Book picks similar to
Vengeance by Mark David Abbott


mystery
thriller
modern-fiction
missing-persons

Clean Kill


C.E. Nelson - 2016
    It was the chance of a lifetime for the band, touring with Prince, and a friend of a friend had a decked out tour bus they could use.  Things couldn't be better - except for the body in the bus.  A very clean body.Don Trask, Lead Agent for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, finds it odd that someone would go to the trouble to bleach a body.  It was strange.  And things were about to become even more strange when additional bodies in Minneapolis and along the north shore of Lake Superior begin to appear.  All very clean.Don and his twin brother Dave, Sheriff of Lake County Minnesota, must now quickly stop the murderer before word gets out that a serial killer may be roaming the state - and another body is bleached.  Readers of John Sanford, Jeffrey Deaver, Michael Connelly, William Kent Krueger and like authors will enjoy this fast-paced thriller.  Scroll up to order now.   What readers are saying:"There's several suspects and then a twist at the end you never figured on.  This was a good enjoyable read." - PWA"Good Read!  I liked the characters and the fast-paced gameplay." - Lynda Hanson"Good Read.  Would recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre." - Martha Allen

A Life Removed


Jason Parent - 2017
    But a new terror is stalking their city. The killer’s violent crimes are ritualistic but seemingly indiscriminate. As the death toll rises, the detectives must track a murderer without motive. The next kill could be anyone… maybe even one of their own. Officer Aaron Pimental sees no hope for himself or humanity. His girlfriend is pulling away, and his best friend has found religion. When Aaron is thrust into the heart of the investigation, he must choose who he will become, the hero or the villain. If Aaron doesn’t decide soon, the choice will be made for him.

The Shadow Land


Elizabeth Kostova - 2017
    A young American woman, Alexandra Boyd, has traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, hoping that life abroad will salve the wounds left by the loss of her beloved brother. Soon after arriving in this elegant East European city, however, she helps an elderly couple into a taxi and realizes too late that she has accidentally kept one of their bags. Inside she finds an ornately carved wooden box engraved with a name: Stoyan Lazarov. Raising the hinged lid, she discovers that she is holding an urn filled with human ashes. As Alexandra sets out to locate the family and return this precious item, she will first have to uncover the secrets of a talented musician who was shattered by oppression and she will find out all too quickly that this knowledge is fraught with its own danger. Kostova's new novel is a tale of immense scope that delves into the horrors of a century and traverses the culture and landscape of this mysterious country. Suspenseful and beautifully written, it explores the power of stories, the pull of the past, and the hope and meaning that can sometimes be found in the aftermath of loss.

Wounded Animals


Jim Heskett - 2015
    Do it now, before they kill him. WOUNDED ANIMALS is a 2015 Foreword Reviews INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Finalist.... While nursing some drinks after a terrible day at work, Candle spits out his rum and coke when a stranger across the bar turns water into wine. But did he? Or was it just an alcohol-induced trick of the light? This stranger has a warning for Candle: skip your planned business trip tomorrow. If you go, I won’t be able to protect you any longer. With a clear head the next morning, Candle resumes his normal life, working for a company that’s about to lay him off. That barroom huckster couldn’t have been magical, or prophetic. He was just some washed-up weirdo with a few tricks. But when Candle comes back from his trip to find his pregnant wife missing and a dead man’s blood seeping into his bathroom floor, the washed-up weirdo’s counsel doesn’t seem so foreign now. Cops, friends, family… Candle doesn’t trust anyone. As he searches for his wife, people around him keep turning up murdered. If he can’t find her and uncover the mystery driving the chaos, the stranger’s words might come true, after all. This novella (the first in the Whistleblower Trilogy) combines the action-packed chase conspiracy thriller style with an amateur sleuth mystery, all told through protagonist Tucker Candle's unique and funny voice. Scroll up and click Buy Now today to get your copy of this fast-paced thriller novella, full of action and surprises! Here's what some readers have had to say about WOUNDED ANIMALS: • "If you want a real page-turner with an intriguing story and interesting characters, you should try this book." - JD • "From start to finish it's GO-GO-GO! This was truly a mystery and impossible to figure out (for me, at least). Seems like it was one big chase scene during the entire book. EXCELLENT!!!" - Zee • "From the git-go, I was sucked into this novel and couldn't let go til the last page. Crazy, twisty and waaay enjoyable. I loved this book." - Jmac55

Detective Inspector Skelgill Boxset: 1


Bruce Beckham - 2020
    The first four novels in the popular DI Skelgill series: Murder in Adland, Murder in School, Murder on the Edge and Murder on the Lake.Introducing the recalcitrant Cumbrian detective Daniel Skelgill, and his loyal lieutenants, long-suffering Londoner DS Leyton and local high-flyer DS Emma Jones.Set amidst the ancient landscapes of England’s Lake District, this expanding series of standalone murder mysteries has won acclaim across five continents, from Australia to Japan and India, and from Brazil to Canada and the United States of America.

