Free books!

Sandra Parshall

Maybe you’ve lost your job or expect to soon. Maybe your investments, large or small, are tanking. Maybe your kids don’t understand why they can’t have the expensive electronic playthings they want from Santa. Publishing seems to be headed into a dizzying downward spiral, too, and all over the internet, writers are begging you to buy their new books.

I understand why laying down money for the latest mystery novels might not be a top priority at the moment. But you need them, right? You can’t live without those entertaining tales of mayhem. Sometimes an engrossing book is all that stands between you and total meltdown. (I understand that too.) So I’m offering a batch of books, all of them December releases, to a few lucky readers of PDD.

Look through the list below, then tell me in the comments section which THREE books you’d like to have, in order of preference. Each winner will receive two free books, but naming a third choice will increase your chance of getting something you want. If you enjoy the books, please tell your friends about them. If you don’t win, but a book sounds like just your sort of thing, stop in a book store and treat yourself. You deserve it, don’t you?


DEVIL MAY RIDE, A Ghost Dusters Mystery, by Wendy Roberts – Second in the paranormal mystery series featuring Sadie Novak, a professional crime scene cleaner and amateur medium. Sadie and her sexy partner, Zack, are cleaning up a meth lab when Sadie comes face to face with an evil spirit unlike anything she’s seen before.

DYING FOR DINNER by Miranda Bliss – Annie is leaving her bank job to work full-time as manager of her boyfriend’s restaurant in Old Town Alexandria, VA. But the first day of the rest of her life is the last day of someone else’s, and Annie ends up right in the middle of the excitement. Includes recipes.


DEFENDING ANGELS, A Beaufort & Company Mystery, by Mary Stanton – Ah, Savannah, a city overflowing with charm and ghosts. Literally. While Brianna Winston-Beaufort waits out the renovations on her law office, she rents space in the middle of an all-murderers cemetery, and before long, she’s defending a client in the loftiest venue of all, the Celestial Court. Great setting and a charming heroine.


DYING BY THE SWORD, A Musketeers Mystery, by Sarah D’Almeida – The swashbuckling trio set out to prove Porthos’s servant innocent of killing an armorer, but their sleuthing leads to conflict with Cardinal Richelieu, who is investigating a plot against King Louis XIII. Excellent historical detail.


DEAD MEN DON’T CROCHET by Betty Hechtman – In this followup to Hooked on Murder, Molly Pink and the boisterous Tarzana Hookers join forces to clear one of their members of murdering a snarky yarn shop owner (who probably deserved what she got). Recipe and crochet pattern included.

MR. MONK IS MISERABLE by Lee Goldberg – Natalie serves as Monk’s Dr. Watson, assisting the brilliant detective and telling the stories in Goldberg’s entertaining series of original novels based on the television program. In the latest, the phobic Monk astonishes Natalie by deciding to visit the catacombs of Paris. Among the ancient skeletons, Monk’s sharp eye spots a skull that’s not so old – and bears evidence of murder. A San Francisco connection brings Captain Stottlemeyer and Lt. Disher into the action.


HAIL TO THE CHEF, A White House Chef Mystery, by Julie Hyzy – This series was an instant hit with its first entry, State of the Onion, and the second is equally entertaining. White House Chef Ollie Parsons has plenty to do with the holidays coming up and the First Lady meddling in her romantic life, but she adds murder to her plate when the First Lady’s nephew dies in suspicious circumstances. Recipes for a complete Presidential meal are included, along with lots of details about the inner workings of the nation's First Kitchen.

MRS. MALLORY AND A TIME TO DIE by Hazel Holt – When the quiet English village of Taviscombe is shaken by a series of shocking deaths, Sheila Malory finds herself back in sleuthing mode. Publishers Weekly calls the Mrs. Malory series “the very model of the modern mystery cozy.”

Tell me your choices, and check the end of the comments thread on Thursday to find out if you won!