Deception with Murder by Jenn Vakey is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Deception with Murder by Jenn Vakey as today's free mystery ebook (A Rilynne Evans Mystery; Kindle format only).

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.

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.

— ♦ —

Deception with Murder
Jenn Vakey
A Rilynne Evans Mystery
Publisher: CreateSpace

Rilynne Evans was just beginning to adjust to her new life in Addison Valley when tragedy struck.

Along with her new partner, Detective Todd Matthews, she found herself working against the clock in search of the killer who claimed the life of one of their own. Before she was able to make any headway in the case, a horror from her past comes back to haunt her, leaving her special skill affected. She is forced to rely on her ability as a profiler to track down the murderer before it is too late.

  

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.

MystereBooks: Predators, a Mystery Set in Botswana by Frederick Ramsay, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Predators by Frederick Ramsay, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) 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.

— ♦ —

Predators by Frederick Ramsay
A Mpoo Kgopa Sanderson, Botswana Mystery (1st)
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Read our review of Predators by Frederick Ramsay

Leo Painter is the CEO of Earth Global, a large energy, mining, and real-estate development firm. He and his party of company executives are traveling in Botswana to consult with the government about accessing their extractable resources.

Sekoa is a male lion who shares with his bipedal enemies the misfortune of being the bearer of HIV/AIDS. Weakened by the disease, he loses his place as the alpha male in his pride and now, dying and harassed by a pack of hyenas, seeks only a place to rest in peace.

Painter, pursued by his own "hyenas", only wishes to find a last resting place where he can further his dream: to build a resort/casino on Botswana's Chobe River.

Their paths cross with tragic consequences as police, a plucky woman game warden, and myriad local authorities, hoteliers, and tribesmen vie over what happened and to whom.

      

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.

Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (130202)

Here is today's list of the Bestselling Free Kindle Crime Fiction: the top nine mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers.

We're using a script to embed an RSS feed from Amazon.com, which is updated hourly; as an alternative, you can click on the image to the right or use this link to see the relevant page on Amazon.com, which includes a list of both the Top 100 Paid and Top 100 Free Kindle Mysteries and Thrillers.

100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or less — Mystery and Suspense Selection for February 2013

Every month Amazon releases a new selection of Kindle books priced $3.99 or less.

We've looked through the February 2013 books and listed below those in the "Mystery & Thrillers" category, together with a synopsis. Book prices range from 99 cents through $3.99.

Click on the book cover or title for more information or to purchase from Amazon.

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The Neighbors by Ania Ahlborn

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Andrew Morrison sacrificed everything — his childhood, his education, and the girl of his dreams — to look after his alcoholic mother. But enough is enough, and now he's determined to get out and live his life. That means trading the home he grew up in for a rented room in the house of an old childhood friend — both of which are in sorry shape.

The only thing worse than Drew's squalid new digs and sullen new roommate is the envy he feels for the house next door: a picture-perfect suburban domicile straight out of Norman Rockwell, with a couple of happy householders to match. But the better acquainted he gets with his new neighbors — especially the sweet and sexy Harlow Ward — the more he suspects unspeakable darkness beyond the white picket fence.

Bombshell by Barbara Allan

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In an attempt to soothe growing Cold War tensions between America and Russia, Premier Nikita Khrushchev visits the US to see all that his “enemy” has to offer. Top of his to-do list? A trip to Disneyland and an introduction to sexual icon Marilyn Monroe.

Thanks to the impossible security requirements, Disneyland is out of the question. Marilyn, on the other hand, jumps at the chance to put on a show for the Russian official. During her appearance, she overhears the details of an assassination plot designed to spark an atomic holocaust and devastate both superpowers. When the Secret Service refuses to believe her, Marilyn risks everything to whisk Khrushchev away to safety—in the happiest place on earth.

With US agents and the KGB hot on their trail, Marilyn and Khrushchev enjoy the thrills of the amusement park while fighting to stay one step ahead of the assassins and prevent the horrors of an unprecedented war that would annihilate millions.

True Detective by Max Allan Collins
A Nathan Heller Mystery (1st in series)

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In the mob-choked Chicago of 1932, Mayor Cermak aims to scrub up Chicago's rancid reputation for the World's Fair, and that daunting task comes down to the youngest plainclothes cop in town, Nathan Heller of the pickpocket detail.

