Book picks similar to
The Return by Marc Timms


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See You Soon


N.C. Marshall - 2016
     When Emily receives an e-mail from her estranged childhood friend, Ali, she instantly looks forward to reading what it has to say. She hasn’t seen or heard from Ali in a very long time and hopes that they can begin to rekindle the perfect friendship they once had. But when Emily opens the e-mail, she finds it isn’t the friendly message she had hoped for. Instead, it is a desperate plea for help from Ali to tell Emily she could be in danger. Growing increasingly concerned for Ali’s safety, Emily is forced to return to the seaside town where she and Ali had grown up. The same town that she had fled from over fifteen years ago, when she had sworn she would never return. Once back there, Emily is quickly thrown into a game of cat and mouse, where she must follow the clues to help her old friend. But time is against her and she is constantly looking over her shoulder. It appears Emily isn’t alone, and must hurry before her past finally tracks her down...

It's Just a Little Crush


Caroline Fardig - 2013
    Residents are stunned when the body of a young woman is found strangled, and reporters at the Liberty Chronicle are thrilled, rather disturbingly, over the biggest news story to hit town this century. Lizzie Hart has even bigger problems. Lately, she can’t seem to concentrate on her job as copy editor at the Chronicle with the new hunky investigative reporter, Blake Morgan, swaggering around the office. How can a girl work when she’s using all of her energy combating Blake-induced hot flashes and struggling to repress the giggly inner schoolgirl that’s constantly rearing her dorky head? It’s a good thing that Blake barely knows Lizzie exists. After an odd string of events, however, Lizzie begins to wonder if Blake is really as fabulous as she has fantasized. When Lizzie and Blake find a co-worker dead, Blake’s personality changes completely—and not in a good way. Even though the police rule the death as an accident, Lizzie immediately suspects foul play and senses a connection to the recent murder. She is determined to bring the killer to justice, but is having some trouble getting her Nancy Drew on thanks to the pesky stalker she’s picked up—Blake Morgan. Wait, didn’t she want him to follow her around and pay attention to her? Not like this. Blake has turned from cool and smooth to cold and downright scary, making Lizzie wonder if he should be next on her suspect list.

The Teacher Who Stole His Heart: A Historical Western Romance Book


Ellen Knightley - 2021
    Moving to Salinas to be a teacher is a dream come true for her, and she feels like she has everything she could ever wish for. Life as she knows it is about to change forever though when the son of the late bookstore owner asks her to be his teacher. Unexpectedly and intensely drawn to this gentle and charming man, she finds herself cherishing every moment they spend together for their lessons. Could this act of kindness end in sudden heartbreak for Becky though, or is a true love she never anticipated in the cards for her?When Carson Lattimer finds out that his father has passed away and left him the family bookstore, he knows his place is back home. He is determined to look after his mother and sister, but a secret he has kept for years is standing in his way… he cannot read or write. Even though this is a sore spot for him, one that brings back painful memories of his father’s cruelty, he decides it is finally time to learn. Turning to the beautiful young school teacher for help, Carson has no idea that his lessons with Becky will become his favorite part of the day. When their blossoming relationship spurs ill-intentioned accusations in town though, will he fight for the woman who has captured his heart so completely?Becky and Carson experience an extraordinary connection and together they will learn what true love is. However, a black cloud seems to hang over them and a man cut from the same cloth as Carson’s father threatens to ruin their happiness. Will they manage to overcome the powerful and menacing forces in town and live the fairytale life they were meant for?"The Teacher Who Stole His Heart" is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Four Corners War (Pacheco & Chino Mysteries Book 3)


Ted Clifton - 2019
    All known sins come into play in a small town drama that will take Pacheco and Chino into a conflict that will involve many of the good citizens of Farmington and the nearby Navajo Nation.Rejoin Ray Pacheco and Tyee Chino in their latest adventure unraveling a maze of misdeeds involving wealth, power, political corruption and Navajo warriors. Farmington, New Mexico located in the Four Corners area where four states meet is about to experience a level of crime and mayhem never seen before. The local sheriff has abandoned his post and taken old military equipment,including a tank, off to Colorado to prepare for the beginning of the end. Left behind is the body of his wife, who was having an affair with the richest man in town. Ray and Tyee's task is to stop a war between two states and possibly the Navajo Nation and find a murderer or two.

The Granddaughters


Margaret Belle - 2021
    

The Billionaire's Christmas Wish


Laura Haley-McNeil - 2020
    When Coach needs a volunteer to deliver donated football uniforms to the learning center in The Grid, River’s glad to go. What he hadn’t expected was the tiny woman with sparkling dark eyes and dreams bigger than the old schoolhouse she’s renting. He has no intention of falling for her, especially with his career on the ropes.After a disaster turns Soledad Marcos’ life upside down, she’s glad the learning center has given her and her daughter a stable life. She buries the secrets of her dark past and looks forward to the future⸻a future that doesn’t include a dashing football player and his desire to help. Her students love River so she’s forced to ignore the unease that has held her back for years.As Soledad draws closer to River, she learns his tough exterior masks a compassionate and tender soul she’ll resist at all costs, but turning her back on love means a bigger sacrifice that could cost more than a broken heart.

Buffalo Bayou: A Noir Crime Thriller


Tom Abrahams - 2021
    His first case is a young woman found in an urban bayou. He immediately sees clues that lead him places he doesn't want to go. But his own demons may be the clue to solving the mystery of the woman's death. And as the case widens, so do his new partner's suspicions about his past and motivations.

