Book picks similar to
Crystal Deception by Doug J. Cooper


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Sentinel


Jamie Foley - 2013
    Now Darien’s car is wrecked, his sister is bleeding out, and the only medical aid is at the reclusive Serran Academy.Some say the Serrans have blood-bonds with angels. Some say they have surreal mental abilities. Some say the gods grant them elemental powers.But when the Academy is targeted for harvesting, its secrets—and the collapse of modern civilization—are the least of Darien’s worries.

Into Twilight


P.R. Adams - 2017
    When he’s double-crossed by one of his own, he’ll stop at nothing to take out the trash. Korea, 22nd Century. Surrender isn’t in Stefan Mendoza’s DNA. So when a traitor betrays his black-ops team, he alone pushes through the torture and escapes with revenge burning in his mind. On the verge of a systems failure, he taps into his underground network for a set of cybernetic limbs. But his high-tech recovery comes at a heavy price—an assassination hit on a rising political star.Filled with resentment for the cutthroat world of contract killers, he uses the hit job as a cover to track down the traitor. When he discovers he’s competing with other assassins for the same political target, he starts to piece together a sinister conspiracy that could lead him straight to the shadowy figure behind his betrayal. Trapped within a hotbed of corruption, can Mendoza exact his revenge and win his freedom or will he spiral deeper into the twisted game of brokered death?Into Twilight is the first book in The Stefan Mendoza Trilogy of high-octane cyberpunk techno-thrillers. If you like street-smart soldiers, complex conspiracies, and immersive sci-fi settings, then you'll love P.R. Adams noir-style page-turner.

Pawn


Ernie Lindsey - 2014
    The ABNA contest is operated on Amazon.com only. Visit this entry on Amazon.com to leave customer feedback. To vote for the Grand Prize winner starting July 8, visit www.amazon.com/ABNA. Nobody asks to be chosen. The world ended long before Caroline Mathers was born, but that doesn't mean life stops for the fourteen-year-old army scout for the People's Republic of Virginia. Abandoned by her parents, raised by her grandfather, she slinks through the forests surrounding her decrepit encampment, monitoring the woods for nomadic bands of criminals known as Republicons, all while keeping a watchful eye on her northern enemies from the Democratic Alliance. It's a hard life, but a simple one, at least until the day Caroline hears the sound that everyone dreads: distant drums echoing throughout their quiet valley, pounding to the beat of the war rhythm. With some help from two unlikely allies, Caroline leads her people in a breathtaking retreat, praying they'll find salvation in their capitol city. Along the way, Caroline begins a noticeable transformation; she can run and jump with superhuman strength, she can bend time and catch bullets with her bare hands. Terrified of what's happening to her, seven puzzling words from her grandfather may hold a clue: "She gave you strength for a reason." Will her haunting dreams reveal a look into the mystery of her past? The first book of the Warchild series is a powerful, coming of age, dystopian thriller full of fast-paced action, tragic choices, and the undeniable strength of the human bond.

Project Destiny


Justin Sloan - 2018
    This is only the beginning. Space Station Horus faces a conflict between supersoldiers and hackers. Alice was told that her husband was dead, a month after he went up to space. Now she's formed a team of technical assassins dedicated to taking down New Origins, the corporation in charge of the station, if she doesn't get answers. Someone has to hold them accountable--even if it means going up against an army of genetically engineered super soldiers. Stealth is an elite among elites. This Marine wanted to be on the front line of expansion into space, and now he is. Only the hacker organization known as The Looking Glass stands against them, trying to pull apart all of his team's progress, all they believe in. Neither will stop until they have justice. Jason Bourne meets Mr. Robot on a space station. Biotech Wars Series: Project Destiny Project Exodus Project Ascent This series has a spinoff series coming June 2018 - check out STAR FORGED. "One of the things that Justin excels at is writing his characters so well that they shine clearly through the (deliberate) murky situation on this space station. I find I’m not rooting for one side or the other, and I don’t feel any need to because I’m rooting for the characters. I’m about three-quarters of the way through the first book and I still have no idea how it will end. Recommended." -- Author Tim C. Taylor

The Ruins Of Mars


Dylan James Quarles - 2013
    Images captured by twin sentient satellites show massive domes, imposing walls, and a grid work of buildings situated directly on the rim of Mars’ Grand Canyon, the Valles Marineris. With the resources of Earth draining away under the weight of human expansion, a plan is hatched to reclaim Mars from the cold grasp of death. A small band of explorers, astronauts, and scientists are sent to the red world in mankind's first interplanetary starship to begin construction on a human colony. Among them is a young archaeologist, named Harrison Raheem Assad, who is tasked with uncovering the secrets of the Martian ruins and their relation to the human race. Aided by the nearly boundless mind of a god-like artificial intelligence; the explorers battle space travel, harsh Martian weather, and the deepening mystery of the forgotten alien civilization. Begin the epic journey in Book One of the Ruins of Mars Trilogy.

