Review: The Whispering of Bones by Judith Rock

A Mysterious Review of The Whispering of Bones by Judith Rock. A Charles du Luc Mystery.

Review summary: This is a fine example of a historical mystery that features an intricately devised storyline. The time and place, Paris in the late 17th century, are richly drawn and fully realized, a perfect backdrop to this well-paced and nicely plotted mystery. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

The Whispering of Bones
Judith Rock
A Charles du Luc Mystery
Berkley Trade (November 2013)

Publisher synopsis: Paris, 1687. The last thing Jesuit Charles du Luc and his elderly confessor expect to find in an ancient crypt is a newly murdered body. Even more troubling, the shock of discovering the victim — a young man about to enter their order — proves too much for Charles’s companion. Vowing justice, Charles wants nothing more than to discover the killer, but is unexpectedly restrained from investigation.

At the same moment, a fellow soldier has also entered the Jesuit Novice House, bringing Charles’s worst battlefield secret back to haunt him. And when another Jesuit disappears from the college of Louis le Grand and Charles himself is attacked, he begins to wonder whether there might be something more sinister afoot. All signs point to someone targeting Jesuits — and not even an ex-soldier like Charles may be able to escape …

      

Heaven's Wager, The Heaven Trilogy by Ted Dekker, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Heaven's Wager by Ted Dekker, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Thomas Nelson.

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 (01/13/2014 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.

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Heaven's Wager by Ted Dekker
The Heaven Trilogy (1st in series)
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

It was an absolutely perfect day … until everything went absolutely perfectly wrong.

Kent Anthony is a brilliant software engineer who is cashing in on a brilliant career. He's finally living the idyllic life, far from thoughts of theft and murder and other kinds of horrible criminal behavior.

He's left his past far behind … or so he thinks.

      

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 Lazarus Trap, A Novel of Suspense by Davis Bunn, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Lazarus Trap by Davis Bunn, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Thomas Nelson.

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 (01/13/2014 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 Lazarus Trap by Davis Bunn
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

For Val Haines, dying may be the chance of a lifetime.

Awakening in a jail cell and bleeding from his head, Val Haines remembers nothing. Not even his name.

As his memory slowly begins to return, Haines discovers that the world thinks he's dead. If his nightmares ring true, it may be for the best. Around him brews a conspiracy of embezzlement and murder for hire, fueled by the rage of personal vendetta. As he searches for a safe haven, enigmatic Audrey beckons, but can she be trusted?

With nothing but a few personal belongings and a sizable amount of cash, Haines must run. With his past behind him, he'll do anything to claim a new life for himself. Or die trying.

      

Important Note: This book was listed at the above mentioned price on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Telemystery: Netflix Renews Lilyhammer for a 3rd Season

Netflix has announced that Lilyhammer will return for a third season in 2014.

"We are proud to bring back Lilyhammer for a third season," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix. "Lilyhammer is the type of global show that Netflix members around the world have discovered and love and season three will see that world expand even more."

The series follows former gangster Frank "The Fixer" Tagliano (Steven Van Zandt) as he enters the federal witness protection program trading the mean streets of New York for the icy fjords of Norway, forging a new life among the locals of Lillehammer. The 8-episode second season, which premiered in December 2013, continues with Frank living under the alias of Johnny Henriksen, a successful nightclub owner and father of two. As if life couldn't get more complicated than balancing fatherhood with running a criminal operation, everything Frank cares for is threatened when his former mob associates find out he is still alive.

The Yellow Packard, A Novel of Suspense by Ace Collins, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Yellow Packard by Ace Collins, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Barbour Books.

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 (01/13/2014 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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The Yellow Packard by Ace Collins
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Barbour Books

George Hall, a draftsman, buys a 1936 Packard sedan from the estate of spinster Abigale Watling in Oakwood, Illinois.

At first, the car brings George, his wife Jean, and their daughter Rose an unexpected boon. But tragedy follows when Rose is kidnapped. The auto then comes into the possession of salesman William Landers, FBI agent Helen Meeker, and serviceman James Coffman's family.

As clues to the kidnapping caper come to light, more than one life is in jeopardy. Will Agent Meeker catch the culprit before it's too late?

    

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.

Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin, New in Bookstores in January 2014

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published during January 2014 by Little, Brown, is Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin.

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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Saints of the Shadow Bible
Ian Rankin
Series: John Rebus (19th)

Rebus is back on the force, albeit with a demotion and a chip on his shoulder. He is investigating a car accident when news arrives that a case from 30 years ago is being reopened. Rebus's team from those days is suspected of helping a murderer escape justice to further their own ends.

Malcolm Fox, in what will be his last case as an internal affairs cop, is tasked with finding out the truth. Past and present are about to collide in shocking and murderous fashion. What does Rebus have to hide? And whose side is he really on? His colleagues back then called themselves "The Saints", and swore a bond on something called the Shadow Bible. But times have changed and the crimes of the past may not stay hidden much longer — and may also play a role in the present, as Scotland gears up for a referendum on independence.

