Mysteries

Mysteries

Looking to download free and discounted mystery ebooks? Well then, you sleuth, you’ve found the right place. Satisfy your crime solving needs in this category, and never pay more than what you should. We routinely feature the best authors of mystery ebooks, and they always promote their ebooks to you--for free or for a discount.

 

Definition of "Mystery Genre": Fiction in which a detective resolves a crime or series of crimes.  This genre can also be referred to as detective or crime novels.  The plot of a mystery ebook focuses on the crime that needs to be solved, and the detective that will solve it.  Typical elements include the detective being in danger, a host of suspects with their own motives, and clues, motives and alibis.  The genre can vary greatly dependent on the time in which the mystery is set, as that will drive what tools the detective has at his/her disposal.

 

Some examples of the best mysteries of all-time include Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon), Agatha Christie (Murder on the Orient Express), Caleb Carr (The Alienist), Lyndsay Faye (Dust and Shadow), James Cain (The Postman Always Rings Twice).  Of course, many of these are the best mystery ebooks of all time, as well as classics.  We try to bring you free and discounted mystery ebooks on their way to being the tops in their genre.

The Empty Chair (Lincoln Rhyme Book 3)

by Jeffery Deaver


Now a gripping TV series starring Russell Hornsby and Michael Imperioli! From the #1 internationally bestselling author of 
The Bone Collector and The Devil’s Teardrop a spine-chilling thriller that puts renowned criminalist Lincoln Rhyme against the ultimate opponent—Amelia Sachshis own brilliant protégé.

A quadriplegic since a beam crushed his spinal cord years ago, Lincoln Rhyme is desperate to improve his condition and goes to the University of North Carolina Medical Center for high-risk experimental surgery. But he and Sachs have hardly settled in when the local authorities come calling. In a twenty-four-hour period, the sleepy Southern outpost of Tanner’s Corner has seen a local teen murdered and two young women abducted. And Rhyme and Sachs are the best chance to find the girls alive.

The prime suspect is a peculiar teenage truant known as the Insect Boy, so nicknamed for his disturbing obsession with bugs. Rhyme’s unsurpassed analytical skills and stellar forensic experience, combined with Sachs’s exceptional detective legwork, soon snare the perp. But even Rhyme can’t anticipate that Sachs will disagree with his crime analysis and that her vehemence will put her in the swampland, harboring the very suspect who Rhyme considers a ruthless killer. So ensues Rhyme’s greatest challenge—facing the criminalist whom he has taught everything he knows in a battle of wits, forensics, and intuition.

With the intricate forensic detail, breathtaking speed, and masterful plot twists that are signature Deaver, 
The Empty Chair is page-turning suspense of the highest order.

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Skin Deep (Detective Marcy Kendrick Book 1)

by Theo Baxter


Detective Marcy Kendrick is chasing a killer. And this time, it’s personal.


Marcy Kendrick is a cop with a body count. A successful detective in LAPD Homicide, she is infamous for one thing: killing three serial killers before they could be brought to trial.

Marcy knows her actions were in self-defense, but her co-workers can’t help wondering if she is on some kind of vendetta - because Marcy’s own mother was brutally murdered by a serial killer. Is this her way of getting payback?

Adding to the pressure on Marcy, her ex-husband, Jordan Brasswell, has just been promoted over her, and seems determined to keep her under a microscope.

Then a series of murders rocks the city. And this killer has the same MO as the man who murdered Marcy’s mother.
As the best detective in the department, Marcy is assigned to the case – and immediately starts receiving disturbing messages. The killer taunts Marcy, promising more deaths and telling her that the two of them are very much alike. They’re both murderers.

As the copycat killer continues to play mind games with Marcy, she realizes that it has to be someone close to her. Can Marcy catch the killer before another victim meets a grisly end?


Skin Deep – the first in the thrilling new series featuring Detective Marcy Kendrick.

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Prime Time Murder (Hollywood Whodunit Book 1)

by Brittany E. Brinegar


She's little. She's feisty. Spoiler alert, she's not the killer.

Move to Hollywood. Catch her big break. Become a movie star. Nowhere on Becky Robinson's to-do list does it say discover a dead body or become the prime suspect.

Becky's first day on set is anything but glamorous. Between coffee runs and walking the star dog, she discovers the body of a prominent actress. Not exactly how she pictured seeing her name in the papers. And they didn't even spell it right.

After finding evidence at the crime scene, the cops are on her trail and a Hollywood hunk is in the hot seat.

To clear her name and discover whodunit, Becky rubs elbows with Tinseltown insiders. With the help of her best friend and an adorable puppy, they attempt to expose the killer before he claims his next victim.

