Book picks similar to
Houdini's Handcuffs by J.J. Toner


ireland
irish
irish-mysteries
mystery-thriller

The Girl Who Never Came Back


Amy Cross - 2013
    Despite a frantic search, no trace of her was found until a year later, when the little girl turned up on the doorstep with no memory of where she'd been. Today, Charlotte has put her mysterious ordeal behind her, even though she's never learned where she was during that missing year. However, when her eight-year-old niece vanishes in similar circumstances, a fully-grown Charlotte is forced to make a fresh attempt to uncover the truth.The Girl Who Never Came Back is a psychological thriller about a woman who is forced to confront her family's dark past. In the process, she begins to unravel the secret surrounding her disappearance, the horrific truth about her niece's fate, and the identity of the ghostly figure that seems to haunt the family.Total word count is approximately 60,000. Contains swearing and mild, infrequent violence. Also includes a preview of The Dead and the Dying.

Spies, Lies and a Pair of Ties


Sheralyn Pratt - 2003
    At 24, she has only been a PI for three years, but in that time she has never found a case she couldn't solve, or a person who could trick her. So when she's asked to investigate an embezzlement case at a nearby factory, Rhea doesn't think twice. What Rhea doesn't know is that the events that will take place on this case will snowball into a life decision. And what starts out as a humdrum investigation, filled with seemingly chance encounters, will change her life forever.

Desolation Road


Andrew E. Kaufman - 2012
    But there's one title you won't see next to his name: Killer. Living an ordinary life, Bill's world is about to be thrown into extraordinary turmoil when he takes a wrong turn and ends up on Desolation Road---a winding, obsolete throughway on the outskirts of town. But what he doesn’t know is that trouble is heading his way from around the bend—and he’ll be forced to make a split second decision, one that will send him running for his life. One he can never take back.From Andrew E. Kaufman, #1 bestselling author of The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted and While the Savage Sleeps, comes a gripping new psychological thriller.

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni | Summary & Analysis


Book*Sense - 2014
    Robert Dugoni’s My Sister’s Grave, is an action-packed blend of police and courtroom procedural that explores the latent threat of small town life and blurs the boundaries of legal ethics and morality. Robert Dugoni’s My Sister’s Grave, follows Tracy Crosswhite as she puts to rest the case of her sister’s disappearance some twenty years after the fact. Through her efforts, the improper conviction of Edmund House is overturned and appropriate justice enacted upon the person who had abducted, raped and killed Sarah Crosswhite, Tracy’s sister, in the early 1990s. Along the way, the small town of Cedar Grove, Washington, is afforded final closure, and Tracy is able to set aside a decades-long obsession and live in the present once again. You also get the following in this Summary & Analysis of My Sister’s Grave: • Book Review • Story Setting of My Sister’s Grave • Details of Characters & Key Character Analysis • Summary of the text, with some analytical comments interspersed • Discussion & Analysis of Themes, Symbols… • And Much More! This Analysis of My Sister’s Grave fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience.

The Ivy Nash Thrillers: Books 4-6


John W. Mefford - 2018
     Can Ivy survive one attack after another? Or, in the end, will evil finally win out? You can find out by reading the three heart-stopping Ivy Nash thrillers. Break IN The unthinkable happens. And a grandfather grieves. Ivy sees his pain, feels his pain, but she can't connect the dots. How can Ivy possibly locate the missing kids? A community comes together to fight back. Yet, the battle is useless against an invisible foe. But Ivy knows the scent of a predator. Can anything prepare her for the fun house? A terror unlike any other. Is clinging to life worth the hell that she will pay? IN Control Sometimes even the truth can kill. But can murder ever be justified? Kids are plucked from their homes seemingly at random. Is there any way it could all be a ruse? A friend's father asks Ivy to do the unthinkable. Will she turn a blind eye? It's a twisted hairball of kidnappings, betrayals, and cover-ups. How can Ivy separate reality from a smokescreen of falsehoods? With the life of her friend's son hanging in the balance, Ivy can't fail. The clock is ticking… IN The End A generation has lost its way. And no one will sin without retribution. Parents are crushed after their daughter is ripped from their lives. Ivy chases every lead, but the fog of deception is deep. So very deep. For mankind, the end is near. How many sacrifices will it take before the cataclysmic events can't be stopped? It was supposed to be a confession. Instead, it became a statement of conviction -- to Satan. Will Ivy be able to stop a demonic killer? It's one woman's pledge to save a generation from a fanatical psychopath. It's one man's path to claim his destiny. Can Ivy possibly back away from the threat? He believes Ivy has sinned. And it is time for her life to end…just like all the others. Get the next three Ivy Nash novels now!

