Book picks similar to
Family Secrets by Janet Hayward


genealogical-mysteries
genealogy
mystery
mystery-suspense-thriller-crime

The Maximum Contribution


Rick Robinson - 2007
    politics. From heady ideals to sexual blackmail, it makes one wonder—when do they have time to govern? The fine line between fact and fiction blurs so quickly, you may think you are reading today's headlines instead of one of the best new novels to break onto the political scene.You will get to know the characters in Robinson's novel so well; you will be surprised not to see their names on the ballot at the next election. The Maximum Contribution is fast paced, spellbinding and one you don’t want to miss.

The Passing of Morse


Susan Masters - 2012
    Its purpose is one of certitude with a little dash of homage thrown in for good measure. For some, it may just be seen as an extended or alternate ending. For others, it may be taken as Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse's final will and testament. Your choice...

Dead South


David Banner - 2018
     When the body of the girl he loved in high school is found twenty years after her disappearance, Detective Ryan Devereux has a personal stake in finding the people responsible. With his personal life in shambles following the engagement of his ex-wife, Ryan throws himself headlong into the investigation. Things take a turn though when newly discovered evidence leads Ryan to believe that his ex’s new fiancé might have had a hand in the young girl’s murder. As secrets about the past are uncovered, Ryan realizes things were never as he saw them. This Lowcountry detective finds himself thrust down a rabbit hole of danger and deceit the likes of which he might never emerge from. And, when the truth comes out, he might find that the killer is closer to him than he ever imagined. Dead South is book one in the new Lowcountry Mystery Series from bestselling author David Banner. Do you enjoy reading books from Dawn Lee McKenna, Mark Stone, and Steven Becker? If so, come take a walk along the South Carolina Lowcountry. With its thick humidity, Spanish moss, and one-of-a-kind local flair, it’s sure to be a visit you won’t forget!

The Reluctant Detective


Adrian Spalding - 2019
    He just wanted a quiet life. Something his mother was not going to allow. There again he never for one moment imagined he would have to look into the death of a 90-year-old lady who was gambling away her family fortune. The Hayden Detective Agency has no need of clients. The very existence of the Agency allows Martin Hayden to claim his large monthly allowance from the family fortune - without lifting a finger. Martin’s biggest problem is his interfering mother, who understands her idle son too well. She takes steps to find him not just clients but also a personal assistant to keep an eye on him. Under pressure from the women in his life, Martin agrees to take on his first client. How hard can it be to follow a 90-year-old woman who spends her time losing money at roulette tables? As it turns out harder than Martin ever thought possible, especially with the old lady dying in strange circumstances. Soon the Reluctant Detective is grappling with shady estate agents, an intellectual artist, missing charity money and an irritating Indian waiter. Luckily for Martin there is help in the form of Colin, a transvestite who, apart from having very good fashion sense, is an expert at breaking into houses.

Ghost Train


C.J. Petit - 2021
    The scheduled train from Granger was overdue by three hours. He’d suspected a mechanical breakdown or maybe even a derailment. But the engineer of the next train to use that track had just reported that he hadn’t found any signs of the train.He had no idea how an entire train could simply vanish, but as he pondered the mystery, the head telegrapher came to his office and showed him a telegram that had been sent to Union Pacific headquarters. It was a ransom demand for a hundred thousand dollars. If it wasn’t paid within a week, the train and its thirty-four passengers would be blown up.He hurried out of his office and rushed through the early morning streets to tell the resident Union Pacific special agent of the kidnapped train. It was Nelson Cook’s problem now.

Portside Screw


Gregory S. Dew - 2018
     A Jack Cubera Novel Retired PI Jack Cubera just wants to drink beer, fish the flats, and live the simple life of a full-time boat bum. One problem: he’s just discovered his old nemesis—the Key’s most notorious real estate developer—floating tits-up in a weenie bikini in the Islamorada backwaters, landing him high on the suspect list. To clear his name, Jack investigates the curious demise and soon discovers the developer’s most outrageous development to date, Coconut Key—a manmade island shaped like a giant daiquiri glass—is “breaking ground” atop a lobster-breeding habitat in the middle of a pristine bay. As Jack sets out to derail the invasive project and save his salty slice of paradise, a host of unscrupulous characters flush from the shadows soon delivering Jack to the most perplexing question of all: Why would anyone build an island in the middle of an archipelago? The answer, which hinges on a baitfish cage filled with breast implants, proves far bigger than mere shady real-estate dealings. Please reach out via my website to join my mailing list, receive discounts and info on new releases, or just stir the pot.

