Relative Danger by June Shaw is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Relative Danger by June Shaw as today's third free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. 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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Relative Danger by June Shaw
A Cealie Gunther Mystery
Publisher: Five Star

This first in a series of three mysteries (to date) introduces amateur sleuthing grandmother Cealie Gunther.

About Relative Danger (from the publisher): Spunky widowed Cealie Gunther is a woman of a certain age whose zeal for adventure keeps her in the thick of things … like trouble. She pops up in town early to watch her motherless granddaughter Kat graduate, only to discover that because of a custodian's death — accidental — or murder — graduation might not take place.

Determined to find the truth, Cealie snags a job as a substitute teacher, exposing violence, lurking menace and more disturbing questions than answers. The only thing certain is that a killer has decided Cealie and her grandchild need to be expelled … permanently.

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Antiques Maul by Barbara Allan is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Antiques Maul by Barbara Allan as today's second free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. 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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Antiques Maul by Barbara Allan
A Brandy Borne, Trash and Treasures Mystery
Publisher: Kensington

This is the second mystery (of five to date) in this series by co-writers Max Allan Collins and his wife Barbara.

About Antiques Maul (from the publisher): As autumn splashes color across the small Mississippi River town of Serenity, newly divorced Brandy Borne is on the brink of going crazy after her ever-impossible mother quits the local theatre group. She comes up with a brilliant idea for preserving her sanity and keeping Mother busy: open their own booth at the new antiques mall in town. But they are about to cross paths with a killer …

Brandy, along with Sushi, her spoiled Shih Tzu, pays a visit to the town's Chief of Police to ask about federal auctions of confiscated goods, a little-known source of great antiques and collectibles. Her buys at her first auction in Rockford, Illinois turn out to be a success. On the other hand, her first visit from ten-year-old son Jake, who has been living with his father, turns out to be a challenge.

While Halloween looms large on the horizon, things turn grim when a body is found at the antiques mall. To the cops, the case seems pretty clear cut: the victim's dog, the normally good-natured Brad Pit Bull, mauled its owner to death. But Brandy knows her canines, and this dog has definitely been framed. Brandy and Mother are soon snooping into nooks, crannies, and cubby holes while stepping on assorted toes. As All Hallow's Eve shenanigans grow increasingly frightening, true terror unmasks itself when Jacob goes missing. Is his disappearance just a childish prank? Or are sinister forces bubble-bubble-toiling trouble in Serenity?

Now Brandy and her over-the-top mom are on the hunt to find Jake before a devious killer mauls again …

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

B&N Free Nook Book Download Link.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Two "Double" Books by Lee Goldberg are Today's Featured Free MystereBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to two collections — a total of three books and one novella — by crime novelist Lee Goldberg as today's free mystery ebooks. The three books have separately been available for free at one time or another in the past.

These titles were listed as free as of the date and time of this post. 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 prices of the books before completing your transaction.

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Double Header by Lee Goldberg
Publisher: Lee Goldberg

About Double Header (from the publisher): Both of the author's "Charlie Willis" crime novels in a single ebook.

My Gun Has Bullets: When Beverly Hills Police Officer Charlie Willis pulls over a speeding Rolls Royce hell-bent for Neiman Marcus, he's surprised to see Esther Radcliffe, the geriatric star of the TV series "Miss Agatha," behind the wheel. He's even more surprised when she guns him down and keeps on driving. A few hours later, he wakes up in the intensive care unit … to find a William Morris agent, a network president, and the head of Pinnacle Studios standing at the foot of his bed. They have a proposal for him: in exchange for conveniently forgetting who shot him, they'll make him the star of his own series, "My Gun Has Bullets". So Charlie trades in his real badge for a fake one … and so begins an uproarious but deadly romp through the wonderful world of TV make-believe … with real bullets.

Dead Space: Ex-cop Charlie Willis handles "special security" at Pinnacle Pictures. His job: to protect the studio and its stars, to stop scandals before they explode, to keep the peace in the land of make-believe. When Pinnacle revives the cult, 1960s TV series "Beyond the Beyond" as the cornerstone of a fourth network, two powerful forces fight for control of the show — a talent agency that uses blackmail, torture, and murder to keep its clients on the A-list, and a homicidal legion of rabid fans led by an insane actor who thinks he's in outer space.

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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Double Impact by Lee Goldberg
Publisher: Lee Goldberg

About Double Impact (from the publisher): The stand-alone Harvey Mapes mystery and a John McGrave novella are included in this ebook.

Watch Me Die: Harvey Mapes is a 26-year-old security guard who spends his nights in a guard shack outside a gated community in Southern California, reading detective novels, watching reruns, and waiting for his life to finally start … which happens when Cyril Parkus, one of the wealthy residents, asks Harvey to follow his beautiful wife Lauren.

