Love Black Water? Readers share 50 books like Black Water...

By Ninie Hammon,

Here are 50 books that Black Water fans have personally recommended if you like Black Water. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Carrots

Cat Gilbert Author Of Brain Storm

From my list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists.

Why am I passionate about this?

My grandmother had what we in the South call the sight. I have it as wellā€”that sense of foreboding. Of knowing what will happen next. Some call it a premonition, others Deja vu. Whatever you call it, I think itā€™s something weā€™ve all experienced at some point in our lives. Empathy, telepathy, telekinesisā€¦the list is endless. Thereā€™s no proof that psychic abilities exist, but thereā€™s no proof that they donā€™t, either. I find the concept fascinating, so when I started writing, it was a natural fit for me to combine my love for thrillers and mysteries with the added twist of psychic ability. I hope you love it too.

Cat's book list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists

Cat Gilbert Why did Cat love this book?

As much as I love complex, dark protagonists, I adore a lighter side now and then. I found it in this book with the main character, Shelby Nichols. She just makes me laugh.

I even found myself reading sections out loud to my husband, who laughed right along with me. Shelby is a wife and mother, and after being shot in the head, she develops the ability to read peopleā€™s minds. Her sudden awareness of what her teenage children and husband are thinking takes the plot up to a whole new level.

This is one ability Iā€™m glad I donā€™t have. I think Iā€™d rather not know.

By Colleen Helme,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Carrots as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A mind-reader, a mob-boss, and a hit-man. What could go wrong? More fun than you can imagine! Book 1 in the Shelby Nichols Adventure Series

"One of the best and rarest gems of the indie book market."~ Matthew LeDrew

USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Colleen Helme offers a clever mix of mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, and page-turning adventure in the highly acclaimed Shelby Nichols Adventure Series.

Stopping at the grocery store for some carrots shouldn't be dangerous, but in Shelby's case, it changes her life forever. During a bank robbery, she is caught in the cross-fire and grazedā€¦


Book cover of Grave Sight

Cat Gilbert Author Of Brain Storm

From my list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists.

Why am I passionate about this?

My grandmother had what we in the South call the sight. I have it as wellā€”that sense of foreboding. Of knowing what will happen next. Some call it a premonition, others Deja vu. Whatever you call it, I think itā€™s something weā€™ve all experienced at some point in our lives. Empathy, telepathy, telekinesisā€¦the list is endless. Thereā€™s no proof that psychic abilities exist, but thereā€™s no proof that they donā€™t, either. I find the concept fascinating, so when I started writing, it was a natural fit for me to combine my love for thrillers and mysteries with the added twist of psychic ability. I hope you love it too.

Cat's book list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists

Cat Gilbert Why did Cat love this book?

I have to say itā€”Charlaine Harris can write a good story. I read all the Stackhouse books, but it was when I found her Harper Connelly series that I was truly hooked. This book has all the elements I love: a complex female protagonist, good supporting characters, and a unique psychic ability.

Combine all that with great writing, and it doesnā€™t get any better. I read this book and then quickly flew through the rest of the series. This was the first book Iā€™d read featuring a psychic twist, and discovering this new genre opened the door to my writing journey.

By Charlaine Harris,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Harper Connelly had a lucky escape when she was hit by lightning: she didn't die. But sometimes she wishes she had died, because the lightning strike left her with an unusual talent: she can find dead people - and that's not always comfortable. Everyone wants to know how she does it: it's a little like hearing a bee droning inside her head, or maybe the pop of a Geiger counter, a persistent, irregular noise that increases in strength as she gets closer. It's almost electric: a buzzing all through her body, and the fresher the corpse, the more intense theā€¦


Book cover of The Whispering Hollows

Cat Gilbert Author Of Brain Storm

From my list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists.

Why am I passionate about this?

My grandmother had what we in the South call the sight. I have it as wellā€”that sense of foreboding. Of knowing what will happen next. Some call it a premonition, others Deja vu. Whatever you call it, I think itā€™s something weā€™ve all experienced at some point in our lives. Empathy, telepathy, telekinesisā€¦the list is endless. Thereā€™s no proof that psychic abilities exist, but thereā€™s no proof that they donā€™t, either. I find the concept fascinating, so when I started writing, it was a natural fit for me to combine my love for thrillers and mysteries with the added twist of psychic ability. I hope you love it too.

Cat's book list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists

Cat Gilbert Why did Cat love this book?

Eloise Montgomery is my kind of protagonist. She survives a tragedy, suffers a great loss, and, waking up from a coma, finds herself with a new and frightening psychic ability. One that she puts to good use.

