The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch is Today's Kindle Daily Deal for Teens

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal for Teens.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Monday, December 23, 2013.

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The Eleventh Plague
Jeff Hirsch
Scholastic Press

In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving.

In the aftermath of a war, America's landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade.

But when Stephen's grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler's Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler's Landing — and their lives — forever.

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 Godoku Puzzle for December 23, 2013

A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now available on our website.

Godoku is similar to Sudoku, but uses letters instead of numbers. To give you a headstart, we provide you a mystery clue to fill in a complete row or column (if you choose to use it!).

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This week's letters and mystery clue:

B D E H I N T W Y

In the title of this Jane Lawless mystery by Ellen Hart, something is taken in this manner. (9 letters).

We now have two weeks of our puzzles on one page in PDF format for easier printing. Print this week's puzzle here.

Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.

Enjoy the weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (131223)

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

• The New Release is Christmas Stories: A Christmas Carol.

• The current Catch of the Week is Haunted Halls: Revenge of Doctor Blackmore, just $2.99 through Sunday, December 29, 2013 only.

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

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The New Release today is Christmas Stories: A Christmas Carol

Everyone deserves a second chance — even the stingiest of them all. Your Uncle Scrooge asks for your help, but some friendly Christmas ghosts have other plans for him … and you. Undo the bad turns in his life as your uncle's alter egos work either with — or against — you to change the man's fate once and for all.

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 Haunted Halls: Revenge of Doctor Blackmore

When you wake up in the lair of the notorious Dr. Blackmore, you know it's going to be a bad day. But to make matters worse, he's also holding your fiancé and a handful of other people hostage in various locations throughout the building. To save them all, you'll have to use your wits and your will to survive a series of nightmarish experiments Blackmore has concocted especially for you. Prepare for a mind-bending journey into the realm of the weird and brace yourself for the unexpected in this exciting Hidden Object adventure!

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 29, 2013.

A Kindle Countdown Deal: Death Takes a Holiday by Elisabeth Crabtree

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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Death Takes a Holiday by Elisabeth Crabtree
A Grace Holliday, Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Elisabeth Crabtree
Price: $0.99 (as of 12/22/13 05:30 PM ET)

Hoping to turn her friendship with Kyle into something more, Grace Holliday jumps at the chance to accompany him on a pre-New Year's Eve romantic train ride through the mountains. But a threatening message scrawled on the bathroom mirror turns their romantic getaway into a nightmare.

Soon, she discovers that all of the passengers have been lured to the train under false pretenses and that a sinister presence lurks among the luxurious accommodations.

When one of the passengers is murdered, and the train becomes stranded in the middle of nowhere, Grace and Kyle find themselves in a race against time to trap a killer before the clock strikes twelve.

  

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.

Triple Identity, A Dan Gordon, Intelligence Thriller by Haggai Carmon, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Triple Identity by Haggai Carmon, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Thomas & Mercer.

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 (12/22/2013 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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Triple Identity by Haggai Carmon
A Dan Gordon, Intelligence Thriller (2nd in series)
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Investigating attorney Dan Gordon is working for a unit of the U.S. Department of Justice that combats money launderers outside the United States. A routine mission develops into a complex international plot involving murder, espionage, kidnapping, conspiracy, and romance.

Gordon, an indefatigable bloodhound, calls on his innate shrewdness, as well as his secret Mossad past and training, to ferret out the truth.

  

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

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: The Kebab King by Richard Rippon

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 …

The Kebab King by Richard Rippon was given the Northern Writers' Award for the opening chapters of a novel back in 2009.

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The Kebab King by Richard Rippon
A Tommy Rowan Mystery
Publisher: Richard Rippon
Publication Date: December 21, 2013
Price: $2.99 (as of 12/22/13 04:30 PM ET)

Private Investigator Tommy Rowan ekes out an existence spying on the adulterous partners of his clients. A job for which he is well suited: he's practically invisible.The next person through Tommy's door is faded 80s popstar and botox enthusiast Marty Del Rio, a local lad done good, who pays him to track down his wayward stepdaughter.

Has she been kidnapped? Murdered? And whatever happened, what does it have anything to do with Kenny Gibson, bar owner and loan shark, to whom Tommy already owes money?

To complicate matters, Tommy's ex is back in town and everyone — even best mate Chris — seems to be acting weird.

Rowan needs to summon up all his investigative skills to find the girl and make some money before he goes under, but like a kebab with hot chili sauce, very little happens in life without a little pain …

  

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.

Open Your Heart, A Matt Bolster, Yoga Mystery by Neal Pollack, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Open Your Heart by Neal Pollack, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Thomas & Mercer.

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 (12/22/2013 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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Open Your Heart by Neal Pollack
A Matt Bolster, Yoga Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

After solving the murder of illustrious guru Ajoy Chaterjee, yoga detective Matt Bolster is finally getting some students at his Los Angeles yoga classes. With attendance now hitting the double digits, nothing can stop the Bolster express.

