FREE BOOK SUNDAY from Heart Beat Books!

FREE BOOK SUNDAY from Heart Beat Books!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 

What better way to celebrate the end of 2022's rising interest rates and high inflation than with more FREE AND DISCOUNTED BOOKS from me and your friends at BookFunnel.

 

A month-long twist on Black Friday, this week's BookFunnel novels offer crime, thriller, suspense, and even some horror. I'm introducing each free book with Amazon reader reviews, rather than my own take or an author's plot summary.

 

My own SILHOUETTE, about murder and politics in New Orleans, is on Santa's list.  It's FREE until midnight tonight! 

 

But first, congratulations to recent FIRES OF LILLIPUT winners Dana Riggs, of St. Louis, Mo; and Teresa Lavender of Copperas Cove, Texas. They each won a paperback copy, postage paid, of the bestselling story, about a Holocaust-era Catholic saint and the Jewish woman who becomes his greatest advocate before the Vatican. 

As always, if and when you read any of these novels, please do leave a rating or write a review. Good, bad, or ugly, ratings and reviews are the life blood of writing these days, with readers and authors counting on them more than ever to make a big decision: how to spend that invaluable quiet time called reading.

Now onto today's FREE books, tales of crime, mystery, and mayhem that put the black into Black Friday deals. 

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Thirty-something single dad Ben Harper is on the case of a murdered political kingmaker's wife in SILHOUETTE -- FREE TODAY at Amazon.

District attorney Ben, his physician wife Cynthea, and daughter Jamie leave New Orleans complexity for small-town comfort just beyond the Big Easy's borders.

But crime and the city won't let Ben go. Newly widowed after Cyndee dies in a head-on collision, Ben is forced into a high-stakes political game when the wife of a prominent political donor turns up dead and dismembered in his jurisdiction.

And she's just the first.

In this excerpt from Chapter 47, we eavesdrop on the thoughts of suspect Madelyn Martrell, wife of New Orleans' Mayor Jarman Martrell, as she sets out to confront her husband's young mistress.

MADELYN WALKED down the third-floor breezeway toward a courtyard. Her heart raced as she came to the corner. She looked right and left and over the courtyard balcony, to a perfunctory fountain, where a chipped granite angel, weathered and dirty, blessed a pool of stagnant rainwater.


Madelyn slipped along the balcony, trying to check her breathing: deep breath, quiet sigh, deep breath, quiet sigh.

 

She was stunned to be at the door so soon and gathered herself. Would she catch them together? She would knock, she would be calm, she would ask if this woman was sleeping with her husband.

 

And if she was right, she would demand, nicely, to know why.


Then she would kill the little bitch herself. Forget Billy and Mary.


But when she raised her hand to knock, she brushed the door and it moved with a hinge squeak.

 

She stopped herself. Now what? Should she just go in? She was all ready to knock, pound even, and take the time before the door opened to sharpen her focus, figure out just what she was going to say.


Now, she stood without wanting to make a sound.


Was the girl home? Did she hear the door?

 

Madelyn listened. Someone was inside. She thought she heard them. She knew she sensed them. She put her hand against the door and pushed it, deftly, so the hinge stayed silent.

She pushed the door open just enough and stepped into a small, shadowy foyer, a limbo where she was neither in the apartment nor out of it.

She stepped on the balls of her feet, almost on tiptoes, felt her heart pound, held her breath. It was so quiet she could hear music from the ear buds the girl was wearing.

Bad Bad Thing, Chris Isaak. How alarmingly apropos.

Madelyn peered around the arched entryway into the tiny apartment. The sight of the girl jolted her. She was on the edge of her bed, naked, scrolling through her cellphone, oblivious in its revealing light.

“She looks so young,” Madelyn thought.

The girl was fit, her skin had that taut sheen that looks flawless to anyone of a certain age. The lamplight in the room accentuated the way her leg curved to her butt, and how the muscles flexed and jumped in her calves.

The girl set the phone down and Madelyn saw its neon green case and the slender cord from the girl’s earbuds across her breast. The girl took out the earbuds, stood and opened the window as the song entered the room.

She picked up a bottle of lotion and rubbed palm fulls of it along her arms, around the curvature of her shoulders, up her neck and down, between her breasts.

Down and over the delicate brown bumps of each nipple, to her stomach, gliding over shiny perspiration in the still, humid air.
 
Madelyn smelled the scent of the lotion.

Like a taunt, the girl smoothed the glistening oil along the convexity of her thighs, then down, where her hand grabbed her calf like a football and massaged it. The girl turned and Madelyn saw her eyes, dark and immature. Her rival had expected an older woman.

But this was a child, twenty-two, twenty-three at the most.

She imagined the defiance she might encounter: More like a teen defying a parent than an opportunistic mistress confronting the devastated wife. She wondered if this oblivious child even knew that her lover was married. “Rich, powerful, older man” may be as far as the girl’s understanding ever got.

Instead of lunging at her throat and strangling her until that flawless body squirmed to a slunk, Madelyn stood, denying herself anything more than an audible breath. 


  

Silhouette: Murder. Politics. New Orleans.

