Book picks similar to
Kidnap by Murray McDonald


thriller
murray-mcdonald
action-adventure
young-adult

The Owner


Shane Simpson - 2013
    Ten years later, the Great Recession economically displaced his livelihood when he was fired from Metal Presses Incorporated. When nothing is left and you've reached your limit for abuse, it's time to release the inner vigilante.THE OWNER is a NON-STOP, HEART-POUNDING, MYSTERY-SUSPENSE THRILL RIDE. Karl Remons has been unstoppable - until now. The murdering, swindling womanizer meets his match when Albert Pabek sails into town. Albert's anger has been stewing for a long time, and he's out for revenge - pure, but not so simple. The plan took five years. Now, he has three days to kill what destroyed his family.Growing up in a Detroit blue-collar family, Albert had a normal childhood. He had expected the same career as his dad. That was, until life dealt its blows. It wasn't a stormy day when Albert sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. But, before he was finished, Albert was expecting to deliver a gale...______________________________________________SERIES OVERVIEW#1 - THE OWNERTHE OWNER is a standalone mystery-suspense-thriller. It's a story about Albert Pabek and his vigilante mission to avenge the deaths of his parents. The storyline is deceptively twisty and you'll be guessing until the end. The book opens with an interesting mystery. The middle of the story gets really crazy. And, it closes out with a huge surprise.For one and done readers, the story is a perfect ten to twelve hour read (it's 450 pages long). There are no loose ends and it has an awesome ending.For those of us who enjoy continual character development that can only be delivered in a series, pick up THE OBSESSOR and keep going. The Detroit vigilante really touches something in each of us. Albert is a simple guy who is tired of power and money hungry people ruining his life, as well as the lives of his family and friends.#2 - THE OBSESSORTHE OBSESSOR, set three months following the shocking end to THE OWNER, has Albert returning to San Francisco. Focused on bailing out his friends, he realizes quickly that the ripples created on the first days of summer are now waves of destruction.THE OBSESSOR kicks off Albert's new life after those first days of summer. It establishes the broader group of characters, as well as reveals the flaws and selfish motivations of each. Albert and his allies weren't - and still aren't - as perfect as it seemed in THE OWNER. Finally, there are additional antagonists, new friends, and ever-growing-larger problems. Book 2 wraps up a few storylines, but Albert is in a real jam during the last few pages...#3 - THE OFFENDERContinuing from the tailending of THE OBSESSOR, Book 3 follows Albert as he seemingly conquers his dilemma in Book 2, but still struggles to focus his energy productively. He's off balance and irrational. And, he's now bordering on outright criminal status.The other allies are also in trouble. The real villain is revealed, and he's a helluva lot more powerful than Karl Remons in THE OWNER. Pete Quinn and Rebecca Underwood, the primary antagonists from THE OBSESSOR, are no match for the offender in Book 3. And, he really is the biggest problem in Albert's "new" life.THE OFFENDER concludes with a soft ending. It has as much closure as real life situations can, and it's open to the reader's imagination if Albert finally reached his "peace". (Of course, Book 4 confirms he didn't get there.)#4 - THE OBJECTORReleasing in Spring 2017, THE OBJECTOR, brings some hard closing ends to the stories threading through THE OBSESSOR and THE OFFENDER. This time around, Albert really does make it back to the first day of his new life.Quinn and Rebecca, now strongly disagreeing about who is the most powerful, realign their respective bases. Metal Presses Incorporated is back in the picture. Bill Shefford has pulled a phoenix move - he is more powerful than ever. And, then there's the lady from Key West...

