Book picks similar to
Colored Waters (Michael Chambers Book 1) by Brad Stratton
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Pea Pod Murder
Kerry Sharp - 2016
Suzie is super smart, very successful and flawed, she believes herself to be unlovable. She has taken her company ‘Artificial Robotics’ from an idea to a multibillion pound sale. Released from twenty five hour working days, the repressed desire to find and destroy her Father’s murderer has re-emerged as a driving passion. Her Father’s case is cold, her route around insufficient data, is to design a cutting edge case management solution and sell it to the Metropolitan Police, so she can plunder their data. Owen was a personable, successful police officer, whose abilities were rewarded, by a rapid rise in rank to Chief Superintendent. That was until his wife and daughter were destroyed by a bomb meant for Owen. Owen no longer has a desire to live. He is seeking a path to oblivion, eschewing friendship and support in his dark quest. Suzie’s complicated plan progresses, she is seconded as a Detective Sergeant, to trial her software. On being tasked to solve a violent murder, Suzie’s singular focus is subverted by her desire to find justice for the violated victim of the crime. As the truth relating to the murders is slowly revealed, Owen who doesn’t want love comes closer to Suzie who can’t be loved. Will their budding friendship be allowed to blossom, or will death or the dark sides of their natures intervene. <
Ben's Story
Andrew M. Stafford - 2015
Ben’s body lay alongside Liz, who was unconscious and barely alive at the bottom of Mill Tut, a Bronze aged burial mound in the beautiful Badock’s Wood in Bristol. DCI Markland Garraway, who at the last moment is brought in to lead the investigation into Ben’s murder has a reputation of being a maverick detective who thinks outside the box. The mystical powers of the ancient burial mound begin to influence Garraway’s attitude towards the case and soon he is alienated by his colleagues. Mill Tut, or The Hill as Garraway refers to it, opens up a Pandora’s Box of supernatural happenings which infiltrate his waking and sleeping life, creating a host of mental demons which the Scottish detective must learn to deal with. Daniel Boyd has fled Bristol to evade capture for the crime he has committed. To those who know him, he’s vanished off the face of the earth. But can he escape the mystical powers of The Hill? The power of The Hill does not only affect Garraway. It reaches out to many, including Christopher Jameson, who was born at the precise moment Ben’s life ended. The Hill reveals to Garraway and the others who are affected by its influence, the world for what it is; a place where the impossible is real, and the dead speak with the living.
Mystery: The Isherwood Case Files
Johnny Scotland - 2015
Although Charley doesn't like the idea, he has no choice but to put up with it. Isherwood shows the squad what difference observation makes to how a potential crime scene is viewed, when asked to help by a member of the public who is worried for the safety of her sister. Is she right? Is the girl's fiance a monster who has already killed his previous wives? The problem is that he is perceived as a high profile member of society and the Chief warns the detectives to tread carefully. Will Isherwood tread on anyone's ego as he provides insight on this potential murder case? This is the first of the series of Isherwood Case Files in which our detective gets up close and personal with homicide, showing the squad the difference between the American approach and the more reserved British approach. Mystery 2:The Case of the Ghost Writer With Jon Isherwood being asked to help in the Los Angeles Police Department's homicide division, a call is received from a landlord who has found his tenant has been murdered. In this salubrious part of town, the ghost writer has found his demise. Will the clues be sufficient to pin the murder on anyone? Since the ghost writer lived a very private life, investigation takes Isherwood and his team to the home of a rich and famous author. There are many questions unanswered, though with forensics on their side, will they be able to work out the motive that anyone could have had to kill the solitary figure? Using observation, Isherwood and his team work toward finding a conclusion to a story which spells sadness, disappointment and revenge. But whose will the revenge be and will it be easy to crack the case? Readers will need to take the journey with our detectives to find the answers to their questions. Not all is always as it seems. Mystery 3:The Case of the Dead Man with No Identity When a victim is found at the bottom of the laundry chute in a hotel, where will the inquiries begin. There is no identification on the man and nothing to say who he was. Isherwood investigates the case of the dead man with no identity with his usual flare. Should he be looking in other places or are the clues there for him to find? As the story unfolds, is the killer who they think it is? Can a killer actually be charged with murder when the victim is seemingly already dead? One of Isherwood's most irritating cases, the blandness of the whole affair baffles him. Instead of being riddled with detail for him to unfold, this crime comes with no clues, no answers and no real leads. How will the detectives find out who killed Ian Bradshaw? And what stories can the dead body tell the coroner's office about how the death occurred? Readers will discover within the pages of this story. Mystery 4: A Case of Check Mate When a murderer leaves the calling card of a chess piece, Isherwood is left to find out the significance. Does this mean something particular? The preacher who was murdered seems an unlikely victim, though Isherwood is left to do what he can to make sense of the killing. Looking through past history, perhaps there are links that may have been missed, other than for that calling card.
