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The Best Mystery & Thriller Books: Excerpts from New and Upcoming Titles from the Best Mystery and Thriller Authors in the Genre
by Laura Lippman Peter Robinson Charles Todd Tim Dorsey Deborah Crombie Hallie Ephron Urban Waite Jennifer Mcmahon Lisa BallantyneNew York Times bestselling author and one of the most acclaimed novelists in America today, Laura Lippman, presents The Best Mystery & Thriller eBooks. The perfect download to break in your new device, this free sampler is a curated volume of excerpts from new and upcoming titles from the best Mystery & Thriller authors in the genre. It also includes an excerpt from Laura Lippman's latest novel And When She Was Good and the three bonus short stories that inspired this novel, as well as some insight into the world of Laura Lippman.The Best Mystery & Thriller eBooks includes:An Introduction from Laura LippmanAnd excerpts from:Watching the Dark by Peter RobinsonProof of Guilt by Charles ToddThe Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah CrombieThe Riptide Ultra-Glide by Tim DorseyThe Carrion Birds by Urban WaiteThere Was An Old Woman by Hallie EphronThe One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahonThe Guilty One by Lisa BallantyneAnd When She Was Good by Laura LippmanThree Shorts Stories: Scratch a Woman; One True Love; Form 95 by Laura Lippman
The Best Of Enemies
by Taylor SmithA tranquil New England town is rocked to its core when a young college co-ed is linked to a devastating crime and then goes missing. Innocent or guilty, someone thinks she knows too much. One woman, who believes in the girl's innocence, is determined to find her before she's silenced--forever.
The Best Revenge (Alan Gregory Series #11)
by Stephen WhiteThirteen years ago, Tom Clone was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of Ivy Campbell. Then the chance discovery of the murder weapon - and the subsequent DNA tests - proved what Tom had claimed from day on: someone else killed Ivy. Arriving in Boulder, Colorado, to stay with his grandfather, Tom turns to clinical psychologist Alan Gregory to help him readjust to life outside prison. But psychological support isn't the only help Tom needs: the policemen who put Tom away make sure he knows they think he is still guilty; then his grandfather is attacked. And then, mysteriously, Tom disappears . . . Alan's unravelling of the truth becomes a desperate race against time in the treacherous Colorado mountains. For what he discovers is the dark chaos of a disturbing past, the twisted logic of a tormented mind, and a thirst for revenge that knows no bounds . . .
The Best Revenge (Jonas Merrick series)
by Gerald SeymourOn the Mongolian steppes a general in the People's Liberation Army stakes his career, and his life, on a GPS-free missile guidance system that will change the balance of power on the battlefield.In Bath a young Chinese woman has secured the affections of a young brainiac working on that very problem.In Leamington Spa a deep cover operative has given himself away.And in London Jonas Merrick watches all, assessing, planning. A moment, perhaps, for him to strike a blow to China's espionage network in the UK.One thing he does not see, however, is in Moscow. An order given: 'bring me his head'. Tautly plotted and frighteningly authentic The Best Revenge cements Jonas Merrick as one of the great figures of modern spy fiction.
The Best Revenge (Jonas Merrick series)
by Gerald SeymourOn the Mongolian steppes a general in the People's Liberation Army stakes his career, and his life, on a GPS-free missile guidance system that will change the balance of power on the battlefield.In Bath a young Chinese woman has secured the affections of a young brainiac working on that very problem.In Leamington Spa a deep cover operative has given himself away.And in London Jonas Merrick watches all, assessing, planning. A moment, perhaps, for him to strike a blow to China's espionage network in the UK.One thing he does not see, however, is in Moscow. An order given: 'bring me his head'. Tautly plotted and frighteningly authentic The Best Revenge cements Jonas Merrick as one of the great figures of modern spy fiction.
