Book picks similar to
A Hero: (CORPORATION WARS Book 1) by Stephen Arseneault
sci-fi
sci-fi-space-opera
space-opera
science-fiction-fantasy
Iron Hand
Jonathan Moeller - 2017
To the galaxy at large, Jack March is a privateer of the interstellar Kingdom of Calaskar and a former Iron Hand commando of the malevolent Final Consciousness. In truth, he is an alpha operative of the Silent Order, the most efficient and feared intelligence organization in human space. When there is a crisis, Jack March is the man to call. But there are many forces that wish to enslave or destroy humanity. And when a mission leads March to a lawless asteroid space station, he might be the only one left to stop those forces...
Jasmine Steele Mysteries Vol. 1-4
Kimberly Amato - 2019
Lovers of traditional mysteries will appreciate the web of fierce loyalty tempered with fearful caution that links Jazz’s tiny but hardy support system—both at work and at home. In every tale, Amato manages to mix all the excitement of an action thriller with the swirling emotions of a mainstream psychological novel. STEELE RESOLVE "Don't think you're untouchable…you or your son." Then a dial tone... Home is no haven with that that kind of caller on the line. Shrewd, hardened New York homicide detective Jasmine (Jazz) Steele’s just come back from a grisly crime scene involving the body of a brutally-beaten young girl, the second she's investigated this week. That was horrendous, but with these eight words, ending ominously in “your son,” Jazz’s immediate fear is for her nephew Chase, who’s already been through hell in his seven short years. In Kimberly Amato’s hard-boiled yet deeply emotional police procedural, no one is spared tough breaks and turbulent anguish. A lesser cop than Jazz would barely be able to cope. MELTING STEELE In Jasmine Steele’s heartbreaking new case, an entire family's been viciously murdered. Hard-boiled alert: author Kimberly Amato pulls no punches. The mother's throat was slit while trying to call for help and the father was shot in the chest, then gruesomely sliced up while still alive, like a scene from a horror film. Also found, the body of their young son, about Jazz’s son’s age, left in the closet with a snapped neck. But it's the remaining clues to a missing fourth victim--a teenage daughter named Kaley--that leave her reeling. Kaley's seemingly disappeared without a trace. Soon Jazz discovers that the family had plenty of disturbing skeletons in its closet. Skeletons possibly warranting hiring a hit man on the Internet. BREAKING STEELE Gory video game violence comes home to roost when two store managers are brutally murdered in the back room of their gaming shop just before peek holiday season. The corporation that owns the store is doing everything it can to keep the matter quiet—but they won’t succeed if detective Jasmine Steele cracks the case. A fast-paced police procedural that’s as gripping as it is eerily personal. And this one comes with a captivating (although, as Jazz might say, a slightly “nerdy”) bonus: a heaping dose of the fascinating ins and outs of video game subculture. Which is far more murderous than the average reader would suspect. COLD STEELE Jazz gets a rude awakening when a 3-year-old cold case comes back hot. New York City’s “Carnation Killer,” a serial rapist and murderer, leaves his fifth calling card on a woman named Emilia Smith. The calling card? A heart-shaped carving into the woman’s chest and a single white carnation.
Star Soldier Episode One
Odette C. Bell - 2017
Ami is a soldier, nothing more than cannon fodder in a war that’s threatening to tear her world apart. When creatures from a cross-dimensional rift spill over her world, society as she knows it shatters. All must fight to live. But when a creature with near limitless power choses her to save her world, Ami is swept into a fight for everything and everyone. … An action-packed sci fi, Star Soldier is sure to please fans of Odette C. Bell’s Axira.
