Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (140422)

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

• The New Release is Shtriga: Summer Camp.

• The Daily Deal is Victorian Mysteries: The Yellow Room, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is Mystery of the Ancients: Curse of the Black Water, just $2.99 through Sunday, April 28, 2014 only.

• Today's Special Deal — Big Fish Favorites Sale! Hundreds of Big Fish Favorite Games Are 60% Off for two days only! Use coupon code FAVES at check-out to purchase any Standard Edition game for $3.99 or use coupon code FELIX for Collector's Edition games at just $7.99. Offer valid through April 23rd, 2014 only until 11:59 PM PT.

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

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The New Release today is Shtriga: Summer Camp

Summer camp has always been about good memories, new experiences and making friends. But when children begin to vanish one at a time, campfire ghost stories go from urban legend to real life! Search the ghoulish grounds for the spirit of the dead witch responsible for these disappearances and uncover her horrifying truth before it’s too late! With bone-chilling locations to explore, blood-curdling clues to discover and spine-tingling puzzles to solve, this atmospheric game will stop you dead in your tracks!

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

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Today's Daily Deal is Victorian Mysteries: The Yellow Room

Solve a perplexing conundrum in this Victorian mystery game! A young woman is attacked in the middle of the night inside a locked room. There are only two ways out: a dead- bolted door and a single window blocked by iron bars. How did the murderer escape?

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Tuesday, April 22, 2014 — for $2.99.

Also available for this game:

• Check out the Blog Walkthrough.

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The current Catch of the Week is Mystery of the Ancients: Curse of the Black Water

You travel to the remote island town of Black Water, investigating the mysterious disappearance of two archaeologists when you encounter a mythical monster straight from the ancient myths of Poseidon! What cursed secrets have these archaeologists unearthed beneath the town? Now it's up to you to save the world from falling into a curse of eternal darkness! Uncover the truth lurking deep below the island's darkening waters.

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, 2014.

Also available for this game:

• Get the Strategy Guide.
• Check out the Blog Walkthrough.
• For a more in-depth experience, see the Collector's Edition.

Review: Madness in Miniature by Margaret Grace

A Mysterious Review of Madness in Miniature by Margaret Grace. A Geraldine Porter Mystery.

Review summary: This is a very enjoyable mystery, made better by the special dynamics of the multi-generational family investigating the murder of a superstore CEO. The storyline is nicely constructed, with plenty of suspects to keep everyone busy asking questions and narrowing down the field until just one remains. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Madness in Miniature
Margaret Grace
A Geraldine Porter Mystery
Perseverance Press (April 2014)

Publisher synopsis: The grand opening of a giant chain crafts store is both good and bad news for miniaturist Gerry Porter. But when the big event is accompanied by an earthquake and a murder in the store, there's plenty of opportunity for Gerry and her computer-gifted granddaughter Maddie to help the police investigate. Did the New Yorkers bring crime to quiet Lincoln Point, or are the town's dispossessed small-business people responsible?

From querying suspects to drawing up alibi charts, Gerry applies her insights to various issues of personal relations — but can she solve her own with her BFF, Henry Baker?

    

A New MystereBook: Bad Vice by Jamie Lee Scott

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 April 2014 priced $4.99 or less …

Bad Vice by Jamie Lee Scott is the fifth cozy mystery in this series featuring the Gotcha Detective Agency.

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Bad Vice by Jamie Lee Scott
A Gotcha Detective Agency Mystery
Publisher: LBB Company
Publication Date: April 19, 2014
Price: $3.99 (as of 04/21/14 4:30 PM ET)

Now that Mimi Capurro and Charles Parks are co-owners of Gotcha Detective Agency, and Mimi is single again, all should be going well, especially since they just landed a cushy new contract with the local police department. The prostitution decoy sting operation is in full swing and has the stamp of approval from the chief of police.

And everything is going great until one of the decoys disappears from the sting operation. Now the Gotcha detectives must find the woman, and find out who would want her to disappear, possibly for good, before the police department vice squad realizes she's gone.

  

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.

Murder in a Mill Town, A Nell Sweeney Mystery by P. B. Ryan, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Murder in a Mill Town by P. B. Ryan, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Hawkley Books.

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 (04/21/2014 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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Murder in a Mill Town by P. B. Ryan
A Nell Sweeney Mystery (2nd in series)
Publisher: Hawkley Books

Former pickpocket Nell Sweeney reinvented herself and found a position as governess to wealthy Viola Hewitt's daughter Grace. When Viola needs help locating two missing people, she turns to Nell.

