Book picks similar to
Blues of Autumn by Richard Adamson


mystery
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mystery-thriller-suspense

Murder For Hire


Theo Baxter - 2021
    You can always trust your family…or can you?Dean wakes disoriented, his hands covered in blood.He realizes he must have had another seizure, and it’s stolen all memories of what happened.Given his history of violence during his episodes, fear immediately sets in.And when his step-mother enters the room and screams, he notices his father’s bloody corpse on the bed.When questioned by the detective investigating the case, what unravels is a story of deception, infidelity, and revenge that rivals any Hollywood film.But will she believe his story?He’s not even sure he does.And when he’s released on bail, things only get more confusing and convoluted.Things are not as they appear.With his inability to remember anything leading up to the murder, Dean can only hope the truth comes out before he spends the rest of his life behind bars...or worse.A thrilling psychological thriller that you won't be able to put down

Quinn Checks In


L.H. Thomson - 2012
    A missing Dutch master. A thrilling whodunit...Liam Quinn has a second chance. Released after four years in prison for art forgery, a connection helps him get a job as an expert insurance investigator. But a gallery robbery is about to throw his new plans for a loop...Quinn is a good man who has made mistakes. His large Irish American family are leery of his past, and having two police officers in the family doesn't help. The entire department mistrusts him, and half the town wants his head.His chance for retribution rests on recovering a multi-million-dollar missing painting... if the local mob doesn't kill him first.Wit, action and backstory... what more could you want?" -- J. Michael Orenduff, author of "The Pot Thief" mysteries.More than 500,000 readers have already discovered the entire series of Liam Quinn mysteries!

Deadly Lies


Chris Collett - 2004
    A syringe is in his arm and a note by his side reads, ‘No More.’Open and shut case of suicide? Not for DI Mariner. Hours before, he saw Barham picking up a woman in a bar. And then Mariner discovers Barham's younger brother, Jamie, hiding in a cupboard under the stairs.Jamie is the only witness to his brother's death, but his severe autism makes communication almost impossible. Mariner is determined to connect with Jamie and get to the truth. Is the journalist’s death related to his investigation of a local crime kingpin? What other dark secrets does Jamie hold the key to and can Mariner keep his relationship professional with Barham’s attractive sister, Anna?In a nail-biting conclusion, Mariner races against time to prevent more lives being lost.Perfect for fans of Peter James, Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson.

Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra


Paul D. Gilbert - 2011
     Autumn 1898. London. A scandal in the making. Dockworkers are stunned by the arrival of the Matilda Briggs, a long overdue tea cutter returning from Calcutta. The dust-covered vessel has been abandoned by its crew, and seems to have drifted into a vacant berth guided by an unseen hand. The only member of the crew aboard is a lone cabin boy in the throes of death, following a murderous attack. The ship’s log has also vanished without a trace. All that remains is a series of indecipherable markings have been scratched into the ship’s decking. Sherlock Holmes and his faithful Watson are called to divest the Matilda Briggs of its secrets, only to be warned off. Then a young man appears at 122B Baker Street with a mysterious packet from his missing father – who disappeared journeying to London from Calcutta. A confounding conspiracy seems set to boil over. What was in the cargo besides innocent tea chests? Will the violence and rebellion that follow shift the tides from the favour of the Great Detective? Will the Giant Rat of Sumatra be revealed? And is the world finally ready for this tale to be told? Inspired from Conan Doyle’s most famous untold mystery, acclaimed Sherlockian Paul D. Gilbert expands the reach of Britain’s favourite sleuth in his most intriguing tale yet. DISCOVER THESE NEW ADVENTURES OF HOLMES AND WATSON. PERFECT FOR FANS OF THE ORIGINAL AND LOVERS OF CLASSIC MYSTERIES. ALSO BY PAUL GILBERT THE ODYSSEY OF SHERLOCK HOLMES TRILOGY Book 1: SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE UNHOLY TRINITY Book 2: SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE FOUR-HANDED GAME Book 3: THE ILLUMINATION OF SHERLOCK HOLMES THE LOST FILES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES SERIES Book 1: THE LOST FILES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES Book 2: THE CHRONICLES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES Book 3: THE ANNALS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES STANDALONE NOVEL SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE GIANT RAT OF SUMATRA

