Robert Crais's Suspect Optioned for Film

Fox 2000 has optioned the film rights to Robert Crais's 2013 thriller Suspect (more about the book, below). David DiGilio will write the adapted screenplay.

This is an unusual move for Crais, who is very protective of his work, allowing just one of his bestsellling novels — the stand-alone Hostage, published in 2001 — to be adapted for film to date. Though Suspect is also written as a stand-alone, if successful as a film it could readily be extended into a series.

— ♦ —

Suspect
Robert Crais

LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Eight months ago, a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty — until he meets his new partner.

Maggie is not doing so well, either. A German shepherd who survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before losing her handler to an IED, her PTSD is as bad as Scott's.

They are each other's last chance. Shunned and shunted to the side, they set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie. What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and the journey will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.

      

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.

Free One-Day Shipping from Amazon on Select Products

For last minute shoppers, Amazon is offering FREE One-Day Shipping within the continental US on many popular products through noon on December 23rd, 2013. (Look for the words "eligible for FREE One-Day Shipping" next to the price.) Use this link to visit the promotion page and see what product categories are included.

When we checked, there were over 51,000 products eligible for free one-day shipping (though, to be fair, more than half of these are watches and jewelry). Still, there were 64 products in Movies & TV (such as the Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy, Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection, The Bourne Trilogy, and seasons of The Walking Dead, Grimm, Psych, and Bates Motel), a category that may of interest to our readers (and their friends and family!).

Sweet Ginger Poison by Robert Burton Robinson is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Sweet Ginger Poison by Robert Burton Robinson as today's fourth free mystery ebook (A Ginger Lightley Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, December 20, 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.

— ♦ —

Sweet Ginger Poison
Robert Burton Robinson
A Ginger Lightley Mystery
Publisher: Robert Burton Robinson

Virginia "Ginger" Lightley is the owner of Coreyville Coffee Cakes, a popular bakery in East Texas. Customers drive from miles away to visit the little shop for a taste of her original creations.

It's a shock to the whole community when a young man drops dead across town after eating one of her famous cakes. The newly appointed police chief promises to solve the case quickly. And Ginger wants to help him — until he accuses one of her employees of murder.

She rejects the crime scenario laid out by the young police chief and secretly determines to solve the crime herself.

  

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.

Sunshine by Jaycey Jordan is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Sunshine by Jaycey Jordan as today's third free mystery ebook (Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, December 20, 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.

— ♦ —

Sunshine
Jaycey Jordan
Publisher: Jaycey Jordan

Johnny Amber, a young graduate, leaves his friends and home to follow a girl and a dream to an Aegean island. It proves to be everything he wished for and more, until he stumbles over to the darker side of a party island. With two brutal murders in quick succession, his nirvana is torn apart.

When Johnny realises that he is next, it comes down to one decision: Sink or Swim. Because on this island, there is nowhere to hide …

  

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.

Foreign Justice by Max Rugen is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Foreign Justice by Max Rugen as today's second free mystery ebook (A Cason Steele Adventure; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, December 20, 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.

— ♦ —

Foreign Justice
Max Rugen
A Cason Steele Adventure
Publisher: New Prosperity Publishing

A war injury forces the talented Cason Steele to retire early from the 10th Special Forces Alpha Team, rejoining the civilian world. Steele's father is an archaeologist who leaves on an expedition into the dangerous rainforests of Peru, searching for the lost treasures of Paititi. Steele's father runs into danger when he accidently stumbles upon a massive coca plantation shrouded under cover of the Peruvian rainforest.

A ruthless drug lord of the guerrilla Shining Path movement, Sergio Cusi, captures Steele's father, intent on forcing the archaeologist to lead him to the lost treasure or face certain death. The crisis becomes personal for Steele as he unleashes the deadly fighting skills he learned, while serving in Special Forces.

He embarks with a partner on a rescue journey to Peru and befriends Daniela, a beautiful woman, who also ends up being taken hostage by the drug lord. Cusi will stop at nothing to satisfy his greedy desires; including searching for the hidden treasure and using Daniela to satisfy his perverted sexual conquests.

Cason Steele races against time, unleashing hell on the drug lord's soldiers, while trying to rescue his father and Daniela before they fall victim to Cusi's psychopathic behavior. The odds are against him and it's a fight he can't afford to lose.

  

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 Came Dressed in White by Michael W. Sherer is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Death Came Dressed in White by Michael W. Sherer as today's free mystery ebook (An Emerson Ward Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, December 20, 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.

— ♦ —

Death Came Dressed in White
Michael W. Sherer
An Emerson Ward Mystery
Publisher: Michael W. Sherer

When your life has reached an all-time low, how can it get any worse? Chicago freelance writer Emerson Ward finds out one steamy August morning when the phone starts ringing too early to be anything but bad news, and bad things happen in threes. Before he can drink his first cup of coffee, he learns that one good friend has gone missing, another has been put in the hospital by a brutal beating, and his phone is tapped. To top it all off, the woman he’s been falling for announces that she’s leaving.