Watcher's Web
Patty Jansen - 2011
She casts webs of power, reading the feelings of living beings and telling them what to do. Nobody knows what causes it, least of all her. Her name is Jessica, but most people call her ‘freak’.One fateful day, her ‘web’ connects with a stranger, and stray power causes the plane in which she’s travelling to crash in an alien world. An accident? The more she discovers about the world in which she has landed, the more she doubts it.She is a survivor from an ancient race that once travelled the stars. Her ancestors were powerful and dangerous, and it seems at least two people want her: the man who invades her mind, and the man who’s desperate to help her get back home. But Jessica grew up an Earth girl, and isn’t having any of this. She’ll pander to no one, thank you very much, even if her stubbornness enrages the tyrant race who hold the world in their grip.
Negation Force
Anthony James - 2018
A planet without power, locked down by an alien war fleet. The human Confederation has known an unprecedented time of peace, unheard of in a universe where every other species is not only technologically advanced, but also incredibly hostile. The good times are about to end. Out on the fringes, the planet Atlantis is attacked by an alien foe remembered only by the oldest members of the Space Corps. These aliens – known as Vraxar – are abominations of flesh and metal, driven to exterminate every other life form in the universe. Now it’s humanity’s turn. In the ruins of the Tillos military installation, Sergeant Eric McKinney is determined to fight back and find out why the Vraxar have come. Meanwhile, a response fleet is mustered with the intention of facing the enemy head-on. It’s a mission with no hope of success. As events unfold, it becomes apparent the Vraxar have secrets which give clues to their purpose. The answers are more shocking than anyone could have imagined. The lives of strangers are intertwined and together they must try and salvage something from this first exchange in a war that will not end until one side is utterly defeated. Luckily, the Tillos base holds secrets of its own…a warship with an exceptionally powerful Obsidiar core is contained within an underground bunker. It is the only hope for Atlantis… Negation Force is a science fiction action and adventure book which begins The Obsidiar Fleet series. Author’s Note: this book is set forty years after events in the Survival Wars series. There is no necessity to read the earlier books to enjoy this one.
The Last Valkyrie
Dietmar Arthur Wehr - 2016
The last of her kind, she finds a new purpose in protecting the remaining few thousand humans from the hostile alien races called The Compact. As humanity teeters on the edge of extinction, one human male helps her to realize her destiny. She takes on a new role as the last of the mythical Valkyries who have been given the power to decide who lives and who dies. She will need all that power and her Warrior Code discipline when an old threat from the past re-emerges, a threat that this time, she must face alone. Excerpt: A double ping brought his attention back to the display. The Compact fleet had just crossed the outer boundary of the sphere. He watched as the side bar data showed her four turrets’ status which shifted from ‘Tracking’ to ‘locked on’. He shifted his gaze back to the yellow dots just in time to see them flash brightly for half a second before becoming very faint dots that were now falling behind the rest of the still advancing fleet. “Targets hit and disabled,” said Val Ky Ree. Before Ronson could say anything, she continued. “Val Ky Ree to Compact Fleet. I have disabled the three Trior ships that are carrying torsion beam weapons. If you board those ships and examine their cargo compartments, you’ll see what’s left of those weapons. I could have destroyed those ships completely, and I can destroy all of your remaining ships just as easily, but I would prefer not to do that. You are being used by the Trior for their own ends. Now that you have seen my power, you are advised to take advantage of my patience and immediately decelerate to zero velocity. If you do not do so, I will take whatever measures are necessary to defend the humans. If all humans are killed, either now or in the future, the race that is responsible for their elimination will face the same fate. This I swear as an Aesir Warrior!” Ronson held his breath as he watched the velocity data of the Compact fleet. It wasn’t slowing down. Another translated text message scrolled across the display. [The decision to destroy all humans was made by the leaders of our races. Your Aesir are gone! By what authority do you interfere in our quest for justice!”] When Val Ky Ree replied, the volume was deafening. “I AM THE LAST OF THE VALKYRIES! THE GODS GAVE US THE POWER TO DECIDE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES! YOU HAVE DETERMINED YOUR OWN FATE. IN ORDER FOR MY HUMANS TO LIVE, YOU MUST DIE.” Keywords: Space Opera, military science fiction, space fleet, galactic empire, war
