Book picks similar to
Ultimate Kill by Kristine Mason


romantic-suspense
thriller
suspense
dark

Beyond Risk


Connie Mann - 2019
    She hoped moving back home to the wilds of central Florida would provide a safe haven—until she learns the death was no accident, and she’s the intended target.… But no wilder than their passion.Tough and decisive, Lieutenant Hunter Boudreau loves his new job as a law enforcement officer with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Charlee is his best friend, so when she comes under fire, he’s not letting her out of his sight until the killer is caught. But Charlee won’t sit by and let anyone else die for her.As danger closes in and Charlee and Hunter’s attraction threatens to consume them, Charlee has to decide if she can trust Hunter. And to save Charlee, Hunter will have to trust her, too.

Pretend You're Safe


Alexandra Ivy - 2017
    Then came the bodies. The victims strangled, then buried along the shores of the Mississippi have finally been unearthed, years after they disappeared. He remembers every satisfying kill . . . each woman s terror and agony. But there s only one he truly wanted. And fate has brought her within reach again . . . HE KNOWS YOUJaci Patterson was sixteen when she found the first golden locket on her porch. Inside were a few strands of hair wrapped around a scrap of bloodstained ribbon. Though the gifts kept arriving, no one believed her hunch that a serial killer was at work. Now Jaci has returned home . . . and the nightmare is starting once more. AND HE LL NEVER LET YOU GOBack then, Rylan Cooper was an arrogant deputy sheriff convinced that Jaci was just an attention seeking teen. It was a fatal mistake. There s a murderer in their midst, someone determined to settle old scores and keep playing a twisted game. And it won t end until Jaci is his forever . . . Alexandra Ivy gives readers a nice balance of romance and suspense in her fast-paced, well-plotted novel. Kat Martin, New York Times bestselling author"

A Madness of Sunshine


Nalini Singh - 2019
    But eight years later, she returns, seeking familiarity as respite from the shattered remains of her new life. And despite the changes brought on by a bump in tourism--the shiny new welcome sign at the town line and a decidedly less shiny new police presence--Golden Cove appears much as it ever was: a small settlement on the savage West Coast of the South Island, populated by all the remembered faces and set against a backdrop of lush greenery, jagged cliffs, and crashing waves.Detective Will Gallagher knows all about ghosts; his own chased him out of a promising career in Christchurch, landing him as the sole cop in a quaint town where his most pressing concerns are petty theft and the occasional drunk. When Golden Cove resident Miri Hinewai goes out for a run and fails to return, Will finds himself heading up a missing person's search that rapidly escalates into an official investigation after this case is connected with similar ones from the past. As an outsider, Will begins to rely on Anahera's knowledge of the area and its residents to help him delve into Golden Cove's secrets, and to determine whether it shelters something far more dangerous than just an unforgiving landscape.

Broken Angel


S.W. Vaughn - 2003
    Renamed Angel by the crime boss who's holding him captive, his task is to earn ten million dollars through bloodshed and violence--or watch his beloved sister die.BROKEN ANGEL is a powerful suspense thriller, packed with action and edge-of-your-seat tension--from chilling start to shocking, jaw-dropping finale.

Run to Ground


Katie Ruggle - 2017
    Though his instincts scream that he should avoid Juliet 'Jules' Jackson, he can't seem to stay away. It doesn't help that Theo's new K9 companion has fallen head over paws with Jules's rambunctious family.Or that when he's with her, Theo finally knows peace.When Jules rescued her siblings, whisking them away to the safety of the beautifully rugged Colorado Rockies, she never expected to catch the eye—or the heart—of a cop. Yet as Jules struggles to fight her growing attraction to the brooding K9 officer, another threat lurks much closer to home...And this time, there's no escape.Rocky Mountain K-9 Unit: Run to Ground (Book 1)On the Chase (Book 2)

