Book picks similar to
Shielded Past by Patti Morelli
mystery
arc
murder-mystery
reviewed
Tiaras & Teacups (Berry Lake Cupcake Posse Book 2)
Melissa McClone - 2021
She’s struggling to leave her trophy wife identity behind and make ends meet as a full-time event planner. When her handsome new neighbor needs to throw the perfect birthday party for his niece, Juliet offers her services. If she pulls this off, maybe she can get her life back on track. But to do so, she’ll need the help of the Cupcake Posse. Too bad her friends are grappling with problems of their own:Missy’s recovering from injuries; Nell’s trying to thwart her mother’s matchmaking efforts; Selena’s husband wants her to work less when she needs to do more; and Bria’s facing obstacles she never anticipated trying to save her late aunt’s bakery.Join the Cupcake Posse as they work together to navigate the difficulties of life, loss, and love. They continue to rely on each other, never losing sight of the importance of friendship and family, but will that be enough to save the Berry Lake Cupcake Shop?
Paper Valentine
Brenna Yovanoff - 2013
The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.Paper Valentine is a hauntingly poetic tale of love and death by the New York Times bestselling author of The Replacement and The Space Between.
The Letter
Marianne Spitzer - 2012
What could she have in common with the town’s richest man? Curiosity draws her to the will reading where she learns she has inherited a vast sum. The conditions of her inheritance require she change her name and reside in the Malone mansion. Long considered haunted by the residents of Malone Springs, Kellie, her fiancé and four friends move in ignoring the rumors. Strange and frightening events begin to plague Kellie before she moves and grow more frightening once she and her friends settle in. Adopted at birth, her adoptive parents killed in an auto accident leave Kellie to investigate her ancestors on her own. What she discovers leads her into more danger and mystery as she learns the true nature of her biological grandfather. Could his evil deeds hurt her from beyond the grave? Who’s responsible for the strange occurrences? What happened to her biological parents? As one solved mystery leads Kellie into another, she and her friends try to solve them all before tragedy strikes.
The Lantern
Deborah Lawrenson - 2011
When Eve falls for the secretive, charming Dom in Switzerland, their whirlwind relationship leads them to Les Genévriers, an abandoned house set among the fragrant lavender fields of the South of France. Each enchanting day delivers happy discoveries: hidden chambers, secret vaults, a beautiful wrought-iron lantern. Deeply in love and surrounded by music, books, and the heady summer scents of the French countryside, Eve has never felt more alive.But with autumn’s arrival the days begin to cool, and so, too, does Dom. Though Eve knows he bears the emotional scars of a failed marriage—one he refuses to talk about—his silence arouses suspicion and uncertainty. The more reticent Dom is to explain, the more Eve becomes obsessed with finding answers—and with unraveling the mystery of his absent, beautiful ex-wife, Rachel.Like its owner, Les Genévriers is also changing. Bright, warm rooms have turned cold and uninviting; shadows now fall unexpectedly; and Eve senses a presence moving through the garden. Is it a ghost from the past or a manifestation of her current troubles with Dom? Can she trust Dom, or could her life be in danger?Eve does not know that Les Genévriers has been haunted before. Bénédicte Lincel, the house’s former owner, thrived as a young girl within the rich elements of the landscape: the violets hidden in the woodland, the warm wind through the almond trees. She knew the bitter taste of heartbreak and tragedy—long-buried family secrets and evil deeds that, once unearthed, will hold shocking and unexpected consequences for Eve.
The Monsoon Murders
Karan Parmanandka - 2016
The twist in the tale comes with themurder of a well-known man in the Mumbai finance circle. Roy is hired bythe self made tycoon Jayesh Kumar to probe the case. While Roy isexcited at the chance at redemption, he fails to understand why hebecame the chosen one.What looks at first an open and shut case, quite rapidly evolves into a taleof deceit and revenge. Roy must take care not to fall for the suspect, andnot to see things as they appear. As his personal life gets tied to thesuccess of the case, the question becomes, not whether he can havefaith in strangers, but whether he can trust his friends.Inspired from real life cases, The Monsoon Murders is afast-paced detective novel, taking the Indian crime fiction genre tomysterious depths.
My Christmas Carol
Flora Ferrari - 2020
All year-round too, not just on Christmas.I think it’s enough.But it’s a lonely life of being Mr. Claus without his significant other.Checking in on the dressing room when I know I can’t be today Santa I find what I’ve been looking for.Her.But I know it’ll never be enough. Not until I have her as my own.A lifetime’s worth of yearning solved in one single moment.The day I meet my one true love.And it’s Christmas.There are angels, and I’ve had one fall to earth.Right in my lap.Carol.My Christmas Carol.CAROLI hate Christmas.But it’s usually a way to pick up extra work when everyone else is on holiday.But I only hate it because it means being alone.Again.Until I see Lucian.He’s my forever Christmas, even if it’s only in my mind.The dream boss I figured wasn’t my boss at all.As if an older guy like him would ever go for a younger curvy girl like me.But he does.He insists on it and I can’t refuse.Maybe this Christmas won’t be so bad after all?
