Book picks similar to
On the Bricks by Penni Jones
american
noir
southern-setting
ebook
Shadows of Regret
Ross Greenwood - 2019
Katie committed a terrible crime. Sixteen years was the price she had to pay. Once released from prison, she finds the world has changed. But Katie is a survivor. Isolated and alone, she struggles to make sense of her new life. Starting again isn’t easy, especially after what she’s done. Despite not feeling free or safe, Katie overcomes her fears and confronts the future. Although history won’t remain forgotten. Gradually, memories of the past are revealed. When Katie finally exposes the awful truth and sees there are others who share the blame, she must choose her path. Will she seek redemption, or will she take revenge?
Melting Point
Nicolette Pierce - 2016
A secret that only Morgan Brenner knew. She was diligent to make sure it remained that way. She alone had followed in her father’s footsteps, knowing that if she was ever found out the repercussion would be terrible. But if she didn’t continue, the outcome would be deadly. To protect her grandfather, her sisters, and the family business, she continued, knowing that every day she stepped closer to ruin.Liam Hayes had one mission: Infiltrate Brenner Metal Works and search for incriminating evidence. Because of his background in metal, he was the perfect choice. He thought it would be easy. Getting the grandfather to hire him was a snap. Then he met Morgan Brenner. She blocked him at every corner, making it clear he was not welcome. Quickly pegging her as the prime suspect, he made it his mission to discover her secrets.Liam is determined to find out why Morgan is frequently called to Las Vegas and follows her, putting them both at risk. As events quickly unravel, Morgan finds her only chance of survival is to allow Liam in. But can she trust him? The only way to free themselves from the danger they face is by working together, something neither of them ever wanted.
Generation Loss
Elizabeth Hand - 2007
Her pictures of the musicians and hangers on, the infamous, the damned, and the dead, got her into art galleries and a book deal. But thirty years later she is adrift, on her way down, and almost out. Then an old acquaintance sends her on a mercy gig to interview a famously reclusive photographer who lives on an island in Maine. When she arrives Downeast, Cass stumbles across a decades-old mystery that is still claiming victims, and into one final shot at redemption.
Strangers on a Train
Patricia Highsmith - 1950
Guy Haines and Charles Anthony Bruno are passengers on the same train. Haines is a successful architect in the midst of a divorce, Bruno a mysterious smooth-talker with a sadistic proposal: he’ll murder Haines’s wife if Haines will murder Bruno’s father. As Bruno carries out his twisted plan, Guy finds himself trapped in Highsmith’s perilous world, where, under the right circumstances, ordinary people are capable of extraordinary crimes. The inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1951 film, Strangers on a Train launched Highsmith’s prolific career, proving her a master at depicting the unsettling forces that tremble beneath the surface of everyday life.
The Last Nazi
Anthony O'Brian - 2013
Yet, the ghosts of the past haunt him on his last night on earth in an eerie surrealism. As the old man sleeps in the dilapidated farm house his greatest fear of being found becomes a reality and his only salvation in the end, but it is too late.
Guilty
Laura Elliot - 2017
It ends with a missing child. On a warm summer’s morning, thirteen-year-old school girl Constance Lawson is reported missing. A few days later, Constance’s uncle, Karl Lawson suddenly finds himself swept up in a media frenzy created by journalist Amanda Bowe implying that he is the prime suspect. Six years later … Karl’s life is in ruins. His marriage is over, his family destroyed. But the woman who took everything away from him is thriving. With a successful career, husband and a gorgeous baby boy, Amanda’s world is complete. Until the day she receives a phone call and in a heartbeat, she is plunged into every mother’s worst nightmare.
Death Visits the Hair Salon
Amy Andersen - 2016
When Marion and Ruth open their salon, just as they do every morning, they’re horrified to discover a corpse seated in a styling chair. The police determine that the cause of death is strangulation. The murderer has to be someone from Chippingville, someone who knows Marion and Ruth. In their quest to discover the truth, they receive the unexpected help of their hair salon's clients, and that of the attractive village doctor, Glenn Steel, who has a secret. If you like short mystery stories, get hooked with the first book in the Marion Fox mystery series. Marion is a character that will amaze you with her ingenuity and tenacity.
