Book picks similar to
An Early Grave by Robert McCracken
mystery
crime
crime-fiction
fiction
Cold Flame
Natalie Hames - 2018
Hours later his body is discovered in his hot tub, a single gunshot to his head signifying an execution style killing. DI Grace Dalton is called upon to crack the case and bring the killer to justice but the more she investigates, the more she realises his lifestyle and criminal activities have accumulated a long list of enemies. Ploughing through a sea of suspects, Grace is not only under pressure to find the killer but also adapt to a new partner, DS Ryan Nash. A rogue detective with an ambiguous past and a playboy image, he's everything she despises, yet despite her protesting to DCI Harris is given no other choice other than to be his reluctant mentor. To make matters worse, the murder weapon is traced back to a previous crime at the infamous Ringfield Estate, throwing Grace into a precarious position. Known for its gun crime and ruled by the vicious Ringfield Crew, relations between the estate and the police is taut with controversy. With links between Carl and the head of the gang coming to light, Grace finds herself thrown into a confusing maze of suspects and motives. No sooner have the pieces of the puzzle fitted together, the tables of fate turn and send the pieces into disarray. Grace soon realises that if she is to solve the case she must go back to the start where a shocking revelation will reveal how pure, deep seated rage is found in the most unlikely, and quiet places.
His First Lie
Mark Hill - 2016
He arrives in the Longacre Children's Home seemingly from nowhere, and instantly becomes hero and villain to every other child there. Thirty years later, someone is killing all of those who grew up in the Longacre, one by one. Each of them has secrets, not least investigating cop DI Ray Drake.One by one the mysteries of the past are revealed as Drake finds himself in a race against time before the killer gets to him.
Who is killing to hide their secret?
And can YOU guess the ending?
Missing or Murdered
Robin Forsythe - 1929
But the following morning he had seemingly vanished into thin air. Now Scotland Yard are struggling to find evidence of foul play in the absence of tangible clues. A national newspaper is offering a reward for information about the Minister’s disappearance - whether Bygrave be dead or alive. Anthony “Algernon” Vereker, Lord Bygrave’s friend and executor, joins Scotland Yard in their investigation of the mystery. So begins the first of five ingenious and effervescent detective novels featuring Vereker, an amiable and eccentric artist with a razor-sharp mind. Missing or Murdered (1929), is republished here for the first time in over 70 years. It includes a new introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.‘This is not only a detective story of considerable ingenuity, but it is also a well-written tale with good characterisation."Times Literary Supplement
This Dark Place
Claire Kittridge - 2018
They were blood sisters, but Avery never thought it would end like this - thrust against her will into this dark place.When the brutal death of a young American theater student in London is splashed across headlines worldwide, NYPD Detective Kelly Moore flies across the Atlantic to join a crack team of British investigators on the case.Together with the London Metropolitan Police, Kelly must track down a twisted killer who seems to know her every move. As the body count rises, and panic spreads, the killer threatens to make Kelly the next victim.In a heart-racing game of cat and mouse, Kelly must outwit this elusive master of surveillance – who might be the last person she suspects.This Dark Place is the first novel in the Detective Kelly Moore series, introducing a tough streetwise cop who will go to any lengths to catch a killerFans of Robert Bryndza, Karin Slaughter, and Rachel Abbot will love discovering this thrilling new series today.
All Eyes on Me
Linsey Lanier - 2014
If she can't solve this case, not only will she fail her destiny, another psycho killer might get away with murder.Meanwhile, Parker harbors secret reservations about their new venture together.Especially when he suspects there might be more to this murder than meets the...eye.You’ll love this intriguing mystery full of twists and turns, because it’s the start of many more adventures.Get it now.
Castle Cay
Lee Hanson - 2010
Who could have killed rising artist Marc Solomon, and what does Castle Cay, the Solomon's mysterious Caribbean island, have to do with it? Before long, Julie's sixth-sense pulls a hidden string that unravels a deadly conspiracy...and her own troubled past.
Skewed
Anne McAneny - 2014
Forced in front of them as an infant under grim circumstances, she now hides behind them as a crime scene photographer with a bad habit. But for a girl born to a waitress in a coma—courtesy of a bullet from her famous father—warped relationships are the norm. When Janie receives two photos of her mother's crime scene, she gains a dire perspective on the decades-old death, one that threatens to upend her life and resurrect the wrath of the long-dormant Haiku Killer. With her twin brother running for office and her own problems rising to the fore, Janie finds herself in the dreaded spotlight once again. These recent photos won't help matters. Enlisting the help of a unique crime consultant, a newbie detective, and her estranged father, Janie pries off the layers of deceit that marked her mother's final day. But as an unwelcome truth finally comes into focus, Janie may wish she'd left things undeveloped. Will she now pay the ultimate price for finally righting her skewed existence?
Lies People Tell
Liam Hanson - 2019
A vicious killer on the loose. When DCI Bran Reece is called to the bloody crime scene of a brutally murdered woman, he thinks the case is his. And when the victim turns out to be the sister of his nemesis; believes the local gangster must be somehow involved.The new Chief Superintendent has other ideas. She sees the recently widowed Reece as a volatile risk-taker and puts him on leave, forcing him to watch from the sidelines. Or so she thinks. DS Elan Jenkins soon realises her boss’s replacement is out of his depth and takes matters into her own hands. But Elan has unknowingly put herself and others in grave danger.With the body count rising, can Reece and Jenkins overcome their personal issues and do what’s right? Even when the truth might be closer to home than either of them is willing to admit.
