Every week, Witness Impulse — an imprint of William Morrow — releases new suspense and thriller digital originals, typically priced at just $2.99 (or less) each.
Omnimystery News is pleased to present you with one of this week's titles …
Faint Trace by M. P. Cooley
A June Lyons Mystery Novella
Publisher: Witness Impulse
Price: 99¢ (as of 04/10/2015 at 12:30 PM ET).
In her former life as an FBI agent in Oakland, California, June Lyons didn't flinch at tough assignments investigating gangs. But this hot and weary summer, she finds herself on the sidelines of the action, fruitlessly searching through a boiling hot storage facility for evidence of a counterfeiter.
When June's lead on the forger becomes a dead end, and her personal life threatens to overwhelm, she's ready to surrender to the sweltering heat — fighting back when she finds out that the stakes are much higher than she realized.
In a case where nothing is as it seems, it's up to June to hit the reset button … making a deal for a criminal, and for herself.
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.
We are delighted to welcome author TJ Turner to Omnimystery News today.
TJ's new novel is Lincoln's Bodyguard (Oceanview Publishing; April 2015 hardcover and ebook formats), an alternate history thriller in which President Abraham Lincoln survives an assassin's bullet.
We recently had the opportunity to spend some time with TJ to talk more about the book.
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Omnimystery News: Introduce us to the principal characters in Lincoln's Bodyguard.
Photo provided courtesy of TJ Turner
TJ Turner: Absolutely! My main character is Joseph Foster, the bodyguard who saves President Lincoln from John Wilkes Booth's assassination attempt. Joseph is an interesting man. When I started trying to figure out who he would be — it might be more accurate to say that when Joseph told me who he was, as I subscribe to the theory that the characters truly do talk back and mold their own destiny — I was looking for a character who plausibly could have been overlooked by history. Someone who stood in the shadows of great events, and given the opportunity stepped in and altered history as we know it. Since Lincoln's Bodyguard is a work of alternative historical fiction, I wanted the transition from the historical events that we all know to my imagined history, to be as smooth as possible. Joseph is half-white, half-Native American, exactly the kind of person who back in 1865 could have easily been overlooked — or written out of history. And I liked the symbolism of his background given the context of the time, where Native Americans were being pushed out of their ancestral homes, and taken advantage of by the American westward expansion. Joseph is also very flawed. As the novel opens we learn that after saving Lincoln from assassination, he loses his wife and daughter to the men who planned Lincoln's killing. Unsuccessfully, Joseph has tried to recover his kidnapped daughter and avenge the killing of his wife, and that has left him broken from the things he had to do in the attempt. So when the President asks him back to Washington to take on a special assignment, it's his chance at redemption. Joseph has a lot of texture to him, and as a writer, I love that. Ultimately Joseph is searching for redemption, and that's a powerful motive.
Molly Ferguson is my other main character, and she serves as a perfect balancing point for Joseph. She's a smart, worldly and fiery woman who originally met Joseph in the employment of Allan Pinkerton — the famed detective who ran the Union Intelligence Service during the war. Molly is, in the parlance of today, an intelligence collector. Pinkerton uses her to find secrets, and she first met Joseph at the White House while protecting the President — albeit in a different manner than Joseph. Molly has an interesting background, as one who was raised on a plantation in the South. Yet at an early age she witnesses the death of her parents and stumbles into Pinkerton's circle. Together she tempers Joseph, and he comes to rely upon her to get his last assignment done. Molly knows how to work the system of her day, even within the gender confining roles available to women in the 1800s. She's every bit Joseph's match, though she uses her wit and experience while he opts for the strong-arm tactics. She's a cult of personality whom I never planned on in the very original story concept, but she willed her way into the novel and I'm so glad she did.
OMN: Do you see Lincoln's Bodyguard to be the first in a series?
TJT: That's hard for me to say. I intended Lincoln's Bodyguard to be a standalone novel, but recently I have become interested in the idea of a prequel to the book. Joseph's mother would be the main character in that work, as she is a strong, yet never seen presence in this novel. I think my criteria for deciding on whether to write that book will hinge upon how I see her story flushing out, and whether I can provide some unique insight into the time period. I think it's there, I just need to do some more pondering upon it.
OMN: We categorized the book as an alternate history thriller. Would you agree with that?
