Book picks similar to
Grave Maker by John Meany


horror
fiction
speculative-fiction
thriller-suspense

A Bounty Hunter Never Sleeps


Ethan Westfield - 2021
    However, his life has not always been a bed of roses. When was just a 12-year-old boy, he saved his best friend from a grisly death at the hands of the outlaw gang that killed her parents. As if that wasn’t enough, his friend was sent away to an orphanage in Denver City and John vowed to one day find the murderers and bring them to justice. Years go by and he works out a plan to shed some blood and take down those who stood in the way of his friend’s happiness. What will John be willing to risk in order to get the revenge he’s been waiting for his whole life?Maggie McDermott is deeply traumatized by the events of that nightmarish night. Having lost all of her childhood memories—even those of her best friend, John, she can’t help but wonder whether she’ll find peace one day. That is until John shows up at her door many years after the haunting event that changed her life. He has become a successful bounty hunter and has a bold plan to recover her childhood memories. His plan involves Maggie joining him on a dangerous mission of vengeance, in order to capture the gang that destroyed her life. Will Maggie find the courage to follow this dangerous prescription to get her childhood memories back?Even though John and Maggie haven’t seen each other for many years, their wild thirst for revenge will take them on a sprawling adventure with gunfire, romance, and a longing for justice. Will John be able to protect the girl from the most infamous outlaw gang in the West? Or will they be forced to abandon all hope for a better life once and for all?

Before the Unit: The Recruiting of Kevin Banks


Anne Fox - 2020
    Kevin Banks has his dream job: protecting the President of the United States. But the president believes there is something greater that he can do. Find out how Kevin joined the unit and became "Spud."

The Operator


Craig Martelle - 2020
    Only bad people and not many, but for a great deal of money.Case the target. Make the hit. Move on until he meets the woman with sparkling green eyes who changes everything.Is his newest target deserving of death? Who is Ian to decide if the politician needs to die? He is the one who has to live with the consequences, that’s who.The contract deadline nears. Too many unknowns, too much to lose. Pull the trigger or not?Ian makes his own rules to get himself out of a quandary where it’s more than just his life on the line. For the greater good, join Ian Bragg.

Cliche: Episode One


Jeff Menapace - 2017
    He had no idea... Welcome to The Track. An elite club for members whose depraved desires run to the extreme. A place where you can bet on a pony and see how long he can survive...in a deadly scenario decided by a simple spin of the wheel. Step right up. **Author's note** "Cliche: Episode One" is meant to be enjoyed as a standalone short, and/or a follow-up to the novel Numb.

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.

Scene of the Crime


Les Macdonald - 2014
    Included are The Very Strange Mr. Fish, The Butcher of Plainfield, From the Pros to the Penitentiary, Nightmare on Elm Drive, The Brown's Chicken Murders, The Kitty Genovese Murder, The Wichita Horror, The Hi Fi Murders, The Poster Boy for Capital Punishment, The Yogurt Shop Murders, The Vampire Rapist, The Murder of James Bulger, Thrill Killers: Leopold and Loeb, The Killing of Anita Cobby, Death in a Bottle: The Tylenol, Excedrin and Sudafed Murders, The Easter Sunday Murders, Murder at McDonald's, The Luby's Massacre, Charles Manson and Helter Skelter. Part Two: Quick Hits holds 13 shorter chapters that include Eric Smith, The Camden Killer, Killed Over a Kiss, The Bed & Breakfast Murders, Who Shot the War Hero?, The Colorado Springs Killings, Joseph Vacher, Jeanne Weber, Michael Hernandez, The Tourniquet Killer, Patricia Johnson and Killed Over Facebook Status. The book ends with I Don't Like Mondays.

One Step Ahead


Denver Murphy - 2018
     Retired from the force, Detective Superintendent Jeffrey Brandt goes native. He stabs a woman but holds back from killing her. Frustrated that no one takes any notice, he ups his game. Next time, he’ll kill. Brandt fully knows how the police work. He’ll use this knowledge to win a sick game; after all, he’s chosen the rules. The crime scenes are spotless, Brandt’s covered his tracks. There is no forensic evidence. Yet each killing has his unmistakeable print. Faced with the challenge of discovering his identity is DCI Stella Johnson. Quick-witted and uncompromising, she rises to Brandt’s macabre challenge. But if she finds the killer, what will she do given that he is always one step ahead? Who will win this mortal battle of wits between hunter and hunted? ONE STEP AHEAD is the first book in a trilogy featuring DSI Brandt and DCI Johnson. It is set in Nottingham and further afield in England. It is FREE with Kindle Unlimited and coming soon in paperback. HIDE AND SEEK, book 2, is on pre-order and will be released at the end of January. Seriously, you will not be able to wait.

Shoplift


Claire Sheehy - 2020
     Hunting a murderer in the seething mass of people shopping in the North West's biggest shopping centre, Lizzie finds herself trapped in a glass lift with four other people when it suddenly stops between floors.A young girl looking ready to give birth at any moment begins to panic, an old man tries to take charge whilst the other captives in the lift, an engaged couple whose relationship worries Lizzie, are desperate to get out.The lights go out, the shopping centre is evacuated. Lizzie has to rely on her wits to keep everyone calm and get the lift down to safety without alerting the murderer that she's onto them.

