Book picks similar to
Workhouse Porridge by Lynne Freeman


amazon
author-gift
netgalley
not-at-the-library-yet

Rogue Enemy


John Hopton - 2019
    Great job as Deputy Director of the CIA, a loving wife at home, and a really nice boat until... It all went away in a flash. The CIA's best Deputy Director, Chris Collins had it all. And then came the case that made him go rogue. After his last successful bust ended with two gun-smuggling, drug-running, crooked politicians behind bars ... he thought he could close the file.But the higher-ups in the cartel had other plans. And before Collins knew it, he was headed south of the Southernmost Point in the Continental United States ... without a game plan, without the blessing of the CIA, on his own. (Except for Ned. There was always Ned.)Chris Collins just can't catch a break. Read all about it in the prequel to the hit Chris Collins CIA Thriller series. You'll laugh some, you'll cry some, you'll hold your breath, and then you'll hope to hell he survives for another adventure. Readers of James Rollins, Matthew Reilly, and Mark Dawson will LOVE this series. Pick up a copy, put the phone on silent, and lock the door - this is going to be an all-nighter!

The Secrets of Castle Du Rêve


Hannah Emery - 2016
    She dreams of attending glamorous parties, gracing the silver screen and being swept off her feet by a dashing, debonair beau. But innocent Evelyn is unaware that her bid for freedom from the oppressive castle will change the course of more than just her life…In the early Sixties, sweet, intelligent Victoria meets the man of her dreams! Yet the expression of their love comes with consequences. In the shadow of the mysterious castle, is their relationship doomed from the start?In the present day, Isobel has just learned she’s pregnant. An unexpected challenge she can only hope she’s up to. Except living in the father of her child’s family home, beneath the eyes of the castle, all is not as it seems… Soon secrets that have been hidden for decades threaten to change the lives of Isobel’s new family irrevocably.Three women’s lives tangled together in a web of secrets, scandal and deceit, as the legacy of Castle du Rêve is finally discovered…A must read for those who enjoyed the Richard & Judy bestseller, Amy Snow.

Danger in Plain Sight: A Callie James Thriller


Burt Weissbourd - 2020
     Celebrated Seattle restaurateur Callie James is more than a little thrown when her ex-husband, French investigative reporter Daniel Odile-Grand, shows up after fourteen years asking for her help. Even more disturbing: as she throws him out, Daniel is deliberately hit by a car, hurled through the front window of her restaurant--broken, bloody and unconscious. He flees from the hospital and breaks into Callie's apartment, where he passes out. Reluctantly, Callie hides him. When she gets back to her restaurant, two assassins walk in, insisting that she find Daniel for them by tonight or pay the consequences. Overwhelmed and hopelessly out of her depth, Callie hires the only man she knows who can help her: Cash Logan, her former bartender, a man she had arrested for smuggling ivory through her restaurant two years earlier, and who still hasn't forgiven her. The assassins blow up her restaurant. It's Callie's nightmare. And the worst is yet to come as she and her unlikely, incompatible ally discover that the most perilous dangers are far closer to home than they'd imagined.

Everything is Worth Killing: Isaac's Tale (An Apocalyptic LitRPG)


