Book picks similar to
55 Proof by J.A. Konrath


konrath-ja
ll-read
mystery-thriller
shelved

Superbia


Bernard Schaffer - 2012
     After Frank O'Ryan gets shot, his first assignment is working with the most disliked man in his police department, Detective Vic Ajax. Ajax isn't like the other cops. He doesn't like them and they don't like him. He hunts drug dealers and pedophiles. Now, Frank will enter a world where being real police means laying so much of your soul on the line, you might not make it out. But as Vic explains, if it keeps a little girl from having to testify about what some monster did to her, it's worth it. Together, they'll resort to any means necessary to take down the scumbags, even if it means employing the interrogative services of a man in a six-foot bunny costume called The Truth Rabbit. Readers the world over have called Superbia's author the 21st Century Ed McBain novel and the successor to Joseph Wambaugh. Both a best-selling author and career police officer, Bernard Schaffer's experience in patrol, narcotics, and investigations has filled the pages with a degree of accuracy and bold, raw, truth that cannot be found in any other work of literature. Often compared to The Wire, the Superbia books have been called the "Most subversive" account of law enforcement since Serpico.

Blue Descent


David Wood - 2019
    We replaced it with the edited draft as soon as we were made aware. Please accept our apologies for the mistake. A legend of the deep guards the secret to eternal life! Dane Maddock just wants to hunt for treasure and leave his past behind. After a series of tragedies, the former Navy SEAL and his crew travel to the Bahamas in search of the wreckage of Maelstrom, the flagship of notorious pirate Riddick Blackwood. But what they find sets them on a hunt for one of the greatest legends of the New World—The Fountain of Youth! But has their discovery unleashed something terrible upon the world? As the deaths mount, Maddock and his partner Bones Bonebrake must prevent a dangerous shadow organization from seizing the power that lies beneath the waters. Classic archaeological adventure for the modern reader! Fans of Indiana Jones, Dirk Pitt, and National Treasure will love the Dane Maddock Adventures

Suspicious Circumstances


Sandra Ruttan - 2007
    A missing baby. A corrupt police department. When a man shows up in reporter Lara Kelly's office with a video that appears to show a woman falling to her death, Lara is intrigued but suspicious. The man claims he went to the police, but that they refused to investigate. Under pressure from her editor to use the video to build a story about the incompetence of the local police captain, Lara gathers enough evidence to print a story about a suspected suicide. Detective Sergeant Tymen Farraday, the newest cop in a precinct plagued by scandal, is ordered to investigate and discredit the reporter if necessary. When potential evidence is stolen and Lara is attacked, Farraday is forced to put his grudge against reporters aside and work with the journalist to solve the murder while trying to protect her from the killer. Just when they think they have the evidence to arrest a suspect, two more murders turn the investigation in an unexpected direction. The guilty have already shown that they'll stop at nothing to protect their secrets. In a town where one person holds all the power, not even the police can be trusted. And the prime suspect isn't the only person Lara and Farraday need to worry about. (Praise for Suspicious Circumstances) “Spellbinding.” New York Times Bestselling Author Clive Cussler "Never a dull moment. It's a hard book to put down." Tony Hillerman, Edgar Award-Winner and New York Times Bestselling Author "SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES has to be one of the most satisfying mysteries going that grips the reader from beginning to end." Clive Cussler, NY Times Bestselling Author "Secrets and lies, new murders and old, all unravel and unwind within the pages of SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES to create a complex and compelling crime-fiction debut. Sandra Ruttan has a keen eye for description, a wonderful ear for dialogue, and an acute instinct for the nuances of characterization. " Anne Frasier, USA Today Bestselling Author of HUSH "Here is the new voice, and what a voice! Eloquent, sassy, compassionate and written with a style so assured it's hard to believe it's a debut... This is talent writ huge." Ken Bruen, Shamus Award-Winning Author of THE GUARDS "Sandra Ruttan's Suspicious Circumstances soars. It is complex, exciting, and elegant. In musical terms, it's listening to Bach. I'm in love with Lara Kelly, the smart, strong, vulnerable protagonist. Her detective lover better move fast or I'm in there. A gripping adventure, a large cast of marvelous characters, and twists that follow turns. Read it. You'll love it too." Robert Fate, Author of BABY SHARK "A white-hot blazing ride sure to slam you down some of the darkest, twistiest back alleys that ever corrupted a small city's secret heart." Cornelia Read, Edgar Award-Nominated Author of A FIELD OF DARKNESS "A well executed procedural with a spark between our protagonists, an excellent feel for political machinations on a small town scale and a plot that twists and turns like a bad tempered rattlesnake." Russel D. McLean, Crime Scene Scotland

Rilke on Black


Ken Bruen - 1997
    Nick, an ex-bouncer, Dex, a charismatic sociopath, and Lisa, a motor-mouth junkie femme fatale. Their prey is a powerful, local businessman with an obsession for the poet Rilke. Thing is, each kidnapper has a very different agenda. Which means it's only a matter of time before the joking stops, and the ever threatening violence begins. Rilke on Black is an eerie, crooked tale of sex, obsession and betrayal. Ken Bruen's dark contemporary thriller matches a razor sharp vernacular with a country music soundtrack to create a truly intoxicating and original mix.

