Book picks similar to
The Engine House by Rhys Dylan
calibre
fiction
bought
england-scotland-ireland-wales
For Reasons Unknown
Michael Wood - 2015
Twenty years. Now the killer is back for more…DCI Matilda Darke has returned to work after a nine month absence. A shadow of her former self, she is tasked with re-opening a cold case: the terrifyingly brutal murders of Miranda and Stefan Harkness. The only witness was their eleven-year-old son, Jonathan, who was too deeply traumatized to speak a word.Then a dead body is discovered, and the investigation leads back to Matilda's case. Suddenly the past and present converge, and it seems a killer may have come back for more…A darkly compelling debut crime novel. The start of a brilliant series, perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid, and James Oswald.
Silent Screams
C.E. Lawrence - 2009
As he wraps his fingers around the girl's pretty throat, his power increases. As he carves into her skin, his words become flesh. As he arranges her lifeless body in a loving tableau, his fantasies demand new, more violent sacrifices. . .A Profiler's Cunning Plan At first, NYPD detectives suspect a jealous boyfriend. But criminal profiler Lee Campbell senses something darker, even ritualistic, about the murder. More chilling, he's convinced he's witnessing the genesis of a full-blown serial killer. But time is running out. A new victim has been chosen. Campbell must search the most terrifying recesses of the human mind--and his own past--before the screaming starts again. . ."Pulse-racing, compelling, first rate. Lawrence knows how to build and hold suspense with the best of them. Once you get into this one, you can't get out. A wild ride down a dark road." --John Lutz, New York Times bestselling author of Urge to Kill"C. E. Lawrence has achieved a rare level of authenticity, not only in character development but also in the realistic use of behavioral science. If you want to read a serial-killer thriller that's solidly based on frightening reality, this is the one." --Louis B Schlesinger, Ph.D., professor of forensic psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice"C. E. Lawrence delivers finely honed suspense, with unique twists, and accurately captures the logic and intuition of a profiler under pressure." --Katherine Ramsland, professor of forensic psychology, De Sales University, and author of The Devil's Dozen"Criminally compelling, Silent Screams by C.E. Lawrence nails you to your seat with a fascinating NYPD profiler who's hurled into the case of his lifetime. From the Bronx to Manhattan, Catholic churches to university classrooms, this journey into violence and the soul is unforgettable." --- Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Spies and The Last Spymaster"Silent Screams is a wickedly brilliant, carefully wrought thriller where the roles of hunter and hunted are skillfully blurred. Team up with a virtuoso profiler and a street-wise Bronx detective as they are thrown into an escalating torrent of murder that threatens to sweep them away. It's ride that neither they, or you, will soon forget." --Gregg McCrary, author of The Unknown Darkness: Profiling the Predators Among Us "By setting the horror of fictional killings against the background of 9/11, C.E. Lawrence constantly reminds the reader that life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. The deviant perpetrator of grisly murders is described as someone who has a sophisticated knowledge of forensic investigations. The same can be said of the author. Silent Screams beckons C.E. Lawrence to become a repeat offender in this genre." --Marina Stajic, Ph.D., President of American Board of Forensic Toxicology
Cruel Candy
Mildred Abbott - 2017
Fred is about to open her dream bookshop, and the only challenges she anticipates are adjusting to small-town life, tourists, and living close to her loveable mother, Phyllis, and hippy stepfather, Barry. When Fred steps into her soon-to-be-bookshop for the first time, she expects dust bunnies and spiders… not the dead body in the upstairs kitchen. The local police have an easy suspect — Barry. Determined to prove quirky Barry innocent of murder, Fred puts on her detective hat, and with Watson by her side, she explores her new town and gets acquainted with her fellow shopkeepers. Could one of her friendly neighbors be the real culprit? And what would be the motive for killing the owner of the Sinful Bites candy store? The secrets Fred discover put her at odds with the local police sergeant and threaten her cozy future in Estes. With snow falling outside, all Fred wants to do is curl up by the fire with a good book and Watson snuggled at her feet. But before she can begin her new life and put her plans for her bookshop into action, Fred and Watson have a mystery to solve…
Bad Sons
Oliver Tidy - 2014
He is expecting to spend time helping his aunt and uncle pack up the stock of their second-hand bookshop in preparation for a happy retirement. He arrives in Dymchurch on a miserable April night to find his relatives missing without word or clue regarding their whereabouts. As events unravel, the attitude of the local police pushes David into searching for answers to the questions surrounding his family’s disappearance. To get them he will look death in the face and owe his life twice over to a woman he hardly knows… Some Amazon comments on the Romney and Marsh Files: “As with the others in the series the author sets a good pace with interesting character elements and a plot which keeps you interested throughout.” “This is the third book of the Romney and Marsh series I have read or should I say devoured in less than a week.” “Excellent book. I hope this is not the last book in the Romney and Marsh series that Mr Tidy writes. Really enjoyed all three books.” Some comments on the Acer Sansom novels: “I raced from the first Acer Sansom novel 'Dirty Business' to ‘Loose Ends’ and most certainly have not been disappointed.” “Having rated Dirty Business as his best yet only yesterday, I then picked up this title. All I can say is I have been completely blown away.” “I have just finished reading Dirty Business and Loose End and they are the two best books I have read recently.”
