The Black Orchid Mystery by James Nelson is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Black Orchid Mystery by James Nelson as today's free mystery ebook (An Archie Archibald Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, April 18, 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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The Black Orchid Mystery
James Nelson
An Archie Archibald Mystery
Publisher: James Nelson

Bruised and sore from the previous night's activities, Private Detective Archie Archibald is finally convinced that he has had enough of Fort Lauderdale's violent criminal element. The quiet, seaside community of Vero Beach seems like the perfect place to start over. It comes highly recommended by his good friend, Luther Johnson, and Archie is hoping the many affluent oceanfront communities will provide access to a much more refined type of clientele.

Just weeks after his arrival, the area's wealthiest woman, eighty-four year old Clara Silverman, mysteriously vanishes from her gated estate, and Archie is asked to take on the case.

Sixteen hundred miles away, in Michigan's remote Upper Peninsula, John Barrington gets a mysterious call asking him about an aunt he thought had passed away years before.

As Archie digs deeper into Mrs. Silverman's disappearance, he discovers that the laid-back beach town he has escaped to holds plenty of secrets of its own. It doesn't take long before both Archie and John are caught up in a dangerous web of deceit, kidnapping, and murder.

As the body count mounts, Archie knows he doesn't have much time to solve the Black Orchid mystery before he, and the people closest to him, become the next victims.

  

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.

Speak No Evil by Tanya Anne Crosby is Today's Kobo Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Speak No Evil by Tanya Anne Crosby as today's Kobo Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, April 18, 2014.

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

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Speak No Evil
Tanya Anne Crosby
An Oyster Point Thriller
eKensington

Caroline Aldridge was surprised by the number of mourners at her mother's funeral. Evidently the newspaper heiress who had caused her children so much pain was well-loved by everyone else in Charleston. Now she was gone, leaving behind countless secrets — and a few demands: Caroline and her sisters must live together for one year or lose their inheritance. And Caroline must take over The Tribune. But a killer is making headlines, and Caroline may have unwittingly stepped into the crosshairs.

A series of kidnappings and murders resurrect the sisters' memories of their brother's disappearance as a child — and Caroline fears she may be next. Yet in the midst of her turmoil, she may be rekindling a romance she'd extinguished long ago. With Jack back in her life and the tattered bonds of sisterhood slowly mending, Caroline hopes the family can restore its position in Charleston society — unless a sinister force beyond their control tears them apart forever.

    

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.

Edited to Death by Linda Lee Peterson is Today's Nook Daily Find

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Edited to Death by Linda Lee Peterson as today's Nook Daily Find.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, April 18, 2014.

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Edited to Death
Linda Lee Peterson
A Maggie Fiori Mystery
Prospect Park Books

If Maggie Fiori doesn't have it all, she's got plenty: A job at a chic San Francisco magazine, a handsome attorney husband, sons, and a comfortable life in Oakland.

But Maggie's existence as an editor, loving wife, and mother camouflage a secret. The camouflage comes off after murder strikes the magazine, and Maggie can't rest until she solves the murder.

  

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.

House of Bathory by Linda Lafferty is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature House of Bathory by Linda Lafferty as today's Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, April 18, 2014.

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House of Bathory
Linda Lafferty
A Historical Thriller
Lake Union Publishing

In the early 1600s, Elizabeth Báthory, the infamous Blood Countess, ruled Čachtice Castle in the hinterlands of Slovakia. During bizarre nightly rites, she tortured and killed the young women she had taken on as servants. A devil, a demon, the terror of Royal Hungary — she bathed in their blood to preserve her own youth.

400 years later, echoes of the Countess's legendary brutality reach Aspen, Colorado. Betsy Path, a psychoanalyst of uncommon intuition, has a breakthrough with sullen teenager Daisy Hart. Together, they are haunted by the past, as they struggle to understand its imprint upon the present. Betsy and her troubled but perceptive patient learn the truth: the curse of the House of Bathory lives still and has the power to do evil even now.

  

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 April 18, 2014

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending April 18th, 2014 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn just edged Missing You by Harlan Coben to regain the top spot on our list this week, possibly because the first teaser poster and trailer were released by 20th Century Fox this week for the film adaptation of the book, with Flynn writing the screenplay, prompting additional interest.

It is a rare week when no new titles enter the list, but this is one of those weeks.

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (140418)

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

• The New Release is Off the Record: The Italian Affair (Collector's Edition).

• The current Catch of the Week is Unfinished Tales: Illicit Love, just $2.99 through Sunday, April 21, 2014 only.

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

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The New Release today is Off the Record: The Italian Affair (Collector's Edition)

Are you willing to ditch your vacation plans to track down the most famous thief in Venice? He's a slippery suspect who has outwitted the best police minds in Italy. You'll soon discover that he won't be easy to find even with your crack detective skills — because they don't call him "The Fox" for nothing …

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won't find in the standard version, including: Watch the behind the scenes video; Collect morphing animals and letters throughout the game; Earn special Achievements; Get soundtracks, wallpapers, screensavers, and concept art; and Try the available Strategy Guide.

