Book picks similar to
Sophia Lane by Leigh Straw


adult-fic
australian
mystery
true-crime

The Sandman


McClelland & Stewart - 2014
    For readers of Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell, and Jo Nesbo.      During a cold winter night in Stockholm a man is found walking alongside a railway bridge, suffering from hypothermia and legionella. After he's rushed to the hospital, it's discovered that, according to a death certificate, the man has been dead for over seven years. He is believed to be a victim of notorious serial killer Jurek Walter, who was arrested years ago by Detective Inspector Joona Linna and sentenced to a life of total isolation in forensic psychiatric care. As Joona Linna investigates where the "dead man" has been all these years, some unexpected evidence leads to the reopening of a cold case. Danger is imminent, and someone needs to get under the skin of the serial killer--fast--as they are running out of time.

MESSAGE in the BOX: A Psychic Murder Mystery (Messages of Murder Book 5)


Dawn Merriman - 2021
    

The Heathcliff Lennox Series: Books 1 - 2: (The Heathcliff Lennox Series Boxset Book 1)


Karen Baugh Menuhin - 2020
    Major Heathcliff Lennox, ex-WW1 war pilot, six feet 3 inches, unruly dark blond hair, age around 30 - named after the hero of Wuthering Heights by his romantically minded mother - much to his great annoyance. Murder at Melrose Court is the first book in the Heathcliff Lennox series. It's 1920 and Christmas is coming. Major Lennox finds a body on his doorstep - why on his doorstep? Was it to do with the Countess? Was it about the ruby necklace? Lennox goes to Melrose Court home to his uncle, Lord Melrose, to uncover the mystery. But then the murders begin and it snows and it all becomes very complicated.... The Black Cat Murders is the second book in the Heathcliff Lennox series. Who killed Sir Crispin Gibbons? A wedding invitation and news of mischief that could be murder, takes Lennox to the Earl of Bloxford's country pile. He soon finds himself in a world of purloined artworks, forgeries and a priceless Bloxford Beauty. But who are the Bloxford Beauties? And why are they the focal point around which swirls death?Lennox must confront life-long friends, unscrupulous artists and dealers to finally unravel a plot so complex that even his old adversary, Chief Inspector Swift of Scotland Yard, is befuddled.

The Unlucky Wedding Guest: A Clara Fitzgerald Mystery (The Clara Fitzgerald Mysteries Book 23)


Evelyn James - 2021
    

Blood & Marriage: Chris Watts: With these hands


Kathleen McKenna Hewtson - 2021
    

Partners in Crime: Five Bestselling Crime Thrillers


Rebecca Forster - 2014
    Josie, once a hot-shot criminal defense attorney, left the fast track behind for a small practice in Hermosa Beach, California. But Hannah Sheraton intrigues her and, when the girl is charged as an adult, Josie cannot turn her back. But the deeper she digs the more Josie realizes that politics, the law and family relationship TO SPEAK FOR THE DEAD (Paul Levine): A doctor in love with his patient's wife...
A fatal mistake during surgery...
Accident? Malpractice? Or murder?

 Defending a surgeon in a malpractice case, linebacker-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter begins to suspect that his client is innocent of negligence...but guilty of murder. Add a sexy widow, a deadly drug, and a grave robbery to the stew, and you have the recipe for Miami's trial of the century. AN INNOCENT CLIENT (Scott Pratt): A preacher is found brutally murdered in a Tennessee motel room. A beautiful, mysterious young girl is accused. In this bestselling debut, criminal defense lawyer Joe Dillard has become jaded over the years as he's tried to balance his career against his conscience. Savvy but cynical, Dillard wants to quit doing criminal defense, but he can't resist the chance to represent someone who might actually be innocent. His drug-addicted sister has just been released from prison and his mother is succumbing to Alzheimer's, but Dillard's commitment to the case never wavers despite the personal troubles and professional demands that threaten to destroy him. SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES (Sheldon Siegel): Meet Mike Daley. Ex-priest. Ex–public defender. And as of yesterday, ex-partner in one of San Francisco's most prominent law firms. Today he's out on his own, setting up practice on the wrong side of town. Then his best friend and former colleague is charged with a brutal double murder, and Daley is instantly catapulted into a high-profile investigation involving the prestigious law firm that just booted him. As he prepares his case, Daley uncovers the firm's dirtiest secrets. It doesn't take long for him to discover that in this trial, ambition, friendship, greed, and long-standing grudges will play just as important a role as truth and justice… BUYING TIME (Pamela Samuels Young): Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer. But just when he's about to hit rock bottom, he stumbles upon a business with the potential to solve all of his problems. In Waverly's new line of work, he comes to the aid of people in desperate need of cash. But there's a catch. His clients must be terminally ill and willing to sign over rights to their life insurance policies before they can collect a dime.

