Book picks similar to
The Cold Light of Dawn by Graham Ison


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Out of Reach


Elizabeth McGregor - 2015
    She has a job as a local newspaper reporter, a flat above an antiques shop in a village by the sea, and a close group of friends. But one day her carefully erected existence collapses when tragedy explodes back into her life. Ten years ago Kate’s eight-week-old baby, Jamie, was stolen. The loss destroyed her marriage and still haunts her dreams with guilt and longing. And now letters have started arriving on her doormat, anonymous letters that read, ‘I know where he is…’ Tragedy strikes again when her colleague and close friend, Maggie, is found, dead. Kate is torn between running once again or finding out who sent the letters so she can finally have some answers. She enlists the help of Johnathon Reeve, a psychiatrist, to help her work through her issues. He seems to be exactly what she needs – someone who listens, understands, and is willing to help. Kate soon comes to the realisation that she must put her fear to one side and find the truth behind her son’s disappearance. Even if the child will always remain just Out of Reach... Praise for Eliazabeth McGregor ‘Compulsive and claustrophobic … the writing embroiled me … and, like a pit-bull terrier, refused to let go. Just when it seemed the suspense had peaked, McGregor turned the ratchet another notch and forced me to read on … made me turn pages with an eagerness that defied sleep’ – Val McDermid, Manchester Evening News ‘Without doubt the most unputdownable psychological thriller I have come across for a long time’ The Lady Elizabeth McGregor is the pen name of Elizabeth Cooke. She also writes under the name Holly Fox and has had over a hundred stories and serials published in the UK and abroad. She has worked for both magazines and radio, and currently writes a weekly column for the Dorchester Guardian. She lives in Dorset with her husband, her daughter and the world’s most laid-back golden retriever.

No Escape


N.J. Cooper - 2009
    What made him choose four innocent strangers, a family picnicking, as his victims? Why did he need to kill? Forensic psychologist Karen Taylor comes to probe the mind of this psychopath.

Ghosts Among Men


Laura Del - 2015
    More specifically, she sees ghosts as a private investigator, working alongside the Chicago Police Department to put away killers and put troubled spirits to rest.When the daughter of one of Chicago's wealthiest families turns up dead, Samantha and her assistant Mark team up with homicide detective Lance MacDowell to get to the bottom of the crime.Allison Allen is tall, blonde, beautiful-and very much dead. As Samantha interviews the girl, who doesn't remember anything about the circumstances of her own murder, it's clear that there's more going on behind the walls of this manicured home than anyone wants to let on-and that Samantha has her work cut out for her this time.Juggling her own love life, tracking down troubled spirits, and evading attempts to thwart her investigation keeps Samantha on her toes. Good thing Samantha knows how to keep her eyes open, her wits about her, and her sense of humor.

