Book picks similar to
The Fourth Inspector Morse Omnibus by Colin Dexter
mystery
fiction
crime
fiction-crime
Shadow Kill
David Caris - 2021
Betrayed by his employer and left for dead, Kovac decides to lie low in Tokyo.His plan? Revenge...But when a young woman asks him to protect her from the yakuza, Kovac feels duty-bound to help. She’s a victim of abuse, and long experience tells him if he doesn’t step in tonight she’ll be a corpse before dawn.As Kovac works to uncover the truth of his last job, he finds himself drawn into a conspiracy which goes well beyond the yakuza to a new and terrifying multinational cartel. One that will stop at nothing to control the global drug trade.The kingpins are certain they’ve covered all bases. They're well-funded and utterly ruthless. But they’ve failed to account for one man – John Kovac.SHADOW KILL is the first in a fast-paced, unflinching thriller series that won't in any way shortchange you on action. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, Mark Greaney and Mark Dawson.
Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories
Agatha Christie - 1991
The last two can be described as romances, but they are much more than that. The variety of the stories stands out. From murder and attempted murder, to theft and the love between a woman and her pet dog, no one can say that Agatha Christie wasn't versatile! The individual stories were first published between the 1920s and 1971. Librarian's note: this entry is for the collection of short stories, "Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories." Entries for the eight individual titles, including the title story, can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. Any short story featuring Poirot can be found by searching Goodreads for "a Hercule Poirot Short Story," Pyne by searching for "a Parker Pyne Short Story," and Quin by searching for "a Harley Quin Short Story."
What She Knew
Gilly Macmillan - 2015
It’s an ordinary request on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, and Rachel has no reason to worry—until Ben vanishes.Police are called, search parties go out, and Rachel, already insecure after her recent divorce, feels herself coming undone. As hours and then days pass without a sign of Ben, everyone who knew him is called into question, from Rachel’s newly married ex-husband to her mother-of-the-year sister. Inevitably, media attention focuses on Rachel too, and the public’s attitude toward her begins to shift from sympathy to suspicion. As she desperately pieces together the threadbare clues, Rachel realizes that the greatest dangers may lie not in the anonymous strangers of every parent’s nightmares, but behind the familiar smiles of those she trusts the most.Where is Ben? The clock is ticking...
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.
Die Laughing: 5 Comic Crime Novels
Steve Brewer - 2014
LOST VEGAS Steve Brewer Nick Papadopoulos used to be a button man for the Mob. Now he's the front man for an aging casino in Fowler, Nevada, an isolated backwater known as "Lost Vegas." Nick's stuck in a rut and deep in debt. Then he gets an idea: If someone would only rob his casino, he could collect on the insurance and get out from under. Tony Zinn runs a heist crew in San Francisco. He's never even heard of Fowler, Nevada. But Nick makes him an offer that's almost too good to be true. Neither man expects interference from rival casino owner Big Jim Kelton or his hired goon, a huge Samoan named Shamu. But once they're involved, it can only end in bloodshed. Filled with twists and double-crosses, LOST VEGAS is Steve Brewer at his best. FENDER BENDERS Bill Fitzhugh Eddie Long plans to be a country music star but he's stuck touring the college frat circuit. But after his nagging wife apparently dies at the hands of a serial killer, Eddie writes the best song of his life and it goes straight to number one. Eddie's friend, freelance writer Jimmy Rogers, senses a great opportunity and sets out to write the life story of Nashville's newest sensation. But Jimmy's research unearths some troubling facts about the death of Eddie's wife, facts that could ruin Eddie's burgeoning career—while making Jimmy a star of the publishing world. Throw in a beautiful and opportunistic country radio DJ, a pair of wily record producers, and a naive young singer-songwriter, and the stage is set. Everybody plans to make a killing—one way or another. It's murder on Music Row, where things don't always turn out as planned. Fender Benders won the Lefty Award (best humorous novel) at the Left Coast Crime Convention 2001. FAVOR (Stanley Hastings Mystery Book 3) Parnell Hall It was just a simple favor. Drive down to Atlantic City, check out Sergeant MacAullif's son-in-law, and see why his daughter wasn't happy in her marriage. Stanley Hastings started following the guy around, and quickly found himself involved with notorious loan sharks, sleazy private eyes, fat-cat casino owners, and crooked blackjack dealers, not to mention two dead bodies. Stanley had no idea who killed them, or why, but all the clues seemed to point to the son-in-law. Only the witness blew the ID and the cops arrested Stanley instead. Taking the fall for homicide is a hell of a favor. Stanley was in over his head, so he did the one thing he never thought he'd do in his life. He hired a private eye! HABEAS PORPOISE (Solomon vs Lord series) Paul Levine The love-hate relationship of Solomon & Lord continues. Sure, opposites attract, but they argue, too! This time, it starts with the kidnaping of two trained dolphins from Miami’s Cetacean Park. When one of the ecoterrorists behind the raid turns up dead, his partner in eco-crime is charged with homicide, even though he didn’t pull the trigger. It’s called “felony murder,” and Solomon thinks it’s a bum rap. What he doesn’t count on is his lover and law partner Victoria Lord being named a special prosecutor. Conflicts-of-interest abound, and Steve is up to his old tricks. At least, the mismatched legal duo agree on something...each one vows to win the case! GUILT TRIP (Blanco County Mysteries, Book 4) Ben Rehder Life in rural Blanco County, Texas, isn't what most folks would call exciting—and that suits game warden John Marlin just fine. But when the tequila-slamming, skirt-chasing treasurer of the local Rotary Club goes missing and his vehicle is found in the river the day after a flood, Marlin finds himself in charge of the search efforts.