The Pilot Class


Harrison Jones - 2015
    When Tri Con hires eight new pilots and assigns them to a pilot class, they find the ground school and flight simulator challenge more than expected. The class is a mix of former military pilots and civilians with varying experience, including a former female flight attendant. Who can survive The Pilot Class and meet the challenge of flying the line as a Tri Con first officer. Personal relationships, a married flight attendant with an abusive husband, a major airline accident, and the federal government are all obstacles that stand in the way of The Pilot Class.

Old Habits


John Carson - 2019
    Women were being abducted and murdered, then their corpses were displayed in open shallow graves. Marshall's FBI partner, Jessie Kent, was taken. During the hunt for her, Marshall tracked the killer down, but he was shot five times and left for dead. Less than an hour later, the killer took his own life. None of the remaining victims were ever found. Until now. A female detective comes down to Marshall's home town to ask for his help. Somebody has found the decomposed victims and is displaying them. Despite no longer being with the FBI, Marshall sees this as a chance to find Jessie, and take her home for a proper burial. And to lay to rest the feelings of guilt he's been carrying for the past four years. He agrees to go back with Dani Fox, but it's soon clear somebody doesn't want him back in town. He's warned off, but he ignores it. Then the killings start. Somebody has just accelerated the game from displaying corpses to adding new victims. And this time, he's making it personal...

The Haunting of Kulah


Janet MacLeod Trotter - 2012
    But the women are also hiding a shameful secret…Present Day: When journalist Ally Niven escapes to the remote Scottish island of Battersay after a failed love affair, all she is looking for is a quiet life and a catering job for the summer. But from the outset someone is trying to scare her off and Ally soon discovers that the beautiful surroundings mask tensions among the people who are harbouring 'Birdwoman' - a feral young woman found on rocky Kulah. Ally is increasingly attracted to reclusive artist, John Balmain, who has also taken refuge on Battersay, but is elusive about his past. From John, Ally learns of a sinister prophecy which predicted the shipwreck and how Flora, the Flame-haired leader of the Kulah women, would wreak her revenge. Increasingly isolated and intimidated by bizarre attacks on her house and sightings of a lone woman in a blue headscarf that she cannot explain, Ally sets out to discover the truth behind the Kulah story and the secrets the broodingly handsome John is determined to keep from her; as the two stories converge in a shocking climax. This is MacLeod Trotter's second enthralling mystery.

Caliber Detective Agency - Box Set - Case Files 7-12


Donald Wells - 2013
     CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - Box Set - Case Files 7-12 CASE FILE # 7 The Calibers tackle three new cases.A man believes someone is out to kill him in case one, while in case two, a worried father hires the detective agency to look into his daughter's shady fiancé.The third case is more of a favor, as the old man and Kelli travel to Texas to help out family.Blue Steele makes a cameo appearance. CASE FILE # 8 The old man and Blue Steele engage in a friendly shooting contest, but then the client arrives and Jake gets down to business. Chris and Velma reveal their true feelings for each other, despite knowing that they can never be together. CASE FILE # 9 As Jake learns more about Victor Jansen's inner circle, Chris and Velma set out to sting the target of their investigation.And in Texas, the old man investigates the disappearance of James Preston, and by doing so, he places himself and Kelli in jeopardy. CASE FILE # 10 The old man proves once again that he's the real deal and gets one step closer to solving the mystery of James Preston.Jake uncovers treachery within the Jansen inner circle and later saves his client's life.Meanwhile, Velma learns something meaningful about her husband's nurse. CASE FILE # 11 Chris and Velma run their sting operation on Remmi Harlow, and then later on, Velma makes a confession.Jake becomes jealous over Kelli's new boyfriend, but with help from a friend, he may just win her back.And after the old man visits Remmi Harlow in jail, he solves the mystery of James Preston. CASE FILE # 12 Jake and Kelli reunite, and later, Jake discovers where the illegal guns are coming from.After the old man verifies that his hunch is correct, he brings the hammer down on the man behind the disappearance of James Preston.Velma and Chris share an intimate moment as a fortunate turn of events takes place. COMING SOON! CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - BOX SET - CASE FILES 13-18 Visit the Caliber Detective Agency website at: thecaliberdetectiveagency.com