The Dr. Suess Lacing Cards: The Cat in the Hat (Dr. Seuss Novelty Se)


NOT A BOOK - 2009
    Seuss!Dr. Seuss Lacing Cards enhance kids' fine motor skills while they play! Kids will love these cards, which feature spectacular Seuss art, and the trademark Seuss sense of the silly. Laces included!

A Bite of Strawberry


William Lashner - 2013
    When Victor is propositioned by the woman of his dreams, he knows it’s too good to be true. She offers him the perfect job, a prosperous future, and, best of all, when her tongue is in his mouth, she tastes like strawberries. But it isn’t long before Victor realizes that to keep these prizes, he must keep his client—currently in the clink for murder—from spilling the truth about what really happened the night of the killing. Is Victor ready to be bought? Hell yes. But not until he learns the truth. Someone is being protected, and Victor intends to find out who’s worth all the fuss. Because Victor Carl is willing to sell his soul, sure, especially for a bite of strawberry, but only if the price is right.

Stay With Me


Reina Torres - 2016
    His old life was calling him back. A chance meeting would put them on a new path - together. Hayden Samuels worked hard to make something of himself. Unable to follow in his father’s footsteps he found work that gave him a purpose and joy. Now he has to return and tell his father that he wants to live his life on his own terms, even if that strains their relationship to the breaking point. But when the stage rolls into town he comes face to face with a young woman that makes him think twice about leaving. Edythe Devon had worked for her father for years and now she wants a life of her own. Taking a chance by moving to the town of Sweetwater Springs, Montana, she arrives just in time to meet a young man who makes her dream of more than just ‘getting by’ on her own. But there are those who would keep the two apart and a family emergency might just divide them for good. Is there enough between them to bring them back together before it’s too late? This sweet Western romance, set in the time after Debra Holland’s book, Beneath Montana’s Sky, and before the Brides of the West series, includes a number of friendly faces from Sweetwater Springs and will introduce you to new friends as well. Click the 'Buy Now With 1-Click" button to read "Stay With Me"

The Venus Shoe


Carla Neggers - 1984
    Alone with her memories, she picks wild blueberries on a quiet island. As she starts to dip into the cool water for a refreshing swim, she discovers she isn’t alone after all. A man is asleep on her little island. Artemis doesn’t believe his story about why he’s trespassing, but the truth is even more complicated. She is convinced this rugged stranger and his secrets are the key to finding out what really happened to her parents. She’s playing a dangerous game, not only with her life…but with her heart.

The Chrysanthemum, the Cross, and the Dragon


Iver P. Cooper - 2018
    Cooper's latest alternate history novel, a new contribution to Eric Flint's 1632 Universe, the romance between Juan Cardona, an officer in Spain's Manila garrison, and Huang Mingyu, a young, beautiful Chinese woman, is threatened when a Dutch-Japanese force launches a surprise attack on 17th century Manila. Manila falls and Juan is rescued by Huang Mingyu, who proves to have hidden talents and connections. It is then up to Juan to warn the incoming Manila galleon of the Dutch-Japanese threat before it blunders into Manila Bay, and to prove his worth to Mingyu's family. Who have interests of their own in the region....Will true love prevail when Japan (the chrysanthemum), Spain (the cross) and China (the dragon) come into conflict?For readers unfamiliar with the 1632 universe, it posits a cosmic catastrophe -- the RIng of Fire -- that throws the West Virginia town of Grantville into 17th century Germany. By 1633, the ripples caused by this event have reached East Asia, and the Japanese are determined to forestall the missionary-instigated Shimabara Rebellion of 1637.