A Drop of April Snow
Christopher Sword - 2014
The police warned drivers to stay off the roads. Families huddled inside their homes, wondering if they would lose power. In the morning everything was covered in a glittering layer of frosting, including the body of a young man found off to the side of a rural highway without a jacket, shoes or socks. With no identification on the body the police come up empty-handed. The small town raise enough donations to hire an investigator. Darren Holloway is known for solving missing children cases. But not missing like this, where there seems to be no happy ending in sight, not for the frozen boy, or for Darren’s crumbling marriage. In a large city to the south, two women are unknowingly connected to the mystery of the frozen boy found in the field. Their lives intersect through minor touch points, but they are more connected than they realize. Their past clings to them, unwilling to let them go.
Foreign Involvement: A Chuck Winters Thriller
Robert E. Smith - 2018
He soon gets caught up with a nemesis character that spews death and destruction, hiding throughout the world like a chameleon---causing Winters to leave his serene retirement and take chase.
To the River: Rescue by the Schuylkill
Monica Shaughnessy - 2014
But little is known about his feline companion or the circumstances surrounding their introduction. Until now.From her cottage in the Bronx, Cattarina tells of her humble birth beneath the Schuylkill Permanent Bridge, glorious trials as a gutter cat, and the chance meeting with Eddy that changed not one, but two lives.Told from the perspective of Edgar Allan Poe's cat, "To the River" provides an irresistible feline take on history in this fictionalized short set in 1838 Philadelphia.
Fear of the Father: Call Me Crockett
David R. Lewis - 2006
At Ruby’s request, Crockett agrees to teach one of her clients, Rachael Moore, how to defend herself with a handgun. During the course of those lessons, Crockett and Rachael begin an intimate relationship. When Rachael is found dead from an apparent suicide, Crockett is devastated and tries to slink back into his self-imposed seclusion. But things get complicated when Crockett is contacted by Rachael’s aunt, who believes the suicide was staged and claims she has the name of the murderer. Together, Crockett and Ruby begin an investigation that leads them into a world of treachery, deceit, and death.
Free Fish Friday: Introducing Slacker Mills
Lee Stone - 2014
A vagabond fisherman extraordinaire, the self-indulgent Slacker has just two goals in life. The first is to spend every conscious hour doing only what he loves – hooking and battling big game fish on the ocean by day and hooking up with bar stool sirens at night. The second goal is to avoid any responsibilities that might get in the way of achieving the first. His persistent search for the ultimate angling experience takes him from one ocean paradise to another, where he inevitably becomes entangled in a mystery adventure. His story begins in Key West, Florida, where the 37-year-old Slacker believed he had finally found the ideal life and a lasting home. With his mounted trophies covering the walls of the famous Rusty Hook tavern, he was acclaimed as the best saltwater angler around and never had to pay for a beer. Because every Friday night at the tavern was celebrated with a complimentary banquet of his catch, he also was recognized as a benevolent hero. Through wandering eyes of vacationing ladies, he was typically viewed as "The Catch of the Night." Slacker’s dream lifestyle was attributable to the influence of his best friend and benefactor Jerry Porter, who had landed in Key West aboard his yacht five years earlier. Due to a unique talent for engaging people to talk about themselves while revealing nothing about himself, Jerry quickly bonded with everyone around him. Using those bonds as foundations, he tried to build what he viewed as better and more successful people ... and Slacker was his pet project. The transformation of the Rusty Hook from a local fishermen’s haunt to a Key West landmark was Jerry's crowning achievement. No one had inquired or even speculated much about Jerry Porter’s personal history prior to his arrival in Key West; all were content to revel in his presence. However, when Porter is the victim of a violent death, the traditionally peaceful community is shocked by revelations that there may be a killer in their midst and that perhaps not all of Porter's deeds were worthy of celebration. The charter fishing industry had been losing major clients and perhaps Jerry was the reason for it. A criminal investigation turns up information that damages dozens of families, fractures friendships, and leads to unwelcome national publicity for a town that relies on tourism to fuel the local economy. The police also single out Slacker as the prime suspect, destroying his treasured image among most Islanders, even his closest friends. Exactly who was the mysterious Jerry Porter? How and why did he meet such a violent end? Slacker Mills discovers the answers, and begins to discover himself, in Free Fish Friday.
