Book picks similar to
Parting Shot by Jonathan Stone
mystery
suspense
ebook
thriller
Trust Me, I'm Lying
Mary Elizabeth Summer - 2014
A lot of them. She’s a con artist, a master of disguise, and a sophomore at Chicago’s swanky St. Agatha High, where her father, an old-school grifter with a weakness for the ponies, sends her to so she can learn to mingle with the upper crust. For extra spending money Julep doesn’t rely on her dad—she runs petty scams for her classmates while dodging the dean of students and maintaining an A+ (okay, A-) average.But when she comes home one day to a ransacked apartment and her father gone, Julep’s carefully laid plans for an expenses-paid golden ticket to Yale start to unravel. Even with help from St. Agatha’s resident Prince Charming, Tyler Richland, and her loyal hacker sidekick, Sam, Julep struggles to trace her dad’s trail of clues through a maze of creepy stalkers, hit attempts, family secrets, and worse, the threat of foster care. With everything she has at stake, Julep’s in way over her head . . . but that’s not going to stop her from using every trick in the book to find her dad before his mark finds her. Because that would be criminal.Fans of Ally Carter, especially her Heist Society readers, will love this teen mystery/thriller with sarcastic wit, a hint of romance, and Ocean’s Eleven–inspired action.
The Good Liar
Nicholas Searle - 2016
This is a man who has lied all his life.Roy is a conman living in a small English town, about to pull off his final con. He is going to meet and woo a beautiful woman and slip away with her life savings. But who is the man behind the con? What has he had to do to survive a life of lies? And who has had to pay the price?When Roy meets a wealthy widow online, he can hardly believe his luck. Just like Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley, Roy is a man who lives to deceive—and everything about Betty suggests she’s an easy mark. He’s confident that his scheme to swindle her will be a success. After all, he’s done this before.Sure enough, Betty soon lets Roy move into her beautiful home, seemingly blind to the web of lies he’s woven around her. But who is Roy, really? Spanning almost a century, this stunning and suspenseful feat of storytelling interweaves the present with the past. As the clock turns back and the years fall away, long-hidden secrets are forced into the light. Some things can never be forgotten. Or forgiven.
The Sea Breeze Cottage:
Amy Rafferty - 2020
Along the way, Jennifer and her family will discover the true meaning of trust and friendship as they learn to open their hearts to love.The Sea Breeze Cottage. A La Jolla Cove Series is a heartwarming, edgy, and all-around entertaining read filled with romance, excitement, intrigue, butterflies, and adventure.This must-read book rekindles hope after a tragic loss, trust after bitter heartache, shows that life lessons are learned throughout your life and that finding your soulmate has no time or age limit.An ageless inspiring adventure romance that can be enjoyed by everyone.La Jolla, a hilly sea-side coastal town, perched along the rugged shores of the Pacific Ocean forms part of the city of San Diego. Having spent the summers there with her Aunt, it was the place Jennifer had called home as a young girl. It had always been a place filled with the happiest of memories and times for Jennifer. Even as an adult, La Jolla was Jennifer’s haven and place to recuperate from the fast-paced world of New York where she had moved to so she could pursue her career after law school.Now a single mother of three children and a messy divorce behind her, her safe haven is scarred by a tragic accident that rips a hole in her world. Not only does she lose someone she loves dearly, but she unwittingly gets tangled up in a web of betrayal, mystery, and lies.The Sea Breeze Cottage. Book 1 is the first in a series of sun, mystery, and romance. Join Jennifer, her family, and friends as they learn that even the closest of families have secrets. Get tangled in the many twists and turns Jennifer, along with her family, starts to unravel as they dig up buried family pasts to reveal shocking revelations.Fall in love with each of the characters as they each play their part in the mysteries of the cove. Follow them through their heartaches, betrayals, and adventures as they find a way to open their hearts and let true love in.
The Grave Tender
Eliza Maxwell - 2015
People said her mother, Winnie, was never quite right, but with one single, irreparable act, life as Hadley knew it was shattered. The aftershocks of that moonlit night left her reeling, but the secrets and lies had started long before.When a widowed and pregnant Hadley returns years later, it’s not the safe harbor she expects. The mysteries surrounding a local boy’s disappearance remain, and the townspeople still whisper about Hadley’s strange and reclusive Uncle Eli—whispers about a monster in their midst.But Hadley’s father and grandmother, the cornerstones of everything safe in her world, avoid her questions. If Hadley stays here, will she be giving her children the family they need or putting their lives in danger?The hunt for answers takes a determined Hadley deep into the pine forests, in search of sunlight that will break through the canopy of lies long enough to reveal the truth.
