Book picks similar to
Captive Hearts by Matt Shaw


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psychological-thriller
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Man Down


Roger Smith - 2014
    A life that seems prosperous and peaceful until a home invasion plunges them into an orgy of bloodshed. As three masked gunmen terrorize the Turners, exposing the fault lines in a marriage built on a foundation of lies, John is forced to confront the truth about his complicity in an unspeakably brutal crime in Johannesburg a decade ago and ask himself a question: is it payback time?Man Down is both a harrowingly propulsive thriller and a meditation on moral ambiguity and the roles choice and chance play in the shaping of a life.Praise for Man Down"Smith, without apology, confronts the 'banality of evil' dear to Hannah Arendt. He is a novelist-gunslinger unafraid to show the path to disaster." Marianne Magazine"Man Down, a thriller about violence and guilt, takes you by the throat like a cat takes a rat, and the reader will emerge with a renewed fascination with Smith's kamikaze side." Libération"Clever, dark and suspenseful." Huffington Post Quebec"Man Down has both Shakespearean and Hitchcockian influences and yet has this inimitable fearlessness that only Roger Smith can muster. Read it if you dare." Dead End Follies"This very dark novel, with its expertly constructed plot and apocalyptic climax, uses extreme violence to portray a society where the boundaries between good and evil no longer exist." Nord-Pas-de-Calais Gazette"Beautifully built, exciting--a really good thriller that hits hard. Very hard." Nyctalopes"Very well written, the timelines are beautifully handled, and Smith can elicit suspense like few other thriller writers. Genuinely gut-wrenching." The Gamblers Blog"Sensitive souls should steer clear, but this very dark thriller hits the mark." Action-Suspense Blog"Roger Smith is not holding back: violence engulfs every page, breaking bones and families. The pungent odor of meth can't hide the stink of blood and fear. Quentin Tarantino watch out!" Jeune Afrique"Excellent. In this book Roger Smith has reached the pinnacle of Machiavellian manipulation and cruelty and one wonders how he'll ever be able to invent characters more twisted and tormented than these." Unwalkers Praise for Roger Smith"Roger Smith is the crime genre's greatest tragedian." Spinetingler Magazine"Smith's writing is astonishing." The Cleveland Plain Dealer"Smith has a unique ability to plunge readers into his nightmare visions." The Times"If you are a fan of George Pelecanos or Dennis Lehane, give Roger Smith a close look." Bookpage"Smith writes with the brutal beauty of an Elmore Leonard in a very bad mood." The Washington PostRoger Smith's novels are published in eight languages and two are in development as feature films. Website: rogersmithbooks.com

Faces of Fear


John Saul - 2008
    She is happier hanging with her friends and playing sports than admiring herself in a mirror. But when her mother, Risa, marries the premier plastic surgeon Conrad Dunn, he moves them from Santa Monica to his enormous home in exclusive Bel Air.Everywhere Allison and her mother look beautiful people have benefited from Conrad's skillful knife. With her new friends' encouragement, Allison and her mother reluctantly agree to her sweet sixteen-gift from Conrad: breast implants.Risa begins to realize Conrad's obsession with his deceased wife. She discovers not only his fixation with the beautiful dead Margot, but other dark, murky secrets begin to surface, as well, pointing to a more sinister agenda. What else does he have in mind for her daughter? Is it too late to save Allison from the scalpel of her ever so charming husband?

Drawing Vengeance - A Bridgeton Park Cemetery Book: #3


Ophelia Julien - 2015
    And then there's the dead people. But even as they are trying to figure out their relationship status, Cassie's godfather and their mutual boss, Steve Crawford, starts to make headway on finding the man he believes murdered his entire family when Steve was just a child.Cassie and Michael are inevitably brought into the ongoing investigation. Meanwhile, the sad spirit of a little boy, probably killed by the same murderer that Steve is pursuing, continues to haunt Cassie. And to make matters worse, Cassie begins to have progressing visions of a deadly hunt where she is the prey. Michael realizes to his chagrin that he can't help her: all they can do is hope that working with Steve and his law enforcement colleagues to find a murderer, might bring an end to the nightmare visions that take Cassie all the way to the gates of hell.

Gloop!


David Brian - 2015
    It has lain in the cold and dark of the bog, waiting patiently for a host to set it free. Now, for John Cluer and his family, nothing will ever be the same again.A novelette of approximately 10,000 words.

The Spirit in the Crypt


Alexander Lound - 2019
    To look at skeletons decaying in their graves.To hear the voice, screaming at him. Screaming into his mind. Commanding him to leave.For weeks afterwards, he is filled with dread, terror as to what the voice might have belonged to. A demon? A ghost? In his nightmares, skeletons strangle him. And when they clear, he has the mysterious nightmare of the girl from his school, making the long walk across the graveyard, and disappearing into the crypt. Never leaving before his waking.It's when something awful happens to this girl that his fear turns to panic. Panic which will force him to unravel the mystery of the crypt, and in doing so, many mysteries about himself.Book one in the chilling Jonny Roberts series! Follow everyone's favourite teen ghost-hunter in Lound's heart-stopping stories!