Fireworks in France (A Reverend Annabelle Dixon Mystery Book 7)


Alison Golden - 2021
    

Mystery Party


Stacey Alabaster - 2017
    Margot runs a French bakery and stumbles into corruption and crime. Felicity launches her party planning business with a bang . . . and a dead body. Follow along as all three women must solve murder mysteries to protect themselves, their businesses, and those they love. This collection of cozy mysteries includes the first book in each of three popular series. If you like cozy mysteries with interesting characters and unexpected twists, the Mystery Party Cozy Mystery Boxed Set is for you. Buy the Mystery Party Cozy Mystery Boxed Set and start solving your next mystery (or three) today! Steps from Death by Stacey Alabaster - When you’re the new girl in a small town, you have to step out of your comfort zone and meet new people. But sometimes that can leave you only Steps from Death. This is book one in the Craft Circle Cozy Mystery series. Croissants and Corruption by Danielle Collins – To all appearances, North Bank is a charming retirement town and tourist attraction - until a murder reveals a darker side of crime and corruption. This is book one in the Margot Durand Cozy Mystery series. Dying for a Drive by Susan Harper – Senoia is a quiet little town . . . until a man drives into town with a classic car to sell but never drives out. This is book one in the Senoia Cozy Mystery series. Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited

The Russell House


Donna Foley Mabry - 2016
    The young military widow leaves dozens of messages for her father but receives no response. Looking for a copy of her mother’s obituary, Roxie reads an article in the newspaper and discovers her entire life is a web of lies, secrets, and deceit. The story sends her off in search of the truth about the man she idolized. She drives to her father’s birthplace—Manhattan, Kansas—and moves into her grandmother’s huge, three-story, hundred-and-fifty-year-old house. It’s been vacant for decades, but Roxie begins to believe she’s not the only occupant. She doesn’t know if there’s an intruder or if the spirit of her grandmother is watching over her. In only a matter of days, someone has made several attempts on her life. She calls in her best friend, Janice Tallchief—retired on a disability from the Kansas City Police Department—to act as her bodyguard. Can Jan and Roxie unravel the mystery before the killer succeeds?

Rosie's Revenge


Suzanne Floyd - 2014
    In order to inherit the farm and all that goes with it, Parker must live in the house for a year: a house with no electricity, running water or bathroom. While living there she can modernize it, but she can’t move out. Her great-aunt, Rosie, has already selected a handsome contractor, and has drawn up the plans, all Parker has to do is approve them. There is no explanation why Rosie left all this to her instead of her own brothers. Curious about the family she never knew, Parker decides to stay, at least temporarily, and is confronted with her hostile grandfather who would do anything to chase her away, and gain control over the land he considers his birthright. Just walking through the small town proves to be an obstacle course as people step off the sidewalk to avoid her, or run off the road as they stare at her. Rumor has it Rosie has come back to haunt them. While work continues on the house, Parker discovers the journals Rosie kept from the time she was a little girl, telling of her life with an overbearing father and four brothers. Rosie also left letters to Parker instructing her to trust Shep Baker, the contractor, and to find out what happened more than sixty years ago, deepening the mystery for Parker. Shep is a slow talking cowboy with a mystery of his own. His grandfather was adopted as an infant, and Shep is looking for his extended family. But why did Rosie take such a liking to him when she was so nasty to others? Just more questions for Parker to find the answers to. The answers to her questions are in the journals, but finding the answers could prove fatal.

The Bloomsbury Guru: A Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery


Anna Elliott - 2021