Book picks similar to
At the Center by Dorothy Van Soest


first-reads
giveaways
mainstream
mystery-thrillers

Pilot Error


Tosh McIntosh - 2011
    But when a private jet slams into a ridgeline, a far more disturbing possibility emerges. Nick's career-obsessed boss tries to remove him as head of the investigation team. His replacement? The boss's clone, a quintessential minion who will do anything to climb the bureaucratic ladder. It's an unusual move, and Nick's personal radar takes notice.The owner-pilot faced indictment for war crimes as the leader of an anti-terror assassination squad. What if he signed his own death warrant with his well-publicized threats to implicate the high-level government officials who sanctioned his targets? Nick suspects a cover-up in the making. The victim's legendary reputation as a mediocre aviator is a perfect smokescreen to conceal airborne murder behind an expeditious finding of pilot error. But it's not going to happen on Nick's watch. They have no idea who they're dealing with.And neither does Nick . . .

The Case Of Billy B


Cindy Vine - 2010
    Abandoned by his own mother, rejected by all but his loving father, Billy B is thrust into a silent hell alone, branded a freak and a misfit. Billy becomes the ultimate life spectator in a game of survival. Who can he count on to save him, when all seems lost?

Aroon


M.B. Gibson - 2016
    A desolate maid. And one cold corpse. Richard Lynche, heir of an 18th century Tipperary estate, can find no peace. His bookish ways disgust his bullying letch of a father. His heartsick mother sinks ever-deeper into a drug-induced lethargy. The teen’s only solace are the loving arms of the homesick new maid, Eveleen. Meanwhile jealousy, lust, and oppression lead to gruesome visions, causing Richard to question his own sanity. Desperate to prevail over his demons, he determines there is only one way to stop the torture—a killing. Aroon is a cauldron of old-fashioned Irish stew. Spiced heavily with Downton Abbey, sprinkled with Shakespeare’s Hamlet and a dash of The Godfather’s Michael Corleone, it explores the underbelly of life during the Protestant Ascendancy.

Our Vinnie


Julie Shaw - 2014
    So when one of their own was wronged in any way, the community always had its own way of dealing with it.The first title in a series of gritty family sagas, Our Vinnie accounts the dramatic true story of a brother’s determination to avenge his younger sister’s rape. Josie was just 11 when her Vinnie, then 14, was taken away to a detention centre. Distraught by his absence and left alone with indifferent parents, when she escapes from one of their rows she naively enters the house of a neighbour, Melvin, who – horrifically – leads her upstairs and overpowers her.Convinced by her friend Carol, Josie tells her sister Lyndsey about the rape but, with Vinnie out of the picture, Lyndsey uses the information for her own ends. When Vinnie returns, hardened by years inside the system, his outrage on discovering the truth is severe. And with new abuses continually coming to light, a cataclysmic series of violent events begins to spiral out of control…Dramatic and shocking, Our Vinnie is an unbelievable page-turner, documenting a community forsaken by society, and one brother’s unrelenting determination to take justice into his own hands.

Invisible Threads


Lucy Beresford - 2015
    Invisible Threads

No Joy


David Rose - 2017
    This book is about, what some may call, the alternative explanation.Picked up by a larger publisher--the retitled, second, and final edition of the cult hit, Spent Shell Casings.Created as a counterweight for all the politicized and ghost-written books about the Global War on Terror, No Joy is the transgressive memoir to set the record straight! Dark. Hilarious. Disturbingly Honest—this collection of short stories from your average frustrated American teen turned one of its most elite brand of warriors, No Joy rips the veneer off the thank-you-for-your-service Boy Scout façade.Centered on the 2004 Battle of Fallujah, this mosaic of meditation and madness asks the necessary question: what really draws modern young men to war?

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.

The Principal's Son (chapter books for kids age 8-10)


Roderick J. Robison - 2013
    Very shy. He’s the quietest fifth-grader at Birch Ridge Elementary School. Peter just blends into the crowd, never does anything to draw attention. Attention is the last thing he wants. But when his father becomes the principal of his school, Peter’s whole world is suddenly turned upside down. Students tease him. Kids he doesn’t know stare at him in the hallways. Teachers treat him differently. And then there’s Darren Kalder, the troublemaker who torments Peter. Things turn even worse when Peter and Darren are paired up for a homework assignment—they must prepare a fictitious petition. They decide on a petition to reinstate recess at their school. And what starts out as a simple homework assignment turns into much more when their classmates ask to sign the petition. It’s up to Peter and Darren to follow through and present the petition to the school committee. But this involves speaking at a televised public meeting. And when Darren backs out at the last minute, Peter must decide whether to back out…or make a bold move that will forever change him. REVIEWS "Plot and action unfold quickly in this fast paced, 134-page chapter book, and interest in the outcome is kept high by excellent story crafting. 'The Principal's Son' has lots of intrigue, action, character development, and turning points to keep reader interest/involvement at a steady maximum." The Midwest Book Review "I enjoyed the story thoroughly. The book has a very positive feel to it which makes it a winner all the way." Readers' Favorite

The Watershed Years


Russell Rowland - 2007
    "The Watershed Years" takes place immediately after World War II following the lives of the Arbuckles, a ranching family on the vast plains of eastern Montana.

