Rather, it's all about the setting and it's a wonderful one, with the action moving from the bay water to the ballpark to a marina and finally on to Alcatraz. While not among the best of the series to date, it's engaging and entertaining nonetheless. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

The San Francisco Splash
David A. Kelly
The Ballpark Mysteries
Random House (May 2013)

Publisher synopsis: Splash! A hit soars over the walls of the San Francisco ballpark on the bay and drops into the water. But then Mike and Kate hear another, much larger splash nearby…  and this time it's not a baseball. It's a man overboard!

When he's pulled from the water, the old-time ballplayer discovers his World Series ring is gone! Is it at the bottom of the bay? Or was it somehow stolen by a long-ago rival?

      

A Conversation with Novelist Viola Russell

with Viola Russell

We are delighted to welcome novelist Viola Russell to Omnimystery News today.

The author of several historical and romance novels, Viola's first mystery is A Fair Grounds Mystery (Red Rose Publishing; May 2013 ebook format).

We recently had the opportunity to talk to Viola about her new book.

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Omnimystery News: Into what mystery genre would you put A Fair Ground Mystery?

Photo provided courtesy of
Viola Russell

Viola Russell: It is is an urban mystery. My detectives — Etienne Baptiste and Duane Morrow — are New Orleans police detectives. They talk and act like cops, but they are also incredibly just and compassionate. The novel, however, contains urban violence. The book opens with the discovery of Jimmy Landry's body in a cemetery. The investigation of his death leads Baptiste and Morrow to a cold case involving a possible murder at the racetrack over twenty years ago. This death leads them to a more recent killing during the chaos following Hurricane Katrina.

OMN: Do you think labeling a book as one kind of mystery over another is important to readers?

I don't know if labels hurt a novel. For example, I write historical novels and contemporary romance as well as mystery. My novels often cross genres. For example, Love at War, my WWII novel, contains a great deal of romance but a lot of action and adventure as well. The mystery is definitely urban and definitely not a cozy one. I'm sure the kinds of readers who read cozies wouldn't like the kind of book that I've written, so in this case, a label may be necessary.

OMN: How much of your own personal or professional experience is integrated into the storyline?

VR: It revolves around a possible murder that took place at a racetrack over twenty years before, Like Iseult O'Flannery, my father also was a trainer at the racetrack. Like Iseult's father, he died at the track, a heart attack victim. Like Iseult, I, too, at one time believed my father was murdered. I couldn't believe my strong father was gone. Iseult's instincts, however, are right. Someone wanted her father dead.

A part of me is in all of my books. Whenever I write the historical novels, I research the periods in which I'm writing. When I wrote Love at War, I researched the WWII era extensively. When I wrote Pirate Woman, I studied Irish history and piracy in the 1500s. With the mystery, I researched things like forensics and ballistics. WWII was my mother's era, and I wrote that book after reading letters her brothers had written home. That was my Valentine to them and their generation. I've always been proud of my Irish heritage and loved writing about a strong Irish woman in Pirate Woman.

OMN: Describe your writing process for us.

VR: I plot extensively, and I sometimes write journals as my characters. When I do so, I find the voices of my characters. I often play my Beatles CDs while I write and burn a candle given to me by one of my students. I also often place my mother's Rosary near the computer.

OMN: Why did you elect to use a pen name for your books?

VR: I use a pen name because many of my books contain sex and violence. I'm a high school teacher by day, but the kids "outed" me. They are much more computer-savvy than most of us. Viola Russell was my grandmother's name.

OMN: Imagine yourself as the casting director for an screenplay adaptation of your book. Who do you see playing the key roles?

VR: Terrence Howard would play Etienne Baptiste, my main detective — a little older. Maybe Denzel Washington. Baptiste's an ex-Marine — if you're ever an ex-Marine. Matthew McConaughey would play Duane Morrow, Baptiste's partner. He's younger, but like his partner, a family man and ex-Marine. Kiersten Dunst would play Morrow's coroner wife.
Lucy Liu would play Baptiste's Vietnamese wife.

OMN: Who are your favorite literary series characters?

VR: I always loved Christie's Poirot and Miss Marple. Those two detectives are classic. I also wanted to marry Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. I envied his analytical mind. His legacy lives on in modern movies and series — a testament to his appeal.

My recent favorites are James Lee Burke's Dave Robichaeux and his pal Clete. I read those books because I love them and their families. I also love Burke's gritty writing. I also love C. S. Harris' Sebastian St. Cyr series. If you love Regency period stories, you'll love those books.

