Folks, I apologize for the spotty service this past week. My Internet service provider had several problems, and then to top it all off, the wrong link went out with Friday’s e-mail. So, in case you missed it, I’m reposting most of the books that appeared here yesterday. I’ve double-checked the prices to ensure they were still free as of noon Saturday. Also, I’ve uncovered a half-dozen new Kindle freebies that went free late Friday night, and I’ve posted them midway through this page.
And now, here is Friday’s issue:
Have you entered the great Puzzle Contest yet? See a few paragraphs below for more details…
Barry Eisler is the author of two bestselling thriller series — “Rain,” featuring anti-hero John Rain, a half-Japanese, half-American former soldier turned freelance assassin, and “Treven,” a series about black ops soldier Ben Treven.
His two series were traditionally published, and Barry was never satisfied with the book titles and cover artwork. So, few years ago, he terminated his contracts so that he could republish them independently (and in the process declined a reported half-million dollar advance from St. Martins Press). His debut novel, originally published as Rain Fall in 2002, is now known as A Clean Kill in Tokyo, and it tops today’s Buffet.
“Now that I have my rights back and no longer have to make ridiculous compromises about these matters, I’ve given the books the titles I always wanted them to have–titles that actually have something to do with the stories, that capture some essential aspect of the stories, and that act as both vessel and amplifier for what’s most meaningful in the stories,” Barry says.
Now, about that Puzzle Contest, which was announced here on Monday. There is no winner yet, and the contest is being extended two additional days. Here’s the latest word from the publisher:
No one has solved all 100 puzzles from Puzzle Quizzes Volume 1 app yet! That’s why we have decided to prolong Puzzle Contest for 2 more days. Get the app now and be the FIRST to win a brand-new Kindle Paperwhite.
How to become eligible:
Download Puzzle Quizzes Volume 1 app and solve ALL its 100 puzzles. The FIRST person to solve all the puzzles and receive the MOST stars in the process will be awarded a brand new Kindle Paperwhite device. The contest winner needs to download Puzzle Quizzes Volume 1, solve all its 100 puzzles, and send a screenshot of the app’s Score page to grabarchukpuzzles@gmail.com.
For more details, see the official contest website.
The contest winner needs to download Puzzle Quizzes Volume 1, solve all its 100 puzzles, and send a screenshot of the app’s Score page to grabarchukpuzzles@gmail.com.
And, without further ado, here are today’s freebie picks. As usual, each book listed here has gone FREE within the past 24 hours (except for the “Kindle Daily Deals” on page 3). Warning: Kindle book promotions can end without notice, so before downloading click the link “See Kindle price at Amazon” to verify that the book is still free. (Prices and availability may differ outside USA.)
A Clean Kill in Tokyo (previously published as Rain Fall)
Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure
Author: Barry Eisler
John Rain, a Japanese American konketsu, or half-breed, learned his lethal trade as a member of the U.S. Special Forces. Although tortured by memories of atrocities he committed in Vietnam, he has become a paid assassin, a solitary man who lives in the shadows and trusts no one, even those who pay extraordinary sums for his ability to make murder look like natural death.
But the aftermath of an otherwise routine hit on a government bureaucrat brings Rain to the attention of two men he knows from the old days in Vietnam: a friend who’s now a Tokyo cop and an enemy who betrayed Rain long ago and is now the CIA’s station chief in Japan.
Like the gangster who hired Rain to kill Yasuhiro Kawamura, they want something the dead man had–a computer disk containing proof of high-level corruption, information that could destroy Japan’s ruling political coalition. The search for the disk leads them to a woman Rain has come to love, a talented young jazz musician who also happens to be Kawamura’s daughter.
The Homecoming Masquerade
Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic
Author: Spencer Baum
In a posh suburb of the nation’s capital, at the most exclusive high school in the world, the vampires who secretly run the government have created a game for America’s daughters of privilege. Show up to Homecoming in a black dress and you’ve entered yourself in a contest where the winner becomes a vampire, and the loser becomes the winner’s first victim.
