Book picks similar to
The Stranger by Chris Martin


thriller
short-story
3-star-review
reviewed

Smokescreen


Tom Meitner - 2016
    Now, he's out of prison and back to work... as a homicide detective. But while he tries to make the transition from convict to cop again, he can't stop thinking about how he wound up in jail in the first place - because he thinks it was no accident. He has no idea how deep it goes. In this new vigilante series from debut author Tom Meitner, watch Charlie solve murders while he unlocks the gripping mystery of who set him up... and why. This pilot episode is a free murder mystery and suspense story that introduces you to the main players and lays the groundwork for the conspiracy that follows Charlie in his new, "normal" life.

Death Notice


Alicia Dean - 2011
    When Monroe Donovan, former crime reporter busted down to the obit desk by her boss and ex-lover, receives another obituary with a "wrong" future date, she sees a story. Detective Lane Brody sees a suspect in Monroe, accusing her of hiding her connection between her ex-lover and the latest victim, while Monroe can't deny the attraction between herself and the unhappily married Detective. The same kind of attraction that landed her in obits. Then Monroe walks in on her former lover and his girlfriend, half-naked and being held at knifepoint by the killer. Now Monroe can only hope Detective Brody stops suspecting her and starts looking for her—before her name appears in the obits.

One, Two ... He Is Coming For You


Willow Rose - 2011
    She is trying to escape her ex-husband and starting a new life for her and her daughter, when the small sleepy town experiences a murder. One of the kingdom's wealthiest men is brutally murdered in his summer residence in Karrebaeksminde. While Rebekka Franck and her punk photographer Sune try to cover the story for the local newspaper another murder happens on a high society rich man. Now Rebekka Franck realizes that the drowsy little kingdom of Denmark has gotten its first serial killer and soon a series of dark secrets - long buried but not forgotten – will see the day of light.

INK: Fine Lines


Bella Roccaforte - 2013
    The ink's not even dry on her breakout first issue but even Shay's twisted imagination can't predict what will happen when the fine line between reality and nightmare is crossed...She walked away once from the men who want to control her and now they’re back. But can she break away from them and the specter who walks right off the pages of her comic committing gruesome murders.INK: Fine Lines is a New Adult Paranormal/Urban Fantasy **This book contains adult language and situations**

Black Creek White Lies


Murray Bailey - 2017
    SECRETS AND LIES Eighteen months after being wrongly accused of her murder, Dan Searle returns to rebuild his life and forget. A MYSTERIOUS PAST But others won't let him forget. He is quickly drawn back into the case and a dark and violent mystery; one that involved another girl years before. OPEN YOUR EYES As the lies begin to unravel, Dan uncovers startling truths about the farm and its past. With dangerous people trying to keep their secrets safe, he must save those he loves - before time runs out…

Dead Stripper Storage


Bryan Smith - 2018
    He’s a shy social outcast with no real friends. His luck with women has been spotty at best. A hostile work environment has made his life a living hell for months on end. For Pete, the weekend comes as a welcome respite from these things, but early Saturday morning he finds a beautiful and scantily clad dead woman on his couch. He has no idea who she is or how she got there. Is this a frame-up? Did he kill her in a blackout? Answers to these questions are elusive at first, but then the last woman he ever dated shows up on his doorstep out of the blue and things get seriously complicated from there. Blood is spilled. More bodies pile up. Pete is pushed to his limits as he is forced to do many strange and horrible things. A deadly game is being played and Pete is the ultimate pawn, with his fate coming down to a race against time.

Ascension Day Part 2 of 2


John Matthews - 2011
    Trouble is, everyone thinks Larry's guilty, from the Louisiana Governor right down to the accused, who has confessed to the crime and now wants to make peace with his maker.Jac soon discovers that someone doesn't want anyone - especially a lawyer - digging around this case. And they'll stop at nothing to make sure Larry's execution goes ahead on schedule. Now Jac must decide whether he's prepared to risk his career, his reputation and his life to save a man who, by his own admission, is a murderer . . .When DEATH is your only hope...Ascension Day is the most exciting and compelling death-row thriller since The Shawshank Redemption.

