Book picks similar to
Mercy Killing by Kathryn Johnson


fiction
first-reads
romantic-suspense
mystery

The Edge of Courage


Elaine Levine - 2012
    . . Rocco Silas has come home to Wyoming after long years as a Red Team operative in Afghanistan. It isn't easy returning to civilian life, especially burdened as he is with a staggering case of PTSD or hunted as he is by an enemy determined to seek an eye-for-eye--neither of which can he battle until he confronts the truth of what happened one fateful day in the high mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush. . . . She alone holds the key to his sanity. Mandy Fielding's dream of opening a therapeutic riding center on her family's ranch is almost within her grasp--until she hires Rocco Silas, a dangerous ex-Spec Ops friend of her brother's. His haunted eyes and passionate touch promise a love she never dared believe possible. Can they confront the truth of his past and build a future together or will the enemy stalking him destroy them both?

Ladd Springs


Dianne Venetta - 2013
    Both are after title to Ladd Springs, a mecca of natural springs, streams and trails in the eastern Tennessee mountains, a tract of land worth millions. But Ernie Ladd, current owner of the property and uncle to Delaney, is adamantly opposed to them both.Felicity Wilkins, Delaney’s daughter, deserves to inherit her family’s legacy, but neighbor Clem Sweeney is working against her, ingratiating himself with Ernie Ladd. Clem is also harboring a secret that will make him a very wealthy man—unless the others stop him before he can bring it to fruition.Complicating matters is Annie Owens. Ex-girlfriend to Jeremiah Ladd, Ernie’s estranged son lining in Atlanta, she declares her daughter Casey is Jeremiah’s, making Casey every bit as entitled to the property as Felicity—only Annie hasn’t proven this claim. Yet.All are fighting to get the property, but only one will walk away with the gold.

Poison


Leanne Davis - 2013
    John Tyler now hates her as much as he once loved her--but Cassie has no choice. John's quiet life as a small town doctor in Seaclusion, Washington has no place in it for the woman he turned his back on ten years ago. But when Cassie and her son land on his doorstep, he can't turn them away. The longer she stays, though, the harder it is to remember why he stopped loving her. With her ex-husband closing in, Cassie soon realizes that only she can end what he has started. And as John and Cassie's mutual attraction reignites, she vows to do anything to protect her son and grab the happiness that has escaped her for so long.

Secrets Hidden in the Glass


Cate Beauman - 2017
    Burnt out and on the edge of a nervous breakdown, she’s fleeing the pressures of her career and is taking refuge on Massachusetts’ tiny Carter Island. Callie yearns for long, lazy days and pretty walks on the beach—blessed solitude and an escape from the complications of her life. Then she bumps into gorgeous Nate Carter and everything changes. Sheriff Nathan Carter couldn’t be happier now that the height of the summer season has finally come and gone. After four endless months, tourists have packed their bags and headed for the mainland. The quiet days of autumn are about to befall the town—the way Nate and his fellow Sandersonians like it best. But nothing ends up quite the way Nate expects when he meets the beautiful blonde with the big blue eyes. Callie’s pretty smiles hide secrets—deep, dark mysteries that could cost them both their lives if they continue digging into the past and cross a killer’s path. *A contemporary romance with twists of mystery and suspense

Ties That Bind


Anne Patrick - 2010
    As with most profilers, she is able to take the evidence, background of the victims, and crime scene photos, and reenact in her mind what took place between the killer and the victim. But what if there are no crime scenes and the victims have been decapitated in order to hide their identity? This is where Jo's unusual gift comes into play. Unlike other profilers in her field, she is able to sense what the victim felt prior to death. She not only feels their emotions, she feels their pain.Sheriff Austin Garrett doesn't quite know what to think of the beautiful and sassy profiler with a unique gift that defies all reason. He's willing to try anything, though, to stop the monster plaguing his community.But can Jo and Austin find the killer before he makes it even more personal?

The Dream Jumper's Promise


Kim Hornsby - 2012
    Months after signing the death certificate, she pulls herself from the emotional wreckage and trades mourning for saving her Maui dive shop from bankruptcy. When war hero, Jamey Dunn, walks back into Tina's life, things take a strange turn. Lifelike dreams have the dive instructor questioning her sanity and leaning heavily on Hank's best friend, Noble. Jamey and Noble clash at every turn, both desperate to help Tina. When the dreams uncover clues to Hank's disappearance, Jamey must reveal his strange ability to enter dreams. But for Tina, trusting the man who betrayed her years before, doesn't come easily, and the decision to let Jamey enter her subconscious has a price she isn't sure she can pay. As Noble, Tina and Jamey get closer to solving the mystery of Hank's disappearance, grave danger sets in to reveal that one person is flirting with insanity, one is a traitor, and one is an impostor.

The Prince


Jillian Dodd - 2016
    Fans of The Selection and The Hunger Games will discover a heart-pounding thrill ride of espionage and suspense set in glittering high society.An eighteen-year-old covert agent is pulled out of training before graduation by Black X, a espionage group so secret even the President of the United States doesn't know it exists.For her first mission, she must go undercover as the long-lost daughter of a recently deceased billionaire, infiltrate high society, and protect the Prince of Montrovia from assassination. But Prince Lorenzo is known as the Playboy Prince for a reason and his sensuality and charisma add a whole other level of complication to her mission. She knows that her every move is being watched, but what she doesn’t know is that the Prince is just a chess piece in a bigger game that will have world-wide ramifications. And that Blackwood Academy, the place she has called home for the past six years has secrets of its own.

