Book picks similar to
Cliffs of Laguna Beach by Karen Donahue


mystery
thriller
mystery-thriller-suspense
crime

Jack of All Trades


D.H. Smith - 2015
    The two months work will pay his debts, and give him space to sort out his personal demons. Except, the couple are at war, both having affairs, their marriage beyond salvage. The husband fires Jack, she takes him back on – and suddenly he is too involved with their scheming. Complicated further when he falls for her secretary. And when there’s a murder, using his tools as the weapon, Jack is prime suspect.

The Journey Box Set


Glenn Trust - 2019
    Brought up hard, she left home at an early age, forced to make her way in a world in which the odds are stacked against her. Along the way she learned to survive alone, living just outside the law. Killers and rapists, mobsters and dirty politicians, Alice has faced them all and has dealt with them in her own unique way. On the run from the law, she wanders, searching for the things we all want—love, a place to call home, and people to call family. From Bestselling author, Glenn Trust, The Blue Eyes Series, offers up a strong female protagonist in Alice Trent, a woman who faces life on her own terms. The result is a series of stories filled with thrills and suspense, twists and turns that will keep you turning pages. Scroll up and grab your copy of The Journey Series, Books 1-3, today!

Death's Disciple


James Whitworth - 2013
    Mabel Downing has been brutally murdered.She has been strangled -- and her mouth filled with cassette tape and a copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula has been left next to her body.There is one obvious suspect - Charlotte Sanderson who discovered the body.But Miller has been having a relationship with Charlotte - and refuses to believe she could be guilty of such a terrible crime. But if not her, who is the killer?Is Miller allowing his personal life to interfere with the investigation?What is the connection to Dracula - the Victorian gothic masterpiece partly set in the Yorkshire coastal town? And will the murderer strike again?Miller has to find out - before it is too late. 'Death’s Disciple' is a gripping contemporary crime novel set in the North Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby. It is the first in a series featuring Detective Inspector Miller and is perfect for fans of Peter James and Ian Rankin. "An intricate, compelling crime story that kept me turning the pages." - Tom Kasey, best-selling author of 'Trade-Off'. "You can taste the salt in the air...and the fear." - Robert Foster, best-selling author of 'The Lunar Code'. James Whitworth is a writer and cartoonist, Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.

Either Side of Midnight


Tori de Clare - 2013
    I rate this book as a ten-star and expect to see it as number one on the best selling list for many, many weeks.” Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers'Favorite.WHAT IF THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE TURNED INTO YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE?When nineteen-year-old Naomi Stone is snatched from her husband at knifepoint on the night of their wedding and taken to a deserted cemetery, she knows her life is finished. Drugged and disorientated, she loses consciousness as she lies in an open grave with a gun to her head. But the following day, she mysteriously awakes to find herself unharmed and secured to a bed. She's in a beautiful bedroom in a secluded cottage in open countryside. Only one person knows she’s there – the man in the balaclava who’s holding her, feeding her, revealing nothing. Naomi senses the unfolding of a plan. She should be on honeymoon in the Caribbean. Instead, she’s trapped with an emotionless psycho with no hope of escape . . . And his voice is chillingly familiar.Who is he? What does he want? What's happened to her husband? Where is she? Will anyone find her before it's too late?

Prepped to Kill


M. Lee Prescott - 2011
    While she pretends to be an ace private investigator, the niece of Massachusetts’ governor goes missing and a murderer terrorizes the campus. Ricky enlists the aid of her former roommates and together, the three create mayhem during Whitley School’s reunion weekend, bungling along in search of the truth. Join Ricky on her first caper and see how this humorous rollicking mystery series got its start.

Murder Upstream: A Detective Mystery


Mark Hazard - 2016
     Detective Kyle Villante gets his first call after coming off a two-year undercover stint that ended in a bloodbath and marred his reputation with the brass. But he doesn’t get to work the case alone. Detective Solomon Aduwo of the State Police has arrived in Harding to assist with the investigation. Villante bristles at the perceived leash around his neck, but he and Aduwo set out to work the case, all while Villante struggles to keep secrets and ghosts of the past from coming back to haunt him. Meanwhile, Aduwo has come to Harding with secrets of his own and an agenda that could doom Villante’s future. Murder Upstream is a thrilling mystery, full of vivid characters, puzzling questions, action and suspense.