An Accidental Death
Peter Grainger - 2013
As a matter of routine, or so it seems, the case passes across the desk of Detective Sergeant Smith, recently returned to work after an internal investigation into another case that has led to tensions between officers at Kings Lake police headquarters. As an ex DCI, Smith could have retired by now, and it is clear that some of his superiors wish that he would do so. The latest trainee detective to work with him is the son of a member of his former team, and together they begin to unravel the truth about what happened to Wayne Fletcher. As the investigation proceeds, it becomes clear that others are involved - some seem determined to prevent it, some seem to be taking too much interest. In the end Smith operates alone, having stepped too far outside standard procedures to ask for support. He knows that his own life might be at risk but he has not calculated on the life of his young assistant also being put in danger. He might still get his man but at what cost?
Choose Me
Tess Gerritsen - 2021
It could be reason enough for suicide-or a motive for murder.To English professor Jack Dorian, Taryn was the ultimate fantasy: intelligent, adoring, and completely off limits. But there was also a dark side to Taryn, a dangerous streak that threatened those she turned her affections to--including Jack. And now that she's dead, his problems are just beginning.After Frankie uncovers a trove of sordid secrets, it becomes clear that Jack may know the truth. He is guilty of deception, but is he capable of cold-blooded murder?
Separated at Death
J.J. Salkeld - 2013
This DI Andy Hall's third ever murder case and leads are hard to come by, and his personal life is in crisis. Meanwhile, his Sergeant, ex-Marine Ian Mann is faced with a very puzzling case, involving a local bad lad who suddenly seems to be scaling the ladder of criminality. Are the two cases connected? Can Hall and his team crack the murder case, and offer the very coldest of comfort to the bereaved family? Separated at Death is the first in The Lakeland Murders Police procedural novel series, set in and around England's beautiful Lake District, and introduces the team of DI Hall, DS Mann and DC Jane Francis, a former research scientist and the newest member of Kendal CID. Mat Coward's review of Separated at Death appeared in the Morning Star on the 19th of June 2013: "If you like your police procedurals to be thoroughly British - and stuffed cover to cover with them - then I recommend Separated At Death by JJ Salkeld (currently only available as an e-book, £1.53). The beautiful Lake District has plenty of problems the tourists don't see but even so Kendal CID's Andy Hall is rarely called upon to investigate a murder. When the teenage daughter of a leading local businessman is found killed, with no evidence of a sexual motive for her death, DI Hall and his team look closely at her family and friends. With the police suffering from austerity budgets and merger threats, Hall is painfully aware that the resources he spends on this investigation could mean job losses next year. Separated At Death is a solidly plotted, well-peopled and a very enjoyable start to what looks like a most promising series." And readers have enjoyed it too: ' I genuinely couldn't put it down. Roll on number 2.' 'I found the book to be well written with a distinct feeling of being set in the here-and-now and with flashes of wry humour. I'm looking forward to the second of the Lakeland Murders series." 'Found it difficult to put the book down towards the end, and very much look forward to the second installment.'
'Til Death (DI Steven Marr Book 1)
S.P. Edwards - 2015
Today is Anna Markham’s wedding day. But her body has just been found, dumped in the grounds of the very house in which she was supposed to tie the knot. It’s down to DI Steven Marr – a man playing fast and loose with his own marriage – to find out who murdered her. And there’s no telling how far the killer will go to protect themselves… About the Author Shaun Edwards has always had an interest in the darker side of human nature. As a result, he spent most of his late teens nicking UK crime thriller books from his mum's bookcase. Have devoured pretty much everything by Peter Robinson, Ian Rankin, John Harvey and John Connolly, he decided to start writing his own stuff. Ten years later, he pulled his finger out and actually did it. 'Til Death is the combination of coffee, and a deep love for Banks, Rebus, Resnick, Thorne and Charlie Parker. Besides writing and reading whodunnit mysteries, crime fiction and thrillers, Shaun’s other loves include noodling around on the guitar, going for long walks, eating too much pizza and laughing at pictures of pugs. He lives with his partner and a really sneaky gerbil in deepest, darkest Suffolk, UK.
Fire and Ice
Dana Stabenow - 1998
But that was before his life unraveled. Transferred in disgrace to this rough-and-tumble fishing town on the shores of Bristol Bay, Liam knows Newenham is the end of the line. It's also his last shot at getting his life back.. He's about to come in for a very rough landing. Stepping onto the airstrip at Newenham, Liam walks into a crime scene: a body torn apart by the propeller of a Piper Super Cub. As if that isn't enough of a welcome, the woman bending over the corpse is Wyanet Chouinard, the only woman Liam ever truly loved - and soon to be his prime suspect. Next, a man is held hostage in the town's only decent burger joint--held for shooting out a jukebox that was playing Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. And Liam still doesn't have his uniform on.
The Skeletons of Birkbury
Diana J. Febry - 2012
Gossip turns to fear and suspicion as they realize the killer is one of them and is prepared to kill again. DCI Peter Hatherall must fight his past and class divisions to find the killer. All must decide which secrets are worth dying for.