Book picks similar to
Spade Work (Jack Dillon Dublin Tale #6) by Patrick Emmett


mystery
ebook
mysteries-thriller-suspense
police-procedural

Madeline Missing (Jack Dillon Dublin Tales #7)


Mike Faricy - 2019
    Now she's missing . . . By the time US Marshal Jack Dillon and An Garda Síochána DI Paddy Suel get assigned to the case American student Madeline Keller has already been missing for four days. Her former boyfriend already has an attorney and an alibi. The school and her girlfriends have absolutely no idea. AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

Shatter Proof


Judith Lucci - 2019
    

The New Orleans Go Cup Chronicles Vol 1-3: Rescued By A Kiss, Dead and Breakfast, Drive Thru Murder


Colleen Mooney - 2018
    Brandy Alexander’s the real deal--yes, that’s her real name and she’s not even a stripper, although her best friend Julia is. YOU WILL LOVE THESE: The offbeat way Brandy goes about it all has a definite whiff of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum; fans of  Stephanie Bond, Jana DeLeon, Joan Hess, Lisa Lutz, Sarah Strohmeyer, and Elaine Viets may also find a kindred spirit in this New Orleans dawlin’. And animal lovers will flat-out swoon! Book 1 RESCUED BY A KISS Brandy gets an unexpected KISS TO KILL FOR. Brandy still lives with her parents in the Irish Channel and she’s sort of semi kind of engaged to the boy next door, who’s—what else?—one of  NOLA’s finest. And Italian! Dante, the BF, is such a thoroughgoing New Orleanian he always manages Mardi Gras parade duty on his own block. So you'd think Brandy might be a little self-conscious a suave Svengali in one of the gentlemen’s walking clubs mesmerizes her into a big fat Mardi Gras smooch right in front of him. But not a bit. Because after all, it's Mardi Gras, and also for another good reason--that kiss was long, slow, hot—unlike any kiss I’d ever had in my life. She makes a date to meet Mr. Great Kisser after the parade (Yes! Right in front of Mr. Right Next Door) but –horrors--arrives just in time to see him get shot. Although fortunately not shot dead. Before he passes out, he pulls her close and whispers, “Save Isabella. And with that we’re off on a screwball chase all over town, from Lee Circle to the Lakefront, with a stop at Charity Hospital, and finally to the French Quarter’s favorite gay dance club, at all times accompanied by Schnauzers, one of them named Geaux Cup. Vol. 2 DEAD AND BREAKFAST--DEAD IN BED…WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Brandy Alexander is a true and trusted friend – not to mention something of a detective-- who else would you call if you found a full-blown murder mystery in your bedroom? So when Brandy’s best friend Julia, the ex-stripper-turned hotelier, finds her first and only guest covered in blood, lying half on and half off a broken bed—with Julia’s panties swinging from the chandelier – she gets Brandy on the horn. And Brandy does the only sensible thing—makes coffee...with a shot of whiskey--then calls the police. And who should respond, but her recent ex-boyfriend, Dante, with a brand new daggers-looking female partner? But wait! This is not nearly complicated enough for Noo Awlins, where, after all, everybody knows everybody! Julia’s lawyer is none other than Jiff, Brandy’s new squeeze (and the reason Dante’s the ex-boyfriend). As the suspense mounts, the romance blossoms, and not just one. Jiff’s looking more and more like Mr. Right: a 100% Class Act, with his own Schnauzer and a soft spot for Brandy’s three. But Dante makes it clear that he doesn’t plan to go quietly; the former Mr. Right Next Door has a few very sexy moves he’s been holding in reserve, which knock Brandy’s socks--and truth be told, her panties --off! DRIVE THRU MURDER, Book 3 When Brandy pulls into the drive-thru, she expects to order a box of CLUCK IT!—CHICKEN BY THE BUCKET, not hear gunshots and see someone in high heels and a black leather miniskirt climbing out of the pick-up window dragging a body. Her boyfriend, New Orleans Detective Dante Deedler, is on this case and hers as bodies keep turning up and she knows about them before he does.