The Side Hustle
Colin Conway - 2019
There is strange, unexplained bruising which doesn’t coincide with his fall. Could his death simply have been an accident or was it something more sinister? That is the question that Major Crimes Detectives Quinn Delaney and Marci Burkett must answer. While they search for the truth, someone else is also determined to uncover what really happened to Kidwell. He’s sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong and it’s getting noticed by the wrong people and causing problems for Delaney and Burkett. Secrets, lies, and double crosses are exposed as the detectives work to discover the truth about Jacob Kidwell’s life. All the while, Quinn Delaney struggles to hide his own secret that threatens to derail the investigation and potentially his career.
In Dark Water
Lynne McEwan - 2021
As a Glasgow native, she’s back on home turf.Living on the shores of the Solway Firth allows Shona to continue as an RNLI volunteer, and a call out to recover a woman’s body indicates foul play. Police in Cumbria take the case but links back to Scotland keep Shona’s team involved. As they investigate, reports of people trafficking and a spate of thefts from local shops compete for attention with a large scale drug bust. But Shona’s work may all be in vain when those close to her threaten to tear the case apart – and ruin Shona in the process.An unforgettable debut novel by a Scottish crime writer to watch, for fans of Val McDermid, Marion Todd and Lin Anderson.
Cliffhanger
Amy Saunders - 2012
Even worse, Belinda must return to the events surrounding a tragic sailing accident to set things right.But new possibilities emerge in the form of security expert Bennett Tate. Between her connections and his know-how, they're bound to catch the killer - and kick the skeletons out of the closet for good.
Tinplate
Neville Steed - 1986
Faced with threats from their owner, he sets out to recover them but finds himself up against far more than the greed of unscrupulous collectors.He’s in way over his head but at least the prospect of a countryside dig to excavate the remains of a crashed Spitfire can provide a little solace. Yet even this isn’t easy, and a growing resistance to the dig is being led by a local, indignant landlord.When rather more than the plane and its pilot are unearthed, Marklin finds himself up to his neck in skeletons from the past — skeletons that lead to attempts on his life …
Pasta Pinot & Murder
Jamie Lee Scott - 2017
And she’s excited that A Dish in Thyme is finally making enough money to hire an assistant. But she has other obligations too, like the food photography for the annual Whine & Roses Benefit poster. Dreading her meeting for the poster, Willa gets a surprise when she arrives for the meeting and the vineyard owner is dead. With her mother-in-law as the prime suspect, Willa reluctantly gets involved in the investigation. In the process, she learns of the many secrets the vineyard owners of Pear, California are hiding, which puts her directly in the killer’s line of fire. Included in this novel are recipes and food and wine pairing suggestions.
She
Pete Brassett - 2016
Detective Sergeant West is an intelligent young woman, new to the force, with a lot to prove. When a missing person case lands on their desks, Munro is sceptical there is much to it. But their investigation soon comes to some strange findings, and before long, a body is found. With a serial killer on their hands they must act fast to trace a woman placed at the scene of the crime. Yet discovering her true identity, let alone finding her, proves difficult. And as the plot thickens they realise the crime is far graver than either of them could have imagined.
