Book picks similar to
Then He Was Gone by Stephen Edger


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Forgotten


Heleyne Hammersley - 2016
    The doctor names her Kai, the Thai word for fever.Unable to recall what led her to end up at the bottom of a cliff, Kai’s only clue to her identity is a diary. Stuck in a foreign land with no memory, she begins to unpick the truth about her past. And she will discover who she and why she is in danger…This is Kai’s story.

The One That Got Away


Egan Hughes - 2020
    You trust him. You can't escape him. Shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger award.'A gripping debut' HELLO! magazine'This tense and twisty thriller will have you gasping for air' WOMAN magazine'Utterly addictive' CRIME MONTHLY magazine'A masterclass in storytelling' THE COURIER'This one really pulled me in' JANE CORRY'Tense, thrilling and full of twists and turns' ANGELA MARSONS___________________Mia thinks she has escaped her controlling ex-husband, Rob. She's found herself a new home, a new boyfriend and a new life.But when the police arrive to tell her that Rob has been found dead on his boat, things quickly fall apart. Mia is terrified she'll be suspected, however the police are keeping all options open. They know Mia had reason to hate her ex-husband, but she's not the only one. Plenty of people wanted Rob Creavy dead, not least his new wife, Rachel.What they don't know is that Mia has a secret, one she's desperate to protect.But someone else knows. Someone with very dark secrets of their own . . .A claustrophobic, twisty psychological thriller about love, trauma and revenge - perfect for fans of, THE HOLIDAY, SOMETHING IN THE WATER and THE WOMAN IN CABIN TEN.'Addictive, I was gripped from the opening chapter' JO SPAIN'Plunges the reader in and leaves them gasping for air' RACHEL EDWARDS

Snatched From Home: What Would You Do To Save Your Children?


Graham Smith - 2015
    Penniless and desperate the couple turn to crime as a way to raise the ransom. Hot on their heels is recently bereaved DI Harry Evans and his Major Crimes team. Evans is fighting against enforced retirement and his replacement – DI John Campbell – is foisted upon him along with other cases. If he must leave the police then he wants one last big case before he goes. In a race against time Victoria and Nicholas must evade the police while continuing to add to the ransom fund. If they don’t pay up on time the kidnappers have threatened to amputate their children’s limbs with an oxy-acetylene torch. Can they save their children before time runs out?

Maggie


Netta Newbound - 2017
    When sixteen-year-old Maggie Simms’ mum loses her battle with cancer, the only family she has left is her abusive stepfather, Kenny.Horrified to discover he intends to continue his nightly abuse, Maggie is driven to put a stop to him once and for all.However, she finds her troubles are only just beginning when several of her closest allies are killed.Although nothing seems to be linking the deaths, Maggie believes she is jinxed.Why are the people she cares about being targeted?And who is really behind the murders? Sometimes the truth is closer than you think.

Only the Innocent


Rachel Abbott - 2011
    But when the billionaire philanthropist is discovered murdered in his London home, tied naked to a bed, the scandal is only a shadow of the darkness lurking off-camera.Laura Fletcher returns from an Italian vacation to find her husband dead and her home under siege by paparazzi. Is she shocked? Yes. But is she distraught? Not exactly. Especially when Chief Inspector Tom Douglas reveals his suspicions that Hugo’s killer is female. Laura always knew she wasn’t the only woman in Hugo’s life. And she knows she wasn’t the only one with a motive to kill.The deeper Douglas digs, the more sordid details about Hugo Fletcher he uncovers. And yet nothing compares to the secret Laura guards, a secret that could bring the guilty to justice—or destroy an innocent life forever.

Her Husband's Killer


Margaret Murphy - 1999
    And now he’s dead. But did she really kill him?Dr Helen Wilkinson stands over the body of her husband, Edward. It’s just as she’d imagined it so many times before. He looks calm, asleep almost. And yet something isn’t right: in her fantasies there was never so much blood.Her husband was a professor with few friends. A manipulative and sadistic man who delighted in the humiliation of others. Many wished him dead. But Helen has fantasised, planned and committed the crime so many times in her head she doesn’t know what is real anymore.Now she’s the prime suspect. How can she convince the police she didn't murder her husband — when she doesn't know herself?DISCOVER THE TRUTH IN THIS UTTERLY COMPELLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER WHICH WILL HAVE GRIPPED UNTIL THE FINAL PAGE

Silent Victim


Caroline Mitchell - 2018
    But the truth can’t stay hidden for long.Emma is a loving wife, a devoted mother…and an involuntary killer. For years she’s been hiding the dead body of the teacher who seduced her as a teen.It’s a secret that might have stayed buried if only her life had been less perfect. A promotion for Emma’s husband, Alex, means they can finally move to a bigger home with their young son. But with a buyer lined up for their old house, Emma can’t leave without destroying every last trace of her final revenge…Returning to the shallow grave in the garden, she finds it empty. The body is gone.Panicked, Emma confesses to her husband. But this is only the beginning. Soon, Alex will discover things about her he’ll wish he’d learned sooner. And others he’ll long to forget.

