Book picks similar to
Wire and Spittle by Chris Kelso


crime-fiction
lit-fiction
omnium-gatherum
weird-fiction

Another Rainy Night


Patrick Goodman - 2013
    Every day blood is spilled. Every place that rain falls, it washes away some of the red that stains the streets.Eliminating every killer in the Sixth World is as impossible as drying up every raindrop in a storm, but Thomas McAllister doesn’t want to get rid of all of them. Just one. He’s been on this killer’s trail for a while, and he knows he’s getting closer. The only question is if he’ll be able to handle getting as close as he’s about to be, or if his blood will join the stream that regularly flows into the gutters of the sprawls.

Earth Born


N.E. Conneely - 2018
    However, instead of tracking down criminals, she’s in the Dragon Lands of Wyoming, teaching adolescent dragons how to behave should they venture into the rest of the country. Some groups are better than others. The current lot is not better. In fact, they keep falling out of the sky. It’s a good thing she’s half elf, half witch, or she’d have some very squished dragons on her hands. With such a straightforward job, it could’ve been the solo assignment she requested. Instead, Oaks Consulting, or more accurately, her parents, gave her a partner. Cord is a perfectly nice elf, but he’s hiding something. So is Shasta, a secret she’s had her entire life. But when one of her dragons goes missing, Shasta quickly discovers the job isn’t as safe as everyone thought. There’s evil brewing in the Dragon Lands. If she wants to save the dragons, she’ll have to embrace the parts of herself she’s been hiding and show the world the real Shasta.

Level One


Adam Drake - 2017
     Robert was content with his life as a night-shift janitor. No stress, no worries, and no responsibilities. But this idyllic existence is turned upside down when he suddenly finds himself trapped inside a fantasy Role Playing Game. Confused and alone he must find a way to escape back to his own world and, more importantly, to his daughter. But to do that he must take up the biggest responsibility of all: To rule a kingdom. The Kingdom Series:

Ancient Magic


Bob Blink - 2013
    No one would have believed him had he chosen to reveal his true nature, unless he'd showed some of what he could do. Then there would have been problems. The ability to perform magic was the stuff of children's tales, yet for reasons Rigo couldn't understand, he was blessed, or perhaps cursed, with the ability. Asking others why he was different would have been of no use. He had been found at a young age wandering the flats near the isolated village where he grew up, his memory gone. His background, his true family, where he might have come from were all unknown.Wizard! The word hinted at something important. It made no sense that an insignificant orphan could be a person of such power. Yet Rigo could do things that could only be explained as magic. He had an indestructible staff, with its own unusual powers. There had to be a reason he'd been chosen. When the opportunity presented itself to explore the three kingdoms, Rigo set off in hopes of finding answers.Months later he had yet to find anyone who believed in magic. Circumstances pushed him together with another youth, with whom he was forced to share his secret. Together they ventured on. Neither was prepared for what they found, which required abilities far beyond the primitive magic Rigo could muster. Fortunately, someone had a plan, and Rigo was the key to its execution.

Dungeon of Envy


Drake O'Keef - 2021
    Now, dungeons dot the landscape, releasing Demons that terrorize and destroy everything in their path. If they aren’t stopped soon, humans won’t be the only endangered species.In an attempt to preserve life and win the war against Demons, Protectors from different species all over the world have downloaded level-up programs to help them fight. Jason Jonosan doesn’t want to be a part of that world, though his dad created the original tech. His dad’s latest work has made him a target, and Jason finds himself running for his life.When he’s accidentally injected with an accelerated prototype, it’s level up or die. But as he goes through dungeons with his best friend and new Party members, they realize the situation isn’t as simple as they always believed, and the race to save Jason’s life turns into a quest to save the world.

The Pilo Family Circus


Will Elliott - 2006
    You better pass it, feller. You’re joining the circus. Ain’t that the best news you ever got?"Delivered by a trio of psychotic clowns, this ultimatum plunges Jamie into the horrific alternate universe that is the centuries-old Pilo Family Circus, a borderline world between Hell and Earth from which humankind’s greatest tragedies have been perpetrated. Yet in this place—peopled by the gruesome, grotesque, and monstrous—where violence and savagery are the norm, Jamie finds that his worst enemy is himself. When he applies the white face paint, he is transformed into JJ, the most vicious clown of all. And JJ wants Jamie dead!

Ash


Kirill Klevanski - 2020
    "Ash" is the first of the prequels to the "Dragon Heart" series. It can be read as a stand-alone book.Even before Myristal went out, before the battle of the Heavens and the Earth broke out, before the Black General was imprisoned on the Mountain of Skulls, a wizard had wandered the endless expanses of the Nameless World in search of his past and his future. This is the legend of Ash, the Master of a Thousand Words, the Bloody General. What’s true and what is fiction is up to you to decide. But this is how his story was told to young children, so that they wouldn’t be afraid and have nightmares, back when the legends of the old world were still remembered.

