Book picks similar to
Night Shadows by Ron Ely


mystery
suspense
crime-fiction
fiction

The Labyrinth: A Joey Mancuso, Father O'Brian Crime Mystery Book 8


Owen Parr - 2021
    Just to be sure (or else to portray himself as a properly mourning husband), he hires P.I.s Joey Mancuso and Father Dom to solve the murder. Only they can’t help noticing he’s pushing them to come to the gang conclusion as well. Hey, is something fishy here?Joey Mancuso, his priest half-brother--Father Dom--and their crack team have got their work cut out for them. A year ago, a Brooklyn politician’s wife was brutally murdered, seemingly in a terrible burglary gone wrong. But no one really knows: the case remains unsolved. The mourning politician hires Mancuso to solve the cold case--right before announcing his plan to run for mayor of New York City. Oh, and in that same speech, the politician blames his wife’s death on gang violence. And the politician tries to convince Mancuso to come to the same conclusion.Well….none of the gangs in Brooklyn seem to have it out for the politician’s family. Plus, the politician may have a straying eye--there are rumors of the affair. It's a labyrinthine puzzle, the kind Joey (forever inspired by his hero, Holmes) delights in. Mancuso and Co. take to their office--which doubles as a bustling, Lower Manhattan cigar bar--and delve into Joey’s strangest mystery yet.Joey Mancuso’s latest adventure is a gritty tour of a side of Brooklyn that’s rarely seen anymore; any fan of The Wire will find a lot to love in the gripping gang politics. Plus, author Parr weaves in the ritzy drama of upper class New Yorkers, all of whom have sordid secrets...Anyone who loves Matt Scudder or Father Brown will adore Joey and Father Dom. Fans of both New York PI novels and police procedurals like Nelson DeMille’s John Corey, and those by Raymond Chandler, Joseph Wambaugh, Lawrence Block, and Rex Stout will love this motley detective team. As will devotees of clerical mysteries and the greatest detective of all time, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

Who Goes There?


Susan Evans McCloud - 1995
    But as she and her daughter, Penelope, eagerly pursue their genealogical interests, they are also being pursued - by Callum MacGregor, an English police inspector who thinks he is cornering two art thieves, and by a pair of mysterious characters with more sinister motives. Who are the real thieves? Is anyone who she seems? Set among the ancient ruins, bustling city streets, and wild beauty of 1920s Scotland, Who Goes There? is full of intrigue and surprises. Best-selling author Susan Evans McCloud delivers again in a thriller that will keep readers entranced until the final page.

Act Of Contrition


Dominic Milne - 2015
    Eddie is a reckless and dissolute operator, under investigation by the force and in debt to local mob chief, Vincent Mullis. When a killer starts targeting prostitutes in north London, Mullis is unusually keen for Eddie to solve the crime, but why? A serial killer is targeting prostitutes in Islington, the victims having a number of unusual links. The killings begin the same week that convicted killer and local man, Paddy Graham, is released from prison following a life sentence for murder. DS Eddie Kane has inadvertently found himself under the thumb of Vincent Mullis, who has taken ownership of a debt Eddie has built up with terminally-ill bookmaker, Arnie Duggan. Eddie’s troubles begin to spiral out of control when he is placed under investigation following a drugs-bust gone wrong. While suspended, he is forced to investigate the murders for Mullis, who wants to get to the murderer before the police. He then reluctantly hears a murder confession from his former bookmaker... In this heart-stopping, gripping crime drama, Eddie’s investigations lead him into a murky world of pornography, murder and revenge, all of which seems to centre around a local church and the charismatic vicar, Jonathan Carter. Eddie is feeling the pressure from all sides, but will there be any chance of salvation?

Light on Fire Island


Marlene Bateman - 2009
    Before her mother's tragic death she'd promised to care for her young brother, Joshua, and teach him the gospel. But her father, Matthew, a lighthouse keeper devastated by the loss of his wife, banished Celena for refusing to renounce her Mormon faith. Five years later, when Matthew suffers serious injuries and Joshua pleads for Celena's help, she returns to her childhood home with a painful tangle of emotions. Can she love and forgive the headstrong, embittered father who cast her out? Celena's arrival catches the eyes of two approving gentlemen, as well as the suspicion of islanders who want control of the vacant lighthouse. Joshua convinces Celena to step forward as the new lighthouse keeper. When acts of vandalism begin to escalate, it's clear that someone on the island wants her gone#151;but who? More complexities arise as Celena makes a shocking discovery that turns her past inside out. Then the web of intrigue on the island turns deadly, with Celena at its very center. Against a backdrop of ocean waves and rich sunsets, this novel of suspense, romance, and reconciliation explores hidden motives and surprising secrets, the power of promises kept, and the hope of light found in unexpected places. Against a backdrop of ocean waves and rich sunsets, this novel of suspense, romance, and reconciliation explores hidden motives and surprising secrets, the power of promises kept, and the hope of light found in unexpected places. 6" X 9", 320 pages ISBN 978-1-59811-552-9

