Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones is Today's Kobo Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones as today's Kobo Daily Deal.

The deal price of $2.99 is valid only for today, Friday, April 25, 2014.

Note: The price has been matched by Amazon.com for today only.

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Second Grave on the Left
Darynda Jones
A Charlotte "Charley" Davidson Mystery
St. Martin's Press

When Charley Davidson and Cookie (her best friend/receptionist) have to track down a missing woman, the case is not quite as open and shut as they anticipate. A friend of Cookie's named Mimi disappeared five days earlier. This friend then sends Cookie a cryptic message telling them to meet her at a nearby coffee shop. The coffee is brewing, but Mimi's still missing. There is, however, a clue left on the bathroom wall: a woman's name, scribbled by Mimi. Mimi's husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message.

Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He's left his body because he's being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can't let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they'll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven … well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Can she keep those she loves out of harm's way? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel her as she does?

    

Important Note: This book was listed at the price mentioned above on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending April 25, 2014

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending April 25th, 2014 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Harlan Coben's Missing You regained the top spot this week, though by a very slim margin over Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.

One new title enters the list this week (position in [brackets]).

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[8]: The Target
David Baldacci
— Will Robie (3rd)

The President knows it's a perilous, high-risk assignment. If he gives the order, he has the opportunity to take down a global menace, once and for all. If the mission fails, he would face certain impeachment, and the threats against the nation would multiply. So the president turns to the one team that can pull off the impossible: Will Robie and his partner, Jessica Reel.

Together, Robie and Reel's talents as assassins are unmatched. But there are some in power who don't trust the pair. They doubt their willingness to follow orders. And they will do anything to see that the two assassins succeed, but that they do not survive.

As they prepare for their mission, Reel faces a personal crisis that could well lead old enemies right to her doorstep, resurrecting the ghosts of her earlier life and bringing stark danger to all those close to her. And all the while, Robie and Reel are stalked by a new adversary: an unknown and unlikely assassin, a woman who has trained her entire life to kill, and who has her own list of targets — a list that includes Will Robie and Jessica Reel.

Purchase Options

          

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (140425)

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

• The New Release is Grim Facade: A Wealth of Betrayal (Collector's Edition).

• The Daily Deal is Vampire Secrets: Eternal Love, 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.

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

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The New Release today is Grim Facade: A Wealth of Betrayal (Collector's Edition)

You've been hired for your most difficult case — stopping the fearsome figure of a headless knight, bent on terrorizing the city. The sweet Rosa Ramirez is said to have stolen his sword in order to unleash his angry spirit — but could there be something more mysterious happening in this beautiful Spanish village? Follow the clues that lead to Rosa's disappearance — and discover the dark secret behind the infamous Fire Knight … before it's too late!

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

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Today's Daily Deal is Vampire Secrets: Eternal Love

Embark on a mysterious journey taking you from London to the heart of Transylvania and investigate a series of nocturnal kidnappings bringing unrest to Eastern Europe. It's up to you to face these troubled times in search of your younger sister, Maria. Your investigation will lead you to Bran Castle, a place steeped in the myth of Count Dracula. Immerse yourself in an ancient vampire society!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Friday, April 25, 2014 — for $2.99.

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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.

Winners of the 2014 Spotted Owl Awards Announced

Friends of Mystery has announced that Mike Lawson has won his second consecutive Spotted Owl Award for Best Novel for his Joe DeMarco political thriller House Odds. Ingrid Thoft was honored with an award for the Best First Novel for Loyalty, which introduced PI Fina Ludlow.

The Spotted Owl Award for Northwest Mysteries is open to authors who have primary residence in the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho or the Province of British Columbia. The award is chosen by a volunteer committee of Friends of Mystery members.

Review: The Color of Light by Wendy Hornsby

A Mysterious Review of The Color of Light by Wendy Hornsby. A Maggie MacGowen Mystery.

Review summary: The puzzle-like storyline, spanning a 30-year-period, with its bits and pieces coming in dribs and drabs, makes it seem like a picture of what happened one day long ago when a woman was murdered will never emerge. A fine mystery overall in a series that continues to reward readers with multi-layered plots and a cast of engaging characters. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

The Color of Light
Wendy Hornsby
A Maggie MacGowen Mystery
Perseverance Press (March 2014)

Publisher synopsis: Filmmaker Maggie MacGowen learns the hard way that going home again can be deadly. While clearing out her deceased father's desk, Maggie discovers that he had locked away potential evidence in a brutal unsolved murder 30 years earlier. When she begins to ask questions of family and old friends, it emerges that there are people in that seemingly tranquil multi-ethnic Berkeley neighborhood who will go to lethal lengths to prevent the truth from coming out.

