Book picks similar to
Take Warning by E.M. Smith


mystery
thriller
victor-loshak
detective

Trouble in Paradise


L.T. Vargus - 2021
    And an old flame to complicate the trip.Check out this beach-y Violet Darger short featuring Darger, Loshak, Owen, and Spinks.When 17-year-old Micaela Tolliver goes missing during her beach vacation, FBI profiler Violet Darger heads to Curacao to investigate. The case vexes local law enforcement, with plenty of suspicious characters around and comparisons to Natalee Holloway aplenty.Red herrings. False starts. People who will go great lengths to protect the island's long held secrets.Further complications emerge due to someone else entangled in the case -- Darger's old friend and former lover, private investigator Owen Baxter. They're working together for the first time after a bad breakup. The tension is palpable, and Darger begins to question the knot of conflicts in her own heart.Corruption. Death. Sand. Romance.Once again, Violet Darger shines her light into the shadows. And what she finds there in the darkness will change her.

Rising From the Ashes


Katy Pierce
    Allie Grecco will make them pay.Allie Grecco is living a double life. Thoughtful friend, office drone, and girly college student by day, she becomes a deadly hunter by night, lurking New York City’s seediest alleys to eliminate scumbag predators the cops can’t—or won’t—catch.Since her discharge from the military, it’s the only thing that keeps the nightmares at bay. But everything changes when Allie realizes she’s not the only hunter out there.When one of her sting operations is interrupted by another ex-military operator, Allie learns a secret about her day job at Soldiers for Hire, and is soon put to the ultimate test... a case that could alter the course of her life forever.A civil rights lawyer is missing, and the cops have declared her dead. It smells like a cover-up. Allie Grecco won’t have it. Not on her watch.Rising From the Ashes is book one of Katy Pierce’s Allie Grecco series, perfect for fans of L.T. Ryan. A thrilling roller-coaster ride of one soldier’s journey to face her demons—vigilante-style.

The Promise You Made


A.J. McDine - 2021
    Broken promises. Buried secrets.Ten years ago Rose made a promise to help her goddaughter Eloise if she was ever in trouble.A promise she may live to regret.But she meant every word… until the night Eloise turns up on her doorstep covered in blood and asking for the unthinkable.Rose has buried secrets before. Only this time they’re about to come back and haunt her.

The Letter Promised


Kevin Wignall - 2013
    Returning to the Paris hotel where he spent his honeymoon six years earlier, he decides to take what seems like the only way out - suicide. But a chance encounter with a Russian in a similar predicament leaves Nick with an unlikely obligation to fulfil, one that will take him to Italy, and offer him a chance at something like redemption. www.kevinwignall.com

Already Gone (A Detective McDaniel Thriller Book 4)


Axel Blackwell - 2021
    It's a tense arrangement not helped by Jayda’s drug use and her new boyfriend’s frequent visits. One Friday night, an argument turns physical and the tensions boil over into bloodshed.The following morning, a neighbor finds the front door ajar, the house trashed, and a puddle of blood soaking into the bedroom carpet. Detective Darren McDaniel and his partner, Brent Vanderwyk, quickly determine it’s a case of domestic violence turned deadly. But both Levi and Jayda are missing – as is the little girl.As the detectives plunge into the hunt for a suspect, a body and a missing toddler, the case becomes increasingly bizarre. The couple have ties to money laundering, drug trafficking, organized crime, and even darker secrets. As much as Levi and Jayda hated each other, plenty of other people had reason to want either or both of them dead.With their suspect list steadily growing, and the missing toddler’s time slipping away, McDaniel and Vanderwyk race against the clock, piecing the puzzle together, hoping to save little Cami before her time runs out.

The Shadow Priest: Book Two


D.C. Alexander - 2017
    The barest of clues lead him on a desperate quest to hunt down the hidden ringleaders of the conspiracy and find evidence that might ultimately clear his name. As he goes along, Arkin begins to wrangle with the question of whether the group should, in the interest of the greater good of humanity, be left to its philanthropic but murderous ways.

