Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish physician and writer best known for his stories about detective Sherlock Holmes, perhaps the most familiar character in all of crime fiction.
Sherlock Holmes, a “consulting detective” based in London, is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to adopt almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve difficult cases. Holmes was featured in four novels and 56 short stories.
Doyle was a prolific writer whose other works included fantasy and science fiction stories, plays, romances, poetry, nonfiction and historical novels. After he introduced Sherlock Holmes in the novel A Study in Scarlet in 1887, Doyle wrote a series of 24 short mysteries featuring the detective and his colleague, Dr. Watson, in the pages of the Strand Magazine from 1891 to 1893. A collection of the first 12 of these tales sits atop today’s Buffet. It includes all 104 original illustrations by Sidney Paget done for Strand, along with a brief introduction and a biography of Doyle. Normally this edition costs $2.99 but today it’s free.
Doyle said that the character of Sherlock Holmes was inspired by Dr. Joseph Bell, for whom Doyle had worked as a clerk at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Like Holmes, Bell was noted for drawing large conclusions from the smallest observations.
The Guinness World Records has consistently listed Sherlock Holmes as the “most portrayed movie character” of all time, with more than 70 actors playing the part in more than 200 films over the past 113 years. In a 2009 movie, Sherlock Holmes was played by Robert Downey, Jr., and sidekick Dr. John Watson was portrayed by Jude Law.
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.)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Illustrated)
Mystery Anthologies
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle, Sidney Paget
This splendid collection of mysteries carries readers back to a gas-lit era, when literature’s greatest detective team lived on Baker Street. For newcomers to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, there is no better place to start than with the dozen short stories in this edition. Highlights include:
A Scandal in Bohemia, 1891 – The very first and one of the top five Sherlock Holmes short stories. After some brilliant detective work involving disguises and acting, Holmes is outwitted by the woman Irene Adler in his quest to help the hereditary king of Bohemia regain a scandalous photograph from her.
The Red-headed League, 1891 – Generally regarded as all-time second-best Sherlock Holmes story, this bizarre tale features a pawnbroker who is paid money to join the mysterious Red-Headed League and copy out Encyclopedia Britannica, as part of an ingenious scheme to rob a bank.
The Five Orange Pips, 1891 – One of Doyle’s personal favorites, this tale recounts the death of two men, both preceded by the arrival of five mysterious orange pips. In one of his few failures, Holmes connects the events to the Ku Klux Klan, but not soon enough to prevent another death.
The Blue Carbuncle, 1892 – Another favorite all-time top 5 Holmes story, as Holmes unravels how a blue diamond ended up inside the goose intended for Mr. Henry Baker’s Christmas dinner.
The Speckled Band, 1892 – Universally regarded as the most popular short story in the Sherlock Holmes canon, and easily one of the more suspenseful and chilling. The engaged Helen Stoner is terrified when she hears the same strange whistling that preceded the death of her twin sister in a locked bedroom shortly before her wedding.
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Dirty Martini – A Thriller (Jack Daniels Mysteries)
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author: Jack Kilborn, J.A. Konrath
Jack faces her toughest adversary yet: a sicko who’s poisoning the city’s food supply. But that’s just the start of what he has planned, because he’s aiming to kill fifty thousand people in the single biggest act of terrorism the US has ever seen. Can she stop him — and decide whether to accept boyfriend Latham’s surprise proposal — without destroying both her reputation and her sanity? Join Jack, her partner Herb, and her nemesis Harry McGlade, for her fourth, and greatest, case so far.
Trapped – A Novel of Terror
Action & Adventure
Author: J.A. Konrath, Jack Kilborn
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It was supposed to be a harmless camping trip. Six wayward teenagers who’d run into trouble with the law, and their court-appointed guardians, Sara and Martin Randhurst. Three nights on a small, deserted island off of Michigan’s upper peninsula. A time to bond, to learn, to heal.
Then Martin told a campfire story about the island’s history. Of the old civil war prison hidden in there, and the starving confederate soldiers who resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Everyone thought it was funny. They even laughed when Martin pretended to be dragged off into the woods.
But Martin didn’t come back. And neither did Sara when she went in search of him. Then the laughter stopped. The group soon began to realize that this deserted island wasn’t so deserted after all. And perhaps Martin’s ridiculous story had more truth to it than anyone thought.