Confessions of the Assistant Extraordinaire


Lotta Smith - 2016
    More than 100,000 words, humorous mystery books. Welcome to the glamorous universe of Kelly Kinki—yes, really! Working as a personal assistant of Michael Archangel—the hottest and the wackiest detective in D.C.—her day never ends without dead bodies… Ghostly Murder A murder in a locked room…The faceless ghost… Throw in a cross-dressing detective plus his assistant extraordinaire in this new mystery series! For Kelly Kinki, working as Archangel’s personal assistant was always an adventure, one that keeps her on her toes. As the resident consulting detective for the busy Washington D.C. Police Department and the FBI, Archangel took the confusing or unsolvable situations and spun a Sherlock hue over them, finding answers amongst the clues and closing cases even the most skilled law enforcement agents found confounding. Working as both his assistant and sounding board, Kelly has an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of Archangel’s deduction, and of his fabulous closet. Not only is he a detective savant, he is also a towering specimen of a man with an appetite for women’s high fashion that could put a runway model to shame – a fact that leaves his less-fashionable assistant flummoxed, and slightly jealous. It’s a classic ‘who-done-it’ with a not so classic answer. Immortal Eyes Serial murder with a sick ritual... The Dragon Lady...and the mismatched duo's race against time... Previously a socialite and a ‘real’ housewife, Kelly Kinki is now stuck with a dead-end job as a personal assistant to a private investigator. To Kelly, this translates as playing second fiddle to a guy who gets more cat-calls than she does. Michael Archangel is his name, catching killers is what he does, and he does it in...well, a short skirt and high heels. As a former FBI Special Agent turned P.I., Archangel knows his way around a crime scene as well as he does the local Agent Provocateur. His game de jour is toying with Kelly, his assistant—just like cat and mouse. However, they're a team, whether fending off rude paparazzi or manhandling the politicians, freaks, and other lowlifes roaming the streets of the nation's capital, the two are hell-bent on finding a serial killer who is holding the city hostage. Join Archangel, Kelly, and a host of oddball characters as they wind their way through a madcap crime thriller, with more twists and turns than a mind-bender roller coaster. Kelly's story is filled with raucous humor and irreverent satire, so buckle up. Who'll solve the crime, and who will take the credit? Perhaps all the investigators will get for their trouble is a full color splash on the cover of the Washington Post, "Latest Victims Discovered in Matching Frocks - One Male, One Female". Deadly Vision A murder of a sweetie pie… A newbie, pathetic agent…and the reluctant mentor… Voted #7 of DC’s Most Eligible Bachelors, now Michael Archangel—her boss—is officially the hottest PI in the neighborhood, and one of the most talented. Sought by clients and police alike for his wit and brain power, this is an American Sherlock with style – and a unique past. The college girl was last seen at Tricky Sundae, a local ice cream shop, and then she turns up dead. This time, the case seems so normal, at first. The victim, a universally-loved college student, has been strangled.

Total Victim Theory


Ian Ballard - 2013
    Puzzling over the document's sinister entries, Jake pieces together a story of mass murder near the Texas-Mexico border two decades before. If Jake's theory is correct, the names listed on the ledger's final page are the victims of a previously unknown serial killer. Leads are scarce until a gruesome new crime scene, deep in the Mexican desert, shows a chilling connection to the border deaths of long ago.

Your Hand in Mine (Glen Avich to Seal Island)


Daniela Sacerdoti - 2016
     If you love embarking on an emotional journey with Jojo Moyes or Amanda Prowse, you will adore Daniela Sacerdoti. Pamela has devoted her life to providing a safe haven in the village of Glen Avich for her daughter Mairi, a happy little girl with a big heart. Since her daughter's medical results came in and Mairi's father Douglas walked out, Pamela has vowed that no one would hurt Mairi again, least of all Douglas's bully of a father, who forbade his wife Morag to have anything to do with her granddaughter. When Pamela loses her mother, and her brother moves away, she finds herself alone and longing for a family for Mairi. So when a letter arrives from the recently widowed Morag, inviting them to visit her at home on the tiny island of Seal, Pamela agrees to go. Will it be another failed attempt to build bridges with Douglas's family? Or is Seal waiting for them with unexpected gifts?

The Cage


Scott Mariani - 2021
    Some want the 'paedo killer' locked up forever. Others think he's a hero. Either way, now it's DI Tom McAllister's job to catch the elusive murderer.Not your ordinary police detective, Tom's a maverick outsider who always gets his man. But with the case spiralling out of control and the killer seemingly always one step ahead, he finds himself drawn into a deadly game of deception that threatens to destroy more than just his career. But the worst is yet to come, as the horrifying truth begins to emerge about the significance of THE CAGE . . .If you're a fan of smart, fast-paced detective thrillers with a twist, the first of Scott Mariani's sensational new DI Tom McAllister series will have you on the edge of your seat and yearning for more!

The Compound


Ben Follows - 2017
    In the small town of Crescent Point, Jake will come face to face with an enemy unlike any he's ever faced before, and with the sins he's tried to ignore. He will discover that sometimes when you dig too deep into the darkness, you find something dragging you further down, and the only escape from the darkness is a desperate scramble toward the light.

