Book picks similar to
The Architect of Revenge: A September 11th Novel by T.W. Ainsworth
romantic-suspense
shelf-a-authors
y-u-new-york
0-all2
#2 Bundle of Fun
Lizz Lund - 2014
Plural. Her catering disorder runs neck-and-neck with her weird luck, and her cat’s weirder tendency toward gnawing elf gear. Okay, and getting kidnapped a couple of times in one week is a little strange, too.Her next door neighbor Vito's past as ex-leader of the Moils, the Jewish-Polish Family from Bumville, New Jersey, comes to light and throws a dollop of dilemmas into an already simmering plot.Top it all off with a counterfeiting ring, a county-wide dearth of holiday wrapping tape, and a mass of pets running loose at the local mall, and what do you have? A recipe for disaster that Mina whips to a froth.Christmas Bizarre will keep you smiling when you’re not shouting up a belly laugh. Set in Lancaster, “Pee-Ay” you’ll discover a lively cast of characters, funny dialogue and lots of twists and turns. Hang on tight -- you’re in for a slalom of a holiday ride.
CONFECTION CONNECTION
Valentine’s Day stinks - literally - after a shift at The Shrimp Shack, getting showered with a vat of marinara and being haunted by a messy ghost.The romance holiday looms large for Mina Kitchen - a forty-something single without a boyfriend in sight, and a catering disorder to beat the band. Everyone else is all set: even her Swiffer-addicted neighbor Vito (the ex-leader of the Moils, the Jewish-Polish Family from Bumville, New Jersey) has a significant other. Who knew?And then there’s her best friend Trixie. She’s got a steady boyfriend, and a full time job with plenty of OT, too. She’s even quit smoking! Except now she’s a jelly junkie. Well, not just jelly - any sweet will do.What’s a girl to do? Set her sights on handsome Chef? Or dare a flirt with juicy James? Who you gonna call? GumBuster! Wait, that’s just one of Mina’s new part time jobs.Romance fills the air (or is that fried chicken?) but dates remain elusive as a series of mysterious thefts rattle the shop owners of Lancaster "Pee-Ay". Can mild-mannered Mina land a full time job, a boyfriend and save Trixie’s waistline without getting konked by some creepy crook? Vinnie, her mini mountain lion-sized tabby keeps assuring her everything will turn out fine - but he’s been wrong before.Confection Connection is packed with laughs, mysterious thefts and a ghost - with a cherry on top - recipes. Set in Lancaster, “Pee-Ay” you’ll discover quirky characters, hysterical dialogue and funny surprises simmering away. ˃˃˃ “Christmas Bizarre (Mina Kitchen Mystery 2) is a hilarious sequel to Kitchen Addiction!” "It kept me laughing all the way through and brought to mind Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum stories. Ms. Lund has a bit of a winner on her hands here... Very well written, excellent, quite lovable characters and some very witty lines made this into a book that I would read again...
Are You Sitting Down?
Shannon Yarbrough - 2010
A drug addict haunted by a dead girlfriend. A homosexual mourning a dead lover. A teacher having an affair with his student. And a businesswoman sexually harassed by her boss. What do they all have in common? They all sit at Lorraine White's holiday dinner table; they are also her children. But Lorraine's children are not the only ones in the family dealing with ghosts of the past. This is the first Christmas the Whites have spent together since the death of their father. And it very well could be their last, as arguments ensue, secrets are revealed, and perhaps a murderer walks among them. In his latest novel, Yarbrough explores the damaged soul of one small town family and breaks through the boundaries of love, convincing his readers that no matter how hard life gets, sometimes the support of family is the only true foundation we have left to depend upon - whether we want to or not.
The Race
Nick Harlow - 2011
He decides to run for the Presidency against the incumbent, and sets in motion a series of events that will change his life and steal part of his soul. Maxwell finds this campaign requires media manipulation and dirty tricks that pull out all the stops, while learning that power, money and sex are interchangeable in American politics. Success usually comes with a price, but is Maxwell willing to pay it? And will it cost him the woman he loves? Meanwhile, reporter Jillian Turner sells her soul to save her career, then finds herself intoxicated with the man running for the White House and caught in a network plot to control the election. The Race is a look at the aphrodisiac known as political power, the media’s role in politics, and one man’s internal battle between good and evil. (After The Race, enjoy a few sample chapters of Nick Harlow's newest thriller ENDGAME)
White Sea Rising
M.J. Kephart - 2014
But when he steps onto the wrong floor of his luxury hotel he finds bodies strewn across the hall. A dying tourist begs him to carry a backpack to the American Embassy. In doing so, Barrett is thrust into a whirlwind of violence, deceit, and betrayal, as foreign operatives hunt for the secret that’s fallen into his hands. Suddenly at his side is Sada, a stunning female Mossad agent whose agenda is as unclear as her identity. A chilling discovery sends the pair careening across three continents, saddled with a story no one believes. When a black ops unit infiltrates onto American soil, Barrett realizes only he can stop this threat. But first he’ll have to find a secret that’s lain buried for fifty years in a West Virginia coal mine.
