Book picks similar to
The Death of Distant Stars by Deborah Hawkins
thriller
mystery-thrillers-tbr-list
legal-thrillers
not-won
The Profiler's Daughter
P.M. Steffen - 2012
A six-year-old eyewitness. A gun from the grave.The Profiler's Daughter is a psychologically haunting thriller that combines murder mystery, love triangle, and family intrigue in one satisfying page burner.Sky Stone was born into the wealth and privilege of Boston's oldest Brahmin family but chooses instead to follow in the footsteps of her deceased father, legendary FBI profiler Monk Stone. In the chilly morning hours before the Boston Marathon, when a beautiful university student is found strangled and mutilated, her body left at the base of Heartbreak Hill, Sky returns from self-imposed exile to investigate. Thirty-six hours into the investigation, Sky's world turns upside down when she is fired from the Homicide team. They pin the murder on an innocent man, forcing Sky into a life-threatening game of cat and mouse with the real killer. From the stately mansions of Beacon Hill to the flat scrubland of central Texas, Sky keeps the reader on a razor's edge, culminating in a no-holds-barred shoot-out.The Profiler's Daughter, the first in the Sky Stone Thriller series, introduces a moody, enigmatic, and brilliant female heroine with the fierce bite of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander. As adeptly written as Martin Cruz Smith's complex Arkady Renko novels, this thriller offers an intriguing plot, richly detailed characters, and an astonishing conclusion guaranteed to leave the reader begging for more.
Child of Mine
V.J. Chambers - 2017
Lorelei Taylor’s autistic son, Simon, is a suspect. But he didn't even know the girl. Did he? Simon is sixteen, vulnerable, and diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Lorelei knows her gentle son could never harm another person. But then she finds Simon’s camera full of photographs of the murdered girl, and her certainty begins to waver. As the police circle in on her son, Lorelei has only one choice—to solve the murder and exonerate Simon. But does she know her teenage son as well as she thought she did?
Tortured Dreams
Hadena James - 2013
She has survived attacks by two different serial killers and devoted her life to studying the darker side of human history. A new killer is using medieval torture methods to slay his victims. She can give them a glimpse into his twisted world, but not without a cost. If she opens herself, she risks falling into the depths of her own darkness. Can she afford to help, knowing that the cost could be her own humanity? Aislinn Cain's life is a horror story.
Daria's Daughter
Linda Huber - 2021
Her daughter has vanished without a trace and nobody is telling her what happened. Evie's gone. That's all. Gone. What does Daria have left to live for?A mother and daughter reunitedMargie can't believe it. Bridie is hurt. Bridie needs her. They manage to escape the smoke, the noise and the confusion. They are together, that's all that matters. Everything will be better in the morning, Margie tells Bridie. And it will.The bonds that never breakWill Daria ever be able to put the pieces of her tattered life back together after the loss of her daughter? Is it possible that things aren't quite as they seem? Can the unimaginable turn out to be the truth?
The Cove / The Maze / Eleventh Hour
Catherine Coulter - 2004
Into The Cove comes Sally Brainerd, daughter of murdered Amory St. John of Washington, D.C., seeking sanctuary, and FBI Special Agent James Quinlan who's undercover and after her. He's got a murder to solve, and he believes she's the key. But is she really?The Maze (Susan Ericksen, Ruth Bloomquist, Jill Sovis): Lacey Sherlock's life is forever changed when her older sister's body is discovered in an abandoned warehouse. She is the fourth victim of the String Killer, the name given by the media to a murderer who leads his victims into a maze with a ball of twine. Seven years after Belinda's death, Lacey, now an FBI agent, is paired up with computer whiz Dillon Savich, who has developed a predictive program to aid in the apprehension of serial killers. When the String Killer strikes again, Lacey spots his handiwork, resulting in his capture. The suspect confesses, but maintains that he did not kill Belinda. No sooner does Lacey confirm his innocence of that crime, than an attempt is made on her life. Suspecting her attacker is the same person who murdered her sister, Lacey and Dillon know they must solve the mystery - before they become the killer's next victims.Eleventh Hour (Sandra Burr, Ruth Bloomquist, Mike Council): When FBI agent Dane Carver's twin brother, Father Michael Joseph, is brutally murdered in his San Francisco church, husband-and-wife agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich take a personal interest in the investigation. Then Nicola "Nick" Jones, a homeless woman and the only witness to the shooting, is scared out of her mind because she is trying to hide from her own monsters - who are drawing closer and closer. The chase goes from San Francisco to the Premiere Studios in Los Angeles and its new television hit, a show all about murder.
Ruthless
Charlie Gallagher - 2018
Written by a best-selling serving police detective. This is Rhiannon’s story. She thinks she’s a good person but to stay alive in a very violent world she will be tested to the limit. Will Dryden wakes to discover his girlfriend Janey is dead from an overdose. Without his friend and partner in crime, he has nothing left to lose. Meanwhile, police are called to the scene of a car accident – date night gone tragically wrong for Melissa Cooper – and left to break the news to Mel’s teenage niece, Rhiannon. For Rhiannon, it’s a devastating loss. Now she’s on her own. Will and Rhiannon’s paths cross. Rhiannon gets sucked into the world of the drug dealers and falls into the sights of Aaron – the gang leader. He has a point to prove and is unhappy that he isn’t getting the respect he wants. Aaron takes brutal revenge when the police start to close in on him. Can Rhiannon stay alive and save herself and Will from the murderous Aaron? Who will be ruthless enough to survive? This pulsating crime thriller takes you on an adrenaline-packed ride with a shocking end.
