Book picks similar to
Magic by Edmond Humm


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O is for Outlaw & P is for Peril


Sue Grafton - 2008
    Two absolutely cracking books tokeep you reading until all hours. The onlydownside is you get to the end and wantmore. Fortunately there is more.

Good Behavior


Blake Crouch - 2013
    While on the job, she overhears a man hiring a hit man to kill his wife. Letty may not be winning any morality awards, but even she has limits. Unable to go to the police, Letty sets out to derail the job, putting herself on a collision course with the killer that entangles the two of them in a dangerous, seductive relationship.Good Behavior comprises three interlinked novellas (The Pain of Others, Sunset Key, and Grab), which together form a novel-length portrait of Blake Crouch’s all-time favorite character creation, Letty Dobesh. This edition is the complete Letty Dobesh collection.

The Copy


Grant Boshoff - 2014
    His company is under legal and political attack while his marriage crumbles around him. Desperate to recapture his once idyllic life he comes upon the perfect solution by creating a clone of himself, and together they set about picking up the pieces. But the perfection is short-lived as the two’s priorities begin to diverge. As the jealousies and resentments build Bartell comes to realize that while living alone was difficult, living as two may be impossible. Things take a dark turn and before long Bartell finds himself at the center of a criminal murder trial in which he now must fight to salvage what life he can. "Dark and edgy. The mystery and intrigue kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down." -ML

I Am Sal


Abraham Falls - 2016
     What if you were born as a fully formed adult? Completely aware of your surroundings, fully able to speak, walk, think, and recognize, by name, all of the items you could see? The only thing missing, the only nagging void in your memory: your identity. How do you think you would react to such a situation? Would it even be possibly to take it calmly? Or would there be a sense of panic? A rush of nauseating adrenaline so thick, so heavy, that it would leave you literally gasping for air in a room full of it? Imagine just how frightening that could be. Now, let's throw a single wrinkle into the mix. Suppose that you awakened into this new existence with one tiny clue as to who you were. A single word. A name. Which you somehow believed to be your own, despite the fact that you had no memory of any previous existence in which that name applied to you. Would this concept of a name, supposedly your own, in any way alleviate the stress of finding yourself suddenly coming into existence? I'd like to say it did for me, but that simply wouldn't be the full truth. You will find that out soon enough though. But my only fear is what you might think once you learn the truth. I am Sal. This is my story.

The Seduction of Samantha Bowman


Nancy Miller - 2013
    But behind closed doors, she’s a bit restless as she deals with a stressful job and a distant husband, whose only interest appears to be inventing virtual reality for his company, Holotech. Looking for a little harmless fun, Samantha escapes to one of Holotech’s “Adult” virtual games on Thursday afternoons where she feels more sexy and desirable than she has in years. She loves the game, and soon becomes obsessed with one actor in particular: Pool Boy. Before long, he’s all she can think about—unaware that behind the scenes Charlie’s unscrupulous business partners have seen an opportunity to further their own agenda. Fantasy sex soon turns all too real with deadly repercussions. A crazy wild ride featuring a cast of characters you will remember long after you’ve finished the story.

The Einstein Prophecy


Robert Masello - 2015
    Shipped to Princeton University for study, the box contains mysteries that only Lucas, aided by brilliant archaeologist Simone Rashid, can unlock.These mysteries may, in fact, defy—or fulfill—the dire prophecies of Albert Einstein himself.Struggling to decipher the sarcophagus’s strange contents, Lucas and Simone unwittingly release forces for both good and unmitigated evil. The fate of the world hangs not only on Professor Einstein’s secret research but also on Lucas’s ability to defeat an unholy adversary more powerful than anything he ever imagined.From the mind of bestselling author and award-winning journalist Robert Masello comes a thrilling, page-turning adventure where modern science and primordial supernatural powers collide.

Afterlife


Marcus Sakey - 2017
    He wakes without a scratch. The building is in ruins. His team is gone. Outside, Chicago is dark. Cars lie abandoned. No planes cross the sky. He’s relieved to spot other people — until he sees they’re carrying machetes.Welcome to the afterlife.Claire McCoy stands over the body of Will Brody. As head of an FBI task force, she hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks. A terrorist has claimed eighteen lives and thrown the nation into panic. Against this horror, something reckless and beautiful happened. She fell in love… with Will Brody. But the line between life and death is narrower than any of us suspect — and all that matters to Will and Claire is getting back to each other.From the author of the million-copy bestselling Brilliance Trilogy comes a mind-bending thriller that explores our most haunting and fundamental question: What if death is just the beginning?

