Book picks similar to
Birds of Paradise by S.J. Rozan
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Shoot to Thrill (4-Book Box Set)
J. Carson Black - 2013
Worse, the incident has her confronting ghosts dredged up from her own past. Then another child goes missing--and Laura must put aside her own conflicting emotions and race the clock to find her. A Daphne du Maurier Award nominee.THE DEVIL'S DEEP (Michael Wallace)Chad Lett is a mute witness to an attempted murder. He suffers from total paralysis, locked within a prison of his own mind. After years of silence, he establishes contact with a young nurse's aide through a single blinking eye. But then she is abducted, and a staff member begins to administer dropperfuls of cleaning solution into Chad's lone communicating eye... NIGHT GAME (Carol Davis Luce)Nevada. The King's Club resort casino is a playground for gamblers with everything to gain ... and the hunting ground for a shadowy killer with nothing to lose. An expert at undercover surveillance, PI Kasey Atwood is drawn to the sensual, enigmatic owner, Jay King, who's placed his bets on her talents. As their love affair heats up, though, she becomes a pawn in a game of passion and revenge that puts her heart -- and her life -- at risk.FOUL JUSTICE (M A Comley)Before DI Lorne Simpkins can get comfortable with her new partner, the two are assigned a tragic murder case that looks like a robbery gone wrong. Further compromising Lorne's focus is the personal news that her fiancé, M16 agent Tony Warner, is involved in a dangerous covert operation in Afghanistan. Then another wealthy footballer's family meets the same deadly fate within twenty-four hours, and Lorne must bring all her resources to bear to stop the killers...
The Two Towns
J.J. Salkeld - 2014
It is DC Jane Dixon's first week on Kendal's CID team. Her new boss, DI Andy Hall, gives her an open file to review, and it's a far from straightforward case. A woman has died in suspicious circumstances in a Windermere caravan park, and although her husband is suspected there's not a shred of solid evidence against him. Can Jane move the case forward, or will a cold-blooded killer really get away with murder? The rest of the team is busy too, because a vulnerable teenager from a troubled family has gone missing from home. There's nothing to suggest that the boy has been abducted, so what could have caused him to run away from home? DS Ian Mann, a tough ex-military man, and DC Ray Dixon are both heavily involved in the investigation. This story introduces key members of the investigative team, as well as many of the themes that are developed in the full-length Lakeland Murders novels: including a strong sense of place, and an understanding that while justice usually prevails it is rarely complete, or completely fair. Reader reviews for the full-length novels in the Lakeland Murders series include: 'Well developed, realistic, relatable characters, great plot, believable detailed scenes, good action sequences. Recommend to those that appreciate British detective novels. Always devour Lakeland murder mysteries.' 'Love J J Salkeld's books, his understanding of police procedure, his ability to draw his characters out into real people is, I believe, up there with the best of them and it is good to find crime stories set in Cumbria for a change.' 'Salkeld is good. Not just as a writer of gripping detective stories; but even more for his feisty exposure of the lunacies of institutions, hierarchies, and power. A refreshing and enlightening anarchist - much needed in these jaded, compliant and consumptive times.'
Beat to a Pulp: Hardboiled
David CranmerAmy Grech - 2011
This collection includes thirteen lean and mean stories from the fingertips of Garnett Elliott, Glenn Gray, John Hornor Jacobs, Patricia Abbott, Thomas Pluck, Brad Green, Ron Earl Phillips, Kent Gowran, Amy Grech, Benoit Lelievre, Kieran Shea, David Cranmer, and Wayne D. Dundee and a boiled down look at hardboiled fiction in an introduction by Ron Scheer. Edited by David Cranmer and Scott D. Parker.
