Book picks similar to
By Any Means by Kurt Ellis


south-africa
contemporary-fiction
crime
drama

A Criminal Love: Lovin' A Street King


K.C. Mills - 2015
    After finally deciding that she had enough of her on again off again relationship with Ant, she meets Diego Kingston known as King in the streets and her whole world changes. Free quickly falls for Diego but soon learns she has to accept both sides of him and King proves to be more that she can handle. The women in his past and his life in the streets makes her question what she’s gotten herself into. Free has been sheltered all of her life and as the daughter of District Attorney Wesley Evans her whole life has been country clubs and private schools but from the second she lays eyes on Diego she knows that her whole life is about to change. Secrets come out about her mother’s death that challenge her relationship with her father leaving the only person that she can depend on to be Diego. Can Free adjust to his lifestyle and fit into his world and will she be able to accept that fact that there are things about King that she has a hard time dealing with? King, Royal and Shine pretty much own the state of North Carolina so he has his hands full running his street empire but Free walks into his life it changes his world. He tries his best to be what she needs but the streets control his life and he knows that will never change. With his father in prison and his mother incapable, King is trying to balance running an empire, raising his sister and loving Free. Will it prove to be more than he can handle especially after running into Free’s father and realizing that he knows secrets about Frees past that will change her life forever? Free is changing King in a way that he’s not used to. Her love makes him weak which means that she is a liability and causing him to make mistakes that could cost him more than he’s willing to lose. Trying to stay true to the streets and being in love with Free are putting him in constant conflict so will he figure out how to handle them both or will he have to let one go. King and Royal have been down since birth and when enemies began to appear out of nowhere to settle a score passed down from their fathers who will be left standing.

Stitched: A gruesome tale of control, fear and brutality


Cheryl Elaine - 2019
    To the outside world, Andrew Brooke is a cop who’s obsessively committed to his job. But behind closed doors, he enforces his dominance and disciplines his wife, Emily, in the most inhumane ways. When his life begins to fall apart and his reputation becomes tarnished, he unleashes his anger and seeks revenge on those who dare to encounter him. Emily Brooke is left broken by her husband’s hand, with no means of escape. Eventually, though weak and confused, she manages to flee. But is the life she escapes to a better one? Detective Donavan has his own demons to battle following his wife’s death. Assigned a missing person’s case that leads to a series of brutal attacks, he follows the trail of a serial killer dubbed ‘The Stitcher’ - but will his own dark secrets get in the way of justice being served? Stitched perfectly demonstrates how cruel life – and people – can be.

Scatterling of Africa: My Early Years


Johnny Clegg - 2021
    Suspended for a few seconds, they float in their own space and time with their own hidden prospects. For want of a better term, we call these moments “magical” and when we remember them they are cloaked in a halo of special meaning.’For 14-year-old Johnny Clegg, hearing Zulu street music as plucked on the strings of a guitar by Charlie Mzila one evening outside a corner café in Bellevue, Johannesburg, was one such ‘magical’ moment. The success story of Juluka and later Savuka, and the cross-cultural celebration of music, language, story, dance and song that stirred the hearts of millions across the world, is well documented. Their music was the soundtrack to many South Africans’ lives during the turbulent 70s and 80s as the country moved from legislated oppression to democratic freedom. It crossed borders, boundaries and generations, resonating around the world and back again. Less known is the story of how it all began and developed. Scatterling of Africa is that origin story, as Johnny Clegg wrote it and wanted it told. It is the story of how the son of an unconventional mother, grandson of Jewish immigrants, came to realise that identity can be a choice, and home is a place you leave and return to as surely as the seasons change.

Time Will Tell


Eva Jordan - 2019
    Writer, Lizzie Lemalf, and her loving but somewhat dysfunctional family are still grieving over the loss of a much-loved family member. Lizzie is doing her best to keep her family together but why does the recent death of a well-known celebrity have them all in a spin? The police suspect foul play; Lizzie and other family members suspect one another. Lizzie begins searching for answers only to find herself being dragged back to the past, to 1960's London to be exact, and to the former life of her father, that up until now she has never been privy to. Every family has its secrets but how can the past hold the key to a present day celebrity death? They say the past comes back to haunt you. Surely the truth will out? Maybe, but only time will tell...

Love Unexpected


Ritu Kakar - 2020
    

A Hitta Has Feelings Too: Dallas and Chloe's Hood Love Story


M. Monique - 2020
    Settling down is nowhere on her radar. When she gets in a sticky situation, she seeks out the help of the last person she wanted to deal with or even lay eyes on.Dallas McQueen is a man any woman would love to have show them any attention; except the headstrong Chloe. A man that has known nothing but war his whole life has a soft spot for the petite beauty and will stop at nothing until he gets her.Chloe knew the blue-eyed Hitta was the man she wanted to be with but she didn’t know if she was prepared for the lifestyle he lived. Already having a family of Hitta’s, she wanted something different and thought it would be easy getting away from him.Dallas had to come harder than ever to prove to Chloe that Hitta’s have feelings too and the way he feels for her is like no other. Will Chloe give in and allow Dallas to finesse her heart? Or will she continue to run from what her heart really wants.

