Mystery Reads

Featured Book: Maniacal by C. M. Sutter

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Sleepy little North Bend just woke up.
The newly promoted Sergeant Jade Monroe, and her partner, Detective Jack Steele, have just been informed of an unidentified male body found at a local lake. The town is in an uproar. The victim was nearly decapitated, and murder simply doesn’t happen in North Bend.
As more bodies turn up, the single connection between all of the victims becomes clear—it’s Jade, herself.
With each new victim getting one step closer to Jade, time begins to tick away. She must find the person responsible before her loved ones, or herself, are targeted next.

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BODY ON THE SHORE by Diane M. Dickson

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A nameless victim, an elusive killer, and a puzzling case for a detective in a new role

When a body washes up on Crosby Beach in Liverpool Bay, detectives quickly declare foul play. Yet they will struggle to establish the identity of the victim, let alone the killer.

Leading the inquiry on his first murder case, DI Jordan Carr must marshal a somewhat motley team to build a picture of what happened one grim day on the Mersey. Like footprints in the sand, in time the clues will disappear.

With a victim who has clearly concealed her own identity, it will require a journey into Liverpool’s underworld to shake loose the facts.

But once they have their man, the police still need to know why the woman was killed. And answering that question will be DI Carr’s biggest challenge.

BODY ON THE SHORE is the first book in a new mystery series by Diane Dickson. Look out for the second book, BODY BY THE DOCKS, also available FREE with Kindle Unlimited and in paperback. Diane is the author of many crime fiction titles, including the bestselling DI Tanya Miller series set in the Midlands and Oxfordshire.

Targeted Age Group:: 25+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
It was quite simply the figures on Crosby Beach in Antony Gormley's installation, 'Another Place'. I have been there a few times and feel that they are quite haunting, especially when you take into account that they will be left to decay and rot away (probably).

Featured Book: The Secret of Heaven by Felix Alexander

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When investment banker Lazzaro de Medici is found dead, Professor of Biblical Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago Aiden Leonardo is the prime suspect. In possession of an encrypted letter given to him by Lazzaro, Aiden utilizes his extensive knowledge of Scripture to piece together clues that lead to a Lost Bible dating back to the time of Christ.

Hidden within the text is an ancient truth about the most controversial message Jesus left to His disciples. But as Aiden embarks on his quest to unravel the mystery of redemption and faith, a secret organization known only as The Group hunts him down to destroy the Lost Bible and tie up loose ends.

With the help of his fiancé Dr. Miriam Levin—a cultural anthropologist and a professor of historical archaeology in her own right, their friend Nagi, a philologist, religious historian and an eccentric cryptographer, Aiden soon realizes the Lost Bible was written by the only disciple who walked with Jesus and had his gospel omitted from Scripture.

Things are further complicated when a mysterious stranger warns Aiden that possessing the secret of heaven could cost him his life. Pursued by the F.B.I. for the ancient Black market relic and the Chicago PD in connection to the murder of Lazzaro de Medici, Aiden races against the clock to prove his innocence and fulfill his mentor’s dying wish.

Expose the secret of heaven…

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Featured Book: Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster

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Free!
“Perfect…Impossible to put down.” L. Levenson, CBS Legal Correspondent.
A prominent Judge is murdered, and a sixteen year-old girl, Hannah Sheraton, is accused. Only Josie Bates, an attorney with a shameful past, will defend her. But the more Josie digs the more she realizes that politics, privilege, and family connections are a combustible combination that will either free Hannah or destroy them both.

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Featured Book: Last Girls Alive by Jennifer Chase

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Half-buried in the muddy earth and surrounded by puddles of water lies the naked body of a beautiful young girl. Her pale skin looks like porcelain in the early morning light. Her fragile arms bent and crooked like a broken doll.

When Detective Katie Scott is called to the discovery of a young girl buried on the grounds of a former children’s home in Pine Valley, California, she’s hopeful it’s the end to a devastating cold case she’s been working on. No one has seen Candace Harlan since she ran away from Elm Hill Manor five years ago. Her death will be a tragedy, but it will also bring peace to those who miss her most. But the girl in the ground is not Candace.

The victim is almost identical to Candace in every way, but fear grips Katie as she takes in the black ink that decorates the girl’s back—a terrifying message tattooed on her skin after she drew her last breath.

