Today's featured new hardcover mystery, suspense, or thriller title scheduled to be published during October 2015 is …
The Right Wrong Thing by Ellen Kirschman, a Dot Meyerhoff Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Officer Randy Spelling had always wanted to be a police officer, to follow in the footsteps of her brothers and her father. Not long after joining the force, she mistakenly shoots and kills Lakeisha Gibbs, a pregnant teenager. The community is outraged; Lakeisha's family is vocal and vicious in their attacks against Spelling. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and filled with remorse, Randy is desperate to apologize to the girl's family. Everyone, including the police chief, warns her against this, but the young police officer will not be dissuaded. Her attempt is catastrophic.
Dr. Dot Myerhoff, police psychologist, plunges herself into the investigation despite orders from the police chief to back off. Not only does the psychologist's refusal to obey orders jeopardize her career, but her life as well, as she enlists unlikely allies and unconventional undercover work to expose the tangled net of Officer Spelling's disastrous course.
The winners of the Macavity Awards were announced last night during Bouchercon in Raleigh, NC. Each year the members of Mystery Readers International nominate and vote for their favorite mysteries published in the previous year.
And the winners are …
• Best Mystery Novel: The Killer Next Door by Alex Marwood (Penguin);
• Best First Mystery Novel: Invisible City by Julia Dahl (Minotaur Books);
• Best Mystery-Related Non-Fiction: Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer's Journey by Hank Phillippi Ryan, editor (Henery Press);
• Best Mystery Short Story: "Honeymoon Sweet" by Craig Faustus Buck (Murder at the Beach, The Bouchercon Anthology 2014, edited by Dana Cameron; Down & Out Books); and
• Sue Feder Historical Memorial Award: A Deadly Measure of Brimstone by Catriona McPherson (Minotaur Books).
New on the Mystery Bookshelf during October 2015 …
Just Killing Time by Julianne Holmes, A Ruth Clagan, Clock Shop Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Berkley
Ruth Clagan may be an expert clockmaker, but she's always had a tendency to lose track of time. And when trying to solve a murder, every minute counts …
Ruth's beloved grandfather instilled in her a love of timepieces. Unfortunately after her grandmother died and he remarried, Ruth and Grandpa Thom became estranged. She's wanted to reconnect after her recent divorce, but sadly they've run out of time. Her grandfather has been found dead after a break-in at his shop — and the police believe he was murdered.
Now Ruth has been named the heir to Grandpa Thom's clock shop, the Cog & Sprocket, in the small Berkshire town of Orchard, Massachusetts. As soon as she moves into the small apartment above the shop and begins tackling the heaps of unfinished work, Ruth finds herself trying to stay on the good side of Grandpa's bossy gray cat, Bezel, while avoiding the step-grandmother she never wanted. But as old secrets and grudges start to surface, Ruth will have to kick into high gear to solve the killer case before someone else winds up dead …
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.
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 October 2015 and priced $4.99 or less …
When Jake's ex-wife moves to Minnesota, Daisy does her best to make Stella Gardner feel welcome. She puts on a smile as she helps Stella move into her new home, and she even invites her to Thanksgiving dinner, hoping for a smooth transition as they redefine their blended family.
But when Stella confides that she's receiving threats at her new job, Daisy realizes that Stella's life is being complicated by more than just sharing holidays and custody. And when those threats take a darker turn — a turn that affects Daisy and her family, too — she knows she's going to have to get involved.
Because her family's happiness — and safety — depends on it.
— You've Got Blackmail by Jeff Shelby
See all five mysteries in the Moose River Series for $4.99 or less each on Kindle. The first book in the series, The Murder Pit, is currently FREE!
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.
Omnimystery News invites you to Enter To Win a copy of The Ashtabula Hat Trick by Les Roberts, courtesy of Gray & Company.
Three (3) winners will each receive a copy of …
Title: The Ashtabula Hat Trick A Milan Jacovich Mystery Author: Les Roberts Publisher: Gray & Company Format: Hardcover List Price: $24.95
Use the form below to submit your entry. One entry per person; US residents only. Entry period ends Friday, October 16, 2015 at 11:59 AM ET. (If you cannot see the entry form, use this link.)
About The Ashtabula Hat Trick …
The people of Queenstown, Ohio, don't take kindly to strangers. But they have no choice in the matter after a man's body is found in a local park, pants unzipped and stabbed through the heart―and a second man's body turns up days later, his head bashed in. Local law enforcement needs help with the town's first-ever murder investigation.
