Monday’s Mystery eBooks
A Double-Pointed Murder
by Ann Yost
Rating: 4.4 #ad
When Cricket Koski, a barmaid from the Black Fly, is stabbed to death with a double-pointed knitting needle on New Year’s Eve and deposited in the bed of Lars Teljo, it’s up to Hatti Lehtinen to exonerate her ex-brother-in-law. It’s not that Hatti, who runs a fishing-slash-knitting supply shop, is a trained detective. It’s just that Sheriff Clump considers his collar a slam dunk because an affair between Lars and Cricket three years earlier has made him vulnerable to blackmail.
But there’s a problem…
Seven Shades of Evil
by Robert McCammon
Rating: 5.0 #ad
From his first appearance in Speaks the Nightbird to his latest adventure in The King of Shadows, Matthew Corbett has faced enemies of all kinds, from serial killers to sorcerers. Now author Robert McCammon presents eight gripping stories featuring the professional problem solver and his associates that take place between the popular novels.
Seven Shades of Evil includes four original stories, including “Wandering Mary,” and four additional tales that previously appeared in limited form and are no longer available elsewhere. Ranging from twisting murder plots to ominous portents of the paranormal, these stories are an intriguing blend of everything that has drawn readers to the Matthew Corbett series for more than twenty years.
Special Agent Hunter
by Mimi Barbour
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Detective Cora Taylor isn’t expecting the cop who’d haunted her dreams for ten years to return and find her drunk, wearing a torn wedding dress, and surrounded by tiny, white puppies. Go figure her rotten luck. The last time they’d met, she’d been a sweet-looking rookie too fearful to shoot a killer who ended up later murdering a family of four. Guilt from that night changed her into a speed demon, a hardened detective with colorful language… in fact a whole new persona. One who wears too much makeup, bleaches her short messy hair, and has developed many professional skills that earn everyone’s respect.
Agent Kal Hunter remains flummoxed by the altered vision of the pony-tailed rookie he remembers as the sexy woman he sees today. Being OCD about most things in his world this unconventional female rings his bell constantly…
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(Undercover FBI Mysteries)
Backteria: & Other Improbable Tales
by Richard Matheson
Rating: 3.6 #ad
A researcher encounters an exotic new strain of “Backteria” that causes the infected person to vanish – leading the doctor on a path of discovery deep into a past he should have left buried.
A simple “Haircut” that starts off as a routine trim becomes a dark and terrifying experience when a barber is confronted with a sick customer who seems otherworldly.
A case of mistaken identity leads to a darkly farcical story of marriage, murder, and a love that knows no bounds in “Getting Together.”
Hollow Moon
by Shawn Luther
Rating: 4.4 #ad
There’s a dark side to every story.
Famed author William Edward Penn might be the most talked-about writer in America. He’s written a novel. A terrifying novel. The images are hauntingly vivid, and the details seem all too real, as if they’d been plucked from memory. Each page transports him to a life he once knew, a world he’d rather leave behind. He still wakes up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. He can still picture their faces, even in his nightmares. After years of replaying the events in his head, past recollections begin to merge with fantasy. Even now, he struggles to piece it all together. And time is running out. Today marks his first television appearance. He will have to look his audience in the eye. He will have to answer for what he’s done.
Ghost Target
by Andy McDermott
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Alex Reeve – known as OPERATIVE 66 – is a former special-ops soldier and one of the UK’s most lethal weapons. Previously a member of SC9, an elite covert unit with a remit to assassinate the country’s enemies, Reeve was framed for treason and now lives a nomadic existence – as the merciless killers he once trained alongside hunt him down.
For a chance of a normal life, Reeve must expose and dismantle the sinister SC9. So when a series of brutal killings in Germany have all the hallmarks of an SC9 tactic – the murder of ‘ghost targets’, decoys to camouflage the true intended victim – Reeve finally sees opportunity for revenge.
The Red House
by Roz Watkins
Rating: 4.2 #ad
Only the killer holds the key. . . A Sunday Times Book of the Summer
IT WAS THE CRIME THAT SHOCKED A NATION. The Flowers were the perfect family. Until the day fifteen-year-old Joseph shot dead his parents and baby brother whilst his younger sister Eve hid. The family home became known as ‘The Red House’, the place where the walls were covered in blood.
THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD THE KILLER. No one knows why Joseph murdered his family: the following day he crashed his car and has been in a coma for two decades. Eve’s always known he did it; she saw the crime, after all.
WHAT IF THEY WERE WRONG?
Dragon Gems: Winter 2023
by Multiple Authors
Rating: 5.0 #ad
Tales to warm your imagination during the cold winter months
Featuring stories by Christina Ardizzone, Matt Bliss, Gustavo Bondoni, Micah Castle, Nestor Delfino, C. M. Fields, Andrew Giffin, Emma Kathryn, Michelle Ann King, Jason Lairamore, Eve Morton, Lena Ng, S. Park, Arlo Sharp, Mar Vincent, and Richard Zwicker
Sunday’s Mystery eBooks
Innocent in Las Vegas Box Set
by A.R. Winters
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Welcome to Las Vegas – and a series of cupcakes-and-crime mysteries!
