Book picks similar to
Orchid Blues / Blood Orchid by Stuart Woods


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The Brutal Telling / Bury Your Dead


Louise Penny - 2017
    Everybody goes to Olivier's Bistro―including a stranger whose murdered body is found on the floor. When Chief Inspector Gamache is called to investigate, he is dismayed to discover that Olivier's story is full of holes. Why are his fingerprints all over the cabin that's uncovered deep in the wilderness, with priceless antiques and the dead man's blood? And what other secrets and layers of lies are buried in the seemingly idyllic village?Gamache follows a trail of clues and treasures―from first editions of Charlotte's Web and Jane Eyre to a spiderweb with a word mysteriously woven in it―into the woods and across the continent, before returning to Three Pines to confront the truth and the final, brutal telling.It is Winter Carnival in Quebec City, bitterly cold and surpassingly beautiful. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has come not to join the revels but to recover from an investigation gone hauntingly wrong. But violent death is inescapable, even in the apparent sanctuary of the Literary and Historical Society--where an obsessive historian's quest for the remains of the founder of Quebec, Samuel de Champlain, ends in murder. Could a secret buried with Champlain for nearly four hundred years be so dreadful that someone would kill to protect it?Meanwhile, Gamache is receiving disquieting letters from the village of Three Pines, where beloved Bistro owner Olivier was recently convicted of murder. "It doesn't make sense," Olivier's partner writes every day. "He didn't do it, you know."As past and present collide in this astonishing novel, Gamache must relive a terrible event from his own past before he can begin to bury his dead.

Sweet Magnolias Collection Volume 2: Feels Like Family / Welcome to Serenity / Home in Carolina


Sherryl Woods - 2017
    Taking charge of her own destiny puts her at odds with her two best friends and sets sparks flying with a man who doesn’t want a family, but it also leads her straight into the most unexpected complication of all…love.Welcome to SerenityWhen Jeanette Brioche helped launch The Corner Spa in Serenity, South Carolina, she discovered the deep and loyal friendships that had been missing from her life. But even the Sweet Magnolias can’t persuade her to enjoy the holiday season—until Jeanette is pushed into working on the Christmas festival with the sexy new town manager, Tom McDonald.Home in CarolinaFor Annie Sullivan, coming home to Serenity is bittersweet. She’d always envisioned a life there with her childhood best friend, Tyler Townsend, but his betrayal years ago cost her the future they’d once planned. Now that Annie’s back in town, can Ty persuade her to forgive and forget?

Armored


Mark Greaney
    That is he was until his last mission in Lebanon. Against all odds, Josh got his primary out alive, but the cost was high. Josh lost his lower left leg.There's not much call for an elite bodyguard with such an injury. So, Josh has to support his family working as a mall cop in Jersey. For a man like Josh this is purgatory on earth, but even in Paramus miracles occur.A lucky run in with an old comrade promises to get Josh back in the field for one last job. The UN is sending a peace mission into the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico, an area so dangerous it's known as Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil's Spine). Only a fool would think they could broker peace between the homicidal drug cartels in the region and only a madman would sign on to keep those fools alive.

Deadly Finish: A fresh and exhilarating racing thriller of suspicion and secrets


John Francome - 2009
    The perfect read for fans of Felix Francis' Pulse and Triple Crown. 'The book moves at a relaxed pace but the tension continues to mount until the surprising conclusion. Good characters, good plot and well worth reading' - West Australian It's summer, Royal Ascot, and life is good for young trainer Simon Waterford. He has inherited his father's top-class yard, his brilliant two-year-old has just won the Coventry Stakes and he is soon to marry his beautiful half-Brazilian girlfriend. But Mariana has a secret which would wreck her hopes of marriage - and which Simon's uncle Geoff has found out. And he has threatened to tell Simon. On their way back from the races, two rough-looking young men pass lewd comments about Mariana. There's not much of a brawl - it's over too quickly and is hardly even-handed - but it leaves Mariana in a sea of blood tending to Simon's wounded face, while Geoff lies dead on the floor. It's a tragedy, of course, but Mariana can't help but feel relieved. Her secret is safe, for now... What readers are saying about Deadly Finish: 'John Francome's weaving of the various plot-lines was superb''Another first class book from Francome''Believable characters and great storyline had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end'