Private investigator Milan Jacovich (pronounced MY-lan YOCK-ovitch) tags along when his main squeeze, Cleveland homicide detective Tobe Blaine, is dispatched to rural Ashtabula County to handle the case.
Word travels fast in the small town, and the mixed-race couple receives a cold welcome. The motel manager doesn't like their looks, the coroner conveniently forgets key details, and patrons at the local watering hole flaunt their disrespect for Tobe's out-of-town badge and her skin color.
Milan enlists his young assistant, Kevin "K.O." O'Bannion, to glean information from the town's teens, who tell tales of their parents' fervent devotion to their local pastor, an outspoken bigot. Did homophobia factor in the murders?
Looming over the case is nearby Conneaut prison―privately run, overcrowded, and rumored to employ some questionable methods (as well as many local residents). Inside its walls, a powerful convict known as "The Prophet" just might have the information Tobe and Milan need to solve the case―if they can get him to talk.
Queenstown might only be an hour's drive from Cleveland, but Milan, Tobe, and K.O. find themselves strangers in a strange land. They also soon find themselves neck-deep in serious trouble.
We are delighted to welcome back mystery author Lauren Carr to Omnimystery News today.
Lauren's latest mystery, Kill and Run (Acorn Book Services; September 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats), is the first in a new series and features a couple of characters that will be familiar to fans of her other series. It's been a while since we talked with the very busy author, but we did manage to catch up with Lauren recently to discuss her new book.
— ♦ —
Omnimystery News: Introduce us to the Thorny Rose Detectives.
Photo provided courtesy of Lauren Carr
Lauren Carr: The Thorny Rose Detectives are the second generation of the protagonists from my other two series, The Mac Faraday Mysteries and Joshua Thornton of my Lovers in Crime Mysteries. In Three Days to Forever, I introduced Jessica Faraday, Mac's daughter, to Murphy Thornton, Joshua's son. At the end of that Mac Faraday mystery, Murphy and Jessica got married less than a couple of days after meeting — talk about a whirlwind romance!
I am really excited about Murphy and Jessica, especially as a couple, because being younger (they are in their early to mid-twenties) they are more passionate and impulsive than their parents. Also, being so young, I'll be the first to admit that they are not perfect. In Kill and Run, Murphy, a Navy Lieutenant, is conducting his first official murder investigation and his bosses send for his father to travel to Washington to help him.
On the romantic side, as newlyweds, Murphy and Jessica are still in the discovery phase of their marriage. In Three Days to Forever, they vowed that divorce was not an option. Therefore, any differences they have, they have to work through, which creates some witty banter between the two of them that readers are telling me they love about them. For example, readers discover in Kill and Run that Murphy wants to have family right away. He comes from a large family and his parents started having children immediately. However, Jessica has plans to go to medical school. She wants to wait.
OMN: How do you expect Murphy and Jessica to develop over the course of this new series?
LC: When I started out writing my first series, the Joshua Thornton Mysteries, I did not intend for my characters to change. I wanted and expected them to remain the same from one book to the other — exactly like Hercule Poirot and Perry Mason. However, readers pointed out to me that my characters were changing as they grew — which is a good thing. I purposely do not put continuing storylines that spill from one book to the other, which forces readers to read every installment in order. I write each book as a stand-alone.
However, as the characters grow, then they do change, even though I don't intend for that to happen. With the Thorny Rose Mysteries, Murphy and Jessica will have to change at they adjust to one another while their marriage grows. There is one tender scene in Kill and Run where Murphy, upon discovering that Jessica's best childhood friend had died in a motorcycle accident, offers to sell his beloved motorcycle because she worries when he goes out riding on it.
OMN: How would you tweet a summary of Kill and Run?
LC: 5 strangers R brought together for murder in Lauren Carr's hit #newrelease KILL AND RUN #mystery #ASMSG #IARTG #bynr http://ow.ly/Q3Ffp
OMN: Have you based any of your characters on people you know?
LC: My husband is the business manager for our church and I do a lot of volunteer work for them. Since I use a pen name, there are still people who have known me for years who don't know that I write murder mysteries. One day, a young pastor who was doing an internship at our church walked up to me. After telling me that he had just found out, after knowing me for many months, that I wrote murder mysteries, he asked with a touch of fear in his voice, "Do you ever kill people you know in your books?" To which I replied, "Oh, yes! And sometimes I'll kill total strangers!"
He's still scared of me.
