The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner as today's free mystery ebook (A Captain Lacey Regency Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, May 09, 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 Hanover Square Affair
Ashley Gardner
A Captain Lacey Regency Mystery
Publisher: Ashley Gardner

London, 1816. Cavalry captain Gabriel Lacey returns to Regency London from the Napoleonic wars, burned out, fighting melancholia, his career ended. His interest is piqued when he learns of a missing girl, possibly kidnapped by a prominent member of Parliament.

Lacey's search for the girl leads to the discovery of murder, corruption, and dealings with a leader of the underworld. He deals with his own disorientation transitioning from a soldier's life to the civilian world at the same time, redefining his role with his former commanding officer making new friends — from the top of society to the street girls of Covent Garden.

  

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.

Aftershock by Andrew Vachss is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Aftershock by Andrew Vachss as today's Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, May 09, 2014.

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Aftershock
Andrew Vachss
A Suspense Thriller
Vintage

The idyllic facade of a small coastal tourist magnet hides its secrets well. But when the shining star pitcher of the girls' softball team guns down the most popular boy in school, the shockwaves reverberate far beyond the school's walls. In the wake of the killing, two of the town's newer residents turn over deeply embedded rocks, exposing a subculture of almost unimaginable horror lurking beneath.

Formerly a nurse with Médecins Sans Frontières, Dolly has become a defender and confidante to dozens of local teenage girls, and she refuses to accept that MaryLou ("Mighty Mary") McCoy's gunning down Cameron Taft in a high school hallway is a typical school shooting. Although MaryLou's guilt is not in doubt — it's even captured on the school's security camera — the girl insists on a trial … but inexplicably refuses to cooperate with her own defense. Enlisting her troupe of teenagers and the local contacts she has cemented, Dolly calls on all of her resources to get to the truth … and to whatever secret MaryLou is guarding.

When Dolly's husband, Dell, sees his beloved wife begin her quest, he immediately signs on. A former mercenary and ex-Legionnaire, Dell treats this "job" as he would any other — with no boundaries. His entire arsenal is put into play: guile, extortion, tracking devices, shadow networks, and, finally, an act of terrorism that blows the cover off the soul-killing rite of passage demanded of the town's most vulnerable girls. Dell's discovery of MaryLou's true motive and the community's shocking failure to protect its children culminates in a decision to put the town itself on trial. The explosive verdict blows away the facade … and forces the village to stand in judgment of itself. The aftershocks keep coming until the foundation itself fractures, leaving cracks too deep to patch ever again.

  

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 May 09, 2014

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending May 9th, 2014 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

While there was quite a bit of shuffling in order this week, The Target by David Baldacci maintains a comfortable lead atop the list.

Four new titles enter the list — position in [brackets].

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[6]: Unlucky 13
James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
— Women's Murder Club (13th)

San Francisco Detective Lindsay Boxer is loving her life as a new mother. With an attentive husband, a job she loves, plus best friends who can talk about anything from sex to murder, things couldn't be better.

Then the FBI sends Lindsay a photo of a killer from her past, and her happy world is shattered. The picture captures a beautiful woman at a stoplight. But all Lindsay sees is the psychopath behind those seductive eyes: Mackie Morales, the most deranged and dangerous mind the Women's Murder Club has ever encountered.

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[7]: Field of Prey
John Sandford
— Lucas Davenport (24th)

The night after the fourth of July, Layton Carlson Jr., of Red Wing, Minnesota, finally got lucky. And unlucky.

He'd picked the perfect spot to lose his virginity to his girlfriend, an abandoned farmyard in the middle of cornfields: nice, private, and quiet. The only problem was … something smelled bad — like, really bad. He mentioned it to a county deputy he knew, and when the cop took a look, he found a body stuffed down a cistern. And then another, and another.

By the time Lucas Davenport was called in, the police were up to fifteen bodies and counting. And as if that wasn't bad enough, when Lucas began to investigate, he made some disturbing discoveries of his own. The victims had been killed over a great many years, one every summer, regular as clockwork. How could this have happened without anybody noticing?

Because one thing was for sure: the killer had to live close by. He was probably even someone they saw every day.

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[10]: Cheap Shot
Ace Atkins
— Spenser (42nd)

Kinjo Heywood is one of the New England Patriots' marquee players — a hard-nosed linebacker who's earned his reputation as one of the toughest guys in the league. When off-field violence repeatedly lands Heywood in the news, his slick agent hires Spenser to find the men who he says have been harassing his client.

