Friday’s Mystery eBooks
Death and the Decorator
by Simon Brett
Rating: 4.5 #ad
“An edgy cozy, filled with dry wit and deft plot twists”– Booklist Starred Review
Having decided to redecorate Woodside Cottage, Jude has engaged the services of local man Pete, who has painted and decorated the homes of Fethering residents for many years. Pete is currently working on Footscrow House, a large Victorian building which is being converted into holiday flats by a local developer.
Having arranged to meet at ‘Fiasco House’, as it is known locally due to the many failed business enterprises over the years, Jude and Pete make a surprising discovery behind a wall panel
The Homemaker
by Miranda Rijks
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Maria always wanted a family. Now she’s found one.
Imogen has never been so busy – she’s juggling two jobs, has a young family and now she’s pregnant again.
Enter Maria, the perfect housekeeper. Hard working and capable, she seems like the ideal solution to Imogen’s chaotic life. But Maria isn’t at all what she seems – she has a sinister agenda of her own.
Little by little, she installs herself at the heart of Imogen’s family – doing the school run, cooking meals, caring for Imogen’s little girl…
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Imogen has no choice but to comply.
Twilight at Blueberry Barrens
by Colleen Coble
Rating: 4.6 #ad
“I need you to keep these girls safe . . .”
Kate Mason has devoted herself to caring for her family’s blueberry barrens. But after her fields stop producing fruit, she’s forced to come up with alternative ways to make a living.
Renting out the small cottage on her property seems an obvious choice, but it won’t be enough. When entrepreneur Drake Newham shows up looking not only for a place to rent but also for a nanny for his two nieces, it’s almost too good to be true. And maybe it is—because Drake brings with him dangerous questions about who might be out to kill his family.
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.
In a race against time, Lincoln’s prime objective is to discover the killer’s identity before Miss Rhodes becomes the next victim…
The Misery House
by David Kummer
Rating: 4.0 #ad
Sometimes the quietest little towns are haunted by the darkest secrets.
A psychological thriller and a family you’ll never forget.
New Haven: This rural town has never seen a string of tragedies like this. A local store burns to the ground with two bodies inside. A newlywed couple goes missing, and all signs point to the abandoned house. With no answers, the townsfolk grow more and more worried.
The Woods family has lived here forever. But when their friends and their own children are put in danger, the threat hits home. This close-knit family must risk everything to find answers, but time is running out.
New Haven has secrets. And a haunted house like you’ve never seen before.
The Turquoise Lament
by John D. MacDonald
Rating: 4.4 #ad
When treasure hunter Ted Lewellen saved his life in a bar fight, McGee could never have thought he’d end up paying his rescuer back in such a way. But years later he finds himself headed to Hawaii at Ted’s request to find out whether Pidge’s husband really is trying to kill her, or if she’s just losing her mind.
Of course, once McGee arrives he can’t help but give in to his baser instincts, and as his affair with Pidge gets underway, he can’t find a single thing wrong. McGee chalks up Pidge’s paranoia to simple anxiety, gives her a pep talk, and leaves for home blissfully happy. It’s not until he’s back in Lauderdale that he realizes he may have overlooked a clue or two. And Pidge might be in very serious danger.
A God in Ruins
by Kate Atkinson
Rating: 4.7 #ad
This stunning companion to Kate Atkinson’s #1 bestseller Life After Life, “one of the best novels I’ve read this century” (Gillian Flynn), follows Ursula’s brother Teddy as he navigates an unknown future after a perilous war.
Kate Atkinson’s dazzling Life After Life explored the possibility of infinite chances and the power of choices, following Ursula Todd as she lived through the turbulent events of the last century over and over again. A God in Ruins tells the dramatic story of the 20th Century through Ursula’s beloved younger brother Teddy — would-be poet, heroic pilot, husband, father, and grandfather — as he navigates the perils and progress of a rapidly changing world.
Thursday’s Mystery eBooks
Murder at Mount Ephraim
by Julie Wassmer
Rating: 4.2 #ad
‘While Oxford had Morse, Whitstable, famous for its oysters, has Pearl’ Daily Mail
Pearl Nolan receives a wedding invitation from an old school friend. Journalist Amy has chosen somewhere very special for the wedding ceremony – the historic Kent manor house of Mount Ephraim – and the invite includes a pre-nuptial stay for Pearl and other guests at this venue. Nestled in an 800-acre estate, and surrounded by beautiful gardens and a lake, Pearl sees this break as a chance to leave crime behind, along with her own detective agency and her restaurant, The Whitstable Pearl.
