Book picks similar to
The Cave by Bill Rogers


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uk-mysteries
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The West Leigh Murder


S.R. Lobban - 2011
    An eight year girl is reported missing. Being the daughter of one of the estate's most notorious families, means there is little interest until the grisly discovery of a body. George Finney is called in to lead the investigation. He is not your usual detective. He is happily married, doesn't drink and collects fine china. But despite appearances, you wouldn't want to upset him. As his team of detectives go to work, they find themselves in the media spotlight. But will the 24 hour rolling News Channels help them with their search?This is the first of three DI Finney stories. The latest (Burden) is available through Amazon from March 24th 2018

An Invasive Species (A Natural Detective Book 1)


J.J. Salkeld - 2015
    Owen Irvine is an ex-cop, a countryman, a craftsman - and a natural detective. So when he hears a disturbing tale of a con man who’s preying on vulnerable women in search of love, he just can’t help but become involved. J J Salkeld’s regular readers will already know the Kendal CID team, led by the newly un-retired DI Andy Hall. And although the police can’t commit investigative resources, recently promoted DC Abla Khan is only too keen to join Irvine on the trail of the man they call ‘Jason Strong’. But when events take a turn for the terrifying even the ever-resourceful DS Ian Mann may not have the power to avert a catastrophic conclusion to the case. Readers love J J Salkeld's exciting crime novels, set in the heart of England's lovely Lake District. Here are just a few of their reviews: 'Totally gripped from the first page. I wish J J Salkeld would write a book a week, as they are all fantastic.' 'Entering the realms of British crime with JJ Salkeld is akin to going on a journey of pure pleasure, that will keep you riding high until the very last page has been turned - and then leave you craving more.' 'The political issues and impact of modern policing were so well documented and portrayed that I felt sure the author must have been a recently retired police officer...A brilliant series which I read back to back and will await eagerly his next publication.' 'Just one of those books that you cannot put down. Can't wait to read the next one. Bring it on.'

A Deadly Compulsion


Michael Kerr - 2016
    Following the accidental death of her daughter, Kara, she has transferred from the Met up to Yorkshire. The slower pace of life and change of scene proves beneficial, up until three young women are brutally murdered. Laura has to face the fact that a serial killer is operating on her patch, and the case file has landed on her desk. With no forensic evidence or apparent motive, Laura soon – and unofficially – contacts an old friend who had also been her lover; Jim Elliott, an ex-FBI profiler now living in the UK and running a successful PR company in London. Jim reluctantly agrees to consult on the case, to bring his ‘mind hunting’ skills to the aid of Laura and her team, to hopefully identify and apprehend the homicidal maniac known as the Tacker.

The Hangman Murders


Alan Fisher - 2014
    His gentle story is more of a puzzle where readers are asked to look at the evidence shared throughout the book and find the killer before their identity is revealed. June 2014. Oliver Cole graduates from Hendon Police College as a Detective Constable and heads off to his choice of posting to Northumbria Police in the North East of England. Cole is a shy but highly regarded new recruit with a talent for puzzle solving; from his first day he comes under the instructional wing of long-serving Detective Chief Inspector Jack Collier and his education really begins. Within weeks the body of a young girl is found neatly laid out on a gravestone in a local churchyard with an unusual addition of a noose around her neck. Cole is instructed to work with DCI Collier to find the killer but soon another body is found in identical circumstances and a picture begins to unfold of a serial killer.

Justice Before Law


Michael Anderle - 2021
    Agony is a burned ex-cop.Together, they might just find out.The only problem? They can’t stand each other.Trust, it seems, doesn’t come easily between a black-ops mercenary and an ex-police detective.What could make it worse for her?He doesn’t like using guns.Will Pain and Agony be able to dodge the criminals trying to take them out and avoid killing each other in the process?Will the criminals be able to handle the two of them together?

