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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Crime & mystery
In this crime thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling J.D. Robb, a small and easily concealed weapon wreaks havoc, and the killer is just a face in the crowd. Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life. It’s the last night of her life. Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle—and when his girlfriend Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas. After everyone on the scene is interviewed, lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body—and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern: Had any boys been harassing Jenna? Was she engaging in risky behavior or caught up in something shady? But there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted. And that worries Dallas. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come.
Durban men’s hostels are a relic of the apartheid government used as settlements formery for migrant workers. Over the years they have morphed into dangerous territory where killing, extortion and allied crimes thrive. A local research paper by the Germany-based Global Initiative Against Organised Crime suggests that between March 2014 and January 2019, more than 120 people died as a result of violence perpetrated by hitmen based at Glebelands Hostel in Umlazi, a former ‘township’ in south Durban. The killings have bled beyond the hostel, throughout KZN and even into neighbouring provinces. This is a staggering statistic for a community of around 22 000 people living in a housing complex that covers less than two square kilometres. The paper further reveals that one of Durban’s largest hostel complexes, Glebelands consists of 71 blocks. Accommodation varies from large, very old, dilapidated blocks, to the much smaller, newer family units. Crime is well-embedded here and it is often reported as fact that police and politicians alike also benefit with contract killers and the abundance of hitmen often hired from the bloody hostel. Hitmen are groomed from an early age especially by those in the taxi industry. Blood, Blades and Bullets follows the story of Mazwi Nxumalo, a naïve school dropout teenager from rural Nongoma who is unwittingly recruited into the dark world of Glebelands hostel hitmen. Coming from a poverty-stricken family, the odds are stacked against him. He is also running away from a mysterious man and his goons that he busted executing a man in a local forest. After getting in tune with the ways of the Durban taxi ranks and industry, he is soon trained in shooting, surprisingly by rogue cop friends of his handler, Zenzele. He returns one more time to Nongoma where, in a rage, kills his friend, former schoolmate and striking partner in the local football team after learning he had impregnated his high school sweetheart. Angry at his protégé and fearing that he would soon be out of control, Zenzele decides it’s time for the traditional cleansing and strengthening ceremony, ukuthwala. Mazwi emerges almost invincible from this ritual and rite of passage to become an unstoppable but flawed killing machine. As the bodies pile up, including of those cops investigating his crimes, so is his irrepressible obsession with his doctored bullets and one woman whom his handlers believe will be his Achilles heel.
Twee gewese speurders word koelbloedig langs 'n plaasdam afgemaai. En Kassie en Rooi moet die moordsaak oorneem by 'n uitgedunde Paarlse speurspan wat al 'n week lank daarmee kleitrap. Met die ooglopendste aspekte van die ondersoek reeds afgehandel, voel dit vir Kassie of hulle 'n saak erf waarvan die karkas klaar skoon gevreet is. Kassie bevraagteken egter die Paarliete se afleiding dat diefstal die motief vir die moorde was. Wanneer hy en Rooi ander moontlikhede ondersoek, begin dinge doller as kopaf raak. Geraamtes uit die verlede, 'n oud-lid van die Brixtonse Moord en Roof-eenheid, 'n leier van 'n eens berugte tronkbende, en 'n swendelaar wat die grootste maatskappy-gekonkel sedert Steinhoff orkestreer, sorg vir talle vrae waarvan die Spookeenheid-speurders probeer sin maak. En sit daar dalk iemand anders agter die man wat die sneller getrek het? Om sake vir Kassie te vererger, beleef hy 'n yslike persoonlike krisis wat hy nie weet hóé om te hanteer of op te los nie.
A nerve-tingling and atmospheric thriller from master of suspense Nicci French about two families shattered by tragedy and the secrets that have been waiting decades to be revealed. On the day of Alec Salter’s fiftieth birthday party, his wife, Charlotte, vanishes. Most of the small English village of Glensted is at the party for hours before anyone realizes she is missing. While Alec brushes off her disappearance, their four children—especially fifteen-year-old Etty—grow increasingly anxious as the cold winter hours become days and she doesn’t return. Then Etty and her friend Morgan find the body of Morgan’s father—and the Salters’ neighbor— Duncan Ackerley, floating in the river. The police conclude that Duncan and Charlotte were having an affair before he killed her and committed suicide. Thirty years later, Morgan Ackerley returns to Glensted with his older brother to make a podcast based on their shared tragedy with the Salters. Alec, stricken with dementia, is entering an elder care facility while Etty helps put his affairs in order. But when the Ackerleys ask to interview the Salters, the entire town gets caught up in the unresolved cases. Allegations fly, secrets come to light, and a suspicious fire leads to a murder. With the podcast making national news, London sends Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor to Glensted to take over the investigation. She will stop at nothing to uncover the truth as a new and terrifying picture of what really happened to Charlotte Salter and Duncan Ackerley emerges.
