Book picks similar to
Touching Shadows by Gracie O'Neil


romantic-suspense
bild-group
group-read
new-zealand

Trust No One


Paul Cleave - 2015
    LEAST OF ALL HIMSELF.Most of the world knows Jerry Grey by his crime-writing pseudonym, Henry Cutter - a name that's been keeping readers at the edge of their seats for more than a decade. But now that he's been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at the age of forty-nine, Jerry's career is coming to an abrupt end.His twelve books tell stories of brutal murders, of a world out of balance, of victims finding the darkest forms of justice. As his dementia continues to break down the wall between his real life and the lives of his characters, Jerry confesses his most terrible secret: the stories are real. He committed the crimes himself. His friends, family, and caretakers insist that it's all in his head, just a side effect of the devastating disease - but is it?One of the most talented and trailblazing suspense writers at work today, Edgar-nominated author Paul Cleave takes us down a dark and clever path to determine the fine line between simple fact and dangerous fiction.

The Fifth Victim


Beverly Barton - 2003
    Cherokee Pointe, Tennesee. Deep in the Smoky Mountains, the victim lies, sacrificed on a makeshift altar---the gruesome work of a killer who has evaded the authorities in state after state. FBI agent Dallas Sloan knows the scene all too well---just as he knows the killings won't stop until there are four more bodies... Some warnings won't be heeded... Genny Madoc's "sixth sense" has brought many of Cherokee Pointe's residents to her isolated log cabin, looking for help from the disturbing visions she sees---images that are getting stronger and more violent day by day... Some fears can't be stopped... Thrown together by necessity, drawn to each other by desire, Dallas and Genny must band together, searching the darkest heart of a town's hidden secrets before a twisted killer can complete a sinister plan that will make one of them the fifth victim...

Beast of Shadows


Krista Street - 2020
    I don’t always succeed, which means the Supernatural Forces are out to euthanize me.But then I see Brianna…She calls to something deep inside me. Something I thought I'd lost.Even though my beast craves her death, my heart aches for her to save my soul, so I take her for my own. Brianna For weeks, something’s been … off. I can’t explain it, but it’s as if I’m being watched.Suddenly, I’m snatched off the street and thrown in a trunk by a terrifying man who shifts into a wolf.Even though I fight Collin at every turn, something pulls me to his broken soul. We’re drawn to each other, and my touch may be enough to heal his beast’s psychotic mind, but the Supernatural Forces doesn’t believe in second chances, and the SF always catches the rogue werewolves.When they do, if I can’t stop them ... they’ll kill him.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Beast of Shadows—a sizzling standalone wolf shifter romance.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Last Alpha


Ruby Fielding - 2015
    She never planned to let him.Jenny Layne has made a career out of investigating werewolf reports, but every case has only confirmed that shapeshifters are the stuff of legend or madness. Until now. Lured to a remote Scottish estate to meet a researcher working on the science behind the werewolf phenomenon, Jenny finds steadily mounting evidence that something strange is running wild in the hills.Billy Stewart has traveled the world in pursuit of stories of shapeshifters and other strange phenomena, but the last thing he ever expected to find was love. Billy is not a man who falls easily, but when he does, it is a force of nature. When he meets Jenny he knows immediately that she is his soulmate, but Jenny is not so sure. Are his intense feelings for her just some kind of insanity, or is Jenny turning him away because that's exactly what she always does when a guy gets interested?By turns passionate romance and gripping paranormal thriller, Last Alpha tells the story of two people whose paths collide with earth-shattering consequences. As love boils over and the dark secrets buried away in Jenny and Billy's past rise to the surface, a night of murder raises the stakes yet higher.And as she fights for her own survival, Jenny must face perhaps the biggest question of them all. In matters of life, death and love, can Beauty ever really hope to tame the Beast?

The Last Guests


J.P. Pomare - 2021
     Newlyweds Lina and Cain don't make it out to their vacation home on gorgeous Lake Tarawera as often as they'd like, so when Cain suggests they rent the property out on weekends, Lina reluctantly agrees. While the home has been special to her family for generations, their neighbors are all signing up to host renters, and frankly, she and Cain could use the extra money. What could go wrong? And at first, Lina is amazed at how quickly guests line up to spend a weekend--and at how much they're willing to pay.  But both Lina and Cain have been keeping secrets, secrets that won't be kept out by a new alarm system or a locked cupboard. When strange things begin happening on their property, and a visit takes a deadly turn, Lina becomes convinced that someone out there knows something they shouldn't--and that when they come for her, there will be nowhere left to hide.

