Book picks similar to
Rings of Smoke by Diane O'Toole


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Wanton Regard


Geoffrey Neil - 2014
    Soon, a "chance" meeting with him later that the man knows the most intimate, guarded details about her life. He is the stalker from hell. Hailey tries to escape his terrifying advances, but he won't let anything come between them –not her protective best friend, her guard-gated home or her jealous, gun-toting husband. When she finally discovers his horrific plans for her, she's forced to do the unimaginable.Wanton Regard takes you on a white-knuckle ride with jaw-dropping twists and turns. The story will leave you wondering which of a thousand ways someone is watching you.

Special Access


Mark A. Hewitt - 2013
    His constant heralding of their heroism and capabilities damaged the SEAL's operational security, revealed tricks of their trade, and endangered them and their families. As some in the Special Operations community expected and feared, a number of SEALs are being systematically killed across the country. The Navy's legendary SEAL commander, Captain Bill McGee, believes he is the next target of a sniper and seeks help from a close friend with unusual contacts and capabilities. Duncan Hunter, a retired Marine Corps fighter pilot, flies a top secret airplane with his mentor, Greg Lynche, the sometimes über-liberal retired CIA Chief of Air Branch. Together, in their quiet airplane, they execute some of the CIA's most sensitive airborne counterterrorism missions under a Special Access Program. Saving McGee from a sniper's bullet comes at a price as Duncan Hunter finds himself at the crossroads - either remain a contract pilot and betray a friend or become a patriot and risk exposure as a traitor. His decision pulls him into one intrigue after another, finally revealing the truth behind several conspiracies hidden behind the firewalls of top secret security clearances, CIA files, and Special Access Programs.

True Deceit


A.J. Carella - 2015
    Little does he realize that it’s just the beginning and things are about to get worse. A lot worse. But all is not as it seems and soon he is forced to face the truth of his past in order to protect his future. Intense and fast-paced, this ride will have you on the edge of your seat.

Operation Ivy Bells: A Mac McDowell Mission (Mac McDowell Mission Series Book 1)


Robert G. Williscroft - 2014
    With a security clearance above Top Secret, Mac and his off-the-books deep-water espionage group must gather Russian intel to avert world war. Join nuclear-submariner Mac as he extreme-dives to a thousand feet, battles giant squids, and proves what brave men can achieve under real pressure, the kind that will steal your air and crush the life out of you. Operation Ivy Bells: A Mac McDowell Mission updates the popular bestseller by Robert G. Williscroft, a lifelong adventurer who blends his own experiences with real events to craft a military thriller that will take your breath away.

The Fixer


C. Wayne Winkle - 2020
    But when Wiley Kingston stole his appaloosa, shot his old dog, and tried to kill him, he soon found he didn’t have a choice. After he killed Wiley, his father Ben sent men to kill Frank. They cornered him in the mountains; too bad for them.

Sniper Ridge (Caje Cole Book 7)


David Healey - 2020
    

A Week and Some Change


Justin Mermelstein - 2013
    After learning that Tracy has died in a terrible car accident, he is devastated. But after arriving at the restaurant to console his mother, he discovers that Tracy isn’t dead after all – in fact, she is working her shift, and no one else seems to think anything of it. While trying to make sense of the situation, Andrew begins to experience an overwhelming sense of dread: something isn’t right. He needs to decide whether to tell Tracy and risk sounding like a lunatic, or ignore what all his senses are telling him and enjoy what appears to be a second chance.

They Came with the Storm


Christopher Coleman - 2021
    Then they came. And everything changed.Through an innocent act of mischief, a trio of an ancient witches is unleashed in the small town of Clayton, New Mexico.Years later, a dust storm suddenly appears across a stretch of Interstate 412, creating a massive crash that includes Chris Boylin and his daughter, Jaycee. They are uninjured, but while Chris goes to assist others who were not so lucky, his daughter disappears.In the thick air of the storm, just before the clouds clear, Chris sees a pair of haunting shapes outlined in a glow of light.The search for Jaycee dead ends, but a website article about an abduction in 1939--one eerily similar to Jaycee's--leads Chris to an elderly man named Arthur Richland, whose terrifying childhood story of his sister Ruby just might be the answer to saving a missing girl's life.What came with the storm? And are they responsible for the mysterious disappearances?Do not miss this creepy new tale from the author readers are comparing to Dean Koontz and Stephen King. Grab your copy today and prepare to be swept into a story you won't soon forget.They Came with the Storm is a standalone novel, not part of a series.