Sea Sick


Iain Rob Wright - 2012
    Now, years later, Jack is a changed man, with a head full of secrets driving him insane. His recent record of police brutality and a reputation for not following the rules has prompted his seniors to give him an ultimatum: take a few weeks off, relax, and find some way to let go of all the anger – or else find another job.That’s why Jack is about to board The Spirit of Kirkpatrick, a cruise liner built for relaxation and fun. Pretty soon, however, Jack realises that a little R&R is the last thing he’s ever going to get aboard the cursed ship. There’s a virus onboard, making people insane and bleeding from the eyes. The whole ship is overrun with blood and death, and there is nowhere to escape. Just when Jack thinks his number is up and his life is over, he wakes up. The day is exactly the same. In fact, everything is the same. Jack is forced to witness the viral outbreak again and again as it ravages the ship and its passengers over and over, day after day. Jack finds himself trapped in a repeating hell. It won’t be long before Jack realises there are others onboard just like him – and that some of them know more than they’re letting on.

Man of Wax


Robert Swartwood - 2011
    He doesn't know how he got there, he doesn't know where his family is, and written in dried blood on the bathroom door are the words LET THE GAME BEGIN. Soon Ben is contacted by Simon. Simon knows all there is to know about Ben, more than he cares to remember himself. If Ben wants to save himself and his family, he will have to do everything Simon says.As the game begins -- with stakes much higher than either man can imagine -- no one knows where it will lead or how it will end.Only one thing is for certain: this time the game will change everything.MAN OF WAX is 80,000 words long and the first book in a thriller trilogy where every day men and women must fight a power that threatens to destroy the world. Recommended for fans of Harlan Coben, Michael Marshall, and Dean Koontz. Praise for MAN OF WAX: "MAN OF WAX grabs you by the throat in the first chapter and never lets go. A suspense-filled thrill ride with plenty of shocks along the way. Read it!" -- F. Paul Wilson, author of the Repairman Jack novels

Bambi


Marjorie Benton Cooke - 1914
    Novel following the endeavours of a young woman who marries a penniless dramatist and then devotes her life to making him a successful playwright.

Intention


C.S. Barnes - 2019
    An irritant to her father and a concern to her mother, Gillian’s home life is less than ideal.Geraldine, Gillian’s mother, has suffered abuse from Joe for years. However, it is not until Joe dies that the family dynamic shifts and Gillian starts out on her own dark journey…When Gillian meets Paul and Daniel she starts to become the person she always knew she was. And as people around her start dying Gillian faces scrutiny from her mother.  But are the deaths accidents or is something more sinister at work? C.S. Barnes' Intention is set to be one of 2019's stand-out debuts. A dark and compelling psychological thriller, it will appeal to fans of authors like; Lisa Jewell, S.E. Lynes, Theresa Driscoll.

Turn The Other Way


Stuart James - 2019
    A deranged family. Innocent victims being picked at random.If you're chosen, Turn The Other Way.Simon Bairstow is a top London Surgeon. He's performed dozens of life-saving operations. But something goes horribly wrong. The machine Eve Johnson is attached to flatlines, and suddenly her parent's world has collapsed.They're hell bent on revenge, someone to answer for the horrific error that's been made.Noah and Jess are driving on a busy dual carriageway and get stuck in traffic. They hear thumping coming from the back doors of the transit van in front of them. When Noah steps out onto the road, he hears muffled screams. He opens the back doors and what he sees shocks him to the core. The van pulls off, spilling Noah onto the road.Ignoring his wife's plea to leave it, he hits the accelerator in pursuit of the van.Chloe's parents are missing. She hasn't seen them since they left the party in Hampstead on Friday night. She needs answers, deciding to take matters into her own hands. A serial killer is stalking the streets of Islington in North London late at night leaving his victims in a horrific way.The press have dubbed him The Angel Attacker.A terrifying tale of revenge with a twist that will hit you like a sledgehammer.