Timecaster
Science Fiction
Author: Jack Kilborn, J.A. Konrath
Chicago, 2064: Mankind Can Rewind. Talon Alalon is a timecaster–one of a select few peace officers who can operate a TEV, the Tachyon Emission Visualizer, which records events (most specifically, crimes) that have already happened. With crime at an all-time low, Talon has little to do except give lectures to schoolkids–and obsess on his wife’s profession as a licensed sex partner.
Then one of her clients asks Talon to investigate a possible murder. When Talon uses the TEV to view the crime, the identity of the killer is unmistakable–it’s him, Talon Avalon. Someone is taking timecasting to a whole new level and using it to frame Talon. And the only way he can prove his innocence is to go off the grid–which in 2064 is a very dangerous thing to do.
A Lonely Resurrection
Action & Adventure
Author: Barry Eisler
All John Rain wants is to get out of the killing business. But with his discretion, his reliability, and his unique talent for death by “natural causes,” no one is willing to let him just retire. So when an old nemesis from the Japanese national police force comes to him with a new job–eliminate Murakami, a killer even more fearsome than Rain himself–Rain knows he can’t refuse.
Aided by an achingly desirable half Brazilian, half Japanese exotic dancer he knows he shouldn’t trust, Rain pursues his quarry through underground no-holds-barred fight clubs, mobbed-up hostess bars, and finally into the heart of a shadow war between the CIA and the yakuza. It’s a war Rain can’t win, but also one he can’t afford to lose–a war where the distinctions between friend and foe and truth and deceit are as murky as the rain-slicked streets of Tokyo.
Guilt Trip (Blanco County Mysteries)
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author: Ben Rehder
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Life in rural Blanco County, Texas, isn’t what most folks would call exciting—and that suits game warden John Marlin just fine. He’s happy to spend his days and nights protecting the local wildlife from poachers. But when the tequila-slamming, skirt-chasing treasurer of the local Rotary Club goes missing and his vehicle is found in the river the day after a flood, Marlin finds himself in charge of the search efforts. At nearly the same time, a nearby house explodes in a shower of drug paraphernalia, and an exotic car turns up stolen from the missing man’s barn.
WICK (Wick Series)
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author: Michael Bunker, Chris Awalt
Clay just wants to get home. Six years ago, he moved to New York City after his wife and daughters were killed in a horrible automobile accident, and now, the day after Hurricane Sandy devastates the city and the tri-state area, Clay sets out on foot to escape both the city, and the prison of his old life there. What Clay discovers on his epic walk to freedom, will change everything… for everyone… forever
Texas Roads (A Miller’s Creek Novel)
Romance
Author: Cathy Bryant
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City gal Dani Davis just wants a place to call home. With quirky residents, quaint country charm, and loads of business potential, Miller’s Creek Texas seems like the perfect place to start over . . . except for the cowboy who gives her a ride into town. Dani secretly finances renovations to downtown Miller’s Creek, but malicious rumors force her to choose between keeping her involvement a secret and the home for which she’s always longed. Then a devastating discovery propels her down a road she never expected to travel.
Diary of the Displaced – Book 1 – The Journal of James Halldon
Horror
Author: Glynn James
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James Halldon woke up in the dark, alone, without any food or water, without a clue where he was, and with no memory of where he came from.
It only got stranger. James has somehow found his way to The Corridor, a midnight place that no human should ever see and the prison of a creature that has destroyed entire worlds. Somehow James has to learn to survive.
But he is not alone. The lost souls of others who have drifted into The Corridor, and died, also haunt this world, and they have been waiting a long time for someone to come along.
Basic Soap Making: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started (How To Basics)
Lifestyle & Home
Author: Elizabeth Letcavage, Patsy Buck
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This book features hundreds of step-by-step, full-color photographs that illustrate exactly how to make cold-process soap. It contains instructions on molding soap, cutting bars, creating original recipes, packaging gifts, and more. It includes a chapter on constructing a soap mold, liner, and cutter at home. Readers will learn the basic four-oil soap recipe, which can then be enhanced with additives such as oatmeal, fragrance oils, colored swirls, two-tone nuggets, and moisturizing butters.
Fat Kills
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author: K. Reid
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Mia Nickole Rose is a beautiful, full-figured, witty, aspiring songstress who feels stuck in her unfulfilling life. A struggling artist in Washington D.C.’s metropolitan area desperate to make ends meet, Mia’s life spirals horrifyingly out of control, deep into a world of insanity and murder when she is invited to a party that she will never forget. She is offered an ultimatum and, in exchange for her life, takes on a job working for a serial killer hell-bent on vengeance. Mia’s struggles with her finances and self-esteem become minute, while she focuses to stay sane, unharmed and alive.
