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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Crime & mystery > General
In the thrilling first crime novel from the former director of the FBI, a murder investigation reveals deadly connections between high-ranking politicians and the mafia. The gripping crime fiction debut from former FBI director James Comey takes readers deep inside the world of lawyers and investigators working to solve a murder while navigating the treacherous currents of modern politics and the mob. When a years-long case against a powerful mobster finally cracks and an unimpeachable witness takes the stand, federal prosecutor Nora Carleton is looking forward to putting the defendant away for good. The mobster, though, has other plans. As the witness’s testimony concludes, a note is passed to the prosecution offering up information into the assassination of a disgraced former New York governor, murdered in his penthouse apartment just days before. It’s enough to blow the case wide open, and to send Nora into a high-stakes investigation of conspiracy, corruption, and danger. Drawing from the author’s decades in federal law enforcement, including his years in Manhattan as a mob prosecutor and later the chief federal prosecutor, Central Park West is a fast-paced legal thriller with an intriguing plot enriched by real-life details and experiences. That unique perspective gives the novel much of its allure, but it’s the unforgettable characters, shocking twists, and courtroom scenes as authentic as they are dramatic that will leave readers looking forward to more from this bold new talent in the genre.
Denise Mina reimagines Raymond Chandler's famed and troubled detective Philip Marlowe in this gritty thriller set in 1940s Los Angeles. "This is Marlowe." "Mr. Philip Marlowe?" She asked. I glanced at the clock. It was exactly eleven am, as if she had been waiting by the phone for an appointed hour, following someone else's orders to the letter. "What, d'you think we're a troupe of brothers? There is only me." It's mid-September, a heatwave has descended on the parched hills of LA and Private Detective Philip Marlowe is called to the Montgomery estate, an almost mythic place sitting high on top of Beverly Hills. Wealthy twenty-two-year-old Chrissie Montgomery, set to inherit an enormous fortune, is missing. She's a walking target, ripe for someone to get their claws into. Her dying father, along with his sultry bottle blonde girlfriend, wants her found before that happens. They've hired Anna Riorden, Marlowe's nemesis, too. The search takes them to the roughest neighbourhoods of LA through dive bars and Skid Row. And that's before he finds the body at The Brody Hotel. Who will get to her first, Marlowe, Anne, or the men chasing her fortune? And does she want to be found?
She's ready to make sure he gets exactly what he deserves... the irresistible new thriller that everyone will be talking about. This is a story about Hannah. She seems shy. Some would even say spiky. People don't pay much attention to Hannah. Which is exactly how she's planned it. It's also a story about Ricky. Ricky is anything but shy. Rich, charming, good-looking, Ricky has never had a problem getting what he wants. And now he wants Hannah. There's a spark between them from the moment they meet. Even Hannah can't resist a man like Ricky for long. But this is not a love story. In fact, it's a little like Hannah. First you'll be intrigued. Then you'll realise there are hidden depths. And then, when you least expect it, you'll be hit by a twist you never saw coming...
She destroys the men she loves—and escapes every time. The most dangerous killer James Patterson has ever created is also his most seductive. On his first night with Detroit PD, Officer Walter O’Brien is called to a murder scene. A terrified twenty-year-old has bludgeoned her kidnapper with skill that shocks even O’Brien’s veteran partner. The young woman is also a brilliant escape artist. Her bold flight from police custody makes the case impossible to solve—and, for Walter, even more impossible to forget. By the time Walter’s promoted to detective, his fascination with the missing, gray-eyed woman is approaching obsession. And when Walter discovers that he’s not alone in his search, one truth is certain. This deadly string of secrets didn’t begin in his home city—but he’s going to make sure it ends there.