The Relic Runner Origin Story Box Set: Books 1-6: A Dak Harper Serial Thriller


Ernest Dempsey - 2020
    They were dead wrong.Dak Harper's Delta Force team stumbles upon an ancient treasure trove in the mountains of Iraq. But when Dak suggests they report their findings to command, the team steals the loot and leaves him for dead.Faced with certain death, Dak must find a way out of the darkness, and onto a path of revenge to settle the score with the men who betrayed him.This box set contains the entire six book series of short stories called The Relic Runner Origin Story. Join Dak as he scours the world, from the beaches of Portugal and Miami, to the jungles of Mexico, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the hills of Southern Kentucky, and the wilderness of Turkey.This digital anthology of short stories includes-Book 1: Out of the FireBook 2: You Only Die OnceBook 3: Tequila SunsetBook 4: PurgatoryBook 5: Scorched EarthBook 6: The Heart of Vengeance

Brainrush


Richard Bard - 2010
     Before he slid into the MRI machine, Jake Bronson was just an ordinary guy with terminal cancer. But when an earthquake hits during the procedure, Jake staggers from the wreckage a profoundly changed man, now endowed with uncanny mental abilities. An ocean away, Luciano Battista wants a piece of Jake's talent. Posing as a pioneering scientist, the terrorist leader has been conducting cerebral-implant experiments in a sinister quest to create a breed of super jihadist agents...and Jake's altered brain may be the key to his success. But Jake refuses to play the pawn in an unholy war--and when an innocent woman and autistic child are taken hostage to force his cooperation, he embarks on a jihad of his own. Jake and his band of loyal friends are thrust into a deadly chase that leads from the canals of Venice through Monte Carlo and finally to an ancient cavern in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan--where Jake discovers that his newfound talents carry a hidden price that threatens the entire human race.

The Good Soldier: Jack Noble Early Years Bundle


L.T. Ryan - 2014
    A Marine in name only, Jack is on-loan to the CIA. Normally an integral part of the team, he finds that he is nothing more than a security detail in Iraq. Jack and his partner Bear have a run-in with four CIA special agents over the treatment of an Iraqi family. Within hours Jack and Bear are detained. All Jack wanted was to finish his enlistment and move on with his life. All he did was intervene and save a family from unwarranted violence at the hands of four CIA agents. But he soon discovers that he did far more than intervene. He has placed himself dead square in the middle of a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of the U.S. government. This Jack Noble political thriller is not for the faint of heart! A DEADLY DISTANCE (JACK NOBLE #2) - Washington, D.C. Midday. A man waits at a bus stop, his intentions unknown. Two government operatives have been stalking him for days, waiting for him to make his move. Unexpectedly, the man takes off running and heads for a deserted warehouse. Jack Noble and his partner, Frank Skinner, believe the man to be part of a terrorist organization that is involved in smuggling drugs and guns and men into the country. But it turns out their plan involves far more export than import, and hits a lot closer to home. As the case in this explosive action thriller unfolds, the man behind it all reaches out to Jack with a simple message... 37 hours.

No Good Deed


M.P. McDonald - 2010
    It triggers dreams of disasters. Tragedies that happen exactly as he envisions them. He learns that not only can he see the future, he can change it. Then the unthinkable happened and everyone ignored his frantic warnings. Thousands die. Suddenly, the Feds are pounding on his door and the name they have for Taylor isn't urban hero. It's enemy combatant. And, it means they can do anything they want to him. Anything at all.

Gone Forever


Scott Blade - 2015
    LONER. HERO. DRIFTER. ORPHAN SON. Set in the world of #1 International Bestseller Lee Child's Jack Reacher. In The Affair, Reacher was sent to a small town to solve a crime. In true Reacher fashion, he snuffed out the bad guys and said goodbye to a beautiful woman. But this time, he left something behind--a son. Cameron learns at his mother's deathbed that his father is some drifter named Jack Reacher. Armed with Reacher genes and his sheriff mother's relentless upbringing, Cameron sets out into the world to Get Jack Reacher. To know his father; Cameron follows in his footsteps--literally. With one thumb out, he hits the road to track down the father that doesn't know he exists, but what he gets instead is a small town with a deadly secret and a distraught husband fighting to find his missing wife. Cameron is on a mission. The need for justice drives him. Like father, like son.