Nemesis


Roger A. Price - 2016
     Moxley’s paranoia has him seemingly selecting victims at random. The only thing they have in common is the gruesome nature of their killings. Police, prison warders and even old ladies have been the target of Moxley’s cold-blooded murder spree. When Detective Inspector Vinnie Palmer is assigned to the case, Moxley decides that he too must die, but not before he has led him from one blood-soaked scene to another. Among his victims is Vinnie’s offsider, Detective Constable Rob Hill, who he discovers has his own dark and destructive secret that rips Vinnie’s life apart. With the help of Moxley’s psychiatrist, Vinnie delves deep into the man’s criminal past and uncovers a history of corrupt police, sexual coercion and gaol brutality. But when Vinnie closes in on Moxley and takes the law into his own hands, he ends up suspended and stripped of his police powers. Determined not to let Moxley escape justice, Vinnie continues his pursuit of the maniac as a private citizen. He teams up with determined television reporter Christine Jones and together they pursue Moxley north to Scotland and back again. But the killer always seems to be one step ahead, leaving a trail mutilated bodies in his wake. Lured on by Moxley’s taunts, Vinnie discovers that it is his own wife – a fellow police worker – who has been an unwitting aid in Moxley’s deadly deeds. As a result, his suspension is lifted in time for him and Christine to gain full police support and finally confront Moxley in a terrifying final encounter. But is it too late? The action-packed and full of gruesome detail, Nemesis is Roger’s first story in the new Badge and the Pen series that features detective inspector Vinnie Palmer. Roger A Price is a crime fighter turned crime writer who spent more than thirty-one years in the police force. He served across the UK, Europe and the Far East before retiring as a detective inspector in charge of a covert undercover drugs unit that achieved national acclaim.

Castle Cay


Lee Hanson - 2010
    Who could have killed rising artist Marc Solomon, and what does Castle Cay, the Solomon's mysterious Caribbean island, have to do with it? Before long, Julie's sixth-sense pulls a hidden string that unravels a deadly conspiracy...and her own troubled past.

Ghosts of Guatemala


Collin Glavac - 2019
    Desperate for a swift solution, the agency calls in their black operative fixer: John Carpenter.John is a cold-blooded professional ready for the job. But the mission doesn’t have a simple fix. Pablo has a disastrous kill switch in place. John is still haunted by the mysterious death of his best friend who died on a far too similar mission, and now is uncertain about how much he can trust his handler or his sensual partner.Back at the agency, tensions are running hot as the stench of corruption is growing to a boiling point. If things aren’t put to rights – and soon – the entire mission will go up in flames and take the CIA down with it. Only John Carpenter can bring this drug lord to justice and get the answers he deserves.Because this mission is personal…“If you like the relentless tension of Daniel Silva and the gritty reality of Lee Child then you’ll love this first book in the John Carpenter Trilogy!”Visit his website at CollinGlavac.com

Clint Wolf Boxed Set: Books 7 - 9


B.J. Bourg - 2019
    When one of the candidates is burned to death in a fiery blaze, Clint Wolf and Susan Wilson go straight from their honeymoon to investigating a brutal homicide. While there are a number of suspects, evidence and witnesses are lacking, and narrowing the list down becomes a challenge. A late night attack on a Mechant Loup police officer leads to a curious discovery, but exactly how this discovery factors into the case is anybody's guess. Clint will have to reach out to the local media for help...and it might turn out to be the best decision he's made throughout the case. However, no one will be rejoicing when this investigation is over, and it's unlikely anyone from the police department will ever be the same again. BUT NOT FORMIDABLE It’s a warm September afternoon in the sleepy town of Mechant Loup, a tornado has just ripped through town, and Detective Clint Wolf is searching for a missing school teacher. Not only are details sketchy and witnesses nonexistent, but a formidable Category 4 hurricane is heading straight for the Louisiana coast--and it’s threatening to erase every scintilla of evidence that might lead to the missing woman. Even as the outer rain bands of the hurricane begin battering Mechant Loup, Clint makes a grisly discovery in the dead of night and suddenly realizes he’s dealing with a cold-blooded killer--but that revelation leaves him with more questions than answers. When the pieces of the investigative puzzle finally start falling into place, Clint will have to answer a question of his own--did he finally meet a suspect he couldn't take down? BUT NOT FOR LOVE On the living room floor of a lonely farm house in Chateau Parish, Louisiana, there rests the body of a young woman named Allie—the victim of a horrific attack. A little farther to the south, Detective Clint Wolf is leaving the Mechant Loup Police Department when he hears the screams of a terrified female. Jumping into action, he responds to the area and arrests the woman's husband for attacking her with a pipe. Almost immediately after Clint wraps up the arrest and returns home, Police Chief Susan Wilson receives a welfare call from Allie’s mother saying she hadn’t heard from Allie in hours. When Clint responds to the welfare concern with Mallory Tuttle, a detective from the Chateau Parish Sheriff’s Office, they discover Allie’s body. An investigation ensues and it isn’t long before they make an arrest for murder. However, when another woman is killed days later, they delve deeper into Allie’s case and unearth some disturbing similarities. A tip from a young boy and a trip to the northern mountains of Georgia might shed some light on the motive, but locating the killer will be anything but easy—or safe.