Lost in Distraction
B.J. Harvey - 2013
A sexy stranger paid to protect her. Alone and shut off from the world, Elise Halliwell is simply going through the motions, waiting for the next step in her pre-destined life. Until a chance meeting with the dark-haired, blue-eyed Brax James shakes her to the core, achieving what everyone else before him has failed to do; he makes her feel again. As much as Brax wishes things were different, fate has not brought him into Elise’s life. His job is to keep her safe, not fall for the very woman he’s supposed to protect. Elise has no idea of the threat she faces and Brax wants it to stay that way. Unfortunately for both of them, they’ll have no say in the matter. Full of twists, turns, and revelations no-one sees coming, you won’t be the only one lost in distraction.*This book contains adult situations and explicit content/language.*
Internal Threat
Ben Sussman - 2011
But your success could take the life of your only child. What would you do?That is the agonizing dilemma faced by Matt Weatherly, Black Ops veteran turned top cyber security expert. A ruthless killer is using his son as a pawn to destroy the state-of-the-art web of security Matt's company has spent the last seven years creating. Racing against the clock, Matt is forced to navigate the deadly, night-cloaked streets of Los Angeles, staying one step ahead of the killer and the dogged pursuit of the police, before the deadline passes and consumes everything he loves.
Samaritan
Estelle Ryan - 2022
That is until she opens her front door to find the corrupt woman who publicly outed Bree as transgender—the same woman now begging for Bree’s help.Petra Keller is a despicable person, uncaring whose reputation she tramples on her way to the top of the corporate ladder. Or is she? Could she be telling the truth that she’s changed? The more Bree looks into Petra’s shocking claims, the more she uncovers facts leading her to a chilling connection between highly respected companies, their owners and an unthinkable crime.Her investigation becomes even more muddied by cryptic emails, her overprotective brother convincing his enigmatic friend to keep an eye on her and a bombing that lands her in hospital. Instead of being intimidated, Bree’s resolve is strengthened. These powerful men can’t continue to get away with profiting from actions that already resulted in the loss of countless innocent lives—actions that would cost more lives unless Bree gets to the truth. And exposes it.Samaritan is the first book in The Duchess Report trilogy, continuing with Sentinel and concluding with Maecenas.
The Silence
Katharine Johnson - 2017
When human remains are discovered in the grounds of an idyllic Tuscan holiday home she is forced to confront the memories she has suppressed until now and relive the summer she spent at the villa in 1992. A summer that ended in tragedy. The nearer she gets to the truth the closer she comes to losing her sanity. In order to hold onto the people she loves most, she must make sure they never discover what she did. But the reappearance of someone else from that summer threatens to blow her secret wide open.
Still Coming
Joseph Flynn - 2011
But what might happen if a large number of them refused to take no for an answer?One morning, Shepherdton College receives 437 envelopes from twenty-eight states. Each contains the same two-word message: Still coming.That’s just the beginning. The college president’s house burns down; the water in the country club swimming pool turns red; the ghost of a local war hero appears.Another message is received: We’re Here.Nerves fray, and if the “comers” aren’t trouble enough, a Peeping Tom turns into a home invader, and shows signs of becoming a full-blown sexual predator.The town fragments and people take up arms after one last message is received…Won’t Be Long Now.Still Coming is a psychological thriller for anyone, student or parent, who’s ever sweated a college admission decision.
The Perfect Marriage
Adam Mitzner - 2021
Unfortunately, their newfound shot at happiness is not without collateral damage.There’s Jessica’s ex-husband. He pretends for all the world that he’s resilient and strong. If only for the sake of their teenage son, profoundly vulnerable in his own way. James’s ex has taken a different road. Bitter, vengeful, and threatening, she wants only the worst for the happy couple. And then there’s the couple themselves: Are they truly as in love as they seem?When James enters into an extraordinarily profitable, if shady, transaction with a beautiful art dealer, Jessica and James’s seemingly perfect marriage takes a dark and tragic turn.Amid suspicions, tested loyalties, revenge, and guilt, no one escapes unscathed from sins committed in the name of love.
Legacy of Lies
Robert Bailey - 2020
Her ex-husband has just been killed. She’s about to be arrested for his murder. And she wants Bo to represent her.There’s a lot working against them. Just before his death, Helen’s ex-husband threatened to reveal a dark secret from her past. Bo has been in a tailspin since his wife’s death. What’s more, his whole life has been defined by a crime committed against his family, and he continues to face prejudice as the only African American litigator in Pulaski, Tennessee.Bo’s back is against the wall, and Helen resigns herself to a dismal fate—but a stunning discovery throws everything into chaos. There’s a chance for justice, but to achieve it, the cost might be too much for Bo to bear.
Dangerous Waters
Toni Anderson - 2012
As she investigates the crime, Holly soon realizes the sleepy town is rife with secrets. But what unsettles her most is the residents’ insistence that she bears a striking resemblance to the victim of a murder from three decades earlier. She shrugs off the uncanny likeness as a coincidence. But her simmering attraction to Finn Carver, one of the divers who discovered the corpse, isn’t so easy to ignore.Finn, a former Special Forces soldier, knows it’s best to keep his distance from Holly. Yet it isn’t long before they both give in to the consuming desire they share. And as the danger escalates, Finn and Holly must rely on each other to thwart the plans of a cold-blooded killer who’s intent on keeping the past buried.
Unlikely Killer
Ricki Thomas - 2010
This one is breaking all the rules. It takes a journalist's keen eye to grasp the terrifying truth. This killer is recreating infamous murders from history. Despite researching historical murders in an attempt to catch the killer in the act, the police are repeatedly outwitted. With the Jack the Ripper murders next on the agenda, a bloodbath seems inevitable. With the clock ticking and the killer becoming increasingly frenzied, a detective and criminal psychologist join forces to stop this unlikely killer.