Divinity Complex
P.H. Figur
Drake and his brother Dominic chase the serial killer across the country. When the case goes cold, Drake breaks down and succumbs to the unbearable grief. He escapes reality and enters a secretive drug study run by the largest pharmaceutical company in the world. What Drake doesn’t know, is the small town in Wyoming is a front for a dangerous experiment – and all the residents, including himself, are pawns in a deadly game. When Drake comes face-to-face with his fiancé’s killer, only one will make it out alive. The Divinity Complex is a psychological thriller about a vicious serial killer, a grieving widow’s quest for revenge, and a CEO with a god-complex who brings them together in a fatal conflict. If you like flawed heroes, brutal crime scenes, vigilante justice and shocking twists you won’t see coming, start reading this gripping crime novel today.
The Familiar
Benjamin E. Sawyer - 2015
He was not the first.Now a whole town lives in a state of fear.Single parent Emma is worried. Nuisance calls in the early hours. Her daughter, Caitlin’s obsession with an imaginary friend. A man she calls Mr. Pig. Drawings begin to appear all over the house, on windows and place that Caitlin cannot reach. Each drawing telling the tale of Mr. Pig. Of his strange, animal features and his promise to take Caitlin away with him, whilst her mother sleeps…Soon events conspire to make Emma believe that her daughter’s friend may be all too real. She cannot escape the fear, is Caitlin next? From the past has risen a dark evil. The Tall Man is coming. The Familiar. Right hand of vengeance. The devourer of children. Within the walls of a secure hospital is the only person who might be able to stop it…Age old Fear. Brand new terror…..
The Hope Diamond
Julie Sarff - 2015
It’s been three long years since her Italian husband cheated on her, and she is facing financial ruin. In desperation, she teams up with fellow housemaid, Francesca -- an irascible Italian fashionista and self-proclaimed psychic. Together they search Villa Buschi for some of the most famous gems in the world, the diamonds that were cut away from the French Blue to make the infamous Hope. But when Lily can’t find the diamonds, and nothing seems to go her way, she briefly contemplates running around ranting drivel and frightening the whole reserved population of Arona, Italy. Follow Lily and several rambunctious rescues kittens on her quest for precious antiquities; a journey which may lead to something far better than long lost gems. Learn more about Julie’s books at www.JulieSarff.com
Florida Heat (Florida Heat Murder Mystery Series)
Rainy Kirkland - 2012
From the moment Probation Officer Jo Cazimer witnesses a murder her life is in jeopardy. Working with her best friend Detective Kate Snow they struggle to identify the killer. But in Florida the snakes slither, the gators are hungry and a serial killer is on the loose.
Silent Epidemic (The Carol Freeman Series Book 1)
Jill Province - 2004
As time is of the essence, and the FDA will not be bought, the company is forced to conduct one last research study. They must prove through 500 study volunteers that the drug can be terminated at any time without severe side effects. But how will they achieve this when the volunteers all begin to drop like flies? And the volunteers are not the only obstacle, as Dominex finds it has some surprising adversaries.Carol Freeman discovers her medication prison after innocently becoming part of the drug company’s deceptive plan. As she works through her devastating reality, she uncovers the horrible truth about sedatives and one pharmaceutical company that will stop at nothing to get their new drug on the market, Carol, along with 499 other volunteers, like it or not, are in for the most frightening ride of their lives.Silent Epidemic, inspired by too many true stories, takes the reader on a wild journey. At the end of this adventure you will know the truth about the world’s best kept secret.
Psychosomatic
Anthony Neil Smith - 2006
But the beating turns to murder, and the murder into lust and desperation between Lydia and an underworld clean-up man. Meanwhile, overgrown frat boy car thieves take up cop killing as a side hobby. When these paths cross, a horror show of violence unfolds as they all slide into a hell of their own design, surrounded by the neon and noise of the casino strip on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Violent, vivid, life at hyper-speed. This debut novel from the editor of Plots with Guns is a noir nightmare that asks how much is too much in a relationship, and what is the cost of leaving? Ken Bruen calls it the darkest song I've ever read.