Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always been a thrill seeker ever since I was a child when I was often in trouble for going on some adventure or other. Before turning to writing, my career included investigative elements from being a customs officer catching smugglers to detecting fraudsters. Later in life, I learned to ride motorcycles and biking has become a new passion of mine. Small wonder then that I enjoy reading thrillers, and now writing them. Iā€™ve published two fast-paced novels and am currently working on my next full-length project. I sincerely hope you get the same pleasure and enjoyment as I did from my book recommendations. 


I wrote

The Accidental Courier

By Robert Darke,

Book cover of The Accidental Courier

What is my book about?

Martin Blake loses his job and then his wife in a day heā€™d rather forget. He turns to freelance vanā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Stranger

Robert Darke Why did I love this book?

Harlan Coben has created various series-character books but my favourites are without doubt his stand-alone novels. Of these, Iā€™ve chosen The Stranger as it starts when the ā€˜strangerā€™ in the title sidles up to a man in a bar and tells him a secret that will change his life forever. The strangerā€™s motives do not immediately become apparent until quite late in the book. Coben is always inventive and maintains interest throughout. In the case of his stand-alone novels, I like that he involves ordinary people becoming embroiled in extraordinary circumstances. His characters are believable and relatable and, as he tightens his grip, you fear for them and this fear builds for the reader and is maintained right until the end.

By Harlan Coben,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Stranger as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES!

A secret destroys a manā€™s perfect life and sends him on a collision course with a deadly conspiracy in this shocking thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.

The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. Their identity is unknown. Their motives are unclear. Their information is undeniable. Then they whisper a few words in your ear and disappear, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world...

Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to aā€¦


Book cover of Reflex

Robert Darke Why did I love this book?

Dick Francis will always be one of my favourite authors even though Iā€™ve never been to a horse race in my life! I once missed my train station because I was so wrapped up in his book. Despite always having a link to the horse racing world, they are not solely about racing. Reflex is a story of a jockeyā€™s search for his missing sisterā€”a sister he didnā€™t know existed until he receives a request from his dying grandmother to find her. It also involves a mystery surrounding the death of a photographer who is reviled because of the compromising photographs he takes of celebrities to sell to newspapers. Written over 30 years ago (before digital photography) paparazzi intrusion is as relevant to today as ever. 

By Dick Francis,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A jockey unravels nasty secrets of corruption, blackmail, and murder in this mystery from grand master of crime fiction Dick Francis.

Longtime jockey Philip Nore is no hero. But when he begins to suspect that a racetrack photographer's fatal accident was really murder, he sets out to discover the truth and trap the killer. Slowly, he unravels some nasty secrets of corruption, blackmail and murder-and unwittingly sets himself up as the killer's next target...

"Reflex enthralls."-The New York Times


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Book cover of Taken: A Mother's Secret

Taken by Dan Lawton,

Nine-year-old Chloe Janis is missing. Abby, her mom, is now faced with an impossible decisionā€”revealing seventeen-year-old secrets she's kept hidden, or losing her daughter forever.

Everything unravels after Abby receives a cryptic message from a man from her past, someone sheā€™d tried to erase from her memory. But now, heā€™sā€¦

Book cover of No Time for Goodbye

Robert Darke Why did I love this book?

I enjoy Linwood Barclay for his intriguing openings that grip right from the start and then how he racks up the tension until the end. This was his first thriller and wowā€”what a debut! It starts when a teenage girl, Cynthia, wakes to find her house deserted and the whole familyā€”mum, dad, and brother missing. Jump forward to 25 years later and the mystery of her familyā€™s disappearance is still unsolved and still haunts Cynthia. But then a letter arrives tipping her whole world upside down and placing her in grave dangerā€¦ Another unputdownable read!

By Linwood Barclay,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked No Time for Goodbye as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Tenth Anniversary edition of the million-copy, bestselling novel No Time for Goodbye with a special introduction from Linwood Barclay.

'One of the world's finest thriller writers' Peter James

*

The house was silent. That was the first sign that something was terribly wrong.

Fourteen-year-old Cynthia wakes one morning to discover that her entire family - mother, father, brother - have vanished.

No note, no trace and no return. Ever.

Now, twenty-five years later - with a family of her own - a letter arrives which chills Cynthia to the core.

