Author Chip Hughes tops today’s Buffet with Murder on Moloka’i, a cozy mystery set in Hawaii and Book 1 of the “Surfing Detective” mystery series. One reviewer called it “a pastiche of hard-boiled noir … effortless and entertaining. ”
Chip earned a Ph.D. in English at Indiana University and taught American literature, film, writing, and popular fiction at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He’s an active member of the Private Eye Writers of America.
Chip launched the Surfing Detective mystery series in 2004. The second book, WIPEOUT!, followed in 2007. The third, KULA, in 2011. Other titles, in various stages of development, include MURDER AT VOLCANO HOUSE, BARKING SANDS, and THE MAUI MASSEUSE. The series has been optioned for television.
Chip’s non-fiction publications include BEYOND THE RED PONY: A READER’S COMPANION TO STEINBECK’S SHORT STORIES; JOHN STEINBECK: A STUDY OF THE SHORT FICTION; and numerous essays and reviews.
Chip lives in Windward O‘ahu with his wife and two retrievers. He surfs when time allows.
As usual, each book listed here has gone FREE within the past 24 hours, except for the Bargain books in the yellow section below. Warning: Kindle book promotions can end without notice, so before downloading click the link “See Kindle price at Amazon” to verify that the book is still free. (Prices and availability may differ outside USA.)
Murder on Moloka’i
Mystery > Cozy
Author: Chip Hughes
When Boston heiress Adrienne Ridgely strides into his Honolulu office, Surfing Detective Kai Cooke likes what he sees, but doubts what he hears. Adrienne’s sister, environmental activist Sara Ridgely-Parke, plunged to her death from a mule on Moloka’i – the first fatal incident on the soaring cliffs above Kalaupapa’s fabled leper colony. Murder, cries Adrienne, perpetrated by Sara’s ex-husband, developer J. Gregory Parke. Cooke flies to Moloka’i, tracking tantalizing leads to an unlikely murder that, despite himself, he starts to believe in.
Was the mule prodded or spooked or drugged? Did Parke do it for vengeance, or Adrienne for an inheritance, as Parke alleges? Soon Kai uncovers a motive more noxious than either of these – entangling him in the shady dealings of big-time developers, corrupt politicians, and underworld thugs. As he hops from island to island seeking a pivotal clue, the clock ticks down on more than the P.I.’s case or even his own life. The future of Moloka’i itself is at stake.
space
Chasing Mona Lisa: A Novel
Christian Fiction > Historical
Author: Tricia Goyer
It is August 1944 and Paris is on the cusp of liberation. As the soldiers of the Third Reich flee the Allied advance, they ravage the country, stealing countless pieces of art. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring will stop at nothing to claim the most valuable one of all, the Mona Lisa, as a post-war bargaining chip to get him to South America. Can Swiss OSS agents Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler rescue DaVinci’s masterpiece before it falls into German hands?
With nonstop action, Chasing Mona Lisa is sure to get readers’ adrenaline pumping as they join the chase to save the most famous painting in the world. From war-ravaged Paris to a posh country chateau, the race is on–and the runners are playing for keeps.
Living Successfully with Screwed-Up People
Self-Help > Interpersonal Relations
Author: Elizabeth B. Brown
Unfortunately, the world is full of screwed-up people. But the good news, says Elizabeth Brown, is that your world no longer has to revolve around them. With brilliant insights and a keen sense of humor, this trusted author and sought-after speaker shows readers how to:
• stop the power of whatever is eating them alive
• productively respond when confronted
• remain poised and in control when everyone around them loses it
• win fairly in unfair battles
• let go of what has been, or what they wish would be, and live triumphantly now
Dozens of real-life success stories, brief diagnostic tests, and practical tools are included to help readers assess their own situations and gain confidence to change self-defeating behaviors. This popular word-of-mouth bestseller now has an updated look.
Bound to You
Romance > Contemporary
Author: Carol Marinelli
Unbeknown to Lucy, twelve years ago she had the love of her life there for the taking.Foolishly, she chose Gloria’s husband.
Now, married to that sexy older guy, Lucy is desperately unhappy but pretending not to be. She insists on keeping up the façade of the perfect marriage, perfect house and perfect life, until fate steps in and takes matters into its own hands.
The death of her husband sees Lucy’s fragile world quickly unravel and her carefully buried demons start to surface, worse, it is in full view of her nemesis, Gloria.
