Book picks similar to
Whispers Beneath the Pines by Carla Kovach


summer-reading
unshelved
crime-fiction
crime-mystery-thriller

The Starlight Ball (Hall's Cross Book 2)


Emily Harvale - 2017
    But her blissful state has more to do with meeting the love of her life, Lance Knightly. Now her greatest wish is for her stepsister, Merrion, her stepbrother, Ralph, and Lance’s younger sister, Gwen to find similar joy. And what better way is there to hurry love along than dancing beneath a starlit sky? Harri’s convinced that with some careful planning she can get her wish. But Love it seems, may already have plans of its own…

Destiny


Patricia Dixon - 2016
    THE PERFECT READ THIS CHRISTMAS TIME! In this collection of short stories we make a return trip to the Loire, catching up with old friends and finding out what life has had in store for Anna and Daniel, Grace and Max, and Ruby and Rosie.After visiting all of your favourite characters it's time to meet a brand new family in A Christmas Tale, an extra story written especially for the holiday season.Barbara and Ned are spending the festivities away from their children and rather unruly grandchildren, relaxing in their wintry countryside home whilst avoiding the hustle and bustle of Christmas in England.Despite escaping to France, both know they have a special task to perform, keeping a solemn promise and saying goodbye to loved ones, once and for all.This is a magical tale, recaptures the innocence of childhood Christmases, embracing the spirit of the season and accepting the precious gift of abiding love. *** This book was previously published under the title Return Journeys

When The Vows Break


Janie De Coster - 2017
    He is Pastor Sidney Teal, a fine and prominent leader of the mega church, Holy Word Holiness, with a membership of thousands. Pastor Teal treats her well in and out of bed. However, Yasmin knows he will never be hers, and she longs for more. More comes in the form of sexy, successful, and single Ambrose Hunter, a man who's willing and able to give her the kind of life she knows she deserves. Yasmin's sins catch up with her when Ambrose finds out she is not only seeing another man behind his back, but a man of the cloth at that. Now Yasmin's world spins out of control. Will she be able to redeem herself and find forgiveness in When The Vows Break?

Never Say Forever


Karen King - 2009
    She’s seen too many people give up their dreams for love, and is determined that’s never going to happen to her. Travelling the world teaching English, Kendall dreams of turning her jewellery-making hobby into a proper business one day. ‘No commitment’ is high-flying businessman, Jake Newman’s motto. He’s never met anyone he wants to settle down with, and that’s the way he likes it. But when Kendall and Jake meet sparks fly. It's obvious to everyone except themselves that they're meant to be together. Will their fear of commitment prevent them from admitting their love for each other? And if they do, will Kendall have to give up her dream?

The House Called Mbabati: A Novel Out of Africa


Samantha Ford - 2016
     The Mother Superior crossed herself quickly. “May God forgive them both,” she murmured as she locked the diary and faded letters in the drawer. Deep in the heart of the East African bush stands a deserted mansion. Boarded up, on the top floor, is a magnificent Steinway Concert Grand, shrouded in decades of dust. In an antique shop in London, an elderly nun recognises an old photograph of the mansion; she knows it well – it is called Mbabati. Seven thousand miles away in Cape Town a woman lies dying, she whispers one final word to journalist Alex Patterson – Mbabati. Sensing a good story, and intrigued with what he has discovered about the dead woman’s past, Alex heads for East Africa in search of the old abandoned house. He is totally unprepared for what he discovers there; the hidden home of a once famous classical pianist whose career came to a shattering end; a grave with a blank headstone and an old retainer called Luke, who is the only person left alive who knows the truth about two sisters who disappeared without trace more than twenty years earlier. Alex unravels a story which has fascinated the media and the police for decades. A twisting tale of love, passion, betrayal and murder; and the unbreakable bond between two extraordinary sisters who were prepared to sacrifice everything to hide the truth. Mbabati is set against the magnificent and enduring landscape of the African bush – where nothing is ever quite as it seems. Samantha's first novel The Zanzibar Affair was a very well received and highly acclaimed debut novel which used Africa as a backdrop to her story telling. Once again she has drawn on her knowledge and experiences of Africa, its culture and the lives of the rich and privileged to weave an even more tangled web of mystery, intrigue and suspense in this; her second superb novel. “The House Called Mbabati is skilfully written and layered with mystery and intrigue. Set against the romantic backdrop of Kenya and South Africa, the author manages to sweep the reader away into another world where the scenes are so well depicted one can almost smell the hot dry earth and the dusty pelts of the animals. An unforgettable cast of characters within a story which twists and turns at a ferocious pace. A real page turner with a breath-taking and richly rewarding ending. A cracking good story ." John Gordon-Davis (author)

The French Retreat


Suzanne | Sue Fortin - 2015
    In a bid to reassess her life, she heads off to the only place she has ever felt content - her brother’s farmhouse retreat in rural France.Marcie isn’t the only one looking to escape. Ex-soldier Will hopes the gentle pace of French life will help to banish the ghosts of his past and offer him the fresh start he desires.However, all is not what it seems at The Retreat. Fuelled by a string of strange happenings and local rumours, Will and Marcie are pushed together as they try to discover who or what is behind it all. In so doing, they are faced with a moral dilemma and question if doing wrong is doing right?The French Retreat is a story of human compassion, hope and love.

