Book picks similar to
House of Illusion by Velda Johnston


historical-fiction
mystery
velda-johnston
fiction

Return to Sarah's Valley: Sequel to Sarah's Valley


Sharon Mierke - 2017
     In Sarah's Valley, Patrick Smithson meets Frank Lawdry. Frank, who prefers his Abenaki name, Winnipesaukee, spends the night recalling his life story. He and his sister, Sarah, were left orphans when everyone on a wagon train died in a horrific tragedy. It was their story of survival. Return to Sarah's Valley continues where Sarah's Valley leaves off. Now an old man in his nineties, Patrick meets Michael Lawdry, one of Winnipesaukee's descendants, and tells him how two Lawdry men influenced his life. This is a story of life during the Great Depression, struggles and heartache, but also the deep love that a man has for one woman.

And One for Luck


Lynda Page - 1996
    The more time Grace spends with Bessie, her six boistrous children and her loving husband Tom, the more she realises what has been missing from her own loveless marriage. As the war takes its toll on Leicester, and one by one the men folk leave to join the fighting, Grace finds comfort in helping others. Each day, as she takes on another new challenge, Grace realises that her daughter might have been right all along - it's time to break out, really make something of her life, and possibly find true love, before it's too late...

The Gathering Clouds


Andrew Wareham - 2019
    Young Thomas witnessed the atrocities that the Nazis had carried out in Spain and trained his pilots to show no mercy when towards the end of the book, he breached the rules to attack German planes. Published by The Electronic Book Company

Brahma Rakshas: The Monster Within


Sandiip N. Paatil - 2021
    At 11, he looks big and strong for his age. His kind mother, Geeta is a rural Indian archetype: the overworked, stressed-out, barely-keeping-it- together single mother. His father is in prison for multiple robbery cases. The villagers are cold and overbearing, and his schooldays are made hellish by bullies. If this wasn’t enough, he has nightmares and uncanny callings from the age-old monstrous Peepal tree that lays on his way to school. The legend is a monster called Brahma Rakshas, living under this tree, for years unknown to people, lures kids with the black devil fruits and then makes them wrestle until one dies.And, one stormy night, the legend comes true when Brahma Rakshas meets Sarja. Set in a fictional village of Deogiri; a small haven of human civilization, away from the din of city life, this story is an adventure ride filled with riddles and monster wrestling.

Mr Henry Mulligan


Vernon Coleman - 2007
    His books include the bestselling Young Country Doctor series and Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War (which has been turned into an award winning movie). Mr Henry Mulligan is a poignant and uplifting romantic mystery about the disappearance of an elderly couple from an English hospital. Where have they gone? And why? A newly qualified doctor working in the hospital tries to find them. Moving and revealing and based on a true story. Vernon Coleman, a Sunday Times bestselling author, is a qualified doctor who has been a professional author for over 30 years. He has written over 100 books. His medical books include Bodypower, How to Stop Your Doctor Killing You and many others. (His hard hitting books defending patients rights have brought him many enemies and have resulted in numerous attempts to ban his books.) There is a list of books available on his Amazon author page. Kindle books can of course be sampled before being bought. What the papers say: Vernon Coleman writes brilliant books - The Good Book Guide Superstar - Independent on Sunday No thinking person can ignore him - The Ecologist Compulsive reading - The Guardian Britain's leading health care campaigner - The Sun Revered guru of medicine - Nursing Times Dr Coleman made me think again - BBC World Service Probably one of the most brilliant men alive today - Irish Times The man is a national treasure - What Doctors Don't Tell You The patients' champion - Birmingham Post etc etc

No Blacks No Dogs No Irish


Ruby Lord - 2013
    She does so without thinking about the consequences until it’s too late. By the end she realises the man she wants to marry is not in any position to marry her and never will be. Well let’s think about it, he’s not in any position to marry anyone. The Catholic Church don’t allow their priests to get married let alone have secret affairs with desperate women. This isn’t your standard love story, it’s a dark and intense tale of life for one woman in 1960’s Manchester and to some extent what life is/was like for priests of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Girl from the Docklands Café


June Tate - 2018
    Jessie is just nineteen when her father passes away and her mother decides to return to her native Ireland. But Jessie, headstrong and independent, prefers to take charge of her own destiny and finds employment at a workman’s cafe, becoming the darling of the dockworkers who are fiercely protective of her.When one of her customers charms his way into her heart, Jessie becomes Mrs Conor McGonigall and soon assumes ownership of the cafe. All the pieces of her life are coming together. But when a pushy local businessman and a former employee with a grudge have other ideas, everything she has worked for is slowly chipped away. Can she find the strength to rebuild the life she wants in the face of immeasurable personal loss?‘Her debut book caused a stir among Cookson and Cox devotees, and they’ll love this. Compulsive reading’ Woman’s Weekly‘A heart-rending tale’ Gilda O’Neill‘A page-turner for all saga lovers’ Katie Fforde‘A heart-warming tale with a vividly drawn central character’ Peterborough Evening Telegraph‘Excellent and gripping . . . compelling. I am eagerly awaiting June Tate’s next offering’ Sussex Life

