Book picks similar to
Pig's Head by David Owen


crime
australian
fiction
australian-novels

Harold Robbins Organized Crime Double


Harold Robbins - 2020
    After being kicked out of a Catholic orphanage when it is discovered that he is of Jewish descent, a confused and deeply distraught Frankie turns to a life of crime, the only life he knows, and he’s good at it. Frankie quickly makes a name for himself and becomes one of New York’s most dangerous men, ruling the city with an iron fist and indulging in his passion for sex, power and the best things life has to offer—regardless of whether they’re for sale.In Stiletto, Cesare Cardinale is an amoral, aristocratic Italian playboy—an entrepreneur and race car driver who wants for nothing—whether it’s fast cars, beautiful women, or orgies of debauchery. Cesare, however, has two dirty secrets: First, he has a penchant for violence that borders on the sadistic and sociopathic; second, he owes his extravagant life to a Sicilian Mafia don, creating a seemingly perfect relationship—as he leads a double life as a Mafia assassin.“Robbins’s books are packed with action, sustained by strong narrative drive, and are given vitality by his own colorful life.” —The Wall Street JournalThe Harold Robbins Organized Crime Double includes: Never Love A Stranger and Stiletto.

The Squeaky Clean Series: Cold Case Squad Trilogy


Christy Barritt
    

Man Found Dead in Park


Margaret Coel - 2017
    I love Margaret Coel’s writing because there’s never a misplaced step. She balances two opposing cultures with little room for compromise, which is good because this chick works without a safety net. It’s human nature, or certainly the nature of writers, to analyze another’s work when reading it, in an attempt to take the story apart like an acrobatic trick—kick off your shoes and try it out. Every once in a while you second guess them and follow them out onto that tightrope just to find where they might’ve slipped up, but Margaret never does and just when you think she has she’ll turn and wink, so keep reading. Like Catherine McLeod, the reporter protagonist of Man Found Dead in Park, Margaret embraces both the mainstream and native cultures, all the while maintaining the aspect of her writing that transcends the genre with a deep understanding of human nature. When a man is found dead in an Indian section of Denver where no one is talking, McLeod finds herself in conflict with Mexican drug cartels and an investigation that leads north into Wyoming's Wind River Reservation and what turns out to be her roots. Transformative for both McLeod and the reader, the width and breath of the story is easy to miss, because Coel’s writing has a heady narrative that holds a sense of wonder and romance—a place that a lot of other writers fear to tread. I sometimes wonder if she knows how good she is, but I think probably not. The humility of a few artists is what keeps them grounded, and even when she’s out there flying high, I’m pretty sure she has her head up but is feeling every twitch of the story through the soles of her feet. Navigating with the finesse of a Flying Wallenda, Coel never misses a thing, because the devil is in the details, and like her character, Detective Nick Bustamante, Margaret knows that these indiscernible little slights of hand are the thing that makes for great drama under the Big Top. So join Margaret Coel out onto that high wire where she works without a safety net. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out there will be moments of insecurity, thoughts that will disconcert, and you might be tempted to look down, but don’t. If things get too hairy just reach out and take this daredevil performer’s hand, and she’ll grin that signature smile and make sure you make it back to safety. --Craig Johnson

Letter of the Law


C.K. Crigger - 2010
    To this end, they ambush Sheriff Pelham Birdsall, leaving him for dead. But Birdsall, thanks to his young wife Delight, doesn't die, and as she strives to get him back on his feet in time for the inevitable showdown, more and more of the sheriff's duties fall on her shoulders. In this, she is assisted by an unlikely deputy and a three-legged dog, but in the end, it takes all of them to vanquish the outlaws. As an historical aside, a sheriff's wife was often called upon to provide meals and other amenities for prisoners in her husband's jail. In return, depending on the prisoner's character and his crime, he might chop wood for the stove or do other chores. Neither the sheriff nor his wife was paid extra for prisoner provisions or for her work.

The Bakery Murder (Sweetland Witch)


Zoe Arden - 2018
     Ava Fortune's got it all... magic, love, and a bakery. She just can't seem to stay out of trouble, especially now that her dad is getting married. And now Ava's father's been framed for murder… Obviously, she can't let this case rest. Ava can't let her dad down. She needs to find the real killer before he strikes again or her dad ends up behind bars forever. With her aunts and best friend there to help her, Ava can't possibly fail. Or can she? She wonders if this time the killer just might win. Can Ava save her father before it's too late, or is her magic all used up? Page Count: around 330 pages

West to Ranger Creek


Ash Lingam - 2017
    It is eighteen sixty-six during the Reconstruction Period and many soldiers mustered out of the Armies, both North and South only to return to burned-out homes and long gone families. Some turned to the trail West and Texan territory, bringing with them the hate and violence inherited from their four years of hell. Combined with the lack of military presence in Texas during these years of civil conflict the Comanche had gained a foothold and pushed the settlers back more than thirty miles as they continue their raiding parties unchecked across Texas and Mexico. With only the Texas Rangers to stand in their way. A historically factual novel with a peppering of famous Old West characters sprinkled in. Humor, tragedy, romance, bounty hunters, gunfighters and a strong dose of action make this third book of the Sundog Series a winner. Quite the Western Adventure.

