Today's Deals 12/22

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Lowcountry Bribe ($0.99), by C. Hope Clark, with the companion audiobook at $3.99. Some of you will no doubt already have the ebook edition, as it was free this past May.

Book Description
A killer wants to make certain she buys the farm. Threats, a missing boss, a very dead co-worker, a high-level investigation and a sinister hog farmer: Lowcountry Ag Department manager Carolina Slade is a bean-counting civil servant in hot water. Carolina Slade is a by-the-book county manager for the Department of Agriculture-a civil servant who coordinates federal loans for farmers in the coastal lowcountry of South Carolina. When one of her clients, a hog farmer named Jessie Rawlings, offers her a bribe, Slade reports Jessie to her superiors. The next thing she knows, she's besieged by Resident Agent-In-Charge Wayne Largo from the Feds' IG Office in Atlanta. He and his partner have come to investigate Slade's accusations, and if possible catch Jessie in the act of handing over money. However, the IG isn't telling Slade everything. The agents are also investigating the disappearance of Slade's boss the year before in connection to possible land fraud. And when the sting on Jessie goes bad, the case is put on hold and Wayne is called back to Atlanta, leaving Slade to fear not only for her life and job, but for her childrens' safety.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is The Welcome Home Garden Club: A Twilight, Texas Novel ($0.99), by Lori Wilde.

Book Description
Traditional meaning of Pink and White Roses: I love you still and always will.

Caitlyn Marsh stopped believing in happily-ever-after when high-school sweetheart, Gideon Garza, left for Iraq. Now she raises her small son while her matchmaking gardening club members drive her crazy. Then Caitlyn's world turns upside-down when Gideon swaggers back to Twilight.

Gideon had left town in the middle of night with threats ringing in his ears. A lot of things have changed since then. This bad boy-turned-Green Beret bears scars from the war, the timid girl he loved is an independent mother, and the father who refused to recognize his son in life has, in death, left him a vast cattle ranch.

He still aches for Caitlyn, and now there's a dark-haired boy who looks exactly like Gideon did at that age. Could the child be his? And can this war-weary soldier overcome the scars of the past to claim the family he so richly deserves?

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Prince of Thorns ($1.99), by Mark Lawrence.

Book Description
When he was nine, he watched as his mother and brother were killed before him. At thirteen, he led a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By fifteen, he intends to be king…

It’s time for Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath to return to the castle he turned his back on, to take what’s rightfully his. Since the day he hung pinned on the thorns of a briar patch and watched Count Renar’s men slaughter his mother and young brother, Jorg has been driven to vent his rage. Life and death are no more than a game to him—and he has nothing left to lose. But treachery awaits him in his father’s castle. Treachery and dark magic. No matter how fierce his will, can one young man conquer enemies with power beyond his imagining?

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK is three titles for £0.99 each (89% off).

The Bloodletter's Daughter (Main/UK), by Linda Lafferty (US edition $4.99/KLL Eligible)

Within the glittering Hapsburg court in Prague lurks a darkness of which no one dares speak…

In 1606, the city of Prague shines as a golden mecca of art and culture carefully cultivated by Emperor Rudolf II. But the emperor hides an ugly secret: His bastard son, Don Julius, is afflicted with a madness that pushes the young prince to unspeakable depravity. Desperate to stem his son’s growing number of scandals, the emperor exiles Don Julius to a remote corner of Bohemia where the young man is placed in the care of a bloodletter named Pichler. The bloodletter’s task: cure Don Julius of his madness by purging the vicious humors coursing through his veins.

When Pichler brings his daughter Marketa to assist him, she becomes the object of Don Julius’s frenzied—and dangerous—obsession. To him, she is the embodiment of the women pictured in the Coded Book of Wonder, a priceless manuscript from the imperial library that was the mad prince’s only link to sanity. As the prince descends further into the darkness of his mind, his acts become ever more desperate, as Marketa, both frightened and fascinated, can’t stay away.

Inspired by a real-life murder that threatened to topple the powerful Hapsburg dynasty, The Bloodletter’s Daughter is a dark and richly detailed saga of passion and revenge.

