Book picks similar to
Chameleon by Ken McClure


crime
medical
mystery
medical-thriller

The Long Fall: A Novel of Crime


Lynn Kostoff - 2003
    In sunbaked Phoenix, Arizona, this never-predictable tale tosses into its antic mix a dead father, his two sons—one a small-time ex-con with a consistent genius for sabotaging his own best interests, the other a straight, uptight solid citizen with a moneymaking chain of dry-cleaning stores and a restive ex-stewardess of a wife named Evelyn—and a sicko cop with a twisted worldview. Recently released from prison—twenty-four months for possession of a truckload of black-market saguaro cacti—and in deep debt to an unforgiving crank dealer, Jimmy Coates returns home only to discover that his brother has cut him out of his inheritance. A not-unjustifiable desire to settle old scores and new sends Jimmy on a robbery spree that wipes out four of his brother's dry-cleaning establishments. But when he finds himself tumbling for a mutinously sexy Evelyn, the impulse to vengeance reverses itself. Unwittingly, however, Jimmy has already set in motion a series of dangerous consequences—adultery, blackmail, love, betrayal—that culminate in a blueprint for murder. And it could be Jimmy himself who is taking the long fall.

Friends, and Other Perishables


Dale Whisman - 2004
    Still, the idea of a married man with a couple of young daughters working the mean streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma, seems hardly noir. But in Dale Whisman's debut, FRIENDS, AND OTHER PERISHABLES, PI Carl Jacobs is a bona fide member of the fraternity. Whisman spins a good story and has created a likeable, credible hero and a supporting cast with good depth and a promise of staying power that bodes well for future appearances." -Alfred Hitchock Mystery Magazine "...thrill-packed novel grabs you in the first paragraph and never lets you go. An outstanding debut." -William Bernhardt, author of the best selling Ben Kincaid series "...follows the tradition of Spencer and Marlow and other PI's of the genre—the hard-baked detective with a heart." -Charles W. Sasser, author of the best selling Detachment Delta series "...exciting private investigative tale contains a strong mystery...solid cozy starring a likable champion who handles being shot at and wounded with aplomb, but goes a bit crazy when his family comes under attack." -Harriet Klausner, The Readers Guild, rated 10 out of 10 - a recommended read "In good, solid prose Whisman guides you effortlessly through the consistently suspenseful story with a great sense of humor, and of what it means to be really tough. You will not be able to put this book down, and you can't say that about too many mysteries these days. So treasure this one for all it's worth." -Tone and Groove Music and Entertianment Ezine

Open Source


M.M. Frick - 2010
    Casey draws his evidence from open sources; by reading beyond the headlines. When his theorizing catches the attention of the wrong people and anonymous threats turn deadly, Casey looks to Susan Williams, an intelligent, but insecure, analyst for the New York-based consulting firm Intelligence Watch Group for help. The two soon find themselves in the crosshairs and fighting to save their own lives, while preventing an even greater injustice that could affect the balance of power in the Middle East and plunge the world headlong into the next Great War.

Footprints


Rosen Trevithick - 2010
    However, cracks start to form, causing Jenna to ask some startling questions and she sets off to Cornwall to find answers.At first the people of Bosdower are welcoming and friendly, but Jenna slowly finds herself drawn into a web of unrequited passions, abduction and perhaps, even murder.

Project Daedalus


Thomas Hoover - 1991
    While their problems seem at first glance to be different, Vance soon learns he’s got a potentially lethal tiger by the tail -– a Japanese tiger. A secret agreement between a breakaway wing of the Russian military and the Yakuza, the Japanese crime lords, bears the potential to shift the balance or world power. The catalyst is a superplane that skims the edge of space –- the ultimate in death-dealing potential. In a desperate union with an international force of intelligence mavericks, with megabillions and global supremacy at stake, Vance has only a few days to bring down a conspiracy that threatens to ignite nuclear Armageddon.Publisher’s Weekly declared:“Hoover’s adept handling of convincing detail enhances this entertaining thriller as his characters deal and double-deal their way through settings ranging from the Acropolis to the inside of a spacecraft. Michael Vance, formerly of the CIA, is on his way to an archeological dig when some old friends show up. First comes KGB agent Alex Novosty, caught laundering money that the KGB claims was embezzled – and he wants Michael to take charge of the hot funds. Then National Security Agency cryptographer Eva Borodin (who is Michael’s ex-lover) appears with an undecipherable but dangerous computer file: the co-worker who gave her the file has since vanished. Heavies from a Japanese crime syndicate attack Michael and Eva, who are rescued by Alex, but it looks like Alex and the syndicate aren’t complete strangers. Moreover, the mysterious Daedalus Corporation seems to be a link between Alex’s money and Eva’s file. As Michael is drawn into this deadly web, he realizes there is a secret agreement between the Russians and the Japanese – and it has nothing to do with tea-brewing customs. A secret agreement between the Russian military and the Yakuza, Japanese crime lords, threatens to shift the balance of world power.”Tags: Hypersonic, Superplane, Edge of Space, thermonuclear warhead, Supersonic, Space Plane, Crete, Minos, Palace of Minos, Greece, Greek Islands

Rupture: An Eli Branch Thriller


A. Scott Pearson - 2009
    After years of research, Eli is on the cusp of a groundbreaking discovery that could light the way for the future. But, as Eli will soon learn, today's medicine has a dark side.While investigating the suspicious death of one of his patients, Eli uncovers an elaborate web of lies spun by his late father, a longtime professor of anatomy at Mid-South Medical College in Memphis. Instead of finding answers, Eli only finds more questions-and more victims, each meeting a sudden, violent end.Eli joins forensic pathologist Meg Daily to find a common thread among the victims. As they piece together the chilling puzzle, Eli and Meg plunge headfirst into the world of deadly medicine-a world way too close to home.Trapped in the paradox of ending one life to save another, Eli and Meg find that in this life-or-death race against time, one false step could be fatal.

