Friday, July 16, 2021

iTunes Store: Top 25 Books in Mysteries & Thrillers 2021-07-16

Daniel Silva - The Cellist artwork The Cellist
A Novel
Daniel Silva
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $14.99
Publish Date: July 13, 2021
Publisher: Harper
Seller: Harper Collins Canada Limited

From Daniel Silva, the internationally acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author, comes a timely and explosive new thriller featuring art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon. Viktor Orlov had a longstanding appointment with death. Once Russia’s richest man, he now resides in splendid exile in London, where he has waged a tireless crusade against the authoritarian kleptocrats who have seized control of the Kremlin. His mansion in Chelsea’s exclusive Cheyne Walk is one of the most heavily protected private dwellings in London. Yet somehow, on a rainy summer evening, in the midst of a global pandemic, Russia’s vengeful president finally manages to cross Orlov’s name off his kill list. Before him was the receiver from his landline telephone, a half-drunk glass of red wine, and a stack of documents.… The documents are contaminated with a deadly nerve agent. The Metropolitan Police determine that they were delivered to Orlov’s home by one of his employees, a prominent investigative reporter from the anti-Kremlin Moskovskaya Gazeta. And when the reporter slips from London hours after the killing, MI6 concludes she is a Moscow Center assassin who has cunningly penetrated Orlov’s formidable defenses. But Gabriel Allon, who owes his very life to Viktor Orlov, believes his friends in British intelligence are dangerously mistaken. His desperate search for the truth will take him from London to Amsterdam and eventually to Geneva, where a private intelligence service controlled by a childhood friend of the Russian president is using KGB-style “active measures” to undermine the West from within. Known as the Haydn Group, the unit is plotting an unspeakable act of violence that will plunge an already divided America into chaos and leave Russia unchallenged. Only Gabriel Allon, with the help of a brilliant young woman employed by the world’s dirtiest bank, can stop it. Elegant and sophisticated, provocative and daring, The Cellist explores one of the preeminent threats facing the West today—the corrupting influence of dirty money wielded by a revanchist and reckless Russia. It is at once a novel of hope and a stark warning about the fragile state of democracy. And it proves once again why Daniel Silva is regarded as his generation’s finest writer of suspense and international intrigue.



Amber Garza - When I Was You artwork When I Was You
A Novel
Amber Garza
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $2.99
Publish Date: August 25, 2020
Publisher: MIRA Books
Seller: Harlequin Enterprises Limited

“A heart-pounding thriller. When I Was You pitches two women with the same name against one another, and the rug is pulled out from under you the moment you decide to trust one of them.” —Sandie Jones, USA Today bestselling author of The Other Woman “Amber Garza has upped the game on the classic stalker novel! . . . A fast-paced, beautifully plotted book.” —Samantha Downing, USA Today bestselling author of My Lovely Wife You meets Fatal Attraction in this up-all-night story of suspicion, obsession and motherhood. It all begins on an ordinary fall morning, when Kelly Medina gets a call from her son’s pediatrician to confirm her upcoming “well-baby” appointment. It’s a cruel mistake; her son left for college a year ago, and Kelly’s never felt so alone. The receptionist quickly apologizes: there’s another mother in town named Kelly Medina, and she must have gotten their numbers switched. For days, Kelly can’t stop thinking about the woman who shares her name. Lives in her same town. Has a son she can still hold, and her whole life ahead of her. She can’t help looking for her: at the grocery store, at the gym, on social media. When Kelly just happens to bump into the single mother outside that pediatrician’s office, it’s simple curiosity getting the better of her. Their unlikely friendship brings Kelly a renewed sense of purpose—taking care of this young woman and her adorable baby boy. But that friendship quickly turns to obsession, and when one Kelly disappears, well, the other one may know why.



Connie Shelton - Alibis Can Be Murder: Charlie Parker Mysteries, Book 17 artwork Alibis Can Be Murder: Charlie Parker Mysteries, Book 17
Connie Shelton
Genre: Women Sleuths
Price: $1.99
Publish Date: June 05, 2017
Publisher: Columbine Publishing Group, LLC
Seller: Smashwords, Inc.