Working with Viola's son Will, an opium addict who knows his way around the back alleys and gambling dens, Nell finds the two murdered, and all evidence points to Will's brother Harry as the killer. While attempting to clear Harry's name, Nell and Will walk straight into the villain's lair.

  

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 Biscuit, A Casket by Liz Mugavero, New in Bookstores in April 2014

Today's featured paperback original mystery title, scheduled to be published during April 2014 by Kensington, is A Biscuit, A Casket by Liz Mugavero.

For a list of more new paperback mysteries, thrillers, and novels of suspense published this month, visit our Mystery Bookshelf page for April 2014. For hardcover titles, visit New Mysteries for a selection of books published during April 2014.

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A Biscuit, A Casket
Liz Mugavero
Series: A Pawsitively Organic Mystery

The small town of Frog Ledge, Connecticut, has wholeheartedly embraced Kristan "Stan" Connor's new business — preparing quality organic treats for dogs and cats. On a healthy diet, the animals may live longer … but one local farmer won't be so lucky.

As Halloween approaches, Stan is asked to cater a doggie costume party hosted by the Happy Cow Dairy Farm. Part of a local co-op, Happy Cow specializes in organic dairy products, and farmers Hal and Emmalee Hoffman have started opening up the farm for parties, offering a "haunted" corn maze as an added attraction.

When Hal's lifeless body is found in the maze, the police at first suspect his wife, but Stan soon learns the dairy farmer had plenty of enemies — from bitter family members to shady business associates. If Stan can't extract a kernel of truth from the labyrinth of lies, she may be the next one to buy the farm.

        

Fallen Palm, A Jesse McDermitt Mystery by Wayne Stinnett, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Fallen Palm by Wayne Stinnett, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Stinnett Enterprises.

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 (04/21/2014 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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Fallen Palm by Wayne Stinnett
A Jesse McDermitt Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Stinnett Enterprises

Jesse McDermitt lives alone on an isolated island in the Florida Keys where he runs a charter fishing business. Retired from the Marine Corps for six years, he wanted nothing more than to relax, fish, dive and enjoy the laid back lifestyle of the islands.

Russ, his former Platoon Sergeant and old friend, dies unexpectedly in a mysterious scuba diving accident and Jesse becomes suspicious. When his friend's son comes to south Florida to ask Jesse if he would take him to a remote reef to spread his father's ashes, the two men discover that Russ was murdered and agree to hunt down the psychotic killer together, unaware that their manhunt will lead them to a Caribbean terrorist cell.

Meanwhile, a beautiful woman has returned to the Keys on a manhunt of her own, distracting Jesse with the idea that he could finally leave his warrior past behind. The prospect of finding lost Confederate gold, several high speed boat chases and dodging demented killers, won't stop Jesse from revenge. Surviving a powerful hurricane puts everything on hold as a top secret government agency tries to recruit him into their fold.

When the sun comes back out, will Jesse be ready?

  

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.

Don't Ever Look Back by Daniel Friedman, New in Bookstores in April 2014

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published during April 2014 by Minotaur Books, is Don't Ever Look Back by Daniel Friedman.

For a list of more new hardcover mysteries published this month, visit our New Mysteries page for April 2014. For new paperback mysteries, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where a selection of April 2014 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers are shelved.

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Don't Ever Look Back
Daniel Friedman
Series: Buck Schatz (2nd)

Eighty-eight-year-old Buck Schatz is reluctantly coming to terms with the fact that he can only move around with the aid of a walker, and his dementia seems to be getting worse.

So when one of Buck's long-time foes, a bank-robber named Elijah, comes to Buck looking for protection from mysterious pursuers, Buck wavers. In the end, his desire to cement his legacy by closing out a series of long-unsolved robberies overwhelms his usual antipathy toward doing favors for people he dislikes. Buck agrees to broker Elijah's surrender to the authorities, if Elijah will promise to confess to his long-ago crimes.

But nothing involving Elijah, or Buck, is ever simple, and Elijah's plans for Buck are more sinister than they first appeared.

        

The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning, A Crime Thriller by Hallgrimur Helgason, at a Special Price during April 2014

Every month Amazon releases a new selection of Kindle books priced $3.99 or less.

Today's featured title from the Mystery & Thrillers category is The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning by Hallgrimur Helgason. This Kindle book was listed at $1.99 as of the date and time of this post, Monday, April 21, 2014 at 1:30 PM ET, and should be available at this price through the end of the month.

More information about the book is below; if other vendors have priced-matched this title, links to their sites are also shown.

