Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending June 27, 2014

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending June 27th, 2014 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Lots of movement this week, but Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King retains the number one position on our list.

Three new titles enter the list, one (probably not surprisingly) in the Top 5 — position in [brackets].

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[3]: The Silkworm
Robert Galbraith
— Cormoran Strike (2nd)

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days-as he has done before-and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives-meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.

When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before.

Purchase Options

          

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[10]: Invisible
James Patterson and David Ellis

Everyone thinks Emmy Dockery is crazy. Obsessed with finding the link between hundreds of unsolved cases, Emmy has taken leave from her job as an FBI researcher. Now all she has are the newspaper clippings that wallpaper her bedroom, and her recurring nightmares of an all-consuming fire.

Not even Emmy's ex-boyfriend, field agent Harrison "Books" Bookman, will believe her that hundreds of kidnappings, rapes, and murders are all connected. That is, until Emmy finds a piece of evidence he can't afford to ignore. More murders are reported by the day — and they're all inexplicable. No motives, no murder weapons, no suspects. Could one person really be responsible for these unthinkable crimes?

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[12]: Cop Town
Karin Slaughter

Atlanta, 1974: As a brutal murder and a furious manhunt rock the city's police department, Kate Murphy wonders if her first day on the job will also be her last. She's determined to defy her privileged background by making her own way — wearing a badge and carrying a gun. But for a beautiful young woman, life will be anything but easy in the macho world of the Atlanta PD, where even the female cops have little mercy for rookies. It's also the worst day possible to start given that a beloved cop has been gunned down, his brothers in blue are out for blood, and the city is on the edge of war.

Kate isn't the only woman on the force who's feeling the heat. Maggie Lawson followed her uncle and brother into the ranks to prove her worth in their cynical eyes. When she and Kate, her new partner, are pushed out of the citywide search for a cop killer, their fury, pain, and pride finally reach the boiling point. With a killer poised to strike again, they will pursue their own line of investigation, risking everything as they venture into the city's darkest heart.

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Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (140627)

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

• The New Release is Dark Parables: Ballad of Rapunzel (Collector's Edition).

• The Daily Deal is Phantasmat, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is Haunted Legends: The Undertaker, just $2.99 through Sunday, June 29, 2014 only.

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

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The New Release today is Dark Parables: Ballad of Rapunzel (Collector's Edition)

You've been called to the kingdom of Floralia to track down the source of a mysterious pollen spreading throughout the world. Rumor has it that Princess Rapunzel is somehow involved — the haunting melody she sings appears to summon the pollen … but how did the once-loved princess come to control such a deadly force? And who is the mysterious, shadowy figure always by her side? The secrets you uncover may be darker than you imagined in this exciting Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure!

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won't find in the standard version, including: An exciting bonus game; Find collectible items and unlock parables; Concept art, wallpapers, movies, and more; 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 Phantasmat

After crashing your car in the middle of nowhere, you stumble upon a mysterious town with a shady background. Uncover the secrets of the quiet town that was submerged in a dam accident! Dive into this incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game and get to the bottom of this long forgotten tragedy.

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Friday, June 27, 2014 — for $2.99.

Also available for this game:

• 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 Haunted Legends: The Undertaker

Unravel the mysterious undead curse! A once-ordinary fishing village has been transformed into a nightmarish landscape, as the recently buried rise from their graves! As a seasoned detective, it's up to you to find the cause of these unnatural disturbances and put an end to them for good. Take on a chilling new case in this thrilling Hidden Object adventure!

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 29, 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.

Murder Most Persuasive, An Elizabeth Parker Mystery by Tracy Kiely, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy. Today, we're pleased to feature the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Minotaur Books …

Murder Most Persuasive by Tracy Kiely

An Elizabeth Parker Mystery (3rd in series)

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Price: $1.99 (as of 06/26/2014 at 6:00 PM ET).

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

After the death of Elizabeth Parker's great-uncle Martin Reynolds, the family's house in the picturesque Maryland town of St. Michaels is sold. When the new owners dig up the pool, they find the body of the man thought to have run off eight years earlier after embezzling over a million dollars from the family business.