Just because I'm mad at someone about something, I don't put them totally into one of my books to kill them or make them a killer. My primary goal, at all times, is the story — the plotline. During the whole writing process, I'm exploring and adjusting the characters to make them the best fit for the murder mystery puzzle.
I have one extremely nasty character in Kill and Run — Hillary Koch, Murphy's boss during his day job assignment at the Pentagon. Hillary is the worst boss in the whole world. Murphy call her Crotch for a reason. In creating her character, I lifted every nasty trait and deed from every horrible boss I have ever had during my whole working life to create this Frankenstein monster of a boss.
OMN: Where do you most often find yourself writing?
LC: I have a writer's studio that my husband had built for me. It has a desk and windows that look out onto a treetop view. My needs have changed throughout the years. I used to carry my laptop around the house, curling up in one chair or sofa or even the bed. But I find that as I have more and more deadlines to meet and demands, that I actually need an office to get away from distractions — aka my family.
I'm a workaholic — meaning that when I am on a roll with a book that I will literally write all day long — which, I am surprised to learn, have caused some health issues — like migraines. So, now, on doctor's orders, I have this giant elliptical in my studio that I have to take regular breaks to use at least once a day.
Who would have thought?
OMN: You mentioned that you use a pen name. What are the advantages or disadvantages to having one?
LC: I've had my pen name longer than I've had my real name. I was using Lauren Carr before I met my husband and got married. I use a pen name because I write fiction and, simply, I don't like my real name. My husband doesn't even call me by my given name. He calls me Marilyn (that's another story).
I thought long and hard and carefully chose what I wanted to use before I settled on Lauren Carr.
I always go by Lauren Carr when I do author events or anything that has to do with writing or publishing — which is really all day long anymore. There are people who I do book business with who have no idea what my real name is. I even answer to Lauren. If I'm in a public place and someone calls out, "Lauren!" I'll answer. The other day, I was given something to sign and I had to pause to think about who I was.
As for disadvantages? Well, maybe some people think I'm strange having two identities.
OMN: What's next for you?
LC: Right now, I am working on the eleventh Mac Faraday Mystery, Cancelled Vows. In this mystery, David O'Callaghan and Chelsea Adams' wedding plans collide with one tiny little obstacle. David is already married … and didn't know it! Now, with less than a week before his wedding day, David rushes off to get his wife to sign divorce papers. When she ends up murdered, it is up to David's best man, Mac Faraday, and Gnarly, K9-in-waiting, to sort through the clues to get David to the church in time!
— ♦ —
Lauren Carr is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes.
The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This year, several books, over a variety of genre, written by independent authors will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services, which is currently accepting submissions. Visit the Acorn Book Services website for more information.
Lauren lives with her husband, son, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.
Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.
Before long, the case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.
The Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?
Laying low in South America, Michael has been running security for the Miraflores Hilton in Lima, Peru, juggling temperamental tourists, irksome dignitaries, and the occasional lady of the night. But Michael's colorful life in Lima comes to a violent halt with the arrival of two Colombian hit men who trap him in one of the hotel's rooms and force him at gunpoint to take a call from Bridget Callaghan in Ireland.
Michael and Bridget have a lot of history. For one, they used to be lovers. For another, Michael killed Bridget's husband. Bridget offers Michael a terrible choice: come find my daughter, or my men will kill you — now.
Michael arrives in Dublin on Bloomsday, June 16th, the date that James Joyce's Ulysses takes place — but whether this coincidence augurs well for him or foretells his end can't yet be known. In the span of this single day, he penetrates the heart of an IRA network, is kidnapped, escapes, then worms his way into the criminal underground in search of the missing girl. Never certain who to trust, Michael keeps his revolver close at hand — and doesn't hesitate to use it — outsmarting at every turn any number of determined would-be assassins.
Before the day is out, on a windswept ocean cliff, Michael finds himself face-to-face with the kidnappers as well as the lovely and murderous Bridget. It is there that he must finally confront a series of shocking truths — not just about others but, above all, about himself as well.
The isolated town of Beldon, Wisconsin, is shocked when a high school freshman's body is found in Lake Algonquin. Just like everyone in the community, sixteen-year-old Daniel Byers believes that Emily Jackson's death was accidental. But at her funeral, when he has a terrifying vision of her, his world begins to rip apart at the seams.
Convinced that Emily's appearance was more than just a mere hallucination, Daniel begins to look carefully into her death, even as he increasingly loses the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality.
What's real? What's not? Where does reality end and madness begin?
As Daniel struggles to find the truth, his world begins to crumble around him as he slips further and further into his own private blurred reality.