The Best Spy Fiction From the War Era (5-Books-in-1): 100 YEARS OF WORLD WAR I
by Hachette IndiaTimeless stories of adventure and daring. Thrilling reads. Addictive page-turners. The original bestsellers, now classics in their own right. The most popular fiction down the ages brought back as limited edition collectibles in the Hachette Retro Revival series, published in livery that is contemporary in appeal but is at once emphatically reminiscent of the 'yellowbacks' that most of the series was originally published as.
The Best Stories of Arsène Lupin
by Maurice LeblancBased on the popular Netflix series! In the early 20th century, esteemed writer Maurice Leblanc created Arsène Lupin, a French Sherlock Holmes-type who became known as the gentleman thief. Lupin's exploits, in pursuit of the rich, have been documented in more than twenty stories and books, as well as in film. In January 2021, Netflix released a major hit in the entertaining Lupin mystery-comedy series based on the stories.The Best Stories of Arsène Lupin is a collection of the most engaging of Leblanc's writing about Lupin, with a special foreword by West Point associate professor of English and writer Matthew Carey Salyer.
The Best Supernatural Tales of Arthur Conan Doyle
by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleHow often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. -- Sherlock HolmesWhen Holmes wearied of mundane Victorian reality, he reached for the cocaine; his creator Doyle reached beyond reality, to the occult mystery world as real to him as a hansom cab--so real that it became part of his fiction. It is no surprise that in the year "A Study in Scarlet" appeared (1887), this versatile writer was reading seriously in spiritualism, attending séances, and had already written some of the thrilling tales in this book. The Best Supernatural Tales of Arthur Conan Doyle gathers together for the first time in an American edition the fifteen finest short stories in this genre by the master storyteller. Relative to his vast literary output, Doyle wrote comparatively few stories dealing specifically with spiritualism, Egyptian magic, psychometry, and other occult domains he knew so thoroughly -- and these scattered stories, skeptically dismissed or simply buried beneath the mass of his detective, historical, sports, medical, and other pieces, have yet to receive their due as superior or typical examples of his narrative power. The polymath Doyle has recourse to many twilit borderline realms of the beyond in these stories which appeared in various periodicals from 1880 to 1921. "The Bully of Brocas Court" gives a new slant to the Victorian ghost story in one of Doyle's favorite settings, the world of boxing. "The Captain of the Polestar" recalls the weird northern backdrop of the author's whaling adventures; "The Brown Hand" deals in body-soul bondage with a touch of the East. Two hackle-raising histories, "Lot No. 249" and "The Ring of Thoth," depend on the riddle of Egyptian mummy lore; "The Leather Funnel" and "The Silver Hatchet" involve psychometry, a material object's retention of an aura or memory of its past, which a sensitive being can "replay" through dreams. And then there is "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement," Doyle's speculative solution to the Marie Celeste conundrum, which was vehemently denounced when published (anonymously) because it seemed so true and so terrible. Doyle readers, students of the occult, and anyone who loves an imaginative tale will wish to experience, through these obscure, rarely reprinted stories, what was personally so close to their author.
The Best Tales of Hoffmann
by E. T. HoffmannE. T. A. Hoffmann (1776-1822) was perhaps one of the two or three greatest of all writers of fantasy. His wonderful tales, translated into many languages and adapted into numerous stage works, have delighted readers for a century and a half. They open our eyes to an extraordinary world of fantasy, poetry, and the supernatural. Remarkable characters come vividly to life. With exciting speed, Hoffmann moves from the firm ground of reality to ambiguity, mystery, and romance. His imaginativeness is unsurpassed, and his handling of allegory, symbolism, and mysticism is unusually skillful. These qualities make his tales some of the most stimulating and enjoyable in the world's literature. They can be read on many levels of enjoyment; as exciting fiction brilliantly told, as a fascinating statement of many of the major concerns of the Romantic era, and as a culmination of German Romantic literature. This collection contains ten of his best tales: "The Golden Flower Pot," "Automata," "A New Year's Eve Adventure," "Nutcracker and the King of Mice," "The Sand-Man," "Rath Krespel," "Tobias Martin, Master Cooper, and His Men," "The Mines of Falun," "Signor Formica," and "The King's Betrothed."
