Book picks similar to
Dead Ringer by James D. Mortain


mystery
mystery-police-fbi-procedural
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The Complete Detective Kate Hamblin Mystery Series


David Hodges - 2020
    YOU GET *SEVEN* BREATH-TAKING CRIME THRILLERS, FROM THE PEN OF A FORMER POLICEMAN.IN THIS SEVEN-BOOK BOX SET:BOOK 1: MURDER ON THE LEVELSDetective Kate Hamblin is doing surveillance on the Somerset Levels, on the trail of a crazed arsonist. She leaves the van for a moment. Then it goes up in flames, killing her colleagues. Kate is accused of abandoning them. There’s nothing she won’t risk to clear her name. But can she nail the killer before he takes out the only witness?BOOK 2: REVENGE ON THE LEVELSTwo years ago Larry “Twister” Wadman vanished without a trace. Kate Hamblin is the sole survivor of his murderous rampage. Then a prostitute dressed as a policewoman is found brutally slain, and Kate realizes her old enemy is back. Can she catch him before he has his revenge?BOOK 3: FEAR ON THE LEVELSA teenage girl last seen leaving a party at the height of a local scarecrow festival is found strangled and stripped in her own barn. The crime is an exact copy of the murder of peasant girl, Martha Tinney. But Martha died 150 years ago at the hands of a spectral scarecrow named Strawfoot. Or so legend has it. Can Kate track down the flesh-and-blood copycat before he adds to his kill list?BOOK 4: KILLER ON THE LEVELSJournalist Ellie Landy is found drowned in the River Parrett. The only clue: a cryptic line about “Sandman” jotted in a paperback by her bed. Everyone assumes her death was an accident. And then the Sandman strikes again. Can Kate unmask the killer before he puts anyone else to sleep?BOOK 5: SECRETS ON THE LEVELSDetective Kate finds herself staring down the wrong end of a shotgun out on the lonely marshes. She’s hunting escaped con Lenny Stallard. He should be serving time for a botched burglary that ended in murder. Revenge appears to be the motive. But it’s all a bit too convenient for Kate. Can she uncover the truth before her own number is up?BOOK 6: DEATH ON THE LEVELSA man writes to the police station, threatening to kill his aunts. No one takes him seriously — until an elderly woman is found strangled in her home. “RIP Auntie” is written on the floor in red lipstick. As the body count rises, Kate realizes she is up against a deadly foe. Can she stay one step ahead? If not, whose aunt will be next on the kill list?BOOK 7: POISON ON THE LEVELSA young woman snatched from a festival. A poison pen letter writer driving people to take their own lives. Kate has her work cut out solving the two cases. Probing deeper, she finds herself caught up in a dark, complicated web of deceit, wagging tongues and false trails. Then she realizes she’s being watched. By a shady figure who knows her every move. Can she find the missing girl in time to save both their lives?

Rough Country


T.J. Brearton - 2020
    A town with a dark secret.A young girl, Kasey, is murdered in the woods of northern New York, a strange symbol carved into her stomach.Investigator Reed Raleigh, Major Crimes, is tasked with finding the killer.Reed has his own troubles. He’s in therapy, divorced, estranged from his son. But he desperately needs to solve this case - his own stepdaughter vanished when she was a teenager and Reed knows all about the agony of having no closure. No way is he letting Kasey’s mother go through that.But as Reed begins to dig, the case grows ever more complex. Why is Kasey’s boyfriend acting so strangely? And why is her mother lying to the police?As evidence of Kasey’s bizarre secret life starts to emerge, Reed realises this case isn’t just about a dead girl. There’s something much bigger at play in this small rural town, a decades old secret that needs to be protected. At any cost.

The Magpie


Marrisse Whittaker - 2021
    A detective who is out of control. Meet DSI Wilde. Wilde by name. Wild by nature. DSI Billie Wilde is on a mission to catch the killer responsible for a horrific showcase of murders, in order to prove that she’s still at the top of her game. But when hidden skeletons come out of dark corners, she is forced to confront her past and face the truth - that she is the ultimate target, now firmly in the executioner’s sights.As Billie grapples with her past, and learns she isn’t who she thought she was, she uncovers devastating childhood links to each of the victims. The past refuses to stay buried and Billie soon finds herself wondering if she knows who’s behind the brutal murders.But can Billie solve the case and unravel the mystery of her own past before it’s too late?

