Book picks similar to
The Wrong Key: A Cam Derringer Novel (Tropical Adventure Series Book 8) by Mac Fortner


pi-client-thriller
police-murder-investigation
revenge-thriller
romantic-suspense-story

The Pain of Strangers (CSI Eddie Collins, #1)


Andrew Barrett - 2022
    In 1987, Norton Bailey became known as the Madman of Mabgate. A damaged person in a position of power, he built a machine to take care of his problems and used money as bait. CSI Eddie Collins is feeling alone and adrift. Even work is unreliable and tense, and brings conflict with bad people. One damaged person in particular seeks to choose how Eddie, and the victims he tries to protect, will die. Is there still no hope for the innocent? Forensic evidence has always lit up the way, but now the light shines dimly. It’s just bright enough to illuminate the fight of Eddie’s life.

The Courier


Ernest Dempsey - 2021
    Some of the same soldiers who left him for dead in the Middle East still want his head. And they’re getting closer.So far, he’s been lucky. But Dak is low on money and nearly out of time.All he needs is an easy gig. A place to lie low, bank some cash, and quietly figure out his next move.That’s not exactly what he finds.Some rich kid with more money than he knows what to do with wants to open his own museum. But first, he’s got to fill it, and that’s where Dak comes in.Not sure if his gift for hunting bad guys will translate to finding priceless artifacts, Dak’s willing to give it a shot. He needs this job. The kid will pay him a lot of money and ask no questions.Before he knows it, Dak’s on the first flight to South America, chasing his big payday. But Dak’s about to trade one set of problems for something even worse: the deadliest mission of his life.

Retribution


D.V. Berkom - 2020
    Now she wants revenge.Spring 1880: Claire Whitcomb and her family are building a good life near the boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, when tragedy strikes: a group of renegades attack, killing everyone but Claire and burning their home. Not knowing who to turn to, Claire teams up with Mart Duggan, the town’s tough-as-nails marshal, to track down the outlaws responsible. Duggan and his friend, Thomas, a local Ute, skirt the law to get results, but that’s fine by Claire. She’s gunning for the men who destroyed her life—and won’t settle for anything less than retribution.

Hidden Gabriel


Victoria Pinder - 2015
    What is he hiding in this house?Handsome and mystery all combined in Gabriel, the only other person living, and he’s not used to talking or having guests.I’m drawn to him, but his dead wife has him living like she was still here and watching him. Talking isn’t easy for him.With the never ending storm outside the windows, I’m pulled into more danger and mystery within the walls that no longer seem safe.The house itself seems to throw obstacles, but if I don’t figure this out, will I survive?

Town Lore: A Supernatural Monster Hunt (Hunters for Hire Book 2)


Jonathan Yanez - 2021
    

American Terrorist


Wesley Robert Lowe - 2016
    Smart—IQ off the charts. Lethal—more kills than Chris Kyle. Black belt martial artist. And vulnerable, sexy and complicated. A video of desecration and beheading in a small Syrian village appears briefly on the deep web. When the sword-wielding executioner proclaims Jihad on America, no one knows whether to take him and his ragtag marauders seriously. Can they deliver? Or is this a cover for a more devious conspiracy? Rayna Tan, ex-Canadian Special Forces and newly minted covert operative, heads the mission to disarm the potential attack and discovers rats among the radicalists—not every terrorist is a true believer.

Black Magic Academy


Emily Martha Sorensen - 2012
    But her mother was once valedictorian of Black Magic Academy, so her aunts insist she needs to follow in her footsteps and become one too. Mildred doesn't want to be part of the popular crowd. Nor does she care about her "death-enemy." And she certainly has no interest in murderous spells. But if the teachers catch on that she's actually a good witch . . . well, they don't react well to that kind of ignominy. What's the only good witch in a school of wicked witches to do?(This book is 36,000 words long, or 150 pages in length.)

Dusk Corners


Dan Padavona - 2021
    Then a serial killer murdered his wife and tore his life apart. Now he's a vigilante fugitive, hiding from the FBI while he hunts the nation's deadliest criminals.When a college student and her boyfriend vanish in West Texas, Wolf suspects the Devil's Rock killer. But the FBI hasn't captured the murderer, and after a decade of terror, the trail is turning cold.Posing as the missing girl's uncle, Wolf investigates the tiny town of Dusk Corners, the last place anyone saw the students alive. But the local sheriff doesn't trust Wolf, and it's just a matter of time before he learns Wolf's true identity.To solve the mystery, Wolf must dodge the FBI and power-hungry sheriff. But a killer deadlier than any he's encountered lies in wait.In Dusk Corners, danger lurks in every shadow.

