William Elliott Hazelgrove tops today’s Buffet with Tobacco Sticks, the 1995 southern mystery novel that put him on the map. The book has just been published to the Kindle at $1.99, and today it’s free.
Set in 1945, this skillfully crafted novel chronicles the coming-of-age of Lee Hartwell, the pubescent son of a Richmond, Virginia, lawyer, whose close-knit family is torn apart by World War II and its aftermath. The adult Lee narrates in the particularly resonant tones of nostalgic Southern elegy. The story explores the major dramatic mid-century changes in the American South: the growth of organized labor, the tenacious hold of old-style politics on a hotly contested senatorial campaign, and the brewing revolution in race relations.
The book, which has been called “a real ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Story,” is based on the recollections of William’s father’s youth in 1940s Richmond.
As usual, each book listed here has gone FREE within the past 24 hours, except for the Bargain books in the yellow section below. 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.)
Tobacco Sticks (Southern Mysteries)
Mystery & Suspense > Family Saga
Author: William Elliott Hazelgrove
This touching novel combines a look at family life and growing up in a small post-World War II southern town with a riveting courtroom drama.
As in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the narrator is a young boy, 13-year-old Lee Hartwell, who sees his family and the world he loves changing dramatically when a woman he has known all his life is accused of a crime and Lee knows she is not guilty. As his lawyer father takes the case, the racial tensions of the town boil over, testing Lee’s love for his father.
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Sweet Masterpiece: The First Samantha Sweet Mystery
Romance > Paranormal > Humor
Author: Connie Shelton
Samantha Sweet is a lady who breaks into houses for a living, and the things she discovers often lead to trouble. When she finds an unmarked grave on a property in a remote spot in Taos County, New Mexico, Sam calls in the authorities. A small mural painted inside a closet in the abandoned house provides clues and Sam is caught up in an investigation. A fortune in artwork, a bogus will, and a wooden box that seems to give Sam powers she never dreamed she possessed–all lead to a genuine mystery for Sam to solve.
Then there is all that chocolate! Sam’s real goal in life is to use her elegant baking skills to open her own pastry shop, Sweet’s Sweets. She’s gaining quite the reputation as a baker with a magical touch, but a few obstacles stand in her way. Her grown daughter shows up on her doorstep–jobless and homeless; her bank account is at an all-time low; and trying to work from the tiny cramped kitchen in her home is becoming impossible.
Somehow, Sam copes and she finds that her dreams might just have a chance of coming true.
CLOCKWISE
Teen & Young Adult > Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author: Elle Strauss
- $0.99 List Price
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Casey Donovan has issues: hair, height and uncontrollable trips to the 19th century! And now this-she’s accidentally taken Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Awkward.
It’s the eve of the American Civil war and protocol pressures Casey to tell their hosts that Nate is her brother. No one more surprised than she is when they are forced to share a one room worker’s cabin. Super awkward.
Nate’s slow to accept their new reality but when he does, he realizes he needs Casey to get back. His nearness is intoxicating to Casey, but she keeps her cool by hanging a privacy blanket and staying aloof. Knowing Nate has an evil girlfriend waiting for him at home helps.
Over time Casey gains the attention of a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor, and something changes in Nate. Are those romantic sparks or is it just “brotherly” protectiveness?
A Million Tears
Historical Fiction > Family Saga
Author: Paul Henke
- $0.99 List Price
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America at the turn of the century. For the enterprising immigrant – a land of optimism and hope. From the hardship and poverty of Wales in 1890 this is the story of the Griffiths family and their journey to succeed in the new country. Henke describes the excitement of the pioneers in the early twentieth century. A tale of intrigue and adventure – the characters come to life against the backdrop of the time. You will not want to put this book down.
Don’t Read After Dark (A McCray Horror Collection)
Mystery > Hard-Boiled > Horror
Author: Carolyn McCray
From the #1 bestselling author in Horror, Men’s Adcventure, War, and Techno-thrillers, Carolyn McCray, comes a horror collection to keep you up all night long if you dare.
This collection includes…
Fresh Meat: Serial Killer Death Match, need we say more?
