Book picks similar to
The Pumpkin Seed Massacre by Susan Slater


mystery
mystery-thriller
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mystery-suspense

Gone the Next


Ben Rehder - 2012
    He's working a routine case, complete with hours of tedious surveillance, when he sees something that shakes him to the core. There, with the subject, is a little blond girl wearing a pink top and denim shorts—the same outfit worn by Tracy Turner, a six-year-old abducted the day before. When the police are skeptical of Ballard's report—and with his history, who can blame them?—it's the beginning of the most important case of his life.

Ring Around the Rosie


Jullian Scott - 2016
    The Homecoming Dance is just one night away and she can already feel the weight of the crown upon her head. But when she leaves her home that Friday night, it’s for the very last time. When her body is found in a park the next morning, a whole town is turned upside down and a family is torn apart. Fifteen years later, Olivia still hasn’t moved on from her sister’s murder. Not only does she still see the ghost of her dead sister, she is pursuing a career studying the very monsters that destroyed Rosie and hundreds of other helpless victims. Olivia is desperate to find closure, but a new murder with connections to her past has reopened old wounds. Nate Tucker is a successful Chicago detective. He also happens to be Olivia’s best friend. Nate has been fascinated by the Thompson case since the first time Olivia mentioned her dead sister to him. When a dead girl shows up in the city under circumstances eerily similar to Rosie’s murder, he is quick to make the connection. Now, with stale evidence and fifteen-year-old memories to guide him, Nate has the chance to solve the current murder case, as well as the death of the Homecoming Queen that refuses to stop haunting the people she left behind. Dark and haunting, Ring Around the Rosie is utterly suspenseful and surprising to the end.

Double Duplicity


Paty Jager - 2015
    She’s ruled out as a suspect, but now it’s up to her to prove the friend she’d witnessed fleeing the scene was just as innocent. With help from her recently deceased Nez Perce grandmother, Shandra becomes more confused than ever, but just as determined to discover the truth. Detective Ryan Greer prides himself on solving crimes and refuses to ignore a single clue, including Shandra Higheagle’s visions. While Shandra is hesitant to trust her dreams, Ryan believes in them and believes in her. Can the pair uncover enough clues for Ryan to make an arrest before one of them becomes the next victim?

Voodoo Daddy


Thomas L. Scott - 2012
    A team of serial snipers are on the loose. Their killing ground is the city. Their victims chosen at random. Or are they?With no witnesses and very little evidence, it's up to Virgil Jones and his team to find out who is behind the on-going massacre and stop them once and for all...if they can. But Virgil has his own problems, both personal and professional. Among them, a backlog of cases that require his attention, the sudden reappearance of his long lost friend who is a convicted felon, a downtown bar he co-owns with his father, and he is in love with Sandy Small, one of the investigators in his unit. With the entire population of the city of Indianapolis at risk, it's up to Virgil and Sandy to explore the dark places of a past where nothing is quite as it seems. As the clues begin to fall in place they paint a portrait of betrayal, deceit, blood-lust, and greed, and in the midst of it all, Virgil and Sandy make a personal discovery so profound it will change their lives forever.Voodoo Daddy is a story of life, love, murder and mystery; one that examines the depths of human emotions and the dark places they often lead us all.

The Game You Played


Anni Taylor - 2016
    International visitors surge into Sydney's Darling Harbour. Two-year-old Tommy is sailing his toy boat in the park when he vanishes. Six months later, taunting notes written as nursery rhymes begin arriving at his parents' home.Little Boy Blue, where did you go? Who led you away? Only I know . . . . The police believe the messages are just a cruel prank. But Tommy's mother Phoebe becomes obsessed with tracking down the writer of the rhymes. Her life and marriage shatters.When the shocking identity of the message-writer is discovered, Phoebe's desperate race for the truth has only just begun."I love love love this author! This is the sort of book I love but never find very often!" - reviewer

The Dead and the Missing


A.D. Davies - 2015
     When his mentor’s niece rips off a local organised crime syndicate and disappears, Adam Park – a former private investigator and security consultant – has little choice but to return home to help track her down. As he commences his investigation, it becomes clear the troubled young woman was acting under the influence of a domineering boyfriend and, using cutting edge technology, Adam tracks the pair to Paris. Here, he learns not only have they involved themselves in a criminal venture that may now cost them their lives, but elements back home are also seeking revenge upon them. Pursuing them from the UK to Paris, then out into the wider world, Adam will confront an international network of criminals for whom human life is nothing but another business commodity. If he is to survive, return the girl safely, and protect the people he cares for most, he must delve into the darkest recesses of his soul, and blur his previously-solid concepts of right and wrong.

