Book picks similar to
One By One: Before by Simon Kernick
simon-kernick
mystery-and-thriller
quick-reads
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After the Execution
James Raven - 2012
He's lost everything - his wife, his dreams, his future. He finally enters the death chamber at the famous 'Walls' prison in Texas. He's strapped to a gurney and given an injection of lethal drugs in front of witnesses. Minutes later he's pronounced dead. But that's not the end of it. After the execution comes the shocking revelation - Jordan is still alive. And to stop him talking he has to die all over again - before he brings down the entire American justice system.
The Angels
Alex Kane - 2020
As the top performer at Angel Silk gentleman’s club, she’s seen it all, been forced to do things she never wanted to do. She’s tired of this life… but can she escape it?Lizzy. To the women at Angel Silk, she’s the strong queen bee, mother to the girls. But she’s hiding her own dark secrets - and if they come to light, her life could be destroyed.Jade. The newest dancer at Angel Silk, she’s innocent, beautiful… and trapped. She’s in over her head – but does she have the strength to break free?Three women, all under the control of feared gangster, Marcus. To take back their lives, they need to come together. But will he let them go – or will finding freedom mean paying the ultimate price?A completely addictive, gripping and gritty gangland thriller that will have you hooked. If you like Martina Cole, Kimberly Chambers or Jacqui Rose, you will love this nail-biting read.
Money Tree
Gordon Ferris - 2014
At its heart is the story of Anila Jhabvala, a destitute woman in a dying village in central India, and her struggle against the daily embrace of usury. Into her fraught existence blunder two westerners: Ted Saddler, a has-been American reporter living off the faded glory of a Pulitzer Prize, and Erin Wishart, a hard-bitten Scottish banker with a late-developing conscience. As the tension mounts, their three storylines interweave and fuse in a thundering and moving climax. In pointing up the gulf between rich and poor, and the misguided efforts of western institutions to meddle in developing countries, Gordon pays homage to Professor Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Peace and founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh.
Then He Was Gone
Stephen Edger - 2017
But while they are shopping in the hypermarket, three year-old Noah wanders off. A frantic search ensues. He can’t have gone far. The French police launch their emergency response to abductions, sharing Noah’s image on television, radio and social media. They’ve never failed to locate a missing child within 48 hours. But as the hours become days, the chances of finding Noah alive diminish. When a former soldier contacts Becky, and tells her Noah is being held by someone seeking revenge against Jess’s dead husband, she learns there is far more at stake than just the safe return of little Noah.
THEN HE WAS GONE
is a gripping psychological thriller tapping into every parent’s worst nightmare: what if you can’t protect your children against unseen threats?
The Killer Inside
Will Carver - 2013
Again and again.And I won't be stopped.Not even when I am locked up.That's not me.I am Eames. And I haven't finished.She knows I haven't finished.Not yet.
The jagged line (Harry Briscombe, #2)
Carolyn Mahony - 2017
Then she hears that her father has been seriously injured in an accident. Forced to come home and face her demons – and her ex-fiancé – she soon begins to suspect there is more to her father’s accident than meets the eye. Driven by the need to make amends, she resolves to unravel the truth – but the deeper she digs, the more her own life becomes embroiled in the dangerous forces she is unleashing. Things start to spiral out of control until her very survival is under threat. Can she even trust the ones she loves? DS Harry Briscombe is facing a personal dilemma that threatens his career. Already investigating a local murder, Dominic Cartwright’s accident raises the possibility that the two cases could be linked. Between the two of them, Harry and Kirsty get caught up in a trail that is increasingly perilous. It’s becoming a race against time … and time is running out. – If you love Clare Mackintosh and Rachel Abbott, you'll love this book Questions to the Author How did the plot idea come to you? – In drabs and drabs – it was very irritating! I started off with just an idea in my head of a character meeting up with her estranged father because of some secret he was going to tell her, but I didn't know what that secret was. I wrote that whole scene and a couple of others before I ditched it. The current theme (no spoilers) was as a result of a real case that I heard on the radio and I just thought how easily every day people can get caught up in that sort of thing, tempted by the money. The various sub-plots along the way are themes that interest me – and I think everyone has views on them one way or another. The title The Jagged Line is more about the fine line we draw between truth and the stretching of it; between morality and immorality … and how easy it is to cross those lines. So ... Harry’s got a new side-kick in Beth. Will you continue their stories on? Definitely! Beth has a very interesting back-story to develop, which was hinted at in The Jagged Line. It will come into its own in my new novel (yet to be named!). We already know that she comes from a tough background but even she will be surprised at what comes out! And now for the Big question … when will your 4th novel be published? – That really is the big question! I’ve literally only just started it, so it’s a question of how quickly I can get it done. At the moment I’m struggling with the finer details of the plot, which is slowing things up a bit, but I’m sure I’ll get it sorted and I’m hoping that it will be out in the next 6-9 months. If people would like to be among the first to receive early notification of when it will be published, they can sign up to my website here: www.carolynmahony.com to be notified of its release date. Categories for The Jagged Line Include Mystery & Crime books Psychological Suspense books Psychological drama books British Detective Series Mystery and Suspense books Women's Grit-Lit
The Sad Man (Novella): A Dani Lancing Story
P.D. Viner - 2013
As a Family Liaison Officer he is always the bearer of bad news - it is his job to tell the friends and family of victims the fate of their loved ones.But Tom is weighted down by crimes both old and new - haunted by the death of his best friend Dani, whose murder has never been solved.When a rare opportunity emerges for Tom to take the lead in a horrific murder investigation, he is determined to get justice for the victim. A young girl has been found in her own home, cut so badly - and so carefully - that she has bled to death, leaving a deliberate pool of blood in the shape of angel wings....