Dark Water


Evan Graver - 2018
    He’s settled down to work for his father’s construction firm in Wilmington, N.C. But it’s not so easy. When the grandfather of his former lieutenant, Greg Olsen, shows up at his work site, Ryan is pulled back in. His practical knowledge of sailing and skills as a former Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician make him the ideal candidate to track down the pirates. His first step is to consult with insurance investigator Emily Hunt. Ryan learns the pirates have sunken some of the sailboats off the Florida Keys. He and Emily don their scuba gear to investigate the wrecks. Their discoveries point them toward a smuggling ring and lead them to several people who have lived to tell their tales of being attacked by the pirates. Mango and Jennifer Hulsey survived because Mango was no stranger to war. He joins forces with Ryan to sail Ryan’s own boat into harm’s way, to bait the pirates into attacking them. On the journey from North Carolina to Mexico, Jennifer plays matchmaker with Ryan and Emily. Their romantic weekend in the Florida Keys is interrupted by hitmen. Undeterred, Ryan and Mango sail for Mexico to lure out the pirates. Can they survive the deadly forces arrayed against them to stop a madman bent on war with the United States? From the Book: The boat rocked again. His eyes snapped back open. He held his breath and listened intently. He heard silence and the ringing of his tinnitus. Very slowly, he slipped from the bed and stood. He kept his weight centered in the hull, so he wouldn’t give away his movements by causing the boat to rock as the person above had just done. Outside, he could hear someone moving. Eventually, they would come through the cabin door. Ryan moved to the navigation table and gently lifted its top. He grabbed the Walther pistol and eased the table top back down. He took three quick steps to the kitchen and tucked himself behind the cabin wall, so he was out of the line of sight for whomever entered the cabin. A man dropped down the ladder holding a pump-action shotgun. He moved down the narrow passageway, placing himself between Ryan and Emily. Ryan feared his bullet would go through the man and hit Emily. A shot in the wrong place could also sink his boat. He looked down at the filet knife he’d left by the sink after washing dishes last night. He slipped his gun into the waist band of his shorts and picked up the knife. Metal scraped on metal as he lifted the blade from the stainless-steel sink basin. The sound drew the man’s attention. He spun, leveling the muzzle of the scattergun. Reviews: Dark Water is Graver's debut novel. It kicks off with a bang and he keeps it moving in this taut, fast-paced, action thriller. He writes with authority and passion. The settings are vivid and well researched. He writes in the same vein as Mark Greaney's Grey Man series, Wayne Stinnett's Jessie McDermitt Caribbean Adventure Series, and Mark Dawson's John Milton. ⸻ Third Reef Publishing

The Vengeance Man


John MacRae - 2012
    After risking his life for his country, he is condemned to spend the rest of his days in a dead-end civilian job. But one man decides he isn't ready to be put out to pasture. The Vengeance Man. As the 'operations manager' for a specialist insurance firm, he can still work undercover for clients that include the Government. And working behind the scenes, and beyond the law, he can still take up arms on behalf of the weak and the helpless. A personal crusade is born. And while the public may applaud as 'The Vengeance Man' brings justice to the guilty, very soon the Government has no choice but to bring their most lethal maverick operative under control. The hunt begins....and it will end in death. This enthralling, thought-provoking action-packed thriller, written by an insider from the front-line of intelligence work, is certain to appeal to readers of Lee Child, Frederick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum and Andy McNab."The Vengeance Man is the best new action thriller this year" - Matt Lynn, author of the best-selling Death Force series. "A heart-pumping ride, with more twists than a roller-coaster." - Tom Kasey, author of the best-selling Trade Off.John MacRae is the cover name of a former senior Intelligence Officer with a Special Forces background. He has written extensively on intelligence and military history, and has worked for BBC television and other TV companies as an advisor on military and intelligence subjects. He saw active service in the Falkland Islands, Cyprus, Arabia, and Northern Ireland. Endeavour Press is the UK's largest independent publisher of digital books.

