A Kindle Countdown Deal: Shady Deals by Cindy McDonald

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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Shady Deals by Cindy McDonald
The Unbridled Series
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Price: $0.99 (as of 03/19/14 03:30 PM ET)

Kate West and Dr. Holden Reese have put their troubled past behind them and are ready to set a wedding date. There's only one thing in Holden's way: a powerful drug Lord at Keystone Downs Thoroughbred Race Track has Holden under his thumb, and he's not letting go!

Kate's family is determined to get to the bottom the of horse drugging ring, and when the West's get too close to the truth the Drug Lord sends them a brutal message that can't be misinterpreted. Now Holden is on the run, and he's dragging Kate with him.

Can he escape his indiscretions? How long can he keep Kate in the dark? And how damning will the truth be when it's finally revealed?

  

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 Private Business, A Hakim and Arnold Mystery by Barbara Nadel: Amazon's The Big Deal Promotion

Every so often Amazon releases a new selection of Kindle books priced up to 85% off as part of The Big Deal Promotion.

Today's featured mystery, suspense, or thriller title is A Private Business by Barbara Nadel. This Kindle book was listed at $1.99 as of the date and time of this post, Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at 3:00 PM ET, and should be available at this price through Sunday, March 30, 2014.

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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A Private Business by Barbara Nadel
A Hakim and Arnold Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Quercus

It is 2012: London is hosting the Olympics and the East End Borough of Newham is at the centre of the world. But surrounding the glamorous stadia are some of the most ethnically diverse and crime-ridden streets in the capital. This is the world of Arnold and Hakim.

PI Lee Arnold and his assistant, Mumtaz Hakim, work surrounded by these fierce tensions. When Arnold is hired to protect a female stand-up comedian, he knows that her outrageous routine — one that leaves no racist, ageist or sexist stone unturned — makes her a target for local hatred. But the case is not as simple as it looks. Convinced that she's being stalked, it's up to Arnold and Hakim to watch whoever is watching her, and find out whether her genuine terror is justified.

  

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 Janson Option by Paul Garrison, New in Bookstores in March 2014

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published during March 2014 by Grand Central, is The Janson Option by Paul Garrison.

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

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The Janson Option
Paul Garrison
Series: Paul Janson (3rd)

When American Synergy Corporation oil executive Kingsman Helms begs Janson to rescue his wife, Allegra, from Somali pirates, Janson and Kincaid view it as the perfect opportunity to infiltrate ASC and disrupt the company's scheme to subvert independent oil-rich African countries into wholly-owned ASC subsidiaries.

Once on the ground, Janson and Kincaid discover that the pirates may be the least lethal threat in the violent chaos of anarchic Somalia. Is Allegra's kidnapping for real, or is she merely a pawn in her husband's machinations for control of the country? Janson and Kincaid quickly find themselves embroiled in a bewildering storm of plots and counterplots, and their fight to survive threatens to disrupt the entire region, and beyond …

        

A New MystereBook: A Fatal Cut by Priscilla Masters

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 March 2014 priced $4.99 or less …

A Fatal Cut by Priscilla Masters is a chilling medical thriller, a stand-alone first published in the UK by Pan Books in hardcover in May 2000. This is its first appearance as an ebook.

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A Fatal Cut by Priscilla Masters
A Medical Thriller
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Publication Date: March 18, 2014
Price: $3.99 (as of 03/19/14 02:00 PM ET)

His patient was ready. He stood for a moment, staring down at her, his mind working out the correct incision. Then the first cut …

A body has been discovered in undergrowth in the grounds of Birmingham hospital, wrapped in a clinical waste bag and, even more bizarrely, wearing little but a garish Disney tie. The scar and stitches evident on the dead man's groin suggest he may recently have been a patient at the hospital. But when pathologist Karys Harper is brought in to examine the body she makes a discovery that is more grotesque still. For the surgery wound was inflicted after death. Clearly this is no ordinary killer — and he's about to strike again.

As the "surgeon" continues to carry out his operations, can frustated Detective Inspector Forrest piece together the clues — which are few and far between — and track this medical murderer down? Or will his next patient be someone close to Forrest's heart?

  

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.

Borkmann's Point, An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery by Hakan Nesser, at a Special Price during March 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 Borkmann's Point by Hakan Nesser. This Kindle book was listed at $3.99 as of the date and time of this post, Wednesday, March 19, 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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Borkmann's Point by Hakan Nesser
An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Vintage

Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is called to the sleepy coastal town of Kalbringen to assist the local police in the investigation of two recent ax murders.

Soon the case turns from bad to worse when another body turns up and one of Van Veeteren’s colleagues, a young female detective, disappears without a trace.