Cupcake-loving croupier Tiffany Black tries to solve four murders (and a daring art heist!) in this box set of four bestselling books. Her match-making mother and poker-playing Nanna insist on “helping” her out, as does her new friend and neighbor, Ian Ewanson.
“Winters will have you giggling into your book!”
Hilarious hijinks, secretive suspects and many, many desserts – they’re all par for the course!
The Truths We Never Told
by Ofra Offer Oren
Rating: 4.0 #ad
A family’s best-kept secrets are about to be unraveled…
A seemingly ordinary family goes about their daily business: a picture of marital bliss and family intimacy.
But little do they know that their every step is being watched, documented, and reported back to one person, with one mission: to tear apart their carefully woven web of deceit.
A mother hiding a distressing past. Two separate cases of infidelity. And a long-kept secret that will make them question everything they’ve ever known.
Blood Debt
by Ian Loome
Rating: 4.4 #ad
A biker gang, ruthless assassins, a relentless cop. For Bob Singleton, it’s business as usual.
Former black ops assassin Bob Singleton is on the road and on the run, an open CIA contract on his head. He rolls into New Orleans to visit a dead comrade’s mother and finds himself neck-deep in a neighborhood battle.
A biker gang is blockbusting – scaring people from their homes so they’ll be forced to sell them cheap. A casino boss needs the land, and he doesn’t care who his thugs hurt to get it. Bob isn’t going to stand by while innocent people are victimized. He brings his lethal skills to bear and soon the bikers realize they have a real fight on their hands.
Check out:
(Code Red)
The Fourth Enemy
by Anne Perry
Rating: 4.2 #ad
Daniel Pitt is under pressure to prosecute a beloved philanthropist whose good deeds may hide dark—and dangerous—secrets, in this gripping mystery from New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.
Working his way up at the London law firm fford Croft and Gibson, Daniel Pitt is named junior counsel on a fraud case with the potential to make or break his—and the firm’s—reputation. The trouble is, Malcolm Vayne, the man on trial, has deep pockets, and even deeper connections. Vayne’s philanthropic efforts paint him a hero in the eyes of the public, but Daniel’s friend Ian, a police officer, has evidence to suggest otherwise. Nervously working alongside Gideon Hunter, the new head of his firm, Daniel must find a way to prove that Vayne is guilty.
Necroscope: Invaders
by Brian Lumley
Rating: 4.6 #ad
Three great vampires–two Lords and a Lady–arrive on an unsuspecting Earth that teems with defenseless humans, easy prey for the marauding vampires. But humanity has defenders. Though the necroscope is gone, the psychically gifted men and women of E-Branch move swiftly against the vampire infestation.
Jake Cutter is running for his life through the streets of Turin when he vanishes, appearing moments later inside the triply locked “Harry’s room” in E-Branch’s London HQ. Jake’s dreams are very strange, filled with the voices of the dead–the Great majority, the Necroscope, Harry Keogh, even a dead vampire. He hears them all, but he doesn’t truly understand.
Last Rites
by Sharon Sala
Rating: 4.7 #ad
There’s nothing a community won’t do to protect its own…
Shirley Wallace and her four sons return to her childhood home on Pope Mountain in Jubilee, Kentucky, with a lifetime of hardship behind them, hoping to find peace and begin their lives anew. Eldest brother Aaron Pope returns to his life as a police officer, and is settling in just fine. Then Aaron’s investigation into an attempted murder leads him right to Dani Owens. She may hold the key to a long-lost part of the Pope family’s past, and more importantly, she may hold the key to Aaron’s
The Lie Maker
by Linwood Barclay
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Your dad’s not a good person. Your dad killed people, son.
These are some of the last words Jack Givins’ father spoke to him before he was whisked away by witness protection, leaving Jack and his mother to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives as best they could.
Years later, Jack is a grown man with problems of his own. He’s a talented but struggling author, barely scraping by on the royalties from his moderately successful first book. So when the U.S. Marshals approach him with a lucrative opportunity, he’s in no position to turn them down. They’re recruiting writers like Jack to create false histories for people in witness protection—people like Jack’s father.
Maeve Fly
by CJ Leede
Rating: 4.2 #ad
A Best Horror Book of the Year (Esquire) • An Indie Next Pick!
A provocative and unforgettable debut that is both a blood-soaked love letter to Los Angeles and a gleeful send-up to iconic horror villains, Maeve Fly will thrill fans of slashers and the macabre.
By day, Maeve Fly works at the happiest place in the world as every child’s favorite ice princess.
By the neon night glow of the Sunset Strip, Maeve haunts the dive bars with a drink in one hand and a book in the other, imitating her misanthropic literary heroes.