Here’s what others are saying: “... suspenseful storytelling with sensitive portrayals of complex family relationships.” –Booklist “Shelton’s engaging story, likable heroine, and comfortable prose make this a good choice.” – Library Journal The weather turns to spring, and Charlie faces a pair of puzzles. Against Charlie’s better judgment Ron, her PI partner, takes a cheating-spouse case that turns into a comedy of errors involving a star football player and his wife’s petty vengeance. Meanwhile, Charlie’s neighbor Elsa has a bad feeling about a family up the street. Is it a case of the neighborhood busybody having too much time on her hands, or is there truly something sinister happening with twin teen girls who’ve been left with too much money and not enough supervision? Charlie finds herself remembering what her own teen years were like as she tries to decipher what the twins are up to. Praise for the Charlie Parker series: “Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist “Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.”--The Midwest Book Review



Stephanie Laurens - The Secrets of Lord Grayson Child artwork The Secrets of Lord Grayson Child
Stephanie Laurens
Genre: Historical
Price: $8.99
Publish Date: July 15, 2021
Publisher: Savdek Management Pty Ltd
Seller: Savdek Management Pty. Ltd.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns to the world of the Cynsters’ next generation with the tale of an unconventional nobleman and an equally unconventional noblewoman learning to love and trust again.  A jilted noblewoman forced into a dual existence half in and half out of the ton is unexpectedly confronted by the nobleman who left her behind ten years ago, but before either can catch their breaths, they trip over a murder and into a race to capture a killer. Lord Grayson Child is horrified to discover that The London Crier , a popular gossip rag, is proposing to expose his extraordinary wealth to the ton’s matchmakers, not to mention London’s shysters and Captain Sharps. He hies to London and corners The Crier’s proprietor—only to discover the paper’s owner is the last person he’d expected to see. Izzy—Lady Isadora Descartes—is flabbergasted when Gray appears in her printing works’ office. He’s the very last person she wants to meet while in her role as owner of The Crier , but there he is, as large as life, and she has to deal with him without giving herself away! She manages—just—and seizes on the late hour to put him off so she can work out what to do. But before leaving the printing works, she and he stumble across a murder, and all hell breaks loose. Izzy can only be grateful for Gray’s support as, to free them both of suspicion, they embark on a joint campaign to find the killer. Yet working side by side opens their eyes to who they each are now—both quite different to the youthful would-be lovers of ten years before. Mutual respect, affection, and appreciation grow, and amid the chaos of hunting a ruthless killer, they find themselves facing the question of whether what they’d deemed wrecked ten years before can be resurrected. Then the killer’s motive proves to be a treasonous plot, and with others, Gray and Izzy race to prevent a catastrophe, a task that ultimately falls to them alone in a situation in which the only way out is through selfless togetherness—only by relying on each other will they survive. A classic historical romance laced with crime and intrigue. A Cynster Next Generation-connected novel—a full-length historical romance of 115,000 words Praise for The Secrets of Lord Grayson Child "This full-bodied novel should please all long-time fans of novels about romance and intrigue set in nineteenth-century England." Virge B., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing “Two old lovers embark on an investigation that is brimming with danger and intrigue. Their simmering, suspenseful tale is one that fans of Regency romance dare not miss.” Angela M., Copy Editor, Red Adept Editing “After ten years apart, former lovers Lord Grayson Child and Lady Isadora Descartes work together to solve a high-stakes mystery (and) secrets from their past. Is it wise to rekindle their romance, or will the search for love be their undoing? The attention to detail in both setting and characters brings the story to life. Fans of Regency romance are sure to enjoy uncovering The Secrets of Lord Grayson Child." Brittany M., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing



Owen Mullen - Games People Play artwork Games People Play
The start of a fast-paced crime thriller series for 2021
Owen Mullen
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $0.99
Publish Date: April 20, 2021
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Seller: Boldwood Books Ltd

When a baby is stolen from a Scottish beach, private investigator Charlie Cameron reluctantly agrees to take the case. While her parents are just yards away, thirteen-month-old Lily Hamilton is abducted from Ayr beach in Scotland. Three days later, her distraught father turns up at private investigator Charlie Cameron's office. Mark Hamilton believes he knows who has taken his daughter. And why. Against his better judgment, Charlie takes the case—and when bodies are discovered, he suspects this may not be an isolated crime. Is there a serial killer whose work has gone undetected for decades? Is baby Lily his latest victim? Charlie won’t be able to give up on this case. Memories and guilt from his childhood won’t let him… Owen Mullen is a best-selling author of psychological and gangland thrillers. His fast-paced, twist-aplenty stories are perfect for all fans of Robert Galbraith, Ian Rankin and Ann Cleeves. What readers say about Owen Mullen: 'Owen Mullen knows how to ramp up the action just when it’s needed… he never fails to give you hard-hitting thrillers that have moments that will stay with you forever...' 'One of the very best thriller writers I have ever read.' 'Owen Mullen writes a good story, he really brings his characters to life and the endings are hard to guess and never what you expected.'