Marked by Darkness


Dawn Merriman - 2020
    . Two years ago, Detective Maribeth Johansen’s family was murdered by the killer she hunted. Maribeth now lives alone in the woods with her grief, the ghosts of her family in her mind. . Her solitude is shattered when a young woman, bearing a striking resemblance to Maribeth’s dead daughter, is murdered and left in the woods for Maribeth to find. The woman’s chest bears the same mark the killer carved into the chests of his victims. . But that killer has been dead for two years. . Is the ghost of a serial killer after her, or is there a new threat hunting her in the woods? An emotionally intense thrill ride!

Inspector Proby's Christmas


John Gano - 1994
     Then another young woman is murdered…and another… Inspector Proby is assigned to the case. As a seasoned detective, it’s not difficult for him to figure out who did it, but proving it is another matter altogether. It will take all of his wit and courage to catch this killer before he strikes again. But his quest takes a dramatic turn when he finds out his own wife is sleeping with the killer. Was she involved with the slaughter? The chilling killer watches Proby…taunts him…thinking he’s got away with his crimes… With the superintendent away on holiday, and the Chief Constable threatening suspension, Proby is not sure he can rely on his own police department. Everyone doubts Proby’s ability to solve this case, but his instincts point him in the direction of one vital clue… The inspector must use the only person he can rely on as bait but is Proby willing to pay the ultimate price?

Mourning The Little Dead


Jane A. Adams - 2002
    No trace of her was ever found but now a confession in a sealed envelope has turned up in a dead man's possessions. Naomi Blake was Helen's best friend, now blinded and an ex-policewoman she sets out to discover the truth.

The Grave Man


David Archer - 2015
     Sam Prichard was a cop, and a good one, until the bullets took out the joint of his right hip. Now he's trying to learn to live without being a cop, and getting to know his neighbors, learning to walk again and even ride a motorcycle. Life is bearable, barely, but then he gets asked to find a missing child, and the lure of getting back into some kind of police work is too much for him to resist. When he teams up with computer whiz Indiana Perkins, he suddenly becomes one of the best investigators he's ever even known. Now, he's found the missing child, but it's thrown him right into the middle of something that may be a drug war--or could be a chance to stop the next 911! There's no way out for Sam, so he's in for the ride of his life, but when the girl he's becoming fond of is suddenly drawn into the line of fire with her own little daughter, Sam is ready to forget all the rules and do whatever is necessary to win the day.

Paper


Andrew Stanek - 2016
    Now everyone from petty criminals to the FBI are after Ken while he tries to find his estranged father and win back his girlfriend. How much money is real and how much is counterfeit? Find out in Paper.

Hunter/Prey


Sam Sisavath - 2015
     She has been planning this for ten years. She’s thought of everything and trained for this one single night. Nothing could possibly go wrong. He’s a serial killer who has eluded the police for the last ten years. When his latest victim turns out to not be who she appears, the hunter will discover what it’s like to be the prey. When these two very determined foes clash, there will be blood. One way or another, only one of them is coming out of this alive…

The Camera Man


Amy Cross - 2017
    Everything you do, everywhere you go, everyone you meet. Even if you can't see him, he'll be somewhere around. Always filming you.” When she was a little girl, Jess once saw a man filming her during a family holiday. Years later, she saw the same man filming her in the park. Now, as she approaches her mid-twenties, Jess sees the same man again. And this time, her best friend just happens to have gone missing. Soon, Jess is plunged into a nightmare that nobody else believes could be real. Haunted by the sight of the camera man, but never able to get to him, she begins to lose her mind. But is Jess suffering from paranoia, or is the man really following her? And if he's real, then why will he go to any lengths to capture her entire life on film? The Camera Man is a horror novel about a woman haunted by a mysterious figure, about a man driven to insanity by a voice in his mind, and about a dark force that is finally ready to break through to this world.