Today's Featured Books

Two Days Gone

HAMMETT PRIZE FINALIST

The perfect family. The perfect house. The perfect life. All gone now.

What could cause a man, when all the stars of fortune are shining upon him, to suddenly snap and destroy everything he has built? This is the question that haunts Sergeant Ryan DeMarco after the wife and children of beloved college professor and bestselling author Thomas Huston are found slaughtered in their home. Huston himself hasn't been seen in two days and is immediately cast as the prime suspect.

DeMarco knows—or thinks he knows—that Huston couldn't have been capable of murdering his family. But if Huston is innocent, why is he on the run? And does the half-finished manuscript he left behind contain clues to the mystery of his family's killer?

Perfect for readers of Tana French and Dennis Lehane, this masterful thriller is a taut, suspenseful story that will break your heart as much as it will haunt your dreams.

Praise for Two Days Gone

Walking the Bones

When long-buried secrets come back to the surface—memories, regrets, secrets, and bodies—DeMarco finds himself once again drawn into a case that will demand more of himself than he may be willing to give.

"Silvis smoothly blends moments of exquisite beauty into a sea of darker emotion to create a moving story heavy with the theme of the ‘past is never past.'" ~Publisher’s Weekly

A Long Way Down

DeMarco and his new love, Jayme, agree to help investigate a series of murders that might tie into a cold case from his school days, but the deeper he and Jayme dig into the disturbing murders, the less likely it is that either one of them will escape the devastation.

​"Silvis is at it again, striving for a blend of crime story and literature, mutilated bodies and lapidary prose." ~Booklist

No Woods So Dark as These

DeMarco and Jayme want nothing more than to live quietly in each other's company. But dreams of a peaceful life are shattered when two bodies are discovered in a smoldering car in the woods, and another is found brutally mutilated nearby.

"A poignant and gritty thriller that reveals humanity's best and worst." ~Kate Kessler, bestselling author

When All Light Fails

There's not much that would convince DeMarco to come out of retirement and take on another case. But he can't refuse a nine-year-old Michigan girl begging for help finding her biological father. Unfortunately, this might be the most emotionally troubling case DeMarco and Jayme have yet encountered.

The Ryan DeMarco Mystery Series

About the Author
Randall Silvis is the multi-genre author of nineteen critically acclaimed novels, three story collections, and two books of creative nonfiction. He is a past winner of the prestigious Drue Heinz Literature Prize, and his work has been published in more than a hundred editions in several languages. Learn more at RandallSilvis.com, and be sure to follow Randall online:

            

Free online: NYE around the world with EarthCam. Join EarthCam's live-stream of New Year’s celebrations from around the globe and in Times Square! Enjoy video and audio from multiple live webcams and watch as the world rings in 2024. Sunday, December 31. 

"And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been." ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Charlie Goode has returned home to Harvest Falls after a recent break-up. Her life needs a reboot, and so do her relationships. Looking for a fresh start, Charlie works at her cousin’s board game shop and the local police station, where her father is chief of police. But when her high-school BFF is killed, Charlie is shocked as amateur sleuths abound. Determined to protect her dad’s reputation, she finds herself battling wits with librarians, florists, and bakers. But she’ll have to act fast before the killer’s dagger pricks another friend.​ 4.0 stars, 15 ratings. From $4.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

In this collection of poetry, "Jason Stocks captures the rhythms of a vibrant vernacular that is original and authentic. He builds a distinctive world that often turns violent and lovelorn, his rendering clear-eyed and voiced like a blade—and does so while displaying the expansive range of a skilled craftsman. Far more than a sequence of individual poems, Blameforest is a layered and nuanced work of innovative literature to be read in one sitting, and then over and over again." ~Jacob M. Appel, author of Winter Honeymoon. 5 stars, 26 ratings. From $2.99 SHOP NOW / 

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on Losing My Breath, a new release from J. Rose Black:

A steamy, adult RomCom

Winner, Literary Titan Gold Book Award December 2023

Bonus: Sign up for J. Rose Black's newsletter and get a free copy of Off the Record:

"On the record, she's the world's most annoying reporter. Off the record, she's the one he can't let get away."

Losing My Breath by J. Rose Black

A Marine never says die.

Neither does his princess.

