Book picks similar to
The Bag Carrier by Stephen Leather


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The Girl Named Mud


Ditter Kellen - 2020
    With only her schizophrenic mother to protect her, Mud must learn to survive in the swamps of Louisiana by any means necessary. Even if she must take a life to do it. But then her mother is murdered in front of her... Suddenly alone in the world, Mud takes to the streets, stealing what’s required to stay alive. She knows that evil is coming, and she trusts no one. Until a chance meeting with Grace Holloway changes everything. Grace seems kind and generous, taking Mud in when no one else would. But Grace’s life is also filled with secrets—dark secrets that could very well destroy them both…

Just Kill Them: British Detective (Jonathan Roper Investigates)


Michael Leese - 2019
    Three terror attacks that sent shock waves through London, triggering plans to evacuate the Royal Family. Police, politicians and the security services are left scrabbling for answers. When a previously unknown group claims responsibility the mystery deepens. This is the dramatic back drop to the most challenging investigation yet undertaken by autistic crime solver, Jonathan Roper, and his mentor and friend, Chief Inspector Brian Hooley. The pair are the detectives Scotland Yard turns to when all else fails. Before long they are sucked into the case and are about to discover they will face challenges that will test them to the limit. To have any chance of success they are going to need every ounce of Hooley’s policing know-how… but above all they will need Roper at his brilliant best. His autism has given him savant like qualities that enable him to spot things others miss and make intuitive leaps before anyone else realises there are connections. These qualities make him a superb investigator, but he lacks social skills and can be a complex man to deal with. He’s already been on the brink of being thrown out of Scotland Yard because he has managed to put so many back’s up. Hooley can see past the problems to the special detective underneath but, as his father always told him, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” The veteran DCI has to ride some intense personal observations as he helps the younger man stay on track. It is this “special relationship” that makes the Roper series stand out. It provides unexpected warmth and genuine humour at even the darkest moments. But this time it emerges that fate has a few nasty surprises in store for Brian Hooley. Not only does he need to support Roper, his own health will become an issue that sets the clock ticking. The investigation also sees Hooley and Roper running a new team, unofficially dubbed the “Odd Bods” and introduces two new investigators that Roper is championing. Just Kill Them is a dark, page turning thriller that grabs you by the throat from the beginning... don’t be surprised to find yourself laughing out loud.

Sight in the Dark


A.M. Ialacci - 2019
    A photographer struggling to find work, Cleo stumbles into the woods looking for a dead body announced on her police scanner. But she’s not prepared for what she finds -- the body of her handyman, and the only man in town who has seen her at her most vulnerable, Officer Will Truman.Still reeling from being discarded by her second husband, Cleo has a hard time with trust, keeping everyone at arm’s length. But when she’s thrown into assisting Officer Truman with the case, she becomes consumed by the investigation. As she learns that every neighbor harbors dark secrets, she starts to wonder how she can really call Crimson Falls home, and if she can trust the man she’s starting to care for.When the killer strikes again, closer to home than Cleo ever thought possible, she grows desperate to learn the truth. But in a town riddled with secrets, lies, and mysteries, is there such a thing?

The Failsafe Query


Michael Jenkins - 2018
     Sean Richardson, a disgraced former intelligence agent, is tasked to lead a team to search for Alfie Chapman, an Intelligence officer on the cusp of exposing thousands of secrets to the media. This includes a long lost list of Russian moles embedded since the Cold War, one of whom remains a public favourite in the British parliamentary system. The action moves with absorbing pace and intrigue across Central Asia and Europe as the puzzle begins to unfold through a deep hidden legacy. Tense, fast paced, and insightful, The Failsafe Query twists and turns to a satisfyingly dramatic finale.

The Bone Forest


V.J. Chambers - 2019
    The cult members killed anyone Vivian told them was a threat to their beliefs. Now, another killer takes young girls of nine or ten, all related to Vivian’s original victims. He drugs them, suffocates them, and painstakingly arranges them in ritualistic poses. The bodies give up no evidence to the killer’s identity. When Wren Delacroix finds the latest victim in the middle of giving a tour, she’s forced to admit to herself that she came back to her home town because of her perverse interest in the case. These dead girls, she can’t get them out of her head. Even though she dropped out of the FBI Academy and tried to flee from the dark parts of herself, she can’t run away. Before she knows what she’s doing, she’s spouting her fully formed profile of the killer to Detective Caius Reilly, head of the tri-state task force, and she’s begging him to let her help. She needs to solve this case and stop this killer. If only to prove to herself that she’s nothing like her mother Vivian.

Now You See Her


Paul J. Teague - 2019
    While the authorities draw a blank, Cory picks up the cold trail and finds there's something sinister going on in Shallow Falls--something he'll regret ever getting involved in. Now You See Her is an exciting new thriller about pain, loss and regret. The conspiracies deepen with each turn of the page, leading readers on a relentless pursuit for answers until the very end.