Powder Island: the Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mysteries, Book 26


Charles Veley - 2021
    A wounded ally. And the rise of a new and powerful enemy . . . When an unforeseen blast destroys part of England’s largest gunpowder factory, Inspector Gregson, a former ally of Sherlock Holmes, is put on the case. Holmes waits for a call to help Gregson investigate, but the call never comes. Soon Gregson will be demoted to a lowly beat patrolman, walking the streets of Whitechapel. Nine months later, the factory owner comes to Holmes for help. He has rebuilt the demolished structure and needs to resume operations. But he's received an anonymous note threatening another explosion.All known suspects have iron-clad alibis, and there are no other leads. If the culprit is not caught, the factory may never reopen, and the livelihoods of four hundred workers and their families will vanish permanently.Then Gregson is brutally stabbed in a Whitechapel alley. More mysterious circumstances unfold. Holmes realizes the Baker Street team is up against a powerful and complex enemy who will stop at nothing to avoid being caught. Can the team unmask the malefactor before more damage is done? Or will all their efforts go up in smoke?A thrilling and fast-paced take on a classic Sherlock who-done-it, complete with unexpected twists and turns, clever sleuthing, and diabolical villainy. Powder Island stays faithful to the spirit of the beloved original series, while adding fresh new mysteries and dynamic new characters. Get it today!

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...

Hawaiian Rumble


Matt Lincoln - 2020
    But, when a couple asks him about an intricately carved table in his store, it brings back memories of a case that almost tore apart the islands in a gang war.

Desert Heat (Victor Loshak #4)


L.T. Vargus - 2022
    A human body draped over the limbs of a cactus. Sand scouring the naked flesh every time the wind blows.A shocking death launches Special Agent Victor Loshak on a new investigation with an ominous message: They know everything. He heads to Tucson, Arizona, where a recent murder spree seems to be linked to the human trafficking conspiracy he's been working in secret for months.Loshak still has dreams about the Kansas City case. Nightmares about the team of techs peeling up the floorboards in a suburban home. Finding the rotting bodies face down in the muddy earth of the crawlspace. A grisly discovery that ultimately led to more questions than answers.Now he may be closer than ever to solving the puzzle.If you follow the conspiracy rabbit hole all the way down, you eventually reach the bottom.The task force working the desert murders seems oblivious to the conspiracy link, and Loshak must tread lightly. He doesn't know who to trust, what information to share.The tendrils of the human trafficking ring lead in all directions outward from that Kansas City crawlspace. Their influence reaches the highest levels of government and law enforcement. They have eyes and ears everywhere.Even with the complications, the Tucson case slowly unravels the web of connections behind the crimes, both the murders and the conspiracy.Questions get answered. Names and faces are laid bare. Puzzle pieces snapping into place at long last.But the revelations bring about the gravest danger yet.

A Brutal Hand: There's No Escape (SHORTZ)


Ravi Subramanian - 2020
    

The McNally Files


Lawrence Sanders - 1995
    His latest investigation intot he low crimes of high society exposes a secret of his own that he thought was dead and buried... McNally's Luck Playboy/lover/sleuth Archy McNally is back--and the secrets of the filthy rich have never been filthier...What begins with a kidnapped cat leads to ransom and homicide. And if a sensuous psychic makes a believer out of McNally, he'll learn that humans don't have nine lives...but scandals do. McNally's Risk Archy McNally finds himself seduced by the mysterious woman he's been hired to investigate. Her name is Theodosia Johnson. Her past is as provocative as her butterfly tattoo. Her future is as questionable as her smile. But what's really risky is her shocking flirtation with McNally, and with murder...