The lowly security guard jumps at the opportunity to fulfill his private eye fantasies and use everything he's learned from Spenser, Magnum, and Mannix. But things don't exactly go according to the books … or the reruns. As Harvey fumbles and stumbles through his first investigation, he discovers that the differences between fiction and reality can be deadly.

McGrave: Los Angeles cop John "Tidal Wave" McGrave is an unstoppable force of nature who always gets his man … even if it means laying waste to everything around him, including his own career … which is exactly what happens in his pursuit of Sebastian Richter, the ruthless leader of an international gang of violent thieves.

When Richter flees to Berlin, McGrave chases after him … even though the cop doesn't know the language, the laws, or the culture. But McGrave doesn't care...he speaks the universal language of knee in the groin and fist in the face … and he won't let anything get in his way.

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

The Shop by J. Carson Black is Today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Shop by J. Carson Black as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal. The deal price of $0.99 is valid only for today, Wednesday, February 22, 2012.

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The Shop by J. Carson Black
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

About The Shop (from the publisher): In Aspen, Colorado, a pop star and her entourage are brutally murdered in their luxury chalet. The lead assassin, ex-Navy SEAL Cyril Landry, has no qualms about carrying out his mission until the instant before he kills the young star—an intense, shared moment that will ultimately drive him to find out why these people had to die. Landry transforms from mercenary to hunter as he delves into the depths of The Shop, the shadowy organization that has hired him to execute people across the country.

Thousands of miles away, in a seedy motel in Gardenia, Florida, a local police chief is found shot to death. The scene has all the signs of a romantic rendezvous gone wrong, but Detective Jolie Burke isn’t so sure. As she digs for clues, the tangled threads of evidence lead to a disturbing place: Indigo, the lush tropical estate of the powerful Haddox clan and home of US Attorney General Franklin Haddox. As Jolie continues to pursue the truth, she quickly discovers that Haddox will do anything to protect his country’s ugly secrets—even kill.

Landry’s quest to uncover The Shop’s motives throws him into the dark currents of Jolie’s investigation, and they find themselves working together as an unlikely duo: a cop and a killer, joining forces to expose a shocking conspiracy that ascends to the highest offices in the land.

Important Note: Amazon.com updates its Kindle book deal every day at approximately midnight PT. The title referenced above is available at a discounted price for Wednesday, February 22, 2012 only.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

International Trailer for The Cold Light of Day

A few weeks ago we featured the first US trailer for the action-thriller The Cold Light of Day. Now an international (UK) trailer for the film has been released (via MSN Movies UK); we've embedded it below. (It's a bit shorter but covers essentially the same scenes.)

Henry Cavill stars as Will Shaw, who arrives in Spain for a week-long sailing vacation with his family. But the stressed young business man is not in a holiday mood. His start-up company just went under and his tense relationship with his disciplinarian father Martin (Bruce Willis) only makes matters worse. But when the family is kidnapped by what turns out to be intelligence agents hell-bent on recovering a mysterious suitcase, Will suddenly finds himself on the run. His whole world turns upside down when Martin reappears, revealing he is an undercover agent tangled in an intergovernmental web of lies and secrets. During a clandestine rendezvous, Martin is killed by a sniper, and Will must find a way to get the rest of his family back alive.

The Cold Light of Day, which also stars Sigourney Weaver, is directed by Mabrouk El Mechri from an original screenplay by Scott Wiper and John Petro. It opens in US and UK theaters on April 6th, 2012.

New Director for Film Adaptation of American Assassin by Vince Flynn

CBS Films acquired the rights to Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp thrillers several years ago and the project therefrom has been a roller coaster ride ever since.

Let's see … back in early 2010 Antoine Fuqua was on board to direct an adaptation of the sixth book in the series, Consent to Kill. Fast forward 15 months, and Fuqua is out as is the book. The studio is now looking at Ed Zwick directing an adaptation of the eleventh book, American Assassin, which isn't so far-fetched as it is a prequel to the series as a whole and would serve as a nice launching point for a franchise.

Today we're learning that Zwick is out and Jeffrey Nachmanoff is in as director. The source material, however, remains the same … for the present.

In American Assassin, Mitch Rapp is introduced. Before he was considered a CIA superagent, before he was thought of as a terrorist's worst nightmare, and before he was both loathed and admired by the politicians on Capitol Hill, Mitch Rapp was a gifted college athlete without a care in the world … and then tragedy struck …

No word on screenwriter, much less an actor to play Mitch Rapp.