Forcing down traumatic memories of losing her own parents, Katie is certain someone mistook this poor soul for Candace, and that this crumbling home for lost girls is at the heart of this terrible crime. She sets to work digging into the tragic history of the owners who lost so many children of their own and tracking down the last six residents and the staff who cared for them—but no one wants to talk, let alone remember.

The next day, a second girl’s body is found down by the creek at high water, the same words etched into her skin. Katie’s worst fear is confirmed: someone is picking off the last of the Elm Hill girls one by one. But what does the tattoo mean? And what monster would target these innocent girls who have already been through so much?

Katie must dig deep to confront her own fears and protect the vulnerable—but as the body count rises further, will there be anyone left to save?

An absolutely gripping, dark, and totally unputdownable serial killer thriller that will keep you racing through the pages all night long. Fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh will read in one sitting!

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Featured Book: Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster

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Download FREE! A prominent judge is dead, a sixteen year old girl is accused, and only one woman, Josie Bates, is willing to risk her reputation to defend the girl. But when wealth, power, and privilege join forces to stop her, it’s more than Josie’s reputation on the line…it’s her life. Inspired by one of the first trials where a child was tried as an adult, Hostile Witness has kept over 3 million readers up all night.

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Featured Book: Bushranger Gold by David Cairns of Finavon

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In 1853, Australia was rocked by the robbery of £6,000 of gold from an escorted shipment on a country road heading from the McIvor gold fields to Melbourne, Within days, 400 men were searching the bush for the audacious bushrangers who numbered between 6 and 15 depending on who was telling the story. Despite aboriginal trackers and extensive searches, they could not be found. The full weight of the constabulary was thrown behind the case and a round up of possible suspects began. The leader was a man by the name of Joe Grey. He disappeared and was never heard of again. Or was he? The ship that some of the bushrangers intended to use to escape to London left Melbourne and was never seen again. Mystery upon mystery. And then there is the involvement of one of Australia’s most famous bushrangers, Frank Gardiner.
This is a fast-paced story of a daring robbery in the rumbustious times of the Victorian gold rush and what happened next.

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Welcome to Mystery Reads

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Looking for your next great mystery? We are here to help you find it. From sleuths to suspense and even romance, we are looking for the best mystery books for you to read. Come join our newsletter to stay on top of our latest finds and maybe even win a book!

Let us know your favorite Mystery genre and what you would like to see on our site.

Featured Book: The Hated by Walter Marks

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About Featured Book: The Hated by Walter Marks

THE HATED (original price 2.99) is offered free from May 10 through May 14, 2021.

A dead body is discovered sitting on a lifeguard chair at an East Hampton beach. Across the victim’s forehead, scrawled with a felt pen, are the numbers 6-8-8-6. This mysterious clue leads Detective Jericho into the subculture of Hate, where violent crimes are committed with impunity, vicious gangs and secret organizations flourish, and disloyalty is punished by death. Has the murdered man fallen victim to these racist hate mongers? Or is something even more sinister at work?

This Mystery book is available in these Formats: eBook

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Featured Book: The Third Call by Lorhainne Eckhart

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About Featured Book: The Third Call by Lorhainne Eckhart

Romance and suspense collide in this pulse-pounding read!

“This story is one that will stick with me for quite awhile. It is raw, gritty and the stuff of nightmares for those who are parents or part of a close knit family like the Friessens.” (Rebmay)

When dispatcher Charlotte Roy passes along a call to bad-boy deputy Marcus O’Connell, they learn a six-year-old child is in danger. Can they save the girl from a desperate situation?

This Mystery book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print, Audiobook

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Featured Book: BEFORE: Jared’s Story by GINA DETWILER

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About Featured Book: BEFORE: Jared’s Story by GINA DETWILER

PREQUEL TO THE FORLORN SERIES — Before Jared met Grace, he’d gone on a perilous journey of discovering who—or what—he was. Why did he never seem to age? Why could he do things other people couldn’t? And who were the shadow people that hounded him? From the circus tents of France to the Canadian prairie, Jared comes to terms with himself and learns the truth about what he will ultimately become.