The Case of the Missing Finger: A Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery


Cheri Baker - 2021
    Two years later, with her children grown and the rest of her life ahead of her, she's ready to have the adventure she'd planned before her life was turned upside-down. She's excited to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands on her very first cruise.After boarding the most beautiful cruise ship she's ever seen, Ellie's surprised when she's assigned a cabin inside the cruise line's new singles club at sea, but she quickly sees that her new friends aboard could use some advice when it comes to romance. Unfortunately, Ellie's matchmaking efforts are interrupted when a fellow passenger finds a finger with a big diamond ring on it in her Sangria Surprise!Passengers are scandalized and tongues are wagging all around the ship. The ship's security chief seems eager to brush the crime under the rug while others are eager to point fingers at Ellie's favorite bartender. After thirty years married to a small town police chief, Ellie's picked up some sleuthing skills of her own, and she knows that justice demands honest answers to the questions rocking the ship. Who does the finger belong to? How did it end up in the boozy drink special of the day? And what other secrets lurk beneath the Caribbean sun?It's all hands on deck for adventure with this matchmaking sleuth.

The Prodigal Captive


Rachel Woods - 2018
     On a gorgeous morning in paradise, tourists find a dead body on the pristine white beach of St. Killian, an island in the Caribbean. The victim was killed in a ritualistic murder. The dead man was castrated and branded. Burned into his skin is a strange word—“eros.” Investigative journalist Vivian Thomas-Bronson heads to the scene of the crime. She’s got to cover the story alone. Her husband, Leo Bronson, has to do a mysterious favor for his father. Leo is less than thrilled when he’s asked to find the missing son of a billionaire. There’s only one clue to go on—something known as “eros.” Could the missing scion be connected to the dead man on the beach? And what is the mystery behind “eros"? Their investigation uncovers an ultra-secret cult whose members perform bizarre rituals. When Leo goes undercover to get more information, he finds himself face to face with a demented killer. Can he escape with the truth? Or, will he fall prey to a psychotic villain who believes that murder is a sacrifice worth making?

Slater and Norman Mystery Novels: Box Set One.


P.F. Ford - 2020
    If this was a TV series, it would be the perfect Sunday evening drama. The books in this UK based series have accumulated hundreds of reviews, with almost 90% of reviewers giving 4 and 5 stars. This collection includes the first four books in the series (and you get them for the price of two!): Book 1: Death Of A Temptress Ruth Thornhill went missing six months ago. According to the evidence, she ran off with another man, so the Met closed the case. However, Slater’s enquiries soon find inconsistencies in the original investigation, and after a near-fatal encounter with a London bus, he realises the stakes are far higher than he imagined. An unlikely ally, in the form of fellow scapegoat DS Norman Norman, helps him uncover disturbing connections between the missing woman, a Chinese businessman, a glossy magazine, an online escort agency, a top London banker and senior officers from London’s Serious Crime Unit. The two uncover a mire of corruption, blackmail, deception and possibly the most cunning murder ever seen. The evidence stacks up against one particular suspect and Slater and Norman close in, but as with most things in Slater’s life, nothing is ever simple. Book 2: Just A Coincidence In the sleepy Hampshire town of Tinton, major crime is rare, and DS Slater and colleague Norman Norman find themselves with nothing to investigate except a flasher and an illiterate counterfeiter. Things are so quiet Slater even arranges to go on his long-awaited date with bombshell waitress Jelena. But things can change in a matter of seconds, and a dog walker’s discovery of a battered body near a local woodland sends Slater and Norman hurrying to the scene. Before they know it, they have three dead bodies on their hands, and the victims are all related. But with 15 years between the murders, is this just a bizarre coincidence, or could the murders be linked? With tensions rising within their close-knit team, can Slater and Norman keep it together to solve their latest mystery? Book 3: Florence When a little old man is found dead in his home, DS Dave Slater assumes he was simply the victim of a tragic accident. He lived alone, after all, and didn’t seem to have any living relatives. But after some strange occurrences at the old man’s home, Slater finds himself probing deeper. He soon discovers that someone seems to be looking for something, but what was the lonely old man hiding, and why is someone so desperate to find it? And then there’s Florence, a ghost-like figure who is occasionally spotted around town in the early hours of the morning. Slater can’t shake off the feeling she is linked, somehow. But how, and why? Book 4: The Wrong Man When Diana Woods is found stabbed to death in her kitchen, DS Slater and DS Norman Norman are plunged into another major investigation. The finger of suspicion quickly points at Diana’s estranged husband, Ian, a bully who regularly abused his wife. But as Slater learns more, he begins to wonder if everything is as it seems. When a new suspect appears on the scene, it seems that Slater’s instincts were right. But the evidence seems just a bit too convenient, and Slater and Norman have to face the possibility that their suspect is being framed, and they could be back to square one.

