The winners of the 2013 Shamus Awards were announced last night by the Private Eye Writers of America honoring the best of the PI genre.
And the winners are (with the PI's name in brackets) …
• Best Hardcover PI Novel: Taken [Elvis Cole] by Robert Crais (Putnam)
• Best First PI Novel: Black Fridays [Jason Stafford] by Michael Sears (Putnam)
• Best Paperback Original PI Novel: And She Was [Brenna Spector] by Alison Gaylin (Harper)
• Best PI Short Story: "Ghost Negligence" [Jack O'Shea] by John Shepphird (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
• Best Indie PI Novel: White Heat [Duke Rogers] by Paul D. Marks (Timeless Skies)
In addition, Loren D. Estleman received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
(Thanks to The Rap Sheet for first reporting these results.)
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Winners of the 2013 Shamus Awards Announced
Skeletons in the Closet by Jennifer L. Hart is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Skeletons in the Closet by Jennifer L. Hart as today's third free mystery ebook (The Misadventures of the Laundry Hag; Kindle format only).
This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, September 21, 2013 at 7:30 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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Skeletons in the Closet
Jennifer L. Hart
The Misadventures of the Laundry Hag
Publisher: Jennifer L. Hart
Maggie Phillips hasn't had it easy. As the wife of retired Navy SEAL, and the adoptive mother of two little hellions, Maggie is constantly looking for ways to improve her family's financial situation. She accepts a cleaning position for her new neighbors (who redefine the term "eccentric"), never imagining she will end up as the sole alibi for a man with a fascination for medieval torture devices when he is brought up on murder charges.
While Maggie struggles to prove the man's innocence, her deadbeat brother arrives, determined to sell Maggie and Neil on his next great scheme and to mooch with a vengeance. If that isn't bad enough, her in-laws, (the cut-throat corporate attorneys) descend on the house, armed with disapproval and condemnation, for the family's annual Thanksgiving celebration.
As the police investigation intensifies, Maggie searches for the killer among the upper echelon of Hudson, Massachusetts in the only way she can — by scrubbing their thrones.
Of the porcelain variety, that is …
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.
Poisoned Waters by Ermisenda Alvarez is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Poisoned Waters by Ermisenda Alvarez as today's second free mystery ebook (A Suspense Thriller; Kindle format only).
This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, September 21, 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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Poisoned Waters
Ermisenda Alvarez
A Suspense Thriller
Publisher: Ermilia LLC
Bloody mistakes, ugly scars, and beautiful lies. A tale of corruption.
Helen Gardener is murdered on a trans-Atlantic cruise. The Diamond Royale sails from Southampton to New York with her murderer aboard. Set in the 1950s, Poisoned Waters follows the stories of seven unfortunate characters and how they are affected by her death. Was it merely an accident? Mr Phillips, the owner of the ship, and sponsor of the cruise, rules with an iron fist, in search of something or someone.
Lies spiral out of control as the suspects try to survive the final days on board. Conflicted by their sense of morals, greed, and lust, they realise what kind of people they really are. Who will rise? Who will fall? Who was Helen's murderer?
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.
Vegas or Bust by Michelle Ann Hollstein is Today's Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Vegas or Bust by Michelle Ann Hollstein as today's free mystery ebook (An Aggie Underhill Mystery; Kindle format only).
This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, September 21, 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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Vegas or Bust
Michelle Ann Hollstein
An Aggie Underhill Mystery
Publisher: Michelle Ann Hollstein
With bleached blonde hair piled on top, an oversized pocketbook to match every outfit, Aggie's ready to have some Las Vegas fun.
Desperate to escape her two unwanted houseguests visiting from England, Aggie accepts a wedding invitation for a couple whom she'd met on a cruise. Selfishly, she pawns her guests off on her daughter and forgets that the Thanksgiving holiday is just days away.
Join Aggie in a quirky yet comical escapade where the bride allegedly gets cold feet, the groom vanishes into thin air, a hefty ransom is demanded, and the need for insatiable snooping becomes a must.
Can Aggie solve this mystery in time for Thanksgiving dinner?
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.
Law of Attraction by Allison Leotta is Today's Nook Daily Find
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Law of Attraction by Allison Leotta as today's Barnes & Noble Nook Daily Find.
The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, September 21, 2013.
Note: The price has been matched by Amazon.com for today only.
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Law of Attraction
Allison Leotta
An Anna Curtis Thriller
Touchstone
As a newly minted Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., Anna Curtis has already developed thick skin to deal with the brutality she encounters with her daily stack of domestic violence cases. Yet when Laprea Johnson walks into Anna's life — battered by her boyfriend on the morning after Valentine's Day — there's something about this particular case that Anna can't quite shake, something that reminds the prosecutor of her own troubled past.
