Book picks similar to
The Death of Annie the Water Witcher by Lightning by Audrey J. Whitson


literary-fiction
fiction
fantasy-and-fantastical
canadian-so-called-canada

Old Habits


John Carson - 2019
    Women were being abducted and murdered, then their corpses were displayed in open shallow graves. Marshall's FBI partner, Jessie Kent, was taken. During the hunt for her, Marshall tracked the killer down, but he was shot five times and left for dead. Less than an hour later, the killer took his own life. None of the remaining victims were ever found. Until now. A female detective comes down to Marshall's home town to ask for his help. Somebody has found the decomposed victims and is displaying them. Despite no longer being with the FBI, Marshall sees this as a chance to find Jessie, and take her home for a proper burial. And to lay to rest the feelings of guilt he's been carrying for the past four years. He agrees to go back with Dani Fox, but it's soon clear somebody doesn't want him back in town. He's warned off, but he ignores it. Then the killings start. Somebody has just accelerated the game from displaying corpses to adding new victims. And this time, he's making it personal...

The Sullivan Gray Series: Books 1-4


H.P. Bayne - 2019
    One fears the dead. One sees them. Together, they help homicide victims find justice. The Sullivan Gray Series takes mystery and suspense and gives it a ghostly twist. This set contains books 1-4 (Black Candle, Harbinger, The Dule Tree and Crawl). Black Candle A missing girl. The ghost of a murdered woman. And one man racing against time to save them both. The ability to see the ghosts of homicide victims has always been more burden than gift and, for Sullivan Gray, it's never been heavier. As the storm of the century pummels the city, he finds himself sucked into a mystery, struggling to decipher clues from a ghost intent on saving a missing teenage girl. His foster family has had his back since childhood, his older brother Dez acting as both wing man and protector. But as he draws nearer to answers, Sully finds himself pulled further from his family and increasingly on his own. With time running out, he races to fulfill the ghost's desperate quest, a path that will take him into a world of witchcraft, dark secrets and murder. One wrong step will leave him a ghost himself. Harbinger A spirit who sees the future might rob Sully of his. When Sully’s boss is fatally shot, he becomes the main suspect in the homicide. The woman's ghost is guarding a secret, one that will reveal the true killer—if Sully can convince her to show him. But he's got other problems. The terror stricken ghost of a powerful clairvoyant has intentions of his own, and Sully finds himself an unwilling accomplice on the spirit’s violent journey. As Sully struggles to cope with two ghosts and his own internal demons, Dez and the rest of his family fear he’s losing himself to his gift. And he might just lose more than that. Sully's world is about to change forever—if he comes out alive. The Dule Tree How do you find someone who no longer exists? Two years after the supposed death of his brother Sully, Dez wakes up six feet under and six inches from death. With no air remaining, he is pulled back from the brink—by Sully. The reunion is short-lived. Sully is kidnapped by a pair of masked assailants, leaving Dez desperate to find him. In a small cell, Sully finds himself alone, but for a disturbed man and the ghost of a teenager he has always known only as the Purple Girl. As his time runs out, he begins to piece together a past he’d rather have left in the shadows. And Dez, with the help of his estranged wife, a wounded private investigator, a dog and a woman claiming to be Sully’s long-lost mother, races to unearth the clues that will lead to his brother — and keep him from having to bury Sully a second time. Crawl Four years ago, seventeen-year-old spelunker Carter was killed in a cave collapse. The coroner deemed it an accident. Sullivan Gray knows better. A camping weekend with his brother Dez takes an unsettling turn when Sully sees Carter’s shattered spirit, a sighting that reveals the teen’s death was, in fact, murder. The brothers launch an investigation—a job complicated by a marital infidelity case Dez has been handed and the fact Sully remains little more than a ghost himself. Having once escaped his own death inside a collapsed cavern, Sully knows the dangers lying beneath the earth’s surface.

It's got to be Perfect


Claire Allan - 2010
    A big dress. A big day. A big commitment. She even has a scrap book filled to bursting with ideas for her dream day, her dream home and – of course – her dream man.Only problem is, the current man on her arm isn’t so much of a dream as a nightmare and as for the man currently in her bed… that’s a whole other disaster in the making.With her relationship, and her life, heading into a tailspin Annie realises she has to re-examine just what can make her happy, while trying (and failing) not to make things worse.But it’s never going to be easy – especially when she sees her friend Fionn heading straight towards her own big day with her Mr Right. But then Annie misjudges the difficulties Fionn faces with Mr Right’s very own Little Miss, not to mention the ex waiting in the wings.Turning to her sister, Darcy, for support Annie has her eyes opened to just what can make you happy – or indeed make you sad. And she ponders that age old question – is there ever such a thing as the perfect relationship?

