Book picks similar to
Burn by Paul Slatter
mystery
fiction-crime
murder-mystery
mafia-gangland
Kiss & Tell
Luke Murphy - 2015
This is a time limited offer, so happy reading and hunting!
With the death of her father…
Officer Charlene Taylor has received her dream promotion—working Homicide with the LAPD. Her first case is the high-profile murder of Ken Anderson, a playboy UCLA professor with a haunted past. A mafia kingpin, billionaire tycoon, cheated wife and jaded lover are only a few on a long list of suspects, all with motive and opportunity.
…all hope of reconciliation is lost.
Not only does she feel the pressure from media and her boss to solve her first case, but Charlene must also deal with her father’s murderer, the “Celebrity Slayer,” a serial killer who enjoys baiting her with his knowledge of her life and routines.
Can a rookie detective work two high-profile cases and still keep her sanity?
Editorial Reviews: “Luke Murphy scores big with this deep psychological thriller. Just when you think you've got things pegged, Murphy serves up another twist. Fast paced and fun, you won't want to put this book down.” —Tim Green, New York Times bestselling author of Unstoppable “An intricately detailed and clever mystery featuring a tough minded but vulnerable protagonist with more than a few demons of her own. The twists and turns kept me guessing to the very end.” —Christy Reece, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing To Lose “Luke Murphy’s novel, Kiss & Tell, has lots of twists and turns, and police procedures where the good guy, in this case, Charlene Taylor, is not always good. The characters come to life with suspense, drama, explosive action, and an ending you never see coming.” —John Foxjohn, USA Today bestselling author of Killer Nurse “Luke Murphy’s Kiss & Tell is a character driven page-turner with an interesting plot. The main character, LAPD Detective Charlene Taylor, draws the reader into her world for a ride throughout the book. This is one definitely not to miss.” —Dianna T. Benson, bestselling author of The Hidden Son “Luke Murphy’s heroine, Charlene Taylor, is tough and tender. Kiss & Tell is a first-rate police procedural. Hang on. You’ll have fun.” —James Thayer, author of The House of Eight Orchids
undone (Burt Bigsley Mystery Book 1)
Jason Deas - 2018
After a chance encounter with a mugger he decides he might just be meant to save the world one crime at a time. And voilà, Burt’s Private Investigations is born. Before he knows it, he’s in deep and possibly over his head. He stumbles onto a dead body, which turns out to be the daughter of the town’s country club owner who has rumblings of mob ties in his past. The clues lead him all over the North Georgia mountains, but the most intriguing ones lead to an end of the world compound and its charismatic leader. Thrown into a bizarre new world, Burt uses his humor to charm potential suspects, his eccentric friends to aid in his discoveries, and his new zest for life to charge directly ahead into the unknown as he learns on the job how to catch a killer.
A Critical Tangent
Reily Garrett - 2022
George, VINE VOICEShe doesn’t trust cops.Can the detective trust his instincts?Keiki Tallerman’s life shatters on a remote mountaintop in Pennsylvania after witnessing her best friend’s bizarre execution. Experience dictates she keep her mouth shut, and when detectives knock on her door, she won’t hand over evidence until she’s identified the assassin. After all, police never found her parents’ killer. Detective Nolan Garnett investigates two disturbing crime scenes sharing a connection with a young tech prodigy. Unless he can coerce the only witness to talk, the body count will rise. Unable to piece the evidence together, he is torn between following the law and protecting the stubborn coed determined to clear her name. Fate decrees they work together before the killer claims his next victim. Keiki. Add snark and off-the-charts chemistry to watch sparks fly.
Missed Connections: A Riveting Mystery- Book 1
Alexandria Clarke - 2018
She can’t make a break in her case without exposing the truth about her complicated friendship with the killer or give her boss enough information to keep him satisfied with her progress. Meanwhile, Veronica finds herself leading a double life as a woman named Virginia Burton. She ventures out in full view of the entire city, relying on her alter ego to protect her from notice. The two women are bound to run into each other again, but what will happen when they do?
