Today's Selection of Daily Deals for Friday, July 03, 2015

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature a selection of today's Daily Deals found on Friday, July 03, 2015 at 7:30 AM ET …

Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood

A Buchanan/Renard/MacKenna Novel of Romantic Suspense (1st in series)

Publisher: Atria Books

Kindle Daily Deal Price: $1.99

In the still shadows of the confessional, the penitent kneels and makes a bone-chilling disclosure: Bless me father, for I will sin … . Slowly, tauntingly, the man describes his murderous past — how he stalked his victim, worked his way into her life, and then took that life in a violent rage — and his plan to kill again. Only this time, he has raised the stakes in his twisted game, daring authorities to catch him if they can. And this time, he has revealed the name of his next intended victim.

Agent Nick Buchanan has come face-to-face with society's worst monsters and depraved minds in his work for one of the FBI's most elite units, but The Heartbreaker threatens to hit close to home. The intended victim, Laurant Madden, is his best friend's sister.

Soon he is caught up in an intricate chase with one of the most devious psychopaths of his career. But as the danger grows, so does an electrifying attraction between Nick and Laurant.

One false move will cost both of them everything that matters.

— Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood

The Broken by Shelley Coriell

The Apostles Series (1st in series)

Publisher: Forever

Nook Daily Find Price: $1.99

  

Three years ago, reporter Kate Johnson was the first victim-and only survivor-of the Broadcast Butcher. Scarred both physically and psychologically by the brutal serial killer, Kate lives life on the run, knowing that one day, he will find her and finish what he started.

Agent Hayden Reed spends his life chasing monsters. The only way to stay sane is to detach, but the second the Broadcast Butcher case crosses his desk, Hayden knows this is the case that might just cost him his soul. To catch this vicious murderer before he strikes again, Hayden must find Kate and earn her trust. For it's her darkest secrets that hold the key to stopping this madman once and for all …

— The Broken by Shelley Coriell

Always Watching by Chevy Stevens

A Novel of Suspense

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Kobo Daily Deal Price: $2.99 (price-matched by Amazon)

  

In the lockdown ward of a psychiatric hospital, Dr. Nadine Lavoie is in her element. She has the tools to help people, and she has the desire — healing broken families is what she lives for. But Nadine doesn't want to look too closely at her own past because there are whole chunks of her life that are black holes. It takes all her willpower to tamp down her recurrent claustrophobia, and her daughter, Lisa, is a runaway who has been on the streets for seven years.

When a distraught woman, Heather Simeon, is brought into the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit after a suicide attempt, Nadine gently coaxes her story out of her — and learns of some troubling parallels with her own life. Digging deeper, Nadine is forced to confront her traumatic childhood, and the damage that began when she and her brother were brought by their mother to a remote commune on Vancouver Island. What happened to Nadine? Why was their family destroyed? And why does the name Aaron Quinn, the group's leader, bring complex feelings of terror to Nadine even today?

And then, the unthinkable happens, and Nadine realizes that danger is closer to home than she ever imagined. She has no choice but to face what terrifies her the most … and fight back.

— Always Watching by Chevy Stevens

Ticker by Lisa Mantchev

A Steampunk Novel of Suspense

Publisher: Skyscrape

Audible Daily Deal Price: $2.95

A girl with a clockwork heart makes every second count …

When Penny Farthing nearly dies, brilliant surgeon Calvin Warwick manages to implant a brass "Ticker" in her chest, transforming her into the first of the Augmented. But soon it's discovered that Warwick killed dozens of people as he strove to perfect another improved Ticker for Penny, and he's put on trial for mass murder.

On the last day of Warwick's trial, the Farthings' factory is bombed, Penny's parents disappear, and Penny and her brother, Nic, receive a ransom note demanding all of their Augmentation research if they want to see their parents again. Is someone trying to destroy the Farthings … or is the motive more sinister?

