Book picks similar to
Point Surrender by Anne Carter


mystery
california
ghost-stories
lighthouse

Absinthe of Malice


Pat Browning - 2001
    When Krill Press bought the rights in 2008 they repackaged the story with a new cover and marketed it as "Absinthe of Malice".Old crimes come back to haunt a small California town in this intriguing urban cozy. ABSINTHE OF MALICE introduces Penny Mackenzie, Lifestyle reporter for The Pearl Outrider, and a cast of unforgettable characters who find their lives turned upside down when old secrets and new secrets all come to light after chance discovery of a skeleton in a cotton field leads to murder...and romance.

Comraich (Jessamine #2)


Shani Struthers - 2018
    Getting to work in one of the spare bedrooms she makes a startling discovery, one that pulls her into a world of the intense and disturbing passions of others that have been here before.Jessamin has to decide.Will delving deeper into Comraich's history bring hope and peace to this troubled house or return her to a darkness she's only recently left behind? Praise for Jessamine: "A haunting tale of lost love and guilt." Carol"A beautiful ghost story which will make you cry." Amazon Customer"When you start to read this prepare to put your life on hold.. you won't want to put it down until you've read the last page." Gill Gillies"Reminiscent in parts of Wuthering Heights and even Jane Eyre in places." Laura Tawn"I fell headlong in the story and nothing else mattered." Amazon Customer

Supposedly Haunted: True Life Experiences of a Paranormal Investigator


E.E. Bensen - 2016
    He discusses what brought him into the paranormal research field, describes real life supernatural events witnessed firsthand during his numerous investigations, and also provides an opinion of what all of it might be. Experiencing paranormal phenomena has a way of changing one's perspective. Locations include Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Preston Castle, The Washoe Club, The Stanley Hotel, Old Tooele Hospital (Asylum 49), Farrar Elementary School, and more!

In Cold Blood (Rutland crime series Book 3)


Adam Croft - 2021
    

Guardian of Deceit


William H. Coles - 2015
    He is excited and afraid; he wants to recapture the love he knew with his parents before they died and become a doctor like his father. But in his new home of celebrities, crooks, untrustworthiness, and excessively wealthy deviants, lust and want thwart his search for selfless caring love, and in his quest to become a doctor, he discovers the altruism of health care and scientific discovery riddled with profit motivation and deficient moral standards. A finalist in the 2012 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition.

Faces of Darkness


Steven A. McKay - 2019
    For months now, she’s been stalked by some shadowy tormentor yet, bafflingly, the attacker has never been clearly seen by anyone, even Lady Isabella, and he seems to leave no trace of his movements.Can the bailiff, John Little, along with the legendary friar, Robert Stafford, uncover the truth and, more importantly, will they be able to save the troubled victim before she ends up dead?This new standalone novella from the author of The Druid sees the return of two much-loved characters from the Forest Lord series and is based on a shocking real-life case which remains, to this day, unsolved.

Cid


Alexie Aaron - 2016
    His colleague Jesse Holden has hooked him up with a fill-in position on a multimillion dollar renovation on an isolated 1920s southern mansion called Hidden Meadow. The job is being run by a driven female contractor, Kiki Pickles, who specializes in renovating prewar buildings. She lets Cid know right away that she’s hired him for his carpentry skills and not as a ghost hunter. But Cid is all too aware that in the renovation of old homes, sometimes you have to deal with a myriad of pests, living and dead.Lurking at the top of the stairs is a very cranky ghost. He’s been woken up by the sound of pounding hammers and screeching tile cutters. He can’t do anything about the tools themselves, so he targets his rage at the men and women working on the mansion. Jesse is attacked in one of the three attics in Hidden Meadow and left to die. Cid arrives just in time to fight a black mass, and he surprises it with a good salting. Jesse is saved, but the ghost isn’t finished with them yet, nor is he the only entity that has been released to cause havoc in the first of the “Cid Garrett P. I.” novels.“Cid” is a standalone book written in the “Haunted Series” universe.