Serial Uncut: Extended Edition


Jack Kilborn - 2010
    Remember the twin golden rules of hitchhiking?#1: Don’t go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy.#2: Don’t pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be certifiably crazy.So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Crazy #2?When Blake Crouch (DESERT PLACES, ABANDON) and Jack Kilborn (AFRAID, SHAKEN), face-off, the result is SERIAL, a terrifying tale of hitchhiking gone terribly wrong. Like a deeply twisted version of an “After School Special,” SERIAL is the single most persuasive public service announcement on the hazards of free car rides.Beyond a thrilling piece of horrifying suspense, SERIAL is also a groundbreaking experiment in literary collaboration. Kilborn wrote the first part. Crouch wrote the second. And they wrote the third together over email in 100-word exchanges, not aware of each other’s opening section. All bets were off, and may the best psychopath win.F. Paul Wilson says, “SERIAL reads just like a Crouch or Kilborn novel: Full speed ahead, no flinching, no blinking, no brakes.”In a year, SERIAL has been downloaded over 500,000 times, and has received over a hundred negative reviews, with many people claiming it is the most depraved, awful thing they've ever read.SERIAL UNCUT is newly expanded, now more than 36,000 words. Along with the reinsertion of additional material cut from the original version, it also has a vastly expanded beginning and ending, including an extended section that originally appeared in the novellas TRUCK STOP by J.A. Konrath and BAD GIRL by Blake Crouch. This edition has been specially formatted for Kindle, with an interactive table of contents. It also features a preview of the sequel, KILLERS.If you can handle horrific thrills, proceed at your own risk.But if you suffer from anxiety attacks, nervous disorders, insomnia, nightmares or night terrors, heart palpitations, stomach problems, or are of an overly sensitive nature, you should read something else instead.The authors are in no way responsible for any lost sleep, missed work, failed relationships, or difficulty in coping with life after you have read SERIAL UNCUT. They will not pay for any therapy you may require as a result of reading SERIAL UNCUT. They will not cradle you in their arms, rock you back and forth, and speak in soothing tones while you unsuccessfully try to forget SERIAL UNCUT.You have been warned...NOTE: The three novellas in this series are: Serial Uncut, Killers, and Birds of Prey.These novellas are also available in a variety of compilations.Killers Uncut = Killers + Birds of Prey.Serial Killers Uncut = Serial Uncut + Killers + Break You + Birds of Prey.

The Companion


Katie Alender - 2020
    Lucky to survive the horrible accident that killed her family. Lucky to have her own room because she wakes up screaming every night. And finally, lucky to be chosen by a prestigious family to live at their remote country estate. But it wasn't luck that made the Suttons rescue Margot from her bleak existence at the group home. Margot was hand-picked to be a companion to their silent, mysterious daughter, Agatha. At first, helping with Agatha - and getting to know her handsome older brother - seems much better than the group home. But soon, the isolated, gothic house begins playing tricks on Margot’s mind, making her question everything she believes about the Suttons... and herself. Margot’s bad dreams may have stopped when she came to live with Agatha – but the real nightmare has just begun.

The Perfect Life


Susanna Beard - 2020
    She has a beautiful house, a happy marriage to James Jessop, with two sons, Ben and Harry — and she’s just won the lottery. £29 million!The loyal best friendNatalie has never quite kept up, but she’s finally in a relationship with a new boyfriend, Nick. She’s been best friends with Heather since they were bullied at school. But will her friend’s new fortune change their friendship?A dream come true turns into a paranoid nightmareThe Jessops’ comfortable life dissolves into chaos. Heather starts receiving anonymous, hateful messages. She begs Natalie to escape with her to Spain, along with a few other close friends. But away from the spotlight in London, things go from bad to worse. Then the unthinkable happens and Heather realizes she can’t trust anyone. Not even her best friend.Nothing will ever be the same againCharged with menace, this unputdownable, edgy story of jealousy and suspicion by critically acclaimed author Susanna Beard redefines the depths of the psychological thriller.

Mortom


Erik Therme - 2014
    Not that there’s much to inherit: just an empty bank account and a run-down house.Once Andy arrives in the town of Mortom, however, he’s drawn into his puzzle-obsessed cousin’s true legacy: a twisted and ominous treasure hunt. Beckoned by macabre clues of dead rats and cemetery keys, Andy jumps into the game, hoping to discover untold wealth. But unsavory secrets—and unanswered questions about Craig’s untimely demise—arise at every turn, leading Andy to wonder if he’s playing the game…or if the game is playing him.Something’s rotten in Mortom. And this dead man’s game might not be all that Andy is doomed to lose.

Spot and Smudge


Robert Udulutch - 2017
    The Spot and Smudge series explores the love of a unique family, the loyalty of their very special dogs, and the perils of underestimating them. These smart, imaginative stories weave together elements of horror, thriller, mystery, espionage, crime, medical drama, and genetic engineering. Note: This series contains some colorful language and mature themes. "Shove over brother, let me show you the proper bloody way to strangle someone." The Hogans weren’t looking to start a war. They just wanted to leave their troubles behind, move closer to grandma, and let their kids adopt some damn puppies. But their quaint new town is harboring some gruesome secrets… …and their strange new pups are not what they appear to be. There’s a dark connection between these mysterious orphaned canines and the town’s twisted criminals…and that connection is dragging the Hogans into a ruthless fight they aren’t prepared to win. But the grit of a devoted family, like the loyalty of a faithful pair of dogs, shouldn't be underestimated… …Especially when those cunning dogs are the most significant leap forward in the forty million years of canine evolution.