Big Numbers


Jack Getze - 2007
    We spend the book trying to guess the identity of the unknown man on the fishing boat; not an easy task because Carr's big mouth alienates about everyone he knows. "Darkly comic, with an engaging protagonist." -- T.J. MacGregor, Edgar Winner, Author of The Tango Key Mysteries "Big Numbers is a gritty, sexy, violent, and funny book." -- Liz Clifford at Reviewed by Liz "Wonderful characters...well-written, entertaining...a good read." --Connie Anderson for Armchair Interviews   "Jack Getze started his career as a newspaper reporter. As a result, BIG NUMBERS is lean and mean, with not a word wasted. A truly fun, genuinely funny read." --Lisa Guidarini for Bluestalking Reader

The Unburied Dead


Douglas Lindsay - 2012
    A city lives in fear. The police fall into chaos. A woman is savagely murdered, her body stabbed over a hundred times, and the police recognise that the perpetrator will likely strike again. DCI Bloonsbury, the once-feted detective, is put in charge of the investigation, but when an officer is slain, and an old police conspiracy begins to unravel, Bloonsbury slides further into morose, intoxicated depression. And here, somewhere in the midst of the horror, is Detective Sergeant Thomas Hutton, lost in a sea of love, lust, deception, alcohol, and murdered colleagues. But the dead will not rest, the past will not be buried, and DS Hutton must find his way, as the killer kills, and kills again…

Killing Time in Charleston


Tom Turner - 2019
    Dark because of his father's ties with Whitey Bulger. Tragic because of what happened to his wife. But now he’s starting over in Charleston. No brutal winters. No bullying despot of a boss. No staring down at stiffs on the mean streets of Beantown. As he drives into Charleston behind the wheel of a U-Haul, taking in the sweet smells of Confederate Jasmine and gardenias, he gets a call. And before he can even unpack, he’s got a murder on his hands. A murder that could change the entire face of Charleston.

Olive Park


C.J. Booth - 2011
    One of the most intensive investigations in California history fails to find any trace of the killer and the case goes cold.15 years later - the newly formed Ongoing Investigation Division, charged with closing cold cases, is handed as its very first case – the Olive Park Murders. Detectives Stan Wyld and Jake Steiner, together with assistant Mallory Dimante, reopen the Olive Park case and find nothing new, until their examination of the original burial site turns up one chilling piece of evidence that proves Olive Park is no longer just a cold case about three dead children.The truth is much worse.For the twisted killer of Olive Park has never stopped and has already chosen its next victim. And no one will be able to protect her. No one.

Death's Door: A Palm Court Detectives thriller


David Reichart - 2015
    But he’s not a regular guy. He’s an elite warrior, battle tested to the max in Iraq and Afghanistan, first in Marine Special Ops and later as a Navy SEAL. When he finally decides to walk away from the military, Yates isn’t planning on making further use of his extreme training and lethal skills. But somebody else is. Palm Court Detectives, a skyrocketing new agency run by a laicized Jesuit priest in a refashioned vintage motel, needs a guy exactly like Yates to add clout to its roster. His first assignment for the detective agency based in Mobile, Alabama, takes Yates under cover at a trucking company that has been targeted by hijackers. Jesse’s civilian naiveté allows him to be drawn quickly into a turf war between hijackers who he likes, outlaw bikers who like him (or what he can do for them), and a drug cartel renegade who has a severe Jesse Yates problem and a chilling plot in the works. Joining the eclectic, fun-loving team at Palm Court Detectives as a private investigator in training turns out to be everything Yates had hoped for and more—more excitement, more camaraderie, and more chances to die.

Blind Justice


Nathan Burrows - 2018
    His main problem is that the British justice system doesn’t agree with himHe might be a part-time thief guilty of many things, but Gareth’s not a murderer. Staring at fifteen years inside Her Majesty’s Prison Whitemoor, he considers the events that led to the wrongful verdict which cost him everything he once loved: His dignity. His freedom. His wife.A lawyer Paul Dewar claims to have information that will vindicate Gareth, but is it enough to set him free? As the threat against Gareth increases on the inside, Paul Dewar’s challenge and Gareth Dawson’s fight for freedom begins.

In The Silence


M.R. Mackenzie - 2018
    Convinced that Foley was deliberately targeted rather than the victim of a random attack, Anna begins her own investigation, and in so doing unearths a trail of long-buried secrets, leading back to a crime committed over a decade ago.A crime so unspeakable its perpetrators are prepared to take their silence to the grave.In the Silence is a fast-paced, compelling crime mystery which will appeal to fans of authors like Mark Billingham, Stuart MacBride and Mark Edwards.NOTE: This new edition has been revised to include material not present in the initial publication.