Book picks similar to
Prisoner (DI Lomas Baxter series #1) by Heath Gunn


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Crime in the Choir


Catherine Moloney - 2018
    This was not a centuries-old Christian burial. They are wearing modern-day clothes and there is evidence of foul play. Consecrated land has been sadistically violated. Detective Inspector Gilbert Markham is a rising talent of the Bromgrove police force. He is on the trail of the murderer, when another life is brutally claimed. Who is the savage killer lurking in this innocent place? DI Markham and his team are met with intense hostility when they step up their operation. Is this just local panic? Or are they about to stumble into a web of corruption which runs deeper than they could have ever anticipated? DI MARKHAM FACES A RACE AGAINST TIME TO SAVE HIS GIRLFRIEND FROM BEING THE NEXT VICTIM.

Purged


Peter Laws - 2017
    Formerly a minister, now a professor of sociology, he’s writing a book that debunks the Christian faith while assisting the police with religiously motivated crimes. On holiday with his family in Oxfordshire, Matt finds himself on edge in a seemingly idyllic village where wooden crosses hang at every turn. The stay becomes more sinister still when a local girl goes missing, followed by further disappearances. Caught up in an investigation that brings memories to the surface that he would prefer stay buried deep, Matt is on the trail of a killer determined to save us all.

He Is Watching You


Charlie Gallagher - 2018
    The killer is careful to position her under a camera that links to his smartphone. He likes to look back at his work.HE IS WATCHING HER. BUT SHE ISN’T DEAD.So he will go back to finish the job. He can barely contain his excitement at the thought of getting to do it all over again. But he must be careful. He cannot rush. Rushing makes you careless.Detective Maddie Ives is new to the area. She is handed a missing person report: a young woman with a drink problem who’s been reported missing fifteen times. It looks like a waste of time. But DS Ives has a bad feeling about the woman’s disappearance.DI Harry Blaker is called to a hit and run of an elderly man left to die on a quiet country road. There is no motive and it looks like a tragic accident. But he’s been working Major Crime long enough to know that something isn’t quite right. The two officers find their investigations intertwine and they will need to work together.BUT THEY MUST WORK FAST. TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THE WOMAN IN THE CONTAINER. And the killer has already identified his next target.HE IS WATCHING YOU: The new race against time thriller from Charlie Gallagher. Perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Damien Boyd, Rachel Abbott, Patricia Gibney or Mark Billingham.

Where Lost Girls Go


B.R. Spangler - 2020
    “Please.” When Detective Casey White discovers the body of a beautiful teenage girl in a white nightgown near the shoreline in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a familiar fear floods through her. Could this be Hannah, her sweet, blue-eyed daughter snatched from home fourteen years ago? But it only takes one look to confirm that the girl with dark bruising around her throat is another family’s tragedy. Putting her own grief aside, Casey digs into unsolved missing child cases in the area. The victim is Cheryl Parry, one of two little girls taken during a family beach vacation nine years ago. Her sister’s body was found strangled a week later, but someone has been keeping Cheryl alive—until now. Fearful there may be other innocent lives in danger, Casey and her team work around the clock to trace the material from Cheryl’s nightgown, but hit a dead end and don’t know where to turn. Then, another teenager’s body is found in a nearby pine forest, dressed all in white. It’s suddenly clear that a twisted killer has been hiding in the Outer Banks for years, and he will strike again. Casey painstakingly combs the forest soil for clues to the killer’s next move, but nothing prepares her for what she finds: a buried charm bracelet exactly matching one that her little Hannah always wore—right down to the broken star charm by the clasp… An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller with twists and turns that will have you racing through the pages. Fans of Kendra Elliot, Rachel Caine and Robert Dugoni will be completely hooked.

Mama's Boy


Charles H. King - 1992
    NYPD detective Jake Harrowing spree and suicide, but proving it was murder seems impossible--until Jake discovers the small child who witnessed the slaughter from his secret hiding place.

