Today's Featured Books— Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror

On Valentine's Day 2013, Olympian Oscar Pistorius heard a sound from his bathroom. Fearing someone was about to harm him and his girlfriend, Reeva, he grabbed his pistol and fired four shots into the bathroom. But it wasn't an intruder; instead, he killed his lover, and he was convicted of murder. Clinical psychologist Brent Willock brings a new perspective to bear on these horrific events: that Oscar's horrific actions occurred while he was in a state of paradoxical sleep. Willock uses scientific scrutiny and legal precedence to resolve the crucial anomalies surrounding the Pistorius trial. From$0.99 - SHOP NOW / 

Everything in Detective Morgan Foster’s life is a secret. Living in West End, West Virginia, wasn’t part of the plan, but the murders of her husband, Peter, and her partner, AJ Roth, forced her into hiding. For a while, everything seemed fine, but two dead bodies at her waitressing job tell a different story. Book 1 in the series. 4.4 stars, 800+ ratings. From $1.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Special Sale! Get the first three books of the DCI Walker Crime Thrillers Series (aka, the Lancashire Detective Mysteries) for 99 cents each through March 14. On sale are The Icehouse, The Pike, and The Tower. Also available is The Dune, and coming soon is The Castle, Book 5 in the series. "The best of both police procedurals and twisted mysteries." ~SPR Editorial Review. From $0.99. SHOP NOW / 

Juliette Valentine is a cunning, complex, and pathological child prodigy. At just fourteen years old, this elite gymnast manages to weaponize the family dog, create a rabies panic in her small town, initiate a CPS investigation into her own mother, and successfully hunt, capture, trap, and tame the boy next door. "Captivating and thought-provoking." ~Goodreads Review. 4.8 stars, 10 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

“What have I done?” Navy SEAL Jack Thibideaux thinks as he stands over the shepherd girl he has just accidentally shot in Afghanistan. Thus starts Jack’s perilous journey to save the girl, and himself. Years later, in his new life as a bookstore owner in the small town of Port Townsend, Washington, Jack seeks solace from PTSD and a new life. But his bloody past is sinking its teeth into him. 4.6 stars, 250+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW /

She thought she was safe, but even a continent away is not far enough to hide her from her enemies. "Dalrymple’s works always hang together in the most thrilling and satisfying ways, and Snakes and Ladders is no exception—it should be at the top of everyone’s reading list.” ~Robert Blake Whitehill, bestselling author of The Ben Blackshaw Series. 4.6 stars, 68 ratings. From $2.99 - SHOP NOW / 

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the Lancashire Detective Mysteries of the DCI Walker Crime Thrillers series from author J.J. Richards:

• The Icehouse, Book 1 in the Series
• The Pike, Book 2 in the Series
• The Tower, Book 3 in the Series

★★★★½ "A gripping pastoral thriller...deeply nuanced, packed with allusion and detail, summoning a vivid world to life, expertly combining the best of both police procedurals and twisted mysteries." ~SPR Editorial Review

Sale! 
E-book editions of all three books are on sale March 7-13 in the United States ($0.99) and the United Kingdom (£0.99), and free via Kindle Unlimited!

The Icehouse
Book 1 in the Series
Genres: Detective Mysteries, Police Procedurals, Murder Thrillers
4.1 stars, 1360 ratings
Currently on sale in the US & UK (Regularly from $2.99)

A Murderer on the Loose. A Detective Haunted by the Past. A Race Against Time.

DCI Jonathan Walker is a senior detective for the Lancashire Constabulary in North West England. He’s haunted by events of the past and hell bent on redemption, if he can stay healthy for long enough that is.

After a body turns up in the sleepy village of Rufford, Walker returns from his leave of absence early. When he learns the crime may be linked to a decades old cold case involving the murder of his sister, things become personal.

When more people go missing and bodies turn up with the same bizarre signature, Walker and his team realize they have a serial killer on their hands. But time is running out, and Walker has to consider breaking the law himself to make things right, once and for all.

Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, JD Kirk, Matt Brolly, Patricia Gibney, and Michael Connelly.

"A moody, enveloping crime thriller." ~SPR Editorial Review

The Pike
Book 2 in the Series
Genres: Mysteries, Police Procedurals, Psychological Thrillers
4.3 stars, 1007 ratings
Currently on sale in the US & UK (Regularly from $3.99)



Not everything is what it seems, and not everyone is who they appear to be.

A young girl is found dead at the Pike Tower on Winter Hill near Chorley, and DCI Walker and the newly promoted DC Briggs are drafted in to investigate. But what they find extends far beyond the Rivington Pike. What seems like a party gone wrong or a sickening group attack, transpires to be much more, and threatens not only the local community, but Walker and his team, too.

