Book picks similar to
Lust Queen / Lust Victim by Don Elliott


pulp
pulp-sleaze
have-but-not-read
mystery-thriller

Black Jack Justice: Dead Men Run


Gregg Taylor - 2015
    When it comes to deeply unqualified guardians of the moral high ground, it would be tough to find many that equaled Black Jack Justice and his erstwhile partner, Trixie Dixon, girl detective. But they will learn the hard way just how serious the sender was, and that in the end, only Dead Men Run.The his and hers private detectives of Decoder Ring Theatre’s long-running radio mysteries return to two-fisted prose adventure, delighting long-time fans and new readers alike with the classic, hard-boiled feel of their exploits.

More Short Fuses (Four Free Short Stories)


Stephen Leather - 2014
     The short stories are: Rules of Engagement (where Spider Shepherd has to help a friend who is in serious trouble with the police), The Constituency Meeting (where a group of old folks decide to commit a murder), Ghost Kids (where a holidaymaker takes more home from Thailand than he expected) and Massage Therapy (where the massage skills of a Thai masseuse change a man's life forever). There are also tasters of five of his bestselling novels, including Hard Landing, The Stretch and The Tunnel Rats. Stephen Leather is one of the UK’s most successful thriller writers, an eBook and Sunday Times bestseller and author of the critically acclaimed Dan “Spider’ Shepherd series and the Jack Nightingale supernatural detective novels. Before becoming a novelist he was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mirror, the Glasgow Herald, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. He is one of the country’s most successful eBook authors and his eBooks have topped the Amazon Kindle charts in the UK and the US. In 2011 alone he sold more than 500,000 eBooks and was voted by The Bookseller magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the UK publishing world. Born in Manchester, he began writing full time in 1992. His bestsellers have been translated into fifteen languages. He has also written for television shows such as London’s Burning, The Knock and the BBC’s Murder in Mind series and two of his books, The Stretch and The Bombmaker, were filmed for TV. You can find out more from his website www.stephenleather.com and you can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenleather

Greed


Jay Nadal - 2016
    . . As the body count starts to mount, Detective Inspector Scott Baker and his team face a race against time to track down a serial killer who’s methodical, disturbed and unforgiving. His boss seems grateful someone else is doing their job for them and thinks it’s all down to an internal power struggle between the factions of Brighton’s criminal underworld. As the killings become increasingly more savage, can Scott track down the murderer before anyone else dies and before the criminal underworld implodes? If you love police procedurals, hard boiled mysteries, or books from Damian Boyd, Angela Marsons, Helen H Durrant, Mel Sherratt, Lisa Hartley, or Kerry Wilkinson, you’ll enjoy the debut novel in the DI Scott Baker, an exciting new crime thriller and mystery series. Greed is the first in a new series of detective police procedurals featuring D.I. Scott Baker from Brighton and Hove CID. Scott Baker is a single, thirty something Detective Inspector who thrives on the challenges that life throws at him. His personal life, however, haunts him and threatens to break him every day. He treads a fine line between sanity and self-destruction. The police procedural series is set in the coastal resort of Brighton on the South Coast of England. It’s a bustling, vibrant, cosmopolitan town with a rich mix of fun, history and intrigue.Greed is a murder mystery thriller peppered with a sprinkling of romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit.

Triggered Reality (Reality & Dreams #1)


Hadena James - 2017
    For Eric Clachan, it was the day he would get justice through bloodshed. A rifle would ensure that the spree killer would never destroy another family. He wouldn’t stop there. Eric had a list of other targets inside the prison walls. Targets that would ensure justice would change. A single day would change the world and pave the way for the US Marshals to become the baddest serial killer hunters in the world. Eric knew this as he looked down the scope and took aim. Max Goff needed to relax. His life had become overwhelming. He should have gotten a massage and spent a day with friends. Instead, he stole a car and began a killing spree that would terrorize an entire city. Until the newly formed US Marshals’ Serial Crimes Tracking Unit would come hunting for him and he would learn what fear really was.

Chicago Cop (Maggie Delaney Police Thriller, #1)


Linsey Lanier - 2012
    It’s personal.From Linsey Lanier, author of the gripping Miranda’s Rights and Miranda and Parker mystery series.

