Book picks similar to
Provocateur by Charles D. Martin
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thriller
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Stone Investigations: The Complete Series
Harper Maguire - 2019
When Tucker’s fiancée goes missing a week before their wedding, Zoe has her own ideas as to why the trailer-park-queen disappeared, but she keeps those opinions to herself… That is until she hires Stone Investigations, and Greg Stone specifically, to hunt down the missing woman. Greg Stone is determined to find the missing fiancée before anything bad happens to her. But Zoe keeps getting in his way, and before long, he sees her as more than the overly intelligent, know-it-all lawyer who hired him. Greg begins to see Zoe as his perfect match. Part 2 Jennifer Langdon is a workaholic G.P. who lives in a beach-side bungalow and enjoys the lazy rhythm of Harper’s Bay when she isn’t giving flu shots or trying to figure out the source of her patients’ odd rashes. She comes from a big family, and family is important to her, but somehow she’s never managed to meet the right man to settle down with and start a family of her own. The baby bug has bit her, though. She wants one and because of it, she jumps at the chance to babysit her two-year old niece any time the occasion arises, which is often. But one day when she’s babysitting and checks her cell phone while her niece is playing on the beach side playground, that’s all the time it takes for the little girl to disappear into thin air. Part 3 Cara loves her father more than anyone in the world. She runs Fancy’s, the best seafood restaurant in Harper’s Bay, and while her father owns the place, he gives her free reign and full control, breezing in only for dinner each night in his crisply tailored suits. But one night when Cara’s father doesn’t show up for his steak and merlot dinner as always, she instantly knows something is terribly wrong. And soon her budding relationship with Tom shifts away from romantic flirtation and into the mysterious territory of trying to figure out what happened to Joseph “Fat Joe” Conway. Part 4 Professional surfer, April Chase has traveled the world from Hawaii to Indonesia. Along the way, she developed a close friendship with fellow surfer, Bethany Waterbury, who falls in love with the next town they arrive at to compete—Harper’s Bay. But the night before the big surfing competition, Bethany goes missing. The media flies into a frenzy and soon people start to suspect that April had something to do with it in an attempt to ‘knock out the competition’. Nothing could be further from the truth, which is why April needs the help of Stone Investigations and William specifically to help find her missing friend. Part 5 Matthew Stone has always been a loner, but a lone man would be nothing without man’s best friend, and Matt’s best friend is Rudy, a Rottweiler whose bark is far worse than his bite. Rudy has never bitten anyone and Matt knows he wouldn’t, but he’s been getting dirty looks and a complaint or two about Rudy’s daytime whining. He’s never thought to hire a dog walker, but when he does, he quickly discovers that there’s at least one woman in Harper’s Bay who isn’t afraid of his intimidating dog. Could it be a sign? Meanwhile, Hurricane Jane presses in on Harper’s Bay and the brothers of Stone Investigations work tirelessly to close in on Abigail Gardner’s real killer, but what Greg, Luke, Tom, Will, and Matt discover is far more disturbing than any of them could’ve ever imagined.
Saving Grace
Jane Green - 2014
Ted is a successful novelist and Grace, his wife of twenty years, is beautiful, stylish, carefree, and a wonderful homemaker.But what no one sees, what is churning under the surface, is Ted’s rages. His mood swings. And the precarious house of cards that their lifestyle is built upon. When Ted’s longtime assistant and mainstay leaves, the house of cards begins to crumble and Grace, with dark secrets in her past, is most vulnerable. She finds herself in need of help but with no one to turn to…until the perfect new assistant shows up out of the blue. To the rescue comes Beth, a competent young woman who can handle Ted and has the calm efficiency to weather the storms that threaten to engulf the Chapman household. Soon, though, it’s clear to Grace that Beth might be too good to be true. This new interloper might be the biggest threat of all, one that could cost Grace her marriage, her reputation, and even her sanity. With everything at stake and no one to confide in, Grace must find a way to save herself before it is too late.Powerful and riveting, Jane Green's Saving Grace will have you on the edge of your seat as you follow Grace on her harrowing journey to rock bottom and back.