Val McDermid 3-Book Thriller Collection: The Mermaids Singing, The Wire in the Blood, The Last Temptation (Tony Hill and Carol Jordan)
Val McDermid - 2016
1 bestselling crime series featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill, hero of TV’s much loved WIRE IN THE BLOOD.THE MERMAIDS SINGINGUp till now, the only serial killers Tony Hill had encountered were safely behind bars. This one’s different – this one’s on the loose.Four men have been found mutilated and tortured. As fear grips the city, the police turn to clinical psychologist Tony Hill for a profile of the killer. But soon Tony becomes the unsuspecting target in a battle of wits and wills where he has to use every ounce of his professional nerve to survive.THE WIRE IN THE BLOODYoung girls are disappearing around the country, and there is nothing to connect them to one another, let alone the killer whose charming manner hides a warped and sick mind.Dr Tony Hill, head of the new National Profiling Task Force, sets his team an exercise: they are given the details of missing teenagers and asked to discover any possible links between the cases. Only one officer comes up with a theory – a theory that is ridiculed by the group … until one of their number is murdered and mutilated.For Tony Hill, the murder becomes a matter for personal revenge and, joined by colleague Carol Jordan, he embarks on a campaign of psychological terrorism – a game where hunter and hunted can all too easily be reversed.THE LAST TEMPTATIONA twisted killer targeting psychologists has left a grisly trail across Europe.Dr Tony Hill, expert at mapping the minds of murderers, is reluctant to get involved. But then the next victim is much closer to home…Meanwhile, his former partner DCI Carol Jordan is working undercover in Berlin, on a dangerous operation to trap a millionaire trafficker. When the game turns nasty, Tony is the only person she can call on for help.Confronting a cruelty that has its roots in Nazi atrocities, Tony and Carol are thrown together in a world of violence and corruption, where they have no one to trust but each other.
The Hunting Party
Lucy Foley - 2018
. . and murder and mayhem ensue.All of them are friends. One of them is a killer.During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.They arrive on December 30th, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.The trip began innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps.Now one of them is dead . . . and another of them did it.Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?
Impostor
L.J. Ross - 2019
Forensic psychologist Doctor Alexander Gregory has a reputation for being able to step inside the darkest minds to uncover whatever secrets lie hidden there and, soon enough, he finds himself drawn into the murky world of murder investigation.In the beautiful hills of County Mayo, Ireland, a killer is on the loose. Panic has a stranglehold on its rural community and the Garda are running out of time. Gregory has sworn to follow a quiet life but, when the call comes, can he refuse to help their desperate search for justice?Murder and mystery are peppered with dark humour in this fast-paced thriller set amidst the spectacular Irish landscape.“LJ Ross keeps company with the best mystery writers” – The Times“A literary phenomenon” – Evening Chronicle“LJ Ross is the Queen of Kindle” – Sunday Telegraph
Flytrap
Simon Kernick - 2016
His solitary life sailing the Caribbean is the only way he can survive. That is, until, he meets…HerA widow with nothing left to lose, she finds herself on his sleek forty-foot yacht. He’s handsome and charming; exactly what she’s been looking for.But the night doesn’t go exactly as they had planned, and only one of them will get out alive.
Circus of Nightmares: Death is the Ultimate Illusion (The Anglesey Mysteries Book 2)
Conrad Jones - 2021
You Live Once
John D. MacDonald - 1959
The latest occupant was Sewell's boss, Dodd Raymond - a man not above using Sewell to cover up his sins. And maybe not above letting Clint take the rap when the fabulous Mary is found dead in Sewell's bedroom closet with his belt around her neck.
A Field of Red
Greg Enslen - 2013
Harper is visiting the small Ohio town of Cooper's Mill, trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter and a grandson he's never met. But he finds the town gripped in fear-two young girls have gone missing, taken in broad daylight from a busy street. And the police are coming up blank. But once Harper is drawn reluctantly into the investigation, he'll stop at nothing to find the girls. And he doesn't care who gets in the way.
The Spider Shepherd Collection 5-7: Dead Men, Live Fire, Rough Justice
Stephen Leather - 2013
Dead MenFormer SAS trooper turned undercover cop Dan Spider Shepherd knows there are no easy solutions in the war against terrorism. But when a killer starts to target pardoned IRA terrorists, Shepherd has to put his life on the line to protect his former enemies; and as a Muslim assassin closes in on his prey, Shepherd realises that the only way to save lives is to become a killer himself. Live FireDan 'Spider' Shepherd is infiltrating a tightly-knit team of bank robbers, when a group of home-grown Islamic fundamentalist fanatics embark on a campaign of terror the like of which Britain has never seen. Car bombs and beheadings are only the prelude of what they have planned. And Shepherd is the only man who can stop them. Rough JusticeVillains across London are being beaten, crippled and killed by vigilante cops. Crime rates are falling, but the powers that be want Dan 'Spider' Shepherd to bring the wave of rough justice to an end. Shepherd has always known that there are grey areas in the fight against crime, and that sometimes justice gets lost in the process. But when his own family is brought into the firing line, Shepherd has some hard decisions of his own to make.
Missing, Presumed
Susie Steiner - 2016
Detective Sergeant Manon Bradshaw tries to sleep after yet another soul-destroying Internet date – the low murmuring of her police radio her only solace.Over the airwaves come reports of a missing woman – door ajar, keys and phone left behind, a spatter of blood on the kitchen floor. Manon knows the first 72 hours are critical: you find her, or you look for a body. And as soon as she sees a picture of Edith Hind, a Cambridge post-graduate from a well-connected family, she knows this case will be big.Is Edith alive or dead? Was her ‘complex love life’ at the heart of her disappearance, as a senior officer tells the increasingly hungry press? And when a body is found, is it the end or only the beginning?