A New MystereBook: Moonlight Sonata by Vincent Zandri

Here is a mystery, suspense, or thriller ebook that we recently found by sleuthing (as it were) through new or recently reissued titles from independent publishers …

Moonlight Sonata by Vincent Zandri is the fifth full-length novel in this series featuring PI Richard Moonlight. There are also two "Dick Moonlight" shorts published by the author.

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Moonlight Sonata by Vincent Zandri
A Dick Moonlight Thriller
Publisher: StoneGate Ink
Publication Date: September 20, 2013

When a hotshot literary agent by the name of Suzanne Bonchance lures Richard Moonlight into searching for her missing star client — the boozing, womanizing Roger Walls — the private detective finds himself waist-deep in a whole lot of trouble. But when a sexy, young MFA in Writing student who claims to know Walls comes to his rescue, Moonlight not only becomes smitten with her charm, he also finds himself falling in love with a girl he barely knows.

As the trail for Walls narrows, and the truths about everyone who has ever been involved with Roger Walls are revealed, Moonlight finds himself wanting to run away as fast as his legs will take him. One thing he can't outrun, however, are bullets.

    

Teaser Poster for ABC's Revenge Season 3

ABC has released a teaser poster for the third season of Revenge (right; click for larger image). We're thinking the blood dripping down Emily's arm is a telling element for the season!

The season premiere episode is titled "Fear". The summer season kicks off in The Hamptons as Emily Thorne's course of revenge is renewed and set against an unexpected timeline. Meanwhile the return of Victoria Grayson's son brings changes and complications to the all-powerful family. And a glimpse into the future shows that the wedding of the century may lead to Emily's ultimate demise.

Revenge returns next Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 9 PM ET/PT.

Wipeout! by Chip Hughes is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Wipeout! by Chip Hughes as today's fourth free mystery ebook (A Kai Cooke, Surfing Detective Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, September 22, 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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Wipeout!
Chip Hughes
A Kai Cooke, Surfing Detective Mystery
Publisher: Island Heritage

"Delivering babies is not in my standard contract," says Kai Cooke to his very pregnant client, Summer McDahl. Summer has hired the Surfing Detective with an unusual request: to prove her husband is dead. Corky McDahl wiped out on Christmas Eve in heavy surf at Waimea Bay and vanished. Now it's February, Summer's baby is soon due, and the P.I. finds himself on a twisted treasure hunt spanning three Hawaiian islands.

Did Corky pull off the most daring skip-trace ever? The answer turns out to be more complicated than the question would suggest, involving the islands' big-wave riding and drug trafficking scenes, not to mention the competing claims of Corky's two "widows". Is Corky McDahl dead or alive? Though the Surfing Detective seems the last to know, his client gains a great deal more than her money paid for.

  

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.

Poisoned by Elaine Macko is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Poisoned by Elaine Macko as today's third free mystery ebook (An Alex Harris Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, September 22, 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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Poisoned
Elaine Macko
An Alex Harris Mystery
Publisher: Elaine Macko

With Halloween fast approaching, Alex Harris, owner of the Always Prepared temporary agency, has her hands full keeping her assistant from turning the office into a house of horrors. But that's nothing compared to finding the body of one of Indian Cove's high society poisoned.

All eyes turn to septuagenarian Robert Brissart. But Alex doesn't believe it for a minute fearing that the old woman was the intended victim all along and that another attempt will be made to finish her off. Alex needs to find out which member of the town's elite is the killer before they strike again.

There's something sinister going on in Indian Cove and it's not just Halloween hi-jinks. The mystery comes to a frightening finale amid the jack-o-lanterns and ghosts on Halloween night when Alex discovers that there are more than just witches and goblins trick-or-treating in her normally peaceful New England village.

  

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.

Death on the Bella Constance by Ann Mullen is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Death on the Bella Constance by Ann Mullen as today's second free mystery ebook (A Jesse Watson Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, September 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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Death on the Bella Constance
Ann Mullen
A Jesse Watson Mystery
Publisher: Afton Ridge Publishing

Danger lurks on the cruise ship Bella Constance as a killer waits for an opportunity to make this voyage the last for its owner — Loukas Constance.

Determined to take a break from their hectic and dangerous jobs, Jesse and her P.I. partner Billy Blackhawk book a weeklong cruise to Bermuda. But once on board the ship, their well-deserved vacation turns into another dangerous and deadly case when they are hired to find a killer.

Rich and powerful, Loukas and Bella Constance plan to sell all the ships in their cruise line, with the exception of the Bella Constance. This decision doesn't sit well with some family members who insist that buyers want a package deal — all or nothing. When Loukas announces that nothing is going to stop the sale because the deal is already in the works, tempers flare, and bad things start to happen.

A threat to kill Loukas has been made, and the race is on to stop the perpetrator before the mission is accomplished — sending Jesse and Billy into the depths of a nightmare that doesn't end until someone dies in this tale of terror on the high seas.

  

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.