Unwrapped


M.C. Decker - 2016
    He endures a Planes, Trains and Automobiles type adventure, dealing with a bustling city, delayed planes, road trips with strangers, and an overcrowded train station. Will Rich finally make it home to his family and friends to celebrate the holiday? Maybe there's a bit of Christmas magic at work?

Murder in the Med


Peter Mayle - 2014
    Now it’s up to Sam, who’s saved his friend's neck before, to negotiate with an underworld hit men and Mafioso, in order to prevent his friend from winding up dead.As usual, Sam and Elena still find time to enjoy the good life, but as Sam’s sleuthing draws him closer to the truth, he realizes his friend might not be the only one in trouble… Rich with clever twists and sparkling scenery, Murder in the Med is the ultimate summer holiday read. *** Murder in the Med was previously published as The Corsican Caper ***

Highlander's Daring Escape


Alisa Adams - 2019
    She wants to marry out of love or not at all.Bryan is the last decedent of what used to be a noble family. With his former glory forgotten, he is now a wanderer looking for a fresh start.Fate introduces them when Catherine finds Bryan wounded and exhausted and helps him.Little does she know that Bryan has just stopped her powerful uncle from raping a young girl!Now her uncle has a scarred face and insatiable rage to hunt down Bryan and take his head!When Catherine learns who is chasing Bryan, she has to pick who to trust. Her uncle or the stranger she can't forget?Unbeknownst to her, it's not only Bryan's life at stake."Highlander's Daring Escape" is a story of romance, betrayal, and redemption, set on the beautiful backdrop of the Scottish Highlands.

Pit Bank Wench


Meg Hutchinson - 1999
    But the kindly folk of Wednesbury take her in and her life is changed forever

Jack Ryder Mystery #4-6


Willow Rose - 2019
     Mystery, love, suspense, and action these books have it all. The hit series from #1 Bestselling author Willow Rose is impossible to put down. - BLACK JACK:  Welcome to the Blackwood House. Enter if you dare. It is said about a house in Savannah that all who have ever lived there have gone insane. When Kimberly and Joseph inherit the house from an unknown aunt, they don’t know the house’s murderous history. They move in and soon a series of strange events occur. It’s like the house doesn’t want them there. Little by little, Joseph starts to change, and soon Kimberly begins to wonder: is the house haunted or is her husband just going mad? Jack Ryder and Shannon King have run away from the press and paparazzi to Savannah to get married. They are preparing for their wedding when they stumble upon a young girl sitting alone on the docks at the harbor at night. She doesn’t seem to have any parents, nor does she know where she lives. Her feet are bare, and she has nowhere to go. They take her in for the night, but as they try to pull out information from her, bizarre stories are revealed, and soon they start to speculate about the girl. Is she telling the truth or hiding unsettling secrets of her own? - THE GIRL NEXT DOOR: He came in the morning when they were still making lunches and getting ready for school and work. He killed them all. Mother, father, children. Brutally slaughtered them in the comfort of their own home. They called him the Monday Morning Killer. That was forty years ago, but now it is happening again. A mother and her daughter are brutally murdered in their house, on a peaceful Monday morning in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Home alone with six children while his wife - country superstar Shannon King - is on tour, Detective Jack Ryder gets the most terrifying case of his career, chasing a deranged serial killer, unlike anyone he has ever seen. No one feels safe, especially not the girl next door, who just bought the house where the first family was killed forty years ago. Who is capable of such cruelty? And why? Could one person be responsible for these brutal killings of entire families so many years apart? Or is Jack dealing with a copy-cat? You’ll never guess the shocking answer. - HER FINAL WORD: Ella Maria Chauncey walks home after a night out with her friends, hurrying to get back before her parents realize she's been out with the boy they don't want her to date. Living in the gated community of Lyford Cay, in one of the world's wealthiest neighborhoods, she believes it is safe. Ella Maria never makes it home. She is found the next day floating in her family's pool, her tongue cut out.. Seven months later Jack Ryder is visiting the Bahamas with his adopted daughter Emily. They're trying to find Emily's relatives, but it turns out to be easier said than done. The only living relative they can track down is a woman…in jail. She's doing time for murdering Ella Maria Chauncey, but as Jack digs into the case, he starts to wonder if she was wrongfully convicted and the murderer is still out there, hunting for his next prey. As the shocking investigation unfolds, and secrets are revealed, no one in in the lucrative Lyford Cay can be trusted.

