Book picks similar to
Circumvent by S.K. Derban
cozy-mystery
france
christian-fiction
suspense
Buried By Debt (A Suburban Noir Novel)
Cathryn Grant - 2011
Their friends say he's obsessed with her. Maybe he is. He wants to give her the world. Counting on a lucrative promotion, he bought a multi-million dollar home in Silicon Valley for her. It's all good because Jenna adores him. He's a lucky guy.Jenna loves Devon, loves her job, and loves nice things.Now, the economy's gone south, the promotion is delayed, and Devon and Jenna are desperate to hide their sky-rocketing debt.When a childhood friend confronts them about the money they owe, jealousy and secrets erupt in violence.Buried By Debt - A Suburban Noir love story.
Here To Stay
Mark Edwards - 2019
A loving wife. And in-laws to die for.Gemma Robinson comes into Elliot’s life like a whirlwind, and they marry and settle into his home. When she asks him if her parents can come to stay for a couple of weeks, he is keen to oblige – he just doesn’t quite know what he’s signing up for.The Robinsons arrive with Gemma’s sister, Chloe, a mysterious young woman who refuses to speak or leave her room. Elliot starts to suspect that the Robinsons are hiding a dark secret. And then there are the scars on his wife’s body that she won’t talk about . . .As Elliot’s in-laws become more comfortable in his home, encroaching on all aspects of his life, it becomes clear that they have no intention of moving out. To protect Gemma, and their marriage, Elliot delves into the Robinsons’ past. But is he prepared for the truth?
Deception Bay
Chris Patchell - 2019
He’s dangerous. Together, can they stop a killer from tearing a small island community apart? When wise-cracking cozy mystery author, Austin Martell, left his hometown on Whidbey Island for the bright lights of New York, he vowed he would never go back. But some promises are impossible to keep, and when Austin discovers that his mother has suffered a serious accident, he has no choice but to return. Austin soon learns that her accident may be no accident at all, and secrets that were laid to rest after his brother’s tragic death off the coast of Deception Bay, have now begun to surface. >>>As they close in on the killer, new dangers arise Austin finds himself in the center of a real-life murder mystery, when Police Chief Ellie Sharpe uncovers a curious connection between the author and the death of a local businessman. Born and raised on Whidbey and trained as a New York cop, Ellie is smart, and tough, and determined to solve the mystery behind the killing before more people die. Sparks fly as the two pair up to figure out who is responsible for the murder. The closer they come to discovering truth, the more desperate someone is to keep the sins of the past from coming to light. >>>Someone close to Austin harbors a deadly truth. Can Ellie unmask a killer before Austin becomes one more secret buried beneath the waves of Deception Bay?
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Lawfully Devoted
Jenna Brandt - 2019
Zach Turner is a dedicated search and rescue cop. The only wife he needs is his work wife, Aiden O'Connell, and his K-9 partner, Harley. That doesn't mean he's not into the ladies, because he totally is, but he doesn't want anything serious. Casually dating is more his speed, that is until he meets Erica Cruz through Aiden's girlfriend. Something about her intrigues Zach, but she wants nothing to do with him because of his playboy ways and lack of faith. Erica Cruz has a great life. She enjoys spending time with her best friend, Lindsay, serving at church with the junior high kids, and working as a dental assistant. The only thing missing is a good, Christian man in her life. She's tried all the different ways of finding one from the church singles' group to online dating, but she's had nothing but bad luck. The worst of the worst is Zach, who she has avoided since she met him through Aiden, Lindsay's husband. He's done nothing but hit on her since they first met. All she wants to do is stay away from him, but fate has a different idea. Erica never knew her father, so when he dies and leaves everything to her, she's surprised. But when she finds out her inheritance is worth billions, surprise turns into shock as her world turns upside down. To make matters more complicated, she starts receiving threats against her life. As she digs into her father's corrupt past, she realizes that money isn't the only thing she's inherited. She's also gained a massive list of her father's enemies and one of them is willing to kill her to set things right. Erica decides to reach out to her friends on the Clear Mountain Police Department, but the only person able to bodyguard her and go with her to Amsterdam to find out the truth, is Zach. Can they find a way to get along for the sake of Erica's protection? Will they find out who is trying to harm her and why before it's too late? And will they finally give into the attraction that has been secretly simmering just below the surface? *** The Lawkeepers is a multi-author series alternating between historical westerns and contemporary westerns featuring law enforcement heroes that span multiple agencies and generations. Join international bestselling authors Jenna Brandt, Lorana Hoopes and many others as they weave captivating, sweet and inspirational stories of romance and suspense between the lawkeepers -- and the women who love them. The Lawkeepers is a world like no other; a world where lawkeepers and heroes are honored with unforgettable stories, characters, and love. ** Note: Each book in The Lawkeepers series is a standalone book, a mini-series of sorts, and you can read them in any order.