The disturbing visions that helped Daniel Byers solve a deadly mystery have finally quieted, and the sixteen-year-old basketball star is looking forward to things settling back to normal. But when his father mysteriously disappears, Daniel realizes that the key to finding his dad rests in deciphering his chilling hallucinations.
Soon, long-buried secrets begin to surface, revealing clues that could help him locate his father. But as the past collides with the present and reality begins to blur around him, Daniel faces a race against time to save his dad before it's too late.
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, October 09, 2015 at 7:00 AM ET …
Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder by MaryAnn Kempher
An Under The Moonlight Mystery
Publisher: MaryAnn Kempher
Price: FREE!
Crowning the Slug Queen by L. M. Fortin
A Callie Stone Mystery
Publisher: L. M. Fortin
Price: FREE!
Don't Rock the Boat by Janice Thompson
A Bridal Mayhem Mystery
Publisher: Janice Thompson
Price: FREE!
Cherry Pie Murder by Kathy Hunter
A Green Springs Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Kathy Hunter
Price: FREE!
Ghosts by Mark Dawson
A John Milton Thriller
Publisher: Black Dog Publishing
Price: FREE!
Hearths of Fire by Kennedy Layne
A Red Starr Novel of Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Kennedy Layne
Price: FREE!
Double Cross by Varun Vashist
A Kiara Davenport Mystery
Publisher: Varun Vashist
Price: FREE!
A Friend of Silence by M. Lee Prescott
A Roger and Bess Mystery
Publisher: Quicksand Chronicles
Price: FREE!
Redwood Violet by Robin Mahle
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Robin Mahle
Price: FREE!
Lethal Misconduct by C. G. Cooper
A Corp Justice Novel
Publisher: Cooper & Associates
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.
Review summary: This is a well-written, if incredibly slow moving, crime novel. Taken as a character study, there is some appeal here, but the overall story really isn't all that compelling and seems to serve mostly as a means of bringing closure to a few plot points from previous books in the series. Probably best suited for fans of the series. (Click here for text of full review.)
Our rating:
The Redeemers Ace Atkins A Quinn Colson Mystery Putnam (July 2015)
Publisher synopsis: He is only in his early thirties, but now Quinn Colson is jobless — voted out of office as sheriff of Tibbehah County, Mississippi, thanks to the machinations of county kingpin Johnny Stagg. He has offers, in bigger and better places, but before he goes, he's got one more job to do — bring down Stagg's criminal operations for good.
At least that's the plan. But in the middle of the long, hot summer, a trio of criminals stage a bold, wall-smashing break-in at the home of a local lumber mill owner, making off with a million dollars in cash from his safe, which is curious, because the mill owner is wealthy — but not that wealthy. None of this has anything to do with Colson, but during the investigation, two men are killed, one of them the new sheriff. His friend, acting sheriff Lillie Virgil, and a dangerous former flame, Anna Lee Stevens, both ask him to step in, and reluctantly he does, only to discover that that safe contained more than just money — it held secrets.
Secrets that could either save Colson — or destroy him once and for all.
Poppy Cartwright's Klutter Killer business is taking off. But when her Aunt Millie, hoarder extraordinaire, wants professional organizing help, Poppy moves Millie to the top of her to-do list. Surprised by the appearance of a handsome and mysterious handyman hired by her aunt out of the blue, Poppy is in for an even greater shock when amid the piles of junk in Millie's garage she discovers … a corpse.
Poppy is content to leave the case of the unidentified man to the police until witnesses begin to describe a suspect who matches Poppy's son to a tee. Now she must juggle her messy aunt, a suspicious cousin, and a booming business as she searches for clues that will clear her only child. One thing is certain Poppy won t rest until she lines up every detail, a task that might organize her right into a killer's sights.
— Relative Chaos by Kay Finch
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.
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 October 2015 and priced $4.99 or less …
Disgraced ex-cop Rocket Malone makes a living collecting the memories of the rich. How does he do it? Simple. He cracks open their skulls and yanks out the implanted hardware. It pays the bills. At least, it would if he wasn't swimming in gambling debts.
Called to the scene of a grisly murder, Rocket runs into a small problem. His client's head is missing, along with the memories it contains. A beautiful woman, a mysterious foreigner, and an eccentric billionaire all believe Rocket can find the missing memories, and each is willing to pay dearly for the information.
Finding this dead man's memories just might be the solution to Rocket's problems.
And if Rocket can't find the missing head in time? The people who've hired him aren't the sort who take "no" for an answer.
— Collection by Shawn Kobb
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.