-----------------------------------

Prime Time Murder is the whimsical first installment in the Hollywood Whodunit cozy mystery series.

If you love clumsy heroines, a Hollywood backdrop, quirky suspects, and an adorable rescue puppy this series is for you!

 

Hollywood Whodunit Series Order

  • Book 0: Lake Day Shenanigans
  • Book 1: Prime Time Murder
  • Book 2: Stand-In Murder
  • Book 3: Music City Murder
  • Book 4. Trap Door Murder
  • Book 5: Fool's Gold Murder
  • Book 6: Holly Jolly Murder
  • Book 7: Blue Suede Murder
  • Book 8: Family Reunion Murder
  • Book 9: Summer Vacation Murder
  • Book 10: Sunlight Swindler Murder
  • Book 11: Castle Island Murder
  • Book 12: Fixer-Upper Murder
  • Book 13: Hometown Murder

 

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The House Across the Lake: A Novel

by Riley Sager


THE INSTANT 
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Named a most-anticipated summer book by 
USA TodayPeople, E! News, CosmopolitanPureWow, CNN.com, New York Post, CrimeReads, POPSUGAR, and more 

The bestselling author of 
Final Girls and Survive the Night is back with his “best plot twist yet.” (People, "Best Summer Books")

Be careful what you watch for . . .

Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of bourbon, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple living in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is powerful; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.

One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage isn’t as perfect as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey immediately suspects Tom of foul play. What she doesn’t realize is that there’s more to the story than meets the eye—and that shocking secrets can lurk beneath the most placid of surfaces.
 
Packed with sharp characters, psychological suspense, and gasp-worthy plot twists, Riley Sager’s 
The House Across the Lake is the ultimate escapist read . . . no lake house required.

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The Perfect Friend: a twist-filled psychological thriller

by J.V. Cardy


Lou has finally found a friend. Now she’ll do anything to keep her.


Anna is in a good place in her life – a husband she loves, a great job, a lovely home. Everything is perfect.

But then she gets a call from an old girlfriend, Lou, whom she hasn’t seen for twenty years. Lou, now seeming troubled and off kilter, wants to confess to a fatal hit-and-run from back in the day – an accident which Anna helped cover up. If Lou goes to the police, Anna’s life is over, she’ll lose everything she has worked so hard to build.

Anna can see that Lou is not in a great place, and hopes that if she can help her old friend get back on her feet, she’ll forget about confessing. So Anna invites Lou to move into her home.

Lou is delighted and sees this as a sign that Anna still loves her, that they really are best friends forever.

But Lou isn’t easy to live with. At first, she’s demanding, then openly menacing – using her desire to confess as a weapon to get what she wants.

Anna realizes she needs to get free of Lou no matter what it takes. But when she finally acts decisively, she opens the gates to hell. Because Lou is far more disturbed than Anna realizes, and enraged by her rejection, she plans a revenge beyond Anna’s wildest nightmares.


The Perfect Friend – the chilling psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst and Kiersten Modglin.

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The Fallen Angel: A Novel (Gabriel Allon Book 12)

by Daniel Silva


Art restorer, assassin, spy—Gabriel Allon returns in The Fallen Angel, another blockbuster espionage thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva. The acclaimed author of Portrait of a Spy, Silva (“a world class practitioner of spy fiction” —Washington Post) is an undisputed master of the genre who has brought “new life to the international thriller” (Newsday).

A breathtaking adventure that races around the globe, The Fallen Angel begins in Rome, where Allon is called upon to investigate a murder at the Vatican, one with disastrous repercussions that could plunge the world into a conflict of apocalyptic proportions. If you haven’t yet been drawn into Daniel Silva’s thrilling universe of intrigue, danger, and exceptional spycraft, start here—and see why the Philadelphia Inqurer declares that, “The enigmatic Gabriel Allon remains one of the most intriguing heroes of any thriller series.”

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Shannon Ames Thriller Series (Books 1 - 5) (A Shannon Ames Thriller)

by T.J. Brearton


INTRODUCING FIVE RIVETING, EXPLOSIVE CRIME THRILLERS FEATURING FBI SPECIAL AGENT SHANNON AMES.


Perfect for fans of David Baldacci, Robert Dugoni and Lisa Regan.


