Book picks similar to
Defenseless by Matt Lenz
mystery
crime
ebook
vigilante-justice
The Blue Executions
George P. Norris - 2014
An incident in a Queens housing project hurls highly decorated detective Tommy Galvin not only onto the front pages of the newspapers but also into the crosshairs of the sociopath. The hunter becomes the hunted! Galvin’s actions on a warm spring evening ignite a powder keg of racial tension and civil unrest, capturing national attention which must be dealt with and brought under control by the NYPD. When the two men finally come face to face, Galvin’s life has changed forever, in a way he could have never imagined. The Blue Executions will take you from the eyes of the killer to the investigation charged with taking him down; from the inner workings of a major New York City newspaper that the killer has entrusted, to the behind the scenes politics of the NYPD at the highest levels. All of the while, Galvin’s life is on the line.
Catchee Monkey
Sean Cameron - 2014
One Murder. No Clue.When Eddie is persuaded to start a detective agency with his friend Rex, he hopes to set up a respectable business, while Rex sees it as a chance to play out his noir fantasies.The inexperienced sleuths stumble upon a murder mystery that puts them head-to-head with gangsters, assassins, and corrupt coppers. Outnumbered, outgunned and outwitted, they have to solve their case before it kills them, or before they end up killing each other.The first in the Rex & Eddie Mysteries series, Catchee Monkey is a comedy-mystery — or daft noir — that lovingly mashes the pulp detective novel with a British twist.
Sunshine Hunter
Maddie Cochere - 2012
Often, she is simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and things go downhill quickly. All of the books cross genres of chick lit, mystery, romance, humor, and action, bringing you a fast-paced, easy-breezy read.Working in a weight-loss center by day and a racquetball club by night, Susan Hunter enjoys her life, the sport, and her friends. ... Sunshine Hunter opens with Susan finding out her new boyfriend of three months is married. To escape the drama, she accepts an offer from her best friend to tag along for a week in Florida. Here the mystery begins, and Susan believes she and her friend are being stalked. She also learns of a murder back home in Ohio and soon finds out she's wanted for questioning. The story takes an adventurous turn when she ends up in the Gulf of Mexico. ... Humorous, sometimes ominous, Sunshine Hunter is quirky and fun! Approx. 52,000 words.
No Man's Land
Roland Fishman - 2014
A Muslim extremist group based in Indonesia has plans to launch devastating attacks on Sydney on New Year's Eve - and only one man can stop them: special operative Russell Carter, an Australian version of Lee Child's Jack Reacher - a man of few words but much action..."A thriller that has all the elements for success; a surfing, martial-arts proficient and taciturn hero and a beautiful sidekick with whom he still has unresolved issues... Fishman sets a fierce pace over almost 400 pages with the action seldom slowing...This is the first in a series of thrillers featuring the enigmatic and lethal Carter."MELBOURNE SUNDAY AGE - Australia's New York Times"All of this makes Carter an unexpected hero type - flawed, questioning, brave with enough of the all action hero type to be very believable. And it doesn't hurt that there's nothing decorative female about Erina - she's a strong, capable woman in her own right...Added to the believability of the unexpected, the realistic portray of the two central characters, and a strong plot, there's a hefty dose of good, dry very Australian humour."KAREN CHISHOLM - AUSTRALIA & NZ CRIME FICTION REVIEWS"Several of the action sequences are portrayed in such granular detail that often time dilates ... As it draws to its conclusion the conflict explodes like a display of fireworks."NICK LATHOURIS - CO-WRITER MAD MAX FURY ROAD"This is the rare international thriller with an engaging romantic subplot that features full-bodied human beings. Be ready to be thrilled and charmed. A thriller lovers delight."JAMES N. FREY - Author of nine acclaimed thrillers and the best selling HOW TO WRITE A DAM GOOD THRILLER"Fishman is the real deal. He knows how to sustain a cracking pace from start to finish, so much so that I found myself saying after each chapter, 'just one more'... Carter is a terrific protagonist, as dangerous as Jack Reacher but with a spiritual dimension."ALEX GILLY, author of DEVIL'S HARBOUR
A Ghost In The Theatre (Ruby And Nessa - Ghost Hunters Book 5)
Gillian Larkin - 2016
They locate ghosts who are haunting places – or people. It’s a well-known fact that the Mill Street Theatre is haunted. And everyone knows the building closes for cleaning work during the first week in September every year. But this is a cover-up. The theatre closes because the hauntings escalate during that week, bringing a threat to human life. The owner decides these hauntings have to be investigated, and any ghosts dealt with. The Laurel sisters offer their help. Their investigations lead them to a heartbreaking story.
