Book picks similar to
The Trial by John Mayer


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Hard Rain


Irma Venter - 2012
    It starts when he meets Ranna, a beautiful photographer with something to hide. Alex stopped believing in love a long time ago, yet here in the middle of East Africa, it’s found him again.Alex knows a thing or two about chaos—wherever he goes, it follows. When an IT billionaire washes up onshore after seasonal flooding, he finds himself at the center of an investigation with Ranna as the main suspect. It turns out she may have a good reason for hiding her past.Wherever she goes, murder follows.Alex should be used to these cat-and-mouse games, but this time it’s different. Should he listen to his heart and help Ranna hide the bloody trail leading to her? Or should he use his head and run for his life?

Cicada Spring


Christian Galacar - 2015
    . .On a warm May evening in the spring of 1979, the people of Heartsridge, Massachusetts, are living the American dream. Families are gathered for barbecues. Kids are playing in front yards. Gardens are being kept. Meanwhile, Kara Price stumbles home through the woods, raped and beaten, her life shattered by a wicked act of violence, perpetrated by one of the town’s most beloved and public figures. Surrounding Kara is a cast of compelling and nefarious characters—a violent-tempered mayor who can do no wrong in the eyes of the town, a sheriff bound by the rules and plagued by a guilty conscience, a father bent on revenge, a serial killer in the midst of an identity crisis. And at the center of it all there's Kara, who just wants to move on with her life and forget everything that happened to her. But how can she do that when everyone thinks she is a liar who is only out for attention? With plot and emotion braided together by a careful hand, this haunted group of people all acting on behalf of their own interests begs the question: How far would you go to protect your own?

Whiskey Devils


Brandon Zenner - 2016
    However, Nick's complex past comes full circle, thrusting his new manager, Evan Powers, in a scramble to decipher the truth behind the chaotic lives of the people he holds dear. "A large marijuana growing operation, Russian mobsters, undercover drug agents, and a biker gang, wraps up with a series of unexpected and shocking plot reversals that brings the book to a violent, surprising, and powerful end." (BookLife Prize in Fiction, by Publishers Weekly) Winner in the 2016 Global Ebook Awards

The Ryder Quartet


Ian Patrick - 2015
    

Killing Chase


Ben Muse - 2013
    No matter what.Born into a wealthy but flawed North Carolina shipbuilding family, Chase was somehow immune to the dysfunction. The sky was the limit for the 18-year old football prodigy, until one terrible event changed the course of his life and prison became his new home. Through the highs and lows of his incarceration, there was one person he couldn’t forget, no matter how hard he’d tried: childhood best friend Bailey Masters. For reasons unknown to him, she'd shunned him ever since her mysterious return to Foggy Harbor at the beginning of their sophomore year.Now, seven years into a twelve-year manslaughter sentence, Chase is given an unusual second chance, one that comes with its own set of rules. Suddenly, he's thrust into a position he's not ready for: the tip of the spear in a quiet war against an American enemy. A war that could cost him his family . . . and his life.

Deadly Deceit


Karen Randau - 2016
    Ensnarled in a cover-up that puts her in an assassin’s crosshairs, Rita must unravel a web of lies and connections that date back to Jared’s service in the Iraq war – before a mysterious kidnapper returns Rita’s daughter Zoe one body part at a time. This fast-paced thriller is one you won’t want to put down from beginning to end.

Shattered Triangle


William P. Messenger - 2012
    In spite of the distances that emerge among them, they are thrust together by the tragedy of death. Each affected in different ways.Giuseppe Lozano, candidate for U.S. Senate, returns home one night to find his wife and three children mysteriously murdered. There seems to be no motive, and little evidence is left at the scene. How will this affect him and his run for office?Giovanni Lozano, a Catholic priest, is forced to look beyond the violence to find the presence of God. As a brother and uncle, he feels anger and a desire for revenge. As a priest he is torn by the call of a God who loves all people-good and bad. Can he forgive?Tom Moran, a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, is charged with finding the murderer and building a case for justice. He feels no call to forgive. Nor is he driven by ambition. This case is personal. But can he deliver?Three lives. Three friends. Will the bonds of friendship survive?

Artifice


Patrick Gooch - 2018
    But an unscrupulous trader in works of art knows their true worth; and exploits the situation, involving Cleverden in his shady activities. A major heist is planned by the trader, which first necessitates the theft of many of Turner`s paintings. These are held to ransom in exchange for priceless artifacts displayed in the British Museum. Once again, Alan Cleverden is unwittingly swept up in this unlawful venture. One word to the authorities, he would most certainly serve time. A pawn in a highly-charged affair, the odds are against him as he tries to free himself from the trader`s clutches; ensure the safety of the Turners; and return to their original owners the paintings acquired by his grandfather during the Second World War. A fast-paced thriller, Artifice is a must read for those who appreciate fine art, and are drawn to mysteries that hold you spellbound to the very last page. Patrick Gooch has enjoyed an interesting and varied career. He studied History of Art, and went on to lecture at the Central School of Art and Design in London. Patrick worked in marketing, travelling throughout Europe and Central and South America. It was while travelling that he began writing. Married with two sons, he lives close to the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex. “Absorbing and convincing heist thriller” Kevin McManus, author of 'New Blood'.