Call & Response


J.J. Salkeld - 2014
    Set in Carlisle - on the border between England and Scotland and much else besides - Call & Response introduces DS Samantha 'Pepper' Wilson and her North Division CID team. In this first episode Pepper struggles to cope with the madness and sadness of everyday policing, whist covering for an absent boss and adapting to a new Superintendent who's come straight from a supermarket's supply chain to British policing's chain of command. And matters take a serious turn when a case of 'revenge porn' is reported, involving members of a minority ethnic group, and one of Pepper's young DCs is assaulted, within spitting distance of Carlisle's shiny new Police HQ. Both cases are delicate and potentially inflammatory, and Pepper's short fuse is trimmed still more by the return to Carlisle of a dangerous career criminal with whom Pepper grew up, and whose reappearance could have dangerous implications for her, the city, and its now almost vanishingly 'thin blue line'.

DETECTIVES MERRY & NEAL BOOKS 1-3: three gripping crime mysteries box set


Janice Frost - 2018
    Meet DS Ava Merry & DI Jim Neal. If you like Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, Ruth Rendell, or Mark Billingham you will be gripped by this series. You get THREE best-selling mysteries in this great value box set. BOOK 1: DEAD SECRET Who killed Amy Hill? Amy Hill, a nineteen-year-old student, is strangled and her body dumped on open ground in the city. New police partners, D.I. Jim Neal and D.S. Ava Merry are called in to investigate this brutal crime. The last person to see Amy alive was Simon, the son of a family friend, but before he can be properly questioned he disappears. Detectives Neal and Merry are led on a trail of shocking family secrets and crimes. Can this duo track down the murderer before anyone else dies? Stopping this tragic cycle of violence will put D.S. Merry’s life at risk in a thrilling and heart-stopping finale. BOOK 2: DARK SECRET Gray Mitchell’s body is found buried under fresh snowfall in the early hours of the morning outside Stromford Cathedral. D.I. Jim Neal and D.S. Ava Merry are called in to investigate. It seems that a number of people had motives to kill him, including his partner. Then another shocking act of violence occurs, also connected to the cathedral. Detectives Neal and Merry’s investigation reveals an intricate web of secrets connecting the crimes. But there is something the detectives have missed, the dark secret which can break open the case. BOOK 3: HER HUSBAND’S SECRET Two children sneak out on a freezing winter night, hoping to see a ghost. But instead they witness something far more terrifying. A man dumping a body . . . DS Ava Merry and DI Jim Neal are called in to investigate this perplexing murder. Eventually the dead man’s wife is identified. But Laura Cameron’s husband turns out to have kept many secrets from her. And when she goes to visit her old friends who live near where the murder happened, Laura enters a dark web of lies as she tries to dig into the past to discover the truth about what happened to her husband. Who killed her husband how does it tie into the past? In a thrilling climax, everything will be turned upside down in the twisting crime thriller. THE DETECTIVES DS Ava Merry is a young policewoman, recently promoted to detective sergeant. She is fitness fanatic with a taste for dangerous relationships. DI Jim Neal is single dad who juggles his devotion to his job with caring for his son. DS MERRY & DI NEAL SERIES Book 1: DEAD SECRET Book 2: DARK SECRET Book 3: HER HUSBAND’S SECRET Book 4: THEIR FATAL SECRETS Book 5: DIRTY SECRETS What readers are saying about Janice Frost’s books “Really enjoyable read.” Nerys A wonderful story of intrigue, mystery and murder keeps you reading. I actually completed it in one day much to my wife’s dismay!” Ron Harris “It had me gripped from the first word to the last. I will definitely be reading more Janice Frost books.” Jacqueline Flaherty “I just had to keep reading to see what was going to happen next.” Dawn

