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Month: October 2011
Kindle Nation Bargain Book Alert: Think “Police Procedural meets Paranormal” with 11 Straight 5-Star Reviews in Gloria Galloway’s DEAD BY MY SIDE, Just $2.99 on Kindle!
Dead By My Side
“Great Summer Read! Well written and researched, “Dead by My Side” has something for everyone. A hot detective with a long legged beauty of a ghost as a partner. A crime fighting duo on the trail of a serial killer. The book is a creative twist on the genre that kept me turning the pages. Fun read! ”
“I loved this book so much that I read it in three days! I think my family got tired of hearing “Just one more page I swear!” Yes it was that good! Now I’m running around suggesting it to all of my reader friends. I had fun trying to piece together the clues to try and figure out who the killer was and why they were killing. Trust me when I tell you that it was so much better than any conclusion I came to in my head. Gave me the chills. Bravo Ms. Galloway! I can’t wait to see what else you’ve got up your sleeve!! ”
KND Kindle Free Book Alert for Thursday, October 13: SEVEN (7) Brand New Freebies in the Last 24 Hours Added to Our 1,064 FREE TITLES Sorted by Category, Date Added, Bestselling or Review Rating! plus … A Free Sneak Preview from A TOUCH OF GREED, the latest Nick Bracco thriller from bestselling, award-winning suspense author Gary Ponzo (Today’s Sponsor – FREE)
Powered by our magical Kindle free book tool, here are this morning’s latest additions to our 1,068 Kindle Free Book listings….
But first, a word from … Today’s Sponsor
A Touch of Greed
By Gary Ponzo
Chapter One
When the blood stopped oozing from James Braden’s head, FBI agent Ricky Hernandez knew his partner was finally dead. Hernandez was tucked behind a steel column in an abandoned airport hanger just inside the Mexican border. His partner was sprawled on the floor ten feet away, his body riddled with bullet holes from the ambush.
“Mr. Hernandez,” the man’s voice called out from behind him in a Mexican accent, “we have two kinds of soup today. We have chicken soup and we have screw-you soup. Unfortunately for you, we are out of chicken soup.”
A roomful of laughter echoed throughout the empty chamber of aluminum roofing and corrugated steel walls. Hernandez judged about thirty men surrounded him with AK-47’s, while Hernandez had an FBI issue 9mm pistol with just one solitary bullet left. He stared at Braden’s corpse lying there in such an unnatural position, his eyes wide in horrified shock. Hernandez’s legs trembled. His left eye had an uncontrollable twitch. The desert heat was viciously oppressive. His shirt was so saturated with sweat, it stuck to his chest.
The voice taunting Hernandez belonged to Antonio Garza, known as, El Carnicero, throughout the world of Mexican cartels. The Butcher. He was an infamous assassin with a legendary reputation for torturing anyone who crossed him. Including undercover FBI agents posing as drug dealers. Hernandez had seen the remains of the bodies Garza had left behind. Fingers, eyes, tongues, all severed and stuck inside the victim’s mouth, while the body floated in a vat of previously boiling water. The assassin was known to have a doctor on hand to continuously revive the victim and prolong the torment for hours, sometimes days.
“Mr. Hernandez,” Garza said, closer now. “I make you a deal. Come out right now and I let you speak with your family. You can say a proper farewell, eh?”
Hernandez was in shock, his mind numb to the statement.
“You can’t be saved, so make your peace,” Garza ordered.
Among other things, Garza was a chronic liar. Hernandez was lured into Mexico while undercover, so there would be no rescue. He was out of U.S. jurisdiction. Then it hit him. He still had a minute or two to say goodbye to his wife. He fumbled into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
“I’m waiting,” he heard Garza say.
Tears blurred his vision as he tried to find his Nicole’s number in his contact list. He was bawling now, warm urine leaked from his bladder. Once he’d heard her voice he realized he wouldn’t be able to speak. He was wasting too much time just trying to gather himself. Then he saw the name just above Nicole’s. Nick Bracco. Hernandez knew then what he needed to do with the remaining seconds of his life. He pushed the button.
“Time is up,” Garza called out.
“Hey, Ricky,” came the voice on the phone.
“Nick,” Hernandez stammered. “Nick can you . . .”
“What’s wrong?”
Hernandez’s hands shook, tears crawled down his face. “Please tell Nicole . . .” he hiccupped and whimpered, “how much I adore her.”
“Where are you, Ricky?” Nick demanded.
“Now!” the assassin screamed, a barrage of bullets exploded all around the agent as he shriveled up behind the column for protection. His legs were getting pounded by direct hits and ricochets.
“Ricky?” Nick shouted into the receiver.
The shooting stopped. The tops of Hernandez’s feet were missing, only two toes stood out among the bloody stumps. Hernandez’s stomach spiked up into his throat. “Nick,” he uttered. “Please, make sure you kill him.”
