Mysteries
Sunday’s Mystery eBooks
The Cat Who Wasn’t a Dog
by Marian Babson
Rating: 4.3 #ad
A rescued cat is a clue to a killer’s identity in this cozy mystery by an “utterly entertaining” Agatha Award – winning author (Booklist).
Aging actress Dame Cecile Savoy is on the way to a Brighton taxidermist’s shop, accompanied by her friends Trixie and Evangeline – and her recently departed Pekingese. But when they arrive, they discover a dead body, a spreading fire, and a helpless Japanese bobtail cat in a cage.
After rescuing the endangered kitty, aka Cho-Cho-San, Trixie and Evangeline now have another heroic task to attempt: finding out who’s responsible, and what sort of person would bring a live cat to a place like that.
The Last Kingdom
by Steve Berry
Rating: 4.5 #ad
King Ludwig II of Bavaria was an enigmatic figure who was deposed in 1886, mysteriously drowning three days later. Eccentric to the point of madness, in the years before he died Ludwig engaged in a worldwide search for a new kingdom. One separate from Bavaria, a place he could retreat to and rule as he wished. But a question remains: Did he succeed?
Enter Cotton Malone. Luke Daniels, Malone’s Magellan Billet protégé, has managed to infiltrate a renegade group on the trail of a 19th century deed that proves Ludwig’s long-rumored search bore fruit.
Blood Feud
by Paul Heatley
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Tom Rollins never helps a bad guy. But this one is family.
Former black ops specialist Tom Rollins has saved his wayward brother Anthony more times than he can remember. So when his father calls to tell him Anthony is in deep trouble yet again, Tom decides that this time his brother can sort out his own mess.
But when his father decides to take on the rescue mission himself, Tom realises he has to step up. He travels to Chicago, where he finds Anthony is in way over his head.
The Uprising
by David K. MacDowell
Rating: 4.9 #ad
They said Stonecrusher casters lost their magic. They’re about to find out how wrong they are.
It’s been decades since bloodthirsty elves invaded the dwarven stronghold of Clan Stonecrusher and slaughtered all but twenty-eight females and two baby boys.
Waldorf, Mallick, and the other surviving Stonecrusher dwarves were rescued and offered refuge by their rivals, Clan Brackenbuell. But their salvation came at a heavy price.
After decades of indentured servitude, Waldorf and Mallick discover the truth.
Chief Oghark speaks of dwarven honor and tradition while demeaning the sacred teachings of Alghar the All-Father. A narcissist with a brutal temper, Oghark won’t abide anyone above him. Not even his god.
The Host
by Stephenie Meyer
Rating: 4.6 #ad
New Bonus Chapter and Reading Group Guide, including Stephenie Meyer’s Annotated Playlist for the book with linking to and back from text.
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, didn’t expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
As Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she’s never met.
The Cabinet of Dr. Leng
by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
Rating: 4.5 #ad
AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY Astoundingly, Constance has found a way back to the place of her origins: New York City in the late 1800s. She leaps at the chance to return…although it means leaving the present forever.
A DESPERATE OPPORTUNITY Constance sets off on a quest to prevent the events that lead to the deaths of her sister and brother. But along the road to redemption, Manhattan’s most infamous serial killer, Dr. Enoch Leng, lies in wait, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
UNIMAGINABLE ODDS
The Forever Stone
by Gloria Repp
Rating: 4.6 #ad
The paperweight – a summons to courage . . . A new home, new love, new fears . . . and a mystery. How will she face the challenge? And what does God have in mind? ~ Madeleine, a young widow, is determined to break free from her paralyzing memories and controlling family. The paperweight, a gift from her father, spurs her to declare independence, and she joins her aunt’s house-restoration project in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Two men enter her life, bringing joy, conflict, and danger. She’ll need courage to fight the treachery she discovers, and faith to step into a new life of promise. Can she do it?
Wake Up and Say Yes!
by Julie Hoyle
Rating: 5.0 #ad
Are you tired of feeling disconnected from your higher self? Do you want to live true to your life purpose? Are you ready to live with greater awareness and intention?
If so, Wake Up and Say Yes, A Practical Guide to Lucid Living and Lucid Dreaming provides a step-by-step approach to developing mindfulness, honing your intuition, listening to the wisdom of your body when you are sick, honoring your emotions, and living a conscious, fulfilling life.