Finding Grace: Captured by a Cult
Warren Adler - 2017
A father. A mother. A daughter. A cult. When their twenty-three-year-old daughter goes missing, divorcees Harry and Paulie are forced to leave behind their newly constructed lives to track Grace down. But Grace isn’t lost, not physically at least. They find her seemingly unharmed in California on a sunny farm the other residents call “Camp Star.” But nothing is as it seems… Sinister motives lurk behind the smiles of those at the camp and the two soon learn that Grace is in the clutches of a notorious cult. Under the spell of mind control, she denies Harry and Paulie as her family and shuns their love, leaving them to search for answers in the most desperate of places. Scrambling to piece together their shattered lives, Harry and Paulie race against the clock to bring Grace back home – but will she ever be able to return? How do you help someone who doesn’t know they’re lost?
Shattered Empress
Brook Wilder - 2021
He shaped me in the fires of his cruelty.Sal Faliero called me his princess – and then locked me in his cage.He made me his queen – and then he broke me.He showed me just how black his soul can be.Taunted me with the power of his cruelty.And shared with me the depth of his depravity.He made me learn that no matter how far I run, he would always find me.Our children were my one hope of happiness.And now, because of him, I may never see them again.He taught me what it means to be ruthless.What it takes to be an empress upon his throne of blood.But he taught me a little too well.He caged me.He broke me.But he’ll never rule over me.Shattered Empress is a dark Romance & Psychological suspense novel by bestselling author Brook Wilder.WARNING: This book contains scenes that may be disturbing to some readers.
Deadly Rescue
Misty Evans - 2019
Cooper Harris, head of the SCVC Taskforce, plans to enjoy a weekend getaway with his crime scene photographer wife, Celina Davenport, even if it is a training weekend. Taskforce member, Nelson Cruz, has brought his pregnant wife, Sophie, and she and Celina intend to catch up while spending quality time at the spa in between sessions. When a car bomb goes off, injuring Nelson, along with hundreds of other innocent people, Cooper vows to hunt down the culprit. With Celina by his side, they work together to bring the terrorist to justice…and end up helping Nelson and Sophie welcome a couple of highly anticipated additions to the Taskforce family. Books in the SCVC Taskforce series: Deadly Pursuit – Cooper and Celina Deadly Deception – Thomas and Ronni Deadly Force – Cal and Bianca (aka Beatrice in SEALs of Shadow Force) Deadly Intent – Nelson and Sophia Deadly Affair – Cooper and Celina novella Deadly Attraction – Mitch and Emma Deadly Secrets – Roman and Brooke Deadly Holiday – Cooper and Celina novella Deadly Target – Victor and Olivia Deadly Rescue – Cooper and Celina novella
Love for a Brave Bride (Diamond Springs Orphanage Book 1)
Indiana Wake - 2021
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
Stephanie Oakes - 2015
As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is a hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in oneself.
The Rock & Roll Queen of Bedlam: A Wise-Cracking Tale of Secrets, Peril, and Murder!
Marilee Brothers - 2009
Her life is grand until she finds herself in the middle of a drug bust and meets Sloan, a rough-around-the-edges DEA agent. Soon after a student from her class disappears, things quickly head south, and their search becomes a race against time with dead bodies piling up and her own life in peril.
A Piece of Her Heart (The Heart Series Book 8)
Iris Bolling - 2020
She successfully completes the mission only to find another similar case is waiting for her when she gets home. As it turns out, someone is targeting relatives of the current administration. The next target is Grayson Davenport, brother of the Director of Homeland Security.As a clandestine member of the Department of Homeland Security, Grayson Davenport from time to time uses his position as Director of the Davenport Foundation as a perfect front for assignments amongst the rich and powerful people he socializes with. His current mission is to uncover information regarding a conspiracy against the administration. To his surprise, he finds himself a target of the conspiracy. The person assigned to protect him is a woman.The moment they meet the heat between Grayson and Monique is instantaneous. Sparks fly causing them both to lose track of their mission. Monique knew this pretty man could never handle a woman like her. Just as Grayson knew this woman could not hold an intelligent conversation with him. Neither understood their reaction to each other or the danger that had entered their lives. Now, Grayson and Monique must fight forces who are attempting to destroy the current administration, together. While Grayson is protecting her, Monique is protecting her heart from him.