When the Mayor's "Hoodlum Squad" brings Heller along on a raid with no instructions but to keep his mouth shut and his gun handy, he finds himself an unwitting, unwilling part of an assassination attempt on Al Capone's successor, Frank Nitti. Soon, he's smack in the middle of a power struggle between the mob and the mayor, and it's up to the young detective to upend a potentially nation-shaking political assassination in Miami Beach.

Midnight Alley by Miles Corwin
An Ash Levine Mystery (2nd in series)

Ash Levine, the top detective in the LAPD's elite Felony Special Squad, is called out to solve the murder of two young black men found shot to death in a Venice alley. The case is a high priority because one of the victims is the son of City Councilman Isaac Pinkney, a frequent critic of the LAPD.

Searching for the killer throws Levine into the world of Los Angeless Russian Mafia, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, and Middle Eastern archeologists. Ash's history as a child of a Holocaust survivor gives him a unique perspective on murder, redemption, and justice. His background as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces, and his relentless, single-minded focus on his investigations make him a thoroughly absorbing character.

As Ash closes in on the killer, the investigation becomes increasingly complex — and personal. Ash soon discovers that he is not just an investigator, but a target.

Bedfellows by Bob Garfield

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Jack Schiavone wants to rebuild his life after an embezzlement scandal saw him drummed out of his high-paying advertising job. So he's reinvented himself as "Mr. Mattress", a discount bedding franchisee in Ebbets Beach, Brooklyn. Running a mattress store is a nice, quiet life—until Jack gets sucked into a simmering mob war that pits an ambitious Russian crime boss against a softening Italian don.

Soon everyone is "going to the mattresses".

Jack falls for the don's gorgeous black-sheep daughter, a legal aid attorney, making him the target of a jealous wise guy/lounge singer who's fixated on her too. And his new store manager — the don's gentle, stamp collecting, cottage cheese–eating former consigliere — proves as good at selling mattresses as he was at cooking the books for the mob. Then the Russians put on a show of force, and the don's only recourse is to call on the world's worst hit man: a mild-mannered chiropractor with an innovative killing technique.

When the smoke clears, who will be the don of Ebbets Beach?

Collateral Damage by H. Terrell Griffin
A Matt Royal Mystery (6th in series)

The quiet beauty of Longboat Key is shattered when a young groom is shot to death on the beach the day after his wedding. His father is an old army buddy of Matt Royal, and Matt tries to soften the anguish of his friend by finding his sons murderer.

Matt's search takes on added complexity when there appears to be a link between this murder and three seemingly unrelated murders that occurred on board a dinner cruise on Sarasota Bay the same day. Fortunately for Matt, his old buddies, Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren, show up to cover his back and to help investigate. But this case rekindles haunting events of Matts past and incites a web of doubt, deception, and even suspicion, among the closest of friends.

When Longboat Key detective, Jennifer Diane (J.B.) Duncan joins the investigation, Matt loses a little focus as he drifts toward more than just a professional relationship. But this distraction could cost lives when they encounter a shady and very dangerous cabal .

Twisted Justice by Patricia Gussin
A Laura Nelson Thriller (2nd in series)

Laura Nelson has it all — a successful career as a surgeon, five well-adjusted kids, and a gorgeous, prominent husband Steve, a nightly news anchor at the Tampa TV News.

Laura's seemingly perfect world shatters when she discovers that Steve is sharing much more than a news desk and a billboard with Kim, his sexy co-anchor. But Steves torrid fling with his coworker is about to come to an abrupt end.

When Kim is murdered, Laura is left holding the smoking gun. How far would Laura go to preserve her perfect life?

That's about to become yesterdays news. Now, Laura must fight to protect her freedom as lies, deception and dark secrets threaten to close in on her, and change her perfect life into a perfect nightmare. But, looks can be deceiving. And deceit can be deadly.

Kill My Darling by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
A Bill Slider Mystery (14th in series)

When Melanie Hunter goes missing, the men in her life come under suspicion. And there's plenty to suspect: lies, half-truths, deceptions. When you pull one thread, the whole fabric of family life can come apart.

There are secrets in Melanie's past, and pain she tried to hide from the world. Slider and his team need to answer two questions: who loved Melanie … and who loved her too much?

The Radix by Brett King

For five centuries adventurers, researchers and believers have searched for the Radix, the sacred relic thought to possess amazing powers to heal — or destroy.