Past Imperfect: First book of the 2nd TAKEN! Series. (Mr. White, #1)


Remington Kane - 2020
    

A Ladder to the Sky


John Boyne - 2018
    The one thing he doesn’t have is talent—but he’s not about to let a detail like that stand in his way. After all, a would-be writer can find stories anywhere. They don’t need to be his own. Working as a waiter in a West Berlin hotel in 1988, Maurice engineers the perfect opportunity: a chance encounter with celebrated novelist Erich Ackermann. He quickly ingratiates himself with the powerful – but desperately lonely – older man, teasing out of Erich a terrible, long-held secret about his activities during the war. Perfect material for Maurice’s first novel.Once Maurice has had a taste of literary fame, he knows he can stop at nothing in pursuit of that high. Moving from the Amalfi Coast, where he matches wits with Gore Vidal, to Manhattan and London, Maurice hones his talent for deceit and manipulation, preying on the talented and vulnerable in his cold-blooded climb to the top. But the higher he climbs, the further he has to fall. . . . Sweeping across the late twentieth century, A Ladder to the Sky is a fascinating portrait of a relentlessly immoral man, a tour de force of storytelling, and the next great novel from an acclaimed literary virtuoso.

Littered with Trouble


Eryn Scott - 2022
    She never imagined she would be a widow before the age of forty. To cope with the sudden loss of her husband, Lou moves across the country to live near her best friend in a town as cute as a button. Even though it means quitting her fancy New York editor job, she now owns the bookstore of her dreams. Well, almost. She definitely didn’t dream about a dead man showing up in her alley. Found with no identification, the police plaster the man’s face everywhere, along with the name of her bookshop, inundating Lou with negative press before she can even open. Worse, Lou was one of the last people to see him alive, and she didn’t even get his name.Worried the mystery man’s family is left without the answers she so desperately needed in her husband’s death, Lou tries to help find the man’s identity. On closer inspection, she realizes her conversation with the mystery man was full of clues. Starting with a confusing book page he left behind, Lou follows the trail. If she can solve this mystery, her bookstore might have a chance at being known for something more than murder.

Darkest Truth


Catherine Kirwan - 2019
     She'll stop at nothing to expose the truth. It only takes one person to break the silence.When solicitor Finn Fitzpatrick is approached by a man to investigate the death of his daughter, her first instinct is to refuse.The father is grieving, and unable to accept that his daughter committed suicide. And yet something about the man’s story chimes with Finn.Why did a bright, confident, beautiful young girl suddenly drop out of school? Could the answer lie in her relationship with Ireland's most famous film director?The deeper Finn goes into the case, the more dark, twisted and dangerous the picture becomes.Because these are powerful people she is trying to expose. And they're willing to do anything to keep the truth hidden. _________________________ 'A clever twist on the genre.' ARAMINTA HALL, author of Our Kind of Cruelty'A gripping, twisting novel of mounting suspense. It couldn't be more relevant.' AMY LLOYD, author of The Innocent Wife'The story is told at a propulsive rate, the legal details are persuasive and the dialogue is excellent.' Irish Times

The Kurt Vetter Trilogy (The Reluctant Hero)


William Esmont - 2014
    With Amanda's help, he uncovers a rogue CIA plot to detonate a nuclear bomb in Moscow. Meanwhile, the assassins who killed his brother launch an all-out hunt to silence him and anyone else who may thwart their plans.In a frantic sprint across Europe, Kurt and Amanda must stay one step ahead of the killers while racing against the clock to prevent the bomb from incinerating millions of innocent people.Book Two: PressedBruised and battered from a recent mission, ex-CIA analyst Kurt Vetter is pressed into service once again when hackers launch a devastating cyber-attack on the United States Strategic Early Warning System, nearly triggering a nuclear confrontation.When Kurt and his partner Amanda Carter investigate the security lapse, they discover that elements of a Russian sleeper cell have compromised the integrity of the National Military Command Center. To further complicate matters, Kurt and Amanda also learn that a Chechen arms dealer with a stolen nuclear warhead is about to start selling suitcase nukes to the highest bidder.With membership in the nuclear club poised to explode and the United States effectively blinded to the threat, Kurt and Amanda are the last line of defense before the world descends into anarchy.Book Three: Blood in the StreetsA routine trip to China turns disastrous for intelligence agent Kurt Vetter when a deadly series of attacks on civilian targets plunges the country into anarchy. Trapped in a disintegrating nation, Kurt and his team take to the war-torn streets of Beijing to locate a Chinese double agent who may know the truth behind the source of the violence.As the politicians in Washington struggle with how to respond to the imminent collapse of the United States' largest trading partner, the responsibility falls on Kurt to prevent the destruction of the modern global economy.When the conflict begins to spread beyond China's borders, Kurt and his team learn the threat is larger and more insidious than anyone could have imagined. If they don't act fast, the entire region, and perhaps the entire world may be draw into a conflict unlike any seen before.

