Book picks similar to
One By One: Before by Simon Kernick


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The Anonymous Source


A.C. Fuller - 2015
    BREAK THE STORY. STAY ALIVE.ONE YEAR AFTER the 9/11 attacks, Alex Vane--a brilliant, fitness-obsessed reporter for The New York Standard--wants nothing more than to break into the flashy world of TV news. But when he uncovers the scoop of a lifetime, his tightly controlled world is rocked: his editor buries his story, a source turns up dead, and Alex finds himself at the center of a violent media conspiracy.AS HE RECEIVES TIPS from a mysterious source, Alex enlists the help of a captivating professor, Camila Gray. Aided by an Internet genius, a billionaire's sexy widow, and a washed-up sports reporter, Alex and Camila discover a $500-million secret that could derail the largest media merger in history.IT'S A SECRET THAT unearths dark memories from Alex's past. It's a secret that leads back to the morning of 9/11. And it's a secret that could get them both killed.IN HIS DEBUT MEDIA THRILLER, A.C. Fuller brings you a young journalist chasing the biggest story of his career--from the courtrooms of New York City to the beaches of Hawaii, from a crowded newsroom to a lavish boardroom at the top of a media empire.

I Never Lie


Jody Sabral - 2018
    Her career as a television journalist is hanging by a thread since a drunken on-air rant. When a series of murders occur within a couple of miles of her East London home she is given another chance to prove her skill and report the unfolding events. She thinks she can control the drinking, but soon she finds gaping holes in her memory, and wakes to find she’s done things she can’t recall. As the story she’s covering starts to creep into her own life, is Alex a danger only to herself – or to others? This gripping psychological thriller is perfect for fans of Fiona Barton,  B A Paris and Clare Mackintosh.

The Advocate


Teresa Burrell - 2009
    The search for her brother and her career as a juvenile court attorney collide when she defends a nine-year-old whose father will go to any length to obtain custody. Sabre finds herself immersed in a case with too many unanswered questions. Her quest for the truth takes her coast to coast and five years into the past. Confronted with mysterious clues and strange occurrences, Sabre is threatened by someone wanting to make her suffer the unbearable anguish of losing everything-including her life. As Sabre's passion to find the answers intensifies, she discovers a twisted history of desperation, deceit, and revenge. And she discovers how obscure and treacherous the truth can be.

Seal of Confession


Michele Pace - 2021
    A young priest on the other side of the screen is shaken by what he learns. A former college athlete with an MBA from a prestigious university, Father Joe Russo is not your typical man of God. Nine years earlier, his own life took a tragic turn and he gave everything up, committing his life to the church. Now his peaceful existence is being tested, and he finds himself questioning the God he serves, the vows he made, and someone he left behind.In this gripping thriller, a priest and an FBI agent work to uncover secrets and expose hidden crimes, but when it seems they have it all figured out, everything they think they know will be questioned.

If Angels Fall


Rick Mofina - 2000
    Pointing them out now no longer applies to the current edition.Tom Reed is a crime reporter with The San Francisco Star, whose superb journalistic skills earned him a Pulitzer nomination. But years later Reed’s life is coming apart. His editor wants him fired. His wife has left him to wrestle with his demons. Alone, Reed is tormented by the fear he may have caused the suicide of an innocent man suspected of murdering a two-year-old girl.Reed’s friend on the case is legendary San Francisco Homicide Inspector, Walt Sydowski, who has one of California’s highest clearance rates. He is also a lonely widower haunted by the fact he cannot solve the girl's heartbreaking death.Both men grapple with the past while they race the clock to learn the truth behind a several new abductions that have anguished the Bay Area, in this acclaimed thriller set in the late 1990s.

The Secret Keeper’s Daughter


Samantha King - 2021
    But when her seven-year-old daughter, Marley, begins to act strangely, refusing to speak and rushing off to hide in her room, she knows something isn’t right.Desperate to understand why Marley has become so withdrawn, Holly creates a worry box, where Marley posts her thoughts each day.At first, the messages seem innocent. But when Holly finds a note saying secrets make me sad, she begins to question everyone entrusted with her care…Including her family.Once the truth is out… there’s no going back.An utterly gripping family drama about the perils of motherhood, and the dark secrets that lurk just out of sight. Fans of Susan Lewis, Kerry Fisher and Diane Chamberlain will lose themselves in this suspenseful page-turner!

