Book picks similar to
Call & Response by J.J. Salkeld


funsies-tbr
mystery
anglophilia
contemporary-fiction

Eve Lloyd's A Deadline Cozy Mystery - Books 6 to 10


Sonia Parin - 2020
    

A Not So Purrfect Spell (A Cotswold Cat Familiar Cozy Mystery Book 4)


D. Watts - 2021
    

Clint Wolf Boxed Set: Books 10 - 12


B.J. Bourg - 2019
     BUT NOT FORBORNE Clint Wolf is in a race against time--leaving little time for sleep--as he tries to find a missing teenager. Rose Murdock was supposed to board Bus 23 for school early one winter morning in Mechant Loup. However, when her mother returns home from work that evening and checks the answering machine, she realizes Rose never made it to school. While a frantic call to the police department finally sets things in motion, the sixteen-year-old student has already been missing for nearly twelve hours and Clint is acutely aware that the victim could be halfway across the country or even dead at that point. Wasting no time, the Mechant Loup Police Department--with assistance from members of the community and deputies with the Chateau Parish Sheriff’s Office--launches a full-scale search for the girl while Clint begins gathering evidence and interviewing potential witnesses. It isn’t long before Clint begins developing potential suspects, but finding enough evidence to make an arrest is another matter. As the hours turn into days and searchers find no trace of the student, Clint begins to wonder if he’ll ever find a bread crumb that will lead to Rose Murdock. Or--like Abigail--will this be yet another young girl he couldn’t save? BUT NOT FOREWARNED It’s Mardi Gras in Mechant Loup and a dog complaint pulls Clint Wolf away from the town’s yearly parade. Happy to be away from the bustling crowds, noise, and lights, he responds to the complaint and arrives just in time to stop a man from shooting a friendly German shepherd that posed no threat to anyone. After addressing the man heatedly, he attempts to return the dog to its home, but instead finds a seemingly empty house, an abandoned detective car, a set of keys on the ground, and a single drop of blood in the driveway. It’s unclear if anyone is home, as nearly all of the townspeople are attending the parade and no one will answer his persistent knocking, but Clint is determined to find the source of the blood. Finally, his attention is drawn to the neighboring property, where he locates an off-duty officer bound and gagged and barely clinging to life. As though things weren’t bad enough, Clint soon stumbles upon a ghastly murder scene that will shock even him to his core, and it will inject sheer terror into the hearts of the rest of the town’s citizens. The one person who might hold the key to the case is in a coma, leaving Clint to delve deep into the lives of the victims in hopes of finding the killer--or killers. Clint’s biggest fear is not solving the case--it’s wondering what he might do once he comes face to face with the killer. BUT NOT FOREBODING When four college students set out into the swamps in search of the elusive Louisiana black bear, they find more than they bargained for. Now, one of them is missing and the others are stranded without a boat in the alligator-invested wilderness. When one of the concerned parents calls the Mechant Loup Police Department, Clint and Melvin begin searching for the overdue group. Their search takes them deep into the swamps and late into the night, and it isn’t long before Clint develops a foreboding feeling of déjà vu. This dreaded feeling only grows more intense as the investigation progresses, and Clint is left wondering if this incident is connected to a case he worked nearly two decades ago. If Clint is not careful, he might find out...the hard way.

The Detective Deans Mystery Collection


James D. Mortain - 2019
     Written by an ex-CID detective, these books are so realistic; you'll feel like one of the team. THREE CHILLING MURDER MYSTERIES ARE WAITING FOR YOU TO UNLEASH THIS BOX… BOOK 1: STORM LOG-0505 This detective's best lead could be a voice from beyond the grave... Bath, England. Detective Andrew Deans always embraces his work. As he struggles to be present for his wife's challenging fertility treatments, the case of a missing college student hits a dead end. Under pressure from his job and his marriage, Deans' inquiry takes a turn when he receives impossible-to-deny evidence from a psychic...Despite his lack of belief in the paranormal, following the ghostly thread escalates his missing persons case into a murder investigation. Unable to focus on his responsibilities at home, Deans works with the medium to build evidence from a new source: the voice of the victim herself...To put the killer behind bars, just how much will Deans have to sacrifice in the name of justice? BOOK 2: DEAD BY DESIGN Can a detective solve a case that’s taken over his mind… and cost him everything? A young couple in their prime is found dead in the marital bed. As they lie naked, staring at each other with eyes wide open – filled with fear, his colleagues assume a double suicide, but Detective Andrew Deans senses darker forces are at work.Deans is facing an awakening – a spiritual birth, but he is stuck in a living nightmare. Those around him are watching … judging … expecting him to break.As he waits to hear the news he dreads most, Deans receives an unmarked DVD and the true meaning of horror is revealed.Playing by the rules is getting him nowhere. Now, it’s time to do things his way. But death and tragedy haven’t finished with him … yet. BOOK 3: THE BONE HILL A killer at large. A gift obscured by tragedy. One last chance for justice… As Detective Andrew Deans pieces together the fragments of his shattered life, the North Devon tide washes up another decapitated corpse. Consumed by torment and rage, it is clear that Deans still hunts a methodical and cold-blooded killer…Determined to end the horror and avenge his own devastating loss, Deans exposes an ancient cult with a thirst for blood and a lust for human sacrifice. As he peels back the layers to the core of the deadly secret society, there can be only one guarantee – unless he acts quickly, more people will die.Deans is staring down a terrifying evil, the like of which he’s never confronted. Time is against him, but the biggest question remains… who will be next? FREE BONUS MATERIAL: Click the link to The Real Story behind the Detective Deans Mysteries in the back of this book, and also find a link to the short story prequel – The Night Shift.

