Book picks similar to
Taking the Fall by A.P. McCoy


first-reads
crime
reviewed
crime-thrillers

Ginger Snaps


Webb Hubbell - 2015
    Drawn by curiosity as well as a forgotten promise to his late wife, DC antitrust attorney Jack Patterson returns to Little Rock to learn why Stewart was growing hundreds of marijuana plants in his back yard. Jack enlists security expert Clovis Jones and local lawyer Micki Lawrence in a race against time to uncover why the Feds are refusing to allow Jack see his client, why someone will stop at nothing, including murder, to prevent him from investigating the case, and why Stewart’s wife, Liz, continues to insist its all about her not-so-secret – Ginger Snaps.

Night Blind


Michael W. Sherer - 1988
    In the space of a few months, he lost his only child, his public affairs job, and his marriage. Now, a year later, he delivers newspapers and washes dishes in a restaurant, able to face the world only at night. Blake figures he’s fallen about as low as he can go.But an elderly customer on Blake’s paper route is brutally slashed to death in her home, and Blake is charged with murder. In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, Blake gets caught up in a maelstrom of murder and deceit involving a pre-Civil War secret naval intelligence mission, hundreds of millions of dollars in buried gold and a potential bio-weapon that could cause a worldwide pandemic.When the only man who can help him is assassinated, Blake finds himself on the run from the cops, a murderer and a shadowy rogue French military intelligence agent. His only hope of staying out of jail is his ex-wife’s law firm. His only hopes of staying alive are his wits and the sudden appearance of a beautiful and mysterious naval intelligence officer. But Blake’s not sure he can trust even them.Night Blind is a breathless thrill ride on and under the streets of Seattle as one man’s quest for the truth turns to a fight for survival—his own and possibly the world’s.

Random Acts of Unkindness


Jacqueline Ward - 2016
    Her fifteen year old son, Aiden, is missing. Jan draws together the threads of missing person cases spanning fifty years and finds tragic connections and unsolved questions.Bessy Swain, an elderly woman that Jan finds dead on her search for Aiden, and whose own son, Thomas, was also missing, may have the answers.Jan uses Bessy's information and her own skills and instinct to track down the missing boys. But is it too late for Aiden?Set in the North West of England, with the notorious Saddleworth Moor as a backdrop, Random Acts of Unkindness is a story about motherhood, love and loss and how families of missing people suffer the consequences of major crimes involving their loved ones.Random Acts of Unkindness is the first in the DS Jan Pearce series of novels.

Rooked


Caitlin Sara - 2018
    . . Despite her desire for control, Ara Hopkins has always felt like a pawn—constantly being maneuvered by those surrounding her. Carrying a riddled past of abandonment by her mother, a jealous step-sister and exploitation by men she was supposed to be able to trust, Ara craves a social media certified life. So, when she meets her husband, a New York congressman’s son, she believes she’s finally won her game. Secure in a life her mother would approve of—and having firmly shut the door on her chaotic and miscalculated past—Ara feels she’s thriving. Until the night her husband is murdered. Thrust into a game of deceit and lies, Ara realizes that nothing is as it seems and that the past can quickly return to the present. The facade crumbles as relationships are tested and family boundaries crossed. Faced with losing it all, she discovers what a person is really capable of. Because in this game of life, it's either rook or be rooked. An intricately braided plot with unforeseeable twists and a sucker-punch ending, Rooked is a captivating thriller that shatters all perceptions.

Risk


Colin Harrison - 2009
    But Mrs. Corbett, the rich, eccentric wife of the firm's founder, has it in mind to put George’s skills to a peculiar assignment. With only a few months to live, her one desire is to know the true circumstance of her son Roger's violent death. George's investigation leads him to Roger's mistress, a cagy Czech hand model named Eliska, whose motives for latching on to Mrs. Corbett's son may have gotten him killed. Set against a brilliantly-drawn Manhattan, at once volatile and vivid, Risk is prime Colin Harrison.