A VERY MODEL MURDER: An Inspector Rudolph Riley Mystery


Jack G. Hills - 2017
    But to add further angst to the growing list of gruesome killings is his boss’ decision to re-open the cold case involving the disappearance of a school boy in what has become an annual test of endurance… The Ten Tors Race. Unsure why a twenty year old case has suddenly come to the top of his in tray, his suspicions are aroused further when the murder victims all appear to have been school friends of the missing boy. Adamant that coincidences don’t exist in police work Riley sets about trying to find the link between Sam Haldane’s disappearance and the recent killings, other than the obvious connection of friendship. Added to his troubles, is the presence in the area of a fugitive, who has his own ideas about revenge and justice and an unscrupulous developer, who wants to buy the land surrounding his farm and turn it into a theme park, with scant regard for the history or the people who were thrown off their land prior to D Day. With the disappearance of the schoolboy and the final showdown all set around the infamous Fox Tor Mire, which was allegedly the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Grimpen Mire in the Hound of the Baskervilles, the murderer is finally revealed but not without one final twist of the plot. But in all the blackness and soul searching there is one ray of brightness for Riley, and its one that will bring him a little closer to his brother and shows a different side to the curmudgeonly detective.

Unexplained, Unsolved, Unsealed Mysteries of the World : Strange Disappearances, Paranormal Activities, Cold Murder Cases, Abnormal Occurrences


Gerald Burns - 2021
    

Murder in Disguise


Frances Lloyd - 2018
    His face is smashed to an unrecognizable pulp.Most of the guests on that fatal evening are in costume, making the detectives’ task even more difficult.But the most baffling aspect for Detectives Harry Montague and Gavin Jones is that only one person staying in the new wing had registered under a genuine name and address.HOW CAN YOU CATCH A KILLER IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHO THE SUSPECTS REALLY ARE?Then another corpse is discovered.It will take some inspired sleuthing to catch the killer...WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FRANCES LLOYD“There are some unexpected twists in the plot and a few laughs along the way and the reader is kept guessing until all is revealed in the end.” Annie“A great book that you won't want to put down.” Alan“This murder mystery is a real page turner, I was hooked from start to finish. The descriptions of the Greek island were so vibrant I felt I was actually there.” AngelaALSO BY FRANCES LLOYDTHE DETECTIVE INSPECTOR JACK DAWES SERIESBook 1: THE GREEK ISLAND KILLERBook 2: THE BLUEBELL KILLERBook 3: THE SHETLAND KILLERBook 4: THE GALLOWS GREEN KILLER

Alien Disclosure: Experiencers Expose Reality


Lon Strickler - 2019
    Earth’s evolving primate was selected by the Gods to be transformed into a being of their own design. There was no clear reason as to why this was occurring, but it would profoundly influence mankind into the present day. Over the past decade, it had become increasingly apparent to me that we are not alone as a single intelligent species in the cosmic ocean. But it has also become apparent that our Earth and overall humanity have attracted the attention of non-terrestrial entities over many millennia. Our history is intertwined with extraterrestrial beings. I truly believe that humans are a genetic extension of otherworldly races. I also believe that most of the alien entities that people encounter are biologically enhanced and evolved humans from our past and future. But we must always keep in mind; they do have an agenda. I believe that agenda is eventual technological and biological singularity. Human experiencers are providing us with actual accounts of alien abduction and close encounters. Their stories are important; giving us a real sense of this global phenomenon. My premise may become more understandable as you read this book. The experiences described in the accounts are brutally forthright. Some readers may be shocked by the details. But then again, I don’t believe that you would want me to present the information in any manner that isn’t consistent with the experiencers' actual encounters.

The Search


Vishal Anand - 2021
    ACP Rathore is investigating the homicide. As the events begin to unleash Rathore digs upon secrets too dark and dangerous. As he proceeds, the question becomes more and more haunting - Who Killed Roger? Michael Rodriques, the Deputy Chief Minister of Goa? Shirley Fernandes, Roger's wife? One or more of the other artists? Or, an individual for whom Roger refused to perform? The Search is the most astonishingly impudent, ingenious and altogether a fast-paced murder mystery ever written by an Indian author.Note: This is an expanded version of the short story Who Killed Roger.

Jumbalaya


Aunt Tillie - 2018
    Meanwhile, a dark and blurry photograph puts the entire town on high alert, and the election recount goes Sinfully haywire. It's all fun and games until bodies start turning up... and Fortune might just be the next victim.Fan Fiction: works written by adoring fans of the original author, using the original author's characters and settings. Jana DeLeon has graciously allowed certain authors to write in her world and Aunt Tillie is proud to be one of them. Jumbalaya was Tillie's first effort, and she hopes you will enjoy this and other stories by fan fiction authors. The timelines for these stories may not coincide with current Jana DeLeon stories, but they should fit almost anywhere within the Miss Fortune series.

The Silent Prodigy


Emily Shiner - 2021