Book picks similar to
Beachhead by Jeffery Hess


thriller
historical-fiction
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suspense

Pushed Back


S.A. Ison - 2018
    Ivy Flores comes across a fracture in time. Past... Present ... and Future. She and a stranger, Harper Brison, are caught in a temporal distortion. They are pushed back in time, 17,000 years to the Paleolithic Era. Humans exist in a fragile balance between life and extinction. They are at the bottom of the food chain. Ivy and Harper must find a way to survive the coming winter, giant bears, saber-tooth cats and other predators, with no weapons and only their modern day brains. Could you survive without civilization to save you, and where you're on the menu? This is Ivy's story, this is her journey, this is her journal.

The Cuckoo Wood


M. Sean Coleman - 2018
     Samantha Jaynes took her life in the cold lake. Now Rosie Trimble has done the same. Both claimed they had seen an angel. And they're not the only ones. A spate of teenage suicides rattles the rural community of Kirkdale, in England's Lake District. Before they died, each of the girls talked about seeing an angel. Is this collective hallucination, or is something more sinister leading these young girls to their deaths? That’s a question for Dr Alex Ripley, the so-called Miracle Detective. Brought in to help the police, she finds a community rooted in fear and suspicion, bound by their strange faith, unwilling to help, unable to forgive. Because the people of Kirkdale have buried their dark past once, and they’re not about to let Ripley dig it up again. The Cuckoo Wood is the first Alex Ripley Mystery

Fifteen Digits


Nick Santora - 2012
    Five walks of life. Every day they come together at the white shoe law firm Olmstead & Taft. But they’re not lawyers. They’re “Printers”: blue-collar guys consigned to the dark basement of the firm charged with copying, collating and delivering the mountains of paperwork that document millions of dollars of sensitive legal secrets.Until the five are approached by an ambitious young attorney who teaches them what they have: insider information. Together they make a plan: take the classified documents that pass through their hands every day and use them to get rich. They create a joint account to deposit the spoils. An account with a safeguard-each one only knows one section of the access code.Which means that for all five conspirators, there’s no way out. But as too much money piles up to go unnoticed, the Printers will discover there’s one thing even worse than being an outsider: being in too deep.“FIFTEEN DIGITS is a taut, gripping thrill-ride that appeals to the white collar criminal in all of us. I couldn’t put it down.”–Terence Winter, Creator and Executive Producer of Boardwalk Empire, Executive Producer and Writer of The Sopranos“FIFTEEN DIGITS reads like John Grisham and Martin Scorsese’s nasty love child. Brimming with unique, indelible characters, it’s a cautionary tale of greed, jealousy and vice.”–Shawn Ryan, Creator and Executive Producer of The Shield

Merry Bloody Christmas


Ellie Scott - 2018
    A chocoholic grizzly bear, a talking Christmas tree, mince pie overdoses and a very bloody murder. Will poor old Saint Nick make it out alive? Sad, strange, funny and gruesome, this overlapping, multi-genre collection of tales has a little something for every reader. Curl up with a mulled wine and some fictional festive misery, and discover what Father Christmas really likes to drink when he wriggles down your chimney. Spoiler: it isn’t milk.

The Owner


Shane Simpson - 2013
    Ten years later, the Great Recession economically displaced his livelihood when he was fired from Metal Presses Incorporated. When nothing is left and you've reached your limit for abuse, it's time to release the inner vigilante.THE OWNER is a NON-STOP, HEART-POUNDING, MYSTERY-SUSPENSE THRILL RIDE. Karl Remons has been unstoppable - until now. The murdering, swindling womanizer meets his match when Albert Pabek sails into town. Albert's anger has been stewing for a long time, and he's out for revenge - pure, but not so simple. The plan took five years. Now, he has three days to kill what destroyed his family.Growing up in a Detroit blue-collar family, Albert had a normal childhood. He had expected the same career as his dad. That was, until life dealt its blows. It wasn't a stormy day when Albert sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. But, before he was finished, Albert was expecting to deliver a gale...______________________________________________SERIES OVERVIEW#1 - THE OWNERTHE OWNER is a standalone mystery-suspense-thriller. It's a story about Albert Pabek and his vigilante mission to avenge the deaths of his parents. The storyline is deceptively twisty and you'll be guessing until the end. The book opens with an interesting mystery. The middle of the story gets really crazy. And, it closes out with a huge surprise.For one and done readers, the story is a perfect ten to twelve hour read (it's 450 pages long). There are no loose ends and it has an awesome ending.For those of us who enjoy continual character development that can only be delivered in a series, pick up THE OBSESSOR and keep going. The Detroit vigilante really touches something in each of us. Albert is a simple guy who is tired of power and money hungry people ruining his life, as well as the lives of his family and friends.#2 - THE OBSESSORTHE OBSESSOR, set three months following the shocking end to THE OWNER, has Albert returning to San Francisco. Focused on bailing out his friends, he realizes quickly that the ripples created on the first days of summer are now waves of destruction.THE OBSESSOR kicks off Albert's new life after those first days of summer. It establishes the broader group of characters, as well as reveals the flaws and selfish motivations of each. Albert and his allies weren't - and still aren't - as perfect as it seemed in THE OWNER. Finally, there are additional antagonists, new friends, and ever-growing-larger problems. Book 2 wraps up a few storylines, but Albert is in a real jam during the last few pages...#3 - THE OFFENDERContinuing from the tailending of THE OBSESSOR, Book 3 follows Albert as he seemingly conquers his dilemma in Book 2, but still struggles to focus his energy productively. He's off balance and irrational. And, he's now bordering on outright criminal status.The other allies are also in trouble. The real villain is revealed, and he's a helluva lot more powerful than Karl Remons in THE OWNER. Pete Quinn and Rebecca Underwood, the primary antagonists from THE OBSESSOR, are no match for the offender in Book 3. And, he really is the biggest problem in Albert's "new" life.THE OFFENDER concludes with a soft ending. It has as much closure as real life situations can, and it's open to the reader's imagination if Albert finally reached his "peace". (Of course, Book 4 confirms he didn't get there.)#4 - THE OBJECTORReleasing in Spring 2017, THE OBJECTOR, brings some hard closing ends to the stories threading through THE OBSESSOR and THE OFFENDER. This time around, Albert really does make it back to the first day of his new life.Quinn and Rebecca, now strongly disagreeing about who is the most powerful, realign their respective bases. Metal Presses Incorporated is back in the picture. Bill Shefford has pulled a phoenix move - he is more powerful than ever. And, then there's the lady from Key West...