Lost for Murder
by Stephanie Parker McKean
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Kymber Allan might get lost in a cardboard box, but she has no problem finding trouble. After she gets fired on her second day at work for getting lost—she finds a dead body. That discovery thrusts her into a path of danger and dark secrets. From attempts on her life to thefts from her aunt’s art collection, Kymber struggles to stay one step ahead of the menace stalking her.
Finding a murder victim while being lost might be an unusual beginning for romance, but in this little Scottish village, the unusual is usual. The crook and the copper. Two men vie for her love and she must choose which one to believe.
The red-headed girl from Texas is determined to turn her famous artist aunt’s home into a museum for the Scottish village her aunt loved. That would prove a lot easier without a killer stalking her, and a next door neighbor who is quick to blame her for repeated damage to her dahlias.
The Price of Love
by Peter Robinson
Rating: 3.8 #ad
From the New York Times bestselling author comes a riveting collection of short fiction, marked by the piercing psychological insight and brilliant characterization that are hallmarks of his acclaimed novels.
Ever since the publication of his first mystery featuring Detective Inspector Alan Banks, Peter Robinson has been steadily building a reputation for compulsively readable and perceptive novels that probe the dark side of human nature. Plumbing the territory that he has so successfully staked, The Price of Love and Other Stories includes two novellas and several stories featuring the Yorkshire policeman at his finest.
The Helsing Society Complete Series Boxed Set
by Bradford Bates, Michael Anderle
Rating: 5.0 #ad
Saying no to a vampire is a dangerous thing. Especially when the vampire wants what you have.
It’s a lesson Dylan McCormick and his dad are about to find out. Their world will be turned upside down. They need help. Will the Helsing Society step up, or will it take someone else to fight back against the creatures of the night?
“The darkness holds no power over us. Tonight, we ride together into history.”
You Can’t See Me
by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
Rating: 4.1 #ad
A wealthy Icelandic family is investigated and dark secrets are exposed when a body is found on the lava fields outside the hotel where they’ ve gathered for a reunion … the chilling, gripping prequel to the addictive Forbidden Iceland series
The wealthy, powerful Snæ berg clan has gathered for a family reunion at a futuristic hotel set amongst the dark lava flows of Iceland’ s remote Snæ fellsnes peninsula.
Petra Snæ berg, a successful interior designer, is anxious about the event, and her troubled teenage daughter, Lea, whose social-media presence has attracted the wrong kind of followers…
Carol of the Witches
by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
Rating: 5.0 #ad
HOLIDAY HILLS CAN’T CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT BESSIE’S CHARMED CAROLING MUSIC! Join Abby and friends as they make it their number one priority to find the music sheets and bring the holidays back to Holiday Hills.
In the picturesque town of Holiday Hills, every snowflake that falls has a touch of magic and every resident has a quirky secret or two. This year, the most awaited event is Bessie’s annual Christmas carol night where magicals from near and far come together to sing enchanting carols crafted by a rare and ancient family spell that can only be conjured once a year.
In Their Footsteps
by Tess Gerritsen
Rating: 4.0 #ad
Rediscover this classic story from master thriller author Tess Gerritsen
The quiet scandal surrounding the death of her parents has always haunted Beryl Tavistock. Now she’s asking dangerous questions, and the answers are proving that the past does not die easily.
Pulled into a world of espionage, Beryl quickly discovers that she needs help, and former CIA agent Richard Wolf is her only hope. But in a world where trust is a double-edged sword, friends become enemies and enemies are killers.
Make It a Habit
by Jacob Shashoua
Rating: 4.5 #ad
The smallest things inspire the biggest results.
Changing your nutritional, financial, or personal habits can seem like a daunting challenge. Even the most motivated person would find it difficult to know where to start.
Now, imagine if you picked up just one good habit a day; the progress you would make in just a year would be exceptional!
In Make It a Habit, successful businessman Jacob Shashoua gives you the practical tools you need to make all the changes you’ve been waiting for – and all in less time than it takes to brush your teeth.
