Thursday, March 01, 2012

Firsts on the 1st: New Series Characters Being Introduced in March 2012 Mysteries

New Hardcover Mysteries from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books recently updated its list of March 2012 hardcover mysteries as well as shelved new March paperbacks on The Mystery Bookshelf. In this series of monthly posts, which we call Firsts on the 1st, we're introducing readers to new series characters who will make their mysterious American debut in print during March. (Purchase options include Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, and the iTunes iBookstore, which are indicated by icons under the cover image.)

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The Cop With the Pink Pistol by Gray BasnightPrint and/or Kindle EditionPrint and/or NookBook EditionApple iBook

Title: The Cop With the Pink Pistol Author: Gray Basnight Series Character: Donna Prima Format: Trade Paperback What we know about the character: Maria Donnatella "Donna" Prima is an NYPD homicide detective. Her first case: She doesn't do jiggle. She isn't into shoes or jewelry. She doesn't wear makeup (or, as she calls it, war paint). Donna's sole concession to modern womanhood is the pink .38 she wears strapped to her ankle. Not that she has much opportunity to use it, having been demoted to desk duty for a serious infraction of NYPD regulations. On a routine burglary follow-up in Greenwich Village, Donna meets soap-opera actor Conner Anderson (Crawford on the top-rated Vampire Love Nest), who alerts her to some strange goings-on in a liquor store across the street. Sick of being chained to her desk, Donna decides to investigate. Meanwhile, the Feds need her help on a cold murder case as they investigate a theft from a nuclear power plant. But would-be detective Conner Anderson wants to come along for the ride. And Donna, an Italian-American from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, can't deny the mutual chemistry she feels with this Southern WASP from Tupelo, Mississippi. Will taking on Conner as a civilian partner be the start of something beautiful or the biggest mistake of Donna's life?

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Murder Buys a T-Shirt by Christy FifieldPrint and/or Kindle EditionPrint and/or NookBook EditionApple iBook

Title: Murder Buys a T-Shirt Author: Christy Fifield Series: Glory Martine, Haunted Souvenir Shop Format: Mass Market Paperback What we know about the character: Glory Martine owns a haunted souvenir shop in Florida. Her first case: Glory has inherited her uncle's Florida souvenir shop, one stuffed with collectibles, mementos of times gone by — and ghosts — who, like her customers, refuse to let go of the past. But things take an even more unexpected turn when a local football hero dies far too suddenly and suspiciously. Now, Glory has to uncover the truth before someone makes her history …

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Blue Monday by Nicci FrenchPrint and/or Kindle EditionPrint and/or NookBook EditionApple iBook

Title: Blue Monday Author: Nicci French Series Character: Frieda Klein Format: Hardcover What we know about the character: Frieda Klein is a psychotherapist in London. Her first case: Frieda is a solitary, incisive woman, who spends her sleepless nights walking along the ancient rivers that have been forced underground in modern London. She believes that the world is a messy, uncontrollable place, but what we can control is what is inside our heads. This attitude is reflected in her own life, which is an austere one of refuge, personal integrity, and order. The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes a national outcry and a desperate police hunt. And when his face is splashed over the newspapers, Frieda cannot ignore the coincidence: one of her patients has been having dreams in which he has a hunger for a child. A red-haired child he can describe in perfect detail, a child the spitting image of Matthew. She finds herself in the center of the investigation, serving as the reluctant sidekick of the chief inspector.

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Adrift on St. John by Rebecca M. HalePrint and/or Kindle EditionPrint and/or NookBook EditionApple iBook

Title: Adrift on St. John Author: Rebecca M. Hale Series: Pen Hofstra, Mystery in the Islands Format: Mass Market Paperback What we know about the character: Pen Hofstra is the manager of a resort in the US Virgin Islands. Her first case: No one knows better than Pen that the idea of a tropical paradise is an illusion. So when a young woman named Hannah Sheridan disappears off the island of St. John, she is not surprised that all is not what it seems to be. Pointing out Hannah's resemblance to the Amina Slave Princess from the 1733 slave revolt on St. John — whose ghost is rumored to haunt the island — the local community quickly latches on to the belief that her spirit is behind the sinking … and the disappearance …

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Death of a Kitchen Diva by Lee HollisPrint and/or Kindle EditionPrint and/or NookBook EditionApple iBook

Title: Death of a Kitchen Diva Author: Lee Hollis Series: Hayley Powell, Food and Cocktails Format: Mass Market Paperback What we know about the character: Hayley Powell is a food writer in Bar Harbor, Maine. Her first case: Single mum Hayley Powell is barely keeping her leaking roof over her head when her boss at the "Island Times" gives her a new assignment — taking over the paper's food column. Hayley's not sure she has the chops — she's an office manager, not a writer, even if her friends clamour for her mouth-watering potluck dishes. But the extra income is tempting, and Hayley's chatty first column is suddenly on everyone's menu — with one exception. When rival food writer Karen Appelbaum is found face-down dead in a bowl of Hayley's creamy clam chowder, all signs point to Hayley. To clear her name, she'll have to enlist some help, including her BFFs, a perpetually pregnant lobster woman, and a glamorous real estate agent. As she whips up a list of suspects, Hayley discovers a juicy secret about the victim — and finds herself in a dangerous mix with a cold-blooded killer.