Rage


Julie Evans - 2021
    One a lawyer with no respect for the law, the other a doctor, with no respect for human life; both trapped by rage. What happens when their paths cross and history catches up with them? Can they escape the cages they have built?Lawyer Claire McBride is a good person.She believes in fair play and operating within the rules but when told by her consultant, the cancer she thought she’d beaten is terminal, she descends into a dark and alien place at odds with her character. Compelled to right wrongs and punish those who have caused harm and avoided justice she seeks to take back ownership of what little life she has left.She does not know there is someone from her past, far more dangerous than her, who calls the shots. Issy Moran, Claire’s consultant; a bitter, deranged, narcissist, has for years routinely ended the lives of those patients she judges unworthy of treatment.From childhood she has harboured a grudge against Claire and when by chance, they meet she seizes the opportunity to satisfy her twisted desire to first befriend her and then destroy her.

Murder at Saint Giles (Sir Law Kintour #5)


J.R. Tomlin - 2021
    Assisted by his loyal companion Cormac the minstrel, Sir Law sets out to solve the murders and the conspiracy behind them — whatever the cost...

Hardwick: Season 1 Box Set


Tom Meitner - 2016
    "Great book from a great author"... "Would recommend to anyone who likes crime"... Sixteen years ago, Officer Charlie Hardwick was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his partner. Today, he has been exonerated for the crime and given his life back. In lieu of a massive settlement, he is now a homicide detective with the Chicago Police Department. His partner has her own questionable past. His chief has serious doubts of his innocence. And he has a city full of murders to solve. But while he adjusts to his new life, he's obsessed over his own case: who murdered his partner? Who framed him for it and sent him to jail? And why? This is the first season of Hardwick - six episodes total, each with its own case for Charlie to solve: Episode 1: Smokescreen The season premiere. Charlie adjusts to his new job and new life, while his chief warns him not to get anywhere near his own case. Episode 2: Domestic Affairs A local politician turns up dead, and he has a long list of enemies who could have done it. Episode 3: Snapshot A serial killer is sending photos of his victims to the Chicago PD, taunting them with each murder that he gets away with. Episode 4: Infamous The most popular girl in high school is murdered. Her body is found on campus. And there's enough gossip to keep the detectives guessing. Episode 5: Structural Damages How does a dead body wind up in the wall of a new home? The answer will show Charlie a side of the city - and his partner - he's never seen. Episode 6: Cold Case A scientist is found a victim of her own technology - and Charlie follows the trail... right back to his own case. This is a clean crime series loaded with thrilling police procedural stories in a format for anyone to enjoy. And with more episodes - and seasons - coming, Charlie has a long way to go in solving the murder that put him behind bars.

broken


Mary Ann Gouze - 2014
    As Anna Mae grows up, she finds herself subject to blackouts, and she’s not sure why. Her psychiatrist thinks she might have traumatic amnesia, but all the diagnosis does is complicate her already troubled life, affecting her relationships involving family, friends, and love. At first she tries to deal with it, but she soon discovers that she will have to overcome it once and for all. For she can’t remember the crucial information she witnessed during a recent blackout. And her life depends on it.

Spore


David Kristoph - 2020
    Intrusive thoughts begin invading John's mind. And the swirling blue liquid injected into their veins each night does not seem like part of any legitimate study.As the true motive for the research facility is revealed, John's focus shifts from his crippling insomnia to his own horrific imprisonment. Can he and his fellow subjects escape the facility alive, or are they doomed like all the test subjects before them?

The Story of My Disappearance: A Novel


Paul Watkins - 1997
    As a patriotic young man, he enlisted in the East German Stasi and was sent to Afghanistan, where he and a friend were taken prisoner by the Mujahadin. Years later Paul is sent to America as a contact for the KGB, where his life is changed forever by one woman. Together, these two exiles must find the strength to resist demands of the men who claim to own them.

Her Final Words


Brianna Labuskes - 2020
    The teenage girl confesses to murdering a young boy. Disturbingly composed, she reveals chilling details only the killer could know. Beyond that Eliza doesn’t say another word, leaving a vital question met with dead silence: Why did she do it?To find the answer, Lucy goes to the scene of the crime in the small Idaho town of Knox Hollow. But Lucy’s questions are only mounting. Especially when she’s drawn deeper into the life of the victim. Then a combing of the woods yields unsettling evidence that Eliza isn’t the only one in this close-knit rural community with secrets.Getting to the truth is becoming Lucy’s obsession. And it’s a dangerous one. Because for the good folks of Knox Hollow, hiding that truth will take more than silence.

Black Rain


Graham Brown - 2009
    . .Covert government operative Danielle Laidlaw leads an expedition into the deepest reaches of the Amazon in search of a legendary Mayan city. Assisted by a renowned university professor and protected by a mercenary named Hawker, her team journeys into the tangled rain forest—unaware that they are replacements for a group that vanished weeks before, and that the treasure they are seeking is no mere artifact but a breakthrough discovery that could transform the world. Shadowed by a ruthless billionaire, threatened by a violent indigenous tribe, and stalked by an unseen enemy that leaves battered corpses in its wake, the group desperately seeks the connection between the deadly reality of the Mayan legend, the nomadic tribe that haunts them, and the chilling secret buried beneath the ancient ruins.