Killer Weed, An Ed Rosenberg Mystery by Michael Castleman, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Killer Weed by Michael Castleman, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, MP Publishing.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $2.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (12/20/2013 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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Killer Weed by Michael Castleman
An Ed Rosenberg Mystery (4th in series)
Publisher: MP Publishing

Out-of-work journalist Ed Rosenberg is turning his toking into a full-time job when Silicon Valley billionaire Gene Simons suddenly hires him to research the hippie era of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury. Ed's reporter's instinct leads him to investigate the unsolved murder of Gene's mother, a low-level pot dealer brutally killed in Golden Gate Park in 1968.

Meanwhile, Ed's wife Julie has become the media maven for mayoral candidate Dave Kirsch, a former pot dealer and the author of best-selling guides to growing weed. In front of Julie's eyes, Kirsch is assassinated: suddenly Ed has another crime to unravel.

Ed's research into Haight-Ashbury's tie-dyed past introduces him to a rogue's gallery of aging hippies, who, he discovers, may have been involved in Kirsch's demise. Then bullets start flying at Ed.

  

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.

Innocent Blood by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell, New in Bookstores This Month

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published this month by William Morrow, is Innocent Blood by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell.

For a list of more new hardcover mysteries published this month, visit our New Mysteries page for December 2013. For new paperback mysteries, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where a selection of December 2013 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers are shelved.

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Innocent Blood
James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell
Series: Order of the Sanguines (2nd)

A vicious attack at a ranch in California thrusts archaeologist Erin Granger back into the folds of the Sanguines, an immortal order founded on the blood of Christ and tasked with protecting the world from the beasts haunting its shadows and waiting to break free into the sunlight. Following the prophetic words found in the Blood Gospel — a tome written by Christ and lost for centuries — Erin must join forces with Army Sergeant Jordan Stone and the dark mystery that is Father Rhun Korza to discover and protect a boy believed to be an angel given flesh.

But an enigmatic enemy of immense power and terrifying ambition seeks the same child — not to save the world, but to hasten its destruction. For any hope of victory, Erin must discover the truth behind Christ's early years and understand His first true miracle, an event wrapped in sin and destruction, an act that yet remains unfulfilled and holds the only hope for the world.

The search for the truth will take Erin and the others across centuries and around the world, from the dusty plains of the Holy Land to the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean, from the catacombs of Rome to an iron fortress in the Mediterranean Sea, and at last to the very gates of Hell itself, where their destiny — and the fate of mankind — awaits.

      

The Poisoned Pencil Announces Debut Title, Death Spiral by Janie Chodosh

The Poisoned Pencil, the new young adult mystery imprint of Poisoned Pen Press, has announced its debut title: Death Spiral by Janie Chodosh.

"Typically, young adult fiction is published without categories or subgenres, unlike adult fiction, which is published with any number of subcategories, such as romance, mystery, thriller, science fiction, and others," said Robert Rosenwald, Publisher at The Poisoned Pencil. "YA, to most publishers, is just an age designation with an untapped market. For us, it's a chance to give mysteries to an audience that is constantly facing the unknown, the unexpected, and even the dangerous."

Death Spiral seems like an apt first choice for the imprint. Here's a synopsis:

Faith Flores is a work in progress. She wants to go to college and study science, but she's not exactly college material. Thanks to her junkie mom, Faith has never known a stable life.  But when her mom drops dead, Faith is the only one who cries. The cops say it was an overdose, but Faith doesn't buy it.   Her search for the truth leads Faith from the drug houses and methadone clinics of North Philly to the million-dollar science labs of the pharmaceutical industry.

Death Spiral will be published in April 2014 in trade paperback and ebook format.

A Kindle Countdown Deal: When Pigs Fly by Bob Sanchez

Amazon Kindle Countdown Deals, limited-time discounts on Kindle-exclusive books.

MystereBooks is pleased to present you with one of today's titles … but take advantage of this deal now as the price will go up to its digital list price soon! (See the countdown clock on the book product page to see how much time remains on this deal.)

