A Kindle Countdown Deal: The Aspen Account by Bryan Devore

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 Aspen Account by Bryan Devore
A Conspiracy Thriller
Publisher: Bryan Devore
Price: $0.99 (as of 01/17/14 01:00 PM ET)

After a colleague at Denver’s top accounting firm dies in a mysterious skiing accident, Michael Chapman is assigned to replace him on an audit of software behemoth X-Tronic. At the same time, rookie journalist Sarah Matthews of the Denver Post starts nosing into rumors that may connect X-Tronic to her brother’s death. And the reclusive Aspen billionaire who founded X-Tronic thirty years ago begins to fear that events unfolding at his company will finally make him pay for a past he would love to forget: when he sold out friends and neglected family in his single-minded pursuit of success.

Soon all three will discover just how much they are willing to risk to uncover the truth behind a conspiracy that will shock the world.

  

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 New MystereBook: The Single Shoe Mystery by Janine Marie

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 January 2014 priced $4.99 or less …

The Single Shoe Mystery by Janine Marie is the second entry in this series with Janeva Jags unexpectedly finding herself embroiled in the middle of a captivating mystery. The result is deadly as passions and greed mix together.

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The Single Shoe Mystery by Janine Marie
A Janeva Jags, Rigging a Murder Mystery
Publisher: MTSmarketech
Publication Date: January 16, 2014
Price: $2.99 (as of 01/17/14 12:30 PM ET)

On a sailing vacation in a remote inlet off the coast of British Columbia, Janeva finds the peaceful tranquility of this desolate area is shattered when a spontaneous dinner invitation aboard a 100-foot luxury yacht leads to murder.

As suspicious events plague Janeva's family, Janeva realizes that only she has the key to solving this mystery and stopping the murderer from killing again.

  

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.

Bookish: Gone Girl Ending Changed — Five Alternate Endings

An article last week on Bookish proposes five alternate endings to Gillian Flynn's bestseller Gone Girl, which is now being adapted for film.

Part of what made the book such a success in 2012 was the buzz around that big, game-changing twist halfway through the novel. And there was a fear that readers who had already enjoyed the book — about a seemingly perfect marriage that comes under suspicion when wife Amy goes missing on her fifth anniversary and police begin investigating husband Nick — would be less engaged by director's David Fincher's movie adaptation, since they already know how it ends.

Well, Fincher went ahead and eliminated that dilemma by deciding to completely rewrite the entire third act of the movie. Flynn, who adapted her own novel, took on the challenge of tossing out the third act and taking Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy (Rosamund Pike) to entirely new places.

The article — which includes spoilers for those, who haven't yet read the book — provides a few imagined alternate endings that would, in the opinion of the author, improve the Gone Girl story, in … "Gone Girl Ending Changed — Five Alternate Endings" by Natalie Zutter for Bookish.

A Conversation with Mystery Author Linda O. Johnston

with Linda O. Johnston

We are delighted to welcome mystery author Linda O. Johnston to Omnimystery News today.

Linda is the author of the "Pet Rescue" mysteries — the most recent title is Teacup Turbulence (Berkley Prime Crime; January 2014 mass market paperback and ebook formats) — a spinoff from her "Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter" mysteries, and feature Lauren Vancouver, a determined pet rescuer who runs a no-kill shelter. In this cozy series, "no-kill" refers to pets, not people!

We recently had the chance to chat with the busy author about her books.

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Omnimystery News: Teacup Turbulence is the fifth mystery in this series. What is it about series characters that appeals to you?

Photo provided courtesy of
Linda O. Johnston

Linda O. Johnston: I like to get to know my characters! That's one reason I enjoy writing mysteries since they focus on one protagonist who always winds up either getting herself or her friends out of trouble. In the Pet Rescue Mysteries, Lauren Vancouver thinks of herself as caring a lot for animals and always being in charge. She winds up rescuing not only dogs and cats but people, too, and she learns especially, as time goes on, that no matter how much she likes to think she can control the world, she has to deal with people and circumstances as they occur. As her environment and expectations change, so does she — but she still solves mysteries, of course.
 