Messages


John Michael Hileman - 2011
    And as much as David Chance would like to hide from them, he can't. Words keep leaping off objects around him, forming messages in his mind. But how is this possible? Has his brain suddenly taken an evolutionary leap forward, or are the mysterious messages proof of divine intervention?Driven to answer a question he'd long ago abandoned, and stalked by the killer he's trying to stop, David risks everything to follow the messages to a dirty bomb set to go off in the heart of Boston. But can he trust the author of the messages to protect him from a terrorist who seems to know his every move.

Havana Fury


Steven Moore - 2019
    And he needs good fortune to shine on him in the worst way...Enter Megan Simons. She's got a lead on a mysterious wreck in the Gulf of Mexico that might just be something more valuable than gold. But the bad guys from 90 miles south of Key West have other plans—namely, the kind of plans that lead to a grisly, watery end for R.B. and Megan. But R.B. just can't catch a break. Read all about it in the prequel to the hit Ryan Bodean Tropical Thriller series. You'll laugh, you'll hold your breath, and then you'll hope to hell he survives for another wild adventure. If you like James Rollins, Clive Cussler, and Matthew Reilly, you will  LOVE Ryan Bodean.  Grab your copy today! Then be sure to check out the rest of the Ryan Bodean Tropical Thriller Series starting with ATLANTIS STORM.

NEST: Retribution: An Alivia Morgan Story


David J. Antocci - 2017
    Instead, that crisp October morning turned into the bloodiest terror attack to strike the city of Boston in more than a decade. In the wake of the attack, the New England Special Terrorist Division—NEST—turned to their most senior and capable agent, Alivia Morgan. She was unwillingly ripped from her home and family, but didn’t have a choice. Though she had no idea just how deeply personal the fight would become. Now, it was up to her to find the extremists and stop another catastrophic blow that would drive the death toll higher. She was captured, alone, and armed only with her years of training and experience in Special Ops and the elite Army Rangers. Alivia quickly realized she was in a race against time as she struggled to escape with her life and stop the impending attacks. Could she do both?

Her Name Is Knight


Yasmin Angoe - 2021
    Her Name Is Knight is a propulsive character story and action thriller driven by retribution, passion, strength — and coming to terms with your own true self, regardless of what anyone calls you.

In the Dark


Chris Patchell - 2015
    Brooke has been missing for days. Her roommate hasn’t seen her since that night in the bar. And if Marissa has Brooke’s insulin, it means that Brooke does not.But Marissa isn’t alone in her terror. A phantom from her past is lurking in the shadows, waiting in the night, and holding her family captive…In the dark."An edge-of-your-seat suspense novel. It scared the hell out of me. Read it with the lights on!"~Robert Dugoni - Amazon #1 and New York Times bestselling author of My Sister's Grave

Irons in the Fire


Bowen Greenwood - 2020
    The prime suspect got out of prison way too easily; reporter Sherman Iron needs to know why. But he breaks the law in his quest for answers, and Iron stumbles on the dead body of a corrupt judge with a million in cash in a briefcase in front of him.Then the cops show up.Framed for a murder he didn’t commit, Sherman Iron must clear his name and find the killer who ordered the shooting. But everyone in Hunter has a secret, and learning them might take Iron from the frying pan to the fire.

Hidden


Catherine McKenzie - 2013
    Two women fall to pieces at the news: his wife, Claire, and his co-worker Tish. Reeling from her loss, Claire must comfort her grieving son as well as contend with funeral arrangements, well-meaning family members, and the arrival of Jeff’s estranged brother, who was her ex-boyfriend. Tish volunteers to attend the funeral on her company’s behalf, but only she knows the true risk of inserting herself into the wreckage of Jeff’s life.Told through the three voices of Jeff, Tish, and Claire, Hidden explores the complexity of relationships, the repercussions of our personal choices, and the responsibilities we have to the ones we love.