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When Pigs Fly by Bob Sanchez
A Mack Durgin Mystery
Publisher: Bob Sanchez
Price: $1.99 (as of 12/20/13 01:30 PM ET)

Retired cop Mack Durgin used to bust perpetrators in Massachusetts, but now he's widowed and living in Arizona. When a FedEx driver drops off an urn filled with his friend's ashes at his front door, Mack reluctantly knows he must fulfill George Ashe's final wish: to have his remains spread over the Grand Canyon.

But Mack has no clue what lies hidden within the urn besides his friend's ashes. On his journey through the desert, Mack meets the entrancing Calliope Vrattos, a former waitress in a bar that holds Elvis impersonation contests. Diet Cola is an ex-con who loves greasy food, but more than anything else, he desperately wants what he hid in the urn. Cola hooks up with a pair of loony housebreakers, a bald Elvis impersonator, and a dopehead with an outline of his brain tattooed on his skull.

With a bit of luck and a lot of junk food, they trace Mack to the little town of Pincushion, Arizona. George Ashe may not be alive, but his remains are having the adventure of a lifetime. As Mack encounters one crazed character after another in his quest to fulfill his friend's last wish, he realizes that life is a gamble and that pigs really do fly.

  

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

Bad Debts, A Jack Irish Mystery by Peter Temple, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Bad Debts by Peter Temple, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, MP Publishing.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $2.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (12/20/2013 at 1:00 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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Bad Debts by Peter Temple
A Jack Irish Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: MP Publishing

Winner of the 1997 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Novel.

A phone message from ex-client Danny McKillop doesn't ring any bells for Jack Irish. Life is hard enough without having to dredge up old problems: His beloved football team continues to lose, the odds on his latest plunge at the track seem far too long, and he's still cooking for one.

When Danny turns up dead, Jack is forced to take a walk back into the dark and dangerous past.

  

Use this link to see more discounted titles by this author.

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.

A New MystereBook: So Long & Arrivederci by Reed Robson

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 during December 2013 priced $4.99 or less …

So Long & Arrivederci by Reed Robson is a tale of doggie noir, the first in the Moondog P.I. series.

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So Long & Arrivederci by Reed Robson
A Moondog P.I. Mystery
Publisher: Reed Robson
Publication Date: December 19, 2013
Price: $3.99 (as of 12/20/13 12:30 PM ET)

"It's a dog eat dog world out there. It's survival of the fittest or the smartest, or the dogged — that's me."

Moondog is down to his last dime when an unpromising case takes an unexpectedly dangerous turn. With help from his loyal secretary, Trixy Townmouse, and ex-girlfriend, glamorous lounge singer Kitty Kat to nurse his bruises, Moondog might finally bring down Dogtown's nortorious crime boss, Pugface Maroon once and for all. If only he didn't have a crippling fear of guns …

  

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

Robert Crais's Suspect Optioned for Film

Fox 2000 has optioned the film rights to Robert Crais's 2013 thriller Suspect (more about the book, below). David DiGilio will write the adapted screenplay.

This is an unusual move for Crais, who is very protective of his work, allowing just one of his bestsellling novels — the stand-alone Hostage, published in 2001 — to be adapted for film to date. Though Suspect is also written as a stand-alone, if successful as a film it could readily be extended into a series.

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Suspect
Robert Crais

LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Eight months ago, a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty — until he meets his new partner.

Maggie is not doing so well, either. A German shepherd who survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before losing her handler to an IED, her PTSD is as bad as Scott's.

They are each other's last chance. Shunned and shunted to the side, they set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie. What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and the journey will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.

      

Click on the Amazon.com button to check out the special Whispersync offer associated with this title.

Important Note: Any prices and/or special deals 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.

Free One-Day Shipping from Amazon on Select Products

For last minute shoppers, Amazon is offering FREE One-Day Shipping within the continental US on many popular products through noon on December 23rd, 2013. (Look for the words "eligible for FREE One-Day Shipping" next to the price.) Use this link to visit the promotion page and see what product categories are included.

When we checked, there were over 51,000 products eligible for free one-day shipping (though, to be fair, more than half of these are watches and jewelry). Still, there were 64 products in Movies & TV (such as the Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy, Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection, The Bourne Trilogy, and seasons of The Walking Dead, Grimm, Psych, and Bates Motel), a category that may of interest to our readers (and their friends and family!).