A Death in the Family


Marlene Bateman - 2014
    

Lilac Mist Murder


Mary Maxwell - 2018
    Former officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, certified dog lover and the lone employee of Sierra Bay Investigations. During the morning, Mia works in her sister’s flower and gift shop, Petals & Pearls. When Aunt Vivian arrives for the afternoon shift behind the cash register, Mia climbs the stairs to a small office in the same building to work on cases, drink endless cups of coffee and confer with a trustworthy Golden Retriever named Lulu. For Mia, returning to her charming seaside hometown after more than a decade is a fresh start in every way. She’s living in the cozy guest cottage behind her mother’s house. She’s having a great time reconnecting with childhood friends. And she lands her first client before the paint is dry on her office walls. But when the seemingly simple job becomes a homicide case, Mia agrees to work alongside Detective Luke Stewart from the Sierra Bay Police Department. The case propels Mia and Luke into an intricate whodunit involving a diamond evil eye pendant, local gossip and family scandals, anonymous threats delivered by email, a stolen flash drive filled with secrets, a blood-stained steak knife and a commemorative bottle of Lilac Mist, the signature fragrance from the grand opening of Petals & Pearls. Lilac Mist Murder is Book 1 in the Sierra Bay Mysteries, a new series from the author of Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries.

A Pasty In A Pear Tree (Pentrillick Cornish Mystery Series, #2)


Daphne Neville - 2017
    A week after its opening, Hetty and Lottie arrive in the village to take up residence in Primrose Cottage. The young-at-heart twin sisters have much to look forward to: carol singing, festive baking, and the knees-up in the Crown and Anchor on New Year’s Eve. With decorations up everywhere it seems that everything in the village is ready for the jollifications to begin. But then, just fifteen days before Christmas, someone is found dead in the grounds of Pentrillick House and the locals and Wonderland’s visiting tradespeople are faced with the possibility of there being a murderer in their midst. ‘A Pasty in a Pear Tree’ is the second in the light-hearted Pentrillick Mystery series located on the south coast of Cornwall.

Finding Kaden (The Finding Trilogy Book 1)


Jean Reinhardt - 2013
    He finds himself caught up in a world of abduction, conspiracy, exploitation and murder. Detective Jake Matthews must convince the young man's family that their son is dead in order to keep him alive. Meanwhile, six missing teenagers cause problems for a sinister organization led by a man who considers himself to be above the law. The story is set in 2038, when certain medical procedures have been developed, but not yet approved. Strange things occurring at a homeless boys shelter in Chicago change the lives of the Seager family forever. When so called friends become enemies and assailants turn into allies, it is difficult to know who to trust. This is the first book in the Finding Trilogy, a young adult fiction series.

Desperate


Patti Battison - 2019
     A SICK KILLER WHO THE POLICE CAN’T PUT AWAY Please note this book was originally published as “Desperate Measures.” They arrived at the landfill site to find uniformed officers conducting a rigorous fingertip search amongst the mouldering mounds. One area was cordoned off with yellow police tape. DS Mia Harvey cut a determined path towards it and found herself staring at the body of a young female crammed into a heavy-duty green-plastic refuse sack, chin touching knees, heels kissing buttocks. DCI Paul Wells is certain that Chris Lennox is the killer. With Lennox safely in the cells Wells' team prepares its case. But they can’t get enough evidence to charge him. Time runs out and they have to release him. Wells is desperate and his career is on the line. How can he and DS Mia Harvey prove that Lennox is their man? MEET DETECTIVE MIA HARVEY A DEDICATED POLICEWOMAN TRYING TO WIN PROMOTION IN A TOUGH WORLD Then, a second murder causes even more problems. Is there any chance that the DCI can finally get the result he wants before anyone else dies? A RACE AGAINST TIME TO BRING A KILLER TO JUSTICE DETECTIVE SERGEANT MIA HARVEY Works at Larchborough Police Station. She is in her late 20s, single and unattached. She would, however, relish a romantic relationship but always puts work first. She is the only child of the late Robin Harvey, former chief superintendent at the Larchborough Division. After his death, Mia swore to follow in his footsteps and make him proud. She tolerates her mother at best. She is professional, conscientious, and has great respect for her boss, DCI Paul Wells, but is not above going against his wishes should the need arise. She is close to her colleague, DC Jack Turnbull, but barely tolerates DI Nick Ford, with whom she clashes regularly. DETECTIVE CHIEF INSPECTOR PAUL WELLS 6’ 5" and gangly, Wells is a brash Cockney with a well-hidden soft centre. A family man who is besotted with his daughters, he dresses well but lacks the finesse to appear anything other than dishevelled. Wells doesn't care about saying the right thing, but he is a fair man, and a great leader for his team. DS MIA HARVEY THRILLERS Book 1: Desperate Book 2: Obsessed Book 3: Silent Grave Join the Joffe Books mailing list to hear about the next in the series

