Mystery Reads

Featured Book: Image of Deceit by Jill Shannon

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Bygie Hudson’s isolated life as an artist was perfect… except for her husband. Her seclusion is shattered when the police arrive to tell her there has been an accident. The man she’d been married to for fifteen years, and considered divorcing for fourteen, is dead… and they believe she may be behind it.

As she fights to clear her name, she learns her husband has been selling far more than cars through their successful dealership, and the corruption is linked to a prominent judge… with tentacles reaching straight into San Diego PD. The deadly fallout puts her life in jeopardy.

When a witness disappears, and the threat of a reporter on the hunt for headlines is removed, lead Detective Tom Hall is told to walk away from the case. But the widow is an enigma. Unwilling to let go, he risks what’s left of his stalled career by following leads on his own time. He refuses to let Bygie walk away until he uncovers the truth.

Sometimes, you just can’t see crazy… even when it’s staring you in the face.

Buy Image of Deceit Here

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Featured Book: Mick Murphy’s Law by Michael Haskins

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A pregnant woman friend of Mick Murphy’s is beaten to death. As shy lay dying Murphy promises to make the killer face justice. His pursuit takes him and his mismatched eclectic friends to the Ocala National Forest looking for a meth lab run by outlaw bikers. That brief, deadly encounter leads them to the Tit-4-Tat strip club in Dayton Beach where they run into a FBI/DEA/ATF stakeout and investigation. Cooperation is short lived and the Feds are not what they seem as Murphy and his friends head back to the forest and St. Johns River to get their man.

Buy Mick Murphy’s Law Here

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Slow Dancing by Suzanne Jenkins

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After midnight, a mysterious stranger appears at the edge of the woods and the peaceful life fifteen-year-old Ellen has with her beloved stepfather Frank is turned upside down. Small town gossip, jealousy and murder strive to tear them apart in a tale of secrets and unrequited love. Clues to the outcome hide throughout the book!

“This stand alone story is fabulous. It was a little nostalgia for me. The setting and all the drama surrounding a woman who’s car breaks down in a small town when she takes a wrong turn. There is love, a mystery and a lot of emotions.” Amazon reviewer

Targeted Age Group:: 16 and older

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
A recurring idea to follow the course of a young girl in a healthy relationship with her stepfather was my inspiration. The relationship between the mother and a friend was inspired by Norah Lofts book Lovers All Untrue which is pretty dark. The mother is at the mercy of her friend and because of her situation isn’t able to circumvent the relationship. The daughter, Ellen, figures out what’s happening on her own, and the knowledge guides her to the end.

An Icy Death by Vickie Britton

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In the heart of a raging blizzard Sheriff Jeff McQuede discovers a woman frozen to death in her car. At first he believes her death to be an unfortunate accident–until he finds clues that point to cold-blooded murder. Margaret’s husband, Arthur, left her in the stalled vehicle to brave the storm and manages to reach Joe Trevino’s isolated ranch. The case becomes more complicated because of the recent warehouse robberies at Trevino’s store. McQueede finds that Trevino is Margaret Burnell’s business partner, and that she has traveled from their Casper store to conduct a company audit. In addition, Margaret has planned to meet with her only child, a run-away daughter she hasn’t seen in years. Trevino, the missing daughter, and Arthur Burnell would all profit financially from Margaret’s demise. Has a relentless killer tracked and sabotaged the Burnells, or did Arthur simply abandon his wife for his share of the money, leaving her to die an icy death?

Targeted Age Group:: General Readership

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
It’s cold in Wyoming! Cold enough to freeze to death. This fact makes An Icy Death the only book we have ever written inspired by the weather. In winter it’s not uncommon for the temperature to dip to minus seventeen, often with a wind chill factor of thirty below zero. Because many places still exist where cell phones cease to work and help is almost impossible to summon, blizzards and sudden whiteouts are extremely hazardous. We got to thinking of what might happen if a murderer used a blizzard to cover up a crime and AN ICY DEATH was born.

An Accidental Murder: A Yellow Cottage Cosy Mystery Book 1 by J. New

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Young widow, Isobella Bridges discovered and fell in love with The Yellow Cottage as a child. Many years later she returned to the Island, discovered it was for sale and bought it on a whim. Or so she thought.
She had no idea at the time how much it would change her life, nor that it was yet to reveal all it’s secrets. Ones that even Ella couldn’t imagine.
She purchased the cottage from an old lady, but this was no ordinary old lady. And she left her cat, but this was no ordinary cat.
Ella soon realises that this isn’t the only gift the old lady left.
Having only been in residence a few short weeks, and still unpacking boxes, she receives a telephone call from her brother, inviting her up to London for Sunday lunch.
This call sets in motion a series of events that puts Ella’s life, and those of the people closest to her in danger.

