Book picks similar to
Fear for Hire by Natalie Ellis


kink-nonconsent-elements
adventure
character-uniforms
mystery-suspense

Repo Girl


Jane Fenton - 2018
    Even though she swore off men years ago, Andi finds herself drawn to handsome rockstar, Cooper Barnett, as he continually pops up in her life when she least expects it.Their budding relationship becomes even more complicated when Cooper talks Andi into letting him ride-along on one of her repos, and they come across a very naked, very dead body. Being charged with murder and spending a night in jail is bad enough, but when the police don’t seem to be making any headway on finding the real killer, Andi begins to do her own investigation – much to the frustration of the homicide detective in charge.The closer she gets to discovering the killer, the more her own life is in danger. Time is running out. Andi must figure out who the killer is before she goes to prison for a crime she didn’t commit or, worse, becomes the next dead body.

Grave Danger


Nichole Severn - 2022
    Chloe Pascale feel safe. And when a young woman is discovered buried alive, the Colorado ME knows the relentless serial killer she barely escaped has found her. To stop him, she must trust police chief Weston Ford with her darkest secrets. But getting too close is putting their guarded hearts at risk—and leading into an inescapable trap…From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served.

Digging Up the Past


Kerry Blair - 2003
    Now their reunion is taking place in a small Arizona jailhouse where the archeologist stands accused of murder. While Meredith can’t believe Jayce killed an undercover agent, her list of suspects is as short as the time Jayce may have to live. Hidden beneath the red clay desert in the ancient, mystical land of the Hopis is a ceremonial kiva—and the answers to the investigation. As Meredith and Jayce dig for clues and edge closer to unearthing the truth, someone is preparing to sacrifice Jayce—quite literally—to protect a profitable scheme. Can Meredith learn the truth in time to save the man she loves?

The Edgars Family: Kidnapped / Hunted / Seized


Suzanne Ferrell - 2013
    While undercover he’s been shot but he’s not sure if it’s the crooks or local cops behind it. Worse, if he can’t get help fast, two lives will be lost—his and that of the young witness, a boy whom he’s sworn to protect. On the run from both the police and the Russian Mafia, he’ll do anything to save the child at his side, even something illegal. In desperation he kidnaps a nurse from a hospital parking lot. A Woman at The Edge Of Despair ER nurse Samantha Edgars has been living in an emotional vacuum since the death of her daughter. Abandoned by her husband not long afterward, she struggles just to get through each day, but now all she’s wants is for the pain to stop and finally be at peace with her child. Mentally and physically exhausted following a difficult shift, she walks through the hospital’s dark parking lot lost in her own thoughts. Suddenly, she’s jolted from her stupor when she’s bound, gagged, and tossed into the back of her car. Danger on Their Heels When they arrive at her home, she’s terrified and forced to tend a bleeding FBI agent and his injured witness. But Samantha quickly learns the rogue agent and orphaned boy need more than just her professional skills. With a menace bearing down on them, she must learn to trust Jake—and her heart— if they’re all going to survive. HUNTED A Woman Outside the Rules In one fiery explosion Katie Myers' witness protection cover is blown. Unable to trust the Marshals who've been responsible for her safety, she’s on the run from the cult leader she put on death row. In desperation she forces a near stranger at gunpoint to help her hide. A Man Who Lives by Them By-the-book patrolman Matt Edgars is shocked when the woman he's come to rescue points a gun at him and demands he help her leave a crime scene. The stark terror in Katie’s beautiful eyes has him breaking rules for the first time in his career. Making It Up as They Flee the Danger on Their Trail With a hit man on their trail, Matt must break down the walls Katie has built to guard the secrets of her past. If not the cult leader will fulfill his prophecy and take the one woman Matt has ever loved to the grave. SEIZED, A ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVELLA They hit a rocky patch Dave and Judy Edgars have always loved each other – they’ve been married ten years and have three kids. But ever since Dave, a SWAT team member, was shot on duty Judy can’t control the intense fear that grips her every time he heads out to work. It puts a strain on their relationship. Dave knows she’s scared, but damn it she knew he was a cop the day they met. His patience is wearing thin. Until the tables are turned… One icy winter night, Judy, an operating room nurse, is called into work. She's taken hostage by a crazed gunman with an agenda. Now with Judy’s life in danger and the SWAT team deployed elsewhere, Dave must face the same fear his wife does on a daily basis. Terrified he will lose her, he and his law enforcement family race to save Judy and stop her captor’s plans.

