Book picks similar to
The Serial Thrillers - 14 Killer Reads for Summer 2011 by Lee Child


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Pale Saint


Eric Van Lustbader - 1999
    New York City Homicide Detective Jon Christopher has a perfect record bringing serial killers to justice, but now all that has changed: the genocidal maniac dubbed the Pale Saint has eluded him for 18 months. When Christopher's best friend, assistant D.A. Bobby Austin becomes the Pale Saint's latest victim, Christopher's need to catch the killer becomes of matter of personal obsession. Forced to take desparate measures in order to track down the Pale Saint, Christopher enlists an unexpected partner, the great lost love of his life, Austin's widow, Cassandra, a brilliant genetic engineer. Together they make a cataclysmic decision: they will create and train a clone of the Pale Saint, his mirror image, to become the human bullet that will bring the wily killer down. Eric Lustbader's new novel is an intense, breathless chase to root out and destroy the ultimate evil. And in redefining the age-old mysteries of love and death, loyalty and betrayal, sin and redemption, Pale Saint forces us to confront the most profound questions of our time: What defines a human being? What constitutes a family? What right do scientists have to breach the barrier of the unknown?

Celilo's Shadow


Valerie Wilcox - 2017
    No matter how much time has passed, it’s always there, ready to punch you in the chest when you least expect it. All it takes is something ordinary—a brief glance, a certain food, or a melody on the radio—and regret strikes hard and fast. For Odessa Feldman, the trigger is a Pacific Northwest storm. When the muddy bones of a murder victim buried over fifty years ago are discovered in the storm’s aftermath, Odessa overcomes her long struggle with guilt to finally reveal the truth. But her overdue confession comes with a difficult price—reliving her role in the tragic summer of 1956 and worse, betraying the best friend she’d ever had. Dessa and Ellie Matthews were both fourteen-years-old when they met that summer. Ellie’s father was a foreman at the dam under construction on the Columbia River. At least that’s what he said. But, like murder and the motives behind it, some things in life are rarely as they seem.

Next to Disappear


Malcolm Richards - 2015
    Until disgraced ex-teacher Emily Swanson moves into the couple’s former home.Emily’s life is in ruins and she’s meant to be making a fresh start. But when she learns about the missing nurse, she sees a chance for redemption. Because finding Alina could help right the wrongs of Emily’s past. It could even mark the start of a new career in private investigation.But what Emily doesn’t know is that Alina had a horrifying secret. One about the care foundation where she worked. And the closer Emily gets to uncovering the truth, the closer she gets to terrible danger.Inspired by a shocking true crime, Next To Disappear introduces a thrilling, twist-filled series and a refreshingly different take on the private investigator genre.Revised edition: Previously published as Lost Lives.

Bad Karma


Douglas Clegg - 1997
    You will never escape me.” She’s the most dangerous inmate in the hospital for the criminally insane...and she just broke out. When Trey Campbell takes his family to Catalina Island, his escaped patient leaves a trail of bodies behind as she hunts for her one true love – from a previous life.

Tin God


Stacy Green - 2013
    Trapped by poverty and without many allies, Jaymee nearly gives up hope of getting her daughter back after her best friend is murdered. Now, four years later, a wealthy woman with legal connections hires her as a housekeeper, and Jaymee gathers the courage to seek her help. But Jaymee’s last chance ends up in a puddle of blood in one of the historic antebellum mansions in Roselea, Mississippi.I just murdered your wife...again.An unsigned letter consisting of six horrifying words turns Nick Samuels stagnant life upside down. Stuck in emotional purgatory since his wife’s unsolved murder four years ago, Nick is about to self-destruct. The arrival of the letter claiming credit for his wife’s murder and boasting of a new kill sends Nick to Roselea, where he and Jaymee’s worlds collide.Jaymee and Nick realize exposing the truth about her daughter’s adoption is the only way to solve the murders. Up against years of deception, they rush to identify the killer before the evidence–and Jaymee’s daughter–are lost.But the truth doesn’t always set the guilt-ridden free. Sometimes, it destroys them.

Death Benefits


Nelson DeMille - 2012
    With bills mounting and the IRS calling, he realizes that he has a major problem on his hands. But who is to blame for his declining fortunes? Certainly not Jack himself. The fault, he determines, lies with his agent, Stan Wycoff - who takes 15% of everything Jack makes for doing absolutely nothing. Jack needs a way out of his dire financial predicament - and fast. And then he remembers that both he and his agent have substantial life insurance policies on one another. If Stan were to die unexpectedly, Jack would cash in...But can a famous crime writer commit the perfect crime?