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Viola Russell is the pseudonym of a native New Orleanian writer Susan Weaver, who is a true romantic. She is an English teacher who lives with her dog and is happiest when she is creating at her computer.

For more information about the author and her work, visit her website at ViolaRussell.com or find her on Twitter.

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A Fair Grounds Mystery
Viola Russell

New Orleans detectives Etienne Baptiste and his partner Duane Morrow are called to a local cemetery, where a body has been discovered. They immediately identify the body as that of Jimmy Landry, a local PI who was an NOPD veteran and Baptiste's mentor. This murder is personal, and the detectives soon discover that Landry was investigating a death that took place years ago at the local race track.

This cold case leads them to a local journalist who long has believed her horse trainer father died at another's hand even though his death was ruled natural. She'd hired Landry to investigate her father's death, and Lt. Baptiste soon believes she may be correct.

As Baptiste and his partner uncover ugly secrets, a killer lurks in the shadows, threatening them and their familes.

A Fair Grounds Mystery may be purchased directly from the publisher, Red Rose Publishing.

Murder at Morgan House by Janet Winters is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Murder at Morgan House by Janet Winters as today's third free mystery ebook (An Ivy Snow Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, July 11, 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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Murder at Morgan House
Janet Winters
An Ivy Snow Mystery
Publisher: Janet Winters

When Ivy Snow, former Olympic Eventing hopeful, moves to the charming town of Wellington to publish Equestrian Style magazine she never dreams that her family's idyllic lives will be threatened by a prolific arsonist and a long-festering plot for revenge soon to be executed.

Ivy, a forty nine-year-old horsewoman and mother of fraternal twins, finds herself in the midst of a midlife crisis like none other. After being stripped of her Olympic dreams by a near-fatal riding accident, Ivy discovers that her criminal lawyer husband is leading a double life. She seeks refuge in a small country town, only to find herself in the throes of blackmail, arson, terrorism, and murder. From the shores of Cote d'Ivoire, to the riverbanks of Paris, to the cloistered environs of waspish American wealth, Ivy must unravel the mystery surrounding a steel tycoon's death and a friend's suicide while trying to protect her psychic teenage daughter, who knows too much for her own good.

  

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 Following by Dale Roberts is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Following by Dale Roberts as today's second free mystery ebook (A Tyson Palmer Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, July 11, 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 Following
Dale Roberts
A Tyson Palmer Thriller
Publisher: Hallsford-Pearson Press

When eager, young journalist Tyson Palmer interviews the occupant of a torched building, a reputed lunatic who blames the blaze on a cult with ties to terrorism, Tyson believes he might have just found the story that will launch his career. Only thing is, he has nothing to go on but the ramblings of a paranoid conspiracy theorist .

Much to the chagrin of his mother and his best friend, Tyson decides to infiltrate the group and get the story from the inside.

Armed with his formidable denial of vulnerability, and as much information as he can find on the group, Tyson slips in undetected, or so he thinks. He plays the part to perfection, becoming one of them, until he encounters the one thing he hadn't counted on; Krista.

As this beautiful, intriguing woman woos him into dropping his guard, he falls deeper and deeper the under the control of a charismatic leader with a dark political agenda. By the time Tyson learns the truth, he knows too much to ever be allowed to walk away.

  

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.

Pushed Too Far by Ann Voss Peterson is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Pushed Too Far by Ann Voss Peterson as today's free mystery ebook (A Romantic Suspense Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, July 11, 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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Pushed Too Far
Ann Voss Peterson
A Romantic Suspense Thriller
Publisher: Ann Voss Peterson

Two years ago a woman was brutally murdered, her body burned until only ash and shattered bone remained. Police Sergeant Valerie Ryker solved that case, putting psychopath Dixon Hess in prison for life, and becoming the first female police chief of her tiny Wisconsin town.

Then the original murder victim turns up in a frozen lake, all in one piece and only recently dead, and Val must enter a race against time. In only forty-eight hours, Hess will be set free, and he wants payback. And Val, her town, and everyone she loves are at the top of his list.

But surviving Hess's vengeance is only part of her dilemma. For there's another killer in Lake Loyal. One who may be closer to Val than she knows …

Val will need all the help she can get, including a sexy firefighter, her dead sister's daughter, and a tough Chicago cop named Jack Daniels. Everyone has a breaking point, and Val has just reached hers.

  

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.