And it keeps getting better, with this month’s featured titles including:

• Gillian Bagwell’s The Darling Strumpet, a dazzling debut in historical fiction that brings the remarkable character of Nell Gwynn to life right on your Kindle;
• Robin Slick’s Daddy Left Me Alone with God, a true rock and roll memoir in every sense and for all of your senses;
• The Restorer, an Amanda Stevens novel that may make it difficult for you to ever walk by a graveyard again;
• Dean M. DeLuke’s Shedrow, a page-turner at that special place where the worlds of Dick Francis and Robin Cook meet;
• Jonathan Maberry’s latest Joe Ledger bestseller, The King of Plagues; and
• Lisa Jackson’s Devious, which brings back her enormously appealing detective duo of Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya.

All great reads, all nicely priced between $2.99 and $9.99 on Kindle this month, and each one introduced to you with an excerpt below and a note written by the author to all of us here in the Kindlesphere.

But that’s not all.

We’re also very excited to be able to announce that the new Kindle release of M.J. Rose’s own novel The Hypnotist, Book Three in her Reincarnationist series, is just days away. The novel is already available for pre-order on Kindle right here.

Here’s what the discerning folks at BookReporter.com say about this latest triumph:

“If you haven’t been reading M.J. Rose’s Reincarnationist series, then THE HYPNOTIST will blow away any excuse you may have had… A memorable, engrossing read, a story that sets a new bar for Rose. Something for everyone: murder, suspense, history, romance, the supernatural, mystery and erotica. These elements are woven together so skillfully that the whole becomes something new and different…. Rose, who never disappoints either her die-hard fans or the casual reader, has surpassed herself.”

We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves. If you love to read, and you have yet to read M.J. Rose, the time is now and the book is The Hypnotist. Pre-order it now and it will arrive automatically on your Kindle no later than May 1.

Which leaves you plenty of time to read each of this month’s features below, along with Books 1 and 2 in M.J. Rose’s series,  The Reincarnationist and The Memorist, before The Hypnotist arrives! Ain’t life grand?

Steve Windwalker of Kindle Nation and

Catherine MacDonald of BookLending.com

“An absolutely brilliant addition to the historical fiction genre and might be the best novel on Nell Gwynn ever…. Nell would have applauded in approval and probably done a little jig to celebrate her tribute….”

Dear Reader,

Gillian Bagwell

I fell in love with Nell Gwynn more than 25 years ago, and she stayed in my mind and heart until life presented the perfect time to tell her story.  Born into poverty in 1650, she rose to become a beloved comic actress and the mistress of Charles II by using what she had: smarts, determination, charm, humor, and a very likeable sex appeal. Her rags-to-riches odyssey takes the reader through the newly-opened London theatres, the last plague epidemic, the Great Fire of 1666, and the licentious court.

Thanks for reading,

Gillian Bagwell

The Darling Strumpet: A Novel of Nell Gwynn, Who Captured the Heart of England and King Charles II

by Gillian Bagwell
Berkley

Kindle Edition ~ Release Date: 2011-01-04

Kindle Price:$9.99

Download a Free Sample or Buy Now

 
An Excerpt from the Novel

The interval came, and the musicians struck up.  Nell gazed at the empty stage and longed to know what it felt like to stand there.  Did she dare to try it?  Moll had given her permission, so Nell clutched her basket, climbed the steps to the stage, and surveyed the scene before her.  She felt as if she were at the center of the universe. The galleries rose to the ceiling, enwreathing the space, and the sloped floor of the pit made it seem as if its benches were marching toward her.  The theatre was a swirling sea of movement.  The king in his box was not ten paces away.  She took a breath and sang out “Oranges!  Fine oranges!  Who will buy my oranges, fine Seville oranges?”

The king smiled and beckoned.  Nell went to him, her heart in her throat.

“Will you have an orange, Your Majesty?  They’re very sweet.”

“How could they be otherwise, with such a peddler?  I’ll take two.”  She held out two oranges, but the king took only one.

“One for you and one for me,” he said with a wink.

Nell’s scene with the king had been observed, and as she turned from him and sang her cry again, gentlemen pressed to the foot of the stage.  By the end of the interval she had sold almost all that was in her basket.

*     *     *

“[A] richly engaging portrait of the life and times of one of history’s most appealing characters!”

– Diana Gabaldon, author of the best-selling Outlander series

“Nell Gwynn is one of the most likable figures in British history.  ‘Pretty witty Nell’ went from poverty and prostitution to the grand stages of London theatre, and then to a king’s bed and his heart….  The Darling Strumpet is an absolute triumph as a debut novel…. Bagwell’s story truly captivates as she makes Nell’s story come to life…. [She] shows such expert knowledge, research, and passion of the time period…. Bagwell has a background in acting and theater and it shows with her knowledge of Nell’s days on stage…. an absolutely brilliant addition to the historical fiction genre and might be the best novel on Nell Gwynn ever…. Nell would have applauded in approval and probably done a little jig to celebrate her tribute.”