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

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The current Catch of the Week is Unfinished Tales: Illicit Love

Thumbelina had the perfect happy ending, until the Raven Queen crashed her wedding, kidnapping her prince. To make matters worse, the Raven Queen locked her up in a dungeon! Will she be able to escape and rescue her prince before he becomes the Raven King? When you're only a few inches tall, you need all the allies you can get, but beware! Anyone you meet could be a spy working for the Queen! Join Thumbelina as she journeys across the fantastic Kingdom of the Floral Elves in this charming 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, April 21, 2014.

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.

Review: Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon

A Mysterious Review of Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon. A Jill Gardner, Tourist Trap Mystery.

Review summary: There is a lot to like about this first in series mystery, from its well-drawn setting to its intriguing storyline. But the one element that is hard to like is the lead character herself; she's simply annoying as a person and is constantly putting herself in harm's way. There's potential here for a series, but it desperately needs a major recast in its lead. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Guidebook to Murder
Lynn Cahoon
A Jill Gardner, Tourist Trap Mystery
Kensington (April 2014)

Publisher synopsis: In the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store — Coffee, Books, and More — open and running. So why is she caught up in the business of murder?

When Jill's elderly friend, Miss Emily, calls in a fit of pique, she already knows the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily's gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill — along with all of her problems … and her enemies. Convinced her friend was murdered, Jill is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs needed on the house. But Jill is determined to uncover the culprit — especially if it gets her closer to South Cove's finest, Detective Greg King. Problem is, the killer knows she's on the case — and is determined to close the book on Jill permanently.

        

A New MystereBook: The Adventure of the Indigo Inkster by Pamela Rose

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 April 2014 priced $4.99 or less …

The Adventure of the Indigo Inkster by Pamela Rose is the second mystery for amateur sleuth Finn Sherlock, owner of Sherlock's Home Mystery Bookstore.

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The Adventure of the Indigo Inkster by Pamela Rose
A Sherlock's Home Mystery
Publisher: Pamela Rose
Publication Date: April 09, 2014
Price: $4.99 (as of 04/17/14 4:30 PM ET)

A much deserved Caribbean Cruise over the Christmas holiday has left the Sherlock family relaxed and ready for anything … or so they think. That's until they come home to discover that the town's favorite son, Sheriff Wavy Davey, and Finn Sherlock's favorite hunk has met his maker beneath the waves of Lake Loveless … a name which now seems only too appropriate to the grieving Finn Sherlock.

Indubitably, the well-laid plans of mice and women have gone awry at Sherlock's Home Mystery Bookstore and the 221b Bakery. As the one-year anniversary looms ahead nothing is as it should be. The Sherlocks' other personal relationships have gone askew in a similar fashion. Echo has become particularly adept at aborning the new before the old has barely set sail into the Caribbean sunset, taking on a definite international flair as she gets involved first with a Norwegian ship's officer but soon appears to rebound, ooh-la-la, into the equally enticing arms of a delectable French chef. Even the newly reinvented Uncle Oz has turned himself into the dashing man about town, or so it appears as the flashy red Corvette would seem to indicate and the even flashier redhead on his arm. Unbelievably, Oz might be abandoning bakery treats to brainstorm treatises at a magazine dedicated to all things spooky and strange.

If the Sherlocks' personal upheaval isn't enough, another death occurs and Finn is called in to determine if somehow the newly deceased might just not be linked to the demise of her personal sheriff. Throw in the capers of the decidedly bacon-flavored zaney Maneys and the hot-to-trot nonagenarian, Eula May Binks, and the Sherlocks, individually and collectively, just might be in danger of losing their grip.

  

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.

Know When To Run, A Novel of Romantic Suspense by Connie Flynn, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Know When To Run by Connie Flynn, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, CKF Enterprises.

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 (04/17/2014 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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Know When To Run by Connie Flynn
A Novel of Romantic Suspense
Publisher: CKF Enterprises

She woke up one morning on a Mississippi riverboat casino with a huge headache and no idea who she was. With the help of new friends she rebuilt her life. Now, nearly two years later, a tall dark man with killer good looks comes after her. A bounty hunter, who claims she killed her father then ran out on her bail. She says he's got the wrong woman. He says she's guilty as sin. One of them is right …

Suddenly so many people are after her, she can't tell the good guys from the bad guys. But one thing she can do is know when to run.

  

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.

Madness in Miniature by Margaret Grace, New in Bookstores in April 2014

Today's featured paperback original mystery title, scheduled to be published during April 2014 by Perseverance Press, is Madness in Miniature by Margaret Grace.

For a list of more new paperback mysteries, thrillers, and novels of suspense published this month, visit our Mystery Bookshelf page for April 2014. For hardcover titles, visit New Mysteries for a selection of books published during April 2014.

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Madness in Miniature
Margaret Grace
Series: A Geraldine Porter, Miniature Mystery

The grand opening of a giant chain crafts store is both good and bad news for miniaturist Gerry Porter. But when the big event is accompanied by an earthquake and a murder in the store, there's plenty of opportunity for Gerry and her computer-gifted granddaughter Maddie to help the police investigate. Did the New Yorkers bring crime to quiet Lincoln Point, or are the town's dispossessed small-business people responsible?