Knowing he’ll be his own worst company after all that, Emerson finds easy distraction in vowing to find out who’s trying to ruin his day. Lending a hand to all those who need it at first takes Emerson in several directions at once. But the more he learns on the trail after the missing friend, the more it appears that all roads lead to dirty dealings on a scale so massive that Emerson will need an entire army to get out alive.

But the forces arrayed against him made two mistakes — they nearly killed his best friend Brandt Williams, and they took the girl, turning Emerson into an army of one.

  

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 Pledge by Kimberly Derting is Today's Kindle Daily Deal for Teens

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Pledge by Kimberly Derting as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal for Teens.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, December 20, 2013.

— ♦ —

The Pledge
Kimberly Derting
Simon & Schuster

In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines your class, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place — looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution.

Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she's been hiding her whole life. The only reprieve from oppression is within the drug-filled underground club scene. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she's never heard, and her secret is almost exposed.

As the violent clashes between the totalitarian monarchy and the rebel forces escalate, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible grip of a deadly regime.

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.

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending December 20, 2013

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending December 20th, 2013 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Another quiet holiday week, with just some minor shuffling in order among the top 10 or so bestsellers this week, with no change at the top: John Grisham's legal thriller Sycamore Row remains at number one.

No new titles enter the list this week.

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (131220)

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

• The New Release is Hidden Expedition: Smithsonian Hope Diamond (Collector's Edition).

• The Daily Deal is The Curse of the Werewolves, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is The Great Unknown: Houdini's Castle, just $2.99 through Sunday, December 22, 2013 only.

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

— ♦ —

The New Release today is Hidden Expedition: Smithsonian Hope Diamond (Collector's Edition)

You're on a train in the middle of nowhere, and a band of dangerous thieves demand you tell them where to find the Hope Diamond's shards. As the newest Hidden Expedition recruit, you've got to find the shards before they do. In this exciting continuation of the Hidden Expedition series, your journey takes you from the Smithsonian Institution's iconic castle to the remotest jungle as you track down the missing shards and learn the Hope Diamond's secrets.

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won't find in the standard version, including: Play the bonus game to uncover more secrets; Hunt for Smithsonian Institution symbols; Collect Fact Cards on Smithsonian history; Earn Achievements; and Get soundtracks, wallpapers, screensavers, and concept art.

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

— ♦ —

Today's Daily Deal is The Curse of the Werewolves

Travel to a family manor and lift the mysterious curse of the werewolves in this blood-chilling and enthralling Hidden Object Adventure! Delve into the dark story of Ashley, after she receives a mysterious postcard from her grandma. Your journey will take you through the dusty rooms of an old mansion, misty moonlit forests, the rocky cliffs of the ocean shore and the echoing depths of the ancient passageways. Can you help unravel this dark mystery?

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Friday, December 20, 2013 — for $2.99.

— ♦ —

The current Catch of the Week is The Great Unknown: Houdini's Castle

Your honeymoon is cut short when your plane crashes on an uncharted island. You awake to discover a madman has kidnapped your husband. To get him back, you'll have to use all your wits to pass his sinister tests and solve the mysteries of Houdini's castle. Along the way, you'll uncover Houdini's secret past and learn about the brilliant apprentice who changed his life. Can you expose Houdini's greatest trick to save your husband and escape the island? Take the challenge in this thrilling Hidden Object Puzzle 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, December 22, 2013.

Treacherous Souls, A Novel of Suspense by M. E. Tudor with R. L. Williams, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Treacherous Souls by M. E. Tudor with R. L. Williams, 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 (12/19/2013 at 6:00 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.

— ♦ —

Treacherous Souls by M. E. Tudor with R. L. Williams
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: M. E. Tudor

Emily Jenkins' husband, Kenton controls her life, but Emily has convinced herself that she is okay with that. Her life is fairly simple. She makes sure the house is ready for Kenton's parties and tends her gardens, but major changes are on the horizon.

Emily is going to find out secrets about Kenton that would never have suspected. Secrets that are going to lead to murder.

  

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.

December Dread, A Mira James, Murder-by-the-Month Mystery by Jess Lourey, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature December Dread by Jess Lourey, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Midnight Ink.

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 (12/19/2013 at 5:00 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.

— ♦ —

December Dread by Jess Lourey
A Mira James, Murder-by-the-Month Mystery (8th in series)
Publisher: Midnight Ink

Silent Night, Deadly Night …

With Christmas just over a week away, 'tis the season for grinning sales elves on TV, maddeningly jolly Muzak, and a guilty Nut Goodie addiction. But for Mira James and other Battle Lake-area women, the holidays are marred by something far worse — a serial killer leaving candy canes as his calling card. His target? Thirty-something brunettes who look just like Mira.

When a woman from her high school graduating class becomes his latest victim, Mira plows through a case of online dating turned deadly with Mrs. Berns at her side. Will she earn her detective stripes … or end up deader than the Ghost of Christmas 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.

