kindle ebooks of mine you can rent for free

The following titles of mine have all been enrolled in Amazon's KDP Select Program, so if you're an Amazon Prime member, you can rent any of these for free:

Julius Katz and Archie

Julius Katz Mysteries

21 Tales

Blood Crimes: Book One

Fast Lane

Dying Memories

Bad Thoughts

Bad Karma

A little late in the game but...

This is late, but JULIUS KATZ AND ARCHIE is the book of the day over at Ereader News Today.

21 TALES for $0.99

For a short time I'm going to make 21 TALES available for $0.99 for the kindle. That's right, less than $0.05 per story. Can't beat that, right? If you're a fan of Small Crimes, Fast Lane or Julius Katz you want to read this collection--Small Crimes fans for my early Manny Vassey stories, Fast Lane for a prequel story that allows Johnny Lane to for once act as the Lew Archer PI he always wanted to be, and Julius Katz for the Pete Mitchel stories since Julius originated from a mix of Nero Wolfe and Pete Mitchel.

"Inventively depraved" New York Magazine

"Dave Zeltserman is one of the crime genre's most accomplished, radical, and innovative talents. His command of style and personal dark vision of the world are framed in the short form to reach out and shake the reader by the throat. I only wish that 21 TALES had been 51 Tales or 101 Tales. We need more of his edgy stories to rattle the field." Tom Piccirilli, author of Shadow Season

"In a relatively short period of time Dave Zeltserman has established himself as the most relevant author of dark crime fiction working today. As usual, Dave doesn't pull any punches, and his 21 Tales is inventive, nasty, pulpy fun." Paul Tremblay, author of The Little Sleep

"Deadpan and more ruthless than ever, Zeltserman pulls off one clever shocker after another in classic pulp style. Not for the faint-hearted!" Vicki Hendricks, author of Cruel Poetry

"Zeltserman's twisty-tailed gems drag you deep into pulpland, bitch slap you dizzy, and leave you begging for more." Roger Smith, author of Mixed Blood

"Dave Zeltserman's stories demonstrate that he's as masterful with the short story as he is with the novel--the same stunning level of craft and the same lacerating vision. This is an important collection." Ed Gorman, author of Ticket to Ride

"I've become a big Fan of Dave Zeltserman for one simple reason: The man can write. 21 TALES, a collection of his short stories, sure will satisfy the most die-hard fan, while also giving bite-size tastes to the unconverted. It's broken down into five sections that range from the semi-autobiographical to the brutal, but are all dark tales of noir." Bruce Grossman, Bookgasm

"21 TALES is a lethal Molotov cocktail that won't give you a hangover but could give nightmares." Pulp Metal Magazine

So get your $0.99 kindle copy while it's still available!

Free Bad Karma

The Kindle version of BAD KARMA is going to be free for the next 5 days. The reaction to this book has been interesting. When the book was released in 2009 readers unfamiliar with me tended to like it quite a bit, while fans of my harder core noir books that had already come out (Fast Lane, Small Crimes and Pariah) were just pissed off and disappointed that I wrote a hardboiled PI novel instead of another pitch black noir journey. In a way, this book opened up my readers to accepting Julius Katz and The Caretaker of Lorne Field, which they mught not have otherwise. Even though Bad Karma is a hardboiled PI novel, it's still very different from the norm, and at it's core it is very dark in its own right. It's also connected to three of my other books: BAD THOUGHTS, FAST LANE and OUTSOURCED.

I never really did much to promote this book in the past for several reasons: the timing of when this book came out couldn't have been worse, which was the same time PARIAH was released, the publisher never was able to fix the Amazon page which showed an early and rejected book cover, and finally, the goal for this book was significantly more modest than Caretaker and my 'man out of prison' noir trilogy books--namely to be a fun, hardboiled PI read.

Here are a few of the reviews from when the book came out:

"Detective Bill Shannon, introduced in Bad Thoughts (2007), is back, and a welcome return it is. Relocated from Boston to Boulder, Shannon has fled the Boston PD for a low-stress lifestyle, picking up a little work on the side as a private eye. But despite his efforts to find psychic and psychological peace of mind after his horrific encounter with Herbert Winters, the demonic serial killer from the earlier novel, Shannon discovers that putting distance between himself and the old evils doesn’t help him escape the new evils. Zeltserman weaves together elements of both mystery and horror genres, as Shannon again finds himself confronting the darkness that roams the boundary beyond one’s physical senses. It’s as though Zeltserman has aimed a 12-gauge sawed-off at smarmy New Age sensitivities and fired off both barrels. Irony abounds, as Shannon unmasks deviant gurus, evil yoga sudios, Russian gangsters, and guys who use their baseball implements in socially unacceptable ways. If you liked the first novel in this series, you’ll love this one." — Elliott Swanson, Booklist

"The violence in this book is more subdued than that in Bad Thoughts, but it's certainly there. The story is also a pretty straightforward p.i. tale, though not without some horror and New Age elements, which once again proves Zeltserman's versatility (he's doing noir novels and Nero Wolfe pastiches in EQMM, among other things). If you haven't read Zeltserman's work, it's time to start." Bill Crider, read the entire review here.

