South River Incident by Ann Mullen is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature South River Incident by Ann Mullen as today's second free mystery ebook (A Jesse Watson Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, April 26, 2013 at 7:20 AM ET. 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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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South River Incident
Ann Mullen
A Jesse Watson Mystery
Publisher: Afton Ridge Publishing

Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, Jesse's life takes a sharp turn when Athena and Thor, her beloved canines, drag up a severed hand and deposit it on her mother's front porch. With their help, the Greene County Sheriff's department shifts into high gear and conducts a thorough search of the surrounding woods. Their grisly discovery — the frozen, battered body of Mary Keen — prompts an intense man hunt for the killer. There's only one problem: evidence leads the police right back to where they started. The dead woman was wearing Jesse's watch!

Battling freezing temperatures and the beginning of a full-blown mountain blizzard, Jesse and Billy Blackhawk, P.I., set out to prove her innocence and find the real killer. Investigating the death of Mary Keen leads to a trail of greed and police corruption — with extreme consequences. An incendiary situation gets even hotter when Jesse has no choice but to kill … or be killed.

All is not what it appears to be when she stares into the face of a killer and the heart of true evil. She must confront her worst nightmare — a psychopath from her past who has enlisted the help of an unlikely accomplice. When the killer's search for revenge finally ends, bullets fly, and Jesse realizes that her nightmare is not over.

  

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.

Mixed Messages by Patricia Gligor is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Mixed Messages by Patricia Gligor as today's free mystery ebook (A Malone Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, April 26, 2013 at 7:10 AM ET. 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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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Mixed Messages
Patricia Gligor
A Malone Mystery
Publisher: Post Mortem Press

It is estimated there are at least twenty to thirty active serial killers in the United States at any given time. There's one on the loose on the west side of Cincinnati …

It's the week of Halloween and Ann Kern struggles with several issues. Her primary concern is her marriage which, like her west side neighborhood, is in jeopardy. Her husband is drinking heavily and his behavior toward her is erratic. One minute, he's the kind, loving man she married and, the next minute, he's cold and cruel. Ann dismisses a psychic's warning that she is in danger.

But, when she receives a series of ominous biblical quotes, she grows nervous and suspicious of everyone, including her own husband. As the bizarre and frightening events unfold, Ann discovers a handmade tombstone marked with her name, pushing her close to the edge. Will she be the Westwood Strangler's next victim?

  

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.

Die For Me by Cynthia Eden is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Die For Me by Cynthia Eden as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, April 26, 2013.

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Die For Me
Cynthia Eden
Montlake Romance

She thought her fiancé was the perfect man — until he turned out to be the perfect killer …

Katherine Cole is running for her life, desperate to escape the Valentine Killer — so-called because he stabs his victims through the heart and leaves them holding a telltale single red rose. Still he tracks her to New Orleans and begins carving a bloody path to her door. But this time, Katherine refuses to run any farther. This time, she'll do anything to stop the madman she once loved, even trust the sexy cop promising to keep her safe …

Detective Dane Black never lets his emotions interfere with his job, even as the Valentine Killer surfaces in New Orleans to stalk his prey. But when Dane agrees to protect the killer's ex-fiancée, Katherine Cole, he can't ignore the passion kindling between them. After a single unforgettable night binds them body and soul, Dane knows he won't rest until Katherine is safe in his arms — and the Valentine Killer is dead.

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.

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending April 26, 2013

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending April 26th, 2013 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Kate Atkinson's Life After Life has retaken the top spot this week by a slim margin over Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. Elsewhere, quite a bit of shuffling in the order of the other bestselling titles.

Two new titles debut this week (below; position in backets).

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[6]: The Hit
David Baldacci

Will Robie is a master of killing.

A highly skilled assassin, Robie is the man the U.S. government calls on to eliminate the worst of the worst — enemies of the state, monsters committed to harming untold numbers of innocent victims.

No one else can match Robie's talents as a hitman … no one, except Jessica Reel. A fellow assassin, equally professional and dangerous, Reel is every bit as lethal as Robie. And now, she's gone rogue, turning her gun sights on other members of their agency.