It leads her inescapably down the path to the devastatingā€¦


Book cover of See Them Run

Robert Darke Why did I love this book?

I love finding new authors! Which is why Iā€™m recommending another debut novelā€”this time from Marion Todd. It won the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut Novel of the Year 2020. Since then she has published (at the time of writing) a further 4 novels in her series about detective inspector Clare Mackay. I wish I could write that fast! Her serial killer haunts St Andrews, Scotland by luring victims to a stretch of road and then running them overā€”simple but effective. It can be difficult to write a pacey thriller and develop interesting characters at the same time but Todd manages this admirably. As soon as I finished this novel, I went straight on to the second in the series which is equally as good and I look forward to reading the rest.

By Marion Todd,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BLOODY SCOTLAND SCOTTISH CRIME DEBUT OF THE YEAR 2020

In a famous Scottish town, someone is bent on murder - but why?

On the night of a wedding celebration, one guest meets a grisly end when he's killed in a hit-and-run. A card bearing the number '5' has been placed on the victim's chest. DI Clare Mackay, who recently moved from Glasgow to join the St Andrews force, leads the investigation. The following night another victim is struck down and a number '4' card is at the scene. Clare and her team realise they're against the clockā€¦


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Book cover of All They Need to Know

All They Need to Know by Eileen Goudge,

On the run from her abusive husband, Kyra Smith hits the road. Destination unknown. With a dog she rescued in tow, she lands in the peaceful California mountain town of Gold Creek and is immediately befriended by an openhearted group of women who call themselves the Tattooed Ladies. Theyā€™re thereā€¦

Book cover of Thirteen: The Serial Killer Isn't on Trial. He's on the Jury.

Robert Darke Why did I love this book?

This is not the first in Steve Cavanaghā€™s Eddie Flynn series but it was the first one I read and it had me hooked right from beginning to end. The tension builds and buildsā€”Eddie Flynn is a likeable protagonist and the killer is one scary dude. This is a courtroom drama with a difference the serial killer is on the jury! I simply had to finish this book and it kept me up until 2.00 am. Iā€™ve since read several more books by Cavanagh and, so far, theyā€™ve all been up to the same high standard.

By Steve Cavanagh,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

THE SERIAL KILLER ISN'T ON TRIAL.

HE'S ON THE JURY...

****************

'Books this ingenious don't come along very often.' Michael Connelly

'THIRTEEN is my favourite read of the year.' Sarah Pinborough

'Outstanding.' Lee Child

'Smart and original. This is a belter of a book.' Clare Mackintosh

'One of the most mercilessly compelling thrillers you will read this decade' Chris Brookmyre

****************

'To your knowledge, is there anything that would preclude you from serving on this jury?'

Murder wasn't the hard part. It was just the start of the game.

Joshua Kane has been preparing for this moment his whole life.ā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

The Accidental Courier

By Robert Darke,

Book cover of The Accidental Courier

What is my book about?

Martin Blake loses his job and then his wife in a day heā€™d rather forget. He turns to freelance van driving in the belief that his toughest decision will be where to have coffee. But when he starts making deliveries for a local gangster, he plunges into a world very different from his previous existence. Realising his mistake he tries to leaveā€”and thatā€™s when his trouble truly begins.

This was my first published novel and my aim was to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the breath-taking finale. Just like the 5 books Iā€™ve recommended below!

Book cover of The Stranger
Book cover of Reflex
Book cover of No Time for Goodbye

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The Open Road by M.M. Holaday,

Head West in 1865 with two life-long friends looking for adventure and who want to see the wilderness before it disappears. One is a wanderer; the other seeks a home he lost. The people they meet on their journey reflect the diverse events of this time periodā€“settlers, adventure seekers, scientificā€¦

Book cover of Cold Warrior

Cold Warrior by Robert Tucker,

During the 1970s and 80s, the Soviet Union penetrated the corporate economy and financial systems of the United States to engage in industrial espionage.

Cold Warrior is the story of Kasia Kerenski, a street mime who is ā€œdiscoveredā€ to work as a Hollywood actress. Coerced into becoming a double agentā€¦

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in horse racing, Scotland, and missing persons?

Horse Racing 47 books
Scotland 346 books
Missing Persons 312 books