FREE/BARGAIN - Mystery, Suspense, Thriller - 2016

[sufue]

A gazillion Kensington cozies, several with holiday themes, are in the $0.99 to $1.99 range at Kindle US today. Some are longer term prices and some are probably for today only. Authors include the usual Kensington cozy authors: Teresa Grant, Barbara Ross, Lea Wait, Kaitlyn Dunnett, Lynn Cahoon, Annelise Ryan, Leslie Meier, Nancy Coco, Barbara Allan, Laurien Berenson, Waverly Curtis, Molly Cox Brian, Lee Hollis, Karen Rose Smith, Isis Crawford, Kate Dyer-Seeley and others. Way too many titles (45 in my search) to list, but here's a price-sorted link that includes only a few strays.

link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/?se...price-asc-rank

[ATDrake]

Some foreign mysteries in translation on sale @ Kobo (couponable/VIP eligible; presumably price-matched at the other usual retailers as well).

@ $1.99 in North America from Steerforth's Pushkin Press imprint (linkage for the lot), about a dozen vintage mysteries from authors like France's Pierre Boileau (Wikipedia), including the novel which Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo was based upon, Japan's Soji Shimada (Wikipedia), Italy's Augusto De Angelis (Wikipedia), Sweden's Martin Holmén (Wikipedia SV), and more.

Also, both Kobo CA & UK's CyberMonday sales have some good markdown mysteries in them. Some Kobo UK ones which are both £0.99 and eligible for the 3x bonus points (only selected titles are part of the bonus offer) are:

• The Vanished by Danish authors Lotte & Søren Hammer (SYKM), 2nd (actually 3rd, but the real 2nd has yet to be translated) in their Konrad Simonsen series set in Copenhagen. For comparison, currently $20+ CAD at Kobo CA.
• Blackout by Icelandic author Ragnar Jónasson (SYKM), 3rd (actually chronologically 2nd, but translated out of order) in his Dark Iceland series set in a small fishing village in Iceland. 1st & 2nd published have previously been £0.99 specials which you might have picked up earlier.
• Blessed Are Those Who Thirst & Death of the Demon by Norwegian “Queen of Crime” Anne Holt (SYKM), 2nd & 3rd in her Hanne Wilhelmsen series starring a lesbian cop in Oslo. 1st & 2nd have previously been $1.99 North American specials which you might have picked up previously.
• The Ice Child by Swedish author Camilla Läckberg (SYKM), 9th in her Hedström & Falck series pairing a writer and a cop in a small fishing village in Sweden. A big chunk of the earlier novels have been on sale in North America and the UK in the past couple of years.

ETA: also, the late Umberto Eco's historical political mystery/thriller, Number Zero, is just $2.99 CAD from Houghton Mifflin Harcount (couponable in Canada).

[sufue]

Two multi-book sets from Open Road are part of one of their occasional afternoon email sales, priced at $3.99. These are available at all the usual retailers that Open Road sells through and are VIP-able/couponable at Kobo.

The Aden Vanner Novels: Sleep No More, Sorted, and Close Quarters by Jeff Gulvin
Kindle US link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CHW64KO
Kobo US link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-aden-vanner-novels

Spoiler:

Sleep No More

An unflinching look at a detective’s fruitless search for answers

In all his years of experience, Detective Chief Inspector Aden Vanner has never had a case that nags him and haunts him as much as the Watchman case. Despite the time he has poured into the investigation, he’s come away with very few leads—and the pressure finally causes him to snap. During questioning, Vanner violently beats a prisoner and is suspended from the police force.

Vanner is a creature of the alleyways and streets of London, unafraid to bend the law in order to get results. But his independent streak sets him in the crosshairs of the Complaints Investigation Bureau, which suspects that Vanner’s personal connection to the Watchman case is keeping him from making any progress. Now, in order to clear his name, Vanner must capture the elusive Watchman.

