MystereBooks: This Week's Update of Kindle Crime Fiction Priced $2.99 or Less

Every month Amazon publishes a list of 100 Kindle books priced $3.99 or less. We thought we'd take that idea and improve on it, publishing a list of 100 Kindle mystery books priced $2.99 or less and updating it every week!

Here is our general criteria for selecting titles to include: books from major or specialty publishers of crime fiction and those written by authors familiar to us. There are far more than 100 to choose from, so we use our best judgment to narrow it down.

And just a reminder … as we add new titles, older ones are removed from the list. These books aren't likely to be repeated, so we encourage you to check in frequently!

Just a couple of notes before we get to today's update.

• In addition to the August selection of $3.99 or less Kindle books Amazon started The Big Deal Sale for the month. There aren't a lot of mystery, suspense or thriller titles included but there is a good selection. See our blog post about the sale for more information.

• Poisoned Pen Press added several titles to its discounted first-and-second-in-series mysteries this past week.

Below are listed the new $2.99 or less titles we added today; click on the cover or title for more information or to purchase the Kindle edition.

Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice! We strongly urge you to confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase is the price of the book.

Never Saw It Coming by Linwood Barclay.

Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover.

The Outlaw Among Us by Nathan Dodge.

The Blood of Tyrants by Peter S. Fischer.

The Terror of Tyrants by Peter S. Fischer.

Identity by Mark Hosack.

Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indriðason.

Water Witch by Deborah LeBlanc.

Rider's Down by John McEvoy.
A Matt O'Connor Mystery (1st).

Behind Closed Doors by Shannon McKenna.

First To Kill by Andrew Peterson.
A Nathan McBride Mystery (1st).

Mew is for Murder by Clea Simon.
A Theda Krakow Mystery (1st).

Cattery Row by Clea Simon.
A Theda Krakow Mystery (2nd).

Done Deal by Les Standiford.
A John Deal Mystery (1st).

Raw Deal by Les Standiford.
A John Deal Mystery (2nd).

We All Fall Down by Simon Wood.

Terminated by Simon Wood.

 

Reviews of Mystery and Suspense Books for Kids, New This Week on Book Trends (120818)

Book Trends, a review site for young adult's and children's books, published several new book reviews this past week. We're presenting here a summary of those in the mystery/suspense/thriller category.

Deadly Pink by Vivian Vande Velde. Lexile measure: 850L. Reviewed by 6th grade student, who wrote the book "… is a mystical, fantasizing, and suspenseful novel that is a must read!" (Read the full review of this teen thriller here.)

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm. Lexile measure: HL720L. Reviewed by a 6th grade student, who recommended that the book "… is best for readers who enjoy a little mystery combined with romance." (Read the full review of this "story of crushes, corsets, and conspiracy" here.)

For more reviews of children and young adult books of all genres, visit Book Trends; their reviews will amaze you! You can also follow Book Trends on Twitter.

This Weekend's Amazon Local Deal is a $3 Voucher for an MP3 Album

This weekend's Amazon Local Deal is a free voucher worth $3 off any MP3 album priced $5.99 or greater from Amazon MP3. (You may have to look at the bottom of the page under "More Deals" to find it.) A credit card is required to obtain the voucher, but you won't be charged. The voucher must be used by September 2nd, 2012 or it will expire. Quantities are limited so if this offer is of interest to you, don't delay!

So … how is this related to mystery?

Well, we're going to use our voucher against a film soundtrack. We're leaning this morning towards Inception (Hans Zimmer — among the best composers of scores for suspense films) but want to sample a few more before making a final decision.

Dime Detective by Randy Chandler is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Dime Detective by Randy Chandler as today's fourth free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ♦ —

Dime Detective
Randy Chandler
A Joe Dall Mystery
Publisher: Comet Press

When barroom bouncer Joe Dall's ex-wife is murdered, he finds himself pressed into service as a novice private eye. Something very dark and deadly lurks in the lush shadows of the sleepy Florida town and if he can't unmask the killer soon, others close to Joe will die. Working on a powerful client's dime, Joe Dall's first case could be his last.

  

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

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Assignment Prague by Helen Haught Fanick is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Assignment Prague by Helen Haught Fanick as today's third free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ♦ —

Assignment Prague
Helen Haught Fanick
Publisher: CreateSpace

Anton Janak is a dedicated member of the Czechoslovakian Resistance working against the Nazis, and he values anyone who can help his efforts. But when he learns that the young spy sent by the OSS to Prague is a woman, he has misgivings about working with her. He had expected a man — a man who could handle his assignment with the help of Janak and his fellow Resistance workers.