Light From Other Windows


Chris Chalmers - 2015
    Unputdownable.” — Penny Hancock, author of Tideline How many secrets can a family hide? 19-year-old Josh Maitland is at the end of a gap-year trip round the world when the tsunami hits the Canary Islands. His family are devastated at the loss of someone they thought would outlive them all: mother Diana, advertising executive and shatterer of glass ceilings; older siblings Rachel and Jem, each contemplating a serious relationship after years of sidestepped commitment; and stepfather Colin, no stranger to loss, who finds himself frozen out by his wife's grief. It's only with the discovery of the private blog Josh was writing for his friends that the significance of his travels becomes clear. It reveals secrets he knew about everyone in the family — and one about himself that will change the way they think of him forever.

Desperate


Patti Battison - 2019
     A SICK KILLER WHO THE POLICE CAN’T PUT AWAY Please note this book was originally published as “Desperate Measures.” They arrived at the landfill site to find uniformed officers conducting a rigorous fingertip search amongst the mouldering mounds. One area was cordoned off with yellow police tape. DS Mia Harvey cut a determined path towards it and found herself staring at the body of a young female crammed into a heavy-duty green-plastic refuse sack, chin touching knees, heels kissing buttocks. DCI Paul Wells is certain that Chris Lennox is the killer. With Lennox safely in the cells Wells' team prepares its case. But they can’t get enough evidence to charge him. Time runs out and they have to release him. Wells is desperate and his career is on the line. How can he and DS Mia Harvey prove that Lennox is their man? MEET DETECTIVE MIA HARVEY A DEDICATED POLICEWOMAN TRYING TO WIN PROMOTION IN A TOUGH WORLD Then, a second murder causes even more problems. Is there any chance that the DCI can finally get the result he wants before anyone else dies? A RACE AGAINST TIME TO BRING A KILLER TO JUSTICE DETECTIVE SERGEANT MIA HARVEY Works at Larchborough Police Station. She is in her late 20s, single and unattached. She would, however, relish a romantic relationship but always puts work first. She is the only child of the late Robin Harvey, former chief superintendent at the Larchborough Division. After his death, Mia swore to follow in his footsteps and make him proud. She tolerates her mother at best. She is professional, conscientious, and has great respect for her boss, DCI Paul Wells, but is not above going against his wishes should the need arise. She is close to her colleague, DC Jack Turnbull, but barely tolerates DI Nick Ford, with whom she clashes regularly. DETECTIVE CHIEF INSPECTOR PAUL WELLS 6’ 5" and gangly, Wells is a brash Cockney with a well-hidden soft centre. A family man who is besotted with his daughters, he dresses well but lacks the finesse to appear anything other than dishevelled. Wells doesn't care about saying the right thing, but he is a fair man, and a great leader for his team. DS MIA HARVEY THRILLERS Book 1: Desperate Book 2: Obsessed Book 3: Silent Grave Join the Joffe Books mailing list to hear about the next in the series

Home Sweet Home


Kristen Brown - 2011
    Anxious to start a new life, Samantha decides to open up a business of her own, and throws herself into making the dream a reality. But along the way, there are plenty of obstacles popping up to make life a little more challenging than she expected - nosy neighbors and cranky in-laws, attractive men and pretentious sisters, a gossipy mother, mysterious hate mail, and ghosts from the past that threaten to destroy everything she's worked to achieve. And just when Sam thinks things couldn't possibly get worse, there's a murder on her property that the local detective seems mighty determined to pin on the newest resident of Peabody. Suddenly Sam is overwhelmed with troubles she never imagined, and she knows the only way to get through any of it is by keeping her sense of humor and trusting that God really does know exactly what He is doing.

Influence


Daniel Hurst - 2020
    But shortly after Ivy’s untimely death she is contacted by a secretive businessman who offers her the chance at the fame and fortune she so desperately craves.While Emily initially gets to experience the things she has always wanted, it soon becomes clear that her new employer had sinister motives for approaching her and it isn’t long before she discovers that the life of her dreams comes with the kind of conditions that are the stuff of nightmares. Social media isn’t life or death. It’s more important than that.