Much Ado About Murder by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Much Ado About Murder by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter as today's free mystery ebook (The Magnolia Mystery Series; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, September 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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Much Ado About Murder
Ellen Elizabeth Hunter
The Magnolia Mystery Series
Publisher: Magnolia Mysteries

As the historic Thalian Association is about to celebrate its 225th anniversary, Ashley and her family are involved with preparations for the celebratory events. Brothers-in-law, Ray and Cameron, announce a contest for best musical. The winner will receive a large cash prize and the winning musical will be produced as a stage play by the Thalian Association and then made into a movie. With Wilmington known as Wilmywood, the Hollywood of the East, there is certain to be enough raw talent to produce the play and movie right here — downhome. But is the cash prize so tempting someone will kill for it?

Meanwhile, when the historic Montjoy house comes on the market, Ashley and Jon snap it up. They will restore the former boarding house for cash-strapped actors to its Late Georgian grandeur and make it their home. But when Ashley and Jon try to evict the tenants, they find themselves embroiled in feuds involving blind ambition and desperate greed.

  

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.

Winners of the 2013 Anthony Awards Announced

The winners of the 2013 Anthony Awards were announced last night by the organizers of Bouchercon. The winners were selected by the conference attendees. The award is named in honor of Anthony Boucher, who helped found the Mystery Writers of America.

And the winners are …

• Best Novel: The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)

• Best First Novel: The Expats by Chris Pavone (Crown)

• Best Paperback Original: Big Maria by Johnny Shaw (Thomas & Mercer)

• Best Short Story: "Mischief in Mesopotamia" by Dana Cameron (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Nov 2012)

• Best Critical/Non-Fiction Work: Books to Die For: The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest Mystery Novels by John Connolly and Declan Burke, editors (Hodder & Stoughton)

Sue Grafton also received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Sunday, September 22, 2013.

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Chasing Darkness
Robert Crais
An Elvis Cole Mystery
Simon & Schuster

It's fire season, and the hills of Los Angeles are burning. When police and fire department personnel rush door to door in a frenzied evacuation effort, they discover the week-old corpse of an apparent suicide. But the gunshot victim is less gruesome than what they find in his lap: a photo album of seven brutally murdered young women — one per year, for seven years. And when the suicide victim is identified as a former suspect in one of the murders, the news turns Elvis Cole's world upside down.

Three years earlier Lionel Byrd was brought to trial for the murder of a female prostitute named Yvonne Bennett. A taped confession coerced by the police inspired a prominent defense attorney to take Byrd's case, and Elvis Cole was hired to investigate. It was Cole's eleventh-hour discovery of an exculpatory videotape that allowed Lionel Byrd to walk free. Elvis was hailed as a hero.

But the discovery of the death album in Byrd's lap now brands Elvis as an unwitting accomplice to murder. Captured in photographs that could only have been taken by the murderer, Yvonne Bennett was the fifth of the seven victims — two more young women were murdered after Lionel Byrd walked free. So Elvis can't help but wonder — did he, Elvis Cole, cost two more young women their lives?

Shut out of the investigation by a special LAPD task force determined to close the case, Elvis Cole and Joe Pike desperately fight to uncover the truth about Lionel Byrd and his nightmare album of death — a truth hidden by lies, politics, and corruption in a world where nothing is what it seems to be.

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

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 (130922)

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

• The New Release is Web of Deceit: Deadly Sands (Collector's Edition).

• The Daily Deal is Tales of Terror: Crimson Dawn, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is Shattered Minds: Encore, just $2.99 through Sunday, September 22, 2013 only.

• Today's Special Deal — This weekend only: All Standard Edition games are just $4.99 each! Use coupon code AUTUMN at check-out and your standard PC or Mac game will be discounted. Use as many times as you'd like! Offer valid through Sunday, September 22nd, 2013 until 11:59 PM PT.

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

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Today's New Release is Web of Deceit: Deadly Sands (Collector's Edition)

Track down a venomous killer! After receiving a distressing message from your uncle, you travel to the remote village of Transvaal. But when you arrive, your uncle is nowhere to be found. As you search for him, you learn that he has been traveling the world, hunting down a woman named Morgana, and that this is not the first town to encounter her deadly wrath. Soon, victims start piling up, all of them bearing the same strange bite mark, dripping with venom. But is this the work of Morgana &helliip; or something even more sinister? Tread carefully — the sands are always shifting in this thrilling Hidden-Object Puzzle Adventure game!

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won't find in the standard version, including: Stunning concept art and wallpapers; Videos and mini-games; Integrated Strategy Guide; and Team up with Morgana in an exciting bonus game!

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

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Today's Daily Deal is Tales of Terror: Crimson Dawn

A group of hooded, shadowy figures abduct your brother right before your eyes! Your search for him leads you to a remote mansion plagued by a sinister secret. Can you unravel the mystery and rescue your brother from eternal darkness? Find out in this thrilling Hidden Object adventure game!

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

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The current Catch of the Week is Shattered Minds: Encore

Reveal the twisted plan of a deranged magician! You are a detective with a knack for dealing with strange cases and your Chief has a new case for you to investigate. After a series of vanishing famous monuments the world over, you are sent to Paris, France to investigate a possible link between the disappearances and a calling card left behind at the crime scenes. Play through challenging hidden object games and perplexing puzzles in an attempt to unravel the mystery in this thrilling hidden object adventure game!