When Bolster gets invited to teach at The Gathering, a prestigious yoga retreat run by the renowned Tom Hart, it seems like things can't get any better. Bolster is a little dubious about the cultish atmosphere, but, as they say in L.A., it's an honor just to be nominated. What starts off as a relaxing, decadent retreat quickly spirals into deadly chaos that forces Bolster to use all his yoga-detective powers, and also his fists.

  

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

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: A Sample Death by Wembley Pyecraft

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 …

A Sample Death by Wembley Pyecraft is the first mystery in this series, suspenseful, whimsical, and revealing of the darker side of the medical profession.

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A Sample Death by Wembley Pyecraft
A Jonathan Watson, Medical Examiner Mystery
Publisher: Wembley Pyecraft
Publication Date: December 20, 2013
Price: $2.99 (as of 12/22/13 03:30 PM ET)

Recently transplanted to a Maine coast town, medical examiner Jonathan Watson is immediately confronted by deaths that others are too eager to consider routine but he sees as suspicious.

He uncovers shady dealings by doctors and imminent danger that extends beyond his small town.

  

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.

Tis the Season, A Christmas Romantic Mystery by Kathryn Quick, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Tis the Season by Kathryn Quick, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Montlake Romance.

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 (12/22/2013 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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Tis the Season by Kathryn Quick
A Christmas Romantic Mystery
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Santa quit! Well, Holly Winters' father who plays the beloved character every year at the local mall is quitting the business. Jack Winters has been the shopping mall's Santa for as long as anyone can remember but this year, the unrelenting commercialization of Christmas has him threatening to hang up his red suit.

Holly loves Christmas and everything associated with it, and can't imagine a holiday without him. So when her father challenges her to prove him wrong by changing just one indifferent person back to the true spirit of the season, she accepts. But there's a catch. Her father must choose the person. When Jack picks Michael Sutton, the workaholic, bottom-line property manager of the mall, Holly has no choice but to agree.

As Holly works to thaw Michaels' cold Christmas hear, she finds that he has been hiding a heartrending holiday secret that could threaten to ruin everything. On top of that, she's beginning to have a holiday wish of her own — him!

  

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.

Murder as a Second Language by Joan Hess, New in Bookstores This Month

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published this month by Minotaur Books, is Murder as a Second Language by Joan Hess.

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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Murder as a Second Language
Joan Hess
Series: Claire Malloy (19th)

Longtime bookseller and single mother, Claire Malloy has recently married her long term beau and moved out of her less than opulent apartment into a sprawling, newly remodeled house. Her daughter, Caron, is making plans for college. All of which leaves Claire with something she hasn't had in quite a while: spare time.

When her attempts to learn French cooking start getting "mixed" reviews, she agrees to help Caron and her best friend Inez in fluffing up their college applications by volunteering as an ESL tutor with the Farberville Literacy Council. But her modest effort to give back quickly becomes a nightmare when she's railroaded onto the Board of Directors of the troubled nonprofit. Vandalism, accusations of embezzlement, epic budget problems, and a cacophony of heavily-accented English speakers are just the tip of the iceberg. Just as she decides that it might be best to extricate herself, Claire gets a frantic call from her husband, Deputy Chief Peter Rosen. One of the students, an older Russian woman named Ludmilla, famed for her unpleasantness, has been murdered in the offices of the Farberville Literary Council. For the first time ever, Peter actually asks Claire for her help.

      

Die With Me, A Mark Tartaglia Mystery by Elena Forbes, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Die With Me by Elena Forbes, 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 (12/22/2013 at 2:00 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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Die With Me by Elena Forbes
A Mark Tartaglia Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: MP Publishing

Somewhere in London, a lonely young woman is reaching out to the wrong man. It's up to Detective Inspector Mark Tartaglia and the rest of the Murder Squad to find her before a killer does.

When fourteen-year-old Gemma Kramer's broken body is found on the floor of St. Sebastian's Church, the official ruling is that she jumped to her death from the organ gallery above the altar. But then a witness comes forward claiming to have seen Gemma kissing a much older man before the two disappeared into the church together. And when the toxicology report reveals traces of GHB and alcohol in her system, a full-scale murder investigation is launched.

At the helm is Detective Inspector Mark Tartaglia, a stubborn cop known for following his hunches. It's Tartaglia's first time in charge, and he walks right into a political minefield as the investigation turns up three more suspicious deaths — all involving vulnerable young women falling to their deaths, all initially ruled suicides.

In the whirlwind of conflicting theories from the media, criminal profilers, and cautious administrators, Tartaglia and his detectives must connect the dots between victims to find a serial killer with a chilling predilection for lonely girls and deadly heights.

  

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: One Kill Away by Alex MacLean

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 …

One Kill Away by Alex MacLean is the second mystery in this series, which features Halifax cop Allan Stanton.