The Rainbow Years


Rita Bradshaw - 2006
    Her cousin torments her as she grows up and when she gets the chance to marry a rather older and apparently loving man she seizes the chance to escape what is becoming a dangerous situation. Tragically she's gone from the frying pan into the fire and endures some difficult years with a violent husband, made bearable only by the arrival of a baby. When tragedy strikes, she joins the WAAF at the start of WWII; in her new life she keeps her marriage a secret and eventually falls in love with a Spitfire pilot, Nick. Her chance of happiness with him seems to be blighted, though, when fate compels her to care for her now ailing husband: but her suffering has not, in the end, been in vain, and Nick will be waiting when the time is right.

Fishnets & Fantasies: A Novel


Jane Doucet - 2021
    She has also been a mother, a yoga instructor, and part-time soap maker. She loves her life in picturesque Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, but it’s just not enough anymore. With a burning entrepreneurial desire, she decides that when her husband, Paul, retires, it will finally be her turn to live out her dream. The catch: her dream is to open a sex shop. While Paul begrudgingly goes along with Wendy’s “half-cocked” idea, it’s out of a sense of guilt; a recently spilled secret has their marriage on the rocks. As soon as the townspeople get wind of Wendy’s plans, it opens up a whole other can of worms—and Paul finds himself bait for the local rumour mill. Her silent, “invisible” partner in the project, he secretly hopes her plan for the shop will fail.Orbiting around Paul and Wendy’s story is a motley crew of characters, including the Hebbs’ daughter, Ellen, a feminist academic who catches the eye of a lady-killer coworker while home for the summer; Wendy’s best friend, Betty, a chain-smoking seamstress with secrets of her own; the local minister and her husband, who secretly indulge in role play; and the wealthy Sonya and Booth, who will stop at nothing to make sure the shop never opens its doors—as long as they can avoid discussing their failing marriage.An irreverent novel full of heart and humour, Fishnets & Fantasies is a story of love and lust at any age, of old grudges and older secrets, and of the relationships that make all the awkward fumbling worthwhile.

The Last Vampire Complete Series Omnibus: The Girl Behind The Wall, The Girl in The Back Row, The Girl With a Secret, The Girl in Plain Sight, The Girl Unleashed...


Judith Berens - 2020
    That is, until she’s accidentally woken up by a father and daughter on a vacation.Cars? Cell phones? What’s an Instagram? How can Craig and Alexis explain the world? No one said educating a teenage vampire would be easy. The Girl in The Back Row: High school means classes, making friends, hanging out, cutting classes… and keeping your fangs to yourself. Watch out world, this teen’s bite is worse than her bark. Welcome to public school Vampire teen. Keep an eye out for the ones who would rather put you back in a box, but this time forever.Vicki is getting a crash course in teenage life, if she can just keep her true nature hidden.Fortunately, she wants to make new friends more than mayhem. Too bad others aren’t going to make that so easy. The Girl With A Secret: Vickie’s a 400-year-old teenage vampire in a suburban public school. Combine that with vampire strength and speed, mix in typical teenage impulse control and trouble follows. Her new dad, Craig and adopted sister, Alexis are having trouble helping Vickie keep her identity under wraps – especially as classmates realize there’s something different about her. Is time running out? Reports of a Last Vampire are getting back to the centuries old Circle. Dedicated to hunting down vampires, they are getting closer to tracking her down. The GIrl In Plain Sight: New semester. New classes. New challenges. Can a 400-year-old teenage vampire learn to control her powers enough to manage the halls of public school? And not bite anyone of course… Vickie is making friends with a new girl, someone Alexis doesn’t trust. Alexis is starting a romance with Will, and Vickie smells trouble. Are the girls worried about the wrong things or can they help each other out? The Girl Unleashed: No matter the century, being a teenage vampire is hard when there’s no one around to teach you how to be cool, date and lift a car out of the way without getting caught. Vickie has grown into a rockstar vampire with her powers, but she can still cause harm. Not a good way to stay hidden when everyone has the number to TMZ and a camera in their pocket. Selfie with the teenage vampire anyone? Social media can bite worse than a vampire’s fangs. The Girl Revealed: Even though she’s a 400-year-old teenager, Vickie still hasn’t grasped the dangers of modern technology. Everyone has a cellphone and can catch anything on video… It’s only a matter of time before our favorite hero with fangs ends up on everyone’s small screen.