Now Van Veeteren must find the killer, and, it is hoped, his colleague, before anyone else comes to harm.

  

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

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

The Blackhouse, The Isle of Lewis Trilogy by Peter May, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Blackhouse by Peter May, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Quercus.

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 (03/19/2014 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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The Blackhouse by Peter May
The Isle of Lewis Trilogy (1st in series)
Publisher: Quercus

The Isle of Lewis is the most remote, harshly beautiful place in Scotland, where the difficulty of existence seems outweighed only by people's fear of God. But older, pagan values lurk beneath the veneer of faith, the primal yearning for blood and revenge.

When a brutal murder on the island bears the hallmarks of a similar slaying in Edinburgh, police detective Fin Macleod is dispatched north to investigate. But since he himself was raised on Lewis, the investigation also represents a journey home and into his past.

Each year the island's men perform the hunting of the gugas, a savage custom no longer necessary for survival, but which they cling to even more fiercely in the face of the demands of modern morality. For Fin the hunt recalls a horrific tragedy, which after all this time may have begun to demand another sacrifice.

  

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: Lamb to the Slaughter by Aline Templeton

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 1900 priced $4.99 or less …

Lamb to the Slaughter by Aline Templeton

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Lamb to the Slaughter by Aline Templeton
A Marjory Fleming Mystery
Publisher: Witness Impulse
Price: $2.99 (as of 03/19/14 12:30 PM ET)

A sunny evening, a tranquil garden — and an old man brutally gunned down on his doorstep …

In a pretty and tranquil town, a proposed superstore development has divided the population in an increasingly bitter war. The low-level aggression of bored youth that is generally tolerated has become sinister. The bloodied carcass of a sheep abandoned in the streets is more than just unpleasant vandalism, and teenage bikers, terrorizing a woman to the breaking point, are impossible to control.

When a second victim is killed in what seems like a random shooting, the fear in the town becomes palpable. Detective Fleming will not accept that the crimes are motiveless, but she struggles to make sense of the two murders when nothing makes sense anymore and no one will believe anything. Not even the truth.

        

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.

Third Trailer for Season 4 of HBO's Game of Thrones

A third trailer "Secrets" has been released by HBO for the fourth season of Game of Thrones (embedded, below).

A synopsis of the first four episodes of the season (from HBO): Encouraged by the Red Wedding slaughter in the Riverlands that wiped out many of their Stark nemeses, the Lannisters' hold on the Iron Throne remains intact … but can they survive their own egos, as well as new and ongoing threats from the south, north and east? While an unbowed Stannis Baratheon continues to rebuild his army in Dragonstone, a more immediate danger comes from the south, as Oberyn Martell, the Lannister-loathing "Red Viper of Dorne", arrives at King's Landing to attend Joffrey's wedding to Margaery Tyrell, and perhaps act on an ulterior agenda. In the north, a depleted Night's Watch seems overmatched against the inexorable Wall advances of Mance Rayder's army of wildlings, which in turn is being trailed by an even more formidable foe: the undead White Walkers. As if that weren't enough, Daenerys Targaryen, accompanied by her menacing trio of dragons and army of Unsullied, is poised to liberate Meereen, the largest city in Slaver's Bay, which could ultimately provide her with enough ships to sail to Westeros and reclaim the Iron Throne.

Based (in part) on the second half of the third book in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels, A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones Season 4 premieres on April 06, 2014 at 9 PM ET/PT.

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Please Welcome Mystery Author Lisa Alber

with Lisa Alber

We are delighted to welcome mystery author Lisa Alber to Omnimystery News today.

Lisa's new County Clare series of mysteries begins with Kilmoon (Muskrat Press; March 2014 trade paperback) and we asked her to tell us a little more about it and her writing process. She titles her guest post for us "Five Reasons Why I Love Backstory".

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Photo provided courtesy of
Lisa Alber

Recently, I got to thinking about my process after an interview for a Blog Talk Radio show called "Authors on the Air." My interviewer, Stephen Campbell, asked me about my characters. He was struck by how well-developed they were, and how I had revealed their stories as the plot advanced through all kinds of neat stuff like murder, betrayal, shocking discoveries, family dysfunction, conflicts, and reversals.

Specifically, I got to thinking about character versus plot and how I'm definitely a character person. In fact, when I'm developing a story, I write character analyses rather than plot outlines. And when it comes to characterization, I adore backstory more than anything.

Why backstory? Because I love secrets — and everyone's got them. Case in point, my own mom. She was always fuzzy to me until she revealed her secret in 2001: an illegitimate son! Everything about her came into focus with that knowledge. Ah, I thought, now I get what she's about.