Alex Oakchest - 2019
    Dozens of warmongering ogres. Hundreds of dynamite-wielding gnomes. And one normal guy in the middle of it all. Bad mornings. We've all had 'em. But what if you woke up in a post-apocalyptic land filled with wizards, dragons, and ogres? Not only that, but you woke up as a prisoner of a clan of mages who don’t even speak your language? What if these guys expected you to know magic, but left you to figure out for yourself how to cast it? These are the problems Isaac must solve. And what's he going to do when death knocks on his door? He's going to blast a fireball through the letterbox and send death running. But first...he just needs to learn how to even cast a fireball. Follow his journey through a land filled with creatures that want to kill him, and watch as he refuses to let them. Accompany him into a land of mystery and danger, where life is tough and learning spells and skills takes work. A land where Isaac is determined to stop being the prey and become the predator. This is his journey to make allies and friends in this new world. A journey through battles against slaver ogres and wingless dragons and gnome dictators. Through experimentation and adaptation, where he learns that killing one enemy helps him against the next. It’s also his journey to find a warm, comfy bed. This is the tale of a someone who used to be a normal guy. It's Isaac’s tale of adapting to a world where everything is worth killing. Over 500 pages of fast-moving fantasy, set in a brutal apocalyptic world. This is a mesmerizing story about one guy's quest for power and survival, with light litrpg/game-like elements and a focus on him learning how to use magic. 'Amazing - I love it because of how original it is. This is a hidden gem. The story is good and I'm enjoying the style.' - Early Reviewer 'A breath of fresh air. Isaac is not some over-powered or genius guy. He is just a dude trying to survive in the cruel world he was thrown in, and he is trying to make head and tail of what is going on.' - Early reviewer 'Enjoyable - I especially like the rationality of the main character and how he approaches problems. Unique, definitely worth reading.' - Early reviewer.

Murder In The Family


Jeremy Josephs - 1995
    On the night of 10 October 1987 Nicholas and Elizabeth Newall went out to dinner with their sons to celebrate her 48th birthday. It was the last time that the parents were seen alive. Sometime during that evening, they were bludgeoned to death at their home, their bodies removed, leaving only bloodstains behind. For six years Roderick Newall denied all responsibility for the murder - even after his dramatic arrest on the high seas by a Royal Navy frigate, followed by extradition from Gibraltar to stand trial on Jersey. But he could no longer live a lie, and took detectives to a beauty spot on the island where he had buried his parents with the help of his younger brother, Mark. What drove Roderick to murder his apparently loving parents? And why should Mark Newall have been prepared to put his loyalty to his brother above that to his parents, thus becoming an accomplice to murder? MURDER IN THE FAMILY is the gripping account of Jersey's most notorious and fascinating murder case: the hunt to track down and convict the Newall brothers is a thriller without parallel. Jeremy Josephs has had extensive co-operation from those close to the case and the Newall family in writing this enthralling book.

Fatal Passions


Adrian Vincent - 2016
     In trunks, under floorboards, in remote ravines — even in their own beds — the bodies of those for whom their lovers’ passion proved fatal have been found, and often through the stench of decay. One ingenious killer boiled down his wife’s remains in a vat at his sausage factory. Another throttled and incinerated a perfect stranger in order to stage his own death and thus escape the charge of bigamy. Then there were the lesbian schoolgirls who bludgeoned to death the mother of one of them with a brick in a stocking. Her crime: she had tried to keep them apart. Whilst one woman kept her lover in a secret attic for years until he shot her husband dead. A dark narrative, Adrian Vincent expertly brings together some of the world’s most notorious killer. In sixteen fascinating case histories, Fatal Passions tells the true stories of those who have literally loved someone to death. Praise for Adrian Vincent ‘A skilfully written account’ – Kirkus Reviews. Adrian Vincent worked in Fleet Street for twenty-seven years, becoming managing editor of IPC’s educational magazines. He is the author of many books on art and antiques, novels and true crime.

Mom of the Year


Denise Pischinger - 2013
    You'll laugh, cry and phone a friend about Mom of the Year--the debut title from the new literary genre, Script Lit. Janie Parker rules the school at Parkside Elementary, though she’s not even a student. She’s a volunteer room mother, tirelessly pouring her blood, sweat and tears into every perfect detail of every party or project for her daughter’s class. And she does it all for…GASP…the glory. Her over-the-top antics alienate her daughter, Kelsey, who isn’t anything like her mother. So when Janie’s husband, Greg, announces the family must relocate to Houston in the middle of the school year, Kelsey sees the opportunity to start over. Janie, however, sees the end of her legacy as the most fabulous, glorified volunteer in the history of public schools. As if that isn’t horrifying enough, the family’s move to Houston forces Janie to live in the same town as her own mother, Helen, whom she despises. When they arrive at Kelsey’s new school, Bear Branch Elementary, Janie discovers some silver lining – their new school district annually crowns a “Mom of the Year.” Janie soon meets her match in Lanette Middleton, the class room mother and reigning Mom of the Year. Lanette makes it clear there is no room for Janie at Bear Branch. After one too many insults, Janie fights back...and the competition is ON!