John Brynstone doesn't have centuries. The president has ordered him to find the Radix now. But he's not alone in his quest. The modern-day descendents of the infamous Borgia family will stop at nothing to wield the power of the Radix.

At the same time, a secret religious organization wants the Radix for their own ends — and they've sent a nameless assassin to kill Brynstone before he can steal their prize.

Across continents and through ancient codes and mysteries, Brynstone will have to unravel riddles no one has been able to solve for hundreds of years … while racing for his life.

Fly by Night by Ward Larsen
A Jammer Davis Thriller

A top-secret drone crashes in the lawless Horn of Africa. The CIA is prepared to write off the loss until evidence surfaces that the wreckage of their prized aircraft is hidden in a hangar outside Khartoums main airport.

The hangar is owned by a shady cargo airline that flies ancient DC-3s across Africa and the Middle East. The name of the company does nothing to still concern: FBN-Fly by Night Aviation.

The U.S. government must find out what is in the hangar, and when an FBN airplane crashes, the opportunity arises for the National Transportation Safety Board to send an investigator to get to the bottom of things. Jammer Davis is the NTSBs biggest headache, but also its best solo operator. He goes to Sudan in the name of solving anair crash, but with the true aim of locating the priceless remains of Americas latest techno-logical marvel.

As Davis enters this inhospitable world, he finds the two disparate mysteries strangely intertwined. True to his nature, Davis barges ahead. Yet everything he finds takes him in reverse.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Summer, 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels has come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Along with his partner, Chuck Aule, he sets out to find an escaped patient, a murderess named Rachel Solando, as a hurricane bears down upon them.

But nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is what it seems.

And neither is Teddy Daniels.

Is he there to find a missing patient? Or has he been sent to look into rumors of Ashecliffe's radical approach to psychiatry? An approach that may include drug experimentation, hideous surgical trials, and lethal countermoves in the shadow war against Soviet brainwashing …

Or is there another, more personal reason why he has come there?

As the investigation deepens, the questions only mount:

• How has a barefoot woman escaped the island from a locked room?
• Who is leaving clues in the form of cryptic codes?
• Why is there no record of a patient committed there just one year before?
• What really goes on in Ward C?
• Why is an empty lighthouse surrounded by an electrified fence and armed guards?

The closer Teddy and Chuck get to the truth, the more elusive it becomes, and the more they begin to believe that they may never leave Shutter Island. Because someone is trying to drive them insane.

Missing Child by Patricia MacDonald

One morning Caitlin Eckhart receives a phone call that changes her life forever — her much-loved six-year-old stepson Geordie has disappeared from school. It soon becomes clear that someone must have deliberately taken him.

Distraught, Caitlin and her husband, Noah, make an anguished public appeal for his return. But Caitlin has a secret from her past that is about to catch up with her, and as Geordie's continued absence brings her relationship with Noah to breaking point, she stands to lose everything that she loves.

The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell

When the police come to the door at the gatehouse of a remote British estate, sixteen-year-old Liza and her mother know that their lives are about to change forever. After all, Liza watched her mother kill a man — well, more than just one.

Having lived as a virtual hermit on the estate, Liza knows nothing of the outside world, but she sets off to find her way with the help of a newly won lover. As she learns about those around her, she begins to discover herself — and just how alike she and her mother might be.

Multiple Wounds by Alan Russell

Holly Troy's mind is a complex maze of myth and reality, multiple personalities vying for time in the spotlight. As an artist, she is creative and compelling. As a witness, she is painfully unreliable, unsure of even which person she was the night of the murder. Even Holly can't be sure of her own innocence.

Homicide detective Orson Cheever never thought he would find himself playing psychologist to a Greek goddess in a modern-day murder investigation, but many of Holly's personalities come straight from classical mythology, from Cronos and Pandora to the Fates. As Cheever attempts to unravel truth from myth, he learns that there is even more to Holly than meets the eye. One personality in particular — that of a five-year-old girl — hits a little too close to home, and Cheever is forced to finally pull back the dark curtains of his own past in order to uncover the truth.

The Frailty of Flesh by Sandra Ruttan
A Nolan, Hart, and Tain Mystery (2nd in series)

When a young boy is found murdered in a park, the boy's brother says that his sister was the murderer — but she's nowhere to be found. Constables Hart and Tain find evidence that the sister is innocent and is actually a potential victim herself. Now they need to find her before she — and the rest of her family — is killed.

