Today's Bestselling Free Kindle MystereBooks (130223)

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.

Cinemystery: Patricia Highsmith's The Blunderer to be Adapted for Film

Andy Goddard (Downton Abbey) will direct a film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's 1954 novel The Blunderer. Susan Boyd, who optioned the book with her husband William, will write the screenplay.

"The Blunderer is one of those extremely special projects, complete with complicated Highsmithian characters and edge-of-your-seat tension," said Nick Meyer of Sierra Pictures, which will co-produce the film. "We are thrilled to have Andy at the helm of this one. He's a unique and skilled director with a great vision for the film."

The Blunderer was previously adapted in 1963 as the French thriller Le Meurtrier.

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The Blunderer
Patricia Highsmith

City lawyer Walter Stackhouse desperately needs to escape his marriage. His wife Clara is neurotic, vindictive and has been systematically alienating all of his friends. She is ruining his life, and it's small wonder then that he finds himself drawn to gentle, sympathetic Ellie. So when Clara jealously makes a failed suicide attempt, Walter realises just what life might be like without her.

Meanwhile, the story of a New York woman brutally murdered by her husband has been making headlines and firing Walter's imagination, and he suddenly sees an opportunity to put an end to his torment. But does he really have the courage to get rid of Clara? Or will he be too much of blunderer to see it through?

First published by Coward-McCann in 1954, this is the author's third novel.

      

Telemystery: First Trailer for Game of Thrones Season 3

HBO has released the first, 1-minute trailer for the third season of Game of Thrones; we've embedded it below.

Based on the "Song of Ice and Fire" epic fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, this third season is adapted from the first half of the third book in the series, A Storm of Swords.

The new season returns on March 31st, 2013 at 9 PM ET/PT.

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A Storm of Swords
George R. R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire (3rd in series)

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken.

Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King's Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne.

Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. Filled with the stench of death and decay from the destructive dynastic war, Daenerys is gathering allies and strength for an assault on King's Landing, hoping to win back the crown she believes is rightfully hers.

But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings bent on overwhelming the Seven Kingdoms arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others — a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. And as the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest in the quest for victory until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords.

      

Amazon's The Big Deal Is Back, Over 500 Kindle Books up to 88% Off

Amazon's "The Big Deal" is back with savings of up to 88% off on more than 500 Kindle books in many categories, now through March 10th, 2013.

Here is a direct link to the 58 books in the Mystery, Thriller & Suspense category … but if you want to see all 500+ titles, use this link.

Of the crime novels chosen by Amazon for inclusion in The Big Deal, all but one are priced $2.99 or less.

We'll be selecting some of our favorites to feature separately over the next couple of weeks. But in the meantime, don't miss some of the terrific deals being offered by this promotion!

Flesh and Blood by Michael Lister is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Flesh and Blood by Michael Lister as today's third free mystery ebook (A John Jordan Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, February 23, 2013 at 7:30 AM ET. 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.

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Flesh and Blood
Michael Lister
A John Jordan Mystery
Publisher: Pulpwood Press

In this diverse collection of cases (short stories), John Jordan investigates the Shroud of Turin, a pregnant virgin, a daring prison break, a Hurricane Katrina orphan who might just be the Second Coming, a desperate woman who sleeps with one too many men, a bloody body on the rec yard, a mystery that turns on a single observation, and a murder in which John himself is the prime suspect — all this as he deals with depression and battles alcoholism.

These stories are puzzles, whodunits, and enigmas, but they are much more. John Jordan doesn't just solve crime, he investigates the hidden heart of humanity and the mysterious world in which we live. Here are temporal answers and eternal questions, and at the center of it all, a conflicted man of faith and doubt, flawed, but faithful, who ministers mercy even as he thirsts for justice.

  

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.

Blue Note by Peter Wilben is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Blue Note by Peter Wilben as today's second free mystery ebook (A Joe Grace Thriller; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, February 23, 2013 at 7:20 AM ET. 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.

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Blue Note
Peter Wilben
A Joe Grace Thriller
Publisher: Orchard Wall Publishing

An unrivalled champion, The Hunter is a blue blooded stallion, who has sired a dynasty of thoroughbred racehorses that run on every continent of the world.

When Joe Grace agrees to carry out a favor for business associate, Sam Landy, horse breeder and owner of the legendary Hunter, he comes up against a select group of men at the top of the worldwide racing industry.

Among them is Guy Steer, a man who is as ruthless as he is wealthy.

Joe risks his personal wealth in order to infiltrate Steer's inner circle and unmask the truth behind the death of a former jockey who had ridden The Hunter to success. In a world where a nod of the head means another million and the only people that won't betray you are those who are dead, Joe finds he has risked much more than money as he soon becomes the one who is hunted.

  

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.

Matanzas Bay by Parker Francis is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Matanzas Bay by Parker Francis as today's free mystery ebook (A Quint Mitchell Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, February 23, 2013 at 7:10 AM ET. 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.