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Nights of Awe by Harri NykanenPrint and/or Kindle EditionPrint and/or NookBook EditionApple iBook

Title: Nights of Awe Author: Harri Nykanen Series Character: Ariel Kafka Format: Trade Paperback What we know about the character: Ariel Kafka is an inspector in the Violent Crime Unit of the Helsinki police and one of only two Jewish policemen in Finland. His first case: During the period known as the Days of Awe that lead up to Yom Kippur, Ariel Kafka is confronted with the most difficult case of his career. Two Arabs are killed near the capital and shortly after Kafka discovers two more bodies at an Iraqi-owned garage. Are these deaths evidence of gang warfare or international terrorism? When it transpires that an Israeli minister will make an unofficial visit to Helsinki, matters become truly complicated. The Finnish Security Police and Mossad all have a role to play and Kafka is on a trail that leads back to his youth.

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Little Shop of Homicide by Denise SwansonPrint and/or Kindle EditionPrint and/or NookBook EditionApple iBook

Title: Little Shop of Homicide Author: Denise Swanson Series: Dev Sinclair, Devereaux's Dime Store Format: Mass Market Paperback What we know about the character: Devereaux Sinclair is the owner of the old-fashioned shop in her small Missouri town. Her first case: When Devereaux is accused of murder by champagne bottle and high heel shoe, she needs to find the real killer before a cop with a score to settle turns her store in a Little Shop of Horrors and puts her out of business for good.

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Mako by Clabe TaylorPrint and/or Kindle EditionPrint and/or NookBook Edition

Title: Mako Author: Clabe Taylor Series Character: Mako Sloane Format: Trade Paperback What we know about the character: Mako Sloane is a retired CIA operative. His first case: Mako Sloane is a CIA legend, but his dizzying rise to stardom in Moscow is matched by his precipitous fall from grace after he discovers a secret that vested interests in both Russia and the U.S. want to keep quiet. Ten years after Mako's mysterious disappearance, investigative reporter Max Crandall is writing Sloane's unauthorized biography. Max's research inadvertently dredges up ghosts from the past, and he finds himself the target of a manhunt as unidentified operatives try to derail his project. Max lures Mako out of self-imposed exile, and the two discover the truth behind a bizarre conspiracy that threatens to send the world spiraling into a superpower confrontation of unprecedented proportions.

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For a list of more hardcover mysteries scheduled for publication during March, please visit our New Mysteries home page. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a library of new mysteries, also updated with March 2012 releases. See also our regularly updated eBook site for new mysteries, suspense novels and thrillers, MysterEbooks.com.

Please also visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

May Day by Jess Lourey is Today's Sixth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks: Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller eBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to feature May Day by Jess Lourey as today's sixth 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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May Day by Jess Lourey

May Day by Jess Lourey
A Mira James, "Murder by Month" Mystery
Publisher: Midnight Ink

Though the fifth month of the year, this is the first mystery in this series, which introduces the Minnesota amateur sleuth. The most recent, November Hunt, publishes this month.

About May Day (from the publisher): Minneapolitan Mira James has been taking it easy since college graduation — too easy. Due to a dead-end job and a cheating boyfriend, the Twin Cities have lost their charm, and Mira decides to begin a new life in rural Battle Lake. Right away she is offered jobs as an assistant librarian and part-time reporter, and falls into an unexpected romance with a guy who seems to be the perfect man until he turns up dead between the reference stacks her tenth day on the job.

Anxious to learn more about the man who had briefly stolen her heart, Mira delves into the hidden mysteries of Battle Lake, including a old land deed with ancient Ojibwe secrets, an obscure octogenarian crowd with freaky social lives, and a handful of thirty-something high school buddies who hold bitter, decades-old grudges. Mira soon discovers that unknown dangers are concealed under the polite exterior of this quirky small town, and revenge is a tator-tot hot dish best served cold.

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 Book Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

Killer Instinct by Zoë Sharp is Today's Fifth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks: Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller eBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Killer Instinct by Zoë Sharp as today's fifth 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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Killer Instinct by Zoë Sharp

Killer Instinct by Zoë Sharp
A Charlie Fox Mystery
Publisher: Murderati Ink

This first in a series of nine (to date) mysteries introduces self-defense expert Charlotte "Charlie" Fox.

About Killer Instinct (from the publisher): Charlie Fox makes a living teaching self-defense to women in a quiet northern English city. It makes best use of the deadly skills she picked up after being kicked out of army Special Forces training for reasons she prefers not to go into. So, when Susie Hollins is found dead hours after she foolishly takes on Charlie at the New Adelphi Club, Charlie knows it’s only a matter of time before the police come calling. What they don’t tell her is that Hollins is the latest victim of a homicidal rapist stalking the local area.

