Book picks similar to
The Shadow: A Quarter of Eight & The Freak Show Murders by Walter B. Gibson


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crime-and-western
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Warrior Monk: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel


Ray Keating - 2010
    Lutheran pastor, saving lives and taking care of bad guys (who get saved)." WARRIOR MONK revolves around a former CIA assassin, Stephen Grant, who has lived a far different, relatively quiet life as a parish pastor in recent years. However, a shooting at his church, a historic papal proposal, and threats to the Pope's life mean that Grant's former and current lives collide. Grant must tap the varied skills learned as a government agent, a theologian and a pastor not only to protect the Pope, but also to feel his way through a minefield of personal challenges. Larry Kudlow, CNBC's "The Kudlow Report," said, "Ray Keating has created a fascinating and unique character in Pastor Grant. The way Keating intertwines politics, national security and faith into a compelling thriller is sheer delight." U.S. Congressman Pete King, the Ranking Member on the House Homeland Security Committee, declared, "CIA intrigue, the Vatican, international terrorism and brutal assassinations make Warrior Monk a fast-moving, riveting read right out of today's - and tomorrow's - headlines. Add challenging religious issues, which the author makes us confront, and you have a brilliant novel. Ray Keating knows what he is writing about and writes it extraordinarily well." And Paul L. Maier, best-selling author of A Skeleton in God's Closet, commented, "Holy Scripture and unholy gun play in the same novel? Exactly - and you'll love the combination! WARRIOR MONK offers a riveting mix of action, romance, and intrigue, served up by a master wordsmith. Keating's Pastor Stephen Grant manages to wield both Bible and bullets with equal expertise. Grant is clearly in control whether in or out of the pulpit."

All Good Things: A Jack Hart Mystery


Rosemary Reeve - 2018
    The demands and indignities of associate life have been softened by his interest in his mentor, Harmony Piper, granddaughter of the firm’s founder. When Harmony disappears, Jack learns firm secrets and dangers that he could not have imagined – and may not survive. Set in 1990s Seattle, All Good Things reflects a world before smartphones and constant connectivity, where a responsible and hardworking attorney says a cheerful goodbye to her colleague at midnight – and simply vanishes before morning.

Secret Stories: The Secret Forest


Enid Blyton - 2009
    Can the children defeat the robbers in the Secret Forest?

The Night People


Jack Finney - 1977
    

Graveyard Special (Mill City 1)


James Lileks - 2012
    One waiter, one customer. The overnight fry cook rambles up to the pie case to take his nightly hit of dessert-topping propellant. It’s not a complete surprise when he falls to the floor; the stuff gives him the spins. That’s the point. It’s a bad moment for the boss to arrive, though. It’s worse when the cook turns out to be dead - from a bullet no one heard. For the waiter, it’s the start of the the worst few months of his life, and before it’s done he’ll be neck-deep in drug deals, romances with a faithless minx and an unintelligible Russian teacher - and a plot by campus radicals to blow something big. It’s 1980, after all. No shortage of things to deplore. They’re not too concerned with disco, though; that seems to be on the way out. “Graveyard Special” is another humorous mystery by the author of “Falling Up the Stairs,” and the first in a series of interconnected mysteries that span six decades.

Hidden in the Dark (Harper Flagg Book 1)


Alyson Larrabee - 2017
    He's been getting away with it for years. How has he kept his identity a secret? What will it take to stop him?No one knows.He hides in plain sight, and his current obsession is high school golden girl, Harper Flagg.When she was two years old Harper was the only witness to her mother's murder. She's eighteen now, and she's no ordinary teenager. She has spent the past sixteen years preparing for a confrontation with her mother's killer. And her wish is about to come true."Wow, this book had me biting my nails and obsessively turning the pages to see who and what the killer was. It had a Silence of the Lambs feel to it." -Emmie"A different type serial killer story that will keep you awake at night." - Fran

Game free sampler


Anders de la Motte - 2013
    As their lives spiral out of control, HP faces a challenge he never expected. Can he outwit The Game before it’s too late?