Sorted

Detective Inspector Aden Vanner is back on the case

Nights often turn out differently than you expect them to—an observation made many times by maverick detective Aden Vanner. Since his demotion from the rank of detective chief inspector, Vanner’s been drowning his sorrows at the local pub, debating what to do next. But when he’s savagely beaten by a couple of unknown assailants, Vanner’s decision is made for him.

These aren’t your garden-variety thugs: They have connections . . . deep ones. As Vanner discovers the reasons behind his beating, he must lead a drug task force in tracking down the ecstasy and acid suppliers responsible. Informed by his research with the Metropolitan Police Department, Jeff Gulvin brings readers into London with a level of detail that is both frightening and unforgettable.

Close Quarters

A woman has been murdered in a professional hit. Now the only question is Why?

At first glance, Jessica Turner seems every bit the typical London woman. Sure, she isn’t in the perfect relationship, but she still loves her man, Alec. So why, one rainy evening, was she cruelly gunned down on her front steps in a professional hit? This is the question that will haunt Detective Inspector Aden Vanner.

Close Quarters marks a rousing return to Jeff Gulvin’s rough London streets, beginning with Harlesden, the city’s traditionally Caribbean district, where Vanner is investigating a group of crack dealers. When he hears about Jessica’s murder, Vanner is pressed to find the connections that no one else can see. As he digs deeper into the case, he begins to find connections between her murder and the Harlesden gang, and between Alec, the IRA, and an old acquaintance with revenge on the mind.

The Sonny Baca Novels: Zia Summer, Rio Grande Fall, Shaman Winter, and Jemez by Rudolfo Anaya
Kindle US link: https://www.amazon.com/Sonny-Baca-No.../dp/B01M1D5N82
Kobo US link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-sonny-baca-novels

Spoiler:

Four suspenseful southwestern mystery novels featuring a Chicano PI in New Mexico, by the “extraordinary” author of Bless Me, Ultima (Los Angeles Times Book Review).

These four novels starring detective Sonny Baca are set against the lush terrain of the American Southwest, blending its Spanish, Mexican, and Native American cultures.

Zia Summer: Sonny Baca’s cousin Gloria is brutally slain, her body found drained of blood with a Zia sun sign—the symbol on the New Mexican flag—carved on her stomach. His quest to find her killer leads Baca across New Mexico’s diverse South Valley to an environmental compound and a terrifying brujo.

Rio Grande Fall: A woman plummets to her death from a hot air balloon during Albuquerque’s famous Balloon Fiesta—and Baca recognizes it as no accident.

Shaman Winter: Baca, confined to a wheelchair after a violent encounter, is haunted by chilling dreams, but has no other choice than to go to work when the Santa Fe mayor’s teenage daughter disappears and the trail leads to a charismatic and dangerous shaman.

Jemez Spring: A high-profile murder ignites a hotbed of political treachery and terrorist threats that take Baca to Los Alamos, pitting him against a formidable foe and a nuclear bomb.

Unrelentingly suspenseful, with vivid details of the physical and spiritual landscape of northern New Mexico, these mysteries are perfect for fans of Margaret Coel or James D. Doss.

[GA Russell]

The Executioner Series, Books 1–3 - Don Pendleton - $3.99

War Against the Mafia
Death Squad
Battle Mask

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M1D5J00

[Mort1997]

Free on Amazon UK today - The Hunger Within by J.M Hewitt

Spoiler:

Northern Ireland, 1981

The Troubles are tearing apart the country.

Neighbour turns on neighbour as the Catholic/Protestant divide rages on.

In Maze Prison, a group of men start a hunger strike, wanting to be recognised as political prisoners. On the outside, personal lives are also caught up in the turmoil.

When Bronwyn and Danny married, she had high hopes for their future.

Now, they barely speak and Danny keeps such strange hours.

When she learns Danny is involved in a shooting, she calls the police and he's sent off to the Maze, where he joins the hunger strikes.

Meanwhile Rose James is not a pretty girl, nor is she strong.

But she’s risking everything to date Connor Dean, a Protestant.