TJT: I would be best characterized as a Thriller writer, though I am certainly specializing in the Historical Fiction variety. There might be some disadvantages to being characterized as such, possibly down the road making it harder to write something that appears to cross out of that specific genre, but in general I think the demands of Thriller readers far outweighs those disadvantages. What I mean by that is that readers of thrillers are looking for something that turns the pages, which keep you hooked into the story, and wanting more when you get to the end of the book. That's a great recipe for an amazing novel no matter what genre you write. So to write for a community that expects it, even demands it, focuses my writing all that much more to keep the quality and the pacing high.
OMN: Tell us a little more about the book. Were you able to include any of your own personal experience into the storyline?
TJT: So obviously the assassination of President Lincoln is a real event, though I alter the outcome. Allan Pinkerton, and Ward Hill Lamon both characters to a lesser degree than Molly or Joseph, are based on real people — and President Lincoln. The rest are made up. Joseph for instance, is a composite of many ideas and people, including friends I have served with, who remain haunted by the things they have seen and participated in.
As for my experience, I think that's one of the things that make the novel unique among others set in the same time period. In my imagining of how history has played out, the South has not yet really given up the fight, and an active insurgency embroils the nation. That idea isn't mine, as even Lincoln himself feared a similar outcome. But my experience in Afghanistan, actively fighting an insurgency, gets folded into my writing and how I envisioned the insurgency of 150 years ago playing out.
OMN: Describe your writing process.
TJT: My writing process is a mess — it's all over the place. I do plot, but I keep that as a very very very loose framework. If the story deviates, or if the characters demand something else, I go with it. I do make biographies of my characters, and update those as I find out new things about them. And I don't worry about a fixed cast of characters too much, though I watch for that being a point of reader confusion as I edit. When the writing isn't coming to me, I don't stress about it. I feel strongly that moments like that happen when the story needs to percolate more, before it can tell me where it's headed and I can put it to paper.
OMN: And where do you most often find yourself writing?
TJT: It's also a mess! And it's anywhere I can get a few minutes. It might be my desk at home, or the dining room table. It's almost always in my hotel rooms when I travel, and even the coffee shop if I sneak out at lunch. It's 15 minutes long sometimes, even when it's a crowded and noisy locale, or its hours long way after I should have gone to bed when I have the house to myself. I dream of a quiet office, where I can stare out a window and have a comfortable chair, but I haven't found that spot yet — or created it. I'm a little worried that messing with the current system will take the urgency out of the time I have, and that will reflect in the quality of my writing.
OMN: How true are you to the settings in the story?
TJT: My books are set in a real place, yet I do take liberties. For instance, I used the club and resort at Jekyll Island, Georgia, even though it wouldn't be built for another 16 years in reality. So there are some liberties with setting, although I have a strong trump card — if it's an alternative historical, I can claim I altered the real time line for some things as well..to an extent. Overall though, the setting is incredibly important to the plot for me. Writing historical fiction, I think that may be fairly universally true. Where you are, both physically and temporally, make a big impact on the plot, the characters, and the reading experience.
OMN: If we could send you anywhere in the world to research the setting for a book, where would it be?
TJT: In the world? Africa. Just because I know so little about it, and I'm sure it would be just rich with stories waiting to be told — at least to an American audience. But given that I write so much American History, and the limited travel budget that my wife will let me have, I might have to stick with the western United States. I would love to travel by train, in my own sleeping cabin to have privacy, and then just write as the scenery rolled by. Maybe a few stops here and there to pluck out some research in some small town in the middle of nowhere. Sounds like a slice of heaven to me!
OMN: What are some of your outside interests? And have any of these made their way into your stories?
TJT: I swim, I ride my bike (I used to race), and I build guitars! None so far have made it into my writing, but all have an influence on my process. I don't force the story, so when it's not coming to me, I take a break. Often on long bike rides I get my best thinking done. And building guitars, it also has this factor to it, like working on a separate creative endeavor helps the writing along. There's something about taking time off from behind the keyboard to be able to work with my hands, or get the wind in my teeth, that just shakes things loose.
OMN: What is the best advice — and harshest criticism — you've received as an author?
TJT: The best advice: Start, Finish, and then find someone who doesn't love you to read what you've written. Also, after writing a first draft, turn to about page 50 and see if the story doesn't actually start there … so far, it always has for me!
Harshest criticism? I think I've had a bunch, but the most recent always hurts the most. Nancy (my wife) read my latest manuscript and said … "it's a little slow in the beginning!" So I have work to do … and it falls in line with the statement above … turn to page 50!
OMN: Have any specific authors influenced how and what you write today?