"Even though this is not SMALL CRIMES part two, don’t let that dissuade you from checking out the Shannon series. It might have its flights into the metaphysical world, but it’s still top-notch P.I. reading. Even for Yankee fans." —Bruce Grossman, Bookgam, read the entire review here.

"Loads of fun here"-- Drowning Machine, read entire review here.

"The novel works on three levels. It’s part clever murder mystery and part personal spiritual journey as Shannon tries to heal his psychological scars and achieve inner peace; it’s also an informed and impartial commentary on the New Age Movement, presenting both the positive and negative aspects the subculture. This might be a standard PI tale in structure, but it shares the ingenuity which has brought a distinctive touch to so much of Zeltserman’s fiction." The Tangled Web, read the entire review here.

If you like hardboiled PI fiction and are willing to try something a little different from me, I think you'll like this one. And you can grab it free now!

10 reasons to read SMALL CRIMES

1) "The plot of Small Crimes ricochets out from this claustrophobic opening, and it's a thing of sordid beauty" NPR's Best Crime & Mystery novels of 2008

2) "spare but ingeniously twisted and imbued with a glossy coating of black humor." Washington Post's Best Books of 2008

3) "Zeltserman's breakthrough third crime novel deserves comparison with the best of James Ellroy" starred review from Publisher's Weekly

4) "Denton is one of the best realised characters I have read in this genre, and the powerfully noir-ish, uncompromising plot, which truly keeps one guessing from page to page, culminates with a genuinely astonishing finale." --David Connett, Sunday Express

5) "Small Crimes proves a deft entry in the tradition that goes back to Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me, James M. Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice and Charles Willeford’s High Priest of California — small masterpieces celebrating the psychopath as a grinning archetype, as American as apple pie." Sun-Sentinel

6) Not only does the novel have clean, simple prose, ample suspense and twists, and a fast-paced plot--standard fare; it also offers brilliant psychological insight into tortured souls, and on a deeper level, it is a moralistic tale about how small crimes beget larger ones." Bookmarks Magazine

7) "This is an extremely black tale that grips readers by the throat and doesn’t let go until their last breath has been spent. In other words, it’s a surefire contender for book of the year." Bruce Grossman, Bookgasm

8) "Small Crimes has plenty of crime, but obsession, hubris, and evil, pure and impure, are at the heart of this vivid noir." Booklist, Thomas Gaughan

9) "ultra-noir, funny, and shocking by turns" Barnes & Noble

10) "A Jim Thompson mentality on a Norman Rockwell setting... "Small Crimes" is a strong piece of work, lean and spare, but muscular where a noir novel should be, with a strong central character whom we alternately admire and despise." Boston Globe

10 Reasons to read PARIAH

I'm always a bit hesitant to promote Pariah. Not that I'm not proud of the book, but it's a book that is going to upset and mortify the average mystery reader, and is a book that I wrote without any compromise and with no holds barred. When the Boston Globe ran an article after Robert B. Parker's death suggesting that I might be one of the local Boston writers who could be the new face of Boston crime, Pariah was just out and I ended up getting a bunch of angry emails from Parker fans who tried Pariah, with all them swearing they'd never read anything from me again. I can't blame them. If you love Spenser books, you're probably going to despise PARIAH. But if you have the slightest interest in dark crime fiction or noir, you're going to be glad you tried this book--at least that's the reaction I've been getting from noir/crime readers I've been hearing from.

1) "a doozy of a doom-laden crime story" Washington Post's Best Books of 2009

2) "Darkly enjoyable... clear, crisp prose; his fearless portrait of amorality; and his smart plotting" Boston Globe

3) "Following up the critically acclaimed SMALL CRIMES, Dave Zeltserman had to prove that book was not some sort of fluke. PARIAH proves that CRIMES was no fluke, even surpassing that previous novel in leaps and bounds, to the point that Zeltserman should be considered the new king of Boston crime." Bruce Grossman, Bookgasm

4) "Pariah is a terrific blast" Metro (UK)

5) "It's the kind of book that is going to spoil whatever I read next, as it's going to be found wanting compared to this." The Bookbag

6) "I just finished reading Dave's new novel Pariah. It is one of the most crazed, hilarious, bitter, brutal novels this side of those composed on violent wards." Ed Gorman