Allegiances are being formed, enemies made, and huge questions asked. Who are the saints and who the sinners? And can the one ever become the other?

        

Chapel Noir, An Irene Adler Mystery by Carole Nelson Douglas, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Chapel Noir by Carole Nelson Douglas, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Forge Books.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $2.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (01/13/2014 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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Chapel Noir by Carole Nelson Douglas
An Irene Adler Mystery (5th in series)
Publisher: Forge Books

Two courtesans are found brutally slaughtered in the lavish boudoir of a Paris house. No woman should ever see such horrors, authorities declare, but a powerful sponsor has insisted that Irene investigate the case, along with her faithful companion, sheltered parson's daughter Penelope Huxleigh.

But does anyone really seek the truth, or do they wish only to bury it with the dead women — for there is a worse horror that will draw Irene and her archrival, Sherlock Holmes, into a duel of wits with a fiendish opponent. These Paris killings mimic a series of gruesome murders that terrorized London only months before, in a dangerous and disreputable part of town known as Whitechapel …

        

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 Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club, A Cozy Mystery by Duncan Whitehead, at a Special Price during January 2014

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 The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club by Duncan Whitehead. This Kindle book was listed at $1.99 as of the date and time of this post, Monday, January 13, 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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The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club by Duncan Whitehead
A Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Little is what it seems to be in a leafy Savannah neighborhood as members of an afternoon cocktail and dog walking club mourn a neighbor's death. Jealousies surface when friends vie for the widower running for mayor. An old woman with an infamous uncle plots to avenge a wrong. Memories haunt a once successful children's writer. And a model has won the trip of a lifetime.

But a killer lurks and secrets unfold, as does a web of deceit. Is anyone really who he or she seems to be? A mysterious South American, a young Italian count, and a charitable nephew add suspicion and intrigue, as do an enigmatic organization linked to organized crime, a handsome firefighter, and three widows with hidden agendas. What's a retired accountant's secret, and why did a former showgirl really have plastic surgery?

The plot thickens, the Georgia temperature rises, and someone is destined for an early unmarked grave. The truth contorts to a climax that leaves readers breathless.

  

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.

Cry No More, A Novel of Suspense by Linda Howard, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Cry No More by Linda Howard, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Ballantine Books.

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 (01/13/2014 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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Cry No More by Linda Howard
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Ballantine Books

Count your blessings; they can be snatched away in an instant.

It is a sentiment Milla Edge knows too well. With an astonishing blend of savvy, instinct, and passion, Milla displays an uncanny gift for finding lost children. When all seems helpless, desperate souls from across the country come to her for hope and results. Driven by an obsessive desire to fill the void in other people's lives, Milla throws herself into every case — all the while trying to outrun the brutal emotions stemming from a horrific tragedy in her past.

Traveling to a small village in Mexico on a reliable tip, Milla begins to uncover the dire fate of countless children who have disappeared over the years in the labyrinth of a sinister baby-smuggling ring. The key to nailing down the organization may rest with an elusive one-eyed man. To find him, Milla joins forces with James Diaz, a suspicious stranger known as the Tracker who conceals his own sinister agenda.

As the search intensifies, the mission becomes more treacherous. For the ring is part of something far larger and more dangerous, reaching the highest echelons of power and influence. Caught between growing passion and imminent peril, Milla suddenly finds herself the hunted — in the crosshairs of an invisible, lethal assassin who aims to silence her permanently.

        

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 Kindle Countdown Deal: The Art of Duplicity by Jennifer L. Jennings

Amazon Kindle Countdown Deals, limited-time discounts on Kindle-exclusive books.

MystereBooks is pleased to present you with one of today's titles … but take advantage of this deal now as the price will go up to its digital list price soon! (See the countdown clock on the book product page to see how much time remains on this deal.)

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The Art of Duplicity by Jennifer L. Jennings
A Sarah Woods Mystery
Publisher: Query Publishing
Price: $0.99 (as of 01/13/14 12:30 PM ET)

Art, conspiracy and murder …

When respected gallery owner Glenn Fleming is shot during a robbery, the thief makes off with valuable artwork and vanishes without a trace. To the cops, it looks like a robbery gone sour, but with no suspects or evidence the case goes cold. Reeling from the death of her husband and lack of answers, Elizabeth seeks the help of local private investigators Sarah and Carter.

As the case gets under way, it becomes apparent that Glenn's death was no accident. Sarah must follow her instincts to uncover the truth about a conspiracy that involves the art community, a notoriously dangerous bookie named Dunk, and a dark secret from Glenn's past.

  

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.

New Poster for Veronica Mars

A new poster has been released by Warner Bros. for the mystery drama Veronica Mars (right; click for larger image). The tagline: "She thought she was out".

Years after walking away from her past as a teenage private eye, Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) gets pulled back to her hometown, an ex-boyfriend with baggage, and an unraveling mystery when her high school sweetheart Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) gets accused of murder.

Directed by Rob Thomas from an original screenplay by Rob Thomas and Dianne Ruggiero, Veronica Mars opens in theaters March 14, 2014.