Entangled
Barbara Ellen Brink - 2010
One summer of her childhood is a mystery she intends to solve. But digging up her past also lays bare the skeletons of others, including her mother’s. Entangled between what she once believed and a new reality, will she be able to live with the consequences of full disclosure?
Drawing Fire
Janice Cantore - 2015
When Abby discovers that the most recent victim is related to the governor, she's anxious to talk to him about a cold case that's personal to her--one Luke is interested in as well.As she learns more about the restaurant fire that took her parents' lives years ago, Abby discovers why Luke is so invested in finding the ones responsible. The more they uncover, though, the more questions they have. Can Abby find peace without having all the answers?
Summer of '79
Darren Sapp - 2017
Devil’s Backbone dirt road weaves through tall East Texas trees. The eerie Claymore mansion sits silently along the path. Thirteen-year-old Kevin Bishop and friends plan to spend their summer swimming, playing baseball, and erecting a massive fort in the nearby woods. Their daily journey requires a bike ride down that road and by that mansion—the site of a gruesome unsolved murder near the turn-of-the-century. They stumble upon evidence to solve the mystery as unforeseen adversaries make this a summer they’ll never forget. This coming-of-age tale will take readers down memory lane with plenty of suspense to keep the pages turning. This was the time when kids drank from hoses, arena rock ruled, and cutoff jeans were normal attire. The sleepy little town of Mead Creek never expected a summer like the one of 1979.
Deathwatch
Dana Marton - 2013
Murphy Dolan is in the Army Reserves, returning from his 2nd tour of duty, only to find a stranger hiding in his house. She's scared spitless. He's completely burned-out on violence. Neither of them has any trust left to give. If the best of the FBI couldn't protect her from the country’s most notorious assassin, does a burned-out small town cop have a prayer?
A Portrait of Emily Price
Katherine Reay - 2016
But when Emily follows Ben home to Italy, she learns that his family is another matter . . .Emily Price—fix-it girl extraordinaire and would-be artist—dreams of having a gallery show of her own. There is no time for distractions, especially not the ultimate distraction of falling in love.But Chef Benito Vassallo’s relentless pursuit proves hard to resist. Visiting from Italy, Ben works to breathe new life into his aunt and uncle’s faded restaurant, Piccollo. Soon after their first meeting, he works to win Emily as well—inviting her into his world and into his heart.Emily astonishes everyone when she accepts Ben’s proposal and follows him home. But instead of allowing the land, culture, and people of Monterello to transform her, Emily interferes with everyone and everything around her, alienating Ben’s tightly knit family. Only Ben’s father, Lucio, gives Emily the understanding she needs to lay down her guard. Soon, Emily’s life and art begin to blossom, and Italy’s beauty and rhythm take hold of her spirit.Yet when she unearths long-buried family secrets, Emily wonders if she really fits into Ben’s world. Will the joys of Italy become just a memory, or will Emily share in the freedom and grace that her life with Ben has shown her are possible?