When Connor is shot, Rose’s world threatens to tear apart,

Her mother throws her out and with nowhere to go, she moves in with Connor’s mother, Mary, a formidable woman who also lost Connor’s father to The Troubles.

But it's not long before Mary sets out to get rid of Rose, travelling to The Maze to enlist Danny’s help.

He is the man who shot her son and Mary knows there's nothing he won't do to get a job done.

He agrees to make her problem disappear, if Mary will get Bronwyn to visit him. But no one could foresee the events that the handshake deal triggers.

And as Danny weakens, and death hovers, everyone’s lives are changed forever.

UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hunger-With...ndeavour+press


US
https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Within...ndeavour+press


Au
https://www.amazon.com.au/Hunger-Wit...ndeavour+press


Can
https://www.amazon.ca/Hunger-Within-...ndeavour+press

[Mort1997]

Free on Amazon UK today - Double Cross by David Hegarty

Spoiler:

Sometimes there is a very fine line between what is legal and what isn’t…

Dublin city operator Denis Murphy finds himself walking this line when an associate, Freddie Locke, asks for his help on a deal he’s doing, selling smuggled whiskey, an occasional and profitable practice.

During the exchange, Murphy realises that there is something different about the men they’re dealing with.

These are organised career criminals.

And a double cross has been set in motion.

These men are vicious, sharp, and efficient at what they do.

Freddie is shot, wounded, and robbed of the money he’d been given whilst Murphy finds himself brought to a remote house in the country where the criminals debate what to do with him.

He escapes in the early hours of the following morning.

Now, the hunt is on for Murphy.

The villains want him to shut him up and the police want him for questioning about the near fatal shooting of his friend.

Driven underground, Murphy becomes as ingenious and as focused as his adversaries.

And he wants his and Freddie’s money back…

The criminals find that they are not dealing with the guileless innocent they had thought, so they decide to meet and form an uneasy alliance.

The breadth of the villains’ influence is revealed to Murphy and he understands the system.

But it’s not for him.

He can’t beat them, nor does he wish to join them.

And so, he faces the full wrath of criminal activity, an extended paramilitary empire, and the quagmire of corruption.

In a tumultuous frenzy of action and double-dealing on all sides, Murphy makes, and chooses, his own means to survive.

But does he have a choice?

UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Double-Cros...ndeavour+press


US
https://www.amazon.com/Double-Cross-...ndeavour+press


Au
https://www.amazon.com.au/Double-Cro...ndeavour+press

Can
https://www.amazon.ca/Double-Cross-D...ndeavour+press

[Mort1997]

Free on Amazon UK today - Murder in the Queen's Boudoir (Auguste Didier Mystery Book 11) by Amy Myers

Spoiler:

Auguste Didier is back. But this time, he’s chasing ghosts…

It seemed a wonderful idea at the beginning: a staged scene to tempt the ghost of tragic Marie Antoinette into showing herself at Le Petit Trianon .

And what better way to do so but to recreate a day in her life?

Surely no self-respecting ghost would be able to resist?

Although for that matter, neither would a woman with revenge in her heart, nor a man with a weakness for a wager…

There have been several reported sightings at Le Petit Trianon over the years and, on the fateful day, no fewer than three Marie-Antoinettes are seen.

But the dead body found in the late queen’s bed-chamber after lunch is no illusion – and nor is the second body found slaughtered in the garden.

Could the two deaths be connected?

With everyone under suspicion, Auguste Didier, takes it upon himself to shelve his role as the king’s chef to help an acquaintance, Inspector Chesnais.

However, Auguste’s history throws little confidence in his direction.

Chesnais is tasked with investigating the crimes, but Auguste has his own plans …

With his wife Tatiana’s help, Auguste focuses on the group.

