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?