Code Name: Griffin


Morgan Hannah MacDonald - 2018
    She’s the deadliest operative the CIA has ever known. Alexandria Kingston is The Griffin. SHE’S BEAUTIFULAfter graduating from The Farm in Langley, Virginia, she’s banished from the only family she’d ever known. Heartbroken and alone, Alex settled in Paris and threw herself into her work by taking every operation the CIA offered, as well as volunteering for those no one else would. SHE’S CUNNINGThrough the years, she’s built quite the reputation. The chatter throughout the underworld is ‘Kill the Griffin,’ but as a master of disguise, no one truly knows what she looks like. Not even her lovers. UNBELIEVABLY SEXYOut of nowhere she gets a call to return home. Alex jumps on the next flight to the States where she learns that her adoptive family is in trouble. The Murphy clan heads the Irish Mob out of Boston and when their matriarch is rushed to the hospital word spreads that her life is hanging in the balance. Someone has decided that he will be the next crime boss and is willing to kill every last member of the Murphy clan to make that happen. UNDENIABLY DANGEROUSDeception has always been a major part of her life, but returning home means facing the biggest deception of all, the one truth she’s hidden even from herself: her love for Shane Donovan - the only man oblivious to her existence. SHE’S THE GRIFFINNow Alex has joined her family in taking down the enemy. The only question is, who will die in the process?

Mindless


R.W.K. Clark - 2018
    Step into the mind of a sociopath.Melvin discovers a past buried deep inside his memories that shouldn’t be revisited. His controlling mother is determined to not let him go, and she goes to extremes to not only save his life but maintain control of it. What she doesn’t understand is that her son is not the same good boy he used to be.Melvin finds himself harboring fantasies and psychotic thoughts that lead him down a terrible violent path, where he leaves a trail of victims behind him.Get ready to meet the most hideous menace ever in this spine-tingling serial killer psychological thriller.Author Commentary‘Mindless’ is my fourth psychological thriller and one that I am quite excited about. ‘Mindless’ is a tale that I geared directly at adults; this book is not for the young mind. The reason for going back to this genre was based around the response I got from my book ‘Passing Through,’ which seemed to garner a more extensive fan base and made me realize that perhaps fans wanted me to stick with Psychological thrillers. Personally, I was ready for such a change myself.I wrote the book with the full intention of disturbing the reader. That was the reason for Melvin Frink’s mental instability being as shaky as it was. This guy has been through so much in his life, so many terrible things. That even though he had made it to med school, he was walking a fine line in his mind.Why did I choose to write such a sexually disturbing and violent psycho-thriller? After so many that were so mild-mannered. Many reasons come to mind. For one, fans expressed a liking for my novels, ‘Passing Through,’ ‘Brother’s Keeper,’ and ‘Box Office Butcher’; all three are Psychological thrillers. I felt that it was time to indulge my love for thrillers while satisfying my fan base by giving them what they wanted. ‘Mindless,’ while much more disturbing in many ways than the others, was just what I think we all needed to bring us the satisfaction of reading a book that kept us turning pages only to find out what type of sickening behavior could occur on the next page. I think readers will be surprised, and I hope that they enjoy every last page of this suspense thriller.I have to admit that I was ready for something a bit more gritty, and I don’t think that I have it out of my system quite yet. I am longing to write more that causes my readers and me alike, to grind the teeth and wince while allowing the passages to wander through the mind. Deep inside, we carry our anger and our resentments, our pain, and our suppressed memories, but we can never be totally rid of them. I like to explore the sickness of the mind and where it can take an individual. As a matter of fact, that is precisely what Melvin Frink, with all of his education in neuropsychology, should have been petrified of the most, but he was not.I also understand that some will not like the book. That’s okay. As individuals, we must be true to what we prefer, and this will not be the book for everyone. I wrote it for my Psychological thriller fans. I should warn those who prefer more laid-back plotlines; if this type of thing is not your preference, you should avoid this.So, I offer you ‘Mindless,’ and it is my desire that you get from reading this book, what I got from writing it: The realization that insanity is just a step away from each and every one of us. With that in mind, tread lightly, and enjoy the food for thought that I am offering to feed you.