The Land of Later On (Main/UK), by Anthony Weller (US edition $4.99/KLL Eligible)

Kip—a New York jazz pianist whose career was cut short by a neurological disease—returns from a failed suicide attempt with a vivid, detailed memory of his journey through the afterlife. Resembling the world as he knows it, but unlimited in space and time, it’s unlike any eternity he has contemplated. Its residents are those who choose not to reincarnate, which would erase all memory of who they once were. Kip has a quest: to find his beloved Lucy, a yoga teacher who shared his apartment for years but died of leukemia before he took his own life. Is she still here? Has she waited for him, or “gone back” to become someone else? In his odyssey across centuries and locales (Istanbul to the Marquesas Islands, India to Oklahoma and New Guinea) to find her, Kip is guided by Walt Whitman—who urges him to write this memoir on his return.

Season of the Witch (Main/UK), by Arni Thorarinsson and Anna Yates (US edition $3.03/KLL Eligible)

When the editors at Reykjavik-based The Afternoon News decide to expand the newspaper into northern Iceland—with their crime writer Einar as its sole reporter on location—the journalist feels as though he has stepped back in time. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the capital, where the nation’s economic and social crises rear their heads on a daily basis, the small town of Akureyri feels slow, quiet, and terribly old-fashioned.

So it’s only fitting that one of Einar’s first assignments is to cover a college theater production of Loftur the Sorcerer, an Icelandic folktale of ambition and greed. But that supposedly ancient history becomes ominously relevant when a local woman dies after falling overboard during a corporate boating retreat. All evidence indicates an accident, but when the victim’s mother cries foul play, kindhearted Einar agrees to investigate. Just days later, the lead actor in Loftur vanishes, leaving the locals reeling—and Einar unconvinced that a single village could be so accident prone. Keenly perceptive and hungry for the truth, Einar begins to chip away at the quaint small-town facade, uncovering a tangled web of power and greed that threatens to devour the historic community for good.

This Is NPR: The First Forty Years ($13.19 $3.99 Kindle, B&N), by Cokie Roberts, NPR and Susan Stamberg, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. Update: Now price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Always put the listener first has been NPR's mantra since its inception in 1970. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, NPR's programming attracts over 27 million listeners every week. This beautifully designed volume chronicles NPR's storied history, featuring dozens of behind-the-scenes photos, essays and original reporting by a who's who of NPR staff and correspondents, transcripts of memorable interviews, and an audio CD of the most memorable programming throughout the decades. Beyond an entertaining and inspiring tribute to NPR's remarkable history, this book is an intimate look at the news and stories that have shaped our world, from the people who were on the ground and on the air. With contributions from Steve Inskeep, Neal Conan, Robert Siegel, Nina Totenberg, Linda Wertheimer, Scott Simon, Melissa Block, P.J. O'Rourke, David Sedaris, Sylvia Poggioli, and many more, this is the perfect book for any NPR supporter, fan, or devotee.

Today's Kindle Teen Daily Deal is Perfect Chemistry ($1.99), by Simone Elkeles, with the companion audiobook for $4.99.

Book Description
A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created "perfect" life is about to unravel before her eyes. She's forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for-her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

Free AudioBook - The Jefferson Bible

The audiobook download of The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth ($12.59 Audible), by Thomas Jefferson, narrated by Mel Foster, is free over at Tantor Media thru the end of December.

Book Description
Thomas Jefferson believed that the pure-principled teachings of Jesus should have been separated from the dogma and abuse of organized religion of the day. This led him to recast, by cutting and pasting from the gospels, a new narrative of the life and teachings of Jesus.

In the early nineteenth century, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, conceived the idea of extracting a gospel purified of what he saw as extraneous philosophical, mythological, and theological elements. To do so, he took verses from the four canonical gospels and arranged them into a single narrative, focusing on the actual words of Jesus. This work was never published during Jefferson's lifetime but was inherited by his grandson and printed for the first time in the early twentieth century. The original bound manuscript, popularly referred to as The Jefferson Bible, is held by the United States National Museum in Washington.

Get the free audiobook from Tantor Media. Included in the ZIP download is a PDF edition of the book, as well.

Today's Deals 12/21

Happy Mayan Apocalypse Day! Don't forget to reset your calendar....

For those planning to be around for other holidays this month, be sure to pick up the new set of five free holiday songs, including one by Lady Antebellum.

Amazon's Holiday Deals will include a Lightning Deal on Happy Herbivore Abroad: A Travelogue and Over 135 Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes from Around the World at 9AM EST/6AM PST (Hardcover edition).