Desperate to reunite their family and rescue their research, Penny and her brother recruit fiery baker Violet Nesselrode, gentleman-about-town Sebastian Stirling, and Marcus Kingsley, a young army general who has his own reasons for wanting to lift the veil between this world and the next. Wagers are placed, friends are lost, romance stages an ambush, and time is running out for the girl with the clockwork heart.

— Ticker by Lisa Mantchev

For more deals that may have been found after this post was created, see our Daily Deals page on Omnimystery News for an updated list.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Today's Selection of Free MystereBooks for Friday, July 03, 2015

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature a selection of Free MystereBooks found on Friday, July 03, 2015 at 6:30 AM ET …

The Bones of Others by Vickie McKeehan

A Skye Cree Mystery

Publisher: Beachdevils Press

Price: FREE!

  

Play Dead by Leslie O'Kane

An Allie Babcock Mystery

Publisher: NYLA

Price: FREE!

  

Devil's Food Murder by Carol Durand and Summer Prescott

A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Maven Publishing

Price: FREE!

  

The Unforgivable Fix by T. E. Woods

A Justice Novel

Publisher: Alibi

Price: FREE!

  

For a summary of all of today's titles, plus any that may have been added since this post was created, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

A Matter of Grave Concern, A Novel of Romantic Suspense by Brenda Novak, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Montlake Romance …

A Matter of Grave Concern by Brenda Novak

A Novel of Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Price: $1.99 (as of 07/02/2015 at 7:00 PM ET).

  

When Maximillian Wilder hides his noble identity and joins the notorious body snatchers known as the London Supply Company, the last thing on his mind is love. He's worried about Madeline, his vanished half sister, who was last seen in the company of Jack Hurtsill, the gang's conscienceless leader. Raiding graveyards, stealing corpses, and selling them to medical colleges as dissection material is dirty work, but Max knows he must gain Jack's trust. He's determined to find out what happened to Madeline — and to bring Jack to justice if she was murdered for the coin her body could earn.

Beautiful, spirited Abigail Hale, daughter of the surgeon at Aldersgate School of Medicine, detests the challenging, hard-bargaining Max almost as much as Jack. But she must procure the necessary specimens if she is to save the college and her father's career. She believes she is going to be successful — until Jack double-crosses her. Then she's swept into a plot of danger and intrigue, one where Max must intervene to protect her, no matter the risk to his plan … or his heart.

— A Matter of Grave Concern by Brenda Novak

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Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

New This Week: Manic in Christmas River, A Christmas River Cozy Mystery by Meg Muldoon

Omnimystery News is pleased to present 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 July 2015 and priced $4.99 or less …

Manic in Christmas River by Meg Muldoon

A Christmas River Cozy Mystery (6th in series)

Publisher: Vacant Lot Publishing

Price: $2.99 (as of 07/02/2015 at 6:30 PM ET).

  

"Murder isn't exactly a regular customer in Christmas River. But it sure ain't a foreigner, either." — Cinnamon Peters

It's the Fourth of July weekend in Christmas River, and this year's celebration promises to be more explosive than any other for pie baker extraordinaire Cinnamon Peters.

In addition to juggling massive crowds at her booming pie shop this July, Cinnamon is also helping her beloved grandfather Warren realize his dream of opening a brewpub in the heart of Christmas River.

But when a rival ends up dead on opening night, Cinnamon's life is thrown into turmoil as the murder investigation takes a grim turn. To save her family, Cinnamon and her husband Sheriff Daniel Brightman must put aside everything to get to the bottom of the heinous crime.

Because this July, a killer is walking the streets of Christmas River. And his maniacal plan has only just begun.

— Manic in Christmas River by Meg Muldoon

See all of the cozy mysteries in the Christmas River Series for $3.99 or less each on Kindle.

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Star Spangled Murder, A Lucy Stone Mystery by Leslie Meier, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Kensington …

Star Spangled Murder by Leslie Meier

A Lucy Stone Mystery (11th in series)

Publisher: Kensington

Price: $1.99 (as of 07/02/2015 at 6:00 PM ET).