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Stephanie Plum breaks the rules, flirts with disaster, and shows who's boss in the latest smash hit from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich. Monday mornings aren't supposed to be fun, but they should be predictable. However, on this particular Monday, Stephanie Plum knows that something is amiss when she turns up for work at Vinnie's Bail Bonds to find that longtime office manager Connie Rosolli, who is as reliable as the tides in Atlantic City, hasn't shown up. Stephanie's worst fears are confirmed when she gets a call from Connie's abductor. He says he will only release her in exchange for a mysterious coin that a recently murdered man left as collateral for his bail. Unfortunately, this coin, which should be in the office - just like Connie -is nowhere to be found. The quest to discover the coin, learn its value, and save Connie will require the help of Stephanie's Grandma Mazur, her best pal Lula, her boyfriend Morelli, and hunky security expert Ranger. As they get closer to unravelling the reasons behind Connie's kidnapping, Connie's captor grows more threatening, and soon Stephanie has no choice but to throw caution to the wind, follow her instincts, and go rogue. She is more shocked by the results than anyone. Full of surprises, thrills, and humour, Going Rogue reveals a new side of Stephanie Plum, and shows Janet Evanovich at her scorching, riotous best. 'A fun plot with many twists and turns . . . Evanovich does it again as only she can' 'Funny, tenacious and constantly moving . . .' 'Always a laugh out loud read' Praise for Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels 'A laugh-out-loud page-turner' Heat 'Plum remains outspoken, brave, and definitely one-of-a-kind... a hilariously madcap, action-packed caper filled with crazy twists and some nail-biting suspense' Booklist (starred review) 'Romantic and gripping' Good Housekeeping
They say the camera never lies. But on this show, you can't trust anything you see. Stranded in the Welsh mountains, seven reality show contestants have no idea what they've signed up for. Each of these strangers has a secret. If another player can guess the truth, they won't just be eliminated - they'll be exposed live on air. The stakes are higher than they'd ever imagined, and they're trapped. The disappearance of a contestant wasn't supposed to be part of the drama. Detective Ffion Morgan has to put aside what she's watched on screen, and find out who these people really are - knowing she can't trust any of them. And when a murderer strikes, Ffion knows every one of her suspects has an alibi . . . and a secret worth killing for.
Secrets lie at the heart of every family… Hanna’s world is crumbling. An unimaginable crime has been committed, and everyone’s looking for someone to blame. Her loved ones are under suspicion. Now Hanna must work out who is threatening her family – before it’s too late. No one could have seen this coming…
Journalist and public relations maven Lucy Khambule is flying high in her life and career. Her book on convicted serial killer Napoleon Dingiswayo is a bestseller, Lucy is in demand for talks and interviews, and her company is involved in early stage organising for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Then comes the terrifying news that Dingiswayo has escaped from C-Max – or has he, as shortly thereafter Detective Morapedi confirms to Lucy that the charred remains found in a prison pipe shaft, along with a suicide note, are those of Dingiswayo. An official statement from Correctional Services further confirms this. But who is the person stalking her on Facebook? What should Lucy and Detective Morapedi make of the violent and disturbing ‘copycat’ killings happening in eSwatini and the hushed rumours that are swirling around the annual Reed Dance? As Lucy and her events management team work on the historical FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw at the Durban International Convention Centre, events unfold at breakneck speed. Is this the work of an exconvict on a deadly mission or are there other dangers lurking on Lucy’s path? Who can she trust and how can she stay safe?
The page-turning psychological thriller from the author of the bestsellers The Magpies and Because She Loves Me. It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, a final adventure before settling down. But after a perfect start, an encounter with a young couple on a night train forces Daniel and Laura to cut their dream trip short and flee home. Back in London, Daniel and Laura vow never to talk about what happened that night. But as they try to fit into their old lives again, they realise they are in terrible danger—and that their nightmare is just beginning…
You can choose your house. Not your neighbours.
WELCOME TO YOUR DREAM HOME.
MEET YOUR NEW NEIGHBOURS.
AND PREPARE FOR THE NIGHTMARE TO BEGIN A gripping thriller about nightmare neighbours, Those People Next Door explores the loss of innocence and how far we’re prepared to go to defend ourselves and the people we love.
