Read a Whodunit Mystery for the Holidays

Each year the Whodunit Award goes to the best new mystery writer. Sponsored by Absolutely Amazing eBooks, the Award is presented at the annual Mystery Fest Key West (next one, June 16-18, 2007). The prize includes publication of the winner by Absolutely Amazing eBooks. Sometimes the entries are so good, AAeB also publishes a few of the runner-ups. The Whodunit was created in honor of the late Jeremiah Healy, a favorite mystery writer who was instrumental in launching the annual Mystery Fest Key West. Each year it is judged by a panel of distinguished writers and critics. As a holiday treat, here two Whodunit Winners and two First Places Runner-ups. These prizewinners are available as an instantly downloadable ebooks for only $3.99 each. Simply click HERE to go to the Absolutely Amazing eBooks online bookstore and choose an ebook for the ereader device of your choice (Kindle, Nook, iPad, etc.). Or go directly to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, KoboBooks, Apple iTunes, Smashwords. Or your other favorite online venue. Also, 6" x 9" trade paperback editions are available for $14.95 each. There's nothing better than curling up by the fire with a good mystery! Especially a Whodunit Award Winner ...

The Dark End of the Rainbow by J.E. Irvin, $3.99 ebook, $14.95 paperback Teenager Xandra Byrd plans one final drug drop to finance her budding skateboard career. High school principal Leah Davis returns to work after maternity leave, so stressed by the change in routine that she forgets her infant is in the car. Then both Xandra and the baby vanish. Now Detective Joe Zetts, whose own career is on the line, must solve the puzzle of the twin disappearances before the baby's mother is indicted for murder. This emotionally powerful tale examines the corrosive effect of keeping secrets and the healing power of love, uniting the protagonists in a race to save themselves from falling into the dark end of the rainbow.

Coronado's Trail An Arizona Borderlands Mystery by Carl and Jane Bock $3.99 ebook, $14.95 paperback In 1540, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado led an expeditionary force from Mexico into what is now the American Southwest. His journey provides the backdrop for this contemporary mystery novel. Deputy Sheriff Calvin Creede mostly works alone in one corner of Arizona's smallest county. His job has been a simple one until the day a flash flood exposes the rusted remains of an old pickup. A body in the truck turns out to be the long-lost son of a prominent ranching family, and forensic evidence shows it was murder. Resolution of the case sheds fictional yet plausible light on a southwestern mystery that has been around for nearly five centuries.

Tequila Mockingbird Another 'Finn Pilar' Key West Mystery by Lewis C. Haskell, $3.99 ebook, $14.95 paperback Finn Pilar returns with his dog Crutch, taking on the bad guys in the southernmost paradise. This novel won the 2016 Whodunit Award, an annual writing competition presented at Mystery Fest Key West. A diver, sailor, and Harley owner, author Lewis C. Haskell can be found riding his bicycle around the island most mornings or with a glass of wine at Grand Vin in the evening.

Square Grouper by Lewis C. Haskell, $3.99 ebook, $14.95 paperback Key West now has its own Travis McGee, a ne'er do well Navy SEAL dropout, Ernesto 'Finn' Pilar. If you love John D McDonald and Carl Hiassen mysteries you are going to love Square Grouper. For fans of Key West murder mysteries, laugh out loud funny storytelling and great characters, this book delivers. Authentic locations, great humor and compelling action, Key West author Lewis C. Haskell has captured the traditions of South Florida writers with a first novel that was a finalist for the Key West Mystery Writers 'Jeremiah Healy' Award. Here is your next winter vacation.

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