T. J. Newman - Falling artwork Falling
A Novel
T. J. Newman
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $16.99
Publish Date: July 06, 2021
Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Seller: Simon & Schuster Canada

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER “T. J. Newman has written the perfect thriller! A must-read.” —Gillian Flynn “Stunning and relentless. This is Jaws at 35,000 feet.” —Don Winslow “ Falling is the best kind of thriller…Nonstop, totally authentic suspense.” —James Patterson “Amazing...Intense suspense, shocks, and scares...Chilling.” —Lee Child You just boarded a flight to New York. There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard. What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped. For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die. The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane. Enjoy the flight.



James Patterson & Brian Sitts - The Shadow artwork The Shadow
James Patterson & Brian Sitts
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $14.99
Publish Date: July 13, 2021
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Seller: Hachette Digital, Inc.

Before Alex Cross, before Michael Bennett, before Jack Reacher, there was The Shadow! The world’s bestselling author, James Patterson, reimagines one of America’s iconic thriller heroes. Only two people know that 1930s society man Lamont Cranston has a secret identity as the Shadow, a crusader for justice. One is his greatest love, Margo Lane, and the other is fiercest enemy, Shiwan Khan. When Khan ambushes the couple, they must risk everything for the slimmest chance of survival . . . in the future.       A century and a half later, Lamont awakens in a world both unknown and disturbingly familiar. The first person he meets is Maddy Gomes, a teenager with her own mysterious secrets, including a knowledge of the legend of the Shadow. Most disturbing, Khan's power continues to be felt over the city and its people. No one in this new world understands the dangers of stopping him better than Lamont Cranston. And only the Shadow knows that he’s the one person who might succeed before more innocent lives are lost.



Lynn Cahoon - Dressed To Kill artwork Dressed To Kill
Lynn Cahoon
Genre: Cozy
Price: $5.99
Publish Date: June 23, 2015
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Seller: Kensington Publishing Corp.

A costume drama turns truly deadly in this cozy mystery set in small-town California by the New York Times bestselling author. As the owner of Coffee, Books, and More in the tucked-away town of South Cove, California, Jill Gardner has been known to enjoy a suspenseful tale of murder—as long as it’s confined to the pages of a good book. But now a local charity wants her to portray a twenties flapper in a dinner theater murder mystery. She doesn’t love the idea, but going the extra mile for a good cause never killed anybody…until now. While everyone is expecting a “dead” body at the dress rehearsal, they are shocked to find one of their castmates actually dead. Suspicion falls on the late actor’s conniving girlfriend Sherry—who also happens to be the ex-wife of Jill’s main squeeze. Sherry is definitely a master manipulator. But is she a killer? It’s up to Jill to find out before it’s curtains for someone else.



James Patterson & Bill Clinton - The President's Daughter artwork The President's Daughter
A Thriller
James Patterson & Bill Clinton
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $18.99
Publish Date: June 07, 2021
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company and Knopf
Seller: Hachette Digital, Inc.

All Presidents have nightmares.  This one is about to come true. A rocket ride of a thriller—the #1  New York Times  bestselling blockbuster by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson, “the dream team” (Lee Child). Every detail is accurate— because one of the authors is President Bill Clinton.  The drama and action never stop— because the other author is James Patterson.   Matthew Keating, a one-time Navy SEAL — and a past president — has always defended his family as staunchly as he has his country. Now those defenses are under attack.   A madman abducts Keating’s teenage daughter, Melanie—turning every parent’s deepest fear into a matter of national security. As the world watches in real time, Keating embarks on a one-man special-ops mission that tests his strengths: as a leader, a warrior, and a father.   The authors’ first collaboration, The President Is Missing , a #1 New York Times bestseller and the #1 bestselling novel of 2018, was praised as “ambitious and wildly readable” ( New York Times Book Review ) and “a fabulously entertaining thriller” (Pulitzer Prize–winning author Ron Chernow).



