There are some great new and classic crime, thriller and mystery books to download for free from Apple UK. This top ten includes cosy mysteries, true crime and psychological thrillers. Available online to download free for Mac, iPad and iPhone!
For some top mini-mystery books to test your detective skils, see my posts listed below.
Top 10 Free Apple Mystery Books
This is a round-up of the current top 10 free mystery books available to download from Apple UK, as at 21 March 2021. Including new thrillers, sequels in popular crime series and classic detective fiction.
1. The Bad Place
The most addictive new thriller of 2019
Author: MK Hill | Published: September 2019.
Plot: The newspapers called it The Bad Place. A remote farm out on the Thames estuary, where six children were held captive for two weeks. Five of them got out alive.
That was twenty years ago. Now adults, they meet up annually to hold a vigil for their friend who died. The only rule is that no-one can talk about what happened the night they escaped. But at this year’s event, one of them witnesses a kidnapping. A young girl, Sammi, is bundled into a van in front of their eyes.
DI Sasha Dawson, of Essex Police, is certain that the key to finding Sammi lies in finding out the truth about The Bad Place. But she also knows that with every second she spends trying to unlock the past, the clock ticks down for the missing girl… Is history repeating itself? Is one of the five responsible? Or is someone sending them a twisted message?
*The Bad Place available to download free from UK Apple Books.
2. An American in Paris Mysteries
Mystery Books 1 to 3
Author: Susan Kiernan-Lewis | Published: May 2020.
Plot: Claire Baskerville is a sixty-something newly widowed American who finds herself living and working in Paris as a private investigator for the English-speaking expat community.
In spite of a genetic brain anomaly that makes it impossible for her to remember faces – even ones she’d seen just moments before – Claire tackles the cases that the cops aren’t interested in solving. She does it with American know-how and dogged perseverance. Along the way she discovers that life in the City of Light can be a new beginning-in every way that makes life pleasurable-even for a woman of a certain age.
*An American in Paris Mysteries – Books 1 to 3 available to download for free from UK Apple Books. Also available for free from US Apple Books.
3. Ties That Bind
A Madison Knight Novel
Author: Carolyn Arnold | Published: May 2011.
Plot: Grab a badge and a gun and strap in for an absolutely gripping ride…
She could feel him watching her – Though every time she turned to look, there was no one there. The rest of the world thought she was going crazy—until it was too late.
When Laura Saunders is found strangled with a man’s necktie, Detective Madison Knight is assigned the case. Her sergeant at the Stiles Police Department wants her to conclude it was an isolated incident and move on with the investigation, but Madison’s not the type to cave under pressure. She’s haunted by certain unexplainable clues at the crime scene, including the presence of a mysterious photograph. Madison believes the picture may somehow tie into the murder, but before she can dig into it, another woman’s body is discovered in a local park. Heather Nguyen was also murdered with the same brand of necktie that had been used on Laura.
*Ties That Bind available to download for free from UK Apple Books. Also available for free from US Apple Books.
4. Dead On Time
Author: W.L. Knightly | Published: January 2021.
Plot: Professor Whit Filmore thought he’d left his life as a detective behind to focus on teaching, but after a personal realization changed his life, he discovered his heightened senses help him pick up on clues that others can’t.
Together with his assistant Anna, an empath who is barely scratching the surface of her own talents, Whit travels to Aldridge, a small town in Texas, at the request of an old acquaintance in the FBI.
Two girls have gone missing from opposite sides of town, and no one is cooperating. With so many obstacles, can Whit use his keen senses to find the girls in time?
*Dead On Time available to download for free from UK Apple Books. Also available for free from US Apple Books.
5. She’s Got the Guns
The debut Thriller-Suspense from Author M.O. Mack
Author: M.O. Mack | Published: July 2020.
Plot: What could possibly be worse than being beaten, broke, and on the run from a dangerous criminal? What if that criminal is your ex and works for the FBI? Oh, and then there’s the tiny matter of landing a job.
Not so easy for a woman on the run. Which is why when Emily Rockford gets a gig, answering the phone for a “pest control” company, she thinks her luck is turning. Until… she discovers the business is a cover.
For hit men. A big, dangerous, deadly group of them. It’s just about the last place Emily wants to be, but as she’s about to find out, once you’re in, you’re in. There is no out. There is no quitting. Will she embrace the dangerous world she’s stumbled onto? Or will she find a way to outrun them all?
*She’s Got the Guns available to download for free from UK Apple Books. Also available for free from US Apple Books.
6. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
An Apple Books Classic
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle | Published: October 1892.