The Protectors: Vigilante Justice
Bernard Lee DeLeo - 2012
Bradwick snaps when he and James bust in on a kidnapping ring, enslaving children for pornography. He brutally executes the three kidnappers, stunning James. He sets up the scene to pass for self-defense with Ellie James cooperation. Their ruse succeeds, triggering a two cop crackdown on crime the city of Oakland’s leaders scurry to stop. Dedicated to end ‘look the other way’ crime suppression tactics, ending in destruction and death for the common people in Oakland, Bradwick and James decide it’s time to go on offense.Connor explains it this way after they rescue the kidnapped children, “The kids made me start thinking about how I want folks to look at us. I don’t care anymore to visit someone to tell them we found the people who broke into their business or house and robbed them blind. I want them to wave at us from their house or business as we go by because we prevent the gangbangers, drug dealers and thugs from terrorizing them.”The crime war takes on different meaning when they bust an MS-13 El Salvadoran gangster’s illegal alien processing center. Connor and Ellie run headlong into a corrupt politician on the gangster’s payroll, and the terrorists behind him. Soon, everyday crime fighting busts become a fond memory. (Taken from Amazon.com)
Testarossa
J.D. Cary - 2010
John Testarossa is an LAPD cop with an NYPD attitude who has seen it all. The dead, the dying and the decomposing are all in a day’s work for the red-headed Italian from Brooklyn. After an arm rolls up on a Santa Monica beach, and the dead body to which the arm was once attached is discovered, John and his partner, Alex Ortiz, enter the world of college sports, athletes, and the illegal drugs that enhance their performance. Rage and revenge come together in a toxic cocktail John is all too familiar with. It defined him as a young boy, and ultimately still does as a man. He carries a dark secret. It is in the beautiful Dr. Karen Gennaro—who has a few secrets of her own— that John finds a soft place to land. Even as he knows all too well what falling in love with a cop can do to a woman. What sustains this hard-boiled detective is the bond he shares with his brave and dedicated partners. When that bond is destroyed in a senseless act of violence, will his past, and a desire for vengeance, destroy him? From Los Angeles, where Venice Beach, Marina del Rey, and the dream of Abbot Kinney’s Venice Canals paint a picture of bliss, Testarossa will take you on a deeper, darker journey.
Seduction
Erik Henry Vick - 2020
There’s bound to be a little crazy under his black hat.His life just got ten times more complicated. His new half-vampire and half-succubus partner is smart, sexy as Hell, and keeping a big secret from everyone.Oh, and their lieutenant? She's the ghost of a Van Helsing.Their case? Tracking down the entity responsible for leaving the drained body of a young man in Riverside Park.
The Numbers Killer
Jenifer Ruff - 2019
When a key witness in an organized crime trial turns up dead in his kitchen with liar and the number two scrawled on his forehead, the FBI assumes the murder was a hit to silence him. Then the calls start coming in—more victims with similar markings and no connection to the mob. As agents Victoria Heslin and Dante Rivera struggle to catch a break in the case, they receive a series of cryptic, personal messages from the killer, complicating the investigation. Something disturbing and frightening is underway, and anyone might be next, including the agents, unless they uncover the common denominator. Bestselling author Jenifer Ruff delivers a gripping new psychological thriller that will appeal to fans of the Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn as well as serial killer favorites like The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris and Kiss the Girls by James Patterson. PRAISE FOR THE NUMBERS KILLER: “Jenifer Ruff’s best book yet! I was hooked from page one until the very twisty ending."– Author, Caryn Sutorus “Shocking, chilling, and fascinating – Jenifer Ruff’s latest book takes us into the twisted mind of a young murderess as she goes on a cold-blooded killing spree.”– Author and journalist, Karen D. Scioscia “Cancel your plans because you can’t put this book down. A nail-biting, thrill ride from beginning to end.”– Author, Susan Mills Wilson ARC REVIEWERS: “Fresh, back of the neck, hair tingling entertainment, you will never be able to put down!” - Patricia “LOVED IT! I couldn't leave it alone! I want more!” – Cheri “You did it again...another can’t-put-it-down book. I loved the story.”- Pamela “Loved the book! Couldn't put it down.” – June “Loved it!” – Debbi “Couldn’t put it down! Loved it!!!! I really do love all your characters!! - Alison “LOVED it! Especially the twist at the end.” –Shelly
The Numbers Killer is the first book in the Agent Victoria Heslin Series and can be read as a standalone.
Grab your copy today!
True Blue Detective
Vito Zuppardo - 2015
You’ll meet Zack Nelson, a former police officer, now living in a retirement center because of his daughter-in-law’s illness. While he’s not keen to move, he does so temporarily to help his son, Tom, and Patty cope with the medical issues. Zack still got a lot of detective in him and senses that something is wrong with all the supposedly natural deaths that are happening, not only to his family but with the older folks who are seemingly in good health. He works with the police officers to help untangle and solve several ongoing crimes that seem to surround and affect him. Along with his new roommate Dave, and two engaging sisters, Pearl Ann and Emma Lou (genteel Southern women), the foursome are involved with touring New Orleans, getting involved in social events, tasting an amazing array of New Orleans food and drink, participating in shoot-outs, and creating a few hijinks of their own. This fast-paced story is filled with mystery, humor, international black-market sales, Southern charm, and characters you won’t soon forget. You’ll visit the French Quarter, the Garden District, the Warehouse District, and be a guest at an unusual funeral held in a true New Orleans custom. This is the first book in the True Blue Detective series. The author, Vito Zuppardo, is a former resident and New Orleans expert who helps create a visual tour through the Crescent City that makes it come alive for the reader.