After identifying who’d taken the deceased to the Pike, a cat-and-mouse chase ensues, taking them to Manchester and back. When more women are attacked and left for dead, Walker gets reinforcements. But if they don’t find the attacker soon, more women will almost certainly die.

★★★★★ "Authentically written, patiently penned, and satisfyingly dark...a top-flight crime thriller." ~SPR Editorial Review

The Tower
Book 3 in the Series
Genres: Detective Mysteries, Police Procedurals
4.2 stars, 500+ ratings
Currently on sale in the US & UK (Regularly from $3.99)



A seaside town on its knees. A group hell bent on making it a better place...by KILLING.

When the Head Clown at Blackpool Tower Circus turns up dead in suspicious circumstances, a criminal investigation ensues, headed by DCI Walker. But when another body turns up just days later, with the same modus operandi, the double homicide becomes the talk of the town. The murderer, calling himself The Defender, wants people to be kinder to each other, and he’s prepared to kill to make it happen.

★★★★★ "An unsettling but highly entertaining thriller." ~SRP Editorial Review

JJ Richards is a bestselling author based in Lancashire, England, where he lives with his wife and young son. Writing under multiple pen names, he has published eight novels and a collection of short stories, with his ninth book, The Castle, currently in the works. Though his stories are works of fiction, he often finds himself questioning where the boundary between imagination and reality truly lies. So far, he has yet to locate it, plant a flag, and chart it for future explorers. Learn more and sign-up to his mailing list at J-J-Richards.com.

The recently married Hippolyta Napier is making a new life amidst Aberdeenshire’s dark woods and pure, flowing waters. But suspicion, intrigue, and death await at her new home, and the forces of nature take few prisoners. Book 1 in the Hippolyta Napier series. "Excellent series of historical whodunits." ~Amazon UK Review. 4.2 stars, 358 ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

"An outrageously enjoyable romp through the meaning of story and authorship and the nature of reality itself." ~Chronogram Magazine. A man's life is upended by a mystery manuscript. What would you do if private stories from your life were published as fiction, but the writer can't be found? Can a book exist without an author? Where do stories come from, anyway? "One-third sleuth story, two-thirds philosophical expedition, A Book with No Author aims to worry the threads of appearance. The novel is a meditation on paradox." ~Dactyl Review. 4.8 stars, 12 ratings. From $4.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

"I love a book with dark humor, sarcasm, dog bonding, and a twist of the paranormal. Your book delivered on all of these." ~Writer's Digest Self-published eBook Contest, Reviewer 1. Bridgette Ampersand—dog mom, coffee addict, and optometrist—is confronted with the demons of her past as she fights to save the people who matter most in the present. Book 1 in the series. 4.5 stars, 46 ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

Journalist Cleo Krol relocates to Washington, D.C. and is drawn into a real-life mystery when her friend and neighbor, Rae, suffers a psychotic break and takes her own life. Cleo's search for the truth leads her into the tangled web of Rae’s love life and a covert Chinese spy program. With Detective Scott Fisher as an unexpected ally, Cleo follows the trail of secrets, hoping to solve the mystery of Rae’s death while also revising her own career. Fans of slow-burn mysteries will be hooked on this gripping investigation. From $2.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

When the rules turn deadly, winning is everything. Effie and Ben May have everything. Success. Beauty. Glamour. But beneath the charming smiles and expensive clothes, a twisted game is in progress. While they scheme and manipulate those around them, they fail to notice their carefully cultivated façade crumbling away. The perfect couple soon turn the game on each other, breaking all the rules. But when the stakes are life and death, losing isn’t an option. 4.3 stars, 190 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Miss Congeniality meets The Golden Girls in this hilarious mystery set in southern Louisiana. Assassin Fortune Redding, with a price on her head and a CIA leak, takes on her toughest mission yet in Sinful, LA. Equipped with her skills and two feisty ladies known as The Geritol Mafia, Fortune sets out to solve a murder. Book 1 of the Miss Fortune Mysteries. 4.5 stars, 41K+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

When the daughter-in-law of a real estate mogul dies, Philadelphia Detective Joe Booth suspects her husband. But taking on the son of a powerful man is dangerous without solid proof. Desperate for answers, he turns to psychic-for-hire Ann Kinnear, whose abilities may be the key to uncovering the truth. As Ann becomes entangled in a web of deception, betrayal, and restless spirits, she risks everything to bring justice to the dead, even if it means putting her own life on the line. Book 1 in the series. 4.4 stars, 1200+ ratings. From $2.99 - SHOP NOW / 

U. S. Marshall Danny Coogan returns to his roots in Montana to settle into the sleepy town of Darwin with his pregnant wife. But as Danny races into town ahead of an early blizzard, the storms of his past threaten his future. Not only have the ambitions of the Ghost Buffalo Society set some of the local Indians on a path toward insurrection, but Danny's best friend, Edmund Goodrunner, working undercover for the Tribal Council, has gone missing. 4.6 stars, 143 ratings. From $3.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