Only the wealthiest, most connected students can hope to win, so when new girl Nicky Bloom wears a black dress to Homecoming, everyone assumes she has a death wish. They don’t know that Nicky has her own agenda. As the dance continues into the night, they will find out that Nicky Bloom is far more than she seems.
Tactics Time! 1001 Chess Tactics from the Games of Everyday Chess Players
Puzzles & Games > Board Games > Chess
Author: Tim Brennan
Warning: This book could help you improve your chess game significantly.
Learning the basic rules of playing chess is only the beginning. Although it is great to play games for entertainment, many chess players want to take their game to the next level. But that is not that easy. Just playing might improve your chess proficiency, but it does not improve your problem solving skills, as that requires different thinking processes. To develop those processes, you need strategies developed by chess experts.
Meet Tim and Anthea. They know what it takes to bring chess to the next level, as they have done that for themselves. How? Through the use of chess tactics. And now … it is your turn.
The Boat Builder’s Bed (Wicked in Wellington)
Contemporary Fiction
Author: Kris Pearson
A windy day…a flyaway signboard…a hideous crunch. Sophie Calhoun can’t imagine how she’ll pay for the damage to the luxurious car.
Already cash-strapped, she’s struggling to launch her new interior design studio and make a home for her daughter. She’s only days away from disaster.
The Last Praetorian (The Redemption Trilogy)
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author: Mike Smith
Commander Jonathan Radec is a man desperately trying to escape from the mistakes of his past.
Now the owner of Vanguard Shipping, his primary concerns are trying to keep his ships flying and his crew alive. However, the shadowy Syndicate organisation has set their sights on the Commander and his business, having sent a beautiful assassin to kill him. To make matters worse, she’s become the target of his infatuation, much to the dismay of his ex-girlfriend. Recently elevated to President of the Confederation, she’s still very much in love with him and capable of making his life a living hell.
Logan And The Magic Fish
Children’s Books > Activity Books
Author: Otto Scamfer
Join Logan on an exciting fishing expedition in the Pacific Northwest on the cool waters of Blue Lake. Logan’s trip becomes strange and wondrous when he catches a large orange fish who claims to be magic. The creature grants Logan three wishes if the boy will let him go. Logan gladly agrees, but all is not what it seems. Is the fish truly a magic fish? Logan begins to have his doubts. You can help him decide!
The Fox
- $9.99 List Price
- See Kindle Price at Amazon.com
Dramatic in all the right ways, The Fox by new author Arlene Radasky does for bog bodies and Druids what no author in time has ever done; she celebrates ancient history, endless romance and undying love. Brilliant and utterly breathtaking, Radasky’s is a powerful new voice in romance, fantasy, and historical fiction. Bravo!
The Romans’ path of destruction jeopardizes a Caledonian clan unless they are able to strike a bargain with the Gods, which ultimately means a human sacrifice. Jahna is a member of this first century tribe. She has the power to merge minds, which she chooses to do with a twenty-first century woman, Aine MacRae and her contemporary, a young man Lovern, to whom she was hand-fasted in her time and of whom she shared a child, in order to save her people.
Crush It With Kindle – How to self publish your books on Kindle
Self publishing on Kindle is a game changer – you can now publish on Amazon and make your book directly available to Kindle users who can download it with a single click – as can anyone who has the free Kindle app on their PC, Mac, smart phone or tablet (that’s over a billion potential customers).
And you can become a published author on Kindle and have your book on sale in as little as 24 hours. Best of all, Amazon will pay you up to 70% royalties.
Kindle publishing is truly turning the book industry on its head, creating incredible opportunities for writers and authors. Not only this, the market for Kindle books is huge and growing at an incredible rate, with Amazon already selling more Kindle books than hardbacks and paperbacks combined.