I also write for Harlequin Nocturne and Harlequin Romantic Suspense. They feature a new romance in each book, so when I'm writing in a miniseries, like my Alpha Force Nocturnes about a covert military unit of shapeshifters, I generally feature a hero and/or heroine I've introduced before. That way, I know them, too.

OMN: How do you characterize the mysteries in this series?

LOJ: My Pet Rescue Mysteries are definitely cozies. Lauren is an amateur sleuth. I think it works well for my readers to recognize that Lauren's stories are cozies since it gives her more latitude to try solutions that professionals can't.

OMN: Give us the synopsis of Teacup Turbulence in a tweet.

LOJ: In Teacup Turbulence, a special ad campaign causes a lack of small adoptable dogs in L.A. — and bringing a bunch there by a caravan of planes turns into murder!

OMN: Describe your writing process for us.

LOJ: My process has changed over time. I used to do detailed outlines but now work straight from a synopsis. I usually stick to it, including with respect to the characters I introduce in it, but my creations sometimes like to surprise me and inform me that whoever I thought had dunnit was perfectly innocent, and someone else committed the crime.

OMN: How important is the setting to your books?

LOJ: The Pet Rescue Mysteries are set in Los Angeles, primarily in the San Fernando Valley, which is where I live. I don't necessarily intend for my descriptions to be exact, but I've lived in the area long enough to know that what I say about it tends to be accurate. I find this locale important to the Pet Rescue Mysteries because I know so many people in the L.A. area who really care about pets and want to ensure that homeless ones get new, loving families. It's therefore a good setting to write about.

OMN: How much of your own personal or professional experience have you included in your books?

LOJ: After starting to write the Pet Rescue Mystery series, I began volunteering at a wonderful pet shelter both for research and because I care about the animals. The background of Teacup Turbulence is loosely based on genuine, amazingly wonderful groups of pilots and others who transport homeless pets from areas where they are hard to place to where they can find good homes. That's not to say that either I or the people I interviewed for research have ever stumbled over murders!

OMN: Complete this sentence for us: "I am a mystery author and thus I am also …".

LOJ: … a killer. Fictionally, of course. I'd never hurt another person … unless, of course, they harmed an animal, particularly a dog, right in front of me. And what would I do? Well, I'm a lawyer on hiatus as well as a writer, so I'd use the law as recourse before I'd do anything actually physical. Better yet, I'd add the creeps to one of my books and — what else? — kill them off.

OMN: What are some of your outside interests or hobbies? Do any of these find their way into your books?

LOJ: It won't surprise anyone who reads my books that I'm obsessed with dogs. In fact, my younger Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Mystie is on my lap as I write this, with her head tucked near my shoulder. My Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries starred Mystie's best friend Lexie, another Cavalier. My mysteries all have dogs in them. And, yes, as I mentioned, I do volunteer at a pet shelter in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles — a result of my initial research when I started writing my Pet Rescue Mysteries.

OMN: What's next for you?

LOJ: As I also mentioned before, in addition to my cozy mysteries, I write for two Harlequin series: Harlequin Romantic Suspense and Harlequin Nocturne, which is paranormal romance. I have two Nocturnes coming out in 2014 — both about animals, too: my covert military force of shapeshifters.
 
In addition, I'm delighted to say that I will soon have a new mystery series with Midnight Ink: my superstition mysteries! Watch for the first one in September 2014. And yes, dogs play a starring role in these stories, too.

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Linda O. Johnston’s first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the year. Since then, Linda has published more short stories and novellas, plus 35 romance and mystery novels, including Harlequin Romantic Suspense as well as the Alpha Force paranormal romance miniseries for Harlequin Nocturne.

