Book picks similar to
The Thing in the Vault by David Hambling


horror
lovecraftian
mystery
mystery-thriller

Death Rites


Wendy Cartmell - 2016
    One found dazed and mute, but alive. The other one wasn't so lucky. She's dead.THE DETECTIVEOut of the army, out of a job and out of sorts. Can Crane climb out of his pit of misery and be useful again?THE POLICEMANWell, you can trust a policeman. Can't you?

I Do Not Belong


Rick Wood - 2018
     One of them put them there. For every hour they do not figure out who, another person will die. They are all going to have to ask themselves: who does not belong?

The Last Appeal


Bill Blum - 1997
     After spending years with a death sentence hanging over his head, Ashbourne knows that his time could nearly be up. For Peter Harrigan, his attorney, in a way this case is the last shot at putting his own life back together. Five years earlier, while preparing Ashbourne's first appeal, Harrigan lost his entire family in a sudden car accident. For Harrigan, it really isn’t just a case. For Harrigan, after putting what little left he had into his work, losing the case would mean losing the final, fragile link to his past. Now when a surprise witness surfaces, Harrigan is not sure whether this new development is a blessing or a curse. His new witness is a master of deception who, at the same time, may hold the proof of Ashbourne's innocence. In Harrigan’s desperation to find the truth and free his client, he will have to plunge into the treacherous corners of California's radical environmental movement. In a final desperate race to lay his ghosts to rest, he will have to team up with a beautiful female investigator. Under the glare of the courtroom, the pressure is mounting as Harrigan has to face his old demons in order to try and finally lay the case to rest, once and for all. Praise for Bill Blum ‘A thrilling legal drama’ – Thomas Waugh Bill Blum is an experienced attorney. Familiar with the ins and outs, and the pitfalls of criminal procedures, he presents a riveting, hard-hitting and authentic legal thriller, one that offers a fascinating insider’s look at the shifting political dynamics within the criminal justice system. Bill Blum has also written for a wide array of publications, including the Los Angeles Times, ABA Journal, The Nation and California Lawyer, hosted a radio talk show, and lectured widely. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and family.

Muse


Michael Cecilione - 1998
    A handsome author strikes up a conversation with an actress in a bookshop in Manhattan, and she knows this is the start of something that will change her life forever.

Second Chance


Elleby Harper - 2019
    Now condemned to Rikers Prison for a murder he can’t remember, Bram Carver’s luck has run out. The job: infiltrate a criminal gang to stop a rogue soldier selling weapons of mass destruction to an unknown terrorist group. The problem: he’s stuck in Rikers and the evidence against him can’t be denied. Bram has renounced his family, but have they renounced him? Guilty or innocent, his sister, Detective Bex Wynter, will not give up on the big brother she adored. Together they learn that appearances are deceptive while loyalties will be tested. But Bram’s life is not the only one in the crosshairs. Someone’s sights are set on a thirteen-year-old slum brat who holds the key to stop thousands of innocent deaths. Bram knows one wrong foot will put them both in the firing line. The mystery deepens and the consequences become deadlier with each new clue Bex uncovers. When the hunters become the hunted, one false move will kill them all. Second Chance is the first electrifying book in the Bram Carver Thriller series. If you like page-turning suspense, globetrotting action, and gripping plot twists that leave you breathless, then you’ll love this exciting new series from Elleby Harper. Scroll up to buy Second Chance to experience this thrilling page-turner today! The Bram Carver thrillers are recommended for fans of Lee Child's Jack Reacher, Mark Dawson’s John Milton, Tim Tigner’s Kyle Achilles and Jason Kasper’s David Rivers series.What Amazon readers are saying about Second Chance: "This book blew through the pages like a bomb going off! What a stunningly brilliant beginning to Elleby Harper’s new series!" ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "Elleby is one of the very rare gifted writers who not only opens a vivid window to the world she is writing about but plants you dead smack in the middle of it. I literately had a physical reaction to what I was reading…" ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “The author has an eye for interesting and complex characters, and this book has no shortage. Rich details of the underside of New York add to the total experience of the book. I have enjoyed all of the Bex Wynter books, but I think this one is the best so far. The plot is full of twists, and many subplots provide a very engrossing experience.” ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "Another scorcher from Elleby." ★ ★ ★ ★ “Wonderful read. VERY well developed characters and a fantastic plot and a really great and exciting read. Everything about Second Chance screams grab a copy and read to your delight. A book that carries the reader along page by page turner page…” ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Elleby Harper has another winner on her hands.” ★ ★ ★ ★ ★Books in the Detective Bex Wynter FilesDriven to DeathStolen GirlsCourting DeathDeath for SaleBlood Lines Killing Time Bram Carver Mystery ThrillersSecond ChanceHunt for Justice

