Kindle-Whispersync Bundle Deals: Mysteries, Thrillers, and Novels of Suspense

A month or so ago Amazon introduced a new feature, Whispersync for Voice, a seamless method for switching between reading a Kindle book and listening to the same Audible audiobook. In our post, we noted that not only was the technology impressive, but you could realize some significant savings when purchasing both formats together, sometimes paying less than the list price of either alone.

Since then we've been looking for particularly good deals using different sets of parameters. Our search today: mysteries, thrillers and novels of suspense, all identifed by Amazon as having an Audible audiobook available at a reduced price.

But before reading on, you might want to check out our original post on the subject to see if this topic might be of interest to you. We're the first to admit that we don't listen to many audiobooks, but with this kind of program available, we're guessing that we may be doing more of that in the future!

Important Note: Before we begin, we should emphasize that any prices mentioned in this post were accurate as of the date and time of the post, and may be different when you read this. The prices displayed by Amazon when you visit the site are the prices for the product(s). You should carefully check and confirm all prices before completing your purchase.

OK, let's take a look at the results. As of the date and time of this post, there were 23 books that met our criteria. (One is clearly not a mystery, but has the word "mystery" in its title; so there are really just 22.) All are probably "good deals", so we elected to feature in this post the seven that we found particularly "good", books we'd buy ourselves — if we didn't already own some of them. Speaking of which, if you already own the Kindle edition of the book, you'll automatically see the special incremental price to add the Audible audiobook on the product page.

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Little Girl Gone by Brett Battles
A Logan Harper Mystery (1st in series)

See also the special Whispersync
offer associated with this title.

Approximate Kindle-Whispersync
bundle savings: 60%.

Logan Harper isn't looking for redemption. He just wants to live in peace and forget his troubled past. But one morning his quiet life is upended when he interrupts the attempted murder of his father's best friend Tooney.

The next thing he knows, Logan is on his way to Los Angeles, searching for Tooney's missing granddaughter and uncovering a sinister plot connected not only to Tooney's past, but also to the boardrooms of corporate America.

As the odds stack up against him, Logan must fall back on old skills from the life he'd rather forget. He's made a promise, and the only way to fulfill it is to bring the girl home alive.

Fata Consequences by Marie Force
The Fatal Series (Book 3)

See also the special Whispersync
offer associated with this title.

Approximate Kindle-Whispersync
bundle savings: 60%.

Lieutenant Sam Holland has no sooner accepted Senator Nick Cappuano's proposal than she's back on the job. A woman has been found brutally murdered and evidence points to Henry Lightfeather, a senator and close friend of Nick's. While Sam investigates, Nick stands by his friend — complicating his own bid for re-election, and causing tension between the couple.

As Sam's investigation reveals a scandal that rocks the capital, Nick and Sam discover that the biggest threat to their future might be someone from her past …

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbø
A Harry Hole Mystery (3rd in series)

See also the special Whispersync
offer associated with this title.

Approximate Kindle-Whispersync
bundle savings: 60%.

Detective Harry Hole embarrassed the force, and for his sins he's been reassigned to mundane surveillance tasks. But while monitoring neo-Nazi activities in Oslo, Hole is inadvertently drawn into a mystery with deep roots in Norway's dark past, when members of the government willingly collaborated with Nazi Germany. More than sixty years later, this black mark won't wash away—and disgraced old soldiers who once survived a brutal Russian winter are being murdered, one by one.

Now, with only a stained and guilty conscience to guide him, an angry, alcoholic, error-prone policeman must make his way safely past the traps and mirrors of a twisted criminal mind. For a conspiracy is taking rapid and hideous shape around Hole … and Norway's darkest hour may be still to come.

Morge Drawer Four by Jutta Profijt
A Martin Gänsewein Mystery (1st in series)

See also the special Whispersync
offer associated with this title.

Approximate Kindle-Whispersync
bundle savings: 50%.