The Best Way to Bury Your Husband: A Novel
by Alexia CasaleA dark comedy about four women coming together to heal the damage their husbands have done––and hide their bodies once they&’ve killed themWhen Sally kills her husband with a cast-iron skillet, she&’s more fearful of losing her kids than of disposing of a fresh corpse. That just wouldn&’t be fair—not after twenty years of marriage to a truly terrible man. But Sally isn&’t the only woman in town reaching the brink. Soon, Sally finds herself leading an extremely unusual self-help group, and among them there are four bodies to hide. Can they all figure out the perfect way to bury their husbands . . . and get away with it?First to join is former nurse, Ruth, who met her husband as a single mom. Now her son is grown and her husband&’s violence builds by the day until an attack on the stairs leads to a fatal accident—for him. A few doors down, Samira&’s last straw comes when she discovers her husband is planning a campaign of violence against her eldest daughter, who has just come out. Janey, Sally&’s best friend, has just had her first child at forty-two. Sleep-deprived Janey needs a hero to slay the monster in the fairy tales she whispers to her daughter each night . . . and as her husband&’s violence escalates, it might just be her.Together, fueled by righteous anger but tempered by a moral core, the four women must help each other work out a plan to get rid of their husbands for good. Along the way, Sally, Ruth, Samira and Janey rediscover old joys and embark on new passions in work, education, and life. Friendship and laughter really are the best medicine—and so is getting away with murder.
The Best of Enemies
by Jen LancasterJacqueline Jordan knows conflict. A fearless journalist, she's spent the past decade embedded in the world's hot spots, writing about the fall of nations and the rise of despots. But if you were to inquire about who topped Jack's enemy list, she'd not hesitate to answer: Kitty Carricoe. <P><P>Kitty reigns supreme over the world of carpools and minivans. A SAHM, she spends her days caring for her dentist husband and three towheaded children, running the PTA, and hiding vegetables in deceptively delicious packed lunches. Kitty and Jack haven't a single thing in common--except for Sarabeth Chandler, their mutual bestie. Sarabeth and Jack can be tomboys with the best of them, while Sarabeth can get her girly-girl on with Kitty. In fact, the three of them were college friends until the notorious frat party incident, when Jack accidentally hooked up with Kitty's boyfriend... <P>Yet both women drop everything and rush to Sarabeth's side when they get the call that her fabulously wealthy husband has perished in a suspicious plane crash. To solve the mystery surrounding his death, Jack and Kitty must bury the hatchet and hit the road for a trip that just may bring them together--if it doesn't kill them first.From the Hardcover edition.
The Best of Evil (An Aramis Black Mystery #1)
by Eric Wilson"Spare your soul," he ranted, "and turn your eyes from greed...."The tattoos on his arms still reading "Live by the Sword" and "Die by the Sword," Aramis Black is ready for a fresh start. Determined to set aside his violent tendencies, he opens an espresso shop in Nashville and begins to put his childhood memories behind him. The past isn't finished with him, though. One ordinary day at the shop, a man is shot before his eyes, speaking dying words to Aramis that are all too familiar.Aramis realizes that his path to freedom will demand forgiveness-forgiveness from God and forgiveness of others. Along the way, he must uncover the conspiracy behind a centuries-old mystery and the shocking truth of his mother's death. The question remains: Will Aramis be able to conquer his past, or will evil get the best of him?From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Best of Father Brown
by G. K. Chesterton H. R. F. KeatingThis book is a collection of some interesting murder mysteries which are solved by a Roman Catholic priest named Father Brown.
The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre
by Robert BlochLovecraft is "the American writer of the twentieth century most frequently compared with Poe, in the quality of his art ... [and] its thematic preoccupations (the obsessive depiction of psychic disintegration in the face of cosmic horror)."