To stop one of their own, the government looks again to Will Robie. His mission: bring in Reel, dead or alive. Only a killer can catch another killer, they tell him.

But as Robie pursues Reel, he quickly finds that there is more to her betrayal than meets the eye. Her attacks on the agency conceal a larger threat, a threat that could send shockwaves through the U.S. government and around the world.

Purchase Options

          

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[13]: The Mystery Woman
Amanda Quick
— Ladies of Lantern Street (2nd)

Under the plain gray skirts of Miss Beatrice Lockwood's gown, a pistol waits at the ready. For Beatrice is a paid companion on a secret mission — and with a secret past — and she must be prepared to fight for her life at any moment.

Yet she is thrown oddly off guard by the fierce-looking man who joins her in foiling a crime outside a fancy ball — and then disappears into the shadows, leaving only his card. His name is Joshua Gage, and he claims to know Beatrice's employers. Beyond that, he is an enigma with a hypnotically calm voice and an ebony-and-steel cane …

Joshua, who carries out clandestine investigations for the Crown, is equally intrigued. He has a personal interest in Miss Lockwood, a suspected thief and murderer, not to mention a fraudster who claims to have psychical powers. The quest to discover her whereabouts has pulled him away from his mournful impulses to hurl himself into the sea — and engaged his curiosity about the real Beatrice Lockwood, whose spirit, he suspects, is not as delicate as her face and figure.

He does know one thing, though: This flame-haired beauty was present the night Roland Fleming died at the Academy of the Occult. Guilty or not, she is his guide to a trail of blood and blackmail, mesmerism and madness — a path that will lead both of them into the clutches of a killer who calls himself the Bone Man …

Purchase Options

          

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (130426)

Here is today's mystery and suspense update from Big Fish Games …

• The New Release is Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death (Collector's Edition).

• The current Catch of the Week is Sea Legends: Phantasmal Light, just $2.99 through Sunday, April 28, 2013 only.

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Today's New Release is Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death (Collector's Edition)

Justice is in your hands! A mysterious figure in a red mask has been stalking the streets of a small French town, murdering city officials. The mayor calls you in to help track him down and stop him. But when you arrive, you discover that the townspeople all seem to be cheering for the Red Masque. So who is the real criminal? It's up to you to decide in this thrilling Hidden Object Adventure game!

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won't find in the standard version, including: a bonus mystery, where you uncover the origins of the Red Masque; wallpapers, screensavers, and concept art; downloadable music tracks; and an integrated strategy guide.

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour.

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The current Catch of the Week is Sea Legends: Phantasmal Light

After their yacht is sunk by an incredible storm, Jane and Mike are separated! Waking up on a mysterious island, Jane must now figure out what happened and find Mike before it's too late. Explore amazing Hidden Object scenes and solve tricky puzzles as you uncover a terrifying truth on the island. Escape from danger and be reunited with Mike!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game at the special price of $2.99 through Sunday, April 28, 2013.

MystereBooks: The Devil's Bounty by Sean Black, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Devil's Bounty by Sean Black, now available at a special price, courtesy of the author.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (04/25/2013 at 9:00 PM ET). 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 Devil's Bounty by Sean Black
A Ryan Lock Thriller
Publisher: Sean Black

Convicted of a series of horrific crimes against female college students in Santa Barbara, wealthy playboy Charlie Mendez has fled across the US border into Mexico.

As one bounty hunter after another meets a grisly end at the hands of the murderous drug cartel Mendez is paying to keep him safe, it seems that this is one fugitive destined to remain beyond the reach of the law.

But Mendez hasn't reckoned with former military bodyguard, Ryan Lock, and his partner, Ty Johnson.

      

Important Note: This book was listed at the above mentioned price 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.

Enter To Win 1 of 100 Copies of Sue Grafton's W is for ...

Think you know what the title of Sue Grafton's next Kinsey Millhone mystery is? If so, you may be one of 100 winners of a copy of the book, courtesy of Putnam.

Visit this page to find the entry form and a list of the official rules. You have only until April 30th, 2013 to enter. The cover (with its title) will be revealed late next week; the book will be published on September 10th, 2013.

