Review: High-Voltage Danger Lab by "Science Bob" Pfulgfelder and Steve Hockensmith

A Mysterious Review of High-Voltage Danger Lab by "Science Bob" Pfulgfelder and Steve Hockensmith. A Nick and Tesla Mystery.

Review summary: What gives the book its unique twist is that it includes plans for several make-at-home inventions, devices that play a role in the middle school-aged characters' investigation. It's clearly not necessary to build anything to enjoy this book, but the fact that one can adds to its appeal. The storyline behind the mystery seems a little unfocused, as if written in support of the inventions instead of the other way around, but is adventuresome and exciting nonetheless. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

High-Voltage Danger Lab
"Science Bob" Pfulgfelder and Steve Hockensmith
A Nick and Tesla Mystery
Quirk Books (November 2013)

Publisher synopsis: Nick and Tesla are bright 11-year-old siblings with a knack for science, electronics, and getting into trouble. When their parents mysteriously vanish, they’re sent to live with their Uncle Newt, a brilliant inventor who engineers top-secret gadgets for a classified government agency.

It’s not long before Nick and Tesla are embarking on adventures of their own — engineering all kinds of outrageous MacGyverish contraptions to save their skin: 9-volt burglar alarms, electromagnets, mobile tracking devices, and more.

Readers are invited to join in the fun as each story contains instructions and blueprints for five different projects.

      

A New MystereBook: Rough Edges by V. J. Chambers

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 2014 priced $4.99 or less …

Rough Edges by V. J. Chambers is the author's first thriller, inspired by the Jasmine Richardson-Jeremy Steinke case in Medicine Hat, Alberta in 2006.

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Rough Edges by V. J. Chambers
A Crime Thriller
Publisher: Punk Rawk Books
Publication Date: December 31, 2014
Price: $3.99 (as of 01/02/14 04:30 PM ET)

When true crime writer Samson Black gets a message from Lola Ward saying she wants him to write a book about her, he seizes the opportunity. This is his chance to resurrect his career and discover what really happened eleven years ago, when Nicholas Todd kicked off his tri-state rampage by stabbing twelve-year-old Lola's parents to death.

At the time, Lola claimed Todd was a stranger who'd broken into her house and kidnapped her. Todd, however, insisted that he and Lola had a forbidden love affair, and that Lola begged him to murder her parents so they could be together.

Now, Lola's all grown up — brash, sure of herself, and unsettlingly alluring. Though she says she wants to open up about her past, she makes Sam work for every piece of information he gets. Nothing makes sense. He doesn't know if she helped kill her parents. He doesn't even understand why she wants him to write this book.

But then Nicholas Todd escapes from jail and wants revenge against Lola. Still unsure about her involvement in her parents' murders, Sam must determine whether he faces a bigger threat from the killer outside or the woman standing next to him.

  

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.

The Rainy City, A Thomas Black Mystery by Earl Emerson, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Rainy City by Earl Emerson, 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 (01/02/2014 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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The Rainy City by Earl Emerson
A Thomas Black Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Earl Emerson

Something made Melissa Nadisky flee her husband and their daughter. The note she left behind paints a picture of a woman haunted by a private hell. Now Thomas Black's friend, Kathy Birchfield, wants him to find Melissa — before she's consumed by her secret, terrifying demons.

Yet the straightforward missing persons case turns deadly when a killer starts silencing key witnesses in Black's investigation. But there's no turning back--especially after the sometimes-psychic Kathy tells him about her terrifying vision: a weeping little girl and a pit full of human bones …

    

Use this link to see more discounted titles by this author on Amazon.com.

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.

Private: #1 Suspect, A Jack Morgan, Private Thriller by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Little, Brown.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $3.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (01/02/2014 at 3:30 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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Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
A Jack Morgan, Private Thriller (2nd in series)
Publisher: Little, Brown

Unsolvable cases … Impossible murders … The #1 suspect is Jack Morgan …

Since former Marine Jack Morgan started Private, it has become the world's most effective investigation firm — sought out by the famous and the powerful to discreetly handle their most intimate problems. Private's investigators are the smartest, the fastest, and the most technologically advanced in the world — and they always uncover the truth.

