Book picks similar to
The Popcorn Girl by Michael J. Vaughn
fiction
mystery
contemporary
abandoned
Tokyo Black
Andrew Warren - 2016
Betrayed and left for dead, he has put his past as a CIA assassin behind him. Now, he makes a meager living as a smuggler, and hides from his dark past in the seedy underworld of Pattaya, Thailand.But when local gangsters set him up for a crime he didn’t commit, he finds himself back in the clutches of the CIA. His old masters make him an offer he can’t refuse: rot in a hellish Thai prison, or accept a dangerous mission in the neon-lit metropolis of Tokyo, Japan.As he hunts the city for a CIA asset’s missing daughter, he quickly learns there is more to this assignment than meets the eye. Yakuza thugs, Japan’s Security Bureau, and even rogue CIA operatives all stand between him and his objective. And looming in the shadows is Tokyo Black, a right wing terrorist cult whose members demonstrate their loyalty by burning their yakuza tattoos from their skin. This monstrous cabal is chasing the same girl as Caine, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake.Can Thomas Caine defeat this fanatical enemy, before they ignite an international conflict that could kill thousands? Tokyo Black is a high-octane thriller that takes readers on an action-packed ride filled with gun battles, car chases, and fascinating characters and locations. Fans of Jason Bourne and Jack Reacher will love Thomas Caine! Reviews for the first book in the series say “A burning page turner! Swift and intense! If you like ACTION… Caine and Warren are your team!”
Fat Chance
R.J. Leahy - 2013
It's an ok job, but it isn't as exciting as most people think, and that's fine by him. He makes it a rule not to get involved in active police cases or in any case where people are likely to get hurt—especially him. So why does the mob suddenly want him dead? Sure it’s all a mistake, but dead from a mistake is still dead.Taking advice from his friend, The Juke, he starts on a cross country drive to LA (what can I tell you, he has a few phobias, and flying is just one of them), and makes it as far as Mystic Falls, New Mexico before the borrowed Mercedes conks out. Mystic Falls? Think Green Acres—without the sophistication.All he had to do was lie low and wait for the car to be fixed. A good plan too. It might have worked if only the local "character" hadn’t turned up missing, with him as the prime suspect. Now if he ever wants to get out of this sleepy desert asylum, he’s going to have to find her. Fat chance.
Informed Consent
Raphael Hirsch - 2010
But just when success is within reach, his cherished career is threatened. It becomes clear that someone else has been bending the rules-on him. As he searches frantically for an explanation, he discovers a terrible secret. He and his family have been unwitting subjects in a fifty year-old genetic experiment. And unless he can unravel the mystery, none of them-least of all Dr. David Myers-are safe.
Note to Self: Change the Locks
Heather Balog - 2013
Her annoying ex-husband, Simon has been "displaced" after forgetting to pay his rent and has nowhere to go. As much as she seethes at the sight of him, Elizabeth can't turn her back on the man who was once the love of her life. After all, they were happily married for two years before "the incident" ripped them apart. There's just one teensy problem. Elizabeth's fiance, Austin, has no idea that she was previously married. Nor is he aware that Simon is bunking with his future bride. Elizabeth must keep the two away from each other until she is ready to come clean about her marriage and divorce. This proves exhausting in close quarters while planning a wedding. As Elizabeth and Austin prepare for their upcoming nuptials, it gets more and more difficult to hide the truth from Austin. Especially, when Elizabeth is starting to have doubts about what the truth really is.
A Murderous Valentine (Admiral Shackleford Mystery #1)
Beverley Watts - 2021
Having been instrumental in improving the lives of so many (his words - others might be inclined to call it something slightly different...), he was struggling to reignite the spark in his own love life with the feisty Mabel. Short on ideas, he decides to gatecrash his much put upon former Master At Arms and best friend Jimmy Noon's Valentine idea and ends up in the middle of a murder mystery weekend... where real murder is on someone else's script. Stranded in the middle of nowhere with a hotel full of potential murderers, the unstoppable duo embark on a series of blundering escapades in an attempt to uncover the Murderous Valentine... The Admiral and Jimmy may be more Laurel and Hardy than Holmes and Watson, but can they catch a murderer...? This humorous cozy mystery short read is the first in The Admiral Shackleford Mysteries.
Her Final Words
Brianna Labuskes - 2020
The teenage girl confesses to murdering a young boy. Disturbingly composed, she reveals chilling details only the killer could know. Beyond that Eliza doesn’t say another word, leaving a vital question met with dead silence: Why did she do it?To find the answer, Lucy goes to the scene of the crime in the small Idaho town of Knox Hollow. But Lucy’s questions are only mounting. Especially when she’s drawn deeper into the life of the victim. Then a combing of the woods yields unsettling evidence that Eliza isn’t the only one in this close-knit rural community with secrets.Getting to the truth is becoming Lucy’s obsession. And it’s a dangerous one. Because for the good folks of Knox Hollow, hiding that truth will take more than silence.