Here's a synopsis of the book, from the publisher:

Two dead bodies changed the course of my life that fall. One of them I knew and the other I'd never laid eyes on until I saw him in the morgue.

The first was a local PI of suspect reputation. He'd been gunned down near the beach at Santa Teresa. It looked like a robbery gone bad. The other was on the beach six weeks later. He'd been sleeping rough. Probably homeless. No identification. A slip of paper with Millhone's name and number was in his pants pocket. The coroner asked her to come to the morgue to see if she could ID him.

Two seemingly unrelated deaths, one a murder, the other apparently of natural causes.

But as Kinsey digs deeper into the mystery of the John Doe, some very strange linkages begin to emerge. And before long at least one aspect is solved as Kinsey literally finds the key to his identity. "And just like that," she says, "the lid to Pandora's box flew open. It would take me another day before I understood how many imps had been freed, but for the moment, I was inordinately pleased with myself."

In this multi-layered tale, the surfaces seem clear, but the underpinnings are full of betrayals, misunderstandings, and outright murderous fraud. And Kinsey, through no fault of her own, is thoroughly compromised.

W is for … wanderer … worthless … wronged …

Cinemystery: Hoax Hunters Comic Optioned for Film

The comic series Hoax Hunters by Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley, with illustrations by J. M. Rinquet, has been optioned for film.

Debuting just last year, the clever premise of this series is centered on a the investigators of a reality show, which purports to proving that paranormal activity does not exist all the while covering it up when it finds it.

According to THR, no screenwriter is yet attached to the project.

Ten issues of the comic have been published to date, and collected into two volumes. More information about the first, below; the second is published next month.

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Hoax Hunters
Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley, with illustrations by J. M. Rinquet

Cryptids. Aliens. Monsters. All the world's bizarre secrets — what if they were real? Their existence would be debunked by a reality TV show! Hoax Hunters is that show, publicly disproving all variety of lore. But their real goal is the opposite: as the world's dark corners surface, the hoax hunters cover them up.

This volume of the series includes the first five issues plus the much sought after issue 0.

  

Cinemystery: John le Carré's A Delicate Truth to be Adapted for Film

John le Carré's latest spy thriller, A Delicate Truth, is published today in the UK — and early next month here in the US — and we're learning that William Monahan (London Boulevard, Body of Lies, The Departed) may turn the book into a screenplay for The Ink Factory to produce. (More about the book, below.) The studio is already in post-production for another film adaptation of a le Carré novel, A Most Wanted Man, which is scheduled to be in theaters in the UK in November.

To celebrate the publication of A Delicate Truth, The Ink Factory has also produced a short film inspired by the book, which was released on the author's website earlier today. We've embedded it, below.

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A Delicate Truth
John le Carré

2008. A counter-terrorist operation, codenamed Wildlife, is being mounted on the British crown colony of Gibraltar. Its purpose: to capture and abduct a high-value jihadist arms-buyer. Its authors: an ambitious Foreign Office Minister, a private defense contractor who is also his bosom friend, and a shady American CIA operative of the evangelical far-right. So delicate is the operation that even the Minister's personal private secretary, Toby Bell, is not cleared for it.

Cornwall, UK, 2011. A disgraced Special Forces Soldier delivers a message from the dead. Was Operation Wildlife the success it was cracked up to be — or a human tragedy that was ruthlessly covered up? Summoned by Sir Christopher ("Kit") Probyn, retired British diplomat, to his decaying Cornish manor house, and closely observed by Kit's beautiful daughter, Emily, Toby must choose between his conscience and duty to his Service. If the only thing necessary to the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing, how can he keep silent?

      

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Please Welcome Novelist Marc A. DiGiacomo

by Marc A. DiGiacomo

We are delighted to welcome novelist Marc A. DiGiacomo as our guest, courtesy of Partners in Crime Tours, which is coordinating his current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find his tour schedule here.

Marc's new mystery, the first in a series, is In a Small Town (Infinity Publishing, October 2012 trade paperback and ebook formats).

Today Marc tells us what he believes makes for a good mystery.

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What makes for a good mystery … and why I enjoy reading and writing them.

