Wednesday’s Mystery eBooks
The Girl in the Gazebo
by P.C. James
Rating: 4.3 #ad
The coroner report says accident. Her gut tells her homicide. Can this shrewd accountant get to the root of a tragic and mysterious death?
Canadian Lakes, 1984. Miss Riddell is a strong believer in justice. So when her grieving boss calls in the forensic auditor to help investigate the accidental demise of his sixteen-year-old daughter, she quickly gets to work. But despite the authorities’ certainty that the tragedy was an unintended overdose, Miss Riddell soon suspects foul play…
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(Miss Riddell Cozy Mysteries)
Flight Of The Hawk: The River
by W. Michael Gear
Rating: 4.4 #ad
INTERNATIONAL BEST-SELLING AUTHOR W. MICHAEL GEAR TURNS HIS MASTER’S HAND TO THE FRONTIER WEST.
1812 Missouri Fur Trade – An intimate of the Burr conspiracy, the condemned and hounded John Tylor signs on as boatman with Manuel Lisa’s expedition. But the river is now contested as the British, Spanish, and other fur companies prepare to break Lisa’s hold. As the expedition battles its way up the violent river, Fenway McKeever lurks in Tylor’s shadow. Not only is the half-mad McKeever paid to kill Tylor, but he’s convinced himself that by destroying Lisa’s expedition, he can sell his services to the highest bidder.
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(Flight Of The Hawk: The Plains)
The Near-Death Experience of Justin Parks
by R.A. Williams
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Every year, thousands of people cheat death and come back to life. Many people have near-death experiences that offer a glimpse of Heaven. But none of these can compare to the remarkable near-death experience of Justin Parks.
The past three years haven’t been easy for Justin, causing him to lose faith in a loving, personal God. His fiancée gets killed by a drunk driver a week before their wedding. A year later, after enrolling in the police academy in a misguided effort to avenge his fiancée’s death, he mistakes a Black church pastor for an armed robber, shoots him in the chest, and nearly kills him. In the following months, he struggles with the backlash from the public outrage caused by negative media attention…
Pretty Girls
by Karin Slaughter
Rating: 4.3 #ad
More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia’s teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that’s cruelly ripped open when Claire’s husband is killed.
The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them?
Dark Sky
by C. J. Box
Rating: 4.7 #ad
When the governor of Wyoming gives Joe Pickett the thankless task of taking a tech baron on an elk hunting trip, Joe reluctantly treks into the wilderness with his high-profile charge. But as they venture into the woods, a man-hunter is hot on their heels, driven by a desire for revenge. Finding himself without a weapon, a horse, or a way to communicate, Joe must rely on his wits and his knowledge of the outdoors to protect himself and his companion.
Meanwhile, Joe’s closest friend, Nate Romanowski, and his own daughter Sheridan learn of the threat to Joe’s life and follow him into the woods. In a stunning final showdown, the three of them come up against the worst that nature–and man–have to offer.
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(A Joe Pickett Mysteries)
Starlight Enclave
by Salvatore R. A.
Rating: 4.7 #ad
After the settling dust of the demon uprising and two years of peace, rumblings from the Menzoberranzan drow have Jarlaxle nervous. Worried his allies may be pulled into a Civil War between the great Houses, he is eager to ensure Zaknafein is armed with weapons befitting his skill, including one in particular: Khazid’hea. A powerful artifact, the sword known as “Cutter” has started wars, corrupted its users, and spilled the blood of many, many people. Nonetheless—or maybe because of that—the rogue Jarlaxle and a small group of friends will go on an expedition looking for the weapon’s last wielder, Doum’wielle, in the freezing north, for she may be the key to unlocking the sword’s potential…and perhaps the key to preventing the bloodshed looming over the Underdark.
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(The Legend of Drizzt)
The House at Saltwater Point
by Colleen Coble
Rating: 4.7 #ad
When a house flipper’s sister vanishes and the Coast Guard suspects she faked her own death, Ellie must find her sister before they do.
Ellie Blackmore is making a name for herself as a house flipper. But when her sister Mackenzie disappears, Ellie can’t focus on anything but uncovering what happened. Her only clue is the bloodstain on the deck of Mackenzie’s boat. Ellie knows her sister isn’t on the best of terms with her ex-husband, Jason, but he wouldn’t kill her – would he?