Secrets To Die For by L. J. Sellers
A Wade Jackson Mystery (2nd in series)

When young social worker Raina Hughes arrives at a ramshackle trailer outside of town, she's on a mission to protect a small boy from abusive parents. But when Detective Wade Jackson arrives at the same location hours later, his mission is far grimmer: investigating Raina's murder.

The victim's vicious death is a shocking event for laid-back Eugene, Oregon — and even more chilling when one of Jackson's fellow officers suspects an elusive rapist whose appetite is turning murderous. Jackson thinks he's got a tight case against the meth-head dad who menaced Raina, but the evidence seems to leave his suspect in the clear — and a homicidal sex offender still on the loose. What Jackson fears is that his new love affair with nurse Kera Kollmorgan may be knocking him off his game. And what he never expects is to find an ally in savvy reporter Sophie Speranza, who may have stumbled on the killer's shocking motive. But even as Jackson and Sophie team up to tighten the noose, their quarry zeroes in on his next victim — ready to take his twisted game to the next level.

Airtight by J. P. Smith

Nick Copeland has lost his mind only twice in his forty-eight years — once in college on a bad acid trip, and once at this very moment, as the mountain of bills he's been hiding from his family finally topples. But Nick's chance meeting with an old friend, Rob Johnson, pulls on the memory wires. Rob — who's already lost his wife and job — seems resigned to a life of basic cable and Chinese takeout. Suddenly, the answer to their problems arrives: two airtight jars of high-grade heroin they'd buried under the football field of their old college campus.

Returning to the scene of the crime-that-never-happened seems like a cinch — that is, until Nick takes a trip down Memory Lane and a sharp right turn on Law Enforcement Drive. This is not the beads-and-bellbottoms of their youths, but maybe the Stones were right, anyway: you can't always get what you want.

Body and Soul by J. P. Smith

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After fleeing to Paris to escape communist rule, Polish émigré and piano player Jerzy Wozzeck finds it nearly impossible to support his family on his low-paying bistro gigs. So when a friend offers a fat payoff for handling a string of deliveries, Jerzy quickly finds himself in the uneasy employ of an anonymous suit and his sensual assistant. With a couple of flawless jobs under his belt, Jerzy starts living the good life — until, on one such run, he stumbles across a corpse and realizes his benefactors will go to any lengths to protect their operations.

To ensure his loyalty, Jerzy's patrons ply him with every possible temptation, from the purest drugs to the most willing women — and he begins selling his soul piece by piece to maintain his illusion of prosperity. But when rival crime lords and hit men enter the fray, Jerzy plots to escape his boss's dirty dealings — only to discover he's in too deep to get out alive.

The Discover of Light by J. P. Smith

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Divorced American academic David Reid teaches English by day and spends his free time writing mystery novels that nobody reads. In London he meets his new editor, Kate. Blonde and beautiful, she is also mysterious and aloof — and soon captivates David.

The feeling seems mutual and the two are soon wed, but Kate quickly spirals into a deep sadness. In less than two years, she leaves David and heads to New York City. Just as the shock of her absence sets in, David receives a call announcing Kate's instant death under a subway train.

Was Kate trying to return to David when she was killed? Was it an accident? A suicide? A murder? The more David learns, the less he wants to know — especially when he discovers Kate had been having an affair with French novelist Marc Rougemont, whose work she was allegedly translating.

As David searches for the truth about his wife, he becomes fixated on two paintings of women by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer, for whom David and Kate shared a passion that bordered on obsession. Was his wife as unknowable as the subjects of these cryptic, beautifully rendered portraits?

Paying the Piper by Simon Wood

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For years, the serial kidnapper known as the Piper got rich by abducting children from San Francisco's wealthiest families.

When crime reporter Scott Fleetwood gets a call from a man identifying himself as the Piper and offers an exclusive interview, Fleetwood jumps at the chance. But the caller turns out to be a fake, and the rash decision costs the life of the real Piper's latest victim.

For eight long years, Fleetwood has lived with unbearable guilt—and the enduring disdain of the entire Bay area. Now he hears from the real Piper — and it's not for an interview. The kidnapper has the reporter's son. But he doesn't want money … he wants blood. And he's going to use Fleetwood to get it.

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Important Note: Any prices mentioned above were correct 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.

