Book picks similar to
Dead Ringer by James D. Mortain


first-in-series
international-int
mystery
mystery-british

The Lost Brother


Susanna Beard - 2021
    And Leonora is stuck dealing with her dysfunctional parents on her own.The unthinkable happens.Five years later, Leonora’s father flies down to South Africa to bring Ricky home. Something terrible happens. Her dad’s body is found with a fatal gunshot wound. And her brother is nowhere to be found.Now Leonora must find out the truth.Utterly absorbing and beautifully written, this taut psychological thriller will keep you guessing until its chilling conclusion.

The DCI Jack Logan Collection Books 1-3: A Scottish Crime Fiction Series


J.D. Kirk - 2020
    

The Secret Of The Stolen Idols


Vivek R Chaturvedi - 2021
    Gururaj soon finds out that he is not alone in the chase and all characters involved in the original heist are drawn in to face each other once again.Will Gururaj be able to save the ancient traditions? Will he find out who stole the idols? Would his secretive benefactor save him as before? Find out as you read through this fast paced tale.The Secret of the Stolen Idols - a story based on real life historical events – is a fictionalized account of the last of Betaal worshippers in Goa. The book is a tightly woven suspense with a myriad of intriguing characters, fascinating sets, and well researched instructive chapters. Piece by piece - much like the stolen idols - the story unravels itself continuously till the very end.

Hell Hath No Cookie (Twin Berry Bakery, #6)


Wendy Meadows - 2021
    Teaming up with her twin sister Rita, the pair begin to unravel a sinister scheme that threatens to destroy the life of the man she loves.From a bumbling cop to a close shave with death, it quickly becomes clear that somebody is out to get them. Struggling to catch the would-be killers and get to the heart of their scheme, Rhonda must uncover Zach’s history… and why he’s become their target. But there’s one more surprise in store – and it could throw all of Rhonda’s plans for a loop.Can Rhonda use her cunning detective skills to outwit a cruel scheme? Or will she become the next victim and lose the man she’s desperately trying to save?

The Rumor


Lori Lacefield - 2018
    A long-held secret. A couple coming undone.Beth McCallum and Nick Storvik are attending their twentieth high school reunion when they learn of a disturbing revelation. The bones of Missy Ferguson, a high school classmate who disappeared their Junior year, have been discovered in a Michigan wildlife reserve and an autopsy reveals she was murdered. Suspects are scarce, but when an old rumor resurfaces that Missy was pregnant before she disappeared and Nick was the father, Nick quickly becomes the prime suspect. Beth swears the allegations about her then-boyfriend and Missy were never true, promising she and Nick were together the entire autumn of that year, but the truth is, Beth can’t remember what occurred those last two weeks of October during their Junior year at all. As secrets and lies are exposed, Beth and Nick find their marriage tested as each begins to suspect the other has much to hide - including the possibility that one of them is capable of murder.

Ashes to Ashes


Cory Toth - 2013
    Then, after a business misfortune and a stormy relationship, he lost everything but his sanity and his love for his baby daughter. He is now struggling to make it through each day, emotionally and financially, when disaster strikes and the floodgates of Hell are opened. Danger lurks in the background, tearing at the fabric of his fragile existence. Someone has been watching him. Someone is following his every move, waiting in the shadows, terrorizing him with unknown motives. He begins to suspect everyone in his life, including himself. He must fight to learn what is happening before it is too late for him...and his family.

