Book picks similar to
The American’s Cousin by Julie Highmore
fiction
amazon
thriller
mystery
Running
Patrice Fitzgerald - 2011
Action, suspense, romance, laughs, and just enough sex... a campaign you'll never forget. The political thriller with heart. THE NEXT PRESIDENT IS GOING TO BE A WOMAN... Catherine Young, Vice President and newly-anointed Democratic nominee, is surging in the polls. The race is on against opposition candidate Jerusha Hutchins, former stewardess and blonde beauty, who is the darling of the far-right Liberty Party. But with political wunderkind Zane Zarillo running her campaign, Catherine is bound to hold her lead. Suddenly a medical emergency puts the President in the hospital and forces Catherine to act in his place… a perfect opportunity for her to show her Oval Office stuff. Just when her election looks like a sure thing, Catherine's romantic fling from decades ago comes to light. Will the American public accept a woman with a past? "Rating: 5.5 out of 5 Stars – Top Pick." Underground Book Reviews What Amazon readers are saying: "… RUNNING had me up till the wee hours of the morning! And, when I was not reading it, I was thinking about the characters. This book is at times funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful. " "… writing, pace, and storyline were so good that I found myself putting off other things so I could keep reading." "… it grabbed me and didn't let go. With a fast-paced plot and an unerring feel for the cinematic, Fitzgerald creates a thriller that will resonate not just with political junkies like myself, but the suspense-thriller reader as well."
Family Money
Chad Zunker - 2022
They have two daughters and a beautiful home, and Alex’s startup business is about to explode thanks to massive private funding from his compassionate and supportive father-in-law, Joe. With millions more to come, all is perfect—until Joe is abducted and murdered during a family trip in Mexico.Alex’s world is about to be turned upside down. He can’t bear to tell his grieving wife why. The man they’ve both idolized has been keeping secrets. The pledged millions are nowhere to be found. The source of the original investment is a mystery, even to Joe’s financial adviser. No one, it seems, has any idea who the man they knew, loved, and trusted really was.As Alex digs deeper into Joe’s shadowy life, the most shocking surprises are yet to come. Deadly ones, too, because every lie that Alex uncovers in Joe’s dark past puts his family in more danger.
Shelter in Place
Nora Roberts - 2018
Three teenage friends waited for the movie to start. A boy flirted with the girl selling sunglasses. Mothers and children shopped together, and the manager at the video-game store tended to customers. Then the shooters arrived.The chaos and carnage lasted only eight minutes before the killers were taken down. But for those who lived through it, the effects would last forever. In the years that followed, one would dedicate himself to a law enforcement career. Another would close herself off, trying to bury the memory of huddling in a ladies' room, hopelessly clutching her cell phone--until she finally found a way to pour her emotions into her art.But one person wasn't satisfied with the shockingly high death toll at the DownEast Mall. And as the survivors slowly heal, find shelter, and rebuild, they will discover that another conspirator is lying in wait--and this time, there might be nowhere safe to hide.
Girl Unknown
Karen Perry - 2016
. .'When first-year student Zoë Barry walks into Professor David Connolly's office and tentatively says these words, he is left reeling. But it is the lives of his family - particularly his wife Caroline - which are turned upside down by the arrival of this stranger.A daughter, a sister, a friend . . . an enemy?Though no one knows quite who Zoë is, she is soon entangled in their lives. Yet her stories don't ring true and Caroline is determined to learn if the girl is the unlucky innocent she claims to be or someone with a far darker agenda.A deadly cuckoo in the nest . . .Because by letting Zoë in, David and Caroline aren't just leaving themselves vulnerable. They're risking the most precious thing in the world - the lives of their children . . .
Darling
Rachel Edwards - 2018
Especially not one who has come out of nowhere and only been with her dad for three months. And – she’s not racist or anything – but since when did her dad fancy black women anyway?Darling didn’t particularly want a new stepdaughter. Especially not one as spiteful and spoilt as Lola. She does want Lola’s dad though. And he wants her, so that’s that: Darling and Lola will just have to get used to each other.Unless Lola can find a way to get rid of Darling.
All the Shiny Things
Robin Mahle - 2013
That is, until she discovers it was all a lie. Now, her desperate search for the truth begins.After learning of the terrible events that forever altered her childhood, Katie is compelled to dig into a past no one wants to relive. A past her parents kept hidden from her at all costs.A decades-old investigation is reluctantly unearthed when Katie discovers her role as the lone survivor. It is Detective Marshall Avery who lends her the resources needed to hunt down the person responsible. When that search breathes new life into an old monster—one who has left a trail of innocent blood in his wake—it is too late to turn back.Katie’s desire for retribution places her in great danger and costs her dearly. So when the tables are turned, and the hunted becomes the hunter, will Detective Avery be able to keep Katie from going too far?
Only Daughter
Anna Snoekstra - 2016
Mysteriously ominous things began to happen—blood in the bed, periods of blackouts, a feeling of being watched—though Bec remained oblivious of what was to come.Eleven years later she is replaced.A young woman, desperate after being arrested, claims to be the decade-missing Bec.Soon the imposter is living Bec's life. Sleeping in her bed. Hugging her mother and father. Learning her best friends' names. Playing with her twin brothers.But Bec's welcoming family and enthusiastic friends are not quite as they seem. As the imposter dodges the detective investigating her case, she begins to delve into the life of the real Bec Winter—and soon realizes that whoever took Bec is still at large, and that she is in imminent danger.