What Comes Around: A Lou Thorne Thriller (Shadows in the Water Series Book 6)


Kory M. Shrum - 2021
    Bones. And the Paris catacombs.In Paris, a renowned art historian is found dead in her bathtub with a fatal stab wound in her gut, leaving the authorities to question if it was a suicidal publicity stunt—or murder. An Algerian student goes missing and Louie finds her bones in the catacombs.Konstantine, notorious leader of a Florentine gang, does what he can to assist Louie in her search—until he is asked to choose between his loyalty to her and the men who rely on him.Then as Louie investigates these two cases for answers and a connection, more women disappear.So the hunt for a new killer begins…

Point of Extinction


Tara Ellis - 2021
    A nation torn apart. One woman will stop at nothing to save her family - or die trying.Tired of the usual post-apocalyptic story? Welcome to your new addiction.An underwater explosion devastates a chain of islands.A mysterious illness begins to spring up across the world.Earthquakes shatter the west coast, causing untold damage and loss of life.To the ordinary observer, these events appear random and coincidental - but for some they're all pieces of a global puzzle that leads to one conclusion: the end of humanity.In a desperate race against time, the survivors must not only survive but learn to adapt to an insidious set of foes, each more dangerous than the last.

Fire Fight


Chris Ward - 2018
    The only person capable of stopping him is Lianetta Jansen, a disgraced former Galactic Military Policewoman now turned smuggler, who is haunted by a terrible tragedy in her past. Along with her ragtag, wisecracking crew—the one-armed pilot Caladan, and the malfunctioning droid, Harlan5—Lia must confront her own demons, while trying to stop another.

Mare's Nest


Larry Darter - 2018
    T. J. O'Sullivan is sent to Honolulu by her boss to track down a client's missing daughter, it seems like a simple missing person case. O'Sullivan is excited by the prospect of mixing a little business with some pleasure on the beaches of Waikiki. But the case turns out to be anything but routine. In fact, it becomes a regular mare's nest of extortion, betrayal, and murder.Only after arriving in Hawaii does T. J. learn from the client his daughter didn't actually go missing. Instead, she has been abducted and is being held for ransom. To make matters worse, while T. J. tries to get a lead on the daughter, she has to fend off the sexual advances of her predatory client. The client gets murdered, and T. J. gets framed. Now she must solve at least one murder to prove her own innocence, resolve a criminal conspiracy involving her dead client's own family, and save herself from the clutches of some serious bad guys.

One False Move


David Callinan - 2013
    Delaney has just four hours to locate and rescue them from the hands of a crazed escapee, a figure from his past, hell bent on turning the wheelchair into an electric chair and wreaking revenge on Mike Delaney. A short story exclusive.

Lost Secret


Emily Reed - 2019
    She’s dead. After months of fighting, Megan finally...I hadn’t felt it though. Wouldn’t I know if the only person I ever loved—I stumbled out of bed, tangling in my blankets, then raced to her room. Empty. The sheets were folded aside. She must be close. I moved down the hall toward our shared bathroom. The door stood open, but Megan wasn’t there. Backtracking, I checked the living room with its slouchy couches, and the kitchen with its worn countertops. No Megan. I pushed through the French doors out onto our balcony. The music district of Crescent City, a night owl’s paradise, lay still in the soft morning light. Megan’s flowers overflowed their boxes, spilling riotous colors down the wrought iron rail. I stood alone, a gentle breeze lifted a lock of my hair, and tears stung my eyes. Megan was gone.The police assumed she left of her own free will—there was no evidence of a break-in or struggle. "Maybe she was done fighting and couldn't tell you," the detective said, his brown eyes sympathetic."You didn't know her, she would never give up.""Often when people go missing, the loved ones they leave behind come to realize," he paused and took a breath, "that they didn't know them as well as they thought. Everyone has secrets, Darling," his voice drawled over my name. "Megan could barely walk," I ground out. "Somebody must have taken her.""But who would kidnap a dying young woman? How did they leave no evidence? Why didn't you hear them?" He asked. I didn't have any answers.It didn’t make sense. Nothing did anymore. Strange, exhilarating dreams began haunting my nights. A new hunger, an unquenchable thirst that felt almost…dangerous...ruled my days.Scared and alone, I couldn’t imagine the dark secrets my hunger hid. They’d been lost for so long—locked away, buried by time, and twisted by whispered lies—but when Megan was stolen everything began to unravel… Before it did, before I saw the dead rise, witnessed vampires feed, or visited the warlocks’ library, before I held a life at the edge of my lips, I was just Darling Price—a musician like so many others in this vibrant city. I struggled to pay bills, practiced with my band, and grieved for my missing sister. I was innocent and naive.I’d barely even been kissed. **Beware: This series is for adults who enjoy steamy paranormal romance with strong urban fantasy vibes and who don't mind a few f-bombs.**

Murder At Wild Cove (A Wild Cove Mystery Book 1)


Laura Greene - 2020