Unstolen: You can steal, but you can't hide
Tony Batton - 2018
Almost.
He returns stolen items to their rightful owners.
For a price.
A man has to make a living, and Jake more than most. Because he's still paying for mistakes made a long time ago. And they weren't even his.
Death Will Get You Sober
Elizabeth Zelvin - 2008
He knows it's time to change his life, but how can he stay sober without dying of boredom?When homeless alcoholics start to die unexpectedly, Bruce is surprised to find he cares enough to want to find out why. Most of them had been down and out for many years, but Bruce's friend Guff was different: a cynical aristocrat with a trust fund and some secrets.Two old friends give Bruce a second chance and agree to help him with his investigation: his best friend, Jimmy, a computer genius and history buff who's been in AA for years, and Jimmy's girlfriend Barbara, a counselor who sometimes crosses the line between helping and codependency.Barbara works a night shift at the detox and confronts a counselor who might still be dealing drugs. Bruce gets a job temping for Guff's arrogant nephew. Between the three of them, suspects start piling up. The trail leads back to the detox. Or does it?In Death Will Get You Sober, Bruce discovers that the church basements of AA are a small world in the big city of New York. As he grapples with staying sober, he finds that not drinking is only the beginning of coming back to life—a life he finds he wants to keep when it's threatened by a killer.Debut author Elizabeth Zelvin has used her expertise as an addiction councilor to pen a riveting mystery filled with memorable, realistic characters who are as flawed as they are heroic.
Foreign Involvement: A Chuck Winters Thriller
Robert E. Smith - 2018
He soon gets caught up with a nemesis character that spews death and destruction, hiding throughout the world like a chameleon---causing Winters to leave his serene retirement and take chase.
Regan O'Reilly, Private Investigator
Margaret Lake - 2011
She would have followed her father and brother into the Force but women officers are rare and usually relegated to the status of social workers. Now she's a private investigator with her own agency and the freedom to live her life the way she wants. That is until she meets widower Mark Harris and his delightful son, Patrick, who have plans of their own for Regan. Print Length: 50 pages Book Two: Regan O'Reilly, PI, Goes Undercover
Widow-Taker
R.H. Johnson - 2015
The "Rosebud Killer" is the most dangerous criminal that Nazareth and his team have ever faced, and they continually find themselves one step behind this intelligent, seemingly mild-mannered murderer. The hunt takes them from small, peaceful towns in Pennsylvania and Maryland to the brownstone mansions of New York City's Upper East Side. No widow is safe from a madman who believes he is doing God's will, and the pressure is on Nazareth to bring the guy to justice.
The Good Daughter
Diana Layne - 2012
Marisa Peruzzo, Mafia princess, would.She owed him for killing her fiance.She owed him for destroying her mother.She owed him for chaining her to the 'family business'.And she owed him for taking away her lifelong friend.Payback's a bitch.