(It's little wonder crime novelists are so elated when their books are optioned for film and so discouraged when frequently nothing comes of it.)

(Related article: Deadline.com.)

Nominees for the 2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Announced

The nominees for the 2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes have been announced. One of the many categories is Mystery-Thriller, and we've listed the nominees below.

The 32nd annual prizes will be awarded at a public ceremony April 20th, 2012, at USC's Bovard Auditorium.

Mystery-Thriller Nominees:
• Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson (Little, Brown)
• Plugged by Eoin Colfer (Overlook Press)
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King (Scribner)
• Snowdrops by A. D. Miller (Doubleday)
• The End of Wasp Season by Denise Mina (Little, Brown)

Richard Castle to Write Three New Derrick Storm Novellas

Hyperion Books has announced plans to publish three original ebook novellas by bestselling crime novelist Richard Castle. The books mark the return of former CIA operative Derrick Storm. (We thought Castle had killed off the character, but the press release says he's coming "out of retirement." More from the author himself below.)

A Brewing Storm will be published in May, 2012 with the two other, currently untitled, books coming out in July and August. (It is available to pre-order.)

"While consulting with the NYPD on a recent case, I was inspired to re-examine the circumstances around the death of my beloved character Derrick Storm," said Castle. "It turns out, there was much more to the story than met the eye. I'm excited to be working with Hyperion to bring Derrick Storm fans a brand new adventure of mystery, action and intrigue."

Richard Castle is, of course, a character played by Nathan Fillion on the ABC series Castle. Even though he is fictional, he has still managed to write three bestselling mysteries featuring NYPD homicide detective Nikki Heat, a character inspired by his working relationship with Kate Beckett (Castle co-star Stana Katic).

(Source: Press release.)

New Poster for Indie Thriller Would You Rather

A new poster for the indie film thriller Would You Rather has been released (right; click for larger version). The tagline: "A dinner to die for."

We don't know much about the film. The studio lists it as in post-production, with this brief synopsis: Desperate to help her ailing brother, a young woman agrees to compete in a deadly game of "Would You Rather" hosted by a sadistic aristocrat.

The film is directed by David Guy Levy from a screenplay by Steffen Schlachtenhaufen and stars Brittany Snow, Sasha Grey, and Jeffrey Combs. We are unaware of any release date.

Review: The Technologists by Matthew Pearl

Read our … Review of The Technologists by Matthew Pearl. Random House Hardcover, February 2012.

Buy from …

Casting News for Film Adaptation of Zulu by Caryl Férey

Orlando Bloom ("Pirates of the Caribbean", "The Lord of the Rings") has joined Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Blood Diamond) as co-stars in the film adaptation of Caryl Férey's 2008 crime novel Zulu. Jérôme Salle (The Tourist) is set to direct his adapted screenplay, co-written with Julien Rappeneau.

In the book, Ali Neuman — presumably to be played by Hounsou — ran away from home as a child to escape the Inkatha, a militant political party at war with the then-underground African National Congress. He and his mother are the only members of his family that survived the carnage of those years and the psychological scars remain.

Today, Neuman is chief of the homicide branch of the Cape Town police, a job in which he must do battle with South Africa’s two scourges: widespread violence and AIDS. When the mutilated corpse of a young white woman is found in the city’s botanical gardens, Neuman’s job gets even more difficult. He is chasing one false lead after another when a second corpse, again that of a white woman, is found. This time, the body bears signs of a Zulu ritual. A new evil has insinuated itself into this recently integrated city. And a new drug: traces of an unknown narcotic have been found in the blood of both victims. The investigation will take Neuman back to his homeland, where he will discover that the once bloody killing fields have become the ideal no-man’s land for unscrupulous multinationals, and that the apparatchiks of apartheid still lurk in the shadows and the back rooms of a society struggling toward reconciliation.

Among its many literary honors, Zulu won Le Prix Mystère de la Critique for Best French Novel in 2009.

(Related article: AlloCine.com.

The Clinch Knot by John Galligan is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Clinch Knot by John Galligan as today's third free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. 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 Clinch Knot by John Galligan
A Ned "Dog" Oglivie Fly Fishing Mystery
Publisher: Tyrus Books

This is the third mystery (of four to date) in this series, a repeat freebie from December 2011.

About The Clinch Knot (from the publisher): The Dog is in Livingston, Montana, daydreaming about fishing the Stone and, as usual, subsisting on Swisher Sweets, vodka-Tang, and the hope that pretending to forget will be enough.

He's forged a few tenuous friendships, and now finds himself watching from the bank as troubled local girl Jesse Ringer leads D'Ontario Sneed into the swift current of young love. It's sweet, really … but some of the locals object to the relationship on the basis of Sneed's skin color.

