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Friday, September 11, 2015
Dance of the Bones by J. A. Jance, New in Bookstores during September 2015
Today's featured new hardcover mystery, suspense, or thriller title scheduled to be published during September 2015 is …
Dance of the Bones by J. A. Jance, J. P. Beaumont/Brandon Walker Crossover
Publisher: William Morrow
Years ago, Amos Warren, a prospector, was gunned down out in the desert and Sheriff Brandon Walker made the arrest in the case. Now, the retired Walker is called in when the alleged killer, John Lassiter, refuses to accept a plea deal that would release him from prison with time served. Lassiter wants Brandon and The Last Chance to find Amos's "real" killer and clear his name.
Sixteen hundred miles to the north in Seattle, J.P. Beaumont is at loose ends after the Special Homicide Investigation Team, affectionately known as S.H.I.T., has been unexpectedly and completely disbanded. When Brandon discovers that there are links between Lassiter's case and an unsolved case in Seattle, he comes to Beau for help.
Those two cases suddenly become hot when two young boys from the reservation, one of them with close ties to the Walker family, go missing. Can two seasoned cops, working together, decipher the missing pieces in time to keep them alive?
— Dance of the Bones by J. A. Jance
For a list of more new hardcover titles to be published this month, visit our New Mysteries page for September 2015. For new paperback mysteries, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where a selection of September 2015 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers are shelved.
Idyll Threats by Stephanie Gayle, New on the Mystery Bookshelf during September 2015
New on the Mystery Bookshelf during September 2015 …
Idyll Threats by Stephanie Gayle, A Thomas Lynch Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Seventh Street Books
In the summer of 1997, Thomas Lynch arrives as the new chief of police in Idyll, Connecticut — a town where serious crimes can be counted on one hand. So no one is prepared when Cecilia North is found murdered on a golf course. By chance, Chief Lynch met her mere hours before she was killed. With that lead, the case should be a slam dunk. But there's a problem. If Lynch tells his detectives about meeting the victim, he'll reveal his greatest secret — he's gay.
So Lynch works angles of the case on his own. Meanwhile, he must contend with pressure from the mayor to solve the crime before the town's biggest tourist event begins, all while coping with the suspicions of his men, casual homophobia, and difficult memories of his former NYPD partner's recent death.
As the case unfolds, Lynch realizes that small-town Idyll isn't safe, especially for a man with secrets that threaten the thing he loves most — his job.
— Idyll Threats by Stephanie Gayle
To see more new paperback titles scheduled to be published this month, visit The Mystery Bookshelf for September 2015. For new hardcover mysteries, visit New Mysteries where for a list of September 2015 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers is provided.
The Lie of You, A Novel of Psychological Suspense by Jane Lythell, 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 present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Head of Zeus …
The Lie of You by Jane Lythell
A Novel of Psychological Suspense
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Price: 99¢ (as of 09/11/2015 at 1:00 PM ET).
"When I look back on my relationship with Kathy I marvel at how naive she was, how little she knew. But then, she always thought she had everything: the job; the baby; the friends; and him. She thought she was safe. She thought that nothing could touch her perfect world. She should never have trusted me."
To the outside world, Kathy is the very picture of a happy and fulfilled modern woman. She has a beautiful baby boy, a clever, handsome husband, and a glamorous, high-powered job. But not everybody is fooled. Her employee, Heja, knows the truth: the cracks in Kathy's marriage, her self-doubt, her fear of failure at work. Heja is perfectly placed to destroy Kathy's life. And if she succeeds, she can claim the one thing she wants most. One woman's fear is another woman's weapon.
— The Lie of You by Jane Lythell
A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.
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.
New This Week: Better Dead Than Wed, A Murder Blog Mystery by Pamela Frost Dennis
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 September 2015 and priced $4.99 or less …
Better Dead Than Wed by Pamela Frost Dennis
A Murder Blog Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Pamela Frost Dennis
Price: $1.99 (as of 09/11/2015 at 12:30 PM ET).
Katy McKenna has had enough near-death experiences and heartache to last a lifetime. Now all she wants to do is get her career back on track, find a nice guy, and live happily-ever-after. But when she hears about a man maliciously exposing innocent young women to HIV, she is compelled to put her plans on hold to stop him.
Meanwhile, Katy's mother is forced to reveal a shattering childhood trauma that has come back to haunt her; her obnoxious baby sister is moving in, and her scuzzy was-band is stalking her.
And she's beginning to wonder why every rotten person she has recently heard about has suddenly dropped dead.
Is it divine providence? Or is it murder?
— Better Dead Than Wed by Pamela Frost Dennis
See also the highly reviewed first mystery in this series, Dead Girls Don't Blog, for 99¢ on Kindle.