A Conversation with Novelist Babette Hughes

with Babette Hughes

We are delighted to welcome back novelist Babette Hughes to Omnimystery News today.

Babette first visited with us last November with an excerpt from her second Kate Brady novel, The Red Scarf (Lamplight Press; August 2013 hardcover, trade paperback and ebook formats) and we wanted to catch up with her to talk a little more about the book.

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Omnimystery News: Tell us a little more about your series character, Kate Brady.

Photo provided courtesy of
Babette Hughes

Babette Hughes: In The Hat and its sequels The Red Scarf and The Necklace, I have taken Kate Brady's character from the age of 18 to 80 — not only for the changes it offers in the writing, but also because of the different political, social and economic forces that exist at each age.

OMN: Are the characters in your books based on any real people?

BH: My father, a bootlegger who was murdered by the Mafia in a turf war when I was a baby, inspired the character Ben in The Hat and Solly in The Red Scarf. But those are the exceptions. The other characters just spring on the page as I work, fueled by the richness of the unconscious. All of which makes fiction writing not only difficult, but mysterious and interesting.

OMN: Describe your writing process.

BH: Some writers work from an outline, but I don't. I try to develop the plot organically instead of from the top down. In other words, if I can get my characters to come alive on the page I'll just follow them along as they tell me their stories.

OMN: And where do you usually write?

BH: It's my own space with my favorite things — books, files, notes, manuscripts. Computer and printer. Phone that I can turn off. Light from two large windows. Plants. That is where I close the door and turn on my imagination.

OMN: Have any specific authors influenced how and what you write today?

BH: Alice Munro, who just won the Nobel Prize in literature, has been my favorite writer for years, whom I read and reread. Also Elmore Leonard for his clean, crime prose. Philip Roth. Norman Mailer. I could go on and on. I learn from reading.

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In addition to her novels, Babette Hughes is a contributing blogger for The Huffington Post. She has also been published in the Saturday Review; been contributing editor of Cleveland Magazine; a twice-weekly columnist for the Cleveland Press; and has published articles and book reviews in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Sunday Magazine. She has also written, produced and appeared in television documentaries and news and feature stories for Cleveland television stations WKYC-NBC and WNBK-UHF.

In addition to her writing career she has been been National Director of Women's Political Action for Hubert Humphrey in his 1972 Presidential campaign, as well as founder and President of Discover Yourself, Inc., a motivation and self realization program for women. She has also been Director of Public Relations for Revco D.S., Inc. in Twinsburg, Ohio, and Account Executive with Frazier Associates, in Washington, DC. She and her husband live in Austin, Texas, and are the parents and step-parents of eight children.

Learn more about the author and her work on her website BabetteHughes.com.

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The Red Scarf
Babette Hughes
A Kate Brady Novel

The Red Scarf opens with Kate Brady, aka, Mrs. Ben Gold trying to find a normal life as the widow of the Godfather of the Jewish mafia, Ben Gold. Ben Gold is dead and the file is closed as far as law enforcement is concerned. The angry remaining Sarsini brother is the killer, or at least that's what the FBI believes. Good riddance is what they and everyone who knew Ben Gold think, and Kate agrees wholeheartedly. Ben had treated her badly, was not a good man, and frankly deserved exactly what he got.

And, so, as The Red Scarf picks up her story she is attending college, living on the millions of dollars of ill-gotten gain that Ben had left her, and trying to put the life of a moll behind her. But once again, even from beyond the grave, Ben Gold drags her back into the dangerous world of gangster and guns.

When handsome FBI agent Adam Fairfield is introduced as a guest lecturer, she feels immediately drawn to him, and he to her. A torrid love affair ensues and soon, she is risking her life by revealing her darkest secret to him, trusting that he won't put her away for life, or worse.

For Kate, this story is about more than the thrill of bringing down another bad man who is intimidating her community and abusing his wife. This is about redemption. It's about getting on with her life and leaving behind as best she can the lengthy laundry list of mistakes she had made as a young and impressionable woman.

    

Smokin' Hot Mess by Bill Williams is Today's fifth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Smokin' Hot Mess by Bill Williams as today's fifth free mystery ebook (An Arthur Quinn Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, January 13, 2014 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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Smokin' Hot Mess
Bill Williams
An Arthur Quinn Mystery
Publisher: Lone Star Press

Arthur Quinn spends his free time helping his friends and loose associates out of dire straits to soothe a guilty conscience. When he's not managing his inheritance or tending bar, Quinn wanders the side streets of his beloved hometown of Austin Texas and parts beyond looking for trouble.

The amateur detective is in the middle of a work out when the phone rings. An old friend is just stepping out of the police station after a long interrogation. Earlier that morning, someone had murdered her estranged husband and left the body cooling in the driveway. Now the police have her in their sights and she needs someone who knows the police.

Quinn steps in and interferes in the police investigation, leaving a trail of business cards in his wake. An angry detective wants him for tampering with the case as Quinn searches for the killer, afraid that the clues will lead back to his old friend.

  

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.