Book picks similar to
The Darkest Heart by Dan Smith


thriller
fiction
signed-by-author
passed-along

Deadly Deceit


Karen Randau - 2016
    Ensnarled in a cover-up that puts her in an assassin’s crosshairs, Rita must unravel a web of lies and connections that date back to Jared’s service in the Iraq war – before a mysterious kidnapper returns Rita’s daughter Zoe one body part at a time. This fast-paced thriller is one you won’t want to put down from beginning to end.

Perfect Crime


Jack Parker - 2018
     The First Crime: Many people had reason to kill the victim, and they tried 'til they got it right. You'd think that would leave plenty of clues, but they don't add up right. Can a 16-yr-old. The Second Crime: A teacher was found dead and a lot of other students have had accidents, some serious. Gracie Greene's not so sure they were accidents, but can she find the pattern and motive before someone else dies? The Third Crime: At 18 years old Gracie Greene has already solved 2 murders. Now she finds herself a suspect in a 3rd murder and must solve it to clear herself.

The Organ Takers (The McBride Trilogy #1)


Richard Van Anderson - 2014
    Down but not out, he perseveres and is given a second chance to establish a career in surgery. But, as McBride stands on the threshold of a new life, the malignant underside of his fellow man intervenes. Under the threat of violence, David is forced to perform illegal organ harvests in a makeshift operating room hidden in a dilapidated meatpacking warehouse in lower Manhattan. Unable to resolve the excruciating moral dilemma faced each time he invades the body of an unwilling victim, David McBride fights to free himself from the situation and in the process, loses everything. When he finally loses the last shred of his humanity, he seeks revenge with surgical precision ... and instrumentation.

Burned


David Hagberg - 2009
    Her captors were affiliated with early al Qaeda partisans. While this book is fiction, Burned captures the spirit of Yvonne’s resistance and ultimate triumph. Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition with this ISBN here.

Felonious Monk


William Kotzwinkle - 2021
    Since killing somebody with a single punch is not a needed talent in a monastery, he spends his time praying, meditating, and taking his anger management medicine. But his meditations are interrupted by a legacy from his uncle, a crooked priest. Arriving in a New Age Arizona town to claim his inheritance, Brother Tommy meets a charismatic, smoking-hot cult leader who claims that women are being impregnated by alien beings while they sleep. Tommy's own sleep is disturbed--by cartel hitmen, Mafia bill collectors, and women intrigued by his vow of chastity. He loses his anger management medicine in time to deal with the hitmen, but the women present an uphill battle.William Kotzwinkle's quicksilver touch has produced an effervescent piece of entertainment filled with suspense, turns you won't see coming, and the humor for which he is famous.

The Ben Hope Collection


Scott Mariani - 2012
    Contains the first six Ben Hope novels, together for the very first time:The Alchemist’s SecretThe Mozart ConspiracyThe Doomsday ProphecyThe Heretic’s TreasureThe Shadow ProjectThe Lost Relic

Admit to Mayhem


D.J. Adamson - 2014
    We prefer the charade that we are in control. Lillian Dove, however, is constantly reminded she has very little control over her life and only has the ability to move to the choices that come her way. The Lillian Dove Series is a journey in recovery. While Lillian is a recovering alcoholic, like many who struggle with addictions come to understand, stopping drinking does not mean life returns to normal. However, as this series begins, Lillian does realize she has compulsions and addictions to many things, not just Absolut. How we handle dependency and denial is what allows for choice. In Admit to Mayhem, Lillian needs to admit her life has become unraveled again when she becomes an eyewitness to arson. Probing into a cold case of arson sixty years ago and the arson she witnessed at the beginning of this novel helps her admit to some of her own life’s challenges and successes. Admit to Mayhem, offering comedic dysfunction, is not only a suspenseful mystery but an important step for Lillian’s self-identity--and possibly for the reader’s.Admit: I admit that my life has become unmanageable.

The Road King Chronicles: Blue Ridge Run


Harry Harrigan - 2015
    After twenty-three years and three combat tours with the 75th Ranger Regiment, he’s got a Silver Star, a titanium knee and a plan to see America on his Road King motorcycle. No more patrols, no more firefights. Nothing more dangerous than passing the old work van rumbling along in front of him as he rides toward Hunter-Stewart and the sunset of his career in the Army. But just as he twists the throttle to pass, a woman’s bare foot smears a bloody print on the van’s back window. Roman turns back to help, triggering a chain of events that puts his brother Virgil and two old friends in the crosshairs of a murderer. Saving them sends Roman on a desperate ride from Savannah to DC, where he discovers that the past he has been trying to forget has not forgotten him. It’s been waiting patiently, holding his secret like a time bomb.

Mercenary


Jon Kiln - 2014
    And Ganry discovers that there is more at stake than his own survival.