Five Days in Skye
Carla Laureano - 2013
When she's sent to meet Scottish celebrity chef James MacDonald on the Isle of Skye, she just wants to finish her work as efficiently as possible. Yet her client is not the opportunistic womanizer he portrays himself to be, and her attraction to him soon dredges up memories she'd rather leave buried. For James, renovating the family hotel is a fulfillment of his late father's dreams. When his hired consultant turns out to be beautiful, intelligent, and completely unimpressed by his public persona, he makes it his mission to win her over. He just never expects to fall under her spell.Soon, both Andrea and James must face the reality that God may have a far different purpose for their lives—and that five days in Skye will forever change their outlook on life and love.
The Breckton Trilogy
Mary Wood - 2013
Bridie O’Hara, a beautiful young girl, is torn away from her native Ireland by her father – a freedom fighter, turned traitor, when he has to flee the wrath of the Fenians. Violated by him she ends up in a correction convent. Her escape, and meeting up with Bruiser Armitage, a pimp, sets her fate. One man tries to save her, Will Hadler, a kind, hard-working miner, whose love for Bridie knows no bounds. His rescue of her brings her happiness, but the demons inside her never give her peace. When Andrew Harvey, master of Hensal Grange, takes a fancy to her it is the beginning of Bridie sinking back into degradation. Her daughter, Bridget pays the price. Unprotected by her drunken mother, Bridget suffers rape and the heartbreak of having to give up her child, Megan.Book Two: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND: It is 1913 and for Megan and her friend, Hattie, the time has come to take up their placements and make their way in the world. Megan’s path leads her to fall into a marriage with a man she does not love and at whose hands she suffers beatings and rape. With Hattie’s help she finally escapes, but her path crosses that of the beautiful, rich and powerful, Laura Harvey. It is Laura’s need to have her wish at any price that triggers an eruption of violence that brings Megan near to death and sends Jack, the man both Megan and Laura love to prison, for a murder he did not commit.Hattie’s path crosses that of paedophile, Lord Marley. She is raped by him and his companion. Her ten pound silence money buys her an abortion but her choices have gone and she is forced into a life of prostitution. It is when she stumbles across an evil, child sex ring and is determined to break it that she once more encounters Lord Marley and though she succeeds in her quest and gets her revenge, she pays a terrible price. Hers and Megan’s enduring friendship bring them through.Book Three: TOMORROW BRINGS SORROWSet in 1939 – 1959, As the world faces many changes brought on by war, Megan has found happiness with Jack, but the threat of Megan’s schizophrenic son Billy, still casts a shadow over them. His release is imminent and for Sarah, Jack’s daughter, this opens up a fate she cannot fight. With her love and respect for Billy eroded over the years as she came to realise he has an evil core, Sarah now lives in fear of him and what he will do if she refuses him. Forsaking her true love, she marries Billy in an attempt to protect those who are very dear to her, but love and hate will out and the consequences are devastatingThose consequences are compounded by the incestuous love between twins Theresa and Terrence Crompton and their taking of all they need from whatever source they please.
Sand River
James Vaughan - 2017
He grew up at a wild time and did what he had to do to survive. The law took one view of it; he took another. And the law wouldn’t get off his back. He did time, broke out of prison. He went north, hoping to leave the past behind. But the past followed him. And now there were murder charges. Whichever way he turned, trouble was right there. This is his account of what happened. Jack was born in Charleston in 1861. His parents died early of cholera and his guardian died when he was fifteen, leaving him penniless and alone. He went west and got work as a cattle drover. He shot an outlaw who was trying to rob him. Another outlaw, named Ibbetson, got away alive. Later, he ran across a cowboy called Skeeter on a cattle drive. They met again in a saloon and Skeeter asked him to help drive a herd of horses. Jack didn’t know they were stolen. He was arrested, went to jail. During his trial, he broke out of the courthouse with another inmate, who shot a courthouse constable. After that, a rope was waiting. He went north and got work on a ranch called Sand River. For a while it looked like he’d outrun trouble. He did the job and stayed clean. But up there, range wars were being fought. Ranchers hired range detectives to handle trouble. To some, they were hired killers. One of them was Ibbetson. When they met again, Jack knew it wouldn’t end well. His past had arrived.
The Camel Club / The Collectors / Stone Cold
David Baldacci - 1969
This box set includes "Camel Club, The Collectors" and "Stone Cold."
Seattle Quake 9.2
Marti Talbott - 2001
Yet, nearly two million people living in the greater Seattle area went about their daily lives as usual. A Detective Agency thought they had found a missing woman, an upstart radio station was on the air, and an eccentric banker had just started a round of golf. Thousands were driving on freeways, shopping in malls, awaiting flights, working in downtown high-rises, and on buses in the bus tunnel. They knew -- they just didn't believe it could happen to them. (This book is dedicated to Ham Radio Operators all over the world who open the lines of communication after a disaster. Although the technology may be a little out of date, this book still honors their hard, behind the scenes work.)