Forsaken by Desire (Destiny Book 1)


S. Shekar - 2017
    But fate has other plans. In an ironic twist, five years after his callous abandonment of her, Nikhil Tandon reappears in Megha’s life. He has an offer she is compelled to accept – a marriage of convenience, for a period of six months, at the end of which they will go their separate ways. The stakes are high, and it is imperative for Megha to see the charade through to the end. She is determined to do just that and still walk away from the marriage, unscathed. Yet, close proximity to Nikhil means she will never escape the constant reminders of why she fell in love with him in the first place. Megha’s journey of self-discovery takes her from a virtually sterile existence in Delhi to Toronto, where she’d once loved and lost. And where her life changes, once again, irrevocably and forever...

I Quit! Now What?


Zarreen Khan - 2017
    Of endless weekdays, working weekends, making presentations, working with complicated Excel sheets, handling a boss with time-management issues and the general politics of the workplace. Sigh! After eight years of this life, her only personal insight is that she's terribly unambitious and constantly struggling to be an average performer in the competitive corporate world. When a colleague flashes the glint of a golden sabbatical she catapults into it headfirst. After all, one has to find one's calling at some point in one's life. So will the sabbatical miraculously change her life forever? Or will she go rushing back to her pocket money-generating job?

Tales from a Vending Machine


Anees Salim - 2013
    Unfortunately, a stint at the airport lounge's tea vending machine does not seem to be getting her any closer to her dreams. To pass the time she daydreams, chats with air-hostesses and takes part in mock anti-terrorist drills. At home, she studies her English, fights with her twin and engages in a secret love affair with her cousin and neighbour, Eza. But when a scandal threatens her tenuous happiness, she must pull out all stops on her overactive imagination, and seek a terrible revenge.

Formerly Fingerman: A Novel


Joe Nelms - 2015
    Bruce Cameron, author of The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man"A smart mix of humor and humanity... An energy drink for the funny bone." --Jane Wagner, author of The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the UniverseBrad Fingerman was an art director in the glamorous world of New York advertising. He had the respect of his peers, a beautiful wife, and a bright future. That is, his future was bright before he spectacularly nuked his career, discovered his wife's infidelity, and witnessed a high-profile Mafia hit in a Midtown elevator. Now Brad's unemployed, divorced, and the government's key witness in a major murder trial.

Honed: Finding Your Edge as a Man Over 40


Mike Simpson - 2021
    Special Forces. He was forty-eight years old.How did he keep up? By combining three decades of Special Forces training, the ancient wisdom of martial arts, and his own specialized knowledge as a doctor of emergency medicine assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command.Now, in Honed: Finding Your Edge as a Man Over 40, Mike makes his unique formula available to the general public, teaching you how to reach peak physical condition in your forties, fifties, and beyond so you can compete with men half your age.Learn how to maintain and build muscle through longevity optimization. Train step by step for long-term performance through these proven, science-backed programs of exercise, nutrition, recovery, and natural supplementation.If you think you’re past your prime, think again. In Honed, Mike Simpson proves that it’s not too late to find your edge and live the lifestyle of a warrior-athlete.

King Larry: The Life and Ruins of a Billionaire Genius


James D. Scurlock - 2012
    Now, James Scurlock engages, educates, and entertains readers with the captivating story of DHL co-founder and billionaire Larry Hillblom.King Larry begins with an early biography of Larry Lee Hillblom, a mercurial young man who grew up on a peach farm outside of Fresno, California. Hillblom co-founded DHL in 1969 (three years before FedEx), and it became the fastest-growing corporation in history. Hillblom’s expatriate life began in 1981, when he retreated to a small tax haven in the Western Pacific. There he led the resistance to American meddling in the Marianas Islands. Hillblom’s voracious appetite for underage prostitutes is another facet of his unusual story. In 1995, Hillblom’s amoral, thrill-seeking nature caught up to him when his seaplane disappeared off the coast of Anatahan, leaving behind an estate worth billions. Weeks later, five impoverished women and their attorneys came forward to challenge Hillblom’s will in a legal battle for his fortunes that continues to this day. Meticulously researched and thoroughly engaging, King Larry will satisfy fans of such bestsellers as Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and The Accidental Billionaires .