Wednesday’s Mystery eBooks
Risky Business, Another Murder
by Christa Nardi
Rating: 5.0 #ad
Brand New Release
When a man engages in risky business, it’s not surprising he’s dead.
When Donald Woodlawn, an investment advisor from Lynchburg, is shot dead in their quiet town, Sheridan Hendley can’t help but wonder why. As the secrets of his questionable financial dealings with investment clients unravel, she discovers that a dangerous combination of gambling debts and alcohol drove him to target rich and powerful men.
Multiple layers of risk and Sheridan’s quick thinking leads to many suspects. Danger lurks around every corner. As the threats mount, Sheridan’s determined to peel back the layers of deception to uncover the killer.
Check out:
(A Sheridan Hendley Mysteries)
Magnify
by Stefanie Lozinski
Rating: 4.3 #ad
The dragons have fled the skies. A noble House is clinging to life. The God of gods is rising.
As the Envoy of the Four Kingdoms, Wes has had his purpose decided since birth: sacrifice the treasures of the people to the dragon gods, and they will keep Kaveryth safe.
For five years, he’s been forced to watch his Kingdom fall into ruin while carrying an unbearable grief of his own. The Elders insist that they must continue to be faithful to the Dracodei, but Wes is beginning to doubt that their protectors are holding up their end of the bargain…
Paranormal Nonsense
by Steve Higgs
Rating: 4.2 #ad
When a master vampire starts killing people in his hometown, paranormal investigator, Tempest Michaels, takes it personally …
… and soon a race against time turns into a battle for his life. He doesn’t believe in the paranormal but has a steady stream of clients with cases too weird for the police.
Mostly it’s all nonsense, but when a third victim turns up with bite marks in her lifeless throat, can he really dismiss the possibility that this time the monster is real?
An Unfinished Canvas
by Michael Glasgow, Phyllis Gobbell
Rating: 4.2 #ad
This true crime saga reveals the case of a missing Nashville woman, a husband on the run, and a rare cold case murder conviction.
Janet March had it all: a corporate lawyer husband, two beautiful children, a promising career as an artist, and a dream house she designed herself. But behind closed doors, her husband led a destructive double life. On August 16, 1996, Janet had an appointment to finally file for divorce. But she never arrived. On the night of August 15, she vanished.
Janet’s disappearance incited a massive search and media frenzy that revealed her husband Perry’s seedy dealings. When he absconded with his children to a new life in Mexico, Janet’s parents began a decade-long, international custody battle that culminated in Perry’s dramatic extradition to Tennessee.
Ghost River
by Chad Ryan
Rating: 4.3 #ad
Everything dies in the desert. Some places have a history so dark it stains the soil. Orphan Rock is one of them.
For years, the Northamm family has served the Crooked Woman. Bound by sinister magic, they commit unspeakable acts to save themselves and the ones they love from something wicked that’s stirring beneath the dirt.
Harpies in the hills. Demons in the dark. Lonely girls who command giant earthworms that tunnel between worlds… Anything goes in this twisted tale of monsters, mayhem, and revenge.
The Rogue Elf Boxed Set
by J.T. Williams
Rating: 4.3 #ad
Darkness descends and it’s up to one young high elf to stand against it… but nothing is as it appears.
War has erupted across the lands and when the elves of Urlas depart for war, Kealin is not allowed to join the other warriors as he expects. His father and mother, and the elven High Council, demand he and his siblings stay behind.
There’s something Kealin is not being told.
When a soothsayer foretells the fall of the elves that have gone to war, it’s up to Kealin and his siblings who refuse to stand by and wait. if they’re to save their parents and the lives of their kin they must act. No matter the risk involved.
Drug of Choice
by Michael Crichton
Rating: 3.8 #ad
Brand New release
Two patients in comas, not expected to live: when they both recover, sharing the same bizarre symptom of blue urine, it’s a medical miracle that Dr. Roger Clark cannot explain.
One of the patients happens to be Sharon Wilder, a beautiful Hollywood starlet. When she offers Dr. Clark the chance to accompany her to the private Caribbean island called Eden, he has to accept—if only to learn more about the bioengineering company Advance, Inc., and their promise to make your wildest dreams come true.
Tuesday’s Mystery eBooks
Death of a Clam Digger
by Lee Hollis
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Hayley Powell, a small-town food-and-wine columnist turned sleuth finds herself caught between a deadly rivalry between seafood clans!
