Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending June 13, 2014

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending June 13th, 2014 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Last week's new title, Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King, takes over the top spot this week with the remaining top 10 positions (or so) shuffling their order.

One new title enters the list — position in [brackets].

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[12]: Counterfeit Lies
Oliver North and Bob Hamer

Veteran undercover FBI agent Jake Kruse is investigating a smuggling ring in southern California when his assignment is cut short. A prominent criminal defense attorney wants to hire Jake on another kind of mission: to kill the daughter of a local crime boss.

What began as a "contract killing" soon captures the attention of the CIA, the U.S. Secret Service, and high-level officials in Washington. The undercover agent is plunged into a deadly underworld of North Korean espionage, Hezbollah terror and the sinister deception Iran uses to acquire nuclear weapons. Caught in a web of international intrigue that goes to the top of the U.S. government, Kruse is forced to confront the ultimate moral quandary: doing what’s right when everything seems wrong.

Purchase Options

          

No Colder Place by S. J. Rozan is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature No Colder Place by S. J. Rozan as today's third free mystery ebook (A Bill Smith and Lydia Chin Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, June 13, 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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No Colder Place
S. J. Rozan
A Bill Smith and Lydia Chin Mystery
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Winner of the 1998 Anthony Award for Best Novel.

Bill Smith is going undercover again as a favor to an old friend who wants him to investigate thievery on the 40-story Manhattan site of Crowell Construction's latest project. His bricklaying is a little rusty, but passable as he checks out the foreman who's under suspicion.

A crane operator has disappeared — along with some heavy machinery. But when a well-orchestrated riot causes the foreman's "accidental" death, Smith plunges into a morass of bribery, blackmail and blood looking for answers.

With the help of his Chinese-American partner Lydia Chin, he follows a trail of twisted loyalties, old-fashioned greed and organized crime to its heart-stopping conclusion. Murder — with no end in sight.

  

This is a repeat freebie, last featured on this site on February 09, 2013.

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.

As the Crow Flies by Damien Boyd is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature As the Crow Flies by Damien Boyd as today's second free mystery ebook (A Nick Dixon Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, June 13, 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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As the Crow Flies
Damien Boyd
A Nick Dixon Mystery
Publisher: Cox Publishing

Detective Inspector Nick Dixon's former climbing partner, Jake Fayter, is dead. Killed in a fall while practicing a new route on High Rock, Cheddar Gorge. Convinced that Jake would not have made such a simple mistake, Nick Dixon starts digging and uncovers a web of intrigue and criminal activity that will rock the sleepy seaside town of Burnham-on-Sea to its core.

As the body count rises, Dixon is forced to break every rule in the book and put his own life on the line to bring the killer out into the open.

  

This is a repeat freebie, last featured on this site on April 23, 2013.

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.

Deadly Misconceptions by Sandy Loyd is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Deadly Misconceptions by Sandy Loyd as today's free mystery ebook (A Deadly Series Novel; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, June 13, 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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Deadly Misconceptions
Sandy Loyd
A Deadly Series Novel
Publisher: Sandy Loyd

PI Lucy Maddox, former thief, liar, and have-not, has worked hard to rise above her past as a runaway and now uses her survival skills in a more honest way. Yet when the reporter responsible for getting her off the streets goes missing, Lucy risks her respectability to find her.

Unfortunately, Jack Finnegan, life-long nemesis and royal PITA, catches Lucy in the act of stealing proof that Jack's employer is involved in her friend's disappearance. Jack believes, like everyone else, the missing reporter is on an undercover assignment and isn't checking in for obvious reasons. He's not about to let Lucy's lies and innuendos ruin his employer's good name.

Jack joins forces with Lucy, mainly to prove her wrong and to keep an eye on her. The chase leads to a ring of high school girls whose behavior could only be characterized as bullying. Then things get crazy, starting with a harrowing near-miss that's just too coincidental to be accidental. Plus, they're being followed.

As Jack and Lucy are drawn deeper into a mystery that's a cross between cozy and edgy, both struggle to keep their emotions in check. And when they uncover the truth about the games the cruel girls were playing, Jack and Lucy realize they have fallen victim to deadly misconceptions.

  

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 Ideal Man by Julie Garwood is Today's Kobo Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood as today's Kobo Daily Deal.

The deal price of $2.99 is valid only for today, Friday, June 13, 2014.

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

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The Ideal Man
Julie Garwood
A Novel of Romantic Suspense
Signet

Dr. Ellie Sullivan has witnessed the shooting of an FBI agent in pursuit of a ruthless modern-day Bonnie and Clyde known as the Landrys. The only person to see the shooter's face, Ellie is suddenly thrust into the center of a criminal investigation spearheaded by the no-nonsense, by-the-book, and tantalizingly handsome agent Max Daniels.