The Missing


Shiloh Walker - 2008
    Her psychic gift drove away the man she loved and years later has drawn him back to her As a teenager, Taige Branch hated her psychic gift. No one could understand, except for Cullen Morgan, the boy who stole her heart. He did his best to accept her, until his mother was brutally murdered and he couldn't forgive Taige for not preventing it. Now a widowed father, Cullen Morgan has never forgotten Taige. But what brings her back into his life is another tragedy. His beloved little girl has been kidnapped, and Taige is his only hope of finding her. Working together against the clock, Cullen and Taige can't help but wonder whether if they find his daughter in time, it isn't too late for the overpowering love that still burns between them.

Dark Paradise


Tami Hoag - 1994
    Now it’s up to ex-court reporter Marilee Jennings to decipher the puzzle of her best friend’s death. But someone has a stake in silencing her suspicion. Someone with secrets worth killing for—and the power to turn this beautiful haven into a . . .  And as Mari digs deeper beneath New Eden’s picture-perfect exterior, finding the truth is suddenly no longer a matter of justice.     It’s her only hope of staying alive.From the Paperback edition.

Unravel


Calia Read - 2014
    I was simply Naomi Carradine. One month ago, I was admitted into a psych ward. Yesterday, Lachlan visited me. Kissed me. And told me that I’m starting to lose my mind. Hours later, Max haunted my thoughts, reminding me I’m not crazy and that he needs my help. A few minutes ago, I drifted further from reality, trying to unravel the past. And now...everyone thinks I’m insane. But, I know he's real, and I know he needs me. Do you believe me?

The Dead List


Jennifer L. Armentrout - 2015
    At Brock Cochran's end of summer pool party, the girls vow to have as much fun as possible before they head off to different colleges next fall. But when Ella is mysteriously attacked on her way home from the party, everything changes. Ella's carefree senior year plans disintegrate as she finds herself at the center of an attempted murder investigation.Ella tries to move on, but her attacker isn't done yet. He shows himself in the form of horrifying signs and symbols: a clown mask strewn on her bed, a dead bird in her backpack, a shadow moving past her window in the night. And as the weeks pass, it turns out that Ella isn't the only one being tormented.With the help of an old flame, Jensen Carver, and her friends and family, Ella tries to attain some sense of normalcy, but she can't seem to shake the feeling that there's a dark pattern hidden in the killer's every move. Suddenly, even those in her innermost circle seem suspicious. In her seemingly safe West Virginia town, Ella starts to wonder who she can trust.

Untouchable


Sibel Hodge - 2016
    A cover-up. And a whistle-blower…You think you know who to trust? You're wrong.~~ Inspired by real UK police investigations, this book contains scenes which some readers may find disturbing ~~It’s Maya and Jamie’s anniversary, and she waits with excitement for him to return home for a celebratory dinner. There’s a knock at the door. It’s the police. Jamie has been found hanging in a local wood.His death is ruled a suicide, but Maya doesn’t believe Jamie would take his own life. Something isn’t right. Someone has broken into her house. Someone is watching her. And someone has gone to great lengths to cover up what Jamie was doing before he died.Maya’s grief turns to suspicion, and as she begins to investigate the weeks leading up to Jamie’s death, her trail leads her to a place known as “The Big House” and the horrific secrets within. Secrets people will stop at nothing to keep hidden. People linked to the heart of the Establishment who think they’re untouchable.Now Maya has a dangerous decision to make. How far is she prepared to go to reveal the truth?