Breakers of the Dawn


Zachariah Wahrer - 2014
    Desperate for resources to prop up an aging galactic dynasty, humans seize every planet they find, exterminating their alien inhabitants.Across the empire, a group of dissidents come together through happenstance. As they learn more, however, they sense a strange force directing their lives. Can they discover the truth before the empire destroys them?Dispatched to subdue an uprising, a government operative unearths an ancient relic. It somehow knows everything about him, even his darkest secrets. The strange device promises extraordinary power, but can he trust it?The first book in a four part saga, Breakers of the Dawn is epic science fiction, featuring a diverse cast of characters. It’s easy to read, but hard to put down.

The Worried Man (Q.C. Davis Mystery #1)


Lisa M. Lilly - 2018
     Police point to his failed medical career and past alcoholism as evidence of suicide or accidental overdose. His ex-wife agrees. Marco’s son insists his father was stable, sober, and excited about his future with Quille. Suspicious of the police based on bitter experience, Quille vows to find the truth and help Marco’s son. Using her skills as an attorney and former stage actress, she investigates a world filled with fraud and corrupt Chicago politics. The closer she gets to the truth, though, the less likely she is to survive to tell it…. The Worried Man is perfect for fans of Sara Paretsky, Jonathan Kellerman, and Elly Griffiths. Preorder The Worried Man Today.

Robots Like Blue


Anthony J. Deeney - 2014
    Running revolutionary new software, these robots are truly unique. His only desire is to serve Lucy Walker. Brian Webster, his developer, also installs "The Governor" overseeing software that adds an additional safety layer, but this denies the robots free will.Hoping to develop the robots further, Brian inadvertently opens a channel where the robots can communicate and share their experiences.One hundred intelligent, enslaved robots, collecting and sharing data on humans... Surely, they must learn to serve humans better?After all, they are programmed to serve.Lucy just wants help following a deep loss.Brian just wants commercial success.Robbie just wants to serve Lucy Walker... or so he believes..."Robots Like Blue" follows Robbie on his emotional journey of self discovery. A journey where questions lead to more questions, rather than answers. Where will such a journey end?

NEST: Retribution: An Alivia Morgan Story


David J. Antocci - 2017
    Instead, that crisp October morning turned into the bloodiest terror attack to strike the city of Boston in more than a decade. In the wake of the attack, the New England Special Terrorist Division—NEST—turned to their most senior and capable agent, Alivia Morgan. She was unwillingly ripped from her home and family, but didn’t have a choice. Though she had no idea just how deeply personal the fight would become. Now, it was up to her to find the extremists and stop another catastrophic blow that would drive the death toll higher. She was captured, alone, and armed only with her years of training and experience in Special Ops and the elite Army Rangers. Alivia quickly realized she was in a race against time as she struggled to escape with her life and stop the impending attacks. Could she do both?

Vagabond


Tim Rangnow - 2020
    Luna is torn between two allegiances, with each superpower controlling a dome on the home world's moon. In the asteroid belt, six mining colonies govern themselves. In the midst of it all is the Transport Guild.Erik Frost is the captain of a guild freighter. He took command when his father died four years ago, left with large debts and a rattling old ship badly in need of an overhaul. When he is offered a mysterious job with few details and a high payout, he can't resist the opportunity it represents. He and his crew head deep into the system for the asteroid belt to deliver their cargo, unprepared for the dangers they would soon face.They say some things are too good to be true, and this job could be one of them.