  

Lucy Stone is in the doghouse — with her next-door neighbor, Mrs. Prudence Pratt. It seems that Kudo, the Stones' misbehaving mutt, has developed a taste for Mrs. Pratt's blue-ribbon winning chickens, as well an escape artist's talent for sneaking out. With the Fourth of July coming up, Lucy doesn't want to set off any more fireworks with the crabby Prudence.

Another sign that the crazy days of summer are in full swing arrives when a group of naturists — a.k.a. nudists — descends on Tinker's Cove, skinny-dipping at the pond that borders Mrs. Pratt's property, giving her something else to complain about. Worse still, the local lobstermen are upset about poachers — and suspicion falls on Mrs. Pratt's husband and son. Then the July Fourth fireworks are canceled to protect a patch of extremely rare purple-spotted lichen, and Mrs Pratt is the victim of a hit and run.

Tinker's Cove is full of suspects, but none with so personal a motive as the Stones. Their feud with Mrs. Pratt has put them at risk of losing their freedom this Independence Day — unless Lucy can start things off with a bang by catching a red, white and blue killer …

— Star Spangled Murder by Leslie Meier

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Past Shadows, A Murder Mystery by Anthea Fraser, New This Week from Endeavour Press

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 …

Past Shadows by Anthea Fraser

A Murder Mystery

Publisher: Endeavour Press

Price: $3.99 (as of 07/02/2015 at 5:30 PM ET).

  

Every summer Annabel Kendal joins her extended family on a holiday at her grandmother's house in Devon. Yet a dark shadow casts its presence over each trip — 28 years ago Annabel's Aunt Hilary was brutally murdered on a similar holiday when Annabel was just a toddler. With no one found guilty, the subject has been hushed away and is now taboo on their trips.

When an over-zealous journalist starts digging around the murder, the suspicion and guilt in Annabel's family comes back to the surface. Annabel starts researching into the truth, and the discovery of her much-maligned French mother Monique's diary reveals some alarming details. With the added pressure of her marriage struggling and a series of anonymous phone calls, Annabel is drawn into the middle of a dark family secret.

— Past Shadows by Anthea Fraser

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Til Dirt Do Us Part, A Cameron Flaherty, Local Foods Mystery by Edith Maxwell, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Kensington …

Til Dirt Do Us Part by Edith Maxwell

A Cameron Flaherty, Local Foods Mystery (2nd in series)

Publisher: Kensington

Price: $1.99 (as of 07/02/2015 at 5:00 PM ET).

  

The produce is local — and so is the crime — when long-simmering tensions lead to murder following a festive dinner on Cam Flaherty's farm. It'll take a sleuth who knows the lay of the land to catch this killer. But no one ever said Cam wasn't willing to get her hands dirty …

Autumn has descended on Westbury, Massachusetts, but the mood at the Farm-to-Table Dinner in Cam's newly built barn is unseasonably chilly. Local entrepreneur Irene Burr made a lot of enemies with her plan to buy Westbury's Old Town Hall and replace it with a textile museum — enough enemies to fill out a list of suspects when the wealthy widow turns up dead in a neighboring farm.

Even an amateur detective like Cam can figure out that one of the resident locavores went loco — at least temporarily — and settled a score with Irene. But which one? With the Fall harvest upon her, Cam must sift through a bushelful of possible killers that includes Irene's estranged stepson, her disgruntled auto mechanic, and a fellow CSA subscriber who seems suspiciously happy to have the dead woman out of the way.

The closer she gets to weeding out the culprit, the more Cam feels like someone is out to cut her harvest short. But to keep her own body out of the compost pile, she'll have to wrap this case up quickly.

— Til Dirt Do Us Part by Edith Maxwell

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New This Week: Contract: Snatch, A Sei Assassin Thriller by Ty Hutchinson

Omnimystery News is pleased to present 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 July 2015 and priced $4.99 or less …

Contract: Snatch by Ty Hutchinson

A Sei Assassin Thriller (1st in series)

Publisher: Gangruptcy Press

Price: $2.99 (as of 07/02/2015 at 4:30 PM ET).

