Book picks similar to
Don't Be Afraid by Rebecca Drake


suspense
rebecca-drake
mystery
thriller

Stranded


Emily Barr - 2012
    When she and a group of fellow tourists, each with their own secrets, find themselves stranded on a remote island during a boat trip, sinister things start to happen. Esther soon realises someone doesn't want her to return from her travels - but who?

The Bad Mother


Isabelle Grey - 2013
    During a surprise visit from Australia, a long-lost aunt lets slip a family secret that unsettles her fragile world.In shock, and feeling betrayed by her whole family, Tessa confides in her ex-husband just as he reveals he has a new woman in his life.Struck unexpectedly by jealousy; balancing her own turmoil against the demands of parenting, Tessa tries to trace her birth father, with devastating results. Yet she fails to see how this is a crucial moment in her children's lives. If she gets things wrong, the consequences could be fatal.This ebook edition contains extra book club discussion questions penned by the author.

Die Before I Wake


Laurie Breton - 2008
    Thomas Larkin exchange vows on a moonlit Caribbean beach, the whirlwind conclusion to a romance that's swept her off her feet. Tom is sexy, witty and charming and Julie's sure she's found her Prince Charming.But not every fairy tale ends happily ever after.With a workaholic husband, a hostile mother-in-law and a resentful stepdaughter, the honeymoon doesn't last long. Especially after Julie finds out that Tom's first wife didn't die in an accident after all. The cops called her death a suicide, but Julie is convinced that somebody helped Beth over the side of the Swift River Bridge.Every marriage has its secrets. Julie is starting to wonder if she'll survive discovering the truth about hers…or die before she wakes.

Hurricane Bay


Heather Graham - 2002
    Dane knows Sheila's dead.The private investigator found a photo under his door - a picture of Sheila, strangled with his tie and posed on the beach of his private island in the Florida keys. The crime appears to be the handiwork of a serial killer currently terrorizing the Miami area. Now Dane knows he is being set up to take the fall for the killings. He just doesn't know why.When Kelsey Cunningham's best friend goes missing, she confronts the one person she thinks will have information - Dane, Sheila's former lover and a man from Kelsey's own past. Kelsey follows Sheila's tracks into a dangerous world of sex, violence and drugs, with Dane right behind her. But the tentative trust between them shatters when Sheila's body is discovered - and Kelsey recognizes Dane's tie.Now Kelsey doesn't dare trust anyone. Especially a man she can no longer deny she has always loved. Because here on Hurricane Bay, a devastating storm can hit without warning, and whether it's a tempest of unbridled passion or the desperate fury of a killer, nothing - and no one - is safe.

The Wall (Alex Demarchelier #1)


I.C. Cosmos - 2019
     Alex bolted upright in her bed, startled. She held her breath and listened intently. Nothing moved. She slowly leaned on her pillow and lingered in the sweet realization that the nightmare wasn’t real. She was OK. Then reality hit. She wasn’t OK. Her life was falling apart. Fast. Looking in from the outside, she was still living her dream. She had a loving husband, wonderful home, thriving business, recognition, prestige. Seemingly she had it all. But she didn’t… Nothing prepared her for this. Nothing. No warning, no signs telling her ‘run away as fast as you can and never look back.’ Nothing she could see. Because she never tangoed with evil before. As it races to its final surprising twist, this gripping thriller takes readers on a page-turning journey filled with love, betrayal, and revenge.

Bad Girl


Michele Jaffe - 2003
    . . .For Chicago Thomas, aka Windy, it was an offer too good to refuse: the chance to head the forensics lab at the Las Vegas Police Department. With her six-year-old daughter in tow, Windy moves to Sin City hoping to start over with a loving fiancé—far from the sad memories of a first marriage that ended in tragedy. But the job of her dreams is about to take a nightmarish turn.She wanted to be a good girl. . . .Though the first murders appear to be random, they are savage in their intensity: an entire family, butchered in their own home. Only a few days later, another family meets the same grisly fate. To Ash Leighton, the enigmatic chief of the Metro Violent Crime Unit, the signs are clear: a serial killer is stalking Las Vegas.But she just couldn’t help herself. . . .In a breathless race against time, the lines between good and bad, right and wrong, begin to blur, and Windy and Ash find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other. In a town where nothing is what it seems, only the evidence doesn't lie. And Windy may have to pay for the truth with her life. Sometimes being good is dangerous.

The Rule of Fear


Luke Delaney - 2016
    Perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Peter James and Stuart MacBride.Sergeant Jack King is back on active duty after months off following a violent encounter. On the Met’s promotional fast-track scheme, King is headed straight for the top, but policing the streets is where his heart truly lies.Tasked with cleaning up the notorious Grove Wood estate, King is determined to rise to the challenge. But it’s not just drug dealers and petty thugs his team have to worry about. Someone on the estate is preying on children, and they need to find the culprit, fast.Soon King finds himself over his head: the local residents won’t play ball, his superiors want results yesterday, and he’s refusing to admit that he’s suffering from PTSD. As the pressures combine, the line between right and wrong starts to blur and King finds himself in a downward spiral. Only he can save himself – but is it already too late?

