Get a Copy of Killer in the Retroscape for Free

For a limited time, you can get an eBook copy of Killer in the Retroscape for free, just by joining my mailing list.

It’s was one of my favorite books to write and has garnered some critical acclaim along the way (BRAG Medallion Honoree, Finalist in the Eric Hoffer Awards). I hope you enjoy it. Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time—but I hope you stick around for a while, check out the sales on my other novels, new releases, and book reviews.

Claim your copy now:  https://bit.ly/30AbTC2

A Blogger’s Review of All of My Books (Almost)

I’m honored to be mentioned on Caleb and Linda Pirtle’s Here Comes a Mystery blog as “One of the Top Ten TechnoThriller Writers You Need To Be Reading.” Check out their post here:

https://calebandlindapirtle.com/bruce-m-perrin-one-top-ten-technothriller-writers-need-reading/

Their review missed only the second book in the Mind Sleuth series, Mind in the Clouds, which has been described as “… a crazy wild ride through modern day technology with a little advanced AI thrown in to create an action thriller par excellence.” And since I just completed a second edition of this military thriller, I’ll add that one link:

https://bit.ly/2Q1McXr

Thanks Caleb and Linda!

Save on a Copy of Mind in Chains

“Suspense, twists and turns, chilling ideas that you can see happening now …” Amazon UK 5-⭐ review

Don’t miss Mind in Chains while it’s only $0.99--now through July 19

£0.99 in the UK

https://bit.ly/32pM2ff

Book Review: Murder on Cold Street (Lady Sherlock #5) by Sherry Thomas

Quite the Character Solves Quite the Mystery

If you’re new to the Lady Sherlock books, as I was, a sentence on their premise is appropriate. In the series, Sherlock Holmes is the invention of Charlotte Holmes and Mrs. Watson so that the former can practice her trade as a private investigator in a time and place (Victorian England) when a woman would have been ignored. If that sounds like a promising foundation for historical fiction, let me say that author Sherry Thomas in Murder on Cold Street delivers on it fully.

I particularly liked our hero, Charlotte. She’s not constrained by the strict social mores of the time, often being the aggressor in her budding relationship with Lord Ingram Ashburton … although Ash is starting to catch up. She’s adept at reading the emotions of others, even if her own are stunted in most areas except those involving Ash or cake. And her fashion sense is truly outlandish. "Had his retinas not been seared by the Christmas tree dress, her dinner gown would have been the most outlandish thing he witnessed today.” And while that specific sentence may not make it through the final edit of the book, which is set for release on October 6, Charlotte’s audacious look will.

But plot drives mysteries for me, and this one has everything an intelligent whodunit should. At the outset, Inspector Treadles is apprehended in a locked room with two dead men. He’s covered in blood and armed with his service revolver, the apparent murder weapon. And yet, he won’t defend himself. A probable villain soon appears and the primary focus of the mystery shifts to piecing together a timeline and finding motivations. A crime scene that initially seems well contained—an empty house on Cold Street—ends up seeming as busy a subway station at rush hour. But by the end, Holmes, Watson, and their compatriots put it all together. There is even some well-turned commentary on Victorian race relations and a woman’s place in business, all of which resonant well with current times.

My concerns about the book were few and minor. In one case, it seemed that our investigators assumed the importance of a piece of evidence that, in real life, would have probably turned out to be irrelevant. Holmes shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions. As another example, the explanation of how and why two had died in the house felt a bit strained, like a one-in-a-million shot. But overall, the complexity of the situation and the way the pieces came together at the end more than offset these minor issues. Murder on Cold Street is an outstanding read, ready to keep you guessing till the very end.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author (Sherry Thomas), and the publisher (Berkley Publishing Group) for providing a copy of this book. I opted to write this candid review.

July's Limited Time eBook Deals

Even if your beach reads are by the sandbox in your backyard, you can still enjoy these savings. Just don’t wait too long.

Happy reading,
Bruce

(Prices change constantly. Be sure to verify all prices before purchase.)


Mind in Chains (The Mind Sleuth Series Book 3)
By Bruce M. Perrin
Sale Date: NOW until 7/19
Medical thriller
Regular Price: $3.99  Sale Price: $0.99

2020 BRAG Medallion Honoree

The healthcare-for-all debate in the US erupts in a series of deadly attacks on the medical community, and soon, Doc Price and Nicole Veles find themselves the next intended victims. Doc finds an unlikely ally in FBI Special Agent Rebecca Marte. Together, they tried to make sense of the Crusaders’ actions that defied all logic; the terrorists show no fear of identification—or even death. In the end, Doc risks everything he loves in a final, deadly gambit with the Crusaders, only to find that the cost of his ploy may be more than he can pay.