Blue Steele - Box Set #2


Donald Wells - 2013
     Blue Steele 8 After three more bounty hunters fall victim to the serial killer, Blue's boyfriend, Gary, begs her to go into hiding. Meanwhile, Blondie proves herself worthy. Blue Steele 9 Someone is stalking Blue, as a serial killer hunts for victims, and after she and Blondie save the day, they have a disagreement that threatens their friendship. Blue Steele 10 After one of Blue's oldest friends go missing, it's feared that the serial killer has struck again. Meanwhile, Blondie gets in over her head and even Blue can't help her. Blue Steele 11 After being saved by an unexpected ally, Blondie and Blue make up, but Blue soon has reason to distrust Blondie, when she learns disturbing news from a reliable source. Blue Steele 12 Blue and Gary's relationship is in turmoil, and Blue must make a life-altering decision.And when the serial killer's identity is revealed, Blue faces a showdown with tragic results, and later finds herself in deep despair.For more BLUE STEELE go to : bluesteelebountyhunter.com

The Long Paw of the Law: Cozy Mystery Boxed Set (Ashley Crane Mystery #1-2)


Laurie Anne Marie - 2016
    Ashley Crane is busy nursing a broken heart, working tirelessly as a cook, and hanging out with her family and best friends when her boss at the restaurant is murdered. At first the investigation is left to Nathaniel Thompson, the local handsome police detective. But when Thompson arrests the wrong suspect, Ashley takes the investigation into her own hands. Solving the case won't be easy. She'll need help from her parents April and Burt, her best friends Sean and Lara, and her cute and clever cat Charlie. It's up to Ashley Crane to find the real murderer in Comfortville before they strike again. The Long Paw Of The Law 2 The second book in The Long Paw of the Law series finds Ashley Crane putting her life back together after solving the crime at her old restaurant. But on the night of her first catering job, the owner of the company is murdered. When the local police detective arrests someone whom Ashley believes is the wrong suspect, she decides to find the real killer herself. Cracking the case is a puzzle, but with her clever cat Charlie, she turns up some clues that lead her down a dizzying path to uncover the truth. Will she find the real murderer before it’s too late and restore a sense of calm to Comfortville?

Unravelling: A Damaged Mind can be Dangerous (Anglesey Mysteries #3)


Conrad Jones - 2021
    Beautifully crafted into a warped and gripping story that I didn't want to end.★★★★★ Unravelling is a standalone novel that will shake you to the core.A gripping tale of betrayal and brutal revenge. Sergeant Ernie Metcalfe is a family man, changed by his experiences in Afghanistan. He has a wife, Naomi and three beautiful daughters, aged 7, 8 and 10. When he finds out his wife is having an affair with a fellow officer, his mind begins to unravel. His life begins to spiral out of his control and he can't allow that to happen. Detective Inspector Alan Williams and his team are already struggling to cope with a series of attacks on a group of men accused of historical abuse. The attacks appear to be connected to a recent case but all is not what it seems. Damaged minds are dangerous and revenge can be brutal.★★★★★ What an edition to the series! One of the best series you will read..If you like gripping and violent, the Anglesey books will enthrall you.★★★★★ One word for this. Outstanding!★★★★★ A powerful and gritty read, not for the faint hearted. This author will drag you into the story and rattle your very being until the last page.

Grave Allegations (Trengillion Cornish Mystery Series Book 4)


Daphne Neville - 2015
     However, the hot, dry weather is welcome news for Cornwall's holiday trade, and Wild West enthusiast, Raymond Withers, and his long suffering wife, Gloria, who run Trengillion's Inn, anticipate a rewarding, lucrative season. At the end of June, students arrive at the Penwynton Hotel for seasonal work. Shortly after, a stranger appears on the scene bearing the name Penwynton, causing much consternation amongst locals, for the Penwynton name died out with the death of Charles ten years earlier. Consequently, the one hundred year old mystery regarding Grenville Penwynton who vanished from the family home leaving idle tongues to surmise his fate, once again becomes the main topic of conversation. Meanwhile, the students socialise with Trengillion's youngsters; Molly Smith makes elderflower champagne, and Ned, the village school's headmaster, reaches the grand age of fifty. Grave Allegations is the fourth in a series of seven books located in Trengillion on Cornwall's beautiful Lizard Peninsula.