Right to an Attorney


R. Sims - 2016
    Or End It. Dexter Parker just got out of prison and has $3.3 billion a few weeks later. He most certainly is guilty of something. A double-homicide and theft, for starters. Dexter Parker,35, is a former investment banker and a killer. He gets 106 investors to believe in a new computer invention. After stealing more than 3.3 billion dollars, he exercises his right to an attorney. In fact, he believes he has a right to a lawyer named Janet and another named Dana. Sex with either of them would leave no room for error in the client-attorney relationship. The FBI wants to bring in the mastermind of the investment scam, but their investigation is complicated when the IRS informs them that the main suspect is a victim of identity theft. A stakeout and video recording reveal that Dexter flirts and sleeps with his brother's wife. The Feds see no reason to keep this a secret. When one of the lawyers gets kidnapped by an angry investor, Dexter has to decide whether he should give up all the stolen money—and even his life—for her safe return. She is, after all, pregnant with his only child. First, though, he will have to go to trial for his crimes, and this means facing his brother on the witness stand. Not even a judge can predict what happens next in the courtroom. ˃˃˃ If you like legal thrillers or psychological thrillers that defy your predictions, Right to an Attorney could make you look at other thrillers differently.

The De Zalze Murders: The Story Behind the Brutal Axe Attack


Julian Jansen - 2017
    Wealthy, successful and well-liked. In a luxury estate just outside Stellenbosch they lived what seemed like a dream life. But everything changed overnight. The gruesome murders of Martin, his wife Teresa and their son Rudi shocked South Africa. Julian Jansen, one of the first reporters on the scene, immediately realised that the case was going to place exceptional demands on the police. He was also deeply shaken by the events. As relatives and friends one by one started talking to Jansen, a picture emerged of parents at their wits' end with their difficult 'loner' child and his drug problem. Could it be that the Van Bredas' own son had wielded the axe? From the moment the news broke, Rapport journalist Julian Jansen has followed the case closely as a reporter for the Sunday press grappling with the human side of this tragedy.

Georgina's Story


Patrick Logan - 2018
     She was taken away from her sister, her parents, her community. Neither she nor the people who knew her were ever the same again. This is her story.

Double Blind (Morton Murder Mystery Book 3)


Sean Campbell - 2018
     As if he had any choice. Double Blind is a standalone crime novel set in DCI Morton's London. Jump right in with this seventh instalment, or try one of the earlier books first: every story is self-contained.

Caring For Justice


M.A. Comley - 2019
     Someone is intent on attacking pensioners in their own homes. Can Lorne and Pete put an end to these heinous crimes? Or will someone else intervene to give the investigation a helping hand? Other books and novellas in this series are: Cruel Justice #1 in Police Procedurals and1# Women Sleuths. Impeding Justice #1 in Police Procedurals Final justice #1 Action and Adventure Foul Justice #1 Hard-Boiled Mysteries Guaranteed Justice #1 Women Sleuths Ultimate Justice - #2 Women Sleuths Virtual Justice - #1 Hard Boiled #2 Psychological Thrillers Hostile Justice - #1 Police Procedural Tortured Justice - #1 Vigilante Justice Rough Justice - #1 Women Sleuths Dubious Justice - #1 British Detectives Calculated Justice - #2 Action and Adventure Twisted Justice - #1 Women Sleuths Prime Justice - #2 Police Procedural Shameful Justice - #1 Women Sleuths Immoral Justice - #2 British Detectives Toxic Justice - #2 Hard-Boiled Mysteries Overdue Justice - Final book. Short stories to accompany the series involving Lorne and Pete are: Blind Justice - introduction novella to the series. It's a Dog's Life - 20,000 word novella Merry Widow - a short story Justice at Christmas - a 10,000 word short story. Unfair Justice - a 10,000 word short story Mortal Justice - a 15,000 word novella. Irrational Justice - 10,000 word short story. Seeking Justice - 15,000 word novella.