Bad Call


Stephen Wallenfels - 2017
    And poker vows can’t be broken.So the first sign that they should ditch the plan is when Rhody backs out. The next is when Ceo replaces him with Ellie, a girl Grahame and Colin have never even heard of. And then there’s the forest fire at their intended campsite.But instead of bailing, they decide to take the treacherous Snow Creek Falls Trail to the top of Yosemite Valley. From there, the bad decisions really pile up.A freak storm is threatening snow, their Craigslist tent is a piece of junk, and Grahame is pretty sure there’s a bear on the prowl. On top of that, the guys have some serious baggage (and that’s not including the ridiculously heavy ax that Grahame insisted on packing) and Ellie can’t figure out what their deal is.And then one of them doesn’t make it back to the tent.Desperate to survive while piecing together what happened, the remaining hikers must decide who to trust in this riveting, witty, and truly unforgettable psychological thriller that reveals how one small mistake can have chilling consequences.

Fatal Exchange


Russell Blake - 2011
    financial system.From the sweltering streets of Seoul to the sex-and-drug-driven underbelly of Greenwich Village, attempts at silencing a leak in an international counterfeiting operation leave a trail of butchery that leads inevitably to Wall Street, pitting a counter-culture heroine against a ruthless state-sponsored assassination team that will stop at nothing to achieve its lethal ends.As the body count climbs, Tess is assisted by Detective Ron Stanford, a NYPD homicide specialist tracking a brutal serial killer whose ritualistic cycle of murder and mutilation targeting bike messengers is escalating to fever pitch.Tess's battle to survive propels her into a deadly underworld where she must become judge and executioner, challenging her core beliefs about morality, justice and love.

Nine Lives


Tom Barber - 2012
    A major terrorist cell is planning a series of attacks across London over the next forty-eight hours. The government has surveillance on the group, a man undercover, and prepare to move in, to take out the terrorists before they can strike. But they lose contact with their inside man. And the cell vanishes into thin air, dispersing into the streets, armed and intent on completing their assault on London. The best Counter-Terrorist teams in the country are told to take them down before it's too late.Nine terrorists.Nine lives.The Armed Response Unit is one of these teams. Efficient and ruthless, the task force is ordered to locate the leader of the cell. As they hunt him down, they begin to realise that this is far bigger than any of them could ever have imagined. Bombings, rocket attacks, betrayal and a series of unexpected and shocking twists leave the ARU fighting to stay alive.There's Archer, the youngest member of the team, keen to prove himself and justify his spot on the task force. His best friend, Chalky, who is forced to fight both the terrorists and his own demons. Porter, Deakins and Fox, tough and experienced men who’ve never dealt with anything of this magnitude. And Mac, their sergeant, who must make the quickest of decisions and lead his men against the invisible enemy.As events unfold, other people are drawn into the danger. The Prime Minister, desperately trying to find a solution and protect the capital. A mysterious female Mossad agent, who appears out of nowhere and joins the fight against the cell. Two Special Agents from the DEA, one of whom was a member of the SEAL team that stormed Osama Bin Laden’s compound and who for some reason is struggling with the memory. And the vicious, powerful leader of a Middle Eastern drug cartel, who operates in the shadows and is somehow connected to the terrorists.With crowds all over London celebrating the New Year, and with nine terrorists somewhere amongst them, the Armed Response Unit is faced with the most dangerous night of their lives. As the savage, shocking plans of the enemy are fully revealed, the ARU officers are faced with the ultimate question.How many times can a man cheat Death before Death evens the score?