Beautiful Exiles
Meg Waite Clayton - 2018
Headstrong, accomplished journalist Martha Gellhorn is confident with words but less so with men when she meets disheveled literary titan Ernest Hemingway in a dive bar. Their friendship—forged over writing, talk, and family dinners—flourishes into something undeniable in Madrid while they’re covering the Spanish Civil War.Martha reveres him. The very married Hemingway is taken with Martha—her beauty, her ambition, and her fearless spirit. And as Hemingway tells her, the most powerful love stories are always set against the fury of war. The risks are so much greater. They’re made for each other.With their romance unfolding as they travel the globe, Martha establishes herself as one of the world’s foremost war correspondents, and Hemingway begins the novel that will win him the Nobel Prize for Literature. Beautiful Exiles is a stirring story of lovers and rivals, of the breathless attraction to power and fame, and of one woman—ahead of her time—claiming her own identity from the wreckage of love.
The Outcast Child
Jacobo Priegue - 2019
When she discovers Kevin, an abandoned two-year-old boy injured and on the verge of starvation, Laura thinks she has finally found a purpose and decides to devote herself to saving the child.However, what looks like a case of neglect turns out to be something much darker, and Laura finds out very soon that to save Kevin she will have to fight ignorance and superstition, not only in the slum in Cusco but also back in England.In her search of happiness for her and her family, Laura’s life becomes an eternal struggle against prejudice and ignorance that makes her doubt about everything she knows, only to discover that the greatest obstacle in her way is none other than she herself.
Talk to Me
Clare James - 2014
The young, handsome, high-scoring player quickly became a fan favorite. He had everything going for him: fame, fortune, a promising career, and his pick of women. But when he made an abrupt exit from the NHL last spring, everything changed and he’s been in hiding ever since.Casey Scott plans to find out why.After interning for free all summer at the top television station in the Twin Cities, Casey lands an on-air gig. Trouble is, the new role is Sports Girl—which means reporting from local bars and tailgating parties to create excitement for the hometown heroes. All while wearing tiny team jerseys that are so tight they leave little to the imagination.But she has a plan. Uncover the biggest sports mystery of the decade, and she’ll be on her way. Question is, how far will she go to get the story?*Caution: This story contains explicit sex scenes with an alpha hockey player … who gives an entirely new meaning to the term Body Checking. *
Women Within
Anne Leigh Parrish - 2017
Constance Maynard, fierce, independent and proud, reflects on her long life promoting women’s rights through her career as a professor of history. Eunice Fitch, the perfect caregiver, is often unlucky in love, yet even in middle age refuses to give up searching for the perfect man. Sam Clark is a young aide with a passion for poetry, and small beautiful things, but at war with her own large, ungainly physique. All together they weave a tapestry as rich and complex as the female experience itself.
Punishment
Scott J. Holliday - 2018
Thanks to a technologically advanced machine, detectives have access to the memories of the living, the dying, and the recently dead. But extracting victims’ experiences firsthand and personally reliving everything up to the final, brutal moments of their lives—the sights, the sounds, the scents, the pain—is also the punishment reserved for the criminals themselves.Barnes has had enough. Enough of the memories that aren’t his. Enough of the horror. Enough of the voices inside his head that were never meant to take root…until a masked serial killer known as Calavera strikes a little too close to home.Now, with Calavera on the loose, Barnes is ready to reconnect, risking his life—and his sanity. Because in the mind of this serial killer, there is one secret even Barnes has yet to see…
Keeper of the Well
Steve Kaide - 2017
The one thing that lets him escape the monotony is writing his fantasy novel, Keeper of the Well. Until he discovers something about his book that leaves him terrified, something impossible. Jack’s normal life is thrown into chaos, and he finds himself wrapped up in an adventure wilder than anything he could have written himself. An ancient order from another world threatens to destroy Earth, and mankind will be defenseless without his help. Soon, Jack will realize he must bear the weight of destiny upon his shoulders. Keeper of the Well is a thrilling, unique take on modern fantasy that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The Heiresses
Sara Shepard - 2014
Everyone does. Perhaps you’ve read a profile of them in People or have seen their pictures in the society pages of Vogue. Perhaps while walking along that choice block on Fifth Avenue, you’ve been tempted to enter the ornate limestone building with their family name etched into the pediment above the door.The only thing more flawless than a Saybrook’s diamond solitaire is the family behind the jewelry empire. Beauties, entrepreneurs, debutantes, and style mavens, they are the epitome of New York City’s high society. But being a Saybrook comes at a price—they are heirs not only to a dizzying fortune but also to a decades-old family curse.Tragedy strikes the prominent family yet again when thirty-four-year-old Poppy, the most exquisite Saybrook of them all, flings herself from the window of her TriBeCa office. Everyone is shocked that a woman who had it all would end her own life. Then her cousins receive an ominous threat: one heiress down, four to go.Was it suicide... or murder? In the aftermath of the tragedy, the remaining heiresses—Corinne, the perfectionist; Rowan, the workaholic; Aster, the hedonist; and Natasha, the enigma—wrestle with feelings of sadness, guilt, and, most of all, fear. Now they must uncover the truth about their family before they lose the only thing money can’t buy: their lives.The Heiresses is a whip-smart mystery that simmers with the wicked sense of humor and intrigue that made Sara Shepard’s number one New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series a must-read, must-watch phenomenon.
