Hold Still


Lisa Regan - 2014
    After saving her three-year-old daughter from a carjacking, she ends up in the emergency room—and discovers that Anita, a former prostitute and acquaintance from her old days on the beat, has been hideously mutilated in a brutal assault.With the help of her partner and Philadelphia’s Special Victims Unit, Jocelyn discovers that Anita isn’t the first victim of these attacks and it looks like she won’t be the last. When the violence hits closer to home, Jocelyn knows she must do whatever it takes to stop the sadistic attacker—even if it means confronting a terrible secret from her painful past.Award-wining author Lisa Regan’s Hold Still is a captivating thriller that crackles with intensity. Revised edition: This edition of Hold Still includes editorial revisions.

All Those Lies


Emmy Ellis - 2018
    SHE. WAS. WRONG. Detective Inspector Tracy Collier has a past she’s convinced she can sweep under the carpet. There’s a killer out there, though, who’s out to prove her theory wrong. A body turning up, gutted and dressed to appear homeless, is the killer’s calling card to lure Tracy into a world where she has to face her fears. It’s uncomfortable, being forced to meet her demons again, and she fights to keep the secrets locked away—but a therapist is determined to pull every single one of them out into the open, and Tracy is compelled to relive her younger years in vivid detail. Who is killing these people—and why? Who seems to want to bring Tracy to her knees, sending her back to a place she vowed never to return? And who wants her to admit to all those lies?

The Girl with a Clock for a Heart


Peter Swanson - 2014
    When George first met her, she was an eighteen-year-old college freshman from Sweetgum, Florida. She and George became inseparable in their first fall semester, so George was devastated when he got the news that she had committed suicide over Christmas break. But, as he stood in the living room of the girl's grieving parents, he realized the girl in the photo on their mantelpiece - the one who had committed suicide - was not his girlfriend. Later, he discovered the true identity of the girl he had loved - and of the things she may have done to escape her past.Now, twenty years later, she's back, and she's telling George that he's the only one who can help her...

The Sixes


Kate White - 2011
    With taut prose evocative of Laura Lippman’s Life Sentences and Dennis Lehane’s Moonlight Mile, White paints the sinister picture of a quiet Pennsylvania college town left shaken after a mysterious death precipitates a cascade of evil events on campus. When new teacher Phoebe Hall undertakes the dangerous quest of uncovering the truth behind the ghastly recent happenings, her investigation will send her into the clutches of a deadly secret society—the Sixes—and unearth the dark relics of her own long-buried past.

The President Is Missing


Bill Clinton - 2018
    Enemies are planning an attack of unprecedented scale on America. Uncertainty and fear grip Washington. There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the cabinet. The President himself becomes a suspect, and then goes missing...Set in real time, over the course of three days, The President Is Missing is one of the most dramatic thrillers in decades. And it could all really happen. The President Is Missing is Bill Clinton and James Patterson's totally authentic and spellbinding thriller.

Never Knowing


Chevy Stevens - 2011
    Her antique furniture restoration business is taking off and she’s engaged to a wonderful man. But there’s one big question that still haunts her — who are her birth parents? Sara is finally ready to find out. Sara’s birth mother rejects her—again. Then she discovers her biological father is an infamous killer who’s been hunting women every summer for almost forty years. Sara tries to come to terms with her horrifying parentage — and her fears that she’s inherited more than his looks — with her therapist, Nadine, who we first met in "Still Missing." But soon Sara realizes the only thing worse than finding out your father is a killer is him finding out about you. Some questions are better left unanswered.

Let Me Lie


Clare Mackintosh - 2018
    Their daughter, Anna, has struggled to come to terms with their loss ever since.Now with a young baby of her own, Anna misses her mother more than ever and starts to question her parents’ deaths. But by digging up their past, she’ll put her future in danger. Sometimes it’s safer to let things lie…The stunning, twisty new psychological thriller from number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You Go and I See You.