The Thursday Murder Club / The Man Who Died Twice


Richard Osman
    

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished


E. James Harrison - 2021
    Air Force pararescue jumper Garrett Shepherd saved a stranger's life. Now that man, Edwin Sprague, is dead-and he's left Garrett millions of dollars as thanks. But there's a catch: Edwin has a task for Garrett to complete that will double his money-if he survives. Edwin wants revenge from beyond the grave, and he wants Garrett to get it for him. Garrett agrees to give the bizarre challenge one week of his time, but he's quickly pulled into a dangerous world of scandal, bribery, and secrets some would kill to keep hidden. He has attracted the attention of some very powerful people-people who have destroyed their enemies before and will not hesitate to do so again. With the help of a Navajo policeman and a beautiful lawyer, Garrett's investigation leads him deep into the Navajo reservation-but uncovering the information he's hunting for proves to be a deadly quest.

The Demon Trap


Peter F. Hamilton - 2008
    A group called the Free Merioneth Forces have claimed responsibility but there had to be an individual at the end of that missile launcher and Paula is determined to find out who it was.This short story is taken from Manhattan in Reverse, the first short story collection in thirteen years from the master of space opera. Peter F. Hamilton takes us on a journey from a murder mystery in an alternative Oxford in the 1800s to a brand new story featuring Paula Mayo, Deputy Director of the Intersolar Commonwealth's Serious Crimes Directorate. Dealing with intricate themes and topical subjects this top ten bestselling author is at the top of his game.The cover image for The Demon Trap was designed by Andrew Parkes as part of a competition run by Pan Macmillan in association with SFX magazine.

Leaphorn, Chee, and More: The Fallen Man / The First Eagle / Hunting Badger


Tony Hillerman - 1998
    In these pages, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Sergeant Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police are investigating perplexing and mystifying crimes. Leaphorn, Chee, and More is a must for all mystery fans.The Fallen Man reunites newly retired Navajo Tribal Policeman Joe Leaphorn with Acting Lieutenant Jim Chee to finally close a case involving a sniper, a skeleton, and eleven years of unanswered questions. In this evocative mystery, the past and the present join forces in a most unholy union.In The First Eagle, Jim Chee catches a Hopi poacher huddled over a butchered Navajo Tribal Police officer. Chee seems to have an open-and-shut case -- until Joe Leaphorn blows it wide open.Hunting Badger balances politics, outsiders, and fugitive armed bandits. After the Ute tribe's gambling casino is raided, FBI agents swarm the maze of canyons on the Utah-Arizona border. But Chee and Leaphorn find fatal flaws in the federal theory that accuses a wounded deputy sheriff as a suspect, and they are soon caught in the most deadly hunt of their lives.

A Valley Dream


Anna Jacobs - 2021
    At thirty-six, Bella Porter is dependent on her abusive cousin, acting as an unpaid servant. When a kind relative leaves her a house in the village of Backshaw Moss, Thomas tries to take it from her, but she defies him and grasps this chance of a new start in Lancashire. It is not going to be easy, though. The house is on the edge of a slum and in a state of disrepair, let out to various people, some good, some bad. But if she succeeds in keeping her house, she might also gain other benefits.

The Irishman: Frank Sheeran’s True Crime Story


Daniel Brand - 2018
    The world knew him as a union official, a long-time member of the Teamsters Union; he was a member of Jimmy Hoffa’s inner circle at the top of the national union. He had run-ins with the law in this position. He was charged with the murder of a rebel union member in a riot that occurred outside the Teamster’s Local Philadelphia Union Hall, but the charges were later dropped. He went to prison in the 80s after being caught on a wire instructing once of his crew to break someone’s legs and was named in Rudy Giuliani’s Mafia Commission Trial as an unindicted co-conspirator and one of only two non-Italian members of the Mafia Commission. As an old man suffering from cancer that would soon kill him, Frank Sheeran shared his story with his attorney. He told him of the things that were already known, but he shared much, much more. This book explores Frank Sheeran’s confessions as a lifelong criminal with ties to some of the biggest crimes of the 20th century. Inside this book, you will find: A detailed account of Frank Sheeran’s time in the army during the second world war, where he was in combat for an astounding four hundred and eleven days, with a focus on the war crimes he has admitted to; A look into Sheeran’s post-war slides into a life of crime, finding himself working for the Mafia before he even knew what the Mafia was; Information on his time as a hitman for the Mafia and how that led him to work for Jimmy Hoffa as muscle and hitman for the powerful Teamster Boss; Frank Sheeran’s accounts of his connections to the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Assassination of JFK; and His confession to the murders of Crazy Joe Gallo and of his friend, Jimmy Hoffa.