When his former lover is found murdered in Jack Morgan's bed, he is instantly the number one suspect. While Jack is under police investigation, the mob strong-arms him into recovering $30 million in stolen pharmaceuticals for them. And the beautiful manager of a luxury hotel chain persuades him to quietly investigate a string of murders at her properties.

While Jack is fighting for his life, one of his most trusted colleagues threatens to leave Private, and Jack realizes he is confronting the cleverest and most powerful enemies ever.

  

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.

Bangkok 8, A Sonchai Jitpleecheep, Royal Thai Detective Mystery by John Burdett, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Bangkok 8 by John Burdett, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Vintage.

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 (01/02/2014 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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Bangkok 8 by John Burdett
A Sonchai Jitpleecheep, Royal Thai Detective Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Vintage

Witnessed by a throng of gaping spectators, a charismatic Marine sergeant is murdered under a Bangkok bridge inside a bolted-shut Mercedes Benz. Among the witnesses are the only two cops in the city not on the take, but within moments one is murdered and his partner, Sonchai Jitpleecheep — a devout Buddhist and the son of a Thai bar girl and a long-gone Vietnam War G.I. — is hell-bent on wreaking revenge.

On a vigilante mission to capture his partner's murderer, Sonchai is begrudgingly paired with a beautiful FBI agent named Jones and captures her heart in the process.

In a city fueled by illicit drugs and infinite corruption, prostitution and priceless art, Sonchai's quest for vengeance takes him into a world much more sinister than he could have ever imagined.

        

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 Ascendant by Drew Chapman, New in Bookstores in January 2014

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published during January 2014 by Simon & Schuster, is The Ascendant by Drew Chapman.

For a list of more new hardcover mysteries published this month, visit our New Mysteries page for January 2014. For new paperback mysteries, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where a selection of January 2014 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers are shelved.

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The Ascendant
Drew Chapman

Hidden deep within the figures tracking the ups and downs of the stock market lies a terrifying truth: America is under attack. Our government … our economy … our very way of life are in the crosshairs of a ruthless enemy … and no one knows. Except Garrett Reilly. He has a knack for numbers. He sees patterns no one else can. His gift has made him a rising star on Wall Street. But when he notices that two hundred billion dollars' worth of U.S. Treasury bonds are being sold off at a terrifying rate, his gift makes him the most wanted man alive.

The U.S. military wants him for his extraordinary abilities. They need someone to lead a crack squad of rogue soldiers to act as the last line of defense in a war that could mean the end of everything America holds dear. And everyone else? They just want him dead.

        

The Rook, A Patrick Bowers Mystery by Steven James, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Rook by Steven James, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Revell.

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 (01/02/2014 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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The Rook by Steven James
A Patrick Bowers Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Revell

An arsonist has struck a top-secret research facility at a key US naval base. But it's not just a random terrorist attack. These people were after something specific.

When Special Agent Patrick Bowers is called in to investigate, he is drawn into a deadly web of intrigue and deception. With his own criminology research being turned against him and one of the world's most deadly devices missing, Bowers is caught up in a race against time to stop an international assassin before it's too late.

  

Use this link to see more discounted titles by this author on Amazon.com.

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.

Think of a Number, A Dave Gurney Mystery by John Verdon, at a Special Price during January 2013

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 Think of a Number by John Verdon. This Kindle book was listed at $1.99 as of the date and time of this post, Thursday, January 02, 2014 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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Think of a Number by John Verdon
A Dave Gurney Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Broadway Books

Arriving in the mail over a period of weeks are taunting letters that end with a simple declaration, "Think of any number … picture it … now see how well I know your secrets." Amazingly, those who comply find that the letter writer has predicted their random choice exactly. For Dave Gurney, just retired as the NYPD's top homicide investigator and forging a new life with his wife, Madeleine, in upstate New York, the letters are oddities that begin as a diverting puzzle but quickly ignite a massive serial murder investigation.

