Earlier this week the Mystery Writers of America announced the nominees for the 2015 Edgar Awards.
In this post, we're presenting the six titles nominated for Best Paperback Original. Which is your favorite to win?
The Secret History of Las Vegas by Chris Abani
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Penguin Books
Before he can retire, Las Vegas detective Salazar is determined to solve a recent spate of murders. When he encounters a pair of conjoined twins with a container of blood near their car, he's sure he has apprehended the killers, and enlists the help of Dr. Sunil Singh, a South African transplant who specializes in the study of psychopaths.
As Sunil tries to crack the twins, the implications of his research grow darker. Haunted by his betrayal of loved ones back home during apartheid, he seeks solace in the love of Asia, a prostitute with hopes of escaping that life. But Sunil's own troubled past is fast on his heels in the form of a would-be assassin.
— The Secret History of Las Vegas by Chris Abani
Stay With Me by Alison Gaylin
A Brenna Spector Mystery (3rd in series)
Publisher: Harper
When the past intersects with the future … the outcome can be dangerous …
Brenna Spector is held prisoner by the past. She has perfect memory, which allows her to recall in vivid and remarkable detail every moment of every day of her adult life. If only she could remember more from her child-hood … for she's still trying to unravel the mystery of her sister Clea's disappearance twenty-eight years ago when Clea was seventeen. But now her obsession with finding out what happened to Clea is taking a toll on her own teenage daughter, Maya, who's been very secretive lately. And when Maya goes missing, Brenna fears her worst nightmare has come true.
As Brenna relies on her P.I. skills to find her daughter before it's too late, evidence surfaces showing a possible link between Maya's disappearance and Clea's. But could a case from three decades ago really be connected to her daughter? Or is someone hoping that Brenna will play along in a twisted game — one that there's no chance of winning … or surviving?
— Stay With Me by Alison Gaylin
The Barkeep by William Lashner
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Justin Chase is the perfect barkeep, tending bar as he lives his life, in a state of Zen serenity. At least until Birdie Grackle, a yellow-haired, foul-mouthed alcoholic from Texas, walks into his bar, orders a Mojito, and makes a startling confession.
Six years ago Justin's life was ripped apart when he discovered his mother's bludgeoned corpse in the foyer of the family home. Now Justin's father is serving a life sentence and Justin, after a stint in an asylum, drowns his emotions in a pool of inner peace. But when Birdie Grackle claims to be the hit man who murdered Justin's mother for the money, Justin is hurled back to the emotions, the past, and, most frightening of all, the father he tried to leave behind.
Who hired Birdie Grackle to kill Justin's mother? Was it Annie Overmeyer, the sexy young woman with whom Justin's father had been having an affair? Was it Justin's brother, who took advantage of his father's conviction to take control of the family business? Was it someone from his mother's secret life, the shocking details of which Justin is only learning now? Or was it maybe his imprisoned father, to whom Justin is suddenly growing dangerously close? For all of Justin's efforts to banish emotion and attachment from his life, this searing journey into his past affects him in ways he could never have anticipated.
As Justin pieces together the truth, a merciless killing machine begins stalking him, leaving a trail of dead in his wake. Someone wants to bury the truth, and maybe Justin, too. As the terror closes in, Justin had better find some answers quick, because the stakes have been raised — his life is on the line and murder is just not Zen.
— The Barkeep by William Lashner
The Day She Died by Catriona McPherson
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Midnight Ink
That was the day I met Gus, the day I grew a family as if from magic beans, the day she died. That's the point, see? It was the very same day …
Jessie Constable has learned the hard way to always keep herself safe. But meeting Gus King changes everything. Before she knows it, Jessie is sleeping at Gus's house, babysitting his kids, becoming a part of his family.
And yet, she can't ignore the unsettling questions. Who does she keep seeing from the corner of her eye? Why are strange men threatening her? Most importantly, what really happened to Gus's wife?
— The Day She Died by Catriona McPherson
The Gone Dead Train by Lisa Turner
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: William Morrow
Recovering from the aftermath of a case that left his partner dead, Billy is back in Memphis and drawn into an ever-widening murder mystery that focuses on a disgraced major league baseball player, two legendary blues musicians on the lam, a straight-arrow cop tortured by her guilty conscience, and two iconic civil rights warriors with secrets so dark they'll shock the nation.
Detective Billy Able is at a crossroads. His previous case left him questioning everything he believes about his abilities as a cop and a friend, yet he's unable to turn off instincts he's honed after a decade on the force.
After he stops a crime from being committed, he finds himself embroiled in an even bigger scandal — a murder connected to a series of crimes dating back to the civil rights movement. Billy investigates and uncovers secrets so layered he can barely keep the truth from the lies. And Frankie Malone, the female cop on the case, is hiding something big, but is it connected to the investigation? With the help of a Santerián priest, Billy's search for the truth leads him deep into the underbelly of Memphis' past. But will he make it out alive?
— The Gone Dead Train by Lisa Turner
World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters
A Last Policeman Mystery (3rd in series)
Publisher: Quirk Books
With the doomsday asteroid looming, Detective Hank Palace has found sanctuary in the woods of New England, secure in a well-stocked safe house with other onetime members of the Concord police force. But with time ticking away before the asteroid makes landfall, Hank's safety is only relative, and his only relative — his sister Nico — isn't safe.
Soon, it's clear that there's more than one earth-shattering revelation on the horizon, and it's up to Hank to solve the puzzle before time runs out … for everyone.
— World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters
Find more discounted mystery, suspense and thriller titles on the Omnimystery News Facebook page.
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.