– Kayla Posney,  Pittsburgh Historical Fiction Examiner

Dear Reader,

Jonathan Maberry

We live in an age of conspiracy theories, and at the same time we’re constantly learning that there are shadow governments, secret societies, and genuine conspiracies.  Where does paranoia end and the real world begin?

That’s the crooked line of thought that resulted in the latest Joe Ledger novel, THE KING OF PLAGUES (St. Martin’s Griffin, March 29).

Joe squares off against the Seven Kings, a secret society that uses misinformation, disinformation, and social media to allow them to profit from public reaction to terrorist attacks.  Their plan is a workable one…which gives KING OF PLAGUES a disturbingly plausible back-story; and it kind of creeped me out when writing it.  I think it’ll do the same for readers.

What’s really disturbing?  No matter how far out I go when plotting the Joe Ledger thrillers, the real world always catches up…and zooms right past into the Bizarro Zone!

Jonathan

The King of Plagues: A Joe Ledger Novel

by Jonathan Maberry

St. Martin’s Griffin

Kindle Edition ~ Release Date: 2011-03-29

List Price: $14.99
Kindle Price: $9.99

Download a Free Sample or Buy Now

Harley Street, London

Seven Weeks Ago

“Unless you do exactly what you’re told,” whispered a voice, “we’ll kill your wife and daughter.”

The words dug into Trevor Plympton’s brain like railroad spikes.  He sat on the chair, wrists bound to the arm rests with plastic pipe ties, ankles tied to the wheeled feet of the chair.  A hood over his head that let in no light.  He was lost in a world of darkness and fear.  And those words.

He could barely remember what happened.  He’d taken the elevator to the basement parking garage, clicked open the locks on his Vauxhall Astra, felt a sharp burn against the back of his neck and then nothing.  When he finally woke up he was already lashed to the chair.  He’d cried out in alarm, tried yelling for help.

A heavy had belted him across the face.  A savage blow, made worse by the absolute surprise of it.  He couldn’t see it coming, could not even brace against it or turn away.

Then the whispering voice.

“W…what…?”  It was the best response he could muster.  Nothing made sense; the world was a confusion of disorientation, fear and pain.

“Did you understand what I said?” asked the voice.  A male voice.  Was there an accent?  It was hard to tell with the whisper.

“Yes,” Plympton gasped.

“Tell me what I said.”

“T-that you’d k-kill my family–.”

A hand clamped onto Plympton’s crotch and squeezed with sudden and terrible strength.  The pain was white hot and immense.  The grip was there and gone, as abrupt as the snap of a steel trap.

*     *     *

“A fast-paced, brilliantly written novel.  The hottest thriller of the New Year!  In The King of Plagues, Jonathan Maberry reigns supreme.”

–Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Athena Project

“Headlong action, up-to-the-minute science, and intriguingly conflicted characters — do not miss The King of Plagues.”

–F. Paul Wilson, NY Times bestselling author of the Repairman Jack series

Dick Francis meets Robin Cook in a tale of “murder, sabotage, infidelity, and a whole lot more….”

Dean M. DeLuke

Dear Reader,

Shedrow has been dubbed a cross between Dick Francis and Robin Cook, because it is a racetrack thriller in the spirit of Dick Francis, but there is a medical mystery at the heart of the story-surrounding the mysterious death of a multimillion dollar stallion on a supposedly secure farm in Lexington KY. And because the principal character happens to be a surgeon, there is a good deal of medical drama throughout the book.

I came up with the story concept by drawing on both my medical background as well as my longstanding interest in thoroughbred racing. The “what if” concept behind Shedrow was simply: what if a multimillion dollar stallion dies under very mysterious conditions on a supposedly secure farm near Lexington, KY? From that starting point comes a compelling story of “murder, sabotage, infidelity, and a whole lot more,” as one recent reviewer commented.

Dean

Shedrow: A Novel

by Dean DeLuke

Kindle Edition ~ Release Date: 2010-08-09

Print List Price: $28.95
Digital List Price: $12.99
Kindle Price: $9.99

Download a Free Sample or Buy Now

An Excerpt from the Novel

The blindfold was torn off Dr. Gianni’s eyes, and he squinted at the light, trying to focus on the two men who had dragged him from his office at gunpoint, thrown him into the back seat of a car, and transported him to the small room where he now sat. There were no windows, the only light coming from a bare bulb in a ceiling fixture. The walls were all cinder block, except for a metal garage door that had been closed behind them. The room seemed like part of a warehouse, or one of those self-storage units. With the blindfold off, Gianni could see a hint of sunlight where the cinder blocks abutted a tin roof.