Governor's Road: A Novel of Southern Proportions


Laurie Byrne Smith - 2012
    This beautifully written book will keep you up all night. There are plenty of clues and there are a lot of hints, but even when you put them all together, it will be close to impossible to puzzle your way to the ending. If you are looking for a book, you can't put down, then Governor's Road is just right for you. Excitement, frisky loving, a mystery of epic proportions and traditional southern pathos make this book a fun and rewarding read. The terrorized children of Governor’s Road grew up without resolution or closure to the most devastating event of their young lives. Their friend, a child their age, disappeared one afternoon and somehow, they never seem to learn what happened. Saddened parents decide to protect their children and the obvious fear recedes in the face of the calm that settles back over the neighborhood. But, fear never really disappears until it's confronted. As adults, JoBeth and Billy set out to discover what happened to little Petey Shiner. The answer brings them to conclusion that there is no perfect childhood, even in a perfect town in a perfect decade. Every town hides its secrets and puts on a good face, even at the expense of its residents. Along the way, JoBeth and Billy discover love and romance. Their kindling of love takes you to places you can only want to return to…and their future makes you happy. It’s their past that is so hard to reconcile. As well as a lot of fun, a dark mystery and hot southern romance, JoBeth and her friends also encounter the harsh reality of Alzheimer’s and aging. Sometimes, a loved one can be lost more than once. The malevolent specter of mental illness surfaces when the reader meets Lucius Sifer and begins to understand the unusual existence the boy leads. The ending is grim but satisfies that need everyone has for justice. The most humble people can achieve heroism without fanfare or acknowledgment. As always, enjoy your adventure into the south...and remember, thoughtful book reviews are welcomed with open arms. Please see Observations of a Transplanted Southern Belle for more of Laurie Byrne Smith's work.

Memories of You


Bobbie Cole - 2011
    When the phone rings and she hears Seth's voice, she's skeptical. He tells her his name is Mason Aldridge, and the only thing he remembers after his accident is the number he called...hers. Mason looks nothing like her former lover, but there's something about his mannerisms, if not his face, that draws Charlie in. As they begin to piece together what few clues and skimpy details they have, Charlie and the man she believes is Seth slowly discover a mutual passion. With the Feds following at a distance and someone trying to kill them, will they live long enough to find out his true identity? 56,300 words

Point of Departure


Laurie Breton - 2007
    Until the day she goes out to show an expensive new listing and vanishes into thin air, leaving behind her credit cards, her BlackBerry and an unidentified male corpse.None of this makes sense--not to her husband, not to her business partner and not to the Boston P.D. But as the investigation ratchets up, homicide detectives Doug Policzki and Lorna Abrams discover the beautiful blond Realtor has an interesting dark side sh's kept carefully hidden.Turns out a lot of people don't like Kaye, and many of them have a beef with her. But until the not-so-lovely Kaye Winslow is located, people close to her are just a little bit twitchy--because any one of them could be accused of murder.

The Most Dangerous Game And Other Stories of Adventure


Richard Connell - 1957
    In THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME a professional hunter finds out what it feels like to be hunted as a wild animal- for he is the prey? In TO BUILD A FIRE a trapper fights desperately against stark fear in the cruel Arctic night... In LEININGEN VERSUS THE ANTS a settler battles for his very life against a teeming horde of millions of deadly ants...These are only a few of the thrilling stories you'll read in this fascinating book.

Treacherous Legacy


Kathi Oram Peterson - 2021
    When an urgent summons arrives from her only living relative, Uncle Ezra, Anna drops everything to meet him in a café on the outskirts of Reykjavík, Iceland. Uncle Ezra sweeps her into a decades-old mystery as he explains that her great-grandfather, a famous Jewish artist, was accused of being a Nazi sympathizer. He wants Anna to help him disprove the lie and expose the truth. But they can trust no one. Any skepticism Anna may have harbored disappears when her uncle is shot. Barely alive, he utters one final word: “Run.” Though he met Ezra only briefly, journalist Kristofer Tómasson knows the information the old man passed on to his niece is likely the reason he was murdered. Now his niece’s life is also in peril. Despite the danger, Kristofer approaches Anna with an offer to help in exchange for an exclusive story. United by a common goal, as well as an undeniable spark of attraction, Anna and Kristofer race to uncover the mysteries of the past—that is, if they survive.