It doesn't take long, however, for Janak to realize the beautiful blonde spy has enough daring and resourcefulness to do what it takes in the occupied city. The Nazis are everywhere, but Tereza's knowledge of Czech and German allows her to fit right in. Both of them have an unspoken determination to keep their relationship professional, to keep distractions at a minimum, but is that going to be possible when every day might be their last?

The bond that develops between them can only be destroyed by death, but that's a real possibility for covert activists in Nazi-occupied Prague.

  

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

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

A Killing Among the Dead by Diana Wilder is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Killing Among the Dead by Diana Wilder as today's second free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ♦ —

A Killing Among the Dead
Diana Wilder
Publisher: CreateSpace

Wenatef opens his eyes to darkness and intense silence. The air is heavy with myrrh: he is in a burial chamber. Pain lances through his left side as he tries to raise himself, bringing the taste of blood to his lips. His life ebbs as he remembers how the nightmare began …

One of his men came screaming of destruction and mutilation in the tomb of Egypt's greatest king. Wenatef set out to stop the sacrilege only to find that the very people he is sworn to protect were blocking him. He dreams of judgment before the gods and awakens to find new strength and even more questions. Whose blood is pooled on the floor beneath him and caked on his side when he seems, now, to be unhurt?

Wenatef lets his enemies think they have killed him and sets out to uncover who is robbing and defiling the dead. Each new discovery brings him closer to the heart of a far-flung scandal of greed and betrayal that reaches a climax in a final confrontation in the great Temple of Karnak beneath the gaze of the gods.

  

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

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Croaker: Kill Me Again by Paul Bishop is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Croaker: Kill Me Again by Paul Bishop as today's free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ♦ —

Croaker: Kill Me Again
Paul Bishop
Publisher: Paul Bishop

Originally published by Avon Books in 1994, this is the first mystery (of four) in this series.

Los Angeles homicide detective Fey Croaker must solve the recent murder of a pretty, forty-something woman whose fingerprints surprisingly identify her as a previous murder victim from eighteen years earlier.

At 43, Fey Croaker has survived three dead-end marriages, a severely abusive upbringing, and the relentless resentment of her male colleagues on the force. Now, because of a streak of unsolved murders, she feels extra pressure to solve the murder of a mysterious woman who had multiple IDs in different names, a million dollars in cash, and only new clothing and furniture in her equally new condo at the time of her death.

Fingerprints inexplicably reveal the woman had already been murdered – 18 years earlier in San Francisco. Despite this twist, the case appears to be open and shut – the woman's ex-husband, convicted of killing her the first time, was released on parole weeks before her second murder. However, the victim has many more surprises for everyone involved – especially for Fey, who finds herself becoming one of the suspects when her investigation takes a turn for the deadly.

  

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

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Total Recall by Philip K. Dick is Today's Nook Daily Find

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Total Recall by Philip K. Dick as today's Barnes & Noble Nook Daily Find.

The deal price of $0.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, August 18, 2012.

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

— ♦ —

Total Recall
Philip K. Dick
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

This is the short story — originally titled as "We Can Remember it For You Wholesale" — that was the inspiration for both "Total Recall" films.

This ebook only edition of Philip K. Dick’s classic short story tells the story of Douglas Quail, an unfulfilled bureaucrat who dreams of visiting Mars, but can't afford the trip. Luckily, there is Rekal Incorporated, a company that lets everyday stiffs believe they’ve been on incredible adventures. The only problem is that when technicians attempt a memory implant of a spy mission to Mars, they find that real memories of just such a trip are already in Quail's brain. Suddenly, Quail is running for his life from government agents, but his memories might make him more of a liability than he is worth.

 

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

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, August 18, 2012.

— ♦ —

Gregor the Overlander
Suzanne Collins
The Underland Chronicles Book One
Scholastic

This irresistible first novel tells the story of a quiet boy who embarks on a dangerous quest in order to fulfill his destiny — and find his father — in a strange world beneath New York City. When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland, where spiders, rats, cockroaches coexist uneasily with humans. This world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it — until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Reluctantly, Gregor embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever.

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

TNT Renews Perception for a Second Season

TNT has renewed its freshman crime drama Perception for a 13-episode second season.

Eric McCormack stars as Dr. Daniel Pierce, an eccentric neuroscience professor with paranoid schizophrenia who is recruited by the FBI to help solve complex cases. Pierce has an intimate knowledge of human behavior and a masterful understanding of the way the mind works. He also has an uncanny ability to see patterns and look past people's conscious emotions to see what lies beneath.

