Saturday, June 29, 2013

Free Kindle Books 6-29-13

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, many times 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.

Most times these books are only free for a day or two, so you have to grab them while you can. Worry about whether you really want to read it later if it seems interesting.

From the top 100 free list
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 List - A Thriller
[#1. 2nd day. Its been free before. Lots of promise but fizzled for me. I gave it 2 stars. This author is regularly on the list. The distribution of reviews suggests the book has issues for many people (like me) but others found it enjoyable.]

Archangels: Rise of the Jesuits
WHEN CONTROL OF THE VATICAN IS AT STAKE—MONEY TALKS, AND NOBODY PLAYS FAIR.

Italian intelligence specialist Michael Visconte is shocked by the brutal murder of a Jesuit priest, who turns out to be a hedge fund manager for the Vatican. The victim, Father Matteo Pintozzi, achieved an unblemished record of extraordinary returns.

The next day, Michael is visited by two Jesuits who ask him to investigate the murder, and Michael soon finds himself in the middle of a struggle for power and control over the finances of the Vatican. Unfortunately, his lucky break—one that should provide critical evidence—blurs the line between good and evil and not only endangers the lives of Michael and the Jesuits, but also imperils the lives of his wife and children.

From the Back Cover

"A word of advice Mr. Visconte. This is Vatican business. It's dangerous to forget that."

Michael Visconte never forgot the Vatican Bank's $250 million payoff to the defrauded depositors of Banco Ambrosiano or the murder of Roberto Calvi. The fresh corpse at his feet told him it was far from over. He thought he already knew the consequences of double-crossing the Vatican.

But that was before he agreed to help the Jesuits blackmail the Pope...

Praise for Archangels: Rise of the Jesuits

"This fast-paced thriller...doesn't stint on intrigue...enough authenticity and adventure to ensure readers will keep turning the pages."
Publisher's Weekly

5 star:(64)
4 star:(52)
3 star:(18)
2 star:(9)
1 star:(4)

[#6. Was also free back in March. I have not looked at it. Good premise and a genre I like. A fair number of mostly good reviews.]

Dark Moonlighting
Nick Whittier, having been alive for six centuries, has had plenty of time to master three professions. In a typical week he works as a police officer, lawyer and doctor and still finds time to murder someone and drink their blood. He used to feel guilty about the killings, but now he restricts himself to only eating the worst members of society. Few people in Starside, Illinois seem to care about the untimely deaths of spam e-mailers, pushy Jehovah Witnesses and politicians. However, the barriers between Nick’s three secret lives start to crumble when a mysterious man from his past arrives in town seeking revenge. Nick must move quickly to prevent the three women in his life, and the authorities who are hunting him, from discovering his terrible secret.

Dark Moonlighting is humorous and aimed at the adult market. It explores four of the biggest clichés in popular culture, and it pokes fun at a number of popular television shows including Law & Order, Bones and House. It also takes a more realistic and amusing approach to the vampire cliché. For example, the average human has the equivalent of five Big Gulps worth of blood in their body. Nick takes twenty minutes to kill someone and, like the vampire bat, must immediately urinate afterwards.

5 star:(31)
4 star:(12)
3 star:(3)
2 star:(0)
1 star:(0)

[#11. Was also free back in May. A vampire book with a pretty good premise and some good reviews. What's not to like? I started reading it but never got much past the first few pages. Not sure why.Maybe just other things got in the way.]

18 & 1/2 Minutes: Nixon's Darkest Secrets Revealed
"18 & 1/2 Minutes" is a contemporary political mystery/thriller set in Denver, Colorado and Washington, D.C. This book has an epic revelation at its heart – it answers one of America's greatest unsolved political mysteries – what’s on Richard Nixon’s missing eighteen and a half minutes.

When political talk show host Amy Rutledge embarks on a documentary revealing the real reasons behind America’s two unsuccessful wars in the Middle East, she stumbles upon a web of intrigue. It is an intrigue that finds the Neo-cons, the Nixon White House, the Mafia and the ultra libertarian, Scientology-like think tank, the Club of Athens all connected with the 20th century’s greatest inventor, Nicola Tesla and his mysterious claim of free energy.

5 star:(19)
4 star:(3)
3 star:(0)
2 star:(0)
1 star:(0)

[#31. Mixes in some interesting elements in a genre I like.]

[#33. 7th day. Lots of reviews - mostly positive. It was also free back in April, but I have not looked at it.]

Blood, Smoke and Ashes
[#36. 2nd day. Seems to have potential. How well that potential is used I cannot say.]

The Taste
After his mother dies, Jake Wheeler returns to his birthplace of Dark Springs, West Virginia, seeking solace among his kin. But his family’s unique comfort food includes some ingredients Jake's not sure he can stomach.

They eat dead people.

Discovering that skeleton in the pantry and adjusting to a new diet turn out to be the least of Jake’s worries. Storm clouds have gathered over Dark Springs, threatening the family’s peaceful existence. Ax-wielding clan patriarch Dallas Pike and his band of renegade followers have decided upon a violent plan to increase the dwindling food supply. Why wait for your next meal to die naturally if you can hunt it down instead?

With the survival of the entire clan at stake, Jake wages war against madman Pike.

He also battles an even more terrifying opponent.

Himself.

After all, Jake has THE TASTE.


***************************************
THE TASTE is a full-length (82K words), original horror novel in the tradition of Stephen King and Dean Koontz, available exclusively in digital form.

5 star:(6)
4 star:(2)
3 star:(1)
2 star:(0)
1 star:(0)

[#74. Not much to go on but a good premise.]


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