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The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning by Hallgrimur Helgason
A Crime Thriller
Publisher: AmazonCrossing

Read our review of The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning by Hallgrimur Helgason

With some 66 hits under his belt, Tomislav Bokšić, or Toxic, has a flawless record as hitman for the Croatian mafia in New York. That is, until he kills the wrong guy and is forced to flee the States, leaving behind the life he knows and loves. Suddenly, he finds himself on a plane hurtling toward Reykjavik, Iceland, borrowing the identity of an American televangelist named Father Friendly.

With no means of escape from this island devoid of gun shops and contract killing, tragicomic hilarity ensues as he is forced to come to terms with his bloody past and reevaluate his future.

  

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.

The Heiress of Linn Hagh, A Stephen Lavender Mystery by Karen Charlton, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Heiress of Linn Hagh by Karen Charlton, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Famelton Publishing.

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 (04/21/2014 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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The Heiress of Linn Hagh by Karen Charlton
A Stephen Lavender Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Famelton Publishing

Northumberland, November 1809: A menacing figure stalks women through Hareshaw Woods and a beautiful, young heiress disappears from her locked bedchamber at Linn Hagh.

The townsfolk cry "witchcraft" and the local constabulary are baffled.

Fearing for her safety, Helen Carnaby's worried uncle sends out for help from Bow Street magistrates' court in London. Detective Stephen Lavender and Constable Woods now face their toughest and most dangerous case. The servants and the local gypsies won't speak to them, Helen's siblings are sly and uncooperative and the sullen local farmers are about to take the law into their own hands.

Isolated in this beautiful but remote community, Lavender and Woods find themselves trapped in the middle of a simmering feud and are alarmed to discover a sinister world of madness and violence lurking behind the heavy oak door of the ancient pele tower at Linn Hagh. Helen Carnaby's disappearance is to prove one of the most perplexing mysteries of Lavender's career.

Why did she flee on that wintry October night? How did she get out of her locked bed chamber? And where is she now?

  

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 Shot of Red by Tracy March

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 April 2014 priced $4.99 or less …

A Shot of Red by Tracy March is a romantic thriller, one of Entangled's "Edge" series of digital-first single titles.

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A Shot of Red by Tracy March
A Romantic Thriller
Publisher: Entangled Edge
Publication Date: April 21, 2014
Price: $0.99 (as of 04/21/14 12:30 PM ET)

Her only ally is the one man she's forbidden to love.

After fleeing D.C. following a one-night stand that had her reeling, biotech company heiress Mia Moncure has thrived working with a humanitarian aid team administering vaccines in Haiti. When the United States is threatened with a flu epidemic, Mia's grandmother demands her return to unveil a new flu vaccine for Moncure Therapeutics. She arrives to find that her ex-boyfriend, the company's PR Director, has died in a suspicious accident in Switzerland that Mia soon suspects was murder.

Determined to reveal a killer, Mia heads to Switzerland where she's threatened as she discovers a plan to infiltrate the vaccine for nefarious purposes. Desperate for backup, she turns to sexy Gio Lorenzo, Communications Director for her mother, a high-ranking senator — and Mia's one-night stand. While negotiating their rocky relationship, they race to uncover a deadly scheme that could ruin her family's reputation. But millions of people are being vaccinated, and there's more than her family's legacy at stake. Mia and Gio struggle to discover the truth about the scheme and their feelings for each other, but it just might be too late.

  

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 Poster for the the ABC Family Comedy Mystery Girls

A new poster has been released by ABC Family for its new comedy series Mystery Girls (right; click for larger image).The tagline: "Detectiving is hard."

Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth star as two former detective TV show starlets brought back together by a real-life mystery. Charlie Contour (Garth) is a suburban housewife and mother, while Holly Hamilton (Spelling) longs for her glory days in the 90s when she was on television. Both of their lives are disrupted when Nick (Miguel Pinzon), a witness to a crime and a Mystery Girls fanatic, will only speak to the infamous duo, and the former friends must reunite and put their TV crime-solving skills to the test.

Mystery Girls premieres on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at 8:30 PM ET/PT.

A Conversation with Mystery Author Yolonda Tonette Sanders

with Yolonda Tonette Sanders

We are delighted to welcome novelist Yolonda Tonette Sanders to Omnimystery News today.

Yolonda's new mystery is Wages of Sin (Strebor Books; Appril 2014 trade paperback and ebook formats), the first in a new series featuring homicide detective Troy Evans.

We recently had the opportunity to talk with Yolonda about her book.

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Omnimystery News: Your previous novels have been stand-alones, but with Wages of Sin you're introducing a recurring character. What prompted you to start a series?