Quantrall
Carolina Mac - 2017
When his on-again, off-again, love is kidnapped, Jesse risks his life to discover the startling truth behind her disappearance. Battling the chaos of guns and violence, Jesse finds new strength and purpose.
Good as Dead
Susan Walter - 2021
Holly saw it all. In one violent moment, a hit-and-run accident turns Holly’s life upside down. Then a fixer for the high-powered guilty party approaches Holly with an offer she is in no position to refuse. Holly and her daughter, Savannah, will want for nothing, beginning with a luxury dream house—all for the price of their silence. But when their sudden appearance in privileged Calabasas, California, piques the curiosity of neighbors, the price becomes greater than they imagined. Because Holly and Savannah aren’t the only ones in the neighborhood with something to hide.Told from alternating points of view, Good as Dead draws together an unlikely group of people bound to one another by a crime, a cover-up, and compounding deceptions. As carefully constructed lives begin to crumble, how far will everyone be willing to go to bury the truth and protect the people they love?
Shattered Triangle
William P. Messenger - 2012
In spite of the distances that emerge among them, they are thrust together by the tragedy of death. Each affected in different ways.Giuseppe Lozano, candidate for U.S. Senate, returns home one night to find his wife and three children mysteriously murdered. There seems to be no motive, and little evidence is left at the scene. How will this affect him and his run for office?Giovanni Lozano, a Catholic priest, is forced to look beyond the violence to find the presence of God. As a brother and uncle, he feels anger and a desire for revenge. As a priest he is torn by the call of a God who loves all people-good and bad. Can he forgive?Tom Moran, a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, is charged with finding the murderer and building a case for justice. He feels no call to forgive. Nor is he driven by ambition. This case is personal. But can he deliver?Three lives. Three friends. Will the bonds of friendship survive?
Rain Will Come
Thomas Holgate - 2020
Ruthless and riddled with vices, Czarcik always gets his man. And fast. Until now…A double slaying isn’t the open-and-shut case of urban crime he’s used to. Connecting it to a high-profile Texas judge, Czarcik realizes something bigger is going on. It’s the work of a serial killer for whom Chicago is just the beginning. Now he’s inviting Czarcik to play catch-me-if-you-can on a cross-country murder spree.Going rogue, Czarcik accepts the challenge. But as the bodies pile up, he must come to grips with the fact that nothing—not the killer, the victims, or the rules—is what it seems in this bloody game of cat and mouse.
Lost And Found
Amy Shojai - 2012
But can she team up with a service dog to save a missing child and catch a murderer?Animal behaviorist September Day protects her broken heart by keeping everyone at arm’s length. Still distraught over her husband’s death in the line of duty, she heads back to her Texas home to launch a dog-training business. But her grief takes a back seat when her autistic nephew goes missing in a freak blizzard.Partnering with the boy’s support pup Shadow, September uncovers a shocking conspiracy hiding a deadly “miracle drug.” Hounded by vengeful enemies, human and dog must learn to work together and sniff out the source of corruption before more vulnerable kids die.Can September and Shadow forge a bond and stop a ruthless conspiracy and relentless killer?Lost And Found is the first action-packed installment in the gripping September and Shadow series. If you like dark suspense, novice detectives, and courageous animals, then you’ll love Amy Shojai’s roller-coaster thrillers.
It Had to Be Him
Tamra Baumann - 2015
But with another job lost and the gorgeous father of her daughter trying to make contact after disappearing three years ago, a break is definitely in order. Hopefully the little town filled with big, juicy secrets can help.After being off the grid for years, Josh Granger, a man with his own secrets, wants Meg and his daughter back. But first he has to get past townspeople as protective as a pack of rottweilers. He’s not the man Meg thinks he is, but he can’t tell her why…not yet.As Meg slowly warms to Josh, it’s clear the old spark is still there. But when his secret is exposed—along with Meg’s own shocking revelation—will it tear their family apart again, or bind them forever?