Book picks similar to
The Less Fortunates by Charles C. Martin


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Starbuck Nantucket Redemption


Garth Jeffries - 2020
    Peter Bois is one of the wealthiest men on Nantucket but is far from successful; his business is being picketed for polluting the oceans, his wife wants a divorce, and his best friend is dead. But fate has plans for him.On a picnic at the beach with his alienated family, Peter is caught up in a riptide and transported back in time to the early 19th-century as a greenhand on a Nantucket whaleship, clueless to where he is and ignorant to what is expected of him. Struggling to accept his new reality, he must confront the man he is and come to grips with life nearly two hundred years in the past as the ship pursues whales and battles storms thousands of miles out to sea. His only help? A crewman who looks and acts just like his dead best friend.On a voyage bristling with danger and death, Peter must survive long enough to figure out how to get back to his own time and back to where he can right his many wrongs.Engaging and innovative, this fast-paced and uplifting novel is a must-read for audiences young and old.

Been In Love Before


Bryan Mooney - 2016
    o get them to reengage with the world, Ryan’s daughter, Mary Kate, signs them up for dance lessons and insists that each find a partner in time for her wedding.Robert, the eldest of the brothers, rediscovers an old friend who brings the spark back to his life. Eian, a former professional baseball player, takes another swing at love with the widow of his best friend. Ryan, the doctor in the family, hopes his beautiful new dance instructor can put the spring back in his step. But Mary Kate’s fiancé is a member of the rival Campbell clan, and as the wedding approaches, joyful anticipation turns into a heated family rivalry.Together the Macgregor brothers will dance their way through first-date jitters and plenty of wrong moves as they try to save the wedding—and restart their lives.

The Company of Demons


Michael Jordan - 2018
    -- Cleveland Sun News"Jordan is a cross between John Grisham and Stephen King."-- Cleveland SceneThe brutal murder of a friend leaves lawyer John Coleman stunned and sends shockwaves through the city of Cleveland. The technique of the killing recalls memories of the Torso Murderer, who dismembered at least twelve people decades ago and then vanished—eluding even legendary crime fighter Eliot Ness. Jennifer, the victim’s beautiful daughter, hires John to handle her father’s estate, and romantic feelings for her soon complicate his already troubled marriage. When John finds himself entangled with a cold-blooded biker gang, an ex-cop with a fuzzy past, and the drug-addicted son of the dead man, he struggles to make sense of it all.But there is no escaping a growing sense of dread."A well-written and complexly plotted crime thriller." --Caroline McCullagh, Mensa Bulletin''The terror of the Torso Murderer returns in this gritty, Cleveland-centric tale. Jordan delights with crackling dialogue, true-to-life characters, an intensely paced plot, and an explosive finale. A must-read for fans of Lecter, Dexter, and the Ripper.'' --John Keyse-Walker, Author of Sun, Sand, Murder and Beach, Breeze, Bloodshed; winner of Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award''Michael Jordan brings characters and scenes to life in this emotionally gripping and compelling breakout novel. Brilliantly crafted.''--Rick Porrello, author of To Kill the Irishman (adapted into a major motion picture), Superthief!, and The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia Corn, Sugar, and BloodThe Company of Demons by Michael Jordan is a wonderful blend of crime and mystery, a riveting story with sophisticated characters. [...] Michael Jordan is a great storyteller and he has the ability to keep the narrative emotionally intense and psychologically disturbing. The Company of Demons is a real page-turner.-- Reader's Favorite

Speaking in Tungs


Karla M. Jay - 2015
    In this entertaining first novel, set in rural Pennsylvania, a young San Francisco woman searches for her birthparents and from the moment she arrives in the backwoods town of Tungston, she falls under the spell of unforgettable characters, the unexpected-but-real threat of a violent fugitive, and the unexpected-but-real charm of a local fireman—all leading her to discover the true meaning of family.

A Line Too Far


B.C. Colman - 2016
    Thousands of Australian soldiers are held hostage. International realpolitik has left Australia abandoned by its supposed allies and its brittle social fabric is rapidly unwinding as the people panic. A Chinese ultimatum demands the annexation of the country’s top half in ten days, or face a full scale invasion. As other politicians clamour to sue for peace, Prime Minister, Gary Stone, in a desperate race against time and impossible military and political odds must commit to a risky and controversial plan to try and free the country …

Limbo.