Naked in Death
by J.D. Robb
Rating: 4.6 #ad
Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she’s seen it all—and knows her survival depends on her instincts. And she’s going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire—and a suspect in Eve’s murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it’s up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about—except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.
Saturday’s Mystery eBooks
Miss Julia Meets Her Match
by Ann B. Ross
Rating: 4.6 #ad
In the 5th installment of the New York Times bestselling Miss Julia series, Miss Julia has finally met her match. Don’t miss Ann Ross’s newest, Miss Julia Raises the Roof, coming April 2018 from Viking.
With devoted fans across the country, Miss Julia—that endearingly sharp-tongued southern belle of a certain age—has no shortage of admirers. But in Miss Julia Meets Her Match, our feisty heroine must come to terms with her most ardent admirer of all: longtime beau Sam Murdoch, who wants to tie the knot. While it’s hard to resist Sam’s charm, Miss Julia isn’t about to give up her independence so easily.
EMBRACE THE WIND
by Susan Denning
Rating: 4.4 #ad
What is the cost of living life on your own terms? For a young woman on the American Frontier, the price can be high. Aislynn Maher trusted the wrong man. To conceal her disgrace, she abandons her job, her home, her family and friends. She turns to the raw, contentious US marshal of the Wyoming Territory, Orrin Sage, who is hiding a guilty secret of his own. Setting out alone, Aislynn brings her optimism and determination to Cheyenne. But in this rough town, with its prejudice, violence and lawlessness, it’s not just difficult to do what you believe is right─ it’s potentially deadly. This unlikely love story details real triumphs and tragedies from frontier women’s letters, diaries and newspapers of the day, and places Aislynn in the center of their history.
The Better Mother
by Emily Shiner
Rating: 4.2 #ad
You let him in your house. Now how are you going to stay safe?
Zoe is happily married to Ethan until the day a 13-year-old boy shows up on their doorstep. He says his name is Micah and that Ethan is his father. Distressed because his mother is missing, Micah has come to them for help.
Ethan is wary – he didn’t know anything about Micah – but kind-hearted Zoe feels she can’t possibly turn her back on the boy. She welcomes him into their home and does her best to make him part of the family.
The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge
by Agatha Christie
Rating: 4.1 #ad
In Agatha Christie’s short story, “The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge,” Poirot and Hastings are enlisted by a Mr Roger Havering to help investigate the murder of his aristocrat uncle at his hunting lodge. Hastings discusses the murder with the housekeeper on the scene, but Poirot quickly deduces that her story doesn’t add up. This short story appeared in the May 16, 1923 issue of The Sketch magazine.
The Andromeda Strain
by Michael Crichton
Rating: 4.3 #ad
From the author of Jurassic Park, Timeline, and Sphere comes a captivating thriller about a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism, which threatens to annihilate human life.
Five prominent biophysicists have warned the United States government that sterilization procedures for returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere. Two years later, a probe satellite falls to the earth and lands in a desolate region of northeastern Arizona. Nearby, in the town of Piedmont, bodies lie heaped and flung across the ground, faces locked in frozen surprise. What could cause such shock and fear? The terror has begun, and there is no telling where it will end.
Dracula, My Love
by Syrie James
Rating: 4.3 #ad
Author Syrie James (The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen) offers readers a breathtaking new perspective on Bram Stoker’s classic tale of the king of the vampires with Dracula, My Love. In these “Secret Journals of Mina Harker,” the object of Dracula’s desire relates for the very first time the shocking story of her scandalous seduction and sexual rebirth. This is not the chaste vampire romance of Twilight—Dracula, My Love celebrates a passionate obsession in all its hot and sensuous glory.
Aloha from Hell
by Richard Kadrey
Rating: 4.3 #ad
Supernatural fantasy’s greatest anti-hero goes back to hell! In Aloha from Hell, the ruthless avenger, a.k.a. Stark, finds himself trapped in the middle of a war between Heaven and Hell. Perfect for fans of Jim Butcher, Warren Ellis, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, and Simon R. Green.
Once again all is not right in L.A. Lucifer is back in Heaven, God is on vacation, and an insane killer mounts a war against both Heaven and Hell.
Stark’s got to head back down to his old stomping grounds in Hell to rescue his long lost love, stop an insane serial killer, prevent both Good and Evil from completely destroying each other, and stop the demonic Kissi from ruining the party for everyone.
The Sentinel
by Jeffrey Konvitz
Rating: 4.3 #ad
Jeffrey Konvitz’s New York Times–bestselling horror novel about a young woman descending into demonic madness who discovers it’s not simply in her mind
Aspiring model Allison Parker finally moves into her dream apartment: a brownstone on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. But her perfect home quickly turns hellish.
The building is filled with a cast of sinister tenants, including a reclusive blind priest, who seems to watch her day and night through an upstairs window. Eventually, Allison starts hearing strange noises from the empty apartment above hers. Before long, she uncovers the building’s demonic secret and is plunged into a nightmare of sinful misdeeds and boundless evil.
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.