The Real Fling
Contemporary Fiction
Author: R. Silver
Samantha Lin is newly divorced and ready to move on with her career as a concert pianist. Trevor Morgan is a hot fashion photographer linked to models and actresses. Trevor and Samantha’s chance meeting ignites an animal attraction that neither one may be ready to handle. Samantha’s meddling family and her own past make her doubt Trevor. Despite their growing relationship, Trevor’s inability to face his personal fears may doom them. Both Samantha and Trevor will need to overcome their personal demons if their relationship has any chance to survive.
This is R. Silver’s debut contemporary romance novel.
All Hallows’ Moon (#2) (Seasons of the Moon)
Fantasy
Author: SM Reine
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Rylie survived a werewolf bite. She’s moved to her aunt’s ranch to enroll in a new school and continue her life–except now she transforms into a monster every moon and struggles to control her murderous urges.
Without many werewolves left, it’s hard to stay in hiding. A family of hunters–Eleanor, Abel, and Seth–recognize the signs and follow Rylie to her new home. They want to stop her before she murders someone, and the only way to do it is with a silver bullet. Seth soon realizes the werewolf is Rylie, the one monster he failed to kill. Worse yet, he’s still in love with her.
The Wizard of Time (Book 1)
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author: G.L. Breedon
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Thirteen-year-old Gabriel Salvador has dreams about the future and his dreams always come true. When he dreams one night that he will drown, he knows upon waking it is only a matter of time before his dream becomes reality. Plucked from the timeline of history at the moment of his death, Gabriel becomes an apprentice time mage and part of an elite team of wizards who travel throughout history to fight the War of Time and Magic.
Something Witchy (Mystics & Mayhem)
Horror
Author: AJ Myers
My name is Ember Blaylock. Welcome to the World of Weird—better known as my life. It wasn’t always like this. I was once a normal high school senior, just filling out college apps and trying to stay sane long enough to get out of Moonlight, Missouri. Preferably before I ended up in a straight-jacket out of sheer boredom.
At first, my only problems were my increasingly unwanted ability to see the dead and my desperation to remove the stalker known as my ex-boyfriend from my life. Somewhere along the line I must have pissed off the Bad Karma Fairy. Maybe I stepped on the wrong toadstool or peed in Loki’s personal swimming pool—I really don’t know. All I do know is I’m about to have the worst week of my life. Maybe the worst week of any teenager’s life. Ever.
All because of a dead guy.
A Rose Blooms Twice (A Prairie Heritage, Book 1)
Romance
Author: Vikki Kestell
Rose Brownlee must choose whether she will bow to conventional wisdom or, like Abraham, follow where God leads her . . . even to a country she does not know.
Sarah Of The Moon
Romance
Author: Randy Mixter
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The Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco in 1967. Alex Conley, a part-time writer for a Baltimore newspaper, is dispatched to chronicle the events occurring there. It is June of 1967, and the summer of love is in full swing. Alone, in this strange and magical place, he meets a girl named Sarah, a free spirit who is as mysterious as she is beautiful.
What are the secrets of her past? Why does she dance each night under the light of the moon? These are just a few of the puzzles Alex needs to solve in the short time he has in that city. Then there’s another complication. He is beginning to fall deeply in love with her.
The Secret Trinity: Unearth (Fae-Witch Trilogy, Book 1)
Fantasy
Author: Jenna Bernel
Aria Darwin has always considered herself cursed. She is obsessed with finding a cure for the bad boyfriend plague. Worse yet, she’s in denial about her weird abilities and terrified of her mysterious stalker who causes the earth to quake violently with the snap of his finger. With her two best friends, Aria enters her first semester of college armed with a “no more men” pact in an effort to demagnetize the sleaze balls. Unfortunately, the agreement proves difficult when she meets Liam, a charming foreign exchange student, on the first day of school.