Moon Signs


Helen Haught Fanick - 2011
    Her sister Andrea has an altogether different point of view. When the sisters go to the Canaan Valley to search for paintings mentioned in a document found in an old hotel once owned by their grandparents—paintings that might be Monets—Andrea immediately becomes involved in tracking down a murderer. Kathleen would much rather be looking for the paintings, but she goes along with Andrea, since the victim was their hotel-keeper, murdered just down the hall from their room. The question is: Does the murder have something to do with the elusive paintings?There are many clues and many suspects, including hotel staff, valley residents, and the mysterious foreigners who come from the Eastern Seaboard for skiing. There are also many types of danger—icy roads, sub-zero temperatures, and a killer who doesn’t care how many people die in the attempt to make sure the right ones do.

Harm None


Will North - 2014
    When an American archaeological team stumbles upon the skeletal remains of a missing child beneath a Stone Age burial quoit, irascible CID Detective Sergeant Morgan Davies and her Scene of Crimes partner, Calum West, unearth a growing list of suspects. Within days, another body is discovered. Is the killer the mind-reading village witch—who has long been a suspect in the child’s disappearance? Is it the drug-dealing partner of the child’s heroin-addicted mother? Or is it someone even closer to the investigation? Just as Davies and West close in on their prime suspect, another child disappears.

The Next Right Thing


Dan Barden - 2012
    A former police officer, Randy narrowly escaped being an evening news highlight during years ravaged by anger and alcohol. Thanks to Terry’s coaching and an endless stream of caffeine-fueled AA meetings, Randy’s been off the booze for eight years, has a successful new career, and is thriving in a healthy relationship with his vegan yoga-instructor girlfriend. All is well . . . until Terry, himself supposedly sober for fifteen years, is found dead of a heroin overdose. How could Terry, who had dragged so many others from the edge, jump off himself? Convinced that something (or someone) must have pushed him, Randy is soon off on a dry-drunk quest for answers—and possibly revenge. He discovers a trail of dirty secrets that lead to missing persons, shady real estate deals, hydroponic pot farms, and Internet pornography. When his suspicions ultimately connect Terry’s death to the activities of a recently appointed Superior Court judge—who just happens to be dating Randy’s ex-wife—Randy has to ask himself: Is he really onto something or just suffering from grief and paranoia? Will his increasingly frenzied behavior ruin his current relationship and his chances of regaining custody of his daughter? Will he destroy the life that he has worked so hard to achieve? Will he reach for a drink?The Next Right Thing is a hilarious and harrowing combination of thriller and recovery tale, equal parts hard-earned wisdom and old-fashioned suspense.

Warped Justice


Kevin Schwartz - 2016
    Until it doesn't. When Peter Garrison's failed defense of a client leads to a retribution plot against him, he's forced to confront a nemesis intent on destroying him. Jason Felding seeks payback after his teenage brother winds up sodomized and mentally scarred during an unfair incarceration. He targets the restaurant owner who put his sibling behind bars and the lawyer who couldn't get a simple underage drinking case dropped. Obsessed with justice, Jason murders the snitch and, in an elaborate ruse, frames Peter as the killer. Peter finds himself the prime suspect in a murder that rocks the small town of Quincy, Vermont, a cruel irony since he left his firm frustrated that guilty clients sometimes escape punishment, while innocent ones are convicted. With the help of a crafty private investigator, Peter vows to solve the crime and save his reputation. But as Peter closes in on the truth, both he and his new girlfriend may be next on Jason’s hit list.From a small Vermont town to the beaches of the Virgin and Cayman Islands, loyalty and retribution are at the heart of this suspenseful thriller.