Thomas Berrington Books 1-3
David Penny - 2017
THE RED HILL A killer who can’t be stopped. A request that can’t be refused. In 1482 the Englishman Thomas Berrington is living in the last remnants of Moorish Spain. A physician, he is an unwilling friend to the most powerful man in the kingdom. Bodies are discovered, each showing the marks of a savage attack, and Thomas is asked to investigate. When one of the Sultan’s wives is brutally murdered, what begins as a reluctant task turns into a fight for survival. Together with the eunuch Jorge, Thomas attempts to hunt down the killer before they become his next victims. Except nothing is as it seems—friends turn into enemies and enemies into friends. Thomas’s investigation lays bare the secrets of the Red Hill and the people who inhabit it. His discoveries culminate in a battle not only for his own life, but for the lives of those he loves. BREAKER OF BONES March 1483, and surgeon Thomas Berrington makes a reluctant journey to Qurtuba at the request of his master. He expects only to operate on a Spanish prince and return home to Moorish al-Andalus. But fate has something else in store for him and his companion, the eunuch Jorge. A warped killer has been murdering young women to create twisted creatures from their bodies. When Thomas is tasked by Queen Isabel to hunt down the culprit he is propelled into an unfamiliar world of religious mania where it is impossible to tell the innocent from the guilty. Meanwhile Jorge is on a quest of his own—to track down the family he abandoned twenty years before. When Jorge’s new found niece is taken as the Bonebreaker’s next victim, the pair are faced with their most dangerous challenge yet. Can Thomas and Jorge expose the killer before yet another life has to pay the price for one man’s madness? THE SIN EATER Moorish Spain, 1484, and no-one is innocent. Thomas Berrington, emigre Englishman who has made the doomed city of Garnatah his home, is once again attempting to solve a series of mysterious deaths. Accompanied by his companion, the palace eunuch Jorge, Thomas struggles to discover the truth while those in power seek to distract him. As his investigation continues, his personal life splinters into chaos and he finds the Spanish once more demanding his presence. As Thomas and Jorge draw closer to their quarry, the killer’s attention turns on them and those they love. Will the pair be able to unmask the sin eater before the lives of those close to them become forfeit?
Murder on Christmas Eve (A Dodo Dorchester Mystery Book 6)
Ann Sutton - 2021
Sins of the Father
David Harrison - 2006
If it comes out, the tabloids will have a field day: Eddie Randall was a popular comedy actor in the 1960s. Nick goes in search of the truth and unexpectedly finds it impacts on a major insurance scam he is investigating. Then his estranged wife is found dead - and Nick realises that an unknown enemy is stalking him..."Occasionally brutal, but very readable... this writer seems to me to have real potential. I look forward to his next book." Martin Edwards, TANGLED WEB"Sins of the Father is a wonderful, exciting read full of twists and turns... This is a sterling effort from a new face on the crime scene."Chris Simmons, CRIMESQUAD"Sins of the Father is a rattling good read... a writer to watch for sure."Sharon Wheeler, REVIEWING THE EVIDENCEPraise for David Harrison (writing under the name TOM BALE):"What truly sells SKIN AND BONES is Bale's almost cinematic storytelling style, along the lines of what Lee Child does with his Jack Reacher series."Jim Winter, JANUARY MAGAZINE
Integration
Stephen Edger
All they want in return is a small favour.The offer seems too good to be true, and when the group calls again, demanding he integrate their laundered cash through the bank he works for, he refuses. But when Mark’s girlfriend goes missing and his brother is attacked, he begins to realise just how far the group will go to get what they want.But it’s not easy to move vast sums of money undetected, and as the pressure mounts, Mark finds himself risking everything he has to find his girlfriend and save his own life before the group and the police catch up with him.Blackmail, murder, conspiracy and money laundering: INTEGRATION is a British crime thriller set in the murky depths of the finance industry.
Death in Pieces (DI Haskell & Quinn #2)
Bilinda P. Sheehan - 2020
When forensic psychologist Harriet Quinn receives the random pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, she doesn’t realise they hold the key to identifying a sadistic killer’s next victim. A victim who hasn’t even been taken yet.