The Visitor (A Roald Dahl Short Story)


Roald Dahl - 2012
    Here, Uncle Oswald gets more than he bargained for in Arabia . . . The Visitor is taken from the short story collection Switch Bitch, which includes three other black comedies which capture the ins and outs, highs and lows of sex (including another Uncle Oswald story, Bitch). 'One of the most widely read and influential writers of our generation.' (The Times ) This story is also available as a Penguin digital audio download read by Richard E. Grant and Derek Jacobi. Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.

Hidden Agemda


Leighann Dobbs - 2013
    even if it means getting shot at, impersonating an FBI agent and tangling with a live volcano. Enlisting the aid of her retired jewel thief parents and their band of thieves, safecrackers and con men from the Golden Capers retirement village, Kate arms herself with a variety of gadgets and disguises to follow a trail of clues from icy Antarctica to a desolate tropical island. But she soon finds that what started off as an easy job may end with a deadly twist. Why is someone going to so much trouble to keep possession of the ruby? And what, exactly, does Kate’s ex-partner, FBI agent Ace Mason, have up his sleeve? Is he really trying to keep her safe as he suggests, or is he simply trying to find the ruby first and take all the credit? By the time Kate realizes things are not as they seem, she may be in too deep. Will she discover the real hidden agenda behind the theft of the gem before it’s too late?

Meant for Her


Amy Gamet - 2012
    Ordered to the scene of a fiery homicide, Navy officer Hank Jared wants nothing more than to wrap it up and get to his sister's wedding. His sense of duty won't let him walk away from a case, even if he can't figure out why his boss insisted he handle this one personally.When the key to a safe deposit box is found among the ashes, Hank finds himself staring at two pieces of paper--on one is a coded message, on the other, a name that will change the course of his entire life.Julie Trueblood wouldn't trust a Navy man if he handed her a life jacket on board a sinking ship. Her father was a cryptologist for the Navy, who went into hiding a decade earlier to avoid charges of treason. In his absence, Julie was harassed and interrogated by Naval officers who believed she was a traitor, just like her father.Hank tracks Julie down and confronts her with the cipher. She can't stand what he represents and sends him away, insisting she knows nothing about the message. But when she realizes someone is after her, Hank is the only person she can ask for help. He finds the perfect place to hide Julie, right by his side, pretending to be his girlfriend at his sister's wedding. Now he just needs to remember their relationship is all an act.The coded message brings Hank and Julie together, but its secrets hold the power to tear them apart. Guided by her generous and quirky Aunt Gwen, Julie will gather the courage to unravel the cipher that was meant for her to decode, as she learns to trust the man she was meant to love.

Don't Tell Meg Trilogy Box Set


Paul J. Teague - 2017
    One night. So many deaths. When radio journalist Pete Bailey betrays his wife Meg on his fortieth birthday, he has no idea of the terrible consequences that will follow his infidelity. His passionate relationship with Meg is on the rocks and they’re having no luck starting a family. It’s only when he meets TV reporter Ellie Turner on a working weekend away from home that Pete succumbs to her charms in a moment of weakness. His treacherous actions set off a chain of events fueled by jealousy, revenge, violence and hatred. Five people will lose their lives as a result of Pete’s deception and he will be compelled to confront the ugly truth about his wife and his best friend, Jem. He thought that nobody would ever discover what he’d done with Ellie … but he didn’t know who was listening in the room next door. Don’t Tell Meg is the first part of trilogy of thrillers. Please note that this book contains mild violence, bad language and sexual references. The Murder Place: A missing wife. A former lover. A house that isn't yet done with death. Estranged from his wife and living on a caravan park, Pete Bailey thinks the worst is over. Well away from the marital home where the murders took place, Pete is still hoping to hear from Meg and get a sale on a property that nobody wants to buy. But the newspaper and TV reports haven't gone unnoticed and there are some new arrivals in the town. Teaming up with his TV friend and former lover, Alex Kennedy, Pete goes in search of the truth about Meg and hurtles headlong into a tangled mess along the way. The house where two men lost their lives is not yet done with the killing - and more people who are close to Pete must lose their lives before the secrets of Meg's past are revealed. Pete will be brought to the edge of despair and risks losing everything in this non-stop, psychological thriller. The Murder Place is the second part in the Don't Tell Meg trilogy. Please note that this book contains mild violence, bad language and sexual references. The Forgotten Children: A childhood poisoned by betrayal. A revenge that can wait no more. Things have gone from bad to worse for radio journalist, Pete Bailey. Not only is he still estranged from his wife Meg, he has found himself living in rundown flat in Blackpool, rapidly running out of money and scraping by to make ends meet. But the seaside resort holds the secrets of Meg's childhood years, which were poisoned by cruelty, betrayal and violence. As Pete gets closer to the truth, the past comes back to haunt him as a killer seeks to right wrongs and destroy old enemies. More lives will be lost and those closest to Pete will risk most of all. But finally, after all the death and misery, the terrible truth will be revealed. The Forgotten Children is the final part in the Don't Tell Meg trilogy. Please note that this book contains mild violence, bad language and sexual references. Paul J. Teague has also written the standalone thriller Dead of Night (Released May 2017)