For more information about the author and her work, please visit her website at LindaOJohnston.com or find her on Facebook.

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Teacup Turbulence
Linda O. Johnston
A Pet Rescue Mystery

Los Angeles animal shelter manager Lauren Vancouver has a soft spot for animals in need — and a keen eye for crime …

Thanks to a savvy ad campaign featuring teacup pups sporting HotPets Bling — a new line of faux jewelry dog collars — small dog adoptions have skyrocketed across the city. So when Lauren discovers a shelter in the Midwest with more toy dogs than it can handle, she arranges a private plane to swoop in and fly the pups back to LA.

But Lauren didn’t count on rescue worker Teresa Kantrim coming along for the ride. Teresa has cared for the dogs since they were found and doesn’t trust anyone from La-La Land to take over the job. Her biting comments clearly haven’t earned Teresa any new friends, but when she turns up murdered, it’s time for Lauren to dig into Teresa’s past and find out who wanted her put down.

        

The Serpent's Disciple by Deborah Stevens is Today's fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Serpent's Disciple by Deborah Stevens as today's fourth free mystery ebook (A Conspiracy Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, January 17, 2014 at 7:15 AM ET. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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The Serpent's Disciple
Deborah Stevens
A Conspiracy Thriller
Publisher: Smith House Press

An ancient evil threatens to take over the Catholic Church and use it to upset the world order. Peter Romanus, the Grand Master of the secret Masonic Order known as Propaganda Due has set in motion the final stages of his plot to kill the Pope and control major world governments through the Church.

Meanwhile, Anthony and Antonella "Nelli" Andruccioli feel a sudden call to visit Pesaro, the Italian town where their father was born and where their family has long protected a deep connection to Saint Anthony himself. The siblings soon learn that they are called to protect the Church: Nelli as the Chosen One, and Anthony as one of the Guardians sworn to protect her from the false prophet. Together they must navigate the labyrinth of ancient prophecy and Vatican politics and expose the truth before it is too late.

  

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.

A Hardboiled Murder by Michelle Ann Hollstein is Today's third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Hardboiled Murder by Michelle Ann Hollstein as today's third free mystery ebook (An Aggie Underhill Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, January 17, 2014 at 7:00 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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A Hardboiled Murder
Michelle Ann Hollstein
An Aggie Underhill Mystery
Publisher: Michelle Ann Hollstein

The body of a film star crashes upon the roof of a moving tramcar, a mystery author is discovered hardboiled and bobbing in a hot tub, a home is ransacked, and two grandmothers are battling.

With bleached blonde hair, an English accent, a brand spanking new red-hot turbo machine, and an oversized pocketbook to match every outfit, Aggie's sure to stick her nose into everyone's business. But is Aggie over her head when the clues she unearths hit a little too close to home?

  

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.

Murder Caribbean-Style by Diane Rapp is Today's second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Murder Caribbean-Style by Diane Rapp as today's second free mystery ebook (A High Seas Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, January 17, 2014 at 6:45 AM ET. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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Murder Caribbean-Style
Diane Rapp
A High Seas Mystery
Publisher: Diane Rapp

When Kayla Sanders accepts a free Caribbean cruise aboard the Aurora, she gets sucked into a modern-day mutiny culminating in the murder of her ex-lover, Patrick MacIntyre. When Kayla was denied a well-deserved promotion, she resigned. Kayla's shipboard friends applauded her bravery, but she knew the truth. Reeling from the painful humiliation inflicted by an unfaithful lover, Kayla welcomed an excuse to run home and hide. Living like a hermit in Colorado she worked days as a typist and wrote a Caribbean guidebook at night.

Four years later, Kayla arrives onboard her old ship and savors the VIP treatment afforded a published author — until Patrick falls dead at her feet. Plunging into a frenzied investigation to discover the killer before police arrest her friends, Kayla bumps into Steven Young every time she uncovers a clue. They soon join forces to unravel the mystery and spark a fledgling romance. Like a tightrope walker balancing between passion and peril, Kayla risks her life to unearth the truth behind Patrick's death and free herself from his memory. Should she trust Steven and risk another broken heart — or worse?