Facing the Storm


David DeLee - 2018
    When the command was decommissioned, rather than accept re-assignment, Bannon retired from the full-time Coast Guard.But Bannon didn't leave the Coast Guard behind completely. He remains in the Reserves.Recruited by the Secretary of Homeland Security, he leads a small, secretive team of specially-trained, highly-skilled operatives capable of responding to and investigating specific, targeted threats against the homeland. Threats that cannot be effectively handled by standard operating means. Threats that call for a unique and often secret approach outside the normal channels of either Homeland Security or the Department of Defense.When not risking his life for the government, Bannon runs the Keel Haul, his bar in the resort town of Hampton Beach, on the New Hampshire seacoast. There, he also operates as a small town private investigator and tends to get himself in big trouble along with the help of his two best friends and teammates; Tarakesh "Blades" Sardana and CWO Skyjack McMurphy.Book 1 in the pulse-pounding Brice Bannon Seacoast Adventure seriesDon't miss any of David DeLee's explosive Brice Bannon Seacoast Adventures:FACING THE STORM * THE OCEANIC PRINCESS * STRIKE OF THE STINGRAY * THE YAKUZA GAMBIT * THE LEVIATHAN CONSPIRACY (coming soon)

Foreign Involvement: A Chuck Winters Thriller


Robert E. Smith - 2018
    He soon gets caught up with a nemesis character that spews death and destruction, hiding throughout the world like a chameleon---causing Winters to leave his serene retirement and take chase.

Friends and Foes: A Read Wine Bookstore Cozy Mystery Book 1


L.C. Turner - 2020
    

Vow of Silence (The Jill Shannon Murder #2)


Chris Patchell - 2018
     Five years after the brutal slaying of her husband, software executive Jill Shannon is ready to take the next step in her life. But with her wedding to prosecuting attorney Conner Manning just eight weeks away, her future father-in-law’s political ambitions for her fiancé threaten all her hopes. Jill’s past holds dark secrets. Secrets she can’t afford to have exposed under the relentless lights of a political campaign. When Phoenix Detective David Shaw turns up at Jill’s door asking questions about a reporter's murder, he has no idea what a lethal Pandora’s Box he’s just opened. Was the womanizing reporter killed by a jealous husband, or was it related to his drug use? Or did it have something to do with the secret expose the reporter was working on? Jill Shannon looks like a dead-end lead but Shaw can’t shake the feeling the beautiful widow has secrets she’s not sharing. Jill is caught between the sins of her past and the shattered hopes for her future. Shaw finds himself drawn deeper into a twisted labyrinth of lies and danger. One thing is clear: some vows are made out loud in front of witnesses. But some vows are made in silence, and witnesses can’t be left alive.

The Scarry Inn


Shirley McCann - 2015
    Surely the owners, Dick and Thelma are simply trying to drum up business for their new motel by terrifying their guests.But when Kara is found brutally murdered, they realize the danger is real and they must find their way to safety before the secrets of the inn claim another victim. Making things even more difficult is the lack of cellphone service in the small town of Frighton, Arizona. With no clue as to who they can trust, the remaining threesome are now caught up in a fight for their lives.

I Warned You (Matt Ryan #1)


Shawn Underhill - 2017
     Years later, his tiny home state of New Hampshire, known mostly as a vacation state for campers and skiers, is overwhelmed by the opioid epidemic. Lives are being lost, budgets are busted, petty crime is rising, and first responders are stretched thin. Ryan gets drawn into the mêlée when his small business becomes the hiding spot of $300K in cash, stolen from one drug distributor by another. With easy money up for grabs, cold-blooded opportunists begin prowling the sleepy postcard town of Fall River, competing for the seemingly easy score. Just one problem. They weren’t counting on running into a brick wall like Ryan, or his canine companion, Sharky the maniac. *This is a vigilante crime/action story with a touch of dry humor, not an addiction story or a police procedural. There is absolutely no romance. I mean none whatsoever. Unless you consider the bond between a man and his dog romantic. There's plenty of that.

The Highland Murders: Book 1


J.S. Donovan - 2018
     Homicide Detective Rachel Harroway has her hands full. Forty-three-years-old, she fights to balance raising her adopted daughter, the pressures of a taxing career and the unpredictable nature of the spirits of the dead. Bound up in a new investigation that neither the living nor the dead want solved, Rachel pushes forward, relying on her own wit, expertise and tenacity to overcome. All the while, the Gift grows stronger, further launching her world into chaos.