Battle lines are drawn when sheltered debutante Meridian Daly moves across the hall from grumpy veteran Marine Callan Brand. Situated a bit closer than advertised to "crime alley," Meridian’s neighbor finds himself grudgingly guarding the pampered princess out of habit. But with her sharp wit and killer curves, he can’t help but surrender to temptation…

When their relationship evolves from casual courtship to something more, Callan finds that Meridian has already discovered his closely guarded secret. But can he let go of his pride and tell her the whole truth of who he is and what he’s done—in the name of honor and country?

As Callan’s scars start to reveal themselves, his life spirals beyond the careful control that's helped him survive—and kept those he cares about safe.

From him.

Praise for Losing My Breath

• "A powerful and emotionally resonant story that will leave you breathless. It's a tale of love, sacrifice, and the battle against one's own demons, ultimately culminating in the discovery of hope and redemption." ~Literary Titan
• "It is very rare to read a love story that does not have a rinse-and-repeat cycle, but Losing My Breath is far from the normal romantic tale... The pages of J. Rose Black's perfectly penned novel show that there is a light at the end of the darkest of days if you are willing to put in the effort to overcome them." ~Readers' Favorite
• "Hot, hilarious, and devourable." ~International Review of Books

About the Author

      

Looking for something to read on that new e-reader, tablet, or smartphone that you received as a gift this holiday season? Or maybe you have some gift cards that you'd like to redeem for some great books. You can start right here...with a selection of nearly 20 books to choose from, including five freebies! (See all of today's Featured Books on LitNuts.com.)

"Books are a form of political action. Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind." ~Toni Morrison

Kindle Countdown Deal ends Dec. 30! "Plenty of suspense in this richly detailed thriller." ~Booklist. Chicago video producer and amateur sleuth Ellie Foreman gets entangled in a web of espionage and murder when a canceled video project leads to a suspicious death and an encrypted flash drive. Ellie and her boyfriend try to find answers, but they don't realize how far they have ventured into the dangerous echelons of hidden power. "Exceptional...the tension is real and memorable." ~Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Part of The Ellie Foreman Mysteries series. 4.1 stars, 300+ ratings. Currently $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

A crime novel unlike any you've ever read―based on true events. Where does the line blur between fact and fiction? Acclaimed author Randall Silvis is looking for a story―any story to follow up the books of The Ryan DeMarco Mystery Series that catapulted him to success. But when a stranger tips him off about a series of murders in a small Pennsylvania town, Silvis finds himself embroiled in a world of corruption that shatters his sense of reality. "A masterful storyteller." ~NY Times Book Review. From $9.99 SHOP NOW / 

Selling handcrafted jewelry at craft fairs is a fun, fulfilling way to make money. Seeing various displays helps you to envision new ways to enhance your booth. Easy DIY tips are also included. Jewelry is small compared to other merchandise sold at craft shows. Each craft has its own features, highlights, and challenges. This book is devoted to the personal world of selling necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings. Using various props and layout ideas makes each display creative and appealing. Make your booth shine! FREE - SHOP NOW / 

A strange death. A dark secret. What danger lurks in Devell's Wood? Some believe a ghost walks in the woods near the village of Bailsham. Sophie Spencer will have none of it. But when she investigates the circumstances of her brother-in-law’s death beneath the ancient trees, she is forced to reconsider. A Victorian Gothic Mystery - Book 1 of the Sophie Spencer Supernatural Mysteries. "Eerily spooky throughout." ~Amazon Review. 4.1 stars, 38 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

"2021 Best Contemporary novel." ~Indies Today. "PURGATORY’s real strength lies in Ehrhardt’s…tug at the heartstrings of her readers. ~Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review. "I’m a simple man, a Southern redneck: Kary is CLEARLY a hero, by any criteria [except] armed combat." ~Pat Patterson, Amazon Review. "Elegant literary fiction." ~Dave Rose, Amazon Review. "This novel moved me to anger, compassion, exasperation, understanding, and tears. Ehrhardt is a craftswoman extraordinaire." ~Colm Herron, Irish literary novelist. 4.3 stars, 56 ratings. From $9.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Brimming with heartfelt anecdotes, nostalgic escapades, and timeless humor, Hair on Fire is a Christmas memoir like no other...a tapestry of joy, humor, and reflections that resonate with the spirit of the season. It will warm your heart, make you laugh uproariously, and transport you back to the most magical time of the year as the pages come alive with Christian warmth, laughter, and poignant moments. 4.2 stars, 15 ratings. "A wonderful holiday treat!" ~Amazon Review. From $2.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW /