Book picks similar to
The Home Place by Mike Addington


21st-century-fic
goodreads-win
historical-fiction
tbr-fiction

Fade to Black


M.C. Webb - 2012
    A chance meeting with one of Hollywood's’ biggest stars, Ryan Knox, will forever change both of their lives. Venture the unknown with beauty and the daring actor as they both are forced to endure the devastating acts of evil, yet continues fight the drowning current that threatens to pull them both under. Full of hair pin turns you will not soon forget.

The Law of Moses


Kwen D. Griffeth - 2013
    He had recently graduated from the Teachers College and now he was returning home. The first goal completed, his next step was to find a position and then he could get married. ˃˃˃ He Was a Christian Pacifist With Little Care For The Outside World Samuel was a quiet man, some would say a pacifist. He believed in God, family and education. He was not concerned with the happenings outside his home town. ˃˃˃ When His Country Fell Into Civil War He Was Forced To Question His Most Core Beliefs Outside events, however, were about to drag him from his beloved Elmira. It was the spring of 1861 and Confederate forces had recently attacked Fort Sumter. Against every moral belief, he enlisted in the Union Army and with his first step toward the south, he changed his life forever. ˃˃˃ Law of Moses is the AWARD WINNING, first book in the Sam and Laura series. It will captivate and inspire readers from all walks of life! Scroll Up And Grab Your Copy Today!

Jimmie Barnes


Barry Davis - 2013
    After an incredible 132 years of life, his time is short.Jimmie has one mission, unfullfilled - the return of his father's hard earned 40 acres, awarded to the slave soldier at the end of the Civil War.Over the decades Jimmie approaches the rich and famous, including all the American Presidents from Grant to Reagan in a quest to have the land returned. He makes one president cry (Nixon), helps kill another (McKinley) and accepts the brotherhood of an unlikely ally ("brother" Ronnie Reagan).Will Jimmie finally get back the 40 acres?A reader's review: Jimmie Barnes is similar to the style of Forest Gump, minus the guile and innocence. Rage, injustice and racism in all it's true colors are depicted from the main character to the behind the scenes players. The game of politics in a scary and grim light, makes you wonder is this fiction or closer to the truth than you want it to be?

Inferno: An Inquiry Into the Willingham Fire


J. Bennett Allen - 2011
    To his last moment he proclaimed his innocence of the arson that claimed the lives of his children. While much has been written of the trial, conviction and execution of Willingham, Inferno is the first exploration of the possible causes of the fire that cost three children, and eventually, Willingham himself, their lives. Instead of him saving her, Amber would save her daddy. She would save him by awakening him with her screams and pleas, by telling him of the fire, by taking his place in bed, by breathing in the smoke that would have filled his lungs instead of hers.The fire, however, would not be denied. Disguised first as justice and then as a needle, it would consume her father just as surely as it had Amber and her infant sisters.While much has been written of the trial, conviction and execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, the discussion has been limited to whether or not the fire that killed his children was caused by arson. This is the first book to investigate other possible causes of the fire that claimed initially three, and eventually four lives.

Sullivan's Secret


Robin Murphy - 2011
    Marie Bartek enjoys a simple life as the veterinarian of Sullivan's Island — until her psychic abilities suddenly return after eighteen years.Shaken by the spirits that now haunt her every moment, Marie confides in her best friend. Together, they form the Sullivan’s Island Paranormal Society: SIPS.As new and unlikely friendships begin, Marie learns to channel her powers. When they find out that the spirits are trying to warn her of an evil presence on the island, Marie and her friends set out to bring a vicious serial killer to justice."Communing with the spirits may leave you with some very unwanted responsibility. 'Sullivan's Secret' follows Marie Bartek as she rediscovers her talents to communicate with spirits. Working with friends in a paranormal society, she finds that her skill leaves her with the responsibility to stop murders from sweeping her town and she has to put out her own neck to stop the hysteria. 'Sullivan's Secret' is a fascinating read that will be hard to put down." - Midwest Book Review-

Putney Bridge


Helen Ryan - 2015
     Her two daughters, from a previous relationship, are now both adult. Jo, ambitious and independent, is pursuing a career as a barrister. Jo’s younger sister is very different. Shelley, just 20, sweet natured, trusting and innocent, still lives at home and works at a local animal clinic. They are a normal, happy family - and then Shelley meets Sam on the street and everything changes. Martha struggles to accept Shelley’s choice of boyfriend as, with increasing anger, she witnesses the erosion of all Shelley’s values under Sam’s influence. When Martha’s efforts to persuade Shelley to give Sam up fail, she decides on a more direct approach. The consequences of her actions are devastating for everyone and change the course of Martha’s life forever. “After I’d gone up to bed that night, leaving Gabe amidst the carnage I had created in the living room, I formulated my plan. But it was pure chance that I met Sam on Putney Bridge some three weeks later and I went ahead with it.”

Ghosted


J.E. Rowney - 2020
    Meanwhile Violet tries to juggle a new relationship and a demanding job as a midwife, where she meets a mum-to-be who faces her own unexpected challenges. Who can Violet turn to to help her to find out what lies behind Zoe’s disappearance?This is a story with twists and turns. A story of friendship. A story of trust.

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake


Jenny Wingfield - 2011
    And every year, Samuel Lake, a vibrant and committed young preacher, brings his beloved wife, Willadee Moses, and their three children back for the festivities. The children embrace the reunion as a welcome escape from the prying eyes of their father’s congregation; for Willadee it’s a precious opportunity to spend time with her mother and father, Calla and John. But just as the reunion is getting under way, tragedy strikes, jolting the family to their core: John’s untimely death and, soon after, the loss of Samuel’s parish, which set the stage for a summer of crisis and profound change.In the midst of it all, Samuel and Willadee’s outspoken eleven-year-old daughter, Swan, is a bright light. Her high spirits and fearlessness have alternately seduced and bedeviled three generations of the family. But it is Blade Ballenger, a traumatized eight-year-old neighbor, who soon captures Swan’s undivided attention. Full of righteous anger, and innocent of the peril facing her and those she loves, Swan makes it her mission to keep the boy safe from his terrifying father.With characters who spring to life as vividly as if they were members of one’s own family, and with the clear-eyed wisdom that illuminates the most tragic—and triumphant—aspects of human nature, Jenny Wingfield emerges as one of the most vital, engaging storytellers writing today. In The Homecoming of Samuel Lake she has created a memorable and lasting work of fiction.

Kit: Finding Freedom and Love


Katherine St. Clair - 2017
    She’s had a bit of schoolin, and now she works at the local cannery. Her friend Letty dreams of marriage and a family of her own. Kit could choose that life, but she wants more. But it’s 1895 in North Carolina, and her options are limited. In the newspaper, she sees an advertisement calling for young women to go and work for the Harvey Company – a growing chain of restaurants - that serves hungry railway passengers traveling to the untamed west. But the interview is miles away in Raleigh…does she dare? Will she leave her family and the life she knows, and risk everything for independence and adventure? Yes, she will! But it’s not easy. Leaving home is only the first of many challenges for Kit, from facing her own doubts, to proving herself, and standing up to the judgment of others – including her closest new friend. With hard work and an instinctive knowledge of how to bring out the best in others, Kit progresses in her career, until she gets a message from home. Racing back across the country to the bedside of a loved one, Kit begins to question what will make her happy. When it looks like love will be a better choice, Kit is tempted to leave her life out west behind. Are fate, friendship, determination, and good advice enough to keep Kit on the right path? Can she have a successful career, and also the love and respect of a good man? Is there a man out there who is strong enough to value her, and give her wild heart a home? Read on to learn Kit’s fate, and discover the famous Harvey Girls, whose hard work and courage helped build a restaurant empire like no other.

Spare Change


Bette Lee Crosby - 2011
    A boy running for his life. A town defending them both.From award-winning USA TODAY Bestselling Author BETTE LEE CROSBY, the first book of a gritty, small-town, family saga in the tradition of the finest Southern fiction.Small-town gossip never much bothered Olivia Westerly. As a single career woman, she's weathered her share. It's easy to ignore the raised eyebrows over her late-in-life marriage to Charlie Doyle. But after he drops dead on their honeymoon, the whispers are salt on her raw grief. Especially when an orphaned, eleven-year-old-boy shows up on her doorstep, looking for the grandfather he never met.Behind Ethan Allen Doyle's wary blue eyes lie heavily guarded emotions that unexpectedly tug on Olivia's heart, and she finds herself wanting to win his trust. But when his murderous secret comes looking for him, the entire town embraces the lonely widow and desperate child to show its true heart when danger threatens one of its own.A heartwarming tale of love, loss and unexpected gifts, featuring a woman you'd like to call friend, a boy you will ache to hug, and a town you wish you could call home. USA TODAY BESTSELLER AND WINNER OF FIVE LITERARY AWARDS - Royal Palm Literary Award, Reviewer's Choice Award, FPA President's Book Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction Award, Eadon Contemporary Fiction Award

Winter Run (Shannon Ravenel Books)


Robert Ashcom - 2002
    This is one of those books. It's the story of a boy growing up in a lost time in an idyllic place—rural Virginia of the late 1940s. Charlie Lewis is the only child of city people who, after the war, choose to live at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains on a "gentleman's farm" near Charlottesville. Six years old when his family settles in the renovated corn crib on old Professor Jame's place, Charlie grows up in his personal version of heaven. His innocence is, of course, lost in the process. And so is his version of heaven. But, as the old saying goes, still waters run deep, and Charlie runs deep, with a natural (almost supernatural) affinity for the land and its animals. For knowledge , he instinctively turns to a group of older black men, some of whom work the farm, others who are neighbors. Jim Crow laws and "the curse left on the land by slavery"—as old Professor James puts it—are still very much in evidence. Even so, Charlie's passions endear him to these men. They understand that he is lonely even if he does not. They watch out for him. And more—they love him. Winter Run is a story that lets us escape for a moment our own noisy and complicated contemporary lives. Like The Red Pony, like Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals, it takes us back to the joys of childhood's unrestricted enthusiasm and curiosity.

Reservation with Death


Diane Capri - 2019
     Follow former lawyer turned concierge and amateur sleuth Andi Steele and her lovable cats (and dogs) as they catch murderers and solve crimes on historic Frontenac Island, Michigan. Dead bodies. Hunky men. A never-ending parade of demanding hotel guests, quirky villagers, cats, dogs, and maybe a ghost. Andi Steele loved her career as a lawyer, until she got caught in the fallout when her boss embezzled millions from clients. With no good options open to her, Andi accepted the only job she could get, filling in as the concierge at The Park Hotel on scenic Frontenac Island. She meets the devilishly handsome Mayor Daniel Evans, but she’s in no position to be thinking about romance. Now all she wants to do is lie low while she waits for the scandal to blow over so she can get her life back on track again. But lying low isn’t an option when she stumbles across a dead body in the hotel swimming pool closet, a dead body that didn’t get that way naturally. The local sheriff isn’t handling the investigation to Andi’s satisfaction, so the former legal eagle wades in to add her expertise. But when the killer has Andi in the line of fire, getting her old life back is no longer a priority. If she doesn’t look out, she might lose the only life she’s got. Permanently. If you love traditional cozy mystery with a side of romance and a splash of suspense, you’ll love Andi Steele and The Park Hotel Mysteries. Get it now!

The Cold Light of Dawn


Graham Ison - 1990
     In the search for her identification the French police pass her picture to the CID at Scotland Yard, and it is from there that an enquiry spirals into action. As the facts come in slowly but surely, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Tipper and his assistant, Charlie Markham, begin to form a picture of the dead woman and her life, and it's a very strange one at that; provoking sympathy on the one hand and revulsion on the other. When the occupation of the redhead comes to light, suddenly the case shifts to a more serious crime. As part of the enquiry, Markham spends considerable time bouncing between the people who once knew her. As the number of interviews grows, Markham finds himself getting more a more confused… leaving each interview with more questions than when he started. Surely this redhead wasn’t as complicated as she sounded? The investigation deepens, and the enquiry eventually leads to Whitehall and the highest echelons of the Diplomatic Service, causing the CID to call upon the powers of Special Branch, and even MI5, in their bid to unravel all the strands of this compelling mystery. A few things seemed to ring common amongst those who knew her: she was always broke, and she was full of surprises… But one of these people had something to hide, and Markham was determined to figure out which one... Graham Ison has produced a stunning first novel, showing the painstaking thoroughness of a murder enquiry and the logical assembly of evidence. The Cold Light of Dawn is a chillingly real tale that will absorb its readers. Graham Ison was born and brought up in Surrey where he still lives. The son of an artist, and grandson of a composer, he served in the army for five years before joining the police. After spending some time with the CID at Scotland Yard he transferred to the Diplomatic Protection Group and between 1967 and 1971 was Personal Protection Officer to Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and Edward Heath. In 1981 he moved back to Scotland Yard as Detective Chief Superintendent. He retired at this rank in 1986.

The Secret She Kept


Amelia Carr - 2012
    But one day, in the middle of the 1950s, her boat is found abandoned. Fliss has mysteriously vanished, tragically leaving behind her husband and baby girl.Nearly thirty years later, Emma's world is rocked when she is approached by journalist Mike Bond with an extraordinary revelation: that Fliss was seen in America after she was presumed drowned. As Emma delves into her mother's past, she begins to unravel a tale of deep, abiding love and promises forgotten. And the rest of her family are thrown into turmoil. For Fliss is not the only one with secrets long-concealed...Don't miss any of Amelia's romantic epics, Dance With Wings, A Song At Sunset, A Woman of Secrets and The Secret She Kept.

Steps to Heaven


Wendy Cartmell - 2011
    Sgt Major Crane and his team from the SIB investigate the case of a young soldier who murders his wife and six year old son and then commits suicide, after recently returning from Afghanistan. As Crane investigates he finds the soldier had links with a local church. As the body count rises, events take a darker turn and he wonders w