“… a multifaceted, absorbing read that lingers in the mind long after the final revelation which examines issues of justice and humanity, as it crafts a growing story of horror,” D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review.

https://amzn.to/2ZeWJCW


Christmas in The Sisters: A Holiday Mystery Novel (The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series Book 6)
By Becki Willis
Sale Date: NOW until 7/17
Cozy Mystery
Regular Price: $3.99  Sale Price: $0.99

Madison Reynolds can’t wait for Christmas this year. Rebuilding her life as a single mom hasn’t been easy, but after a challenging twelve months, she’s excited about the holidays.

The tinsel begins to tangle when someone targets the community for a series of ‘Christmas Crimes.’ Homes are broken into and wrapped gifts are stolen from beneath trees. Even vehicles loaded with presents aren’t safe, particularly on a lone stretch of highway. 

Finding the common link between cases is like finding the bad bulb on a string of lights. Every lead is a short circuit. The frustration mounts when Madison and the Angel Tree she’s involved with fall victim to the crimes. Only the worst kind of Grinch steals from needy children!

This is one Christmas that no one in The Sisters will ever forget!

https://amzn.to/38QolRX


Prison Runner: A Thriller (Micah Reed Book 6)
By Jim Heskett
Sale Date: NOW until 7/19
Crime Thriller
Regular Price: $3.99  Sale Price: $0.99

A ghost from the past. An innocent life in danger. If Micah helps, he’ll also be marked for death.

Micah Reed doesn’t like to dwell on the time he spent in prison. But when a Dallas news station shows his old cellmate Elias fleeing from ruthless hitmen, he’s left no choice.

Micah rushes to Texas to escort his celly to safety, but it’s not so easy. When Micah discovers the shocking secret of why Elias has been targeted, everything Micah believes about his past will come into question.

Can he battle his way out before they imprison him in concrete shoes?

https://amzn.to/3296STz


On Deadly Grounds
By Kaye D. Schmitz
Sale Date: NOW until 7/19
Spy Mystery
Regular Price: $3.99  Sale Price: $0.99

On the eve of an international G7 Summit, event coordinator Mattie Maguire discovers that the venue, a century-old estate close to Asheville, NC, is more than simply a picturesque setting. It is also the center of political conspiracies involving a ruthless Russian spy ring that will stop at nothing to steal the massive fortune they believe to be hidden there. The search intensifies and a rogue Russian agent attacks Mattie’s grandmother, still living on the estate. She hovers in a coma, barely clinging to life. 

As Mattie struggles to protect her family and ensure a safe event for the most important leaders in the world, her discovery of a fraudulent heir to the estate puts her own life in danger as well. But when her eighty-five-year-old grandfather is kidnapped and held at gunpoint, her path becomes clear. Despite her fear, she must locate the only person who has the information the Russians seek—the estate’s rightful heir, hidden away for decades after the murder of his father. But will the true owner’s return to his childhood home put his life in danger, too?

https://amzn.to/327OkTE


Welcome to Piney Falls (Piney Falls Mysteries Book 1)
By Joann Keder
Sale Date: NOW until 7/19
Women’s Detective Fiction
Regular Price: $3.99  Sale Price: $0.99

Lanie Anders has a perfectly-ordered life. From her half-foam latte to her marketing executive job to the creative writing course she takes for fun. She controls every outcome...until the night her home burns to the ground. 

At the urging of her creative writing professor, she decides to take a trip to the tiny town of Piney Falls, Oregon to write her final assignment. The town changed its name from Flanagan to Piney Falls without any notice. Lanie’s assignment was to write a fictional story, but now she wants to find out what really happened.

Upon arrival, she finds herself in a different world. Her next-door-neighbor speaks in riddles, and the impossibly handsome owner of Cosmic Cakes and Antiquery is hiding something. People are dying at an alarming rate. Nothing makes sense in this beautiful ocean-side hamlet.

https://amzn.to/32baTXp


Hush: A Chloe Daniels Mystery (Chloe Daniels Mysteries Book 2)
By Deidra D. S. Green
Sale Date: NOW until 7/19
Horror Suspense
Regular Price: $2.99  Sale Price: $0.99

In Sick, Sicker, Sickest, you met angel of mercy Anna Black. In Anna’s quest to gain favor with her parents and help the less fortunate, she leaves a number of bodies in her wake. Now, Anna Black is on the run, and a new killer has emerged, dropping bodies under overpasses and stealing the spotlight from the now infamous Black. This new killer, affectionately dubbed the baby doll killer, is a complete mystery. Dr. Chloe Daniels and police detective Michael Phillips find themselves behind the eight ball trying to solve these horrendous crimes. Who is this Baby Doll Killer? Will Anna Black be found? Find out in Hush, the second installment in the Chloe Daniels Mysteries.

https://amzn.to/3fkbdXH


The Business of Blood (A Fiona Mahoney Mystery Book 1)
By Kerrigan Byrne
Sale Date: NOW until 7/19
Historical Mystery
Regular Price: $5.99  Sale Price: $0.99

Dying is the only thing people do with any regularity, and Fiona makes her indecorous living cleaning up after the corpses are carted away. 