Visit our New Indie MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News for a complete list of titles featured today.
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.
Please Welcome Mystery Author Mary Reed
We are delighted to welcome novelist Mary Reed to Omnimystery News.
Mary co-authors with Eric Mayer the John, the Lord Chamberlain mysteries, the 11th of which, Murder in Megara (Poisoned Pen Press; October 2015 hardcover, trade paperback, and ebook formats) will be published next month, and is currently available to pre-order. For more information about the authors and their books, visit their website, or find them, respectively, on Twitter as @MaryMayWrite and @GroggyTales.
Mary's guest post for us today is titled, "How Closely Should the Violence Inherent in Many Mysteries Be Described?"
— ♦ —
Our Byzantine mysteries are set in a time when everyone and his brother carried a blade and murders and mayhem were often part of the daily menu. As far as is possible within the period in which we write, we remain in the less is more camp, with enough said to convey tragedy or horror without overly explicit details, leaving readers to take their imaginations for a walk to fill in the missing details to their own comfort level.
Let me cite a shining example of a favourite author who employs the reader's imagination to convey dreadful events by the use of understated horror.
M. R. James is the master of what a friend once called "strange noises in the cathedral close at midnight" fiction and The Mezzotint is the story in question.
The story hints at a solution to the mystery concerning what happened to a missing young heir. The mezzotint in question depicts Anningley Hall, Essex, but the view changes as time progresses and the last scene shows, under a waning moon, a dark figure originally going towards the house is now coming away.
And what does the spectator see?
"The moon was behind it, and the black drapery hung down over its face so that only hints of that could be seen, and what was visible made the spectators profoundly thankful that they could see no more than a white dome-like forehead and a few straggling hairs. The head was bent down, and the arms were tightly clasped over an object which could be dimly seen and identified as a child, whether dead or living it was not possible to say. The legs of the appearance alone could be plainly discerned, and they were horribly thin."
Does this not conjure up the most ghastly horrors with never a trace of gore? Many would surely ask themselves what happens after the figure and stolen child are no longer visible. Because it is a case of revenge terrible things are no doubt done, all of them out of sight and thus all the more powerful for being hidden from the reader.
Sometimes we hint what might be or has been done to some unfortunate rather than engaging in a more explicit physical description.
As an example, consider a scene occurring early in Six For Gold. Empress Theodora visits John, who is lodged in an underground dungeon on suspicion of murdering a senator. Theodora informs him she will be merciful and allow him to keep one eye, the better to see what's in store for him when the torturers begin work. She selects a pair of bloodstained pincers from a variety of instruments and clicks them as she informs John she likes to give her special male guests the choice of losing their eyes or … but unfortunately, due to John's condition, she cannot offer that opportunity. And then she talks of other grim possibilities, including forcing him to witness what will happen to his wife and daughter if he does not talk.
None of John's blood has been shed, but much is hinted and it's the stuff of nightmares.
I rest my case. Let the jury begin its deliberations.
— ♦ —
Murder in Megara by Mary Reed and Eric Mayer
A John, the Lord Chamberlain Mystery
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
John, former Lord Chamberlain to Emperor Justinian, has been exiled from Constantinople to a rustic estate John has long-owned in Greece, not far from where he grew up. But exile proves no escape from mystery and mayhem.
The residents of nearby Megara make it plain John and his family are unwelcome intruders. His overseer proves corrupt. What of the other staff―and his neighbors? Before long, John finds himself accused of blasphemy and murder.
Now a powerless outsider, he's on his own, investigating and annoyingly hampered by the ruthless and antagonistic City Defender who serves Megara as both law enforcer and judge. Plus there's that corrupt estate overseer, a shady pig farmer, a servant's unwelcome suitor, a wealthy merchant who spends part of his time as a cave-dwelling hermit, and the criminals and cutthroats populating such a seedy port as Megara. Complicating matters further are two childhood friends whose lives have taken very different paths, plus the stepfather John hated.
John realizes that in Megara, the solution to murder does not lie in the dark alleys where previous investigations have taken him, but in a far more dangerous place―his own past. Can he find his way out of the labyrinth of lies and danger into which he has been thrust before disaster strikes and exile turns into execution?
— Murder in Megara by Mary Reed and Eric Mayer
Today's Selection of Daily Deals for Friday, September 11, 2015
Omnimystery News is pleased to feature a selection of today's Daily Deals found on Friday, September 11, 2015 at 7:30 AM ET …
Edgar Allan Poe: The Fever Called Living by Paul Collins
A Biography
Publisher: Amazon Publishing
Kindle Daily Deal Price: $1.99
Looming large in the popular imagination as a serious poet and lively drunk who died in penury, Edgar Allan Poe was also the most celebrated and notorious writer of his day. He died broke and alone at the age of forty, but not before he had written some of the greatest works in the English language, from the chilling "The Tell-Tale Heart" to "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" — the first modern detective story — to the iconic poem "The Raven."
