Book picks similar to
Callous by Ken Bruen


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My Mother's Children


Annette Sills - 2021
    She has just lost her mother Tess and brother Mikey, her marriage to Joe is coming apart at the seams and her thirty-year friendship with Karen is on the rocks.While clearing out her childhood home, Carmel discovers that her mother gave birth to a baby in an Irish Mother and Baby home when she was sixteen, a place notorious for its mass burial of babies and illegal adoptions.Carmel goes on a quest for the truth about her troubled mother’s past. Her roller-coaster journey takes her from her comfortable Manchester home to the west of Ireland and to London's theatre land. It’s a journey that leads her to ask: Can we ever escape our own family history or is our destiny in our DNA?

Open Your Heart (Matt Bolster, #2)


Neal Pollack - 2013
    With attendance now hitting the double digits, nothing can stop the Bolster express.When Bolster gets invited to teach at The Gathering, a prestigious yoga retreat run by the renowned Tom Hart, it seems like things can’t get any better. Bolster is a little dubious about the cultish atmosphere, but, as they say in L.A., it’s an honor just to be nominated. What starts off as a relaxing, decadent retreat quickly spirals into deadly chaos that forces Bolster to use all his yoga-detective powers, and also his fists.Open Your Heart, like Neal Pollack's first Matt Bolster book, Downward-Facing Death, is a biting satire of trendy, sexually-driven yoga culture, where ancient principles of loving enlightenment clash with the darkest corners of human nature. The latest in the Matt Bolster Yoga Mystery series will thrill readers, whether they read it while in Crow Pose or on the couch.

Leaving Pimlico


P.B. North - 2014
    I can never get used to this, Alexi. Having you, that is. How did I deserve you? Deserve me? You don't have to do anything to deserve me. I love you. It's as simple as that. I love you for what you are. All you need to do is love me back. You don't earn love, as a payment in return.Peter Kingsmill's life had run into the sands since the death of his wife. What was a glittering London career had lost its shine. Until, that is, his life is turned upside down by an unexpected collision of events. He inherits the family estate, meets a girl seventeen years his junior and receives an anonymous letter which casts doubt on all the certainties on which he has built his past life.What follows is a journey of discovery which takes him back in time to war-torn Europe. To a story of betrayal in the secret world of spies and double agents, and ultimately to redemption and a bright new life.The narrative moves at speed from the dusty plains of pre-war Poland to the frozen winter landscapes of German-occupied Norway and finally to the gentle pastoral of the north Yorkshire hills. It is a story of a search for the pieces that make up a human life; and of the love that binds those pieces together....Do you remember the Snow Queen story? I can complete the pattern now. I have everything I need.

Unsympathetic Victims: A Legal Thriller (Ashley Montgomery Book 1)


Laura Snider - 2021
    Following the verdict, a protest breaks out — and the hated defense attorney quickly finds her life in danger.But little does Ashley know, things are about to get worse — much worse. One of her clients turns up dead, and Ashley is arrested for his murder. As local investigators Katie Mickey and George Thomanson dive into the case, they start to suspect that Ashely is being framed — but by whom?With Ashley’s freedom at stake, Katie and George are desperate to find out the truth. And soon, they uncover a sinister plot born of corruption, greed, and misplaced loyalty that will leave the whole town reeling — and questioning their faith in the people they trusted most.

Ace in the Hole: A Reed Ferguson Mystery


Renee Pawlish - 2016
     "This series just keeps on getting better." - Amazon review Reed returns in a holiday tale! It’s Christmas time, and Denver private investigator Reed Ferguson’s family and friends are coming into town. But when a con artist swindles his delightfully naïve friend Ace Smith out of some money, Reed steps in to see if he can find the culprit. This leads him to a devious bell-ringing Santa and much more. Can Reed wrap up this mystery before his holiday festivities begin, or will his holly jolly Christmas Eve turn fatal? Note: Ace in the Hole is a 25,000-word novella in the Reed Ferguson world. It is set after Road Blocked in the timeline. With a Bogie-wannabe detective, a dose of humor, and a clever homage to film noir, you won't want to put this mystery down. From the award-wining author of This Doesn't Happen In The Movies. Great for fans who love a fast-paced, humorous read, without a lot of swearing or sex. More Great Reviews of this private investigator series: Kirkus Reviews: The promising kickoff to Pawlish's comic mystery series, starring far-from-perfect private investigator Reed Ferguson. Pawlish earns high marks for plot construction, with twists and turns naturally unfolding as Ferguson, inexperienced but not incapable, feels his way through the case. A good-humored mystery series worth following. 5 star review: Oh how I’ve missed the Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe characters that saw me with a flashlight in the dead of night flipping pages to see what happened next. Thank you Ms. Pawlish for bringing back to life this long-lost art of the detective battling against all odds and getting to the bottom of things. Maureen with zencherry book reviews The Reed Ferguson mystery series: • Book 1: This Doesn't Happen In The Movies • Book 2: Reel Estate Rip-off • Book 3: The Maltese Felon • Book 4: Farewell, My Deuce • Book 5: Out Of The Past • Book 6: Torch Scene • Book 7: The Lady Who Sang High • Book 8: Sweet Smell Of Sucrets • Book 9: The Third Fan • Book 10: Back Story • Book 11: Night of the Hunted • Book 12: The Postman Always Brings Dice • Book 13: Road Blocked • Book 14: Small Town Focus • Ace in the Hole novella • Kindle Worlds Novella: Walk Softly, Danger • short story: Elvis And The Sports Card Cheat • short story: A Gun For Hire Private Investigator Mystery Series Categories: - Mystery Series - Private Investigator Series - Traditional Detective Mysteries - Crime Thrillers - Crime Series - Private Detective Novels - pulp - humor - comedy - noir - cozy