Photo provided courtesy of
Marc A. DiGiacomo

This is an important question especially for me since In a Small Town is my first novel. Of course there must be suspense. Without it, you better find a different career. Keeping your reader engaged throughout the story is a very difficult task. It is not something just anyone can perfect. It is a process, requiring practice and you guessed it more writing. An idea can pop up at anytime causing you to scramble for a pen and paper. If you lose it, unfortunately it might not return. This has happened to me more than once. That is why I travel with index cards. I bring them everywhere. The back pocket of my jeans is like a tiny office. I am sure there is a better way but this works for me. Every once in a while I get stabbed by a pen but that is part of the deal. You can't finish a manuscript without bleeding at least once in one way or another. Paper cuts are excruciating.

The characters you create have a direct influence on the plot of the story. They don't all need to be mysterious but you have to be able to create subtle differences that make the reader keep guessing as to who done it. I admit, I am still learning how to do this as flawless as possible. It is extremely challenging. But when the story comes together right in front of your eyes. It can be overwhelming. I read my novel over and over again. I think I read it almost one hundred times. Re-writes are crucial to its success. I can't remember exactly how many times I changed the plot but it was quite often. But the finished product, after editors scrutinize every comma and word usage, is nothing short of spectacular.

There is nothing better than reading a great book in your home or at the beach. I love to read but with three young boys running around, it is difficult. I try when they go to sleep but find myself falling into a coma. As for the beach, I always bring a book but somehow end up buried in the sand. My eyes are glued to my sons as they boogie board all around me. I try not to think about what is crawling in my ears. I feel like I am surrounded by readers wearing their straw beach hats and caps. I envy these people. Yeah, eventually I will have my time to sit and read.

Mysteries and thrillers are my favorite books to read. Anything with a serial killer is right up my alley. When I was a detective, I never had the opportunity to investigate a serial killer. Once I got close. After watching Silence of the Lambs, you would think there was one in every neighborhood. It was my dream from college. Luckily, I never confronted something that evil although a few of my investigations definitely involved sociopaths. These people are so scary because they have no conscious. Normalcy doesn't exist in their world. They thrive on narcism. You never know who you will meet In a Small Town. I am currently finishing up the second book which is a sequel. I hope to have it out by the Summer of 2013.

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Marc A. DiGiacomo is a retired and highly decorated police detective who worked for an affluent community within the State of New York. He has worked with numerous police agencies at the local, county, state and federal levels on various investigative assignments. He currently resides in New York with his wife and three children.

To learn more about Marc and his work, visit his website at InASmallTownBook.com or find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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In a Small Town
Marc A. DiGiacomo

The shotgun blast catches Detective Matthew Longo by surprise. His world unravels into a nightmare that seemingly won't end. Murder, rapes, pedophiles, the small town of Hutchville, N.Y. is changing. It is up to him to make a difference.

While partner Donny Mello is in Italy attending a funeral for a family member who is connected, to say the least, a beautiful F.B.I. agent waits to question him about his family business. Can Matt keep from answering the Agent's questions? More importantly, can he hide a potentially career-ending secret from his community, his brother, and most especially Agent Cynthia Shyler?

      

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Guess What She Did by Ann Rearden is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Guess What She Did by Ann Rearden as today's second free mystery ebook (A Novel of Romantic Suspense; Kobo and iTunes formats).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, April 25, 2013 at 7:20 AM ET. 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.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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Guess What She Did
Ann Rearden
A Novel of Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Ann Rearden

Georgina Graham doesn't relish lying to Dr. Nate Carmichael. But if the ruse works, she'll make a quick score. The deception plunges Georgina deep inside the swirling vortex of a wealthy California enclave's colorfully scheming inhabitants — Alejandro, the shady vulture capitalist — Lauren, the social-climbing diva — Jake, the wily racehorse trainer out of Kentucky — and scary smart Detective Sam Mori, a strangely beautiful woman in the grips of a bizarre obsession. And now the ever-so-engaging Dr. Carmichael has just laid a tender kiss smack on Georgina's mouth. Can her already chaotic life get any more complicated?

Of course! Throw in a dead body and an unexpected autopsy finding, and watch Georgina's high-octane world come crashing down around 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.