With the Landrys captured, she'll be called to testify. But the Landrys have been caught before, and each time the witnesses are scared into silence — or disappear. Now Max vows to be Ellie's shadow, promising never to leave her side until the trial. But that could be dangerous for both of them, and it isn't long before the sparks — and the bullets — fly.

    

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 (140613)

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

• The New Release is Rite of Passage: Hide and Seek (Collector's Edition).

• The Daily Deal is Legacy Tales: Mercy of the Gallows, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is Break the Curse: The Crimson Gems, just $2.99 through Sunday, June 15, 2014 only.

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

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The New Release today is Rite of Passage: Hide and Seek (Collector's Edition)

Twenty years ago, a group of children in the town of Greystone were taken by a mysterious fog while playing hide and seek, including your brother. Only you escaped … Your father went looking for your brother and never returned. Now you've found evidence that your father has been alive this entire time, still searching for the missing children. But why would he remain silent for so long? And why was he so determined to keep you away from Greystone? You immediately head out to find answers. But are you prepared for what awaits you in the mysterious fog? Find out in this creepy Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won't find in the standard version, including: A bonus game where you must help Angela find happiness; Complete your own collectible scene; Bonus mini-games and activities; and An 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 Legacy Tales: Mercy of the Gallows

Strange things happen in and around the dark castle at the Dutch coast. Find out how William van der Decken, famous for his battles against pirates, and his lovely wife Isabelle vanished. What happened to her and why was the captain found dead, dressed as a pirate? Follow the trail of clues to solve this untold story. Meet the ghost of a sad, young woman who needs your help and start this pirate adventure! Go inside the castle, find your way to the mighty battleship, the Batavia, and unravel the mystery!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Friday, June 13, 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 Break the Curse: The Crimson Gems

Once upon a midnight dreary, as Lorenzo slept, weak and weary, the carnival master's star performers, Harold and Eliza, went missing! It's up to you, an expert in the arcane and supernatural, to track them down. From the lair of a powerful alchemist to the mythological creatures of the Zephyr carnival, embark on an adventure through a world of magic and mystery. Will you save Harry and his wife, or will they be Nevermore?

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, June 15, 2014.

Also available for this game:

• Get the Strategy Guide.
• Check out the Blog Walkthrough.

Review: Dead People by Ewart Hutton

A Mysterious Review of Dead People by Ewart Hutton. A Glyn Capaldi Mystery.

Review summary: There is a lot of misdirection in this murder mystery, some of it intentional for the reader, but much of it intended to lead the entire cast in circles. The case is a complicated one, at times hard to follow, but comes together for a clever solution. A solid effort with an engaging central character. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Dead People
Ewart Hutton
A Glyn Capaldi Mystery
Minotaur Books (April 2014)

Publisher synopsis: Detective Sergeant Glyn Capaldi, in disgrace and exiled from Cardiff to the deep heart of rural Wales, is called to the discovery of a human skeleton at a remote site in the hills during excavation work for a new wind farm. The body, missing its head and hands, is unidentifiable. When other bodies are uncovered, Capaldi's superiors assume that it is either the work of a hit squad or a serial killer, and that the site is just a dumping ground.

Capaldi is not convinced. To him, the remoteness of the location points to local knowledge. However, an apparent suicide in the valley, along with incriminating evidence, appears to back up his superiors' theory. Believing that they have found the killer, they move the investigation to the city to try and discover the identity of the victims. Capaldi is left in place to tidy up the loose ends. He sets about trying to discover a motive among the varied characters that inhabit the area. To achieve this he also has to try and unravel the mystery of who these dead people were and why they were buried in this particular location all those years ago.

        

Beneath the Surface, A Novel of Romantic Suspense by Joya Fields, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Beneath the Surface by Joya Fields, now available at a special price, courtesy of the author.

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 (06/11/2014 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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Beneath the Surface by Joya Fields
A Novel of Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Joya Fields

Brooke Richards survived the earthquake that took her parents and most of her leg, but she needs time to regroup. A trip to Florida to visit her best friend Linda seems ideal. But the trip turns traumatic when Brooke witnesses Linda's boat disintegrating in a fiery explosion.

Police officer Garrett Ciavello believes the blast was intentionally set. When Brooke offers her expertise in underwater archeology, Garrett accepts her help with the investigation. But since his fiancée's death years ago, Garrett has become overprotective, and as they are drawn to each other, Garrett realizes he will risk anything to keep Brooke safe.

Brooke is fiercely independent. Garrett is fiercely protective. Will they heal each other's wound and find a killer … before it's too late?

  

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

Death Is Overrated, A Murder Mystery by Jeffrey Perren: A Kindle Countdown Deal

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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Death Is Overrated by Jeffrey Perren
A Murder Mystery
Publisher: ClioStory Publishing
Price: $0.99 (as of 06/12/14 at 5:00 PM)

How do you investigate your own murder?