Kathy Reichs - The Bone Code artwork The Bone Code
Kathy Reichs
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $9.99
Publish Date: July 06, 2021
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Seller: Simon & Schuster Canada

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with her twentieth gripping novel featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, whose examinations, fifteen years apart, of unidentified bodies ignite a terrifying series of events. On the way to hurricane-ravaged Isle of Palms, a barrier island off the South Carolina coast, Tempe receives a call from the Charleston coroner. The storm has tossed ashore a medical waste container. Inside are two decomposed bodies wrapped in plastic sheeting and bound with electrical wire. Tempe recognizes many details as identical to those of an unsolved case she handled in Quebec years earlier. With a growing sense of foreboding, she travels to Montreal to gather evidence. Meanwhile, health authorities in South Carolina become increasingly alarmed as a human flesh-eating contagion spreads. So focused is Tempe on identifying the container victims that, initially, she doesn’t register how their murders and the pestilence may be related. But she does recognize one unsettling fact. Someone is protecting a dark secret—and is willing to do anything to keep it hidden. An absorbing look at the sinister uses to which genetics can be put, and featuring a cascade of ever-more-shocking revelations, The Bone Code is Temperance Brennan’s most astonishing case yet—one that gives new meaning to today’s headlines.



Rick Mofina - Every Fear artwork Every Fear
Jason Wade, no. 2
Rick Mofina
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $0.99
Publish Date: February 22, 2015
Publisher: Rick Mofina
Seller: Smashwords, Inc.

Book 2 of the Jason Wade series begins on an ordinary morning when Maria Colson takes her baby son Dylan to the corner store. She turns her back for only a few seconds. When she looks again, she sees his empty stroller, as Dylan is being abducted into a waiting van. Maria climbs into the van, but is violently thrown to the road where she is left for dead as the vehicle vanishes without a trace. As Maria fights for her life and her anguished young husband keeps a beside vigil, the FBI and police across metro Sea-Tac and Washington State search for Dylan. Seattle Mirror reporter Jason Wade is under pressure to bring in a big story, and the Colson kidnapping could be it. It’s certainly a bizarre case with pieces that just don’t add up: The Colsons are a hard-working couple. Former high school sweethearts. No problems. No enemies. Then Jason and his dad, a private detective haunted by his former life as a cop, discover a grisly murder of a young woman that is somehow connected to the Colsons. Now, in a dark Seattle underground of desperate dreamers and ex-convicts, Jason embarks on an investigation that parallels one led by Homicide Detective Grace Garner. They're both hunting for the one piece of the puzzle that connects the baby’s disappearance with a spine-tingling case of revenge. And time is running out, because whoever took little Dylan Colson is more dangerous than anyone could ever imagine. With Every Fear, Rick Mofina takes suspense to a whole new level in a heart-pounding story that moves like a true crime case torn from today's headlines. Rick Mofina is a former journalist who has interviewed murderers on death row, flown over L.A. with the LAPD and patrolled with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police near the Arctic. He's also reported from the Caribbean, Africa and Kuwait's border with Iraq. His books have been published in nearly 30 countries, including an illegal translation produced in Iran. His work has been praised by James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Jeffery Deaver, Sandra Brown, James Rollins, Brad Thor, Nick Stone, David Morrell, Allison Brennan, Heather Graham, Linwood Barclay, Peter Robinson, Håkan Nesser and Kay Hooper. The Crime Writers of Canada, The International Thriller Writers and The Private Eye Writers of America have listed his titles among the best in crime fiction. As a two-time winner of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award, a three-time Thriller Award finalist and a two-time Shamus Award finalist, the Library Journal calls him, “One of the best thriller writers in the business."



W.L. Knightly - The Past is Falsified artwork The Past is Falsified
W.L. Knightly
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $4.99
Publish Date: July 15, 2021
Publisher: BrixBaxter Publishing
Seller: Draft2Digital, LLC

With the Ghost leaving one of his victims breathing, Detective Silas Warren and his partner, CSI Madison Corman, uncover new evidence that will bring them closer to the killer, and closer to each other. But when the killer takes a step in a new direction, and makes an unexpected move more sinister than the rest, this time, the outcome is personal.



Carlene O'Connor - Murder in an Irish Village artwork Murder in an Irish Village
Carlene O'Connor
Genre: Women Sleuths
Price: $4.99
Publish Date: March 01, 2016
Publisher: Kensington Books
Seller: Kensington Publishing Corp.