A Not So Purrfect Spell (A Cotswold Cat Familiar Cozy Mystery Book 4)


D. Watts - 2021
    

Christmas at The Ginger Cat Cafe: A Charnley Acre Novella


Zara Thorne - 2018
     Left standing in the church porch with three redundant bridesmaids dressed in black and no groom in sight, it’s no wonder she isn’t feeling festive. Asked to run The Ginger Cat café in the Sussex village of Charnley Acre while the owners are away, Isla seizes the chance to escape from Nottingham with its constant reminders of what might have been. But running a busy café isn’t as easy it sounds, especially when one staff member is out of action with a broken ankle, and the rest of the team consists of eighty-something Horace, as grumpy as they come, and dreamy, lovesick teenager, Molly. When Harry Anderton pitches up in a campervan, Isla finds the perfect solution to her staff problem. Harry isn’t ‘doing Christmas’ either. Fresh from a traumatic break-up, he’d rather sit this one out, thank you very much. Then Isla discovers that as proprietor of The Ginger Cat, there are certain traditions she’s expected to uphold, and her carefully orchestrated non-Christmas looks like becoming, well… Christmas. With Harry by her side, can she hold back her own feelings and give the people around her the celebrations they deserve? And what happens afterwards? Harry’s moving on with his life; can Isla do the same, or is she destined to remain forever looking backwards?

Dead Cold Mysteries Box Set: Books 11-13


Blake Banner - 2018
    So a small island off the north coast of Scotland in a 16th century castle seems to be just the job.After all, two out of three isn’t bad. At first the place seems idyllic: The wild landscapes are breathtaking, the northern lights otherworldly and the fire-side talk, fuelled by good whisky and good Angus steak, is fascinating. Maybe a bit too fascinating when it leads to a forty year old mystery about a man murdered, shot with a .38 in a locked room in circumstances which are, quite simply, impossible. And when the island is cut off by a storm, and an identical murder is committed, well, what are two cold case cops on honeymoon to do…?Book 12: The Butcher of WhitechapelIt was the first time John Stone had been back to London for fifteen years. Last time had been on an exchange program between the NYPD and Scotland Yard: an exchange of skills and experience that was supposed to last six months, but went one for a year and a half. This time he was on honeymoon with his partner and wife, Carmen Dehan. And it seemed, as they prepared to return home, that history was repeating itself.Because, as they were leaving the hotel for the airport, the call came; the call that said they had to stay, the call that said the killer was back, the one he’d been searching for fifteen years ago, the one who haunted all his secret nightmares - the one that got away.So now he has to share his dark secrets, and his nightmares, with his new bride. Book 13: Little Dead Riding Hood An eighteen-year-old girl sets out one November night to walk five blocks down Gleason Avenue to her boyfriend’s house. He calls her and she tells him she’s on her way. It’s a walk that should take ten minutes, but she never arrives.When she does turn up, it’s five days later, washed up on the banks of the River Bronx, in Soundview Park, strangled to death.The detective who investigates the murder, a friend of the family, finds no forensic evidence, nothing of interest in her phone records, no witnesses to the abduction or the murder. Nothing. The case goes cold.Until her brother, Samuel, comes forward with new evidence he has found. And then the cases is handed to Detectives Stone and Dehan of the 43rd Precinct. They start asking the difficult questions, like how did she get into the river in the first place, and then the case starts heating up again…