‘An Accidental Murder’ is a cosy amateur sleuth novella, with a difference. Set in 1930’s England, it is the first in the series of The Yellow Cottage mysteries.

Targeted Age Group:: 25+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
This book and the future books in the series, were spawned from a FREE short story called The Yellow Cottage, available on my website. I had several emails and messages on social media from readers asking (and in some cases demanding), there be more, because they loved it so much. Up until then, I hadn’t considered turning it into a series, nor in fact writing cosy mysteries. However during the writing phase, I fell in love with the whole process and the characters, but more importantly the genre. I’ve always been a fan of Agatha Christie: Marple and Poirot and of Arthur Conan-Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, and it was a natural extension of a love for those works, that lead me to pen the short story in the first place. Inspiration came from those fans and readers that wrote and asked me for more. I’m very grateful to them.

Here Lies Buried by Cathy Ann Rogers

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PILAR SAGASTA steps into a world of cunning deception when she travels to Arizona to connect with her late grandfather’s sister, Virginia. Eager for details of their Mexican history before the family fled the political turbulence in 1916, Pilar realizes quickly that she made a mistake. Far from the loving relatives she envisioned, she finds a group of odious characters who doubt her motives and want nothing more than to drive her away.

Secrets buried deep in the past reach to the present generation and obscure motives in a family where no one is who they seem and everyone has a secret to hide.

Targeted Age Group:: 25-65

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
What inspired me to write this book was a combination of my love of history and the curious dynamics in a dysfunctional family.

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: Flash Bang by Kellen Burden

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About Flash Bang by Kellen Burden

This book won honorable mention at the 2014 Los Angeles Book Festival and was nominated for the 2014 Global Ebook Awards. It will be on sale for $2.99 from 3/13/2015 – 3/22/2015

Sebastian Parks is drowning in a flood of his own creation. Dishonorably discharged from the Army, he’s wracked with night terrors and an anger that he can’t abate. Unemployable and uninterested in anything resembling a normal job, Parks makes his living in fugitive apprehension, finding wanted felons on Facebook and thumping them into custody with his ex-military buddies John Harkin and Eric “Etch” Echevarria. When the body of a teenage Muslim boy is found in front of a downtown Denver nightclub Parks, Harkin and Etch are called on to do what they do best:
Find bad men and make them pay.

First-time author Kellen Burden serves up edgy humor, brutal action and crime fiction characters you can’t get enough of. Flash Bang is an action suspense thriller that will keep you turning pages until the end. Burden takes you on a ride you won’t experience in other private investigator mysteries. The dialog is clipped, cutting and completely original, and is the opening shot in a bounty hunter series that will leave you wanting more. If you like hard-boiled detective novels, give this new author a try.

10% of the net profits from this book benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.

Get The Book From Amazon.

Featured Book: A Journal of Sin by Darryl Donaghue

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A village, isolated by a severe storm, and a young officer, alone and out of her depth. A troubled priest is brutally murdered, leaving behind a journal of the resident’s confessional secrets; secrets certain people would prefer he took to the grave.

As word spreads, the pressure rises as the eyes of the town watch her every move. With no forensic team, no support and a savage killer hiding in a turbulent town, is PC Sarah Gladstone up to the task?

Buy A Journal of Sin Here

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The Lost City of the Condor by Vickie Britton

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A Reader’s Favorite 2013 Finalist in Adventure.
While traveling on a local bus in Chinchero, Peru, Arla is approached by a mysterious female peddler who shows her a small, silver warrior. The statue is identical to those found only in rare Inca tombs located high in the Andes. Arla suspects this is a genuine artifact, perhaps stolen from the same Capacocha burial site her co-worker, Lance Hayden, is seeking. When the woman tells her she has many more items for sale, Arla follows her to an abandoned house. Too late, Arla realizes she has fallen into a trap! Arla gets kidnapped by a group of ruthless thieves who are holding Lance Hayden hostage. They believe Arla’s in possession of a journal, which is the final link to the Lost City and the secret it holds. A race against time takes Arla to a snowy mountain peak and a clash with the looters for the most priceless treasure of all – the golden condor!

Targeted Age Group:: General Readership

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
An exciting trip to Peru and a trek up to Machu Picchu inspired us to write about the Inca. The story developed from the setting and the fascinating history of this area.