The best novels with morally grey heroines

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an author from England who set out one lunchbreak to write the type of book I wanted to read. I like strong, imperfect heroines who fight for justice, both in their own lives and for others. Plus most of my books involve romance, so hot guys are a must too. I’ve written over fifty novels and novellas, from romcoms to thrillers, and one constant is strong female characters who do things for themselves. 


I wrote...

Pitch Black

By Elise Noble,

Book cover of Pitch Black

What is my book about?

What happens when an assassin has a nervous breakdown? After the owner of a security company is murdered, his sharp-edged wife goes on the run. Forced to abandon everything she holds dear—her home, her friends, her job in special ops—she builds a new life for herself in the English countryside. As Ashlyn Hale, she meets Luke, a handsome local who makes her realise just how lonely she is.

Yet, even in the sleepy village of Lower Foxford, the dark side of life dogs Diamond’s trail when the unthinkable strikes. Forced out of hiding, she races against time to save those she’s come to care about. But is it too little, too late?

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Critical Space

Elise Noble Why did I love this book?

Greg Rucka is better known for comic books, but he writes awesome novels too.

I borrowed Critical Space from the library years ago, and Drama is a character who has stuck with me throughout my life. In previous books in the series, she was cast as the bad guy, but in this installment, she drags the hero, Atticus Kodiak, over to her world and we find out that it’s not as black-and-white as we were led to believe. 

By Greg Rucka,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Critical space: it's all that stands between you and death...Code-named Drama, she is a lightning-fast death machine - a hit-woman sought by intelligence agencies around the world. Drama kills as easily as she breathes...And the last time she met Atticus Kodiak, they barely escaped each other alive. Atticus has a reputation as one of the toughest bodyguards in the business, and is used to calling the shots. But all that changes when he is forced to take on Drama as a client. From New York's Russian enclaves to the Swiss Alps and the Carribean, Atticus becomes Drama's only hope for…


Book cover of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Elise Noble Why did I love this book?

Lisbeth Salander is a fan of justice, and she doesn’t much care how she achieves it. Hacking? Check. Stealing millions of dollars? Check. Nailing a guy’s feet to the floor? Check.

She’s a smart non-conformist who doesn’t need a man to save her, but she forms a love/hate relationship with journalist Mikhail Blomkvist that continues throughout the series. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo layers their complexities on top of an age-old mystery in a twisted plot that keeps you guessing until the end. 

By Stieg Larsson,

Why should I read it?

23 authors picked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own tightly-knit but dysfunctional family.

He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history.

But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and…


Book cover of Black Heart

Elise Noble Why did I love this book?

Assassin Calypso was my favourite side character throughout the series, and in Black Heart, we finally get to meet her properly.

As part of her metamorphosis, she has to learn to trust others, which is perhaps her biggest challenge of all. There’s as much romance as suspense in this book, and former CIA agent Ian Black makes a worthy hero as he teams up with Calypso to right past wrongs. 

By Lynn Raye Harris,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

He’s untouchable. Unbreakable. She plans to destroy him.

Former CIA agent Ian Black has done terrible deeds. Sacrificed his honor and reputation for God and country. He’s a fighter and a survivor. His mission is to rid the world of scumbags who prey on innocent people.

No price is too high, and no one crosses him. Not for long, anyway.

But then Natasha Oliver walks in, threatening to expose the one thing Ian thought dead and buried: his heart.

Natasha’s innocence was ripped away years ago when she was thrown into prison for crimes her parents committed. Now, as the…


Book cover of Naked in Death

Elise Noble Why did I love this book?

It’s the year 2058, and Eve Dallas is a New York City detective. She tries to follow the rules, but she’s not averse to bending them if she thinks it will help a case.

Oh, and she manages to fall for the main suspect in a murder investigation. Roarke is the classic alpha hero, a smoking-hot billionaire who dragged himself out of the gutter to become one of the most wealthy and influential men on (and off) the planet. The good news? If you enjoy this book, there are another fifty in the series.

By J.D. Robb,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Naked in Death as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Crime and punishment is Lieutenant Eve Dallas's business. Murder her speciality. Named by the social worker who found her when she was a mere child roaming that city's streets, Eve Dallas is a New York police detective who lives for her job. In over ten years on the force, she's seen it all - and knows her survival depends on her instincts. But she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, a charismatic Irish billionaire - and a suspect in Eve's latest murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's…


Book cover of The Bone Collector

Elise Noble Why did I love this book?

Technically, this is Lincoln Rhyme’s series, and the quadriplegic criminologist is a fascinating character. But Detective Amelia Sachs, the cop he selects as his assistant, is just as important.

She’s the one out there collecting evidence and chasing down criminals, even when she isn’t necessarily supposed to be. The Bone Collector mixes forensics with good old-fashioned police work in story that’s both twisted and full of twists.

By Jeffery Deaver,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked The Bone Collector as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Goodbye Man, discover Jeffery Deaver's chilling thriller that inspired the film starring Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington and is now a major NBC TV series.

Their first case, their worst killer . . .

New York City has been thrown into chaos by the assaults of the Bone Collector, a serial kidnapper and killer who gives the police a chance to save his victims from death by leaving obscure clues. Baffled, the cops turn to the one man with a chance of solving them - Lincoln Rhyme.

Left paralysed by a debilitating…


You might also like...

Bailey and the CEO: A Corporate Love Story

By Amy Q. Barker,

Book cover of Bailey and the CEO: A Corporate Love Story

Amy Q. Barker Author Of Lap Baby

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Avid reader Nature lover Park ranger wanna be Best Nana ever

Amy's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

A contemporary romance novel about second chances, love in the workplace, and balancing single parenthood with a career. Bailey Grant and Fox Goodman have given up on love. They’re working hard, they’re raising kids—romance is the last thing on their minds. Until they get seated next to each other on a flight and realize they have more in common than just the company where they work.

But can a VP date the CEO? How will they make it work? Wait and see how sparks fly in this uplifting, feel-good, dual-narrative romantic read!

Bailey and the CEO: A Corporate Love Story

By Amy Q. Barker,

What is this book about?

Bailey
Even from afar, you could feel it: the man's ever-present, effortless charm, looks, and for lack of a better word, swagger.
Everyone—and by everyone, I meant every female at Havelin—had speculated about his personal life. We all knew he had two sons, but what about a wife?
Not that I cared.
I was VP of Quality, a widow, and a mother raising two teenage daughters. Love was the last thing on my mind.

Fox
She was staggeringly beautiful.
And she didn’t know it. Not even in the slightest. Not a clue.
I’d never felt like this before.
Even more…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in billionaires, New York State, and presidential biography?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about billionaires, New York State, and presidential biography.

Billionaires Explore 42 books about billionaires
New York State Explore 709 books about New York State
Presidential Biography Explore 18 books about presidential biography