Book picks similar to
Playtime by Bart Hopkins Jr.
romantic-suspense
mystery
thriller
freebie
Stealing Jenny
Ellen Gable - 2011
A neighbor, however, is secretly hatching a sinister plot which will find Jenny and her unborn baby fighting for their lives.
Too Close to Home
Lynette Eason - 2010
Her methods are invisible, and she never stops until the case is closed. When missing teens begin turning up dead in a small Southern town, Samantha is assigned to help local chief Connor Wolfe find the killer. And he has two problems with that. There's her faith--in God and herself. And then there's the fact that she looks exactly like his late wife. As they get close to an answer, the case becomes personal. The killer seems to be taking an interest in Connor's 16-year-old daughter, who thinks her dad is getting way too protective. Can't a girl just have some fun? Too Close to Home ratchets up the suspense with each page, and will have readers cheering for the characters they love as justice is served and love grows even in the face of danger. Read this one with the lights on!
Loss Recovery
Jemma Westbrook - 2019
Knew what it would cost him.It was a price he was willing to pay.But then he met Bess Hines in a bar. One perfect night with her had him second-guessing everything. His choices. His life.Himself.Because no matter how perfect she felt in his arms, Wade had to let her go, taking nothing but the sweet memory of her body under his.It was the only way to keep her safe from the danger following him closer than a shadow.Only Bess wasn’t safe.When Team Rogue is hired to protect Bess from a danger all her own, Wade has a chance to protect the woman he never should have left.
A woman who can give him everything he never knew he wanted.
****
Bess Hines is hiding.
Tucked away in the mountains of Alaska, hoping for a miracle.An answer to her prayers.Wade Denison is neither of those.Two years ago he showed her a tiny taste of heaven then left without so much as a goodbye.Seeing him again is the worst kind of torture. Being put under his protection is worse.Especially since Wade might be just as big of a threat as the one he’s been hired to protect her from.Because he may have walked away from their night together with nothing but a memory, but Bess left with something more.
Something she will guard with her life.
Lies That Bind Us
Andrew Hart - 2018
She’s flying to Crete to reunite with friends she met there five years ago and relive an idyllic vacation. Basking in the warmth of the sun, the azure sea, and the aura of antiquity, she can once again pretend—for a little while—that she belongs. Her ex-boyfriend Marcus will be among them, but even he doesn’t know the secrets she keeps hidden behind a veil of lies. None of them really know her, and that’s only part of the problem.Then again, how well does she know them?When Jan awakens in utter darkness, chained to a wall, a manacle around her wrist, her echoing screams only give her a sense of how small her cell is. As she desperately tries to reconstruct what happened and determine who is holding her prisoner, dread covers despair like a hand clamped over her mouth. Because, like the Minotaur in the labyrinth in Greek myth, her captor will be coming back for her, and all the lies will catch up to her…
She's Not There
Marla Madison - 2011
. . Is the rising number of abused women who've gone missing a statistical anomaly? Or is a serial killer targeting this vulnerable group of women? When the Milwaukee Police Department refuses to investigate because no bodies have been discovered, Lisa Rayburn, the clinical psychologist who discovers the anomaly, is drawn into an investigation to discover the cause after one of her own clients goes missing. She finds herself forming an unlikely alliance with a former policewoman turned security consultant, TJ Peacock, and the husbands of two of the missing women who may themselves be murderers. When TJ is attacked, and a woman looking remarkably like Lisa is found murdered, they know . . . someone is willing to kill to protect his secret. Can they reveal the killer before he gets to them?
Serenade
Heather McKenzie - 2017
But as she forms an unlikely connection with her abductor, Luke, her adventure takes a strange turn.There is nothing magical about growing up in a mountainside castle, when it’s your prison. Kaya’s ruthless and powerful father keeps her under lock and key, watched every second of the day–and Kaya’s not really sure why. She’s just a normal girl…no one special. She doesn’t understand her father’s obsession with her safety – until she is kidnapped. Dragged through a brutal wilderness, Kaya’s captor shows her the devastating truth, and even though he has dark secrets of his own, she is inexplicably drawn to him–when the stars are in your eyes, sometimes the line between right and wrong is blurred. Passion obliterates common sense. Love... makes you reckless. As Kaya's father’s men and her devoted bodyguard scour the woods to find her, she wonders if staying in the arms of her abductor is the safer place to be. At least, that’s what her heart is saying—her head is saying run…
Dangerously passionate and darkly romantic, SERENADE is a page-turning thriller and seductive love story.