The Virgil Jones Mystery Collection: State Of Anger / State Of Betrayal / State Of Control / State of Deception
Thomas L. Scott - 2020
Or are they? With no witnesses and very little evidence, the Major Crimes Unit is ordered to find and stop the killers by any means necessary. Except when Virgil's long-lost adopted brother, a convicted felon named Murton Wheeler comes back to town, in trouble and on the run, Virgil knows it's more than just coincidence. He can't prove it...in fact, he's not even sure he wants to. As the bodies continue to mount, Virgil finds himself running out of options, knowing he has to choose where his true loyalties lie...with the people he's sworn to protect, or to the brother that left him behind when he needed him the most. But in the end Virgil discovers he never really had a choice, because the final bullet reveals a truth that will change his life forever.STATE OF BETRAYALTwenty years ago James Pope was shot to death in front of his twin children, Nicholas and Nichole, by a rookie cop named Virgil Jones. Now, as young adults, the Pope twins are looking for revenge against the man they hold responsible for the death of their father. Except twenty years is a long time and Virgil has a few other problems these days, the shooting of James Pope a distant memory. But when Nicholas Pope goes missing and his apartment is found covered in blood, his twin sister Nichole turns to the only person she can think of to help her, the one person who could never turn her away: Virgil Jones.STATE OF CONTROLVirgil is about to discover that time isn’t as linear as it appears and events from his past are about to repeat themselves. When they do, he’ll come face to face with pure evil, forced to make the kind of choice no man should ever have to make. State of Control is a thriller that will make you marvel at the mystery of existence. Filled with Thomas Scott’s unique blend of gripping suspense, humor, action, mysticism, and authentic characters, State Of Control is a story that examines the complexities of good and evil and shows just how far one man will go to stay in control of it all.STATE OF DECEPTIONVirgil Jones is about to learn a lesson the hard way. When the ground beneath your feet begins to shift, it’s not the future you have to worry about. It’s the past. A young female student has gone missing from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Patty Doyle is a Senior with her whole life ahead of her. In the middle of wrapping up her final semester she disappears without a trace, and what begins as a missing person’s case turns into something much more. Virgil thought the murder and mystery of Shelby County was right where it belonged…in his rear-view mirror. He couldn’t have been more wrong.
'Til Death (DI Steven Marr Book 1)
S.P. Edwards - 2015
Today is Anna Markham’s wedding day. But her body has just been found, dumped in the grounds of the very house in which she was supposed to tie the knot. It’s down to DI Steven Marr – a man playing fast and loose with his own marriage – to find out who murdered her. And there’s no telling how far the killer will go to protect themselves… About the Author Shaun Edwards has always had an interest in the darker side of human nature. As a result, he spent most of his late teens nicking UK crime thriller books from his mum's bookcase. Have devoured pretty much everything by Peter Robinson, Ian Rankin, John Harvey and John Connolly, he decided to start writing his own stuff. Ten years later, he pulled his finger out and actually did it. 'Til Death is the combination of coffee, and a deep love for Banks, Rebus, Resnick, Thorne and Charlie Parker. Besides writing and reading whodunnit mysteries, crime fiction and thrillers, Shaun’s other loves include noodling around on the guitar, going for long walks, eating too much pizza and laughing at pictures of pugs. He lives with his partner and a really sneaky gerbil in deepest, darkest Suffolk, UK.
Dark Game
Rachel Lynch - 2018
But when the truth comes out deadly prices are paid...After a scandal forces DI Kelly Porter out of the Met, she returns to her home turf in the Lake District. Crimes in the Cumbrian constabulary tend to be of the minor sort, but Kelly begins work on a cold case that shocked the local community – the abduction and brutal murder of ten-year-old Lottie Davies.Meanwhile, Kelly is also investigating two seemingly straightforward crimes: a case involving an illegal immigrant, and a robbery following the death of local businessman Colin Day. But evidence comes to light that reveals a web of criminal activity beyond anything Kelly imagined. Behind the veneer of sleepy, touristy towns lies a dark and dangerous underworld. As Kelly threatens to expose those with much to lose, she risks paying the ultimate price to get to the truth…
Past Due (Det. Thomas Clipper Mysteries Book 1)
Richard Stockford - 2014
A local businessman stabbed to death in his bed. An estranged wife. A slightly obsessive reporter. When a string of murders rocks the relatively quiet city of Bangor, Maine, Detective Lieutenant Thomas Clipper must look to the pages of history to bring the killer to justice. What do all the victims have to do with the legend of the Edgewink gang, cut down in a bloody gunfight in 1937? Why did the FBI agent in charge of the Edgewink case disappear on a return trip to Bangor? Where is the stolen loot that Lester Edgewink supposedly hid away before his death? And why do people keep turning up missing—and dead? Past is present, as they say. And as Bangor gears up for a Founders' Day re-enactment of the shootout, an old bill is about to come violently due.