Book picks similar to
Murder For Hire by Theo Baxter
mystery
ebook
psychological-thriller
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ShadowCast
V.P. Morris - 2021
When financial difficulties force her to move back home to Santa Monica, CA, she cannot take the unanswered questions anymore. Determined to find out what happened to Maddy, Dakota starts ShadowCast, a true crime podcast to publicize the case. But little does she know the man responsible for Maddy’s disappearance all those years ago is listening in and tampering with her investigation. SHADOWCAST is a psychological thriller with page-turning suspense, a story that praises the value of friendship and the fearless pursuit of justice.
The Heart Ladder
Sibby Spencer - 2021
Leaving behind everything she knew, including the mystery of what happened to the father of her unborn child after he went missing behind enemy lines. Three decades on and her son, thirty-something slacker Dan, knows he's wasting his life in pubs, nightclubs, and his dead-end job. That all changes, though, when a man with storied eyes and an old army jacket introduces himself as the father Dan never had a chance to know.But is Jacob, a battered and broken war veteran, really who he claims to be?As he and Dan kindle their relationship, more and more comes under question; including Jacob's true purpose in seeking Dan out, the unanswered mysteries of his past, and the pivotal role he'll play in Dan's uncertain future. Soon, Dan comes to understand that his life is very far from meaningless - and that the choices he's being forced to make might have deadly and irredeemable consequences.
All That Was Left Unsaid
Jacquie Underdown - 2021
She strives to uncover who is behind the notes, and why, but finds no answers. Until, one gloomy night, she catches a familiar face watching her through her bedroom window.Maddison remains in her loveless marriage for the sake of her two young children. Still wearing the mental scars her husband inflicted after his years of betrayal, she uses alcohol and prescription drugs as a crutch. This starts her on a rapid ride to rock bottom.Approaching forty, Isabelle marries for the first time. Life couldn’t be better, except her husband is still on good terms with his ex-wife. Isabelle doesn’t like his ex, especially when she starts making trouble for the newlyweds.When a vicious murder is committed on a quiet street in this small, blue-collar town, the three women are caught in the riptide of an investigation. Two are suspects. One will lose everything. And someone is lying.A tangled lattice of manipulation and deceit must be unravelled to discover who the true culprit is.
Travel by Night
Sophie Morton-Thomas - 2020
Caught in a dangerous trap. A life-changing discovery. When Yalina wakes in hospital following surgery, she doesn’t recognise her own parents. Following her release, she makes the decision to meet her estranged brother, Ali, in Sheffield, but the man who picks her up is not her brother. He takes Yalina to a house where girls are held against their will and forced into sex slavery. Too late, she realises she has fallen into a trap.Over time, Yalina discovers a love of playing the old piano that lives in the house. It keeps her sane. As friendships blossom between the women, Yalina finds herself taking a young girl, Rebecca, under her wing, which makes it harder for her to try to escape.Using a stolen laptop, Yalina searches for her brother online, but soon discovers that all is not as it seems. As the women are threatened with violence, Yalina reluctantly accepts help from a stranger she met in the house. But he carries a secret that could impact on her whole life. But will it be enough for Yalina to escape her captors? And how will she cope with the unexpected revelation?
Sleight of Hand
V.F. Streets - 2021
But with a past that still haunts her, she prefers to serve justice on the bad guys, instead of helping them go free. So when she gets offered a job to frame a wife-beating police officer, despite her reservations, she takes it.But when the facts don’t add up, and the man she’s hired to frame turns out to be the lead investigator for a suspicious death, Bristol decides to change sides before more lives are lost. Unfortunately, that means teaming up with her rival, Cole Sullivan, a move that carries risks of its own.As the questions pile up and every lead dead ends, Bristol's move to double-cross her employer leads to the discovery that her past choices have made her a pawn in a much bigger game, a game that now threatens those closest to her.Now, there is only one choice she can make to save the ones she loves … she must surrender herself to the truth she’s spent her whole life running from. A truth that could destroy her from the inside out.