“If Janet Evanovich and Maeve Binchy wrote a book together,  [this]   would be the result . . . Siobhán O’Sullivan is a character to savor.”—Laurien Berenson, author of   Game of Dog Bones In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Naomi’s Bistro has always been a warm and welcoming spot to visit with neighbors, enjoy some brown bread and tea, and get the local gossip. Nowadays twenty-two-year-old Siobhán O’Sullivan runs the family bistro named for her mother, along with her five siblings, after the death of their parents in a car crash almost a year ago. It’s been a rough year for the O’Sullivans, but it’s about to get rougher. One morning, as they’re opening the bistro, they discover a man seated at a table, dressed in a suit as if for his own funeral, a pair of hot pink barber scissors protruding from his chest. With the local garda suspecting the O’Sullivans and their business in danger of being shunned—murder tends to spoil the appetite—it’s up to feisty redheaded Siobhán to solve the crime and save her beloved brood. “Kicks off a new series in splendid fashion! If you love cozy mysteries and traveling, then give Murder in an Irish Village a try. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into Ireland as you turn the pages.”—Fresh Fiction   “A smart whodunnit in an idyllic locale. I dare you not to be charmed by sleuth Siobhán and her siblings, the O’Sullivan Six.”—Barbara Ross, author of A Maine Clambake Mystery Series “A delightful, funny, fast-paced romp of a book.” — Isis Crawford, author of A Mystery with Recipes Series



Nick Pirog - Jungle Up artwork Jungle Up
Nick Pirog
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $0.99
Publish Date: April 27, 2021
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Seller: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

“Please find me, Thomas! Please!” Two years ago, Dr. Gina Brady broke Thomas Prescott’s heart, but now her panic-stricken satellite phone call starts it beating again with a fury. Thugs kidnapped the good doctor from the remote jungle village where she was working, and now the retired homicide detective’s expert skills are desperately needed to save her. Led by a colorful, but perhaps untrustworthy local guide, Prescott journeys deep into the Bolivian Amazon, plunging into a world where the only thing more dangerous than the gun-toting drug traffickers and the ruthless tribesmen, is the jungle itself. When Gina’s trail leads to a chance encounter with an archaeological expedition, the search for the missing doctor takes on even deadlier consequences. But Prescott will not relent in this punishing quest until, once again, he holds Gina in his arms. The books in The Thomas Prescott Series can be enjoyed in any order, so grab Jungle Up and get started today.



Liz Nugent - Lying in Wait artwork Lying in Wait
Liz Nugent
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $2.99
Publish Date: November 27, 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Seller: Simon & Schuster Canada

The second heartstopping suspense novel by international bestselling author Liz Nugent—filled with dark secrets, twisted relationships, and unexpected surprises. My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it. In 1980s Dublin, Lydia Fitzsimons seems to have the perfect life—wife of Andrew, a respected judge, and mistress of Avalon, the beautiful house where she grew up. Her pride and joy, however, is her only child, her son Laurence, to whom she is utterly, obsessively devoted. But her husband's murder of Annie Doyle, accidental or not, sets into motion a dark downward spiral. No one knows what Lydia and Andrew were doing with a drug-addled prostitute late at night on a deserted stretch of the strand near Dublin, but they stuffed her body into the trunk of their car and buried it in their tidy suburban garden, hoping that will put the matter to rest. Annie was a junkie from the wrong side of the tracks; surely no one will miss her or care to find out what happened to her. Except that Annie has a sister. Her twin, Karen, who has fared much better in life, is desperate to find her. And when Karen crosses paths with Laurence, isolated and lonely, things begin to unravel. Laurence may be overweight and ungainly and bullied at school, but he's more clever than he's given credit for. He knows that something is very, very wrong in the Fitzsimons household—and he is determined to discover the truth...



B A Paris - The Therapist artwork The Therapist
A Novel
B A Paris
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $14.99
Publish Date: July 13, 2021
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group
Seller: Macmillan

The multimillion-copy New York Times bestselling author B.A. Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in The Therapist — a powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret. When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive… As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before. Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…



Chrystine Brouillet - Sa parole contre la mienne artwork Sa parole contre la mienne
Chrystine Brouillet
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $16.99
Publish Date: July 14, 2021
Publisher: Éditions Druide
Seller: De Marque, Inc.