Thicker Than Water


Michael McDonnell - 2012
    This peaceful life is upended when death comes to town. And not just any death. O'Hara's career is on the line as the corpse of a US Senator is found. The Senator, while searching for his ancestors, has uncovered an old, still burning hatred from the time of the Great Famine. Dermot needs all the help he can get to solve the crime but as he starts to unravel the mystery it becomes clear that those around him are not what they seem. This first book in the series introduces us to Dermot, his long suffering wife Jo and his disreputable friends in the local bar.

The Irish Detective: A DCI Brendan Moran Omnibus


Scott Hunter - 2015
    Is there a connection? Returning to work after a short convalescence, DCI Brendan Moran's suspicions are aroused when a senior officer insists on freezing Moran out and handling the investigation himself.Death Walks Behind YouDCI Brendan Moran's last minute break in the West Country proves anything but restful as he becomes embroiled in the mysterious disappearance of an American tourist.   DCI Brendan Moran series eBook categories   Mystery Series Crime Thrillers Thrillers and Mysteries Best Sellers Thrillers 100 Must Reads Thriller Detective Series

Eight Ball Boogie


Declan Burke - 2003
    His relationship is on the rocks, he's hitting the bottle, and his long-lost brother, the amoral Gonzo, is out of prison. Harry investigates the death of a politician's wife - was it the work of an unholy trinity of loyalist gunmen, a rogue Garda and Gonzo?

Keep Your Eyes on Me


Sam Blake - 2020
    Lily's family life is in turmoil, her brother left on the brink of ruin by a con man. Vittoria's philandering husband's latest mistress is pregnant. By the time they land, Vittoria and Lily have realised that they can help each other right the balance. But only one of them knows the real story...

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.

Fireworks in France (A Reverend Annabelle Dixon Mystery Book 7)


Alison Golden - 2021
    

The Pilot Class


Harrison Jones - 2015
    When Tri Con hires eight new pilots and assigns them to a pilot class, they find the ground school and flight simulator challenge more than expected. The class is a mix of former military pilots and civilians with varying experience, including a former female flight attendant. Who can survive The Pilot Class and meet the challenge of flying the line as a Tri Con first officer. Personal relationships, a married flight attendant with an abusive husband, a major airline accident, and the federal government are all obstacles that stand in the way of The Pilot Class.

The Last Drive: A Golfing Mystery


Rex Stout - 2013
    Featuring death on the links, this tale is full of golfing, red herrings, and a detective determined to run down the villain. A great read for Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe fans alike! Originally published as a 6-part serial in Golfers Magazine (July to December, 1916).

The Night of the Party


Rachael English - 2018
    By the end of the night, the parish priest, Father Leo Galvin, is dead.The lives of four teenagers - Tom, Conor, Tess and Nina - who had been drinking beer and smoking in a shed at the back of the house, will never be the same. But one of them carries a secret from that night that he has never shared. The friends go on to lead very different, separate lives - some quiet, others in the media spotlight - but the four remain connected by what happened during the time of the big snow.As the thirty-fifth anniversary of Father Galvin's murder approaches, Conor, now a senior police officer, becomes obsessed with the crime his father failed to solve. He believes that Tom can help identify Father Galvin's killer. But does Tom wish to break his silence? His dilemma draws the four friends back together, forcing them to question their lives and to confront their differences. But only Tom can decide whether Kilmitten's secret will finally be revealed.

John Grisham: 4 Novels (The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Pelican Brief, The Client)


John Grisham - 1995