Exit Five from Charing Cross


Valerie Keogh - 2014
    Money, a beautiful wife, two children. But nothing in Jake’s world is as it seems. He dislikes his wife, never sees his children and is in so much debt there doesn’t appear to be a way out...unless....?Faced with the only decision that seems to make sense, he makes a choice that will change all their lives forever.

Stitched: A gruesome tale of control, fear and brutality


Cheryl Elaine - 2019
    To the outside world, Andrew Brooke is a cop who’s obsessively committed to his job. But behind closed doors, he enforces his dominance and disciplines his wife, Emily, in the most inhumane ways. When his life begins to fall apart and his reputation becomes tarnished, he unleashes his anger and seeks revenge on those who dare to encounter him. Emily Brooke is left broken by her husband’s hand, with no means of escape. Eventually, though weak and confused, she manages to flee. But is the life she escapes to a better one? Detective Donavan has his own demons to battle following his wife’s death. Assigned a missing person’s case that leads to a series of brutal attacks, he follows the trail of a serial killer dubbed ‘The Stitcher’ - but will his own dark secrets get in the way of justice being served? Stitched perfectly demonstrates how cruel life – and people – can be.

Private Heat


Robert E. Bailey - 2002
    So when the senior partner of one of the premier legal firms in Grand Rapids approaches Hardin about a job protecting his niece from her soon-to-be ex-husband for a couple of days, Hardin isn't exactly eager to take on the job. However, Hardin finds that the fee offered to too great to pass up. After a hatchet attack, a house burnt down, and a few violent encounters with some crooked cops, Hardin can hardly wait for the case to be over. But when the husband is found murdered, the niece attempts suicide, and Hardin is brought in on a trumped-up warrant for the crime, it is no longer a case that he is willing to walk away from -- even if he could.

Time Will Tell


Eva Jordan - 2019
    Writer, Lizzie Lemalf, and her loving but somewhat dysfunctional family are still grieving over the loss of a much-loved family member. Lizzie is doing her best to keep her family together but why does the recent death of a well-known celebrity have them all in a spin? The police suspect foul play; Lizzie and other family members suspect one another. Lizzie begins searching for answers only to find herself being dragged back to the past, to 1960's London to be exact, and to the former life of her father, that up until now she has never been privy to. Every family has its secrets but how can the past hold the key to a present day celebrity death? They say the past comes back to haunt you. Surely the truth will out? Maybe, but only time will tell...

Pursuit of Justice


Freya Atwood - 2021
    A stubborn lawyer. And a deadly race against time.When news of The Golden Lake Killer rise, the police quickly claim they caught their suspect. Refusing to pay mind to it, Sam is met with a surprise once a man is begging her to defend his brother; the man believed to be the culprit.The proof against him is staggering, yet Sam refuses to give up. And as the evidence against him heightens, Sam has no other choice but to take the law in her hands…Pursuit of Justice is Freya's 1st novel in the Sam Spencer series of blood-pumping legal thrillers. If you are an avid fan of strong female leads, action-packed courtroom drama, riveting characters and mind-blowing murder mystery, then you'll love Freya's intriguing story.

Snatched From Home: What Would You Do To Save Your Children?


Graham Smith - 2015
    Penniless and desperate the couple turn to crime as a way to raise the ransom. Hot on their heels is recently bereaved DI Harry Evans and his Major Crimes team. Evans is fighting against enforced retirement and his replacement – DI John Campbell – is foisted upon him along with other cases. If he must leave the police then he wants one last big case before he goes. In a race against time Victoria and Nicholas must evade the police while continuing to add to the ransom fund. If they don’t pay up on time the kidnappers have threatened to amputate their children’s limbs with an oxy-acetylene torch. Can they save their children before time runs out?

A Lifetime Ago (Hudson Bell Book 1)


Jim Ody - 2020
     Hudson Bell is a consultant for the police. A former DI, he spends his days helping to find missing children. May and her son go on a road trip to celebrate his birthday; Robert and Nadia buy their dream house by the sea. But as each look to enjoy a new life, none of them can shake off what happened on that fateful day. One of them blames the others and will stop at nothing to seek revenge. One accident and five lives changed forever.

The Black Widow Club


Hilary Davidson - 2013
    Betrayal. Rage. Paranoia. Lust. Revenge. Murder. Anthony Award–winning author Hilary Davidson’s short stories invariably lead to dark places.In “Stepmonster,” a jilted wife learns that the younger woman who stole her husband may be on the prowl again. In “Son of So Many Tears,” the mother of a criminal discovers the carnage left behind by her son. In “Anniversary,” a man prepares a very special meal for the girl of his dreams. In “Beast,” a wedding-obsessed woman refuses to accept a bad breakup. In “Undying Love,” a dead man with a fading memory tries to piece together the mystery of his own murder. In “Insatiable,” a wealthy old man watches his beautiful wife seduce a new lover. In “Fetish,” a father’s terror about the sick, twisted world his daughter inhabits leads him to take some terrible measures to save her. In “The Other Man,” a bar owner realizes his adulterous days may be numbered when a cuckolded husband starts stalking him. And in the title story, “The Black Widow Club,” a young mother discovers that murder may be a family tradition.Read The Black Widow Club: Nine Tales of Obsession and Murder at your own risk.

Put a Spell on You


Karen Clarke - 2015
    Her boyfriend Will has become a donkey-loving hippy and her best friend Lara has baby-brain. She desperately needs to find the perfect location for a film shoot, or her career may implode. Her eccentric grandma has always said that Josie will inherit a book of spells on her birthday, but since she doesn’t believe in magic, nothing will improve; or will it?