Poe's life was one of unremitting hardship. His father abandoned the family, and his mother died when he was three. Poe was thrown out of West Point, and married his beloved thirteen-year-old cousin, who died of tuberculosis at twenty-four. He was so poor that he burned furniture to stay warm. He was a scourge to other poets, but more so to himself.
In the hands of Paul Collins, this mysteriously conflicted figure emerges as a genius both driven and undone by his artistic ambitions. Collins illuminates Poe's huge successes and greatest flop (a 143-page prose poem titled "Eureka"), and even tracks down what may be Poe's first published fiction, long hidden under an enigmatic byline. Clear-eyed and sympathetic, this biography is a spellbinding story about the man once hailed as "the Shakespeare of America."
— Edgar Allan Poe: The Fever Called Living by Paul Collins
Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney
A Sci-Fi Thriller
Publisher: Touchstone
Kindle Daily Deal Price: $1.99
On a quiet fall evening in the peaceful town of Mill Valley, California, Dr. Miles Bennell discovers an insidious, horrifying plot. Subtly, almost imperceptibly, alien life-forms are taking over the bodies and minds of his neighbors, friends, family, the woman he loves, and the entire world as he knows it.
— Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney
For more deals that may have been found after this post was created, see our Daily Deals page on Omnimystery News for an updated list.
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.
Today's Selection of Free MystereBooks for Friday, September 11, 2015
Omnimystery News is pleased to feature a selection of Free MystereBooks found on Friday, September 11, 2015 at 7:00 AM ET …
Inheritance by Thomas Wymark
A Novel of Psychological Suspense
Publisher: Thomas Wymark
Price: FREE!
Keeping with Killers by Adam Nicholls
The Salingers Trilogy
Publisher: Adam Nicholls
Price: FREE!
Slain in the Spirit by Walt Rosenfeld
A Sci-Fi Mystery
Publisher: Walt Rosenfeld
Price: FREE!
Hollow by J. B. Hawker
A Bunny Elder Mystery
Publisher: J. B. Hawker
Price: FREE!
Monitor by Brendan Mackey
A Calvin Recker Mystery Short Story
Publisher: Brendan Mackey
Price: FREE!
Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge
The Dowser Series of Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Old Man in the CrossWalk Productions
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.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Black River, A Sean O'Brien Thriller by Tom Lowe, 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.)
Black River by Tom Lowe
A Sean O'Brien Thriller (6th in series)
Publisher: Kingsbridge Entertainment
Price: 99¢ (as of 09/10/2015 at 8:00 PM ET).
When an old man sees an unidentified Civil War photograph of a woman in the newspaper, he begins a desperate search for a 160-year-old painting that he believes will match the image of the enigmatic woman in the photograph, and if it does, it will prove that his great, great grandfather did not run from battle.
After the old man hires Sean O'Brien to find the mysterious painting, O'Brien discovers it's linked to a secret letter and map that will lead to a trapdoor where a hidden key to the most horrific war on U.S. soil lies buried in mud at the bottom of a river. It's also linked to a new murder, and there are those who will stop at nothing to keep the information hidden because to bring it to the surface will re-write American history.
— Black River by Tom Lowe
A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.
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.
Review: Death Ex Machina by Gary Corby
A Mysterious Review of Death Ex Machina by Gary Corby. A Nicolaos, Ancient Greece Mystery.
Review summary: This is an entertaining entry in this historical series written in a contemporary manner, but the murder mystery plot is very thin, indeed. An attempt at misdirection generally falls flat, though in principle the guiding premise is an interesting question to ponder. Best for fans of the series, not first time readers. (Click here for text of full review.)
Our rating:
Death Ex Machina
Gary Corby
A Nicolaos, Ancient Greece Mystery
Soho Crime (May 2015)
Publisher synopsis: It's the time of the Great Dionysia, the largest arts festival of the ancient world, held each year in honor of Dionysos, the god of wine. But there's a problem: A ghost is haunting Athens's grand theater.
Nicolaos and his clever partner in sleuthing (and now in matrimony), the priestess Diotima, are hired to rid the theater of the ghost so that the festival can begin. With the help of Theokritos, the High Priest of Dionysos, they exorcise the ghost publicly, while secretly suspecting that a human saboteur is the actual culprit.
Their efforts to protect the theater fall short when one of the actors is found hanged from the machine used to carry actors through the air when they play the part of gods. It's quite a theatrical murder.