This grisly discovery not only unearths old questions about what really happened to the stolen money, but it brings Detective Joe Muldoon back into the family's lives. Eight years ago Elizabeth's cousin Ann reluctantly broke off her relationship with Joe due to family pressure. Ann always regretted that decision and now fears that it is too late for her and Joe–especially after she becomes the main suspect.

— Murder Most Persuasive by Tracy Kiely

Review: Muzzled by Eileen Brady

A Mysterious Review of Muzzled by Eileen Brady. A Kate Turner, DVM Mystery.

Review summary: There is a lot of credible misdirection along the way in this first in series murder mystery, but also clues to the solution of whodunit even if they aren't necessarily seen as such at the time. With an appealing amateur sleuth leading the way, this is an entertaining and strong start to this series. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Muzzled
Eileen Brady
A Kate Turner, DVM Mystery
Poisoned Pen Press (April 2014)

Publisher synopsis: On a house call one wet spring morning, veterinarian Dr. Kate Turner rescues a family's hamster from a vacuum cleaner, then visits an estate whose owners breed champion Cavalier King Charles spaniels. Instead of sharing traditional tea with the couple, she confronts a bloody scene of bodies and twenty-seven blue-ribbon dogs running wild.

Police initially suspect a murder-suicide, but when Dr. Kate proves the famous best-in-show champion is missing, a darker reality intrudes. She remembers her grandfather saying that there are two motives for murder — love and money. While treating local pets, Dr. Kate discovers suspects and motives everywhere in this charming town filled with people who wanted the couple dead.

Was the couple murdered for money their champion could bring to another breeder? How is their daughter, anxious to rid herself of the pampered dogs, handling the wealth she inherits? Would the celebrity filmmaker living nearby kill to end a multi-million dollar lawsuit? Did long-buried personal secrets cause the deaths? And what's going on at the office behind her back? Is Dr. Kate now in danger?

        

The Russian Hill Murders, A Sarah Woolson Mystery by Shirley Tallman, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy. Today, we're pleased to feature the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Minotaur Books …

The Russian Hill Murders by Shirley Tallman

A Sarah Woolson Mystery (2nd in series)

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Price: $1.99 (as of 06/26/2014 at 5:00 PM ET).

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Though her own San Francisco law firm barely tolerates her, gutsy young attorney Sarah Woolson flouts proper feminine behavior. While her mother begs her to settle down, her chauvinistic boss tries to come up with ever more spiteful ways to pressure his only female associate into quitting. Naturally, Sarah digs in her heels and vows to retain her position at any cost. Besides, she has no intention of straying too far from the action.

When the wife of wealthy society entrepreneur Leonard Godfrey drops dead of an apparent heart attack at a charity dinner for the new Women and Children's Hospital, Sarah's curiosity gets the better of her. But no one will believe in her theory that Caroline Godfrey's death was not natural — -until several more people affiliated with the hospital die of inexplicable causes.

Meanwhile, when a pregnant widow whose husband has died in a sweatshop fire asks for Sarah's help in finding the owner so that she can sue for recompense, our feisty heroine insists on taking the case against her boss's orders. With the help of her colleague Robert Campbell and an eager young hansom cabdriver named Eddie, Sarah goes on a manhunt for Killy Doyle, the menacing head of the factory underworld. But she can't ignore the mysterious deaths at the Women and Children's Hospital — -especially when the hospital's Chinese chef is arrested for the murders and the Chinese community's most powerful Tong Lord asks her to defend him.

Faced with her first criminal trial, Sarah stops at nothing to determine the killer's identity. But in trying to exonerate her client, she places her own life in danger. Will Sarah figure out who the murderer is, or will she be the final victim?

— The Russian Hill Murders by Shirley Tallman

Mourning the Dead, A Naomi Blake Mystery by Jane A. Adams, New from Endeavour Press

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 …

Mourning the Dead by Jane A. Adams

A Naomi Blake Mystery (1st in series)

Publisher: Endeavour Press

Price: $3.99 (as of 06/26/2014 at 4:30 PM ET).

First published in hardcover by Severn House in 2002. This is its first appearance as an ebook.