City of the Lost


Kelley Armstrong - 2016
    She was never caught, but he was the grandson of a mobster and she knows that someday this crime will catch up to her. Casey's best friend, Diana, is on the run from a violent, abusive ex-husband. When Diana's husband finds her, and Casey herself is attacked shortly after, Casey knows it's time for the two of them to disappear again.Diana has heard of a town made for people like her, a town that takes in people on the run who want to shed their old lives. You must apply to live in Rockton and if you're accepted, it means walking away entirely from your old life, and living off the grid in the wilds of Canada: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, no computers, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council's approval. As a murderer, Casey isn't a good candidate, but she has something they want: She's a homicide detective, and Rockton has just had its first real murder. She and Diana are in. However, soon after arriving, Casey realizes that the identity of a murderer isn't the only secret Rockton is hiding—in fact, she starts to wonder if she and Diana might be in even more danger in Rockton than they were in their old lives.

Valley of the Shadow


Kathryn Le Veque - 2001
    Kathlyn Trent. A cross between Indiana Jones and The Crocodile Hunter, Dr. Trent has made a name for herself as a Media Archaeologist. Beautiful, intelligent and educated, she is one of the most famous faces in the world. Her television specials bring millions of viewers as she tackles subjects that most credible archaeologists won’t touch. But beneath the flash and hype, she has a true gift. A "sixth sense", this gift has helped her locate mystical and wonderful things all over the world. Whether or not people believe in her gift, her results speak for themselves. Because of her ability to find the unfindable, Dr. Trent is called in to assist the floundering dig of one of the world's top Egyptologists, Dr. Marcus Burton. Dr. Burton has a highly publicized dig in the Valley of the Kings, and Kathlyn is met with animosity the moment she sets foot on his dig. Tall, dark and ruggedly gorgeous, he has no desire to attract the attention she brings. But the excitement they come to share as they explore long-lost pharaoh’s tomb destroys the animosity in favor of an emotional bond that cannot be broken. Elements of intrigue endanger their lives and create chaos amidst their blooming romance, and the situation soon explodes in a running gun battle amongst the ruins of ancient Egyptian temples. It takes all of Kathlyn and Marcus’ strength to keep each other alive.

Next Girl to Die


Dea Poirier - 2019
    Claire has finally carved out a life for herself as a homicide detective in Detroit, but the past comes calling when the local police back home ask for her help with a murder eerily similar to Rachel’s.Still haunted by Rachel’s cold case, Claire returns home, hoping to solve the crime and finally put her grief to rest. As she starts investigating, the last thing she needs is tenacious journalist Noah Washington asking questions she’s not ready to answer. But like her, Noah won’t give up until he finds the truth—and Claire reluctantly finds herself relying on him more and more when disturbing new details about Rachel’s death come to light.When the killer strikes once again, Claire knows he’s not done. Now he’s set his sights on Claire, who will have to find the courage she needs to survive a deadly confrontation years in the making.

Promise Not to Tell


Jennifer McMahon - 2007
    On the night she arrives, a young girl is murdered—a horrific crime that eerily mirrors another from Kate's childhood. Three decades earlier, her dirt-poor friend Del—shunned and derided by classmates as "Potato Girl"—was brutally slain. Del's killer was never found, while the victim has since achieved immortality in local legends and ghost stories. Now, as this new murder investigation draws Kate irresistibly in, her past and present collide in terrifying, unexpected ways. Because nothing is quite what it seems . . . and the grim specters of her youth are far from forgotten.More than just a murder mystery, Jennifer McMahon's extraordinary debut novel, Promise Not to Tell, is a story of friendship and family, devotion and betrayal—tautly written, deeply insightful, beautifully evocative, and utterly unforgettable.

Into the Light


Aleatha Romig - 2016
    When her best friend disappears, Stella investigates—despite warnings from her police detective boyfriend—following a twisted trail that leads her through the city’s most dangerous and forsaken precincts. There she uncovers something more sinister than she could have imagined: a shadowy organization known as The Light, led by the enigmatic Father Gabriel.As Sara struggles to understand her place in the strange world she’s awakened to—an oppressive cult demanding unquestioning obedience—and her feelings for Jacob, the husband she can’t recall and whose harsh and tender attentions confuse and beguile her, Stella risks all to discover the truth. But enlightenment always comes with a price…