As Nico and Diotima dig into the actor's past, they discover all was not as it seemed. There are enough suspects to fill a theater. As the festival approaches and pressure mounts on all sides, can they hunt down the killer in time? Or will they simply have to hope for a deus ex machina?
Red Handed, A Benediction Novel by Shelly Bell, 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 present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Avon Red Impulse …
Red Handed by Shelly Bell
A Benediction Novel (2nd in series)
Publisher: Avon Red Impulse
Price: 99¢ (as of 09/10/2015 at 7:00 PM ET).
After her stepmother is abducted, Danielle Walker has no choice but to follow the kidnapper's cryptic instructions. Under the guise of a sex slave trainee, she must infiltrate Cole DeMarco's BDSM club and find evidence of his offshore bank account … or she'll never see her stepmother alive again. But Master Cole is no stranger, and despite the dark past they share, Danielle cannot resist his magnetic pull.
As Danielle begins uncovering Cole's secrets, the artistic voyeur arouses her deepest desires, and she surrenders to a fiery passion she never expected. But with time running out to save her stepmother, Danielle and Cole will face off against an evil growing more ruthless by the day … and discover a twisted web of lies, betrayal, and murder that neither saw coming.
— Red Handed by Shelly Bell
A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.
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.
New This Week: MIrror Me, A Mirror Novel by Stephanie Tyler
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 September 2015 and priced $4.99 or less …
MIrror Me by Stephanie Tyler
A Mirror Novel (1st in series)
Publisher: Stephanie Tyler
Price: $4.99 (as of 09/10/2015 at 6:30 PM ET).
Kayla Peters hasn't been Claire Cooper for six years … but the past is about to catch up with her, and nothing will ever be the same …
Kayla's in witness protection, being hidden from her twin sister by the U.S. Marshals Office. When Kayla moves in next to a former Special Forces operative, she discovers that he's got a dark, dangerous past of his own..and that he might be the only person who could help her survive.
Teige doesn't want to like Kayla. Since the death of his CO and Teige's retirement from Delta Force, he'd been taking on the most dangerous jobs, pressing the luck he feels had followed him his entire life. He's convinced it'll run out, because he knows no one can be that lucky all the time. And when he discovers who Kayla really is, and what kind of trouble's following her, he realizes he's up against the most dangerous — and personal — job of his career.
— MIrror Me by Stephanie Tyler
Visit our New Indie MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News for a complete list of titles featured today.
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.
Dark Tides Rising, A Parker Chase Thriller by Andrew Clawson, 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 present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the author …
Dark Tides Rising by Andrew Clawson
A Parker Chase Thriller (3rd in series)
Publisher: Andrew Clawson
Price: 99¢ (as of 09/10/2015 at 6:00 PM ET).
In Philadelphia, Penn historian Erika Carr studies a Revolutionary era map that had been lost for centuries. Scrawled across its surface is a cryptic poem, the contents of which Erika suspects may point to a prize that has fascinated mankind for ages.
Buried treasure.
When a mysterious benefactor appears and offers her a fortune in exchange for the map, Erika cannot imagine what her refusal will unleash.
With Erika at his side, investment banker Parker Chase soon finds himself racing for his life as they unravel the mystery of the map and the treasure it protects, deciphering clues charted by some of history's most infamous pirates.
Every clue brings them closer to the truth masked within the enigmatic poem, though they have no idea what darkness awaits. The treacherous course takes them from the remote beaches of North Carolina to the sparkling waters of the Caribbean, and if they can stay alive, Parker and Erika can uncover a treasure that will rewrite history.
— Dark Tides Rising by Andrew Clawson
A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.
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.
The Night Watch, A Sister Agnes Mystery by Alison Joseph, New This Week 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 …
The Night Watch by Alison Joseph
A Sister Agnes Mystery (6th in series)
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Price: $3.99 (as of 09/10/2015 at 5:30 PM ET).
When a wayward golf ball hits Matthias Kavanagh in the head, causing a fatal riding accident, it is dismissed by his friends and family as nothing more than a random and tragic act of God. But Sister Agnes Bourdillon is troubled by the events surrounding his death, especially when she learns that another rider was injured in similar circumstances only days before. Can it be mere coincidence, or was foul play at work? Reason tells Agnes she is wrong to be suspicious; those closest to her beg her to let it lie.
But as a nun, she can't accept that God and the universe can be so cruel. Another death is enough to convince her that a killer is at work. Consumed by doubts and deserted by those she most depends upon, she will need to delve deep into her reserves of ingenuity and strength to establish not only the truth about what she's sure is murder, but also the foundations of her own beliefs. Ultimately, it will be another kind of faith that prevails; faith in herself.
— The Night Watch by Alison Joseph
Visit our New Indie MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News for a complete list of titles featured today.
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.
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