The only person who can help Lucy negate the financial disaster left to her is Luke — her late husband’s business partner and friend of Gloria’s. Luke is the man she unwittingly hurt so many years ago and is now married to Lucy’s best friend. He fully sees Lucy for the shallow, self-serving, opportunist that she is but then Luke starts to find out why…
Yes, there are so many reasons to loathe Lucy. The trouble is, sometimes you can’t help falling in love.
When You See the Invisible, You Can Do the Impossible
Religion & Spirituality > Christian Living
Author: Oral Roberts
Everything done by Dr. Oral Roberts has the personal touch of his great love and care for God’s people. Now, in the sunset of a life that has touched millions around the world, he passionately reveals the truths that have altered his life and awakened the church.
Almost every Christian wants to achieve the impossible for the Lord. Not many people realize just how possible it is to do the impossible! In this book, Oral Roberts, veteran, elder, and statesman of the faith, shares his most powerful secrets on living a life of miracles, as he has done for more than sixty years of ministry. You will discover incredible secrets such as: how to see the invisible; how to become an original and fulfill your destiny; how one touch from God can change your life; how to look to God as your source for everything; how revelation knowledge will lead you to unparalleled success.
These truths will work for everyone, including you. These are precious truths that transcend time, culture, and societal norms. You can count on them to lead you to do the impossible!
Fifteen Minutes to Live
Mystery > Hard-Boiled > Thrillers
Author: Phoef Sutton
The woman he’s just had sex with has been dead for three weeks. It was good sex. Carl hadn’t seen Jessica in twenty years… not since high school… and they passionately ravaged each other as if it was yesterday. There’s just a couple of little problems with their hot encounter. For one thing, Jessica thinks that it is yesterday and that they are still teenagers. And Carl discovers that she was killed three weeks ago.
Is she insane? An imposter? A ghost? Finding the shocking answer could cost Carl and Jessica their lives.
Candy Making Made Easy
Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Desserts > Confectionary
Author: Nancy N Wilson
Delicious homemade candy is the perfect gift! Or – give the book as a gift to mother’s who look to cook.
Learn how to make candy today by using the instructions and tips provided in this book. Learning can be fun and in this case deliciously exciting.
The desire to make candy is often the first step into the culinary world and the first cooking adventure of many great cooks. If you missed this experience as a child or teenager, there is no time like the present to take your first journey into the scrumptiously exciting world of candy making. Candy making is easy when you know what you are doing, have the right tools, start with good quality ingredients, use good recipes, and allow plenty of time to do it right.
Sauce Recipes – 50 Tasty Choices
Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Sauces & Toppings
Author: Nancy N Wilson
Often all you need to make a good meal or dessert great is the perfect sauce. This is a special collection of recipes to accompany the other six volumes in the series.
- Sauces for grilling and roasting meat
- Sweet dessert sauces
- Essential classic sauces that every cook should know how to make
- Specialty sauces that are unique and do not fit into the other categories
- Sauces for meats and vegetables
- Sauces for pasta
Most of the sauces are fairly quick and easy to prepare, with the exception of a few that take a little more time and effort (but are so worth it) such as: Hot Caramel Sauce, Hot Fudge Sauce – The Real Deal, Sharon’s Lasagna Sauce and Classic Hollandaise Sauce.
Breakfast and Brunch – 60 Delicious Recipes
Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Breakfast
Author: Nancy N Wilson
Start serving irresistible breakfasts by choosing from 60 scrumptiously delicious recipes. Your family will be begging for more and your guests will rave for weeks about your amazing brunch menus.
The recipes include tasty easy breakfast dishes that can be put together quickly for those busy mornings when everyone is going in a million directions; or, you can choose more elaborate offerings that work well for a big Sunday breakfast or a special brunch prepared for friends.
I have tried to provide a variety. You can choose a healthy, easy-to-make smoothie for those days when there is no time for a full meal.
Or, choose a wonderful traditional breakfast dish such as scrambled eggs, pancakes or waffles, which include my personal secret ingredients that make them even tastier than usual.
The Night Ranger (A John Wells Novel)
Thrillers > Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue
Author: Alex Berenson
Regular Price $9.99, Today $1.99
Four friends, recent college graduates, travel to Kenya to work at a giant refugee camp for Somalis. Two men, two women, each with their own reasons for being there. But after twelve weeks, they’re ready for a break and pile into a Land Cruiser for an adventure.