Mercy


Stephen Bentley - 2019
    He’ll never get her back.Set in the near future, Matt Deal is a British businessman married into a wealthy Florida family.Mercy, his fifteen-year-old daughter, is the glue in his rocky marriage to Lorey. His life is changed forever after Mercy is brutally sexually assaulted on a Destin beach leaving her in a persistent vegetative state.Trusting the local detectives to bring the rapists to justice, mixed martial arts expert Deal concentrates in vain on his Florida gym business, only to have his world further explode on learning the men responsible for his daughter’s injuries may escape justice. Deal is isolated and at his wit's end after his rich father-in-law sends death threats blaming him for all these ills.Who can he turn to? Where can he go? What will he do? Who can he trust?Will he return to a post-Brexit Britain or ultimately will he seek revenge?Fans of Jack Reacher, Barry Eisler, and any vigilante justice novel will love this book.*** Trigger Warning ***Contains a scene of sexual violence and some scenes of explicit consensual adult sex.

The Past We Run From: A Yorkshire Murder Mystery


Meg Jolly - 2021
    A child killer on the loose. Time is running out.When a toddler goes missing in the middle of a bustling Bradford park in broad daylight, Detective Daniel Ward is put on the case. It ought to be an open and shut investigation; but the hours tick by, and Millie Thompson is nowhere to be found.There’s only one conclusion DI Ward can come to: she was taken.When a known child-killer is spotted in the vicinity, Ward fears the worst. Has this infamous monster struck again, right under his nose?He has to catch up with the only lead he has, before the infamous Hunters - merciless, vigilante, justice seekers who will seek retribution at any cost - catch up with his suspect first.If they do, DI Ward may never find Millie alive again.‘I raced through this book in one sitting. A compelling and intriguing plot that kept me turning the pages with a cast of complex and diverse characters and a gritty Northern setting. Highly recommended.’ — Imogen Clark, #1 Amazon Bestselling AuthorSet in the diverse, beautiful, and historical city of Bradford, The Past We Run From is the first in the DI Ward crime thriller series from debut crime novelist Meg Jolly. Perfect for fans of JD Kirk, Dave Gatward, and JE Mayhew, join DI Ward today on a twisting race to solve the case.

6th Grade Spy


Marcus Emerson - 2012
    They've come up with a plan to lure the criminal out of hiding, but everything goes terribly wrong during the mission when each agent becomes compromised and sent to the principal's office. The worst part is that Nolan himself has been labeled as the cheater! Now the only way he can clear his name is to find the real cheater, but with the entire school hunting after him, it's not going to be so easy. Join Nolan as he unravels the mystery with a jaw dropping twist at the end.6th Grade Spy is a 7500 word exciting mystery that's entertaining for kids and adults (who never grew up).

Requiem for the Dead


Victor M. Alvarez - 2020
    However, hours later the body of Helen Chapman's boyfriend was discovered by German police on the side of the road; they found a ransom letter lying on the front seat of the young man's car.US Army CID criminal investigator, Special Agent Jacqueline Sinclair, and DIA Agent Tom Price are assigned to take the lead in the case by her chief on request of the Provost Marshal, Agent Sinclair's father. She knows a SIR (Serious Incident Report) already filed through channels, will attract the close attention of higher command; they would watch Sinclair every step of the way. Later, Sinclair learns that they also kidnapped three other dependent children.Their pursuit of the kidnappers will take them straight into the heart of the military establishment where conspiracy and intrigue are commonplace . . . and where truths are seldom spoken. Worse still they uncover a more sinister and diabolical plot--a plot to set off two nuclear Smart Bombs in Pyongyang--placing the North Korean Regime and the President of the Unites States, in its crosshairs.They find themselves deep in enemy territory and the target of highly trained killers, tasked to threaten or even to shoot to kill--whatever it takes to conceal sensitive information. Bringing justice and staying alive becomes job number one as the duo finds their skills, and their courage tested under fire.

Kill Jill


John Locke - 2012
    Her clothes are filthy, her appearance disheveled. She has no purse, no wallet, no luggage, but her back pocket is stuffed with hundred dollar bills. She's also carrying a credit card belonging to Jack Russell, the town's most eligible bachelor, who hasn't been seen for a month.Claiming to be Jack's fiance', Emma immediately moves into his expensive lake house. The local sheriff gets a bad feeling that only turns worse when he discovers Emma's ID belongs to a dead woman.