Coroner is the perfect job for Dr. Martin Gänsewein, who spends his days in peace and quiet autopsying dead bodies for the city of Cologne. Shy, but scrupulous, Martin appreciates his taciturn clients — until the day one of them starts talking to him. It seems the ghost of a recently deceased (and surprisingly chatty) small-time car thief named Pascha is lingering near his lifeless body in drawer number four of Martin's morgue. He remains for one reason: his "accidental" death was, in fact, murder. Pascha is furious his case will go unsolved — to say nothing of his body's dissection upon Martin's autopsy table. But since Martin is the only person Pascha can communicate with, the ghost settles in with the good pathologist, determined to bring the truth of his death to light. Now Martin's staid life is rudely upended as he finds himself navigating Cologne's red-light district and the dark world of German car smuggling. Unless Pascha can come up with a plan — and fast — Martin will soon be joining him in the spirit world.

Holiday in Death by J. D. Robb
An Eve Dallas Mystery (7th in series)

See also the special Whispersync
offer associated with this title.

Approximate Kindle-Whispersync
bundle savings: 40%.

No one likes to be alone during the holidays. For New York's most posh dating service, Personally Yours, it is the season to bring lonely hearts together. But Lieutenant Eve Dallas, on the trail of a ritualistic serial killer, has made a disturbing discovery: all of the victims have been traced to Personally Yours.

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens
A Vanessa "Michael" Munroe Mystery (1st in series)

See also the special Whispersync
offer associated with this title.

Approximate Kindle-Whispersync
bundle savings: 45%.

Vanessa "Michael" Munroe deals in information — expensive information — working for corporations, heads of state, private clients, and anyone else who can pay for her unique brand of expertise. Born to missionary parents in lawless central Africa, Munroe took up with an infamous gunrunner and his mercenary crew when she was just fourteen. As his protégé, she earned the respect of the jungle's most dangerous men, cultivating her own reputation for years until something sent her running. After almost a decade building a new life and lucrative career from her home base in Dallas, she's never looked back.

Until now.

A Texas oil billionaire has hired her to find his daughter who vanished in Africa four years ago. It's not her usual line of work, but she can't resist the challenge. Pulled deep into the mystery of the missing girl, Munroe finds herself back in the lands of her childhood, betrayed, cut off from civilization, and left for dead. If she has any hope of escaping the jungle and the demons that drive her, she must come face-to-face with the past that she's tried for so long to forget.

The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake
A John Dortmunder Mystery (1st in series)

See also the special Whispersync
offer associated with this title.

Approximate Kindle-Whispersync
bundle savings: 50%.

John Dortmunder leaves jail with ten dollars, a train ticket, and nothing to make money on but his good name. Thankfully, his reputation goes far. No one plans a caper better than Dortmunder. His friend Kelp picks him up in a stolen Cadillac and drives him away from Sing-Sing, telling a story of a $500,000 emerald that they just have to steal. Dortmunder doesn't hesitate to agree.

The emerald is the crown jewel of a former British colony, lately granted independence and split into two nations: one for the Talabwo people, one for the Akinzi. The Akinzi have the stone, the Talabwo want it back, and their UN representative offers a fine payday to the men who can get it. It's not a simple heist, but after a few years in stir, Dortmunder could use the challenge.

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We'll continue to scout around and tell you about great deals when we find them. In the meantime, if you're interested in purchasing an Audible audiobook, it definitely pays to check to see whether or not there is a Whispersync deal associated with it. You may find that buying the Kindle book and then the Audible audiobook will be less expensive than buying the audiobook alone. Furthermore, even if you've never listened to an audiobook before, you might enjoy the experience. We encourage you to try it for free using the instructions we provided in our previous post.

An Important Reminder: Any prices mentioned above were correct 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.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (121010)

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, which includes a list of both the Top 100 Paid and Top 100 Free Kindle Mysteries and Thrillers.

Review: Bitter Drink by F. G. Haghenbeck

A Mysterious Review of …

Bitter Drink by F. G. Haghenbeck.