Killing Me Softly


Nicci French - 1999
    Then one morning, on her way to work, she exchanges a lingering look with a devastatingly attractive man. Adam Tallis is the essence of every female fantasy--a daring mountain climber who has been hailed as a hero. As a lover, he is more passionate than Alice's wildest imaginings. Soon there isn't anything or anyone she wouldn't give up to stay by his side. Soon all she has is Adam, and life with this stranger will take her to new heights of madness...and fear.

Watched: When Road Rage Follows You Home


Kerry Wilkinson - 2013
    He’s won awards for his work with children, his brother is a chief inspector and he runs the neighbourhood watch scheme.But Esther Pooley sees him differently.After a road rage incident, she’s convinced he’s the person terrorising her and husband, Charlie, at their suburban dream home.As the stakes begin to rise, they must decide if bricks and mortar are worth more than their relationship, with Charlie stuck on the toughest of all dilemmas. How far will he go to protect his wife?This is the latest novel from Kerry Wilkinson, Kindle No.1 bestselling author of the Jessica Daniel series."Wilkinson’s story spreads like a pool of blood...his talent becomes ever more obvious."- Daily Mail on Think of the Children"Locked In has changed my mind. Expecting little, I was pleasantly surprised."- The Guardian on Locked In"Plotting, high drama and characterisation are becoming the hallmarks of the his thrillers"- Lancashire Evening Post on Playing With Fire

Don't Let Him In


Howard Linskey - 2021
    Except, as she reads through his notes, it's clear he was sure he was about to uncover the truth. And then she hears that there are unanswered questions about his death.It's unnerving, reading through his theories alone in their tall, creaking family house on the seafront.If she didn't know better, she'd swear she thought she heard someone outside her door...

Some They Lie


M.K. Farrar - 2018
    No one is perfect—she knows that better than most. Everyone has their secrets. But something about Michael’s behaviour sets her nerves on edge, and, when people around her start to go missing, and then turn up dead, she’s forced to act.Knowing the police will never believe what she’s witnessed, and terrified her accusations will only drag up the past she’s worked so hard to bury, Olivia has no choice but to take things into her own hands... Get this new, heart-racing, psychological thriller now!

The Missing Ones


Patricia Gibney - 2017
    A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror. The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. I wonder which one of us will be next?When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how? The trail leads Lottie to St. Angela’s, a former children’s home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal. As Lottie begins to link the current victims to unsolved murders decades old, two teenage boys go missing. She must close in on the killer before they strike again, but in doing so is she putting her own children in terrifying danger? Lottie is about to come face to face with a twisted soul who has a very warped idea of justice. Fans of Rachel Abbott, Karin Slaughter and Robert Dugoni will be gripped by this page-turning serial killer thriller, guaranteed to keep you reading late into the night.

The Lost Ones


Ben Cheetham - 2016
    Could the key to Erin Jackson’s disappearance lie in the bloody fate of Elijah and Joanna Ingham, bludgeoned to death while their young daughters slept? Were the Inghams really the victims of opportunistic burglars—or a more sinister fate?The woods are combed for signs of the child, but Erin’s brother, Jake, mounts his own investigation, uncovering evidence that puts the Inghams’ daughters—vanished Rachel and ‘crazy’ Mary—in the frame. Meanwhile, Erin’s father suspects that the ragtag army of eco-warriors besieging his quarry development may have something to hide.As devastating secrets and betrayals are revealed, the Jackson family is brought to a breaking point. But time is running out. Erin is still missing and Jake’s unorthodox enquiries have left him dangerously exposed. They must find Erin and lay the past to rest—before they become its latest victims.

The Sad Man (Novella): A Dani Lancing Story


P.D. Viner - 2013
    As a Family Liaison Officer he is always the bearer of bad news - it is his job to tell the friends and family of victims the fate of their loved ones.But Tom is weighted down by crimes both old and new - haunted by the death of his best friend Dani, whose murder has never been solved.When a rare opportunity emerges for Tom to take the lead in a horrific murder investigation, he is determined to get justice for the victim. A young girl has been found in her own home, cut so badly - and so carefully - that she has bled to death, leaving a deliberate pool of blood in the shape of angel wings....

The Last One To See Her


Mark Tilbury - 2020
    So why did he lie?Mathew Hillock was the last person to see eleven-year-old Jodie Willis alive. When her dead body turns up four days later in his garden shed, the police think he’s guilty of her murder. So do most people in the town. But there’s no DNA evidence to link him to the crime. Battling the weight of public opinion and mental illness due to a childhood head trauma, he sinks into a deep depression. Can Mathew do what the police failed to do and find evidence linking the real killer to the crime?The Last One to See Her is a terrifying story of what happens when you’re accused of a crime and no one believes you are innocent