At Harlequin, Buy two, get one Harlequin TEEN book FREE!

At Kobo, you can get a free read of North Pole Glo, a Christmas short story by Jessica Wong and Sabrina Christo. Note that it only works on their devices or apps, there is no EPUB to download.

Blackstone Audio is giving everyone two free short stories over at Downpour.com: The Souls of the Ships, by Brian Freeman, and Romance, by Chuck Palahniuk.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is "more than 75 acclaimed books, today's deal includes a diverse selection of mysteries and thrillers, romances, literary fiction, and more" for $0.99 apiece. OK, I'm not going to try to list those, so click the link and shop away!. Amazon has divided the choices up by genre, so you can quickly get thru the to the books you are the most interested in. I didn't recognize many of the authors on this sale (although I do have several of the books in my library) and suspect they are mostly backlist from mid-list authors or new self-published titles.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Song For Sophia ($0.99), by Moriah Densley.

Book Description
"If she truly knows her business, a woman has the mind of a diplomat, a general, and Cleopatra, all in one."

Anne-Sophia Duncombe is ruined, a victim of her father's high-stakes gambling. Stolen moments at the piano are her boon. Wilhelm Montegue is a washed up war hero, rumored insane. His "condition" - modern diagnosis: savant autism - is the source of his gift for composing music. Anne-Sophia and Wilhelm thought they had missed their chance for love, but anything can happen in the music room.

Anne-Sophia is in exile, hiding from her villainous father, Lord Chauncey, who tried to force her into marrying the repulsive Lowdry, his partner in crime. She outsmarted them and ran away, but loneliness is its own captivity. As a last resort before the convent, Sophia attempts a radical scheme--a life of humility and disguise.

Wilhelm Montegue, Earl of Devon, is a washed-up war hero who drinks too much, offends his neighbors with his harsh wit, and breaks furniture when his temper flares. Always in the shadow of scandal and absent from society, he is the subject of intense gossip. The town whispers that he is insane and guilty of unnatural proclivities. He is barely excused by his brilliant mind and swarthy good looks.

Lord Devon is bewildered that his newest housemaid has sparked such an irritating fascination in him. Why must she be the most exquisite woman he ever laid eyes on? Chaste and bound by honor, he vows to behave himself, even if her voice is a siren song. He knows she is keeping secrets, and he finds her scent of danger intoxicating . . . .
Sensuality Level: Sensual

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Serpent's Kiss ($1.99), the second novel in the Beauchamp Family/Witches of East End series by Melissa de la Cruz. The first in the series, Witches of East End, is also on sale, at $3.03.

Book Description
The intriguing Beauchamp family, introduced in the New York Times bestselling Witches of East End, returns in Serpent's Kiss, with dizzying plot twists and spellbinding magic.

Joanna and her daughters, bookish Ingrid and wild-child Freya, are just settling into the newfound peace that has been cast over their small, off-the map town of North Hampton. With the centuries-old restriction against practicing magic lifted, casting spells, mixing potions, and curing troubled souls has never felt so good for the three witches. That is, until everything gets turned upside down--from Joanna's organized kitchen to Ingrid's previously nonexistent love life to Freya's once unshakeable faith in her sexy soul mate, Killian Gardiner.

When Freya's twin brother, Freddie, suddenly returns, escaped from Limbo and professing innocence on a long-ago crime, Freya should be ecstatic. The golden boy can do no wrong. Or can he? Freddie blames no other than her fiancÉ Killian for his downfall, and enlists Freya's help to prove it. Now Freya doesn't know who to believe or trust.

And for the first time in--well, forever, really--Ingrid is also busy in love. Matt Noble, the handsome and charming police detective, has won her heart. But can romance work between a virgin witch and a mortal who doesn't believe in magic? Things get even more complicated when it appears Ingrid is harboring the prime suspects in Matt's police investigation.

To add to the chaos, a dead spirit is attempting to make contact with Joanna--but does it mean to bring harm or help? Joanna asks her sort-of ex-husband Norman to help figure it out, only to accidentally invite him to a Thanksgiving dinner with a dapper gentleman she's recently begun dating.

As the witches pull together to discover the serpent within their midst and the culprit behind Freddie's imprisonment, everything is thrown into peril. Will the discovery come too late to save those they love most?