Review summary: This is an odd little crime novel. That's not meant as a negative criticism, but is almost certainly the most likely reaction of readers upon finishing it. Uniquely entertaining it is one of the more unusual books to be published this year. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Bitter Drink
F. G. Haghenbeck
AmazonCrossing (July 2012)

Publisher synopsis: Beatnik detective Sunny Pascal is an expert at two things: cocktails and finding trouble. And when the filming of John Huston's The Night of the Iguana hits a few snags with its sexed-up, star- studded cast in a Puerto Vallarta paradise, producer Ray Stark brings Sunny in to chill out the set. But matters get tipsy when someone's found deader than dead, shot down by a gun belonging to one of the cast members.

Now Sunny's got to keep his Hollywood stars out of jail long enough for him to solve the case. But the trouble doesn't stop with murder. The Mexican mafia and local newspapers wage a tension war against the hedonistic Americans, and if John Huston has anything to say about it, Sunny's got to be the one to keep the show on the road. Only Sunny will be doing it his way: with a martini in one hand and a Colt in the other.

  

A Conversation with Giacomo Giammatteo

with Giacomo Giammatteo

We are thrilled to welcome crime novelist Giacomo Giammatteo to Omnimystery News today as a stop on his Partners in Crime Book Tour. We encourage you to check his schedule and visit each of the participating host sites.

Giacomo's debut mystery is Murder Takes Time (Inferno Publishing, April 2012 trade paperback and ebook formats), the first in the "Friendship and Honor" series.

We recently had a chance to talk to the author about his new book.

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Omnimystery News: Murder Takes Time is subtitled as Book One of the Friendship and Honor Series. What prompted you to write this book as the first of a series?

Photo provided courtesy of
Giacomo Giammatteo and Slick

Giacomo Giammatteo: When I got the idea for this book, I thought it was going to be a stand-alone, one-shot deal, but as I worked through the plot and thought about the ending, I decided I had to make this a series. If this were a plot-driven mystery, I would have elected to go with a single book, but when I thought about what I was writing, I realized it was a theme, and it was all about characters. That made me change everything, including the way I told the story.

The reason I ended up going that way was I started thinking of what I enjoyed when I read, and it always boiled down to character. I might fall in love with a strong plot, or a well-told tale, but they don't stand the test of time. If you read those kind of books once, it's enough, and unless you've forgotten the plot, a second go at them doesn't satisfy. I won't say which books left me feeling that way, but I will say which ones didn't.

This one is a movie, but it will do. The Usual Suspects is a prime example of doing it right. At first glance you'd think it wouldn't stand up to a second or third viewing. On the surface it appears to be a movie whose main claim to fame is the magnificent plot twist at the end … but when you watch it a second time, the surprise is that it is every bit as enjoyable, if not more so. The reason is because the characters are so well drawn and developed that they suck you into their lives. They make you feel for them. Even though you know what's going to happen, you are willing to relive it again, with each of the characters.

OMN: As readers, we're generally tend to put a label on the books we read: murder mysteries, novels of romantic suspense, cozies, and the like. How would you categorize this book?

GG: You hit on a question close to my heart. I struggled with this one; in fact, I had two agents turn me down because they said they didn't know where to put this on the bookshelf. One of the Amazon reviewers said it best. I wish I thought of it first:

• This novel is not just a murder mystery.
• This novel is not just a thriller.
• This novel is not just a love story.
• This novel is not just a life story.
• This novel is all in one.

So, even though I didn't know exactly where it fit, I listed it on Amazon as to where I thought people would look for it — mystery/suspense, hard boiled. That puts it in with guys like John Sandford, but also with newcomers like CJ Lyons, a hell of a writer, who adds a touch of romance to her "hard boiled crime."

OMN: Are you saying that writing a cross-genre, even a cross-sub-genre, book is risky for an author?

GG: I think the whole genre/tagging thing is a double-edged sword. In this day and age, an author has to have something to overcome the invisibility factor. And the only way to do that online is with tags or genre listings. The way mine is listed, if people go searching in "hard-boiled mysteries" and they dig deep enough, or search by "average customer review" they'll find me. But if they're looking in "coming-of-age" or general "thriller" or any other category, I'm not going to be there.