The Best of Jules de Grandin: 20 Classic Occult Detective Stories
by Seabury QuinnA collection of the 20 greatest tales of Jules de Grandin, the supernatural detective made famous in the classic pulp magazine Weird Tales. Today the names of H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, August Derleth, and Clark Ashton Smith, all regular contributors to the pulp magazine Weird Tales during the first half of the twentieth century, are recognizable even to casual readers of the bizarre and fantastic. And yet despite being more popular than them all during the golden era of genre pulp fiction, there is another author whose name and work have fallen into obscurity: Seabury Quinn. Quinn&’s short stories were featured in well more than half of Weird Tales’s original publication run. His most famous character, the supernatural French detective Dr. Jules de Grandin, investigated cases involving monsters, devil worshippers, serial killers, and spirits from beyond the grave, often set in the small town of Harrisonville, New Jersey. In de Grandin there are familiar shades of both Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, and alongside his assistant, Dr. Samuel Trowbridge, de Grandin’s knack for solving mysteries—and his outbursts of peculiar French-isms (grand Dieu!)—captivated readers for nearly three decades. The Best of Jules de Grandin, edited by George Vanderburgh, presents twenty of the greatest published works featuring the supernatural detective. Presented in chronological order with stories from the 1920s through the 1940s, this collection contains the most incredible of Jules de Grandin's many awe-inspiring adventures.
The Best of Lupin: Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief (Vintage Classics)
by Maurice LeblancA selection of classic stories featuring France's answer to Sherlock Holmes: a brilliant master criminal with a mischievous sense of humor—now the inspiration for the major streaming series Lupin.Arsène Lupin is a gentleman and a thief, a world-famous master of disguise and a planner of elaborate heists. His exploits are regularly splashed across newspaper pages, entertaining all of France as Inspector Ganimard of the Paris Police fruitlessly pursues him. Lupin often turns detective himself when it suits him, solving puzzles that have stumped the experts, and occasionally he even matches wits with his rival from England, &“Herlock Sholmes.&”A bane to the powerful and generous to the powerless, Lupin is exceedingly witty, marvelously clever, and always a gentleman. The twenty-two delightful stories in The Best of Lupin, drawn from five collections published nearly a century ago by Maurice Leblanc, have stood the test of time and are ripe for rediscovery.
The Best of Me: Booktrack Edition
by Nicholas SparksIn this #1 New York Times bestselling novel of first love and second chances, former high school sweethearts confront the painful truths of their past to build a promising future—together."Everyone wanted to believe that endless love was possible. She'd believed in it once, too, back when she was eighteen."In the spring of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in their small town in North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart, setting them on radically divergent paths.Now, twenty-five years later, Amanda and Dawson are summoned back home for the funeral of Tuck Hostetler, the mentor who once gave shelter to their high school romance. Neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever changed their lives. As Amanda and Dawson carry out the instructions Tuck left behind for them, they realize that everything they thought they knew—about Tuck, about themselves, and about the dreams they held dear—was not as it seemed.Forced to confront painful memories, the former lovers will discover undeniable truths about the choices they have made. And in the course of a single, searing weekend, they will ask of the living, and the dead: Can love truly rewrite the past?
The Best of Trevor Scott
by Trevor ScottThe BEST of Trevor Scott, inlcuding the Jake Adams adventures Fatal Network and Lethal Froce, the Chad Hunter thriller Hypershot, the Tony Caruso mystery Burst of Sound, and the best selling novella Fractured State.
The Best of the Best American Mystery Stories: The First Ten Years (The Best American Series)
by Otto PenzlerTwenty great whodunnits from the first decade of this series, edited by the award-winning editor and founder of the Mysterious Press. This anthology collects the top twenty stories from the first decade (1997–2006) of The Best American Mystery Stories, selected and introduced by Otto Penzler. Contributors include Russell Banks, Jeffrey Deaver, Louise Erdrich, Brendan DuBois, Dennis Lehane, Elmore Leonard, Lou Manfredo, Ed McBain, Joyce Carol Oates, Scott Turow, and many others.
