Book picks similar to
The Chemist by Janson Mancheski


450-pgs
absent
challenge
crime-fiction

Natasha Mehra Must Die: Book One of the Doomsday Trilogy


Anand Sivakumaran - 2018
    Someone is slaughtering every woman, girl and child named Natasha Mehra . . .Which is what Natasha Mehra, the most unpopular girl on campus, discovers. Though she’s always hated her name, she would’ve never imagined that it would be the reason she would be on the run from a gruesome death. But these murders aren’t random acts of madness. Rather, they are part of a conspiracy hatched by the Kul, an all-powerful secret organisation with tentacles everywhere. And the success or failure of this 2000-year-old mission will determine the future of humankind . . .About the AuthorAnand Sivakumaran has been telling stories since he was five. After passing out of IIT Bombay, he did stints in journalism, advertising, event management and youth marketing, before landing up in the entertainment business. His credits include films like Kalyug and Nazar and TV shows like The Buddy Project, Sadda Haq, Miley Jab Hum Tum, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, Rishtey, Adhafull, etc. He has directed two films as well—Detour and Money Devo Bhava (awaiting release).He currently runs CROCTALES, a creative shop that makes and runs web series, films and TV shows.Anand also does live, interactive storytelling which involves making up stories on the spot in front of a live audience using their words. He also has a storytelling podcast—The Croc’s Tales—again telling stories using listener’s prompts.Mumbai is his base in between exploring the world.

Owl of Death


W.J. Costello - 2018
    America framed for a barbaric act. Russia on the warpath.Syrian assassins are sent to America to protect the conspiracy.The CIA wants to stop them. They want the conspiracy exposed. They hire Owl for the job.He must act fast. War between America and Russia is imminent. The clock is ticking.

29 Seconds


T.M. Logan - 2018
    One person. And I will make them disappear . . . When Sarah rescues a young girl in trouble, she expects nothing in return. But her act of bravery puts a powerful and dangerous man in her debt. He lives by his own brutal code, and all debts must be repaid - in the only way he knows how.He offers Sarah a way to solve a desperate situation with her intolerable boss. A once-in-a-lifetime deal that will make all her problems disappear.No consequences. No comeback. No chance of being found out.All it takes is a 29 second phone call.Because everyone has a name to give. Don't they?

The Gypsy: A Romantic Thriller


T.J. Jones - 2021
    Standing, and straddling my broken body with a well-muscled leg on either side of me, she looked like an ethereal giant: a beautiful Amazon, impossible tall, and equally invincible. She fired immediately, spun quickly and fired again, then dropped down and crowded me against the antique safe that had become our sanctuary. Improbably, she grinned at me. "Two down, and one to go."A mass shooting, an FBI coverup, and a madman with his own militia and a political hit list. Adam Cain is caught in the middle with only one person to trust; the beautiful and mysterious woman that calls herself the Gypsy. She seems to have all the answers, and a hit list of her own.

In the Dying Minutes


J.A. Baker - 2020
    He attempts to help her through the trauma but whenever Leah is in his presence, strange things occur. She suffers from hallucinations that include visions of her dead brother, Ellis. As Leah reveals to Will that her friends Jacob and Chloe wronged her, further flashbacks of her childhood and parts of her life she would sooner forget begin to surface, troubling Leah even more.But what is actually bothering her and what led Leah to be on that train? Nothing is as it seems, and soon she will learn the heart-breaking truth…J.A. Baker is also the author of the bestselling psychological thrillers The Other Mother, The Woman at Number 19 and The Girl I Used to Be. In The Dying Minutes is a tense and completely compelling novel which will keep you guessing until the very end. It will appeal to fans of authors like S.E. Lynes, K.L. Slater and Lucy Dawson.

The Run


Diane Strong - 2012
    Always a protective mother, Cora has never left her children alone. That is until a well-intentioned friend encourages her to. This is a story that will leave you questioning your parenting skills and wanting to read more great running adventures by Diane Strong.

The Fell Walker


Michael Wood - 2006
    A government minister is found dead at the foot of a Lake District mountain, adding to a sudden increase in the accident statistics. A lonely Scotsman leaves his isolated croft and travels to steamy Manila. These apparently unconnected events are the first sketches on a large canvas, soon to be smeared blood red by a brutal killer. Who is he? What is driving him? And why are his hideous crimes being ignored by the police? A small town journalist, Ben Foxley, starts to investigate. In the process, he is drawn into a world of technology and politics, love and obsession, and finally to a living nightmare - a terrifyingly personal race against time. Before beginning "The Fell Walker", allow yourself some quality reading time, for once you've picked it up, you'll not want to put it down.