An even bigger problem is being labeled as a particular type of writer. If you get someone who once read a hard-boiled detective novel and didn't like it, they're not going to give your book a shot unless someone heartily recommends it. So you have a bigger hill to climb to make a sale.

OMN: There's a general school of thought that writers should write what they know. How much of you is in this book?

GG: Writing what you "know" and "how much of me is in my books" are two very different questions. Much of what is in the books, I know very little of, and had to do research on, but the important parts of my books — the characters — have a lot of me and what I know. I tend to make my characters from people I know. I want to understand what motivates them, how they make decisions, how they would respond to a threat, or a compliment, or a kiss.

OMN: What is the writing process like for you?

GG: My process is fairly simple. I know the beginning, I know the ending, and I make sure I know my characters. Once I have a basic outline of the plot, I let my characters take over. They are real, so the paths they follow will be real.

OMN: Your book is set in Brooklyn and Wilmington, Delaware. How true are you to the settings?

GG: I take some liberties with setting, but not too many. Picking Brooklyn was important because the parts that take place there have a Mafia element to them, and it was a logical choice. It also let me take advantage of the "familiarity" of people's knowledge. Everybody has "seen" Brooklyn either in real life, or in the movies. When I'm describing something in Brooklyn, I don't have to go into great detail; in fact, going into a lot of detail might work against me. If a reader has seen Goodfellas or even a Bronx Tale or any of a hundred other mob movies, they'll substitute the restaurant I mention in my book for one in their head, and it will usually be a favorable image because it stuck there.

In Wilmington, I stayed more true to setting. I treated it more like a secondary character, even though it played as much, if not more, a role as Brooklyn. Most readers don't have a mental image to associate with Wilmington, so I had to provide one.

OMN: You just mentioned a couple of films that have a very visual feel to them. Are these the types of movies you enjoy watching yourself?

GG: I enjoy watching almost anything with great acting. My favorite films are a collection of all different types. I've listed them in no particular order, with the exception that the Phantom has probably claimed the number-one spot in my heart.

• Phantom of the Opera
• The Maltese Falcon
• Casablanca
• The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
• The Godfather
• The Godfather II
• The Usual Suspects
• Gone With the Wind
• Camelot
• The Princess Bride

OMN: Suppose Murder Takes Time is adapted for film and you were the casting director. Who would you approach to play the roles in your book?

GG: It's not like every author doesn't think about this, but I didn't until after the reviews started coming in. A lot of people have said they think it would make a great movie. After hearing that, I put some thought to it. Since this is all dreams anyway, how about Leonardo DiCaprio for the protag, Frankie Donovan. A few years ago I wouldn't have picked him, but after seeing his performance in The Departed I'm convinced. That was a magnificent piece of work.

OMN: What about life outside of writing?

GG: I have no time for hobbies, but my interests are varied. My one other passion, besides my family, is animals. My wife and I have an animal sanctuary, and at last count we had 41 animals of all kinds — dogs, a cat, a horse, potbellied pigs, wild pigs, and one crazy wild boar.

And yes, some of the animals find their way into the books. Sometimes it's simply a named animal, and at other times I use the animals to evoke emotions, both positive and negative.

OMN: How do you engage with readers? Are there any questions you get tired of hearing?

GG: I enjoy — let me rephrase that — I love hearing from readers. And I don't mean emails saying how much they liked the book. That's nice to hear, but I like to know what the reader thought of a character, or whether they had any problems with how I did something, or how a character acted. One lady wrote and said there was too much cursing. I agreed with her, but this is a book about kids and people who really use that kind of language; if anything, I toned it down. Despite, that she made a good point, and in my next book I made sure to look through it again and take some of the language out when I felt I could.

As far as what kind of questions do I not want to see? None. My wife and I taught our children that there is no such thing as a stupid question. I still believe that.

OMN: We discussed some of your favorite films, but what kinds of books do you enjoy reading?