Dirty Darlings


Catherine Chagra - 2015
    But after their father was arrested and his hundred-million dollars had disappeared, they were left penniless, at the mercy of a Texas society that vilified them. With the help of their principled mother before her tragic death, and haunted by the shadow of their father, Dirty Darlings is a portrait of courage as three women attempt to reassemble the shattered pieces of their lives.

12 Dog Days of Christmas


Paula Munier - 2020
    With Zach's mom in Bali and the woman of his dreams gone AWOL, he's facing a Christmas alone with Ringo—until Tessa the cute veterinarian appears at his door with an offer he and Ringo can't refuse.It's a Christmas he'll never forget....

Guilty


Brigitta Moon - 2017
    There are those who believe in the coach and his innocence and then there are the victims who despise him, his smile and his crime. He has a dark past- a previous life no one knew about until the not guilty verdict. Only one victim, Rose Canter, has the courage to ask for justice. The others quietly watch as her justice slips away with the verdict. He’s getting away with rape. He goes back to his life wearing his signature smile and Rose is left picking up the pieces of hers. She doesn't know she is not the only victim who has lost the fight to the coach. Coach Jackson's signature smile is an integral accessory of his wardrobe. In fact, he doesn't leave home without it. He has one son-Jonas, a dead wife, and a young, blonde bombshell by his side. He has money and status which he earned on the football field. Now he's giving back to the community by helping high school students afford a college education. One thing he does not have is the contentment of his victims. They want revenge and the setup for his demise begins. A trial takes place at midnight with a jury made up of six victims and one empty chair. The defendant is Coach Terrence Jackson. There’s more than one way to catch a criminal.

Lawyer X


Patrick Carlyon - 2020
    It took the police a decade to curtail the violence and bring down criminal kingpins Carl Williams, Tony Mokbel and their accomplices. When the police finally closed the case file, just how they really won the war, with the help of an unlikely police informer, would become a closely guarded secret and its exposure, the biggest legal scandal of our time.Lawyer X is the scandalous, true story of how a promising defence barrister from a privileged background broke all the rules - becoming both police informer and her client's lover - sharing their secrets and shaping the gangland war that led to sensational arrests and convictions. The story of how Nicola Gobbo became Lawyer X, and why, is a compelling study in desperation and determination.Lawyer X is the definitive story of Melbourne's gangland wars and its most glamorous and compelling central character, based on the ground-breaking work of investigative journalists Anthony Dowsley and Patrick Carlyon, who broke the story for the Herald Sun in 2014, and their five-year struggle to reveal the truth about the identity of Lawyer X.

When You're Smiling


G.S. Rhodes - 2021
    No one has heard from him. He’s disconnected from his friends, from his family, and from the job he dedicated his life to—the job that cost him everything.Then a new, all too familiar murder occurs on his patch and Kidd has no choice but to throw himself back into the fold. A young woman has been found with a smile cut into her throat, eyes carved into her cheeks, the brutal signature of The Grinning Murders—one of the most ruthless serial killers the country has ever seen. A killer who lies behind bars.However things are not as they seem and not everything adds up. Only one thing is clear: Kidd may be the only one who can figure this out before this copycat killer strikes again.

Room 15


Charles Harris - 2020
    A detective inspector and a thoughtful self-reflective man, he goes against his counsel's advice and takes the stand in court.This is his story.Ross found himself wandering the streets one night, bleeding from the head and unable to remember the past year and a half. But before he could make sense of it, he was summoned to a crime scene where a nurse had been brutally murdered.His amnesia unnerved him and, fearing the worst, Ross allowed himself to be taken to hospital, only to be viciously attacked by a stranger with a knife.Suspecting that the attack was connected with the nurse's murder and that his own police colleagues were behind it, Ross set out on two parallel investigations: one into the killing and the other into his own mind.But when he digs into his own psyche, he is scared by what he finds...Is Ross being set up or is something far more disturbing behind the killings?

Deadly Switch


Karen Dodd - 2013
    Each obsessed and tormented.Both harboring too many secrets. He’s on the run; she’s in the chase of her life.What they discover changes everything. From the gruesome discovery in an exclusive enclave of West Vancouver, British Columbia, DEADLY SWITCH takes you on a wild ride from Italy’s Amalfi coast, to the idyllic seaside town of Carmel, California. Gavin Stone’s tormented daughter, Alexis, searches frantically for her missing father, matching wits with devious criminals. With demons of her own to fight, she shouldn’t care about proving him innocent of murder and embezzlement—but she does.Murder…intrigue… a romance built on a house of cards: this thriller will satisfy your thirst for the adrenaline rush that this intricately plotted story delivers. A delicious stay-up-all-nighter, DEADLY SWITCH stuns with its heart-pounding conclusion. You will not see it coming.If you love suspense/thrillers, you will devour DEADLY SWITCH.

Atlas Rising


Blake Severson - 2021
    Picking a druid, he charges forward into an unknown land as he tries to master an odd combat system. Luckily for him, the crafting system is ripe to make money and the game’s currency is tied to the real-world market.But a strange dungeon forces him to reevaluate everything he thought he knew. Is the company behind this game truly what it seems to be, or is there a nefarious purpose hidden below the surface?