JP Investigations


Lola Silverman - 2017
    5 books and NO cliffies! Book 1: Micah Lexi is everything a man like me should steer clear of. Mostly, that means she’s too good for someone like me. But when I realize that her brother is missing because of something that happened in my club, there’s really nothing for me to do but help her out. Something isn’t right around here and I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been a little blind to some stuff that was right under my nose. Lexi has woken me up in so many ways and I’m not sure I’ll ever be the same again. Book 2: Aaron I’m in Boston for one reason, to chase down a lead on my boss’s missing son. Joshua is the owner and CEO of Joshua Pettit Investigations and he tells me where to go and when. But it’s always up to me to find the best way to crack a case wide open. Of course this is the first time that my main informant in any case turned out to be a prostitute. For the moment she and I have mutual goals. But the more time I spend with Johanna, the more time I realize that there’s a lot more to her than anyone has ever given her credit for. Book 3: Zandry Coming to Denver in search of some runaway teens that might or might not be my boss’s kid is about the vaguest assignment I’ve ever had. Now I’m following runaway teens all over town and watching them pull off panhandling schemes that would make an experience thief green with envy. Something isn’t quite adding up here and it has nothing to do with the carnies coming to town. Of course hanging out with pickpockets occasionally means you get accused of doing the deed yourself. Fortunately for me there is a super hot cop that doesn’t mind coming to my rescue. Book 4: Liam Finding the bodies of dead runaway in a hole in the desert isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen, but it does come close. These kids are young and their lives had promise. But now I’m here in Albuquerque to see if my boss’s kid might be one of the unfortunates. I’m hoping not because the CEO of JPI is not the type of man who will take the murder of his son lightly. Fortunately for me I’ve happened onto a woman who is up to her ears in the business of runaway teens and also happens to look like an exotic angel come to take my poor Irish butt to heaven. Book 5: Joshua Beth is probably one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Of course that probably makes me an idiot for constantly telling her that we can’t be a couple. The problem is that I shouldn’t be sleeping with employees. And of course my kid ran away and I’ve been tapping all of my resources trying to find him. Now I’m in New Orleans with Beth following one last lead. Of course this also happens to bring my ex wife out to help. Between her theatrics, a sarcastic local cop, and a voodoo priestess who can’t keep her nose out of other people’s business, all I can hope for is a happy ending that doesn’t end with a permanent stay in one of the Big Easy’s famous crypts.

Firestorm


Iris Johansen - 2003
    This time a gifted arson investigator teams up with a mysterious operative to stop a killer raging completely out of control...For Kerry Murphy, the inferno is never far away. The flames of that long-ago night still burn in her nightmares: the heat, the choking smoke, the helplessness. She can never run fast enough...Now Kerry works as an arson investigator with her evidence-sniffing dog, Sam. Together they're a great team, but her life is about to change in the time it takes to strike a match. The deadly flames of her past are back, and from out of the ashes a stranger appears. Who is Silver? And why has he chosen her in the desparate race to find a killer determined to ignite hell on earth? Kerry and Silver may not have a chance against a psychopath as coldhearted as his method is red-hot. To save themselves and the innocent lives at stake, Kerry will have to do what she hoped she'd never have to do: fight fire with fire.

Rangatira


Paula Morris - 2011
    Ngati Wai chief Paratene Te Manu spends long sessions, over three long days, having his portrait painted by the Bohemian painter Gottfried Lindauer. Hearing of Lindauer's planned trip to England reminds him of his own journey there, twenty years earlier, with a party of northern rangatira. As he sits for Lindauer, Paratene retreats deeper and deeper into the past, from the triumphs in London and their meetings with royalty to the disintegration of the visit into poverty, mistrust, and humiliation. Based on a true story.

Overkill


Vanda Symon - 2007
    Action-packed, tension-filled and atmospheric police procedural set in rural New Zealand.When the body of a young mother is found washed up on the banks of the Mataura River, a small rural community is rocked by her tragic suicide. But all is not what it seems. Sam Shephard, sole-charge police constable in Mataura, soon discovers the death was no suicide and has to face the realisation that there is a killer in town. To complicate the situation, the murdered woman was the wife of her former lover. When Sam finds herself on the list of suspects and suspended from duty, she must cast said her personal feelings and take matters into her own hands. To find the murderer... and clear her name. A taut, atmospheric and pageturning thriller, Overkill marks the start of an unputdownable and unforgettable series from one of New Zealand s finest crime writers.