With the help of her new love, Jean-Paul Bernard, Maggie uncovers secrets about the murdered Vietnamese mother of a good friend and learns how the crime affected — and continues to affect — the still close-knit neighborhood. The more she finds out, the greater the threat of violence becomes, not only for the long-time neighborhood residents, but even for Maggie herself.

    

New from Endeavour Press: Stranglehold by J. M. Gregson

Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher, promoting and selling ebook editions of works by new authors as well as bringing out ebook editions of out of print books.

We've selected one of their recently published mystery, suspense, thriller or crime titles to feature here today …

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Stranglehold by J. M. Gregson
A Lambert and Hook Mystery
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Publication Date: April 23, 2014
Price: $3.99 (as of 04/24/14 4:30 PM ET)

A young girl is found murdered in a deserted house. She has lain dead for two days, and there are few clues at the scene of the crime to identify her killer. When there is a second murder in the same small community, it becomes obvious that the hunt is for a serial killer, who is certain to kill again. The way the bodies are laid out suggests not only a warped mind — but someone determined to taunt the police.

In the quiet country town of Oldford, a whole community is struck with terror as it waits for the nocturnal killer to strike again. With several suspects, but no motive for the killings, the investigation requires all Superintendent John Lambert insight and expertise.

Can he solve the mystery before another innocent girl is murdered? Or will more victims fall prey to the killer’s deadly stranglehold?

  

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.

The Blackwoods Farm Enquiry by Ann Purser, New in Bookstores in April 2014

Today's featured paperback original mystery title, scheduled to be published during April 2014 by Berkley, is The Blackwoods Farm Enquiry by Ann Purser.

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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The Blackwoods Farm Enquiry
Ann Purser
Series: An Ivy Beasley Mystery

Retiree Ivy Beasley, a college student? Interested in penning her memoirs, Ivy decides to take a creative writing course. But it's hard to find time to put pen to paper when this current chapter is so full of lies, jealousy and murder …

Rumors are flying around the village of Barrington about Mrs. Winchen Blatch, a reclusive widow living alone in her old farmhouse. In the past few weeks, the widow claims she has been tormented by ghostly visitations, so she hires Ivy and her fellow investigators at Enquire Within to get to the bottom of the mystery. Ivy's new classes are very close to the widow's farmhouse, perfect for combining studying and snooping …

With each new clue — a dark chamber, a smoking cigar and an amorous lodger — it becomes harder to separate fact from fiction. And when the ghost is revealed to be flesh and blood, the lonely widow may be in more trouble than Ivy and her team can handle.

        

Open Road Mysteries for $1.99: Slow Motion Riot, A Crime Thriller by Peter Blauner

Open Road has discounted 25 titles to just $1.99 as part of their Mystery Deals promotion to celebrate the Edgar Awards.

Titles include winners, nominees, books by Grand Masters and those receiving special Edgars, and we are pleased to feature one of them, below.

(Price verified on April 24, 2014 as of 3:00 PM ET.)

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Slow Motion Riot by Peter Blauner
A Crime Thriller
Publisher: Open Road

Winner of the 1992 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

As a probation officer in a city plagued by drugs, murders, and corruption, Steven Baum supervises marginal criminals—not dangerous enough for prison, but too damaged to go totally free. He watches them, keeps them in line, and once in a long while, helps one improve his life. The job is a vicious grind, but Steven is good at it, and he is about to be rewarded with a transfer to active duty. But first he has to deal with Darryl King.

A small-time dealer with big aspirations, Darryl is the kind of thug who makes probation officers want to quit. Although the boy terrifies him, Steven holds out hope for helping him turn his life around. What he doesn’t know is that Darryl is a cop-killer—and his troubles have only just begun.

  

Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman, New in Bookstores in April 2014

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published during April 2014 by Ballantine Books, is Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman.

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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Ruin Falls
Jenny Milchman

Liz Daniels has every reason to be happy about setting off on a rare family vacation, leaving behind her remote home in the Adirondack Mountains for a while. Instead, she feels uneasy. Her children, eight-year-old Reid and six-year-old Ally, have met their paternal grandparents only a handful of times. But Liz's husband, Paul, has decided that, despite a strained relationship with his mother and father, they should visit the farm in western New York where he spent his childhood.

On their way to the farm, the family stops at a hotel for the night. In the morning, when Liz goes to check on her sleeping children, all her anxiety comes roaring back: Ally and Reed are nowhere to be found. Blind panic slides into ice-cold terror as the hours tick by without anyone finding a trace of the kids. Soon, Paul and Liz are being interviewed by police, an Amber Alert is issued, and detectives are called in.