Myriam est une jeune journaliste assoiffée de justice. Déterminée à révéler au grand jour les agressions sexuelles commises par un animateur vedette dont a été victime l’une de ses amies, elle se lance à la recherche d’autres femmes ayant subi le même sort. Mais en s’intéressant d’un peu trop près au passé et à l’entourage de cet homme, elle découvre de terribles vérités qui la plongent au coeur d’une enquête d’une ampleur inimaginable, dans laquelle se mêlent jeux de pouvoir, liens inavouables, trahisons, abus et meurtres. Avec l’aide d’un policier aussi tenace qu’elle, Myriam tente par tous les moyens de lever le voile sur ces crimes et, surtout, d’épingler les responsables.



Bill Napier - Nemesis artwork Nemesis
Bill Napier
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $0.99
Publish Date: November 06, 2017
Publisher: Canelo
Seller: Canelo Digital Publishing Limited

Five days to save the world. A shocking CIA report confirms Russia has deflected an asteroid on to a collision course with the United States. An elite team of the world’s top astronomers have five days to identify the asteroid – codename Nemesis – and stop it. If they fail, the President will retaliate with a massive nuclear strike. But with time running out, British asteroid expert Oliver Webb discovers that its course was once predicted in an obscure seventeenth-century manuscript, the only copy of which has gone mysteriously missing… Nemesis is an ingenious and utterly gripping thriller, perfect for fans of Dan Brown, Scott Mariani and Andy McDermott. Praise for Nemesis 'The most exciting book I have ever read' Arthur C. Clarke ‘Outrageously exciting' Literary Review ‘Excellent’ New Scientist



Emily Kimelman - Fatal Breach artwork Fatal Breach
Emily Kimelman
Genre: Women Sleuths
Price: $8.99
Publish Date: April 08, 2021
Publisher: Emily Kimelman
Seller: Emily Kimelman

I am desperate for freedom, for peace, and for justice. As I leave captivity and step into the bright sun-filled day, a wave of relief washes over me. I am not free yet, though. Walking between barbed wire topped walls toward the exit gate, I breathe in fresh air, preparing for the next challenge. An enemy posing as a lover waits for me. I will evade him, though. Robert Maxim meets me at the prison gate, his smile predatory and victorious. I blank my mind. If I think about my plan, Robert will see it on my face. He expects me to do something—it's part of the fun for him. Is this fun for me, too? His hand cups my upper arm as he bends to brush a kiss against my cheek. Robert’s scent engulfs me: low notes of sandalwood and fine leather balanced by a sharp tang of cold metal. "You look lovely," Robert says. I'm wearing lightweight black cargo pants, unbuttoned to make room for my growing pregnancy, and tucked into my boots which are laced tight at my ankles—they keep spiders out when in the jungle. Under the parka that Special Agent Consuela Sanchez gave me when we flew back to the States all I have on is a thin tank top. It's cold here in DC, not so much in Costa Rica. Robert is wearing a camel hair overcoat a few shades yellower than the copper in his beard. The collar is pulled up and his cheeks are tinged pink from the cold. A soft wind plays with his dark hair gone silver at the temples. Behind Robert, a black SUV with tinted windows idles. Brock, his head of personal security opens the back door. Brock is big and broad with weathered skin the color of brushed brass. His dark coat captures the sunlight, seeming to hide it somewhere it will never be found. "Good to have you back, Ms. Rye," Brock says as I get into the back seat. "Thanks, Brock. It's good to be back." Robert joins me. "Where are we going?" I ask. "To my apartment?" Robert smiles. "Yes." When Robert faked his own death he really went the extra mile by leaving me most of his worldly possessions, including his apartment in Washington DC. Now that he is forcing me to marry him to avoid prosecution—a husband can choose not to testify against his wife—he'll be getting his wealth back. "I may need you to sign a prenup," I say. "You realize I'm a very wealthy woman." Robert laughs as we merge onto the highway. "Your wish is my command." "Yeah, right," I grumble, looking out the window. The industrial area we're leaving slides by in a smear of speed. Robert captures my hand, pulling it into his lap. "Sydney," his voice is serious and I turn to look at him. "I recognize this isn't what you wanted." I huff a laugh. "You're so observant Robert, was it the threat of giving birth in prison, or just the regular old forcing me to marry you?" I hold my chin with my free hand, pretending to be really thinking. "I wonder if I'm being triggered by the fact that you're treating me like an object rather than a person." "Sydney," his voice is lower now, a warning. I have to look away to keep the thoughts bubbling up in my mind hidden from him. You will learn that I am not an object. Only a thinking, feeling, sentient being can ruin you the way I plan to. P.S. The dog does not die. **Beware: If you can’t handle a few f-bombs, you can’t handle this series.**