Melissa de la Cruz weaves all this and more in a blockbuster sequel that is not to be missed by her fans, and one that is sure to enchant new readers of the series.

Steve Jobs The Man Who Thought Different ($1.60 / £0.99 UK), by Karen Blumenthal, is the first Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $8.99).

Book Description
Inventor. Visionary. Genius. Dropout. Adopted. Steve Jobs was the founder of Apple and he was all of these things.
Steve Jobs has been described as a showman, artist, tyrant, genius, jerk. Through his life he was loved, hated, admired and dismissed, yet he was a living legend; the genius who founded Apple in his parent's garage when he was just 21 years-old, revolutionising the music world. He single-handedly introduced the first computer that could sit on your desk and founded and nurtured a company called Pixar bringing to life Oscar wining animations Toy Story and Finding Nemo.

So how did the man, who was neither engineer nor computer geek change the world we live in, making us want every product he touched?

On graduation day in 2005, a fifty-year-old Steve Jobs said: 'Today I want to tell you three stories from my life, That's it. Just three stories'. The first story is about connecting the dots. My second story is about love and loss. My third story is about death.
This is his story...

Critically acclaimed author Karen Blumenthal takes us to the core of this complicated and legendary man, from his adoption and early years through to the pinnacles of his career, his dismissal from his duties at Apple (for being too disruptive and difficult) to the graduation where he gave the commencement speech just 6 years before his death, giving life to what were soon to become some of most famous quotes of his career, ending with the message: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you." "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."

Seve: Golf's Flawed Genius ($1.60 / £0.99 UK), by Robert Green, is the second Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $9.99).

Book Description
A golfing legend with five major championships to his credit, Severiano Ballesteros was one of the game’s great heroes – charismatic, charming, fiery, unpredictable. His untimely death in May 2011, after a prolonged struggle with cancer, left his sport bereft.

Over the course of Seve’s career, no other golf writer enjoyed such regular contact with him as Robert Green – meetings, interviews, conversations and meals together, all of which led to a video and a golf instruction book. This book draws on the material and insights gathered during those collaborative years to capture the ‘real Seve’. It describes his family and upbringing in Spain and recalls his great on-course triumphs – not least his enormous role in the revival of the fortunes of the Ryder Cup, which thanks to him is today one of the world’s great sporting events – as well as his calamities. Dramatically and insightfully, Green recalls the great wins in the Open and the Masters, and also those titles that excruciatingly slipped from Seve’s grasp.

The book also examines Seve’s darker side: his controversial and very public spats with officialdom and his sometimes tempestuous private life, including his divorce from Carmen, the daughter of one of Spain’s wealthiest men and mother of his three children, to whom he was married for 17 years. And even after his death, his legacy could not rest.

Above all, though, it is Seve the golfer who takes centre stage, resulting in a portrait that does full justice to its colourful and mercurial subject. It is a story which will enthral all those who watched and admired this golfing icon throughout his remarkable career.

‘I look into their eyes, shake their hand, pat their back, and wish them luck, but I’m thinking, “I’m going to bury you.”’ Seve Ballesteros

Making Haye: The Authorised David Haye Story (1.60 / £0.99 UK), by Elliot Worsell, is the third Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $9.39).

Book Description
David 'The Hayemaker' Haye is the former WBA world heavyweight champion and the former undisputed (WBA, WBC and WBO) world cruiserweight champion. Haye is one of British boxing's most celebrated and successful ring champions of the modern era and has won twenty-four of twenty-six professional fights. He has twice been shortlisted for BBC Sports Personality of the Year and is now recognised as the face of British and world boxing. Haye was involved in the biggest heavyweight title clash for nearly a decade when he fought Wladimir Klitschko in July 2011, and the biggest domestic fight of 2012, when in a much-hyped grudge match he knocked out Dereck Chisora in five rounds.

His charismatic approach has reminded fight fans of a time when the heavyweight championship was the greatest prize in sport. This is the authorised story of how Haye reached this point, now updated to include the inside story behind Haye's stunning victory over Chisora, and details the ten-year rise of the boxer from a precocious World Amateur Champion. Crafted by close confidant Elliot Worsell, Making Haye offers behind-the-scenes, never-before-told insights into some of the most pivotal ring wars of David Haye's turbulent, and at times controversial, professional boxing career.