From querying suspects to drawing up alibi charts, Gerry applies her insights to various issues of personal relations — but can she solve her own with her BFF, Henry Baker?

      

Open Road Mysteries for $1.99: The Anderson Tapes, A Crime Thriller by Lawrence Sanders

Open Road has discounted 25 titles to just $1.99 as part of their Mystery Deals promotion to celebrate the Edgar Awards.

Titles include winners, nominees, books by Grand Masters and those receiving special Edgars, and we are pleased to feature one of them, below.

(Price verified on April 17, 2014 as of 3:00 PM ET.)

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The Anderson Tapes by Lawrence Sanders
A Crime Thriller
Publisher: Open Road

Winner of the 1971 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

Newly sprung from prison, professional burglar John Anderson is preparing for the biggest heist of his criminal career. The mark is a Manhattan luxury apartment building with the tony address of 535 East Seventy-Third Street. Enlisting a crew of scouts, con artists, and a getaway driver, Anderson orchestrates what he believes to be a foolproof plan. To pull off the big score, he needs one last thing: the permission of the local mafia, who expect a piece of the action.

But no one inside Anderson's operation knows that the police have recorded their conversations. The New York Police Department has hatched a plot of its own — but even its task force may not be enough to stop such a cunningly planned robbery.

  

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

Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid, New in Bookstores in April 2014

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published during April 2014 by Grove Press, is Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid.

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

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Northanger Abbey
Val McDermid

Cat Morland is ready to grow up. A homeschooled minister’s daughter in the quaint, sheltered Piddle Valley in Dorset, she loses herself in novels and is sure there is a glamorous adventure awaiting her beyond the valley’s narrow horizon. So imagine her delight when the Allens, neighbors and friends of her parents, invite her to attend the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh as their guest.

With a sunny personality, tickets every night and a few key wardrobe additions courtesy of Susie Allen, Cat quickly begins to take Edinburgh by storm and is taken into the bosom of the Thorpe family, particularly by eldest daughter Bella. And then there’s the handsome Henry Tilney, an up-and-coming lawyer whose family home is the beautiful and forbidding Northanger Abbey. Cat is entranced by Henry and his charming sister Eleanor, but she can’t help wondering if everything about them is as perfect as it seems. Or has she just been reading too many novels?

        

A New MystereBook: No Hard Feelings by Marta Tandori

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 April 2014 priced $4.99 or less …

No Hard Feelings by Marta Tandori is the second mystery featuring Kate Stanton. Some secrets can’t stay hidden, especially when they involve murder …

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No Hard Feelings by Marta Tandori
A Kate Stanton Mystery
Publisher: Marta Tandori
Publication Date: April 06, 2014
Price: $2.99 (as of 04/17/14 2:00 PM ET)

Liz Farrell is still reeling over the murder of her mother almost a year earlier at the hands of her father, Leo Bauer, when she receives the startling news that she's inherited her estranged father's sizable estate. Unable to come to terms with her father's unspeakable legacy, Liz and her grandmother, Kate Stanton, visit Leo's property in Benedict Canyon, desperately hoping to find closure.

Instead, they find a bunker hidden under an old hunting lodge that had been used by Leo at one time to hold Liz's mother captive. Horrified by the discovery, Liz immediately orders the bunker filled and the lodge destroyed but the ensuing demolition quickly comes to a grinding halt after a man's remains are discovered in a shallow grave at the base of the old lodge. Once the press get wind of the gruesome discovery, rumors quickly surface, linking the remains to a murder spree that took place at the same address almost half a century earlier; a murder spree conveniently covered up by the governor at the time who also happened to be Leo Bauer's stepbrother.

Liz and Kate's efforts to uncover the truth behind the murders are soon hampered by family secrets and a killer who's intent on finishing the job started almost fifty years ago.

  

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.

Secrets & Lies, A Judy Cooper, Black Stiletto Mystery by Raymond Benson, at a Special Price during April 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 Secrets & Lies by Raymond Benson. This Kindle book was listed at $2.99 as of the date and time of this post, Thursday, April 17, 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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Secrets & Lies by Raymond Benson
A Judy Cooper, Black Stiletto Mystery (4th in series)
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

It is 1961. Judy, the Stiletto, meets Leo, a charismatic man, who convinces her to move to Los Angeles when she is "run out" of New York by increasingly hazardous police heat. But soon Judy suspects that Leo is not the white knight she first thought.

Leo, who has connections with the West Coast mobs, has plenty of skeletons in his closet. His mysterious sister, Christina, who once served time for armed robbery, could also be a threat to the Stiletto's new life in California.

Meanwhile, in the present, Alzheimer's-stricken Judy takes a turn for the worse as Martin comes to grips with the imminent end of his mother's life. And when elements from the Stiletto's past once again appear to threaten Martin's family, it is up to his daughter Gina to step up and take matters into her own hands.

  

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.