A New MystereBook: Fog City Strangler by Greg Messel

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 during December 2013 priced $4.99 or less …

Fog City Strangler by Greg Messel is the fourth mystery in this series featuring San Francisco private eye Sam Slater.

— ♦ —

Fog City Strangler by Greg Messel
A Sam Slater Mystery
Publisher: Greg Messel
Publication Date: December 16, 2013
Price: $2.99 (as of 12/19/13 04:30 PM ET)

As 1958 nears an end San Francisco is being terrorized by a man who calls himself the "Fog City Strangler", who preys on pretty young blonde women. The strangler announces each murder by sending a note and piece of the victim’s clothing to the local newspapers.

Angst mounts as the strangler continues to claim more victims. Private eye Sam Slater is worried that the Fog City Strangler may be eyeing his beautiful blonde wife, TWA stewardess Amelia Ryan. His anxiety is further fueled when TWA launches an advertising campaign with Amelia’s picture on a series of billboards plastered all over the city. Sam fears the billboards may attract too much attention — the wrong kind of attention.

Meanwhile, Sam and Amelia are hired to try to find the missing daughter of a wealthy dowager who fears she has lost her only child. The missing woman went for a walk with her dog on Stinson Beach, near San Francisco, and seemingly vanished into thin air. The woman’s husband arrived at their beach house and found the dog running loose but there was no trace of his wife. The police are stumped in their investigation.

As Sam and Amelia look into the disappearance of the woman on the beach they discover that nothing is as it seems at first glance. On a stormy night a shadowy figure sets fire to the beach house where the couple is staying--hoping to stop their investigation.

  

Important Note: This book was listed for the price indicated on the date and time as shown. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

A Murder Amongst Angels, A Tom Logan Mystery by Tony Piazza, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Murder Amongst Angels by Tony Piazza, 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 (12/19/2013 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.

— ♦ —

A Murder Amongst Angels by Tony Piazza
A Tom Logan Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Tony Piazza

Sexy, platinum blonde movie siren Gertrude Hurd had it all — fame, men, and riches. But now she was dead. A fallen angel, whose broken body and tarnished halo was lying on a hillside behind her beach front cafe.

It's 1931, and private detective Tom Logan is back, once again immersed in a perplexing mystery, that has him racing against time to track down a merciless killer.

As the body count grows, so do the suspects, as his investigation soon has him bucking against corrupt city officials, the mob, and the Hollywood studio system.

  

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.

A New MystereBook: The Neon Lawyer by Victor Methos

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 during December 2013 priced $4.99 or less …

The Neon Lawyer by Victor Methos is a legal thriller based on a true story.

— ♦ —

The Neon Lawyer by Victor Methos
A Legal Thriller
Publisher: Victor Methos
Publication Date: December 16, 2013
Price: $2.99 (as of 12/19/13 03:30 PM ET)

As though something torn from her nightmares, Amanda Pierce loses her daughter in the most horrific way possible. With unbearable pain eating away at her every day, she decides to take the law into her own hands, and kills the man responsible.

Brigham Theodore has just graduated law school and, with a legal market saturated with lawyers, accepts a position in a firm run by less than upstanding citizens. Though probably a criminal himself, his boss trusts him to handle criminal cases early on.

And Brigham is given a case he cannot refuse. The murder of a murderer. Amanda Pierce seems meek and frail, not at all like the picture Brigham has in his head of what a murderer should look like. He finds himself obsessed with her case and agrees to defend her.

The state has offered to spare Amanda Pierce's life if she pleads to the murder. If she chooses to fight, she will be facing the death penalty. The first woman in the state of Utah to do so.

Battling an experienced, aggressive prosecutor with every resource at his disposal, this case is a war Brigham isn't certain he can win. But with his client's life on the line, he has no choice but to fight …

  

Important Note: This book was listed for the price indicated on the date and time as shown. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

To Hell in a Handbasket, A Claire Hanover Mystery by Beth Groundwater, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature To Hell in a Handbasket by Beth Groundwater, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Midnight Ink.

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 (12/19/2013 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.

— ♦ —

To Hell in a Handbasket by Beth Groundwater
A Claire Hanover Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Midnight Ink

It's snow accident when a young woman's icy demise sends Claire's vacation to hell in a handbasket …

Skiing with her family in Breckenridge, Colorado, gift basket designer Claire Hanover hears a terrified scream cut the frigid mountain air. She is horror-stricken to find Stephanie Contino, the sister of her daughter's boyfriend, dead on the slopes. While everyone else assumes the death was an accident, Claire is suspicious of the extra ski tracks that cross dangerously into Stephanie's path. But the police are skeptical of foul play, even as more signs point to murder.

When incriminating clues put her daughter Judy in danger, Claire investigates and finds trouble around every mogul. Between interviewing a daredevil snowboarder and giving ski lessons to a drug boss, she uncovers a chilling conspiracy that could turn deadly for her family.

  

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.