Saving Grace
D.M. Barr - 2020
When she secretly quits her meds, she begins to suspect that once her father passes, her husband will murder her for her inheritance. Realizing that no one will believe the ravings of a supposed psychotic, she devises a creative way to save herself—she will write herself out of danger, authoring a novel with the heroine in exactly the same circumstances, thus subtly exposing her husband's scheme to the world. She hires acclaimed author Lynn Andrews to help edit her literary insurance policy, but when Lynn is murdered, Grace is discovered standing over the bloody remains. The clock is ticking: can she write and publish her manuscript before she is strapped into a straitjacket, accused of homicide, or lowered six feet under?With a cast of secondary characters whose challenges mirror Grace's own, Saving Grace is, at its core, an allegory for the struggle of the marginalized to be heard and live life on their own terms.
Blue Hollow: A thrilling mystery with a wicked twist
Cheryl Rees-Price - 2021
I'm Still Here
Jon Mills - 2018
But as the anniversary of her brothers abduction approaches, Kara receives news of her mother’s death and is drawn back to her rural hometown in the Olympic Peninsula to tie up loose ends. She soon makes a shocking discovery that brings into question the facts surrounding her brother’s case, her mother’s obsession, and the man who pled not guilty.
In a race against time to find the real killer, Kara must risk losing her mind, jeopardize the safety of those close and face her darkest fear, all to answer the question — who is truly innocent?
Full of twists and turns that keep you guessing, I’m Still Here delivers a captivating mystery thriller that forces you to question how far you would go to solve the disappearance of a loved one.
Shades of Silence
Liz Lazarus - 2021
Her husband’s plane has vanished over the Atlantic Ocean and although the Coast Guard has suspended the search, she clings to hope that he’ll still be found alive. Three months later, a young woman appears after hours at Julianna’s Ormond Beach restaurant, declaring, “He’s not who you think he is.” Before the stranger can say anything else, a gunshot through the window kills her instantly. Seasoned detective Paul Grant is assigned to investigate the girl’s murder. He senses that the shooting was not random but doesn’t know the connection to his only witness. Was the girl referring to Julianna’s presumed dead husband, her lazy stepson, her shady bar manager, or someone else? The investigation leaves Julianna wondering who she can trust and culminates with an eerie link to the past that no one sees coming.
The Broken Vows
Daniel Hurst - 2021
He broke her heart. Now she is going to break him.Alison is happily married to Graham, or at least she is until she discovers that he has been cheating on her. Her husband has broken the vows that he made on their wedding day. How could he do it? It takes Alison a while to figure it out, but at least she has time on her side. Only that is where she is wrong.A devastating diagnosis means the clock is ticking faster now, and the betrayed wife must act fast if she wants revenge on her cheating partner. Alison does just that, implementing a dangerous and deadly plan, and it's one that will have far-reaching consequences for several people, including her clueless husband.Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Following You
Eva Lesko Natiello - 2021
Guaranteed to shock.” —Samantha Downing, bestselling author of My Lovely Wife
A missing body.
A dead body.
A somebody.
A nobody.
It's New Year's Eve in Southern California. Shae Wilmont, the adored celebrity host of IShop—a popular shopping site—is ready to reclaim her life. Her stalker's been caught. But en route to a party, a bizarre encounter lands her in the wrong place at the wrong time. She panics. And trusts her gut. It's a devastating mistake.Only one person knows where she ends up. It's where no one can find her.
Shae's stunned fans rally to track her down. Yet the charismatic Shae they know, who delivers digital intimacy to viewers who buy anything she sells, off camera is an enigma—private and strangely insecure. She's unable to let anyone get close. When the investigation exposes startling personal secrets, the paradox of Shae begins to unravel.
In this dark psychological thriller, the lives of three strangers collide irreversibly. Honey, a displaced Southern girl with a painful past, is fiercely protective of her new friends at the expense of her own safety. Creepy Lawrence, a Detective Bureau fast-tracker with a penchant for latex gloves and a perverse obsession with Shae. And Shae, with millions of fake friends but hardly a real one. All three are hiding something, but only two of them are lying.Time is running out. But the only way to find Shae, is for someone to discover who she really is.
Nothing is what it seems in this propulsive locked room thriller. Eva Lesko Natiello is back with another gripping suspense, keeping you guessing until the final page.
"Intense and creepy."
"Wickedly plotted."
"Gripping till the last page."
"If you think you know how this book will end—you're dead wrong!"ADVANCE PRAISE:
"Expertly paced, gripping, and intoxicating, FOLLOWING YOU will leave you breathless." —J.D. Barker, New York Times bestselling author of A Caller's Game
“FOLLOWING YOU is a dark, delicious thriller. Read it with the lights on.”