The Spellwood Witches


Melanie Snow - 2021
    Can Sarah save Witchland from destruction and solve the suspicious death of her dear friend?A Free Novella ~ Fish and Blame: Can Sarah bring justice to an innocent tourist and save the wrong person from going down for a crime? While struggling with learning how to use her own powers, Sarah is uncertain if she has what it takes to bring down another killer.Book 2 ~ Howl Play: Will Sarah be able to defeat perhaps the most evil witch in all of history, to bring closure for an innocent man's death?Book 3 ~ Tail of a Feather: When Eli disappears, Sarah must venture into the caves under Witchland to save him. But is she strong enough to defeat the evil that lurks down there?Book 4 ~ Impawsible Mischief: Something is wrong in Witchland, and this time the problem is coming from within the town! Can Sarah save Witchland before it tears itself apart?Book 5 ~ Pawtrayal: Sarah just wants to settle down, but a ghost desperate for justice for his own murder case isn't having it! Can Sarah vindicate a ghost and solve a crime that has stumped police for decades?Get The Spellwood Witches Complete Series Collection today!

Our Little Secret


Roz Nay - 2017
    What they don't say though, is that sometimes your first love won't forget you...A police interview room is the last place Angela expected to find herself today. It's been hours, and they keep asking her the same inane questions over and over. "How do you know the victim?" "What's your relationship with Mr. Parker?" Her ex's wife has gone missing, and anyone who was close to the couple is a suspect. Angela is tired of the bottomless questions and tired of the cold room that stays the same while a rotating litany of interrogators changes shifts around her. But when criminologist Novak takes over, she can tell he's not like the others. He's ready to listen, and she knows he'll understand. When she tells him that her story begins a decade before, long before Saskia was in the picture, he gives her the floor.A twenty-something young professional, Angela claims to have no involvement. How could she? It's been years since she and H.P., Mr. Parker that is, were together. As her story unfolds, it deepens and darkens. There's a lot to unpack... betrayal, jealousy, and a group of people who all have motives for retribution. If Angela is telling the truth, then who's lying?

Fat Tuesday


Sandra Brown - 1997
    Marriage and career over, he focuses on nemesis Pinkie Duvall, flamboyant lawyer who saves killers from justice. Burke kidnaps Remy, Pinkie's trophy wife. Their attraction is electric. Remy will do anything to save her innocent sister, still in her alumni convent school. On Fat Tuesday, masks are stripped away.

The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth


Juliet Gauvin - 2014
    Book 1 of 3. Elizabeth Lara built a perfect life as San Francisco’s top divorce attorney, but when she loses her great-aunt Mags, the woman who raised her, she boards a plane and leaves it all behind.The Irish shores welcome her as she learns a shocking truth, kept secret for thirty-five years. Devastated and now alone in the world, Beth tries to find peace in a beautiful cottage by Lough Rhiannon, but peace isn’t what fate had in mind. Almost as soon as she arrives, Beth’s solitary retreat into the magic wilds of Ireland is interrupted by Connor Bannon. A man with light brown hair, ice blue eyes and a secret of his own. He’s gorgeous, grieving, and completely unexpected. With the help of Mags’ letters, the colorful townspeople of Dingle, and Connor, Elizabeth might just find a way back to the girl she lost long ago and become the woman she always wanted to be.

Surf Mama - One Woman's Search for Love, Happiness and the Perfect Wave


Wilma Johnson - 2011
    The plan hits troubled waters as she arrives in France with her marriage on the rocks and three children who speak no French. Her first attempts at surfing are disastrous; resulting in bruises, broken bones and a damaged ego, but when she experiences the euphoric feeling of catching her first wave and sets up the Mamas Surf Club, it's all worth it.