At the trial, Laprea makes a last-minute reversal, lying on the witness stand to free her boy-friend. Shortly after he is freed, Anna is horrified to hear that Laprea's body has been found in a trash heap. Hastily assigned to prosecute the murder case alongside intimidating chief homicide prosecutor Jack Bailey, Anna's heart sinks when she learns that her own boyfriend, public defender Nick Wagner, is representing the accused.
,br>Torn between bringing the killer to justice and saving her personal life, Anna makes a series of choices that jeopardizes her career, her relationships, and her very life as she uncovers the shocking truth behind the murder.
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.
Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super-Sleuths by Megan McDonald is Today's Kindle Daily Deal for Kids
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super-Sleuths by Megan McDonald as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal for Kids.
The deal price of $0.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, September 21, 2013.
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Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super-Sleuths
Megan McDonald
Mystery Stories for Kids
Candlewick
Join detective Judy Drewdy to create a way-official detective kit, solve six mini-mysteries, and sharpen real-and-actual sleuth skills. Chock-full of advice for the would-be sleuth and bursting with activities, here is an uber-rare diversion for fans of Judy and for anyone who loves a good mystery.
"The Great Class Heist" is just one of the whodunits tackled by Judy Drewdy and agents Dills Pickle (aka Frank), Spuds Houdini (Rocky), and James Madagascar (Stink), who need readers' help in cracking these cases!
In addition to six solve-it-yourself missions, kids can get in the mood to create a detective kit, sketch suspects, test powers of observation, puzzle through ridonkulus logic puzzles, write super-sneaky codes, and more!
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.
Horns by Joe Hill is Today's Kindle Daily Deal
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Horns by Joe Hill as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.
The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, September 21, 2013.
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Horns
Joe Hill
A Suspense Thriller
HarperCollins
Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a pair of horns growing from his temples.
At first, Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who had been raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.
Once, the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed. But Merrin's death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. Nothing Ig can do or say matters. Everyone it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone that is, but the devil inside …
Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power — a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. It's time for a little revenge … it's time the devil had his due …
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.
Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (130921)
Here is today's mystery and suspense update from Big Fish Games …
• The New Release is Twilight Phenomena: Strange Menagerie.
• The Daily Deal is Gothic Fiction: Dark Saga, just $2.99 today only!
• The current Catch of the Week is Shattered Minds: Encore, just $2.99 through Sunday, September 22, 2013 only.
• Today's Special Deal — This weekend only: All Standard Edition games are just $4.99 each! Use coupon code AUTUMN at check-out and your standard PC or Mac game will be discounted. Use as many times as you'd like! Offer valid through Sunday, September 22nd, 2013 until 11:59 PM PT.
Visit the Omnimystery Entertainment Network for more games of mystery and suspense!
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Today's New Release is Twilight Phenomena: Strange Menagerie
Escape from a mysterious house filled with dangerous creatures! When your cousin Mary goes missing, you rush to Mexico to find her. Posing as a volunteer in a secret experiment, you begin to explore the mansion where Mary is being held. But when you start to see bizarre creatures creeping around the house, you quickly realize that the experiment you signed on for has shocking results. But who is behind it all … and why? Can you save Mary and escape the house before you both become victims of the villain's deadly science? Find out in this thrilling Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour.
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Today's Daily Deal is Gothic Fiction: Dark Saga
Rescue your daughter and escape a cursed school! After moving to a small town in rural England, you and your daughter, Hannah, head out to visit a local school. But the brochure didn't mention anything about the ancient evil lurking there, waiting for one last soul to complete her insidious plan. Can you rescue Hannah before she becomes part of the school's terrible legacy? Find out in this spine-tingling new Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Saturday, September 21, 2013 — for $2.99.
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The current Catch of the Week is Shattered Minds: Encore
Reveal the twisted plan of a deranged magician! You are a detective with a knack for dealing with strange cases and your Chief has a new case for you to investigate. After a series of vanishing famous monuments the world over, you are sent to Paris, France to investigate a possible link between the disappearances and a calling card left behind at the crime scenes. Play through challenging hidden object games and perplexing puzzles in an attempt to unravel the mystery in this thrilling hidden object adventure game!
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, September 22, 2013.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Telemystery: TNT Orders New Scripted Drama, Murder in the First
TNT has ordered a 10-episode season of Murder in the First, a scripted drama from Steven Bochco and Eric Lodal, the network announced in a press release.
