Book picks similar to
Out of the Darkness: A tale of love, loss and life after death by Katy Hogan
fiction
fiction-section
author-reads
yams-book-group
Christmas to Come
Carol Rivers - 2007
It’s December 1940 and the London Blitz has provided them with one essential; scraps of food they scavenge on the debris of bombed buildings. There’s no love and little for them to eat in the derelict dockside slum they once called home. This is a danger area and to Bella almost worse than the Luftwaffe’s nightly raids. Their mother is a drunkard and earns her meagre living on the streets, turning a blind eye to the abuse her boyfriend dolls out to her two unwanted and neglected children. It’s left to Bella to protect Terry, who has endured so many beatings he is mentally scarred. Bella has learned at a young age that life doesn’t play fair. Her hero is Micky Bryant, a good-looking, streetwise teenager, and the one person she truly trusts. And it’s to Micky that Bella turns in her desperation. But is Micky the kind benefactor Bella believes him to be and will her decision have serious consequences in the years ahead?
Sacrifice
Russell James - 2012
None of the friends will ever forget the horror of those weeks…or blood chilling image of the Woodsman. Now the six have returned to town for a long overdue reunion. Except the Woodsman hasn’t finished with them yet. As a new nightmare unfolds, ripping open old scars and inflicting fresh terror, what will each of them have to sacrifice this time to keep the children safe and the Woodsman at bay?
Echo of Another Time
Audrey Howard - 1995
Harper. By the age of 18 she has become a talented cook, but when she falls in love with a Latimer, all their lives change with frightening swiftness.
The Empty Place at the Table
John Ellsworth - 2017
But when she returned to her daughter's room... Whatever happened to Melissa's daughter is anyone's guess. The police seal the hospital doors; a search proceeds but the four-year-old is nowhere to be found The girl is gone, vanished without a ransom note, without a body being found, without a trace. The detectives believe she has most likely been sold into human trafficking. No matter, Melissa is determined. She is also very, very bright, a woman who refuses to give up, a woman who knows what motherhood means. She journeys to Mexico in search of her missing child. She confronts the Tijuana Cartel. Do they have her daughter? Twelve years have passed by and she no longer has any idea what the little girl even looks like. Then...two unmistakable eyes peer out at her from a passing van. But was it Melissa's daughter? Watch one desperate woman and one lost child try to reach across time and connect. A story to please you to the very end. A psychological thriller you'll want to read in one sitting...
The Ice Cream Shop Detective: An Art Mystery
Ronnie Levine - 2014
Twenty miles up the Hudson River from Manhattan and the contemporary art scene Lissa wants to avoid, Tarrytown has a charming Main Street where she can set up her easel and paint, immersed in her subject, the way her beloved French Impressionists did. Charismatic cop Nick Bellini, whose family owns the ice cream shop she's painting, soon notices her expertise and asks her to be on the lookout for phony masterpieces he's heard are being made in town. She hesitates, afraid of being sued by unhappy art collectors, but takes the plunge after seeing a questionable Monet in the home of a local power couple. The danger goes from professional to personal when, responding to a vague request for help from another artist, she walks into his studio and finds him dead. Is there a link to the forgeries? Is someone in the arts community a murderer? Will Lissa be the next target?
Three Feet of Sky
Stephen Ayres - 2012
with a peculiar talent.After years of destitution, Adam Eden's life is finally on the up. But, whilst out celebrating his recent good fortune, Adam unwittingly chooses death over embarrassment.Awaking in a future of leisure, luxury, and immortality, Adam suffers serious shrinkage and is branded an 'undesirable'. Shunned by family and neighbours for his first-life sins, can he find respect and redemption in this tightly controlled world? Facing a grim eternity, Adam wants out.A randomly chosen day trip changes everything.Though cruel and heartless, they always let you choose your weapon.
Unwound
Jonathan Baine - 2007
Chronicling the sordid world of a teenage prostitute, it was the biggest bestseller of the year. It broke conventions, inspired a cult following, and made Peter Robertson rich, admired...and scared. There, on the edge of the crowd, he always sees her. She not only looks like Angel, she embodies the desperate creature he created. Everywhere Peter goes, she goes, obsessed with everything about him. What could she possibly want? Soon, curiosity will get the best of him. So will the girl with the haunted eyes. Because what she's really after is something that will explode Peter's world.