Murder And Grits: A Piper Sandstone Savory Mystery Series (A contemporary Gulf Coast mystery with recipes), Book 1


Karen McSpade - 2021
    

El Camino del Rio: A Mystery


Jim Sanderson - 1998
    Border Patrol agent Dolph Martinez to the corpse of a man executed in the desert…a murder that shatters the fragile calm in a dusty, Texas town. His investigation pits him against the Mexican Army, the DEA, big-money Houston real estate interests, a Catholic nun who practices voodoo, a charismatic revolutionary wanted on both sides of the border, and perhaps deadliest of all, the demons from his own, tortured past.

The Conspiracy: Episode 1


Jack Probyn - 2020
    A small jewellers is raided in Guildford High Street and leaves police chasing their tails. Reports suggest that it's The Crimsons, an organised crime group the police have been hunting for years. The device wrapped around her neck is suffocating her, crushing her chest.But for rookie detective, Jake Tanner, something doesn't seem right. The heist doesn’t fit any of their previous patterns. And the last time Jake met them, he was staring down the barrel of their gun, bargaining for his life. The men who put it there have left her to die.When the shop owner is kidnapped and a collar bomb is attached to her neck, Jake learns one of his own is involved – a police officer. Her life now rests in Jake Tanner’s hands. As Jake follows the group on a wild goose chase, he questions everything he knows about his team. Who can he trust? And is he prepared to find out?

Going Back


Peter Robinson - 2009
    In the novella "Going Back," never before published in the United States, Banks returns home for a family reunion, only to find it taking a decidedly sinister turn.

The Treasure Huntress Archaeological Action Adventure Series: Books 1-3


Ryan Mullaney - 2018
    Book 1 - THE SERPENT'S FANGAn ancient Aztec dagger used in ritual human sacrifice - a simple relic, or a weapon of unfathomable power that must not fall into the wrong hands? Joining forces with the shady Clark Bannicheck, Simone digs into the mystery of The Serpent's Fang while working to uncover the mysteries of her past.Book 2 - THE TOMB OF SOULSSimone is tasked to locate The Fallen Star, a fabled relic with impossible healing abilities. With an unscrupulous Saudi prince, a ruthless weapons dealer, and a vengeful assassin all closing in, Simone finds herself in the most perilous quest of her life.Book 3 - FOLLOWERS OF THE STORMA fanatical religious cult has seized a mysterious Viking runestone, putting the life of one of Simone's closest friends in jeopardy. Vowing to return the runestone, Simone sets off on a journey that blurs the lines between ally and enemy, right and wrong, good and evil. THE TREASURE HUNTRESS SERIESThe Serpent's Fang The Tomb of Souls Followers of the Storm (Winter 2018) For more information, visit sunbirdbooks.org.

BONES OF THE DEMON KING (Demon King Series Book 1)


S.E. Grayson - 2015
    He's a serial killer that brutally murders women. Eva Lewis is the reporter that named him...but is she also his next victim? The FBI must race against time to catch this Demon King before he claims his queen.

The Chatterbox Killer


Ian Patterson - 2019
    I was on the edge of my seat, anticipating what was to come. So many delicious plot twists kept me on my toes.""I couldn't put it down...kept me wondering what next." It's a slow Monday at Manhattan's Midtown North Precinct when NYPD Detective Dexter Fortune takes the call. Recently returned to duty, Fortune is willing enough to be amused by what he believes to be a crank caller. But after listening to the man describe how he killed two women with a third victim awaiting discovery, Fortune soon realizes this call is no joke.Reunited with his partner, Detective Gabriella Fernandez, the pair race to apprehend a devious serial killer intent on adding to his body count. But to catch this killer, Fortune and Fernandez must uncover secrets long buried in the past. With the Mayor, the Chief of Police, and the City watching and the media treating the killer dubbed "The Chatterbox" like a celebrity, the detectives become caught-up in a game of catch-me-if-you-can with a killer promising more victims.Taunted by late-night phone calls from The Chatterbox, a sleep-deprived Fortune is seduced by the killer into making it personal. A killer who delights in manipulating and deceiving Fortune into drawing false and dangerous conclusions.Finally, convinced of the man's identity and with his superiors unwilling to act, Fortune defies authority to force The Chatterbox into the open. In doing so, he comes face-to-face with a predator he realizes, too late, he has seriously underestimated.Desperate to save the people he cares for and loves, Fortune is lured into a violent confrontation that could leave him, The Chatterbox, or both men dead.And for The Chatterbox? This suits him just fine. If you love Connelly, Kellerman, Baldacci, and J.D. Robb, you'll love Ian Patterson. With plenty of twists and turns, THE CHATTERBOX KILLER is BOOK I in a new, fast-paced Serial Killer Thriller Series featuring NYPD Homicide Detectives Dexter Fortune and Gabriella Fernandez. Buy THE CHATTERBOX KILLER today and enjoy these other page-turning Ian Patterson suspense thrillers available now on Amazon.com: AVENGING ANGEL and THE GIRL IN THE GLASS TOWER. For updates and Free Books, follow Ian Patterson at www.amazon.com/author/ianpatterson