The Assassin's Wife: A Thriller


Roger Weston - 2011
     "A Jennifer Garner Role? Fast paced adventure, lots of plain killing but no stretched out gory details. Good beach read and I liked." Drama Professor Meg Coles is in a state of shock after her husband is terminated and she barely escapes the killers. Now she is on the run, on the F.B.I.'s most wanted list, and a fugitive of the law and of government assassins. She learns that she knows very little about the man she's been married to for ten years. She must become a criminal to survive and to find out the truth, and she must get answers before the death teams silence her permanently. "Very interesting and fascinating story. Good fast page turner and hard to put down when it's time to sleep. Am looking forward to reading the next few stories." "I enjoyed the ability of the woman to out guess the bad guy's. It kept me interested all the way through." "I loved this book. It grabbed me from the first moment and kept my gripped all the way through. Just when you thought you figured it out, there you'd go again! It was action packed. Meg is a great lead in the book and managed to survive against all odds. Don't miss this book! The ending will make you want more!" "I really enjoyed the action and the author trying to get inside a woman's head. I am married and still don't understand some of the feminine ways, but Mr. Weston kept me reading until the wee hours of the morning. I will read more by him. The action is superb." "Very exciting. Good story line. Well written. Action all the way. Good characters. Hard to put down. I commend the author for his imagination." "Plenty of fast paced action. Some excellent detail on make up and evading pursuit." "Roger Weston is an author you should get to know! Written to keep you on edge and held to the story. Hard to put down and do anything else. Makes you feel like you are with the people in the story!" "I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it difficult to put it down for a moment. I will read the author's book again." 270 pages Also by Roger Weston: The Sniper (Prologue to The Brandt Series) The Recruiter: A Chuck Brandt Thriller (The Brandt Series Book 1) The Handler: A Chuck Brandt Thriller (The Brandt Series Book 2) Rogue Op: A Chuck Brandt Thriller (The Brandt Series Book 3) The Golden Catch: A Frank Murdoch Action-Adventure Fatal Return: A Jake Sands Action-Adventure Short Stories by Roger Weston: The True Tale of Castaway Daniel Foss The True Tale of Castaway Ann Saunders Coming Soon: The Brandt Series Book 4

Real Dangerous Girl


K.W. Jeter - 2011
    It's been replaced by Real Dangerous Girl (Lincoln Square Books, 2018), which actually includes both this book and the original second series book, Real Dangerous Job. All of the series books now have Lincoln Square editions, but these mostly each combine two of the original books into one volume No easy answers. No big international spy secret bank accounts. No superheroes or magic. Just her wits, guts…And a very large gun.All Kim wants is the job she’s worked hard for. But when her boss McIntyre throws her out on her ear, she begins dreaming of revenge. She hires Cole, a psychotic hitman who’s also been dispensed with by the same boss. Left crippled by McIntyre’s security guards, Cole tells Kim that the only way they’ll be able to pull off this hit is if she’s there with a gun in her hand as well. Before she knows what’s happening, Kim is training to be a professional assassin, with everything – including her own life – at stake. Because she’s only going to get one chance to pull it off...Noted sf and fantasy author K. W. Jeter takes a new turn in the thriller genre, building on the dark, gritty moods of his previous science fiction and horror novels. Fans of mystery and suspense novels with smart, tough females taking the lead, from A IS FOR ALIBI to THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATOO, will find a lot to like in the new Kim Oh Thriller series.

The Amun Chamber


Daniel Leston - 2010
    Believed irretrievably lost to all but legend, few dared dream the possibility that it might still exist . . .Until now! Guided by the discovery of an ancient artefact, a determined professor of archaeology and a beautiful New England heiress join forces in the quest of a lifetime. Overcoming treachery and deadly obstacles, they follow an ever-murderous trail that eventually leads them to a barren, desert valley containing a stunning secret -- one the modern world may not yet be prepared to accept.

A New Life


David J. Antocci - 2013
    She has no idea how she got there, and notices changes in herself that she cannot explain. Haunted by unsettling dreams of her past, she sets out to escape, joined by Eric, who finds himself in the same predicament. Standing in their way is a madman, and his band of willing followers, with a mind set on murdering their unwelcome visitors. An eccentric hermit who has been living there for years offers them refuge, but they must deny his generosity. Escape is their only option. Yet, they discover this deceptive paradise is harder to leave than they had ever imagined. One mystery leads to another, until their escape throws them into even greater danger as Abby’s frightening past finally catches up with her. Her escape is only the beginning.