Gored of the Rings


Elise Sax - 2020
    The three years have been quiet, filled with marital bliss and absolutely no murder. Without a mystery to solve, Gladie has grown bored, even as she has exceled as a matchmaker with more than a little psychic ability. Now, her Grandma Zelda has decided to expand the family business to wedding planning, and Gladie is going to be in charge of it. * Her first customer wants a wedding with all the trimmings, including an axe-throwing room, a tractor parade, and a longhorn bull instead of a limo to the ceremony. When one of the wedding party winds up dead, a freak accident is blamed. But Gladie’s murder antennae are up, and she’s determined to prove that it’s murder and bring the killer to justice. * Gored of the Rings is the first book in the Matchmaker Marriage Mysteries, the continuing adventures of Gladie Burger with all of the regular characters from the Matchmaker Mysteries. It’s perfect for fans of Miss Fortune, Stephanie Plum, and small-town, funny mysteries. * Matchmaker Marriage Mysteries…sometimes love comes with a few dead ends. * “Sax will make you laugh. Her larger-than-life characters jump off the page and make crazy seem like a fun place to hang out.”—New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig * “With quirky characters reminiscent of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series and a small-town heroine redolent of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse” --RT Book Reviews

The Fireraisers


Malcolm Archibald - 2019
    After the mill of businessman Matthew Beaumont burns to the ground, Detective Sergeant George Watters is sent to investigate.Soon, George discovers that this is not the first property that has been targeted. When a man is found dead in the hold of a trade ship, George discovers a shocking connection between Beaumont and foreign powers threatening the very country.George tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, but clues are few and far between. What connects the enigmatic Beaumont to the murder and strange events taking place in the Dundee shipyard?

Alexander Ranch


Marla Josephs - 2013
    I certainly did not want to be detected. It was impossible, however, to keep my eyes completely off the terrifying drama unfolding before me. I was certain they planned to kill the man and I had no way of helping him. The best I could do was get to safety and call the police. I had slunk my way to the left of them and was right alongside the river now. I crept along keeping a wary eye on the men. I don’t know whether I gasped, screamed, or made a sudden movement, but suddenly both sets of eyes of the evil men turned towards me just as the shot sounded. I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the ripping pain in my side, and jumped off the edge into the rushing water below.

See Him Die


Debra Webb - 2015
    She recently discovered that her husband is a cheater. If that isn't bad enough, she also learned that the man she thought she knew and loved is deeply involved in illegal activities. When she walked out, determined to start over, she had no idea just how far the man who had vowed to love and to cherish her would go to make her sorry until she found him murdered--in her bed. Now, the only person who believes her story is, unfortunately for Julie, the one man with the most to gain from the murder.

SHERIFF: His Town. His Laws. His Justice. (TAKING CHARGE: Blazing Romance Suspense Book 3)


Maggie Carpenter - 2018
    She has just arrived in a tiny town north of San Francisco and is staring at a ruggedly handsome man naked from the waist up. The sight of his muscled arms is enough to make her weak at the knees, and she's shocked when he introduces himself as the sheriff. Cooper Dalton runs his town as he sees fit. A misbehaving female might find herself over his knee, and though he's drawn to the copper-haired, green-eyed young woman, his instinct tells him she's harboring a secret.Violet is on the run from a dastardly detective determined to see her behind bars. He's hot on her trail and no-one is going to stop him.If you love a take-charge hero and a heart-warming western romance SHERIFF is for you. Surrender to the steamy desire, the humor and excitement of this riveting love story. Discover the wild in Wild West, Click the link today. Brought to you by Maggie Carpenter. USA TODAY Bestselling Author.

Flirting with Forever (Flirting with the Finest, #1)


Kaye Kennedy - 2021
    And he definitely wasn’t supposed to fall for her. But it did. And he did. Now, he’ll do anything to protect her. Even if it costs him everything. Hunter When I’d caught the garter at a friend’s wedding, I hadn’t anticipated having sparks with the woman who’d caught the bouquet because that was a bad cliché, right? Things in Lauren’s life were...complicated. As for me, being a detective on the NYPD’s Special Investigations Task Force made having a relationship nearly impossible, so I’d decided we were better off as friends.Fast forward a year...Lauren stumbled into my undercover investigation of the Vosstaniye Bratva so, in an effort to keep my cover from being blown, I blurted out that she was my girlfriend.Huge.Epic.Mistake.Now, she’s been sucked into my investigation and I’ve fallen for her. Complicated or not, I have to convince Lauren that our fake relationship is anything but because we just might have a forever kind of love. But first, I have to keep her safe from the Russian mafia. No big deal, right? Wish me luck.Fall in love alongside Detective Hunter Albanese and Lauren Powers in this debut of a new series following members of the Special Investigations Task Force in New York City as they fight crime and fall in love.You'll recognize Lauren as Zoe's sister in Burning for Her, and Hunter plays a role in Burning for Love and Burning for Trouble. While this novel can certainly be read as a standalone, you'll get the most out of it having read the preceding series, Burning for the Bravest, which features NYC firefighters who love hard and make love harder.