Someone amongst them is a murderer…

UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Quee...ndeavour+press


US
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Queens...ndeavour+press


Au
https://www.amazon.com.au/Murder-Que...ndeavour+press

Can
https://www.amazon.ca/Murder-Queens-...ndeavour+press

[Mort1997]

Free on Amazon UK today - Hue and Cry: A Golden Age Mystery by Patricia Wentworth

Spoiler:

“I hate him worse than I hate snails, and worms, and slugs, and spiders with hairs down their legs…”

Bride-to-be Mally was an unlikely fugitive from the police. It only happened because she became governess to millionaire Sir George Peterson’s little girl, Barbara. Barbara hated Pinko, her father’s slug-like secretary; and Mally had to agree. But Pinko liked Mally—he wanted her; and if Pinko wants anything he can’t have he is apt to be unpleasant. So when, a few days later, the Mogul’s priceless diamond was found in Mally’s possession, the Slug was delighted. It was his chance. He had made a terrible mistake and now he could blame it on Mally. After all, if she had stolen the gem, they would believe anything of her…

UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hue-Cry-Gol...2X7W7T7593B73K


US
Not available


Au
https://www.amazon.com.au/Hue-Cry-Go...2X7W7T7593B73K

Can
https://www.amazon.ca/Hue-Cry-Golden...2X7W7T7593B73K

[sufue]

Murder Alfresco is the third in the Sunny McCoskey/Napa series by Nadia Gordon. It has dropped to $0.99 at Kindle US.

link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002XGICVS

Spoiler:

Returning from a party late one night, chef Sunny McCoskey is the first to discover the body of a murdered woman left outside a local winery, and she may even have witnessed the killer driving away.

Thrust into the center of a crime that has rattled the tranquil Napa Valley, Sunny pursues her own investigation, a journey that takes her from Northern California's wine country to the insular houseboat community along the San Francisco Bay. Uncovering a tangle of secret liaisons, Sunny closes in on the murderer, who responds with one more desperate act.

With Murder Alfresco, author Nadia Gordon again takes us into the heart of the food and wine culture of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, and introduces us to an array of irreverent characters. As the Los Angeles Times said, "Sunny is a welcome, energetic heroine. . . . She and her pals are fun to be around."

[sufue]

If you didn't pick up the omnibus of 4 Rabbi Small titles by Harry Kemelman a while back, two of the titles are now on sale individually for $1.99 at Kindle US.

Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, #1 (frequently on sale)
link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZJZH6XK

Spoiler:

First in the New York Times–bestselling series and winner of the Edgar Award: A new rabbi in a small New England town investigates the murder of a nanny.

David Small is the new rabbi in the small Massachusetts town of Barnard’s Crossing. Although he’d rather spend his days engaged in Torah study and theological debate, the daily chores of synagogue life are all-consuming—that is, until the day a nanny’s body is found on the rain-soaked asphalt of the temple’s parking lot.

When the young woman’s purse is discovered in Rabbi Small’s car, he will have to use his scholarly skills and Talmudic wisdom—and collaborate with the Irish-Catholic police chief—to exonerate himself and find the real killer.

Blending this unorthodox sleuth’s quick intellect with thrilling action, Friday the Rabbi Slept Late is the exciting first installment of the beloved bestselling mystery series that offers a Jewish twist on the clerical mystery, a delightful discovery for fans of Father Brown and Father Dowling or readers of Faye Kellerman’s suspense novels set in the Orthodox community.

Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry, #2 (less often on sale)
link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZJZH6TY

Spoiler:

Rabbi Small returns in this New York Times–bestselling novel to investigate a mysterious death on the Day of Atonement

The day before Yom Kippur, the synagogue sound system is on the blink, the floral arrangements are in disarray, and a member of Rabbi David Small’s congregation—in the Massachusetts town of Barnard’s Crossing—is terribly concerned with how much a Torah weighs. The rabbi is determined not to let these mundane concerns ruin his day of prayer and contemplation. But the holiest day of the Jewish year is interrupted when a member of the congregation is found dead in his car.

Details emerge that suggest the man may have killed himself, but the rabbi’s wife suspects murder. Which is it? Rabbi Small kicks into high detective gear to find out. His search for the culprit among the small town’s cast of eccentric characters leads to nail-biting suspense in this highly entertaining and engrossing mystery.