—Amber Garza, author of When I Was You
“An inherently riveting and deftly crafted novel of dark psychological suspense, FOLLOWING YOU showcases author Eva Lesko Natiello's genuine flair for originality and a distinctively entertaining narrative storytelling style. Highly recommended, especially for library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections . . . and all dedicated psychological thriller fans . . .”—Midwest Book Review“Eva Lesko Natiello, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of THE MEMORY BOX, returns with a sizzler in FOLLOWING YOU . . . Diabolically twisted and entertaining . . . Intense and creepy . . . A smart, wickedly plotted psychological thriller brimming with dark surprises at each page turn. From the enigmatic and stunning front cover to the gripping last page, you will be spellbound.”—Judith D. Collins, Must Read Books
Burying Ben
Ellen Kirschman - 2013
Overnight, her promising new start becomes a nightmare. At stake is her job, her reputation, her license to practice, and her already battered sense of self-worth.Dot resolves to find out not just what led Ben to kill himself, but why her psychologist ex-husband, the man she most wants to avoid, recommended that Ben be hired in the first place. Ben’s surviving family and everyone else connected to him are determined to keep Ben’s story a secret, by any means necessary. Even Ben, from the grave, has secrets to keep.Right from the start, Dot’s investigation efforts get her into trouble. First she alienates Ben’s training officer, who is barely managing to hold onto his own job. With the police chief watching over her shoulder, she tries to help the officer with disastrous consequences. After reaching out to console Ben’s pregnant—and slightly sociopathic—widow, Dot winds up embroiled in the affairs of her incredibly dysfunctional family. Dot’s troubles are compounded by a post-divorceromance, the ex who still has a hold over her, and an unwelcome visit from his new wife. By the time she uncovers the real reasons behind Ben’s suicide and brings the people responsible to justice, Dot has not only resurrected belief in herself, she has also acquired some surprisingly useful new skills: impersonating a public official, burglary, and assault with a deadly weapon.
Taking on Water
David Rawding - 2015
To learn more about Kevin’s home life, he gets to know the boy’s father, Tucker, who’s a lobsterman. James is able to put his suspicions to rest, and the two families begin to form a friendship. When a kid at the local recreation center dies of an overdose, Detective Maya Morrow adds the case to the long list related to the drug problem plaguing the small New Hampshire coastal town of Newborough. But her investigation gets her much too close to the dangerous players. Both the Morrows and the Flynns are holding dark secrets, and when their lives collide, tragedy is inevitable."A harrowing tale of abuse and addiction, told in a beautiful way that will touch your heart. This book was very emotional, very driven..." Kelly Smith Reviews "I was not expecting the level of emotional intensity that this novel achieves. Taking on Water is a horrific theater of human nature. And it begins with James." The Coffee Pot Review
Collateral Damage (Iris Reid Mystery #4)
Susan Cory - 2020
Her client becomes the prime suspect and Iris sets out to find the real killer. Things go from bad to worse when Iris' boyfriend reconnects with an old flame, bringing up buried secrets and unintended consequences that threaten to change Iris' life forever.“Mystery and distinctive characters hone this remarkable tale.”Kirkus ReviewsCory teases out her twisty plot at the perfect pace, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. Her multilayered characters are working at cross purposes, and even the most astute mystery reader won’t see where everything is headed until the final thread is unknotted. Completely absorbing, fast-paced, well-written and with a shocking ending guaranteed to satisfy.P.M. Steffen, best-selling author of The Profiler’s Daughter and Killing Ulysses.
The Game You Played
Anni Taylor - 2016
International visitors surge into Sydney's Darling Harbour. Two-year-old Tommy is sailing his toy boat in the park when he vanishes. Six months later, taunting notes written as nursery rhymes begin arriving at his parents' home.Little Boy Blue, where did you go? Who led you away? Only I know . . . . The police believe the messages are just a cruel prank. But Tommy's mother Phoebe becomes obsessed with tracking down the writer of the rhymes. Her life and marriage shatters.When the shocking identity of the message-writer is discovered, Phoebe's desperate race for the truth has only just begun."I love love love this author! This is the sort of book I love but never find very often!" - reviewer