  

Living a secluded life in Belgium, Sei has no thoughts of returning to her former life as an assassin until a mysterious person confronts her with a contract she can't possibly turn down. Payment isn't monetary; instead, it's information leading to the whereabouts of a little girl.

Hers.

In a matter of seconds, Sei is pulled back into a world she left behind. She accepts the contract to chase the truth about her daughter, but what appears to be a routine mission turns into a fight for survival. If Sei is to have any hope of reuniting with her child, she must first save herself.

— Contract: Snatch by Ty Hutchinson

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Death of a Domestic Diva, A Josie Toadfern, Stain-Busting Mystery by Sharon Short, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Avon …

Death of a Domestic Diva by Sharon Short

A Josie Toadfern, Stain-Busting Mystery (1st in series)

Publisher: Avon

Price: $1.99 (as of 07/02/2015 at 4:00 PM ET).

  

Need something troublesome and unsightly eliminated permanently? Call Josie Toadfern!

There is no stain on Earth that laundromat owner Josie Toadfern can't conquer, and she's offered to share her expertise on world famous domestic doyenne Tyra Grimes's TV show. No one is more shocked than Josie herself when the Great Grimes shows up in Paradise, Ohio, to tape a segment in Josie's teeny-weeny hometown.

But rapidly spreading rumors of the insufferable icon's immoral — and quite possibly illegal — carryings-on have sparked Josie's curiosity, and her uninvited sorting through Grimes's dirty laundry is exposing all manner of dastardly doings — from mischief all the way to murder. And the irrepressible Toadfern soon realizes it will take more than lemon juice to make this lethal stain come out in the wash.

— Death of a Domestic Diva by Sharon Short

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Butter Off Dead by Leslie Budewitz, New on the Mystery Bookshelf during July 2015

New on the Mystery Bookshelf during July 2015 …

Butter Off Dead by Leslie Budewitz, An Erin Murphy, Food Lovers' Village Mystery (3rd in series)

Publisher: Berkley

  

The merchants of Jewel Bay, Montana, try to heat up chilly winter business with a new film festival. But their plans are sent reeling when a dangerous killer dims the lights on a local vendor …

In an attempt to woo tourists to Jewel Bay and cheer up the townies, Erin Murphy, manager of the specialty local foods market known as the Merc, is organizing the First Annual Food Lovers' Film Festival, filled with classic foodie flicks and local twists on favorite movie treats. But when her partner in planning, painter Christine Vandeberg, is found dead only days before the curtain rises, Erin suspects someone is attempting to stop the films from rolling.

To make matters worse, Nick — Erin's brother and Christine's beau — has top billing on the suspect list. Convinced her brother is innocent and determined that the show must go on, Erin has to find who's really to blame before Nick gets arrested or the festival gets shut down. But the closer she gets to the killer, the more likely it becomes that she'll be the next person cut from the program …

— Butter Off Dead by Leslie Budewitz

To see more new paperback titles scheduled to be published this month, visit The Mystery Bookshelf for July 2015. For new hardcover mysteries, visit New Mysteries where for a list of July 2015 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers is provided.

Burn for Me, A Hidden Legacy Novel of Romantic Suspense by Ilona Andrews, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Avon …

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

A Hidden Legacy Novel of Romantic Suspense (1st in series)

Publisher: Avon

Price: $1.99 (as of 07/02/2015 at 3:00 PM ET).