Gambling on Love
Kimberley Reeves - 2012
Until she meets Sam Travis. One kiss from Sam and suddenly her whole world is turned upside down as she finds herself falling madly in love with him. But when death threats are sent to Beth and an old scandal involving Sam conspire against them, she is forced to make some of the toughest decisions of her life.
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.
Poison Ivy
Misty Simon - 2005
When she arrives to assume her new life as homeowner and proprietress of a popular costume shop, she is bombarded by a slew of people looking for the perfect outfit for the upcoming Harvest Ball. Between overpowering biddies and stolen lingerie from the worst-kept-secret side of the business, things get even more complicated when a woman is murdered at the ball--a woman wearing the same costume as Ivy. With the help of her new friends, including a cute guy trying to rev up his journalism career to private eye status with this mystery--and revving up her heart in the process--she must solve the murder before someone succeeds in the quest to poison Ivy.
Hide 'N Seek
Yvonne Harriott - 2012
Her sister, Sydney, is missing and the trail leads to Dalton Beck, CEO of Beck Security Systems. He denies any involvement in Sydney’s disappearance, but with the evidence stacked against him, can she believe him? As she races against time to find her sister, she’s not only in danger of losing Sydney -- she’s also in danger of losing her heart. Dalton Beck is positive that Sydney is responsible for the security breach at his company. Someone is hacking into his computer system. To find the truth, he turns to Marklynn for help. She doesn’t trust him, but he’s not going to let that stop him as an attraction develops between them. But to earn her trust, he must make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save his company and catch a killer who will stop at nothing to destroy them.
Bayou My Love
Lauren Faulkenberry - 2016
For Enza, Bayou Sabine means pain and heartache: a mother who left her and a father whose lies have caught up with him. Her only fondness for the bayou comes from the summers she spent there with her grandmother, Vergie. Now that Vergie’s gone, Enza wants to flip the house and put her past to rest—but this small town is full of big secrets—and it has one more surprise for her.When Enza finds her grandmother’s house occupied by sexy firefighter Jack Mayronne, she wants to kick him out. But Jack turns on the charm and convinces her to let him stay in exchange for helping her flip the house. Sparks fly as they share the same roof, and as their fling intensifies, Enza learns that Jack has dangerous secrets of his own. When the truth about her mother’s disappearance begins to surface, Enza must decide: how much is she willing to sacrifice to start over—and can she trust Jack with her heart? Note: This book was previously published with the title Bayou My Love.“Faulkenberry creates a world of magic, suspense, and desire. An engrossing romance with just the right amount of heat!” -Julie C. Gardner, author of Letters for Scarlet
Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes
Denise Grover Swank - 2011
She’s had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone’s toilet’s overflowed, but she’s never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.Rose realizes she’s wasted twenty-four years of living and makes a list on the back of a Wal-Mart receipt: twenty-eight things she wants to accomplish before her vision comes true. She’s well on her way with the help of her next door neighbor Joe, who has no trouble teaching Rose the rules of drinking, but won’t help with number fifteen-- do more with a man. Joe’s new to town, but it doesn’t take a vision for Rose to realize he’s got plenty of secrets of his own.Somebody thinks Rose has something they want and they’ll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn’t her biggest worry after all.
Family Money
Chad Zunker - 2022
They have two daughters and a beautiful home, and Alex’s startup business is about to explode thanks to massive private funding from his compassionate and supportive father-in-law, Joe. With millions more to come, all is perfect—until Joe is abducted and murdered during a family trip in Mexico.Alex’s world is about to be turned upside down. He can’t bear to tell his grieving wife why. The man they’ve both idolized has been keeping secrets. The pledged millions are nowhere to be found. The source of the original investment is a mystery, even to Joe’s financial adviser. No one, it seems, has any idea who the man they knew, loved, and trusted really was.As Alex digs deeper into Joe’s shadowy life, the most shocking surprises are yet to come. Deadly ones, too, because every lie that Alex uncovers in Joe’s dark past puts his family in more danger.
Stolen In Paradise
Toby Neal - 2013
The victim’s project, a genetically-engineered algae that could solve the world fuel crisis, has been stolen from the development lab, a hotbed of intrigue where everyone on the project has something to hide—including Marcella.It was supposed to be simple: kill the scientist and grab the formula. Now he has to stop a relentless FBI agent any way he can.He’s in too deep. He’s trapped. They’re closing in, and he’ll kill anyone he has to in order to walk away.