Elephants in the Room


Suraj Laxminarayanan - 2018
    Novices to crime, they are driven more by emotions than skill - their plan seems foolproof, or so they think. In another part of the city, a gang of seasoned dacoits has botched up a job and now owes money to the local crime lord. They have to either pay up or pay for it with their lives - and time is running out... In a bizarre twist of fate, both these groups are brought face to face. Trapped in a situation beyond the realm of their planning and experience, they must think on their feet, form quick alliances and rally behind an unlikely leader. Set against the backdrop of Chennai, where men sing gaana songs in kuppams (fishing hamlets) nestled against swanky glass-fronted buildings and life-size cutouts of film stars and politicians, a story of love, greed, friendship, fate and the absurdity of the human condition unfolds.

Bright Lies


A.A. Abbott - 2020
    Can she break free?Emily’s dreams come true when her mother marries wealthy painter, David. Thanks to him, Emily’s artistic talents shine. Then he starts teaching her things a 14-year-old shouldn’t know. While Emily breaks free, she’s forced to sleep in a rat-infested alley.Bad boy Jack has turned his life around. Working as a DJ with ambitions to open a club, he rescues Emily from the streets when he sees a woman in trouble. He doesn’t know she’s still only 15 - and trapped in a dark web of secrets and lies.David must find Emily and silence her. As he closes in, Jack faces the hardest choice of all. If he saves Emily, he’ll kiss goodbye to his future...What would you sacrifice for love?

Blinding Lies


Amy Cronin - 2020
    The mystery haunts her, and she hopes her job in a busy city Garda Station will one day help her find answers.The case of a man shot dead crosses her desk – and Anna is shocked to discover that the main suspect is her childhood friend Kate Crowley. Certain that Kate is innocent, Anna is determined to help her clear her name. But first she has to find her …Tom Gallagher’s son David is dead, and Tom believes Kate is responsible. Now his older son John is missing – unable to grieve for one son until he finds the other, desperation can cause a man to do terrible things … Then the German Meier brothers descend on the city, intent on finding an item David had offered to sell them. Even Tom doesn’t know where it is, but he suspects Kate Crowley must have taken it.Kate is on the run. She is trapped in the dead man’s city – can her old friend help her find a way out?In a week where a political summit is taking place and the city is on high alert, Kate must struggle to stay hidden and stay alive. And Anna is drawn into the twisted race against time, falling deeper into danger.

The Wave


L.E. Luttrell - 2020
    When they meet in Phuket in December 2004 and share their troubles, the future begins to look more promising. Lucy devises a plan to help Kelly escape from her controlling and violent partner. But a tsunami sweeps through the resort causing tragedy and chaos.After recovering from her injuries, Lucy, whose husband died in the tsunami, travels to Llandudno in Wales to visit her in-laws. Thirteen years later, still in Llandudno and having established a successful business there, an unexpected visitor turns up on Lucy’s doorstep who turns her whole world upside down. She then has to consider how far she will go to protect all she holds dear.The Wave is a psychological thriller set in: Phuket, Thailand; Melbourne, Australia and Llandudno, Wales.

Dead Water


Matt Brolly - 2019
    Fast paced, full of twisty goodness, a well-drawn and intriguing main protagonist and a well-constructed and horrifically addictive storyline.’ Liz Loves Books ‘I was Dead Impressed with the fast paced plot; Dead Curious about who 'The Watcher' was; Dead Impressed the author managed to fool me; Dead Surprised when the killer was revealed and felt the ending was… well… Dead Perfect!’ Noelle Holten, bestselling author of Dead Inside‘Fantastic stuff. A must read for any lovers of crime. Matt Brolly has a cracking series on his hands.’ NorthernCrime'An action-filled, totally gripping, page turner!' Carol Wyer, author of Little Girl Lost

The Role Model


Daniel Hurst - 2021
    From birth up to the age of seventeen, Chloe has never been any trouble, until one night when she calls her mother with some shocking news.There's been an accident. And now there's a dead body...As always, Heather puts her daughter's safety before all else, but this is one time when she goes too far. Instead of calling the emergency services, Heather hides the body, saving her child from police interviews and public outcry.But as Heather knows, everything she does has an impact on Chloe's behaviour, and as time goes on and the pair struggle to keep their sordid secret hidden, Heather begins to think that she hasn't been such a good mum after all.In fact, she might have been the worst role model ever...

You Never Know


Akash Verma - 2017
    . There will be times when it will be the worst that has happened to you There will be times when you know you are getting into something horrible, something that will not stop till it destroys you, And yet . . . You are pulled so inextricably, unstoppably . . . She was my true love, I knew that. So despite being married and having children, I still went ahead with our affair. I hid it from my wife and colleagues. I told lies so I could be with her-it was that amazing! But I couldn't hide from the dark truth she was keeping. It pulled me into a vortex of danger so deep that I lost all I had. It happened to me and if you think it won't happen to you think again.