The Capsule Killer Box Set Books 1-3
W.L. Knightly - 2020
With a history of trouble, including bad relationships, alcohol, and ditching college, finishing up her criminology degree seemed like the best way to start.While catching up back home with summer courses, she joins a study group to keep on track, but when her friends convince her to go geocaching, a simple trip will shake up her entire world. When the only treasure they find is a human bone, it will send her on a mission fueled by personal trauma to figure out what happened to the victim.Will she find the killer, or uncover secrets that have been long buried?Unearth the EvidenceWith the investigation into Kara Lockland’s death causing a stir, Suede Harris has a hunch that everything happening in Summer Grove is connected.After requesting to shadow Special Agent Nate Hawthorn on the case, she hopes they figure out whose killing young women and why Kara ended up in the lake before her friend Graham loses his freedom for a crime she’s not sure he committed.With more bodies being found, each uncovering more clues, will they nab the suspect before he kills again?Or will they only lead to more questions?Harboring the TruthNow that Special Agent Nate Hawthorn is busy determining if their latest case was murder or suicide, and is left dealing with the backlash of Connor Levine’s release, Suede Harris finds information that could lead to a potential motive for their killer.But will she share it with Nate, or try to find answers on her own?While sorting out the timeline, Suede learns secrets that could not only land her in hot water with the Sheriff, but change everything she trusts and believes.When betrayal cuts too close to home, Suede is forced to see just who has her back and who would leave her hanging.
Blindsided
Erica Hilary - 2020
A man was the last thing she needed. But that was before Richard Lynch literally crashed into her life.After Reilly and the charismatic Brit are involved in a fender-bender, she's unable to resist the exhilarating romantic freefall. The enigmatic Rick is not who she thinks he is, however, and Reilly finds herself in a twisted maze of sordid secrets and devious manipulations. Navigating this terrifying new reality, can she rally and find a way out before her soulmate-turned-stranger destroys everything she treasures.
Shaking the Tree (The Man with Three Names)
Michael Donohue - 2011
Out of prison, but still on parole, the only thing he wants is to keep his head down, go to work and maybe grab a cold beer at the end of his shift. He doesn't even care that the program stuck him in Essex - a nice, but nowhere small town. With his head already full of bloody and painful memories, he'd like it just fine if his past and future stayed nice and quiet.Too bad the present just got really messy.A body in a tree. A missing briefcase. A Russian hit man. A DEA agent bent on revenge. A corrupt mayor. Not to mention a sheriff with dangerous ambition. A meth lab in the woods. And some pissed off bikers. Things are suddenly very interesting in sleepy Essex county. Bodies are turning up. Secrets are coming out. Questions are being asked. Fingers are being pointed. It's not good being the new guy in a small town.
Four Corners War (Pacheco & Chino Mysteries Book 3)
Ted Clifton - 2019
All known sins come into play in a small town drama that will take Pacheco and Chino into a conflict that will involve many of the good citizens of Farmington and the nearby Navajo Nation.Rejoin Ray Pacheco and Tyee Chino in their latest adventure unraveling a maze of misdeeds involving wealth, power, political corruption and Navajo warriors. Farmington, New Mexico located in the Four Corners area where four states meet is about to experience a level of crime and mayhem never seen before. The local sheriff has abandoned his post and taken old military equipment,including a tank, off to Colorado to prepare for the beginning of the end. Left behind is the body of his wife, who was having an affair with the richest man in town. Ray and Tyee's task is to stop a war between two states and possibly the Navajo Nation and find a murderer or two.