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(A Lavender Tides Series)
Tuesday’s Mystery eBooks
Raspberry Danish Murder
by Joanne Fluke
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Hannah Swensen has been feeling as bitter as November in Minnesota since her husband, Ross, vanished without a trace and left their marriage in limbo. Still, she throws herself into a baking frenzy for the sake of pumpkin pie and Thanksgiving-themed treats while endless holiday orders pour into The Cookie Jar. Hannah even introduces a raspberry Danish pastry to the menu, and P.K., her husband’s assistant at KCOW-TV, will be one of the first to sample it. But before taking a bite, P.K.—who’s been driving Ross’s car and using his desk at work—is murdered…
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(A Hannah Swensen Mysteries)
Storm’s Ruin
by Mary Stone
Rating: 4.6 #ad
The road to ruin is paved with deception… U.S. Senator Stan Young has more skeletons in his closet than a centuries-old graveyard…and more power than a nuclear blast. When Ben Storey, the city councilman running against the incumbent senator, uncovers damning evidence against Young, he decides to take the information to the only person with the resources to pursue it—Amelia Storm.
Between looking for the case that will finally take down the Leóne mafia family, the abrupt reappearance of her troubled sister, and her search for a rat within her own agency, the military veteran turned FBI agent’s plate is full. But when Ben Storey sends Amelia an urgent request to meet him, how can she say no?
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(Amelia Storm FBI Mysteries)
The Golden Graves
by K. R. Eckert
Rating: 5.0 #ad
34 Years ago, Quincy Adams Caine was involved in one of the most daring robberies of all time, the theft of 6 million dollars in Civil War gold from its hiding place near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It would’ve been a dream come true for any gang of thieves… if someone else hadn’t gotten there first.
In today’s world, Caine is a reformed man, sort of. So when he’s asked to participate in a documentary about the crime, he can’t help but agree, since it might give him a chance to take what was once taken from him…
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(Q.A. Caine Mysteries)
Heretic
by Amy Cross
Rating: 4.4 #ad
For five years, Hannah Doggett has waited for the house at Leavenshome Farm to reveal its secrets. Now she’s ready to burn the place to the ground. But the house – and its unusual occupants – aren’t ready to go without a fight.
From the moment she sets foot on the farm again, Hannah can tell that she’s being watched. The house contains a terrible evil, a force that might very well be one step ahead of her. All this time, Hannah has thought that she’s in control, that she’s the one calling the shots.
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(Bait Mysteries)
Where Dandelions Sway
by Vanessa Luther
Rating: 4.4 #ad
My name is Paul. About a year ago, I moved my family to the country for some peace of mind and security. I love them and would do anything in my power to protect them. They think I have a temper. A bad temper. Maybe I do. Three armed men are in our home right this very moment holding us hostage. My wife and children are shaken to the core. The last thing I ever expected was intruders in my own home. The last thing they ever expected was me.
On a Friday afternoon in the small town of Glen Ridge, three armed men invade the home of Paul and Alexis Hudson. The Hudson’s find themselves in a life or death situation where tempers flare, demands soar and repercussions loom. On the surface, the invasion appears to be a simple robbery. Until one of the assailants demands a mysterious safe. Nothing is as it seems…
Deck the Halls with Fudge
by Nancy Coco
Rating: 4.5 #ad
It’s Christmas on Mackinac Island – and homicide just rode in on a horse-drawn sleigh…Includes a yummy fudge recipe!
In the cozy warmth of their new home on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, newlywed seniors Frances and Douglas Devaney savor the picture-postcard snowy scenery through their kitchen window. But when they spy a horse-drawn sleigh dashing through the snow bearing a frozen stiff, their blood runs cold. The victim is banker Warren Engle, stepson of a close friend of Frances…
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(A Candy-Coated Mysteries)
Edge of the Grave
by Robbie Morrison
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Glasgow, 1932. When the son-in-law of one of the city’s wealthiest shipbuilders is found floating in the River Clyde with his throat cut, it falls to Inspector Jimmy Dreghorn to lead the murder case – despite sharing a troubled history with the victim’s widow, Isla Lockhart.
From the flying fists and flashing blades of Glasgow’s gangland underworld, to the backstabbing upper echelons of government and big business, Dreghorn and his partner ‘Bonnie’ Archie McDaid will have to dig deep into Glasgow society to find out who wanted the man dead and why.
Mortal Fall
by Christine Carbo
Rating: 4.4 #ad
A wildlife biologist’s shocking death leads to chilling discoveries about a home for troubled teens in Christine Carbo’s haunting and compelling new crime novel set in the wilds of Glacier National Park.
Glacier National Park police officer Monty Harris knows that each summer at least one person—be it a reckless, arrogant climber or a distracted hiker—will meet tragedy in the park. But Paul “Wolfie” Sedgewick’s fatal fall from the sheer cliffs near Going-To-the-Sun Road is incomprehensible. Wolfie was an experienced and highly regarded wildlife biologist who knew all too well the perils that Glacier’s treacherous terrain presents—and how to avoid them.