Arthur T. Bradley - Process of Elimination artwork Process of Elimination
A Thriller
Arthur T. Bradley
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $1.99
Publish Date: September 01, 2012
Publisher: Skyhorse
Seller: Simon & Schuster Canada

A powerful international organization wants to tip the balance of global power by infiltrating the White House. At the direction of its mastermind, alias Pecos Bill, presidential candidates have become unwitting targets of a world-class sharpshooter. A martial arts expert, a greedy corporate attorney, and a self-proclaimed conspiracy theorist form a shaky alliance initially intent on solving a missing persons case, only to get caught up in a bigger political plot in which they must uncover the assassin’s identity before he can claim his next victim. Together, they race across the country, desperately trying to piece together an intricate puzzle of murder, deception, and betrayal through a mire of passion, behind-the-scenes deals, and false identities. Along the way, they encounter corrupt government agents, Secret Service cover-ups, and a high-speed car chase. Only as bodies begin to pile up do the protagonists realize that the killer may be in their very midst, and that they must dig into each other’s pasts to stop the deadly chain of events that has them in its crosshairs. In the tradition of Ludlum’s Bourne series and James Patterson thrillers, Bradley’s debut novel will leave you breathless and eager for more with every twist and turn.



John Grisham - A Time for Mercy artwork A Time for Mercy
John Grisham
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $9.99
Publish Date: October 13, 2020
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

Jake Brigance is back! The hero of A Time to Kill, one of the most popular novels of our time, returns in a courtroom drama that The New York Times says is "riveting" and "suspenseful."     Clanton, Mississippi. 1990. Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a deeply divisive trial when the court appoints him attorney for Drew Gamble, a timid sixteen-year-old boy accused of murdering a local deputy. Many in Clanton want a swift trial and the death penalty, but Brigance digs in and discovers that there is more to the story than meets the eye. Jake’s fierce commitment to saving Drew from the gas chamber puts his career, his financial security, and the safety of his family on the line.   In what may be the most personal and accomplished legal thriller of John Grisham’s storied career, we deepen our acquaintance with the iconic Southern town of Clanton and the vivid cast of characters that so many readers know and cherish. The result is a richly rewarding novel that is both timely and timeless, full of wit, drama, and—most of all—heart.   Bursting with all the courthouse scheming, small-town intrigue, and stunning plot twists that have become the hallmarks of the master of the legal thriller,  A Time for Mercy is John Grisham’s most powerful courtroom drama yet.   There is a time to kill and a time for justice. Now comes A Time for Mercy .



Louise Penny - A Better Man artwork A Better Man
A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
Louise Penny
Genre: British Detectives
Price: $2.99
Publish Date: August 27, 2019
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group
Seller: Macmillan

“‘A Better Man,' with its mix of meteorological suspense, psychological insight and criminal pursuit, is arguably the best book yet in an outstanding, original oeuvre.” —Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal "Enchanting... one of his most ennobling missions." —Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review Catastrophic spring flooding, blistering attacks in the media, and a mysterious disappearance greet Chief Inspector Armand Gamache as he returns to the Sûreté du Québec in the latest novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny. It’s Gamache’s first day back as head of the homicide department, a job he temporarily shares with his previous second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Flood waters are rising across the province. In the middle of the turmoil a father approaches Gamache, pleading for help in finding his daughter. As crisis piles upon crisis, Gamache tries to hold off the encroaching chaos, and realizes the search for Vivienne Godin should be abandoned. But with a daughter of his own, he finds himself developing a profound, and perhaps unwise, empathy for her distraught father. Increasingly hounded by the question, how would you feel …, he resumes the search. As the rivers rise, and the social media onslaught against Gamache becomes crueler, a body is discovered. And in the tumult, mistakes are made. In the next novel in this “constantly surprising series that deepens and darkens as it evolves” ( New York Times Book Review ), Gamache must face a horrific possibility, and a burning question. What would you do if your child’s killer walked free?