Sweet Ginger Poison by Robert Burton Robinson is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Sweet Ginger Poison by Robert Burton Robinson as today's fourth free mystery ebook (A Ginger Lightley Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, December 20, 2013 at 7:40 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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Sweet Ginger Poison
Robert Burton Robinson
A Ginger Lightley Mystery
Publisher: Robert Burton Robinson

Virginia "Ginger" Lightley is the owner of Coreyville Coffee Cakes, a popular bakery in East Texas. Customers drive from miles away to visit the little shop for a taste of her original creations.

It's a shock to the whole community when a young man drops dead across town after eating one of her famous cakes. The newly appointed police chief promises to solve the case quickly. And Ginger wants to help him — until he accuses one of her employees of murder.

She rejects the crime scenario laid out by the young police chief and secretly determines to solve the crime herself.

  

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.

Sunshine by Jaycey Jordan is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Sunshine by Jaycey Jordan as today's third free mystery ebook (Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, December 20, 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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Sunshine
Jaycey Jordan
Publisher: Jaycey Jordan

Johnny Amber, a young graduate, leaves his friends and home to follow a girl and a dream to an Aegean island. It proves to be everything he wished for and more, until he stumbles over to the darker side of a party island. With two brutal murders in quick succession, his nirvana is torn apart.

When Johnny realises that he is next, it comes down to one decision: Sink or Swim. Because on this island, there is nowhere to hide …

  

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.

Foreign Justice by Max Rugen is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Foreign Justice by Max Rugen as today's second free mystery ebook (A Cason Steele Adventure; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, December 20, 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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Foreign Justice
Max Rugen
A Cason Steele Adventure
Publisher: New Prosperity Publishing

A war injury forces the talented Cason Steele to retire early from the 10th Special Forces Alpha Team, rejoining the civilian world. Steele's father is an archaeologist who leaves on an expedition into the dangerous rainforests of Peru, searching for the lost treasures of Paititi. Steele's father runs into danger when he accidently stumbles upon a massive coca plantation shrouded under cover of the Peruvian rainforest.

A ruthless drug lord of the guerrilla Shining Path movement, Sergio Cusi, captures Steele's father, intent on forcing the archaeologist to lead him to the lost treasure or face certain death. The crisis becomes personal for Steele as he unleashes the deadly fighting skills he learned, while serving in Special Forces.

He embarks with a partner on a rescue journey to Peru and befriends Daniela, a beautiful woman, who also ends up being taken hostage by the drug lord. Cusi will stop at nothing to satisfy his greedy desires; including searching for the hidden treasure and using Daniela to satisfy his perverted sexual conquests.

Cason Steele races against time, unleashing hell on the drug lord's soldiers, while trying to rescue his father and Daniela before they fall victim to Cusi's psychopathic behavior. The odds are against him and it's a fight he can't afford to lose.

  

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.

Death Came Dressed in White by Michael W. Sherer is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Death Came Dressed in White by Michael W. Sherer as today's free mystery ebook (An Emerson Ward Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, December 20, 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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Death Came Dressed in White
Michael W. Sherer
An Emerson Ward Mystery
Publisher: Michael W. Sherer

When your life has reached an all-time low, how can it get any worse? Chicago freelance writer Emerson Ward finds out one steamy August morning when the phone starts ringing too early to be anything but bad news, and bad things happen in threes. Before he can drink his first cup of coffee, he learns that one good friend has gone missing, another has been put in the hospital by a brutal beating, and his phone is tapped. To top it all off, the woman he’s been falling for announces that she’s leaving.

Knowing he’ll be his own worst company after all that, Emerson finds easy distraction in vowing to find out who’s trying to ruin his day. Lending a hand to all those who need it at first takes Emerson in several directions at once. But the more he learns on the trail after the missing friend, the more it appears that all roads lead to dirty dealings on a scale so massive that Emerson will need an entire army to get out alive.

But the forces arrayed against him made two mistakes — they nearly killed his best friend Brandt Williams, and they took the girl, turning Emerson into an army of one.

  

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 Pledge by Kimberly Derting is Today's Kindle Daily Deal for Teens

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Pledge by Kimberly Derting as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal for Teens.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, December 20, 2013.

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The Pledge
Kimberly Derting
Simon & Schuster

In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines your class, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place — looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution.

Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she's been hiding her whole life. The only reprieve from oppression is within the drug-filled underground club scene. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she's never heard, and her secret is almost exposed.

As the violent clashes between the totalitarian monarchy and the rebel forces escalate, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible grip of a deadly regime.

Click on the Amazon button to see also the special Whispersync offer associated with this title.

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 December 20, 2013

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending December 20th, 2013 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Another quiet holiday week, with just some minor shuffling in order among the top 10 or so bestsellers this week, with no change at the top: John Grisham's legal thriller Sycamore Row remains at number one.

No new titles enter the list this week.

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (131220)

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

• The New Release is Hidden Expedition: Smithsonian Hope Diamond (Collector's Edition).

• The Daily Deal is The Curse of the Werewolves, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is The Great Unknown: Houdini's Castle, just $2.99 through Sunday, December 22, 2013 only.

Visit the Omnimystery Entertainment Network for more games of mystery and suspense!

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The New Release today is Hidden Expedition: Smithsonian Hope Diamond (Collector's Edition)

You're on a train in the middle of nowhere, and a band of dangerous thieves demand you tell them where to find the Hope Diamond's shards. As the newest Hidden Expedition recruit, you've got to find the shards before they do. In this exciting continuation of the Hidden Expedition series, your journey takes you from the Smithsonian Institution's iconic castle to the remotest jungle as you track down the missing shards and learn the Hope Diamond's secrets.

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won't find in the standard version, including: Play the bonus game to uncover more secrets; Hunt for Smithsonian Institution symbols; Collect Fact Cards on Smithsonian history; Earn Achievements; and Get soundtracks, wallpapers, screensavers, and concept art.

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

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Today's Daily Deal is The Curse of the Werewolves

Travel to a family manor and lift the mysterious curse of the werewolves in this blood-chilling and enthralling Hidden Object Adventure! Delve into the dark story of Ashley, after she receives a mysterious postcard from her grandma. Your journey will take you through the dusty rooms of an old mansion, misty moonlit forests, the rocky cliffs of the ocean shore and the echoing depths of the ancient passageways. Can you help unravel this dark mystery?

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Friday, December 20, 2013 — for $2.99.

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The current Catch of the Week is The Great Unknown: Houdini's Castle

Your honeymoon is cut short when your plane crashes on an uncharted island. You awake to discover a madman has kidnapped your husband. To get him back, you'll have to use all your wits to pass his sinister tests and solve the mysteries of Houdini's castle. Along the way, you'll uncover Houdini's secret past and learn about the brilliant apprentice who changed his life. Can you expose Houdini's greatest trick to save your husband and escape the island? Take the challenge in this thrilling Hidden Object Puzzle 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, December 22, 2013.

Treacherous Souls, A Novel of Suspense by M. E. Tudor with R. L. Williams, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Treacherous Souls by M. E. Tudor with R. L. Williams, 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 (12/19/2013 at 6:00 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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Treacherous Souls by M. E. Tudor with R. L. Williams
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: M. E. Tudor

Emily Jenkins' husband, Kenton controls her life, but Emily has convinced herself that she is okay with that. Her life is fairly simple. She makes sure the house is ready for Kenton's parties and tends her gardens, but major changes are on the horizon.

Emily is going to find out secrets about Kenton that would never have suspected. Secrets that are going to lead to murder.

  

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.

December Dread, A Mira James, Murder-by-the-Month Mystery by Jess Lourey, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature December Dread by Jess Lourey, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Midnight Ink.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $1.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (12/19/2013 at 5:00 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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December Dread by Jess Lourey
A Mira James, Murder-by-the-Month Mystery (8th in series)
Publisher: Midnight Ink

Silent Night, Deadly Night …

With Christmas just over a week away, 'tis the season for grinning sales elves on TV, maddeningly jolly Muzak, and a guilty Nut Goodie addiction. But for Mira James and other Battle Lake-area women, the holidays are marred by something far worse — a serial killer leaving candy canes as his calling card. His target? Thirty-something brunettes who look just like Mira.

When a woman from her high school graduating class becomes his latest victim, Mira plows through a case of online dating turned deadly with Mrs. Berns at her side. Will she earn her detective stripes … or end up deader than the Ghost of Christmas Past?

  

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.