The Girl Who Wants
Amy Vansant - 2020
Be sure to grab them both!A wildly entertaining, wholly unique tour de force of action, psychological drama and wit from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Amy Vansant.Shee wants a home.Shee McQueen grew up skip tracing and hunting military criminals with her father, Mick, until someone put a bounty on her head, forcing her underground. Resurfacing years later, she returns to her family’s hotel in Jupiter Beach, FL, to find Mick in a coma, shot in the head by an unknown sniper.Shee wants answers.The Loggerhead Inn has everything Shee could want in a beach hotel---sea turtle wall art, a tiny Yorkshire terrier mascot who thinks she’s a pit bull, and her father’s staff of deadly, damaged military veterans, looking to redeem their troubled souls by helping others. Not to mention--- Hold on...How did Mason Connelly, the SEAL she fell for decades ago, just appear in the lobby? Why did he have to show up now demanding answers to secrets long buried?Shee wants it all back.But someone wants her dead.From the moment Shee McQueen appears, The Girl Who Wants straps the reader into a twisting roller coaster ride of heart-stopping action, snappy dialog and intrigue. Shee’s quest to recover the life and loves she’s lost brings a depth of emotion rare in such a page-turning suspense. The unique female lead's funny, irreverent and all-too-human asides will have you rooting for her — and her whole pack of wild, wonderful misfit friends — until the breathless end.Fans of Liane Moriarty, Carl Hiaasen, Donald E. Westlake, Janet Evanovich and John Grisham (without so many lawyers!) will love this exhilarating page-turner.
The Billionaire's Will
Marti Talbott - 2013
They were also the most expensive, so it was no coincidence that they were hired to find the heir to a fortune totaling over 1.6 billion dollars. Nicholas Gladstone left everything to a granddaughter he didn't know he had until a week before he died, but which one was it - the maid secretly working in the parent's home, an office worker, or the young woman tragically killed in a car accident?
The World of Adam Dunne
Tobor Eichmann - 2016
He has a secret locked inside of him and only he holds the key. Horrifying visions haunt him day and night. As Adam unravels the mystery surrounding his past, he discovers that the world around him isn't what it seems.
Nobody's Sorry You're Dead
Jeri Green - 2016
She lives in a small town in the Southern Appalachians where nothing much happens. Nothing much, that is, until murder comes to town. And it isn’t until Hadley is given the job of cleaning out the victim’s house, an incredible hoarder of the first degree, that Hadley begins to unravel the mystery. When it's discovered that Eustian Singlepenny has been poisoned and a friend is arrested for his murder, Hadley dives head first into the muddy maze, searching for clues to the killer’s true identity. A humorous tale full of local color and wit, this is the first book in the NOBODY mystery series.
Morbid Thoughts
Michael McGovern - 2017
For years he has kept that fact hidden, but one bad day is about to bring it all out into the open. When Jane Flannery walks into his computer repair store, he becomes obsessed. He wants to know every detail about her life. Unfortunately for Jane, Aaron already has everything he needs to accomplish that goal. Her computer. Jane is in great danger and she doesn't even know it yet.SPR says, "It's strange to claim that a book about a guy who is this downtrodden as 'fun', but Walsh is a spirited narrator, no matter how spiritless he claims to be. Mind you, he's an extremely creepy narrator and person, even hateful at times. Profane and grotesque, he's still compelling; you're driven to keep reading to see just how downtrodden he can be. If you're in the mood to explore the dark depths of human behaviour, Morbid Thoughts is a riveting read."Kirkus says, "Although this story is often somber and grotesque, McGovern injects enough nuance to prevent it from being a mere blood bath. A riveting character study even during its most appalling moments."
The Sitter
Sharon Hawes - 2012
Stevie’s mother Jeannie is overcome with grief and her suspicion that Stevie’s death was not the accident Larry describes. Increasingly troubled, Jeannie begins to search for answers, risking everything to learn the truth about what really happened to Stevie, and the growing threat to her family that only she can see.
An Ace and A Pair
Blake Banner - 2017
But he’s a dinosaur who belongs to another age. Detective Carmen Dehan has such a bad attitude that nobody at the precinct can stomach her. Captain Jennifer Cuevas wants them both out of the way and thinks they make a perfect pair. So she gives them the Cold Cases file – the cases nobody gives a damn about.She has no idea just how hot a cold case can get.Ten years back Nelson Hernandez and his four cousins were playing poker in a dive at Hunts Point. Somebody came in, blew them away and beheaded and castrated Nelson, leaving his head and his balls on the table. There was no shortage of suspects, the Jersey Mob, the Triads from Manhattan, or the 43rds own bent cop, Mick Harragan. But nobody was ever charged, and the night of the murder Mick Harragan went missing with Nelson’s wife, Maria.Now Stone and Dehan plan to find him – whatever the consequences…
Through the Fire
Shawn Grady - 2009
The son of a fireman, O'Neill has a sixth sense about fire and often takes dangerous risks. When one act of disobedience nearly gets a rookie killed, O'Neill is suspended. His weeks off are supposed to be a time to reflect but instead he escapes to Mexico, where another rash act of bravery actually kills him. But only for a few minutes. Called back to Reno, he's now haunted by visions of hell and paralyzed in the face of fire. And at the worst time, because an arsonist is targeting Reno. With a growing love interest with one of the investigators complicating everything, Aidan must discover where his trust rests as the fires creep ever closer.
Outline for Murder: A Michael Bishop Mystery
Anthony J. Pucci - 2015
That all changes when he discovers the body of the school’s highly successful but universally disliked football coach, Albert Zappala. Even more disturbing is the news that the coach, whose net worth was in the millions, was murdered. Suddenly, everyone is a suspect, including students, colleagues, and even the Sisters who run the school. Bishop’s skill in reading people is put to the ultimate test. Like Captain Ahab searching for the answers in his pursuit of the white whale, Bishop searches into the dark past for the key that will unlock the mystery. Will the truth destroy his belief in the basic goodness of man?