Heywood's troubles seem to be tied to a nightclub shooting from two years earlier. But when Heywood's nine-year-old son, Akira, is kidnapped, ransom demands are given, and a winding trail through Boston's underworld begins, Spenser puts together his own all-star team of toughs. It will take both Hawk and Spenser's protégé, Zebulon Sixkill, to watch Spenser's back and return the child to the football star's sprawling Chestnut Hill mansion. A controversial decision from Heywood only ups the ante as the clock winds down on Akira's future.

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[14]: The Keeper
John Lescroart
— Dismas Hardy (15th)

On the evening before Thanksgiving, Hal Chase, a guard in the San Francisco County Jail, drives to the airport to pick up his step-brother for the weekend. When they return, Hal's wife, Katie, has disappeared without a clue.

By the time Dismas Hardy hears about this, Katie has been missing for five days. The case strikes close to home because Katie had been seeing Hardy's wife, a marriage counselor. By this time, the original Missing Persons case has become a suspected homicide, and Hal is the prime suspect. And the lawyer he wants for his defense is none other than Hardy himself.

Hardy calls on his friend, former homicide detective Abe Glitsky, to look into the case. At first it seems like the police might have it right; the Chases' marriage was fraught with problems; Hal's alibi is suspect; the life insurance policy on Katie was huge. But Glitsky's mission is to identify other possible suspects, and there proves to be no shortage of them: Patti Orosco — rich, beautiful, dangerous, and Hal's former lover; the still unknown person who had a recent affair with Katie; even Hal's own step-mother Ruth, resentful of Katie's gatekeeping against her grandchildren. And as Glitsky probes further, he learns of an incident at the San Francisco jail, where Hal works — only one of many questionable inmate deaths that have taken place there. Then, when Katie's body is found not three blocks from the Chase home, Homicide arrests Hal and he finds himself an inmate in the very jail where he used to work, a place full of secrets he knows all too well.

Against this backdrop of conspiracy and corruption, ambiguous motives and suspicious alibis, an obsessed Glitsky closes in on the elusive truth. As other deaths begin to pile up he realizes, perhaps too late, that the next victim might be himself.

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Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (140509)

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

• The New Release is Lost Souls: Timeless Fables (Collector's Edition).

• The Daily Deal is Mystery Murders: The Sleeping Palace, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is Death Upon an Austrian Sonata: A Dana Knightstone Novel, just $2.99 through Sunday, May 11, 2014 only.

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

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The New Release today is Lost Souls: Timeless Fables (Collector's Edition)

After Bella's brother Stan mysteriously disappeared, she's been haunted by a single dream. Every night she sees her brother vanishing into a glaring portal opened by a strange, ancient book, and every night she wakes up in a cold shiver. She feels certain that it's not a mere coincidence or a trick of the mind, but something to do with a recent find Stan made — an ancient artifact. Set out in search of Stan through the pages of well-known novels and true stories on an exciting adventure — meet spectacular characters, visit eye-catching locations and engage in a twisted plot!

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won't find in the standard version, including: Additional bonus chapter; Integrated Strategy Guide; Brilliant soundtrack; Stunning wallpapers and screensavers.

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

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Today's Daily Deal is Mystery Murders: The Sleeping Palace

Sophia has awoken trapped in a mysterious bedroom within a strange and beautiful palace. She has no memory of who she is, where she is or how she came to be there. Discover why everyone within the palace has been cast into a magical slumber and uncover the truth behind the mysterious Heart of the Palace. Help Sophia recover her memories, discover her Royal romance and uncover the dark secret behind the Curse of Laroche Palace!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Friday, May 09, 2014 — for $2.99.

Also available for this game:

• Check out the Blog Walkthrough.

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The current Catch of the Week is Death Upon an Austrian Sonata: A Dana Knightstone Novel

Return to Europe in a brand new adventure as Dana Knightstone, the best-selling novelist who can see ghosts. When your cousin, famed musician Sebastian Knightstone, starts hearing eerie violin music in his Austrian manor, he asks for your help to investigate. But you're not the only one digging up the ghost's secrets — and you find yourself falling headlong into danger! Solve challenging puzzles as you trek through snowy Austrian landscapes in search of missing clues. Can you follow the ghost's trail before time runs out?

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, May 11, 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.

Outlaw, An Adventure Novel by Ted Dekker, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Outlaw by Ted Dekker, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Center Street.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $3.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (05/08/2014 at 5:30 PM ET). Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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Outlaw by Ted Dekker
An Adventure Novel
Publisher: Center Street

The story of how I, Julian Carter, and my precious two-year old son, Stephen, left Atlanta Georgia and found ourselves on a white sailboat, tossed about like a cork on a raging sea off of Australia's northern tip in 1963, is harrowing.