Druid's Folly


M.D. Massey - 2021
    Hell on earth doesn’t stand a chance.Now that I’ve dealt with Badb and proven to the Celtic gods that I’m a force to be reckoned with, it’s time to address some unfinished business...The Hellpocalypse.Just thinking about that place makes me break out in a cold sweat, and since I started planning this journey, the nightmares have come back with a vengeance.Do I really want to revisit that hellhole? Absolutely not, but folks there are depending on me—innocents who won’t survive unless I return to protect them. Besides, it’s my fault that the Hellpocalypse exists, so it’s my responsibility to fix it.Of course, this time it’ll be different.When Gwydion stranded me there, I had no warning or time to prepare. But for cripes’ sake, I’m a master druid now—a little ol’ paranormal apocalypse will be a cake walk. I’ll just zip in, kill some master vampires, stop the spread of the vyrus, and be back in time for dinner with my girlfriend.In short? It’s time to cast magic and chew bubblegum… and I’m all out of bubblegum.- - -Druid’s Folly is an urban fantasy romp through present-day Austin, Texas and an alternate history, post-apocalyptic version of The Lonestar State.If you enjoy paranormal action & adventure novels that are full of magic, guns, explosions, vampires, werewolves, ghouls, zombies, and necromancers, you’ll love this first book in the Colin McCool Trickster Cycle trilogy.Grab your copy today and find out what 200,000+ book lovers already know… that M.D. Massey’s Druidverse is a world tailor-made for fans of urban fantasy and paranormal suspense.Review"M.D. Massey's skillful storytelling and entertaining plot twists combine to deliver a page-turning experience that's sure to delight urban fantasy fans everywhere. If you're looking for your next riveting, supernatural adventure, this series delivers in spades!" ~ New York Times bestseller Joseph Nassise"M.D. Massey's action-packed novels take the reader on a rollercoaster ride into an immersive universe of quirky gallows humor, nightmarish supernatural creatures, and high octane urban fantasy adventures. The pages are filled with paranormal suspense and a host of monstrous grotesques in plots that teem with twists and turns. And in all this perfectly streamlined chaos, one thing's for sure; Colin McCool's never going to stop fighting until he's saved Austin, Texas, and most likely the entire world."~ Kit Hallows, Author of The Order of Shadows Series"MD Massey's Druidverse is the perfect playground for urban fantasy fans who enjoy what we've come to expect in excellent storytelling from the genre. Fast pacing. Relatable characters you want to root for. 'Bad guys' you love to root against. With plenty of supernatural elements, mythology, and non-stop action, his world is richly crafted and complex, never feeling bogged down in the details--just how urban fantasy should be told. Master storytellers are able to balance excitement, anticipation, and suspense over a long series--and that's exactly what MD does in the Colin McCool books. A must-read!"~ Paul Sating, Author of the Zodiac series"M.D. Massey offers bantering humor and action-packed adventure reminiscent of Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files... a wonderful read with a snarky hero, quirky characters, bizarre creatures, and dangerous situations."~Liz Konkel, Readers' Favorite Reviews

The Windwalker Trilogy


Michael James Ploof - 2016
     TALON: Book 1 of the Windwalker Archive follows the early years of a unique boy, a fifteen year old runt living on the barbarian island of Volnoss. Born premature during the frozen plague that took his mother, shunned by his father, and raised by his grandmother, Talon has always felt like he doesn't belong. For years he dreams of growing big and strong like the giants that surround him. But as the day of measure draws near, he begins to realize that he will never be named a Vald, and will be cast to the village of the Skomm to live a life of slavery. Barely surviving the beating that follows his failure to meet the measure, Talon is banished to the village of misfits. There he finds friends in the most unlikely of places, and begins to hope he might find some happiness as a Skomm. As Talon tries to settle into his life in the slave village he is challenged at every turn. The Vaka overseers have it in for him, as does the Chiefson of Timber Wolf Tribe. The Kelda Agaeti is drawing near, called by the Skomm the night of dying, when seven warriors from neighboring tribes win the right to go on a bloody rampage through the village. After barely surviving a random attack by drunken Vald that left nearly a dozen dead, Talon and his friends decide that they must somehow escape the island. For Chiefson Fylkin has vowed to kill him first on the night of dying. What follows is a fast-paced race against time, an underdog story wrought with action and adventure, rich with magic, culture, friendship and lore. Set two hundred years before the events of Whill of Agora, The Windwalker Archive reveals the origins of Dirk Blackthorn’s spirit wolf, Chief. Fans of the Legends of Agora books will be introduced to unforgettable new characters, and revisit a few old friends. Although this trilogy takes place chronologically before Whill of Agora, it can be read before or after as a standalone series.