Edge of Apocalypse ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), the first title in the End series by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. It looks like this one was free a couple of years ago, but it's the same edition as is on sale today, so you should be able to see on the product page if you already have it and won't have to do a library search.

Book Description
Joshua Jordan, former U.S. spy-plane hero now turned weapons designer has come up with a devastatingly effective new missile defense system -- the Return to Sender laser weapon. But global forces are mounting against America, and corrupt White House and Capitol Hill leaders are willing to do anything to stop the nation's impending economic catastrophe -- including selling-out Joshua and his weapon. As world events begin setting the stage for the 'end of days,' Joshua is forced to consider not only the truth of the biblical prophecies preached by the pastor of his brilliant attorney- wife, but also what gut-wrenching price he is willing to pay to save the nation he loves.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is four of Leslie Patricelli's Board Books for $1.99 apiece.

Filled with bright artwork and exuberant language, Leslie Patricelli's best-selling picture books for early readers star an adorable bald baby. Today only, save on four of the most memorable.

Age Level: 1 and up

Quiet LOUD

Sniffles are quiet, but sneezes are loud. Amiably illustrated in a bright, graphic style, Leslie Patricelli’s spirited board book, QUIET LOUD, stars an obliging, bald, and very expressive toddler who acts out each pair of opposites with comically dramatic effect.

Big Little

Ladies are big, but ladybugs are little. Amiably illustrated in a bright, graphic style, Leslie Patricelli’s spirited board book, BIG LITTLE, stars an obliging, bald, and very expressive toddler who acts out each pair of opposites with comically dramatic effect.

No No Yes Yes

Yanking cat by tail: no NO. Gentle pat on back: yes YES. And it’s funny how dumping a bowl of food gets a very different reaction from mastering the use of a spoon. An expressive baby demonstrates familiar behaviors — and their predictable responses — in an amusing board book that merits a giant YES!

Tubby

It’s time for a bath! Whee! And Baby obliges as only he can, playing with bubbles (and using them to make facial disguises from Santa’s beard to bunny ears), imitating a motorboat, and letting Mommy wash his single hair. And what would tubby time be without running away naked and shiny clean—only to be scooped up and tickled? A beloved bedtime ritual takes on new joy in Leslie Patricelli’s bright artwork, exuberant language, and simple, familiar scenes.

Today's Deals 12/20

Put off shopping until the last minute? Amazon is now giving everyone Free Two-Day Shipping on Kindle devices. Maybe you too can have this scene at Christmas?



Amazon posted a link to it on their website and I thought I'd share it with you.

Amazon has several hardcover cookbooks in the Holiday Book Deals today and Planet Barbecue! should be on sale there shortly.

Today's Audible Daily Deal is James Patterson's Along Came a Spider for $8.95. Members with credits can shot the James Patterson BOGO boutique (if you've used your credits up, then you should see an offer to buy 3 at a discount, up next to your name in the upper right corner of the page).

At Harlequin, Save 50% on featured Christmas books or ebooks, using coupon code HOHOHO50 at Checkout to claim this deal!

Additional formats on free books:

• Paradise Lost (K/N)
• Seven Wonders Journals: The Select (K/N)

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Terminal Value ($0.99), by Thomas Waite.

Book Description
"Be careful what you wish for." That’s a warning Dylan Johnson should have listened to. When his mobile computing firm is bought out by Mantric Technology, a red-hot company about to go public, it seems like a dream come true for the young entrepreneur and his partners. But the closer they get to payout, the more uncertain Dylan becomes.

Something doesn't feel right. When one of his colleagues is found dead on what should have been their night of triumph, Dylan is determined to find out what happened. But asking questions plunges him into a web of digital deceit and betrayal that will shake everything he thought he knew…

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Woodrose Mountain ($1.99), by Raeanne Thayne.

Book Description
Evie Blanchard was at the top of her field in the city of angels. But when an emotional year forces her to walk away from her job as a physical therapist, she moves from Los Angeles to Hope's Crossing seeking a quieter life. So the last thing she needs is to get involved with the handsome, arrogant Brodie Thorne and his injured daughter, Taryn.