The Hamish Macbeth Omnibus


M.C. Beaton - 2012
    Contains:Death of a GossipDeath of a CadDeath of an OutsiderDeath of a Perfect WifeDeath of a gossip: When society widow and gossip columnist Lady Jane Winters joins the local fishing class she wastes no time in ruffling feathers - or should that be fins? - of those around her.Among the victims of her sharp tongue is Lochdubh constable Hamish Macbeth, yet not even Hamish thinks someone would seriously want to silence Lady Jane's shrill voice permanently - until her strangled body is fished out of the river.Now with the help of the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, Hamish must steer a course through the choppy waters of the tattler's life to find a murderer. But with a school of suspects who aren't willing to talk, and the dead woman telling no tales, Hamish may well be in over his head for he knows that secrets are dangerous, knowledge is power, and killers when cornered usually do strike again.Death of a cad: When Priscilla Halburton-Smythe brings her London playwright fiancé home to Lochdubh, everyone in town is delighted... except for love-smitten Hamish Macbeth. Yet the affairs of his heart will have to wait.Vile, boorish Captain Bartlett, one of the guests at Priscilla's engagement party, has just been found murdered - shot while on a grouse hunt. Now with so many titled party guests as prime suspects, each with their own reason for snuffing out the despicable captain, Hamish must smooth ruffled feathers as he investigates the case... and catch a killer, before they fly the coop!Death of an outsider: The most hated man in the most dour town in Scotland is sleeping with the fishes, or - more accurately - has been dumped into a tank filled with crustaceans. All that remains of the murdered victim are his bones. But once the lobsters have been shipped off to Britain's best restaurants, the whole affair quickly lands on the plate of Constable Hamish Macbeth.Exiled to the dreary outpost of Cnothan, Macbeth sorely misses his beloved Lochdubh, but before he can head back home he has to contend with a detective chief inspector who wants the murder hushed up, a dark-haired lassie who is out to seduce him, and a killer who has made mincemeat of his last victim, and will no doubt strike again...Death of a perfect wife: Hamish Macbeth is savouring the delights of a Highland summer, but as fast as the rain rolls in from the loch his happy life goes to hell in a handbasket.The trouble begins when his beloved Priscilla Halburton-Smythe returns to Lochdubh with a new fiancé on her arm. His miseries multiply when clouds of midges descend on the town. And then a paragon of housewife perfection named Trixie Thomas moves into Lochdubh with her cowed husband in tow.The newcomer quickly convinces the local ladies to embrace low-cholesterol meals, ban alcohol and begin bird-watching. Soon the town's menfolk are up in arms and Macbeth must solve Lochdubh's newest crime - the mysterious poisoning of the perfect wife.

Alone


Lisa Gardner - 2004
    . . Massachusetts State Trooper Bobby Dodge watches a tense hostage standoff unfold through the scope of his sniper rifle. Just across the street, in wealthy Back Bay, Boston, an armed man has barricaded himself with his wife and child. The man’s finger tightens on the trigger and Dodge has only a split second to react . . . and forever pay the consequences.Alone . . . that’s where the nightmare began for cool, beautiful, and dangerously sexy Catherine Rose Gagnon. Twenty-five years ago, she was buried underground during a month-long nightmare of abduction and abuse. Now her husband has just been killed. Her father-in-law, the powerful Judge Gagnon, blames Catherine for his son’s death . . . and for the series of unexplained illnesses that have sent her own young son repeatedly to the hospital. Alone . . . a madman survived solitary confinement in a maximum security prison where he’d done hard time for the most sadistic of crimes. Now he walks the streets a free man, invisible, anonymous . . . and filled with an unquenchable rage for vengeance. What brings them together is a moment of violence—but what connects them is a passion far deeper and much more dangerous. For a killer is loose who’s woven such an intricate web of evil that no one is above suspicion, no one is beyond harm, and no one will see death coming until it has them cornered, helpless, and alone.

Sara's Game


Ernie Lindsey - 2012
    His car was found. He wasn't. Unbelievably, the police report said, "No foul play suspected." There were a few unreliable sightings over the following months, but little else.Now, on the last day before summer break, her three children have gone missing from their schools, all at the same time.And the note under her windshield wiper asks one simple question: Are you ready to play the game?