The Woman Who Wore Roses (Joe Court Book 5)


Chris Culver - 2019
    Her purse has no ID, cell phone, or car keys, and her room is registered to Benjamin Franklin. She’s no drifter, though. She has two thousand dollars cash in her wallet, a ten-thousand dollar watch in her purse, and a six-thousand dollar dress on a hanger on the bathroom door.  Detective Mary Joe Court catches the case and identifies the woman as the estranged spouse of a wealthy investment advisor from St. Louis. The victim had been trying to create a new life for herself with someone she loved. Now, that will never happen.  But some seemingly innocent victims are anything but innocent. Sometimes, they’re downright dangerous.  The woman with the beautiful, rose-patterned dress carried her secrets to her grave. To find her killer, Joe has to unearth them…or risk being buried alongside her.   The Woman who wore Roses is the fifth mystery in New York Times’ bestselling author Chris Culver’s gripping Joe Court series. If you like James Patterson, David Baldacci, or Karin Slaughter, you’ll love this series.

The Intruder (Audible Original)


Jeffery Deaver - 2021
    But that tranquility is shattered when he realizes a figure from his past has arrived in town, armed with a knife, his intentions clear from the man’s attempts to break into Evan’s house in the middle of the night. The authorities can do nothing.Evan can turn only to the nightmares that plague his sleeping hours for answers. But the question is: can those dreams save him, or are they part of the intruder’s plan?

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.

Lost Sister


Ben Cheetham - 2018
    A trip to the cinema turns into a nightmare for Anna and her little sister Jessica, when two men throw thirteen-year-old Jessica into the back of a van and speed away.The years tick by... Tick, tick... The police fail to find Jessica and her name fades from the public consciousness... Tick, tick... But every time Anna closes her eyes she’s back in that terrible moment, lurching towards Jessica, grabbing for her. So close. So agonizingly close.... Tick, tick... Now in her thirties, Anna has no career, no relationship, no children. She’s consumed by one purpose – finding Jessica, dead or alive.Detective Jim Monahan has a little black book with forty-two names in it. Jim’s determined to put every one of those names behind bars, but his investigation is going nowhere fast. Then a twenty-year-old clue brings Jim and Anna together in search of a shadowy figure known as Spider. Who is Spider? Where is Spider? Does Spider have the answers they want? The only thing Jim and Anna know is that the victims Spider entices into his web have a habit of ending up missing or dead.

No Justice


J.K. Ellem - 2017
    He’s not looking for trouble. He just wants to be left alone but trouble always has a way of finding him. Martha’s End is a good town, filled with bad people, and Shaw soon finds himself caught between two feuding families, the McAlister’s and the Morgan’s, whose bitter rivalry dates back generations. But dark and sinister things are happening on the Morgan ranch. Women have gone missing, the local police turn a blind eye, and Jim Morgan, the rich and powerful family patriarch rules the town with his three brutal sons. And then there is Daisy McAlister, the last of the McAlister family blood-line. Since her father died she has single-handedly run the family ranch and the Morgan’s will stop at nothing to get their hands on her land. But Ben Shaw has a unique skills-set and a mysterious past that could tip the balance in her favor. There is no justice in this town. But justice is coming… No Justice is a standalone adult thriller that you won’t be able to put down. A secluded ranch with dark secrets. Best friends with bitter memories. A small town run by a family of bullies. And a new face in town who lands right in the middle of it all. It's a stand alone adult thriller BUT be warned: It has content for mature readers only. Read what others are saying about NO JUSTICE: “The story was fantastic. I loved the beginning. It drew me right in. I love the main character. He is the type I dream about. He is laid baçk, but won't back down when backed in a corner. Even after finishing the book I still picture him in my mind. I like a strong woman lead character. Daisy is that type. She won't back down. She is making it in a man's world. She is strong yet still shows her woman’s side. She knows her limits. She doesn't get clingy with Shaw. She knows what it is between them. Both are believable characters. The Morgan boys you hit dead on. You got me hating them from the start. I mean I was getting angry just reading about them. The storyline was great. I couldn't put it down once I started. It held my interest throughout the whole book. I loved the ending. I hope there are more coming.” Julie Blumke “Just finished your book and it caught me from the first sentence till the last. My favorite type of book deals with mercenaries, and vigilantes which your book touches on. It keeps you on edge as each page is turned. It holds interest throughout the book. I would not change anything. This book will be a big hit. Full of so much action. I didn't want it to end. Should you decide to continue the story of Ben that would be much welcome. I love who Ben really is was never revealed. Kept him a mystery. I can see many more stories following this one featuring Ben. Thank you for such a great book.” Bernie A Harrison