 

Amazon readers review A NEW KIND OF ZEAL

"Steeped in the traditions of the Maori people of New Zealand, and following the allegorical example of the Bible, Michelle Warren has written a spiritual tale set in the near future when climate change, overpopulation, dwindling resources and over-controlling government create the circumstances for spiritual change. Whether you are already on a spiritual path or if you are a seeker, do yourself a favor and read this book. You'll be glad you did."

"A brilliant read ... well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start. Love the well fleshed-out characters. Great suspense and action with and wonderful world building. A New Kind of Zeal is a spiritual and psychological suspense novel for people of all walks of life. If you enjoy compelling characters, a new take on ancient teachings, and stories with a New Zealand flair, then you’ll love Michelle Warren’s book of faith under fire"

"This book gripped me from the get-go with its tight prose, courageous story and mythic themes. Michelle Warren has updated the Jesus story for the 21st century and transplanted it to New Zealand. It's an inspired choice!"

CLICK for your FREE copy of A NEW KIND OF ZEAL


Amazon readers review DEADLY PATTERN

"This one will really keep you reading to try and figure out who is killing strawberry blond women. Dana is a PI--her brother is a police officer and is always trying to get Dana to step back--she is stubborn and wants to find out what happened to the missing girls. Lots of action and twists and turns which will keep you guessing!"

"With the edge of your seat... page turning... plot twist type of book that so many like to read.... well... this for sure is no doubt one of those books!"

"Good book with great characters. I rarely take a chance with new writers but I'm glad I did now. Anxiously awaiting the next book."

CLICK for your FREE copy of DEADLY PATTERN

 

Amazon readers review CRUSH


"Fans of shows like "Pretty Little Liars" and films like "Enough" will enjoy this tale. "Crush" has a strong plot with many twists and turns."

"Niki Keith does an outstanding job keeping readers on the edge of their seat. Her use of multiple perspectives helps give insight into the minds of even the most despicable characters. Ultimately, the plot moves smoothly and unexpectedly. Bravo!"

"A great story of mean girls and how they never change and never go away. The twist, and modernization of this typical story, is very intriguing. It is treacherous, scary, and deadly. It is nice to see that there are characters that know right from wrong and want to do what's right. The plot and the twists and the connections are mysterious, amazing and unexpected. Great read!"

"What a fun and twisty teen thriller! Very reminiscent of DARE ME by Megan Abbott with the poor-little-rich-girl cheerleading HBIC, but all the violence also harkens back to the OG, HEATHERS. I yelled a lot and also had a wee bit of heartbreak when the ending twist was revealed. Looking forward to reading more by Niki Keith!"

CLICK for your FREE copy of CRUSH

Amazon readers review BLOOD CONTEST

"On Christmas Day, the son of the Governor of New Jersey is assassinated in front of his young daughters. Two New Jersey State Troopers are tasked with locating the perpetrator. Politics raises its ugly head, there is widespread corruption, cover-ups, and more deaths. I couldn’t put this book down, highly recommended!!!"

"NJSP Detective Sergeant Pete Mueller's life is about to change dramatically - he just doesn't know it yet.

The Governor's son, Trey Jamieson, has been brutally shot dead in front of his two terrified young daughters in broad daylight on Christmas Day, after which Pete, plus his close friend and fellow-Sergeant, Billy Ryan, are assigned to the case.

Why does Trey's father want it solved asap?
What is the eponymous 'blood contest'?
How do Pete's boss Frank Burton and Ryan's uncle, (State Police Major Michael Kieran) help catch the killer(s) and their evil mastermind?

Things move on swiftly and violently, as the build-up continues with a clever trap to catch Trey's killer. PK Abbot expertly ramps up the tension in Blood Contest, by subtle degrees throughout, keeping the readers' attention going right up to the climax that you won't have seen coming."

"P.K. Abbot's writing draws the reader in from page 1!  The complex plot is well developed with complicated characters. The motives for murder include political corruption, power, betrayal, idealism, illicit affairs, deceit, grief, love and justice."

CLICK for your FREE copy of BLOOD CONTEST

 

In CRIMSY, young scientist Jen Zendeck and her research team must rescue the greatest discovery in history from the universities, governments, and trillionaires fighting to keep it for themselves. A realistic take on science and discovery 20  years from now, CRIMSY is perfect for fans of Andy Weir and Michael Crichton.

◆◆◆◆◆"Loved it! Amazing plot. Very insightful on the scientific parts of the story. Great writing."

◆◆◆◆◆ "Scientific backstory excellent!"

◆◆◆◆◆ "Paints a picture of true scientists and the values they share. I recommend this to those who enjoy good dialogue, thrillers, and realistic fiction."

◆◆◆◆◆ "My type of book ... great characters, lots of thought-provoking problem solving."

◆◆◆◆◆ "Parts of this book would make a GREAT movie."

◆◆◆◆◆"A funny, thought-provoking, and well-written story of space exploration, politics, and the moral issues of scientific investigation."

GET Crimsy AT:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MXY3PK6

Thank you so much for reading!

Until next time,

Michael Martin

2,530 subscribers

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