The Stranger
Harlan Coben - 2015
His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world. Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life. Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne’s deception, and realizes that if he doesn’t make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he’s stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them.
Girls Like Us
Cristina Alger - 2019
Nell and her father, Homicide Detective Martin Flynn, have never had much of a relationship. And Suffolk County will always be awash in memories of her mother, Marisol, who was brutally murdered when Nell was just seven.When Martin Flynn dies in a motorcycle accident, Nell returns to the house she grew up in so that she can spread her father's ashes and close his estate. At the behest of her father's partner, Detective Lee Davis, Nell becomes involved in an investigation into the murders of two young women in Suffolk County. The further Nell digs, the more likely it seems to her that her father should be the prime suspect--and that his friends on the police force are covering his tracks. Plagued by doubts about her mother's murder--and her own role in exonerating her father in that case--Nell can't help but ask questions about who killed Ria Ruiz and Adriana Marques and why. But she may not like the answers she finds--not just about those she loves, but about herself.
Fatal Flowers
Enes Smith - 1992
Ellie wonders why the madman let her escape and tell the police every horrible thing she saw. But he's not finished with Ellie yet. Or her baby daughter.
A Tap on the Window
Linwood Barclay - 2013
But as soon as he realises she's one of his son's classmates, he knows he can't really leave her, alone, on the street.But nothing prepares him for the consequences of trying to help her out. The next morning he's gone from Good Samaritan to Murder Suspect, and with one girl dead and another missing, he's suddenly at the centre of a deadly puzzle that reaches right to the heart of the town - from its bullying police force to its strangely furtive mayor - and finally to one family's shocking secret.
The Black Ledger
D.G. Allen - 2017
Gangs shoot up the streets, while corrupt politicians and predatory businesses get rich by stealing from the poor. In a place fraught with danger and fueled by poverty, a young white man named Ron Pickles discovers a resilient people with an indestructible spirit. But, there are sinister forces looking to create misfortune and reap profits at the expense of people that society cares little about. Ron soon learns that it isn’t the ghetto he needs to fear, but the corrupt insurance agency that recruited him in the first place. Inspired by a true story, “The Black Ledger” is a multi-cultural/mystery crime thriller that will take you into the heart of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods and experience a life you couldn’t imagine existed in the United States. “D.G. Allen’s The Black Ledger is a smart, often funny, and compelling look at the dirty business of “death insurance” on the West Side of Chicago. Allen has vividly recreated the time and place with impeccable detail, colorful characters, and crackling dialogue; not to mention a heartbreaking murder mystery that always keeps you guessing. It may be set in the 80’s but it is a powerful message about race and corruption still resonating today!” - Tim Sulka, screenwriter: “Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return” Author: Prime Cuts (graphic novel) “I grew up in the Chicago community depicted in this novel. D.G. Allen depicts a much darker but funnier side of that neighborhood that I could ever have imagined. It is a captivating and wonderfully written story. A MUST READ!” - Debra Wright Hughes “This novel breaks the barriers of the thriller genre. I have never read something so unique as this world that D.G. Allen has created.” - John Franklin, screenwriter: “Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return” Author: Prime Cuts (graphic novel) “Highly recommended! This story takes us into a world most of us will never see and into a business that most of us never dreamed existed. He writes with such skill that you will laugh one minute, cry the next, and never even realize your jaw has dropped. His characters are believable and fascinating! I became engrossed in this book from start to finish. A unique and mesmerizing novel…don’t miss it!” - Elizabeth Benney MA. DT. CIMI, Director LTP Center
Clouds Gathering
David Beers - 2016
His corner office looks out on Dallas’s beautiful skyline. His amazing wife and children love him. His father and sister adore him. John has it all. Except every few years, when Harry shows back up. Harry wants John to kill people. Harry wants to watch the world burn. Murderous thoughts take hold of John, and as flames ignite across his life, the sky doesn’t send cool rain water, but blood to feed their hunger. If you love taut, psychological thrillers, grab Red Rain today and prepare to sleep with the lights on!
The Keeper
Jessica Moor - 2020
But the residents of the domestic violence shelter where Katie worked disagree. These women have spent weeks or even years waiting for the men they're running from to catch up with them. They know immediately: This was murder.Still, Detective Dan Whitworth and his team expect an open-and-shut case--until they discover evidence that suggests Katie wasn't who she appeared. Weaving together the investigation with Katie's final months as it barrels toward the truth, The Keeper is a riveting mystery and a searing examination of violence against women and the structures that allow it to continue, marking the debut of an incredible new voice in crime fiction.
The End of Everything
Megan Abbott - 2011
Then one afternoon, Evie disappears, and as a rabid, giddy panic spreads through the balmy suburban community, everyone turns to Lizzie for answers. Was Evie unhappy, troubled, or upset? Had she mentioned being followed? Would she have gotten into the car of a stranger?Compelled by curiosity, Lizzie takes up her own furtive pursuit of the truth. Haunted by dreams of her lost friend and titillated by her own new power as the center of the disappearance, Lizzie uncovers secret after secret and begins to wonder if she knew anything at all about her best friend.