The Best of the Destroyer (The New Destroyer)
by Warren Murphy Richard SapirJump into the golden age of the Destroyer series with three novels handpicked by co-creator and co-author Warren Murphy, featuring Remo Williams and Chiun.The Destroyer: Chinese PuzzleThe US President calls upon the service of Remo and Chiun to smash an Asian conspiracy that could lead to a US-China confrontation . . . if the superhuman weapon of destruction fails, it could mean the end of the USA.The Destroyer: Slave SafariThere is a secret only Chiun knows. America has committed a sin against him he cannot pardon—and he will not even share it with Remo Williams, the Destroyer, whom he has taught all his skills and loves as a son. Deep in Africa, countless feuds that have blazed for many centuries are quickly being resolved by death and massacre. A massive conspiracy is unearthed surrounding the centuries-old slave trade, and only Remo can unravel it.The Destroyer: Assassin’s PlayoffAfter a brutal fight in the streets of New Jersey, Remo and Chiun find themselves in battle after battle. Their arch-enemy and fellow assassin, the Maestro of Mayhem known as Nuihc, is hoping to knock out his competition. It all comes to a boil in Chiun’s hometown in North Korea as the Destroyer finds himself in a fight to the death.
The Best-kept Secret (Milan Jacovich Mystery #10)
by Les RobertsMILAN JACOVICH-CLEVELANDS FAVORITE PRIVATE EYE! Everyone has secrets. But college freshman Jason Crowell is especially guarded when an anonymous feminist organization on campus publicly accuses him of date rape. Jason proclaims his innocence but has no idea who the "Women Warriors" are--or even who his supposed victim is. Jason's former high school principal, Reginald Parker, believes in the kid. He asks private investigator Milan Jacovich (it's pronounced MY-lan YOCK-ovich) to uncover the identities of the secret accusers. Milan would prefer to steer clear of this unpleasant case, but Reggie Parker once saved his life (see Deep Shaker), so Milan agrees to investigate. What he finds surprises him--and eventually leads to murder. Milan tangles with Jason's rigid and unfeeling parents, a mean-spirited campus police chief, and an extremely dangerous gang of youths that wants him dead. He quickly finds himself in more trouble than he ever imagined.
The Bestiary
by Nicholas ChristopherFrom Christopher comes a tale that is at once a fantastical historical mystery, a haunting love story, and a glimpse into the uncanny--the quest for a long-lost book detailing the animals left off Noah's Ark. Xeno Atlas grows up in the Bronx, his Sicilian grandmother's strange stories of animal spirits his only escape from the legacy of his mother's early death and his stern father's long absences as a common seaman. Shunted off to an isolated boarding school, with his father's activities abroad and the source of his newfound wealth grown increasingly mysterious, Xeno turns his early fascination with animals into a personal obsession: his search for the Caravan Bestiary. This medieval text, lost for eight hundred years, supposedly details the animals not granted passage on the Ark--griffins, hippogriffs, manticores, and basilisks--the vanished remnants of a lost world sometimes glimpsed in the shadowy recesses of our own. Xeno's quest takes him from the tenements of New York to the jungles of Vietnam to the ancient libraries of Europe--but it is only by riddling out his own family secrets that he can hope to find what he is looking for. A story of panoramic scope and intellectual suspense, The Bestiary is ultimately a tale of heartbreak and redemption.
