Book picks similar to
Manic by Niki Jilvontae


mental-illness
mystery-thriller
suspense
urban-mystery-thriller-and-suspense

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Caroline Kepnes - 2014
    She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.A terrifying exploration of how vulnerable we all are to stalking and manipulation, debut author Caroline Kepnes delivers a razor-sharp novel for our hyper-connected digital age.

Into the Flames


Liz Bradford - 2021
    Conflicting evidence puts him at odds with others on his team—especially the newest team member, his brother’s ex-girlfriend, Jacq Sheppard. As the case heats up, so does Dylan’s affection for Jacq. She's independent, adventurous, spunky. All the qualities he could hope for. But exactly the ones that his mother opposes. Living up to her standards is hard enough, especially in his brother's shadow, but tying his life to Jacq means existing as a disappointment to his mom forever. Sparks fly and disastrous choices are made as Jacq and Dylan fight to save the vulnerable girl from human trafficking. When the situation explodes, Dylan must douse his fears and go into the flames.You aren't going to want to miss this novel, the first in a four book (plus a prequel) series!

Suspicious Circumstances


Sandra Ruttan - 2007
    A missing baby. A corrupt police department. When a man shows up in reporter Lara Kelly's office with a video that appears to show a woman falling to her death, Lara is intrigued but suspicious. The man claims he went to the police, but that they refused to investigate. Under pressure from her editor to use the video to build a story about the incompetence of the local police captain, Lara gathers enough evidence to print a story about a suspected suicide. Detective Sergeant Tymen Farraday, the newest cop in a precinct plagued by scandal, is ordered to investigate and discredit the reporter if necessary. When potential evidence is stolen and Lara is attacked, Farraday is forced to put his grudge against reporters aside and work with the journalist to solve the murder while trying to protect her from the killer. Just when they think they have the evidence to arrest a suspect, two more murders turn the investigation in an unexpected direction. The guilty have already shown that they'll stop at nothing to protect their secrets. In a town where one person holds all the power, not even the police can be trusted. And the prime suspect isn't the only person Lara and Farraday need to worry about. (Praise for Suspicious Circumstances) “Spellbinding.” New York Times Bestselling Author Clive Cussler "Never a dull moment. It's a hard book to put down." Tony Hillerman, Edgar Award-Winner and New York Times Bestselling Author "SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES has to be one of the most satisfying mysteries going that grips the reader from beginning to end." Clive Cussler, NY Times Bestselling Author "Secrets and lies, new murders and old, all unravel and unwind within the pages of SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES to create a complex and compelling crime-fiction debut. Sandra Ruttan has a keen eye for description, a wonderful ear for dialogue, and an acute instinct for the nuances of characterization. " Anne Frasier, USA Today Bestselling Author of HUSH "Here is the new voice, and what a voice! Eloquent, sassy, compassionate and written with a style so assured it's hard to believe it's a debut... This is talent writ huge." Ken Bruen, Shamus Award-Winning Author of THE GUARDS "Sandra Ruttan's Suspicious Circumstances soars. It is complex, exciting, and elegant. In musical terms, it's listening to Bach. I'm in love with Lara Kelly, the smart, strong, vulnerable protagonist. Her detective lover better move fast or I'm in there. A gripping adventure, a large cast of marvelous characters, and twists that follow turns. Read it. You'll love it too." Robert Fate, Author of BABY SHARK "A white-hot blazing ride sure to slam you down some of the darkest, twistiest back alleys that ever corrupted a small city's secret heart." Cornelia Read, Edgar Award-Nominated Author of A FIELD OF DARKNESS "A well executed procedural with a spark between our protagonists, an excellent feel for political machinations on a small town scale and a plot that twists and turns like a bad tempered rattlesnake." Russel D. McLean, Crime Scene Scotland

The Venus Shoe


Carla Neggers - 1984
    Alone with her memories, she picks wild blueberries on a quiet island. As she starts to dip into the cool water for a refreshing swim, she discovers she isn’t alone after all. A man is asleep on her little island. Artemis doesn’t believe his story about why he’s trespassing, but the truth is even more complicated. She is convinced this rugged stranger and his secrets are the key to finding out what really happened to her parents. She’s playing a dangerous game, not only with her life…but with her heart.

The Memory Watcher


Minka Kent - 2016
    But what starts as an innocent fascination spirals into an addictive obsession met with a screeching halt the day the McMullen family closes their Instaface account without so much as a warning.  Frantic and desperate to reconnect with her daughter, Autumn applies for a nanny position with the McMullens, manipulating herself into Grace's life under false pretenses. And it's only then that Autumn discovers pictures lie, the perfect family doesn't exist, and beautiful people? They have the ugliest secrets.