Drunk on a Plane
Zane Mitchell - 2018
Drunk, Jr. if you really wanna know. And I'm on a plane headed to Paradise Isle on the trip of a lifetime. The occasion? My honeymoon. Except, there's only one problem.I'm riding solo.It's a really long story, and if you don't mind, I'd prefer to leave it at that.Really? You must know? Fine, I get it. You're the nosey type. Here's the abbreviated version. I came within an inch of marrying a cheating slut. There. Get the picture? Good.But that's not what this story is about. This story is about what happened after I got to Paradise and a dead body showed up in my motel room.And, of course, the cops tried to blame it on me.And then the actual murderer decided they wanted me dead too.Fuck.The hits just kept on coming.And to top it all off. This woman started following me around the island, and she couldn't seem to keep her hands off me. But not in a good way.So if you're interested in a bit of Caribbean flavored action and adventure, with a hint of sexual tension, a dash of unapologetic profanity, and a kick-ass ending, then this is your book.If you're looking for the next best piece of literature since - oh, hell, who am I kidding? I don't know shit about good literature. But if that's what you're looking for, then keep moving, cause this ain't that.If, however, you're like me and just looking for a good time, then I'm your fella. I promise you, you won't be disappointed.Rated R for language, crude humor, and sexual innuendos. Rated A+ for entertainment value.
Cold Comfort
Trevor Douglas - 2017
The circumstances surrounding the murder of a young woman lead Bridgette to believe it’s the work of a serial killer, but nobody is listening. Convinced the killer will strike again shortly, can Bridgette find enough evidence to convince her team before another young woman is murdered?
Alibi Aficionado
Harvey Church - 2017
Not marriage, not office etiquette, not saving his boss’s daughter, not even public accounting. So when he’s tasked with constructing an alibi for the firm’s biggest client, everyone has low expectations. Including Edwin. In Alibi Aficionado, Edwin Burrows is an accidental investigator, an accountant without tact or a filter, or any kind of interest for investigations. A cross between Myron Bolitar and Archy McNally, Edwin says, does and behaves in the strangest manner. Cursed with an investigation that's doomed from the start, Edwin knows that everyone expects him to fail. But when the police arrest the all-important client, tensions rise at the firm and the stakes get as big as they'll ever be. Edwin must decide whether he will use his knowledge to be the hero that helps a guilty man avoid prosecution, or be a zero by telling the truth and burying the firm.
Behind Shadows
Netta Newbound - 2014
Her spineless cheating husband has taken her beloved children. Her paedophile father, who went to prison vowing revenge, has been abruptly released. And now someone in the shadows is watching her every move. When one by one her father and his cohorts turn up dead, Amanda finds herself at the centre of several murder investigations—with no alibi and a diagnosis of Multiple Personality Disorder. Abandoned, scared and fighting to clear her name as more and more damning evidence comes to light, Amanda begins to doubt her own sanity. Could she really be a brutal killer?Content Advisory: This book is intended for mature audiences and contains graphic and disturbing imagery.
All Things Considered
A.B. Plum - 2019
Sound asleep. Dead-to-the-world asleep.An insomniac with a long history of sleepwalking, night terrors, and other sleep disorders, Ryn’s dodging a life-changing decision. Should she leave her iconic rock-star lover? Is his fame and money worth his mood swings? After a particularly explosive argument, she goes to bed. He follows. The argument escalates. Exhausted, she goes to the guest bedroom. She pops a sleeping pill. Technically, a hormone. Not a drug. One melatonin, she rationalizes, determined to think more clearly.She wakens the next morning, groggy and disoriented. Fragments of a dream fade in and out of memory. Not the argument with Stone … but something more disturbing. When she enters their bedroom, she sees him in bed—a red hibiscus blooming on his chest.Unable to produce the melatonin bottle, Ryn acts more and more defensive and guilty. The police ridicule her testimony. Definitely bitter, can she prove how an insomniac slept through two bullets?For fans of Alison Gaylin, Meg Abbott, Laura Lippman, and authors writing about strong women sleuths.