  

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.

Murder in the Winter by Steve Demaree is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Murder in the Winter by Steve Demaree as today's free mystery ebook (A Dekker Cozy Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, January 17, 2014 at 6:30 AM ET. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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Murder in the Winter
Steve Demaree
A Dekker Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Steve Demaree

A murderer delivers a note that he is about to commit a murder which no one can prevent.

A heavy winter snowstorm both aids and impedes the police as they try to discern the relevance of footprints and tire tracks they find in the snow.

  

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.

Tempest by Julie Cross is Today's Kobo Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Tempest by Julie Cross as today's Kobo Daily Deal.

The deal price of $2.99 is valid only for today, Friday, January 17, 2014.

Note: The price has been matched by Amazon.com for today only.

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Tempest
Julie Cross
The Tempest Trilogy
St. Martin's Griffin

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy … he's in college, has a girlfriend … and he can travel back through time. But it's not like the movies — nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there's no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors — it's just harmless fun.

That is … until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he's stuck in 2007 and can't get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it's not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these "Enemies of Time" will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit … or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he's willing to go to save Holly … and possibly the entire world.

    

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.

Fly by Night by Ward Larsen is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Fly by Night by Ward Larsen as today's Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, January 17, 2014.

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Fly by Night
Ward Larsen
A Jammer Davis Thriller
Oceanview Publishing

A top-secret drone crashes in the lawless Horn of Africa. The CIA is prepared to write off the loss, until evidence surfaces that the wreckage of their prized aircraft is hidden in a hangar outside Khartoum's main airport. The hangar is owned by a shady cargo airline that flies ancient DC-3s across Africa and the Middle East. The name of the company does nothing to still concern: FBN-Fly by Night Aviation. The U.S. government must find out what is in the hangar, and when an FBN airplane crashes, the opportunity arises for the National Transportation Safety Board to send an investigator to get to the bottom of things.

Jammer Davis is the NTSB's biggest headache, but also its best solo operator. He goes to Sudan in the name of solving an air crash, but with the true aim of locating the priceless remains of America's latest technological marvel.

As Davis enters this inhospitable world, he finds the two disparate mysteries strangely intertwined. True to his nature, Davis barges ahead. Yet everything he finds takes him in reverse.

  

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 January 17, 2014

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending January 17th, 2014 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

John Grisham's legal thriller Sycamore Row remains at number one but in a somewhat surprising move, Gillian Flynn's bestseller Gone Girl moves strongly up to the second spot (possibly in response to all the news surrounding the film adaptation of this novel).

One new titles enters the list this week (rank in [brackets]).

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[13]: The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
Alan Bradley
— Flavia de Luce (6th)

On a spring morning in 1951, eleven-year-old chemist and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce gathers with her family at the railway station, awaiting the return of her long-lost mother, Harriet. Yet upon the train's arrival in the English village of Bishop's Lacey, Flavia is approached by a tall stranger who whispers a cryptic message into her ear. Moments later, he is dead, mysteriously pushed under the train by someone in the crowd. Who was this man, what did his words mean, and why were they intended for Flavia?

Back home at Buckshaw, the de Luces' crumbling estate, Flavia puts her sleuthing skills to the test. Following a trail of clues sparked by the discovery of a reel of film stashed away in the attic, she unravels the deepest secrets of the de Luce clan, involving none other than Winston Churchill himself.

Surrounded by family, friends, and a famous pathologist from the Home Office — and making spectacular use of Harriet's beloved Gipsy Moth plane, Blithe Spirit — Flavia will do anything, even take to the skies, to land a killer.