  

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career — a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile situation. Nevada isn't sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she's kidnapped by Connor "Mad" Rogan — a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run and wanting to surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan's after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she's getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

— Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

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One Way or Another by Elizabeth Adler, New in Bookstores during July 2015

Today's featured new hardcover mystery, suspense, or thriller title scheduled to be published during July 2015 is …

One Way or Another by Elizabeth Adler, A Novel of Suspense

Publisher: Minotaur Books

    

One moment Angie Morse is standing on the deck of a large luxury yacht and the next she feels a stinging blow to her head, a champagne bottle welded by a beautiful woman. And then a push. She is in the water. She can see people on the yacht, but they don't seem to notice that she is gone, and all seem to have deliberately turned their backs as the yacht begins to slowly pull away from her. These are her friends and one is her love. Each one had a reason for getting rid of her, though she would never have thought it would come to this. Until now.

Revenge burns so deeply inside her that she knows she will survive somehow. She will get them. Each one of them-three men and one woman. She will get them all. One way or another.

— One Way or Another by Elizabeth Adler

For a list of more new hardcover titles to be published this month, visit our New Mysteries page for July 2015. For new paperback mysteries, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where a selection of July 2015 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers are shelved.

Spellcasting In Silk by Juliet Blackwell, New on the Mystery Bookshelf during July 2015

New on the Mystery Bookshelf during July 2015 …

Spellcasting In Silk by Juliet Blackwell, A Lily Ivory, Witchcraft Mystery (7th in series)

Publisher: NAL

  

Lily would like nothing better than to relax, enjoy her friends, and take care of business at her store, which is booming thanks to San Francisco's upcoming Summer of Love Festival. But as the unofficial witchy consultant to the SFPD, she is pulled into yet another case.

A woman has jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, and her apparent suicide may be connected to a suspicious botanica in the Mission District. When the police investigate the shop, they ask Lily to look into its mysterious owner, whose granddaughter also appears to be missing. As Lily searches for the truth, she finds herself confronted with a confounding mystery and some very powerful magic …

— Spellcasting In Silk by Juliet Blackwell

To see more new paperback titles scheduled to be published this month, visit The Mystery Bookshelf for July 2015. For new hardcover mysteries, visit New Mysteries where for a list of July 2015 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers is provided.

House Reckoning, A Joe DeMarco Thriller by Mike Lawson, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Atlantic Monthly Press …

House Reckoning by Mike Lawson

A Joe DeMarco Thriller (9th in series)

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press

Price: $1.99 (as of 07/02/2015 at 1:00 PM ET).

  

DeMarco always knew that his father Gino had a shady job for a local mafioso, but he didn't understand that Gino had been a hitman until he was murdered. Now, nearly twenty years later, one of Gino's former mob associates is dying of lung cancer, and he wants to get something off his chest before retiring to his grave: the truth about Gino's killer. The shocking information, and the powerful position the killer now occupies, sends DeMarco on a mission of revenge with terrible consequences. And after the secret being kept for so long, DeMarco has to rush to do something about it: the killer is on the brink of taking a job in Washington, D.C. that will leave him untouchable.

With his job, his morals, and his very life on the line, DeMarco must ask himself: How far will he go for revenge?

— House Reckoning by Mike Lawson

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New This Week: Summer Rain, An Inspector Alan Banks Short Story by Peter Robinson

A mystery from the past bursts in upon the present in this gripping Inspector Banks short story …

Summer Rain by Peter Robinson

An Inspector Alan Banks Short Story

Publisher: William Morrow Impulse

Price: $1.99 (as of 07/02/2015 at 12:30 PM ET).

  

Inspector Alan Banks confronts one of the most puzzling cases of his career — when a tourist claims that several decades earlier, in a previous life, he witnessed a murder committed nearby.

Banks doesn't believe in the supernatural. Or superstition. But when evidence of a crime comes to light, he begins to wonder: How did this mysterious visitor know about a killing possibly committed before he was born?

— Summer Rain by Peter Robinson

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Winners of the Summer 2015 CWA Dagger Awards Announced

The winners of the Summer 2015 Dagger Awards have been announced by Crime Writers' Association. The nominees for the remaining three Dagger Awards were also released, with the winner being announced in November.