A Spy Is Born
Emily Kimelman - 2019
The last thing I want is the director of my film—my first big role—dead.Now the cops are here, and even though it's obviously self-defense, I'm done for...my life is over. I'll never work in this town again even if I manage to avoid jail time. I'll be infamous instead of famous.Temperance Johnson is straight out of central casting—a spy master with tiger's eyes and unnatural grace—a real killer.He offers me a solution. He'll sweep all this under the rug and help me reach my goals if I work for him. Well, for the government. There is a long history of spies in Tinseltown; we have the perfect cover, and we're good at lying.
I always wanted to be a star, and I never considered becoming a spy.
Now I'm both.
***If you have trouble reading about violence against women, modern political themes, or sex (not graphic but out of wedlock).. then this series probably isn’t your thing. If you love powerful women, gritty thrillers, and vivid storytelling then download A Spy is Born today!***
Get Shorty
Elmore Leonard - 1990
So when he chases a deadbeat client out to Hollywood, Chili figures he might like to stay. This town, with its dream-makers, glitter, hucksters, and liars—plus gorgeous, partially clad would-be starlets everywhere you look—seems ideal for an enterprising criminal with a taste for the cinematic. Besides, Chili’s got an idea for a killer movie, though it could very possibly kill him to get it made.
Courage Begins: A Ray Courage Mystery Novella
R. Scott Mackey - 2015
Until Tiffanie is killed in a suspicious accident. Neither the police nor the insurance investigators can prove she was murdered and the case turns cold. Two years later the insurance company asks an intern—former college professor turned private eye Ray Courage—to reopen the investigation. He uncovers little new evidence to support suspicions that Garrett killed his wife for the insurance money. Garrett has the perfect alibi—hundreds of witnesses that place him more than two hours from the scene of Tiffanie’s death. Ray knows he’s missing something. But what? As his search for the truth unfolds, Ray’s life is put in jeopardy and he realizes his adversary is someone who’ll kill before he’ll be caught. In this prequel to Courage Matters, Ray Courage begins his private investigation career, displaying the skills, abilities and sense of humor that have made him a fan favorite around the world.
Swept off Her Feet
Hester Browne - 2011
Evie Nicholson is in love . . . with the past. An antiques appraiser in a London shop, Evie spins fanciful attachments to Victorian picture frames, French champagne glasses, satin evening gloves, and tattered teddy bears—regardless of their monetary value. Alice Nicholson is in love . . . with Fraser Graham, a dashing Scotsman whom Evie secretly desires. As crisply neat and stylish as Evie is cheerfully cluttered, Alice is a professional organizer determined to pull her sister out of her comfort zone—and who presents her with an irresistible offer. As a favor to friends of Fraser's family, Evie jumps at the chance to appraise a Scottish castle full of artifacts and heirlooms. What could be more thrilling than roaming the halls of Kettlesheer and uncovering the McAndrews' family treasures—and dusty secrets?But crossing paths with moody heir Robert McAndrew has Evie assessing what she wants the most . . . and at an upcoming candlelight gala, a traditional dance will set her heart reeling.
The Hot Rock
Donald E. Westlake - 1970
Here, the released convict and his ride pal Kelp plot to steal the $500,000 Balaboma Emerald. The former British colony has recently become independent and split. The Akinzi have the stone, the Talabwo want it back, and their UN rep will pay for retrieval.
Laura
Vera Caspary - 1942
No man could resist her charms—not even the hardboiled NYPD detective sent to find out who turned her into a faceless corpse. As this tough cop probes the mystery of Laura's death, he becomes obsessed with her strange power. Soon he realizes he's been seduced by a dead woman—or has he? Laura won lasting renown as an Academy Award-nominated 1944 film, the greatest noir romance of all time. Vera Caspary's equally haunting novel is remarkable for its stylish, hardboiled writing, its electrifying plot twists, and its darkly complex characters—including a woman who stands as the ultimate femme fatale.
The Dime
Kathleen Kent - 2017
Good thing for Betty Rhyzyk she's from a family of take-no-prisoners Brooklyn police detectives. But her Big Apple wisdom will only get her so far when she relocates to The Big D, where Mexican drug cartels and cult leaders, deadbeat skells and society wives all battle for sunbaked turf.Betty is as tough as the best of them, but she's deeply shaken when her first investigation goes sideways. Battling a group of unruly subordinates, a persistent stalker, a formidable criminal organization, and an unsupportive girlfriend, the unbreakable Detective Betty Rhyzyk may be reaching her limit.