Twitch (The Braddock & Gray Case Files Book 7)


H.P. Bayne - 2021
    

Ashes Ashes


Murphy Morrison - 2020
    The streets of Chicago keep him busy and provide a respite from his family's chaos. But everything changes when his rescue squad is called to a house where female victims are found chained to a wall and burned alive. The terror becomes personal as the women are identified, leaving Charlie to reel over one haunting question: What have I done? Detective Jeff Foley is a private man with a past he's worked hard to keep in the dark. When a new assignment at the Chicago Police Department coincides with his estranged brother coming back into his life, his past suddenly becomes his present. Only this time, he's not just a kid on the street. He now has a life worth fighting for and a wife and daughter he'll do anything to protect. Talia Griffin is loyal to a fault. She puts her patients first and would do anything for her dad, the only family she has left. When he's pulled into an investigation that intersects with one of her patients at the hospital, she can't help but get involved. And when she does, she learns the hard way that no one is safe-that once you're in, there's no getting out. Ashes Ashes tells the story of family, love, secrets, and betrayal. We see firsthand how the person we think we know can be the most unfamiliar of all, how webs of evil can extend beyond just one point in time, and how our enemies can be closer, and far greater, than we ever imagined.

Cristina


Jake Parent - 2016
     Desperate to escape her past, Cristina Rodriguez moves into a picturesque hilltop home with an ocean view. The same place where, four years earlier, a young girl was kidnapped and murdered. Both the house and the scenic California beach town seem perfect. Fresh air. Fresh faces. And the ocean is just ten minutes away. But as Cristina and her daughter set about rebuilding their lives, they soon discover that the past is not about to let go so easily. A page-turning thrill ride, Cristina will grab you from the first page and keep you guessing until the very end...

The Beachside Cafe (Saltwater Secrets Book 6)


Sage Parker - 2021
    

The Never List: Free First Chapter


Koethi Zan - 2013
    And then, very suddenly and without warning, there were three. Even though the fourth person hadn't made any noise at all in several months, the room got very quiet when she was gone. For a long time after that, we sat in silence, in the dark, each of us wondering what this meant for her and for us, and which of us would be the next in the box.NEVER GET IN THE CARFor years, best friends Sarah and Jennifer kept what they called the 'Never List': a list of actions to be avoided, for safety's sake, at all costs. But one night, they failed to follow their own rules.NEVER GO OUT ALONE AFTER DARKSarah has spent ten years trying to forget her ordeal. But now the FBI has news that forces her to confront her worst fears.NEVER TAKE RISKSIf she is to uncover the truth about what really happened to Jennifer, Sarah needs to work with the other women who shared her nightmare. But they won't be happy to hear from her. Because down there in the dark, Sarah wasn't just a victim.NEVER TRUST ANYONE

FINDING FRANKIE (A Tuper Mystery #2)


Teresa Burrell - 2019
    But why? And how did Squirrely, a homeless man, acquire a duffle bag stuffed with thousands in cash, a pistol, and a 25-year-old newspaper?As Squirrely lies in a coma, Tuper’s techie sidekick, Lana, uncovers fifty-year-old secrets about his connection to the death of a high school classmate. The cold case pops to the front burner when a second classmate dies in the same manner.A Senator, his barren wife, and a long-ago illegal adoption heat up the complications. As Tuper and Lana dig deeper, lies, fraud, and blackmail bubble to the surface. When they get too close, the killer panics and tries to take them out too.The case reaches a boiling point—just as Tuper unties a fifty-year-old twist and the cold truth finally puts the fire out.

Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins Mysteries


Walter Mosley - 2001
    This outstanding five-volume set brings Rawlins to life and takes the listener into the intricate soul of a singular man. The earthy voice of actor Paul Winfield is the perfect match for the street smart, world weary Rawlins. The set includes:A Red Death—Rawlins is forced to cut a deal with the FBI to get a corrupt, racist IRS agent off his back. However, Easy finds himself a prime suspect.Devil in a Blue Dress—It seems simple enough...there’s good money if Easy can find Daphne Monet, a blond beauty known to frequent jazz clubs, but the case is much more than it appears to be. A White Butterfly—The serial killing of three black bar girls doesn’t cause a stir until a white coed is similarly killed. The L.A.P.D. calls on Rawlins to go to places they can’t. Black Betty—Easy hunts for a sensuous woman who leaves a trail of murder and mayhem in her wake, and is plunged into the depths of America’s racial dilemmas and the mysteries of human character.A Little Yellow Dog—Easy takes a nice quiet job. Unfortunately, a teacher, two corpses, suspicious police, and a little yellow dog ring the bell on his peaceful existence.