Sea of Gold


Nick Elliott - 2014
    The first-person narrative, complete with ironic asides, is the perfect vehicle for a thoughtful and witty style that draws us swiftly into the shoes of its protagonist, a credible and consistent character." "The sense of place is utterly authentic. We are taken to far-flung locations - some exotic, some seedy - by an author who has not just visited them but has lived and worked in these places. Nick Elliott has an effortless elegance in his writing, and an ability to create characters who feel real. The story zips along at a fine pace, and the result is a gripping and immersive thriller." "Angus is good company as he unravels a very twisty plot and discovers an unexpected level of determination (stubbornness?) in getting to the bottom of the mystery and catching the villains, all the while trying to be loyal to his fiery Greek girlfriend while fighting his attraction to a woman from his past." DESCRIPTION ‘Whoever did this wanted to make very sure no one lived to tell the tale.’ Money, murder and love on the high seas In the world of international shipping, the rules are blurred and the oceans lawless When instinct tells maritime claims investigator Angus McKinnon that a wave of frauds must be connected, he thinks it’s just business as usual. Instead, he uncovers a ruthless conspiracy born of greed and the lust for power. As he starts to unravel a trail leading from the post-Soviet drabness of a Black Sea port to a sweltering anchorage in the Gulf of Thailand, a devastating explosion in the Indian Ocean changes everything. Facing down terrifying childhood memories, torn between two very different women and doubting old friends, McKinnon must navigate a precarious path between secretive government agencies, shady syndicates and avaricious crime lords towards an unpredictable endgame. Gambling everything on his faith in one man, can McKinnon beat the odds and come out on top? A gripping page-turner, Sea of Gold draws the reader into a world of extremes, the casual affluence of the super-rich contrasting with the dignified poverty of the desperate. Meanwhile, McKinnon’s two loves – the enigmatic Claire and his devoted, long-term lover, Eleni, vie for his attention. This debut thriller from Nick Elliott is packed with intrigue – if you love your action spiced with suspense, make Sea of Gold your next read.

The Ragnarök Conspiracy


Erec Stebbins - 2012
    Both are drawn into a race against time to stop the plot of an American bin Laden and prevent a global catastrophe.

Out Of The Shadows


Tessa Van Wade - 2021
    It is not a random attack, as she soon discovers. The stranger who rescues her tells her she’s part of a hidden race of people whose oppressive government is on the verge of a violent uprising. Against her will, she is drawn into a maze of deception and conspiracy, which defies everything she has ever known. As she attempts to separate fact from fiction, she becomes too entrenched to retreat. Her only hope is to discover the truth before it is too late. In this first installment of The Velieri Uprising, newfound novelist Tessa Van Wade, creates a deeply layered world of unforgettable characters in a fast-paced struggle for survival.

Nation of Enemies


H.A. Raynes - 2015
    It's all about the genetics. DNA. Black & white. A decade ago the U.S. government mandated that all citizens be issued biochips containing all of their medical information and an I.D. number indicating a person's health. Then they made the information public - the implications of which were wide-spread and devastating. Now on the eve of the 2032 presidential election, the country is deeply divided and on the brink of civil war. But as the two major political parties face off, innocent Americans are dying at the hands of masked terrorists. When the Liberty Party's presidential nominee is assassinated in a highly-coordinated, masterful attack, it sets off a chain of events that will change the course of history and leave America's inalienable rights - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - dangling on the precipice of extinction.

The Longest Road


A.S. Thompson - 2012
    A group of cousins surviving through the aftermath of a pandemic infection of unknown origin. Once contracted, the disease is irreversibly fatal, but its victims don't stay dead for long. Eventually the dead return to life, but all elements of humanity are replaced by ravenous cannibalistic tendencies. After fleeing their homes in up-state New York, the cousins take to the safety of the road, where they travel west-bound to the rumored "safe-zone" of California. Every day is a fight to stay alive; whether scavenging for essentials or engaging in nerve-racking battles with the relentless undead. Every stop they make is filled with surprises, twists and turns as their lives are now a roller-coaster being driven by hope and shadowed by despair. Feel their heartache. Experience their triumphs. Follow them as they journey across the wasteland that was once the United States. Ride alongside this family as they search for safety on The Longest Road

Measure of Danger


Jay Klages - 2013
    Forced to adapt to a sedate civilian existence, he’d all but given up on a life of service. That is, until opportunity—and an FBI agent—knocks on his door.The FBI believes Kade’s unique talents make him their best candidate to infiltrate AgriteX, an agricultural biotech company suspected of involvement in organized crime. Kade jumps at the chance to redeem himself and serve his country again. But he soon learns that AgriteX is invested in far more threatening pursuits—the company is secretly funding The Chapter, a high-tech militia plotting a savage attack on the United States.Can Kade stop The Chapter before it’s too late? And now that he’s on the inside, will he ever escape their shadowy network?