Celt
Wayne Marinovich - 2014
Driven on by the discovery of a methane release that could alter the world's sea-level, with catastrophic consequences, they will stop at nothing to secure their wealth and fortunes. Will their actions help the world to preserve the remaining resources, or are their motives more sinister?Sergeant Kyle Gibbs is a disgruntled Scotsman, who after serving as an SAS team leader for a now disintegrating British Government, jumps at the opportunity to become a mercenary for this secret Billionaires Club. After a failed incursion into an oil-rich country, Gibbs, and his team are left at the mercy of the African Continent as they scramble to get back to England and find out which one of their paymasters set them up to fail.With the initial signs of climate change affecting London, they race through the poverty-stricken city streets, trying to expose the traitor.Book 1 in the Kyle Gibbs Series.
Yellow Death
Alex Lettau - 2015
When Dr. Kris Jensen, a medical detective with the CDC's hepatitis division, arrives in Mississippi to investigate rapidly fatal hepatitis in two drug users, she doesn't expect to become a victim. Two days after an accidental needlestick, she realizes that she is now infected with this unknown lethal virus and has only five days left to find answers to its origin. Jensen's investigation takes her into the depths of a web of drug use and revenge murders, tracked by DEA assassins who are determined to keep her from discovering the truth.
A Song for the Asking
Steve Gannon - 1997
Hardened by years of law enforcement, he is determined to prepare his children to face a harsh and violent world. With a relentless will for perfection and scorn for anything less, Kane teaches them his rules for success and provides a model for the essentials of survival: strength, bravery, ambition, stoicism, and vengeance. He shows them everything -- everything but what is in his heart.Over the course of a single shattering summer, each of Kane's children will be forced to pay the price his standards demand, but the brunt of Kane's fierce and exacting love will fall on Travis. Lacking the physical prowess of his older brother Tommy, Travis confounds his father with artistic "softness" and musical gifts. Yet in a devastating moment that will change all the Kanes forever, it is Travis alone who will find the courage to defy his father and, ultimately, to redeem him. Set against the sweeping backdrop of the California coast, "A Song for the Asking" tells the story of a family not unlike your own . . ."Rarely does a first novel come along that is both electrifying and unflinching in its portrayal of a family in turmoil. In an intense and poignant debut that brings to mind the powerful dramas of Pat Conroy, Steve Gannon tells a story that is quite unforgettable. Deeply moving, compelling, and filled with candor and compassion, "A Song for the Asking" is, in a word, remarkable, and signals the emergence of a major new talent" Bantam Editorial Review" . . . well-drawn, convincing characters" Kirkus Reviews"Gannon writes brilliantly of the high hopes and shattered dreams, the love, laughter, tears, and pain that make up the family experience. His wonderfully dense and complex characters and his provocative plot combine to produce a heartrending, heartrending novel. An impressive debut." Booklist
The Entrepreneurs
Patrick Kelly - 2014
. . Amateur boxer turned executive Joe Robbins moves his family to Austin, Texas, to join a startup and get rich. At his first company party, Joe witnesses a young woman commit suicide. She leaves no note . . . no motive . . . and the image haunts his dreams.But the company is busy writing software and making sales and everyone is going to get rich! Employees careen around Austin like bats.When the market crashes, the company falls apart, and the paper riches evaporate. Then a director is found murdered, and the police figure Joe for a prime suspect. Two more executives are murdered, and Joe might be next.Forced into the role of an amateur detective, Joe falls back on what he knows: facts, logic, and analysis. If the going gets rough, he’ll use his fists. Whatever the approach, he’d better work fast because he’s facing a long stay in prison or a short trip to the morgue.
Don't Mess With Mrs. Sedgewick: A Caper Story
Marie F. Martin - 2016
She convinces her three golfing buddies, all in their seventies, to sell their homes and buy adjoining condos. The widows intend to spend the rest of their days golfing, gambling at the casino, and having fun. Oh, the heaven of it. But then they all hire the same maid who uncovers long-hidden criminal secrets kept by each woman. Oh, the horror of it. The reputations of their deceased husbands, a banker, a minister, and a respected farmer, will be tarnished forever. Three of the widows could face jail time, and the fourth fears for her life. Whatever will they do with the conniving, blackmailing maid? If you grew to love the characters in Marie F. Martin’s previous novels Maternal Harbor, Harbored Secrets, and Ratham Creek, you will treasure Roberta and her friends in the mystery Don’t Mess With Mrs. Sedgewick.This is a caper story where the not so pure put their lives at risk to catch the real bad guys and save their little town.
Betwixt
Evie Gaughan - 2015
On a night when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest, all that is real and unreal meet in a nowhere place, at a nowhere time.'