Sopwith Jones goes undercover for the Australian Federal Police, who have, with the help of the British, intercepted communications between a Colombian cocaine cartel, a mysterious South African intermediary known only as ‘Mafuta’ and the end-user in Australia, the self-styled Crocodile Dundee. Will Sopwith penetrate the murky and dangerous world of cocaine smugglers but, more importantly, survive it? From Barranquilla in Colombia, East London in South Africa, Darwin in Australia and a final showdown in the Kologha Indigenous Forest near Stutterheim with the dangerous Brickie Shaw, it’s all action for dashing Sopwith Jones, special investigator for the firm of Maartens and Associates.
Michael Mann, Oscar-nominated filmmaker and writer-director of Heat and Miami Vice, teams up with Edgar Award-winning author Meg Gardiner to deliver Mann’s first crime novel – an explosive return to the world and characters of his classic film Heat – an all-new story that illuminates what happened before and after the iconic film. Described by Michael Mann as both a prequel and sequel to the renowned, critically acclaimed film of the same name, HEAT 2 covers the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Oscar winner Al Pacino) and elite criminals Neil McCauley (Oscar winner Robert De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), and Nate (Oscar winner Jon Voight), and features the same extraordinary ambition, scope, rich characterizations, and attention to detail as the epic film. This new story leads up to the events of the film and then moves beyond it, featuring new characters on both sides of the law, new high-line heists, and breathtakingly cinematic action sequences. Ranging from the streets of L.A. to the inner sancta of rival Taiwanese crime syndicates in Paraguay to a massive drug cartel money-laundering operation just over the border in Mexico, HEAT 2 illuminates the dangerous workings of international crime organizations and the agents who pursue them as it provides a full-blooded portrait of the men and women who inhabit both worlds. Operatic in scope, HEAT 2 is engrossing, moving, and tragic – a masterpiece of crime fiction from one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema.
Deadly secrets lie beneath the murky waters of the Louisiana bayou in this pulse-pounding new romantic suspense novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose. Public prosecutor J.P. “Kaj” Cardozo has only lived in New Orleans for six months, and he’s already working on a high-profile celebrity sexual assault case that’s made headlines all over the country. But when his son becomes the target of a kidnapping attempt as a threat to Kaj, he is desperate to keep him safe and turns to a private investigative firm famous for their protection services. A veteran Marine, Val Sorensen is glad to have found a new career with Broussard Investigations. Her latest assignment as the bodyguard to ten-year-old Elijah Cardozo reminds her why—Val is a kick ass guardian with a tender heart. Through her duties, Val grows fond of the boy—and his handsome father. But when the high-stakes investigation reveals an explosive network of crime through a revived drug gang, lingering deep-seated corruption in the NOPD, and a group of murderers-for-hire targeting Kaj, Elijah, and his star client, they’re all left scrambling for safety…
Wrong time. Wrong place. Wrong man. Alex lives a comfortable life with his wife Beth in the leafy suburb of Silver Vale. Fine, so he’s not the most sociable guy on the street, he prefers to keep himself to himself, but he’s a good husband and an easy-going neighbour. That’s until Beth announces the creation of a nature trail on a local site that’s been disused for decades and suddenly Alex is a changed man. Now he’s always watching. Questioning. Struggling to hide his dread... As the landscapers get to work, a secret threatens to surface from years ago, back in Alex’s twenties when he got entangled with a seductive young woman called Marina, who threw both their lives into turmoil. And who sparked a police hunt for a murder suspect that was never quite what it seemed. It still isn’t. No one else could have done it. Could they?
When an anonymous neighborhood forum gets hacked, the darkest secrets of New York’s wealthiest residents come to light—including some worth killing for—in this gripping suspense novel from the author of Just One Look. UrbanMyth: It was lauded as an alternative to the performative, show-your-best-self platforms—an anonymous discussion board grouped by zip code. The residents of Manhattan’s exclusive Upper East Side disclosed it all, things they would never share with their friends or their spouses: secret bank accounts, steamy affairs, tidbits of juicy gossip. The same people who, as parents, go to astonishing lengths to ensure that their children gain admission to the most prestigious boarding schools and universities. So when a “hacktivist” group breaks into the forum and exposes the real identity of each poster, the repercussions echo down Park Avenue with a force that none could have anticipated. And someone ends up dead. Is the murderer Heather, the outsider who would do anything to get her daughter into the elite’s good graces and into their even better schools? Norah, the high-powered executive failing to balance work with the emotional responsibilities of motherhood? Or Poppy, whose perfect-on-the-outside façade conceals more than her share of secrets? Each of them has something to hide. Each of them will do anything to keep secrets hidden. And each of them just might kill to protect their own.