GG: Anything by John Sandford. I buy every one of his books, and I have since his first "Prey" novel more than 20 years ago. I also read a lot of other genres. I read almost anything dealing with ancient Rome, including lifestyle, history, military history, and even some of the mysteries set in that period. I also read a lot of mystery/thriller books, science fiction, fantasy, biographies, classics. It's a pretty long list.

OMN: If someone asked for a recommendation of five books to read, what would you tell them?

GG: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas; The Godfather by Mario Puzo; Dune by Frank Herbert; Scipio Africanus: Greater Than Napoleon by Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart; and The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.

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About Giacomo Giammatteo: I live in Texas now, but I grew up in Cleland Heights, a mixed ethnic neighborhood in Wilmington, Delaware that sat on the fringes of the Italian, Irish and Polish neighborhoods. The main characters of Murder Takes Time grew up in Cleland Heights and many of the scenes in the book were taken from real-life experiences.
Somehow I survived the transition to adulthood, but when my kids were young I left the Northeast and settled in Texas, where my wife suggested we get a few animals. I should have known better; we now have a full-blown animal sanctuary with rescues from all over. At last count we had 41 animals — 12 dogs, a horse, a three-legged cat and 26 pigs.

Oh, and one crazy — and very large — wild boar, who takes walks with me every day and happens to also be my best buddy.

Since this is a bio some of you might wonder what I do. By day I am a headhunter, scouring the country for top talent to fill jobs in the biotech and medical device industry. In the evening I help my wife tend the animals, and at night — late at night — I turn into a writer.

You can learn more about the author by visiting his website, GiacomoGiammatteo.com, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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Murder Takes Time
Giacomo Giammatteo
A Friendship and Honor Mystery
Publisher: Inferno Publishing Company

They swore to be friends forever, but life had a different idea …

A string of brutal murders has bodies piling up in Brooklyn, and Detective Frankie Donovan knows what is going on. Clues left at the crime scenes point to someone from the old neighborhood, and that isn't good.

Frankie has taken two oaths in his life — the one he took to uphold the law when he became a cop, and the one he took with his two best friends when they were eight years old and inseparable. Those relationships have forced Frankie to make many tough decisions, but now he faces the toughest one of his life; he has five murders to solve and one of those two friends is responsible. If Frankie lets him go, he breaks the oath he took as a cop and risks losing his job. But if he tries to bring him in, he breaks the oath he kept for twenty-five years — and risks losing his life.

In the neighborhood where Frankie Donovan grew up, you never broke an oath.

          

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Voodoo or Die by Stephanie Bond is Today's Fifth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Voodoo or Die by Stephanie Bond as today's fifth 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.

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Voodoo or Die
Stephanie Bond
Publisher: NeedToRead Books

You always find your mojo in the last place you look for it …

When a female attorney relocates to the quaint town of Mojo, Louisiana to take over the practice of a dead man, she thinks the welcome gift on her office doorstep is sweet … until she opens it to find a voodoo doll! After a horrible death occurs that's a little too close for comfort, she can no longer ignore the power of the evil doll … and frantically realizes her secret past might be catching up with her.

  

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 Game of Proof by Tim Vicary is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Game of Proof by Tim Vicary 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.

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A Game of Proof
Tim Vicary
The Trials of Sarah Newby
Publisher: White Owl

Sarah Newby, who left school at 15, and was living as a teenage single parent on an inner-city estate, has worked her way up to begin a career as a criminal barrister. Then in a terrible irony her own son, Simon, is arrested and charged with a series of brutal rapes and murders. The evidence against him appears so strong that his QC advises a guilty plea, but Simon swears he is innocent and begs his mother take on his defense. There is no law against a mother representing her son, so Sarah agrees. The only other obvious suspect for the murders, however, is a man who has already been acquitted once — with Sarah acting as his defense lawyer …

Has Sarah, in her single-minded determination to create a career for herself, neglected her son so much that she no longer knows him? Since he has often lied to her in the past, how can she trust him when he says he is innocent this time? And what should she do when she herself uncovers evidence that seems to suggest his guilt?

It seems that telling the whole truth must be weighed in the balance against keeping certain information well hidden …

  

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.

