Book picks similar to
The Mountaineer's Painting: A Ghost Story by David Francis Curran
fiction
short
mystery-suspense
supernatural
The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo
J.R. Rain - 2010
Now armed and dangerous, she sets out to hunt down the very thing that destroyed her life.That is, until she disappears.Spinoza is a private investigator who specializes in finding the missing. He's good at what he does. Damn good. But he's also a recovering alcoholic and a royal mess. Hired to find Veronica, Spinoza won't let his personal demons — or demons of any kind — get in the way of finding the truth about the missing girl.Now following a bizarre set of clues that leads him into stranger and stranger territory, Spinoza is about to come face-to-face with something legendary...and something hungry for blood.(Please Note: The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo is approximately 90 manuscript pages, or 22,000 words.)
Liam
Kimber White - 2017
Brothers in arms. Their fight to free the shifters of Kentucky could destroy them all.
For two generations, the wolf shifters of Mammoth Forest have lived under the brutal, ruthless control of the Kentucky Chief Pack Alpha. They have been denied their freedom, their rightful packs, and fated mates for far too long. Now, five brave men have forged a secret alliance hell-bent on resistance. Follow along as the shifters of Mammoth Forest fight to reclaim the women they love and the packs they were born to lead. Liam – On a mission for critical medical supplies, Liam comes across curvy spitfire Molly. His protective instincts kick into overdrive. But, Molly’s stronger than she looks and she’s fully capable of taking care of her own damn self. It takes about two seconds for Liam to figure out Molly’s his fated mate. In another time and another place, that would make things simple. Here in Kentucky, that makes her a weapon the Chief Pack can use against Liam and all the resistance fighters in Mammoth Forest. Molly – Molly Ravary’s not the kind of girl who believes in love at first sight. But when Liam McConnell walks into her life, all rippling muscles and eyes blazing with mystery, she might just have to rethink that. He’s hiding something but that doesn’t keep her from being drawn to him. When he reveals his true shifter self, Molly knows she should head for the hills. Except, his nature calls to hers and his truth opens a hidden, magical world she’s been living in all along. Instead of turning away like she knows she should, Molly finds herself all in.
Molly and Liam’s passion for each other creates the greatest danger of all. Giving into it could ruin them both.
The Mammoth Forest Wolves books contain smoldering love scenes between fated mates, danger, dark passion and intrigue. If you're into that, saddle up and strap in! Each book is interconnected and should be read in the following order: Liam, Mac, Gunnar, Payne and finally, Jagger.
Heku
T.M. Nielsen - 2010
For thousands of years he’s sat on the Equites Council, ruling body of his heku faction, and for thousands of years his every order has been followed immediately and without question.One of the most important rules of the heku, is that no one is to feed from unwilling donors. Following a tip that a young mortal woman is being brutally attacked by his own kind, he seeks her out and immediately begins to experience unnatural feelings for the woman.Emily, a beautiful rancher from Montana, has spent her entire life being violently attacked by beings she assumed were vampires. It isn’t until she meets Chevalier that she learns of her startling family history, a history that immediately throws her into the volatile world of the heku.In a bid to protect her, Chevalier moves Emily into his isolated coven, which marks her as a prime target for the Valle and the Encala, enemy factions of the heku. Emily fights to fit into the militaristic world of the heku as her head-strong personality and independent ways turn their perfectly balanced world on end. She immediately befriends Kyle, a heku from Chevalier’s coven, and together they find Emily a niche among the immortal.Emily’s violent past interferes with Chevalier’s plans, and he must first undo what her abusive ex-husband did before he can convince her how much he cares about her, and how much she’s worth to his faction. Chevalier’s growing feelings for Emily are unnatural to his kind, and must be hidden from the rest of the Equites Faction if he’s to remain a formidable part of their Council.His jealous tendencies rage as Emily gets closer to Kyle, and both heku struggle to make her realize how important she is to the faction and how endangered she now is.