Murder of an Elvis Girl: Solving the Jenny Maxwell Case


Buddy Moorehouse - 2021
    

The Detective Kim Stone Series: Books 1-3


Angela Marsons - 2019
    A Detective hiding dark secrets, Detective Kim Stone will stop at nothing to protect the innocent. Silent Scream: Even the darkest secrets can’t stay buried forever… Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood … Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country. But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. Detective Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades. As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it’s too late? Evil Games: The greater the evil, the more deadly the game… When a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal attack, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution. But, as more vengeful killings come to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone far more sinister at work. Up against a sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, for Detective Stone, each move she makes could be deadly. Kim will have to dig deeper than ever before to stop the killing. And this time - it’s personal. Lost Girls: Two girls go missing. Only one will return. The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die. When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping. And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for Detective Kim Stone and the squad. Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price? Read what everyone is saying about the Detective Kim Stone series: 'I absolutely loved it!...This one is one of the best crime thrillers I've read in a long time, and that includes mainstream authors such as James Patterson! I would seriously put this book in the same league.' Fiona’s Book Reviews 'Silent Scream gets 5 stars from me - if you finish a crime thriller feeling like you just need to have a lie-down and a cup of tea to get your breath back, then the writer has done their job. Angela Marsons, I still don't have my breath back.’ Reading Room with a View ‘Evil Games is a clever, action-packed journey into some of society's darkest places, crackling with tension and wit. And DI Kim Stone is the most fascinating character to arrive on the scene since Val McDermid gave us Tony Hill. This is a no-brainer.

Bratva Mob Bosses


Nicole Fox - 2019
    Now includes all the extended epilogues! Unleash the passion of SIX dominant, powerful mob bosses. Trapped with the Mob Boss I kidnapped her to break her. Now, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her. I’ve worked too hard building my mob empire to let one feisty little girl ruin everything. But Bella refuses to fall in line. Breaking her down will require breaking a rule of my own: never, ever fall in love. But when Bella’s senator father doesn’t follow orders like we expect, things get more complicated. Do I follow my destiny to become the mob boss I was raised to be? Or do I sacrifice everything to save the woman who has stolen my heart? Stolen by the Mob Boss A mob boss killed her family. Now, he’s sent me to finish the job. Lucy is an innocent girl – orphaned by a terrible tragedy. Then she sees me kill a man in cold blood. I can’t let a witness roam free. But I can’t bring myself to kill something so innocent and beautiful. She wants revenge on the mob boss who stole her family. I can help her… under one condition: as long as she’s here, I’m going to make her MINE. Sold to the Mob Boss An innocent girl like her… sold to a beast like me. As the boss of the Bratva, I live my life by a code: Always stay in control. But I broke my own rule on the night I bought Annie. She was so delicate and desperate up on that stage. I’d pay any price it took to own her. She says she can’t be bought. But she doesn’t know how this game is played. In my world, everything has its price. And like it or not, she’s mine now – my property, my possession. I’ll claim her. I’ll break her. And I’ll protect her until the end… Even if it costs me everything. Knocked Up by the Mob Boss They’re coming to take her baby. They’ll have to kill me first. She’s an innocent maid. I’m a ruthless Bratva boss. She says she wants nothing to do with me. But in my world, when I want something, I take it. And I want her. The problem is, Zoya is hiding a terrible secret: A baby in her womb that was never meant to be. And I’m not the only one who knows. Our enemies are coming. To hurt her. To ruin me. What they don’t know is this: I’ve found what I want in this world. And they’ll have to kill me to take it. Unprotected with the Mob Boss My enemy’s daughter. My unprotected bride. Allison thinks that this is a fair world, that justice exists. I’m here to show her there is no such thing as innocence. In my world, it’s might makes right. Kill or be killed. And I’ve caused my fair share of bloodshed. But when I discover her with an innocent man’s blood on her hands, we both know that there’s only one way out of this mess: On her knees before me. So I give her an offer she cannot refuse: Become my wife. Carry my baby. Or prepare to suffer the consequences. Owned by the Mob Boss She is untouched. Innocent. Desperate. Mine. I was raised to rule.

The Scars Beneath the Soul


Dave Sivers - 2013
    In a quiet market town in Buckinghamshire, a brutal killer strikes, shattering any illusions Detective Inspector Lizzie Archer might have had about her new patch in Aylesbury Vale being a sleepy hollow. NEW SCARS... Disfigured in the line of duty, Archer has transferred in from the Met, hoping to make a fresh start in her life and her career. The last thing she needs is an awkward colleague, but that is what she seems to find in Detective Sergeant Dan Baines. OLD SCARS... Baines bears scars of his own, the kind that cannot be seen. Eleven years ago, his family fell victim to a serial killer, and recently his life has fallen into fresh turmoil. Haunted by dreams and visions of his still-missing son, and confused by feelings for his murdered wife's identical twin sister, he finds himself resenting a new boss who knows nothing about the area. HOW MANY MORE VICTIMS? But the killer shows no sign of stopping and with no obvious connection between the victims and the body count rising daily, Archer and Baines must put aside their differences and work together if they are to stop a maniac whose appetite for slaughter seemingly knows no bounds.