I like her grit and determination, along with her moments of doubt and despair. Sheā€™s human. A normal, everyday woman is thrust into a life she didnā€™t expect and is making the best of itā€”a situation I can identify with. Except for her psychic ability. That I donā€™t have, but how cool would that be?

By Lisa Unger,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger delivers a spellbinding novella, told in three parts, featuring reluctant psychic Eloise Montgomery. This in-depth exploration of Eloise is a perfect way for newcomers to be introduced to The Hollows, and experience the sense of place Unger is building that "rivals Stephen King's Castle Rock for continuity and creepiness." (The News & Observer - Raleigh)  It is also a treasure trove of insight and greater understanding of connections for those already drawn deep into The Hollows.  
Includes an author introduction to The Hollows, and an excerpt from the bestseller Ink and Bone--a chillingā€¦


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Book cover of The Ballad of Falling Rock

The Ballad of Falling Rock by Jordan Dotson,

Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: ā€œAre his love songs closer to heaven than dying?ā€ Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard itā€¦

Book cover of The Sense of Death: An Ann Kinnear Suspense Novel

Cat Gilbert Author Of Brain Storm

From my list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists.

Why am I passionate about this?

My grandmother had what we in the South call the sight. I have it as wellā€”that sense of foreboding. Of knowing what will happen next. Some call it a premonition, others Deja vu. Whatever you call it, I think itā€™s something weā€™ve all experienced at some point in our lives. Empathy, telepathy, telekinesisā€¦the list is endless. Thereā€™s no proof that psychic abilities exist, but thereā€™s no proof that they donā€™t, either. I find the concept fascinating, so when I started writing, it was a natural fit for me to combine my love for thrillers and mysteries with the added twist of psychic ability. I hope you love it too.

Cat's book list on thrillers and mysteries with psychic twists

Cat Gilbert Why did Cat love this book?

Loyalty. Love. Relationships. They are all essential elements in my favorite books, and nowhere are they more present than in this one.

Ann Kinnear, like my other favorite female psychics, is torn between doing what she feels she should and doing what sheā€™d like to doā€”which is to hide behind closed doors. Itā€™s the same dilemma I would have if I were gifted (or maybe itā€™s cursed) with an ability like Ann has.

As I had hoped, Ann chooses to make a difference, securing a spot as one of my favorite books.

By Matty Dalrymple,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The dead will not be silenced, and Ann will do whatever it takes to solve the case of one womanā€™s lost life ā€¦ even if it means endangering her own.

ā€œA frighteningly meticulous villain and a formidable protagonist will have readers breezing through the pages.ā€ ā€”Kirkus Reviews

ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜… ā€œAirtight. Crucial plot details lock into place in the denouement like the tumblers of a Diebold safe. The characters are clever, real, and enjoyable, but also organic, their emotions genuinely wrought; there is no formula for brilliant writing like this.ā€ ā€”Robert Blake Whitehill, Bestselling Author of The Ben Blackshaw Series

When aā€¦


Book cover of Psychic Suburbia

Daniel Bourke Author Of Apparitions at the Moment of Death: The Living Ghost in Legend, Lyric, and Lore

From my list on supernatural and psychic experiences worldwide.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've always been fascinated by experiences that exist on the border of the ordinary. Growing up, my grandmother would tell us, in serious tones, of the fairies and ghosts she had encounteredā€”how closely the natural and the ā€œsupernaturalā€ are linked. In my twenties, I would read a lot about shamanism and the kinds of extraordinary experiences they would actively seek. Later, noticing similarities between those experiences and the spontaneous experiences of ordinary people, my interest continued to grow. Near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, but especially crisis apparitionsā€”these experiences spoke strongly to me about how little we still know of the nature of the mind and how much there is yet to discover!

Daniel's book list on supernatural and psychic experiences worldwide

Daniel Bourke Why did Daniel love this book?

This one is a real hidden gem for someone like me who is so interested in spontaneous accounts of ESP. Eason offers dozens of extraordinary and fascinating accounts of telepathy, precognition, and clairvoyance collected from truly the most ā€œordinary people.ā€ Concentrating her efforts on quiet housing estates, spooky suburbs, and their anonymous residents, this work shines in its compelling ordinariness.

The accounts, though, are anything but, and I love how the links are made between the stories collected and some of the oldest tales. Something that really came out for me in this work, too, is just how common the strangest experiences are and how the fact we don't share them is really why it can sometimes feel like the opposite is true. Can't recommend enough!

By Cassandra Eason,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Fascinating psychic happenings and ordinary grass-roots experience, this book relates true stories of phantoms, poltergeists and spirit guides reliably reported from modern terraced homes and shopping streets. Telepathy, near-death experiences and out-of-body journeys are examined. Dedicated ghost hunters welcoming a fresh slant on their favourite topic will be intrigued by this book. But millions of suburb-dwellers everywhere will also be intrigued by the prospect of psychic events among the ordinary semis and settees. This title is an ideal blend of New Age spirituality and suburban common sense.