Deadly Switch


Karen Dodd - 2013
    Each obsessed and tormented.Both harboring too many secrets. He’s on the run; she’s in the chase of her life.What they discover changes everything. From the gruesome discovery in an exclusive enclave of West Vancouver, British Columbia, DEADLY SWITCH takes you on a wild ride from Italy’s Amalfi coast, to the idyllic seaside town of Carmel, California. Gavin Stone’s tormented daughter, Alexis, searches frantically for her missing father, matching wits with devious criminals. With demons of her own to fight, she shouldn’t care about proving him innocent of murder and embezzlement—but she does.Murder…intrigue… a romance built on a house of cards: this thriller will satisfy your thirst for the adrenaline rush that this intricately plotted story delivers. A delicious stay-up-all-nighter, DEADLY SWITCH stuns with its heart-pounding conclusion. You will not see it coming.If you love suspense/thrillers, you will devour DEADLY SWITCH.

I'm a Therapist, and My Patient is Going to be the Next School Shooter: 6 Patient Files That Will Keep You Up At Night


Dr. Harper - 2019
    A boy who planned to be the next school shooter. A patient with OCD whose loved ones really did suffer every time he missed a ritual. A choir boy who claimed he was being molested -- not by a priest -- but by God Himself. A patient with PTSD who gave me nightmares. A husband and wife who accused each other of abuse, and only one of them was telling the truth.And how could I ever forget, Patient #220.The problem is, my patients have a habit of dying. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the common denominator. Or maybe that's just the cost of taking on exceptionally broken clients.Either way, I'll never stop trying to help.

Parting Shot


Jonathan Stone - 2006
    As Sam covers a once-in-a-lifetime story---one that has turned Webster County into bedlam but is at last providing Sam with an opportunity for media stardom---he suddenly sees an even better chance: to solve his personal problems forever. But there’s another player thrust into the national spotlight along with Sam: It’s Sheriff Billy Wyatt, who’s in way over his head. The FBI is breathing down his neck, and the national press highlights his every bungle. He’s confronting a madman---and his own limits. Can he outsmart either? Out of elements that thriller readers have come to expect, Jonathan Stone has woven a story they assuredly will not expect. In whirlwind action and hurricane prose that echo the best of James Patterson and Harlan Coben, Stone is in top form here, delivering a tale about the unchecked power of the media and the unreasonable passions of fatherhood---with a payoff that will stun and startle, yet make perfect sense.

Saving Cade


Victorine E. Lieske - 2018
    Afraid the police will be after her, the last thing she needs is a wanted man in her car. But when Cade McMillan saves her life and gets hurt, she can’t just leave him by the side of the road, bleeding. And waiting for the cops is out of the question. Cade McMillan just wants to clear his name, but in order to do that he has to find the man who murdered his girlfriend and set him up. He doesn’t need to get tangled up in a relationship, and definitely doesn’t need to fall in love. But he can’t help feeling drawn to the sassy woman who saved him from getting picked up by the police. As Cade realizes someone is trying to kill him, he must decide if staying with Meg is worth the danger he’s putting her in. Saving Cade is a sweet romantic suspense.

Shiver Sweet


H.C. Elliston - 2012
    THEY’RE WATCHING YOU...Christa has a secret so big that her husband John is using it as blackmail in their divorce. He is out for revenge because - although she won’t admit it - Christa is still in love with the man with whom she shares this secret; the man whose fiery girlfriend slams Christa at every opportunity. To protect her teenage daughter from a horrid truth, Christa must agree to John’s demands by the morning. But her world is about to rip wide open, and turn into life or death, when housemate Nicola discovers that John is the least of their problems; he’s not the only one wretched enough to exploit them.

The C.J. Box Highway Quartet Collection: Back of Beyond; The Highway; Badlands; Paradise Valley


C.J. Box - 2017
    Box: Back of Beyond Cody Hoyt, although a brilliant cop, is an alcoholic struggling with two months of sobriety when his friend Hank Winters turns up dead in a remote mountain cabin. At first it looks like suicide, but Cody knows Hank better than that. As Cody digs deeper into the case, all roads lead to foul play. After years of bad behavior with his department, Cody in no position to be investigating a homicide. But he will stop at nothing to find out who murdered Hank. And why... The Highway When two sisters set out across a remote stretch of Montana road to visit their friend, little do they know it will be the last time anyone might ever hear from them again. The girls—and their car—simply vanish. Convinced by his son and his former rookie partner, Cassie Dewell, former police investigator Cody Hoyt begins the drive to the girls' last known location. As Cody makes his way to the stretch of highway where they went missing, Cassie discovers that Gracie and Danielle Sullivan aren't the first girls who have disappeared in this area. This majestic landscape is the hunting ground for a killer. Can Cassie overcome her doubts and lack of experience and use her innate skill? Can Cody Hoyt battle his own demons and find this killer before another victim vanishes on the highway?BadlandsTwelve-year-old Kyle Westergaard dreams of getting out of Grimstad and leading a better life. One day, while delivering newspapers, he witnesses a car accident and takes a mysterious bundle from the scene. Suddenly he’s in possession of a lot of money—and packets of white powder—and Kyle can’t help but wonder whether his luck has changed…for better or for worse. When a gang war heats up, it’s up to Cassie Dewell to help restore law and order. As she is propelled on a collision course with a murderous enemy, she finds that the key to it all might come in the most unlikely form: a boy on a bike named Kyle. He seems to know something that Cassie does not about what lies beneath the surface of this small and troubled town… Paradise Valley For three years, Investigator Cassie Dewell has been on a hunt for a serial killer known as the Lizard King whose hunting grounds are the highways and truck stops where runaways and prostitutes are most likely to vanish. Cassie almost caught him...once. Now, she has set what she believes is the perfect trap. But the plan goes horribly wrong, and the blame falls on Cassie. Disgraced, she loses her job. At the same time, Kyle Westergaard, has disappeared and Kyle's grandmother begs Cassie to find him. Cassie agrees—all the while hunting the truck driver. Kyle's disappearance may have a more sinister meaning than anyone realizes. With no allies, no support, and only her own wits to rely on, Cassie must take down a killer who is as ruthless as he is cunning.