In the same way, I love knowing what my characters are about. In Kilmoon, Californian Merrit Chase travels to Ireland to meet her biological father. Only, he's not just any Irishman, he's the celebrated Matchmaker of Lisfenora. Unfortunately, she has no clue that her father has a dark past and this dark past is about to erupt into the present.

Backstory. And how! Merrit's father's past is about to cause her and a few others a world of pain.

Let me count the many reasons I love backstory:

1. I shoulda been a psychologist. I'm always analyzing people in an effort to understand why they do or act the way they do. Truth is, who we are now is a result of everything we've lived through thus far. In my writing world, this goes for characters too. The only difference being that I can know everything about them.

2. Secrets, shame, angst, resentment, and bitterness make for good conflict. These aspects of character stem from the past. Backstory provides the necessary context so that even a nasty character can read sympathetically.

3. Backstory deepens characters so that they're not just plot puppets. Characters who only serve the plot tend to be flat, stereotypical, cardboard. Just because you're writing a high-octane thriller doesn't mean you have to forgo a little backstory to flesh out your hero.

4. And deeper characterization leads to stories with soul. Gotta have soul, man. Or heart. However you want to say it.

5. Can we say "subplots"? You gotta have subplots too, and for me subplots rise out of my characters' backstories. As I get to know my cast through my character analyses, subplots (and plot points too) suggest themselves. For example, in Kilmoon, Merrit befriends the village drunk. When I realized what this man's backstory was — why he's a drunk, in other words — a world of possibilities opened up for him as Merrit's new friend and also as a possible witness in the murder investigation.

Let's face it, mysteries rely on the backstory reveal to explain the whydunnit that goes with the whodunnit. Maybe this is why I started writing mysteries in the first place — an insatiable need to know why.

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Lisa Alber received an Elizabeth George Foundation writing grant based on Kilmoon. In addition, Ms. George asked Lisa to write a short story for Two of the Deadliest: New Tales of Lust, Greed, and Murder from Outstanding Women of Mystery (HarperCollins). Lisa is a Walden Fellowship recipient and Pushcart Prize nominee.

Ever distractible, you may find Lisa staring out windows, dog walking, fooling around online, or drinking red wine with her friends. Ireland, books, animals, photography, and blogging round out her distractions. Lisa lives in the Pacific Northwest.

For more information about Lisa and her work, please visit her website at LisaAlber.com or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

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Kilmoon
Lisa Alber
A County Clare Mystery

Californian Merrit Chase doesn't know what she's in for when she travels to an Irish village famous for its matchmaking festival. She simply wants to meet her father, a celebrated matchmaker, in hopes that she can mend her troubled past. Instead, her arrival triggers a rising tide of violence, and Merrit finds herself both suspect and victim, accomplice and pawn, in a manipulative game that began thirty years previously.

When she discovers that the matchmaker's treacherous past is at the heart of the chaos, she must decide how far she will go to save him from himself and to get what she wants, a family.

    

Cocaine Zombies by Scott A. Lerner is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Cocaine Zombies by Scott A. Lerner as today's free mystery ebook (A Samuel Roberts Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, March 19, 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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Cocaine Zombies
Scott A. Lerner
A Samuel Roberts Thriller
Publisher: Camel Press

Samuel Roberts, a small-town lawyer in Urbana, Illinois, is contacted by a prospective client accused of selling cocaine. Nothing Sam hasn't handled before. Or is it? Thomas is accompanied by a mysterious and exotic beauty named Chloe. Who is she, why is she paying for Thomas's defense, and why is the accused so antsy around her?

Soon after Sam takes on the case he is plagued by terrible nightmares. Only, in these nightmares, when he dreams of death, people die. Realizing that he is out of his depth, Sam enlists the help of his friend, Bob Sizemore. Bob is oddly insightful about the supernatural and deeply suspicious of big business and the government. Sam and Bob soon discover that a major German pharmaceutical company has been using human guinea pigs to test a highly addictive and dangerous derivative of cocaine first developed in Nazi Germany. Combined with ancient herbs provided by a Voodoo priest, the substance has become increasingly addictive and dangerous.
,br>After Thomas's head shows up in Sam's refrigerator, suspicion naturally falls on him. Now he has no choice but to face the forces of evil head on. But how do a small-town lawyer and a computer geek defeat an enemy with the power to enslave mankind?

  

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 Back Road by Rachel Abbott is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Back Road by Rachel Abbott as today's Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Wednesday, March 19, 2014.

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The Back Road
Rachel Abbott
A Crime Thriller
Thomas & Mercer

In a quiet country village, secrets abound …

When a young girl, Abbie Campbell, is knocked over and left for dead on the back road of the village of Little Melham, waves of shock ripple through the small community and a chain of events, which threatens to expose long-kept secrets, is triggered.