Die By The Pen


Miles A. Maxwell - 2016
    Something outrageous has been done to the bodies. Another best-selling author is killed on the other side of Florida. This time the cause of death is obvious. Are the two murders related? Connected? The MOs are completely different. More famous corpses are discovered. Clearly someone's killing authors using the methods in their stories. The killers appear to be unstoppable, and to have some mad, crazy plan. Enter former Olympic athlete FBI Agent Naomi Soul and her best friend Agent Xue Sang. The crème de la crème of the pop literary world's best chance to survive. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Naomi Soul plays a critical role in Franklin, Victoria and Everon's investigation -- figuring out who destroyed New York -- in forthcoming Book 3 of the State Of Reason mystery: Finding Reason. Book 1, Loss Of Reason, in the State Of Reason Mystery is FREE

The Potential


David A. Davies - 2014
    Reacting from his usual instinct tempered with exceptional judgment, he saves the life of the US ambassador to Germany during a terrorist attack and gives the CIA further reason to prepare Chris for a greater role in the security of the United States. Should Chris, a British citizen, dream so big? Will he live long enough to make dreams a reality? Life-threatening danger seems to follow him everywhere, even in his travels outside Europe. Does he have a wild imagination, as some in the FBI think, or is someone truly out to kill him? In The Potential, David Davies ties together a plot twisting with terror, intrigue, and suspense spanning continents. From Germany to the Middle East to the United States, including the hallowed halls of Congress, justice struggles to leave its mark.

Border Crossings: A Catherine James Thriller


Michael Weems - 2010
    Taylor Woodall, a sophomore at the University of Texas, has been kidnapped in Cancun while on spring break. Private investigator Catherine James is on the case, but when the evidence begins pointing to a violent drug gang and the cartel puts out a hit on our heroine, she turns to the only man she knows she can trust... her former flame Matt, a war veteran with whom Catherine shares a complicated past. Meanwhile, Yesenia Flores is a young, adventurous woman from Mexico who seeks a better life across the border. But no sooner does she set out on her trek than she becomes entangled in a web of violence and crime. Escaping the cartel's clutches but a witness to a murder, Yesenia is running for her life. North and South, their stories run parallel until their dramatic collision and conclusion. Caution: Book contains adult content (violence and language).

The Girl on the Burning Boat


Gregg Dunnett - 2018
    But they didn’t bury his secrets… Alice is the smart and beautiful daughter of a powerful businessman. She lives a charmed life - until her father is killed in a tragic accident. Then she meets Jamie, a young man from a very different background, who has evidence that her father met a much darker end. Together they embark upon a search for the truth, delving into the murky background of Alice’s family fortune. What they discover leads Alice to question everything about her father - and herself. But it also turns them into targets. Because whoever put Alice’s father in his grave, meant his secrets to die with him. And now they’re scrambling to bury them deep. Along with anyone who gets in their way. Can Alice unearth the truth before it’s too late? Or will her judgement be clouded by her increasingly strong attraction to Jamie? With everyone around her lying, she must pick someone to trust. But get it wrong, and her next move will be her last. The Girl on the Burning Boat is a gripping psychological thriller from British author Gregg Dunnett. His previous books have all been UK and US Amazon bestsellers with thousands of five star reviews, and people are calling this one ‘his best yet!’ Start reading today and find out if Alice can avenge her father’s death. Or if she will become his killer’s next victim…

Blood and Justice


Rayven T. Hill - 2013
    Shaken out of their comfort zone of Internet searches and poring over public records, the couple soon find themselves facing the frightening possibility they are looking for the latest victim of a serial killer.As more bodies pile up, the town is gripped with fear. It seems no one is safe, and the Lincolns race to solve an impossible puzzle before they become the killer's next victims. About This Mystery Series • Book 1: Blood and Justice (A Free eBook) • Book 2: Cold Justice • Book 3: Justice for Hire • Book 4: Captive Justice • Book 5: Justice Overdue • Book 6: Justice Returns • Book 7: Personal Justice • Book 8: Silent Justice • Book 9: Web of Justice • Book 10: Fugitive Justice • Book 11: Profane Justice (Coming Next)