The case, so close to home, has frayed park employee emotions. Yet calm and methodical lead investigator Monty senses in his gut that something isn’t right.
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(Glacier Mysteries)
Monday’s Mystery eBooks
Scared Stiff
by Annelise Ryan
Rating: 4.4 #ad
When Deputy Coroner Mattie Winston and her boss/best friend, Izzy, are called to the home of waitress and part-time model Shannon Tolliver, they find the ghoulish Halloween decorations a bit too authentic. Among the fake blood and skeletons is the corpse of Shannon herself. Since the whole town knows Shannon recently had a very public spat with her estranged husband, Erik, he’s suspect #1. But Mattie happens to know Erik truly loved his wife, and is simply incapable of the brutal act—even if he owns the exact same caliber handgun as the murder weapon . . .
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(Mattie Winston Mysteries)
The Keepers of Metsan Valo
by Wendy Webb
Rating: 4.3 #ad
In Metsan Valo, her family home on Lake Superior, Anni Halla’s beloved grandmother has died. Among her fond memories, what Anni remembers most vividly is her grandmother’s eerie yet enchanting storytelling. By firelight she spun tall tales of spirits in the nearby forest and waters who could heal—or harm—on a whim. But of course those were only stories…
The reading of the will now occasions a family reunion. Anni and her twin brother, their almost otherworldly mother, and relatives Anni hasn’t seen in forever—some with good reason—are all brought back together under one roof that strains to hold all their tension…
In This Place Together
by Jean Rezab
Rating: 4.1 #ad
In the town of Naraah, near the region of Judea, Sapphira begins a desperate quest to find a physician to heal her beloved husband Aaron, who is near death. Living in a time when women are considered possessions, Sapphira fears her brother will force her to marry a cruel man if Aaron doesn’t survive.
Sapphira’s frantic search forces her to associate with criminals and leads her into committing actions she’ll regret. When she hears about the miraculous healings by Jesus of Nazareth, she convinces her friends to set out on a journey to bring her husband to the Great Healer, hoping the stories about him are true.
The Mulberry Bush
by Charles McCarry
Rating: 4.1 #ad
Many years ago, a young American spy crossed the wrong people and found himself on the wrong side of Headquarters. He soon fell into a slow, shameful decline of poverty and self-destruction. But Headquarters didn’t count on him having a son.
Now, years later, the boy is an American spy himself, serving two masters: Headquarters and his own insatiable need for revenge. Sent to Argentina to infiltrate a revolutionary group with deep ties to Russia, the young man finds himself dangerously drawn to his target’s daughter. Yet, despite the passion between them, he refuses to lose sight of his ultimate goal: destroying the institution that ruined his father all those years ago.
The Lost Colony
by A.G. Riddle
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Can humanity survive on a new world? On Eos, the last survivors of the Long Winter face their greatest challenge yet—and race to unravel the deepest secrets of the grid. It’s a journey across space and time and into humanity’s past and future—with a twist you’ll never forget.
“Well-constructed and tightly-wound as a fine Swiss watch—DEPARTURE has non-stop action, an engaging plot and, of course, wheels within wheels.” —Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Outlander
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(The Long Winter Trilogy)
Flawed, And Loved
by Florence Linnington
Rating: 4.6 #ad
Loving an outlaw isn’t easy, but it’s harder if you do not know you are loving one.
When Ellie accidentally gets caught up in an outlaw gang’s escape, gang member David manages to convince his group to release Ellie since her blindfold meant she has not seen any of her abductors.
As the outlaws lie low after the bank robbery, David is forced to become a ranch hand at a nearby ranch. He believes it will be just a matter of weeks before he and the rest of the gang are able to slip out of town and escape. But fate has other plans for David Bynes.
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(Frontier Women)
Girls Who Lie
by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
Rating: 4.2 #ad
When single mother Maríanna disappears from her home, leaving an apologetic note on the kitchen table, everyone assumes that she’s taken her own life … until her body is found on the Grábrók lava fields seven months later, clearly the victim of murder. Her neglected fifteen-year-old daughter Hekla has been placed in foster care, but is her perfect new life hiding something sinister?
Fifteen years earlier, a desperate new mother lies in a maternity ward, unable to look at her own child, the start of an odd and broken relationship that leads to a shocking tragedy.
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(The Creak on the Stairs)
Santa Puppy
by Lynn Cahoon
Rating: 4.2 #ad
Jill Gardner has volunteered her Coffee, Books, and More to host a Christmas adopt-a-pet party. Among the potential forever friends is a male terrier named Baby, whose owner died of a heart attack. With few clues to go on, even finding the name of Baby’s human is a daunting task. But there’s no challenge too big for Jill this holiday season.