Frantic worry and helplessness threaten to overtake Liz's mind — but in a sudden, gut-wrenching instant she realizes that it was no stranger who slipped into the hotel room that night. Someone she trusted completely has betrayed her. Though she knows that Ally and Reid are safe, Liz will stop at nothing to find them and get them back. From her guarded in-laws' unwelcoming farmhouse to the deep woods of her own hometown, Liz follows the threads of a terrible secret to uncover a hidden world created from dreams and haunted by nightmares.

        

Telemystery: Longmire Season 3 To Premiere June 2nd

A&E has announced that the third season of Longmire, based on a character created by Craig Johnson, will premiere on June 2nd, 2014 at 10 PM ET/PT. Robert Taylor stars as the charismatic Walt Longmire, sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming.

Here's more from the network press release: "Walt finds himself reeling from a series of devastating traumas. His best friend, Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips), is going to prison on murder charges. Deputy Branch Connally (Bailey Chase) has been shot by a mysterious 'white warrior', and Vic Moretti (Katee Sackhoff) is unsure if she has shaken a stalker from her past. Walt is forced to shoulder all of these burdens and try to find a way to set the world right again but one person knows he can't do this alone — his daughter, Cady (Cassidy Freeman). She will fight in court to try and clear Henry's name while Walt continues to unravel the dark, mysterious secrets of Absaroka County. The deeper Walt digs into all these mysteries, the closer he'll get to uncovering the real bloody hand behind his wife's murder."

And in the season premiere, "Walt will deal with the aftermath of Henry's arrest and Branch's shooting — though the latter mystery is complicated by Branch's insistence that his assailant was someone known to be already dead."

Still Life, An Armand Gamache Mystery by Louise Penny, 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 Still Life by Louise Penny. This Kindle book was listed at $2.99 as of the date and time of this post, Thursday, April 24, 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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Still Life by Louise Penny
An Armand Gamache Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Minotaur Books

Winner of the 2006 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. Winner of the 2006 CWA New Blood Dagger Award. Winner of the 2007 Anthony Award for Best First Novel. Winner of the 2007 Dilys Award.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods.

The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.

  

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.

Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season, A Jake Sullivan Novel by Chip Bell, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season by Chip Bell, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Word Association.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $3.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (04/24/2014 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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Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season by Chip Bell
A Jake Sullivan Novel (2nd in series)
Publisher: Word Association

It is the end of June and President Jordan Fletcher has just negotiated a historical treaty with Cuba, and its signing will be held at the end of October in Miami. Because of Fletcher's past relationship with him in the Benjamin Matthews matter, he has asked Jake Sullivan to coordinate the treaty signing ceremony. Just as Jake and his investigator and close friend, Mike Lang, begin their job, they receive the astounding news that Benjamin Matthews has died in prison of a heart attack, at the same time learning that an assassination plot has been hatched against the President and Raul and Fidel Castro.

Working with a threat analysis expert from the Secret Service, Jonathan Clark, and Paula Cortez, a specialist in Cuban affairs from the FBI, who appears to be more than just a former colleague of Mike Lang, Jake sets about trying to diffuse the plot by discovering the identity of a mysterious assassin known only as "The Agent", employed by an even more secret organization, “The Birth of New Madrid.” As the summer months move by with the assassin still on the loose, the tension builds at Jake's office, just as tension builds out on the open water as a very active hurricane season is underway. Worrying about Mother Nature and the plot at hand, Jake and his team finally come face to face with their mysterious assassin and soon come to realize he is only part of a much greater threat.

Racing to save the treaty signing and the lives of the President and the Castro brothers, this second novel by Chip Bell heads to an explosive finish where Jake discovers the true nature of the danger they face and finds himself in one final battle — a battle for his life and the lives of his family now that he realizes the ultimate truth — the target all along was 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.

New from Endeavour Press: A Species of Revenge by Marjorie Eccles

Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher, promoting and selling ebook editions of works by new authors as well as bringing out ebook editions of out of print books.

We've selected one of their recently published mystery, suspense, thriller or crime titles to feature here today …

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A Species of Revenge by Marjorie Eccles
A Gil Mayo Mystery
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Publication Date: April 23, 2014
Price: $3.99 (as of 04/24/14 12:30 PM ET)

At first, the discovery of an unidentified body barely impacts on the quiet community of Ellington Close in the country town of Lavistock. It is down to Detective Inspector Abigail Moon to find the identity of the murdered man, and figure out what he was doing there.

The case seems a dead end until, just when the trail is starting to go cold, another murder much closer to home turns the eye of suspicion on the residents of Ellington Close. As DI Moon and Superintendent Gil Mayo investigate the the people living in this small community, they find that more one person is keeping secrets …

As Mayo and Moon search for the answers, they quickly realize that the two murders are inextricably connected. Can they uncover the unknown terror that is lurking in the shadows of the quiet backwater town in time? Or will this "species of revenge" strike again?

  

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.