TJT: Tom O'Brien. Hands down, The Things They Carried is my favorite thing written in the English language. It's one of the few books I have stopped, and re-read passages because the flow of the words was incredible. Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage. Not only is it appropriate for the time period of my novel, but he was 22 when he wrote it and had never been to war. Yet when it was published, veterans thought he must have fought alongside them. It goes to show, that you can write things you haven't necessarily experienced firsthand. I can aspire to that level of writing. And Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns was amazing. It is a masterful work on character and plot, and story arc, all combined together.
OMN: What else do you read for pleasure?
TJT: I read a mixture of things, often switching between fiction and non-fiction. I like to keep a balance. On the non-fiction side, it's almost always American History for research. I've read a lot on the American Revolution recently. That's a nice turn from reading so much about the Civil War. I don't generally get drawn to serialized fiction, as I'm always scared I'll get sucked into a 15 book run and never emerge! Though recently I started Laurie Halse Anderson's books — Chains and Forge. I'm eagerly awaiting her third book in that series.
OMN: What about films?
TJT: I like watching all kind of films, but my favorite always have a great arc to the story and to the characters. Something changes, and they change because of it. Or the conflict is just so well done. I loved Road to Perdition with Tom Hanks. I don't think it had much in the way of commercial success, but what a film. I can say the same with Man on Fire with Denzel Washington. Very violent, not for everyone potentially, but the conflict is great on so many levels. And Washington's character goes through this amazing transformation. And then there are my other favorites, both Stephen King adaptations — The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption. Again, great transformations in the characters, and amazing conflict set early that kept my attention. And I would be remiss if I left out Forrest Gump, just because. Man, I like me a lot of Tom Hanks, huh? Oh, I almost forgot, I loved Inglorious Bastards and Django Unchained.
OMN: Create a Top 5 list for us on any topic.
TJT: Here are three …
Books: 1. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien 2. Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane 3. Catch 22, Joseph Heller 4. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini 5. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
Movies: 1. Man on Fire 2. Road to Perdition 3. Shawshank Redemption 4. Forrest Gump 5. Inglorious Bastards
Places to Visit: 1. The Panjshir Valley — I've been there once, and there is nowhere as beautiful that I've ever seen with my own eyes. 2. Africa — especially central Africa like Mali. 3. Machu Picchu — my wife went, and I'm so jealous! 4. New Zealand — I worked with many New Zealand SOF guys while in Afghanistan, and I would love to see their country. 5. Alaska — I have a friend who lives way up north, and her husband is a bush pilot! What could be better than that trip?
OMN: What's next for you?
TJT: I'm working on another novel! I have several ideas mulling around, including a prequel to Lincoln's Bodyguard, but instead I settled in on a completely different setting. This one takes place in New York City during the Revolution, and is my take on the infamous agent 355 — the female agent who reported to the Culper Ring (and therefore George Washington) and whose identity is lost to history — another person whom history has forgotten, yet who played a pivotal role in our nation. I'm about 2/3 of the way done, and I know it will need some editing to get the pacing up. But the most important thing to do is to finish! (Well, the most important thing to do after starting!) I hope to get it done over the summer and then delivered to both my agent and then Oceanview for their review. I know I'll have another deployment coming up, so I anxiously watch the news to see where that might take me.
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When he's not writing TJ Turner wears more hats than he can keep track of. In his day job he's a research scientist, and by night (or for 6-month deployments every two years) he's a reserve military member. He may be the only scientist that has jumped out of a perfectly good helicopter in a hot-landing zone to capture a Taliban IED maker! Outside of work he enjoys time with Nancy and the kids, a huge white dog (horse), a crazy collie, and a pair of cats. When writer's block sets in, he heads out to his workshop where nothing gets him back to the keyboard faster than the frustration of trying to build his own acoustic guitar.
For more information about the author, please visit his website at TJTurnerAuthor.com or find him on Facebook.
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Lincoln's Bodyguard by TJ Turner
An Alternate History Thriller
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Though he prophesied his own death — the only way he believed the South would truly surrender — Lincoln never accounted for the heroics of his bodyguard, Joseph Foster. A biracial mix of white and Miami Indian, Joseph makes an enemy of the South by killing John Wilkes Booth and preventing the death of the president. His wife is murdered and his daughter kidnapped, sending Joseph on a revenge-fueled rampage to recover his daughter. When his search fails, he disappears as the nation falls into a simmering insurgency instead of an end to the War.
Years later, Joseph is still running from his past when he receives a letter from Lincoln pleading for help. The President has a secret mission. Pursued from the outset, Joseph turns to the only person who might help, the woman he abandoned years earlier. If he can win Molly over, he might just fulfill the President's urgent request, find his daughter, and maybe even hasten the end of the War.
Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.
Omnimystery News is pleased to feature a selection of Free MystereBooks found on Friday, April 10, 2015 at 6:30 AM ET …
Let Me Be Frank by Don Massenzio
A Frank Rozzani Mystery
Publisher: DSM Publications
Price: FREE!
Blood Moon Rising by Mark Dawson
A Beatrix Rose Mystery
Publisher: Unputdownable
Price: FREE!
The Closeout Kings by C. Hoyt Caldwell
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: C. Hoyt Caldwell
Price: FREE!
For a summary of all of today's titles, plus any that may have been added since this post was created, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.
Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.
Omnimystery News is pleased to present 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 2015 and priced $4.99 or less …
Sneak Thief by C. A. Newsome
A Lia Anderson, Dog Park Mystery (4th in series)
Publisher: Two Pup Press
Price: $3.99 (as of 04/09/2015 at 6:30 PM ET).
When a Dog Park newbie is murdered, starving artist Lia Anderson not only winds up with the woman's kleptomaniac beagle, she also inherits her stalker. On the outs with her beau, Detective Peter Dourson, and with the police on the wrong track, Lia will have to rely on herself and her friends to keep her alive.
— Sneak Thief by C. A. Newsome
See all four mysteries in the Lia Anderson, Dog Park Series for $3.99 or less each on Kindle. The first book in the series, A Shot in the Bark, is currently FREE!
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.
Sleep deprivation, diaper blowouts, and breastfeeding mishaps are status quo for new mom Kate Connolly. But when she decides to turn private investigator in order to work from home, her To-Do List expands exponentially (1. Buy diapers. 2. Get back in shape. 3. Order lock pick set … )
Her friend Jill's boyfriend falls to his death under questionable circumstances. Juggling mommy duties and unorthodox investigation techniques, Kate must determine whether the scathing review Jill wrote about a local restaurant is connected to his untimely death … and whether the killer might strike again.
Kate races to solve the case before Vincente Domingo, the new, sexy PI in town swoops in and saves the day. He's drop-dead gorgeous, but she'd like to tell him to drop dead for poaching her last client. As bodies pile up faster than dirty diapers, can Kate uncover the truth about what happened to Jill's boyfriend between nap times, diaper changes, and playdates? Or will Become A Bonafide P.I be the last entry she makes on her To-Do List?
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.
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 …
The Man with No Face by Margaret Armstrong
A Mystery
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Price: 99¢ (as of 04/09/2015 at 5:30 PM ET).
A rich Australian, Donald Bell, has recently passed away in Adelaide leaving a substantial fortune and a rather peculiar will. His adopted son, the non-descript Percy McGuire, eagerly awaits his inheritance and returns to his home town after a series of absences and petty criminal antics.
But a shock awaits him. His father, disappointed by his son's behaviour, has chosen to leave his wealth to distant America cousins of the "Irongray" house who are completely unaware of the connection. Entirely unwittingly, this innocent family is drawn into McGuire's fatal games as he begins his bloodthirsty mission to eliminate any existing heirs and secure the estate for himself …
The anonymous killer carves a path all over the country leaving a series of mysterious 'accidents' in his wake, but unbeknownst to him someone is on his trail. The predator himself is being tracked.
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.
She was supposed to be spending a quiet afternoon cleaning her spare room. But when Sage Spencer opened up an old abandoned suitcase, she unlocked a Pandora's box of problems.
As she and Sheriff Will Benton try to find the owners of the suitcase, they get drawn into a fifty-six year old kidnapping case. As Sage learns more and more about the Hollywood kidnapping of Violet Solomon, she faces some difficult choices in her own life.
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.
Omnimystery News is pleased to present 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 2015 and priced $4.99 or less …
Pilgrim of Death by Felicity Pulman
The Janna Chronicles (4th in series)
Publisher: Momentum
Price: $4.09 (as of 04/09/2015 at 4:30 PM ET).
Love, revenge, secrets — and murder — in a medieval kingdom at war …
Spies, treachery, a dangerously attractive pilgrim and a murder at Stonehenge test Janna's courage and ingenuity to the limit as she continues the search for her father in the company of pilgrims and jongleurs. She learns the meaning of betrayal, treachery and heartbreak, while her quest brings her ever closer to the royal court and the dangers of the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda.
— Pilgrim of Death by Felicity Pulman
See all of the books in the Janna Chronicles including the next two ion the series that may be pre-ordered.
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.
Billy May Platte is a half Irish, half Cherokee Appalachian woman who learned the hard way that 1940s West Virginia was no place to be different.
