Rough Beginnings by Katja Bethune is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Rough Beginnings by Katja Bethune as today's free mystery ebook (A Stacy Black Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, May 02, 2014 at 6:30 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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Rough Beginnings
Katja Bethune
A Stacy Black Mystery
Publisher: Katja Bethune

Stacy Black is a down on his luck private investigator. One night, after another spat with his long time friend and secretary Troy, he takes stock of his life. He thinks that he has arrived at the deadest end of his proverbial dead-end road. Lady Luck has never been on his side, and as usual he decides to drown his sorrows with a healthy does of "Jim". Suddenly, there is a noise at the door. Stacy checks the hallway and finds a small package that is not addressed to him. He knows that he shouldn't open it, but when he has been getting cozy with "Jim" his judgment is usually not the best. The average Joe couldn't survived the blast that hits Stacy next, but maybe Stacy isn't the average Joe after all?

When Stacy meets Aimee, a rather hot and ghostly spirit, he is not sure if she is dead or alive, but the clock is ticking. With his body in one place and his spirit in another, Stacy's hunt for the villain begins.

  

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 Eighth Day by Tom Avitabile is Today's Nook Daily Find

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Eighth Day by Tom Avitabile as today's Nook Daily Find.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, May 02, 2014.

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

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The Eighth Day
Tom Avitabile
A William "Wild Bill" Hiccock Thriller
The Story Plant

A chemical engineer sets in motion a horrendous explosion killing hundreds of commuters and himself.Hollywood’s hottest sex symbol assassinates a sitting senator.A grandmother stages a sophisticated attack on a train causing massive damage.An airplane full of Silicon Valley’s brightest is blown up while refueling.

A series of deadly, unrelated events or the unlikely start of an insidious new terror network?

As Science Advisor to the President, William "Wild Bill" Hiccock is tasked with assembling a team to identify and stop the threat, whether homegrown or foreign. His team — a retired Navy admiral, a wise-guy computer hacker sprung from federal prison, and his ex-wife, a leading behavioral psychologist — must identify and destroy their elusive adversary who always seems to be a step ahead.

    

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.

Carrie's Run by Andrew Kaplan is Today's Suspense Thriller Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Carrie's Run by Andrew Kaplan as today's Suspense Thriller Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, May 02, 2014.

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Carrie's Run
Andrew Kaplan
A Homeland Thriller
William Morrow

Beirut, 2006. CIA operations officer Carrie Mathison barely escapes an ambush while attempting a clandestine meeting with a new contact, code-name Nightingale. Suspicious that security has been compromised, she challenges the station chief in a heated confrontation that gets her booted back to Langley.

Expert in recognizing and anticipating behavioral patterns—a skill enhanced by her bipolar disorder she keeps secret to protect her career—Carrie is increasingly certain that a terrorist plot has been set in motion. She risks a shocking act of insubordination that helps her uncover secret evidence connecting Nightingale with Abu Nazir, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Determined to stop the terrorist mastermind, she embarks on an obsessive quest that will nearly destroy her.

  

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.

The Dirty Duck by Martha Grimes is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Dirty Duck by Martha Grimes as today's Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $2.99 is valid only for today, Friday, May 02, 2014.

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The Dirty Duck
Martha Grimes
A Richard Jury Mystery
Scribner

The Dirty Duck is a pub in Shakespeare’s beloved Stratford, and in this pub Miss Gwendolyn Bracegirdle of Sarasota, Florida, fresh from a performance of As You Like It, takes her last drink. A few minutes later she is slashed ear to ear, the only clue: two lines from an unknown poem printed across a theater program.

The razor-happy murderer, it seems is stalking a group of rich American tourists. And Scotland Yard Superintendent Richard Jury, just passing through Stratford for a glimpse of the intriguing Lady Kennington, instead takes a crash course in the bloodier side of Elizabethan verse.

  

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

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (140502)

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

• The New Release is Royal Detective: Queen of Shadows (Collector's Edition).

• The Daily Deal is Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek, just $2.99 today only!

• The current Catch of the Week is Mysteries of the Mind: Coma, just $2.99 through Sunday, May 04, 2014 only.

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

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The New Release today is Royal Detective: Queen of Shadows (Collector's Edition)

Princess made some mistakes in the past, not always using her magic for good. But she's made amends, and that's all forgiven now. She has finally found her mother after five long years. But just as Princess runs to embrace her, a band of thuggish trees kidnap her mother! You're the royal detective she came to know so well, and you're Princess' only hope. She's still just a girl, and her magic isn't quite strong enough to defeat the villain who's taken her mother. Help reunite them — and uncover a devious plot by an evil king and his brothers!