Book cover of The Complete John Silence Stories

William Meikle Author Of Carnacki: Heaven and Hell

From my list on occult detective collections.

Why am I passionate about this?

Even before I found Lovecraft and Stephen King and my world turned, I was raised on Doyle, Wells, Hodgson, and Robert Louis Stevenson which gave me both a love of the "gentleman detective" era and a deep love of the late Victorian/early Edwardian historical period in general. Once you merge that with my abiding interest in all things weird and spooky, you can see where a lot of my stories come from. There seems to be quite a burgeoning market for this kind of mixing of detection and supernatural, and I intend to write more... maybe even a lot more.

William's book list on occult detective collections

William Meikle Why did William love this book?

Silence is much more cerebral than Carnacki, more prone to solve his mysteries from the comfort of his armchair over a pipe of tobacco. But don't let the leisurely pace fool you; Blackwood brings the chills like few others can, and you might find yourself looking over your shoulder more than once, or even getting up to put a stronger light on. If creeping dread is your thing, Blackwood's your man for it.

By Algernon Blackwood,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Complete John Silence Stories as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the former British writers of supernatural tales in the twentieth century, Algernon Blackwood (1869ā€“1951) wrote stories in which the slow accumulation of telling details produced a foreboding atmosphere of almost unendurable tension. Blackwood's literary renown began in 1908 with the publication of a highly successful collection of stories, John Silence ā€” Physician Extraordinary, featuring a "psychic doctor."
This volume contains all five of the John Silence stories from the 1908 edition plus one additional tale. Edited and with an informative introduction by S. T. Joshi, noted occult fiction authority, the stories include "A Psychical Invasion," in which Silenceā€¦


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Book cover of Dawn of Eve

Dawn of Eve by MJ Howson,

On the surface, Dawn Easton seems to have it all. Heiress to a fashion empire, and with a gorgeous younger boyfriend, thereā€™s almost nothing she canā€™t have. Yet, despite her wealth and power, thereā€™s one thing thatā€™s remained out of reach her entire lifeā€”giving birth. As her 40th birthday inchesā€¦

Book cover of The Dog Thief

Eileen Goudge Author Of Such Devoted Sisters

From my list on sisters that make you want to call your sister.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve led a storied life. One of six children, I married and divorced before the age of 20 and moved from Santa Cruz, California to New York City in my early 30s. I carved out my career as a writer while scraping by on government assistance as a single mom. They say write what you know, and I did just that. My first novel, Garden of Lies, became a New York Times bestseller, skyrocketing me from poverty to financial security. Iā€™ve since gone on to publish 20 novels about family relationships, romantic love, and reversals of fortune. With more to come!  

Eileen's book list on sisters that make you want to call your sister

Eileen Goudge Why did Eileen love this book?

Give me a mystery with a fast-paced narrative and an interesting hero or heroine, and Iā€™m hooked. This mystery, the first in a series, ticks all the boxes. When Maddie, an autistic dog handler and rumored animal psychic, discovers a dead body, she tells one reporter, "The crows told me where to look.ā€ With that line, the book takes off down a path with many twists and turns. I fell in love with Maddie, the quirky and courageous heroine, but what resonated with me most, as one of five sisters, is the relationship between Maddie and her big sister Kenzie. The two are tight. Kenzie sees it as her role to nurture and corral Maddie in equal measures, forever trying and often failing to get her to act ā€œnormal.ā€ Maddie chafes under her guidance but adores her. The strong and often complicated bond between sisters is vividly depicted here. Iā€¦

By Marta Acosta,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Can she save herself by saving the dog she loves?From Library Journal Women's Summer Reading and Romantic Times Editor's Choice author Marta Acosta comes a "heart-breaking and heart-warming" story about taking risks, making friends, and finding love, while staying true to yourself.

Broken-hearted Maddie Whitney, aka Mad Girl, is a dog trainer whose significant behavioral issues make her an outcast in the quirky small town of Coyote Run. When Maddie discovers a murdered woman in a field, she impulsively claims that she's an animal psychic to promote her canine rehabilitation center and save the family ranch.

Now the girl whoā€¦


Book cover of Ubik

Why am I passionate about this?

 Iā€™ve always loved a good mystery that doesnā€™t give you all the details upfront. My favourite stories growing up were those where I had little epiphanies along the way until I got to the end, where everything finally fell into place. But perhaps why Iā€™m most drawn to these types of stories is because they parallel learning about your surroundings in the real world. After living in several different countries, Iā€™ve come to learn many situations piece by piece, where some ended in danger, while others were more humorous events that I can now laugh about. 