Donuts
Donuts is a fairy tale with a modern day appeal. Meet Merl, a plucky, young squirrel who makes his home in a vast wilderness where all the trees have been cut to the ground. When Merl finds the very last acorn, he makes an extraordinary wish, resulting in one final oak tree sprouting. However, Merl’s wish is far from granted when the tree’s sprawling branches fail to bloom one single nut. A visit to a park turns Merl’s world upside down and his tree will never be the same.
Coming Home
Veterinarian Nicole Ross has a thriving practice, a son she adores, and a happy life. But when she has to fly to her sick father’s bedside, she comes face to face with the man who broke her heart so many years ago.
Wyatt Clayton has come a long way from his bad-boy youth and now runs his family ranch. Still, seeing Nicole again rocks his world and causes him to remember those crazy-wild days when they’d been reckless young lovers.
Reservations for Two
Widower’s Maggie O’Brien and Carson Jennings are both on a journey to rediscover who they are. Maggie, an adventurous former pastor’s wife of thirty-nine years, hopes to find closure in the place she and her husband spent their honeymoon. Carson, a retired judge, is living his lifelong dream of traveling across the U.S. in his RV. When their paths cross in the tranquil setting of Mason Springs, New Mexico, love is the last thing that either of them expects to find.
When this mix matched pair comes together they find themselves in some hilarious and even precarious situations. As the romance begins to blossom they face many obstacles that threaten to tear them apart, and what Maggie discovers about herself in New Mexico will redefine her future and alienate one of her children.
Death of the Modern Superhero: How Grace Breaks our Rules
Religion & Spirituality > Christianity
Author: Chris Lautsbaugh
- $5.99 List Price
- See Kindle Price at Amazon.com
Have you ever felt like you were just not good enough for God? We are told we must be a good Christian, a loving spouse, a caring and involved parent, active in your community, and so much more.
Can we ever make it?
When are we good enough?
Do we feel like we cannot succeed in this life unless we are a superhero with superpowers?
Death of the Modern Superhero explores these dilemmas and gives practical solutions to change our thinking to line up with the reality of God’s Truth.
Locked Up In La Mesa
Biographies & Memoirs > Crime & Criminals
Author: Eldon Asp
- $0.99 List Price
- See Kindle Price at Amazon.com
The true story of Steve Peterson, a young California surfer dude caught smuggling pot in the hills outside Tijuana. In thirty-four short stories of black humor and bittersweet humanity, Steve, together with writer Eldon Asp, recalls his hilarious adventures and scary close calls inside the most notorious prison in Mexico…
Orb
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author: Gary Tarulli
Three months outbound from Earth and the starship Desio approaches its planetary destination, her crew eager to commence a mission of scientific discovery. Kyle Lorenzo, however, has a personal reason for being on board–an inner conflict that will ultimately propel him to explore not only the furthest reaches of an enigmatic ocean world but the nebulous recesses of his inner psyche.
In Her Shadow
Thrillers > Women’s Fiction
Author: August McLaughlin
Near the tenth anniversary of her parents’ unexpected death, Claire Fiksen, a lovely young Harvard-grad and gifted psychologist in Minnesota, develops bizarre symptoms of an eating disorder that threaten her fledgling career, her relationship with a handsome young medical student, her grasp on reality and, soon, her life. When her beloved grandfather reveals that there may be more to her parents’ death than she’s realized, Claire’s pursuit of healing becomes a desperate search for answers as she delves into her family’s sordid past.
Reinventing Mona
Literature & Fiction > Women’s Fiction
Author: Jennifer Coburn
What’s new? Me, for starters… It all began when my job offered me a buyout package. That’s when the realization hit: I’m young, I’m rich (thanks to a hefty inheritance), and I’m boring. Things are gonna change-starting now… Building a better man trap… First things first: Exercise. Carrot juice. Straight hair. Whiter teeth. Clothes that fit. But wait-there’s more. I’m finally ready to take a chance on love with the perfect guy. He’s handsome. He’s smart. He’s reliable. He’s my CPA. Problem is, I’m clueless about winning him over. I
Ruby Blue (The Ruby Blue Series)
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author: Julie Cassar
Meet Ruby. She’s your average (somewhat dorky) ice-cream eating, garden-loving teenager, who is constantly being annoyed by her little brother, is best friends with possibly the only Goth kid in town and, oh yeah…she sees fairies.