“One of my favorite authors. His thrillers are taut, twisty, unsettling, and deliciously creepy.” – Lisa Regan, best selling author of the Josie Quinn series

What readers are saying about the series:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Shannon Ames is a terrific series character. She's young, she's feisty, she's obstinate, and she has gut instincts and the amazing ability to think from an unconventional perspective. The 
plot is tightly woven, riveting from start to finish... and the finish is unexpected and explosive.’ -Netgalley Review

‘I was 
completely engrossed in this fast-paced procedural thriller! This thriller is easy to read with plenty of action, plot twists and misdirection which kept me reading.’ -Avonna Loves Genres

‘A very compelling story that 
kept me guessing right up to the end.’ -Netgalley Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


IN THIS FIVE-BOOK BOX SET:

THE KILLING TIME
Two young women are found strangled. The only thing they have in common – both worked as reporters for local TV stations.
Rookie Special Agent Shannon Ames is assigned to the case and soon impresses with her brilliant intuition and startling ability to think outside the box.
But as Shannon takes a more prominent role in the investigation, she finds herself drawn into a deadly dance with a serial killer.


HIDE AND SEEK
Special Agent Shannon Ames is thrown back in the deep end when former federal prosecutor Lucy Donato goes missing.
The case takes a surprising turn when Lucy’s husband Bob is caught on camera fleeing with his two small children. Has he done something to his wife? Is he a danger to the kids?
Desperate to protect the kids, Shannon pursues Bob cross-country. But something isn’t sitting right with her – why would a meek office worker suddenly blaze a trail of chaos across several states?
The answer to that question is truly shocking and puts Shannon at the heart of a case she’ll never forget…


IN TOO DEEP
They came looking for pleasure. They found only pain.
A serial killer in New York’s South Bronx is targeting clients of local sex workers. The victims, all male, are either burned alive or beaten to death.
With the body count mounting and no real leads, the FBI sends Shannon Ames undercover.
And as it becomes clear that she's on the killer’s radar, Shannon realizes she’s up against something truly terrifying.


NOWHERE TO HIDE
FBI Agent Shannon Ames is headed for some R&R when an ice storm traps her in Long Lake, NY. But the storm isn’t her only problem when she finds a body by the side of the road.
As Shannon begins to investigate, she realizes there are two vicious killers stalking the town.
But what she doesn’t know is that this little town has secrets that must stay hidden. And when Shannon gets a little too close to the terrible truth, she goes from hunter to hunted.


NO WAY BACK
Kristie Fain is walking to the train when she is snatched by strangers.
Shannon Ames has just been reassigned to the FBI New York Field Office, the biggest in the country. Since Kristie Fain is an aide to a US Senator, Shannon and her FBI team are given the case.
It’s immediately clear the case is anything but straightforward.
As Shannon gets deeper, she finds herself caught up in a web of lies and deceit. Someone powerful is pulling the strings and they will do anything to stop her investigation.
This time, she can’t afford to play by the rules. If she does, Kristie Fain will die.


DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS 5-BOOK BOX SET OF BESTSELLING CRIME THRILLERS THAT WILL HAVE YOU TURNING THE PAGES LONG INTO THE NIGHT!

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And the Dead Shall Live

by David Shawn Klein


"An absorbing tale of damaged souls struggling to heal as they track down evil." -Kirkus Reviews

"This wildly imaginative psychological thriller is David Shawn Klein’s best book yet." –BestThrillers.com

Two damaged souls. A malevolent secret. A risky ruse to unearth the truth that could bring redemption or a brutal end...

Philip Raymond grows more desperate by the minute. Suffering from agoraphobia after a tragic misstep led to a scandal and suicide, the former high-level political consultant and novelist needs a big win to restore his reputation and take back his life. Certain that a wealthy recluse has blood on his hands, the emotionally scarred writer hires a brainy beauty to dig up the dirt he requires for a blockbuster exposé.

Jesse Carter is haunted. Feeling responsible for her beloved brother's prison murder, the freelance researcher's razor-sharp intellect is no match for her crushing sense of guilt. So despite her reluctance to take a job that's more cloak-and-dagger than fact-finding, the tormented twenty-something signs on after learning the target may be victimizing women.

Afraid his young assistant will spook and quit before he gets the goods for his bestseller, Philip withholds vital information as she enters the den of vipers. While Jesse discovers that murder and a near-death cult are just the tip of the iceberg, and one wrong move could be her last.

With an insidious plot that reaches as far as the White House, will the pair become casualties of a devious war?

And the Dead Shall Live is a nail-biting thriller. If you like smart but flawed protagonists, terrifying stakes, and shocking revelations, then you'll love David Shawn Klein's journey into darkness.

Buy And the Dead Shall Live to plunge into danger today!