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won't find in the standard version, including: Capture the sacred water and bring Razillion back to life; Win awards for your greatest achievements; Collect all 22 trading cards for extra prizes; and Get elegant music, screen savers, wallpapers, 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 Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek

Find a kidnapped teenage girl and save yourself in this fun Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game! After waking up in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, you must piece together your memories and figure out why you ended up in Maple Creek. Discover the ancient evil that lurks in the seemingly peaceful lands of Vermont and learn the truth in this thrilling detective story!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game today only — Friday, May 02, 2014 — for $2.99.

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.

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The current Catch of the Week is Mysteries of the Mind: Coma

Everyone deserves a second chance. You've been in an accident and are fighting your way out of a coma. Inside your mind, you must explore your deepest memories in order to right the past and set yourself free. First you'll go back to visit your mother, with whom you were estranged before she died. Now's your chance to uncover the mystery of your rift and show her what she meant to you. Explore nostalgic locations and meet other people from your past in this moving, dramatic hidden-object puzzle adventure game. There's also a guiding spirit whose true identity is yours to uncover. What happened all those years ago when your family was changed forever? The thing that really keeps you trapped might surprise you.

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, May 04, 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 Edgar Awards Announced

The annual Edgar Awards for the best in mystery, suspense, thriller and crime fiction were handed out tonight at a gala ceremony in New York City. Thanks so much to all who tweeted the results so that we could bring them to you tonight!

And the winners are …

• Best Novel: Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger (Atria Books)

• Best First Novel: Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews (Scribner)

• Best Paperback Original: The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood (Penguin Books)

• Best Fact Crime: The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War by Daniel Stashower (Minotaur Books)

• Best Critical/Biographical: America is Elsewhere: The Noir Tradition in the Age of Consumer Culture by Erik Dussere (Oxford University Press)

• Best Short Story: "The Caston Private Lending Library & Book Depository" – Bibliomysteries by John Connolly (Mysterious Press)

• Best Juvenile: One Came Home by Amy Timberlake (Alfred A. Knopf)

• Best Young Adult: Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher (Little, Brown)

• Best Television Episode Teleplay: "Episode 1" – The Fall by Allan Cubitt (Netflix)

• Robert L. Fish Memorial Award: "The Wentworth Letter" – Criminal Element's Malfeasance Occasional by Jeff Soloway (St. Martin's Press)

• Grand Masters: Robert Crais and Carolyn Hart

• Raven Award: Aunt Agatha's Bookstore, Ann Arbor, Michigan

• The Simon & Schuster — Mary Higgins Clark Award: Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman (Ballantine)

A New MystereBook: Hollywood Blood by M. Z. Kelly

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 …

Hollywood Blood by M. Z. Kelly is the second mystery in the Hollywood Alphabet series. The first, Hollywood Assassin, is currently free in the Amazon Kindle Store.

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Hollywood Blood by M. Z. Kelly
The Hollywood Alphabet Series
Publisher: M. Z. Kelly
Publication Date: April 30, 2014
Price: $2.99 (as of 05/01/14 4:30 PM ET)

If you think you've got problems, meet LAPD cop, Kate Sexton. She's just been promoted to the department's elite Robbery Homicide Division, along with her canine partner, Bernie, a first for the homicide unit. But things immediately go downhill when a famous singer's manager is shot and killed during one of Kate's mother's psychic séances. While Kate tries to balance her troubled relationship with her mother and an ex-cop, things get even crazier when the killer strikes again … and again … and then targets those closest to the investigation.

As she tracks the killer, things turn even more bizarre when Kate learns the suspect in the homicides is the leader of a blood thirsty cult out for revenge. To make matters worse, Bernie's sexual wanderlust is out of control, her best friend Natalie meddles in the case, and Kate's boss thinks she's leaking details about the murders to the press.

  

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.

Secretariat Reborn, A Christian Roberts Mystery by Susan Klaus: Amazon's The Big Deal Promotion

Every so often Amazon releases a new selection of Kindle books priced up to 85% off as part of The Big Deal Promotion.