Megan Miranda - Such a Quiet Place artwork Such a Quiet Place
A Novel
Megan Miranda
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Price: $17.99
Publish Date: July 13, 2021
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Seller: Simon & Schuster Canada

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guest —a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection—comes a new riveting suspense novel about a mysterious murder in an idyllic and close-knit neighborhood. Welcome to Hollow’s Edge, where you can find secrets, scandal, and a suspected killer—all on one street. Hollow’s Edge used to be a quiet place. A private and idyllic neighborhood where neighbors dropped in on neighbors, celebrated graduation and holiday parties together, and looked out for one another. But then came the murder of Brandon and Fiona Truett. A year and a half later, Hollow’s Edge is simmering. The residents are trapped, unable to sell their homes, confronted daily by the empty Truett house, and suffocated by their trial testimonies that implicated one of their own. Ruby Fletcher. And now, Ruby’s back. With her conviction overturned, Ruby waltzes right back to Hollow’s Edge, and into the home she once shared with Harper Nash. Harper, five years older, has always treated Ruby like a wayward younger sister. But now she’s terrified. What possible good could come of Ruby returning to the scene of the crime? And how can she possibly turn her away, when she knows Ruby has nowhere to go? Within days, suspicion spreads like a virus across Hollow’s Edge. It’s increasingly clear that not everyone told the truth about the night of the Truetts’ murders. And when Harper begins receiving threatening notes, she realizes she has to uncover the truth before someone else becomes the killer’s next victim. Pulsating with suspense and with the shocking twists that are Megan Miranda’s trademark, Such a Quiet Place is Megan Miranda’s best novel yet—a twisty locked-box thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night.



Henning Mankell & Ebba Segerberg - The Pyramid artwork The Pyramid
And Four Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries
Henning Mankell & Ebba Segerberg
Genre: Police Procedural
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: September 23, 2008
Publisher: The New Press
Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC

The story of the Swedish detective’s beginnings, told in five gripping short mysteries: “An indispensable chapter to the saga” ( Booklist Online ).   Here are the stories that trace, chronologically, Kurt Wallander’s growth from a rookie cop into a young father and then a middle-aged divorcé, illuminating how he became a first-rate detective and highlighting new facets of the character who “remains one of the most impressive and credible creations of crime fiction today” ( The Guardian ).   “Wallander’s First Case” introduces us to the twenty-one-year-old patrolman on his first homicide case: his next-door neighbor, seemingly dead by his own hand. In “The Man with the Mask”, Wallander is a young father confronting an unexpected threat on Christmas Eve. On the brink of middle age, he is troubled by a distant wife as he unravels the poisoning of a lonely vacationer in “The Man on the Beach.” Newly separated in “The Death of the Photographer,” Wallander investigates the brutal murder—and the well-concealed secrets—of the local studio photographer. In the title story, he is a veteran detective uncovering unexpected connections between a downed mystery plane and the assassination of a pair of elderly sisters.   Written from the unique perspective of an author looking back on the life of his own character, these mysteries are vintage Henning Mankell and essential reading for fans of the fiction series or the BBC program Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh. The Pyramid is a wonderful display of Mankell’s virtuosity powers as “the unrivalled master of Swedish crime fiction and one of the finest practitioners of the genre anywhere” ( Toronto Star ).



Linda Castillo - Fallen artwork Fallen
A Novel of Suspense
Linda Castillo
Genre: Police Procedural
Price: $14.99
Publish Date: July 06, 2021
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group
Seller: Macmillan

In New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo’s new thriller Fallen , a rebellious Amish woman leaves the Plain life, but the secrets she takes with her will lead Chief of Police Kate Burkholder down a dark path to danger and death. When a young woman is found murdered in a Painters Mill motel, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is shocked to discover she once knew the victim. Rachael Schwartz was a charming but troubled Amish girl who left the fold years ago and fled Painters Mill. Why was she back in town? And who would kill her so brutally? Kate remembers Rachael as the only girl who was as bad at being Amish as Kate was—and those parallels dog her. But the more Kate learns about Rachael's life, the more she's convinced that her dubious reputation was deserved. As a child, Rachael was a rowdy rulebreaker whose decision to leave devastated her parents and best friend. As an adult, she was charismatic and beautiful, a rabble-rouser with a keen eye for opportunity no matter who got in her way. Her no-holds-barred lifestyle earned her a lot of love and enemies aplenty—both English and Amish. As the case heats to a fever pitch and long-buried secrets resurface, a killer haunts Painters Mill. Someone doesn’t want Rachael’s past—or the mysteries she took with her to the grave—coming to light. As Kate digs deeper, violence strikes again, this time hitting close to home. Will Kate uncover the truth and bring a murderer to justice? Or will a killer bent on protecting a terrible past stop her once and for all—and let the fallen be forgotten?