A self-made man and single dad, Brodie will do anything to get Taryn the rehabilitation she needs…even if it means convincing Evie to move in with them. And despite her vow to keep an emotional distance, Evie can't help but be moved by Taryn's spirit, or Brodie's determination to win her help—and her heart. With laughter, courage and more than a little help from the kindhearted people of Hope's Crossing, Taryn may get the healing she deserves—and Evie and Brodie might just find a love they never knew could exist.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is A Kingdom Besieged ($0.99), the first novel in the Chaoswar Saga by Raymond E. Feist. The only reason not to grab this is if you already have it in your library! Or, I guess if you don't have a single person in the house that might, someday, read epic fantasy. You'll have plenty of time to finish reading it before the second volume in the series is released next Spring.

Book Description
After nearly thirty years and more than two dozen novels, Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Cycle has become one of the most iconic, beloved, and enduring sagas in modern fantasy. The Riftwars—including the original Riftwar, the Serpentwar, the Darkwar, and the Demonwar—were epic battles between Good and Evil whose ramifications have echoed through generations. The latest entry in the epic, A Kingdom Besieged, ushers in the most fearsome threat the Kingdom has yet faced—the Chaoswar—a magic apocalypse with cataclysmic results.

A Kingdom Besieged

Years ago, the Empire of Great Kesh failed in its attempt to conquer Krondor after the Serpentwar, thanks to the bravery, cunning, and magic of the sorcerer Pug and the Conclave of Shadows. Since then, peace has benefitted both nations, and the Kingdom has been free from the threat of another Keshian invasion. Yet now, the dark clouds of war gather again. . . .

From the Far Coast in the west to the frontier with the Eastern Kingdoms, rumors, uncertainty, and political instability are rampant. Spies have gone missing—some were murdered while others have turned traitor. Factions are rising, powerful legions from the Keshian Confederacy have been mobilized, and an attack on the kingdoms of the Isles and Roldem is all but certain.

As the men of the Western Realm begin to mount a defense, Martin conDoin, the middle son of Lord Henry, Duke of Crydee, finds himself leading the charge against the invaders—like his legendary ancestor, Prince Arutha, who stood firm to the death against the Tsurani invasion. But Arutha had an entire army at his command. Martin has just a ragtag force comprised of a few old men and young boys.

As Kesh's invading hordes once again descend upon the Kingdom, no one is safe—not experienced masters of intrigue Lord James Dasher Jamison and the beguiling and deadly Lady Franciezka; not the brave warrior Knight-Adamant Sandreena and a new generation of loyal yet untested defenders; not even the great Pug himself, the most powerful magician the world of Midkemia has ever known. A threat far more terrifying has arisen, an evil whose burgeoning power portends Midkemia's demise. And soon even the Kingdom's enchanted defender will find himself questioning everything he's ever held abiding, true, and treasured . . . including the loyalty and desires of his beloved son, Magnus.

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK is three titles for £0.99 each (80% off).

Above Suspicion (Main/UK), by Lynda La Plante (US edition $5.99)

Young detective Anna Travis has been assigned to her first murder case - and it couldn't be a more shocking, more horrific set of killings. They began eight years before; now the body count is up to six. The method of killing is identical, the backgrounds of the girls very similar - all of them were drug-ridden prostitutes. Then a seventh body is found, same modus operandi but this time the victim is a young student, sweet and innocent, with the 'face of an angel'. The profile of the murderer has changed dramatically.

Anna stumbles on a vital piece of information which links one man to the killings. A household name, a much-loved actor who is about to become an international movie star. He has charm, good looks and the gift of the gab. Denial and protestations of innocence spring easily and confidently to his lips. An arrest, in the face of intense publicity, would create a media frenzy. And if he was found beyond doubt to be the wrong man, his career would be finished and Anna's hard fought-for reputation in the police force destroyed once and for all …

With absolute authenticity and extraordinary power, Lynda La Plante takes us deep into the criminal mind and the criminal world. And, in heroine Anna Travis, she has created another memorable and utterly engaging new female detective.

Want to Play? (Main/UK), by P. J. Tracy (US edition $9.99 titled Monkeewrench)

Want to Play? is the electrifying debut crime novel from PJ Tracy.

In this electrifying debut, the slaying of an old couple in small town America looks like one-off act of brutal retribution. But at the same time, in Minneapolis, teams of detectives scramble to stop a sickeningly inventive serial killer striking again in a city paralysed by fear.

When the two separate investigations converge on an isolated catholic boarding school, decades old secrets begin to fall away. It seems an old killer has resurfaced. Yet still the killer's real identity remains dangerously out of reach ...