Set in San Francisco, Murder in the First will follow a single case across an entire season. The drama centers on homicide detectives Terry English (Taye Diggs) and Hildy Mulligan (Kathleen Robertson) as they investigate the murder of an apparent drug addict. The mystery deepens, however, when the victim is found to have a connection to Silicon Valley wunderkind Erich Blunt (Tom Felton), the celebrated CEO of a cutting-edge tech firm. The timing couldn't be worse for Blunt, who is preparing to take his company public. He's also being sued by a software developer who claims Blunt stole his code for a revolutionary new hologram system.
"Murder in the First sets up an engrossing, season-long mystery that's certain to appeal to TNT fans," said Michael Wright, president and head of programming for TNT. "We are thrilled to be working with Steven Bochco once again. We look forward to seeing this fascinating mystery unspool in the hands of Steven, Eric Lodal and the incredible cast and crew."
Murder in the First will premiere in Summer 2014.
Review: The Case of the Locked Box by Lewis B. Montgomery
A Mysterious Review of The Case of the Locked Box by Lewis B. Montgomery. The Milo & Jazz Mysteries.
Review summary: This is a superior entry in this early chapter mystery series featuring the two amateur sleuths. A combination mystery/legal thriller, this is one book that will have its young readers guessing both whodunit and howdunit right up to the very end. Highly recommended. (Click here for text of full review.)
Our rating:
The Case of the Locked Box
Lewis B. Montgomery
The Milo & Jazz Mysteries
The Kane Press (August 2013)
Publisher synopsis: Someone stole 100 dollars from a locked cashbox … and almost everyone in school thinks the culprit is Jazz! When Jazz is put on trial in student court, it’s up to Milo to prove her not guilty!
A New MystereBook: A Disappearance in Drury Lane by Ashley Gardner
Here is a mystery, suspense, or thriller ebook that we recently found by sleuthing (as it were) through new or recently reissued titles from independent publishers …
A Disappearance in Drury Lane by Ashley Gardner is the eighth mystery in this historical mystery series. Ashley Gardner is a pseudonym for Jennifer Ashley, who also writes as Allyson James.
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A Disappearance in Drury Lane by Ashley Gardner
A Captain Lacey Regency Mystery
Publisher: JA/AG Publishing
Publication Date: September 20, 2013
Winter 1818. As Captain Gabriel Lacey prepares to leave for his upcoming wedding, he's interrupted by his former neighbor, Marianne Simmons, concerned about an actress friend of hers who's gone missing. Lacey agrees to help look for the actress, little realizing that the search will bring him up against dangerous men who think nothing of abduction and blackmail, or indeed of sending incendiary devices to the innocent
Lacey's compassion tells him to help the actress who is in true danger, but his personal life is changing, and his time for investigation is frequently and frustratingly interrupted. He is also commanded to assist Bow Street in bringing down James Denis, a criminal with whom Lacey now has complicated ties, or risk hanging with him.
The search for the actress takes Lacey from the assembly rooms of the upper classes to behind the scenes at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, where he finds darkness in all corners. Lacey's life and honor are constantly challenged as his circumstances change, and he realizes he can follow no code but his own.
The First Shall Be Last, A Sharyn Howard Mystery by Joyce and Jim Lavene, Now at a Special Price
MystereBooks is pleased to feature The First Shall Be Last by Joyce and Jim Lavene, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Thomas & Mercer.
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 (09/20/2013 at 4:00 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 First Shall Be Last by Joyce and Jim Lavene
A Sharyn Howard Mystery (12th in series)
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
As the snow falls in Diamond Springs, the mood shifts, bringing with it a string of suspicious events. The death of deputy David Matthews has Sheriff Sharyn Howard more determined than ever in her quest to find his killer and solve the murder of her own father, the former sheriff. She knows that her old nemesis, Jack Winter, the former DA turned Senator is somehow involved in both murders and she devises her riskiest plan ever to attempt the impossible: bring Jack Winter to justice.
After a young, single mother is run down on a cold winter morning and the murder is traced back to ADA Alan Michaelson, Sharon's suspicions of Jack heighten and the hunt for Michaelson begins. Upon discovering him dead in his garage, slumped over the wheel of his Humvee with the motor running, Sharon puts her plan in full motion.
Regretfully, she has broken off her relationship with her long-time boyfriend Nick Thomopolis, the county coroner, and instead allies herself with her number one target: Jack Winter. Jack's arrogance and unstoppable drive as Senator and the need to control everyone around him makes him more difficult to crack than she first assumed.