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One Kill Away by Alex MacLean
An Allan Stanton Mystery
Publisher: Alex MacLean
Publication Date: December 20, 2013
Price: $2.99 (as of 12/22/13 01:30 PM ET)

Halifax homicide detective Allan Stanton's walked away from his job to reconnect with his young son, until a killer starts methodically carving his way through the city's underbelly. His ex-partner needs help, and Stanton reluctantly returns.

The killer is definitely working through a list of victims, and he's leaving cryptic clues at his grisly crime scenes. Are they there to confuse the police? Or is there something more to them? As Stanton unravels this shocking central mystery, he becomes the target of an unexpected enemy — those next on the killer's list.

  

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.

A View To Die For, A Murder Mystery by Richard Houston, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A View To Die For by Richard Houston, 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 (12/22/2013 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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A View To Die For by Richard Houston
A Murder Mystery
Publisher: Richard Houston

Jacob Martin is trying to make the best of a divorce and mid-life crisis when he gets a call at two o'clock Sunday morning from his mother. His sister has been arrested for the murder of her fourth husband, and his father is near death.

Thus begins an adventure that takes Jake and his golden retriever from their Colorado retreat to a backwater town in the Missouri Ozarks where they search for cold-blooded killers, a cache of gold coins buried by Jesse James, and the love of a beautiful nurse.

  

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: Off the Edge by Carolyn Crane

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 …

Off the Edge by Carolyn Crane is the second book in this series of romantic suspense thrillers.

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Off the Edge by Carolyn Crane
The Associates Series
Publisher: Carolyn Crane
Publication Date: December 20, 2013
Price: $2.99 (as of 12/22/13 12:30 PM ET)

She may be his worst enemy … He may be her only hope …

For deadly secret agent Peter Macmillan, language is a weapon — one he uses to hunt criminals, destroy plots, and charm enemies. Seducing information out of a beautiful singer in a Bangkok hotel should be easy … except this particular singer has the power to destroy his cool façade, and with it, his last defense against a dark past.

He tricked her. He helped himself to her body and her secrets. He has enemies everywhere. Laney Lancaster should hate Peter, but when she discovers him shirtless, sweaty, and chained up in the hotel's dungeon, all she can think about is freeing him. Because she knows what it's like to be trapped and alone. And she could use a dangerous friend.

They might be wrong for each other, but the instant they join forces, Laney and Peter are plunged into an odyssey of hot sex and dark danger. To survive, they must trust each other with their lives — and their hearts.

  

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.

New Trailer for Justified Season 5

A new trailer has been released by FX Networks for the new season of Justified (embedded, below).

Based on Elmore Leonard's novella Fire in the Hole, Timothy Olyphant stars as Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens, a lawman who finds himself drawn back to his home state of Kentucky.

This January, Raylan confronts the Crowes, a deadly, lawless family from Florida intent on settling in Harlan with new criminal enterprises in mind. Meanwhile, Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) struggles to free his imprisoned fiancée Ava (Joelle Carter) as he partners with the Dixie Mafia's Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns).

The fifth season of Justified premieres January 7th, 2014 at 10 PM ET/PT.

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Deadly Tide by George East is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Deadly Tide by George East as today's third free mystery ebook (An Inspector Mowgley Murder Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, December 22, 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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Deadly Tide
George East
An Inspector Mowgley Murder Mystery
Publisher: La Puce Publications

Jack Mowgley is anything but an ordinary copper. For starters, how many police officers have "ACAB" (All Coppers Are Bastards) tattooed on their knuckles? Or get booze and baccy supplies by smuggling them through the continental ferry port he is supposed to be keeping free of crime? Or dispense sometimes very rough justice without troubling the courts? For these and many other reasons, Inspector John ‘Jack’ Mowgley is a very different detective. He also finds the rules and requirements of political correctness a closed book.

After proving a great disappointment to his wife, a painful divorce resulted in our flawed hero being dispossessed of his home in Hampshire and lumbered with the crippling mortgage on a pretentious ruin in Normandy. This is why he lodges where he can in between spending his time on the job or in his dockside local pub, The Ship Leopard.

A beachcomber finds a Hermes Birkin designer bag containing a large amount of heroin, and an even larger amount of banknotes, and two arms. Meanwhile, a cleaner on board a cross-Channel ferry boat finds a limbless and headless body in a luxury cabin.

At his temporary lodgings above the Midnight Tindaloo, our hero is awoken with the grim news by his fiercely loyal assistant, drinking companion and confidante, Sergeant Catherine McCarthy. To other members of the City force, she is a strikingly attractive, clever but often prickly officer. To Mowgley she is his muse and mate Melons, but he is the only person on earth allowed her to call her that.

After opening the Trunk Murder case, Mowgley and Melons find themselves following a trail across the Channel which becomes increasingly littered with dead bodies … and body parts.

  

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.