The Betel Nut Tree Mystery (Crown Colony #2)
by Ovidia Yu'Great protagonist, great setting - this is a delightful book' Morning Star The second novel in Ovidia Yu's delightfully charming crime series set in 1930s Singapore, featuring amateur sleuth Su Lin.What we came to think of as the betel nut affair began in the middle of a tropical thunderstorm in December 1937 . . . Singapore is agog with the news of King Edward VIII's abdication to marry American heiress Wallis Simpson. Chen Su Lin, now Chief Inspector Le Froy's secretarial assistant in Singapore's newly formed detective unit, still dreams of becoming a journalist and hopes to cover the story when the Hon Victor Glossop announces he is marrying an American widow of his own, Mrs Nicole Covington, in the Colony. But things go horribly wrong when Victor Glossop is found dead, his body covered in bizarre symbols and soaked in betel nut juice.The beautiful, highly-strung Nicole claims it's her fault he's dead . . . just like the others. And when investigations into her past reveal a dead lover, as well as a husband, the case against her appears to be stacking up. Begrudgingly on Le Froy's part, Su Lin agrees to chaperon Nicole at the Farquhar Hotel, intending to get the truth out of her somehow. But as she uncovers secrets and further deaths occur, Su Lin realises she may not be able to save Nicole's life - or even her own.'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. This book is exactly why I love historical novels' Rhys Bowen'I really enjoyed this wonderful gem of a book. The diversity and rich history portrayed in the book are what make The Frangipani Tree Mystery a brilliant read. The fact that it's a fusion of crime and historical fiction adds brownie points to the package!' Bookloves Reviews
The Betel Nut Tree Mystery (Crown Colony Ser.)
by Ovidia YuThe second novel in Ovidia Yu's delightfully charming crime series set in 1930s Singapore, featuring amateur sleuth Su Lin.What we came to think of as the betel nut affair began in the middle of a tropical thunderstorm in December 1937 . . . Singapore is agog with the news of King Edward VIII's abdication to marry American heiress Wallis Simson. Chen Su Lin, now Chief Inspector Le Froy's secretarial assistant in Singapore's newly formed detective unit, still dreams of becoming a journalist and hopes to cover the story when the Hon Victor Glossop announces he is marrying an American widow of his own, Mrs Nicole Covington, in the Colony. But things go horribly wrong when Victor Glossop is found dead, his body covered in bizarre symbols and soaked in betel nut juice.The beautiful, highly-strung Nicole claims it's her fault he's dead . . . just like the others. And when investigations into her past reveal a dead lover, as well as a husband, the case against her appears to be stacking up. Begrudgingly on Le Froy's part, Su Lin agrees to chaperon Nicole at the Farquhar Hotel, intending to get the truth out of her somehow. But as she uncovers secrets and further deaths occur, Su Lin realises she may not be able to save Nicole's life - or even her own.'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. This book is exactly why I love historical novels' Rhys Bowen'I really enjoyed this wonderful gem of a book. The diversity and rich history portrayed in the book are what make The Frangipani Tree Mystery a brilliant read. The fact that it's a fusion of crime and historical fiction adds brownie points to the package!' Bookloves Reviews
The Betel Nut Tree Mystery (Crown Colony)
by Ovidia Yu'Great protagonist, great setting - this is a delightful book' Morning Star The second novel in Ovidia Yu's delightfully charming crime series set in 1930s Singapore, featuring amateur sleuth Su Lin.What we came to think of as the betel nut affair began in the middle of a tropical thunderstorm in December 1937 . . . Singapore is agog with the news of King Edward VIII's abdication to marry American heiress Wallis Simpson. Chen Su Lin, now Chief Inspector Le Froy's secretarial assistant in Singapore's newly formed detective unit, still dreams of becoming a journalist and hopes to cover the story when the Hon Victor Glossop announces he is marrying an American widow of his own, Mrs Nicole Covington, in the Colony. But things go horribly wrong when Victor Glossop is found dead, his body covered in bizarre symbols and soaked in betel nut juice.The beautiful, highly-strung Nicole claims it's her fault he's dead . . . just like the others. And when investigations into her past reveal a dead lover, as well as a husband, the case against her appears to be stacking up. Begrudgingly on Le Froy's part, Su Lin agrees to chaperon Nicole at the Farquhar Hotel, intending to get the truth out of her somehow. But as she uncovers secrets and further deaths occur, Su Lin realises she may not be able to save Nicole's life - or even her own.'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. This book is exactly why I love historical novels' Rhys Bowen'I really enjoyed this wonderful gem of a book. The diversity and rich history portrayed in the book are what make The Frangipani Tree Mystery a brilliant read. The fact that it's a fusion of crime and historical fiction adds brownie points to the package!' Bookloves Reviews