Saturday’s Mystery eBooks
Coming in Hot
by Deany Ray
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Starting a new life in Florida means year-round sunshine, beautiful beaches, and balmy breezes. For most people, anyway.
But not for thirtysomething Piper and her grandmother, former members of a motorcycle gang in Oregon. For them, it means entering the witness protection program and moving to Bitter End in the Sunshine State. Yes, to Bitter End. It doesn’t get much more ironic than this.
The Locked Room
by Elly Griffiths
Rating: 4.6 #ad
Pandemic lockdowns have Ruth Galloway feeling isolated from everyone but a new neighbor – until Nelson comes calling, investigating a decades-long string of murder-suicides that’s looming ever closer, in USA Today Elly Griffiths’ penultimate novel in the beloved series.
Three years after her mother’s death, Ruth is finally sorting through her things when she finds a curious relic: a decades-old photograph of her own Norfolk cottage – before she lived there – with a peculiar inscription on the back. Ruth returns to the cottage to uncover its meaning as Norfolk’s first cases of Covid-19 make headlines, leaving her and Kate to shelter in place there. They struggle to stave off isolation by clapping for frontline workers each evening and befriending a kind neighbor, Zoe, from a distance.
The Ruinous Curse
by Mark K. McClain
Rating: 5.0 #ad
Barrett of Westmore may be a prince, but he’s just like any other teenager. He spends time with his friends exploring their city, a haven for fairies, cyclops, talking doors, and other magical beings. He hopes to get closer to the lovely Zanora, whose fighting spirit has captured his heart. Unfortunately, foretold war may put those ambitions on hold.
The coming battle is no ordinary fight. Even if Barrett’s countrymen defeat the forces of the ancient sorceress Alesta, her Ruinous Curse will condemn them to an endless cycle of violence, forcing humanity to wipe itself out. As invasion forces march on Westmore, the kingdom’s only hope is the Helserian, prophesied ages ago to defeat Alesta. As for the rumors the prince is the chosen one—Barrett thinks they’re impossible. He’s a fighter, not a magic user.
Grave Pursuits
by Elle E. Kay
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Tensions increase as the body count builds.
Join park ranger Emily Davis on a suspenseful and romantic journey in “Grave Pursuits,” a gripping Christian romantic suspense novel set in Hickory Run State Park. When a hiker goes missing and Emily discovers a skull, she finds herself targeted by a dangerous serial killer, putting her faith and love to the test. As the case gains national attention, Emily turns to her high school sweetheart and seasoned detective, Wade Brunner, for help in this Christian mystery thriller. Together, they embark on an exciting adventure, uncovering sinister secrets lurking in the park and solving a small-town mystery.
The Twist of a Knife
by Anthony Horowitz
Rating: 4.4 #ad
In New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s ingenious fourth literary whodunit following The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, and A Line to Kill, Horowitz becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation – and only one man can prove his innocence: his newly estranged partner in solving crime, Detective Hawthorne.
The truth is that Anthony has other things on his mind. His new play, a thriller called Mindgame, is about to open at the Vaudeville Theater in London’s West End. Not surprisingly, Hawthorne declines a ticket to the opening night.
Slipping Through
by John Grover
Rating: 5.0 #ad
From the mind of John Grover comes a mystery adventure like no other.
Ever since he was a young boy, Cord Lockwood had been fascinated by sightings of Bigfoot. He hoped one day to see the big guy himself…until the night he did. Now, years later, Cord cannot get the encounter out of his head.
Cord and a young protégé with similar experiences embark on a journey packed with action and suspense, mystery and adventure, including an all-star cast of frightening cryptids like the Chupacabra and even the Loch Ness Monster!
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
by Becky Chambers
Rating: 4.6 #ad
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is a story of kindness and love from one of the foremost practitioners of hopeful SF.
After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.
They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.
Fear Thy Neighbor
by Fern Michaels
Rating: 4.2 #ad
A thrilling new book from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of No Way Out, that fans of Nora Roberts and Rachel Caine won’t want to miss! One woman’s picture-perfect island sanctuary reveals itself to be filled with dangers in this exciting page-turner…
At twenty-nine, Alison Marshall is ready to find a place to call home. She’s drifted from one small Florida town to another since high school, working odd jobs, saving hard, and building a nest egg. Once she finds the right place to settle down, she’ll know. And when she reaches beautiful Palmetto Island, she thinks she may have found it.