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Twenty-three years ago, Helen Jones disappeared on her way to school. She was twelve years old and no trace of her or how she died was ever found. But now a confession in a sealed envelope has been discovered in the possession of a dead man. And strangely this discovery has come to light now that another young girl has gone missing.

Naomi Blake had been Helen’s best friend, and as they were inseparable companions, Naomi was the last person to have seen her alive. Having quarreled on the morning of Helen’s disappearance, Naomi has never forgiven herself and now, blinded from an accident and a reluctant ex-policewoman, she sets out to uncover the long-hidden truth behind Helen’s vanishing.

With the police keeping unnervingly quiet as to the identity of the confessor and focusing on the new missing person case, Naomi struggles to understand what happened to her friend all those years ago …

— Mourning the Dead by Jane A. Adams

O' Artful Death, A Sweeney St. George Mystery by Sarah Stewart Taylor, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy. Today, we're pleased to feature the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Minotaur Books …

O' Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor

A Sweeney St. George Mystery (1st in series)

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Price: $2.99 (as of 06/26/2014 at 4:00 PM ET).

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Sweeney St. George, an art historian in Boston with a special interest in the art of death, becomes interested in Byzantium, Vermont, an art colony that flourished in the late nineteenth century, when she comes upon a photograph of the striking gravestone of a girl who drowned, and may have been murdered, in 1890. The stone is in a tiny cemetery surrounded by other beautiful, if unremarkable, headstones, some dating back hundreds of years. But the unsigned sculpture that marks this young woman’s grave is of extremely high quality and the artist is unrecognizable.

Sweeney is soon hooked, not only on the mystery of who created the beautiful sculpture but also on the details of the events surrounding the girl's death. When the friend who showed her the gravestone invites Sweeney to visit his relatives in Byzantium for Christmas, she jumps at the chance, knowing full well that the girl's murder has achieved the status of mythology in the town and hoping she'll be able to uncover new information. But by the time they arrive, her interest in the girl and the sculpture has gotten around town and, in fact, seems to have disturbed a killer. For not long after Sweeney arrives, one of the girl's descendants is murdered, shot and left lying in the cemetery.

— O' Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor

Coldsleep Lullaby by Andrew Brown, a New 1st in Series Title Introducing Eberard Februarie

Omnimystery News is pleased to present you with one of this month's new 1st in Series titles, a mystery, thriller or suspense novel that introduces a recurring character (or characters) …

Coldsleep Lullaby by Andrew Brown

An Eberard Februarie Mystery (1st in series)

Publisher: Minotaur Books

  

What we know about the character: Detective Inspector Eberard Februarie is a police officer in the Cape Winelands of South Africa. For more information about his first case, see a synopsis of the book, below.

In the sleepy Cape Winelands of South Africa the body of a young woman is found drifting in a river, and Detective Eberard Februarie is called in to investigate the case. It doesn't help matters that the young woman — Melanie Du Preez — was the daughter of a prominent local citizen. Professor du Preez is a lecturer in the University's Faculty of Law, and a conservative activist in the defense of the Afrikaans culture. Has a murder happened here, and if so, is the motive politics or something much more personal?

Eberard discovers a scrapbook of lullabies that Melanie had collected over the years, it's a clue that could unlock the case for him, if only he could figure out what he's looking for? A man struggling with his own demons, Eberard discovers even more secrets that lead him to the rotten core of this old university town.

— Coldsleep Lullaby by Andrew Brown

Doubleback, A Georgia Davis Mystery by Libby Fischer Hellmann, Now Available at a Special Price

Amazon Kindle Countdown Deals are limited-time discounts on Kindle-exclusive books.

Omnimystery News 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.)

Doubleback by Libby Fischer Hellmann

A Georgia Davis Mystery (2nd in series)

Publisher: The Red Herrings Press

Price: $0.99 (as of 06/26/2014 at 3:00 PM ET).

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Little Molly Messenger is kidnapped on a sunny June morning. Three days later she's returned, apparently unharmed. Molly's mother, Chris, is so grateful to have her daughter back that she's willing to overlook the odd circumstances.

A few days later, the brakes go out on Chris's car.