Blood Ties


Ashley Fontainne - 2015
    The slower pace, compared to the craziness of Los Angeles, is a welcome distraction for them both. Taking care of her aging parents and their small farm is just what LiAnn needs to forget her twenty-five-year career as a detective. And Karina's new love interest brings back the smile she lost from years of undercover work and her cheating ex-boyfriend.The BondsTheir idyllic lifestyle changes the minute a family friend, Cecil Pickard, pays a visit. He lives at The Magnolia, an independent living facility in Hot Springs, and believes someone is stealing from him. LiAnn and Karina offer to investigate and suddenly find themselves inside a living nightmare.Are PermanentTheft isn't the only criminal activity taking place inside the historic, stately walls of The Magnolia. Organized crime has infiltrated Hot Springs, and what they're after is not only money, but life itself. As LiAnn and Karina dig deeper, they might just be digging their own graves.

Cry From The Grave


Carolyn Mahony - 2013
    Now her fragile existence is threatened by a macabre discovery. The truth will come out - but is it one that Hannah can bear to confront? Three people are drawn together by a crime, three lives are torn apart by the chilling consequences. Secrets cannot stay buried for ever...

After the Evil


Cary Allen Stone - 2005
    He is investigating a murder; a serial killer is responsible. FBI profiler Mika Scott leads the investigation. Mika and Jake were partners and lovers. Tensions run high when Jake discovers who the killer is. Will they get there in time to stop another murder?

Judgment Call


J.C. Ryan - 2016
    After ten years inside he had abandoned all hope and resigned himself to the fact that he would remain there for the rest of his life. But the fact that Andy has admitted defeat and thrown in the towel didn’t mean his wife, Jamie, did. Disillusioned and worn out by the justice system, the Honorable Judge Regan St Clair was just about to pack in too when a letter from Jamie Gibbons arrived on her desk… Before long Regan St Clair and Jake Westley, a former Special Forces operator, stumble into a quagmire world of deceit and menace. A world where nothing is as it seems, and no one and nothing can be trusted. Is Andy Gibbons really innocent? Can he be exonerated? At what price? ~~~ JUDGMENT CALL is a full-length novel, a crime suspense-thriller about a corrupt organization with a sinister agenda that exploits every weakness and every dark corner of the fallible justice system. This fast-paced legal thriller is the first book in J C Ryan’s Exonerated Series.

Crash Point


John Carson - 2014
    As the investigation unfolds, a 25 year-old murder case is re-opened, and when Miller delves into the past, he finds that somebody had a secret that is costing people their lives. He also discovers the awful truth of who really killed his wife in a hit-and-run two years ago, and how his wife’s killer is coming after him…

Don't Tell Meg


Paul J. Teague - 2017
    One night. So many deaths. When radio journalist Pete Bailey betrays his wife Meg on his fortieth birthday, he has no idea of the terrible consequences that will follow his infidelity. His passionate relationship with Meg is on the rocks and they're having no luck starting a family. It's only when he meets TV reporter Ellie Turner on a working weekend away from home that Pete succumbs to her charms in a moment of weakness. His treacherous actions set off a chain of events fueled by jealousy, revenge, violence and hatred. Five people will lose their lives as a result of Pete's deception and he will be compelled to confront the ugly truth about his wife and his best friend, Jem. He thought that nobody would ever discover what he'd done with Ellie ... but he didn't know who was listening in the room next door. Don't Tell Meg is the first part of trilogy of thrillers. Book 2, The Murder Place and Book 3, The Forgotten Children are also available. Paul J. Teague has also written the standalone thriller Dead of Night (Released May 2017) Please note that this book contains mild violence, bad language and sexual references.

All the Shiny Things


Robin Mahle - 2013
    That is, until she discovers it was all a lie. Now, her desperate search for the truth begins.After learning of the terrible events that forever altered her childhood, Katie is compelled to dig into a past no one wants to relive. A past her parents kept hidden from her at all costs.A decades-old investigation is reluctantly unearthed when Katie discovers her role as the lone survivor. It is Detective Marshall Avery who lends her the resources needed to hunt down the person responsible. When that search breathes new life into an old monster—one who has left a trail of innocent blood in his wake—it is too late to turn back.Katie’s desire for retribution places her in great danger and costs her dearly. So when the tables are turned, and the hunted becomes the hunter, will Detective Avery be able to keep Katie from going too far?