"Perception has captured the imagination of TNT's audience of armchair detectives with wonderfully intricate cases, emotionally charged situations and, of course, a terrific cast led by Eric McCormack," said Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies. "Daniel Pierce is a truly unique and fascinating addition to television's pantheon of crime solvers. We look forward to seeing where Perception takes us next."

We have to admit the series hasn't clicked with us. We watched the first two episodes and then it sort of drifted off our radar. It is only mid-way through its first season, so maybe we'll check it out again; the next episode, the sixth of ten ordered for this season, airs this coming Monday at 10 PM (ET/PT).

This Week's Bestselling Mystery and Suspense Television and Film on Demand (120817)

Here is this week's list of the top bestselling mystery and suspense television and film videos available to watch or download from Amazon Instant.

We're using a script to embed an RSS feed from Amazon.com, which is frequently updated, but if you cannot see the box below — or have scripts blocked — you can use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com.

BBC One Planning Remake of The Lady Vanishes

BBC One is planning a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller from 1938, The Lady Vanishes. The 90-minute made-for-television movie stars Tuppence Middleton as wealthy, young socialite Iris Carr, who is comforted by Miss Froy after fainting on a train platform, before waking up to discover her good Samaritan has vanished.

Screenwriter Fiona Seres has adapted the script from the original source material, the 1936 novel The Wheel Spins by Ethel White, which also served as the basis for Hitchcock's film. According to BBC News, filming is expected to begin later this month in Budapest.

"Fiona's adaptation of The Wheel Spins deftly weaves together the intriguing stories of a psychologically complex group of characters … played out against the tense backdrop of the Balkans in the 1930s," said BBC Drama's Kate Harwood.

The Lady Vanishes is scheduled to air this Christmas.

— ♦ —

The Wheel Spins
Ethel White

The protagonist of the story is Iris Carr, who suffers a blackout just before boarding a train that is traveling across Europe to London. On board the train, the still-woozy Iris befriends a certain Mrs. Froy, a fellow Englishwoman who is perhaps a bit eccentric but seems to be for the most part agreeable and benign. Mrs. Froy is the "vanishing lady" of Hitchcock's title, and it is Mrs. Froy who mysteriously disappears while Iris is napping. Her inexplicable departure throws Iris into a mind-bending mystery that will make her alternately question her sanity and the designs of the people around her. When Iris asks about Mrs. Froy, everyone on board the train denies ever having seen the old woman. Although Iris could perhaps be swayed due to the knock on her head that Mrs. Froy was merely a vivid hallucination, a few stray details suggest that something more sinister is happening, and Iris resolves to get to the bottom of the mystery.

      

Copper Premieres August 19th on BBC America

This Sunday, August 19th, the historical crime drama Copper premieres on BBC America at 10 PM (ET/PT).

Tom Weston-Jones stars as Kevin Corcoran, an Irish-American former boxer turned cop, returns from the Civil War to find his wife missing and his daughter dead. Corcoran seeks justice for the powerless in the notorious immigrant neighborhood of Five Points. Bonded by battle to two Civil War compatriots — Robert Morehouse (Kyle Schmid), the wayward son of a wealthy industrialist, and Matthew Freeman (Ato Essandoh), an African-American physician who secretly assists the forensic investigations — Corcoran is thrust into the contrasting worlds of elegant and corrupt Fifth Avenue, and the emerging black community in Northern Manhattan. The three men share a secret from the battlefield that inextricably links their lives forever.

In the opening episode, titled "Surviving Death", with New York City still recovering from the Draft Riots of 1863, Detective Kevin Corcoran finds himself investigating the murder of a young Five Points girl that hits uncomfortably close to home.

Watch a sneak peek of the premiere below.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (120817)

Here is today's list of the Bestselling Free Kindle Crime Fiction: the top nine mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers.

We're using a script to embed an RSS feed from Amazon.com, which is updated hourly, but if you cannot see the box below — or have scripts blocked — you can click on the image to the right or use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com.

New Trailer for Homeland Season 2

Showtime has just released a new trailer for the second season of its thriller Homeland.

Hero or traitor? M.I.A. in Afghanistan for eight years and subjected to unthinkable torture at the hands of al-Qaeda, Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) is finally coming home. CIA officer Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) believes he has been turned and become part of a plot to be carried out on American soil. But the volatile Carrie has some demons of her own.