Deadlocked by Joel Goldman is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Deadlocked by Joel Goldman 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.

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Deadlocked
Joel Goldman
A Lou Mason Thriller
Publisher: Joel Goldman

This is the fourth mystery in this series.

Ryan Kowalczyk denied slaughtering a young couple even after his best friend turned against him, sending him to death row. When Lou Mason is hired to prove Ryan's innocence, someone does whatever it takes to stop him. And the deeper Mason probes, the greater the danger … until the past and present collide in an explosion of fear, deceit, corruption and murder.

  

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 Color of Greed by Jack Thompson is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Color of Greed by Jack Thompson 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.

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The Color of Greed
Jack Thompson
A Raja Williams Mystery
Publisher: Crackerjack Publishing

This is the first mystery in this series.

When the young husband of a wealthy heiress is found dead on his yacht floating off the California coastline, his death is ruled an accident and the case is closed. The grieving widow, certain her husband was murdered but getting no help from the police, turns to Raja Williams, a wealthy Oxford-educated private investigator, who has dedicated his resources to help those in need of justice. When Raja arrives in Los Angeles and more bodies begin to pile up, he suspects a coverup that may go as high up as the governor. With the help of his partner Vinny, a highly skilled hacker, Raja must unravel the case before everyone involved, including the two of them, winds up dead.

  

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.

Hush by Anne Frasier is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Hush by Anne Frasier 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.

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Hush
Anne Frasier
Publisher: CreateSpace

This psychological thriller was first published by Onyx in 2002.

It's criminal profiler Ivy Dunlap's job to unravel the psyches of the most dangerous men alive. None haunts her dreams more than the killer who took her son's life sixteen years ago, then silently disappeared into the dark. Now an urgent request for help from the Chicago police has reawakened Ivy's greatest nightmare. The Madonna Murderer has returned to fulfill his calling. This time Ivy understands the killer and will face her greatest fear to stop him from killing again.

  

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.

Telemystery: Hulu and BBC to Co-Produce Comedy/Conspirary Series

BBC and Hulu are teaming up to co-produce an original 6-episode conspiracy comedy/thriller series titled The Wrong Mans.

James Corden and Mathew Baynton star as two office co-workers, who "end up in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong skills — hence the title". Both actors are credited with creating and writing the series.

"We've written five [episodes] and we've got one more to do," says Corden. "The show is kind of a comedy … but it's a thriller, action and comedy. It's kind of high-end stuff with lots of twists and set in Berkshire. We will star in it and there's lots of other people in it too."

Filming is expected to begin on location in January, 2013. Hulu will be the exclusive source for the series in the US.

Black City YA Thrillers by Elizabeth Richards, Optioned for Film

Screen Gems announced in a press release today that it has optioned the film rights to the "Black City" young adult fantasy/thrillers by Elizabeth Richards.

The first book in the series, Black City, to be published by Putnam Juvenile next month, is set in a futuristic city in which humans and Darklings are separated by a wall. But, as in age-old fashion, two teenagers from opposite sides fall in love, causing all sorts of catastrophic problems for each of their peoples.

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Black City
Elizabeth Richards

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable — they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash's long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they're caught, they'll be executed — but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

  

New Featurette for Argo

"You want to set up a movie in a week. You want to lie to Hollywood, a town where everyone lies for a living. Then you're going to sneak 007 over here into a country that wants blood on their breakfast cereal, and you're going to walk the Brady Bunch out of the most watched city in the world. Right."

Such is the premise of Argo, for which the studio has released a featurette (embedded below).

Based on real events, the dramatic thriller chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis, focusing on the little-known role that the CIA and Hollywood played — information that was not declassified until many years after the event.

Ben Affleck — also directed the film — stars as a CIA "exfiltration" specialist, who comes up with the risky play to get the hostages out of the country. Argo opens in theaters this Friday, October 12th, 2012.

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New Poster for John Dies at the End

A new poster for the comedy/horror/thriller film John Dies at the End has surfaced (right; click for larger image). The tagline: "Just so you know … They're sorry for everything that's about to happen."