Food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell usually reserves judgement for local cuisine, not the people who serve it. But staying neutral isn’t so easy when caught between the biggest seafood rivals in town—her BFF Mona Barnes and the successful Leighton clan. Adding to a bitter decades-old surf-turf war between family businesses, a modern Romeo and Juliet story unfolds as Mona’s son gets engaged to the daughter of her sworn enemy . . .
IRON
by Madisyn Carlin
Rating: 4.7 #ad
Enforcing justice comes with a price.
Detective Redwyn “Red” Deathan will stop at nothing to uncover those behind the ruthless kidnappings of multiple children. But things are not as they seem, and Red’s efforts are thwarted at every turn. With each discovery the danger grows, putting Red and the lives of those she cares about at risk. Can she reveal the mastermind’s identity before she herself becomes a target?
The Delphi Technique
by JC Ryan
Rating: 4.5 #ad
A delusional genius bent on restoring an empire must be stopped.
Rex, Catia, and Digger are on Rhodes Island, Greece, when an assassin kills two people right in front of their eyes.
They jump into action to help. The assassin flees, but Rex and Digger give chase, and when they catch up with her, she commits suicide.
Back at their hotel, while busy reporting the incident to John Brandt, three masked men storm into their room with guns blazing.
The Heart of a Hussar
by Griffin Brady
Rating: 4.3 #ad
He’s determined to protect his country. But can he defend himself against the ultimate betrayal?
Muscovy, 1610. Jacek Dąbrowski yearns to be recognized for his valor. Hoping his recent promotion to lieutenant will help secure the lands he desires, the twenty-two-year-old Polish cavalry officer earns instead the enmity of his captain. And his out-of-character rescue of two innocents from slaughter sets in motion a chain of grave consequences.
Discovering the young woman and her brother are not Russian enemies and have no kin, Dąbrowski escorts them back to the castle in his homeland. But as the rivalry with his superior grows and the blossoming beauty sparks a fire in his heart, the brave horseman may find his dreams of glory lying in tatters.
Darcy
by Alice McVeigh
Rating: 4.3 #ad
Starred Editor’s Pick (“outstanding”) on PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
GOLD MEDAL: PENCRAFT’S “Best Books” (summer 2023)
GOLD MEDAL: Global Book Awards (historical fiction, 2023)
Longlisted for the CIBA Chatelaine International Book Awards (finalists to be announced in Dec.)
Take a deep dive into Darcy.
McVeigh puts the spotlight on Darcy in this imaginative re-telling of Austen’s classic tale. In a timeless story of love amid the clash of social classes, Darcy is faced with a terrible choice: to stay in London to force Wickham’s hand – or to go to Rome, to salvage his family’s reputation.
The Awakening
by Amanda Stevens
Rating: 4.6 #ad
To help a child’s ghost solve the mystery of her death, a cemetery restorer must face her own personal demons in this romantic urban fantasy.
My name is Amelia Gray, and I’m a cemetery restorer who lives with the dead. An anonymous donor has hired me to restore Woodbine Cemetery, a place where the rich and powerful bury their secrets. Forty years ago, a child disappeared without a trace and now her ghost has awakened, demanding that I uncover the truth about her death. Only I know that she was murdered. Only I can bring her killer to justice. But the clues that I follow – a haunting melody and an unnamed baby’s grave – lead me to a series of disturbing suspects.
The Witch of Delray
by Karen Dybis
Rating: 4.2 #ad
An immigrant woman and her son are accused of murder and witchcraft in this powerful true crime story of corruption in 1930s Detroit.
In 1931, the tensions of the Great Depression took hold of Detroit at every level—even spilling over into the investigation of a mysterious murder at the Delray boardinghouse. Amid accusations of witchcraft, Hungarian immigrant Rose Veres and her son Bill were convicted of the brutal killing and suspected in a dozen more. Their cries of innocence went unheeded—until one lawyer, determined to seek justice, took on the case.
The Secret
by Lee Child, Andrew Child
Rating: 5.0 #ad
Brand New release from Lee Child
The gripping new Jack Reacher thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child
A string of mysterious deaths. A long-classified mission. A young MP with nothing to lose.
In 1992. All across the United States respectable, upstanding citizens are showing up dead. These deaths could be accidents, and they don’t appear to be connected—until a fatal fall from a high-floor window attracts some unexpected attention.