Cremains


Rob Johnson - 2019
    Seeing an elderly woman crushed to death under a baby grand piano is not the best start to anyone’s day, and Max Dempsey’s is about to get a whole lot worse.When sacked bank manager turned bank robber Max Dempsey (aka Simon Golightly) finds himself deep in debt to dodgy undertaker Danny Bishop, he’s prepared to do almost anything to pay it off and keep all of his fingers.But he’s likely to lose a lot more than his fingers when he agrees to do a “little job” for Danny and unintentionally crosses psychopathic Greek gangster, Nikos Spiropoulos.Meanwhile, Bernard Pemberton and his granddaughter Tess are on a road trip to scatter their beloved Dottie’s ashes on a Scottish hilltop, but is it really her ashes in the cremation urn or something else altogether?Cremains is a crime caper that twists and turns its way towards a conclusion that even Max himself couldn’t have predicted.

Dead North


Joel Hames - 2018
     “intelligent, intricately woven" - S.E. Lynes “It's going to leave me with a thriller hangover for some time.” - John Marrs “a white-knuckle, breathlessly-paced read that also has heart.” - Louise Beech “A pacy thriller, rich in voice and with gratifying degree of complexity.” - John Bowen Once the brightest star in the legal firmament, Sam Williams has hit rock bottom, with barely a client to his name and a short-term cash problem that's looking longer by the minute. So when he's summoned to Manchester to help a friend crack a case involving the murder of two unarmed police officers and a suspect who won't say a word, he jumps at the chance to resurrect his career. In Manchester he'll struggle against resentful locals, an enigmatic defence lawyer who thinks he's stepping on her toes, beatings, corrupt cops and people who'll do anything to protect their secrets. On its streets, he’ll see people die. But it's in the hills and valleys further north that Sam will face the biggest challenge of all: learning who he really is and facing down the ghosts of his past. He’s working someone else’s case and he’s in way over his head. But sometimes you need the wrong man in the right place. Praise for DEAD NORTH “In Dead North, Hames’ lawyer turned accidental sleuth, Sam Williams, finds himself far from home and neck deep in Manchester’s seamy gangster scene. But what stands out in this intelligent, intricately woven crime procedural - with a plot to make your brain hurt - is the undercurrent of slick and highly enjoyable humour reminiscent of Raymond Chandler, updated for the twenty-first century. Loved it.” S.E. Lynes, author of Mother, Valentina and The Pact “I really enjoyed it. The characters spring of the page with such natural ease. I was gripped by the story – I love a book that takes turns where you least expect. It's going to leave me with a thriller hangover for some time.” John Marrs, author of The One, The Good Samaritan and When You Disappeared “Hames is such a talent that he has created a white-knuckle, breathlessly-paced read that also has heart. Beautifully written and thrilling, Dead North deserves to go to the top of any chart.” Louise Beech, author of Maria in the Moon, How To Be Brave and The Mountain in my Shoe “A pacy thriller, rich in voice and with gratifying degree of complexity. Hames knows how to deliver.” John Bowen, author of Where the Dead Walk, Vessel and Death Stalks Kettle Street

Keeper of Secrets


Lynda Stacey - 2019
    The story is what inspired Cassie to become an archaeologist.But Aggie has a secret that she’s buried as deep as the tunnels and when excavation work begins on the site, Cassie is the only one who can help her keep it. With the assistance of her old university friend, Noah Flanagan, she puts into action a plan to honour Aggie’s wishes.It seems the deeper Noah and Cassie dig, the more shocking the secrets uncovered – and danger is never far away, both above and below the ground …

Unsavory


Jana Deleon - 2014
    Bodies Never Found. Police Remain Silent. The headlines ran across the top of every newspaper and television report in Sacramento, California, making the entire city uneasy, especially since “police remain silent” is usually code for “don’t have a clue.” Kitally never considered herself a victim, but when she becomes the kidnapper’s next acquisition, she’s thrown into a nightmare so horrific she wonders if this is the end. Private investigator Lizzy Gardner and her assistants, Hayley and Jessica, set out to find Kitally before she becomes a cannibal’s next meal. Can Lizzy find Kitally before she’s dead meat?

What's Yours Is Mine


Renee Pawlish - 2019
     When Leah Gibson dies, and her husband and daughter disappear, I cannot run anymore. Who murdered her, and why? What secrets did she hide? As I search for a killer, my own secrets will be exposed, and I may lose all I have left.