A City Owned


O.J. Modjeska - 2018
     Police begin to suspect that their target is a rogue operator who has emerged from their own ranks. And then, all hell breaks loose in Los Angeles… An arrest in the strangling murders of two co-eds across state lines finally leads to a break in the case, but the mild-mannered suspect remembers nothing about the crime of which he is accused. His attorney and a team of psychiatrists are convinced this is no lust murderer, but a mentally ill man tormented by an evil alter personality, the terrifyingly malevolent sexual sadist “Steve”. But what if Steve is the final triumphant act in a psychopath’s lifelong career in deception? None are prepared for the dark journey through the mazes of the human mind it will take to unlock the door to justice. From the author of the aviation disaster ebook bestseller “Gone: Catastrophe in Paradise”, “A City Owned” is the first installment of the two-part series “Murder by Increments”, the true story of the worst case of serial sex homicide in American history.

Highlander’s Wrath: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Highlands' Deadly Sins Book 5)


Adamina Young - 2021
    

Ravenhill (Jackie Shaw, #1)


John Steele - 2017
    He treads a fine line keeping psychotic hard-man Rab Simpson in check while sleeping with gang leader Billy Tyrie’s beautiful wife on the side. When a bomb claims nine lives, he is given the role of the getaway driver in a planned reprisal killing, a key role in a major operation. But Jackie may not be who he seems... Twenty years later, Jackie returns to the city for his father’s funeral after disappearing in mysterious circumstances. He wants to mourn then leave, but when figures from his past emerge, he is left with no choice but to revisit his violent former life. The first in the Jackie Shaw series, RAVENHILL is a gripping début novel from a brilliant new voice in crime fiction. The second in the series, SEVEN SKINS, is coming soon. ‘Tense, unsparing, compassionate and exceptionally well-written, this brilliant thriller brings vividly to life East Belfast in war and peace, its self-appointed community defenders turned brutal predators, and the security forces who struggled to contain them.’ Ruth Dudley Edwards

When You're Smiling


G.S. Rhodes - 2021
    No one has heard from him. He’s disconnected from his friends, from his family, and from the job he dedicated his life to—the job that cost him everything.Then a new, all too familiar murder occurs on his patch and Kidd has no choice but to throw himself back into the fold. A young woman has been found with a smile cut into her throat, eyes carved into her cheeks, the brutal signature of The Grinning Murders—one of the most ruthless serial killers the country has ever seen. A killer who lies behind bars.However things are not as they seem and not everything adds up. Only one thing is clear: Kidd may be the only one who can figure this out before this copycat killer strikes again.

Smith: A Detective Jason Smith Thriller


Stewart Giles - 2014
    It is Christmas Day in York. A woman is found dead in her bed. A suicide note is found on her chest. It reads ‘I am so sorry Martin’. Hours later the police are called to a house a few miles away. A mother and her daughter have been brutally attacked; the mother is dead and the daughter is barely alive. The father is found shaking uncontrollably in the corner of the room. He is covered in blood but he is unharmed. His name is Martin Willow. Detective Sergeant Jason Smith is put in charge of the investigation. After reaching dead end after dead end, Smith starts to put the pieces together and figures out that Martin Willow is innocent and the killer is still out there. The little girl who was attacked on Christmas Day wakes from her coma and gives Smith a clue about the attacker; a piece of a song she heard directly before the attack. Smith then finds himself in a race against time to find this maniac before he kills again.

The Unwashed


Seán Hogan - 2016
    Each story follows the life of a person living on a fictitious council estate in London. The stories illustrate the realities and struggles that ordinary people go through at a time when people are feeling disenfranchised and are frustrated at not having their voices heard. Ranging from a humorous look at the gentrification of London to the realities of living with addiction the stories place the reader in the shoes of each character allowing them to feel their emotions.