Sorcerer


David Menon - 2013
    The house used to be a care home for teenage boys and Detective Superintendent Jeff Barton and his team uncover a history of horrifying brutality and abuse. Their investigations lead them to the former manager of the home and his wife who are now living in Spain. Their twisted family secrets are then exposed and Jeff, who's a single Dad following the death of his wife and balancing a demanding job with caring for his five year-old son Toby, begins to unravel an audacious plan by a former victim. But will it serve justice or revenge? And can Jeff and his team get to him before that decision is taken out of their hands?

The Killing Pool


Kevin Sampson - 2013
    The slaying carries all the hallmarks of a gangland hit -- a message from the underworld to snitches, cops and rival gangs. One mile away, a Liverpool-Somali girl, Misha, staggers into a run-down bar, dazed and confused. The bar's owner, a career criminal called Shakespeare who dresses like an Edwardian dandy, cannot get a word out of her. Shakespeare, a chivalrous old Trinidadian who has called Liverpool his home since the 70s, is smitten. DCI McCartney is all too well aware that the clock is ticking. The butchered body was one Kalan Rozaki, youngest brother of a notorious Liverpool-Kurdish crime family -- except Kalan is no criminal. For almost a year his brothers have been under full-time Drug Squad surveillance as McCartney slowly closed the net on the Rozakis' intercontinental heroin trafficking organisation. McCartney's key witness and chief informant on the case is someone with intimate insider knowledge of the Rozaki clan's operation... their newly deceased baby brother, Kalan. McCartney's investigation into Kalan's murder peels back layer after layer of a decades-long dynasty of drug smuggling. Each revelation plunges Mac further back into the dark heart of an unsolved drug crime that weighs heavy on his soul. He wants to catch the Rozakis -- badly -- but he wants the shadowy men behind their drug empire even more. The closer McCartney gets to Kalan's killer, the closer he comes to facing down a lifetime's torment -- and facing up to the possibility, finally, of closure. There is one solid gold witness to the killing, Kalan's girlfriend, Misha -- but Misha has vanished. Meanwhile a shipload of unadulterated heroin is sailing ever closer to the Port of Liverpool and Mac's key informant is dead. As dawn breaks on his day of destiny, Mac's priorities have become fatally intertwined: find Kalan's killer, rescue Misha and swoop on the Rozakis -- hopefully elbows-deep in heroin. Then, and only then, can he unmask the demon who has haunted his adult life.

Ecko Burning


Danie Ware - 2013
    His last opponent is an elderly scribe who's lost his best freind and wants only to do the right thing. Seeking weapons, Ecko and his companions follow a trail of myth and rumour to a ruined city where both nightmare and shocking truth lie in wait.When all of these things come together, the world will change beyond recognition.Back in London, the Bard is offered the opportunity to realise everything he has ever wanted - if he will give up his soul.

Mageblood


Christopher Johns - 2020
    Gifts from the game gods for every person. The perfect magic for every user.Seth, a popular streamer, can’t wait to see what this new world has in store. It’s sure to be a blast for a guy who always plays a caster, and his friends are going to be right in the thick of it with him! The game boasts algorithms designed to read biometrics and brain patterns to find the perfect magical fit for the user—magic so personalized that no two casters will ever be the same. In fact, the game company is so sure they will always be right that you can’t remake your character.The unthinkable happened. The safeties and the guarantees failed, not just once but apparently only to them. The company has informed them that the system is infallible: there is nothing they will do. Players must use what they are given, so Seth and his team have no other choice—they need to grind it out and evolve their gifts in time to stream.Loading… Welcome to Mephisto’s Magic Online!

Stasi Vice


Max Hertzberg - 2018
    But when a senior officer has a messy affair, it falls to Reim to do the clearing up. It should be a straightforward job. Lean on a few people to get them to shut up. Intimidate neighbours, bribe officials and appeal to the socialist conscience of Party members. But when Reim starts his interrogations, he realises his boss is hiding more than just a lover. Lieutenant Reim begins to investigate his superior—and what he uncovers puts his own life at risk. Cracking DDR crime from the author of the East Berlin Series

Dead Certainty: A contemporary horse racing mystery


Glenis Wilson - 2015
    But as he begins to research her family history, it becomes increasingly clear to Harry that there are things Elspeth isn’t telling him about her past. What’s more, a series of threatening incidents, escalating in menace and intensity, begins to convince Harry that someone is determined to stop him writing this book – whatever it takes.And Harry is about to uncover secrets in his own family’s past too. Secrets that will shake him to his core and ensure that he can never feel certain about anything again.