OCELLICON
by A.G. Russo
Rating: 4.4 #ad
OCELLICON is a military science fiction story with elements of legal/detective/mystery/feminist/noir sci-fi. Earth barely survived nuclear battles until the militaries of the world took over from authoritarians. But rebellion was agitating from within. Prosecutor Major Annalisa Farrell, Military Academy honors graduate, war hero, wounded warrior, and child abuse survivor fought to champion justice. An unexpected adversary turned out to be Judge Bennett McCrae, the “Judge Prince.” In his courtroom, the Military, and the general population, he was as popular as Annalisa was hated. Before appearing before Judge McCrae, Annalisa Farrell fought in numerous conflicts, was special ops, and had missions in space where she worked side by side with aliens.
Friday’s Mystery eBooks
The Murderous Type
by Sue Minix
Rating: 4.3 #ad
Crime writer turned amateur sleuth, Jen, has taken over the running of the local bookstore in her hometown of Riddleton.
But balancing the books at Ravenous Readers is nothing compared to meeting the deadline for her new novel.
However, dodging phone calls from her editor takes a back seat when the local police chief dies in a suspected poisoning. To solve the murder, Jen must dust off her detective hat once more.
Broken Rhodes
by Kimber Silver
Rating: 4.7 #ad
Kinsley Rhodes blows into Harlow, Kansas like a tornado, twisting Sheriff Lincoln James’ life into knots. Her grandfather has been murdered and she wants answers.
As if the town’s first homicide in twenty years wasn’t enough, the beleaguered sheriff now has to deal with Henry Rhodes’ bobcat of a granddaughter, plunging his life deeper into chaos. As a dark storm threatens, long-held secrets are exposed, placing Kinsley directly in harm’s way.
First Casualty
by A.W. Powers
Rating: 4.7 #ad
A reluctant psychic, a missing woman, and vengeance from beyond the grave.
Rachel Thompson is missing, and the police have no leads. The serial killer who has taken her is efficient, elusive, and seemingly invisible.
Her only hope is Jacob Daniels, a man tormented by his second sight.
Jacob is driven to search for his friend in the slim hope that she is still alive. However, that means accepting he must use his gift and ask the spirits for their help.
The Nature of Secrets
by Debra Webb
Rating: 4.7 #ad
Legal investigator Finley O’Sullivan has had a difficult year in the wake of her husband’s murder. But in her line of work, there’s no time to grieve. Her job is to protect the firm’s clients and defend their innocence through grueling investigative work.
Ellen Winthrop is a force to be reckoned with in the financial world. In a male-dominated industry, she shattered the glass ceiling by empowering and promoting women. But now her husband is dead, killed in the Winthrop family home—and she stands accused of his murder.
Dangerous Depths
by Colleen Coble
Rating: 4.6 #ad
Sometimes life’s most precious treasure lies at Dangerous Depths.
Leia ditched a promising medical career to settle on a secluded island of Hawaii. She ditched Bane, too, and he’s come to the island to find out why. He’s also in search of a fortune rumored to lie offshore. But an act of sabotage that pushes Bane closer to Leia plunges them both into a tangle of emotion—just as a series of threatening events grip the island.
Arcane
by Sever Bronny
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Warlocks before their time . . .
Fourteen-year-old Augum and friends Bridget and Leera dream of becoming warlocks. But with a kingdom in chaos, it will take courage, sacrifice, and an iron will to make that dream come true.
A vicious tyrant has overthrown the king in a murderous quest for seven mythic artifacts—and Augum’s mentor, the legendary Anna Atticus Stone, possesses one. Forced to go on the run, the aspiring warlocks must learn the arcane arts before the tyrant finds them.
Fatal Rounds
by Carrie Rubin
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Liza Larkin, a recent med-school graduate on the cusp of her pathology internship, isn’t like most people. She would rather study the human brain or pound the heavy bag at the gym than spend time with others, and as an outsider she doesn’t let societal norms confine her.
So when a stranger’s picture sends Liza’s schizophrenic mother deeper into psychosis, Liza does a reverse-image search to identify him. Upon discovering he is a trauma surgeon at a Massachusetts teaching hospital, she impulsively changes her pathology residency program of choice to his center.
The Sister Pact
by Jacquie Biggar
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Two sisters lose sight of what’s most important- family bonds.
Holly Tremaine is living on borrowed time. A life-threatening illness ends her promising musical career and sends her home in the hope of making amends for the past.