Marko Pandza - 2016
    A place beyond time and space as we know it where psychopaths compete for perverse honour and status as they carry out their deathly duties. As Grim struggles to hold onto the memories of the life he’s lost, he discovers that the insane being who shaped him (and the course of existence itself) may have sinister plans for the one thing he values most.In Limbo, the end is only the beginning.

The Exit Man


Greg Levin - 2014
    After reluctantly taking over his family’s party supply store following his father’s death, he is approached by a terminally ill family friend who’s had enough. The friend, a retired policeman, has an intricate plan involving something Eli has ready access to – helium. Eli is initially shocked and repulsed by the proposal, but soon begins to soften his stance and, after much deliberation, eventually agrees to lend a hand.It was supposed to be a one-time thing. How could Eli have known euthanasia was his true calling? And how long can he keep his daring underground "exit" operation going before the police or his volatile new girlfriend get wise?

Another Five Patients


Melissa Crickard - 2019
    When one of the resident physicians, Dr. Kip Paiva, becomes a critically ill patient herself, the team is forever changed. This suspenseful story of medical fiction traces foreign medical graduate Dr. Kip Paiva, an emigrant and survivor of human trafficking in post-apartheid South Africa. Her refuge from a Zulu militant captor comes to an end, as his brutal violence has finally tracked her across the ocean. While her past catches up to her, Dr. Paiva also becomes the scapegoat of a malpractice suit. Frightened for her and her son’s lives, Dr. Paiva begins a journey fueled by bottomless resiliency and a mother’s love. Her story intertwines through five others, all riveting, and all taking place in the busy Spectrum General Hospital in New York. Debut author Melissa Crickard uses this microcosm to illustrate larger aspects of modern medicine. Another Five Patients combines international intrigue and hospital politics with individual human stories involving hospital staff, patients, and their families. The result is a captivating, at times satirical, experience that reminds us that, whether doctor, mother, or child, we are all people, with flaws and emotions in a world of uncertainty.

The Ghost of Normandy Road


John Hennessy - 2015
    The other cover editions are here and here.Could the stories about the house on Normandy Road be real? When a young boy ventures into the infamous dwelling, he learns the terrifying truth behind the urban legends… Evil wakes in this bone-chilling horror novel!AWARD: YA HORROR - SILVER (AWARDED BY READERS FAVOURITE, 2016)Three Legends. One True Horror.An old house stands on Normandy Road, uncared for and uninhabited for years, until one day, believing an urban legend that no-one dares to live there, a young boy decides to cross its threshold.Yet the house is far from empty - within its walls, a terrible evil has been disturbed. It will take one brave soul three of the longest nights of his life to unlock its secrets, but will he live to tell the tale?***Although told as a work of fiction, this tale really is based on a true story.Part of the Haunted Minds series of books. I: The Ghost of Normandy RoadII: Clara's SongIII: The Girl Who Collected ButterfliesIV: Children of the Dark LightV: The Seamstress Who Worshipped Beelzebub

All Those Things Revealed


M. Maureen O'Callaghan - 2017
     Constanza Delamar lives in a part of Ireland where ancient traditions are viewed with nostalgia, by people who are eager to move beyond them. A personal tragedy changes her life and she finds herself in a remote village where these traditions are still a way of life. When a parish priest suddenly arrives to challenge the village's traditional priest and condemn his Priest Woman; the village is turned against itself. Constanza suddenly finds herself confronting and then defending the most controversial of traditions. The mounting tensions in the village culminate in a devastating event with long-term consequences for all those involved.

The Color of Rock


Sandra Cavallo Miller - 2017
    Abby Wilmore, attempts to escape her past by starting over at the Grand Canyon Clinic. Silently battling her own health issues, Abby struggles with adjusting to the demands of this unique rural location. She encounters everything from squirrel bites to suicides to an office plagued by strong personalities. While tending to unprepared tourists, underserved locals, and her own mental trials, Abby finds herself entangled in an unexpected romance and trapped amidst a danger even more treacherous than the foreboding desert landscape.Sandra Cavallo Miller’s debut novel transports readers to the beautiful depths of Arizona and weaves an adventurous and heartwarming tale of the courage and strength it takes to overcome personal demons and to find love.

