Why am I passionate about this?

I have been fascinated by mysteries of all kinds for as long as I can remember. Even as a child, I enjoyed Earl Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason books, which I found on my grandparents’ shelf, as well as the mysteries left to us by ancient cultures. The truth, for me, has always been something to be sought and treasured: mysteries and conundrums, things to be figured out and solved. But while credibility in all types of fiction is vital, it has to be about the characters for me, not just the plot. The people have to be real, no matter how unlikely the scenarios they are involved in.  


I wrote...

Nowhere to Run

By Jack Slater,

Book cover of Nowhere to Run

What is my book about?

My book is a story of loyalty and betrayal, of friendship and bitter enmity. A policeman returns to duty after…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Lethal Assumptions

Jack Slater Why did I love this book?

Captivating, well-drawn characters and an intriguing, twisty storyline that keeps you guessing and turning pages. There’s plenty of action and excitement, as well as lighter moments of dark humor. This story has everything I want from a cop thriller. A great opening to a new series. I am definitely a fan!

By Kassandra Lamb,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lethal Assumptions as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Judith Anderson’s no-nonsense attitude and confidence served her well in her climb to homicide lieutenant in the Baltimore County PD, but that confidence is shaken when she finds herself one step behind a serial killer—just eight days into her new job as Chief of Police in a small Florida city.

The first victim, a female college student, may be a case of wrong place, wrong time. But the bodies keep coming, with a mishmash of MOs, and the murders may be linked to various cases in nearby Jacksonville.

While Judith assumed the CoP job would be challenging, she’s finding it…


Book cover of The Girl Who Wouldn't Die

Jack Slater Why did I love this book?

Marnie Riches’ characters never let you go, they’re so real and three-dimensional, and the stories grip from start to finish. For me, I questioned the need to link these books through the titles and artwork with Steig Larsson's books.

If anything, it put me off them, but I tried this one anyway and was instantly hooked. Now, having read both series, I have to say I much prefer these. Instead of rehashing Van der Valk, they should have made these books into a TV series. 

By Marnie Riches,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Girl Who Wouldn't Die as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A city on fire. A killer on the loose. And she’s next…

When the bomb rips through the university, Georgina McKenzie is shocked—and then determined to find out more. As an aspiring criminologist, she doesn’t believe the media spin about a suicide bomber. Something doesn’t add up.

Detective Paul van den Bergen is under pressure to solve the case, but when a second explosion claims the life of another student, he suspects a serial killer is at work. And he knows the perfect person to help track them down: George.

George knew both of the victims and is desperate to…


Book cover of Chasing the Dead

Jack Slater Why did I love this book?

Tim Weaver has a way of getting under the skin of not just his characters but his readers, too. For me, it helped that his main character, like me, had lost his wife to cancer. I could instantly relate. But beyond that, the plot was gripping, drawing me in and holding my attention from start to finish.

While reading one of his books and for a long time afterward, your mind has only two ways to be—either reading his book or thinking about his book.

By Tim Weaver,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Chasing the Dead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Missing persons investigator David Raker’s heartstopping hunt for a mother’s vanished son—book one of Tim Weaver’s international bestselling mystery series

One year ago, Alex Towne’s body was found. One month ago, his mother saw him on the street. One week ago, David Raker agreed to look for him. Now he wishes he hadn’t.
 
Mary Towne’s son, Alex, went missing six years ago. Five years later he finally turned up—as a corpse in a car wreck. Missing persons investigator David Raker doesn’t want the work: it’s clearly a sad but hopeless case of mistaken identity brought to him by a woman…


Book cover of Silent Scream

Jack Slater Why did I love this book?

“Absolutely gripping and darkly compelling,” says the blurb—and for once, it’s right! This book is both of those things and so much more. A hell of an introduction to a series that started out as a small-press publication and has gone on to sell in the millions—and deservedly so.

By Angela Marsons,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Silent Scream as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Even the darkest secrets can’t stay buried forever…Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood … Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country. But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual…


Book cover of Malevolent

Jack Slater Why did I love this book?

One of the best books I've read in ages. Why haven't I heard of this author before?? Gripping. Horrifying. Compelling. A no-holds-barred thriller that hooks you from page 1 and doesn't let go.

There are elements of horror here, but not supernatural: it’s purely in the way the all-too-real stalker targets his victim—and then, also, the newly licensed young female PI with more than enough problems of her own who takes on the case of the woman he’s fixated on. With the police refusing to accept that he even exists, the two women are left to catch him on their own—before he kills one or both of them.

By Jana DeLeon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Malevolent as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the first in a new thriller series.

Everyone wondered about Shaye Archer’s past. Including Shaye.

Shaye Archer’s life effectively began the night police found her in an alley, beaten and abused and with no memory of the previous fifteen years, not even her name. Nine years later, she’s a licensed private investigator, with a single goal—to get answers for her clients when there aren’t supposed to be any.

And maybe someday, answers for herself.

Emma Frederick thought her nightmare was over when she killed her abusive husband, but someone is stalking her…


Explore my book 😀

Nowhere to Run

By Jack Slater,

Book cover of Nowhere to Run

What is my book about?

My book is a story of loyalty and betrayal, of friendship and bitter enmity. A policeman returns to duty after months of enforced leave while the disappearance of his son is investigated, unsuccessfully, only to have his gentle easing back into the swing of things shattered by an urgent 999 call. A young girl has been snatched from outside her school. Pete can’t let another child go unrecovered.

As he and his team delve into the case, the body of another young girl is found, ramping up the urgency even more. Then, connections to his own son’s case are found. What really happened to him? And can Pete find out and find the missing girl before it’s too late?

Book cover of Lethal Assumptions
Book cover of The Girl Who Wouldn't Die
Book cover of Chasing the Dead

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

You might also like...

Lethal Impulse

By Steve Rush,

Book cover of Lethal Impulse

Steve Rush Author Of Lethal Impulse

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Investigator Instructor Outdoors lover Book enthusiast Researcher

Steve's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

He’s riddled with guilt. She’s annoyed with the status quo.

The death of a crime boss’s daughter forces Detective Neil Caldera to leave NYC. He seeks refuge in the tranquil embrace of a small town, where he finds himself entangled in the labyrinth of a teenage girl’s murder. Tess Fleishman’s pale skin and extreme weight loss portrays a disease she wants others to see. While inside, a compulsion for Neil fuels her passion to have him or destroy him.

Lethal Impulse

By Steve Rush,

What is this book about?

He's riddled with guilt. She's annoyed with the status quo. The death of a crime boss's daughter forces Detective Neil Caldera to leave NYC. He seeks refuge in the tranquil embrace of a small town, where he finds himself entangled in the labyrinth of a teenage girl's murder. Tess Fleishman's pale skin and extreme weight loss portrays a disease she wants others to see. While inside, a compulsion for Neil fuels her passion to have him or destroy him. As Neil delves into the heart of the town's secrets, will truth deliver solace? Or will Tess prevail?


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in private investigators, criminal investigations, and presidential biography?