They get more than they bargained for. Bandits hijack them. They wake up in a hut, hooded, bound, no food or water. Hostages. As a personal favor, John Wells is asked to try to find them, but he does so reluctantly. East Africa isn’t his usual playing field. And when he arrives, he finds that the truth behind the kidnappings is far more complex than he imagined.
The clock is ticking. The White House is edging closer to an invasion of Somalia. Wells has a unique ability to go undercover, and to make things happen, but if he can’t find the hostages soon, they’ll be dead – and the U.S. may be in a war it never should have begun.
Heart of Gold
Christian Fiction > Romance
Author: Robin Lee Hatcher
Regular Price $9.99, Today $1.99
Back in her beloved Virginia, Shannon Adair loved nursing injured soldiers back to health. But in Grand Coeur, Idaho—the rough-and-tumble place where her father has been called to lead the church—she’s not sure where she fits in. Then a critically ill woman arrives, and Shannon knows her place at last: to care for this dear woman and ease her pain.
Matthew Dubois is the fastest and most reliable stagecoach driver on Wells Fargo’s payroll. But his widowed sister is dying and he’s about to inherit his young nephew. So he takes a job at the Wells Fargo express office in Grand Coeur until he can find the one thing he needs to get back to driving: a wife to care for the boy.
What neither of them knows is that God is at work behind the scenes—and is lovingly bringing them together to discover the true desires of their hearts.
AWOL on the Appalachian Trail
Outdoors & Nature > Hiking & Camping
Author: David Miller
Regular Price $9.99, Today $1.99
In 2003, software engineer David Miller left his job, family, and friends to fulfill a dream and hike the Appalachian Trail. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail is Miller’s account of this thru-hike along the entire 2,172 miles from Georgia to Maine.
On page after page, readers are treated to rich descriptions of the valleys and mountains, the isolation and reverie, the inspiration that fueled his quest, and the life-changing moments that can only be experienced when dreams are pursued. While this book abounds with introspection and perseverance, it also provides useful passages about safety and proper gear, with a view into a professional hiker’s preparations and tenacity.
This is not merely a travel guide, but a beautifully written and highly personal view into one man’s adventure and what it means to make a lifelong vision come true.
Vampire Hunter D Volume 1
Comics & Graphic Novels > Fantasy > Myths & Legends
Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Regular Price $8.99, Today $1.99
12,090 A.D. It is a dark time for the world. Humanity is just crawling out from under three hundred years of domination by the race of vampires known as the Nobility. The war against the vampires has taken its toll; cities lie in ruin, the countryside is fragmented into small villages and fiefdoms that still struggle against nightly raids by the fallen vampires-and the remnants of their genetically manufactured demons and werewolves.
Every village wants a Hunter-one of the warriors who have pledged their laser guns and their swords to the eradication of the Nobility. But some Hunters are better than others, and some bring their own kind of danger with them…
Timmy Failure
Children’s eBooks > Mysteries & Detectives
Author: Stephan Pastis
Regular Price $14.99, Today $2.99
Meet “detective” Timmy Failure, star of the kids’ comedy of the year. Created by New York Times best-selling cartoonist Stephan Pastis. Take Timmy Failure — the clueless, comically self-confident CEO of the best detective agency in town, perhaps even the nation. Add his impressively lazy business partner, a very large polar bear named Total. Throw in the Failuremobile — Timmy’s mom’s Segway — and what you have is Total Failure, Inc., a global enterprise destined to make Timmy so rich his mother won’t have to stress out about the bills anymore.
Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs
Relationships > Love & Romance > Christian Living
Author: Emerson Eggerichs
Regular Price $9.99, Today $2.99
A wife has one driving need—to feel loved. When that need is met, she is happy. A husband has one driving need—to feel respected. When that need is met, he is happy. When either of these needs isn’t met, things get crazy. Love and Respect reveals why spouses react negatively to each other, and how they can deal with such conflict quickly, easily, and biblically.
Based on over three decades of counseling, as well as scientific and biblical research, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs and his wife, Sarah, have already taken the Love and Respect message across America and are changing the way couples talk to, think about, and treat each other. What do you want for your marriage? Want some peace? Want to feel close? Want to feel valued? Want to experience marriage the way God intended? Then why not try some Love and Respect.
… See the rest of today’s Editor’s Picks here on page 2