Called by the Vampire - The Complete Trilogy


V. Vaughn - 2018
    She also got a piece of the woman’s soul and now, Maggie can feel emotions she can’t explain. Emotions that help her decide to take a job for Sebastian Hart in a dark mansion on the coast of Maine. When she gets there, she discovers her heart had a good reason to make her go.  Sebastian isn’t the only Hart brother who makes Maggie’s pulse quicken. His younger brother, Alexander, captures the rest of her. While having her affections torn between two brothers who are her bosses is complicated enough, Maggie also learns the men are far more than they seem. Now she’s trapped in a world she never imagined existed, and it could be the adventure of a lifetime, or a lifetime in hell.

Hope To Escape


Jack Parker - 2015
     Ess wasn't aware that a momentary encounter during her childhood had made her the object of obsession nearly twenty years later. Not just the artist’s obsession, but also the art collector’s. The artist had to kidnap her to keep her safe. The truth doesn't always set you free. How do they go on?

Tasteful


Celina Grace - 2019
    Detective Inspector Kate Redman takes on the case, which turns even more bizarre when a second human foot is found a few days later. Is it just a gory prank or does it tie in with the mysterious disappearance of a local girl? Tasteful is a new novella in the bestselling Kate Redman Mysteries series, from crime writer Celina Grace, author of Hushabye and Fury. Praise for Celina Grace from Amazon and Goodreads reviewers: "The gradual crescendo of action and pace remorselessly increases..." "Love Kate. She is human, does not always make good choices just like us." “At last, a mystery that delivers…I found this novel superb because I got all I needed to know and none of what I didn’t.” “…a gripping detective story but the main character engages you, and as well as wanting to know how the mystery turns out you want to learn more about her too.” “…amazing book, read it front to back in one visit, couldn`t help myself…” “…the most enjoyable Kindle book I have so far read since the 'low cost electronic revolution' which has been sweeping my reading habits for the last couple of years! Thoroughly recommended.” “This was my introduction to the author, and I'm so glad I discovered the book. Well-written and a real page turner.” “I was awake till the early hours to finish it !! I really enjoyed it and the characters in it so I'm pleased I also have the sequel downloaded to read at some point. I know it should be great.” “Attention to detail and great character building coupled with a mystery that keeps you guessing are all the ingredients that make me keep reading till the early hours of the morning.” "Celina Grace has done it again, she compels you from page to page and chapter to chapter, a great, riveting read..." "I found it difficult to put down and was completely distracted from all the other things I should have been doing with my time." "This is a great series that I couldn't put down and grabbed the next book right away at 1 a.m. to keep reading."

Triple Threat


M.R. Forbes - 2018
    An awesome-mix of paranormal fantasy, space opera, and military science-fiction, it's a cyclone bomb of frenetic action and adventure you won't want to put down.

The Wraith of Valenastrious


Jared Mandani - 2017
    A promising e-sports competitor, he’s lost everything—his career, wife and kid—to alcohol and gambling. Today, the once famous gamer is but a shadow of his former self, struggling to keep his head out of the water and the loan sharks at bay. Because Harrison is not only broke, he owes a lot of money to the wrong people. Unable to pay off his debt, he’s sent to spy on a revolutionary game that will make its creator rich beyond belief and forever change the face of the gaming world. Harrison will use those skills that made him a champion to navigate these new intriguing lands where demons roam free, and steal the software running the simulation. But as he gets deeper into the game, connects with a few other players and rediscovers the meaning of friendship and loyalty, he’s going to have to betray the trust of his friends to save his own life. Will Harrison be able to escape the clutches of the loan shark and his goons? Is he forever doomed to repeat the same mistakes and hurt those close to him? When the virtual becomes real and the lines between good and evil become blurred, it gets increasingly difficult to make the right decision.

The Scout of Artemis


Gregg Horlock - 2017
    An escape from reality, a place of plentiful loot and dark powers, drawing would-be heroes from across the world. After his brother's accident, Chris is holding the family together. When he runs into money troubles, he finds an answer in an unlikely place. It's a land of adventure, fighting, spells, and skills. Most importantly, somewhere fortunes can be made. Chris is going to the new island of Artemis, but it won't be simple. The developers have created Artemis with the toughest of adventurers in mind, and nobody knows what happens there at night.... He chooses a less-popular class: scout. If he's to survive, he'll need to learn new powers, battle monsters, forge alliances, and most of all, discover how to master the game. Chris will need his wits and his courage if he's to beat the game and become the Scout of Artemis.

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.

Kill Sight


Geoffrey Saign - 2020
    Attracted to Megan on many levels, old wounds and new hopes rise for Alex, but Megan has a hidden past.Stalked by a hired killer, Alex discovers a treacherous secret that will turn everything upside down.Desperate to save the victims, he may have more trouble saving himself…

Eye for Revenge


Cheryl Bradshaw - 2015
    Trapped inside her unconscious mind, the sound of her father’s soothing voice seeps through, and the past twenty-four hours comes flooding back. She wakes to find herself in the hospital. Her childhood best friend Evie is dead. But not just dead, murdered, and Evie’s four-year-old son witnessed it all. Traumatized over what he saw, he’s not talking. And when Evie’s cold-blooded killer goes into hiding, Quinn isn’t only out for justice, she’s out for revenge.