Monday’s Mystery eBooks
Vistas, Vices, & Valentines
by Tonya Kappes
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Join Mae West and the Laundry Club Ladies as they cha cha and twirl their way around Happy Trails Campground as they put on some sleuthing dance shoes to bring closure to this southern and fun cozy Valentine’s mystery.
When I begged Hank Sharp to take dance lessons to celebrate Valentine’s Day, I knew I was getting more than I had bargained for. But when a dancer’s dead body shows up at the height of the competition and Hank is hired to investigate the murder, I had no idea what we were in store for when he had Dottie Swaggert and Henry Bryant go undercover as a dance competition couple to get insider information.
Desperation in Death
by J. D. Robb
Rating: 4.8 #ad
New York, 2061: The place called the Pleasure Academy is a living nightmare where abducted girls are trapped, trained for a life of abject service while their souls are slowly but surely destroyed. Dorian, a thirteen-year-old runaway who’d been imprisoned there, might never have made it out if not for her fellow inmate Mina, who’d hatched the escape plan. Mina was the more daring of the two—but they’d been equally desperate.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get away fast enough. Now Dorian is injured, terrified, and wandering the streets of New York, and Mina lies dead near the waterfront while Lt. Eve Dallas looks over the scene.
Death of a Fairy Tale
by Emily Fluke
Rating: 4.3 #ad
Send cheesecake and a lot of coffee, because I swear I just heard a wolf’s howl in the middle of San Francisco.
I was a skeptic about the supernatural…until my baby’s birth sparked storybook murders around the city and each body led closer and closer to my grandma’s house.
As an investigative journalist, I’ve solved a lot of mysteries, but now I’m a sleep-deprived mother. I have no clue how to balance my baby in one hand and my job in the other while I hunt a supernatural stalker…
One Last Chance
by Kat Martin
Rating: 4.6 #ad
Former Green Beret Edge Logan has made a new life for himself at Nighthawk Security in Denver, using his finely honed skills to neutralize threats of all kinds. When he overhears friend and fellow agent Skye Delaney discussing a new case involving her missing sister and a mysterious cult, he offers himself as backup. With her own military background, Skye is gutsy and more than capable, but a cult like Children of the Sun is too risky for anyone to investigate alone.
Skye is grateful for Edge’s experience, even though she is aware of the attraction simmering between them. Her battle scars make her reluctant to get involved with anyone, much less a coworker—even a warrior like Edge…
Brett Wilson and Coronado’s Door
by John Suter
Rating: 4.7 #ad
On a treasure hunting expedition with her father, Brett Wilson watches her father enter the fabled golden city of Cibola. The joy of discovery quickly turns to tragedy when the city disappears in front of her eyes.
Now in a race against time, Brett must locate the city before her father is lost forever. The only information she has to help her is the tattered old field book of her father and her best friend Natalie’s energy and enthusiasm. Together with Grandpa Jake and Natalie’s mom Dr. Brown, they must decipher the clues in the field book and understand the earth’s hidden properties to locate Cibola’s final position.
Sparkling Cyanide
by Agatha Christie
Rating: 4.6 #ad
Six people sit down to a sumptuous meal at a table laid for seven. In front of the empty place is a sprig of rosemary – “rosemary for remembrance.” A strange sentiment considering no one is likely to forget the night, exactly a year ago, that Rosemary Barton died at exactly the same table, her beautiful face unrecognizable, convulsed with pain and horror.
But then Rosemary had always been memorable – she had the ability to arouse strong passions in most people she met. In one case, strong enough to kill. . . .
Witch World Collection
by Andre Norton
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Science fiction meets sword and sorcery in these three novels by the legendary New York Times–bestselling author and “superb storyteller” (The New York Times).
On a planet in a parallel universe where magic is a reality, these three high fantasy novels of the Witch World set on the eastern continent of Estcarp once again illustrate why prolific author Andre Norton was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
My Canvas Bag
by Lucas Kinkaid
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Mark is a young man born into a bad situation. His parents drink too much, and his family often forgets him. He works hard to hide the harsh reality of his home life from those around him. Mark does this to avoid feeling shame. He escapes the chaos of his family by spending time in nearby woods. Mark keeps a canvas bag hidden close to his house. It contains blankets, a flashlight, cans of food, a transistor radio, things to read, and more. It has everything he needs to escape from his family’s dysfunction for a while. Mark truly enjoys the peace and solitude he finds in the woods.