The gripping new thriller in the San Diego Case Files series from the bestselling author of Cold Blooded Liar. Homicide Detective Kit McKittrick finds herself standing over a dead body in the Shady Oaks retirement centre. Frank Flynn has been stabbed and his room ransacked. Though he kept his background quiet at the centre, Kit recognises Frank from the San Diego Police Department. Had the former detective been following a trail that led to his murder? When the head of security is also found dead, it points to a conspiracy right at the heart of Shady Oaks. The one person who might be able to help uncover the truth is just who Kit has been avoiding: Dr Sam Reeves. As a volunteer at the centre and a friend of the victim, the forensic psychologist could be just what her case needs. But without access to CCTV of the day of the murder, how will Kit catch her killer? And can she do so before anyone else is put in danger?
It's been more than two years since homicide detective Livy Reynolds's cousin disappeared from Logan Point. Unlike most people in her hometown, Livy has never believed that Robyn left voluntarily. When Dallas private investigator Alex Jennings contacts Livy concerning a missing senator's daughter who was last seen in Logan Point, she notices eerie similarities between the two disappearances. But with self-doubt plaguing her and an almost instant dislike of Jennings, Livy is finding this investigation an uphill battle. With her future in law enforcement on the line, can she find a way to work with a man who is her polar opposite? Award-winning author Patricia Bradley keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they anticipate the outcome of the case--and the relationship between Livy and Alex--which is anything but certain.
Stephanie Plum, Trenton’s hardest working, most underappreciated bounty hunter, is offered a freelance assignment that seems simple enough. Local jeweler Martin Rabner wants her to locate his former security guard, Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy), who he is convinced stole a fortune in diamonds out of his safe. Stephanie is also looking for another troubled man, Duncan Dugan, a fugitive from justice arrested for robbing the same jewelry store on the same day. With her boyfriend Morelli away in Miami on police business, Stephanie is taking care of Bob, Morelli’s giant orange dog who will devour anything, from Stephanie’s stray donuts to the upholstery in her car. Morelli’s absence also means the inscrutable, irresistible security expert Ranger is front and center in Stephanie’s life when things inevitably go sideways. And he seems determined to stay there. To complicate matters, her best friend Lula is convinced she is being stalked by a mythological demon hell-bent on relieving her of her wardrobe. An overnight stakeout with Stephanie’s mother and Grandma Mazur reveals three generations of women with nerves of steel and driving skills worthy of NASCAR champions. As the body count rises and witnesses start to disappear, it won’t be easy for Stephanie to keep herself clean when everyone else is playing dirty. It’s a good thing Stephanie isn’t afraid of getting a little dirty, too.
’n Spieel is ’n vreemde ding, want in ’n spieel leef ’n koue leuen; alles is andersom, verkeerdom en plat. Regs is links en links is regs. ’n Spieel lieg, dink hy, want jy kan jouself nie regtig sien nie, nes mens jouself nie kan kielie nie. Tensy jy natuurlik ’n soort aap is, dan kan jy jouself kielie. En lag. Maar Dolf Eksteen lag nie. Daar’s min rede die laaste tyd om te wil lag. Joe Minnie se lewe raak verweef met die van een van die rykste besigheidsmanne in die land. Sy opdrag is om Dolf Eksteen met sy lewe te bewaak. Dolf se weelderige bestaan word versuur deur bedelbriewe, afpersboodskappe en doodsdreigemente, en die beeldskone Belinda Eksteen, ’n opkomende vermaaklikheidster, is soos ’n emosionele en finansiele tikkende tydbom aan sy sy. Met ’n rolverdeling wat ’n deursnit van die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap bied – die onaantasbares, die onderdruktes, die onderduimses – word Spieelbeeld ’n intense en meesleurende, psigologiese karakterstudie wat nog vir lank by die leser sal spook. ’n Wereldklas spanningsverhaal waartydens die leser die speurder is.
One chance to crack the case. A million ways to lose. Federal prosecutor Nora Carleton has spent years building a case against a powerful New York mobster. She finally has a star witness whose testimony will lock the defendant away for good. But the courtroom is an unpredictable place. While the killing of a disgraced former governor appears unconnected to the trial, the fallout from his death means a guilty verdict hangs in the balance. Desperate to stop the mobster walking free, Nora investigates the darker side of the city to find out how everything connects. The more she uncovers, the deeper the corruption runs. And Nora knows better than most that the truth is a fragile thing - especially in court. Drawing on James Comey's thirty years in federal law enforcement, Central Park West is a fast-paced thriller, bursting with tension and authenticity - perfect for fans of John Grisham.
One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, "New York Times" bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet? With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.