Rimrider


L.A. Kelley - 2016
    Hours later, Mathias Benedict is dead and Jane and her brother, Will, are wards of United Earth Corporation. To evade the company's murderous clutches and uncover the meaning of her father’s last message, Jane leads Will on a desperate escape across the galaxy aboard the Freetrader smuggler ship, Solar Vortex. Tangled in the crew’s fight against UEC, Jane saves the life of young smuggler Maclan Sawyer and learns her father’s code identifies a secret cargo shipment that may spell doom for the entire Freetrader cause and the extinction of an alien race. Piracy, intrigue, romance, and a daring rebellion from Earth wait on the planet Rimrock. Will Jane answer the call to adventure and find new purpose on the galactic rim or will death for high treason be her fate?

The Blueprint


Wesley Cross - 2016
    Some might say it has been doing it already for decades by whatever means necessary. But they are no longer content to hide in the shadows. They want to become the true masters.Jason Hunt knows nothing about that world. In a decaying society plagued by poverty and a lost sense of purpose, he's one of the lucky ones. He's got money. He's happily married. He could just go on living.But when his wife becomes ill, Jason finds himself pitted against the cabal that might hold the key to her survival. To save her, he needs to embrace technology he doesn't understand, take over a billion-dollar company without a billion dollars, outsmart professional assassins, and land a contract with the DOD. But even that might not be enough.Pick up THE BLUEPRINT--the first book in THE UPGRADE series set in a dark, near-future world that will appeal to fans of Altered Carbon, Daniel Silva, and Tim Tigner.

The Awakening


Adair Hart - 2015
    The aliens should not be there. They have been traveling through space and time, abducting apex predators and sticking them in virtual simulations for research. The problem is the virtual simulations are powering down, unleashing the specimens on the ship. Dr. Albert Snowden and his neice, Emily, were abducted by the aliens. They are visited by a mysterious being named Evaran in the last minutes of the virtual simulation.He has decided to interfere in this timeline-changing event and rescue them. Stopping the ship from crashing into the planet before getting to Evaran's ship is one issue. Navigating the apex predators on the loose is another. To make matters worse, Jerzan Graduul, infamous leader of the Bloodbore mercenary pack, has boarded the ship in search of salvage opportunities, and has noticed Evaran's ship. The hunt begins.

Collateral Damage (Iris Reid Mystery #4)


Susan Cory - 2020
    Her client becomes the prime suspect and Iris sets out to find the real killer. Things go from bad to worse when Iris' boyfriend reconnects with an old flame, bringing up buried secrets and unintended consequences that threaten to change Iris' life forever.“Mystery and distinctive characters hone this remarkable tale.”Kirkus ReviewsCory teases out her twisty plot at the perfect pace, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. Her multilayered characters are working at cross purposes, and even the most astute mystery reader won’t see where everything is headed until the final thread is unknotted. Completely absorbing, fast-paced, well-written and with a shocking ending guaranteed to satisfy.P.M. Steffen, best-selling author of The Profiler’s Daughter and Killing Ulysses.

Earth Seven: And the History Department at the University of Centrum Kath - a Science Fiction Satire


Steve M. - 2017
    The final megalomaniac is dead. The universe stepped back from the edge of extinction. The intergalactic war between the forces of Good and Evil versus the rest of us is over. Fortunately the rest of us won. Welcome to the universe once we’ve conquered the urge to control everything or else blow it up. But even a universe at peace is still a very dangerous place. 22 years ago a spaceship crashed on Earth Seven. One of the boys that found the wreckage is on the cusp of uniting the planet under his rule. By convention, all planets in contact quarantine are called Earth and given a numerical designation. For example, if you are reading this on Amazon, you are on Earth Five. The war taught us that we can never let barbarians loose in the universe again. Earth Seven is thousands of years from joining the Federation. They are at a medieval level of development and have met none of the contact criteria. Allor heals the sick with alien technology and they love him for it. Allor promises to end the religious wars. His sister runs an informant network and collects the severed heads of his rivals. His mother has created a religion to worship him. Oh, dear. Koven Modi, a rookie field historian, is sent to investigate the use of advanced comms technology on Earth Seven, a Prim-3 planet. Koven is well-armed, well-trained and well-scared. War is constant on Earth Seven. His goals are simple. Don’t get killed and don’t get dumped by his girlfriend. Staying alive may be easier. Under other circumstances, Allor and Koven would be good friends. But their roles make them enemies. Calcus Majoris has deteremined that there is a 62.37% probability that Earth Five will self-destruct. Read Earth Seven before your planet blows up Your money back if your planet self-destructs before you read my book. Cursing: Yes Imaginary Sex: Yes Satirical Viewpoints: Overwhelmingly