Strike Force Boxed Set


Fiona Quinn - 2018
    Now, she's turning herself over to the police. What Deep’s practiced eye saw in the video was a highly-choreographed crime. But somehow Lacey had thwarted the professionals’ plans.Enmeshed in a mystery that includes the FBI, the CIA, and a tangle of interconnected international crimes, Deep and Lacey work to discover who plays the good guy and who plays the bad guy in a gray world where right and wrong easily overlap.Lives depend on them.JACK Be QuickThe Prayer On Her Lips Is Jack Be QuickIt’s been months since ex-Navy SEAL Jack McCullen last saw his fiancée, Suz Molloy. He was on the other side of the world involved in a grueling black ops mission for Iniquus Corporation at the behest of the US government. Mission fail meant a special flight home, and an ambulance ride to the hospital where Suz should have been waiting for him.When Jack rouses from his surgery to find Suz missing, he knows something is very wrong. Led by the psychic “knowings” of his Iniquus colleague, Lynx, Jack risks everything as he desperately tries to reach Suz in time to thwart the terrorists’ plot and save her.This time, his mission is for more than love of country; it’s for the love of his life - his heart and soul.An action adventure romance with a psychic twist.InstiGATOR - a USA Today Bestselling NovelA Deadly Game Gambles American Lives.A hardened war hero, Gator Aid Rochambeau is on a collision course with fate. Retired as a Marine Raider, Gator is now an Iniquus elite operator. He's been assigned to the Davidson mission. As the job gets underway, he is unprepared for the psychic confusion that swirls through his system. New to his psychic experiences, he reaches out to fellow Strike Force member, Lynx, for information, only to discover she too is battling a strange vortex of information. The one thing they both understand is that lives are on the line.Special ops pilot Christen Davidson receives her mission orders. Her day just went from horrifying to something far worse. Fellow operatives are in danger. Christen is desperate to fly a rescue mission. Instead, she’s ordered to act as an asset in a high-stakes international game. She didn’t join the military to play dress-up, but she can’t disobey, even though this assignment is far outside of her comfort zone.For this mission, there is no place to run and nowhere to hide from the men who have their eye on a billion-dollar deal, and the only ones standing in their way is this improbable team. The gamble they’re making could mean life or death, but the reward could be so much more!Bestselling romantic suspense author Fiona Quinn brings you the unexpected story of political intrigue, espionage, murder, and mystery playing out on a world stage.INSTIGATOR, an action adventure romantic thriller with a psychic twist. Grab Your Copy of the Strike Force Box Set Today!

Quiet in Her Bones


Nalini Singh - 2021
     My mother vanished ten years ago. So did a quarter of a million dollars in cash. Thief. Bitch. Criminal. Now, she's back. Her bones clothed in scarlet silk. When socialite Nina Rai disappeared without a trace, everyone wrote it off as another trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband. But now her bones have turned up in the shadowed green of the forest that surrounds her elite neighborhood, a haven of privilege and secrets that's housed the same influential families for decades.The rich live here, along with those whose job it is to make their lives easier. And somebody knows what happened to Nina one rainy night ten years ago. Her son Aarav heard a chilling scream that night, and he's determined to uncover the ugly truth that lives beneath the moneyed elegance...but no one is ready for the murderous secrets about to crawl out of the dark.Even the dead aren't allowed to break the rules in this cul-de-sac.

An Inquiry Into Love and Death


Simone St. James - 2013
    Almost immediately, terrifying events convince Jillian that an angry spirit is trying to enter the house. Is it Walking John, the two-hundred-year-old ghost that haunts the bay? And who besides the ghost is roaming the local woods at night? If Toby uncovered something sinister, was his death really an accident? The arrival of handsome Scotland Yard inspector Drew Merriken leaves Jillian with more questions than answers and the added complication of a powerful mutual attraction.

Leave Before He Kills You


Juliette Duncan - 2018
    When his face grew angry, I knew he could murder… That face drove me and my three young daughters to flee across Australia.I doubted he’d ever touch the girls, but if I wanted to live and see them grow, I had to do something.The plan my friend had proposed was daring and bold, but it also gave me hope.My heart thumped. What if he followed? Radical, honest and real, this Christian romantic suspense is one woman’s journey to freedom you won’t put down…get your copy and read it now.

Hunting for Zoey


Annie Miller - 2021
    Since they are still legally married, the police offer little assistance. How can she ever find them alone?Then she meets Texas Ranger Jack Sheldon. He can sympathize with her situation, having lost a child before. He is determined to help her, even if it breaks protocol or costs him his job.Together the two go on a statewide manhunt for her children, only to find heartache and romance along the way.
Will Zoey ever be able to trust a man again, after her husband hurt her so deeply? Can Jack keep his feelings in tact while looking for Zoey’s missing girls?
Will there be a happy ending for these two, or will their lives remain shattered because of those they chose to love in the past?

Screw You Dolores


Sarah-Kate Lynch - 2014
    She started with great expectations by shopping for shoes in Paris, attempted to build her character by going solo, counted her friends on the fingers of both hands, remembered a dodgy handshake with Hugh Jackman, joined a laughing yoga group in Mumbai, drank too much rosé and ate too much salt.By the end of the year she was, much to her own surprise, in possession of a clean bill of health and the secret to happiness. No, not THE SECRET. That’s not even a secret anymore. Another one, which is also now no longer a secret because in the endearing, hilarious Screw You Dolores, she shares it with you.