Absolution


Adam Croft - 2019
    All he wants is to get his work done and enjoy a quiet existence. But when he’s caught up in a terrorist attack on the London Underground, his life is turned upside down.As he lies recovering in his hospital bed, a shadowy figure visits him and tells Sam not only is he a key witness to the attack, but he has unique access to information which could blow open a huge conspiracy and bring down the British government.Will Sam risk everything he knows and loves to save his country?

Button Bright


Michael Kurland - 1990
    But Button was only dimly aware of the sounds. Her consciousness had shrunk down to focus on the body that was blocking her hole— —and the warm, thick liquid that was dripping onto her hand.” Button is an 11 year old, bubbly and intelligent girl who is haunted in her dreams by a tapping sound… Living with her mother and father in Cottsborough, Vermont, Button had been trained to hide and not ever answer to her secret name, ‘Rachel’. One day, two men arrive at Button’s family home searching for her by this secret name. Refusing to give Button up, things turn violent and the men shoot her father dead. Through a narrow crack in the floor boards, Button bears witness to the murder. Eluding the two men who tried to catch her, Button uses her wits to navigate herself from Vermont to Boston and then to New York. Button has a plan to find her uncle Dromkin. When her search seems hopeless, Button is taken in by a resident of her uncle’s apartment building, Phil, who claims he can help. But when they find Dromkin sprawled on the floor with his throat cut, Button is convinced she is somehow the cause of these family murders... Will Phil be able to keep her identity hidden long enough for her to find out the truth? Praise for Michael Kurland: "A perfect tale of childhood terror." - Tom Kasey Michael Kurland grew up in New York City, attended Columbia University, spent four years in the Army, much of it in Europe, and now lives in California with his partner, novelist Linda Robertson, a dog, a cat, and an occasional visiting family of raccoons. He has been a teacher of obscure subjects to disinterested children, the editor of a magazine even more idiosyncratic than himself, a seeker of absent persons, a magical explainer, and guest lecturer at numerous unrelated events. Kurland has written a dozen or so science fiction novels, a brace of mysteries, and several books that fit into that tenuous genre known as “mainstream.” He has been nominated for an Edgar (twice) and for the American Book Award. His books have been translated into eleven other languages. His other novel with Venture Press is Psi Hunt.

Return to evil


John Carson - 2019
    This novel has been re-written and re-branded to feature Harry McNeil as the main protagonist. It has been re-edited and God Complex will no longer be available on or around Dec 26 2019 when it finishes its run on KDP. If you have read God Complex please DO NOT buy this book. It is essentially the same, with editorial revisions. A woman is found in a local cemetery, crushed to death under a gravestone. A production company is there, filming the remake of a classic sci-fi TV show in the grounds, making the investigation more difficult for DCI Harry McNeil. It's his first day in charge of the cold case unit in Edinburgh. After spending four years in Professional Standards, he has little choice but to take the promotion. The Crown Office decides which cold cases should be reviewed, and this time, they've decided the murder of a teenage girl from twenty years ago should be re-opened. A girl who was murdered by somebody pushing a gravestone on top of her... The case gets more complicated when they find out who the latest victim is. Suddenly there are no shortage of suspects. As the filming continues, so does the killing. And McNeil wonders, has a killer been murdering for twenty years? Or is this case completely unconnected? With Frank Miller's help, he's going to find out...the hard way...

Hit and Run


Maria Frankland - 2021
    Fighting to keep her life on track, her world is blown apart by some dreadful news one sunny June afternoon.Fiona’s insular life becomes lonelier as she gets to know her husband more after his death than when he was alive.Who can she believe? And who will believe her?A story that shows the darkness which exists within families, and the damage that people can do to each other.