No Rest for the Dead


Andrew Gulli - 2011
    Long suffering under Christopher's unfaithful ways, Rosemary is tried, convicted and executed. Ten years later, Jon Nunn, the detective who cracked the case, becomes convinced that the wrong person was put to death. Along with financier Tony Olsen, he plans to gather everyone who was there the night Christopher died and finally uncover the truth about what happened that fateful evening. Could it have been the ne'er do well brother Peter Hausen, interested in his sister's trust fund having got through his own; the curatorial assistant Justine Olengard, used and betrayed by Christopher; the artist Belle who turned down his advances only to see her career suffer a setback; or someone else all together? No Rest for the Dead is a thrilling, page-turning accomplishment that only the very best thriller writers could achieve.

Lawyers, Guns and Money


J.D. Rhoades - 2011
    Local crime boss Voit Fairgreen has just dropped a bag full of cash on his desk and hired him to defend Voit's brother Danny on a murder charge. Andy's one of the movers and shakers in the small southern town of Blainesville, and Voit figures Andy's the kind of inside guy that can cut a deal to get his baby brother out of the jam. The problem is that Danny just might be innocent. But someone powerful needs this case buried, and if an innocent man dies for that, so be it. Andy Cole is a guy who's made a good living by going along to get along. He's been willing to bend every rule, except Rule One--always get paid. But this case will cause him to re-examine his life and push him and his lover, beautiful newspaper editor Elizabeth Sinclair, to risk everything--including their lives-- for the truth. J.D. Rhoades, author of the Kindle bestseller BREAKING COVER and an attorney himself, turns his eye on his own profession in a book that combines the hard-boiled tone of the classic P.I novel with the white-knuckle suspense of the legal thriller.

Mary Higgins Clark Gift Set Cst: While My Pretty One Sleeps and Weep No More My Lady


Mary Higgins Clark - 1992
    The killing of one of her best customers reminded her of the one thing -- they slaying of her own mother years earlier. Faced with a variety of suspects, Neeve plunges into the mystery of Lambston's death, determined to find the truth. But as she is drawn into a whirlwind of money and romance, she is also being stalked by a killer who's closer than she could ever dream . . .Weep No More, My LadyYoung Elizabeth Lange is haunted by the tragic death of her beloved sister, the legendary actress Leila LaSalle. Ted Winters, Leila's multi-millionaire fiance, has been accused of her murder -- and Elizabeth is slated to be the star witness for the prosecution. But before the trial begins, Elizabeth gets an invitation to unwind at a swank California spa. There is caught up in a torrent of confusing emotions and perplexing questions. Elizabeth must discover the truth -- and soon. Because someone is stalking her, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike . . .

Lady of Heaven


Kathryn Le Veque - 2011
    Fox Henredon, a British Egyptologist and museum curator, and Morgan Sherburn, a cop from Los Angeles who has stumbled across her great-grandmother's journal from her trip to Egypt back in the 1920's, team up to find out the truth behind the cryptic diary. Morgan had been told that her great-grandmother died in Egypt of a fever, but comes to discover she may have been murdered because of a mysterious papyrus which is still in the family's possession. She enlists Dr. Henredon to help her unravel the mystery, but when those two come together the sparks fly. Morgan is determined to go to Egypt to track the clues of the "Lady of Heaven" papyrus, an ancient document alluding to the tomb of the goddess Isis, Fox goes with her, and together they have some of the wildest adventures imaginable!

Death at Sunrise: a 509 Crime Short Story


Colin Conway - 2020
    Was it suicide or was it something else?Spokane County Detective Shane McAfee must unravel the mystery.Discover The 509 Crime Stories with this free short story.Then check out the books The Side Hustle The Long Cold Winter The Blind Trust The Suit What readers are saying about The Side Hustle★★★★★ “… just looking for my next thriller fix, I discovered this gem.” – John Barksley★★★★★ “… a great read! A different kind of police procedural.” – Mickey★★★★★ “This book was hard to put down.” – Amazon Customer★★★★★ “…kept me reading.” – Mary Arnold★★★★★ “Loved my first foray into the 509 series… and Quinn!” – Cynthiareads★★★★★ “The story is well crafted and kept me quickly ‘turning the pages.’” – Sally★★★★★ “Great read.  Very enjoyable.” – Amy Dalton