A Beautiful Mess


T.K. Leigh - 2013
    Having lost her parents in a tragic car accident when she was a little girl, she’s struggled to get close to anyone. Instead, she prefers to avoid all relationships, keeping them superficial at best.Until retired Navy SEAL Alexander Burnham walks into her life and sparks something inside her she thought was dead.But he has demons of his own, ones that could turn her world upside-down.Ones that could reveal the truth that’s been kept from her for years.Ones that could cost her everything…Including her life.A Beautiful Mess is the first book in the Beautiful Mess Series, a gripping, suspenseful story about two souls destined to be together and the forces threatening to keep them apart. Pick up your copy of the first book in this USA Today Bestselling series today!

Virtue Falls


Christina Dodd - 2014
    Her husband was convicted of the murder. Their four year old daughter Elizabeth witnessed the crime, but has no memory of the killing. Now, two decades later, Elizabeth is back in Virtue Falls. She soon discovers her father is innocent. The real killer is still out there. And her investigation has stirred dark and deadly resentments that could provoke in another bloody murder—her own—in this riveting novel from bestselling author Christina Dodd.

Fatal Affair


Marie Force - 2010
    The perfect opportunity arises when Senator John O’Connor is found brutally murdered in his bed, and Sam is assigned to the case. Things get complicated when Sam has to team up with Nick Cappuano, O’Connor’s friend and chief of staff…and the man Sam had a memorable one-night stand with years earlier. Their sexual chemistry still sizzles, and Sam has to fight to stay focused on the case. Sleeping with a material witness is another mistake she can’t afford—especially when the bodies keep piling up.

Truth and Consequences


Linda Winfree - 2007
    Kathleen Palmer sees him as a despicably corrupt small-town law officer and a murder suspect. Trapped in a web of his own making, he must see his mission through to the end and bring down the crooked cops who’ve run Haynes County for decades. To do so, he must betray the only family he’s ever known and fight his growing love for Kathleen, a relationship that could get one, or both of them, killed.Determined to uncover the truth, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Kathleen struggles with her attraction to the one person who’s awakened her since she buried her heart and emotions in her son’s tiny grave. Listening to her heart could destroy all she has left in life—her career and reputation. When the truth about Jason’s identity surfaces, they both face unimaginable consequences: Jason may lose his life and Kathleen the man she loves.

Danger Incorporated Books 1 - 3


Olivia Jaymes - 2016
    She and Jason are instantly attracted to one another but the evening quickly goes down hill when she ends up in the interrogation room of the local police. An unknown dead man had her address clutched in his hand. The authorities – and Jason – think she’s the key to finding a cold-blooded murderer. With a first date like that Brinley’s not sure she’ll survive a second. Then again she’s never met anyone like Jason. The ex-DEA agent is not the typical boy-next-door. He’s all man. And with a little luck, he could become all hers. They just have to stay alive long enough to catch a killer. HIDING FROM DANGER: Georgette “Gigi” Sidney is a woman on the run. Her ex-boyfriend’s love was controlling, obsessive, and deadly. Now she’s hiding out in Tremont, Montana spending her days as a waitress and her nights in West Anderson’s bed. She ought to be moving on to the next town but her feelings for the handsome detective have complicated her plans. When Gigi’s past interferes with the present she has to finally tell West the truth…about everything. She needs twenty-four hour protection and he’s just the man for the job. If West has his way there will be no more running, no more excuses, and no more lies. He’s determined to put the past to rest so that he can be her future. All he has to do is catch a madman and keep her alive while doing it. INDECENT DANGER: Successful businessman Travis Anderson is thrilled to be escorting Aubrey Grayson on a romantic and elegant weekend getaway in Florida. Unlike the women before her, she doesn’t care about the beautiful gowns and fancy jewels. What she does care about is bumping into a hateful man from her past who decides it would be fun to tell Travis all the shameful secrets she has tried so hard to hide. When a dead body shows up as an uninvited guest, Aubrey quickly becomes a suspect and has to come clean to Travis about everything. Nothing in the world could be worse than admitting the whole sordid story… unless it’s being branded a killer. But there’s no way Travis is going to allow Aubrey to go to prison for a murder she didn’t commit. If he has to catch the real killer himself, that’s just what he’ll do.

Against the Wild


Kat Martin - 2014
    The hot look in Dylan Brodie's eyes says he's going to be that man.But when Lane flies to the remote 1930s fishing lodge to help him renovate, she discovers a little girl who won't speak, eerie legends and strange sounds in the night. And when she investigates the history of the lodge, she uncovers a legacy of injustice and murder.As danger stalks his daughter and the woman he is coming to love, Dylan must risk everything to uncover the shocking truth.

Marked


Kaylea Cross - 2014
    She hasn’t seen Jake in years but her former college friend told her he’d always be there for her and she definitely needs him now. Even though her feelings for him go far deeper than friendship and just being around him risks her heart, she would do anything to keep those she loves safe from a madman bent on unleashing hell.Only one man from her past can helpFBI Special Agent Jake Evers made the biggest mistake of his life when he let Rachel slip through his fingers over two years ago. It doesn’t matter that he hasn’t seen her since then—if she needs him, he’ll be there. When he learns that she’s the target of a domestic terror cell, he’ll do everything in his power to keep her safe. He’s never gotten over her and won’t risk losing her again now that she’s reappeared in his life. But the threat is more widespread than they realized and now it’s a race against time to keep her and scores of innocent civilians alive.

Stolen In Paradise


Toby Neal - 2013
    The victim’s project, a genetically-engineered algae that could solve the world fuel crisis, has been stolen from the development lab, a hotbed of intrigue where everyone on the project has something to hide—including Marcella.It was supposed to be simple: kill the scientist and grab the formula. Now he has to stop a relentless FBI agent any way he can.He’s in too deep. He’s trapped. They’re closing in, and he’ll kill anyone he has to in order to walk away.