***FBI meets Mafia Princess:Dave sat up straighter when she entered the bar. Sandro had promised the contact would have useful information and be immediately recognizable, but he never specified male or female. Was this his informant? Carlo Peruzzo's daughter. The Mafia princess herself.Her gaze scanned the room until she saw him. Though her lips were pressed in a straight line, a sparkle flashed in her eyes as if she knew just how she had shocked him.Dave realized his heart rate had kicked up a few notches when their eyes had locked. His jaw would have dropped if he hadn't been the kind of guy trained not to show his emotions.She walked purposefully toward him, making her way through the crowded tables. Black designer jeans hugged nice curvy hips, and her full breasts were covered with a pink plaid, pearl-button western shirt. Interesting color choice. A leather belt wrapped around her waist, and his focus narrowed. Best he could tell the belt was pink, too. And there were some kind of pink jewels inlaid in the buckle.He hid a smile. The only thing that would complete the color coordination was if she had on-he looked down, yep, pink cowboy boots. Pretty-in-pink cowgirl-Mafia princess. That certainly wasn't an image he expected to see. With her head high, and her gaze fixed on him she seemed unaware-or unaffected-by the attention she garnered. And she certainly got a fair share of stares. He saw more than one man pause with a drink halfway to his mouth, head swiveling to keep track as she walked past.Dave had never seen the high-and-mighty Mafia daughter in anything other than expensive business suits, with her hair pulled back and her makeup understated, but tonight she wore this chic knock-off cowgirl look well. With her dark wavy hair swinging free around her shoulders, her smooth olive skin glowing, and lips a luscious color of pink to match as well, she could raise the lust level in a saint.Dave was no saint. 94,000 words, 376 pages***Each book in the Vista Security Series is stand alone but if you'd like to read in order:The Good Daughter (Vista Security Origins Book 1)Trust No One (Vista Security Book 2)Edge Of Trust (Vista Security Book 3)Forced To Trust (Coming Soon)and for fans of The Good Daughter:Nia, Be Mine (Coming Soon)
The Forgotten Girls
Alexa Steele - 2014
That doesn’t happen in Greenvale, with its immaculate lawns, exclusive yacht clubs and multi-million dollar mansions. But behind its perfect façade, its trimmed hedges and luxury cars, a darkness lies. Girls, dependent on Adderall, outmaneuver each other to get into top colleges, while the mothers’ need to live vicariously only makes it worse. Bella DeFranco is one of the Bronx’s top SVU detectives. At only 37, she disarms everyone with her stunning good looks, yet she is as tough as most men—and a lot smarter, too. Yet when is summoned to Greenvale, she finds herself getting lost in a case that even she can’t comprehend. She stumbles into a land of secrets, a place where husbands hide their pasts from their wives, where friends are not what they seem, and where no one wants to know too much. As she digs deeper into layers of suburban dysfunction, she comes to learn that, behind all the fake smiles, there is a subtle violence--rivaling even her crime-ridden streets of the Bronx. With a killer on the loose, time running out, and a new partner who never recovered from his washed-up alcoholic days, the odds are stacked against Bella. She is determined, though, to save these girls, whatever the cost. Yet as she gets close, the depth of psychosis she discovers shocks even her….
Out of the Shadow
J.K. Winn - 2012
One Goal. To discover the truth no matter the cost.A survivor of rape and her husband's murder, all Becca Rosen wants to do is move on with her life, but how can she when she's being stalked by a psychopath with an attitude---and an agenda. The police are no help because they're convinced, with her history of mental illness, Becca has faked the rape to get away with murder. On top of that, Becca has begun to have flashbacks of childhood abuse, possibly at the hands of the rapist. Not knowing where to turn, and feeling like she might go crazy again, Becca hires Psychologist, Sarah Abrams.Three men come into Becca's life around the same time. While each of these men has his charms, could one of them be the perpetrator? Or could it be somebody else? Together Becca and Sarah start on a course of hypnotherapy to discover the abuser's identity. Will their work reveal the real killer before it's too late, or will Becca fall prey once again to this demented criminal?
Don't Tell Meg
Paul J. Teague - 2017
One night. So many deaths. When radio journalist Pete Bailey betrays his wife Meg on his fortieth birthday, he has no idea of the terrible consequences that will follow his infidelity. His passionate relationship with Meg is on the rocks and they're having no luck starting a family. It's only when he meets TV reporter Ellie Turner on a working weekend away from home that Pete succumbs to her charms in a moment of weakness. His treacherous actions set off a chain of events fueled by jealousy, revenge, violence and hatred. Five people will lose their lives as a result of Pete's deception and he will be compelled to confront the ugly truth about his wife and his best friend, Jem. He thought that nobody would ever discover what he'd done with Ellie ... but he didn't know who was listening in the room next door. Don't Tell Meg is the first part of trilogy of thrillers. Book 2, The Murder Place and Book 3, The Forgotten Children are also available. Paul J. Teague has also written the standalone thriller Dead of Night (Released May 2017) Please note that this book contains mild violence, bad language and sexual references.
Death and Taxes
David Dodge - 1941
Often compared to Dashiell Hammett, David Dodge's urbane writing style stands the test of time. His novels still show the hallmarks of being fresh, fast-paced and witty. Whit Whitney is the last person you’d want to meet. The taxman is no one’s best friend. But in 1940’s San Francisco, there’s a price to pay for murder, romance, and heavy drinking, and the taxman turned detective is coming to collect. Hilarious and twisty, Dodge’s first novel is among his best, and makes for a terrific introduction to one of last century’s greatest talents in mystery.