Footsteps came shuffling up behind him and Hernandez dropped the phone between his legs. He took one last look at his partner, then said, “I’ll be right there, Jimmy.” As he braced the tip of his pistol tight under his chin, the one thought which remained, the one glimmer of solace which contained him was the thought that Garza would not survive long. Hernandez had an irrational rush of jubilation. Nick Bracco had been notified. Ricky Hernandez smiled.
Then he pulled the trigger.
* * *
Walt Jackson was considering going home. It was almost seven and his stomach was beginning to growl. He stood behind his desk, searching for a couple of secure flash drives he needed to take home, when his cell phone chirped. “Nick Bracco,” came up on his display. As the Special Agent in Charge of the Baltimore Field office, Walt was the head of an elite anti-terrorist task for simply known as, “The Team.” Four of the shrewdest investigators the FBI had ever trained. Along with Nick and his partner Matt McColm, the team was split across the nation. Nick and Matt were in Arizona, while the other two worked out of the Baltimore Field Office. Nick Bracco was the lead agent of the group and rarely called to chit-chat.
“What’s up?” Walt asked finding the two flash drives and slipping them into his pocket.
“Sorry, Walt,” Nick said with a somber tone.
Walt’s instincts told him to prepare for the worst.
“Tell me,” Walt said.
“Jim and Ricky are dead.”
Walt’s pulse quickened. He felt lightheaded and plopped down in his leather chair with wobbly legs. He ran a hand over his face and looked at the floor. His new team was only six months old. They’d been grooming new members carefully ever since four of the original six members were murdered by a Russian assassin last year. Now the newborn group of four was down to two.
Walt had the overwhelming sense that he’d come too close to touching the sun and was now paying the price. He tried to control his breathing with mild success.
“You still there?” Nick asked.
“Yeah,” Walt croaked.
“Jill and Darcy need to know.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Sorry,” Nick repeated.
“Damn it,” Walt muttered. “Someone gave them up.”
“Yes.”
“Someone on our side.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know, but I will.”
Walt took longer breaths while Nick patiently waited for him to recover.
“You took every possible precaution, Walt. There was no way to eliminate all the risk.”
“No I didn’t, or we wouldn’t have two more dead agents on the team.”
Walt’s stomach tightened, while his head throbbed. He was clearly losing the battle with his emotions, but needed a clear mind. He needed to make the right choices or the damage could accumulate.
“Nick,” Walt said into the phone, rubbing his temple. “You can’t go down there.”
“I know.”
“I’m serious. Once you cross that border, you’re alone. Completely.”
“I know.”
“I mean these cartels, for crying out loud, Nick, they are the law down there.”
“I understand.”
Walt looked around to assure his solitude. He was in his office with the door closed, yet still knew enough to keep a low voice. “You’re going to need help.”
This one stopped Nick. Walt could tell his lead agent was surprised by his inference.
“You mean . . . Tommy?”
There was no other help Walt could’ve been suggesting. The CIA was constantly at war with his division and adding untrained FBI agents to the body count simply wasn’t acceptable. Nick’s cousin Tommy, however, had roots within a well-known Sicilian family which occasionally operated outside the law. A family whose information had been very instrumental in capturing terrorists in the past. It was a relationship Walt found uncomfortable, but the return on investment had been remarkable.
“Yes,” Walt confirmed. “He’ll have contacts which could be extremely valuable.”
“Okay,” Nick said.
“I mean, we can’t afford to send shoes down there to muddle things up. The more agents we send, the scarier it gets. We use the surgical tactic we’ve planned. The smaller, the better.”
“That’s fine, Walt, but I’ll need Stevie to bring some tech toys with him.”
Walt looked out the bulletproof window behind his desk. The setting sun cast a shadow over the few cars left in the parking lot. His wife probably had his cold dinner already wrapped and in the refrigerator. After thirty years of marriage, she’d still be waiting for him with a smile and a kiss.
“I’ll have Stevie on the first flight out in the morning.”
“Good,” Nick said.
There was a silence while the two of them put their thoughts together. Walt wanted to tell Nick he’d hop on a plane and be there himself, but as he stared outside, he could sense the sun setting in too many ways. He’d owed it to his wife to be there. She’d seen too much action.
As if Nick could translate the silence, he said, “Stay where you are, Walt. You’re more valuable to me inside the beltway where you can get decisions made.”
Walt took the cue and said, “Nick.”
“Yeah?”
Walt squeezed his eyes shut. “Please. Be careful.”
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Kindle Nation Daily Bargain Book Alert: Moses Siregar’s THE BLACK GOD’S WAR is our eBook of the Day at just $2.00 with 4.5 Stars on 16 Reviews, and Here’s a Free Sample!
Here’s the set-up for Moses Siregar’s The Black God’s War [The Complete Novel], just $2.00 on Kindle:
Against the backdrop of epic warfare and the powers of ten mysterious gods, Lucia struggles to understand The Black One.
Her father-king wants war.
Her messianic brother wants peace.
The black god wants his due.
She suffers all the consequences.