What police are confronted with is a completely baffling killer, one who is fond of rhymes filled with threats and warnings, whose attention to detail is unprecedented, and who has an uncanny knack for disappearing into thin air. Even more disturbing, the scale of his ambition seems to widen as events unfold.

Brought in as an investigative consultant, Dave Gurney soon accomplishes deductive breakthroughs that leave local police in awe. Yet, even as he matches wits with his seemingly clairvoyant opponent, Gurney's tragedy-marred past rises up to haunt him, his marriage approaches a dangerous precipice, and finally, a dark, cold fear builds that he's met an adversary who can't be stopped.

In the end, fighting to keep his bearings amid a whirlwind of menace and destruction, Gurney sees the truth of what he's become — what we all become when guilty memories fester — and how his wife Madeleine's clear-eyed advice may be the only answer that makes sense.

        

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.

Mind's Eye, A Van Veeteren Mystery by Håkan Nesser, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Mind's Eye by Håkan Nesser, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Vintage.

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 (01/02/2014 at 1:00 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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Mind's Eye by Håkan Nesser
A Van Veeteren Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Vintage

The swift conviction left Van Veeteren uneasy: Janek Mitter woke one morning with a brutal hangover and his wife dead in the bathtub. With only the flimsiest defense, he is found guilty and imprisoned in a mental institution.

But when Mitter is murdered in his bed, Van Veeteren regrets not following his gut and launches an investigation into the two murders. As the chief inspector delves deeper, the twisted root of these violent murders will shock even him.

        

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: Murder Under Construction by Maddie Cochere

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 2014 priced $4.99 or less …

Murder Under Construction by Maddie Cochere is the first in a new series, a humorous, easy-breezy read from the author of the Susan Hunter mysteries.

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Murder Under Construction by Maddie Cochere
A Two Sisters and a Journalist Mystery
Publisher: Maddie Cochere
Publication Date: December 31, 2014
Price: $2.99 (as of 01/02/14 12:30 PM ET)

Jo Ravens is thirty-two, divorced, and stuck in a rut. She wants two things in life — a new career as a private investigator, and to lose the sixty pounds she packed on after her divorce.

When she crashes her bike in a construction site, she lands on a girl with a large knife in her chest. Jo enlists her sister, Pepper, and their journalist friend, Jackie, to help solve the dead girl's murder. Things become creepy for Jo when the murdered girl appears in her dreams to offer unusual clues to her death.

  

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.

Hearse and Buggy, A Claire Weatherly, Amish Mystery by Laura Bradford, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Hearse and Buggy by Laura Bradford, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Berkley.

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 (01/02/2014 at 12:00 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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Hearse and Buggy by Laura Bradford
A Claire Weatherly, Amish Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Berkley

Claire Weatherly has fled a high-stress lifestyle for a slower pace — in Amish country: Heavenly, Pennsylvania. She only planned a short visit but instead found herself opening an Amish specialty shop, Heavenly Treasures, and settling in.

Claire loves her new home, and she's slowly making friends among the locals, including Esther, a young Amish woman who works in the shop. So when the store's former owner,the unlikable Walter Snow, is murdered, and the man Esther is sweet on becomes a suspect, Claire can't help but get involved.

Newly returned Detective Jakob Fisher, who left Heavenly — and his Amish upbringing — as a teenager, is on the case. But his investigation is stalled by the fact that none of his former community will speak with him. Claire's connections make her the perfect go-between.

As Claire investigates, she uncovers more than she wanted to know about her neighbors. And suddenly, everything she had hoped to find in this peaceful refuge is at risk …

      

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.