Nine Lives


Anita Waller - 2021
    The police realise this new death is linked to a spate of cold case murders and the killer is back. Five years earlier, four young women were found murdered, their bodies left in woody areas, and the new victim shares similar hallmarks. But why did the killer stop killing for all that time and what has inspired them to start again? As more young women fall victim to a vicious and calculating murderer, Erica and Beth find themselves chasing their tails. But when a witness is identified the case takes an unexpected and macabre turn. Can Erica and Beth bring the killer to justice, or will this case prove too much?

The Art of Danger


Stuart Doughty - 2020
    Three men are murdered to get a dull, forgotten painting. A crazy, pointless heist? Or something far more sinister?In this action-packed crime-thriller, the tough ex-cop and firearms specialist Kite is up against a foreign spy who’s planning havoc and mayhem, not an art show. To complicate matters, Kite’s being followed by a kooky – and sexy – young woman. Where does she fit in? Even worse, Kite’s got a shameful secret in his past that he thinks is well hidden – until he realises someone’s on to it and the odds stack up to produce an action-packed thriller.What Kite is chasing down isn’t just a painting: it’s the most explosive art in the world. Can he stop the impending cataclysm?

The Edge Creek Light


H.P. Bayne - 2020
    As private investigators, they come with a unique skill: Sully can see the ghosts of homicide victims.Focused on piecing together the circumstances surrounding Gabe’s disappearance, the brothers quickly find themselves embroiled in a murder case.Unexpected connections between the teenager and the ghost lead Sully and Dez deep into a traumatic incident that shattered lives.Uncovering the secret could cost them theirs.The Braddock & Gray Case Files—a series of standalone ghostly mysteries—follow the events in The Sullivan Gray Series. Enjoyed by fans of Odd Thomas and the brother dynamic of Supernatural.

Mercy


John W. Mefford - 2019
    He can't deny it. But in what form will the pressure erupt? Cooper Chain isn't just down on his luck -- he's almost down for the count. The mob wants a piece of him, and he sees no way out. It's a special week for Willow Ball, a woman who's survived her own tribulations to reach this milestone in her life. Through fate -- or a temporary misalignment of the stars -- Willow and Cooper cross paths for the first time since college. Will an unexpected spark re-ignite the flame? A shattering discovery changes everything for Willow and Cooper. The murder is unlike any other. But what will the cops do about it? Attacks ensure, chaos ruptures a family . . . Through it all, how can Willow and Cooper find the killer? But it's not over. As the bodies pile up, a pattern develops and it rocks Willow and Cooper to the core. And then someone emerges after a three-decade disappearance. Could he be connected to this string of murders? The past might provide the breadcrumbs to end this nightmare. But Willow and Cooper may not live long enough to see it through. Will mercy save a life or end many?

The Ties That Bind: A Mystery Crime Thriller (Max Plank Mystery Series Book 2)


Robert Bucchianeri - 2018
    He normally steers clear of cases involving family affairs, but the old woman is desperate to prevent a femme fatale from taking advantage of her young son and a large fortune. With the help of a fat envelope stuffed with cash, Max agrees to at least give it a cursory examination.But once Max catches the scent of the mystey, his curiosity and need for justice take over. Soon it’s unclear whether he’s the pursuer or the pursued until he realizes that he’s put at risk the people he loves most in the world. As the dead bodies pile up, the twists and turns explode into a stunning climax where a monstrous secret is finally unmasked and innocent lives are forever ruined.The Ties That Bind is a blistering mystery thriller by the author of the highly praised Stray Cat Blues. Look for the next Max Plank Mystery, Devil’s Arcade, coming soon!