Spanish Disco
Erica Orloff - 2002
She can't cook, unless you count coffee as a meal (she does). She can't commit (just ask her ex-husband). She drinks too much (tequila for breakfast). Of course, she has guided her share of authors to the bestseller list for the literary publishing house where she works (when she makes it to the office). And now she must coax a sequel out of a Pulitzer Prize -- winning author-turned-recluse. Moving in with the recluse is one thing, but teaching him the hustle so he can win the heart of his Spanish housekeeper is way beyond the call of duty.Cassie slowly unravels, with no coffeehouses, no bagels and nothing but sand for nightlife. On top of that, she's having phone sex with her favorite author, the mysterious, London-based Michael Pearton, who has suddenly decided to ruin their perfect affair by insisting that after five years they meet in person. Add a tabloid reporter who is after the literary story of a lifetime, and Cassie's dance card is full.
Fight for Life
Kylie Alyssa - 2018
Aiden Clark is a guy with fists of fury and more popularity than he knows what to do with. Both are similar in more ways than they know and will soon find out just how deep their bond is. What happens when Aubry asks Aiden for help? Will they just so happen to find happiness in each other or will they each be the source of the others demise?*TRIGGER WARNING contains mature content such as but not limited to: rape, drugs, abuse, alcohol, self harm* read at own risk.
Power and Justice
Peter O'Mahoney - 2019
His enemies want blood.And criminal defense attorney Tex Hunter is the only hope he has left.Robert Sulzberger appeared to have a perfect life—a respected position in the City Council, a lovely family, a house with all the trimmings—but behind the façade, his life was crumbling. Drawn into a world of crime and corruption, Sulzberger couldn’t find a way out. He couldn’t escape. And when he tried to walk away, he found himself behind bars.The trial captures the media’s attention and the dark forces of politics are thrown into the limelight. As the son of a convicted serial killer, Tex Hunter knows just how dangerous those forces can be.In the first instalment of the Tex Hunter novel series, Hunter battles against deception, fraud, and cover-ups; risking everything in the most difficult case of his career.Can justice triumph against corruption?Or will the dark side of politics bury the truth forever?This thrilling story will take you for a ride through the courtroom, and end with a twist that you didn’t see coming.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories
Robert Louis Stevenson - 1969
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde --The Suicide Club --The bottle imp --The body-snatcher --Olalla.
The Terrace
Maria Duffy - 2012
. .In Number Eight he wants a baby, she doesn't. The guy a few doors down just wants to find love. Across the street a single mum struggles to cope. While the people next door might appear to have it all, their mortgage holder knows different.When the street syndicate wins the National Lottery, it seems that things are looking up. Enter a New York production company on a mission to document a 'quintessential' Dublin community - just as it becomes clear that the winning ticket is nowhere to be found.Facades begin to crumble in the scramble to uncover the missing ticket and, as the gloves come off for the once unremarkable residents of St Enda's, it's game on with everything to play for.
Stand Your Ground
David Leadbeater - 2016
When their hotel is attacked by gunmen they are forced to flee blindly with no phones, no ID, and no money. It gets worse when Dahl realizes his wife, two daughters and himself are being singled out and hunted down by a dangerous army that includes corrupt local authorities.As the chase continues through Barbados's darkening streets, aboard a pirate cruise ship, and amidst a festive carnival parade, Dahl realizes there are even deeper nightmares abroad tonight. The island's prime minister is under threat. The leader of one of the world's most violent drug cartels has arrived.And though instincts say run, hide, just survive, there is only one thing a man like Dahl will do when his wife and daughters come under direct threat.Stand His Ground.
The Upside of Falling
Meghan Quinn - 2018
Best selling author, Meghan Quinn, brings you a modern take on an old fashion romance that will leave you breathless and wanting more. Tucked away at the base of the Rocky Mountains lived a little boy with one singular dream: leave this broken and battered home and become someone. Be somebody’s hero. That boy was me—Colby Brooks. Except I’m not that same little boy anymore. My dreams might still be the same, but my reality isn’t. I’m smarter. Stronger. A man. And I learned a long damn time ago, the only way to achieve my dreams was to avoid distractions—at any cost. Focus. Resolve. Determination. But all it took was one single night. One night and my entire life…changed. One night had me colliding head first with the biggest distraction of my life; Rory Oaks. Smart. Charming. Beautiful. Rory changed everything. Quickly, my one-track mind started to bend. Each kiss faded decade-long dreams. And with one single incident, I fly off course.