Gianni was seated at a metal table, his hands bound behind his back. At one end of the table stood Sal Catroni. Unlike the other man, he wore no disguise. His longish hair was slicked back neatly, white at the sides, darker on top. His brow was furrowed in a scowl, amplifying the deep frown lines between his black-looking eyes.

Catroni spoke first. “You know who I am?” he said.

Gianni shook his head.

“I’m Sal Catroni, of the Catroni family, and this here is Hector. Hector was a medic in the marines. He’s here to help you with some medical treatment.”

Hector stood at least six-two, all of it solid muscle. He wore a tight white dress shirt, its silk sleeves rolled neatly to the middle of his massive forearms. A ski mask, open at the forehead, concealed his face, and his closely cropped black hair stood mostly on end. It reminded Gianni of a 1960s style flat-top cut, only not as stiff.

“Hector has some tools for you, Doc,” Catroni said.

Hector opened a clean white linen cloth, the texture of a dishrag but with a starched white appearance. Inside were surgical instruments. Dr. Gianni instantly recognized them-there was a blade handle and several large #10 blades, the kind a surgeon would use to make a long incision. It was not a delicate blade, but one meant to cut hard and fast through a lot of tissue with a single swipe. Next to the blades was a bone cutting forceps, which Gianni knew to be a Rongeurs forceps. Then there was a large pile of neatly folded gauze pads.

“Recognize those tools?” Catroni asked.

Gianni nodded.

“Well, Hector here is prepared to do a little surgery today.”

*     *     *

“I know nothing about thoroughbred racing, but Shedrow held me from beginning to end and made me want to learn more. Dean DeLuke is a wonderful talent, with a physician’s sensitivity and knowledge, and a writer’s deft touch with story and language. I am pleased and proud to welcome Dean DeLuke to the family of doctor-writers, and Shedrow to the ranks of razor sharp, fast-paced new novels. Shedrow is a great read–intriguing and exciting…this book moves!”

-Michael Palmer, NY Times best-selling author of The Last Surgeon and 15 other medical thrillers

“DeLuke’s out-of-the gate, spare-no-prisoners portrayal of horse racing, vets, racing elite and slimy underworld mafia types leaps beyond anything being published in the genre today. From its opening pages you’ll be shivering on the edge of your seat while this thrill-ride of a debut has you chomping at the bit for more. I’m willing to bet the mortgage on a trifecta that DeLuke’s next two efforts will be just a masterful as the first. Not a win, place and show. But a win, win, win!”

-Vincent Zandri, best-selling author of The Remains, The Innocent, Moonlight Falls and As Catch Can and International Thriller Awards panel judge for 2010

“Lisa Jackson brings back her detecting duo of Bentz and Montoya for a nail-biting tale of dangerous secrets and deadly passions….”

Dear Reader,

DEVIOUS will tie into Lisa’s Det. Rick Bentz & Det. Reuben Montaya thriller, HOT BLOODED!  Is Father John, the serial killer whose body was never found at the end of HOT BLOODED back…or is there a new killer echoing his killing pattern from ten years ago?

Lisa

Devious

by Lisa Jackson
Kensington Books

Kindle Edition
Release Date: 2011-03-29

List Price: $25.00
Kindle Price: $9.99

Download a Free Sample or Buy Now

Excerpts from the Book

The crime scene at St. Marguerite’s cathedral in New Orleans is shocking, even to seasoned detectives like Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya. A novice nun named Sister Camille has been found dressed in a yellowed bridal gown and viciously garroted, her body covered with an altar cloth.

Valerie Houston is devastated by her sister’s death. For weeks, she’d begged Camille to leave St. Marguerite’s, where she seemed determined to live as some kind of martyr. But Camille had a knack for making bad choices-she joined the convent in part because she’d fallen for Val’s soon-to-be ex-husband, Slade.

Convinced the police aren’t doing enough, Val begins to investigate. Slade, on a mission to repair their marriage, is determined to help her. But the deeper Val’s inquiries go, the more twisted the case becomes. St. Marguerite’s is far from the tranquil retreat many believe, and everyone, from handsome Father Frank O’Toole to the mysterious Mother Superior, has their own agenda. Despite their closeness, even Camille had a hidden life Val never suspected. But someone knew about Camille’s past-and Val’s, too. Now she has no choice but to catch a devious, depraved killer intent on purging St. Marguerite’s of all its sins-before she becomes the next victim…
 

*

“Jackson brings back her detecting duo of Bentz and Montoya for a nail-biting tale of dangerous secrets and deadly passions.” 

-Booklist
“Jackson’s the queen of the modern-day suspense thriller.” 

–The Providence Journal