For Ellie Saunders, the truth about that night puts both her marriage and the safety of her children in jeopardy — she has to protect her family, no matter what the cost. And Ellie isn't the only one with something to hide. She and her sister Leo believe they have put their troubled childhood behind them, but Leo's quest for the truth reveals a terrible secret that has lain hidden for years.

Ellie's neighbour, former detective Tom Douglas, has escaped to Little Melham in search of a quiet life, but finds himself drawn into the web of deceit as his every instinct tells him that what happened to young Abbie was far more than a tragic accident.

  

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

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

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (140319)

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

• Our Featured Title is James Patterson Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet.

• The Daily Deal is Sacra Terra: Kiss of Death, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is Cruel Games: Red Riding Hood, just $2.99 through Sunday, March 23, 2014 only.

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

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Our Featured Title today is James Patterson Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet

A morning jog presents a chilling find, and a new wave of fear descends upon San Francisco. Study murder scenes as Lindsay Boxer, Claire Washburn, and hotshot crime reporter Cindy Thomas. Find hidden objects inside nine investigations, brain-bending puzzles, strikingly-beautiful artwork, and an all-new spine tingling storyline. Discover the truth and stop a psychotic killer.

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

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Today's Daily Deal is Sacra Terra: Kiss of Death

Set out to rescue your fiance from a supernatural force that feeds on human suffering! As you explore visually stunning mystical dimensions in a bid to reunite other lovers and weaken the grip of the entity, you'll find useful items, solve puzzles and enjoy a richly layered and compelling hidden object experience! Can you save your fiance before the maw of wickedness consumes him?

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Wednesday, March 19, 2014 — for $2.99.

Also available for this game:

• Get the Strategy Guide.
• Check out the Blog Walkthrough.
• For a more in-depth experience, see the Collector's Edition.

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The current Catch of the Week is Cruel Games: Red Riding Hood

A maniac has kidnapped a woman's fiancé and cast her as Red Riding Hood in his twisted fairytale fantasy. Guide the resourceful young lady as she tracks the wolf, searching for clues and solving the puzzles that lie between her and her beloved. Will she reach the madman in time, or will the wolf have his revenge? Their fate is in your hands!

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, March 23, 2014.

Also available for this game:

• Check out the Blog Walkthrough.

A New MystereBook: Pier Murder Mysteries Cookbook by Janet Elizabeth Lynn

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 March 2014 priced $4.99 or less …

Pier Murder Mysteries Cookbook by Janet Elizabeth Lynn is a collection of recipes from the four books in the Pier Murder Mysteries series.

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Pier Murder Mysteries Cookbook by Janet Elizabeth Lynn
A Collection of Recipes
Publisher: Janet Elizabeth Lynn
Publication Date: March 17, 2014
Price: $2.99 (as of 03/18/14 06:00 PM ET)

From the author: "The Pier Murder Mystery Cookbook came about as a result of requests from readers interested in the foods my characters ate or mentioned. There are four mysteries in this series, hence four chapters of recipes, one for each book.

"I hope you enjoy the regional American and international foods presented here. The international foods in each chapter are authentic and based on my extensive travels."

  

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: Murder Goes A-Hunting by Katherine Norberg

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 March 2014 priced $4.99 or less …

Murder Goes A-Hunting by Katherine Norberg is the second mystery in this series with amateur sleuth Annie Cooke.

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Murder Goes A-Hunting by Katherine Norberg
An Annie Cooke Mystery
Publisher: Katherine Norberg
Publication Date: March 17, 2014
Price: $3.99 (as of 03/18/14 05:30 PM ET)

Annie's idea of heaven is delving into a good mystery, sitting next to a crackling fire, and listening to the wind howl like a wolf. That's exactly what she gets, and much more, when she revamps her husband Fred's yearly hunting trip, exchanging his leaky old tent for a room at the luxurious Fiddlehead Lodge. Set on a beautiful lonely island in the wilds of Alaska, the lodge offers gourmet food, great atmosphere, and wonderful, healing hot springs: the perfect recipe for a relaxing vacation "à deux".

But when the weather turns sour, and the guests and staff are confined to the lodge, Annie begins to wonder if they are under some dark influence that seems to be bringing out the worst in them. The wind-battered lodge begins to suffer malfunctions, someone plays cruel pranks, weapons are unaccounted for, and past histories of horror and revenge are painfully divulged.

To get to the bottom of everything, Annie goes to work to find reasons behind the perverse and mysterious acts that are transforming what was supposed to be a carefree vacation into a stomach-churning nightmare.

  

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.