Widowmaker: A thriller for horror fans
All Hallow’s Eve: The one night it is BAD to be good!
Club Death: Come for the dancing. Stay because, well, a madman has you trapped inside
Rook: Let’s stop the Apocolypse, people! Supernatural humorous horror
Supper: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre style short story
Painted Faces
Romance > Contemporary
Author: L.H. Cosway
Dublin native Freda Wilson considers herself to be an acquired taste. She has a habit of making offensive jokes and speaking her mind too often. She doesn’t have the best track record with first impressions, which is why she gets a surprise when her new neighbour Nicholas takes a shine to her.
Nicholas is darkly handsome, funny and magnetic, and Freda feels like her black and white existence is plunged into a rainbow of colour when she’s around him. When he walks into a room he lights it up, with his quick wit and charisma. He is a travelling cabaret performer, but Freda doesn’t know exactly what that entails until the curtains pull back on his opening night.
She is gob-smacked and entirely intrigued to see him take to the stage in drag. Later on, Nicholas asks her if she would like to become his show assistant. Excited by the idea, she jumps at the chance. Soon she finds herself immersed in a world of wigs, make-up and high heels, surrounded by pretty men and the temptation of falling for her incredibly beautiful employer.
Texas Roads
Christian Fiction > Romance
Author: Cathy Bryant
- $3.99 List Price
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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.
Steve Miller is determined to rescue his dying hometown. When vandals jeopardize the renovation, he can’t help but suspect Dani, whose strange behavior has become fodder for local gossips. Can Steve and Dani call a truce for a higher cause, and in the process help Dani recognize the true meaning of home?
Yellowstone Heart Song
Fantasy > Historical
Author: Peggy L Henderson
Nurse and avid backpacker Aimee Donovan is offered the opportunity of a lifetime. She encounters a patient who tells her he can send her two hundred years into the past to spend three months in the rugged Yellowstone wilderness at the dawn of the mountain man era. The only requirement: she cannot tell anyone that she’s from the future.
How did a white woman suddenly appear in the remote Rocky Mountain wilderness? Trapper Daniel Osborne’s first instinct is to protect this mysterious and unconventional woman from the harsh realities of his mountains. While he fights his growing attraction to her, he is left frustrated by her lies and secrecy.
Daniel shows Aimee a side of Yellowstone she’s never experienced. She is torn between her feelings for him, and exposing a secret that will destroy everything he holds as truth. As her three months come to an end, she is faced with a dilemma: return to her own time, or stay with the man who opened her eyes to a whole new world. When the decision is made for her, both their lives will be changed forever.
Humanus Astrologicus
New Age > Astrology > Horoscopes
Author: Deborah Smith Parker
Parker ignites self-explorers through astrological accuracies tailored to 21st century readers. Humanus Astrologicus transcends common astrological interpretations through fresh observations that originate from her study and practice of astrology for more than three decades. The poetry aspect of the book came from growing up bi-lingual, fluent in both prose and poetry, learning from her father at an early age to write clever verse.
Humanus Astrologicus helps you understand how you and others relate to life. For instance, are partners or lovers each thinking the other’s energy level cries out for a medical checkup and even medication? Or is it just the natural energy patterns of Mars since Mars rules energy.
A Rose Blooms Twice
Christian Fiction > Historical > 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. Set in the American prairie of the late 1800s, this story of loss, disillusionment, rebirth, and love will inspire, challenge, and encourage you.,
Dead Radiance
Teen & Young Adult > Fantasy > Fairy Tales
Author: T.G. Ayer
Bryn Halbrook had always seen the glow. But it is only when her best friend dies that she discovers the meaning of those beautiful golden auras–Death. Alone, lost in the foster system, she struggles to understand who she is and why she was cursed with the ability to see the soon-to-be-dead.
The new foster kid, Aidan, isn’t helping any. Mr. Perfect seems to fit in no matter what, making her feel even more pathetic. But when his affections turn to her, Bryn finds him hard to resist. Impossible, actually. A mystery himself, Aidan disappears, leaving behind a broken heart and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn might not be entirely human.
Bryn stands at the threshold of a journey of discovery. Will destiny help her find herself, find her purpose and her place in a world in which she’d never belonged?