The Frozen Crown


Greta Kelly - 2021
    A stellar read that I thoroughly enjoyed." -- Emily Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints A princess with a powerful and dangerous secret must find a way to save her country from ruthless invaders in this exciting debut fantasy, the first novel in a thrilling duology packed with heroism, treachery, magic, and war.Askia became heir to the Frozen Crown of Seravesh because of her devotion to her people. But her realm is facing a threat she cannot defeat by sheer will alone. The mad emperor of the Roven Empire has unleashed a horde of invading soldiers to enslave her lands. For months, her warriors have waged a valiant, stealth battle, yet they cannot stop the enemy’s advancement. Running out of time, she sets sail for sun-drenched Vishir, the neighboring land to the south, to seek help from its ruler, Emperor Armaan.A young woman raised in army camps, Askia is ill-equipped to navigate Vishir’s labyrinthine political games. Her every move sinks her deeper into court intrigues which bewilder and repel her, leaving her vulnerable not only to enemies gathering at Vishir's gates, but to those behind the palace walls. And in this glittering court, where secrets are worth more than gold, Askia fears that one false step will expose her true nature. For Askia is a witch gifted with magical abilities—knowledge that could destroy not only her life but her people. As her adversaries draw closer, Askia is forced to make an impossible choice—and no matter what she decides, it may not be enough to prevent Seravesh’s fall.

The Biology of Luck


Jacob M. Appel - 2013
    At 29, the usually carefree Starshine has realized that it is easier to start sleeping with a man than to stop. Her lovers include one of the last underground members of the Weathermen and the dilettante heir to a lawn chair magnate. Both men have staked their romantic future on her. Her only respite is her impending dinner with the nonthreatening but unattractive tour guide Larry Bloom. But Larry, too, has a stake in her future. He has written a book about their impending dinner in which he fantasizes about Starshine’s life on the day he wins her heart. Juxtaposing moments from Larry’s guided tour of New York City on the June day of his “dream date” with excerpts from the novel in which he imagines Starshine’s concurrent escapades, this inventive structure weaves a highly imaginative love story across all five boroughs. Provocative, funny, and keenly observed, an imagined pilgrimage through the underbelly of Gotham becomes a bold new voice in contemporary American fiction.

Circle Dance


Lynne Constantine - 2004
    Born into a prosperous Greek American family, sisters Nicole and Theodora have achieved the perfect balance between the old world rich in Greek tradition and the freedom of life in America. But when Theodora marries a rich and handsome man from outside the Greek community, events are set in motion that threaten to disrupt the enchanted “circle” of the sisters’ lives.Headstrong and independent, Nicole plunges into life head-first. Her talent and astute business acumen make her the perfect heir to her father’s empire, but his old world attitudes prevent him from giving the top spot to a woman. Nicole’s world spins out of control when she falls for a married senator who shares her heritage and her dreams. As the dramatic plot unfolds, the two young women must confront deceit and betrayal and the consequences of their personal choices – while they struggle to preserve the values they cherish.Set in Baltimore, Annapolis and the tiny island of Ikaria, Greece, Circle Dance gives the reader a view into the lives of a dynamic family that has successfully achieved the American dream without abandoning the customs and traditions handed down through their Greek heritage. Artfully intertwined plots bring generations together in a dance of rejoicing and mourning, loss and healing that will keep readers enthralled until the last frame.

Pages in the Wind


Sally Saylor De Smet - 2015
    After the murder of her father, Emily Quinn finds herself detained at the San Francisco County Jail charged with first-degree murder for a crime she cannot remember. Her mother, a beautiful socialite, shuns her daughter but hires a famous psychiatrist to protect the family name. Doctor Daniel Liebermann quickly becomes sympathetic toward Emily and is determined to find the reason for her need to embody the characters in her sketchbook. Doctor and patient develop an abiding partnership weaving through family secrets, violence, and abuse leading to a shocking