The Hand of God


John Isaac Jones - 2017
    This is the story of 24-year-old Bobby Lincoln, who lives in the coastal town of Palm Harbor in 1955 Florida. With few jobs and no education available to him, he ekes out a living by fishing and doing any other work that he can find, often using his boat. But it’s not enough for him or his common-law wife, Idella, who keeps threatening to leave him if he doesn’t become a more effective breadwinner. None of this is helped by his own love of gambling and his tendency to keep company with some of the town’s best-known criminals. When a local gangster offers him $2,450 to take part in a serious crime, Bobby knows that it would break the heart of his deeply religious mother and disappoint a smart teenage boy who idolizes him. But he also believes that it might be his only chance to keep his wife and get back some self-respect. One little boat ride quickly turns into a nightmare that consumes Bobby’s life even as he tries to conceal it from others. Based on Florida’s infamous Chillingworth murders!

The Survivor: by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills (A Mitch Rapp Novel Book 12) | Unofficial & Independent Summary & Analysis


Summary ShortReads - 2015
    You are encouraged to buy the original book before reading this summary & Analysis which is meant to enhance your experience. The Survivor, book written by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills, is a sequel book that follows Mitch Rapp series. This novel, as well as previous novels of this author, follows similar pattern of writing, considering the author’s style, which includes: action and suspense combined with intertwined political intrigues. The author acknowledges his own perceptions on what seems to be right and wrong. Mitch Rapp, the novel’s main character and protagonist of the series, is an elite agent of United States Central Intelligence Agency. Here in this novel, Mitch, together with his team, are trying to stop a man named Joseph Rickman. Rickman is someone on the inside of the Agency, he manages to uncover many secrets and destroy the effectiveness of the Agency in the process. The Survivor is a well written multi-genre novel that deserves the recognition of readers already familiar with the series, as well as new readers of Mitch Rapp. What's in Store Detailed Summary of the novel Analysis of the themes and plot as well as characters in the book Free Extra Bonuses in The Book Click the Buy Now With One Click Button, and Get Your Exclusive Bonus Offers Today for a limited Time!! Regularly Priced at $4.99 Today Only at $2.99

IN WINTER'S GRIP: A 1940s' Mystery Thriller


Gordon John Thomson - 2014
    The action of this period romantic mystery takes place in the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne two years after the end of the war, as Britain is caught in the grip of the worst winter in a thousand years. As blizzards rage and the country grinds to a frozen standstill, on Tyneside a young German woman, Elsa Platten, goes on trial for her life, accused of deliberately burning a man to death... Alexander Galbraith is the lawyer hired to defend her, a man undergoing a personal crisis of his own, since his vengeful wife, Virginia, has discovered evidence of a homosexual affair and is threatening to ruin him... Jack Raisbeck is the owner of the Tyneside shipyard where the murdered man, a Dutchman called Jeroen van Rijn, worked. Jack is a physically scarred and cynical survivor of the war in the North Atlantic but his developing romantic relationship with Elsa in the months before the murder has rejuvenated him. Yet, as Elsa begins her trial, Jack is also struggling to keep his shipyard business alive, beset with a rebellious workforce led by union leader Ernie Wilmot, and with the financial future of his yard hanging in the balance after a recent arson attack and an act of embezzlement by his former chief accountant, George Hetherington. As the evidence against Elsa unfolds in the course of the trial, she re-lives her past life in Germany and Holland: the rise of the Nazis and the invasion of Holland, her subsequent betrayal and deportation to the East, and her escape and struggle to survive the fall of Berlin. Jack and Alexander Galbraith both believe in Elsa’s innocence but that belief is strongly tested as the evidence against her grows. The trail to find the truth leads both men in unexpected directions. For Jack it leads to a confrontation with his brother-in-law on a frozen cliff top, and to other disturbing family revelations. For Galbraith it is something even worse - he has to make the ultimate choice between preserving his own career and reputation, or saving his client from the hangman...

