Book picks similar to
The Legend of Stuckey's Bridge by Lori Crane


first-reads
mystery
historical-fiction
historical

The Oak Tree Letters


Lora Lindy - 2014
    She loves their new home called Oakley Plantation, especially when she finds old love letters dated back to the Civil War. Unfortunately, she has only one side of them—letters from Lt. Stanton Winston Tate. Little does she know that across the state, a young man named Trevor Whitfield finds the other half—letters from Constantine Oakley. They both research the couple and find lots of history of the old plantation—and some not so good. In the meantime, Sheriff Carlton Adams is trying to solve all the cold cases before he retires. Three murders are left; all were in the late 1800s, and all involve the Oakleys. Fate intertwines their lives and research. When all seems to come to a dead end, a century year old lady named Mable Carter helps. However, her help unveils a curse and the spirits. Can Issy, Trevor and the Sheriff solve the case? Can they undo the curse?

Imposters of Patriotism


Ted Richardson - 2014
    The journal claims that America's most revered hero, George Washington, wrote a secret surrender letter to the British during the Revolutionary War-a seditious act that would have ended America's fight for independence. Meanwhile, the present-day race for president of the United States is a dead heat. The Republican nominee, a direct descendant of Washington's family, has shamelessly exploited his ties to the Founding Father-a strategy that has worked brilliantly to eliminate a once wide gap in the polls. As the past collides with the present, Hawkins and lovely historian Sarah Gordon are determined to unearth the truth about the journal's remarkable claim. But they must avoid a shadowy adversary who has a billion dollars riding on the election's outcome-and who will stop at nothing to ensure that Washington's surrender letter remains a secret. Ted Richardson's debut novel can perhaps best be described as historical fiction wrapped inside a modern-day mystery. Richardson ingeniously blends actual historical events with innovative mystery to create a fast-moving, well-plotted tale of suspense.

Woman of Ill Fame


Erika Mailman - 2007
    Looking for a better life, Nora Simms sails from the East Coast to gold rush San Francisco with a plan for success: to strike it rich by trading on her good looks. But when a string of murders claims several of her fellow "women of ill fame," Nora grows uneasy with how closely linked all of the victims are to her. Even her rise to the top of her profession and a move to the fashionable part of town don't shelter her from the danger, and she must distinguish friend from foe in a race to discover the identity of the killer. "One of the best books I've read in a long time. Nora Simms is hilarious, heart-breaking, tough, perceptive... " -Diana Gabaldon, author of Outlander. Nominated for a Pushcart Press Editor's Book Award

A Lady in the Smoke: A Victorian Mystery


Karen Odden - 2016
    Following a humiliating fourth Season in London, Lady Elizabeth Fraser is on her way back to her ancestral country estate when her train careens off the rails and bursts into flames. Though she is injured, she manages to drag herself and her unconscious mother out of the wreckage, and amid the chaos that ensues, a brilliant young railway surgeon saves her mother’s life. Elizabeth feels an immediate connection with Paul Wilcox—though society would never deem a medical man eligible for the daughter of an earl. After Paul reveals that the train wreck was no accident, and the inspector who tried to prevent it dies under mysterious circumstances, Elizabeth undertakes a dangerous investigation of her own that leads back to her family’s buried secrets. The more she learns, the more she must risk. Not only are her dowry and her reputation at stake; Paul’s very life hangs in the balance when he is arrested for manslaughter. As the trial draws near, and Parliament prepares for a vote that will change the course of the nation, Elizabeth uncovers a conspiracy that has been years in the making. But time is running out for her to see justice done.

Keystone


Luke Talbot - 2013
    One discovery. Everything at stake. When Gail Turner discovers an ancient library under the sands of Egypt, she hopes it will get her closer to uncovering the mystery of Queen Nefertiti. Instead, it pits her against the ruthless Seth Mallus in a race for the truth that will push humanity to the very edge of existence.

Struggles of the Women Folk


T.M. Brown - 2013
    She is a young black girl growing up in the 1940s in a small, rural town in Virginia. Life is hard and she dreams of better life. She experiences great loss and heartache. She loses friends and family, as well as the love of her life. And still, she remains strong. This emotional and inspiring story has a gritty dialogue. TM Brown's signature writing style is captivating. You will find it difficult to stop reading once you begin...

Capturing the Viscount's Heart


Abby Ayles - 2019
    He has always been her dream. Nothing will keep them apart. Helena Leeson always knew where she wanted to spend her life: by Elias Repington’s side, the childhood friend who has now grown into so much more in her heart. Her father’s actions, however, plunge her family into a scandal with dire consequences for all. Will anything be left once this ordeal is over or are her dreams lost to her forever? Elias Repington, the Viscount of Chatleton, returns from Cambridge to find his childhood friend turned into a woman that steals his breath away. Now, he must undertake the most crucial mission of his life: solve the mystery that destroys her family, before it’s too late. Will he succeed in thwarting this disaster before it robs him of everything he ever wished for? Two halves of the same heart, Elias and Helena must fight to uncover the cruel conspiracy that threatens to separate them forever. Will they manage to save their dreams and the people they love before everything turns to ashes? The clock is ticking… If you like engaging characters, heart- wrenching twists and turns, and lots of romance, then you’ll love “Capturing the Viscount's Heart!” Buy “Capturing the Viscount's Heart” and unlock the exciting story of Helena today!