7) "Zeltserman, writing in the pitch-black comic tradition of Jim Thompson or Charles Willeford, deserves to stand in such exalted company." Chauncey Mabe, Palm Beach Arts Paper

8) "PARIAH IS ALL I KNOW OF BLISS AND LAMENT. BLISS AT READING A SUPERB NOVEL AND LAMENT AT KNOWING THAT DAVE ZELTSERMAN HAS NOW RAISED THE BAR SO HIGH, WE'RE SCREWED." Ken Bruen

9) "Another phenomenal outing for Zeltserman" Thuglit

10) "If the major newspapers and critics have any balls at all, this will be on their top ten lists – and not in some sub-category like “Best Mystery Novel” or some condescending bullshit list like that. This is the real deal, dear readers. Go get yourself a taste." Nerd Of Noir

10 quick reasons to read KILLER

1) "Spare prose and assured pacing place this above most other contemporary noirs." Publisher's Weekly

2) "Dave Zeltserman is at it again writing about ex-con antiheroes with the kind of panache that would make Jim Thompson, king of the psycho killer novels, proud." Boston Globe

3) "With graphic imagery and exciting twists, this novel is impossible to put down and has a surprising ending. A brilliant read." Aberdeen Press & Journal

4) "Written in a spare, terse style, and with chapters alternating between past and present, we slowly learn more about March. But even then the closing chapters present a devastating twist and shocking conclusion." Sunday Tribune

5) "This novel is everything hard-boiled fiction should be - compact, direct and disciplined, and concerned with humans rather than stereotypes. It is also, for all its violent subject matter, a quietly told story, which makes its tension all the more intense" Mat Coward, Morning Star

6) "Killer is a major novel of crime." Ed Gorman

7) "Dave Zeltserman's Killer is simply one of the best crime novels I've read. Not in a long time, not in ages, not this year, but ever." Juri Nummelin, Pulpetti

8) "The whole book is told in tightly controlled prose that's perfectly suited to the subject matter. Killer is another bang-up job from Zeltserman, and a noir novel in the grand tradition. Don't miss it." Bill Crider

9) "This is vintage Zeltserman, and that means there's always a tail. With a sting. Be warned." Roger Smith

10) Amazon is currently deeply discounting the Kindle version of KILLER to $7.59

10 quick reasons to read OUTSOURCED

1) "A small gem of crime fiction" Booklist

2) "You can outsource software engineering, but so far at least you can’t outsource crime writing as good as Zeltserman’s." -Boston Globe

3) "A dark, lightening-paced read" Financial Times

4) "Bodies mount up as the double dealing and revenge gather apace. The blurb on the book describes it as a "fast-paced, edge-of-your seat crime novel," and it really does live up to the hype. Add this to your holiday reading list for a piece of escapism." Morning Star

5) "Zeltserman’s nifty bit of neo-noir is damned decent fun" DIG Boston

6) "Back in the “real” world, Dave Zeltserman’s Outsourced is a dryly witty take on the heist caper genre with a gaggle of reluctantly redundant software engineers planning the perfect bank robbery. He brings together crazed hitmen, Russian mafiosi, Iraqi antiques smugglers and domestic angst in a fast-paced action romp that has the inestimable advantage (or not) that its characters are actually human." Peter Millar, London Times

7) "DAVE Zeltserman is one of the new, highly original voices in crime fiction, his writing spare, disciplined and concrete. His plots are as original as anyone writing hard-boiled fiction with an attractive noir edge, and always grimly entertaining. Like his characters. Outsourced, already being turned into a movie, follows an all-too-human bunch of outsourced software engineers who have no job prospects and no long-term insurance but do possess a plan. They are going to use their computing skills to rob a bank, and Zeltserman delivers a finely paced, witty and stylish take on the heist caper novel. More than most authors churning out mysteries, Zeltserman is fully steeped in the conventions of crime fiction. He remains absolutely his own hard man." The Australian

8) "Dave Zeltserman's OUTSOURCED is a speedy, gritty, hardboiled bank robbery tale that bops and weaves along as a group of out-of-work computer programmers decide to get their hands dirty and find they like it a lot. As with Zeltserman's previous novels SMALL CRIMES, PARIAH, and KILLER, his greatest storytelling skill is in the small true, emotional details that every reader will understand. He will definitely keep you flipping pages as fast you can, and once you finish one book you'll be racing on to the next." Tom Piccirilli, author of Shadow Season and The Cold Spot

9) Amazon is currently deeply discounting the Kindle version of Outsourced, and is available for only $6.33

10) The film version of Outsourced will be going into production this year, and don't you want to read the book before seeing the movie?