And the winners are …

• International: Camille by Pierre Lemaitre (Quercus)

• Dagger in the Library: Christopher Fowler:

• Historical: The Seeker by S. G. MacLean (Quercus)

• Debut Dagger: Last Of The Soho Legends by Greg Keen

• Non-Fiction: In Plain Sight: The Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile by Dan Davies (Quercus)

• Short Story: "Apocrypha" by Richard Lange (Sweet Nothing — Mulholland Press)

• Diamond (Lifetime Achievement): Catherine Aird

A Conversation with Legal Thriller Writer Paul Levine

We are delighted to welcome author Paul Levine to Omnimystery News today.

Paul's latest legal thriller, Bum Rap (Thomas & Mercer; July 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats) features characters from both of his series novels. We recently had the opportunity to catch up with him to talk about his new book.

— ♦ —

Omnimystery News: Bum Rap is your first crossover thriller, one that features characters from both of your series. For those readers new to your work, introduce us to Jake Lassiter, Steve Solomon, and Victoria Lord.

Photo provided courtesy of
Paul Levine

Paul Levine: Jake Lassiter is a linebacker-turned-lawyer, a guy with a tough bark and a tender heart. After a few seasons barely hanging onto the Miami Dolphins' roster — "My butt was so far down Shula's bench, my feet were in Ocala" — he sneaked into night law school. He passed the Bar exam on his fourth try and became a criminal defense lawyer. "Most of my clients are guilty," he bemoans in Bum Rap.

Steve Solomon is defense lawyer with a flexible code of ethics: "If the law doesn't work … work the law." Solomon infuriates his lover and law partner, Victoria Lord, with his shady stunts, his tacky ads, his shameless self-promotion. Far worse, in Bum Rap, his recklessness gets him charged with murder.

Victoria is the opposite of Solomon in every way. A patrician upbringing and Ivy League schools, she does everything by the book … while Solomon burns the book. Solomon is a beer and burger guy who loves baseball; Victoria is a Chardonnay and paté gal who adores ballet. Yet, together, they're more than the sum of their parts … and they form a powerful team in the courtroom.

OMN: You've written several stand-alone novels as well. When starting a new book, how do you decide if it will be one of a series or a stand-alone?

PL: Generally, I know immediately if this is a freestanding thriller, Lassiter novel, or a Solomon & Lord novel. The plot idea informs me who the protagonist should be. With Bum Rap, something else was at play. I wanted to write a novel loosely based on a true story, a Bar-girl racketeering enterprise involving Russian gangsters on South Beach. It quickly became apparent to me that there were juicy roles for all three of my protagonists: Jake Lassiter would defend Steve Solomon on charges of killing a Russian club owner … and fall for Solomon's lover, Victoria Lord.

OMN: How do you categorize your books?

PL: Right now, Bum Rap is ranked number one on Amazon Kindle's bestseller lists in both the "legal thriller" and "mystery" categories. It's also ranked third in the "crime thriller" category. So, I'll go with those three genres. But certainly the general category of "suspense" would apply. There are also ample doses of humor in my books. Lassiter has a wry, self-deprecating wit and a jaundiced view of the "so-called justice system." That's the one area where Lassiter and Solomon agree. "Always assume your client is guilty," Solomon says. "It saves time."

OMN: Tell us something about Bum Rap that isn't mentioned in the publisher's synopsis.

PL: Certain passages made my editor laugh out loud so hard her spittle flew into Puget Sound.

OMN: How involved were you with the cover design for Bum Rap?

PL: The editors and Thomas & Mercer involved me in cover design the moment we signed a contract, and I really appreciated it. I've been published by major New York houses since 1990, and trust me, this was much more collaborative. I didn't want the typical dark, ominous cover that signaled traditional thriller. While a murder is at the heart of this story, there's humor, too. There's also the Miami Beach setting … .hence the tide rolling over the sand. It was a tricky cover to do, and I'm very pleased with it.

OMN: Describe your writing process for us.