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Matanzas Bay
Parker Francis
A Quint Mitchell Mystery
Publisher: Windrusher Hall Press

When PI Quint Mitchell volunteered to help with an archaeological survey in St. Augustine, he didn't count on digging up a murder victim. In the nation's oldest city, Mitchell discovers links to ancient sins, comes face to face with his own past, and unleashes powerful forces that will do anything to keep their secrets — even if it means taking his life.

When Mitchell's friend, the City Archaeologist, is charged with a brutal murder, he must find the true killer while fighting inner demons and the corrosive residue of racial violence dating back to the Civil Rights Movement. As he learns, St. Augustine was birthed in blood — Matanzas means "place of slaughter" in Spanish — and violence is never far from the surface.

  

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.

Borrowed Time by C. J. Lyons is Today's Kindle Romantic Thriller Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Borrowed Time by C. J. Lyons as today's Amazon Kindle Romantic Thriller Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Saturday, February 23, 2013.

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Borrowed Time
C. J. Lyons
A Romantic Thriller
CreateSpace

The author says that Borrowed Time "was the first thriller novel I wrote. In it, a Pittsburgh police officer tracks a killer targeting cops. The only problem? He's already killed her once."

Pittsburgh Police Officer Kate O'Hern is on the trail of a killer targeting cops. Only problem, he's already killed her once …

Trauma surgeon Joshua Lightner saved Kate's life, only to have her awaken suffering from an unexpected side effect: visions of other people's deaths. As a doctor, he refuses to believe in "psychic mumbo-jumbo" but as a man, he can't deny his feelings for Kate.

When the killer targets them both, are they living on borrowed time?

Important Note: This book was listed at the price mentioned above 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.

MystereBooks: Three Theresa MacLean Mysteries by Lisa Black, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature three "Theresa MacLean" mysteries by Lisa Black, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, William Morrow.

The ebook format of these titles were priced at $1.99 each from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (02/22/2013 at 7:30 PM ET). 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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Takeover by Lisa Black
A Theresa MacLean Mystery (1st)
Publisher: William Morrow

Early one Thursday morning, forensic scientist Theresa MacLean is called to the scene of a gruesome murder. The body of a man has been found on the front lawn of a house in suburban Cleveland, the back of his head bashed in. Although it's not the best start to her day, Theresa has been through worse. What unfolds during the next eight hours, though, is nothing she could ever have imagined.

Downtown at the Federal Reserve Bank, her police detective fiancé is taken hostage with six others in a robbery masterminded by two clever criminals. When she arrives at the scene, Theresa discovers that the police have brought in the city's best hostage negotiator: handsome, high-profile Chris Cavanaugh. He hasn't lost a victim yet, but Theresa wonders if he might be too arrogant to save the day this time around.

When her fiancé is injured, she seizes the opportunity to trade places with him. Once on the inside, she will use all her wiles, experience, and technical skills to gain control of the situation. But what initially appears to be a bank heist turns into something far more complex and deadly, and Theresa must decide how much more she is willing to sacrifice in order to save the lives of innocent people as well as her own.

    

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Trail of Blood by Lisa Black
A Theresa MacLean Mystery (3rd)
Publisher: William Morrow

Seventy-five years ago, a madman nicknamed the Torso Killer terrorized Cleveland. His horrific spree lasted four years and crisscrossed the entire city. Overall, he was credited with more than a dozen murders. And he was never caught.

Today, forensic scientist Theresa MacLean is called to an abandoned building where a desiccated, decapitated body has been found in a room that's been sealed off for years. Although there's no immediate proof, everyone assumes the same thing: that the newly discovered corpse was a Torso Killer victim. The body has decayed beyond recognition, leaving few forensic clues, but Theresa sees this as an opportunity to shed some light on a big piece of Cleveland's past that until now has been shrouded in mystery.

But then another body — this one recently deceased—turns up, and all signs at the scene seem to indicate the work of a new Torso Killer. Suddenly, Theresa's investigation takes on a whole new meaning. Her examination of the old body has opened a door to the past — a door someone wanted to keep closed—and she shifts her focus from solving a historical puzzle to catching a very dangerous, present-day psychopath.

But as the body count rises, Theresa finds herself nearer to danger than she ever imagined. For the killer is keeping a watchful eye on Theresa, and she begins to feel his presence everywhere. Each step brings them closer and closer to each other — at one point separated by no more than a speeding train in a railroad switchyard — as Theresa scours the city in her hunt for a murderous lunatic intent on reliving a terrifying past.