The Rancher (Redbourne Series #1 – Cole’s Story)
Westerns
Author: Kelli Ann Morgan
Abby McCallister can ride and shoot better than any man she’s ever met, but when the threat of losing her ranch forces her to find a husband, she is unprepared for the mysterious stranger who takes her hand and evokes in her a sudden desire to be a lady fit for his arm. He’d sworn to protect her. He couldn’t do that if she married someone else…
Snowbound
Horror
Author: Blake Crouch
For Will Innis and his daughter, Devlin, the loss was catastrophic. Every day for the past five years, they wonder where she is, if she is—Will’s wife, Devlin’s mother—because Rachael Innis vanished one night during an electrical storm on a lonely desert highway, and suspected of her death, Will took his daughter and fled. Now, Will and Devlin live under different names in another town, having carved out a new life for themselves as they struggle to maintain some semblance of a family.
Cyberdrome
Science Fiction
Author: Joseph Rhea, David Rhea
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A disturbing glimpse into a digital future, not far from now. Mathew Grey is a brilliant scientist who accidentally unleashed a man-made plague that ravaged America’s heartland, and now threatens the rest of the planet. Riddled with guilt and running out of time, he decides to use a dangerous technology to enter a computer-generated reality called Cyberdrome, hoping to unravel a mystery that could be the key to Earth’s survival.
Redemption Protocol (Contact)
Science Fiction
Author: Mike Freeman
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John Havoc was betrayed into murdering over three hundred thousand people with a biological weapon. The only thing left in his hollowed out world is retribution. Havoc is drawn into a top secret Contact mission – humanity’s first – after an extraordinary energy source is detected at the limit of reachable space. While the crew of the AV Intrepid struggle with saboteurs and hostile ships, they fail to realize that the alien world holds dangers that threaten far more than their ship. Imprisoned on Plash is a weapon of unimaginable horror – a species eliminator.
Meg’s Moment
Romance
Author: Amy Johnson
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Megan Malone is a bored housewife determined to put passion back into her marriage. When she discovers that her husband, Ted, is a lying cheating scumbag, she decides to dump him and have a wild night with one of the hotties from her high school days. She enlists the help of her eclectic group of friends and a down in the dumps Private Investigator, Jack Weston, who coincidentally is investigating her husband and his girlfriend. She hires Jack to locate these hotties so she can put some passion back into her boring monotonous life. But Jack has other plans.
The Charm (Olivia Hart and the Gifted Program)
Children’s Books
Author: Alana Siegel
When shy, sixteen year old, Olivia Hart, witnesses the actual rainstorm her ex-boyfriend, Max Smarr, creates in Pandora high school’s cafeteria, she’s convinced she’s lost her mind. Nothing will prepare her, however, for the discovery of her own special Gift.
Double Bind
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author: Seb Kirby
Author Raymond Bridges has it all – success, money, a gorgeous girlfriend – and is living the good life. But when he wakes up naked in a shopping mall with no memory of who he is or how he got there, he finds his journey to discover the truth is only the beginning of a terrifying nightmare.
Unsuitable Men
Romance
Author: Nia Forrester
Beautiful, accomplished and a little uptight, Tracy Emerson thinks she has it all figured out, particularly when it comes to the kind of man she wants to end up with. And she knows for sure that Brendan Cole is not The One. First of all, he works in the music business, with rappers no less. His lifestyle is wholly unsuitable for a long-term partner, and not at all compatible with hers. But she can’t help that she’s incredibly attracted to him and also can’t overlook that he’s always treated her better than any man ever has.
The Big Bend
Action & Adventure
Author: Gary Showalter
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The day begins like any other: Terry Rankin, sole proprietor of Rankin Personal Security Services in Orlando, Florida, accepts a private meeting with a potential client. Sheila Adamson is looking for a bodyguard to protect her from her abusive husband, but Rankin refuses to take the job until she begins divorce proceedings. Moments later, Mrs. Adamson is dead and Rankin is buried beneath the rubble of his house, knocked flat by a car bomb planted in the dead woman’s Jaguar. When he’s questioned by the local police, Rankin learns that Adamson’s attorney has also turned up dead, his Cadillac riddled with bullets.
The Way of Grace (Miller’s Creek Novels)
Romance
Author: Cathy Bryant
A justice-seeking perfectionist pursues her dream of a perfect life in her hometown of Miller’s Creek, Texas. Sidetracked by a desire to be a prosecuting attorney, Grace Soldano launches into uncharted waters, making herself over to please her boss and mentor.
Then a disheveled free spirit turns her perfectly ordered world upside down, challenging the concept of personal goodness. A fall from perfection leaves
… See the rest of today’s Editor’s Picks and the Kindle Daily Deal here on page 2
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