The Dhow House: A Novel


Jean McNeil - 2017
    It’s a world of all-night beach parties and constant cocktail receptions, and within its languorous embrace her attraction for her much younger cousin grows.But the gilded lives of her aunt Julia’s family and their fellow white Africans on the coast are under threat — Islamist terror attacks are on the rise and Rebecca knows more about this violence than she is prepared to reveal. Will she be able to save her newfound family from the violence that encroaches on their seductive lives? Or, amidst growing unrest, will the true reason for her hasty exit from her posting be unmasked? Rebecca finds herself torn between the family she hardly knows and a past she dares not divulge.

Trusting the Currents


Lynnda Pollio - 2013
    Author Lynnda Pollio’s life as a busy New Yorker abruptly changes when she unexpectedly hears the mystical, elderly voice of Addie Mae Aubrey, a Southern, African American woman. Her first words, “It’s not what happened to me that matters,” begin a spirited remembering of Addie Mae’s teenage years in the late 1930s rural south and the hard learned wisdom Addie Mae asks Lynnda to share. As women from different times and places, together they embark on an uncommon journey. Narrated by Addie Mae Aubrey, Trusting the Currents carries living messages of faith, courage, forgiveness, and the uneasy search for one’s place in life. Beginning at age eleven with the arrival of beautiful, mysterious cousin Jenny and her shadowy stepfather, Uncle Joe, Trusting the Currents explores Addie Mae’s reluctant awakening. As Jenny, the story’s mystical center introduces Addie Mae to the spiritual world, a caring teacher, Miss Blanchard, guides Addie Mae with the power of reading. Romantic love enters her life for the first time with Rawley, and we experience how Addie Mae’s emerging sense of self compels her to a life-altering decision. Throughout the story her mother remains an unwavering source of love, even when fear and evil shake their lives. Unfathomable loss and rising trust in the “Invisibles” not only transforms Addie Mae’s budding life, but leads to the author’s own spiritual awakening. This unlikely pair becomes partners in showing us how to trust our own life currents. Trusting the Currents represents a new literary genre of conscious storytelling, engaging high spiritual frequencies that resonate with the reader’s heart, guiding them deep into their own truth and transformation.

Sarah of the Moon


Randy Mixter - 2011
    Alex Conley, a part-time writer for a Baltimore newspaper, is dispatched to chronicle the events occurring there. It is June of 1967, and the summer of love is in full swing. Alone, in this strange and magical place, he meets a girl named Sarah, a free spirit who is as mysterious as she is beautiful. What are the secrets of her past? Why does she dance each night under the light of the moon? These are just a few of the puzzles Alex needs to solve in the short time he has in that city. Then there's another complication. He is beginning to fall deeply in love with her.

Hidden Prospects


Karen Baney - 2014
    Because of the pain of her past mistakes, she has taken on a shy personality to protect her heart. When her father remarries and sends her away, she goes to Prescott, the town where her only friend lives. She never expected she would end up working for such an attractive business man. As her heart begins to hope for the future, she must keep her past from destroying it.After years of supporting his mother and siblings, Paul Lancaster now has his independence. He splits his time between his placer mine and the boardinghouse he built for his mother. When a spinster comes to town to visit a friend, he wonders if she could be the love he has waited so long to find. In the midst of it all, his life turns upside down and he stands to lose both of his businesses.Will the secrets of their pasts keep them from finding the hidden prospect of new love?

When You Disappeared


John Marrs - 2013
    But Simon never makes it to the office. His running shoes are by the front door. Nothing is missing - except him.Catherine knows Simon must be in trouble. He wouldn't just leave her. He wouldn't leave the children.But Simon knows the truth - about why he left and what he's done. He knows things about his marriage that it would kill Catherine to find out. The memories she holds onto are lies.While Catherine faces a dark new reality at home, Simon's halfway around the world, alive and thriving. He's doing whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of the truth.But he can't hide forever, and when he reappears twenty-five years later, Catherine will finally learn who he is.And wish she'd stayed in the dark.Revised edition: Previously published as The Wronged Sons, this edition of When You Disappeared includes editorial revisions.

The Missing Gun (Hawker of the Yard Book 1)


W.H. Oxley - 2014
    Hitler has just conquered Poland, but life in London continues much as it did in peacetime, albeit a little more restricted since the introduction of petrol rationing. No bombs have been dropped on the city as yet, but the population go about their daily business under the constant threat of German air raids, and a blackout remains in force at night. For Scotland Yard and the criminal fraternity, however, it is business as usual. When a pawnbroker’s assistant is wounded by a gunman wearing a gasmask, it appears to be a straightforward case of a bungled armed robbery, but as Hawker proceeds with his investigation, the more facts he uncovers the more confusing the affair becomes. A red-headed soldier, a missing gun, a dead cat, an empty violin case and a damaged violin are only a few of the threads that have to be unravelled before he can wrap up the case – with a little help from Sherlock Holmes.

Blood-Tied


Wendy Percival - 2008
    but time has a way of exposing the truth... Esme Quentin is devastated when her sister Elizabeth is beaten unconscious, miles from her home. Two days later Esme discovers that Elizabeth has a secret past. Desperate for answers which the comatose Elizabeth cannot give, Esme enlists the help of her friend Lucy to search for the truth, unaware of the dangerous path she is treading. Together they unravel a tangle of bitterness, blackmail and dubious inheritance, and as the harrowing story is finally revealed, Esme stumbles upon evidence of a pitiful crime. Realising too late the menace she has unwittingly unleashed, Esme is caught up in a terrifying ordeal. One that will not only test her courage and sanity but force her to confront her perception of birth and family.

The Paris Apartment


Lucy Foley - 2022
    She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The conciergeEveryone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.