Welcome to Cooper


Tariq Ashkanani - 2021
    Like Detective Thomas Levine’s career has. But when a young woman is found lying dead in the snow, choked to death, her eyes gouged out, the disgraced detective is Cooper’s only hope for restoring peace and justice.For Levine, still grieving and guilt-ridden over the death of his girlfriend, his so-called “transfer” from the big city to this grubby backwater has always felt like a punishment. And when his irascible new partner shoots their prime suspect using Levine’s gun, all hope of redemption is shattered. With the case in chaos, and both blackmail and a violent drug cartel to contend with, he finds himself in a world of trouble.It gets worse. The real killer is still out there, and he’s got plans for Detective Levine. And Cooper may just be the perfect place to get away with murder.

The Professor


Robert Bailey - 2014
    But when a power-hungry colleague uses a recent run-in between McMurtrie and headstrong student Rick Drake to end his career, he is left unsure what to do next.Meanwhile, a devastating trucking accident in Henshaw, Alabama, leaves a young family dead. Drake, now a fledgling lawyer, takes the case against the freight carrier and soon begins to uncover the truth behind the tragedy that is buried in a tangled web of arson, bribery, and greed. On the eve of the trial and with his case unraveling in the midst of a dangerous cover-up that threatens to silence his star witnesses, Drake realizes that only his estranged mentor, Professor McMurtrie, can help him now.With everything to lose and only justice to gain, will McMurtrie and Drake overcome bad blood to defeat a ruthless adversary? Can the Professor turn back the clock and recover all that he’s lost? Revised edition: This edition of The Professor includes editorial revisions.

The American / The Assassin / The Invisible / The Exile


Andrew Britton - 2011
    Former U.S. soldier Jason March, one of the world's deadliest assassins and Ryan's former protégé, is now working with a powerful terror network whose goal is nothing less than the total annihilation of the United States. Ryan puts together the pieces of a terrifying puzzle. With the fate of the country resting on his shoulders, he finds himself caught in a desperate game of cat-and-mouse with the most cunning opponent he's ever faced, a man who won't be denied the ultimate act of evil and who is all the more deadly for being one of our own. "Well-written and exciting. . .perfect escape reading!" --Tampa Tribune "Absorbing. . .extraordinarily hard to put down." --Charlotte Observer "A gripping saga ripped out of the latest headlines." --News & Record (Greensboro, NC) "Like Tom Clancy, [Britton] has produced a thriller that makes current terrorist threats all too real. . .Highly recommended." --Library Journal (starred review) More Phenomenal Praise For The American "Britton has delivered a level of storytelling excellence most writers spend a lifetime trying to achieve. . .a sizzling page-turner!" --Brad Thor "A riveting and compelling debut. . .the surprise of the month and maybe the year." ---bookreporter.com New York Times Bestseller Andrew Britton delivers a taut, electrifying read in his new novel The Assassin. Maverick CIA agent Ryan Kealey must fight against his own agency while the clock is ticking on a devastating terrorist attack on U.S. soil. . . More than a year has passed since Ryan Kealey prevented the assassination of multiple world leaders in the nation's capital. While his work is brilliant, he's considered damaged goods. Now he's about to become a key player in a plot of unimaginable scale. For something big is about to go down in New York City. When a top Iranian source reveals that Iran is planning to bomb the United Nations, U.S. Intelligence begins counter-measures. Only Kealey sees it as a smokescreen for another, far more involved plot. But getting anyone to believe him isn't going to be easy. With only his ally, London's newest assistant chief, Naomi Kharmai, by his side, Ryan will have to operate outside the lines in order to prevent a terrible attack in a city on lockdown. A weapon of catastrophic power has been stolen from war-torn Iraq and has made its way to the U.S. The man who has it is Kealey's nemesis, William Vanderveen, an international criminal mastermind who has no objective other than pure terror and who will stop at nothing to achieve it. Making matters worse, Vanderveen's being helped by someone on the inside with high-ranking security clearance. Even the halls of the CIA are no longer safe from possible espionage and treason. Now, as Kealey and Kharmai race to put the pieces together, they will confront a ghost from the past and be forced to question the people they trust most in a desperate investigation where only this is for certain--time is running out. Like The American, The Assassin is a supercharged, fiercely intelligent, action-packed international thriller, where no one can be trusted--and the shocks are felt until the very last page. With searing narrative twists, The Invisible plunges us headlong into today's shadowy, fever-pitched battle between terrorism and intelligence, as a covert counterterrorism operative risks everything, including the woman he loves, to save the life of one person. . . For more than a decade, Ryan Kealey has been a key player in the war on terror. First, as a captain in the U.S. Army's third Special Forces Group, then as a contract operative with the CIA. His actions have saved thousands of lives, including that of the U.S. President. Now once again, Kealey receives the call of duty--only this time, the odds for success are slim to none. . . Tensions between Pakistan and India are at an all-time high. To complicate matters, twelve American climbers have disappeared in the snow-capped peaks of Pakistan's Hindu Kush range. The President is demanding answers, but neither government is supplying them. As the conflict escalates, Brynn Fitzgerald departs Washington D.C. on her first official trip as acting secretary of state. Her goal is to serve as an intermediary between the leaders of both nations as well as to ensure all efforts are being made in the search for the missing American climbers. But when Fitzgerald's motorcade is ambushed on the outskirts of Islamabad, her back-up team arrives to discover a disastrous scene: dozens are dead, including seven diplomatic security agents, and the secretary of state has vanished without a trace. In the wake of the unprecedented attack, Kealey's operation goes into high gear. Once again, he is joined by Naomi Kharmai, the British-born analyst who has taken on a daring new role with the Agency. But Kharmai is becoming as unpredictable as the man they're going after, and as they work their way toward the target, it becomes clear to Kealey that anyone is fair game--and no one can be trusted. Thundering to a stark and chilling climax, The Invisible raises the stakes on every page. Like Andrew Britton's The Assassin, it is a super-charged, fiercely intelligent international thriller filled with shocking betrayal and, ultimately, revenge. The shocks are felt until the very last page. Born in England, Andrew Britton moved with his family to the United States when he was seven, settling in Michigan, then North Carolina. After serving in the Army as a combat engineer, Andrew entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he is pursuing a double major in economics and psychology. For the President of the United States, the daily horror of life in West Darfur's killing fields just hit heartbreakingly close to home. His niece, Lily, has been targeted and savagely murdered by a corps of fearsome government-backed militiamen. With the situation too explosive for diplomatic or military solutions, yet with the President and the public thirsting for revenge, America is out of options. Except one: Ryan Kealey, ex-Special Forces, former CIA, and unrivaled counterterrorism expert.Kealey has been central to the war on terror for over a decade. But after the Agency hung him out to dry-and let his lover die-he turned his back. Until now. For the government has revealed its trump card, the one thing Kealey will risk everything for. Soon, from the lawless streets of Sudan to the highest levels of the American government, Kealey unearths secrets and betrayals that shock even his war-tempered sensibilities-and ignite a conflagration with unknowable global consequences. "In this age of terrorism, [Britton's] plots seem to jump straight out of the headlines...he may well give Tom Clancy a run for the money." -St. Louis Post-Dispatch on The Invisible "The Assassin is the 'best' of Tom Clancy, Michael Connelly, and Robert Ludlum all rolled into a single book." --armchairinterviews.com "Brilliantly well-written with plotting sharper than a fence full of razor wire, a sizzling page-turner." -Brad Thor, New York Times bestselling author on The American

The Child Finder


Rene Denfeld - 2017
    She would be eight-years-old now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as "the Child Finder," Naomi is their last hope.Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl, too.As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?Told in the alternating voices of Naomi and a deeply imaginative child, The Child Finder is a breathtaking, exquisitely rendered literary page-turner about redemption, the line between reality and memories and dreams, and the human capacity to survive.

The Sound of Rain


Gregg Olsen - 2016
    Driven off the force by her treacherous partner and lover, she’s flat broke and struggling with a gambling addiction. All Nicole has left is the dream of a warm bed at a homeless shelter and the haunting memories of three-year-old Kelsey Chase—whose murder case ended her career.As Nicole obsesses over the old facts, she realizes everything about that case felt off: a disinterested mom, a suicidal pedophile, and too many questions left unanswered. When the little girl’s grieving father begs Nicole for help, she’s drawn back into the investigation…and given one shot at redemption.But the deeper Nicole digs, the more evil she uncovers, including betrayals that hit painfully close to home. Will a shocking discovery be the key to finally getting justice for Kelsey and resurrecting her own life?