Fifth Avenue


Christopher Smith - 2010
    In the thriller Fifth Avenue, each intermingles within a revered society that is unprepared for what's in store for it when one man finally strikes in an effort to destroy another man for murdering his wife thirty-one years ago. Louis Ryan is that man. George Redman, his wife, two daughters and their close friends are his targets. Both men are self-made billionaires who came from nothing to stake their claim to Fifth Avenue. But when Louis Ryan hires an international assassin to literally rip the Redman family apart, a series of events that can't be stopped catapults them all through a fast-paced, hard-edged thriller in which nobody is safe. Secrets are revealed. The Mafia get involved. And George's two daughters, Celina and Leana Redman, come to the forefront. More than anyone, it's they who are caught in the throes of their father's past as Louis Ryan's blind desire to kill them all takes surprising turns in his all-out effort to see them dead.

Exhume


Danielle Girard - 2016
    Annabelle Schwartzman has finally found a place to belong. As the medical examiner for the San Francisco Police Department, working alongside homicide detective Hal Harris, she uncovers the tales the dead can’t tell about their final moments. It is a job that gives her purpose—and a safe haven from her former life at the hands of an abusive husband. Although it’s been seven years since she escaped that ordeal, she still checks over her shoulder to make sure no one is behind her.Schwartzman’s latest case is deeply troubling: the victim bears an eerie resemblance to herself. What’s more, a shocking piece of evidence suggests that the killer’s business is far from over—and that Schwartzman may be in danger. In this pulse-pounding thriller from award-winning writer Danielle Girard, a woman must face her worst nightmare to catch a killer.

Blind Spot


William Casey Moreton - 2013
    He doesn't remember his own name, doesn't recognize the faces of anyone around him, there is a dead woman in his apartment, and a close friend has died suddenly in a tragic accident. The puzzle gets more complex by the hour as Nick struggles to piece together the holes in his memory, is questioned by police about a missing person, and becomes the target of a team of hired killers. Danger and mystery lurk around every corner, and as Nick soon discovers...the difference between friends and enemies is sometimes a very fine line.

Sinema: The Northumberland Massacre


Rod Glenn - 2007
    There's a newcomer to the small Northumberland village of Haydon . a charming novelist and film buff, researching a crime thriller about a serial killer on a rampage in a remote Northumberland community. The only trouble is, it's a work in progress and it's going to be non-fiction. 392 innocent men, women and children stand in his way to achieving a sadistic dream. As the worst winter in more than a century approaches, can two investigating police officers trapped with the terrorised residents stop this monster?

Without Trace


Katherine John - 1991
    The costumed hitchhiker’s victim is a passing motorist. The murder, cold-blooded, brutal. Without motive.Doctors at the local hospital Tim and Daisy Sherringham are blissfully happy. The perfect couple.When an emergency call rouses Tim early one morning, he vanishes on the way from their flat to the hospital and Daisy is plunged into a nightmare of terror and doubt... This is a new release of a previously published edition.

Famished


Meghan O'Flynn - 2016
    At least, it feels that way until a serial killer starts dicing up women from the shelter where she volunteers. Despite the ever-present tingling at the nape of her neck, Hannah manages to convince herself that the killings have nothing to do with her brutal past—until her boyfriend is murdered in the same ruthless manner as the others. It doesn’t help that the police think she might have done it. But the cops are right about one thing: Hannah is responsible. Because she knows who the killer is. Now she must face the fact that she brought a monster with her to Ash Park—and his appetite for blood is insatiable. Everyone's hungry for something. Some are more famished than others.

Sphinx


Robin Cook - 1979
    Innocently she cast her eyes in forbidden places and discovered the clue to a treasure beyond imagination. It was then that terror overtook her, as the most fearful curse of the ancient world and the most savage menace of the modern one threatened to destroy her. One dangerously attractive man offered Erica help...he offered her protection...he offered her love. And in this strange, exotic land of seductive evils, where no one could be trusted, desire became for Erica the deadliest snare of all...

She's Not There


Marla Madison - 2011
    . . Is the rising number of abused women who've gone missing a statistical anomaly? Or is a serial killer targeting this vulnerable group of women? When the Milwaukee Police Department refuses to investigate because no bodies have been discovered, Lisa Rayburn, the clinical psychologist who discovers the anomaly, is drawn into an investigation to discover the cause after one of her own clients goes missing. She finds herself forming an unlikely alliance with a former policewoman turned security consultant, TJ Peacock, and the husbands of two of the missing women who may themselves be murderers. When TJ is attacked, and a woman looking remarkably like Lisa is found murdered, they know . . . someone is willing to kill to protect his secret. Can they reveal the killer before he gets to them?

Before You Leap


Keith Houghton - 2016
    But when Scarlett’s killer is released early from prison with a cast-iron alibi, Greg realizes that his past is about to explode into his present, with terrifying consequences.To expose the truth he must open up old wounds. As a talk therapist, Greg knows all about dark secrets, but when a childhood friendship comes to the fore and the police turn their spotlight on him, the thought of analyzing his own psyche is a disturbing prospect. How far can he trust his own memories?With his life coming apart at the seams, and his grip on reality beginning to unravel, Greg must face the ghosts of his past if he hopes to prove his innocence and live to see another day.