Now a major film starring Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Lisa Kudrow and Justin Theroux. Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar. Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train...
SFPD Sergeant Lindsay Boxer vows to protect a twenty-year-old victim long enough to see her twenty-first birthday. Lindsay Boxer has sworn to defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic. As Lindsay prepares to celebrate her own daughter's birthday, she clashes with rising Chief Charlie Clapper over a family case. When a distraught mother pleads with Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas to investigate the disappearance of her daughter, Linda, and baby granddaughter, Lorrie, Cindy immediately loops in SFPD. But Linda's schoolteacher husband, Lucas Burke, tells a conflicting story that paints Linda as a wayward wife, not a missing person. And there's reason to believe he may be telling the truth. While M.E. Claire Washburn harbours theories that run counter to the police investigation of the Burke case, ADA Yuki Castellano sizes Lucas up as a textbook domestic offender - until he puts forward a theory of his own that unexpectedly connects the dots on a constellation of copycat killings. If what Lucas tells law enforcement has even a grain of truth, there isn't a woman in the state of California who's safe from the reach of such an unspeakable threat.
A third outback noir from Peter Papathanasiou, following Special Constable Sparrow as he investigates a cold case in a barren mining region of Western Australia. With DS Manolis on leave in Greece, Senior Constable Sparrow receives a phone call from a man who wants to turn himself in. Bob is sixty-five years old, confined to a Perth nursing home. But thirty years ago, he killed a man in the remote northern Kimberley mining region. He offers to show Sparrow where the body is, but there's a catch: Sparrow must travel north with him under the guise of being his carer. They are accompanied on the drive by another nursing home resident: Luke, thirty years old, paralysed in a motorbike accident. As they embark on their road trip through the guts of Western Australia, pursued by outback police and adrenaline-soaked miners, Sparrow begins to suspect that Bob's desire to head north may have sinister motivations. Is Luke being held against his will? And what lies in store for them when they reach their goal?
Gold. Theft. Murder. A road trip to die for. Charlie and Nao are strangers from different sides of the tracks. They should never have met, but one devastating incident binds them together forever. A man is dead and now they are unwilling accomplices in his murder there’s only one thing to do: hit the road in the victim’s twin cab ute, with a bag of stolen gold stashed under the passenger seat. Suddenly outlaws, Nao and Charlie must make their way across Australia’s remote outback using only their wits to survive. They’ll do whatever it takes to evade capture and escape with their lives . . . Thelma & Louise for a new generation, No Country for Girls is a gritty, twisty road-trip thriller that follows two young women on the run across the harsh, unforgiving landscape of Australia.
Leigh Fletcher: happily married stepmum to two gorgeous boys goes
missing on Monday. Her husband Mark says he knows nothing of her
whereabouts. She simply went to work and just never came home. Their
family is shattered.
A mother disappears from a busy festival on a warm spring night. Her baby lies alone in the pram, her mother's possessions surrounding her, waiting for a return which never comes. A year later, Kim Gillespie's absence still casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather to welcome a new addition to the family. Joining the celebrations on a rare break from work is federal investigator Aaron Falk, who begins to suspect that all is not as it seems. As he looks into Kim's case, long-held secrets and resentments begin to come to the fore, secrets that show that her community is not as close as it appears. Falk will have to tread carefully if he is to expose the dark fractures at its heart, but sometimes it takes an outsider to get to the truth... An outstanding novel, a brilliant mystery and a heart-pounding read from the author of The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man and The Survivors.
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. |
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