Animal Instincts


Chloe Kendrick - 2015
    Literally. He talks to animals to see clues other people would overlook. Like when the proud owner of a pair of Scotties goes missing, Griff knows foul play has to be involved, because the dogs tell him there’s no way she’d leave her pampered pooches alone in the winter. But when he shows too much interest in what the Scotties have to say, an attractive police detective takes the wrong kind of interest in him. Viewing him as a possible suspect, she digs up secrets about Griff he would have preferred left buried. And that’s not even his biggest problem—taking the dogs into his home has made him a target of the victim’s abductor. This makes him scurry to solve the case, because as an expert on animal behavior, there’s one thing Griff knows to be true: the most dangerous animal is the human animal.

Lines of Duty: Deputy Corus Mystery #1


Mark Hazard - 2019
    The series you didn’t know you’ve been missing. From lauded author Mark Hazard comes a new off-beat crime series about a man with one name, a hidden past, and an uncontrollable urge to root out villainy. Mere weeks after returning from his final deployment, Corus is a cadet at an elite police academy in Seattle. While doing grunt work at a local precinct, he comes across a set of diamonds taken from the scene of an unsolved hit-and-run. Not only did the diamonds go unclaimed, but the still-living victim is nowhere to be found. When the diamonds turn out to be fakes, it’s one too many oddities in an attempted murder with no suspects. Instincts forged in covert action plunge Corus headlong into criminal ranks, but taking the fastest route to answers runs roughshod over the delicate procedural approach he’s supposed to be learning. Corus knows he’s threatening his new life and career in the process, but putting the mission before self-preservation is the hardest habit of all to break. The one man who can help Corus sort through his issues is the least likely of all. Albert Chu is a cheery and childlike cadet who's failing the academy but has a knack for getting into Corus' head. In trying to rein Corus in, he ends up proving his mettle, and together they fight to prevent multiple murders and foil a kidnapping plot, even while the eye of the law they hoped to serve is turned on their actions.Can Corus unite the lines of duty pulling him in different directions, or will he end up another casualty of the war he brought home?Through Corus’ journey runs a cracking mystery/crime story with humor, thrills, and a cast of well-drawn side characters, from small-time gangsters and rodeo riff-raff to Corus' wife who grapples with her own grifter impulses. The Deputy Corus series is precisely the blend of action and depth that readers of James Patterson and Lee Child are looking for.What readers are saying about the series: “…Nuance of character development that is often lacking these days. - especially with books that deal with military or police.” “A heck of a caper that'll make you laugh a lot more often than most crime novels.” “Not at all the same cookie cutter outline that most crime writers follow for their main character. It's much more complex and enjoyable.” "Exactly the story I was waiting for!" "In Lines of Duty, Hazard paints a scene with his words that transported me into a new world and created thought-provoking and enticing dilemmas. This story is entertaining and engaging. I recommend Lines of Duty 100% to anyone who loves a good mystery." "If you’re looking for a paint-by-numbers procedural, this isn’t the book for you, but if you crave deeply human crime drama with a fair share of thrills and humor, then this is a must-read." “This series is as enjoyable as Lee Child’s Reacher books.”

Unreal Part II (Unreal Crime Thriller #2)


Riley Moreno - 2017
    But the battle is far from over. A year ago, Julie Edwards and her best friend, Kimberly Beyer, were kidnapped by two brutal sex traffickers. Julie survived. Kimberly did not. Haunted by the horrific abuse and the loss of her best friend, Julie clings to her savior, the tortured Ethan Graff. Just as she is beginning to adjust to her new normal, Julie is called upon to testify at the trial of the men who kidnapped her. Despite her own feelings, Julie is determined to take the stand. But someone is desperate to keep her from testifying. Someone who will stop at nothing to silence the survivor. The nightmare isn’t over yet. In fact, it’s about to get much worse.This book is for mature audiences only. It deals with topics such as abuse and murder and is recommended for readers 18 and older.

The Miracle of Love


Montana Ross - 2021