The Forest Lord Collection


Steven A. McKay - 2019
     Included in the Forest Lord collection are all four full-length novels from the series, which has over 120,000 sales so far: Wolf's Head The Wolf and the Raven Rise of the Wolf Blood of the Wolf Spanning the years 1321-1326 this collection includes more than 400,000 words of action-packed historical fiction, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, David Gemmell and Simon Scarrow. Praise for the Forest Lord series: “Well researched and enjoyably written, Wolf’s Head is a fast-paced and original re-casting of a familiar legend. McKay’s gift as a storyteller pulls the reader into a world of violence, passion, injustice and revenge and leaves us wanting more!" Glyn Iliffe, author, The Adventures of Odysseus series “Reading this book, I felt as if I was transported back to medieval times...the good, the bad and the ugly. This is a thrilling read that kept me captivated from start to finish.” Bibliophile Book Reviews “...the story is exciting and invites the reader to sit back and enjoy the journey through the forests and villages of northern England.” Hoover Book Reviews “Wolf's Head took my breath away.” Indian Book Reviews "This is the best Robin Hood you are ever going to encounter." Professor Andrew Latham, author of The Holy Lance “Steven A. McKay has found a surprisingly successful way to reinvigorate the story of Robin Hood…thoroughly enjoyable!” – Edinburgh Book Reviews "McKay’s Robin Hood is the sort of man who kicks open the door of a rough pub, orders a pint of real ale in a dirty glass, then cranks the juke-box up to 11 and blasts out 'Ace of Spades'" - Stuart S. Laing Find out why 120,000+ readers have enjoyed this series, and left thousands of four- and five-star reviews, by reading this omnibus edition today!

Alone On the Beach


Cathryn Grant - 2015
     Corrine Dunning loves living by the ocean, and her life is getting even better now that she’s falling in love with Andy Johnson. When Corrine meets a blind old woman who insists the concrete ship in Monterey Bay is haunted, she doesn’t believe it. Although Mary Carmichael is blind now, she’s seen a lot of love affairs bloom and die near Seacliff Beach. She was a child when the concrete SS Palo Alto was pulled up to the pier at Seacliff — she’s always known it was haunted, and she knows the ghost will weave itself into Corrine’s life, taking over her thoughts. While Corrine and Mary begin a tentative friendship, Corrine’s relationship with Andy takes an unsettling turn. Is it possible Corrine’s mistrust began when she saw the ghostly woman on the ship? Now, Corrine must battle a spirit that’s made a home inside her mind.

The Slade House Affair: Clare Montgomery, Private Investigator


Daisy Thurbin - 2016
    In this first book in a new series, Mrs Montgomery is retained by an archaic well heeled family when its patriarch fails to arrive home at the expected hour. As with all of her writing, Thurbin demonstrates that a book need not contain gratuitous violence, graphic sex or coarse language in order to keep the reader entertained. Set in London and the Home Counties, Thurbin's attention to detail and meticulous research, coupled with an interesting conundrum and a sprinking of quirky characters, are bound to please even the most discerning of readers.

Entangled Threads (A Victorian San Francisco Mystery Book 8)


M. Louisa Locke - 2022
    

The DCI Jack Logan Collection Books 1-3: A Scottish Crime Fiction Series


J.D. Kirk - 2020
    

The Amish Bishop


Samantha Bayarr - 2018
    The Bishop is hiding a horrible secret that could expose his sins if he defends his son's sinful acts. For Eva, getting shunned for their sins could be the answer to her prayers.Lily can't forget what she saw; the community thinks she's making things up. When she suffers a breakdown after witnessing her mother's death from what is being called a freak accident, the Bishop says he has no choice but to shun her and her father, claiming it's for the good of the community, but what Lily knows could cause her to become the murderer's next target.

Softgoods: All the Pretty Things Women Are Dying to Wear


Consuelo Saah Baehr - 2012
    

Prediction: Big Data, big danger


Tony Batton - 2019
    Their hopes rest on a new quantum super computer, one capable of interpreting patterns in the oceans of intelligence data. There’s just the small challenge of building it. Gregory Jenson, CEO of ZAT Systems, is tasked by MI5 to create the computer, but ghosts in his past could thwart matters before he even begins. Young lawyer, Michael Adams, is given the task of helping Jenson, but he soon has problems of his own. And they’ll soon learn that a hidden player wants to use the new system for their own plans – someone incredibly well-informed, and prepared to go to any lengths to achieve their goals. And if they succeed, the recovery of the nuclear reactor will be the least of everyone’s problems.