Purchase Options

          

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (140117)

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

• The New Release is Amaranthine Voyage: The Living Mountain (Collector's Edition).

• The Daily Deal is Adelantado Trilogy: Book One, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is Sable Maze: Sullivan River, just $2.99 through Sunday, January 19, 2014 only.

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

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The New Release today is Amaranthine Voyage: The Living Mountain (Collector's Edition)

A brilliant but misunderstood professor, you've been to the Tree of Life, and lived to tell about it. Only no one will believe you. Your students have even begun to make fun of you … Until an elderly gentleman shows up at your door, and your whole life changes once again.

Are the Three Stones really a portal to another world? Find that out and more as you follow your colleague's trail to track down the truth of his strange disappearance. Explore beautiful, strange worlds, and watch out for surprising twists that will leave you wondering. If the tiara fits …

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 bring back the Sun Diamond; Find collectible dog biscuits and flitting fairies; Get soundtracks, wallpapers, screensavers, and concept art; Read more in the Lore Book; and Use the available Strategy Guide.

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

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Today's Daily Deal is Adelantado Trilogy: Book One

Discover the fabulous secrets that a jungle hides as you help the brave and noble officer, Don Diego De Leon, to find and save the lost expedition. Befriend the natives who can be of valuable assistance to you. Help them as you restore buildings, harvest foods, and create a settlement. Upgrade your skills and earn fabulous trophies. Treasures await you in this exciting Strategy game!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Friday, January 17, 2014 — for $2.99.

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The current Catch of the Week is Sable Maze: Sullivan River

Every night you have the same nightmare. You see children wandering through a maze, crying for help. These sleepless nights are ruining your waking life. To stop them, you must return to Sullivan River Summer Camp to uncover what happened during that long-forgotten summer. Beware though, this camp isn't all that it seems. With every step, you can feel eyes watching you. Reveal the secret of the ancient labyrinth in this eerie 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, January 19, 2014.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit in Theaters January 17, 2014

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Opens in theaters January 17, 2014.

Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) appears to be just another New York executive to his friends and loved ones, but his enlistment into the CIA secretly goes back years. He was brought in as a brainy Ph.D. who crunches global data — but when Ryan ferrets out a meticulously planned scheme to collapse the U.S. economy and spark global chaos, he becomes the only man with the skills to stop it. Now, he’s gone fully operational, thrust into a world of mounting suspicion, deception and deadly force. Caught between his tight-lipped handler Harper, his in-the-dark fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley) and a brilliant Russian oligarch, Jack must confront a new reality where no one can seem to be trusted, yet the fate of millions rests on his finding the truth. With the urgency of a lit fuse, he’s in a race to stay one step ahead of everyone around him.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh from an original script by Adam Cozad and David Koepp and based on a character created by Tom Clancy.

Running time: 105 minutes. Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and intense action, and brief strong language.

Watch a trailer for the film below:

Review: A Basket of Trouble by Beth Groundwater

A Mysterious Review of A Basket of Trouble by Beth Groundwater. A Claire Hanover Mystery.

Review summary: This is a well-structured murder mystery set on the grounds of a stable and involves, indeed requires, a horse to help solve the crime, relegating the presumed theme of the series, gift baskets, far in the background. A generally enjoyable if not exactly memorable entry in this cozy series. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

A Basket of Trouble
Beth Groundwater
A Claire Hanover Mystery
Midnight Ink (November 2013)

Publisher synopsis: When gift basket designer Claire Hanover saddles up for the opening event at her brother Charley’s new riding stable, the last thing she expects is for Kyle Mendoza, one of the stable hands, to be found dead. Everyone assumes a horse trampled him, until it’s discovered that someone murdered Kyle before dragging him into a stall.

Charley’s troubles worsen when a rival stable owner steals his clients and Kyle’s family decides to sue him for negligence. Claire is determined to corral the killer and save her brother’s business. However, solving the mystery could be more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack … and maybe even deadly.