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, September 22, 2013.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, A Novel of Suspense by Tom Franklin, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $1.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (09/21/2013 at 4:00 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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Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: HarperCollins

Winner of the 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller.

In the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck: Larry took a girl on a date to a drive-in movie, and she was never heard from again. She was never found and Larry never confessed, but all eyes rested on him as the culprit. The incident shook the county — and perhaps Silas most of all. His friendship with Larry was broken, and then Silas left town.

More than twenty years have passed. Larry, a mechanic, lives a solitary existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has returned as a constable. He and Larry have no reason to cross paths until another girl disappears and Larry is blamed again. And now the two men who once called each other friend are forced to confront the past they've buried and ignored for decades.

      

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.

Review: Kwik Krimes edited by Otto Penzler

A Mysterious Review of Kwik Krimes by Otto Penzler, editor. A Collection of Short Fiction.

Review summary: Nearly all of these 1000-word or less short stories are well-written if not always well-crafted, which, given the caliber of the roster of authors whose work is included here, is a bit disappointing in and of itself. It seems unlikely few of these stories will encourage readers to go out and sample an author's other work, and that's a missed opportunity for all involved. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Kwik Krimes
Otto Penzler, editor
A Collection of Short Fiction
Thomas & Mercer (August 2013)

Publisher synopsis: Entire novels are often written about a single crime, detailing every gruesome, dark detail until the last drop of blood spatters across the page. Yet in this mystery anthology, renowned editor and author Otto Penzler weaves together to heart-stopping effect more than ninety tales of brutality, terror, and unexpected demise, with each story told in a swift one thousand words or less.

These crimes may be fast in both form and fallout, but none lack the dark impulses that too often guide human hands to ill ends. Prepare to be transported into the diabolical schemes of criminal masterminds … into robberies and pranks gone horribly awry … into closets crammed with skeletons … into families bound not by love but wickedness.

  

Eyewitness, The Witness Series by Rebecca Forster, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Eyewitness by Rebecca Forster, now available at a special price, courtesy of the author.

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 (09/21/2013 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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Eyewitness by Rebecca Forster
The Witness Series (5th in series)
Publisher: Rebecca Forster

An old flame … A new fear …

In the dead of night, Josie Bates is ripped from sleep by the sounds of an epic storm raging over Hermosa Beach and a man beating on her door begging her to help Billy Zuni who is drowning in the raging sea. She arrives at the shore just in time to see the teenager pulled from the water, battered and near death. Ready to kill Billy's selfish, neglectful mother, Josie rushes to the Zuni house only to find someone has beaten her to it. Two men lie dead downstairs and Billy's mother clings to life on the floor above.

Spurred on by Hannah's fear that Billy will be framed for the murders, Josie takes up his defense. But Billy is evasive, physical evidence points to his guilt, and the county counsel wants him committed to the state. With the clock ticking, Archer and Josie set out to find the mysterious man who can vouch for Billy's whereabouts at the time of the murders. What they find instead is a web of intrigue and deceit that stretches half way around the world and an eyewitness who is blinded by a justice Josie cannot understand.

  

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.

Thankless in Death by J. D. Robb, New in Bookstores This Week

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published this week by Putnam, is Thankless in Death by J. D. Robb.

For a list of more new hardcover mysteries published this month, visit our New Mysteries page for September 2013. For new paperback mysteries, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where a selection of September 2013 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers are shelved.

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Thankless in Death
J. D. Robb
Series: Eve Dallas (37th)

Lieutenant Eve Dallas has plenty to be grateful for this season. Hosting Roarke's big Irish family for the holiday may be challenging, but it's a joyful improvement on her own dark childhood.

Other couples aren't as lucky as Eve and Roarke. The Reinholds, for example, are lying in their home stabbed and bludgeoned almost beyond recognition. Those who knew them are stunned — and heartbroken by the evidence that they were murdered by their own son. Twenty-six-year-old Jerry hadn't made a great impression on the bosses who fired him or the girlfriend who dumped him — but they didn't think he was capable of this.

Turns out Jerry is not only capable of brutality but taking a liking to it. With the money he's stolen from his parents and a long list of grievances, he intends to finally make his mark on the world. Eve and her team already know the who, how, and why of this murder. What they need to pinpoint is where Jerry's going to strike next.

      

Cinemystery: Herman Koch's The Dinner Optioned for English-Language Film

Herman Koch's bestselling novel of psychological suspense, The Dinner, has been optioned for an English-language film with Cate Blanchett being tapped to make her directorial debut with it. The adapted screenplay is being written by Oren Moverman (The Messenger, Rampart).

First published in Dutch in 2009 as Het Diner, the book (more details, below) has been translated into 21 languages and has been on the bestseller list here in the US since its publication in 2012. It has been adapted for the Dutch theater, and as a film written and directed by Menno Meyjes, which had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month. The Dutch-language film premieres in The Netherlands in November, 2013.

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The Dinner
Herman Koch
A Novel of Psychological Suspense

It's a summer's evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse — the banality of work, the triviality of the holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened.

Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act; an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children. As civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple show just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.

      

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