Adapted from the novel of the same name by John Wong (a pen named used by Jason Pargin), the film stars Rob Mayes as John and Chase Williamson as his best friend Dave, a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs. A drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit is on the street — they call it Soy Sauce. Users drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Suddenly a silent otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John and David. Can these two stop the oncoming horror in time to save humanity? No. No, they can't.

Written and directed by Don Cocarelli, John Dies at the End premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year; we are unaware of any planned theatrical release, limited or otherwise. Watch a trailer for the film below, together with more information about the book from which it was adapted.

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John Dies at the End
David Wong
A David and John Thriller (1st in series)

Stop. You should not have touched this flyer with your bare hands. No, don't put it down. It's too late. They're watching you. My name is David Wong. My best friend is John. Those names are fake. You might want to change yours. You may not want to know about the things you'll read on these pages, about the sauce, about Korrok, about the invasion, and the future. But it's too late. You touched the book. You're in the game. You're under the eye. The only defense is knowledge. You need to read this book, to the end. Even the part with the bratwurst. Why? You just have to trust me.

The important thing is this: The drug is called Soy Sauce and it gives users a window into another dimension. John and I never had the chance to say no. You still do. I'm sorry to have involved you in this, I really am. But as you read about these terrible events and the very dark epoch the world is about to enter as a result, it is crucial you keep one thing in mind: None of this was my fault.

      

New Poster for Hitchcock

A new poster for Hitchcock as been released by the studio (right; click for larger image); a trailer is promised for tomorrow.

Hitchcock is described by the studio as a love story about one of the most influential filmmakers of the last century, Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife and partner Alma Reville (Helen Mirren). The film takes place during the making of Hitchcock's seminal movie Psycho. Other cast: Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel at Vera Miles, and James D'Arcy as Anthony Perkins.

Directed by Sacha Gervasi from an screenplay written by John J. McLaughlin and based on a book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello, Hitchcock will premiere on November 1st at the AFI Festival and will be in limited release on November 23rd, 2012.

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Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho
Stephen Rebello

First released in June 1960, Psycho altered the landscape of horror films forever. But just as compelling as the movie itself is the story behind it.

Stephen Rebello brings to life the creation of one of Hollywood's most iconic films, from the story of Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein, the real-life inspiration for the character of Norman Bates, to Hitchcock's groundbreaking achievements in cinematography, sound, editing, and promotion. Packed with captivating insights from the film's stars, writers, and crewmembers, this book is a riveting and definitive history of a signature Hitchcock cinematic masterpiece.

      

Frostline by Justin Scott is Today's Sixth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Frostline by Justin Scott as today's sixth 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.

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Frostline
Justin Scott
A Ben Abbott Mystery
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

When Newbury's newest resident, ex-diplomat Harry King, the close confidant of Kissinger and reputed to have been heavily involved in the Vietnam War, summons real estate agent Ben Abbott to his new McMansion, Ben dreams of big dollar signs. The commission from selling the Fox Trot estate would be huge. But King doesn't want Ben's selling expertise, he wants him to act as a mediator in a dispute with his troublesome neighbor, surly Vietnam vet Richard Butler. A strip of Butler's land cuts straight into King's estate like a knife, acting as a red flag for two men who are as ornery and quarrelsome as a pair of rival bulls. In fact, the testoserone is flowing heavier than the waters in the stream King is damming up for a picturesque lake.

Before Ben can mediate, an explosion rocks a lavish party on the Fox Trot lawn. The blast blows up the dam — and Butler's ex-con son, Dickie, along with it. Butler, an army-trained sapper, is arrested for setting the dynamite. Ben, whose childhood friend Dickie had tried his patience and loyalty many times before, refuses to accept Butler's guilt. Besides, too many things don't add up. Could the destruction be the work of terrorists? Of one of the many groups holding a grudge against King? Or just someone with his own axe to grind?

With the Feds on the scene, caught between state and local law enforcement jockeying, Ben negotiates an unpopular course through the usual minefield of his various loyalties to friends, family and lovers, of whom there are plenty …

  

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.