Umiko Wada never set out to be private detective, let alone become the one-woman operation behind the Kodaka Detective Agency. And with her former boss recently deceased in mysterious circumstances, Wada is careful to choose the cases she takes very carefully. But her interest is gripped by a mysterious businessman who wants her to track down his estranged son. But she should have known that the simplest cases are never what they seem. Soon she finds herself pulled into a labyrinthine conspiracy with links to a twenty year old investigation and to the chaos and trauma of the dying days of the Second World War. As Wada uncovers a dizzying web of links between then and now, it becomes clear that someone has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the past buried. And the deeper Wada digs, the more danger she finds herself. Soon those she loves most will be sucked into the orbit of one of the most powerful men in Tokyo. And he will do whatever it takes to hold on to that power... The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is another tour de force from the cunning mind of master storyteller Robert Goddard. Spanning seventy years, it takes the reader on a head-spinning journey of twist and counter-twist which keep you guessing until the final pages.
After a whirlwind, fairytale romance, Abigail Baskin marries freshly-minted Silicon Valley millionaire Bruce Lamb. For their honeymoon, he whisks her away to an exclusive retreat at a friend's resort off the Maine coast on Heart Pond Island. But once there, Abigail's perfect new life threatens to crash down around her as she recognises one of their fellow guests as the good looking, charismatic stranger who weeks earlier had seduced her at her own Bachelorette party...
An utterly original, hilarious and heart-warming novel about a murdered woman investigating her own death, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Janice Hallett and S J Bennett. Hello? Can you hear me? Probably not. I'm Dr Miriam Price . . . and I'm dead. The local police, who couldn't investigate their own nostrils, think I drank myself into an early grave. The nerve! I was murdered. I was just too plastered to know whodunnit, that's all. Unless I prove to my inquest this week that my death was no 'misadventure', I'm condemned to 50 years in Limbo. I have to find my killer - but I can't communicate with any living human. Well, there's one, but she barely qualifies . . . Winnie - my neighbour and nemesis. It seems the dying can interact with the dead, which is helpful news for me, if not stellar for Winnie. Oh well. She'll live. Maybe. Suspects? How long have you got? My saintly husband, who'd reached his limit? My best friend, who was anything but? My secret lover, or his wife? My disgruntled colleague? The mother who wrongly holds me responsible for her child's death? Professor Plum? Your guess is as good as mine. So Winnie - slap on your deerstalker and strap on your granny pants. Let's catch a killer! Assuming we don't kill each other first . . .
Don’t miss the next emotionally gripping thriller from Sunday Times bestseller Susan Lewis! The first chapter of a manuscript arrives on publisher Marina’s desk. She assumes it’s just another novel by another aspiring writer… As the chapters arrive one by one, Marina is convinced they are about her past. There’s only one person who can know everything about the scandal, the trial, and the trauma that nearly broke her. This is one story that should never be told, and Marina is so desperate she will do anything to stop it getting out.
Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting… Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored. We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with. We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive. Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.
Discover the darkness that lurks around every corner in the latest instalment of the award-winning Grace series, now a major ITV series. When a young farmer confronts intruders in the middle of the night he has no idea that just minutes later he will be left dying in a pool of blood. What’s more chilling is what the perpetrators were willing to kill for. At the scene of the crime, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace soon realises this is no isolated robbery gone wrong but the tip of the iceberg of a nationwide crime wave, in which ruthless organised gangs are making more money from the illegal trade in dogs than drugs. A trade which pits him against some ruthless people who will kill anyone who gets in their way, because where there is greed, there is murder.
DI Kate Burrows thought she'd never face a killer like the Grantley Ripper again. But she was wrong. One by one, children are being abandoned. Thankfully, they're rescued from harm. Then one victim is not so lucky, and Kate knows she's in a race against time to save lives. As a parent herself, Kate's finding the case tough and she needs the support of her lover, Patrick Kelly, more than ever. But Patrick's got problems of his own...
Welcome to Willow Close, where everyone is a suspect . . . On the day Nina and Conrad Best move into their new home in picture-perfect Willow Close, a body is discovered. Hurrying inside with their belongings, they see horrified neighbours gather by the police cordon - one of the residents has been attacked and brutally killed in the woods. Believing someone must have seen the murderer, the police interview all the residents of the Close. They soon find out that each neighbour harbours their own secrets. The residents of Willow Close are far from what they initially seem and strange, even dark, things happen behind their closed doors. Nina and Conrad had thought they'd found their dream neighbourhood. But have they moved into a nightmare? Welcome to Willow Close: where you'll fit right in . . . |
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