King Vieri is losing his war against the lands of Pawelon. Feeling abandoned by his god, he forces his son Caio, the kingdom’s holy savior, to lead his army. Victory ought to come soon.
To counter Caio’s powers, Pawelon’s prince enters the conflict. Rao is a gifted sage, a master of spiritual laws. He joins the rajah to defend their citadel against the invaders. But Rao’s ideals soon clash with his army’s general.
The Black One tortures Lucia nightly with visions promising another ten years of bloodshed. She can no longer tell the difference between the waking world and her nightmares. Lucia knows the black god too well. He entered her bed and dreams when she was ten.
The Black One watches, waiting to see Lucia confront an impossible decision over the fates of two men–and two lands.
From the reviewers:
“Moses is a fine writer deserving of success, and I think that it will follow … Personally, I really enjoyed Moses’s work.” – David Farland, NYT Bestselling Author of The Runelords
“The Black God’s War is, to date, the finest example of quality independent fantasy I’ve seen.”–IndieFantasyReview
“An inventive tale with high command of craft.” -Scott Nicholson, Bestselling Kindle Author of The Red Church
“The writing is tight, the characters well-drawn and deep, and the world feels alive and many-layered.” -W. Brondtkamffer’s Blog
“Siregar’s prose is smooth and he has his sense of pacing nailed down … More like this, please.” – Signal dot Noise blog
“If you want to read a talented new author with a flair for storytelling, you should definitely pick up this story.” -Two Ends of the Pen Blog
“… excellent storytelling in this debut, a tale spun with a degree of elegance I did not fully … it reminds me a bit of Dune …” – Ron C. Nieto’s Blog
“Siregar’s strongest suit may be the character development on display, as the royal siblings and a few other characters exude their personalities and frailties in a believable fashion.” -Skull Salad Reviews
“‘The Black God’s War’ has all the right ingredients … His characters are as passionate as his descriptive prose. The pacing is perfect … This is a work epic fantasy fans don’t want to miss.” -Bryan Thomas Schmidt’s blog
Moses Siregar III is a co-host of the popular Adventures In SciFi Publishing podcast, where he has interviewed Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, Guy Gavriel Kay, Sherrilyn Kenyon, David Farland, Tracy Hickman, Michael J. Sullivan, and other fantasy authors. The AISFP podcast has also interviewed Neil Gaiman, Kevin J Anderson, Tad Williams, and Ray Bradbury, among others. Moses has a B.A. in Religion. He lives in Prescott, AZ with his wife and son. ‘The Black God’s War’ is his first novel.
The author writes:
“When I was ten, I fell in love with an anime series: a space opera spanning three human generations, a saga that unfolded over 85 consecutive episodes and four months of after-school TV. Watching ‘Robotech’ was a spiritual experience for me. I still remember how high I felt after watching the final episode for the first time. How many pleasures in life are better than a well-executed drama?
“After that experience, I decided I wanted to be a storyteller when I grew up, hoping to someday inspire others as Robotech inspired me. Although I’ve written professionally and for pleasure for many years, it wasn’t until recently that I got back around to my heart’s desire when I was a boy: Telling the big story.
“I’ve never had so much fun.
‘The Black God’s War’ is a stand-alone epic fantasy novel and an homage to Homer with a multicultural flavor. It’s also the first book in the ‘Splendor and Ruin’ series.
You can follow my blog, ‘Moses and Dionysus Walk Into a Bar …’ at www.ScienceFictionFantasy.net. I’m also a co-host of the popular Adventures In SciFi Publishing podcast.”
And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample of THE BLACK GOD’S WAR by Moses Siregar:
Today’ Kindle Daily Deal – Thursday Oct. 13: Save 80% on Jess Lourey’s “Murder-by-the-Month” Thriller for October
But first, a word from … Today’s Sponsor
and now … Today’s Kindle Daily Deal!
Kindle Daily Deal: October Fest
Beer, polka music, and politics reign supreme at October Fest, Battle Lake’s premier fall festival. But the festive mood sours when a public debate turns deadly.
Yesterday’s Price: | $9.99 | |
Today’s Discount: | $8.00 | |
Kindle Daily Deal Price: | $1.99 | (80% off) |
Kindle Nation Daily Digest – October 12, 2011
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What if you just paid retail for a Kindle Daily Deal title?
What if you just paid retail for a Kindle Daily Deal title? Each morning we post the latest Kindle Daily Deal from Amazon, and many of the offerings are popular books that you may well have purchased at full price in the previous week, which can lead to a special kind of buyer’s remorse. If that happens to you, it’s worth knowing that Amazon has a no-questions-asked return-and-refund policy for all Kindle content within 7 days of purchase. Just contact Kindle Support at http://amzn.to/mk1dda with the details to return the Kindle book so that you can download it again at a better price. (We suggest selecting telephone contact from your options in order to expedite the return so that you won’t miss the Kindle Daily Deal.)
And here’s today’s Kindle Daily Deal post….