The Long Dance Home
Romance > Contemporary
Author: Julie Mayerson Brown
As Cece approaches her 29th birthday, life takes an unexpected turn that throws the level-headed, disciplined, former ballerina into turmoil. After a chance encounter with an old rival who makes an unexpected request, Cece is forced to make a life-changing decision.
With a broken heart and an unknown future, she returns to her hometown where she is lured back into the life she had escaped long ago, vowing never to return. Now, immersing herself in a production of The Nutcracker, she struggles to let go of the life she had dreamed of and the love she left behind.
Dead Man’s Crossing
Action & Adventure > Westerns
Author: Robert Broomall
1854 — the Gold Rush is still going strong. Who better to guide a wagon train from San Antonio to California than Jake Moran, the Hero of Chapultapec in the Mexican War?
Trouble is, Jake’s not really a hero, though he’s the only one who knows it. Fifteen hundred miles of forbidding desert make Jake want to turn down the position, but the emigrants of the California Company are depending on him, and he can’t let them down. The company faces thirst, cholera, and Comanche raids. In addition, Jake confronts the enmity of Tyler Hampton, wealthy promoter of the California Company, the man whose leadership position has been taken away and given to Jake.
Scones, Simply the Best Scone Recipes
Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Brunch & Tea
Author: Sara Winlet
How would you like to make authentic scones, with just a few steps from ingredients you already have in your kitchen? How would you like to impress your friends and family with your very own English tea party?
Even if you have never made a scone before, you can make scones like a pro the first time trying. With my easy to understand recipes, directions and tips you will be making scones in no time.
TODAY’S BARGAINS……………What’s this?
The Girl with a Pearl Earring
Literary Fiction > Historical
Author: Tracy Chevalier
Regular Price $9.99, Today $2.99
The New York Times bestselling novel by the author of Remarkable Creatures and The Last Runaway. Translated into thirty-nine languages and made into an Oscar-nominated film, starring Scarlett Johanson and Colin Firth.
Tracy Chevalier transports readers to a bygone time and place in this richly-imagined portrait of the young woman who inspired one of Vermeer’s most celebrated paintings. History and fiction merge seamlessly in this luminous novel about artistic vision and sensual awakening.
With precisely 35 canvases to his credit, the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer represents one of the great enigmas of 17th-century art. The meager facts of his biography have been gleaned from a handful of legal documents. Yet Vermeer’s extraordinary paintings of domestic life, with their subtle play of light and texture, have come to define the Dutch golden age. His portrait of the anonymous Girl with a Pearl Earring has exerted a particular fascination for centuries–and it is this magnetic painting that lies at the heart of Tracy Chevalier’s second novel of the same title.
Girl with a Pearl Earring centers on Vermeer’s prosperous Delft household during the 1660s. When Griet, the novel’s quietly perceptive heroine, is hired as a servant, turmoil follows. First, the 16-year-old narrator becomes increasingly intimate with her master. Then Vermeer employs her as his assistant–and ultimately has Griet sit for him as a model. Chevalier vividly evokes the complex domestic tensions of the household, ruled over by the painter’s jealous, eternally pregnant wife and his taciturn mother-in-law. At times the relationship between servant and master seems a little anachronistic. Still, Girl with a Pearl Earring does contain a final delicious twist.
The Icecutter’s Daughter
Romance > Historical
Author: Tracie Peterson
Regular Price $14.99, Today $2.99
Merrill Krause longs for a family of her own, but she’s bound by a promise to her dying mother to care for her father and older brothers until they no longer need her. She enjoys being part of the family business, harvesting ice during the brutal Minnesota winters. Merrill actively takes part, possessing a keen ability to work with the horses–despite the advice of her good friend, who disapproves of her unladylike behavior.
When Rurik Jorgenson arrives in their small town to join his uncle doing carpentry, he soon crosses paths with Merrill. But unlike other men, who are often frightened away by her older brothers, Rurik isn’t intimidated by them or by Merrill’s strength and lack of femininity. As he thrives under the mentorship of his uncle, Rurik dreams of inheriting the business and claiming Merrill as his wife. But while he is determined to start a new life, the past is determined to follow him when his former fiancee and her brother show up in town. Soon Rurik is put in the center of a major scandal that may damage his relationship with Merrill. Can they learn to trust God–and each other–and embrace the promise of love?