Levi Anderson is on the fast track to a successful year within his profession- the last thing he has time for is his twin brother’s shenanigans. But when it includes the one woman Levi hasn’t been able to forget, his conscience won’t let him avoid the temptation to see her again.
Can remorse heal all wounds? Or will past betrayals continue to ruin family ties, one thread at a time?
Thursday’s Mystery eBooks
Wicked Charms
by Janet Evanovich, Phoef Sutton
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Before he was murdered and mummified nearly a century ago, notorious bootlegger Collier “Peg Leg” Dazzle discovered and re-hid a famous pirate’s treasure somewhere along the coast of New England. A vast collection of gold and silver coins and precious gems, the bounty also contains the Stone of Avarice—the very item reluctant treasure seeker Lizzy Tucker and her partner, Diesel, have been enlisted to find. While Lizzy would just like to live a quiet, semi-normal life, Diesel is all about the hunt. And this hunt is going to require a genuine treasure map and a ship worthy of sailing the seven seas . . . or at least getting them from Salem Harbor to Maine.
Zombie Fungus
by Bryan Dean
Rating: 5.0 #ad
Abe thought he was ready for this. He’d watched the movies, read the books, and prepared accordingly. But when the monsters arrived, he realized Hollywood didn’t get all the facts right. Some of these zombies are not your father’s zombies — not even close.
Maybe it’s because the source isn’t a virus, but a fungus? Or that it was synthesized in a laboratory? But who would attempt something so dastardly? How many lives will be lost when humans manipulate what they should have left alone?
The Lake House
by James Patterson
Rating: 4.3 #ad
Six kids on the run must face a villain who threatens the future of human existence . . . but winning comes at a high price.
Six children have escaped horrifying government experiments, a childhood in captivity, and a frightening brush with death. Living out in the world for the first time, they yearn to be reunited with Kit and Frannie, the couple who saved their lives. And Max, the leader of the flock, is seized by an overpowering fear that the kids are about to face a danger greater than any they’ve ever known.
All that the children want is to return to the one place they have ever felt truly protected: the waterfront cabin known as the Lake House.
Newspaper Spring
by Jesse Storm
Rating: 4.6 #ad
John Biles wakes in the back of a strange family’s wagon, and his whole life is in ruin.
John’s family is riding their way to El Paso to establish a newspaper. His father is a newspaper man, and the rest of the family works in the print shop. Descended upon by a group of Indians who talk like white men, John’s family wagon is besieged, leaving his parents and sister dead.
Wounded, John is found by the Jensen family whose wagon is on its way to a massive piece of land they’ve inherited on the outskirts of Whistle Springs.
A Thin Dark Line
by Tami Hoag
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Terror stalks the streets of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana. A suspected murderer is free on a technicality, and the cop accused of planting evidence against him is ordered off the case. But Detective Nick Fourcade refuses to walk away. He’s stepped over the line before. This case threatens to push him over the edge.
He’s not the only one. Deputy Annie Broussard found the woman’s mutilated body. She still hears the phantom echoes of dying screams. She wants justice. But pursuing the investigation will mean forming an alliance with a man she doesn’t trust and making enemies of the men she works with. It will mean being drawn into the confidence of a killer.
The Light of Days
by Judy Batalion
Rating: 4.5 #ad
One of the most important stories of World War II, already optioned by Steven Spielberg for a major motion picture: a spectacular, searing history that brings to light the extraordinary accomplishments of brave Jewish women who became resistance fighters—a group of unknown heroes whose exploits have never been chronicled in full, until now.
Witnesses to the brutal murder of their families and neighbors and the violent destruction of their communities, a cadre of Jewish women in Poland—some still in their teens—helped transform the Jewish youth groups into resistance cells to fight the Nazis. With courage, guile, and nerves of steel, these “ghetto girls” paid off Gestapo guards, hid revolvers in loaves of bread and jars of marmalade, and helped build systems of underground bunkers.
King’s Ransom
by Ed McBain
Rating: 4.2 #ad
For a wealthy businessman, a kidnapping puts him in a predicament as troubling as any he has ever experienced. For Detective Steve Carella and the men at the 87th Precinct, their troubles are even worse. Their only hope is that he will play ball—at least long enough for them to catch the perps before the kidnapping turns into a homicide.
Ed McBain delivers another rapid-fire nail-biter in his 87th Precinct series with King’s Ransom, a morally complex weaving of friendship, personal responsibility, and the nature of man hailed by the Daily Mirror: “McBain spins the tightest tale in town…there’s nobody who does it better.