Written In Blood
Alex R. Carver - 2017
Suspicion falls on the village's newest resident, Zack Wild, attractive, charming, author of violent crime novels, and possessor of a dark history; he seems like the perfect suspect. As the investigation continues, the evidence against Wild mounts, but is prejudice against the newcomer affecting the judgment of Sergeant Mitchell, Constable Turner thinks so; she is determined to bring the killer to justice, no matter who it is, or what she has to do. Who will be proved right, and will they catch the killer before he can strike again?
Degrees of Darkness
Tony J. Forder - 2017
In an unexpected turn of events, the killer contacts the police and says he is willing to talk, but only to Frank.When the body of the first abducted girl is discovered, Frank realises it is a race against time to save his daughter. In order to solve the case, Frank must work out how the killer is picking his victims.
But how do you catch a murderer who is hiding in plain sight? And can Frank unravel the mystery, when he has so much to lose?
The Locksmith
Linda Calvey - 2021
Linda Calvey writes what she lived.They grew up with nothing. Just a regular family scraping by, living an honest life while crime ruled the East End. Until all that honesty and all that hard work left them with nothing.Poor, destitute and hungry, young Ruby decides to pull them from the ashes. It starts as one job, one step outside the law. Yet that one step sets her on a path – straight to the top.But in the East End you don't build an empire without making a few enemies . . .Welcome to the underbelly of London, where criminals run the streets and one woman will do anything to protect her family.The crime debut novel of the year, perfect for readers who loved No Mercy and Queenie.
Clouded Vision
Linwood Barclay - 2010
At least, that's what she passes herself off as. The truth is, Keisha's real powers have more to do with separating troubled families from their money than actually seeing into the netherworld. Keisha watches the news for stories of missing family members. She gives it a few days, then moves in, tells these families she's had a vision, that she may have some clue to where these missing people are. And by the way, she charges for this service, and likes to see the money up front. Keisha's latest mark is a man whose wife disappeared a week ago. She's seen him on TV, pleading for his wife to come home, or, if she's been abducted, pleading with whoever took her to let her go. Keisha knows a payoff when she sees one. So she pays a visit to our troubled husband, tells him her vision. Trouble is, her vision just happens to be close enough to the truth that it leaves this man rattled. And it may very well leave Keisha dead.
Blood Is Thicker Than Water
Paul Gitsham - 2015
There's been a tragic accident: the old man fell asleep in his chair, woke up in the dark, fell and hit his head on the mantelpiece. But the Crime Scene Manager isn't happy. There are just too many details that aren't quite right and Charles Michaelson's accident becomes a suspicious death.And, as DCI Warren Jones investigates, he and his team discover that all is not as it appears to be in the dead man's caring family when his son-in-law disappears. Then they uncover some dark secrets in Michaelson's past and a motive for murder.Fans of Peter Robinson and Peter James will love Blood is Thicker Than Water, an all-new short story in Paul Gitsham's DCI Warren Jones series.
Black Hills
Jennifer Schneider - 2016
A surveyor for the local fracking operation, the accused was leading a dangerous double life—shacking up with a prostitute named Kim and overindulging in Whitehurst’s deadly new drug, a powerful stimulant called “devil dust.”Out of her element in this badlands boomtown, Alice joins forces with the street-smart Kim, whose connections open doors some in town would rather keep closed. Working together, they descend into the heart of the local drug trade, unraveling a decades-old conspiracy that reaches to the top of Whitehurst’s social strata.As Alice comes closer to cracking the case, however, people around her start disappearing. With the case and her life spinning out of control, Alice embarks on a single-minded, dust-fueled campaign to expose the truth—an effort that will take her to the darkest places imaginable.
Broadchurch: The End Is Where It Begins (Story 1): A Series Two Original Short Story
Erin Kelly - 2015
Containing completely new material not available anywhere else, this is a must-read for all fans of the show.
The first in a collection of eight short stories to run alongside the second series of ITV's BAFTA award-winning show, Broadchurch. This story will be released at midnight following the broadcast of episode one.The stories, written by bestselling author Erin Kelly in close collaboration with Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall, will consist of 100% original plotlines that are tied closely to that evening's episode. The stories will offer an unrivalled opportunity to spend more time with the characters, allowing you to delve deeper into their lives, histories and secrets in order to find out what really makes them tick.This first-time creative collaboration between author and series creator will enhance your enjoyment of the TV series in a completely ground-breaking style. You won't be able to wait for the next episode and story!
Praise for the official Broadchurch series one novel:
'Loved the ITV series? They you'll adore this clever read from psychological-thriller queen Erin. While a book based on a TV show shouldn't work, this really does...the big reveal still gives you a massive kick in the gut.' The Sun 'This is the author's own take on the story, with even more atmosphere, emotion and twists than the TV original.' Essentials Magazine 'Kelly's novelisation of the eponymous British TV series, works as both a classic puzzle and an unnerving portrait of a little English town wracked by a young boy's murder... Kelly folds a loving portrait of rural Dorset and a well-made whodunit into a painstaking account of the grief and unimaginable pain that follow in the wake of one child's murder.' Kirkus **Starred** Review 'The narrative allows for an insight into the mindset of the characters - from the baffled detectives to the raw despair of Danny's parents...a crackingly well-constructed crime story, with a wonderfully shocking conclusion.' Sunday Mirror
Web of Deceit
M.A. Comley - 2016
Sally investigates Megan’s background when the woman reveals that she has just arrived from France and Tina is a woman she met on the Internet. Do genuine people truly arrange to innocently meet people they’ve only just met online? Or, in light of Tina’s disappearance, is there something far more sinister afoot?