Nick of Time


John Gilstrap - 2016
    . .  SHE’S RUNNING OUT OF TIME Nicki Janssen’s days are numbered, but she refuses to accept her fate lying down. Defying her father and doctors, she hits the road with a pocketful of cash, a bus ticket—and a romantic fantasy of riding off with her childhood crush . . .  HE’S RUNNING FROM THE LAW Handsome, dangerous Brad Ward is facing a different kind of sentence. Sent to prison for felony murder, he has escaped and rekindled his relationship with Nicki. But when Nicki’s father joins forces with a deputy sheriff, the search for the runaways ignites a manhunt—a blistering chase that accelerates with every stolen car, every act of violence . . .  “When you pick up a Gilstrap novel, you are going to be entertained at a high rate of speed.”—Suspense Magazine  “Gilstrap will leave you breathless.” —Harlan Coban“One of the finest thriller writers on the planet.”—Tess Gerritsen

Every Move You Make


Carla Cassidy - 2008
    Inside, along with one of her company's hand-crafted dolls, is a note: I don't need this anymore. I have my own. Annalise puts the package aside-she has enough on her mind. Since her mother died, Annalise has been working nonstop to keep Blakely Dolls a success. Her deadbeat dad wants to be back in the picture. And she's dating again. But the policeman she's seeing has chilling news: someone is murdering women, dressing them up as Blakely Dolls, and leaving them for the police to find. And, although no one knows it yet, the killer is stalking Annalise, the model for the original doll, for his final display...

The Last Justice


Anthony Franze - 2012
    Supreme Court when an assassin guns down six justices as they are hearing a case. Solicitor General Jefferson McKenna, the government's top lawyer in the Supreme Court, is appointed to the multiagency commission investigating the murders. As Congress draws battle lines over who will replace the slain justices, the commission follows clue after clue, each one pointing to an unlikely suspect in the conspiracy: McKenna himself.From its explosive first page to its haunting conclusion, The Last Justice explores the politics of law, the bounds of friendship and love, and the frightening price of unbridled ambition.

Ghostman


Roger Hobbs - 2013
    It’s what I do. This time I'm tidying up the loose ends after a casino heist gone bad. The loose ends being a million cash. But I only have 48 hours, and there’s a guy out there who wants my head in a bag.He'll have to find me first. They don’t call me the Ghostman for nothing...

The Fix-it Man


Donald Wells - 2010
    But when he's forced by the actions of a madman to make an unthinkable choice, he soon finds that the one thing he can't mend, is his own broken heart.Sixteen year old Johnny has a dream. He wants to build an engine that can get a hundred miles to the gallon. While working in his grandfather's fix-it shop, he meets Felicia Delgado, and the young girl steals his heart.Meanwhile, there's a killer hunting down young women and getting away with murder.Years later, when circumstances conspire to tear Johnny and Felicia apart, John is rescued from heartache by a new love.With his dream in sight and his new love at his side, John is ready to put the past behind him and marry.However, the killer now has him in his sights and seeks revenge against John for exposing him to the police.When the killer strikes, his attack leaves John unscathed, but places both his new love and Felicia square in the ravenous maw of imminent death.With a daring, near suicidal act, John may be able to save one of the women he loves, but which one?Will he sacrifice Felicia, or choose to save the woman who brought him back from despair, a woman who loves him more than life.It's an unthinkable choice and its resolution will shape John's life forever. THE FIX-IT MAN - A story of true love and revenge ********************************************************************************************"The Fix-It Man is a love story for the ages.""I read Double or Nothing and loved it, but this one, oh man, I can't stop thinking about it."-"This is the first book from Donald Wells that I've read, but it won't be my last."-"That horrible choice that Johnny had to make made me cry, and the ending, it was just so perfect. I loved this book!"-"The Fix-It Man rocks, read it." -From YEAR ZERO PUBLISHING-By Donald Wells, the author of THE MANY AND THE ONE & DOUBLE OR NOTHING******************************************************************************************** DOUBLE OR NOTHING David Manning suddenly realizes that he's being watched. The woman, not much more than a girl really, appears to be homeless.David tries to ignore her but the girl soon follows him wherever he goes and so David decides to confront her. What happens next will send his life spiraling out of control in ways that he could never have imagined and, that in the end, will either unite him with his soul mate, or send him to an untimely and violent death.THE REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGATHE MANY AND THE ONE is Book One of THE REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGA SERIES-When Lindsay Parker catches her boyfriend Derek Stern cheating, she wants only one thing--Revenge! Knowing of Derek's hatred for Jason Reynolds, she begins dating Jason simply as a way to hurt Derek. However, something happens that Lindsay didn't count on. She falls in love. Derek schemes to get Lindsay back into his life, however, his obsession goes too far and leads to a violent and life-altering confrontation with Jason.

The Next to Die


Kevin O'Brien - 2001
    The brainy golden girl. The happily-wed bi-coastal couple. Someone is watching...Someone who has uncovered their darkest secrets. Someone who is hell-bent on making them pay for their sins...No one suspects the truth...Now there is no escaping the shadowy jury that watches their every move. It infiltrates every part of their lives. Stalking. Judging. Condemning. Punishment will be swift...severe...final...death.

Character Witness


Rebecca Forster - 1997
    When a flamboyant new client offers Kathleen a chance to save her career, the young lawyer jumps at it. But the trail of lies and political corruption leave Kathleen trying to figure out not only how to solve the case but save her life.

Third Child


Kate Mitchell - 2019
    Cecelia, a journalist with a history of mental illness is approached by Angelina a nurse working in a fertility clinic. She relates a story of unethical practices going on at the clinic involving abortion. The next day Angelina stumbles under a bus, or did she? Suspicious Cecelia decides to investigate the clinic where she discovers for herself what is actually going on. Every move brings her into ever-increasing danger, but she’s got to continue to get her story so she can bring it to the attention of the world. Will she succeed in her struggle, will she survive the danger of this world of illegal abortions and the cruelty of these people with power and money? A story of fear, control, and death, with twists and turns throughout with a final sting in the tale…