Plot: You get not one, not two, but 25 gripping mysteries in Arthur Conan Doyle’s first of five collections of Sherlock Holmes short stories. Follow the brilliant and eccentric Holmes and his loyal sidekick, Dr. Watson, as they journey to lavish country estates to investigate baffling cases involving indiscreet royal affairs, cheetahs, redheads, and gypsies.
Every one of Conan Doyle’s tales is full of surprising – but always logical – twists. (Fun fact: This book includes “The Speckled Band,” the author’s self-proclaimed favorite of all of his Sherlock Holmes short stories.)
*The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes available to download for free from UK Apple Books.
7. A Villa in Sicily: Olive Oil and Murder
A Cats and Dogs Cozy Mystery Book 1
Author: Fiona Grace | Published: December 2020.
Plot: Audrey Smart, 34, is a brilliant vet – yet fed up by her demanding clients who think they know more than her and who don’t care about their animals. Burnt-out with the endless hours, she wonders if the time has come for a new direction. And when her 15th year high school reunion (and her hopes for re-sparking on old flame) end in disaster, Audrey knows the time has come to make a change.
When Audrey sees an ad for a $1 home in Sicily, it captivates her. The only catch is that the house requires renovation, something she knows little about. She wonders if it could be real – and if she may really be crazy enough to go for it. Can Audrey create a life and career – and the home of her dreams – in a beautiful Sicilian village? And perhaps even find love while she’s there? Or will an unexpected death—one that only she can solve—put an end to all of her plans?
*A Villa in Sicily available to download for free from UK Apple Books.
8. Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse
This is the first novel in The Cape Bay Cafe Mysteries. Includes two special cupcake recipes!
Author: Harper Lin | Published: May 2015.
Plot: Francesca Amaro moves back to her hometown of Cape Bay, Massachusetts, and takes over the family business, Antonia’s Italian Cafe. She spends her days making delicious artisan cappuccinos, until she stumbles upon her neighbor’s dead body. When the police discover Mr. Cardosi was poisoned, Francesca becomes a suspect. The victim’s son, Matty, happens to be Francesca’s old high school friend. Together, they uncover the secrets of the locals in order to find the killer in their idyllic beach town.
*Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse available to download for free from UK Apple Books.
9. Let Me In
All he wanted was to stop a killer… He never knew what it would cost.
Author: Adam Nicholls | Published: February 2021.
Plot: Morgan Young only took the small cases – the ones he knew he could solve – but when Detective Gary Lee arrives on his doorstep asking for help, he’s given no choice. Two women are dead, and they have to find the killer before he strikes again. Before he knows it, Morgan is in the middle of a revenge story that darkens with every twist.
While victims are dropping like flies and his abilities are being questioned, he has one chance to find the serial killer, and that opportunity is passing him by. Fast.LET ME IN is a tense, nail-biting serial killer story with an enthralling prose. Short, exciting chapters and twists at every turn make this novel a great read for any fan of James Patterson, Tess Gerritsen or Harlan Coben.
*Let Me In available to download for free from UK Apple Books.
10. The First Shot
The First Shot: Book One in The Lieutenant Kane Dedicated to Death Series
Author: E.H. Reinhard | Published: December 2016.
Plot: For Tampa homicide lieutenant Carl Kane, death is his life. If a single award existed for sinking himself into his work, he’d have two.
But the latest crime scene he’s called to, an old abandoned factory, leaves him with more bodies than leads. Three drug dealers are found shot to death – not an uncommon sight in the least. The problem lies with the pair of middle-aged women – bound, gagged, and executed – found at the same location.
Before he can sink his teeth into the initial investigation, Kane is called out to another multiple homicide. He comes up with only more questions when the second group of murders appears connected to the first.
*The First Shot available to download for free from UK Apple Books.
More Solve it Yourself Mystery Books
The Paper Labyrinth The Complete Edition Puzzle Books.
Escape from a Video Game – Book Series Order.
Pirates Escape Game – Activity Book for Kids.
Five-Minute Mini-Mysteries Book PDF for Kids (Age: 10+).
Super Puzzletastic Mysteries for Young Sleuths (Age: 8-12).
Outdoor Mindfulness Scavenger Hunt for Kids (Age: 3+).
Solve-It-Yourself Mystery Books for Adults: The Ripper Case Files.
Top Sherlock Holmes Escape Room Puzzle Books.
Also check out my latest Solve-it-Yourself Mystery Books – News and Reviews.
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Board Games
1. Jack the Ripper and West End Adventures.
2. Carlton House & Queen’s Park.
3. The Thames Murders and Other Cases.
4. The Baker Street Irregulars.
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