Every Last Secret: A Riveting Kidnapping Boxset


Robert J. Walker - 2021
    

THE ROAD TO HELL


Paul Levine - 2011
    Levine's heroes travel dark and dangerous paths as they confront devilish and powerful villains. The journeys are by land, by sea, and in one case, perhaps only in the mind. In "El Valiente en el Infierno," (The Brave One in Hell), a 13-year-old Mexican boy tells his own story as he makes a treacherous midnight crossing into California in search of his father. The boy's courage is tested when he runs into two gun-toting American vigilantes, and the confrontation will change all of them forever. "Development Hell" imagines a pitch session in which a bedraggled Edgar Allan Poe squares off with a slick Hollywood producer who wants to make a cheesy slasher flick out of "The Pit and the Pendulum."Bookgasm praised the story as "going straight to the funny bone." In "A Hell of a Crime," a prosecutor prepares for a homicide trial while being pestered by his domineering mother, a famous lawyer herself. Just what role did she play in the murder? And how is the prosecutor's enigmatic wife involved in the case? Two of the author's best-loved characters, mismatched law partners Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord, appear in "Solomon & Lord: To Hell and Back."  Steve says he's going fishing with Manuel Cruz, a sleazy con man. Victoria knows that Cruz is an unlikely fishing buddy. So just what is Steve up to now? Something between mischief and murder.The book also contains an excerpt from "Solomon vs. Lord," the first novel of the bestselling series of legal thrillers. A quick synopsis: Victoria Lord follows all the rules. Steve Solomon makes up his own. When they defend an accused murderer, they'll either end up in ruin, in jail...or in bed. Here's what number one bestselling author Harlan Coben had to say: "Hiaasen meets Grisham in the court of last retort. A sexy, wacky, wonderful thriller with humor and heart."Finally, an excerpt of "Mortal Sin," one of the award-winning Jake Lassiter novels, is also included in the collection. This time, the linebacker-turned-lawyer has a dangerous conflict of interest. He's sleeping with Nicky Florio's wife...and defending the mob-connected millionaire in court.  One false move, and Jake will be gator bait. "Recalling the work of Carl Hiaasen, this thriller races to a smashing climax." - Library Journal. PRAISE FOR THE FICTION OF PAUL LEVINE "Mystery writing at its very, very best." - Larry King, USA TODAY"Irreverent...genuinely clever...great fun." - The New York Times Book  Review"Just the remedy for those who can't get enough Spenser and miss Travis  McGee terribly." - St. Petersburg Times"Genuinely chilling." - Washington Post Book World "Take one part John Grisham, two parts Carl Hiaasen, throw in a dash of John D. MacDonald, and voila!" - Tulsa World"Wildly entertaining blend of raucous humor and high adventure."- St. Louis Post-Dispatch"Cracking good action-mystery...funny, sardonic, and fast-paced." - Detroit Free Press ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Neutral Mask


Barry Lyga - 2013
    Her father isn't happy that Connie is dating a white boy like Jasper Dent, and things get even worse when she realizes that Jasper is the son of Billy Dent, one of the world's most notorious serial killers! This is the story of how Connie and Jazz overcame their early troubles and fell in love.

Sledge


Ernie Lindsey - 2013
    He left Officer Mary Walker alive, but he crushed her leg, her confidence, and her spirits.Now a private investigator, Mary takes sleuthing work as it comes and keeps a watchful eye over her shoulder. But, during a routine surveillance job on a chilly October night, a ghost from her past leaves her future uncertain.***SLEDGE is a fast-paced, suspense thriller short story from the author of SARA'S GAME.

The Last Innocent Hour


Barbara Taylor Sissel - 2000
    It lurks at the periphery of Beth's vision. Her husband Charlie can't help, if she could even remember him; he's doing time for a murder he didn't commit. The small child Beth was found with, whom she doesn't know either, was taken to foster care. There isn't much time now. If Beth doesn't recall the hideous events that stole her memory soon, the killer will strike again, and someone else will die.

A Life For A Life


Tim Ellis - 2010
    As well as getting to know each other and dealing with the fallout from the Chief’s prostate cancer, the two new partners must discover the dark history behind the tokens and the connection between the victims. To do that, they need to gain access to the abandoned Beech Tree Orphanage where a terrible truth awaits.

Just Evil


Vickie McKeehan - 2011
    No one cared. But a stranger, bent on revenge, is out to change all that. Kit Griffin has finally overcome a painful childhood at the hands of her mother, former actress Alana Stevens. No longer living in the grasp of the cold, tyrannical woman, Kit has found a new life tucked away in little San Madrid, California, running a business she loves, surrounded by friends she considers family. For the first time her life is on track. That is, until Alana is found brutally murdered on Mother’s Day, pulling Kit back in to the dark horrors of her past. To make matters worse, the police consider her the prime suspect.Jake Boston, an old family friend and the man Kit has loved since she was a teen, is fighting his own demons as a suspect in his wife’s murder two years earlier. Despite his past, he’s determined to win Kit over once and for all. But before that can happen they need to convince the police there’s a killer working his way down a list with cold-hearted vengeance in mind. Forced to delve into Alana’s dark past, it becomes clear someone is out to settle a score. When Jake and Kit uncover a forty year old double murder that leads them straight to the door of a legal dynasty, they soon find out just how far the heirs will go to keep the past buried and eliminate all the loose ends to protect their empire. Will Jake and Kit become the next victims or will they find an unexpected guardian angel?

The Healer


Christoph Fischer - 2015
    The only hope left for her to survive is controversial healer Arpan. She locates the man whose touch could heal her but finds he has retired from the limelight and refuses to treat her. Erica, consumed by stage four pancreatic cancer, is desperate and desperate people are no longer logical nor are they willing to take no for an answer. Arpan has retired for good reasons, casting more than the shadow of a doubt over his abilities. So begins a journey that will challenge them both as the past threatens to catch up with him as much as with her. Can he really heal her? Can she trust him with her life? And will they both achieve what they set out to do before running out of time?