But it pales in comparison to what happened deep in the jungle where I was taken as a slave by a savage tribe unknown to the world. Some places dwell in darkness so deep that even God seems to stay away.

There, my mind was torn in two by the gods of the earth. There, one life ended so another could begin.

Some will say I was a fool for making the choices I made. But they would have done the same. They, too, would have embraced death if they knew what I knew, and saw through my eyes.

My name is Julian and this is my story. But more, it is the story of my son who was born to change the world.

  

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.

Deadly Policy, A Silver Sleuths Mystery by Mitzi Kelly: 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 Deadly Policy by Mitzi Kelly. This Kindle book was listed at $1.99 as of the date and time of this post, Thursday, May 08, 2014 at 5:00 PM ET, and should be available at this price through Sunday, May 11, 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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Deadly Policy by Mitzi Kelly
A Silver Sleuths Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Read our review of Deadly Policy by Mitzi Kelly

When a sudden rash of stolen cars brings Millie Morrow's daughter under suspicion for conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, Millie convinces her two best friends, Trish Anderson and Edna Radcliff, to help her find out who is trying to frame Michelle. Knowing the odds are against them that they will be able to discover who the thugs are, Trish and Edna nevertheless go through the motions of investigating, hoping Millie will feel productive in helping her daughter while the police do the real detective work.

But the situation becomes much more serious when a body is found in front of the insurance office Michelle works for. And even though the evidence pointing to an inside job is purely circumstantial, it could still destroy Michelle, something the ladies are determined to prevent.

They're going to have to work fast to present a different theory for the police to consider, though, since Millie has once again alienated Henry Espinoza, the chief of police. And she's alienated someone else, too, if the suspicious incidents suddenly plaguing her are anything to go by. Keeping Millie out of trouble while attempting to clear her daughter's name will take every ounce of skill — or luck — the amateur sleuths possess.

  

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: Cold Hearted by Wendy Corsi Staub

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 May 2014 priced $4.99 or less …

Cold Hearted by Wendy Corsi Staub is a prequel novella to the author's psychological suspense novel The Perfect Stranger, which is scheduled to be published on July 29th, 2014.

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Cold Hearted by Wendy Corsi Staub
A Novella of Psychological Suspense
Publisher: Curtis Brown Digital
Publication Date: May 05, 2014
Price: $2.99 (as of 05/08/14 4:30 PM ET)

Abandoned by her teenaged birth mother and raised by callous grandparents, Johanna is determined to escape her bleak Midwest existence at any cost. But that blind ambition comes back to haunt her years later, after she's reinvented herself as glamorous golden girl Jenna Coeur.

Now her secret past has caught up with her, embodied in a calculating young woman who will stop at nothing to destroy her — a woman with a strangely familiar face …

  

Important Note: This book was listed for the price indicated on the date and time as shown. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

The Deadliest Game, A Suspense Thriller by Hal Ross: 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 The Deadliest Game by Hal Ross. This Kindle book was listed at $1.99 as of the date and time of this post, Thursday, May 08, 2014 at 4:00 PM ET, and should be available at this price through Sunday, May 11, 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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The Deadliest Game by Hal Ross
A Suspense Thriller
Publisher: Titletown Publishing

Blair Mulligan — divorced and still obsessing about it — is a thirty-five-year-old executive in the toy industry who wants nothing more than to achieve success with a brand new electronic gaming system that has the potential to revolutionize his business. However, a sinister force is at play, a force that threatens to wreak havoc across the United States.

Blair's six-year-old daughter is used as a pawn, and Blair must make the one decision no father should ever have to make — to save his daughter or the lives of several thousand other children.

  

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 Greetings from Somewhere Mystery: The Mystery of the Stolen Painting by Harper Paris

We are pleased to present you with one of this month's new First Clues: Mysteries for Kids books: The Mystery of the Stolen Painting by Harper Paris, a Greetings from Somewhere Mystery.

For more information about the book, which is recommended for readers aged 4 to 6, see a synopsis, below.

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The Mystery of the Stolen Painting by Harper Paris
Series: Greetings from Somewhere
Publisher: Little Simon
Format(s): Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Ethan and Ella are excited to get to Paris — they've only ever seen pictures of the Eiffel Tower! After arriving, the twins receive an email from their beloved Grandpa Harry. He tells them that there's a secret bakery near the Louvre museum — so secret, in fact, that you need a password to get inside. Lucky for the twins, their dad wants to take them to see some artwork at the Louvre.

But while they're browsing paintings at the museum, alarms suddenly go off, the building is evacuated, and tons of police show up outside. A painting has been stolen! And Ethan and Ella are on the case! Can they manage to find the stolen painting and the secret bakery without giving themselves away?