PL: I try, oh how I try to outline. I generally have Act One outlined in detail, but that's not saying much because I have short first acts. In classical structure, at the conclusion of the first act, the hero's quest is defined. I then outline about halfway into Act Two, roughly the place where a major plot twist occurs. Then I start writing the book. Once I have a feel for where I'm going, I go back and finish the outline of the second act, which ends with with a plot development that sinks the protagonist to his/her lowest point. Hey, if this seems formulaic, don't blame me. Blame Aristotle.

OMN: And where do you most often find yourself writing?

Photo provided courtesy of
Paul Levine

PL: I have a conventional study with bookshelves, desk, computer … and bottle of Jack Daniels. I type; I pace; I walk into the kitchen in search of salty snacks and chocolate. Pretty much the same as every other writer.

OMN: How do you go about researching the plot points of your stories? And particularly challenging topics?

PL: I've often talked to medical examiners about autopsy procedure, detectives about police technique, criminal defense lawyers, prosecutors and judges about specific courtroom details, even though I was a trial lawyer. As for challenging topics, I wrote a stand-alone thriller called "Ballistic" that involved the takeover of an Air Force missile silo by a religious cult. I traveled to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and was in the launch capsule when they test-fired a missile down the Pacific where it struck an island. Hawaii. No! Just kidding. An uninhabited island.

OMN: If we could send you anywhere in the world to research the setting for a story, where would it be?

PL: Is that an offer? It doesn't have to be terribly exotic. After seeing the movie In Bruges, I'd say Bruges, Belgium. Italy would be fine. I'd say Shickshinny, PA, but I've spent too much time there already.

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

PL: When I was younger, I was an avid windsurfer. I went to Puerto Rico, Aruba, Maui, the Columbia River Gorge, in addition to my Miami beaches. So, Lassiter was a windsurfer. But we've both gotten older. Now, our mutual hobby is making the perfect gin and tonic. Hint: freeze the tonic water for your ice cubes, and the best brand is Fever Tree. A good gin wouldn't hurt, either.

OMN: What is the best advice — and harshest criticism — you've received as an author? And what might you say to aspiring authors?

PL: Advice received: Read! Learn from others.

Criticism: Stay on the plot.

Advice given: Keep your ass in the chair. Don't talk about writing; don't blog about writing; don't even think about writing. Write!

OMN: Have any particular authors influenced how and what you write today?

PL: I was most influenced by John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books that I read as a young adult. There's a lot of McGee in Lassiter.

OMN: When selecting a book to read for pleasure, what do you look for?

PL: I don't have a checklist for books. Whatever appeals to me at the time. I just read Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See, which won the Pulitzer. He's such a great writer I wanted to take a sledgehammer to my computer and become an artisanal cheesemaker. And I don't even like brie.

OMN: What's next for you?

PL: Next? Remember that gin and tonic I mentioned a few minutes ago? It's 5 p.m.

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Paul Levine worked as a newspaper reporter, a law professor and a trial lawyer before becoming a full-time novelist. Obviously, he cannot hold a job. Paul claims that writing fiction comes naturally: he told whoppers for many years in his legal briefs. His books have been translated into 23 languages, none of which he can read.

For more information about the author, please visit his website at Paul-Levine.com and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.

— ♦ —

Bum Rap by Paul Levine

A Jake Lassiter/Solomon vs. Lord Crossover Mystery

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

NFL linebacker-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter has had it with shifty clients, dirty prosecutors, and a legal system out of whack. It's enough to make a man want to leave Miami and never look back — until he gets a call from Victoria Lord, the better half of hot local legal team Solomon & Lord. Her partner in life and law has been arrested for murder. What's worse: the only person who can clear him has fled the city. Now it's up to Jake and Victoria to track down the witness — a stunning "Bar girl" — before she's roped in by the feds … or eliminated by the Russian mob.

Jake knows that if he doesn't get to the witness first, his client's case is lost. Luckily, he's got some good advice from his college football coach: "Buckle your chin strap and hit somebody." And sometimes, the only way to win a tough case is to do just that.

— Bum Rap by Paul Levine