A Crack In The Door


Helen Ryan - 2017
    His life with his wife, Maggie, changes when he moves from London’s suburbs to a house in Devon overlooking the Exe estuary. It changes even more, and not for the better, when Maggie’s father, Jack, a widower, comes to live with them. Struggling under the pressures of caring for Jack, Maggie and Colm begin to see each other differently. Cracks appear in their marriage. When Jack asks Colm to help him die, Colm glimpses freedom and decides to oblige by leaving Jack to drown in the bath. But it’s not that simple. Mercy killing, practised without a manual, is not an exact science.

The Crystal Mage


Whiskey Flowers - 2019
    Crystal blames the Raelin and the man who sent her father Max to die, the former Archmage Kevin Wilson. If Crystal's Aunt Mattie has her way Crystal would get no revenge, instead Crystal would be married to Alton Story, a disgusting boy who spends most of his time in brothels. More than Story has asked about Crystal, she is one of the few female mages in the kingdom and many people had asked about her to her selfish Aunt Mattie. In order to escape her life Crystal moves to the Tower Of Magic in Dyson where she quickly establishes herself as a student to watch out for. Unfortunately, Crystal finds out that all of her training may have been for naught. The Kingdom of Downey has been deemed a threat and their Dragonknights were responsible for killing mages a few years prior. What is even worse, the Raelinians were soundly defeated and the former Archmage was sent into hiding by a mage rumored to be even stronger than Crystal is, Jonathan the Lightning.

The Silver Saddle


Stephen Michael Hundley - 2016
    High cliffs and black timber forests lead onto dangerous trails which twist and turn all the way to its violent and natural conclusion. Will and Evaline Garrison settle in Colorado and with young sons Gabe and Ransom built their ranch on lands hunted by ancient tribes of Indians for centuries. After many battles Garrison finds himself once again losing his family and hard won land. Bigger battles loom as an expanding railroad pushes onto the ranch despite Garrison's battle against it. His fight grows into epic battles and as friends and foes die his young sons are forced to take up trails of vengeance. On a ride for revenge Gabe found May Horn with a bloody knife in a darkened street. Pursued by twelve railroad trackers they run for days across towering cliff trails. Sharps rifles, Winchester carbines and Colt pistols do their talking for them and many die on their bloody trail. A warm romance buds and pushes up thru the ashes as the characters fight to survive. Readers will find their own brand of justice, as they ride bound to characters, so good or so evil. The Silver Saddle, a full size original Western saga is written in an old style, with deadly consequences of our unforgiving desperate migrations into the Old West. No emotion will be left untouched!

Execution of Faith


Stephen Taylor - 2020
    Can Danny Pearson stop them or will this be his downfall...Since leaving the SAS, Danny Pearson passes time doing freelance security jobs. Still mourning the loss of his wife and son, Danny’s just trying to live the quiet life getting by day by day.When his best friend Scott is asked for help from an old work colleague, Danny and Scott investigate. What they find leads them into a dangerous world of terrorists, mercenary killers and a plot to change the balance of world power. Will Danny live long enough to stop a global disaster…Execution of faith is the first in the Danny Pearson Thriller Series. If you like sharp humour and fast-paced action and adventure, then you’ll love Stephen Taylor’s first rollercoaster action thriller.Readers are saying“Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, Jason Bourne and now Danny Pearson.”