Deadly Touch


Audrey Walker - 2021
    She is finally pursuing her dreams, getting justice for all. But when she messes up on her very first day, she starts to wonder if this isn't the right career for her after all.Her day takes an interesting turn when a man suddenly dies at the precinct of the police station. With no external injuries or apparent cause of death, rookie Robin and her seasoned partner, Kyle, are left bewildered. The case is more complicated than it seems...Their investigation takes them to a remote town where they face horrors they have never experienced before. Robin must learn to fight her fears, or else she will be lost forever.Will Robin manage to find the murderer? Can she stop him in time, or will her fears become her downfall?A prequel to the amazing Robin Matthews series; find out where it all begins.The Robin Matthews Mystery Thriller Series is perfect for fans of Michael Connelly, John Sandford, Robert Crais, David Baldacci, Stuart Woods, and James Patterson.

Healed


Dean Skinner - 2021
    As one reader put it, Healed reads "as if it were written by both Steven King and M. Night Shyamalan." It is the third short story written by Dean Skinner whose first short story, Broken, climbed as high as #134 in Amazon's "90-Minute Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Short Reads." Dean Skinner is an artist who has his work displayed throughout the US, UK and Australia. Dean is also an author of supernatural thrillers who combines his faith with his love of horror.

Marked by Darkness


Dawn Merriman - 2020
    . Two years ago, Detective Maribeth Johansen’s family was murdered by the killer she hunted. Maribeth now lives alone in the woods with her grief, the ghosts of her family in her mind. . Her solitude is shattered when a young woman, bearing a striking resemblance to Maribeth’s dead daughter, is murdered and left in the woods for Maribeth to find. The woman’s chest bears the same mark the killer carved into the chests of his victims. . But that killer has been dead for two years. . Is the ghost of a serial killer after her, or is there a new threat hunting her in the woods? An emotionally intense thrill ride!

Wrath


E.H. Reinhard - 2017
    Blood and bodies are nothing to lose sleep over. Yet what seems to be a run-of-the-mill murder stemming from infidelity turns into a full-blown killing spree. For this killer, taking the lives of his wife and her lover is merely the beginning. He’ll take the deceit no more. His decision has been made. All the women who've wronged him in the past will die. Harrington quickly finds the case turning personal when the killer's focus inches closer and closer to home. Unknown to the lieutenant, one of his loved ones has a history with the killer. And that history is etched in the killer’s mind.

The Good Lie


D.F. Bailey - 2007
    A Moment of Panic. Lives Changed Forever. As Paul Wakefield paddles his kayak across Mouat Channel off Vancouver Island, he hears the engine of a yacht cutting through the fog toward him. In an instant, the cruiser swamps Paul and the young girl beside him and disappears into the fog, never to be seen again. Dumped into the winter ocean, the terrified girl thrashes in the ice-cold water, submerging Paul in her frenzy to survive. In a desperate attempt to save them both, Paul makes a fateful decision. The Child Must be Revenged. Who will Survive?The Good Lie goes deep into the hearts and souls of characters who struggle to adapt to an utterly senseless incident. Faced with grieving parents demanding retribution, Paul and his wife Valerie find their relationship pressured by a series of events that threaten to consume them. What is Good? What is False? The Good Lie. “In this profession you see everything. The thieves, the cokeheads, the pimps and prostitutes — of course they lie. Everybody expects them to lie. But sometimes, the good lie, too.”

The Wicked West of Cromwell Street The Lives of Serial Killers Fred and Rose West: The Lives of Serial Killers Fred and Rose West


Jack Smith - 2015
     As a society, we are fascinated by murder. It is a constant theme throughout much of our media and many news outlets will prioritise a murderous story, knowing that it will enthral readers. There is something about those who decide to take a life that makes them so incredibly interesting to the rest of us. While many of the most famous murderers are known across the world, there are those whose crimes are relatively less known. One of the strangest stories involves the married couple Fred and Rose West. Together, they killed. Up until the time they were caught, they engaged in a string of murders, each motivated by hate, jealousy, passion, and a fundamental lack of morals. In this book, we will go in-depth and learn about the history of the murderers. We will examine Fred and Rose’s early lives, their relationship, their personalities, and will ultimately try and discover what it was that drove them to become two of the most notorious killers in the history of the British Isles. Though their crimes made front page news at the time, few people outside of the country know the extent of their criminality. In this book, we will learn exactly what made their killings so infamous. For those who are in any way interested in the depths of human morality, the Wests represent some of the most depraved and sadistic murderers to have ever lived. Not only did they prey on unsuspecting young girls, but their attentions were even turned towards their own daughters. In a case involving kidnap, rape, and murder, Fred and Rose went beyond the realms of what many of us consider possible as people. Read on to learn exactly what drove Fred and Rose West to become two of history’s greatest monsters. Scroll back up and grab your copy today!

The Good Daughter


S.A. McEwen - 2021
    A family secret.And a boyfriend who's not who he says he is...Sydney, Australia. Lawyer and companion Natalie Coommaraswamy struggles to be the good daughter her parents demand. A second-generation Sri Lankan, she’s never penetrated her family’s resolute silence surrounding their flight from Sri Lanka, and has been left with unanswered questions about where she belongs and who she can trust. Then her best friend is found murdered. Fuelled by disinterest from the police, Natalie begins her own hunt for the murderer. But when clues point to her new lover, her carefully regulated world starts to unravel. And the truth will threaten more than her sanity…