Cliche: Episode One


Jeff Menapace - 2017
    He had no idea... Welcome to The Track. An elite club for members whose depraved desires run to the extreme. A place where you can bet on a pony and see how long he can survive...in a deadly scenario decided by a simple spin of the wheel. Step right up. **Author's note** "Cliche: Episode One" is meant to be enjoyed as a standalone short, and/or a follow-up to the novel Numb.

When Angels Fear


P.J. Mordant - 2020
    But she cannot rest. A strange sleeping sickness stalks the village, and a young woman has disappeared. Why won't the police investigate? As events unfold, Emma becomes embattled yet again, compelled to fight for her life, against a deadly curse linked to a past about which she had no knowledge. She is the only one able to vanquish the evil, but doing so will entail confronting an horrific and all-too-familiar enemy.The question is, after all she's been through, will she be strong enough?

The Dark Lake (Free Preview - Prologue & First 5 Chapters)


Sarah Bailey - 2017
    Even back then, she was a mystery that I wanted to solve. The lead homicide investigator in a rural town, Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is deeply unnerved when a high school classmate is found strangled, her body floating in a lake. And not just any classmate, but Rosalind Ryan, whose beauty and inscrutability exerted a magnetic pull on Smithson High School, first during Rosalind's student years and then again when she returned to teach drama. As much as Rosalind's life was a mystery to Gemma when they were students together, her death presents even more of a puzzle. What made Rosalind quit her teaching job in Sydney and return to her hometown? Why did she live in a small, run-down apartment when her father was one of the town's richest men? And despite her many admirers, did anyone in the town truly know her? Rosalind's enigmas frustrate and obsess Gemma, who has her own dangerous secrets--an affair with her colleague and past tragedies that may not stay in the past. Brilliantly rendered, THE DARK LAKE has characters as compelling and mysteries as layered as the best thrillers from Gillian Flynn and Sophie Hannah.

Into the Abyss


L.T. Vargus - 2019
    For when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." -Friedrich Nietzsche The Violet Darger series continues with this gripping novella, Into the Abyss. Will Violet Darger agree to a face to face meeting with the man who shot her? Still awaiting trial, infamous serial killer Leonard Stump has hinted at the locations of additional bodies — more desert graves waiting to be uncovered. He wants to talk, but he has one condition. Violet Darger must be present at the interview. Now the pressure is on. Should Darger head to Vegas and sit down with Stump? Everyone else seems to think so. It’s a chance to close some cases and give families closure, they say. A chance to learn something crucial about the criminal mind, they say. A chance to do something good. So why does Darger feel like it’s all going to go terribly wrong?

The Mystery of Chateau Beaumont (Triquetra Series Book 1)


L.C. Kincaide - 2019
    What better way to embrace a new decade heralding her thirties than to rise to new challenges and make exciting changes in her life?Embarking on the project in the small town of Beaumont, with the expert help of her reticent but skilled and handsome contractor, the work progresses smoothly. Only one thing puzzles her, though — the townsfolk who refuse to speak of the people who once lived there, only to say that one day years ago, the family mysteriously disappeared.Digging into the Chateau’s past, Hannah discovers a distressing past, and more disturbing is how it relates to her future.What began as an exciting adventure spirals into a terror she never could have imagined.Hanna’s story is the first book in the Triquetra Series about three close friends and the unpredictable turns their lives take.