Erased


Jordan Marshall - 2011
    They programmed her to forget everything. She was supposed to be the perfect patsy, until something went wrong… When Sara wakes up on the roof of a Union Square department store with a sniper rifle in her arms and the body of a political activist in the street below, she can’t even remember how she got there. A mysterious stranger calls and instructs her to turn herself in. He warns that her life has been erased and she’ll never see her family again if she doesn’t cooperate. Sara is terrified, and in a desperate attempt to sort out her past and prove her innocence, she goes on the run. Sara quickly finds herself one of America’s most wanted criminals. The police and the FBI are convinced she’s a known terrorist. The black ops team that framed her is out to kill her before she can expose them. Her only hope lies in rookie FBI agent Brandy Jackson. Unfortunately, Brandy and her partner have every reason to believe Sara is the real killer and they’re being pressured from above to close the case as quickly as possible. As the evidence mounts, Sara even begins to question her own memories. What if she’s not the dedicated mother and hardworking attorney she thinks she is? What if she really is the killer?

Necropolis


Guy Portman - 2014
    Perfect for the head of Burials and Cemeteries at Newton Borough Council.But Dyson’s fed up. How long will he have to deal with banal work colleagues, drug-addled girlfriends and gaudy memorial structures? It feels like he’s just serial-killing time …When Dyson suspects someone of having an even darker past than him, he sees a chance to get out. Will he take it, or is he destined for a life of toil in the health-and-safety-obsessed public sector?Brutal, bleak and darkly comical, Necropolis is a savage indictment of political correctness and woke culture.‘… a magnificent foray into the mind of a sociopath’ – DLS Reviews ‘The book is full of razor-sharp satire’ – Crime Fiction Lover‘… a mix between The Office and American Psycho’ – Amazon ReviewerNecropolis is the first instalment in the Necropolis Trilogy - #1 Necropolis #2 Sepultura #3 Golgotha ‘…it’s the well-crafted and perfectly executed satirical observations, along with the dry wit and devious humour that makes ‘Necropolis’ such a delight to read.’ – Chris Hall (Top 500 Amazon Reviewer. Vine Voice)‘I remain slightly troubled as to why I found myself applauding a sociopath for being so thoroughly entertaining.’ – Little Bookness Lane (Top 1000 Amazon Reviewer)

Felony Murder


Joseph T. Klempner - 1995
    Klempner's fast-paced page-turner is more than entertainment . . . He writes with power, color, and compassion. . . . Felony Murder takes you through the tawdry, real-life criminal justice system where you cannot tell the cops from the crooks." - William Kunstler On the surface, the court-appointed case that lands on young Dean Abernathy's desk is a biggie; he is slated to defend a homeless man accused of the felony murder of the popular black New York City Police commissioner during an early-morning mugging attempt. But at second look, the case promises to be a routine conviction. The evidence is overwhelming. The police have come up with an eyewitness, they have physical evidence, and Joey Spadafino has given the arresting officers a signed confession. Dean's course seems obvious: Get Joe Spadafino, an ex-con, to plead guilty, bargain for the most lenient sentence possible, and figure you can't win ‘em all. Before he can talk to his client about a plea bargain, however, he finds that the prosecutor has already offered one - which Joey refuses. Dean, not only a conscientious defense attorney but a former investigator, starts looking harder at the seemingly incontrovertible evidence. What he turns up changes a foregone conclusion into something very different. The district attorney, although outwardly cooperative, seems to be trying to keep Dean from interviewing the eyewitness - and the reason becomes apparent when Dean, challenged, digs deeper into her background. Anomalies and discrepancies in the government's case crop up. Dean realizes that he is drawing closer to a particularly nasty truth, one that not only puts his life and those of others in immediate peril but confronts him with a moral dilemma that is even more difficult to face.