And, in addition, there is an collection of Kemelman short stories featuring another detective, Nicky Welt, also on sale at $1.99. I wasn't aware of these stories, and am looking forward to reading them:

The Nine Mile Walk: The Nicky Welt Stories
link: https://www.amazon.com/Nine-Mile-Wal...dp/B00ZJZGVYK/

Spoiler:

Eight stories of murder, starring one of the most brilliant armchair detectives of all time from the author of the Rabbi Small Mysteries

Before creating the widely popular Jewish sleuth Rabbi Small, Harry Kemelman authored a series of short stories featuring another quick-witted and wisecracking amateur sleuth: college professor Nicky Welt. Collected in The Nine Mile Walk, the Nicky Welt stories are a mix of ingenious logic puzzles and brilliant detective work, revealing that Kemelman has always been a master of the genre.

In the collection’s title story, Welt overhears a simple phrase: “A nine mile walk is no joke, especially in the rain,” and from this evidence alone he not only figures out that a crime is about to be committed, but also realizes how to stop it. Whether chasing a kidnapper or puzzling over a dead man’s chessboard, Welt is armed with the most powerful weapon on earth: the human mind.

[sufue]

Moving Target is the ninth in the Ali Reynolds series by J.A. Jance. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle US.

link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPM7TW2

Spoiler:

In this “engrossing” (Publishers Weekly) thriller from New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance, journalist- turned-investigator Ali Reynolds unearths a cold case that puts her in danger from a deadly arsonist.

Lance Tucker, an incarcerated juvenile offender and talented hacker in his own right, is set on fire one night and severely burned while hanging Christmas decorations in a lockup rec room. B. Simpson, Ali Reynolds’s fiancé and the man who helped put Lance in jail, feels obliged to get to the bottom of what happened. With Ali off in England to help Leland Brooks at a reunion with his long-estranged family, B. turns to someone else to help out—Ali’s good friend and Taser-carrying nun, Sister Anselm.

Meanwhile, in Bournemouth—Leland’s hometown—Ali begins to investigate the decades-old murder of Leland’s father, which Leland himself was once suspected of committing. With unsolved murders on both sides of the Atlantic, Ali, B., and Sister Anselm are united by their search for answers—and the jeopardy they get into as a result.

From the author praised for her “inimitable, take-no-prisoners style” (Kirkus Reviews), Moving Target sends Ali on a trans-Atlantic adventure and straight into the path of a deadly killer.

[sufue]

The Pot Thief Who Studied D. H. Lawrence is the fifth in the excellent (IMO) Pot Thief series by J. Michael Orenduff. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle US, and is probably also on sale elsewhere, but I'm in a hurry and don't have time to check. If it's on sale at Kobo US, it should also be couponable/VIP-able there.

link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HO12CWC

Spoiler:

To secure a fortune in rare ceramics, Hubie must steal from a dead author

Eighty years ago, D. H. Lawrence moved to Taos to make a home for himself in the mountains of New Mexico. To welcome the famed writer, his neighbor brought over a stew and left the container as a gift. But this was no Tupperware—it was a handcrafted pot made in the ancient tradition by one of the finest craftswomen of her generation. Decades later, the neighbor’s great-grandson wants it back, and there is no one in New Mexico better at stealing artifacts than Hubie Schuze.

In exchange for three priceless pots, Hubie agrees to search the Lawrence ranch for the long-lost stew vessel. But when a blizzard descends on the estate, trapping Hubie and other guests indoors with a killer, the pot thief finds himself facing a mystery so shocking it would make Lady Chatterley blush.

The Pot Thief Who Studied D. H. Lawrence is the 5th book in the Pot Thief Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

[sufue]

O Little Town of Maggody is the appropriate seasonally themed (or perhaps not, since it's a murder mystery...) seventh title in the Maggody series by Joan Hess. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENRHK8U

Spoiler:

Country music, greed, and the unique madness of Maggody, Arkansas, collide in this delightful cozy mystery starring unflappable police chief Arly Hanks.