The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century
History > Military > Strategy
Author: Colonel Thomas X. Hammes USMC
Regular Price $9.99, Today $2.99
4GW (Fourth Generation Warfare) is the only kind of war America has ever lost. And we have done so three times in Vietnam, Lebanon, and Somalia. This form of warfare has also defeated the French in Vietnam and Algeria, and the USSR in Afghanistan.
As the only Goliath left in the world, we should be worried that the world’s Davids have found a sling and stone that work. These types of “asymmetrical” warfare are the conflicts of the 21st century and show how difficult it is for the world’s remaining superpower to battle insurgents and terrorists who will fight unconventionally in the face of superior military power. This change in military conflict may seem sudden.
Prelude to Space (Arthur C. Clarke Collection)
Science Fiction > High Tech
Author: Arthur C. Clarke
Regular Price $8.99, Today $1.99
The world’s first lunar spacecraft is about to launch. The ship, Prometheus, is built from two separate components—one designed to travel from Earth’s atmosphere to the Moon and back, and the other to carry the first component through Earth’s atmosphere and into orbit. Sound familiar? That’s because it’s the basic description of the first space shuttle—well before its launch in 1971.
Prelude to Space was published in 1951—well before the first Sputnik expedition. Even so, the book is full of detailed technical descriptions and conversations regarding the possibilities of spaceflight and telecommunications satellites. Much of the technology described was actually included during the construction of the first spaceships. It’s a fascinating read—from both a fictional and a historical perspective.
A Tale Dark and Grimm
Children’s eBooks > Action & Adventure
Author: Adam Gidwitz
Regular Price $7.99, Today $2.99
- $16.99 List Price
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Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm (and Grimm-inspired) fairy tales. An irreverent, witty narrator leads us through encounters with witches, warlocks, dragons, and the devil himself. As the siblings roam a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind the famous tales, as well as how to take charge of their destinies and create their own happily ever after. Because once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome.
“Charming and inventive . . . the perfect haunted book.” – The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“One of the year’s best children’s books.” – The Virginian-Pilot
Love in the Ruins: The Adventures of a Bad Catholic
Peoples & Cultures – Fiction
Author: Walker Percy
Regular Price $14.99, Today $1.99
In Walker Percy’s future America, the country is on the brink of disaster. With citizens violently polarized along racial, political, and social lines, and a fifteen-year war still raging abroad, America is crumbling quickly into ruin. The country’s one remaining hope is Dr. Thomas More, whose “lapsometer” is capable of diagnosing the spiritual afflictions—anxiety, depression, alienation—driving everyone’s destructive and disastrous behavior.
But such a potent machine has its pitfalls. As Dr. More soon learns, in the wrong hands, the powerful lapsometer could lead to open warfare, pushing America into anarchy at full-speed.
A Glass of Blessings
Literary Fiction > Classics
Author: Barbara Pym
Regular Price $14.99, Today $1.99
Barbara Pym’s early novel takes us into 1950s England, as seen through the funny, engaging, yearning eyes of a restless housewife.
Wilmet Forsyth is bored. Bored with the everyday routine of her life. Bored with teatimes filled with local gossip. Bored with her husband, Rodney, a civil servant who dotes on her. But on her thirty-third birthday, Wilmet’s conventional life takes a turn when she runs into the handsome brother of her close friend.
Attractive and enigmatic, Piers Longridge is a mystery Wilmet is determined to solve. Rather than settling down, he lived in Portugal, then returned to England for a series of odd jobs. Driven by a fantasy of romance, the sheltered, naïve Englishwoman sets out to seduce Piers—only to discover that he isn’t the man she thinks he is.
As cozy as sharing a cup of tea with an old friend, A Glass of Blessings explores timeless themes of sex, marriage, religion, and friendship while exposing our flaws and foibles with wit, compassion, and a generous helping of love.
… See the rest of today’s Editor’s Picks here on page 2