Nichelle Clarke Crime Thriller Series, Books 1-3: Box Set: Front Page Fatality / Buried Leads / Small Town Spin


LynDee Walker - 2018
    She assumes it will be routine, a scene like many other accidents she's covered. She's wrong.The accident gives Nichelle a chance glimpse of an ongoing conspiracy. But proveable facts are fleeting. And as Nichelle digs deeper into the case, people and evidence begin to disappear. Someone is one step ahead of her, desperate to cover their tracks. A master criminal with a deadly secret, who will stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden...But as she draws closer to unraveling the mystery of two dead cops, Nichelle realizes she's become the next target. Can she survive this murderous game of cat and mouse long enough to solve the mystery? Or will Nichelle fall prey to a killer?_________________________Book 2: Buried LeadsWhen an Armani-clad body turns up in a shallow forest grave, Nichelle Clarke is the first reporter on the scene. She soon discovers the victim is a tobacco lobbyist with powerful connections.Local politicians are pushing for a quick arrest. Nichelle thinks they seem nervous. Even more so after a second victim is found dead. Nichelle's search for the killer soon uncovers a jaw-dropping trail of malfeasance and debauchery that stretches all the way to Washington, D.C. It's the kind of story that can make a crime reporter's career.But the power players at the center of this conspiracy have everything to lose, and as Nichelle's quest for the truth nears its end, she lands squarely in the crosshairs of the killer. Can her wits alone can get her out alive, or will these secrets stay buried for good?_________________________Book 3: Small Town SpinT.J. had the world in the palm of his hand. He was handsome. Popular in school. Smart. A stellar athlete. The son of superstar pro quarterback Tony Okerson, he seemed destined to follow in his father's footsteps to a career of gridiron glory.That bright, shining dream ends when T.J.'s lifeless body is found on a rocky shoreline near his family's Chesapeake Bay home.But as Nichelle begins to explore the facts surrounding the death, she discovers some shocking details. Something doesn't fit. And while the local sheriff wants to stamp the case a drug overdose and move on, Nichelle becomes convinced that foul play may have been involved.To the townsfolk, Nichelle is an outsider, putting her nose where it doesn't belong. But in her experience, that's exactly where the most damning secrets are kept. And the further she follows the evidence trail, the more Nichelle realizes that this sleepy coastal village is anything but innocent...

On the Street Where You Die (Stanley Bentworth, #1)


Al Stevens - 2011
    Previously a homicide cop, he drank his way out of a job and now runs a one-man private eye agency finding people who don’t want to be found. He doesn’t accept tough-guy assignments, calling himself a “soft-boiled detective,” but a recession is on, and business is off, so when a wealthy financier, formerly a mob enforcer, needs an anonymous blackmailer found in a life and death situation, Stanley seizes the chance to earn a fee.If he fails, the blackmailer outs his client to the wise guys, in which case the client gets a one-way ticket to the landfill, and Stanley risks becoming an unwilling passenger on that ride. He knows he must not fail, no small feat given that Stanley Bentworth is not all that tough.

Trust No One


L.J. Breedlove - 2013
    Mac Davis likes being a reporter.No one shoots at him, he eats real meals regularly -- what's not to like? Then someone kidnaps his friends, and tries to kill him. Mac doesn't know who or why, but he plans to find out. And make them pay.First book of the Mac Davis thrillers.

Sleight of Hand


V.F. Streets - 2021
    But with a past that still haunts her, she prefers to serve justice on the bad guys, instead of helping them go free. So when she gets offered a job to frame a wife-beating police officer, despite her reservations, she takes it.But when the facts don’t add up, and the man she’s hired to frame turns out to be the lead investigator for a suspicious death, Bristol decides to change sides before more lives are lost. Unfortunately, that means teaming up with her rival, Cole Sullivan, a move that carries risks of its own.As the questions pile up and every lead dead ends, Bristol's move to double-cross her employer leads to the discovery that her past choices have made her a pawn in a much bigger game, a game that now threatens those closest to her.Now, there is only one choice she can make to save the ones she loves … she must surrender herself to the truth she’s spent her whole life running from. A truth that could destroy her from the inside out.