Charlie finds herself drawn closer to the crime when the New Adelphi’s enigmatic owner, Marc Quinn, offers her a job working security at the club. Viewed as an outsider by the existing all-male team, her suspicion that there’s a link between the club and a serial killer doesn’t exactly endear her to anyone. Charlie has always taught her students that it’s better to run than to stand and fight, But, when the killer starts taking a very personal interest, it’s clear he isn’t going to give her that option …

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 Book Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

And Then There Was One by Patricia Gussin is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks: Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller eBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to feature And Then There Was One by Patricia Gussin as today's fourth 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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And Then There Was One by Patricia Gussin

And Then There Was One by Patricia Gussin
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

In our review of this book from 2010, we said, "This compelling novel of psychological suspense effectively captures the grief and horror parents feel when they've lost something so precious to them …"

About And Then There Was One (from the publisher): One is the loneliest number.

Nine years ago, Katie and Scott Monroe were blessed beyond their wildest dreams with identical triplets, Sammie, Alex, and Jackie. Three beautiful daughters and two adoring parents formed the picture-perfect party of five. But this tight-knit family unravels when the three little girls go to see a movie, but only one emerges from the darkness of the theatre. How could Sammie and Alex vanish without a trace?

Plunged into the abyss of a parent's worst fear, Katie and Scott hang by a thread-waiting, worrying, not knowing, and confronting the terrifying realization that the kidnapping may not have been a random act.

Who took Sammie and Alex? Why? Where are they? When will they be found? And what if they're never found, or not found alive? When Jackie, the remaining triplet, crumbles under the weight of grief and survivor's guilt, Katie and Scott struggle to hold out hope and hold on to what remains of their family.

Until — or unless — Sammie and Alex are found safe, this picture-perfect family can't be put back together again.

Read our review of And Then There Was One by Patricia Gussin.

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 Book Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

The Fires of the Gods by I. J. Parker is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks: Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller eBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Fires of the Gods by I. J. Parker 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 Fires of the Gods by I. J. Parker

The Fires of the Gods by I. J. Parker
A Sugawara Akitada Mystery
Publisher: Stony Creek Press

Set in 11th century Japan, this is the eighth mystery to feature Sugawara Akitada, a minor official in the Ministry of Justice during the Heian Period.

About The Fires of the Gods (from the publisher): The capital of Heian-Kyo is plagued by unexplained fires, and panic is threatening to break out, but government official Sugawara Akitada has his own problems to worry about. His ailing wife is expecting a child, and he loses his job to a political appointee. When he tries to confront the nobleman who is responsible for his dismissal, however, he ends up suspected of his murder.

With no income and a growing family to support, Akitada desperately plunges into the investigation of this crime, aided by his faithful servant Tora, inadvertently placing not only his own life, but also the lives of his wife and child, in grave danger …

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 Book Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

Kind of Blue by Miles Corwin is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks: Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller eBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Kind of Blue by Miles Corwin 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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Kind of Blue by Miles Corwin

Kind of Blue by Miles Corwin
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

This first in a series, written by a former crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, introduces LAPD homicide detective Ash Levine. The next book in the series, Midnight Alley, is expected to be published this spring.

About Kind of Blue (from the publisher): When a legendary ex-cop is murdered in L.A, the pressure's on to find the killer. Lt. Frank Duffy needs his best detective on the case, but his best detective, Ash Levine, quit a year ago. A tenacious, obsessive detective, Ash resigned after Latisha Patton, the witness in a homicide case he was working, was murdered. Without his job, Ash is left unanchored — and consumed with guilt that he somehow caused Latisha's murder.

When he's asked to rejoin the force, Ash reluctantly agrees. Getting his badge back could give him the chance to find Latisha's killer. Ash dives headfirst into the shadowlands of Southern California to investigate the ex-cop's murder. But even when he has a suspect in custody, something about this case doesn't sit right with Ash, and he continues working the increasingly dangerous investigation while quietly chasing leads in Latisha's murder. Unable to let either case go, Ash finds that his obsessive nature might prove fatal.

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 Book Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

A Witness Above by Andy Straka is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks: Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller eBooks

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Witness Above by Andy Straka 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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A Witness Above by Andy Straka

A Witness Above by Andy Straka
A Frank Pavlicek Mystery
Publisher: Signet

This first in a series of four mysteries introduces Virginia PI and falconer Frank Pavlicek.

About A Witness Above (from the publisher): One shot. One fatal error.

Thirteen years ago, Frank Pavlicek left the NYPD under less than ideal circumstances.

Now, the divorced father of a teenage daughter, he works as a private investigator in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he indulges his passion for falconry — and tries to live outside the shadow of his past.

Frank is hunting with his red-tailed hawk, Armistead, when he finds it. A teenage boy's body — barely concealed behind a pile of brush in a part of the forest Frank recently visited with his daughter, Nicole. It's a truly gruesome crime scene — one of the many things Frank doesn't miss about working homicide in the big city.

But what Frank finds in the dead boy's wallet is even more disturbing: Nicole's phone number, scribbled in ink on the edge of a bill. He pockets the evidence and flees. Days later, his daughter is in jail. His past is coming back to haunt him. And his reputation — and life — are on the line …

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 Book Amazon Free Kindle Edition Download Link.

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

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