Want to Play? introduces PJ Tracy's cult thriller characters Grace MacBride and Detectives Gino and Magozzi. Follow their journeys in subsequent works including Play to Kill and Dead Run.

Cemetery Girl (Main/UK), by David Bell (US edition $11.99)

In Cemetery Girl, David Bell's gripping psychological thriller, a father tries to uncover the secrets of his daughter's inexplicable disappearance.

Tom and Abby Stuart had everything: a perfect marriage, successful careers, and a beautiful twelve-year-old daughter, Caitlin. Then one day Caitlin vanished without a trace. For a while they grasped at every false hope and followed every empty lead, but the tragedy ended up changing their lives, overwhelming them with guilt and dread, and shattering their marriage.

Four years later, Caitlin is found alive-dirty and disheveled yet preternaturally calm. She won't discuss where she was or what happened. Then the police arrest a suspect connected to her disappearance, but Caitlin refuses to testify, leaving the Stuarts with a choice: Let the man who may be responsible for destroying their lives walk away, or take matters into their own hands. And when Tom decides to try to uncover the truth for himself, he finds that nothing that has happened yet can prepare him for what he is about to discover.

David Bell's Cemetery Girl will have readers biting their nails, and will accompany his new novel The Hiding Place. A real treat for all fans of Kate Atkinson, Dennis Lehane and Heather Gudenkauf.

The Toaster Project: Or A Heroic Attempt to Build a Simple Electric Appliance from Scratch ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Thomas Thwaites, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
"Hello, my name is Thomas Thwaites, and I have made a toaster." So begins The Toaster Project, the author's nine-month-long journey from his local appliance store to remote mines in the UK to his mother's backyard, where he creates a crude foundry. Along the way, he learns that an ordinary toaster is made up of 404 separate parts, that the best way to smelt metal at home is by using a method found in a fifteenth-century treatise, and that plastic is almost impossible to make from scratch. In the end, Thwaites's homemade toaster—a haunting and strangely beautiful object—cost 250 times more than the toaster he bought at the store and involved close to two thousand miles of travel to some of Britain's remotest locations. The Toaster Project may seem foolish, even insane. Yet, Thwaites's quixotic tale, told with self-deprecating wit, helps us reflect on the costs and perils of our cheap consumer culture, and in so doing reveals much about the organization of the modern world.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Six Holiday-Themed Picture Books for $1.99 each (80% off).

Turkey Claus, by Wendi Silvano (Author), Lee Harper (Illustrator)

Turkey needs Santa’s help so he won’t be eaten for Christmas dinner.

Turkey is in trouble. Again. He made it through Thanksgiving without becoming a turkey dinner, but now it’s almost Christmas, and guess what’s on the menu? Turkey decides the only thing to do is to ask Santa for help. He sets off for the North Pole, but getting in to see Santa at Christmastime isn’t as easy as Turkey expected. It’s going to take all his ideas—and his clever disguises—to find a way into Santa’s house. After many hilarious attempts, Turkey comes up with the perfect disguise, and Santa has the perfect solution! In this holiday treat, a companion to Turkey Trouble, Wendi Silvano’s story is once again matched with the watercolor artwork of Lee Harper.

Grade Level: Pre-K and up

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, by Gennady Spirin

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is sung in churches, houses, and concert halls throughout the Christmas season. It would be hard to imagine a Christmas celebration without it. From the partridge in the pear tree to the five golden rings to the twelve drummers drumming, carolers enjoy taking turns singing different verses.

Gennady Spirin's sumptuous paintings bring new life and spectacular beauty to this classic song, making it a gift to be treasured at Christmastime. An Illustrator's Note is included which addresses the song's origin and history.

Sneezy the Snowman, by Maureen Wright (Author), Stephen Gilpin (Illustrator)

B-R-R-R-R! AH-CHOO! Sneezy the Snowman is cold, cold, cold. To warm up, he drinks cocoa, sits in a hot tub, stands near a warm fire – and melts! But the children know just what to do to build him up again – and make him feel "just right". Hilarity chills the air with playful mixed-media illustrations by Stephen Gilpin as Sneezy attempts to warm himself with some silly results.