Echo Killers: A Dickie Floyd Detective Novel


Danny R. Smith - 2021
    A vehicle carrying seven soldiers was swept away in a flash flood. Four were killed, three were never found. Los Angeles, 2018. A runaway boy claims to have witnessed a murder. The story seems farfetched, but Floyd takes the case. Unsure, he turns to his old partner for a second opinion.But Dickie has problems of his own. He has been assigned a new partner, a good cop but one with a checkered past. It’s the last thing Dickie needs, regardless of how sexy she happens to be. When the two are sent to investigate a murder in Compton, Dickie recognizes the similarities to Floyd’s new case.Army investigators descend on South Los Angeles in search of AWOL soldiers, while Dickie and Floyd close in on the killers. Are their paths set to collide? In an exciting, action-packed police drama replete with perilous twists and snaky turns, this murder mystery will drag you beyond the yellow tape and into the minds and souls of killers and those who hunt them."A fast-paced novel filled with colorful characters and dialogue reminiscent of vintage Elmore Leonard. Brimming with true-to-life details that can only come from the pen of an experienced homicide investigator, Echo Killers has an authenticity which is rare among murder mysteries." - Phil Jonas"To say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book would be an understatement. Like his previous novels, this book was riveting for me. Hence the reason that I was determined to finish it in one sitting. It had me on the edge of my seat a couple of times so I just had to keep turning pages." - Moon Mullen"I am also a Michael Connelly fan and read all of his books. Connelly has a book out called Dark Sacred Night, which is currently number 2 in the best-selling list. Echo Killers is far superior." - Bud Johnson"Although I love the dynamics of the Dickie Floyd duo, I really liked the introduction of Dickie’s newest partner, Josie, who possesses both brains and beauty. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Dickie Floyd Detective Novel series, and I must admit this one is my favorite so far." - Michele C.

The Frozen Child: A Riveting Kidnapping Mystery


Robert J. Walker - 2022
    

The Fifth Grave


Rob Jones - 2018
     Poised to return to work after a long bereavement leave, Detective Chief Inspector Jacob is called away from the sanctuary of his home to attend the grim discovery of human remains over a quarter of a century old. Found deep in woodland with its own grim history, they give little up, but he is soon confronted with local gossip of hauntings and witches. The mystery deepens when a second person is murdered in the same woods, and Jacob soon realises he is hunting a killer who will stop at nothing to keep the darkest of secrets buried in the past. Working alongside Dr Sophie Anderson, a criminal psychologist with her own damaged past, they close the net until tragedy strikes again in this gripping romantic suspense thriller. Set in the wild and beautiful Wiltshire Downs, The Fifth Grave is a fast-paced whodunit with a dash of humour and romance and a killer twist.

Mind of a Killer


Dan Padavona - 2018
     A teenage girl is brutally murdered in an idyllic lake community. In over his head, the local sheriff calls upon the Behavior Analysis Unit’s best profiler, Scarlett Bell, to find the murderer. Is a serial killer stalking Coral Lake? Now Scarlett faces a killer unlike any she’s encountered. Bloodthirsty. Cunning. Insane. Another girl goes missing, and the special agent must stop the killer before time runs out. But the killer is a ghost, a phantom hiding in plain sight, and Scarlett must untangle a confusing web of evidence if she hopes to track him down. If she fails, the girl dies. The body count will grow. Scarlett should beware. The killer is coming for her now.

Murder in Hampstead: a classic whodunnit in a contemporary setting


Sabina Manea - 2021
    

Tic Tac Toe


Emmy Ellis - 2020
    Noughts and crosses should be innocent enough, but the American title brings a sinister slant… The state of the bodies is nothing but macabre, sickening. What do the clues mean? Forehead carvings. Drawing pins. A body part snipped off. The game grid has nine boxes for nine bodies, but someone else ruins Zac’s plan, meaning he has a spare box to fill. Who does he choose? And can Bethany ever get over the discovery of that victim? With some corpses discovered en masse, it might be time to call in DI Tracy Collier from Serious Crimes but, as usual, Bethany is determined her team will solve this, and she’ll do everything she can to make it happen.

In The Silence


M.R. Mackenzie - 2018
    Convinced that Foley was deliberately targeted rather than the victim of a random attack, Anna begins her own investigation, and in so doing unearths a trail of long-buried secrets, leading back to a crime committed over a decade ago.A crime so unspeakable its perpetrators are prepared to take their silence to the grave.In the Silence is a fast-paced, compelling crime mystery which will appeal to fans of authors like Mark Billingham, Stuart MacBride and Mark Edwards.NOTE: This new edition has been revised to include material not present in the initial publication.