Then the unthinkable: vibrant, wild Jesse is found shot in the head, and Sneed is passed out in her car, gun beside him, window seams taped, and engine running. Sneed is hospitalized for severe carbon monoxide poisoning and can't string together a sentence to defend himself, so it falls to the Dog.

If only the Dog could run from his life without ending up in the tangle and snarl of the lives of others. A man who wants to lose himself in the current must be careful of his backcast; it'll always keep him tethered to a life he's trying to forget.

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Three to Get Deadly by Lee Goldberg, Joel Goldman, and Paul Levine is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Three to Get Deadly by Lee Goldberg, Joel Goldman, and Paul Levine as today's second free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. 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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Three to Get Deadly by Lee Goldberg, Joel Goldman, and Paul Levine
A Crime Novel Collection
Publisher: Various

About Three to Get Deadly (from the publisher): A trio of stunning bestselling novels of action and suspense from three masters of the craft …

The Walk by Lee Goldberg. In this stand-alone thriller, a massive earthquake devastates L.A. One ordinary man sets across the landscape of destruction to his home in the San Fernando Valley. It's a journey that will test the limits of his endurance and his humanity, a trek from the man he was to the man he can be … if he can survive The Walk.

Motion to Kill by Joel Goldman. His first novel, this mystery introduces Kansas City trial attorney Lou Mason. When two of his partners are killed, corruption, sex and murder fill Lou Mason's docket as he tracks the killer. Will Lou be the next victim?

To Speak for the Dead by Paul Levine. Linebacker-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter is introduced in this mystery. Jake Lassiter suspects his client, a surgeon in a malpractice case, is innocent of negligence … but guilty of murder. Add a sexy widow, a deadly drug, and a grave robbery to the stew, and you have the recipe for Miami's trial of the century.

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Scarlet Sins by Julia Madeleine is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Scarlet Sins by Julia Madeleine as today's free mystery ebook.

This title was listed as free as of the date and time of this post. 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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Scarlet Sins by Julia Madeleine
Publisher: Black Heart Books

This is a short prequel to The Truth about Scarlet Rose, which was originally published in 2008 as simply titled Scarlet Rose. In our review of this book at that time, we called it "a characteristically noir novel, … first-class in its genre."

About Scarlet Sins (from the publisher): Life for an unwed teenage mother in the 1960s can be a hard road. Sylvia knows all too well how limited her options are. At seventeen taking a job as a burlesque entertainer to support herself and her baby is her best hope. But choosing to marry an older man and have a family with a cheating, boozing, gambling husband who makes promises he can't keep, becomes her downfall. And for a woman with limited choices, her decision to commit murder is not one she makes lightly, but carefully plans and executes in cold blood.

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.

Download Link(s):

Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Mystery and Suspense Films, New This Week on DVD (120221)

Checking through our list of films currently scheduled for release this week on DVD and/or Blu-ray disc, shown below are those that fall into the mystery, suspense, thriller and adventure categories.

See also a list of current mystery and suspense DVD, Blu-ray, or VOD deals on Amazon.com.

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Purchase/Rental Options

London Boulevard (2010)

Film Synopsis (from the studio): London Boulevard follows an ex-con trying to make a fresh start in a relationship with a reclusive actress. A sexy, stylish gangster thriller bristling with wit and brutal intrigue, the film stars Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley as star-crossed lovers who run afoul of one of London's most vicious crime bosses.

Adapted from Ken Bruen's 2009 crime novel of the same title. Rated R. 103 minutes.

Watch a trailer for the film below:

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Purchase/Rental Options

The Son of No One (2011)

Film Synopsis (from the studio): Al Pacino stars in this movie about a young cop (Channing Tatum), who is assigned to a precinct in the Queens neighborhood where he grew up. To provide for his wife (Katie Holmes) and ailing daughter, he works hard to keep his life on track. But this life is threatened when a dark secret bubbles to the surface. An anonymous source reveals new information about the unsolved murder of two boys and a possible police cover-up, setting off a chain of events that rattles the neighborhood.

Rated R. 94 minutes.

Watch a trailer for the film below:

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Purchase/Rental Options

Tower Heist (2011)

Film Synopsis (from the studio): Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead an all-star cast in this hilarious comedy caper about a luxury condo manager (Stiller) who leads a staff of workers to seek payback on the Wall Street swindler (Alan Alda) who defrauded them. With only days until the billionaire gets away with the perfect crime, the unlikely crew of amateur thieves enlists the help of petty crook Slide (Murphy) to steal the $20 million they're sure is hidden in the penthouse.

Rated PG-13. 104 minutes.

Watch a trailer for the film below: