Book picks similar to
Sophia Lane by Leigh Straw


true-crime
adult-fic
australian
mystery

Another Forgotten Child: Free Sampler: Too Late to Help? A Shocking True Story of Abuse and Neglect


Cathy Glass - 2015
    Her five older siblings were taken into care many years ago. So no one can understand why she was left at home to suffer for so long. It seems Aimee was forgotten.The social services are looking for a very experienced foster carer to look after Aimee and, when she reads the referral, Cathy understands why. Despite her reservations, Cathy agrees to Aimee on – there is something about her that reminds Cathy of Jodie (the subject of ‘Damaged’ and the most disturbed child Cathy has cared for), and reading the report instantly tugs at her heart strings.When she arrives, Aimee is angry. And she has every right to be. She has spent the first eight years of her life living with her drug-dependent mother in a flat that the social worker described as ‘not fit for human habitation’. Aimee is so grateful as she snuggles into her bed at Cathy’s house on the first night that it brings Cathy to tears.Aimee’s aggressive mother is constantly causing trouble at contact, and makes sweeping allegations against Cathy and her family in front of her daughter as well. It is a trying time for Cathy, and it makes it difficult for Aimee to settle. But as Aimee begins to trust Cathy, she starts to open up. And the more Cathy learns about Aimee’s life before she came into care, the more horrified she becomes.It’s clear that Aimee should have been rescued much sooner and as her journey seems to be coming to a happy end, Cathy can’t help but reflect on all the other ‘forgotten children’ that are still suffering…

Peeping Thoms


Dustin Stevens - 2017
    Not until he begins to outline the backstory behind the case, and why it is imperative that she help him, does she pause to reconsider. Three months prior, a tourist was murdered in Waikiki. On the surface, the case is as simple as they come, but as Thoms continues to dig, she discovers the man was actually an investor visiting Oahu from the mainland, and the last place he was seen alive was outside a nightclub in dire financial. Working with her adult twin children, Thoms begins to piece her way back through what happened that fateful night, a search that sends her bouncing from the bright lights of the strip to the tranquil sands of the North Shore. In between, she uncovers so much more than she ever realized existed in her island home, all in the name of ensuring that justice is finally served...

Body in Office: A cozy mystery novella


Wendy Cartmell - 2021
    

The Old Vicarage (Trengillion Cornish Mystery Series Book 5)


Daphne Neville - 2015
    The series covers village life over a period of sixty years. December 1986 and Trengillion’s residents are preparing to celebrate Christmas. On New Year’s Eve, family and friends gather around a log fire at the Old Vicarage and tell ghostly tales of yesteryear. In mid-January the weather turns colder; snowflakes fall and the Cornish landscape is transformed into a white world; and with the coming of the snow, people and objects vanish into thin air, thus reviving old tales of mysterious happenings during blizzards in bygone days.

Twelve Days of Trauma


Jasper Joshua West - 2019
    They are on their way to visit his parents for Christmas, but they never arrive.Tim has an unshakable feeling that something will go horribly wrong even before they set off. What happens is far worse than he could have imagined.The tragedy that occurs sees grief-stricken Tim back in his investigator role, seeking justice.

Blue Steele - Box Set #2


Donald Wells - 2013
     Blue Steele 8 After three more bounty hunters fall victim to the serial killer, Blue's boyfriend, Gary, begs her to go into hiding. Meanwhile, Blondie proves herself worthy. Blue Steele 9 Someone is stalking Blue, as a serial killer hunts for victims, and after she and Blondie save the day, they have a disagreement that threatens their friendship. Blue Steele 10 After one of Blue's oldest friends go missing, it's feared that the serial killer has struck again. Meanwhile, Blondie gets in over her head and even Blue can't help her. Blue Steele 11 After being saved by an unexpected ally, Blondie and Blue make up, but Blue soon has reason to distrust Blondie, when she learns disturbing news from a reliable source. Blue Steele 12 Blue and Gary's relationship is in turmoil, and Blue must make a life-altering decision.And when the serial killer's identity is revealed, Blue faces a showdown with tragic results, and later finds herself in deep despair.For more BLUE STEELE go to : bluesteelebountyhunter.com

The Long Paw of the Law: Cozy Mystery Boxed Set (Ashley Crane Mystery #1-2)


Laurie Anne Marie - 2016
    Ashley Crane is busy nursing a broken heart, working tirelessly as a cook, and hanging out with her family and best friends when her boss at the restaurant is murdered. At first the investigation is left to Nathaniel Thompson, the local handsome police detective. But when Thompson arrests the wrong suspect, Ashley takes the investigation into her own hands. Solving the case won't be easy. She'll need help from her parents April and Burt, her best friends Sean and Lara, and her cute and clever cat Charlie. It's up to Ashley Crane to find the real murderer in Comfortville before they strike again. The Long Paw Of The Law 2 The second book in The Long Paw of the Law series finds Ashley Crane putting her life back together after solving the crime at her old restaurant. But on the night of her first catering job, the owner of the company is murdered. When the local police detective arrests someone whom Ashley believes is the wrong suspect, she decides to find the real killer herself. Cracking the case is a puzzle, but with her clever cat Charlie, she turns up some clues that lead her down a dizzying path to uncover the truth. Will she find the real murderer before it’s too late and restore a sense of calm to Comfortville?

Unravelling: A Damaged Mind can be Dangerous (Anglesey Mysteries #3)


Conrad Jones - 2021
    Beautifully crafted into a warped and gripping story that I didn't want to end.★★★★★ Unravelling is a standalone novel that will shake you to the core.A gripping tale of betrayal and brutal revenge. Sergeant Ernie Metcalfe is a family man, changed by his experiences in Afghanistan. He has a wife, Naomi and three beautiful daughters, aged 7, 8 and 10. When he finds out his wife is having an affair with a fellow officer, his mind begins to unravel. His life begins to spiral out of his control and he can't allow that to happen. Detective Inspector Alan Williams and his team are already struggling to cope with a series of attacks on a group of men accused of historical abuse. The attacks appear to be connected to a recent case but all is not what it seems. Damaged minds are dangerous and revenge can be brutal.★★★★★ What an edition to the series! One of the best series you will read..If you like gripping and violent, the Anglesey books will enthrall you.★★★★★ One word for this. Outstanding!★★★★★ A powerful and gritty read, not for the faint hearted. This author will drag you into the story and rattle your very being until the last page.

The Northminster Mysteries Books 4-6


Harriet Smart - 2019
    Here, young Scottish surgeon Felix Carswell and Chief Constable Major Giles Vernon are tasked to uncover the truth in three complex tales of murder and detection set in Early Victorian England. The Hanging Cage Summoned to the bleak market town of Whithorne in the midst of a winter storm, Major Giles Vernon and police surgeon Felix Carswell are embroiled in another challenging investigation. A beautiful young heiress has been found dead in her bed, and although suicide seems the most likely cause, the circumstances soon point to a tangle of illicit relationships and painful secrets. As Major Vernon pursues the truth behind Annabella Barker's death, further shocking events soon unfold, including another suicide At the same time, called in to deliver a son and heir, Carswell is drawn into the affairs of the eccentric Yardley family at Whithorne Castle, but it is no distraction from his anxieties about his troubled relationship with Sukey Connolly. Major Vernon, for his part, unexpectedly encounters an old acquaintance and is forced to question both his past and his future. When a partial skeleton is found in a culvert, events begin to take a still darker turn, and Vernon and Carswell must pursue an unimaginable evil. As November floods threaten the bridges of Northminster itself, dangerous enemies emerge close to home and the struggle for justice becomes a matter of life and death. The Hanging Cage is the fourth Northminster Mystery, featuring early Victorian detectives Vernon and Carswell. The Ghosts of Ardenthwaite Something is amiss at Ardenthwaite. Ghostly apparitions have been seen, so terrifying that the mistress of the house and the servants have deserted the place. Colonel Parham, the tenant, asks his landlord Felix Carswell and Major Giles Vernon to determine what is going on. But their investigations soon takes an unexpected turn, leaving them in confusion and doubting their own sanity. Shortly afterwards, a man dies in Northminster Infirmary, the victim of a brutal and systematic attack which seems to point to dangerous criminal forces hitherto unknown in the city. Vernon has his suspicions as to who is behind it, and with Carswell's assistance he begins to unpick a complex network of alliances and enemies. Yet, as their best witnesses meet brutal fates, they are forced to face the grim possibility of failure. Having been forced into unpleasant compromises to gain access to the truth, Giles is further unsettled by the return of Emma Maitland to Northminster, now engaged to another man. As she assists him with the case, he begins to realise all that he has lost. For Felix Carswell, a bizarre and other-worldly encounter with a beautiful, spirited young woman throws up the possibility of an extremely advantageous marriage. Eleanor Blanchfort is an heiress and Lord Rothborough's ward. Has destiny brought them together as she suggests, and can Felix find the will to resist such a dazzling temptation? The Echo at Rooke Court Felix Carswell returns from his blissful wedding journey and is at once called to the bedside of a young man fighting for his life.

Animal Instincts


Chloe Kendrick - 2015
    Literally. He talks to animals to see clues other people would overlook. Like when the proud owner of a pair of Scotties goes missing, Griff knows foul play has to be involved, because the dogs tell him there’s no way she’d leave her pampered pooches alone in the winter. But when he shows too much interest in what the Scotties have to say, an attractive police detective takes the wrong kind of interest in him. Viewing him as a possible suspect, she digs up secrets about Griff he would have preferred left buried. And that’s not even his biggest problem—taking the dogs into his home has made him a target of the victim’s abductor. This makes him scurry to solve the case, because as an expert on animal behavior, there’s one thing Griff knows to be true: the most dangerous animal is the human animal.

A Filling Account (Raised and Glazed Cozy Mysteries Book 2)


Emma Ainsley - 2021
    

Umbrellas and Undertakers (An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Book 21)


Diana Xarissa - 2022
    

Tales of Mystery Unexplained. (Tales of Mysteries Unexplained Book 2): Tales of Mystery Unexplained Podcast


Steph Young - 2020
    

Night Train: The Freeman Files Series: Book 9


Ted Tayler - 2020
    

Fatal Fall (A Miranda and Parker Mystery Book 18)


Linsey Lanier - 2021