Playing Santa’s Little Helper, Jill is determined to find out what happened —and to fulfill a long-time coming Christmas wish .
Sunday’s Mystery eBooks
The Burning Issue of the Day
by T E Kinse
Rating: 4.6 #ad
January 1910. A journalist has been killed in a suspicious blaze. Everything points to a group of suffragettes, but the apparent culprit insists she is innocent.
When Lady Hardcastle receives a letter from a suffragette requesting her urgent help, the retired spy turned sleuth knows only she stands between an accused young woman and the gallows. Evidence at the scene makes Lizzie Worrel’s innocence difficult to believe, and with the police treating it as an open-and-shut case of arson, Lady Hardcastle faces a barrage of resistance as she tries to dig out the truth…
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(A Lady Hardcastle Mysteries)
The Black Echo
by Michael Connelly
Rating: 4.6 #ad
For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal . . . because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam “tunnel rat” who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war. Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit. Pitted against enemies inside his own department and forced to make the agonizing choice between justice and vengeance, Bosch goes on the hunt for a killer whose true face will shock him.
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(A Harry Bosch Mysteries)
A Different Dawn
by Isabella Maldonado
Rating: 4.6 #ad
For nearly thirty years a serial killer has been hiding in plain sight. So has the key to an FBI agent’s dark past.
A family is murdered as they sleep. FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera and her new team are tasked with determining whether there is any link between this attack and another triple homicide from four years earlier and more than two thousand miles away. In the process, they’ll discover a serial killer so cunning that his grisly trail of death spanning nearly three decades has gone undetected. Each crime scene reminds Nina of the ghostly Latin folktale of La Llorona, which terrified her when she was an abandoned and vulnerable child. Now it’s back to haunt her…
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(Nina Guerrera Mysteries)
OFF GRID
by J. P. Redding
Rating: 4.5 #ad
From the halls of D.C. to the remote shores of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, OFF GRID is a wild ride through a dystopian near future of mass surveillance.
In the wake of a global calamity, the economy collapses. The Feds respond by wielding every power of the Welfare State to control the populace. A key tool is PivPal, an indispensable smartphone used to track citizens. As civil liberties crumble, resistance is relegated to flyover country whose residents—derided as off-gridders—cling to the time-honored virtues of freedom, self-reliance, and charity. Against this backdrop, Jenny Hernandez struggles to keep her rural church community nourished and safe. Hiding from the Feds, a team of inventors, and Jenny’s ex, arrive to complete the amazing plasma drive. They bring hope, but also the watchful eye of Big Brother. With the authorities closing in, local law enforcement must choose sides.
Death Comes to Bath
by Catherine Lloyd
Rating: 4.4 #ad
After Major Sir Robert Kurland’s injury from the battle of Waterloo begins troubling him again, his wife Lady Lucy insists they relocate from the village of Kurland St. Mary to Bath, along with her sister Anna, so that Robert can take the waters and recover.
At the Roman baths, Robert befriends an elderly and pugnacious businessman, Sir William Benson, ennobled by the Crown for his service to industry. Their acquaintance is short-lived, however, when the man is found drowned in the baths. Robert vows to find his killer, with Lucy’s aid.
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(A Kurland St. Mary Mysteries)
Art of the Hunt
by Lindsay Buroker
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Our heroes have escaped with the ancient dragon gate, rekindling their hope of finding allies on other worlds, but powerful enemies are right behind them. Unfortunately, Jak and Jadora must decipher the gate’s secrets before they can use it.
That’s a difficult task with mages from numerous kingdoms hunting them, Lord Malek stalking Jadora through magical dreams, and a new threat lurking deep within the jungle.
Faced by overwhelming odds, Jak and Jadora may be forced to work with the only man who can keep them alive: Malek. But what price will they have to pay for his protection?
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(Dragon Gate Mysteries)
Those Across the River
by Christopher Buehlman
Rating: 4.4 #ad
A man must confront a terrifying evil in this captivating horror novel that’s “as much F. Scott Fitzgerald as Dean Koontz.”*
Haunted by memories of the Great War, failed academic Frank Nichols and his wife have arrived in the sleepy Georgia town of Whitbrow, where Frank hopes to write a history of his family’s old estate—the Savoyard Plantation—and the horrors that occurred there. At first their new life seems to be everything they wanted. But under the facade of summer socials and small-town charm, there is an unspoken dread that the townsfolk have lived with for generations. A presence that demands sacrifice.