Middle Falls Time Travel Series, Books 4-6


Shawn Inmon - 2018
     The Final Life of Nathaniel Moon - Nathaniel is born with unimaginable powers and insight. When he tries to use his abilities to help the world, he and his family must go into hiding. In time, he is faced with an impossibly choice - reveal himself to the world or let the unthinkable happen. The Emancipation of Veronica McAllister - Veronica lived a quiet, almost-wasted life. When she died in 2018, she opened her eyes in her eighteen year old body in 1958 with all her memories intact. If you think you know what is coming, can you live your perfect life? The Changing Lives of Joe Hart - Joe wants to make the world a better place. Stop John Lennon from being killed, do the same for his friends who died in the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Before he can save others, he needs to save himself.

Time Pebbles


Jerry Merritt - 2014
    Only Tekla cares enough to search for her over the years. As Ka Li survives fierce predators and scarce resources she leaves behind a series of signal cairns to help Tekla find her.Skipping forward 60,000 years, Helen Ryland, a mid-twentieth century archaeologist, unearths one of Ka Li's surviving signal cairns and realizes she has found trace of people who populated the Americas even before the Clovis culture. Helen's detective work tracking Ka Li's timeless signals across the Alaskan wilderness now intertwines with Ka Li's story. As Helen solves the puzzle of the signal cairns she finds universal fame and suffers devastating misfortune. In the end Helen discovers that science in isolation cannot answer all of her questions, for Tekla's devotion to Ka Li had not died even though six hundred centuries had passed.

The Pelican Brief


Robin Waterfield - 2008
    She has uncovered a deadly secret but will anyone believe her? Can she stay alive long enough to persuade them she is right?

The Cuban Affair


Nelson DeMille - 2017
    At age thirty-five he’s living in Key West, owner of a forty-two-foot charter fishing boat, The Maine. Mac served five years in the Army as an infantry officer with two tours in Afghanistan. He returned with the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, scars that don’t tan, and a boat with a big bank loan. Truth be told, Mac’s finances are more than a little shaky.One day, Mac is sitting in the famous Green Parrot Bar in Key West, contemplating his life, and waiting for Carlos, a hotshot Miami lawyer heavily involved with anti-Castro groups. Carlos wants to hire Mac and The Maine for a ten-day fishing tournament to Cuba at the standard rate, but Mac suspects there is more to this and turns it down. The price then goes up to two million dollars, and Mac agrees to hear the deal, and meet Carlos’s clients—a beautiful Cuban-American woman named Sara Ortega, and a mysterious older Cuban exile, Eduardo Valazquez.What Mac learns is that there is sixty million American dollars hidden in Cuba by Sara’s grandfather when he fled Castro’s revolution. With the “Cuban Thaw” underway between Havana and Washington, Carlos, Eduardo, and Sara know it’s only a matter of time before someone finds the stash—by accident or on purpose. And Mac knows if he accepts this job, he’ll walk away rich…or not at all.Brilliantly written, with his signature humor, fascinating authenticity from his research trip to Cuba, and heart-pounding pace, Nelson DeMille is a true master of the genre.

Magic Tree House: #3-4


Mary Pope Osborne - 2003
    A new collection of adventures from Jack and Annie! This volume includes: Mummies in the MorningJack and Annie find themselves whisked away to ancient Egypt, where they come face to face with a dead queen--and her 1,000-year-old mummy! Pirates Past NoonJack and Annie are in deep trouble when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to the days of desert islands, secret maps, hidden gold--and ruthless pirates! Will Jack and Annie discover a buried treasure? Will they find out the identity of the mysterious M? Or will they walk the plank?