Monday, June 17, 2013

Free Kindle Books 6-17-13

PLEASE. Do everyone a favor and write an Amazon review if you end up reading a book (or trying to and giving up in disgust). It does not have to be much. Just tell what you think of the book. By the way, most of the time I have found the 1 and 2 star reviews on self published works to be far more revealing about the book than the more stellar reviews.

From the top 100 free list
I did not list any of them since they don't interest me much, but as is typical, there are several religious and recipe books on the list today. I don't call them out because they don't interest me. Click on the link above and search through the Free List Tab if you are interested in such books.

The Lost Journal
Review for The Lost Journal:
"The golf drew me into Chris Blewitt's first book, Deep Rough, and this time, the
history drew me into The Lost Journal. A man who doesn't shy away from
research, with his latest adventure thriller Blewitt takes readers on a
chase through some of America's best known historical sites to uncover
some of their best kept secrets. You'll try hard to keep up, and you'll
try hard to guess the secret. Good luck with both..."  Author of Regret, Michael Robertson (Writing as Dan Dawkins)

In 1778, during the peak of the Revolutionary War, a secret document is hidden and its whereabouts are known to only one man. Now, more than two centuries later, Seth Layton accidentally discovers the journal that will unlock its location and he is on a quest to find it. Joined by his grandfather and new female friend, Madison, they are chased by unsavory characters and some powerful people through historic Philadelphia to the streets of Washington DC. What American secret will the journal unveil and will Seth and his companions live long enough to reveal it?

**Re-edited, Revised, Reformatted for Kindle 1/22/12**

Approx: 325 pages

5 star:(25)
4 star:(21)
3 star:(23)
2 star:(8)
1 star:(6)

[#3. Based on the assortment of reviews it has, it might be a book with some issues, but it made it to #3 on the list so at least a lot of people thought it was worth that much. Hard to tell with self published works. But, I like both historical fiction and conspiracy stories, so at least the premise is a good one for me.]

The Shekinah Legacy (A Charlotte Ansari Thriller)
In this controversial Amazon best-selling thriller, international cable TV journalist Charlotte Ansari and her Asperger's son are caught literally in the crossfire of history when terrorists, the CIA, Mossad and the Vatican all converge in a pulse-pounding search for relics that could forever change the balance of power in the world.

Three decades ago, Charlotte's mother suddenly vanished with no trace. The mystery was never solved. Then suddenly, on the same day that Charlotte's home is attacked by terrorists, her son receives an email from the grandmother that he has never known. The coded message catapults Charlotte and her son on a dangerous mission to India and Kashmir to find the only objects that can save the old woman's life. Unfortunately, Charlotte and her autistic son don't know what they are looking for.

The Shekinah Legacy is a thriller in the tradition of Dan Brown, Steve Berry and James Rollins. In this provocative novel, author Gary Lindberg uses the form of the thriller to explore the limits and perils of belief.

5 star:(105)
4 star:(55)
3 star:(17)
2 star:(12)
1 star:(9)

[#5. A book I got for free in February of 2012. I don't recall looking at it. Books that are self described as being in the tradition of Dan Brown rarely are anywhere near as good as Dan Brown IME. YMMV.]

ZERO POINT The Triangle Conspiracy
A ghost ship reportedly sunk in 1948 mysteriously appears out of a yellow fog. Days later the 60-year-old life raft is found in new condition, with no survivors.

The last radio messages from flight 19 filters through a ships radio six decades after the pilots disappeared.

Drawn by these mysteries Samantha Weiss a beautiful but icy Marine archaeologist enlists renowned Bermuda triangle authority Robert Medina; together they discover a series of clues drawing them into uncharted depths at the edge of a secret Navy base.

Set in the emerald waters of the Bahamas, zero point the triangle conspiracy discards all the existing theories of the triangle; blending fact and fiction to come up with a theory and a story that may or may not be fiction.

Read "Zero Point the Triangle Conspiracy" because if you dissapear [sic] in the triangle the only thing left are questions.

5 star:(13)
4 star:(3)
3 star:(1)
2 star:(1)
1 star:(0)

[#17. Who doesn't like a Bermuda Triangle story? Having said that, spelling errors in the book summary are not a good sign.]