He constantly struggles with the judgments of others when it comes to his family. It hurts Mark when people share their negative opinions about he and his family. He is often avoided by other kids and usually not included in things…
Sunday’s Mystery eBooks
To Live and Die in Dixie
by Mary Kay Andrews
Rating: 4.4 #ad
Former Atlanta police officer Callahan is known for scrubbing all kinds of muck, but she has no idea what she’s getting herself into when she is hired by Elliott Littlefield, a notorious Atlanta antiques dealer.
Right from the start, Callahan’s job turns into a lively quest to find a priceless Civil War diary penned by an infamous madam. Soon Callahan and her team become entangled with a motley group of Civil War collectors, right-wing extremists, and nosy teens, making the case messier and tougher to clean.
Atonement
by Ian McEwan
Rating: 4.4 #ad
On a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment’s flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant and Cecilia’s childhood friend. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives – together with her precocious literary gifts – brings about a crime that will change all their lives.
As it follows that crime’s repercussions through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century, Atonement engages the reader on every conceivable level, with an ease and authority that mark it as a genuine masterpiece.
Fire & Blood
by George R. R. Martin
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire & Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.
What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why was it so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What were Maegor the Cruel’s worst crimes?
Zero In
by Dean Koontz
Rating: 4.6 #ad
This could be the most important mission of Nameless’s life. Because it’s putting him on a collision course with his own past and the nation’s future.
The target: a fortified redoubt in the golden hills of California, the hub of a new world order that’s unthinkably close at hand. The time has come for Nameless to face its designer: the nihilist mastermind behind the One Solution. It’s also time for Nameless to discover who he is and was, and what brought him to this fateful endgame. But will the truth be a breaking point? Or a turning point?
Nine Dragons
by Michael Connelly
Rating: 4.6 #ad
After what seems like a routine murder investigation, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch finds himself in Hong Kong facing the highest-stakes case of his life: bringing his kidnapped daughter home.
Fortune Liquors is a small shop in a tough South L.A. neighborhood, a store Bosch has known for years. The murder of John Li, the store’s owner, hits Bosch hard, and he promises Li’s family that he’ll find the killer.
The world Bosch steps into next is unknown territory. He brings in a detective from the Asian Gang Unit for help with translation — not just of languages but also of the cultural norms and expectations that guided Li’s life. He uncovers a link to a Hong Kong triad, a lethal and far-reaching crime ring that follows many immigrants to their new lives in the U.S. And instantly his world explodes.
The Stand
by Stephen King
Rating: 4.7 #ad
When a man escapes from a biological testing facility, he sets in motion a deadly domino effect, spreading a mutated strain of the flu that will wipe out 99 percent of humanity within a few weeks. The survivors who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge–Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious “Dark Man”, who delights in chaos and violence. As the dark man and the peaceful woman gather power, the survivors will have to choose between them–and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity.
The Broken God
by Gareth Hanrahan
Rating: 4.5 #ad
Enter a city of dragons and darkness . . .
The Godswar has come to Guerdon, dividing the city between three occupying powers. A fragile armistice holds back the gods, but other dangerous forces seek to exert their influence. Spar Idgeson, once heir to the brotherhood of thieves has been transformed into the living stone of the new city. But his powers are failing and the criminal dragons of the Ghierdana are circling.
Meanwhile, far across the sea, Carillon Thay—once a thief, a saint, a god killer; now alone and powerless—seeks the mysterious land of Khebesh, desperate to find a cure for Spar.
Saturday’s Mystery eBooks
A Spoonful of Murder
by J.M. Hall
Rating: 3.8 #ad
Every Thursday, three retired school teachers have their ‘coffee o’clock’ sessions at the Thirsk Garden Centre café.
But one fateful week, as they are catching up with a slice of cake, they bump into their ex-colleague, Topsy. By the next Thursday, Topsy’s dead. The last thing Liz, Thelma and Pat imagined was that they would become involved in a murder.
But they know there’s more to Topsy’s death than meets the eye – and it’s down to them to prove it…
It Began With a Lie
by Michele PW
Rating: 4.3 #ad
An award-winning, gripping psychological suspense mystery. All Becca wanted was a fresh start. That wasn’t what she got.