The Spoiled Princess


Sigal Adler - 2017
    The Spoiled Princess ************************* There once lived a king in a grand far-off palace Along with his daughter, the sweet princess Alice ; The king loved his daughter, gave her all he had So she would be happy, and never feel sad.

Aftermath of a Murder


V.K. McGivney - 2015
    The marriage had not been happy and as the investigation into his murder gets underway, she is horrified to discover that Howard had been leading a secret life of which she was totally unaware. Each new revelation hits her like a seismic shock, but she is determined to keep her children from learning the terrible truth about their father. She takes them on a trip to Wales where she experiences a peace and sense of freedom that formerly eluded her. On their return she sinks into depression and is persuaded to join a therapy group. Here she finds a vital clue leading to the discovery of the identity of Howard’s murderer.

Only the Brave: An Aviation Thriller Omnibus


Richard Herman - 2016
     THE WARBIRDS The Pentagon, Washington. When Libya provokes a world crisis, the 45th Tactical Fighter Wing is relocated to a base in East Anglia to prepare for combat. Colonel Anthony "Muddy" Waters has a mission: to mould a company of poorly trained rogues and misfits into heroes. His assignment is one that no other officer in the United States Air Force would touch. But Waters has a fabled stubbornness and dedication unparalleled in the armed services...and the will to make the impossible possible. This includes turning a superbly talented pilot but loose cannon named Jack Locke into a fighting force to be reckoned with. Because their country could ask them at any time to fly their F-4s into the eye of the firestorm, to face an overwhelming enemy and brave the flames of hell itself. Tomorrow that call will come. And there will be no turning back when the heavens explode… FORCE OF EAGLES Iran. 281 American POWs were taken captive when the US pulled out of the country. Now the US is assembling a Force of Eagles to bring them home. The POWs, including one woman, have become the latest bargaining chip in Middle Eastern politics. The rescue team includes ace fighter pilot Jack Locke, his weapons system officer, “Thunder” Bryant, Colonel Rupert Stansell, and General Lawrence “Sundown” Cunningham – and a company of Rangers. The Ranger’s Command Sergeant Major, Victor Kamigami, soon proves he is a force in himself. The mission becomes a race against a thirty-day deadline as a sadistic prison commandant works to break his captives' will… THE TRASH HAULERS Vietnam, 31 January 1968. Over an action-packed 24 hours, three lives collide amidst war and violence. Captain Mark Warren and his crew are trash haulers, airlifting supplies and personnel on their C-130 Hercules, the workhorse of tactical airlift. Flying a Huey, the helicopter that symbolizes mobile warfare in Vietnam, Wilson Tanner is a Dust Off pilot who risks all to rescue the wounded. At Se Pang, Colonel Tran Sang Quan comes into conflict with inept superiors as they initiate the People’s Army of Vietnam’s long-planned General Offensive and Uprising. This is the beginning of the Tet Offensive. Both sides face more than the enemy as superior officers manoeuver for political advantage, and where cowardice, prejudice and treachery infiltrate the ranks – on both sides. In the air and on the land, raw courage, tenacity, and honor are the marks of humanity that deal with the wreckage of war… Praise for Richard Herman ‘An imaginative action story told to perfection’ – Clive Cussler 'Too many of today’s geopolitical thrillers ring false, but not Herman’s.” – San Francisco Examiner ‘This is the sharp end, with vivid descriptions of air combat, the smell of hot oil and fear’ – The Times ‘A really fast-moving air force adventure story, with some superb action scenes which glue you to

LETTING GO: How to accept change, free up your thought patterns and start living life to the fullest


Romuald Andrade - 2016
     Mara is cynical, weary, and frustrated and does not know what to do about it until she meets a psychologist who is able to show her a better way out. But is it too late for Mara? Will she lose the relationships she cherishes in her life? Will she be able to apply the advice to better her current situation? As with all of Andrade’s books, this one is filled with actionable advice you can put into effect immediately. In addition to the fable, the book includes a detailed framework examining the root causes of mental frustration and how they can be fixed.