Saving Grace: A Victorian Mystery
Hannah Howe - 2018
During and after dinner he had nothing to excite him save the receipt of a letter which somewhat annoyed him, and that his wife consumed rather more wine than he considered to be good for her health. Immediately after retiring to his room he was seized with symptoms of irritant poisoning, and despite every effort made on his behalf, he succumbed to its effects. An inquest was held, which vexed the minds of the Coroner’s jury to a degree without precedent in Coroners’ Inquest Law, and an open verdict was returned. However, the matter will not rest there, for after questions in Parliament, a second inquest has been called under suspicion that Mr Charles Petrie was murdered. * * * Who poisoned Charles Petrie? Dr James Collymore, a man familiar with poisons, a man harbouring a dark secret that, if exposed, would ruin his career; Florrie, the maid who supplied Charles with his bedtime drink; Bert Kemp, a disgruntled groom, who used poisons in his work, who four months previously had predicted Charles’ dying day; Mrs Jennet Quinn, a lady’s companion with a deep knowledge of poisons, and a deep fear of dismissal; or Grace Petrie, Charles’ wife of four months, a woman with a scandalous past, a woman shunned by polite society. With crowds flocking to the courtroom and the shadow of suspicion falling upon Grace in the shape of the hangman’s noose, could dashing young advocate, Daniel Morgan, save her?
The Abduction of Mary Rose
Joan Hall Hovey - 2011
And that the truth could stir a killer from his lair.Following the death of the woman she believed to be her mother, 28-year-old Naomi Waters learns from a malicious aunt that she is not only adopted, but the product of a brutal rape that left her birth mother, Mary Rose Francis, a teenager of Micmac ancestry, in a coma for 8 months. Dealing with a sense of betrayal and loss, but with new purpose in her life, Naomi vows to track down Mary Rose's attackers and bring them to justice. She places her story in the local paper, asking for information from residents who might remember something of the case that has been cold for nearly three decades.She is about to lose hope that her efforts will bear fruit, when she gets an anonymous phone call. Naomi has attracted the attention of one who remembers the case well. But someone else has also read the article in the paper. The man whose DNA she carries. And he has Naomi in his sights.
The Naughty List
L.A. Kelley - 2013
Christmas had always been a magical time for Rosalie, but not this year. The new manager introduces idiotic rules, steals the affections of the cute temp Santa, and forces employees into butt-ugly elf hats. Then Rosalie meets a real E.L.F. (Elemental Life Form) named David and gets lassoed into a desperate hunt for the stolen Naughty and Nice List. Now the couple must stay one step ahead of the hell hounds, dodge a murderous invisible demon, and retrieve the List before the world tumbles into chaos.
Into The Silence
David F. Berens - 2020
All by different authors.
The Slade House Affair: Clare Montgomery, Private Investigator
Daisy Thurbin - 2016
In this first book in a new series, Mrs Montgomery is retained by an archaic well heeled family when its patriarch fails to arrive home at the expected hour. As with all of her writing, Thurbin demonstrates that a book need not contain gratuitous violence, graphic sex or coarse language in order to keep the reader entertained. Set in London and the Home Counties, Thurbin's attention to detail and meticulous research, coupled with an interesting conundrum and a sprinking of quirky characters, are bound to please even the most discerning of readers.
Dead Man Talking
T.M. Simmons - 2004
When her cousin Katy calls looking for help with the resident ghost at Espirt d'Chene, the family mansion near Jefferson, Alice agrees to come to the rescue.Sir Gary Gavin, dead now over two hundred years, insists Alice is the only one who can expose his undeliberate murder to allow him to leave his tortured existence; and he's not above wreaking havoc at Espirt d'Chene until Alice concedes to his demands. Before Alice can even pack, though, Katy discovers a new murder — a headless corpse floating in her swimming pool. This new ghost — Bucky, the black-sheep son of a Texas senator — is dangerous in his newly-dead, confused state as he searches the plantation for his head.Alice must somehow uncover the identity of Bucky's murderer, or else it looks like Katy will be charged with the crime, despite several other suspects who have motives for wanting Bucky dead. To make matters worse, the homicide detective in charge, Alice's ex-husband Jack, doesn't believe in ghosts. That leaves Alice no choice but to depend on her ghost hunting mentor, Twila, and her elderly neighbor, Granny, to assist in the investigation.Katy is arrested, and there's no help for it: Sir Gary's going to have to join the investigation. Much to Jack's dismay — and the delight of the women — he is finally forced to admit that Sir Gary is real. A real ghost, anyway. Together, the unlikely team of sleuths join forces to help send Sir Gary to his deserved reward, track down the real killer, and set Katy free.