Slice


David Hodges - 2010
     THERE’S A KILLER INSIDE THE POLICE STATION. A police station should be a safe place. But not when there’s a psychotic serial killer working there. THE FIRST VICTIM IS FOUND GRUESOMELY MUTILATED IN HIS MOST SENSITIVE AREA. HE IS DRESSED IN A JUDGE’S WIG. Detective Superintendent Jack Fulton takes on the grisly murder enquiry and discovers that his murderer might actually be one of the police station staff. MORE EMINENT VICTIMS FOLLOW. KILLED IN THE SAME SADISTIC MANNER. The press nickname the razor-wielding assassin “The Slicer.” With the killer stalking the shadowy Victorian building, Fulton has to contend not only with press harassment and police who will stop at nothing to get a result, but also with other problems much closer to home. As the killer leads him on a grim game of cat and mouse, Fulton has little idea of just how personal that game is about to become . . . YOU WON’T WANT TO PUT THIS ONE DOWN Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Robert Bryndza, Mel Sherratt, Angela Marsons, Colin Dexter, or Ruth Rendell. THE AUTHOR A former police superintendent, with thirty years’ service. Since ‘turning to crime’, he has received critical media acclaim, including a welcome accolade from Inspector Morse’s creator, the late great, Colin Dexter, and he is now a prolific novelist with eleven published crime novels and an autobiography on his police career to his credit. His previous police experience has enabled him to provide a gritty realism to his thrillers and his Somerset Murder Series, featuring feisty female detective, Kate, and her partner, Hayden, has gone from strength to strength, attracting interest in the United States as well as in the UK. DETECTIVE KATE HAMBLIN MYSTERY SERIES Book 1: MURDER ON THE LEVELS Book 2: REVENGE ON THE LEVELS Book 3: FEAR ON THE LEVELS Book 4: KILLER ON THE LEVELS Book 5: SECRETS ON THE LEVELS Book 6: DEATH ON THE LEVELS STANDALONES SLICE

The Unlucky Woman


Jonathan Dunsky - 2018
    She may live to regret it.Hilda Lipkind is sure her husband is cheating on her. So she hires Adam Lapid to find out with whom.Adam expects this to be a short, ordinary investigation.Both he and his client are in for a surprise.For what starts as a routine case soon turns out to be anything but.To succeed in his mission, Adam must dig deep into both past and present, and cut through layers of lies and secrets.And in the end, he must uncover an unexpected truth that may do his client more harm than good.You will love The Unlucky Woman because it's a fast-paced mystery story with twists and turns.Get it now!

Wyatt's Hurricane / Bahama Crisis


Desmond Bagley - 2009
    But David Wyatt has developed a sixth sense about hurricanes. He is convinced that Mabel will change course to strike the island of San Fernandez and its capital, St Pierre. But nobody believes him, and the hurricane is only one of the problems that threaten San Fernandez…BAHAMA CRISISTom Mangan was a sharply successful entrepreneur who lured the super-rich to his luxury hotels in the sun-soaked Bahamas. Then violent tragedy struck: his own family disappeared, and a series of misfortunes, accidents and mysterious epidemics began to drive the tourists away and wreck Mangan's livelihood. Fatally, he becomes determined to confront his enemy - and the hunt is on…Includes a unique bonus - Desmond Bagley's introduction to the Crime Wave anthology, and his own author biography, both written in 1981.

The Milburn Big Box Set: Two Complete Series: "A Murder In Milburn" & "Return To Milburn"