With everyone, including her Aunt Selma and most of her deputies, disgusted with her new behavior, the people she loves the most begin to question her capabilities and start to lose trust in the town's most vigilant sheriff. It's up to Sharyn to maintain her beliefs, trust in her own instincts, and get to the bottom of the mysteries that have cast a pall on Diamond Springs for decades.
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.
Winners of the 2013 Barry Awards Announced
The winners of the 2013 Barry Awards were announced yesterday by the editorial staff of Deadly Pleasures for the best works published in the field of crime fiction during 2012.
And the winners are …
• Best Novel: The Black House by Peter May (Silver Oak)
• Best First Novel: A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller (Minotaur Books)
• Best Paperback Original: Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal (Bantam)
• Best Thriller: The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva (Harper)
Once Burned, A Task Force Eagle Novel by Susan Vaughan, Now at a Special Price
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Once Burned by Susan Vaughan, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Gullwood Press.
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 (09/20/2013 at 3:00 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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Once Burned by Susan Vaughan
A Task Force Eagle Novel (2nd in series)
Publisher: Gullwood Press
ATF agent Jake Wescott goes undercover in his Maine hometown of Dragon Harbor to find the local connection to Mexican drug-and-arms cartel El Águila’s New England operation. Who would suspect a local son living on a boat and fixing up his grandmother’s house? On his own time, he can’t resist digging into the old fire that killed his girlfriend. What he finds makes him suspect the cause wasn’t accidental but arson.
Lani Cameron's return to Maine throws her into a tinderbox of danger. She has no memory of the fire that killed her twin sister and scarred her, inside and out. When she learns Jake is investigating the cause of the fire, she wants in. She couldn't save her twin but maybe she can dispel the guilt and nightmares by finding the truth. Seeing Jake again revives attraction she kept hidden, but who does he see when he touches her, Lani or her twin?
Because of his girlfriend's death and that of a colleague, Jake doesn't trust himself to protect anyone, especially Lani, as daring and determined as she is sexy. He fears she'll become a target, but he needs her lost memories of that night. When the arsonist tries to kill her, Jake becomes her reluctant protector. Their shared past and the search bind them together, and intimacy ignites passion. As they uncover secrets, they face danger more explosive than they’d feared.
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.
Dexter's Final Cut by Jeff Lindsay, New in Bookstores This Week
Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published this week by Doubleday, is Dexter's Final Cut by Jeff Lindsay.
For a list of more new hardcover mysteries published this month, visit our New Mysteries page for September 2013. For new paperback mysteries, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where a selection of September 2013 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers are shelved.
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Dexter's Final Cut
Jeff Lindsay
Series: Dexter Morgan (7th)
Hollywood gets more than it bargained for when television's hottest star arrives at the Miami Police Department and develops an intense, professional interest in a camera-shy blood spatter analyst named Dexter Morgan.
Mega-star Robert Chase is famous for losing himself in his characters. When he and a group of actors descend on the Miami Police Department for "research", Chase becomes fixated on Dexter Morgan, the blood spatter analyst with a sweet tooth for doughnuts and a seemingly average life. To perfect his role, Chase is obsessed with shadowing Dexter's every move and learning what really makes him tick. There is just one tiny problem … Dexter's favorite hobby involves hunting down the worst killers to escape legal justice, and introducing them to his special brand of playtime. It's a secret best kept out of the spotlight and away from the prying eyes of bloated Hollywood egos if Dexter wants to stay out of the electric chair. The last thing he needs is bright lights and the paparazzi … but even Dexter isn't immune to the call of fame.
Telemystery: Foyle's War Season 7 Episode Two, The Cage
The second episode of the seventh season of Foyle's War airs this Sunday on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery! and is clearly the best of the three episodes airing this month. (We received a copy of the season DVDs from the producers for review, which we'll publish later this month.)
Last week's episode was a little clunky we thought, with too many convenient coincidences going on to make it completely credible. Still, we enjoyed it but were a little apprehensive about where the series' overall storyline is heading. (Despite claiming he was done with the series, creator Anthony Horowitz has confirmed there will be another season after this one.)
This week's episode, "The Cage", has Foyle investigating the death of a nameless Russian, which leads him to a mysterious military facility run by a respected Colonel with an impeccable war record. But as Foyle makes inquiries, he realizes that the dead Russian was a spy with dangerous connections to British intelligence. A strongly plotted murder mystery and yet another outstanding performance by Michael Kitchen as Christopher Foyle. Watch a preview, below.
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