Please Welcome Novelist Collin Tobin

by Collin Tobin

We are delighted to welcome novelist Collin Tobin, who is on tour with Red Adept Publishing promoting his new book. We encourage you to visit all the host sites on his tour; you can find a schedule of events here.

Collin's new novel of suspense is Upload (Red Adept Publishing; December 2012 trade paperback and ebook formats).

Today Collin shares with us some thoughts about the "big reveal".

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I have a confession to make. I've been having a crisis of faith lately with the mysteries and thrillers genre. I'm wondering if you've felt the same. My problem occurs at a very specific point in the story — in the first few pages of the final, big reveal, when all is about to be explained. I cringe, grit my teeth, and can hardly read on. As you know, for the most part, the ultimate truth behind the most complex mysteries ends up being as mundane and unimpressive as you can make it: Oh, Arnold didn't get enough love from his mother. Suzanne haunted the house because of her wrongful death. Turns out, that evil oil company up the road was dumping on protected land and killed people to cover it up. What? That guy? Oh, he kills because he witnessed his mother's own killing. Or, the narrator is actually the killer and he has been — tsk-tsk — lying to us all along! That greedy land developer, turns out they greedily wanted to develop more land! The answers are all so … blah.

Photo provided courtesy of
Collin Tobin

But what was the great resolution I was hoping for? Shouldn't the answer to most complex puzzles be just plain elegantly simple? Most times, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, but in the middle of the story, I was there. I was ready to be wowed — to be slapped in the face with the answer and walk away dumbfounded, working my stunned jaw loose. At some point in the story, I'm convinced there are a wonderful array of possibilities to explain the mystery. Right now, I'm considering a branching infinity of possible scenarios. Why then, when I learn the core of the mystery, am I so utterly disappointed? Maybe it's because I know it's the end of that great part of any mystery: the enchanted wonderment stage. But what also bothers me is that when finally armed with the answer to the story's riddle, why is the story, when reread or watched again, so completely flat, boring, and unimaginative? Oh — all those great things I had hoped for, the infinite array of possibilities and explanations — you can forget those. Writing a mystery or thriller is really just like mismanaging a secret in a very controlled fashion. I believe it just might be the long teasing out of the answer that intrigues us, and not the answer itself.

Perhaps that's why some of brand of mysteries stick with us longer — when they're somewhat unresolved and still up for debate. For movies, I'm thinking of Mulholland Drive. But how does a reader walk away from an unresolved mystery? Intrigued? Discontented? Angry? I think that may be it. It's not that the explanation to the mystery is too mundane, it's that if an explanation is supplied, it is hardly ever fantastic and satisfying enough to replace the thrill of pending discovery. It's the depressing denouement. It's just simply over. We don't like to let go.

I even wrote a short story about what happens to the characters when they're dismissed from the story forever, called “The Denouement Room”. The story told two stories: the main story, and the story of what happens to the characters once they're dismissed. They all get shoved into this little room with no lines, no stage directions, and only the vaguest of memories of their original purpose bouncing around in their heads. I suppose this is what the characters of past books we've read do now, if they're lucky enough to remain immortal — bounce around in our brain as they repeat little bits of favorite dialogue, make the same interesting gestures that somehow caught our attention, replay the brief moments of courage and bravery we wish we saw in ourselves.

So I think I've solved it — for now. My faith in thrillers and mysteries cautiously restored. I'll accept the simple conclusions of the most complex, mysterious stories, hoping that just around the corner, another book or movie will come to dupe me once again into thinking so much is possible.

— ♦ —

Collin Tobin lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two daughters. He holds a bachelor's in English and master's in Education. He has worked in the software industry for the past twelve years.

He was the recipient of the Mississippi Literary Festival's 1st place in poetry and has also published poems in character i and The Drum.

When he's not writing, he enjoys re-reading Nabokov's fiction in chronological order, eating very hot salsa, and dreaming up inventions with neither the capital nor the initiative to see them through.

You can learn more about the author and his work on his blog, Gathering Bits of Fluff, or find him on Facebook.

— ♦ —

Upload
Collin Tobin

Someone's always watching …

Jay Brooks's life is in chaos. His mother's sudden death has unhinged his father, making Jay a stranger in his own home. He seeks solace by spending his spare time with his best friend, Bennie, but matters are further complicated by his crush on Chloe, Bennie's older sister.