An accident? Maybe. Except that it turns out that Chris, the IT manager at a large Chicago bank, may have misappropriated three million dollars. Not convinced that his daughter is safe, Molly's father hires PI Georgia Davis to follow the money and investigate Chris's death.

Georgia Davis, together with with video producer Ellie Foreman, track leads from Northern Wisconsin to an Arizona border town, where illegal immigrants, smuggled drugs, and an independent contractor called Delton Security come into play. Georgia and Ellie go to great lengths to find the truth, and Georgia discovers that you can cross a line, but sometimes you have to double back.

— Doubleback by Libby Fischer Hellmann

Nine Lives to Die by Rita Mae Brown, New in Bookstores during June 2014

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published during June 2014 by Bantam, is Nine Lives to Die by Rita Mae Brown.

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

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Nine Lives to Die
Rita Mae Brown
Series: Mrs. Murphy (23rd)

Winter has come to Crozet, Virginia, bringing with it a fresh blanket of snow. Harry and her husband, Fair, are hip deep in their usual end-of-the-year activities: distributing food to needy residents, and shopping for outfits for the Silver Linings youth organization’s annual fundraising gala. But buried beneath the white stuff are dark secrets from Crozet’s past — and Harry and her posse of pet detectives are determined to sniff them out.

Two Silver Linings mentors have been found dead in suspicious circumstances. If that weren’t enough to chill the bones of the locals, a pair of severed human fingers has turned up in a pencil jar in the bookkeeper’s office at St. Cyril’s church. What does this grisly display have to do with the mysterious disappearance of Harry’s voluptuous high school Latin teacher, a quarter of a century ago? Maybe nothing. But when the animals make another gruesome discovery in the woods behind Harry’s farm, it becomes clear that terrible crimes have been committed in Crozet — and somebody’s gone to great lengths to cover them up. It’s time to stop shoveling snow and start digging for clues.

The truth will be revealed. A cold case will be solved. And a twenty-five-year-old love triangle is about to get untangled. The weather outside may be frightful, but Harry and her four-legged friends refuse to be spooked off the case.

        

Death Was the Other Woman, A Katherine "Kitty" Pangborn Mystery by Linda L. Richards, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy. Today, we're pleased to feature the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Minotaur Books …

Death Was the Other Woman by Linda L. Richards

A Katherine "Kitty" Pangborn Mystery (1st in series)

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Price: $1.99 (as of 06/26/2014 at 2:00 PM ET).

Read our review of this book on Mysterious Reviews.

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

As the lawlessness of Prohibition pushes against the desperation of the Depression, there are two ways to make a living in Los Angeles: join the criminals or collar them. Kitty Pangborn has chosen the crime-fighters, becoming secretary to Dexter J. Theroux, one of the hard-drinking, tough-talking PIs who pepper the city's stew. But after Dex takes an assignment from Rita Heppelwaite, the mistress of Harrison Dempsey, one of L.A.'s shadiest — and richest — businessmen, Kitty isn't so sure what side of the law she's on.

Rita suspects Dempsey has been stepping out and asks Dex to tail him. It's an easy enough task, but Dex's morning stroll with Johnnie Walker would make it tough for him to trail his own shadow. Kitty insists she go along for the ride, keeping her boss — and hopefully her salary — safe. However, she's about to realize that there's something far more unpleasant than a three-timing husband at the end of this trail, and that there's more at risk than her paycheck.

— Death Was the Other Woman by Linda L. Richards

End Game by John Gilstrap, New on The Mystery Bookshelf in June 2014

Today's featured paperback original mystery title, scheduled to be published during June 2014 by Pinnacle, is End Game by John Gilstrap.

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

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End Game
John Gilstrap
Series: A Jonathan Grave Thriller

Assassins have eliminated a Chechen scientist who's been working as a double agent for the U.S. government. The feds know who to call: Jonathan Grave and his elite rescue team. Their mission: find the dead man's teenage son, who's on the run — and off the grid — with crucial information that must not fall into the wrong hands.

There's one problem: the boy's bodyguard is a security specialist with unusual talents, and she's not giving up without a fight. Only by bringing them both back alive can Grave expose the traitor in the highest levels of power — and prevent an all-out nuclear war.