A Touch of Ice
L.J. Charles - 2011
j. Charles:
Everly Gray's fingers are a magnet for trouble. When she touches photographer Mitchell Hunt and sees the image of a dead body, she dives into the murder fingertips first. Life takes a turn for the dangerous when she discovers the body is related to a small-time crime family that accidentally stepped on the toes of notorious criminal, Delano West. Caught in a web of intrigue where nothing is as it seems, El discovers an aptitude for breaking and entering, the pain of an up close and personal meeting with a bullet, and the terror of facing a cold blooded killer. What she doesn't learn--to keep her fingers to herself. What they're saying...A TOUCH OF ICE is a suspense-filled romance that will keep you up late turning the pages. Everly and Violet make perfect partners in their sleuthing, complementing one another perfectly. The romance between Mitch and Everly is sweet and blossoms into something spicy and wonderful. The mystery twists and turns, keeping this reader thoroughly entertained, trying to figure out the clues. Romantic suspense readers won't want to miss this one! ~Romance Junkies "A fun adventure with characters who sizzle." ~ Adrienne Girodano, author of the Private Protector series
Because We're Worth It
Pauline Lawless - 2009
To boost her self-esteem, overweight Kate joins Slimforever'. Will it help her find herself again? Jenny longs for a baby but time is running out. If she lost weight, would it help her to conceive? She joins 'Slimforever' in a last-ditch attempt to beat her biological clock. Is it the answer to her prayers? Their friend Lauren, a beautiful ex-model, decides she could lose a few pounds too. Lauren appears to have it all – elegant Georgian home, barrister husband, two lovely children and a successful business as an interior decorator. But is it all as it seems? Meanwhile sexy, voluptuous Diana craves excitement and detests being buried in the backwoods of Ballyfern. She’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants – even if it’s another woman’s husband. Four women – different goals – can they all be winners?
Temptation Road
Kimball Lee - 2013
Her husband has directed five of the highest grossing movies of all time, and her ex is a hunky detective who can’t get her out of his heart. She has all that glitters, but it isn’t at all what she bargained for. Beguiled by the story of a mystical old house in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she walks out on her past and into her future. In the village of Seven Devils, North Carolina she is drawn to and enchanted by The Mary’s House and comes face to face and heart to heart with breathtakingly handsome and reclusive Fletcher Green. Fletcher steals Reagan’s heart in an instant but there are secrets to be told and he hasn’t uttered a single word in twenty years. Only his brother Teddy has discovered the mysterious truth that sets Fletcher apart from all others. The two brothers will rebuild The Mary’s House for Reagan and along with a town full of eccentric’s she just might find her place among the charms and bits of magic, both good and evil. Fate, destiny, passion and a touch of the divine will change her forever as she becomes a part of all that exists on Temptation Road.
Awaking
Madeline Freeman - 2011
First, the psychic ability she believes she has just been pretending to have since middle school might actually be real.Second, her mother, who disappeared abruptly and completely almost a decade ago, might still be alive.Morgan finds herself in the drawn into a centuries-old struggle involving a group of people who quietly coexist alongside the common people of the world. This shadowy group believes it is time for them to reclaim their former positions of power—and they believe Morgan is the key.But when the time comes, will Morgan be able to do what it takes to reunite with her mother and fulfill her destiny?
Tails from Under Where
Karny McFlynn - 2017
The monotony of Everly Thyme's boring predictable life is interrupted when an invitation to dinner arrives at her door from a venomous distant Aunt. Why not go she figured? After all, Aunt Legoria might have the answer to Everly's most burning question. How much havoc can one rose and aspirin cream scented piece of paper possibly cause? Fighting monsters that shouldn't exist probably didn't top the list. Will Everly make it home from dinner in one piece? The devil only knows...doesn't he? Welcome to Bonhomme Maine, leave your logic in the car...you won't be needing it here. This is the prequel to the Tails from Under Where Paranormal Comedy Mystery Series
School For Spirits
Aron Lewes - 2018
She may be dead, but her education is far from over. Seventeen-year-old Leigh is inducted into the School for Spirits, where she learns how to be a spirit guide for mortals. Leigh meets Alyx, her rebel roommate who just doesn't care about the spirit guide stuff. Then Leigh develops a massive crush on an absurdly hot Archangel named Jophiel. Finally, she is assigned to a veteran instructor, Taishi Nakamura. The handsome samurai is quiet, strict and private, but Leigh is determined to crack his shell. School For Spirits is a young adult paranormal romance. Due to some minor language, it is recommended for ages 13+.