Rusty Nail - A Thriller (Jack Daniels Mysteries)
Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels of the Chicago Police Department is back, and once again she's up to her Armani in murder.

Someone is sending Jack snuff videos. The victims are people she knows, and they share a common trait -- each was involved in one of Jack's previous cases. With her stalwart partner hospitalized and unable to help, Jack follows a trail of death throughout the Midwest, on a collision course with the smartest and deadliest adversary she's ever known.

During the chase, Jack jeopardizes her career, her love life, and her closest friends. She also comes to a startling realization -- serial killers have families, and blood runs thick.

Rusty Nail features more of the laugh-out-loud humor and crazy characters that saturated Whiskey Sour and Bloody Mary, without sacrificing the nail-biting thrills. This is Jack Daniels's third, and most exciting, adventure yet.

5 star:(121)
4 star:(63)
3 star:(28)
2 star:(13)
1 star:(14)

[#24. The assortment of reviews suggests a lot of people got the book, a lot liked it, and a lot didn't. From an author regularly on the top 100 free list.]

...A Mind-Bending Thriller... 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.

The W1CK series is a stand-alone pre-apocalyptic thriller, and WICK 1 is part one of a four part series that will set the stage for the apocalyptic social, economic, and structural collapse of Western Civilization that leads us, 20 years later, into the events of Michael Bunker's thriller - The Last Pilgrims.  WICK 2 and WICK 3 are now available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback.   WICK 4 is due out before the end of June.  The WICK Omnibus edition should be available in July!

The Cold War is about to get Hot, and sometimes just saying 'NO' is a revolutionary act...

5 star:(132)
4 star:(49)
3 star:(16)
2 star:(9)
1 star:(9)

[#32. I like this genre, but there is not much written for it that is especially good. I think that is why really mediocre or even bad books in this genre get much better reviews than they actually deserve. Not saying there is anything wrong with this book, but don't be surprised if it is somewhat disappointing. This book was also free back in February, but I have not gotten around to looking at it.]

Arisen, Book One - Fortress Britain
[#53. 3rd day for this zombie book with a lot of good reviews.]

**There are six books in the Konrath/Kilborn Collective. ORIGIN, THE LIST, AFRAID, TRAPPED, and ENDURANCE are the first five, and can be read in any order. The sixth, HAUNTED HOUSE, contains characters from each of the previous books.**

TERRIFIED...

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.

...TO DEATH

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.

What's the most horrifying thing you can imagine?

This is a hundred times worse...

TRAPPED by Jack Kilborn
It starts where other horror ends 


A Word of Warning

This is the long-awaited follow-up to AFRAID, one of the most horrifying books ever written.

Originally scheduled to be released in paperback in 2010, the publisher read the first version of the manuscript and refused to release it. The author made extensive changes, rewriting much of the story. The publisher still refused.

This is a disturbing, terrifying book. You may think you're brave enough to handle it. But you're probably not...

Contains bonus excerpts from ENDURANCE by Jack Kilborn, and AFRAID by Jack Kilborn, as well as DESERT PLACES by Blake Crouch.

But that's not all...

Taking advantage of ebook format and technology, the author is also proud to offer as a bonus; the entire original first draft of TRAPPED. 

This ebook package contains two versions of the same book, dramatically different in parts. See what was cut. See what was changed. Read new characters, new scenes, and a different ending. Decide for yourself which version you prefer. 

This is the very first time an ebook has been made available in two different versions, for one low price.

This is specially formatted for Kindle, with an active table of contents. With both versions, this ebook is over 180,000 words.


About the Author
JA Konrath is the author of eight novels in the Jack Daniels thriller series. They do not have to be read in chronological order to be enjoyed, but for those who want to know it is: Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, Fuzzy Navel, Cherry Bomb, Shaken, and Stirred.

Jack also appears in the novels Shot of Tequila, Flee, Spree, Three, Timecaster Supersymmetry, Banana Hammock, and Serial Killers Uncut, as well as the short story collection Jack Daniels Stories, and the novellas Floaters and Burners.

Last Call, the ninth Jack Daniels novel, will be available in summer of 2013.