Face Book


P.J. Jovanovic - 2015
    He’s lost his job, he’s in debt, and his girlfriend has thrown him out. Things can’t get any worse, can they? He doesn’t think so. But then three guys enter and demand protection money from the landlord. Jack, being the sort of bloke he is, can’t just sit back and do nothing. He tells the thugs to go away, take a hike. A fight ensues. Jack gets badly beaten. One of the thugs cuts his face, leaving him scarred. When Jack comes around in hospital, he sees what he looks like and vows revenge. Weeks later, when he’s recovered, he watches a news clip about a serial killer who’s escaped from prison. James Ward has a special fetish. He befriends women on Facebook. He meets up with them and kills them. Then he brutalizes them in a very unusual way. Jack wonders how anyone could do something so inhuman. But the more he sees his own ruined reflection, the more he understands. And then he starts plotting his revenge …

The Wrath of a Side Chick: A Chicago Hood Drama (Side Chick's Wrath Book 1)


Tamicka Higgins - 2016
    Having been together for a while, Trina finds out that Breon was seen coming out of a jewelry store. Trina and her two sisters run with this, especially considering the fact that Breon brings up the idea of taking a trip to Gatlinburg for their anniversary. However, all of this could be quickly changing. When Breon goes to Wayne’s house for a coming home party for a friend who has just gotten out of prison, he sees a chick he’d heard about in school and used to have a bit of a crush on: Nikki. And she is so much more tempting now than she was back then. Little does Breon know, Nikki will really have her eyes on him once she’s heard that he is getting married. Will Breon be able to resist the temptation that is Nikki? How will Nikki react when she finds out that Breon may be popping the question soon to his main chick, Trina? Find out the answer to these questions and more in The Wrath of a Side Chick (Part 1).

The Missing Bride: Her Love Started Where His Ended....


Seema Parashar - 2015
    All your problems will be solved while we have fun’, his voice sounded throatier as he spoke. ‘Fun? For me, it’s sin’, she met his eyes with a conspicuous scorn. His mouth contorted into a sarcastic smile. ‘Prudish! This outmoded thinking won’t do you any good. Your body won’t lose any of its charm if you share it with me for a few days.’ ‘You think my ethics are outdated and I think that your modern ideas are outrageous. I don’t share even my feelings with someone I don’t trust. For me, any kind of physical intimacy, not preceded by love and commitment, is a sin, committed to self.' ‘Then you have two options, either you fall in love with me or decide to commit this sin as this is the only key to your freedom.' ‘I don’t want to go back’, she said flopping her head back on the pillow behind her, ‘I like it here.' Brought up amid limited sources but unlimited love of her mother, Niyati is happy with her far-from-perfect life until she finds a rich and dissolute man, Avi, flinging himself on her. When she goes missing just before her wedding, the city is rife with speculations about The Missing Bride. Has she escaped or eloped or been abducted? Chained and kept behind a locked door, she goes through an unexpected ordeal and a living nightmare. Rescued a few months later, she encounters the truth. Is she really free or fettered forever by her past? Can the seeds of lust grow into an eternal shoot of love? A never-heard-before saga of lust and love; revenge and sacrifice....

Kate Jones Thriller Series Complete


D.V. Berkom - 2020
    1 Contains the first four novellas in the edge-of-your-seat Kate Jones adventure thriller series: Bad Spirits, Dead of Winter, Death Rites, and Touring for Death.★Book 2: Cruising for Death Kate Jones is on a luxury cruise in the Caribbean when a passenger dies of an apparent heart attack and the ship is boarded by modern-day pirates. Along with two other passengers, Kate is kidnapped by a long-lost enemy who wants to settle an old score.★Book 3: Yucatan Dead For Kate Jones, being on the run was never going to be easy. But with a new identity and a new life, she was beginning to believe she'd made it through the worst. Then, in an act of twisted revenge, Kate's imprisoned deep in the Yucatán by her deadly enemy, his intention to make her pay for her sins.★Book 4: A One Way Ticket to Dead After years of running from her ex, Kate Jones is ready to bury the past and try to piece together a new normal. But first there’s a loose end to tie, and it involves digging up old ghosts that are best left alone.★Book 5: Vigilante Dead PI Kate Jones lands the case of a lifetime: a college student with no history of drug abuse dies of an overdose, and the parents come to Kate demanding answers. Soon, Seattle is reeling from dozens more deaths, all with the same chemical markers. At first, police assume that the victims are closet junkies who got hold of a bad combination, but after someone close to her becomes a victim, Kate believes something far more sinister is going on.