Nancy McGovern - 2020
    

Sherlock Holmes The Definitive Collection


Arthur Conan Doyle - 2011
    No more searching for each of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books, you get them all in one book. In addition you get 54 amazing mystery stories by all time great writers, including the Father Brown series and The Man who Was Thursday. The following is included:THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLESMR. SHERLOCK HOLMESTHE CURSE OF THE BASKERVILLESTHE PROBLEMSIR HENRY BASKERVILLETHREE BROKEN THREADSBASKERVILLE HALLTHE STAPLETONS OF MERRIPIT HOUSEFIRST REPORT OF DR. WATSONSECOND REPORT OF DR. WATSONEXTRACT FROM THE DIARY OF DR. WATSONTHE MAN ON THE TORDEATH ON THE MOORFIXING THE NETSTHE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLESA RETROSPECTIONTHE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMESTHE ADVENTURE OF THE ABBEY GRANGETHE ADVENTURE OF BLACK PETERTHE ADVENTURE OF CHARLES AUGUSTUS MILVERTONTHE ADVENTURE OF THE DANCING MENTHE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSETHE ADVENTURE OF THE GOLDEN PINCE-NEZTHE ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING THREE-QUARTERTHE ADVENTURE OF THE NORWOOD BUILDERTHE ADVENTURE OF THE PRIORY SCHOOLTHE ADVENTURE OF THE SECOND STAINTHE ADVENTURE OF THE SIX NAPOLEONSTHE ADVENTURE OF THE SOLITARY CYCLISTTHE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE STUDENTSTHE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMESSILVER BLAZETHE YELLOW FACETHE STOCK-BROKER’S CLERKTHE “GLORIA SCOTT”THE MUSGRAVE RITUALTHE REIGATE PUZZLETHE CROOKED MANTHE RESIDENT PATIENTTHE GREEK INTERPRETERTHE NAVAL TREATYTHE FINAL PROBLEMA STUDY IN SCARLETTHE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMESA SCANDAL IN BOHEMIATHE RED-HEADED LEAGUEA CASE OF IDENTITYTHE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERYTHE FIVE ORANGE PIPSTHE MAN WITH THE TWISTED LIPTHE ADVENTURE OF THE BLUE CARBUNCLETHE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BANDTHE ADVENTURE OF THE ENGINEER’S THUMBTHE ADVENTURE OF THE NOBLE BACHELORTHE ADVENTURE OF THE BERYL CORONETTHE ADVENTURE OF THE COPPER BEECHESTHE SIGN OF FOURTHE VALLEY OF FEARHIS LAST BOWTALES OF TERROR AND MYSTERYINNOCENCE OF FATHER BROWNTHE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY * The Great Valdez Sapphire by Anonymous * The Lost Duchess by Anonymous * The Minor Canon by Anonymous * The Pipe by Anonymous * The Puzzle by Anonymous * The Baron's Quarry by Egerton Castle * The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins * A Case of Identity by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle * A Scandal in Bohemia by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle * The Red-Headed League by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle * His Wedded Wife by Rudyard Kipling * In the House of Suddhoo by Rudyard Kipling * My Own True Ghost Story by Rudyard Kipling * The Sending of Dana Da by Rudyard Kipling * The Pavilion on the Links by Robert Louis Stevenson * The Fowl in the Pot by Stanley John Weyman * Bourgonef by Anonymous * The Closed Cabinet by Anonymous * The Avenger by Thomas De Quincey * The Haunted House by Charles Dickens * No. I Branch Line: The Signal Man by Dickens * The Haunted and the Haunters by Baron Edward Bulwer Lytton * The House and the Brain by Baron Edward Bulwer Lytton * The Incantation by Baron Edward Bulwer Lytton * Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Rober Maturin * A Mystery with a Moral by Laurence Sterne * On Being Found Out by William Makepeace Thackeray * The Notch on the Ax by William Makepeace Thackeray * The Nail by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón * The Adventure of the Three Robbers by Lucius Apuleius * Melmoth Reconciled by Honoré de Balzac * The Conscript by Honoré de Balzac * The Deposition by Luigi Capuana * The Invisible Eye by Erckmann-Chatrian * The Owl's Ear by Erckmann-Chatrian * The Waters of Death by Erckmann-Chatrian * An Uncomfortable Bed by Guy de Maupassant * Fear by Guy de Maupassant * Ghosts by Guy de Maupassant * The Confession by Guy de Maupassant * The Horla by Guy de Maupassant * The Man with the Pale Eyes by Guy de Maupassant * The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant * The Miracle of Zobéide by Pierre Mille * Letter to Sura by Pliny, the Younger * The Torture by Hope by Auguste comte de Villiers de L'Isle-Adam * Zadig The Babylonian by Voltaire