In the summer of 1943, Brooklyn detectives Maeve O’Shaughnessy and Vic Marino are hired to find a missing man, pulling them into a dangerous web of gang wars, black market dealings, and FBI intrigue. As World War II rages on, Maeve juggles her role as guardian to her teenage brother while navigating a corrupt police force, old flames, and the weight of a soldier boyfriend overseas. Against a backdrop of rationing, war bonds, and fleeting moments of jazz and Coney Island escapes, the detectives must unravel dark secrets before the city’s underbelly consumes them. 4.4 stars, 750+ ratings on Goodreads. $2.99 - SHOP NOW / 

The Lost Boys meets Stephen King's Joyland. Set in 1986 in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, this novel follows a boy who falls for a girl who turns out to be more than he bargained for. Perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix and coming-of-age horror. "A family of vampires terrorizes a seaside town in Rolfe's lurid tale of adolescent romance and murder." ~Publishers Weekly. 4.4 stars, 100+ ratings. From $0.99 - SHOP NOW / 

Seattle attorney Camille Delaney is struggling to keep her solo practice afloat while raising three daughters when Helene Anderson walks into her office, desperate for justice after her baby dies during a C-section. Jessica takes on the case against a renowned doctor and her influential father, and soon uncovers alarming evidence—unstable behavior, breaches of care, and a dark family past tied to a psychiatric facility. As the trial looms, Jessica must navigate a flawed legal system and uncover the truth before justice slips away. 4.7 stars, 91 ratings. From $1.99 SHOP NOW / 

In a future world ruled by an AI that ranks citizens by their societal value, the privileged elite of the Premier Society reign—until their world begins to fracture. As Dr. Callan Valor pushes surgical innovation, fighter Tobias Kane risks everything for glory, and global icon Ava Grace faces the fragility of fame, they, along with a visionary scientist, a covert operative, and a genius geneticist, must confront the hidden costs of their success. A gripping tale of ambition, power, and the human cost of a world where survival is a privilege, not a right. From $3.00. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Seattle attorney Camille Delaney is struggling to keep her new solo practice afloat while raising three daughters when Helene Anderson walks into her office, desperate for justice after her baby dies during an emergency C-section. Taking on the case against renowned doctor Jessica Kensington and her influential father, Camille uncovers unstable behavior, breaches of care, and a dark family past tied to a psychiatric facility. As the trial looms, she must navigate a flawed legal system and uncover the truth before justice slips away. 4.7 stars, 91 ratings. From $1.99 SHOP NOW / 

After washing out of the police academy because she can’t fire a gun without closing her eyes, Isabel pivots to crime scene cleaning with her roommate, Kenny. Their first major job: a possible murder-suicide at The Kingdom Hotel and Casino. It happens to be her detective father’s cases, pushing Izzy to investigate on her own. But when she’s kidnapped and locked in a room beneath the casino alongside a beaten, half-dead security guard, she realizes the real threat may be far more dangerous than she ever imagined. 4.3 stars, 37 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Helene Denny worries about everything—especially leaving home for college—and her fascination with serial killers doesn’t help. When a string of girls goes missing in her town, she’s convinced a serial killer is at work, with the new mayor, Fred Thompkins, as her prime suspect. Dismissed by everyone, Helene turns to the dark web for answers, only to put herself in grave danger. Can she uncover the truth before someone she loves disappears? 4.8 stars, 11 ratings. From $3.99 - SHOP NOW / 

If one person can make a difference, imagine what three can do. In a small Irish village, fate unites three strangers—each carrying a dark secret—as they take a courageous stand that changes their lives forever. Clint, a once-successful man shattered by a fateful choice, Tanya, determined to fulfill her mother’s dying wish despite being broke, and Seamus, an 84-year-old seeking redemption before time runs out, discover the power of love, resilience, and the human spirit. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Shiraz Jones moves to the quiet fishing village of Redcliff-upon-Sea, hoping for a fresh start, not a murder investigation. But when a young woman she just met falls to her death, Shiraz becomes the only one who can unmask the killer. With the police convinced the case is closed and a murderer watching her every move, Shiraz must race against time to uncover the truth before the murderer strike again. 4.3 stars, 99 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

New release: Feb. 1! Detective Mike Canyon’s peaceful life in Avoca, Oklahoma, is shattered when two prominent citizens are murdered, and the only clue is a dead man’s thumbprint. As he races to catch the killer, a cryptic warning “Don’t be late” fuels his determination. Meanwhile, Geoffrey Norkum, posing as a Texas Ranger, hides in plain sight, but when Canyon’s wife is kidnapped and poisoned, the truth behind Norkum’s deception reveals a reality more shocking than anyone could imagine. From $2.99 - SHOP NOW /