No Time To Bleed: Austin Conrad Thriller #2


Dusty Sharp - 2017
    So Austin Conrad wrote his own when he decided to get the hell out. Now he’s the target of the MC’s ruthless president, who’s hell-bent to silence Austin to keep his own dark secrets buried. Set along the back roads of southern California’s Mojave Desert, the story comes to its thrilling climax among the abandoned ghost town of Amboy. When Austin is waylaid by a crew of murderous thugs from a rogue faction of the club, the hunters become the hunted, and learn the hard way that there’s more to Austin than motorcycles and petty crime. No Time To Bleed is the action-packed debut from author Dusty Sharp. This novella-length story provides a quick introduction to anti-hero Austin Conrad, and sets the stage for further adventure and mayhem. Warning: contains violence, profanity and irreverence, in equal measure.

The Defendants Box Set: Thaddeus Murfee / The Defendants / Beyond a Reasonable Death


John Ellsworth - 2014
    But Thaddeus Murfee just graduated from law school and has $200 left from his student loan. He is so broke he has to borrow his roommate's suit for his first job interview. While he is so desperate to earn rent and food money, he fails to nail down exactly what it is he'll be doing.They tell him a U.S. Attorney is selling government secrets...But is he, really?Thaddeus Murfee likes his new boss, the U.S. Attorney. Good things happen and gifts flow his way. What's not to like? The government lawyer even has a daughter he wants Thaddeus to meet. Were the people who hired him just totally wrong about the guy selling government secrets? What proof do they actually have of this serious accusation? Meet the foreign agents who will pay top dollar for U.S. war plans... The Defendants Thaddeus is just a little bit older and has hung out his shingle. He's a solo lawyer learning how to pattycake, when a new case walks in the door. While Ermeline was passed out, someone carved her date's name in her chest. Then the date is murdered. Ermeline is charged with First Degree murder and comes to Thaddeus. Can the young lawyer figure out what to say and do in court before a full-fledged jury trial? Will he have what it takes to do a bang-up job for his client? And what about the government lawyers who have set him up to fail? And what about the mob hitman headed his way? Thaddeus has his hands full and, to top it all off, he's found a girlfriend.Beyond a Reasonable Death This legal thriller is the story of the same young lawyer in a small town who has now crossed the mob. They send a hit man after him. Trying to break free, he sues them and a courtroom drama ensues. Very quickly he learns you don’t sue the mob and go back to normal living. He is pursued relentlessly and runs west to the mountains of Arizona, where he seeks refuge with a Navajo shepherd. He sets up his office in a cabin while he pursues his case against the godfather. The shepherd has many lessons for Thaddeus Murfee—lessons about surviving when all odds are against you. Together they face the first mob soldier sent after Thaddeus. Plus…the old shepherd has a granddaughter who attends medical school. Katy teaches him to fly-fish, and romance blossoms. Then, he is pursued again and must abandon her in this powerful crime fiction. Set in Chicago, Mexico, and Arizona, Thaddeus is hunted. He must battle wealthy lawyers who seek to protect the mobsters. Thaddeus takes his case to trial with astounding results.

The Legacy


Melanie Phillips - 2018
    Deeply uncomfortable with his own Jewish identity, he is torn between anger with his father-estranged over Russell's marrying a non-Jewish woman - and grief over their failure to reconcile. At his father's memorial Russell meets Joe Kuchinsky, a Polish survivor who unaccountably latches on to him. Kuchinsky claims to possess an ancient Hebrew manuscript that has been in his family for generations and which he wants to have translated before he dies. Kuchinsky believes fervently that the manuscript contains some important ancient wisdom-perhaps, even, the key to the survival of the Jewish people. Despite his doubts, Russell agrees to inspect the manuscript and tell Kuchinsky what it contains. Thus begins an international mystery that stretches a thousand years in the past, is wrapped in the tragedy of the Holocaust, and which comes to a startling conclusion that has dire personal consequences for everyone caught up in the saga. Filled with depth and pathos, The Legacy is destined to become one of the most important historical novels of the 21st century.