As Billy May explains, "We was sheltered in them hills. We didn't know much of nothin' about life outside of them mountains. I did not know the word lesbian; to us, gay meant havin' fun and queer meant somethin' strange."
In 1945, when Billy May was fourteen years old and orphaned, three local boys witnessed an incident in which Billy May's sexuality was called into question. Determined to teach her a lesson she would never forget, they orchestrated a brutal attack that changed the dynamics of the tiny coal mining village of Cedar Hollow, West Virginia forever.
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.
Five-Alarm Fudge by Christine DeSmet, An Ava Oosterling, Fudge Shop Mystery (3rd in series)
Publisher: NAL
Ava Oosterling is after a recipe to kill for …
It's autumn in Fishers' Harbor, Wisconsin, and fudge shop owner Ava Oosterling is busy preparing for the harvest festival and a visit from some royal relatives who live in Belgium. According to Ava's grandpa, a famous divinity fudge recipe from the 1860s is hidden somewhere in a local historical church — a treat fit for a prince.
But when a fire in the church reveals the body of a murdered man, it looks like someone is willing to go to any length to possess the valuable secret to the divinity fudge. As Ava searches for the killer — and the recipe — she could use a little divine intervention, because she may have bitten off more than she can chew …
If Isaac Daniels can catch the pranksters before they ruin the Christmas Smorgasbord, he can make up for ditching his job in October. It's a great plan — until a dead body turns up.
Dani Honeywell grew up in the mountains with a mom on the search and rescue team, so if there's one thing she knows, it is dead bodies.
What she isn't that keen on is pickled fish.
So when a dead body turns up at the Tillgiven Bible School she has the chance to escape the kitchen and do something she's good at.
Solve a murder, save her boyfriend's reputation, and avoid pickled fish — Christmas break is starting to look up!
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.
Today's featured new hardcover mystery, suspense, or thriller title scheduled to be published during April 2015 is …
One Mile Under by Andrew Gross, a Ty Hauck Mystery (4th in series)
Publisher: William Morrow
Leading a tour down the rapids outside Aspen, Colorado, whitewater guide Dani Whalen comes upon the dead body of a close friend. Trey Watkins's death is ruled an accident. Finding evidence that seems to back up her suspicions that it wasn't, she takes her case to Wade Dunn, the local police chief and her ex-stepfather, with whom she shares some unresolved history. Wade insists the case is closed, but Rooster, a hot air balloon operator in town, claims he saw something from the air she should know. When he suddenly dies in a fiery crash, Dani threatens to take her suspicions public, goading Wade into tossing her in jail.
When an old friend contacts Ty Hauck and says his daughter is in trouble, he doesn't hesitate to get involved. Together, the two step into a sinister scheme running deep beneath the surface of a quiet, Colorado town that has made a deal with the devil to survive. But in the square off between giant energy companies and beaten-down ranchers and farmers, one resource is even more valuable in this drought-stricken region than oil. They both will kill for it — water.
Bridges Burned by Annette Dashofy, A Zoe Chambers Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Henery Press
Paramedic Zoe Chambers is used to saving lives, but when she stops a man from running into a raging inferno in a futile attempt to rescue his wife, Zoe finds herself drawn to him, and even more so to his ten-year-old daughter. She invites them both to live at the farm while the grieving widower picks up the pieces of his life.
Vance Township Police Chief Pete Adams, of course, is not happy with this setup, especially when he finds evidence implicating Zoe's new houseguest in murder times two. When Zoe ignores Pete's dire warnings, she runs the very real chance of burning one too many bridges, losing everything — and everyone — she holds dear.
If your name translates to "pretty nice" in French, you've probably gotten used to teasing. It doesn't prepare you to find out that your soon-to-be-ex-husband has a gambling problem, raided your assets, and embezzled from his bank. Jolie Gentil moves to Great Aunt Madge's Jersey shore B&B, taking her cat Jazz, and joining Madge's pair of prune-eating dogs. She tells herself it's not a retreat, just a smart change. Jolie rekindles friendships, dodges a low-level wise guy, and tries to figure out her new life. She hasn't seen her high school classmates in ten years, and they weren't all buds. Why care if a couple of them are murder suspects? Because finding a dead body when you're appraising a house grabs your attention.
Jolie balances fear of a smart-mouth wise guy with a belief that her friends are innocent. Her murder suspects include one suspect's ex-wife and beneficiaries of the dead woman's will. Jolie keeps searching, but will someone's plans leave her alive to find the truth?
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.