Today's featured mystery, suspense, or thriller title is Secretariat Reborn by Susan Klaus. This Kindle book was listed at $1.99 as of the date and time of this post, Thursday, May 01, 2014 at 4:00 PM ET, and should be available at this price through Sunday, May 11, 2014.

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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Secretariat Reborn by Susan Klaus
A Christian Roberts Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

Christian Roberts, lanky, blond, and twenty-five-years-old, rents out small sailboats on Sarasota Bay. His peaceful life is shattered when he accepts a thoroughbred colt from his estranged, dying father, an Ocala horse trainer. When Christian promises his father that he'll race the colt, he's plunged into the underworld of horse racing. To navigate his way he naively hires Ed Price, a heartless Miami trainer. And when his colt shows potential — a surprising resemblance to Secretariat — a dubious wealthy sheik wants to buy him, but Christian vows to keep his promise to his father.

With a sizable debt still owed on the horse, Christian is forced to take out a loan, his only recourse, Vince, a New York mobster. If the money is not repaid on time, Christian's life and that of Allie, his colt's trainer, are threatened. To add to his rollercoaster of troubles, he faces fraud charges since his father illegally registered the colt, and he is being stalked by a psychotic ex-girlfriend.

  

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 at Mullings by Dorothy Cannell, a New 1st in Series Mystery Introducing Florence Norris

We are pleased to present you with one of this month's new 1st in Series mysteries: Murder at Mullings by Dorothy Cannell and introducing Florence Norris.

What we know about the character: Florence Norris is the longstanding housekeeper at Mullings, the ancestral home of the Stodmarsh family.

For more information about her first murder, see a synopsis of the book, below.

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Murder at Mullings by Dorothy Cannell
Series: A Florence Norris Mystery
Publisher: Severn House
Format(s): Hardcover, eBook

In its 300-year history, there has never once been a scandal at Mullings, ancestral home of the decent but dull Stodmarsh family. Until, that is, Edward Stodmarsh makes an ill-advised second marriage to the scheming Regina Stapleton, who insists on bringing her family's "ornamental hermit" to live on the estate. Suddenly everyone wants to visit Mullings to glimpse this mysterious figure.

Strange but harmless, thinks Florence Norris, the family's longstanding housekeeper. But events take a sinister turn with the arrival of sudden, violent death — and suddenly the hermit doesn't seem so harmless after all.

  

You Could Call It Murder, A Roy Markham Mystery by Lawrence Block, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature You Could Call It Murder by Lawrence Block, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Open Road.

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 (05/01/2014 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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You Could Call It Murder by Lawrence Block
A Roy Markham Mystery
Publisher: Open Road

When a beautiful young heiress goes missing, it could be a runaway … or it could be murder …

Roy Markham figures the case of Barbara Taft will be easy. A beautiful and wealthy college girl with a wild streak, she's probably left her sleepy New England campus to be with a boy. But when her body turns up in the Hudson River, Roy suspects this is no suicide.

While he's working on Barb's case, another beautiful young girl hops into his cab with killers on her tail. Suddenly the private detective finds himself wrapped up in a whole lot of females' troubles and he's got to crack the case to help them — and him — get out alive.

This novel was first published in 1961 as The Case of the Pornographic Photos and later published as Markham to coincide with the television series of the same title starring Ray Milland as Roy Markham.

  

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.

Cheap Shot by Ace Atkins, New in Bookstores in May 2014

Today's new hardcover mystery title, scheduled to be published during May 2014 by Putnam, is Cheap Shot by Ace Atkins.

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

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Cheap Shot
Ace Atkins
Series: Spenser (42nd)

Kinjo Heywood is one of the New England Patriots' marquee players — a hard-nosed linebacker who's earned his reputation as one of the toughest guys in the league. When off-field violence repeatedly lands Heywood in the news, his slick agent hires Spenser to find the men who he says have been harassing his client.

Heywood's troubles seem to be tied to a nightclub shooting from two years earlier. But when Heywood's nine-year-old son, Akira, is kidnapped, ransom demands are given, and a winding trail through Boston's underworld begins, Spenser puts together his own all-star team of toughs. It will take both Hawk and Spenser's protégé, Zebulon Sixkill, to watch Spenser's back and return the child to the football star's sprawling Chestnut Hill mansion. A controversial decision from Heywood only ups the ante as the clock winds down on Akira's future.

        

Murder in the Mangroves, A Mallie Monroe, Mango Bay Mystery by Marty Ambrose: Amazon's The Big Deal Promotion

Every so often Amazon releases a new selection of Kindle books priced up to 85% off as part of The Big Deal Promotion.