Quantum Tangle
Chris Reher - 2014
She implores him to help stop the abductions of her people, a newly evolved species emerging from sub-space. Their dangerous potential has caught the attention of rebel factions as well as the ruling Commonwealth. When contact with her kind turns pilots into casualties, the Governors fear an imminent invasion engineered by their rebel enemies.Pursued by Air Command for harboring the alien, Seth heads deep into rebel-controlled territory to recover the stolen entities and keep this deadly weapon from falling into the wrong hands. Things get personal when his alien visitor begins to transform his mind and his life, turning the rescue mission into a fight for survival for all of them.Quantum Tangle is part of Chris Reher's Targon Tales series but does not intersect the other stories. Sethran Kada previously appeared in The Catalyst and also in Rebel Alliances.
This Side of Midnight (Tildas Islands #4)
Tamsen Schultz - 2021
But when tourists start dying under suspicious circumstances, she never imagines that the biggest battle she’d have to fight is within her own department. That is, until her friend, Dominic Burel, and the FBI Task Force he’s a part of, prove she’s right to be concerned.As an FBI agent and former PJ with the elite Air Force Pararescue Unit, Dominic Burel has been happy to move through life solely focused on work. But when a family visit leaves him shaken, he realizes his friendship with Anika could, and should, be so much more. Now he has to change her mind about them and he’s not above using his investigative skills to finagle his way into her case—and life—to do it.As Anika and Dominic hunt a killer, they quickly realize they’ve uncovered something much more sinister. The simple murders aren’t so simple and there’s a much grander plan at play. And when they find they aren’t the only ones hunting, it will take everything they have to stay out of the true killer’s crosshairs.If you revel in escaping into a story, this friends-to-lovers romantic suspense will keep you turning the pages.
High Strangeness
Eric Bickernicks - 2018
Ken Wakeman, a skeptical UFOlogist who seeks the truth about paranormal phenomenon, struggles to discredit the myriad of crackpot theories out there. Melissa "Mel" Howard, a reporter for a small Cape Cod newspaper, copes with the seasonal tourist invasion and its accompanying anxieties. When the Cape becomes the national focus over a rash of UFO sights, they join forces to get to the bottom of it. Despite denials from town officials and the military that UFOs have landed, mass hysteria overcomes the seaside community. In addition to the frantic humans, Astro (Ken’s Golden Retriever) has also been acting strangely. Joining the invasion is Klick, the promiscuous leader of a spandex-clad UFO cult whose members want to “amalgamate” with the Fornacisians when their spaceship lands. Mel learns that when dealing with wing nuts, the truth isn’t necessarily “out there”. Tom Frasier, an infamous proponent of crashed saucers and frozen alien bodies, claims the local military base houses some intriguing secrets. After a visit from the FBI gives legitimacy to Tom’s story, Ken will ultimately decide how far he’s willing to go to witness humanity’s greatest close encounter.
Sigma Protocol
Michael Penmore - 2018
A killer on the loose. A woman without memory. Can she escape with her life - and answers? Disoriented and alone, Sigma wakes from enforced sleep with questions that need to be answered. Who is she? Where is she? How did she end up in this place? With only a cryptic message from the ship’s AI to guide her, the determined survivor sets out on a race against time to uncover the desperate story of Starship Copernicus and its crew. Sigma Protocol is the fast-paced first episode in the Jane Poole Genesis describing the beginnings of Jane Poole, aka Sigma. Breakneck-speed action, mysterious identities, shadowy conspiracies, starships, AIs, droids and adventures among the stars abound in this explosive short introduction to Michael Penmore’s page-turning series. Scroll up and click to engage the Sigma Protocol.
Her Hidden Secret
Alexandria Clarke - 2020
Until a one hundred year old case gives her a new purpose.When Jacqueline, a self-professed detective with a dark secret, arrives in Whitechapel, she becomes embroiled in one of London's greatest mysteries.Buried SecretsWhen Jacqueline Frye heads to Chicago for a wedding, she never expects a homicide case to land in her lap. Another copycat killer is on the loose, and this time the culprit is obsessed with America’s first serial killer, H. H. Holmes. As Jack navigates secret passageways, coded journals, and charming locals, more victims disappear and the mystery deepens. Then there’s Jack’s best friend, Evelyn, who seems to be hiding a big secret…