Cherringham - Episode 31-33


Matthew Costello - 2020
    Sarah's a Web designer who's moved back to the village find herself. But their lives are anything but quiet as the two team up to solve Cherringham's criminal mysteries. This compilation contains episodes 31 - 33.TRAIL OF LIESLast year at Cherringham High, and for three girls that means facing the School Summer Challenge, a grueling fifty-mile hike across the Cotswolds, through thick woods, over steep hills, camping each night under the stars. But when one of them disappears in the middle of the night and is found dead in the morning, most believe a terrible accident has taken place. Was it really an accident? Jack and Sarah aren't convinced - and soon discover that secrets and lies can have terrible consequences ... and always leave a trail ...DEATH TRAPWhen Edward Townes - famed writer of novels about knights and maids, and castles and conquering - attends a medieval launch party for his latest book, he arrives ready to do more than celebrate. But party night brings a blizzard, a once-in-a-century storm that sees Townes staggering home, alone ... only to be found dead the next day. With Cherringham cut-off and the blizzard still raging, Jack and Sarah start investigating. Their questions reveal that many of those still stranded in the dark village have secrets. And Townes' killer is still in the village ...CLIFFHANGERWhen a hiker falls from a cliff edge while walking the Cotswolds Way, it seems like no accident. The more Jack and Sarah investigate the walkers on the trail that day, the more likely it seems that danger is still afoot. Is there a potential killer in this Cherringham tour group? And when will he or she strike again?

The Soul Taker (The Gabriel Files Book 1)


J.R. Rain - 2019
    Rain and Aiden James! Gabriel Radu isn’t your average 'thirtyish' detective... that’s because he's a three-hundred-year-old warlock. Residing in the quaint but quirky town of Denmark, Tennessee, the semi-immortal 'Gabe' is called upon from time to time to assist local law enforcement in solving unusual crimes that often end in murder. And, by unusual, the crimes always involve something he's quite familiar with: Magic. When Sheriff Billy McCain comes calling for help in solving the brutal slayings of a pair of homeless men, whose corpses have been marked by a dark snake and scythe symbol beneath the napes of their necks, Gabriel eagerly accepts the challenge to help solve the case and bring the killer, or killers, to justice. But the assignment comes with a terrifying caveat... the mark left upon both victims points to an ancient entity that rarely visits our world. Known in Gabe’s Romanian homeland as the Sufletul, or Soul Taker, in the previous centuries this immortal fiend has arisen, it has left widespread death and destruction in its wake. The initial killings soon begin to multiply, and the mysterious reasons behind why this ancient menace has chosen the tiny town of Denmark begin to come into focus for Gabriel. Relying on his investigative instincts and courage, as well as precious insights from trusted friends and his family of witches and warlocks, the quest to stop the growing body count before it erupts into uncontrolled carnage brings Gabriel closer and closer to a confrontation with... The Soul Taker.

The Silo Saga Omnibus: Wool, Shift, Dust, and Sil0 Stories


Hugh Howey - 2020
    For the first time ever, The Silo Saga boxed set brings together all of the work in Hugh Howey's ground-breaking, best-selling, acclaimed series, including the individual novels Wool, Shift, and Dust, as well as original essays by the author, and a bonus chapbook of short fiction, Sil 0 Stories .

The Kate Shugak Novels, Vol 2


Dana Stabenow - 2012
    They've been having some serious problems with the white stuff—not snow, but cocaine—and their highly-paid, isolated, somewhat stir-crazy employees have been overdosing at an alarming rate. Kate's job is to identify the dealer and staunch the flow before more people die. It's never that simple, of course.In Play with Fire, Kate and friends stumble across a naked, decaying corpse in the woods. Judged death by misadventure by the Troopers, Kate's sense of justice demands that she launch her own investigation, leading her to ask some very uncomfortable questions of a frontier faith community. Questions that might drive someone to kill…again.In Blood Will Tell, Kate is forced to involve herself in Native politics, attending the annual Federation convention in Anchorage and investigating the deaths of several board members. Opposition to a new development project seems to have been the link tying the victims together, but when Kate poses the question that all detective work begins with—cui bono?—she finds there are more suspects on the list than not.Also included: the two Kate Shugak short stories, "Wreck Rights" and "Cherchez la Femme."

Scientology 8-80: The Discovery and Increase of Life Energy in the Genus Homo Sapiens


L. Ron Hubbard - 1952
    A Scientology Publication.

The Alchemist


Ken Goddard - 1985
    A beautiful undercover agent and her partner are brutally murdered in Southern California. A special task force of highly trained police officers go underground to find out why. What they discover is a billion-dollar criminal conspiracy--and an elusive mastermind known as the Alchemist.The Alchemist is a respected chemist who has conjured up a substance worth its weight in gold: a synthetic "designer" drug as potent as cocaine or heroin and twice as dangerous--because its unique chemical formula is perfectly legal!Caught in the crossfire between a desperate Mafia chief and two ruthless drug lords, the task force must step outside the law to crush the impending crime war, risking being lured so far out from behind the protection of their badges that there is no turning back.