The second season of Homeland premieres on September 30th at 10 PM (ET/PT).

Save 25% on Selected Titles, This Weekend at Kobo

From now through Monday, August 20th, 2012, Kobo is offering 25% off a single title from a select group of ebooks.

Here is the coupon code — aug1725yz — and here is the link to the list of eligible books.

When we checked there were 121 books on the list, a good number of which were crime novels. All the "Nikki Heat" mysteries by Richard Castle are there, many books by Lisa Jackson, a handful of cozies by Joanne Fluke and several thrillers by John Lutz. Notable single titles include Drive by James Sallis and The Siege of Trencher's Farm by Gordon Williams, both of which were adapted into films.

One coupon per customer, and it should be applied during checkout; look for the "Have a gift card or promo code?" and enter it there.

Remember … this promotion ends on August 20th, 2012 at 11:59 PM ET.

Death Turns a Trick by Julie Smith is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Death Turns a Trick by Julie Smith as today's fourth free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ♦ —

Death Turns a Trick
Julie Smith
A Rebecca Schwartz Mystery
Publisher: booksBnimble

This is the author's debut mystery, first published in 1982 by Walker.

Rebecca Schwartz, nice Jewish lawyer with a few too many fantasies, is happily playing the piano in a whorehouse when she suddenly finds herself assigned to make sure a near-naked state senator escapes a police raid. That dirty job done, a lovely evening turns even more delightful when she’s picked up by the cops and spends the next two hours at the Hall of Justice. Could this day get any worse? Of Course! Guess who arrives home to find a dead hooker on her living room floor?

Handsome Parker Phillips, Rebecca’s new beau and the most attractive man she’s met in ages, is arrested for the murder. (Worse, she suspects he might actually have done it.)

On the plus side, another very attractive man is following the case — reporter Rob Burns of the San Francisco Chronicle, a possible ally. And there are other possibilities.

  

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

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

The Shadow Chaser by John Matthews is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Shadow Chaser by John Matthews as today's third free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ♦ —

The Shadow Chaser
John Matthews
Publisher: Penguin

Andre Lemoine, one of the world's leading geneticists, is on the verge of the medical breakthrough of the century: a link with rare primates that could unlock a vital key in the search for a cure for AIDS.

But part of Andre's quest is driven by a pressing medical threat within his own family, and when his breakthrough brings him into conflict with two ambitious ruthless rivals — it plunges Andre into the race of his life; a race which takes Andre from the dark jungles of Africa and Brazil to the seamy back-streets of Paris and Philadelphia. A nightmare world of thieves, hookers and pimps, lab bombers and FBI agents — far removed from the safety of his lab bench.

For Andre the stakes have never been higher. Because, as the threat to those Andre loves looms stronger, it becomes a race through the shadows of his family's dark past to, ultimately, face death head-on.

  

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

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Pursuit and Persuasion by Sally Wright is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Pursuit and Persuasion by Sally Wright as today's second free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ♦ —

Pursuit and Persuasion
Sally Wright
A Ben Reese Mystery
Publisher: Ballantine

The sudden death of rich, generous Scottish professor Georgina Fletcher seems like a tragic accident. Indeed, American archivist Ben Reese can scarcely believe that it was not. But Georgina had foreseen her death, and had laid down a secret trail of evidence pointing to a hard-hearted murder committed by someone with much to gain if she died — or to lose if she lived.

Was it the brilliant sculptor Georgina had educated and supported? The beautiful student who is also her heir? Her late husband's business associates? Or a jealous colleague in her own department?

It appears that someone very close to her not only killed with fiendish cleverness but wants to ensnare Ben like a blind rat in a live trap — from which he'll never escape …

  

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

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Organize or Die by Laura McClure is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Organize or Die by Laura McClure as today's free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

— ♦ —

Organize or Die
Laura McClure
Publisher: CreateSpace

Ruth Reid thinks her old life is dead. She’s abandoned her crappy career, her unavailable boyfriend, and her hopeless idealism. But just as she’s settling into her new life, which involves a bottle of scotch, her cat, and her Brooklyn couch, she learns that her former colleague, the famed Victoria Shales, has been murdered in the middle of a major union organizing campaign.

Against her better judgment, Ruth agrees to take Victoria’s place and rescue the campaign — if she can. With the election clock ticking loudly, Ruth scrambles to pull together a ragtag group of workers who can help her outgun the company and outrun a pair of deadly thugs who also want her to take Victoria’s place — in the cemetery.

  

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

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.