Becca was sure the move from New York to Redemption, Wisconsin was exactly what her troubled family needed. A way to get her crumbling marriage back on track, and to bond with her difficult 16-year-old stepdaughter.
But instead of a new beginning, Becca is thrust into a mysterious past she barely remembers. A past that includes the complications of interacting with her old teenage crush, Daniel, as well as living in her aunt’s old house. A house with a violent past. A house the locals swear is haunted.
Check out:
(Secrets of Redemption Mysteries)
Second Chance Protectors Collection
by Alexa Verde, Autumn Macarthur
Rating: 4.7 #ad
Book 1: Brett, Her Bodyguard: A brother missing, two children in jeopardy… The bodyguard will keep those he loves safe, but how safe is his heart?
Book 2: Colt, Her Reunion: When the serial killer who almost murdered Mirabella once before threatens her life, Colt will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Even if it means falling in love with her all over again.
Book 3: David, Her Cowboy: As the danger surrounding them escalates, can David and Aster keep the baby safe – along with their hearts?
The Hanging Valley
by Peter Robinson
Rating: 4.3 #ad
When a faceless body is found in a tranquil valley just south of the village of Swainshead, Chief Inspector Alan Banks soon finds that no one in the village is willing to talk about it, except to say, “Not again.”
An unsolved murder from five years before and the unsolved disappearance of a prominent local man’s girlfriend appear to be connected. As Banks delves deeper into the mystery, someone begins to intentionally slow down the investigation. When events take a turn, Inspector Banks must track his killer across the Atlantic and find a way to make a break in the case before time runs out.
With No One As Witness
by Elizabeth George
Rating: 4.6 #ad
When an adolescent boy’s nude body is found draped over a tomb in a graveyard, the police recognize the work of a serial killer who’s been murdering boys in London. This is the killer’s fourth victim but the first to be white.
Hoping to avoid charges of institutionalized prejudice in their failure to pursue the earlier crimes to their conclusion, New Scotland Yard takes the case and hands it over to Lynley and his colleagues Detective Constable Barbara Havers and Detective Sergeant Winston Nkata.
Voices in the Wind
by Stephanie Parker McKean
Rating: 5.0 #ad
Two accusations of murder against her, a lack of belief in God and a loveless marriage cause Rhoda to label herself as “unlucky,” so when she hears voices in the wind, she follows them.
Rhoda finds herself in a land that exceeds all her dreams and expectations, as do the two men vying for her love – rain man Tal and sun man Victor. She could have it all, but Treasury is God’s secret holding place for rain and wind. Rhoda must prove herself worthy to the Protectors who guard Treasury.
To prove her worthiness, Rhoda must ascend dangerous Verboten Mountain to bring back a jar of dry dirt. Verboten is as forbidden as its name and to succeed in her quest, Rhoda faces warlike cave men, dinosaur birds, enormous serpents and an army of Great Dane-sized Bullet Train Ants.
Raised On Freedom
by Gail McGuire
Rating: 4.7 #ad
Through brave encounters, rollicking fun, and transformative heartbreak my friends and I rambled, romped, and explored in wide open spaces largely unencumbered by adult supervision.
These are stories of an exceptionally fulfilling and spectacular childhood growing up during the pinnacle of patriotism and belief in the good of society that was the Baby Boomer era.
We drank from garden hoses, rode in the back of pickups, rode horses bareback, sought adventures miles away from our homes, courageously faced frightening ordeals, and lived to tell these favored tales.
Titans of War
by Wilbur Smith
Rating: 4.4 #ad
A RUTHLESS ENEMY. A CIVILIZATION IN RUINS. A QUEST FOR SALVATION.
For over fifty years Egypt has known nothing but war and devastation at the hands of the Hyksos, a bloodthirsty barbarian people from the distant east who continue to advance, crushing armies in their wake. Times are desperate, but throughout the conflict, a brave resistance fights on under the great Taita, a slave who has risen far beyond his ranks.
Piay, entrusted into Taita’s care by his parents at the age of just five, has been trained to become a great spy, unmatched by any other…
An Excellent Mystery
by Ellis Peters
Rating: 4.6 #ad
In the year of our Lord 1141, August comes in golden as a lion, and two monks ride into the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul bringing with them disturbing news of war—and a mystery.