Grade Level: 1st and up

The Reader, by Amy Hest (Author), Lauren Castillo (Illustrator)

In this timeless picture book, a new reader trudges through deep snow with a mysterious suitcase in tow. He has something important to share with his faithful companion, who bolts ahead to wait at the top of a tall hill. Our small hero climbs higher and higher, until finally, he is there, too. Then he opens his suitcase—click, click—and soon the only sound in the world is the sound of the reader reading their very favorite book to the very last page…the very last word.

Amy Hest’s spare evocative text is a true celebration of new readers and good friends everywhere, while Lauren Castillo’s pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, with their bold saturated colors against winter white, perfectly capture the wonder and delight of this magical day.

Grade Level: Pre-K and up

Snowzilla, by Janet Lawler

It snowed without stopping for week after week. When it ended at last, Cami Lou took a peek. She bundled and booted and zipped up her brother. “Let’s build a huge snowman unlike any other!” Cami Lou and her brother build the biggest, hugest, most mammoth snowman the world has ever seen. It’s Snowzilla! The snowman becomes an instant sensation, and tourists pour into the small town. But not everyone is impressed. Some say the giant snowman brings giant problems. Then a judge rules that Snowzilla must come down. Can Cami Lou and her brother save Snowzilla? This fun winter story combines rhyming text with adorable acrylic and colored pencil artwork.

Grade Level: Pre-K and up

Cock-a-doodle Christmas!, by Will Hillenbrand

When Old Rooster leaves the farm to live with his sister, young Harold takes over the job of waking the farm animals each morning. But Harold has a soft voice, and nobody can hear his cock-a-doodle-doo. Then one evening, the sky lights up and a miraculous birth takes place, causing Harold to shout the good news for all to hear. In this Christmas story, Will Hillenbrand shows with gouache, ink, and collage illustrations that even a small creature is changed by the birth of the Christ child.

Grade Level: 1st and up

Gluten Free Cooking Trio (K)

I've been watching for Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free: 75 Recipes for Irresistible Desserts and Pastries ($3.99), by Karen Morgan and Knoxy (Photographer) , to drop in price since I was given a review copy. You can see a couple of the recipes in the free sample (something I wish more cookbooks would arrange, as so many samples don't give you any real feel for how the recipes will work).

Book Description
Celebrities such as Courteney Cox and Laura Dern love Blackbird Bakery for its famously scrumptious gluten-free desserts. Now these same sweets can be yours too, thanks to this beautiful cookbook that collects 75 delicious recipes for classic desserts and gorgeous French pastries, all made without gluten. Celiac disease is on the rise (more than 3 million Americans and an equal number of Europeans have been diagnosed), and millions more seek gluten-free products to supplement a healthy lifestyle. With this cookbook, gluten-conscious gluttons can dish up all sorts of delectable desserts -- anytime the craving strikes!

Gluten Free, Hassle Free ($2.99), by Marlisa Brown (a dollar less than when I bought this over the summer).

Book Description
Learning how to live gluten-free can seem so difficult and overwhelming- especially with all the mixed information out there. Gluten-Free, Hassle-Free shows you how easy and delicious it can be to go gluten-free! This down to earth, clear and friendly guide offers a wealth of simple and practical solutions, strategies, and shortcuts. It provides an easy-to-follow, three-step process for living a gluten-free life and eating your way back to health. In This Book You Will Find: Over 100 Delicious Gluten-Free Recipes Three Terrific Meal Plans Dining Out Cards in Fourteen Languages...and Much More

PLEASE NOTE ERRATA CORRECTION: An error in publication appears on page 49 of the Detailed Food Chart. The entry, Dinkle or spelt (S), is incorrect. The correct entry should be: Dinkle or spelt (NS).

Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook ($1.99), by Wendy Polisi, isn't an entirely gluten free cookbook, but many of the recipes in it are naturally gluten free and it appears it is well annotated for several common allergens.

Book Description
With over 200 pages of quinoa-inspired cuisine, The Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook is unlike any other quinoa cookbook. Inside you’ll find Wendy’s exclusive, hand-crafted recipes, photographs of every recipe, nutritional information for every recipe, and alternative ingredients and preparation methods. Included are vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, fast & easy, eating clean, quinoa recipes for kids, and even desserts! Let’s take a quick peek at the recipes included: Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad, Black Bean and Quinoa Tostadas, Quinoa Burgers, Almond Fudge Quinoa Brownies, Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Pizza, and much more!