This Christian Focused book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print

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Featured Book: The Neighbor by Lorhainne Eckhart

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About Featured Book: The Neighbor by Lorhainne Eckhart

Park ranger Ryan is shocked when Jenny, a one-night stand from years ago, moves to his Montana town with her troublesome daughter, Alison. But he can’t resist the pull he feels toward her — especially once Alison goes missing and the truth about her daughter’s real identity comes out…

This Romance book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print, Audiobook

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Featured Book: THE LATE MR. CARY A 1920s Mystery by Michael Campeta

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About Featured Book: THE LATE MR. CARY A 1920s Mystery by Michael Campeta

Of all times to travel to upstate New York, Megan Cary told herself as she hurried into Grand Central Station, it was at the height of a blizzard.
It is January 1928. Megan Cary, a young and stylish librarian, is on her way to the state library conference. On the train, Meg meets Janet Faraday who confides that she killed her son’s father six years earlier—and got away with it.
With her marriage crumbling, Meg can no longer tolerate her husband Adam’s moodiness and philandering. She harbored thoughts of divorce but murder?
During a family visit, Adam mysteriously dies. Meg finds a suicide note and the police want to quickly close the case. So does Adam’s mother Helen, the stern matriarch of the family. Skeptical that Adam would kill himself, Meg hires a private detective whose investigation ultimately unravels family secrets as a series of surprising deaths occur over two cold and snowy weeks in Albany.
Janet falls under a trolley and is killed. Yet a witness claims she saw someone push Janet to her death. Then comes the abrupt death of Helen’s maid. Soon after, a neighborhood busybody, who was present at the time of Adam’s death, falls down her cellar stairs and dies. Meg wonders if these deaths could somehow be related.
THE LATE MR. CARY is a classic mystery set in the stately home of an upper crust family in Albany, New York during the 1920s, bringing the 1920s to life—amidst a parade of death!

This Mystery book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print

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In The Beginning, There Was a Murder by P.C. James

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In The Beginning, There Was a Murder by P.C. James

A secret liaison. A violent murder. Can one woman solve the crime without joining the body count?
Northern England, 1953. Pauline Riddell has grand ambitions for her future at the armament factory. So, when her closest workmate reveals a salacious affair with a married man, Pauline refuses to risk her career by listening to the scandal. But she’s shaken to her core when the police arrive with news of her best friend’s homicide.
Desperate for justice, Pauline’s insistent poking into the investigation only makes her the prime suspect. And now to clear her name, she must unravel a web of deadly clues entangling her in a sinister plot.
Can Pauline catch the killer before they strike again?

Cursed Wolf by Brogan Thomas

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Cursed Wolf by Brogan Thomas

For a shifter…
…being stuck in wolf form is torture.

The moment I shifted; my life changed.

After witnessing a traumatic event at a young age, nine-year-old Forrest shifted into her wolf form – and was unable to shift back. Years later and suffering at the hands of her malicious step-brothers, she stubbornly clings to the hope that she’ll turn back into the girl she once was.

But when her magic returns at the moment she needs it most, Forrest is thrust back into the world of humans. There’s only one problem. Her pack is out to kill her.

Struggling to learn how to walk and talk again, Forrest finds herself on the run from the cold-blooded shifter council. But hidden deep within her human form lies a secret – a powerful magic that has the potential to set her free.

If only she can stay alive long enough to master it…

If you love high-octane Urban Fantasy with shifters, suspense, and one young woman fighting for her independence amid a dangerous patriarchal world, then you won’t want to miss Cursed Wolf. This thrilling novel strikes the perfect balance between humour, friendship, and slow-burn romance. Grab your copy now!

Written in British English.

Featured Book: Mick Murphy's Law by Michael Haskins

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About Featured Book: Mick Murphy's Law by Michael Haskins

A pregnant woman friend of Mick Murphy's is beaten to death. As she lay dying Murphy promises to make the killer face justice. His pursuit takes him and his eclectic friends from Key West to the Ocala National Forrest looking for a meth lab run by outlaw bikers and the killer hiding there.
Their search leads them to the Tit-4-Tat strip club in Daytona Beach where they upset an FBI/DEA/ stakeout and investigation. Cooperation between Murphy and the Feds is short lived and the officials are not what they seem as Murphy and his friends head back to the forest and St. Johns River to get their killer.

This Fiction book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print

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