Photo provided courtesy of
Yolonda Tonette Sanders

Yolonda Tonette Sanders: It's all about character. I started Wages of Sin with the intention of making it the first book in a series, which is called The Protective Detective Series. In this instance, I did write out the plots to determine if I had enough material for multiple books with one lead character.

OMN: Give us a summary of the book in a tweet.

YTS: A cop is on the hunt for a serial killer who believes that murder is a mission.

OMN: You mentioned mapping out the plots of future books in the series. Tell us more about your writing process.

YTS: I begin my writing process by drafting a synopsis of my general story idea. From there, I create an outline. Normally, my outlines are filled with a bunch of holes because it's impossible for me to know all the details of a story before I begin. I still find them very useful in providing structure. They also change as my stories progress because I allow the characters to guide me.

OMN: Where do you usually write?

YTS: My writing environment varies according to my mood and what's going on around me. Sometimes I lock myself in a room. Other times I am sitting on the couch with the laptop or on the floor. It all depends on how I'm feeling at the time. If I'm having a difficult time concentrating at home, I leave and go elsewhere. I can write with music in the background, but I cannot do so with the television playing. If I find myself singing along too much with songs, then I opt for straight silence.

OMN: How do you go about researching the plot points of your books?

YTS: I do a lot of internet researching when fact-checking materials in my book. If I need clarification about a particular location or job, I will even see if I can contact someone who lives in an area or works in a certain field. My most challenging topic to research thus far has been the techniques used by a private investigator. The second book in The Protective Detective Series comes out in November and takes place in a different city and state from which I live. I was able to connect with a private investigator for help.

OMN: How did you come up with the title for Wages of Sin? And were you involved with the cover design?

YTS: The title came from the first part of Romans 6:23, which states that the wages of sin is death. This was perfect because the killer, identified only as the Avenger, is murdering people because of their sins. The cover was designed by Keith Saunders of Marion Designs. Keith asked me for a scene in the book that he could use to generate a cover. I gave him a bunch of information that I'm sure he had to decipher and he came up with a visual that I thought was absolutely perfect!

OMN: What are some of your outside interests? And have any of these found their way into your books?

YTS: I enjoy exercising, singing, playing Candy Crush, and watching movies. These activities most certainly work their way into my books, especially exercising. I have several characters who are pretty health conscious.

OMN: What's next for you?

YTS: There are two other books scheduled in this series to be released by Simon and Schuster for now, Day of Atonement (November 2014) and Shadow of Death (April 2015). I am also working on expanding the services offered by my company, Yo Productions, which specializes in theatrical entertainment and literary services. I will do smaller productions and I'm also ghostwriting a project for another author.

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Yolonda Tonette Sanders took a leap of faith by resigning from her job with the State of Ohio to focus more on writing. It was a leap that she has never regretted as three of her novels have been published so far, and more are on the way. Currently, Yolonda resides in Columbus, Ohio and is the loving wife of David, proud mother of Tre and Tia, and joyful caregiver of her mother, Wilene.

For more information about the author, please visit her website at YoProductions.net or find her on Facebook.

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Wages of Sin
Yolonda Tonette Sanders
A Troy Evans Mystery

Troy Evans believes in God, but he's seen enough evil on his job to shake his faith. Nonetheless, his loyalty to his family never wavers, and he would do anything to protect them — one of the reasons he is a workaholic.

Natalie loves her family, but she's becoming increasingly frustrated with Troy's job. His schedule is often hectic and unpredictable, and she's also helping her best friend deal with some serious issues — and struggling to come clean about a secret she's hiding from Troy.

While Natalie deals with her issues, Troy spends the majority of his time searching for a serial killer who abducted and murdered several women without rhyme or reason. Desperate to stop the murderer before more women die, he works diligently, but the killer always seems to be one step ahead of him. Then Troy comes to the awful realization that he and the killer have something in common — something that instantly sets him on a mission to end the terror … or die trying.

        

The Girl from Hanoi by Tom Myers is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Girl from Hanoi by Tom Myers 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, April 21, 2014 at 6:45 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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The Girl from Hanoi
Tom Myers
A Suspense Thriller
Publisher: Tom Myers

In 1964, just as the Vietnam War is launching America into the horror of death and destruction, Airman Austin Mars is shanghaied in Saigon by a crooked colonel and forced to fly illicit cargo. After fighting his way out of a bloody attack at a remote jungle airstrip, Mars realizes he will be killed next time if he doesn't escape the colonel's vicious clutches.

That's when he meets an exotic young woman with a plan to free him and possibly make them both rich if he can stay alive. But it means taking the kind of impossible chances found only in the darkest nightmares.

  

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.