When she’s called to a murder in the middle of the night, Fiona finds a victim mutilated in an eerily similar fashion to those of the Ripper. The relentless, overbearing, and irritatingly handsome Inspector Grayson Croft warns her away from the case. She might have listened, if she hadn’t found a clue in the blood. A clue that will lead her down a path from which there is no return. As a killer cuts a devastating swath through London, a letter written in blood arrives at her door, and it is only then that Fiona realizes just how perilous her endeavor is. For she has drawn the attention of an obsessive evil, and is no longer the hunter, but the prey. Fiona Mahoney is in the business of blood.

But she’s not the only one...

https://amzn.to/2DDLBHl


Micah Reed Thriller Box Set 1 (Witness Protection Thrillers)
By Jim Heskett
Sale Date: NOW until 7/19
Suspense Thrillers
Regular Price: $8.99  Sale Price: $1.99

Box Set: 900+ pages and three thrilling crime novels. Join a man on the run as he grapples with his past.

Reformed criminal Micah Reed has a price on his head. After a vindictive drug dealer threatens his family’s lives, he escapes to a sleepy mountain town to search for his estranged sister. He never expected that she would fall in with a cryptic cult…

During a precarious undercover mission to infiltrate their commune, Micah plots to remove his sister from harm’s way. But a shocking new arrival turns Micah's rescue mission into a desperate race against time.

https://amzn.to/32ccLiJ


Dragon's Bride (The Dragon and the Scholar Book 4)
By H. L. Burke
Sale Date: NOW until 7/18
Sword and Sorcery Fantasy
Regular Price: $4.99  Sale Price: $0.99

Dragon Prince Ewan has promised his beloved, Shannon, that he will become a man again or die in the attempt. With the aid of his scholarly friend, Martin, Ewan consults the great Dragon Queen Harviss, who offers him a unique solution: return to the past to find Ewan's Fey ancestor and beg for her help. Leaving Shannon behind, Ewan and Martin travel to a dangerous past and fall into the clutches of a powerful Fey queen.

Meanwhile, Shannon finds herself alone and with child. Unable to sit still with her husband absent, she joins with Ryan of Westshire in the prince's desperate search for his young son. King Riley, however, will see Ryan dead before allowing him to find the lost child.

Can Shannon find a way to unite Ryan with his son?

https://amzn.to/2C5yHRZ


Occupied Earth (The Sequel to First Encounter) (Ascension Wars Book 2)
By Jasper T. Scott
Sale Date: NOW until 7/17
Steampunk Sci-Fi
Regular Price: $3.99  Sale Price: $0.99

Captain Clayton Cross and his crew encountered the Kyra, an advanced race of avian carnivores. They fled this first encounter, but the Kyra beat them back to Earth by almost a century.

Earth lost the war in just a few weeks. Our cities burned, and billions died. After we surrendered, the Kyra helped us to rebuild, but on their terms, confining us to city centers and building high walls to keep us in.

Determined to oppose the Kyra any way he can, Clayton is working with the human resistance, and now they have a plan that will either put an end to the occupation, or to us...

https://amzn.to/3elfqJv


Two Types of Steel
By David Escobar
Sale Date: NOW until 7/18
Dystopian Fiction
Regular Price: $4.99  Sale Price: $0.99

Beth and Percy were born into a war-ravaged humanity on the brink of being wiped out by a rogue force known as the Remnant. There is only one way for them to help end the conflict and protect what’s left of their home: become pilots of mankind’s most advanced armored weapon, the LAW.

After proving themselves to be exceptional as youths, the twins are accelerated into an intense new program which provides a chance to jump start their piloting dream. But fighting an enemy they don’t fully understand presents a challenge no weapon can overcome.

Only one thing remains certain. Beth and Percy must either become the LAW, or their hope for a better world will die with them.

https://amzn.to/2ZmqjGw

A Speculative Fiction Collection for the KU Subscriber

Are you:

• A Kindle Unlimited Subscriber?
• A Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or Speculative Fiction Lover?

If you answered yes to both, then check out the 25+ Kindle Unlimited reads we’ve compiled for you!

https://storyoriginapp.com/to/53q4laI

Recognition for Mind in Chains

I’m honored that Mind in Chains has been recognized as an Indie BRAG Medallion Honoree.

Synopsis: The healthcare-for-all debate in the US erupts in a series of deadly attacks on the medical community, and soon, Doc Price and Nicole Veles find themselves the next intended victims. Doc finds an unlikely ally in FBI Special Agent Rebecca Marte. Together, they tried to make sense of the Crusaders’ actions that defied all logic; the terrorists show no fear of identification—or even death. In the end, Doc risks everything he loves in a final, deadly gambit with the Crusaders, only to find that the cost of his ploy may be more than he can pay.

https://bit.ly/32pM2ff