We'll Meet Again


Elise Darcy - 2020
    A resident with a secret past. A woman starting over, unsure what the future holds.Working as an Occupational Therapist in a busy London hospital, Cassie loves her job but is looking forward to early retirement in five years when she reaches fifty. However, her husband has other ideas…Suddenly single, Cassie needs a fresh start. Responding to an ad for a live-in position, Cassie arrives at Fletchling Hall, a grand stately home, its corridors echoing with stories from the past.Her new position seems too good to be true, living in a cottage in the grounds, the commute into work a glorious stroll through the gardens to the imposing house in the Sussex countryside.In the cellar, a forgotten diary has languished undisturbed for nearly seventy years. When Cassie discovers the diary, she unravels the heartfelt story of two young souls from the war years, and a little boy called Ted, a young evacuee. It reveals the surprising connection Cassie, a Canadian, has to the house and its resident.An unforgettable tale of a secret spanning decades, love found, and the importance of belonging.

Torn in Two (The Frankie Black Files #1)


J.D. Weston - 2019
    A kidnapped girl. And a man with everything to prove… Emma Fletcher is special. She is the daughter every mother dreams of and the girl that many would choose to be. But when Emma is kidnapped on a family holiday, her captors force her to undergo a terrible change… to embrace her darker side. To survive the ordeal, Emma must forget her purity, discard her innocence and become the girl her mother tried so hard to keep hidden. Only then does she discover a new reality - that she can have anything she desires…Frankie Black is a grieving widower and a single father struggling to raise his son. He gets by doing the only thing he’s ever been truly good at - finding people. The call to find Emma Fletcher could not have come at a worse time. Days away from entering into a custody battle over his son, Frankie is forced to reveal his vocation and faces an ultimatum - find Emma Fletcher… prove he has what it takes to be a real father… or lose all that he has left to live for…But when a girl’s body washes up on the beach, the tangled web of lies begins to unravel. Can Frankie judge who to trust when both friends and family muddy the waters? Will he rescue Emma before her darkest desires lead her on a path from which she can never return? And can Frankie prove that he has what it takes to be a father?Torn in Two is the heart-stopping and powerful debut in a new thriller series from award-winning and bestselling crime writer, J.D. Weston.  If you enjoy the complex twists of a mystery, the tense drama of psychological thrillers and love to lose yourself in the deepest of characters, then buy Torn in Two and meet Frankie Black now. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Ian Rankin, Adam Croft and JD Kirk.

Sight in the Dark


A.M. Ialacci - 2019
    A photographer struggling to find work, Cleo stumbles into the woods looking for a dead body announced on her police scanner. But she’s not prepared for what she finds -- the body of her handyman, and the only man in town who has seen her at her most vulnerable, Officer Will Truman.Still reeling from being discarded by her second husband, Cleo has a hard time with trust, keeping everyone at arm’s length. But when she’s thrown into assisting Officer Truman with the case, she becomes consumed by the investigation. As she learns that every neighbor harbors dark secrets, she starts to wonder how she can really call Crimson Falls home, and if she can trust the man she’s starting to care for.When the killer strikes again, closer to home than Cleo ever thought possible, she grows desperate to learn the truth. But in a town riddled with secrets, lies, and mysteries, is there such a thing?

The Sudden Weight of Snow


Laisha Rosnau - 2002
    Seventeen-year-old Sylvia (Harper) Kostak is caught between her mother’s regrets and the strictures of small-town life in the interior of British Columbia. When Harper meets Gabe, an intense and enigmatic young man living on the ’60s-style arts commune outside of town, she is transfixed. Gradually we learn Gabe’s story and what led him to join his estranged mother on the commune, where, in a bid for freedom, Harper eventually finds herself, setting in motion a series of events leading to tragedy. Resonant with longing and a sense of isolation, the novel brings alive the agonies and ecstasies of growing up, sexual discovery, and how the need to belong can shape both decisions and destinies.Author Biography: Laisha Rosnau was born in Pointe Claire, Quebec, and grew up in Vernon, British Columbia. She has worked as a child-care worker, a landscaper, a waitress, a fruit picker, an interpretive guide, a journalist, and an editor. She received a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, where she was the Executive Editor of PRISM international. Her poetry and short fiction have been published in literary journals and anthologies in Canada, the United States, and Australia. The Sudden Weight of Snow is her first novel. Laisha Rosnau lives in Vancouver, where she is at work on a collection of poetry and on her second novel.