The strangers tell how the strife between the Empress Maud and King Stephen has destroyed the town of Winchester and their priory. Now Brother Humilis, who is handsome, gaunt, and very ill, and Brother Fidelis, youthful, comely—and totally mute—must seek refuge at Shrewsbury. From the moment he meets them, Brother Cadfael senses something deeper than common vows binds these two good brothers. What the link is he can only guess.
Friday’s Mystery eBooks
Gracie and the Trouble with Pinatas
by Carol Kilgore
Rating: 4.4 #ad
What you see is not always what you get. In fact, what you see may be nothing at all.
Finding a woman attacked and left for dead in her driveway hadn’t been anywhere near San Antonio law enforcement consultant Gracie Hofner’s cold January plans. She immediately jumps into action and soon discovers a link to what appears to be a benign local research institution. Of course, what seems to be often isn’t, and it takes a series of explosive illusions that rock a small slice of the city before Gracie and her coworkers understand the fuller picture: a rogue relationship between the research group and a corrupt faction inside the Pentagon.
Check out:
(Amazing Gracie Mysteries)
Secret Smile
by Nicci French
Rating: 4.3 #ad
You have an affair. You finish it. You think it’s over. You’re dead wrong …Miranda Cotton thinks she’s put boyfriend Brendan out of her life for good. But two weeks later, he’s intimately involved with her sister. Soon what began as an embarrassment becomes threatening – then even more terrifying than a girl’s worst nightmare. Because this time Brendan will stop at nothing to be part of Miranda’s life – even if it means taking it from her.
The War Machine Complete Series
by David Beers, Michael Anderle
Rating: 5.0 #ad
An alien race decides humanity’s fate: Eradication. They didn’t count on someone rising to challenge their decree. Grab this complete series boxed set and find out if Constantine can save humanity!
Constantine had forsaken his family name and birthright. At 28 years old, he’d escaped Earth to help terraform Mars.
An empire’s heir went missing just as the universe’s greatest threat announces itself. War Games will decide who represents humanity in this extinction-level struggle. Constantine is summoned. With little training but abundant talent, can Constantine win these games?
The Murder Pit
by Mick Finlay
Rating: 4.4 #ad
1896: Sherlock Holmes has once again hit the headlines, solving mysteries for the cream of aristocracy. But among the workhouses and pudding shops of South London, private detective William Arrowood is presented with far grittier, more violent, and considerably less well-paid cases. Arrowood has no doubt who is the better detective, and when Mr. and Mrs. Barclay engage him to find their daughter, Birdie—who married a pig farmer and hasn’t been seen since—he’s sure it won’t be long before he and his assistant, Barnett, have tracked her down.
The I-5 Killer
by Ann Rule
Rating: 4.6 #ad
Randall Woodfield had it all. He was an award-winning student and star athlete. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers to play in the NFL, and chosen by Playgirl as a centerfold candidate. Working in the swinging West Coast bar scene, he had his pick of willing sexual prospects.
But Randall Woodfield wanted more than just sex. An appetite for unspeakable violent acts led him to cruise the I-5 highway through California, Oregon, and Washington, leaving a trail of victims along the way…
Small Town Danger Collection
by Multiple Authors
Rating: 5.0 #ad
More than lives are in danger when small town tranquility meets heart pounding suspense in this collection of ten brand-new novels from some of the genre’s most explosive romantic suspense authors!
Join Mary Alford, Liz Bradford, June Foster, Therese Heckenkamp, Cynthia Hickey, Gina Holder, Edie James, Ann Malley, Carol Nemeth and Colleen Snyder as mystery, suspense, and faith combine to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Drought
by Graham Masterton
Rating: 4.3 #ad
A chilling supernatural tale – with an environmental twist – from a master of modern horror.
What would happen if the water ran out? Ex-Marine Martin Makepeace only learned the truth of the maxim that you don’t know what you have until you lose it, the day his wife walked out on him with their two kids. Now, the social worker does his best to take care of those who need it most.
But good deeds mean nothing when the water just . . . disappears. It hasn’t rained for months, and now, in the height of summer, the taps run dry. And not, as they first suspect, because of a burst water main. In the deprived areas where Martin works, the water’s been intentionally cut off.