State Series Crime Combo #1: State of Anger / State of Betrayal


Thomas L. Scott - 2017
    This whodunit double-dose of Mystery-Thriller & Suspense features the first two full-length Detective Virgil Jones novels, State Of Anger and State Of Betrayal. State Of Anger As leader of the Indiana State Police Major Crimes Unit, Detective Virgil Jones tackles only the toughest cases in the state, and the one he faces this time has the city of Indianapolis on edge, near the brink of panic. When a team of serial snipers begin using their own personal brand of domestic terrorism, their first two victims are murdered right in front of the governor’s mansion. With no witnesses and very little evidence, it's up to Virgil to find out who is responsible for the mysterious killings. But when Virgil gets too close, the hunter becomes the hunted… State Of Betrayal Twenty years ago James Pope was shot to death in front of his twin children, Nicholas and Nichole, by a rookie cop named Virgil Jones. Now, as young adults, the Pope twins are looking for revenge against the man they hold responsible for the death of their father. Except twenty years is a long time and Virgil has a few other problems these days, the shooting of James Pope a distant memory. But when Nicholas Pope goes missing and his apartment is found covered in blood, his twin sister Nichole turns to the only person she can think of to help her, the one person who could never turn her away: Virgil Jones.

Pineapple and Poison


Allyssa Mirry - 2019
    Ever bitten off more than you can chew? Sticky sweets can lead to a sour case of murder. Lydia Doherty is about to achieve her dream by opening up her very own saltwater taffy shop on the Jersey Shore boardwalk. A sweet dream soon turns into a nightmare, however, when a prominent local realtor is poisoned, apparently after consuming one of Lydia’s free samples. Determined to clear her name and save her business, Lydia dives into investigating, despite the potential danger. Who would have wanted the realtor dead? What was the real motive behind his murder? And why did the killer choose her delicious pineapple taffy as the way to commit this crime? Lydia is determined to get to the bottom of it all – no matter how sticky the situation becomes!

Area Zero


William Bowden
    Unfortunately, stumbling across such a something came close to getting Nathan fired. An innocent when it came to the discovery, to be sure, but it would nevertheless be fair to say that Nathan wasn’t entirely blameless in the matter, having run roughshod over all manner of military regulations. Despite the repeated screw-ups, Nathan remains an asset to the auditing firm, Mace Forensics. So, in a last ditch effort to keep him out of trouble, the firm banishes Nathan to a relic of the Cold War, a third-rate air base situated somewhere in the Nevada desert. Nathan is a forensic accountant, and he is to audit said base until every pencil, and every paperclip has been entered into the ledger. There he will be safely out of sight, and out of mind. Welcome to Area Zero, Nathan.

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.

Come What May


Larry Darter - 2016
    Or so he thought until he is caught up in a run of bad luck and his life starts falling apart. The worst of it, his unfortunate entanglement in a spate of fatal on-duty shootings at a time when activists are protesting the use of deadly force by police and rioting all over the country. On edge and questioning his judgment, Malone's LAPD superiors speculate that he may be too quick to use deadly force.Relieved from street duty, Malone is sequestered in Robbery-Homicide Division's Cold Case Homicide Section to keep him under wraps while he undergoes department-mandated psychiatric evaluation. His work-related problems compounded by a vindictive ex-wife intent on bleeding him dry financially sends Malone into a spiral of depression that soon has him drinking too much in the attempt to cope.Initially resentful over his reassignment to the cold case section, Malone's attitude starts to change when he and new partner, Detective Jaime Reyes, come across the files of a cold as ice, 23-year-old unsolved murder case. The more they study the case, the more certain they become that the theory pursued by the original investigators was completely wrong.Since the decades-old murder does not fit the unit's criteria for reopening a cold case for active investigation, Malone and Reyes embark on an "off-the-books" investigation. Predictably, that creates some problems, especially for Malone. It quickly becomes clear that there are powerful forces at work both inside and outside the LAPD determined to keep the truth behind the murder buried along with the corpse.The more resistance he encounters, the more unwavering Malone becomes in his unwillingness to let sleeping dogs lie, even when things start to get increasingly personal. His persistence in digging up bones from the past begins to threaten his very career with the LAPD. Even when the investigation sends him hurtling into more trouble than he ever dreamed possible, Malone is unrelenting. He is determined to solve the mystery and to uncover the truth behind the brutal 23-year-old unsolved murder, come what may.