 

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Veil of Doubt

by Sharon Virts


When a mother is charged with murder in a town already convinced of her guilt, can defense attorney Powell Harrison find truth and justice in a legal system where innocence is not presumed? 

Emily Lloyd, a young widow in Reconstruction-era Virginia, is accused of poisoning her three-year-old daughter, Maud. It isn’t the first death in her home—her husband and three other children all died of mysterious illnesses—so when Maud succumbs to an unexplained malady, the town suspects foul play. Soon Mrs. Lloyd is charged not only with poisoning the child but also with murdering her children, her husband, and her aunt. 

Enter Powell Harrison, a soft-spoken, brilliant attorney who recently returned to his Virginia hometown to help his brother manage their late father’s practice. Approached to assist in Mrs. Lloyd’s defense, Harrison initially declines, worried that an infanticide case might tarnish their family’s reputation. But as details about the widow’s erratic behavior and her reclusive neighbors emerge, Harrison begins to suspect that an even more sinister truth might lurk beneath the family’s horrible fate and finds himself irresistibly drawn to the case.  

Based on a shocking true story, Veil of Doubt is part true-crime thriller, part medical and legal procedural. Perfect for fans of Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace and filled with rich period detail gleaned from exhaustive research, Veil of Doubt delves into the darkness of the South during Reconstruction, exposing intrigue, deception, and death. 

 

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Where the Hurt Is (An Emmett Hardy Crime Novel Book 1)

by Chris Kelsey


"Poignant and funny, studded with characters who haunt your imagination long after you've read the final page." –Anne Hillerman, New York Times bestselling author of Cave of Bones

When everyone would prefer to look the other way, can one man cut through fear and prejudice to unmask a killer?

Oklahoma, 1965. Emmett Hardy is focused on drinking his failures away. And despite his general enthusiasm for the social reforms sweeping the country, the disillusioned police chief isn't surprised by his community's ongoing casual racism. But he's still shocked when he discovers the body of a Black woman with a slashed throat dumped by the railroad tracks.

When the state authorities offer only a lazy investigation and arrest an unlikely suspect, Hardy puts down the bottle and swears to uncover the real murderer. But with resistance from his all-white neighbors and the clues leading to the small town's most powerful citizen, the upstanding cop may be heading straight into danger.

Will Hardy's unrelenting race to find the truth destroy his life?

Where the Hurt Is is the complex first book in the Emmett Hardy Novel crime fiction series. If you like tortured heroes, tense twists, and authentic settings, then you'll love Chris Kelsey's poignant novel.

 

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Assassin: A Novel (Alexander Hawke Book 2)

by Ted Bell


In this explosive, jaw-tightening thriller, and second in the bestselling Alex Hawke series
, fearless intelligence operative Lord Alexander Hawke matches wits with a cunning and bloodthirsty psychopath in a desperate race to avert an American Armageddon.

A shadowy figure known as the Dog is believed to be the ruthless terrorist who is systematically and savagely assassinating American diplomats and their families around the globe. As the deadly toll mounts inexorably, Alex Hawke, along with former NYPD cop and Navy SEAL Stokely Jones, is called upon by the U.S. government to launch a search for the assassin behind the murders.

Hawke, who makes James Bond look like a "slovenly, dull-witted clockpuncher" (
Kirkus Reviews), is soon following a trail that leads back to London in the go-go nineties, when Arab oil money fueled lavish, and sometimes fiendish, lifestyles. Other murky clues point to the Florida Keys, where a vicious killer hides behind the gates of a fabled museum. And to a remote Indonesian island where a madman tinkers with strains of a deadly virus and slyly bides his time.

Hawke must call upon resources deep within himself and race against time to stop a cataclysmic attack on America's most populous cities and avenge the inexplicable and horrific crime that has left him devastated.

Brimming with relentless action and stylish detail, and featuring a hero that readers will stand up and cheer for, 
Assassin is a gripping adventure. And definitely not recommended for the faint of heart.

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EMP Patriots: A Small Town Post Apocalypse EMP Thriller Boxset

by J.S. Donovan


In the heart of darkness, a family's unity shines brightest.

When the grid goes dark, Emily Thatcher finds herself caught in a dangerous game with a stranger who knows too much, forcing her to question everything she thought she knew about survival and trust.

In the desolate Rocky Mountains, survivalist Emily Thatcher's solitary world is chaotic when an EMP attack cripples the nation. As society unravels, an enigmatic stranger named Jackson Hunter stumbles into her haven, harboring uncanny knowledge of her past and igniting an undercurrent of mistrust and dark secrets. With time running out and danger escalating, Emily must discern whether Jackson is an ally in this new, perilous world or a harbinger of betrayal amidst humanity's darkest hour. In this gripping EMP thriller, alliances are tested, and secrets are unveiled, forcing Emily to navigate a web of deceit with survival in a fragile balance.
 