Jack Kilborn is the horror pen name for author J.A. Konrath. The Konrath/Kilborn Collective includes six novels. The sixth, Haunted House, stars characters from each of the five previous novels. These novels, in order, are:

THE LIST
ORIGIN
AFRAID
TRAPPED
ENDURANCE
HAUNTED HOUSE

He has sold over a million ebooks [the author left off the period in this sentance of his summary.]

5 star:(233)
4 star:(116)
3 star:(46)
2 star:(19)
1 star:(34)

[#89. Was also free back in February. I have not looked at it. The author is regularly on the top 100 free list.]

This award winning 6000 word short story, originally published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, features Konrath's stalwart Homicide cop Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels (Whiskey Sour, Shaken) in a puzzler of a mystery.

A body is found in a man's living room, the doors all locked from the inside. The victim had apparently been dropped from a great height.

How did he die? Who killed him?

Daniels and her partner, Herb Benedict, follow a trail of ingenious clues to solve this classic whodunnit. Are you clever enough to solve it first?

About the Author

Joe Konrath is the author of more than twenty novels and hundreds of short stories, written under the names J.A. Konrath (the Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels series), Jack Kilborn (Afraid, Trapped, Endurance, Draculas), and Joe Kimball (Timecaster.) Joe has a lot of names, apparently. He began self-publishing on Kindle in April, 2009. As of July, 2011, he's sold over 3500,000 [sic] ebooks. On his blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, he has chronicled his writing journey.

5 star:(26)
4 star:(11)
3 star:(5)
2 star:(0)
1 star:(0)

[#96. The author is regularly on the top 100 free list.]

Guess who’s back?

A sequel two years in the making...

First there was SERIAL...

Acclaimed thriller writers Blake Crouch and Jack Kilborn pitted their skills against each other in a psychotic game of serial murder. Crouch wrote about Lucy, a hitchhiker who killed drivers. Kilborn wrote about Donaldson, a driver who killed hitchhikers. Then they brought their characters together and tried to slaughter one another on the page. 

SERIAL has been downloaded over 350,000 times. The film rights have been optioned, and it is currently available as an ebook, in print in various collections, and forthcoming in audio.

Now comes KILLERS...

At the end of SERIAL, Donaldson and Lucy didn't die. When they each wake up in a hospital, under arrest for their crimes and guarded by the police, each burns with a single, overwhelming desire:

To escape and finish what they started.

That’s going to be difficult with the deputies posted outside their hospital rooms and their life-threatening injuries, but these killers are hell-bent on finding a way.

Beyond a thrilling piece of horrifying suspense, KILLERS takes the collaborative literary experiment begun in SERIAL to the next level. Crouch wrote the first part. Kilborn wrote the second, and then, unaware of each other’s opening section, they wrote the third part together in a Google Doc where they could simultaneously write in real time. All bets were off, and may the best psycho win. 

At 18,500 words, KILLERS is a full-length novella, almost three times the length of SERIAL. This ebook contains KILLERS, a Q&A with Kilborn and Crouch, author bibliographies, and excerpts of Crouch’s BREAK YOU, and Kilborn’s, Konrath’s and Crouch’s SERIAL UNCUT. 

NOTE: The three novellas in this series are: Serial Uncut, Killers, and Birds of Prey.

These novellas are also available in a variety of compilations.

Killers Uncut = Killers + Birds of Prey.

Serial Killers Uncut = Serial Uncut + Killers + Break You + Birds of Prey.


About the Authors:

BLAKE CROUCH was born near the piedmont town of Statesville, North Carolina in 1978. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated in 2000 with degrees in English and Creative Writing. Blake is the author of five novels and numerous short stories. He lives in southwest Colorado, where he is at work on a new book. 

JACK KILBORN is the pen name of J.A. Konrath, who has written seven Jack Daniels thrillers (Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, Fuzzy Navel, Cherry Bomb, and Shaken.) Under the name Jack Kilborn, he wrote the horror novels Afraid, Trapped, Endurance, and Draculas.

5 star:(14)
4 star:(8)
3 star:(1)
2 star:(1)
1 star:(2)

[#99. Both of the co-authors are on the top 100 free list regularly.]


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