The Anonymous Source


A.C. Fuller - 2015
    BREAK THE STORY. STAY ALIVE.ONE YEAR AFTER the 9/11 attacks, Alex Vane--a brilliant, fitness-obsessed reporter for The New York Standard--wants nothing more than to break into the flashy world of TV news. But when he uncovers the scoop of a lifetime, his tightly controlled world is rocked: his editor buries his story, a source turns up dead, and Alex finds himself at the center of a violent media conspiracy.AS HE RECEIVES TIPS from a mysterious source, Alex enlists the help of a captivating professor, Camila Gray. Aided by an Internet genius, a billionaire's sexy widow, and a washed-up sports reporter, Alex and Camila discover a $500-million secret that could derail the largest media merger in history.IT'S A SECRET THAT unearths dark memories from Alex's past. It's a secret that leads back to the morning of 9/11. And it's a secret that could get them both killed.IN HIS DEBUT MEDIA THRILLER, A.C. Fuller brings you a young journalist chasing the biggest story of his career--from the courtrooms of New York City to the beaches of Hawaii, from a crowded newsroom to a lavish boardroom at the top of a media empire.

Angel With A Bullet


M.C. Grant - 2012
    When she’s assigned to look into the death of her former lover, artist Diego Chino, Dixie’s instincts tell her there’s more behind the apparent suicide than the police are letting on.Dixie’s canvassing of the Bay Area art district reveals it to be a perfect picture of corruption, with a handsome art dealer and a reclusive patron in the foreground. After a romantic evening in Chinatown ends in a brush with death, Dixie is more determined than ever to expose the truth. But when a fire in her vicinity turns out to be more than just performance art, it’s clear the perpetrators would rather see Dixie dead than let her destroy their criminal masterpiece.“Dixie Flynn may be the most kick-ass heroine ever created.  Kudos to Grant for giving us the ultimate ‘girl power’ thriller!” — Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Silent

A New Life


David J. Antocci - 2013
    She has no idea how she got there, and notices changes in herself that she cannot explain. Haunted by unsettling dreams of her past, she sets out to escape, joined by Eric, who finds himself in the same predicament. Standing in their way is a madman, and his band of willing followers, with a mind set on murdering their unwelcome visitors. An eccentric hermit who has been living there for years offers them refuge, but they must deny his generosity. Escape is their only option. Yet, they discover this deceptive paradise is harder to leave than they had ever imagined. One mystery leads to another, until their escape throws them into even greater danger as Abby’s frightening past finally catches up with her. Her escape is only the beginning.

The Hour of Her Death


Rebecca Rane - 2020
    But the horrific crime has gone unsolved for thirty years when a mysterious stranger begs a true crime podcaster to investigate.Kendra Dillon hosts The Cold Trail Podcast. She’s made it her mission to uncover new clues in old mysteries. She’s shocked that this brutal display of evil against an innocent nun has gone unchecked for decades. No suspects. No arrests. No justice.With police and church officials refusing to reopen the investigation, Kendra believes someone’s hiding a vile conspiracy. But right as Kendra gets close to the disturbing truth, another shocking crime derails her investigation. The Cold Trail may be leading Kendra straight into the path of a serial killer. With every podcast episode, Kendra gets closer to waking an evil that’s been lying in wait.And Kendra isn’t alone. A stalker is following her every move, ready to ensnare her in his own twisted fantasy.Can Kendra catch the culprit and serve up justice before she’s silenced forever?The Hour Of Her Death is the first book in the suspenseful Kendra Dillon Cold Case Thriller series. If you like engaging female sleuths, unexpected twists, and cold case crime podcasts, then you’ll love Rebecca Rane’s pulse-pounding tale.Enter the world of a true crime podcaster on the hunt for a serial killer!

Tinplate


Neville Steed - 1986
    Faced with threats from their owner, he sets out to recover them but finds himself up against far more than the greed of unscrupulous collectors.He’s in way over his head but at least the prospect of a countryside dig to excavate the remains of a crashed Spitfire can provide a little solace. Yet even this isn’t easy, and a growing resistance to the dig is being led by a local, indignant landlord.When rather more than the plane and its pilot are unearthed, Marklin finds himself up to his neck in skeletons from the past — skeletons that lead to attempts on his life …