Watched: When Road Rage Follows You Home


Kerry Wilkinson - 2013
    He’s won awards for his work with children, his brother is a chief inspector and he runs the neighbourhood watch scheme.But Esther Pooley sees him differently.After a road rage incident, she’s convinced he’s the person terrorising her and husband, Charlie, at their suburban dream home.As the stakes begin to rise, they must decide if bricks and mortar are worth more than their relationship, with Charlie stuck on the toughest of all dilemmas. How far will he go to protect his wife?This is the latest novel from Kerry Wilkinson, Kindle No.1 bestselling author of the Jessica Daniel series."Wilkinson’s story spreads like a pool of blood...his talent becomes ever more obvious."- Daily Mail on Think of the Children"Locked In has changed my mind. Expecting little, I was pleasantly surprised."- The Guardian on Locked In"Plotting, high drama and characterisation are becoming the hallmarks of the his thrillers"- Lancashire Evening Post on Playing With Fire

DELIVERANCE (The Territories Trilogy, #1)


COLE JACKSON - 2015
    However, that’s when the proverbial shit hits the fan. Hunted by an armed and dangerous people trafficking ring, it will take all of Marshall’s training and more to get out alive.Packed with fast-paced action, you will love this gripping suspense thriller!

The Colour of Death


Toni Mount - 2018
    They find a safe haven in the isolated Norfolk village where Seb was born. Yet this idyllic rural setting has its own murderous secrets and a terrible crime requires our hero to play the sleuth once more.Even away from London, Seb and Emily are not as safe as they believe - their enemies are closer than they know and danger lurks at every twist and turn. The sixth Sebastian Foxley medieval murder mystery from bestselling author Toni Mount brings the medieval era to life once again.

Forgotten


Heleyne Hammersley - 2016
    The doctor names her Kai, the Thai word for fever.Unable to recall what led her to end up at the bottom of a cliff, Kai’s only clue to her identity is a diary. Stuck in a foreign land with no memory, she begins to unpick the truth about her past. And she will discover who she and why she is in danger…This is Kai’s story.

Inshallah


Alys Einion - 2014
    Her new life is strange and confusing and sometimes frightening. Amanda can barely understand Arabic and the treatment of the women of the family seems wrong to a girl raised in Wales. To add to her problems, Mohammed proves to be verbally and physically abusive - especially once they have their own flat away from the protection of the wider family. Somehow Amanda must escape, but not without her children.

The Stakes


Ben Sanders - 2018
    The latest from Ben Sanders, following his novels American Blood and Marshall’s Law.Rip-offs are a dangerous game, but heist man Miles Keller thinks he’s found a good strategy: rob rich New York criminals and then retire early, before word’s out about his true identity. New town, new name, no worries. Retirement can’t come soon enough, though. The NYPD is investigating him for the shooting of a hitman named Jack Deen, who was targeting Lucy Gates—a former police informant and Miles’s ex-lover. Miles thinks shooting hitmen counts as altruism, but in any case a murder charge would make life difficult. He’s ready to go to ground, but then Nina Stone reappears in his life. Nina is a fellow heist professional and the estranged wife of LA crime boss Charles Stone. Miles last saw her five years ago, and since then her life has grown more complicated: her husband wants her back, and he’s dispatched his go-to gun thug to play repo man. Complicating matters is the fact that the gun thug in question is Bobby Deen, cousin of the dead Jack Deen—and Bobby wants vengeance. The stakes couldn’t be higher, but Nina has an offer that could be lucrative. Maybe Miles can stick around a while longer…

The Two Crosses


Ernie Lindsey - 2010
    David Kreutzer just wants his wife's vision to stop failing before she goes blind. And then one day, their lives are changed forever when they suddenly find out that they have the ability to heal the sick with a single touch. With gifts so amazing, why does the mysterious stranger lurking in the shadows want to destroy them both, by whatever means necessary?

The Garden of Burning Sand


Corban Addison - 2013
    Zoe’s organization is called in to help when an adolescent girl is brutally assaulted. The girl’s identity is a mystery. Where did she come from? Was the attack a random street crime or a premeditated act?A betrayal in her past gives the girl’s plight a special resonance for Zoe, and she is determined to find the perpetrator. She slowly forms a working relationship, and then a surprising friendship, with Joseph Kabuta, a Zambian police officer. Their search takes them from Lusaka’s roughest neighbourhoods to the wild waters of Victoria Falls, from the AIDS-stricken streets of Johannesburg to the matchless splendour of Cape Town.As the investigation builds to a climax, threatening to send shockwaves through Zambian society, Zoe is forced to radically reshape her assumptions about love, loyalty, family and, especially, the meaning of justice.

The Fall


Evie Hunter - 2021
    Now, with her life in tatters, she is determined to bring those who framed her to justice.Out for revenge…Journalist Nate Black is intrigued by Lauren’s story. Is she the innocent victim she claims to be or is there more to her past? Eager to learn more he offers to help Lauren clear her name and bring the real villains to justice.And running out of time.But with millions of pounds still missing, Lauren remains the prime suspect…and the main target in an increasingly deadly game. And as Lauren’s plan with Nate reaches its shocking climax, no one knows who will ultimately take the fall…A nail-biting revenge thriller, perfect for fans of Gemma Rogers, Heather Atkinson and Caro Savage.'A brilliant read that hooked me from the outset. The Fall is a tale of sweet revenge that I couldn’t tear myself away from!' Bestselling author Gemma Rogers.