The Granddaughters


Margaret Belle - 2021
    

The Hogarth Way - Two Gripping Crime Mysteries - DI Hogarth Double Bill Set 2: DI Hogarth's The Poison Path and The Deadly Kiss (The DI Hogarth Mysteries Collection)


Solomon Carter - 2021
    DETECTIVES HOGARTH AND PALMER ARE CALLED TO THE SCENE.The body belongs to deadbeat actor, Gareth Manning. Initial clues suggest accidental death… but Manning had plenty of reasons to live… and Hogarth soon discovers that the body under the pier isn’t the only mystery in town.No one knows why Gareth Manning died but everyone in the film crew has a theory. Manning was a drinker, a wastrel with a history of falling apart. But Manning had ambition too. DI Hogarth, DS Palmer and DC Simmons must work through the clues and layers of lies… but the deeper they delve, the murkier the mystery gets.A sinister plot is in the offing… Will DI Hogarth be lured into the trap?BOOK 2: THE DEADLY KISSDI Hogarth is on the hunt. But the DI is not the only one looking for prey…DETECTIVE JOE HOGARTH IS ON THE HUNT FOR A KILLER WHO STOLE THE LIFE OF A YOUNG CHRISTIAN GIRL. IT’S TWO WEEKS SINCE THE YOUNG WOMAN'S BODY WAS LEFT ABANDONED IN A BEACH HUT. EVIDENCE IS SLIM, LEADS ARE EXHAUSTED AND DI HOGARTH IS FEELING THE STRAIN... BUT THE MURDER OF YOUNG HELEN BRIMELOW ISN’T THE ONLY CRIME TROUBLING HOGARTH. A WELL-CONNECTED MAN CALLED SIMON DRAWTON HAS GOTTEN AWAY WITH FAR MORE THAN HE SHOULD.COULD IT BE THAT DRAWTON HAS STRUCK AGAIN?HOGARTH SUSPECTS SO. AND HOGARTH IS DETERMINED THAT HE WON'T GET WAY WITH IT.

The Body Man


Eric P. Bishop - 2021
    And he's vanished without a trace.In a town that's obsessed with dark secrets, where the currency of power is information, The White House has kept a huge one for decades. Charged with the task of protecting and defending the Office of the Presidency from threats both outside and in, the keeper of secrets-the Body Man-has been in the shadows since the 1960s.The Body Man has been a unique protector of American presidents ever since a previous well-known president used the first Body Man to usher women, diplomats, and other heads of state into the White House via a secret tunnel. The Body Man is drawn from the Secret Service, but he isn't on the classic protective detail, and he reports to no one. Once his term is over, he's given a huge payout and a one-way ticket to anywhere on Earth.With a CIA conspiracy buff named Zed and The Body Man's aged neighbor Rose, former US Army Ranger and FBI Special Agent Eli Payne and his new probationary agent Kat Stone must find the Body Man before it's too late-and the trail may lead directly to the Oval Office itself.

Saving Grace: A Victorian Mystery


Hannah Howe - 2018
    During and after dinner he had nothing to excite him save the receipt of a letter which somewhat annoyed him, and that his wife consumed rather more wine than he considered to be good for her health. Immediately after retiring to his room he was seized with symptoms of irritant poisoning, and despite every effort made on his behalf, he succumbed to its effects. An inquest was held, which vexed the minds of the Coroner’s jury to a degree without precedent in Coroners’ Inquest Law, and an open verdict was returned. However, the matter will not rest there, for after questions in Parliament, a second inquest has been called under suspicion that Mr Charles Petrie was murdered. * * * Who poisoned Charles Petrie? Dr James Collymore, a man familiar with poisons, a man harbouring a dark secret that, if exposed, would ruin his career; Florrie, the maid who supplied Charles with his bedtime drink; Bert Kemp, a disgruntled groom, who used poisons in his work, who four months previously had predicted Charles’ dying day; Mrs Jennet Quinn, a lady’s companion with a deep knowledge of poisons, and a deep fear of dismissal; or Grace Petrie, Charles’ wife of four months, a woman with a scandalous past, a woman shunned by polite society. With crowds flocking to the courtroom and the shadow of suspicion falling upon Grace in the shape of the hangman’s noose, could dashing young advocate, Daniel Morgan, save her?

Code Blue (The Connection Trilogy)


Anita Waller - 2021
    . .Five years ago, John and Caroline Coates were happily expecting the birth of twin girls, until an intruder ended their hopes and dreams.Now, John has come to the Connection Agency, asking for their help in tracking down the man who caused them such grief.Back then, Tessa's involvement was cut short when the cold case department quickly took over. This is the chance for her and Luke to follow the facts and finally lay this case to rest. With the rest of the Connection team busy with other jobs, Tessa and Luke, alongside DI Eileen Haughton, an old colleague of Tessa's from her police days, steadily follow the clues to an ending they could never have imagined--revealing a truth that could either bring the Coateses the peace they crave or take them to further depths of despair . . .