Hope Road


John Barlow - 2011
    A fascinating study in dark and evil... The stuff of Great British grit and dark, dark humour … Barlow provides plenty of twists and turns before the truth is revealed. But what is most enjoyable about Barlow's writing isn't his story archs or plotting, but his characters, dialogue and sense of place... Beautifully cinematic… far more cinematic than a McDermid or a Rankin. Crimefictionlover.comBarlow throws in plenty of twists before everything is untangled, since of course nothing in the case is exactly what it seems to be, and he spins the yarn in fast-paced, very readable prose. He also does a good job with the setting, the English city of Leeds, and made me feel like I'd been there. HOPE ROAD is a fine novel, the first in a series, and I look forward to reading the others.Rough EdgesHOPE ROAD: a crime thriller - You can't change your past. But what about your future?John Ray, son of crime boss Antonio 'Tony' Ray, is the straight one of the family. With a successful business and a lifestyle to match, he wants nothing to do with his father's criminal world. But what does that world want with him?A young prostitute is found dead in John's car, and Freddy Metcalfe, his best friend and employee, is framed for her death. Freddy denies everything but it's an open and shut case: he's going down for murder. John sets out to find the real killer.But things get complicated. A stash of counterfeit money was also found in John's car, and the police seem more interested in that than in the dead girl. Then Lanny Bride turns up; one of the north's most ruthless criminals (and an old friend of the Ray family), Lanny is desperate to know who killed the girl. But why? Meanwhile, Freddy is too scared to talk to anyone, even his lawyer.John's police detective girlfriend, Denise Danson, has been warned off the case by her boss. But she doesn't believe Freddy is guilty, and secretly helps John look for the murderer. The problem, though, is that uncovering the shocking truth about the girl's death will force John to confront his own criminal past and risk destroying his future, as well as losing the only woman he's ever loved. A novel set in Leeds, this is the first crime-mystery in the LS9 series.

Seal of Secrets


William J. Cook - 2016
    He never talks about himself, never mentions a family or friends. She sees sorrow in his eyes, and something else, something sinister. When his past comes back to haunt him, Chloe's own life and the life of her daughter are put in jeopardy. As the mystery deepens, Chloe gets pulled into a vortex of deception and murder.

Miami Burn


John D. Patten - 2017
    Plain and simple. Fresh off a prison stint for a crime he didn't commit and out for blood.But when a wealthy socialite begs Titus to track down her missing daughter, he dives head first into a seedy Miami underworld of lowlife thugs, celebrity wannabes, and women as beautiful as they are deadly. Titus soon finds himself up against an organized crime boss, a crooked politician, and a hard-nosed Miami detective. Nobody, it seems, wants the girl found, but Titus doesn’t scare easy. Armed with two fists and razor-sharp wit, Titus unravels a mystery deeper, darker, and more twisted than a simple missing girl.

Center Stage


Denise Grover Swank - 2016
    Ten years ago, Magnolia Steele fled Franklin, Tennessee after an incident that left her with hazy memories and a horror of the place where she had been born and bred. Though her abrupt departure destroyed most of her treasured relationships, she vowed never to return . . . until she has no choice. When Magnolia’s breakout acting role in a Broadway musical ends in disgrace, there’s only one place she can go. She finds herself on her momma’s porch, suitcase in hand. Drama follows Magnolia around like a long lost friend. She reluctantly agrees to help her momma’s catering company at a party for a country music star, only to find herself face-to-face with a sleazy music agent from her past. After a very public spat, Magnolia not only finds him dead but herself center stage in the police’s investigation. Now she must scramble to prove her innocence, relying on the help of acquaintances old and new. But the longer Magnolia stays in Franklin, the more she remembers about the big bad incident that chased her away. The past might not be finished with her yet, and what she doesn’t remember could be her biggest danger.