Cicada Spring


Christian Galacar - 2015
    . .On a warm May evening in the spring of 1979, the people of Heartsridge, Massachusetts, are living the American dream. Families are gathered for barbecues. Kids are playing in front yards. Gardens are being kept. Meanwhile, Kara Price stumbles home through the woods, raped and beaten, her life shattered by a wicked act of violence, perpetrated by one of the town’s most beloved and public figures. Surrounding Kara is a cast of compelling and nefarious characters—a violent-tempered mayor who can do no wrong in the eyes of the town, a sheriff bound by the rules and plagued by a guilty conscience, a father bent on revenge, a serial killer in the midst of an identity crisis. And at the center of it all there's Kara, who just wants to move on with her life and forget everything that happened to her. But how can she do that when everyone thinks she is a liar who is only out for attention? With plot and emotion braided together by a careful hand, this haunted group of people all acting on behalf of their own interests begs the question: How far would you go to protect your own?

Nemesis


Brendan Reichs - 2017
    He killed me not. He killed me.It’s been happening since Min was eight. Every two years, on her birthday, a strange man finds her and murders her in cold blood. But hours later, she wakes up in a clearing just outside her tiny Idaho hometown—alone, unhurt, and with all evidence of the horrifying crime erased.Across the valley, Noah just wants to be like everyone else. But he’s not. Nightmares of murder and death plague him, though he does his best to hide the signs. But when the world around him begins to spiral toward panic and destruction, Noah discovers that people have been lying to him his whole life. Everything changes in an eye blink.For the planet has a bigger problem. The Anvil, an enormous asteroid threatening all life on Earth, leaves little room for two troubled teens. Yet on her sixteenth birthday, as she cowers in her bedroom, hoping not to die for the fifth time, Min has had enough. She vows to discover what is happening in Fire Lake and uncovers a lifetime of lies: a vast conspiracy involving the sixty-four students of her sophomore class, one that may be even more sinister than the murders.

The Speed of Sound


Eric Bernt - 2018
    Resident Eddie Parks’s contribution is nothing less than extraordinary: an “echo box” that can re-create never-recorded sounds using acoustic archeology.All Eddie wants is to hear his late mother’s voice. But what he’s created is inadvertently posing a threat to national security.To Harmony House’s shadowy government backers and radical extremists, the echo box is the ultimate intelligence asset—an end to the very concept of secrecy. Now for Eddie and the compassionate Dr. Skylar Drummond, the true nature of the institution is becoming chillingly clear.As ruthless competing enemies close in on Eddie and his miraculous machine, Skylar risks all to take him on the run. Because once that prize is won, Eddie Parks will no longer be considered a “special person” but a dangerous redundancy. An inconvenient echo that must be silenced.

Perception


Lee Strauss - 2012
     Zoe’s carefree life takes a traumatic turn when her brother Liam is murdered.The only one who can help her find out what happened is Noah Brody, the last guy on earth she should trust.  Noah Brody is a natural who lives on the outside. He leads protests against the GAPs and detests the widening chasm they’ve created between those who have and those who don’t. He doesn’t like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not to like her specifically. He's not sure why he's agreed to help her, but what he finds out when he does, will change his life forever.PERCEPTION is a near-future mystery that can be read alone. ​

Her Dark Path


Ken Ogilvie - 2017
    Rebecca was only eight years old. The killer has never been caught. Growing up, Rebecca vowed that one day she would track him down and make him pay. Now Rebecca is a young police woman in Ontario. She wants to become a homicide detective. Her first investigation is the cold case of a woman who vanished for 16 days and then was found dead in her own home. The brutal crime shocks the remote Canadian town of Conroy. The puzzling case has uncanny similarities to the murder of Rebecca’s mother. Both victims were found strangled in their own kitchens. Can Rebecca keep her emotions together as she closes in on a killer with connections to her family and tragic past? And will she finally get justice for her mother?

Prediction: Big Data, big danger


Tony Batton - 2019
    Their hopes rest on a new quantum super computer, one capable of interpreting patterns in the oceans of intelligence data. There’s just the small challenge of building it. Gregory Jenson, CEO of ZAT Systems, is tasked by MI5 to create the computer, but ghosts in his past could thwart matters before he even begins. Young lawyer, Michael Adams, is given the task of helping Jenson, but he soon has problems of his own. And they’ll soon learn that a hidden player wants to use the new system for their own plans – someone incredibly well-informed, and prepared to go to any lengths to achieve their goals. And if they succeed, the recovery of the nuclear reactor will be the least of everyone’s problems.

Foreclosure: A Novel


S.D. Thames - 2015
    Given a year to prove he can make rain during Florida’s economic drought, David rolls up his sleeves and lands the client of his dreams—Frank O'Reilly, a real estate developer embroiled in dozens of lawsuits and hell-bent on turning a profit during the recession. Little does David know that Frank's company is involved in a murderous plot to cover up years of mortgage fraud in the Sunshine State. As David prepares for a trial that will make or break his career, he discovers that a secret investor in Frank’s company is responsible for murder and will continue killing to hide the truth. The only thing David can’t figure out is whether Frank is the conspiracy’s victim or its mastermind. To answer that question, David must risk far more than partnership as he unravels one dark secret after another about his client, his law firm, and, ultimately, himself.

Sour Tales For Sweethearts


Patricia Highsmith - 2015
    Taken from Little Tales of Misogyny, Highsmith's satirical, cultish short-story collection, these dark and often funny sketches reveal how your lover may not always have your best interests at heart...

Burn


Sean Doolittle - 2003
    Not a good sign for Andrew Kindler, who just came from back east to get away from his past–as an arsonist. In fact, almost from the moment he sets foot in his cousin’s Santa Monica beach house, the heat starts swirling around him. First there’s the cop who thinks Andrew might know something about a murder suspect. Then there’s the suspect’s beautiful sister, who is willing to pay Andrew $5,000 for the same information.But Andrew really uninformed. And with a sensational murder case burning a hole in the gut of the LAPD–as well as the star-studded L.A. fitness industry–ignorance is dangerous. Now Andrew must solve a murder he knows nothing about, find a killer he’s never met, and unravel a family’s explosive secret. His reward for success? To live another day: one step ahead of his burning past... “An exceptionally well-crafted and well-told tale of arson, police work, misplaced zeal, bad relationships, good relationships, family bonds and, oh yes, exercise videos. Quirky, compelling, intelligent, and funny ... If you like Elmore Leonard, do yourself a favor and pick up BURN.”–Lincoln Journal Star “A cult writer for the masses–hip, smart and so mordantly funny that the casual reader might be laughing too hard to realize just how thoughtful Doolittle’s work is. Get on the bandwagon now.”–Laura Lippman, author of By a Spider’s Thread “Sean Doolittle combines wit, good humor, and a generosity of spirit rare in mystery fiction to create novels that are both engrossing and strangely uplifting. He deserves to take his place among the best in the genre.”–John Connolly, author of The White Road“An estimable addition not only to the publisher’s list but also to crime fiction ... Doolittle delivers a briskly plotted, hard-boiled mystery that has its roots in the Elmore Leonard school of dark comedy.”–South Florida Sun-Sentinel·Gold medal winner for mystery in ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Award·A Best Crime Fiction of 2003 pick from January Magazine

Nick of Time


John Gilstrap - 2016
    . .  SHE’S RUNNING OUT OF TIME Nicki Janssen’s days are numbered, but she refuses to accept her fate lying down. Defying her father and doctors, she hits the road with a pocketful of cash, a bus ticket—and a romantic fantasy of riding off with her childhood crush . . .  HE’S RUNNING FROM THE LAW Handsome, dangerous Brad Ward is facing a different kind of sentence. Sent to prison for felony murder, he has escaped and rekindled his relationship with Nicki. But when Nicki’s father joins forces with a deputy sheriff, the search for the runaways ignites a manhunt—a blistering chase that accelerates with every stolen car, every act of violence . . .  “When you pick up a Gilstrap novel, you are going to be entertained at a high rate of speed.”—Suspense Magazine  “Gilstrap will leave you breathless.” —Harlan Coban“One of the finest thriller writers on the planet.”—Tess Gerritsen