A wheelchair-bound hacker, Bennie Welch practically lives in his basement computer lab. Longing to make genuine connections to the outside world, he secretly films people's precious memories for later sale and surfs the crowds at rave parties, despite the danger to his frail body.

One night, Jay's hobby of Wi-Fi hotspot hunting turns serious when he unwittingly blunders into the scene of a crime and downloads a mysterious transmission. When Jay brings Bennie the contents of the transfer, Bennie embraces the opportunity to use his skills to investigate.

As Jay and Bennie dig deeper into the world of electronic secrets, they find that the simple video has far-reaching implications that not only threaten their lives, but society as they know it. Tracing the mysterious coalition responsible leads them on an inexorable journey that will change them forever.

      

Rainy Nights by J. R. Rain is Today's Fifth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Rainy Nights by J. R. Rain as today's fifth free mystery ebook (Three Novels of Suspense; Kobo and iTunes formats).

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.

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.

— ♦ —

Rainy Nights
J. R. Rain
Three Novels of Suspense
Publisher: J. R. Rain

Moon Dance: Mother, wife, private investigator … vampire. Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire. Now the world at large thinks Samantha has developed a rare skin disease, a disease which forces her to quit her day job and stay out of the light of the sun. Now working the night shift as a private investigator, Samantha is hired by Kingsley Fulcrum to investigate the murder attempt on his life, a horrific scene captured on TV and seen around the country. But as the case unfolds, Samantha discovers Kingsley isn't exactly what he appears to be; after all, there is a reason why he survived five shots to the head.

The Body Departed: Two years ago, a man broke into James Blakely's apartment and shot him in his sleep. Twelve times, killing him instantly. Dead and confused, James discovers he has a choice: he can move on into the afterlife, or he can stay behind. Unfortunately, since James has done some very bad things, moving on into the afterlife can only mean one thing: the fires of Hell. Or so he thinks. Forgoing eternal damnation, James instead chooses to haunt his old apartment building. Now James's days are mostly spent visiting his daughter and ex-wife, welcoming new neighbors, and talking to those who can see the dead. It's a simple, peaceful life, but with each passing day, James discovers something more and more alarming: memories of his former life — and even his own identity — begin slipping away. Faced with the prospect that he is rapidly deteriorating into a state of nothingness, James sets out to save his eternal soul. With the help of his daughter and a world-class medium, his journey to peace and forgiveness will not be an easy one, especially for a ghost who still wishes to be a father — and who fears he is destined for a fiery Hell as punishment for sins he cannot remember. Now, as James begins to uncover the devastating secret that connects his soul to earth, he will discover that even in death life has a few surprises.

The Lost Ark: In a lonely bar in eastern Turkey, ex-National Geographic photojournalist Sam Ward is hired to find an eccentric professor who disappeared high atop Mount Ararat, fabled resting spot of Noah's Ark. Accompanied by the professor's beautiful daughter, archaeologist Faye Roberts, Sam soon stumbles upon a secret stronghold—a base of operation for unleashing hell of earth. Now running for their lives, Sam and company are about to come face-to-face with the greatest archaeological discovery of all time …

    

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.

Death by Marriage by Blair Bancroft is Today's Fourth Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Death by Marriage by Blair Bancroft as today's fourth free mystery ebook (A Gwyn Halliday, DreamWear Mystery; Kindle format only).

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.

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.

— ♦ —

Death by Marriage
Blair Bancroft
A Gwyn Halliday, DreamWear Mystery
Publisher: Kone Enterprises

A personal disaster in New York City sends promising clothing designer Gwyn Halliday fleeing home to the sleepy Gulfcoast resort and retirement community of Golden Beach, Florida, where she turns her talents to designing costumes. Five years later, her shop, DreamWear — Costumes & Creations, is a success, providing rental costumes to native Floridians, local retirees, and to the snowbirds and tourists who flock to the area each winter. Gwyn has come to terms with being an exotic blossom in a sea of seniors when one of her customers is killed (wearing DreamWear's best Santa suit), and she suspects the so-called "boating accident" is murder.

In rapid succession Gwyn meets the new Chief of Police (from landlocked Nebraska), runs into a former crush (now suffering from PTSD), and begins to suspect an elderly senior is being targeted by a series of scams (one possibly lethal). And then her brother becomes a suspect. Gwyn is well aware she should stick to costumes, but what's a girl to do when things get personal?

  

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.