Professor Thomas Payne didn't intend to wind up dead on his caving vacation, and in truth he wasn't the victim. But proving his identity to the police becomes tricky after they pull his passport off the lookalike body.

Things go from bogus to baffling when a mysterious phone call at the crime scene leads to the arrest of the young scientist. His fate seems sealed when the victim's fingerprints match the professor's work visa.

Intervention by the police inspector's daughter frees Thomas to search for clues to prove his innocence. So, it's off around the UK with sculptress Terri, one jump ahead of the authorities — and running from his estranged sociopathic father. One slip and claustrophobia will be the least of their problems.

Thomas' journey soon becomes as much about healing his troubled past as recovering his present self. Along the way, he'll battle betrayals by his envious staff, romance the rebellious artist, and suffer harrowing misadventures at historic sites in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

  

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.

New from Endeavour Press: Traitor's Exit by John Gardner

Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher, promoting and selling ebook editions of works by new authors as well as bringing out ebook editions of out of print books.

We've selected one of their recently published mystery, suspense, thriller or crime titles to feature here today …

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Traitor's Exit by John Gardner
A Boysie Oakes Thriller
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Publication Date: June 10, 2014
Price: $3.99 (as of 06/12/14 4:30 PM ET)

Rex Upsdale is a spent, washed-out spy writer. His trade has worn him down to the bone, and he sits alone, rejected and punch-drunk and full of self-pity. Reality and fiction have become mixed in his mind. In increasing financial trouble, he is offered some semblance of security if he will take on just one journalistic assignment behind the Iron Curtain. All that's required is an interview with Kit Styles, the most notorious of all defectors from West to East.

But it's not as straightforward as he thinks. He hasn't reckoned with the eternally incompetent and feckless Boysie Oakes; his puppet master, Mostyn; a neatly curved companion, Miss Hester Havisham; exploits, escapes and escapades in a tank and a helicopter and an outrageous group calling themselves the International Travelling Circus.

And if he is not careful, the traitor's exit might also be his own.

  

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.

Minotaur Mysteries: Pray for Silence, A Kate Burkholder Mystery by Linda Castillo

Minotaur Books, an imprint of Macmillan and a leading publisher of mystery and suspense books, currently has over 200 books available for $4.99 or less.

Today, we are pleased to feature one of these titles, Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo, now just $1.99. (Price verified on June 12, 2014 as of 4:00 PM ET.)

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Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo
A Kate Burkholder Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Minotaur Books

The Plank family moved from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to join the small Amish community of Painters Mill less than a year ago and seemed the model of the Plain Life — until on a cold October night, the entire family of seven was found slaughtered on their farm. Police Chief Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive, and no suspect. Formerly Amish herself, Kate is no stranger to the secrets the Amish keep from the English — and each other — but this crime is horribly out of the ordinary.

State agent John Tomasetti arrives on the scene to assist. He and Kate worked together on a previous case during which they began a volatile relationship. They soon realize the disturbing details of this case will test their emotional limits and force them to face demons from their own troubled pasts — and for Kate, a personal connection that is particularly hard to bear.

When she discovers a diary that belonged to one of the teenaged daughters, Kate is shocked to learn the girl kept some very dark secrets and may have been living a lurid double life. Who is the charismatic stranger who stole the young Amish girl's heart? Could the brother — a man with a violent past, rejected and shunned by his family and the Amish community, have come to seek out revenge? As Kate's outrage grows so does her resolve to find the killer and bring him to justice — even if it means putting herself in the line of fire.

  

Undercurrents, A Lou Boldt and Daphne Matthews Mystery by Ridley Pearson, a Kindle Countdown Deal

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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Undercurrents by Ridley Pearson
A Lou Boldt and Daphne Matthews Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: RosettaBooks
Price: $1.99 (as of 06/12/14 at 3:30 PM)

Police Sergeant Lou Boldt heads a special task force within Seattle's Homicide bureau. His job: find and stop the Cross Killer, a twisted, perverse serial murderer who has eluded police for six months and paralyzed the city.

But when a body washes up on the shore of Puget Sound, Boldt thinks the killer has finally made a mistake. This body shows some of the work of the Cross Killer — but a job badly botched. Did this woman die while trying to escape? Did she knowingly jump in the water to preserve a clue? And is she now desperately trying to tell Boldt something?

With the help of the alluring Daphne Matthews, a police psychologist, Boldt pieces together the complex puzzle.

  

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.

Fly by Night, A Jammer Davis Mystery by Ward Larsen, at a Special Price during June 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 Fly by Night by Ward Larsen. This Kindle book was listed at $2.99 as of the date and time of this post, Thursday, June 12, 2014 at 3:00 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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Fly by Night by Ward Larsen
A Jammer Davis Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: 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 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.