 
 
 
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I Know Your Secret: a psychological thriller with a twist you won't see coming

by J.M. O'Rourke


Amanda has built her whole life on a lie. It’s about to become undone.


As Dr Amanda Jackson moves through her seemingly perfect life in a plush Galway suburb, she knows that a secret she’s buried deep can never be revealed. Not to her husband of over two decades, not to her friends, and especially not to her two beloved children.

When she finds an ominous note pinned to the windscreen of her car, Amanda realises her worst nightmare has come true: someone out there knows her secret. The question is, who?
And why are they contacting her now?

As Amanda desperately searches for answers, her life starts to spin out of control. One inexplicable, frightening incident follows another, and Amanda’s terror escalates. When even her closest friend rejects her plea for help, she no longer knows who she can trust.

What Amanda doesn’t realise is that even she hasn’t understood the terrible truth behind her long-held secret, that the trauma buried deep in her past is darker and more painful than she could possibly have imagined.


I Know Your Secret – the gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, and K L Slater.

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Brew City Blues Complete Series Boxed Set

by Michael Anderle


Army veteran Michael Collins is looking for a new start after a personal tragedy.

Now a recruit officer fresh out of the police academy, Michael has taken his first step in becoming a Milwaukee Police Officer.

His next hurdle is passing twelve weeks of field training in the most dangerous part of town.

Welcome to the Brew City Blues. Grab this four-book boxed set to dive into this series today!

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Gangsters, sex workers, murderers, and thieves are just the external elements he will have to deal with to make it through field training. Michael is thrown into the fast-moving pace of a rookie’s life that takes him inside the lives of cops, criminals, victims, and their families.

Twenty-hour workdays and the department’s internal affairs unit making him feel like he has a bullseye on his back adds to the pressure.

Can this army vet with a troubled past survive the toughest part of his training in the Milwaukee Police Department and come to terms with the heartbreak from his past?

Note: This book contains profanities and situations not for the faint of heart. There is also dark, or what some call ‘gallows humor’ that police officers, and most other first responders use to deal with the ugliness that is thrown their way on a regular basis. This book is as realistic as it gets. Unless you are riding around in a squad car, now that’s real.

Included in this boxed set:

  1. Field Training
  2. Probation
  3. Choir Practice
  4. Honor and Valor

Get your copy of this gritty, action-packed real-life police drama to get your fill of blood, heartache, and cop humor!

 

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A Long Time Dead (A Joe Turner Mystery)

by T.L. Bequette


"Fast pacing, clever plot twists, and intercontinental flavor make A Long Time Dead difficult not to finish in one sitting. 5/5 Stars." -Chanticleer Book Reviews

A decade ago, it had been unthinkable when Joe Turner's life-long friend, Owen Prescott, was charged with a grisly murder. Then Owen disappeared, leaving behind a brilliant career and budding romance to live as a fugitive from justice.

Now, haunted by the memory and clinging to a belief in Owen's innocence, Joe dives in to solve the cold case as the FBI closes in on his friend.

The award-winning Joe Turner Mystery series returns with a haunting, serpentine tale that pushes the snarky defense attorney to the brink.

Bequette has penned another riveting thriller that rewards the reader with a signature twist at the finale. Unlock the mystery to the latest Joe Turner thriller today.

 

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Micro: A Novel

by Richard Preston


In the vein of Jurassic Park, this high-concept thriller follows a group of graduate students lured to Hawaii to work for a mysterious biotech company—only to find themselves cast out into the rain forest, with nothing but their scientific expertise and wits to protect them.

In the lush forests of Oahu, groundbreaking technology has ushered in a revolutionary era of biological prospecting, feeding a search for priceless drugs and applications on a scale beyond anything previously imagined. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, seven graduate students at the forefront of their fields are recruited by a pioneering microbiology start-up, Nanigen MicroTechnologies, which dispatches the group to a mysterious lab in Hawaii. But once in the rainforest, the scientists are thrust into a hostile wilderness that reveals surprising dangers at every turn. Armed only with their knowledge of the natural world, they find themselves prey to a technology of radical and unbridled power

An instant classic, Micro pits nature against technology in vintage Michael Crichton fashion. Completed by visionary science writer Richard Preston, this boundary-pushing thriller melds scientific fact with pulse-pounding fiction to create yet another masterpiece of sophisticated, cutting-edge entertainment.

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