Sleep then my Princess


O.N. Stefan - 2015
    While mourning the death of her husband, Senior Tissue Engineer, Stephani Robbins, is plagued by recurring visions of a child being locked up in a chicken coop. Meanwhile, someone is sending her creepy love poems, roses, and photos that have been taken without Stephani's knowledge. As more photos appear, the police suspect that Stephani has hired someone to take these photos. She before she can convince the police to take her seriously she is kidnapped. While imprisoned she discovers why she has been having these visions and it is more chilling than she ever imagined. Can she make it out alive? What some of my beta readers said... Wow! You've got a thriller with a level of horrific reality here. You take the reader inside a perverted serial killer's head and an innocent woman whose life has been ripped from her and whose present season of recovery is being trespassed. You describe the love of an adoring niece for her mourning auntie and this connects the reader to the prologue and adds another level of emotion to this already captivating plot. What a book! I have to say 'wow' because your writing style is so picturesque. You show a every detail to plainly. I was captured right away. The showing is real and to telling, which is a top virtue in any real book. The main character Stephanie has a sassy attitude underneath all of the hurt. Her story is heart breaking and so deep I felt her agony. This is a worthy read. O.N. Stefan, this one is so chilling and well written. The villain jumps off the page at the reader and scare the bejeebers out of you. You descriptions of the lab scene in the first chapter are right on and her getting the poem was quite spooky. The conflict of the mother and Puddles was well done showing just the type of upbringing or lack of this man had. High stars! I think you have a great novel here. The prologue is intense and urged me to keep reading, as well as setting the stage for when she discovers the pictures to give a sensation of malice. Your voice is exciting and the dialogue is good. It does seem more formal at times, but that is to be expected when having highly educated characters. I especially like your detailed descriptions and the use of medical terminology.

Death in Pieces (DI Haskell & Quinn #2)


Bilinda P. Sheehan - 2020
     When forensic psychologist Harriet Quinn receives the random pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, she doesn’t realise they hold the key to identifying a sadistic killer’s next victim. A victim who hasn’t even been taken yet.

Nasty Business


Gillian Godden - 2019
     And, now that he’s running a fancy West End nightclub, Tony has new-found celebrity status – with a never-ending string of gorgeous women on his arm, he’s become the darling of the tabloids. However, despite his success, he still feels he lacks the respect he deserves and the status he desires. The little boy who lived on the streets is never far away. Desperate for recognition, he’s driven to achieve more and more. Most of all, he craves the acceptance of Ralph Gold and to become a bigger part of his extensive web of organised crime. Fearlessly facing up to enemies, winning battles and becoming the undisputed bosses of the London underworld can be a nasty business, but it’s the only business Tony and Jake know. And they’ll stop at nothing to succeed.

Fresh Doubt


Eva Hudson - 2014
    The haunting memories of that night shaped Ingrid’s life, driving her to become one of the toughest agents ever to join the FBI. Supremely fit, doggedly tenacious and virtually indestructible, Ingrid now works out of the US embassy in London. Madison Faber, a brilliant psychology student at a prestigious London college, has discovered her friend’s body in a pool of blood. Now she’s in police custody being questioned for murder. Protesting her innocence, Faber fears the killer will target her next and persuades Ingrid to hunt him down. But the deeper Ingrid digs, the deadlier the case gets. And when she uncovers a sinister group operating within the psychology department, Ingrid is in far more danger than she realizes.Up against the clock, and disobeying strict FBI protocols, Ingrid’s obsession to bring the killer to justice takes her far beyond the law. So far she may never get back.Unlock the thrills and twists of this up-all-night crime thriller series, perfect for fans of gripping mysteries, strong female detectives and any reader who has ever wondered if there’s a female version of Jack Reacher. There is, and her name is Ingrid Skyberg.PRAISE FOR EVA HUDSON"I was immediately struck by the plotting savvy and grip-factor of Eva Hudson's writing – she is a natural storyteller" - Sophie Hannah"In the tradition of all good thrillers, the plot rattles along at a fine pace. An intriguing mystery with many unexpected twists – not least of all the ending" - James Oswald"Gripped me from the first page. Ingrid Skyberg is a brilliant character" - DS ButlerABOUT EVA HUDSONAfter years of enjoying thrillers and police procedurals by authors like Lee Child and Michael Connelly, Eva was inspired to write thrillers herself. In 2011 she won the inaugural Lucy Cavendish fiction prize for her first novel, The Loyal Servant, and never looked back.

The Disappearance


Annabel Kantaria - 2016
    Her lonely life over, she was soon married with two small children. But things in the Templeton household were never quite what they seemed.Now approaching 70, and increasingly a burden on the children she’s never felt close to, Audrey plans a once-in-a-lifetime cruise around the Greek isles. Forcing twins Lexi and John along for the ride, the Templetons set sail as a party of three – but only two will return.On the night of her birthday, Audrey goes missing…hours after she breaks the news that the twins stand to inherit a fortune after her death. As the search of the ship widens, so does the list of suspects – and with dark clues emerging about Audrey’s early life, the twins begin to question if they can even trust one another…