Behind Closed Doors
Natalie R. Collins - 2007
Melissa was the only one who knew what had really happened to Jannie beyond the sacred walls of the Mormon Temple the night that changed her life forever…. UNTIL HER BEST FRIEND VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE.Now Melissa has gone missing, just days after entrusting Jannie with a mysterious box that someone would kill to possess. And someone has--leaving in their murderous wake an innocent victim and a trail of blood that leads to the heart of Jannie's hidden burden. Desperate to protect her secret, and to find out what has happened to Melissa, Jannie trusts no one. Not the stranger whose piercing green eyes have already seen too much, nor the family and friends whose familiar fold may be shielding a cold-blooded killer who is lurking BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
Locust Hill
Barbara Bayes - 2019
Confined to a wheelchair after a mass subway shooting, she has been unwilling or unable to speak since the terrifying day she was wounded in the train. One person who might be able to shed some light on the murder is compassionate caregiver Margaret, temporarily hired as Fiona’s personal assistant. From the very first day of her arrival, Margaret senses that something is not quite right about the household...something disquieting and hard to pinpoint. As the mysteries pile up and the friendship between Margaret and her patient grows, the caregiver finds herself sifting through a complicated tangle of lies while trying to help her charge heal both physically and emotionally. The slow burn suspense gradually escalates as a series of shocking revelations brings us to a devastating conclusion.
The Talented Miss Farwell
Emily Gray Tedrowe - 2020
Dressed in couture YSL, drinking the finest champagne at trendy Balthazar, Reba, as she’s known, is the picture of a wealthy art collector. To some, the elusive Miss Farwell is a shark with outstanding business acumen. To others, she’s a heartless capitalist whose only interest in art is how much she can make.But a thousand miles from the Big Apple, in the small town of Pierson, Illinois, Miss Farwell is someone else entirely—a quiet single woman known as Becky who still lives in her family’s farmhouse, wears sensible shoes, and works tirelessly as the town’s treasurer and controller. No one understands the ins and outs of Pierson’s accounts better than Becky; she’s the last one in the office every night, crunching the numbers. Somehow, her neighbors marvel, she always finds a way to get the struggling town just a little more money. What Pierson doesn’t see—and can never discover—is that much of that money is shifted into a separate account that she controls, “borrowed” funds used to finance her art habit. Though she quietly repays Pierson when she can, the business of art is cutthroat and unpredictable. But as Reba Farwell’s deals get bigger and bigger, Becky Farwell’s debt to Pierson spirals out of control. How long can the talented Miss Farwell continue to pull off her double life?
Perfect People
Peter James - 2011
Mankind is facing its greatest challenge: obsolescence.Longlisted for the 2012 Wellcome Trust Book Prize.
The Couple Next Door
Shari Lapena - 2016
. .A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors--a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . .Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all--a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years.What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family--a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.
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?
The Widower's Wife
Cate Holahan - 2016
Ana is gone--leaving behind her wealthy husband and adorable daughter--but not everything about her disappearance adds up. What secrets did she leave behind?Investigator Ryan Monahan is a numbers man. So when his company sends him the Bacon case, which could net a ten-million-dollar payout, Monahan doubts that her death is just a tragic accident. But the husband has a substantial alibi and a number of witnesses claim to have seen Ana fall, and the official ruling seems to hold up.Still, the more Monahan uncovers about Ana’s life, the more he realizes how many people would kill to keep her secrets hidden. And the closer he gets to the truth, the greater the odds grow that he, too, will take a fatal fall.
Never Let You Go
Chevy Stevens - 2017
Her ex-husband, Andrew, was sent to jail and Lindsey started over with a new life.Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with her own business and a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When Andrew is finally released from prison, Lindsey believes she has cut all ties and left the past behind her. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her, tracking her every move. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it's her ex-husband, even though he claims he's a different person. But has he really changed? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?
Divinity Complex
P.H. Figur
Drake and his brother Dominic chase the serial killer across the country. When the case goes cold, Drake breaks down and succumbs to the unbearable grief. He escapes reality and enters a secretive drug study run by the largest pharmaceutical company in the world. What Drake doesn’t know, is the small town in Wyoming is a front for a dangerous experiment – and all the residents, including himself, are pawns in a deadly game. When Drake comes face-to-face with his fiancé’s killer, only one will make it out alive. The Divinity Complex is a psychological thriller about a vicious serial killer, a grieving widow’s quest for revenge, and a CEO with a god-complex who brings them together in a fatal conflict. If you like flawed heroes, brutal crime scenes, vigilante justice and shocking twists you won’t see coming, start reading this gripping crime novel today.
Flytrap
Simon Kernick - 2016
His solitary life sailing the Caribbean is the only way he can survive. That is, until, he meets…HerA widow with nothing left to lose, she finds herself on his sleek forty-foot yacht. He’s handsome and charming; exactly what she’s been looking for.But the night doesn’t go exactly as they had planned, and only one of them will get out alive.
Murder Most Fowl: A Libby Sarjeant Short Story
Lesley Cookman - 2017
Once again, local butcher Bob is playing the dame, but the whole production is put under threat when someone sabotages his business. Libby Sarjeant recruits Fran Wolfe to help find the culprit and restore the Steeple Martin pantomime.