    

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Defensive Wounds by Lisa Black
A Theresa MacLean Mystery (4th)
Publisher: William Morrow

When Marie Corrigan, a Cleveland defense attorney with a history of falsifying evidence and no shortage of enemies, is found dead in the presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton, most people would agree that she had it coming. Forensic investigator Theresa MacLean is summoned to the crime scene by her daughter, Rachel, who is working the front desk. But even before Theresa enters the room, she knows that she's walking into a forensic nightmare — for crime scenes at hotels, even the most luxurious, are teeming with trace evidence that has been left behind by innumerable guests and may or may not be related to the murder. But what Theresa finds is even worse than she imagined.

Given the positioning of Marie's body, everyone assumes the same thing — that it's a lovers' tryst turned lethal. But large questions remain: How did the killer gain access to the room without anyone's knowledge? And has the scene been staged for their benefit? The little evidence Theresa has is conflicting at best. What's more, a legal convention at the hotel provides an endless list of suspects — and potential victims.

When two more bodies show up in quick succession, each in a similar state, Theresa's investigation takes on a whole new urgency as she fears they may have a serial killer on their hands — a serial killer with a vendetta. But as she searches for the threads that tie the cases together, Theresa begins to suspect that she and her daughter are closer to danger than they realize. And a mother will stop at nothing to protect the life of her child.

    

Important Note: These books were 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.

MystereBooks: All the Dead Voices, an Ed Loy Mystery by Declan Hughes, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature All the Dead Voices by Declan Hughes, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $1.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (02/22/2013 at 7:00 PM ET). 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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All the Dead Voices by Declan Hughes
An Ed Loy Mystery
Publisher: HarperCollins

PI Ed Loy wants to escape his past — but it won't be easy. Soon after moving to a Dublin apartment from his childhood home on the city's outskirts, he's approached by Anne Fogarty, whose father was murdered fifteen years ago. Anne thinks the police nabbed the wrong person, and the three most likely culprits are two ex-IRA men and George Halligan — Loy's underworld nemesis. Jack Cullen, one of the other suspects, may somehow be connected with the death of a rising soccer star — another case Loy is asked to take on.

And as his two investigations collide, Loy finds himself in grave danger in a city divided — where the wounded Celtic Tiger walks hand in hand with the ghosts of a violent past.

    

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.

MystereBooks: Indelible, a Grant County Mystery by Karin Slaughter, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Indelible by Karin Slaughter, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $1.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (02/22/2013 at 6:30 PM ET). 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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Indelible by Karin Slaughter
A Grant County Mystery (4th)
Publisher: HarperCollins

Two armed men enter the police station in tiny Heartsdale, Georgia, and open fire. When the shooting stops, an officer is dead, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver is seriously wounded, and the survivors — including a class of grade-school children and medical examiner Sara Linton — are held hostage.

In a tense standoff that could erupt at any moment into more bloodletting — with her ex-husband on the threshold of death — Sara must search for answers and an escape in the memories of a time at the start of their relationship when another brutal, shocking crime shattered their small-town world. Because the sins of the past have caught up with Sara and Jeffrey … with a vengeance.

    

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.

MystereBooks: Slash and Burn, a Joe Hunter Thriller by Matt Hilton, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Slash and Burn by Matt Hilton, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $1.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (02/22/2013 at 6:00 PM ET). 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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Slash and Burn by Matt Hilton
A Joe Hunter Mystery (3rd)
Publisher: HarperCollins

Joe Hunter is enjoying some much needed R & R when a young woman approaches him to help find her missing sister. Kate Piers knows about Joe from her dead brother Jake, Hunter's former comrade in arms, and for that reason alone he feels obliged to help.

The fact that Kate is very attractive doesn't hurt.

Together they go to Imogen's Kentucky home where they are immediately attacked by a bunch of thugs, acting on behalf of local businessman Robert Huffman.

Huffman is outwardly respectable but the psychotic twins he uses as his enforcers give the game away: he has links to organized crime and a deadly reputation with a blade. Huffman is also looking for Imogen, and kidnaps Kate to act as bait.

Looks like Joe is in trouble again …

    

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.

MystereBooks: The Devil's Star, a Harry Hole Mystery by Jo Nesbø, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbø, now available at a special price, courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $1.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (02/22/2013 at 5:30 PM ET). 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 Devil's Star by Jo Nesbø
A Harry Hole Mystery (5th)
Publisher: HarperCollins

Read our review of The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbø

In the heat of a sweltering Oslo summer, a young woman is found murdered in her flat — with one of her fingers cut off and a tiny red star-shaped diamond placed under her eyelid. An off-the-rails alcoholic barely holding on to his job, Detective Harry Hole is assigned the case with Tom Waaler, a hated colleague whom Harry believes is responsible for the murder of his partner. When another woman is reported missing five days later, and her severed finger turns up adorned with a red star-shaped diamond ring, Harry fears a serial killer is at work. But Hole's determination to capture a fiend and to expose Waaler's crimes is leading him into shadowy places where both investigations merge in unexpected ways, forcing him to make difficult decisions about a future he may not live to see.

    

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.