Matt Montana is the favorite son of sleepy Maggody, Arkansas. With the voice of an angel and a smile as charming as that of the devil, he’s made a name for himself under the bright lights of Nashville and become one of the most famous faces in country music. Meanwhile, Maggody has sunk into the worst recession in years. So when Matt announces that he’s returning home to play a benefit concert, the locals do everything they can to cash in on Montana fever. The oddballs of Maggody smell a payday, and not even murder can stop them from cashing in.

As every shop in town stocks up on Matt Montana memorabilia, police chief Arly Hanks—the only sane woman in town—tries to keep her head down. But when one of Matt’s entourage turns up dead in a store window, it’s up to Arly to make sure this isn’t country music’s last act.

The Arly Hanks Mysteries have skewered topics from Hollywood filmmakers to right-wing militias to the greedy schemes of televangelists, and this take on country music superstars shows the town of Maggody at its best. Fans of cozy mysteries know that nobody does it better than Joan Hess.

O Little Town of Maggody is the 7th book in the Arly Hanks Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

[sufue]

Dead Men's Hearts is the 8th in the Gideon Oliver series by Aaron Elkins. It has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US (couponable/VIP-able).

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J84KSZQ
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dead-men-s-hearts-1

Spoiler:

An ancient skeleton tossed in a garbage dump is the first conundrum to rattle Gideon Oliver when he arrives in Egypt. There to appear in a documentary film, he expects an undemanding week of movie star treatment and a luxurious cruise up the Nile with his wife, Julie. But when Gideon discovers a tantalizing secret in the discarded bones—and violence claims a famous Egyptologist’s life—he is thrust into a spotlight of a different kind. Plying his calipers as the world’s foremost forensic anthropologist, Gideon’s investigation of the goings‑on leads him through the back alleys and bazaars of Cairo and deep into the millennia‑old tombs of the Valley of the Kings.

As the puzzle is painstakingly pieced together, Gideon will find that the identifying traits of a cunning killer are the same now as they were in the time of the pyramids: greed without guilt, lies without conscience . . . and murder without remorse.

[Mort1997]

Free on Amazon UK - The Unquiet Grave by David J. Oldman

Spoiler:

London, 1946.

The war may be over, but the it’s devastating effects are not…

Captain Harry Tennant has returned from serving in Italy and North Africa, expecting to be demobbed, only to find his services are still in demand.

A policeman before the war, he’s made part of the Intelligence Corps, investigating war crimes.

Mostly he looks into smaller cases of army personnel who are the victims, or perpetrators of crimes.

That’s how Rose Kearney’s file ends up on his desk.

Her brother William, a soldier with the Hampshire Regiment, was reported missing in action after D-Day. Having heard nothing else since, she’s travelling from their home in Wicklow to find answers.

As Harry starts to investigate, he learns Kearney was part of a carrier crew fighting near Caen.

The bodies from Kearney’s crew are found near a French chateau, with one appearing to have been executed.
But there’s was no sign of Kearney.

Reports of Nazi atrocities nearby are leaking out and at first, it seems the men were victims of the ruthless Nazi machine.

But things aren’t adding up for Tennant.

Why was Kearney’s body never found, and why was an SS officer discovered with the missing man’s disks?

Although his superior, Jekyll, wants the death blamed on the SS and quickly wrapped up, the more Harry digs, the more curious he becomes.

He sets out to find answers, but only seems to dig up more questions.

And it’s not long before Tennant find himself in grave danger…

UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unquiet-Gra...N37R0NHE5C2FR2


US
https://www.amazon.com/Unquiet-Grave...N37R0NHE5C2FR2

Au
https://www.amazon.com.au/Unquiet-Gr...N37R0NHE5C2FR2

Can
https://www.amazon.ca/Unquiet-Grave-...N37R0NHE5C2FR2