Tell me no Secrets
Lynda Stacey - 2017
Not everyone was so lucky … On the surface her fiancé Rob is supportive – but the reality is different. He’s controlling, manipulative and, if the phone call Kate overhears is anything to go by, he has a secret. But just how dangerous is that secret? When Kate begins work at a firm of private investigators, she meets Ben Parker. His strong and silent persona is intriguing but it’s also a cover – because something devastating happened to Ben, something he can’t get over. As Kate and Ben begin their first assignment, they become close. But, what they don’t realise is how close to home the investigation will bring them, or who will be hurt in the process …
The Woman with No Name
Kelly Nelson - 2016
Sworn bachelor Colton Murdock gets more than he bargained for on the elk hunt when he finds an injured woman in Utah’s high country. She must have a history, but she wakes up to towering pines and the clap of a thunderstorm with no recollection of her name or how she came to be there. Colt brings her to the safety of his camp, trying to ignore the first stirrings of his heart since the tragic death of his fiancée six years ago. The young woman can’t help falling for her ruggedly handsome rescuer, who calls her Skye for her blue eyes. But her life goes into a tailspin when she is recognized as Lily Vanasche, fiancée of a popular TV news anchorman, and Colt is arrested for a series of crimes—including her abduction. After the real kidnapper leaves a death threat in Lily’s ransacked house, the clock starts ticking. Can she remember her past before it catches up with her?
The Long Fall
Julia Crouch - 2014
An event to which she is anything but an innocent bystander.She is only eighteen, but this marks her fall from innocence.It will haunt her for the rest of her life.London, nowKate has the perfect existence: a glossy image, a glamorous home, a perfect family.But there are cracks.All is not what it seems.And now the two worlds are about to collide.Somebody's out for revenge.Someone who has been waiting thirty years...
Smoke
Catherine McKenzie - 2015
Now she works as the local arson investigator in a beautiful, quaint town in the Rockies. But that tranquil life vanishes when she and her husband agree to divorce and a fire in nearby Cooper Basin begins to spread rapidly. For Elizabeth, containing a raging wildfire is easier than accepting that her marriage has failed.For Elizabeth’s ex-friend Mindy, who feels disconnected from her husband and teenage children, the fire represents a chance to find a new purpose: helping a man who has lost his home to the blaze. But her faith is shattered by a shocking accusation.As the encroaching inferno threatens the town’s residents, Elizabeth and Mindy must discover what will be lost in the fire, and what will be saved.
Irregardless of Murder
Ellen Edwards Kennedy - 2001
Returning to the classroom, she tries to pretend nothing happened. But when it becomes obvious that the victim's death wasn't an accident and she is now a murder suspect, she realizes that her cozy small-town life in New York's Adirondack region will never be the same. Crazy things begin to happen: The victim's mother disappears. Amelia's friend Lily is thrown overboard from the Lake Champlain ferryboat. A mysterious millionaire from Montreal seems determined to buy Amelia's house. The school nurse is viciously attacked by a student. Amelia's old beau Gil suddenly seems determined to rekindle their romance. Amelia is carjacked, and of course, there's the Lake Champlain Monster . . . It will take all Amelia's wisdom, humor, and faith to figure out what's going on and embrace the new life that lies ahead. If she survives.
Unpretty
Sharon Carter Rogers - 2008
A bomb goes off at the Conklin Art Gallery, killing eight people associated with a unique Michelangelo exhibit being shown there. The only person who may have seen the bomber is Hummingbird Collins, an aspiring artist who works down the street from the gallery. But she soon starts receiving ominous cassette recordings of a rambling madman who reveals his plan to rid the world of "unpretty" things. This madman -- known only as Number 26 -- leads a cult known as the Michelangelus Movement, which has kidnapped and tortured people for use in their bizarre artistic experiments over the past dozen years. When Hummingbird breaks her frightened silence, she enlists the help of Detective Buck Barnes, her brother, and an old family friend, Ready Robinson, a former pro-football player who entered the priesthood after ending his NFL career. But when Hummingbird is abducted by the cult, her friends must discover where she's been taken before she becomes another addition to the leader's horrific replication of Michelangelo's masterpiece -- Last Judgment.