The Family that Lies


Lakisha Johnson - 2016
    With a father who thought the world of them, life was good. Until one day everything changed. While Grayce got love and attention, Merci got all the hell, forcing her to leave home. She never looks back, putting the past behind her until … her sister shows up over a decade later begging for help, bringing all of the forgotten past with her. Merci wasn't the least bit prepared for what was about to happen next. Merci realizes, she’s been a part of something much bigger than she'd ever imagined. Yea, every family has their secrets, hidden truths and ties but Merci had no idea she’d been born into the family that lies.

Syn (The Merseyside Crime Series Book 2)


Malcolm Hollingdrake - 2021
    A few too many drinks.A few harsh words said. No one was hurt.All easily forgotten.Both can healExcept he didn’t forget. Their threats. How they made him feel…They must pay - with their lives.But one will always leave a scar…A young woman goes missing. She’s done it before, but Detective Inspector April Decent senses this time it’s serious. Can she convince her colleagues she’s right before it’s too late?Decent and her DS Skeeter Warlock face their most deadly opponent yet in Syn, the second novel in Malcolm Hollingdrake’s superb Merseyside Crime Series.

London Large - Bound by Blood (Detective Hawkins #2)


Roy Robson - 2016
    Inspector Harry ‘H’ Hawkins, only just back at work after a mental and physical breakdown, investigates the crime in the only way he knows how; he embarks on a full-blooded search for the truth. But the truth can be brutal As the murder investigation gathers pace H discovers his own son has been sucked into the dark world of organised crime. A traumatized young man; and a traumatized father H's hard-boiled instinct is to fight, to protect the things he loves. But when his son becomes his enemy his world view is shattered. How can son be turned against father? H’s gripping mission is no longer a search for a killer; but a quest to save his boy, and exact a terrible vengeance against the man who has corrupted him. And his search is a search for a deeper truth, a truth that will stretch family loyalty - and the love of a father for his son - to its very limits. Blood Is Thicker than Water…Or Is It?

The Trailer Park Princess and the Power of Bacon


Kim Hunt Harris - 2013
    Well, this is actually a case of dognapping. At least the reward is real... but is it enough to face the gun-toting dognapper? Armed with the strongest weapon available, Salem and Viv save the day once again, using an age-old magnet that has an attraction few can resist, BACON!

Kennedy for the Defense


George V. Higgins - 1981
    Every crook, punk, pimp, and sleazy criminal in Boston hires criminal lawyer Jerry Kennedy to defend them. Grabs the reader in the opening pages and doesn't let go until the dramatic ending.--United Press International.

Fighting Dirty


Blair Denholm - 2020
    With everything poised to go pear-shaped, the embattled cop embarks on a path that could destroy his career, or save him from destruction. One thing you can be sure of, ex-boxer Lisbon never backs down from a fight!The twist at the end will leave you breathless!⭐ A story of evil and redemption⭐ The characters leap off the page⭐ Jack Lisbon is a kick-ass investigator who packs a punch⭐ An action-packed page-turnerFollow Jack Lisbon's journey in the upcoming series: "The Fighting Detective"

The List


Michael Brissenden - 2017
    Part of the Australian Federal Police's K block, a unit doing whatever it takes in order to stop terrorist attacks on home soil. But when young Muslim men on the Terror Watchlist start turning up dead, Sid and his partner, Haifa, have to work out what's going on. Sectarian war? Drugs? Retribution? For Sid, there's nothing unclear about a bullet to the head and a severed hand. Someone is sending a message. Deciphering that message reveals a much wider threat and Sid and the agency have to decide just how far they'll go to prevent a deadly attack. Time is running out ... for them and Australia. From the brutal battlegrounds of Afghanistan, to the western Sydney suburbs and the halls of power in Canberra, THE LIST is a page-turning thriller where justice, revenge and the war on terror collide.

Seth Forster: Special U.S. Marshal: A Western (The Special U.S. Marshal Western Adventure Series Book 1)


Dusty Rhodes - 2017
    He’s an expert roper, brander, hunter, and bronc buster. He goes to Chicago in 1880 to spend a bit of money. While in one of the classiest establishments, the dealer cheats him out of a high-odds win and he pins his hand to the table with the correct card under it. Taken to jail because the establishment is protected, he is drafted to be a Special U. S. Marshal without a set territory and a mission: to catch cowboys because the others don’t look or smell like a cowboy. There is a fortified ranch near the Laramie River where Texas outlaws go when Texas is too hot. Seth’s mission was to infiltrate the ranch, and find out more. Now there are three men trying to kill him: The ranch owner, a Sharpshooter, and a cannibal mountain man they’ve hired. Out in the forest, with limited supplies, he must kill each one of them. But can he, do it? If you love the writing of Brad Dennison, Paul L. Thompson and Terry Grosz…. You will love this new action-packed western adventure from Dusty Rhodes!

To The Tall Timber (Buckskin Chronicles Book 2)


B.N. Rundell - 2016
    The journey allows for a visit with Jeremiah's only living relative, his sister. Jeremiah finds himself obligated to make and keep another promise that sets the trio on the trail West, and that journey sees them join up with a wagon train of settlers and missionaries searching for a new land and a new life. But tragedy strikes and everyone must learn to survive against the trials and challenges of the life-threatening wilderness of the West. The long trip across the plains give the mountain men challenges never before imagined, but with the added resolve of determined settlers, the journey continues to Fort William where the group divides to seek their own futures. Yet the ultimate goal of being reunited with the one woman that truly stirs Jeremiah's heart and give meaning to life, is realized as the journey for the traveling companions ends as they reach the Summer camp of the Arapaho, the second family to Jeremiah.