Bound by Lies
Gretta Mulrooney - 2017
The chief character is so well defined and so likeable. The story was intriguing and had plenty of twists and turns. ” Julia Corbett “Swift is a good character, suitable for people who like PD James, the story is believable and comes together well.” “Absolutely loved this book! Extremely well written with believable characters and lots of twists!” E. Boisvert “Excellent mystery, well drawn characters, and a great storyline.” Suki Anne Perfect for fans of Robert Galbraith, Paula Hawkins, P.D. James, or Ruth Rendell. IN THIS THREE-BOOK BOXSET: BOOK 1: THE LADY VANISHED A missing woman holds the key to a valuable inheritance Florence Davenport hires Swift to find her missing stepmother. There are no leads and no suspects, but if the body is found, Florence will inherit half of a very valuable house. BOOK 2: BLOOD SECRETS Fifteen years ago a teenage boy, Teddy Bartlett, went to a woods on the outskirts of London and was beaten to a pulp and left damaged for life. The police never found who did it or why he was targeted. Now, the boy’s father, recently returned from Australia, wants to find out what really happened to his son. He hires private detective Tyrone Swift to investigate the tragic crime. BOOK 3: TWO LOVERS, SIX DEATHS A man stabs his girlfriend to death. Then hangs himself, leaving a note confessing to the murder. Open and shut case? Not for detective Tyrone Swift Dominic Merrell’s estranged wife Georgie doesn’t believe that he could have done it. Detective Swift discovers that Dominic was a reliable, devoted husband and father for eighteen years until he met the beautiful, charismatic Lisa, who he left his wife for. No one can believe that Dominic was capable of murder. But if it wasn’t him, then who killed the seductive but chaotic Lisa? THE DETECTIVE Tyrone Swift is an ex-police detective who now works privately. He’s survived a stabbing and his fiancée running off with another man. Swift's personal life is complicated. He is still involved with his ex-wife Ruth. THE SETTING The streets of London with their vibrant mix of nationalities, cultures, and rich and poor are beautifully evoked. From the quiet suburbs with their veneer of happy family life, to the bustling centre with refugees struggling to survive, to exclusive penthouses where the rich can have anything they want delivered. THE AUTHOR Gretta is a critically acclaimed author of best-selling detective and literary fiction. 'Mulrooney has a real gift for dialogue, the words and phrases ring true and make her characters wonderfully real . . .
The Other Side Of Bad
R.O. Barton - 2013
Weeks after Tucker foils an assassination attempt on a client, he's confronted at his remote country home by men intent on killing him. Meanwhile, Tucker is forced to relive his secret violent past during an interview with a Nashville billionaire who wants his wife's "accidental" death investigated. But, before Tucker can take on a new assignment, he must deal with who wants to kill him and why. Praise for "The Other Side of Bad" The Other Side of Bad, by R.O. Barton, like its title, is a gotcha; gotcha and won't let you go until you've been through an assassination attempt in Nashville, a face-off in a Louisiana biker bar, the mother of all drug-deals-gone-bad in the wilds of Mexico, and more between the scenes action than a Rambo night out.Barton casts his characters with disarming frankness-characters large and eccentric-with arcane talents and a taste for brinkmanship. The Other Side of Bad is visual, visceral, and a trip to the other side.-Steven Prati Author of, Cheers from the Bull & Finch Pub
The Complete Paterson & Clocks Box Set
Steve Parker - 2020
YOU GET *FIVE* CRIME THRILLERS FULL OF TWISTS AND EDGE OF YOUR SEAT TENSION.What readers are saying about STEVE PARKER“A must read for all crime thriller fans.” Viv“A really good thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat.” Barbara“I was up until 2am as I couldn’t read it quick enough.” Carole“The differences between the two detectives works so well ... they are so much alike ... but yet are miles apart in others” Linda Strong“I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I was hooked right from the start.” Sue“A fast-moving action-packed thriller which will keep you enthralled from page one.”“Another gripping, fast-paced and twisted caper for the most unorthodox police duo in UK fiction.” Donna“Loved the book, Clocks makes me laugh out loud.” AileenDO YOU LOVE EXPLOSIVE UNPUTDOWNABLE CRIME FICTION? THEN MEET DETECTIVES PATERSON AND CLOCKS. THIS DUO ARE IRREVERENT, IMPULSIVE, AND ALWAYS FULL OF SURPRISES.IN THIS FIVE-BOOK BOX SETBOOK 1: THEIR LAST WORDSA young woman is found dead on the streets of London. Her throat slashed, her body mutilated, and one word carved into her flesh: “DON’T.” Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is assigned to the case. Young, handsome, and from a wealthy background, he’s tipped for the top. He joins a team based out of Bermondsey, South London. It’s meant to be a steppingstone to his next promotion, but this case will threaten to bring down his career and everything he thought he knew about policing.BOOK 2: DEADLY CRIMESAn elderly African man is found dead in the street, shot through the head. The killing has the hallmarks of a professional assassin. Dumped in a waste bin next to the dead man is the dismembered torso of a child. On his first day back at work, disgraced Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson finds himself teamed up again with newly promoted Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks.BOOK 3: THE BURNING MENA man is burnt at the stake in a London park. His smouldering corpse is a message of the most violent kind. The victim is Davey Caine. He is the heir to the criminal empire created by his father, William ‘Billy’ Caine. Billy is a notorious and violent gangster who controls South East London. But he’s not the man he used to be and the sharks smell blood in the water.BOOK 4: YOU CAN’T HIDEAlbert Tanner, vicious psychopath and burner of men, is in the USA with unfinished business. Only Detectives Ray Paterson and Johnny Clocks can stop him. Their task is straightforward: hunt Tanner down and bring him home. But a few explosions, an assassin and a dead child change everything.BOOK 5: THEIR DYING BREATHA severed head washes up on the banks of the Thames, a star carved into the forehead. The next day the airwaves are hacked. A live-stream shows a man imprisoned in a box. He also has a star cut into his head. Then the man is drowned. Two more men are murdered on live TV, two more will die within hours. Detectives Paterson and Clocks race against time to ensure their next breath isn’t their last. But this enemy is far more deadly than any they’ve encountered before.THE DETECTIVESDetective Superintendent Ray Paterson is a young and (thanks to family money) wealthy womaniser, separated from his model wife and tipped to be the youngest ever commissioner of police. Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks is a foul-mouthed, working-class officer. He grew up surrounded by rogues and villains but became a first-class thief taker.THE AUTHORSteve Parker is a retired police officer who served for 20 years in numerous high-profiles squads.Don’t miss out on this action-packed series! YOU GET ALL FIVE OF THE ABOVE BOOKS IN THIS EDITION
A Place for Violence
Kevin Wignall - 2008
There's Luke Williams, a young American who's been left in a wheelchair by a drunk driver. Then there's Brian Tully, a wise-cracking bully with connections in Vegas, together with his sheepish family. And finally there's Dan Borowski, an Australian security analyst. Trouble is, Dan isn't there to relax, and though they don't yet know it, nor are any of the others... This short story first appeared in "Storyglossia" in May 2008. Dan Borowski first appeared as a character in "For the Dogs", and this is one of two short stories (the other is "Retrospective") to feature him.
Dirty
Robert White - 2013
He is the enemy.Stewart hatches a plan to destroy the evidence against him, but what he finds inside those files, is evidence of a vile paedophile ring operating under McCauley’s nose.Now three people are dead and Dave Stewart is the prime suspect.
Sidekick to Deadline by John Sandford
Dave Eagle - 2014
If you have not yet bought Virgil Flowers Deadline, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial Sidekick. Welcome to Trippton, Minnesota, where life moves at a leisurely pace ... until your dog gets stolen, someone decides to start cooking meth next door, or the school board votes on a motion to murder you. Sandford’s beloved sleuth takes on three intertwining mysteries in Deadline, a fun and intriguing addition to the Virgil Flowers series. With this Sidekick, you’ll: • Discover some fascinating hidden gems and trivia about the novel • Spend some more time with the characters you’ve come to know and love • Learn what you might have missed on your first read • Explore possible alternate endings and imagine ideas for sequels • Get a chance to discuss the book with other readers on our Facebook forum Sidekicks are entertaining and insightful reading companions, filled with delightful commentary and thought-provoking questions. Readers have raved that Dave Eagle’s Sidekicks "really put you in touch with the many layers of the novel," "keep you entertained," and are "perfect if you want a vivid understanding of the story." Designed to be read side by side with the novels they complement, they’ll give you even more reasons to love some of today’s best books.