After Nick Martino (possibly the hottest guy she’s ever known) finally asks her out, she can barely manage a two-word sentence when a bizarre incident strikes their lakeside town. Stumbling bare-foot through some interesting dates, will she ever find love?
Rubies of the Viper
Romantic Suspense
Author: Martha Marks
- $3.99 List Price
- See Kindle Price at Amazon.com
When her brother is murdered in first-century Rome, Theodosia Varro inherits the family estate, going from poverty and isolation to great wealth and a prestigious position in society. Unfortunately, she lives in a time and a place that deny women of her class the very things she most desires: personal freedom and self-determination.
Only by identifying her brother’s killer can she feel safe, yet her efforts take her in quite the opposite direction. After her own actions and the scheming of others lead to catastrophe, Theodosia struggles to survive and recover what matters most in her life.
No Game for a Dame (Maggie Sullivan mysteries)
Mystery > Historical
Author: M. Ruth Myers
- $1.99 List Price
- See Kindle Price at Amazon.com
Private eye Maggie Sullivan knows the streets of Depression-era Dayton, Ohio, as well as she knows an emery board. With a gin bottle in her desk, a .38 under her seat, and a great pair of legs she can hold her own against the toughest opponent.
Then a routine case makes her a murder suspect and the target of a crime boss who’s got friends at City Hall.
Cold Lonely Courage (Madeleine toche Series)
Action & Adventure
Author: Soren Petrek
Madeleine Toche races to the front only to find her brother mortally wounded during the German Blitzkrieg attack on France at the outset of World War II. His death and her rape at the hands of an SS Stormtrooper cast Madeleine down a path of death and violence as her desire for revenge reaches a crescendo.
The Seven Devils
Genre Fiction > Coming of Age
Author: Sara Danvers
After nearly being drowned by her alcoholic father, 17-year-old Ellen, her mother, and her brother move across the state to start over. Ellen soon meets Neil, a gorgeous loner with a bad reputation. Her classmates warn her to stay away, but he seems to be the only one who understands her. Besides, the rumors about Neil are too far-fetched to be believed. When she is threatened by Derrick (a jealous classmate) it becomes clear that there is more to Neil than meets the eye. In this sexy page turner, Ellen must discover Neil’s dark secrets and learn to stand up for herself before the plot hatched against her unfolds.
Song of the Summer King (A Fantasy Adventure)
Fantasy & Magic
Author: Jess Owen
Shard is a gryfon in danger. He and other young males of the Silver Isles are old enough to fly, hunt, and fight–old enough to be threats to their ruler, the red gryfon king.
In the midst of the dangerous initiation hunt, Shard takes the unexpected advice of a strange she-wolf who seeks him out, and hints that Shard’s past isn’t all that it seems. To learn his past, Shard must abandon the future he wants and make allies of those the gryfons call enemies.
When the gryfon king declares open war on the wolves, it throws Shard’s past and uncertain future into the turmoil between.
Gasparilla’s Treasure
Action & Adventure
Author: Scott Clements
Trip Montgomery has no idea what is in store for him when he finds the dusty old trunk hidden under the floorboards in his mom’s attic. The trunk reveals a series of mysteries that send him on the greatest adventure of his life. Will his best friend Josh, and his new friend Sarah be able to help Trip solve the clues that lead to the greatest treasure ever known to man? Or will Trip’s obsession with the treasure drive him deep into the disorienting dreamland of his great grandfather Pappy?
… See the rest of today’s Editor’s Picks and the Kindle Daily Deal here on page 2
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