Today's featured mystery, suspense, or thriller title is Murder in the Mangroves by Marty Ambrose. This Kindle book was listed at $0.99 as of the date and time of this post, Thursday, May 01, 2014 at 2:00 PM ET, and should be available at this price through Sunday, May 11, 2014.

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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Murder in the Mangroves by Marty Ambrose
A Mallie Monroe, Mango Bay Mystery (4th in series)
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Mallie Monroe's life as a reporter on Coral Island has finally settled down. She's adjusted to the Florida lifestyle, received a small raise, and is enjoying a playful romance with island cop Nick Billie. Things start to heat up when Mallie's old boyfriend, Cole, reappears and she finds herself torn between two men.

But just before the annual Mango Festival which had promised to be a pleasant distraction the body of the Mango Queen is found in the mangroves. So it s back to business and Mallie is assigned to report on the case. She soon finds that the murderer isn't the only one in town to worry about, as her investigation begins digging up old secrets that many islanders prefer to remain buried.

Can Mallie find the key to the Mango Queen s death before the killer plants her under the nearest tropical tree? And if she survives that, will she be able to decide whether Nick or Cole holds the key to her heart?

  

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.

Zero Day, A Jeff Aiken Mystery by Mark Russinovich, at a Special Price during May 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 Zero Day by Mark Russinovich. This Kindle book was listed at $2.99 as of the date and time of this post, Thursday, May 01, 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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Zero Day by Mark Russinovich
A Jeff Aiken Mystery (1st in series)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

An airliner's controls abruptly fail mid-flight over the Atlantic. An oil tanker runs aground in Japan when its navigational system suddenly stops dead. Hospitals everywhere have to abandon their computer databases when patients die after being administered incorrect dosages of their medicine. In the Midwest, a nuclear power plant nearly becomes the next Chernobyl when its cooling systems malfunction.

At first, these random computer failures seem like unrelated events. But Jeff Aiken, a former government analyst who quit in disgust after witnessing the gross errors that led up to 9/11, thinks otherwise. Jeff fears a more serious attack targeting the United States computer infrastructure is already under way. And as other menacing computer malfunctions pop up around the world, some with deadly results, he realizes that there isn't much time if he hopes to prevent an international catastrophe.

  

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 Attenbury Emeralds, A Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane Mystery by Jill Paton Walsh, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Minotaur Books.

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 (05/01/2014 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 Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh
A Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane Mystery
Publisher: Minotaur Books

It was 1921 when Lord Peter Wimsey first encountered the Attenbury Emeralds. The recovery of the gems in Lord Attenbury's dazzling heirloom collection made headlines — and launched a shell-shocked young aristocrat on his career as a detective.

Thirty years later, a happily married Lord Peter has just shared the secrets of that mystery with his wife, the detective novelist Harriet Vane. Suddenly, the new Lord Attenbury — grandson of Lord Peter's first client — seeks his help to prove who owns the emeralds. As Harriet and Peter contemplate the changes that the war has wrought on English society — and Peter, who always cherished the liberties of a younger son, faces the unwanted prospect of ending up the Duke of Denver after all.

  

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 Graveyard of My Own by Ron Goulart

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 Graveyard of My Own by Ron Goulart was first published in hardcover by Walker in 1985. This is its first appearance as an ebook.

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A Graveyard of My Own by Ron Goulart
A Crime Thriller
Publisher: Crossroad Press
Publication Date: April 30, 2014
Price: $3.99 (as of 05/01/14 12:30 PM ET)

It's too bad murderers don't carry warning labels …

Bert Kurrie is out jogging when he finds the body of his ex-colleague Beau Jassminsky. The police see the death as accidental. Bert sees things differently.

  

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 Murdered: Soul Suspect

A new trailer has been released for the upcoming murder mystery game Murdered: Soul Suspect (embedded, below). Delving deeper into his own murder, Ronan O'Connor begins to link his death to a series of brutal killings terrifying the town of Salem.

Murdered: Soul Suspect challenges gamers to solve the hardest case of all … their own murder. O'Connor, a detective with the Salem police, had his life brought to a brutal end by a masked killer. Caught in the purgatorial world of Dusk he must combine his investigative skills with powerful supernatural abilities in this detective thriller.

Murdered: Soul Suspect will be released on June 3rd, 2014 on the following platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and as a PC Download.