Real Monsters


Liam Brown - 2015
    The lines are now so blurred, no one knows who the real enemy is anymore.Reeling from the terrorist attack that killed her father, Lorna lurches through an inebriated adolescence until she finds redemption in a young soldier called Danny. However, her dream of a stable life is shattered when Danny is called to serve in war overseas.Danny is lost in the desert. Most of his unit is dead – victims, it would seem, of a brutal ambush. With their equipment destroyed and food running out, the small band of men stumble through the sand and shadows, desperate to find salvation. As their hope fades, they begin to turn on each other, until finally it becomes clear that only the truly monstrous will survive.Brown creates a compelling and gripping experience alternating between the soldier and home narrative. Cleverly employing letters and unique voices we are drawn completely into the raw desert while being left with a thought-provoking and graphic view of modern warfare.What Reviewers and Readers Say:'Beautifully written, smart and punchy'. Sam Mills, author of The Quiddity of Will Self'A memorable and moving portrait of the futility of 21st century conflict'. Benjamin Myers, author of Pig Iron and Beastings

Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror that Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport


Steven Johnson - 2007
    In June 2007 Benoit committed suicide after killing his wife and son, and the media coverage surrounding this event—as well as the facts of the case and its effects on professional wrestling—are all extensively addressed. Benoit’s life prior to and during his pro wrestling career is examined, as is his significant impact on the wrestling world and widespread popularity. This close-up look at one of pro wrestling’s greatest and most lamented figures also presents the place of his tragedy in the darker side of wrestling’s history.

Hunter Killer


Harry McCallion - 1998
    Their leader, Braxton, is keen to put him off their trail before he learns too much…Fraser is confused and in danger, Galbraith is unsure of who to trust and Braxton is desperate and dangerous: a lethal combination.When the three collide, there’s no knowing what will happen or who will come out alive…And can Fraser ever figure out who he really is? A born ‘Hunter Killer’?Born in Glasgow, Harry McCallion joined the army after leaving school. In a varied and exciting military career he served with the Parachute Regiment, South Africa’s elite Recce Commandos and 22 SAS. After leaving the army in 1985 he joined the RUC, but left in 1990 after a near-fatal car crash. Subsequent to this he studied law and was called to the Bar. Now a working barrister and writer he has recently received his Master’s Degree in International Relations. His autobiography Killing Zone was an immediate bestseller. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.

Lynchpin: The Best Laid Schemes of Mice and Men


Siddharth Maheshwari - 2021
    A sinister plan, of a shrewd calculating mastermind, has set the wheels of doom in motion. He is now pulling the lynchpins across the country and making it fall into disarray. He is using everyone in his path to achieve his goals. Within thirty days he intends to control the nation’s soul. As chaos grips the country, it’s a race against time for DSP Ranbir Roy of the Intelligence Bureau and Inspector Vikram Aditya Singh to stop him before anarchy dooms the country. The pieces are set, the board is laid out but what happens when your own pawns move against you? What will be the end game?

The Nature of the Beast


G.M. Ford - 2013
    A hang on to your seat thriller, as two unlikey Secret Service agents search for kidnapped children and solve a decade-old series of murders.

Eve of the Pharaoh


R.M. Schultz - 2017
    Yet Gavin often dreams of what could have been—if only a consuming disease didn’t restrict his aspirations. Instead, fear caused him to pursue what others deemed appropriate, and he committed an unforgivable mistake. But after receiving a letter from his deceased father, Gavin needs to escape.Young Horemheb from ancient Egypt also desires to alter fate. He inspires Gavin through a lost tale that spans eons and cultures, weaving their lives together. Frightening enemies, magic, unexpected friendship, betrayal, love, and death emerge at every turn.But if either of them are to survive, they must choose between life, love, and the revealing of secrets from the ages.

Solway Tide


Andy Jarvis - 2014
    Outspoken, sassy and determined to make it up through the ranks, she's assigned to follow the case of a body found in the sea only to find herself the one being pursued. Far from being a run-of-the-mill murder tale this gripping page turner takes the genre by the horns throwing it in a totally new direction. A nightmare of a tale that challenges the very philosophy and motivation behind genetic experimentation and what possibly could be the 'hidden agenda' behind modern medical research. A setting on the remote west coast of Cumbria provides an eerie, atmospheric, heath land backdrop to this imaginative, twisting story of murder, corruption and the darker side of human nature.