Murderous Greed


Arun K. Nair - 2017
    The very same morning, Karthik, an up and coming young businessman is found shot dead in his car in the middle of the road — the only witness to the incident being his employee Drishti who was in the car with him at the time. The responsibility of getting behind the root of both incidents falls on Inspector Satyajit, an intrepid and honest police officer, and his team who get cracking on both cases immediately. But as the investigation proceeds further, the incidents and the stories of those involved get increasingly confused and murkier. What illegal deals was Karthik involved in? Did these deals cause his untimely death? How is all this connected to the housewife who was killed the same morning? What is the part played by the mysterious Gun Club in all these events? Follow Satyajit as he attempts to uncover these dubious questions.

The Strange Death of Father Candy


Les Roberts - 2011
    His late parents were close to the ruling mob clan in Youngstown, his sister was a bad-tempered and dissatisfied nag, and his middle brother was a corruptible police lieutenant. But in 1985, their oldest brother Richard Candiotti---beloved by every Italian Catholic in Youngstown as "Father Candy"---dies, and Dominick returns home for the funeral.Dominick is greatly disturbed by Richard's death, which has been ruled a suicide. Dissatisfied with this answer, he sets out to find the truth, revealing secrets and coming face-to-face with brutality and violence.Award-winning author Les Roberts pens a riveting and moving tale about walking the fragile tightrope between love and hatred.

Saved by Her Mountain Men


Shae Sullivan - 2019
    Snatched right off the streets by a bunch of sickos. I have no idea what they have planned for me, but I don’t intend to find out. So when an unbelievable chance occurs, I make my escape. I’ll survive this, if the cold doesn’t kill me first. Hours in knee-deep snow and my body can’t take anymore. Then, like a mirage in the desert, an empty cabin appears—and I’m saved. Or at least I think I am. The next thing I know, two rugged mountain men show up, claiming it’s their home. I don’t want to trust them, but everything in me does. They’re strong, and confident, and they promise to protect me. And the longer I’m with them, the more I don’t want to leave. I wish this could last forever, but I don’t think it can, not when my kidnappers come looking for me. Wilkes/Blake It was supposed to be a hunting trip like every other. Two best friends, a couple of ice-cold beers, and some smoked meats. But our plans completely vanish when we meet her. A bruise covered beauty who tries to take our heads off with a shovel as we return home. She’s gorgeous . . . and beyond terrified. Who is she? And why is she here? She tells us she’s been kidnapped. Taken from her home and sold to the highest bidder. We’ll do everything we can to protect her. But as the days go by, kindness morphs into passion. She wants both of us, and we’re more than willing to oblige. She doesn’t believe in happily ever after any more, but we’ll show her it still exists. And if someone comes looking for her, they’ll meet the edge of our axes. Saved by Her Mountain Men is a standalone panty-drenching, suspense-filled, MFM Menage Romance. If you like hunky, strapping males with long hair and flannel, this book is for you!

The Forgotten Ones


Steena Holmes - 2018
    She’s managed to piece together a solid life from a childhood of broken memories and fairy tales her mom told her to explain away bad dreams. But weekly visits to her mother still fill Elle with a paralyzing fear she can’t explain. It’s just another of so many unanswered questions she grew up with in a family estranged by silence and secrets.Elle’s world turns upside down when she receives a deathbed request from her grandfather, a man she was told had died years ago. Racked by grief, regrets, and a haunted conscience, he has a tale of his own to tell Elle: about her mother, an imaginary friend, and two strangers who came to the house one night and never left.As Elle’s past unfolds, so does the truth—if she can believe it. She must face the reasons for her inexplicable dread. As dark as they are, Elle must listen…before her grandfather’s death buries the family’s secrets forever.