Jon's book list on dark horror stories that slowly unravel their mysteries piece by piece, letting you figure out along the way

Jon Vassa Why did Jon love this book?

I loved this book for the new concepts it brought to me about psychic abilities, specifically telepaths that could block otherā€™s psychic abilities.

After this, I was drawn to the book for the way it blurred the lines of reality, making me question alongside the main character if anything they were experiencing was real. I also thought the idea of the UBIK drug that kept people in a 'half-life' was fascinating and a different way to show addiction and its consequences.

Lastly, the ending was quite thrilling and kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning, even though I had work the next day! 

By Philip K. Dick,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A classic science fiction tale of artifical worlds by one of the great American writers of the 20th century

Glen Runciter is dead.

Or is he?

Someone died in the explosion orchestrated by his business rivals, but even as his funeral is scheduled, his mourning employees are receiving bewildering messages from their boss. And the world around them is warping and regressing in ways which suggest that their own time is running out.

If it hasn't already.

Readers minds have been blown by Ubik:

'Sheer craziness, a book defying any straightforward synopsis . . . a unique time travel adventureā€¦


Book cover of Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You

Michelle Wildgen Author Of Wine People

From my list on complicated relationships between fascinating women.

Why am I passionate about this?

Maybe itā€™s because I come from a family that expresses conflict, shall we say, indirectly, but nothing fascinates me the way relationships do. What do we desire, what do we offer? And how much more do we care about friendships and family bonds than world peace? I also love stories about passions we pursue professionally, and ever since I fell in love with the food and wine world, thatā€™s the world Iā€™ve written about and the world in which my charactersā€™ intense relationships play out. Real drama plays out over a drink or at a dinner table, and of course a glass of wine only unleashes a little more.

Michelle's book list on complicated relationships between fascinating women

Michelle Wildgen Why did Michelle love this book?

Whatā€™s more fraught and intimate than friends? Sisters.   

Munroā€™s title story is about a relationship of extremes: sisters Char and Et can laugh over the darkest shit imaginable, and yet they also have certain psychic rooms theyā€™ll never let the other into. Is this love or hostility? More happens in here than I can say, except that Char is the beautiful sister and Et the sharp-tongued, practical one, and an old flame returns and wreaks havoc.

Itā€™s Munro, so there is sex, death, and betrayal, but delivered so obliquely you arenā€™t always sure what the characters deliberately did. Maybe thatā€™s why this story enraptures me: itā€™s about the things youā€™ll never get to know, and I always think I'll figure it out this time.

By Alice Munro,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A remarkable early collection of stories by Alice Munro, the bestselling author of Dear Life, and one of the greatest fiction writers of our time.

'Alice Munro's stories are miraculous'
Sunday Times

'No one else can - or should be allowed to - write like the great Alice Munro'
Julian Barnes

'She sets down the pains and pleasures of living in a spare, singing prose, not a word wasted'
Daily Telegraph

'Read not more than one of her stories a day, and allow them to work their spell: they are made to last'
Observer

'She's the most savage writer I'veā€¦


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Book cover of Knife Skills

Knife Skills by Wendy Church,

"Dizzying . . . Audiences who wished the TV series The Bear had made room for Russian mobsters are in for a treat" - Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

Sagarine Pfister is a great cook but has been blacklisted by almost every restaurant in Chicago. She gets her chance at Louie's,ā€¦

Book cover of More Than Human

Carlos Valrand Author Of The Site

From my list on science fiction about investigations and discovery.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a writer, author of the science fiction novel The Site, and a contributor to the website Internet Looks. During my work as an aerospace engineer and manager I participated in NASA and Department of Defense projects such as the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and the USAF C-5A aircraft. I authored various aerospace system functional requirements documents and technical papers, and developed and taught courses in dynamic simulations, aerodynamics, and space vehicle guidance, navigation, and control. When writing fiction, I use my technical background, understanding of physical principles, and documentation to provide clear and concise descriptions and dialog for the reader.

Carlos' book list on science fiction about investigations and discovery

Carlos Valrand Why did Carlos love this book?

I have the 1971 paperback printing of More Than Human, with the Robert Pepper cover art. The book has a special significance for me; although unrelated in plot, it has similarities to my book: it is science fiction, has an unusual structure, a complex timeline, deals with psychology, and features investigation and discovery. The fact that it was written in 1953, before the Internet, Earth satellites, personal computers, and cell phones, facilitates the readerā€™s attention to the rather complex story. Seven individuals, Lone, Janie, twins Bonnie and Beanie, Baby, Gerry, and Hip, are exemplars of inequality, with peculiar capabilities and shortcomings. The German word gestalt, meaning the forming of a pattern, describes how, together, they embody the next step in human evolution.

By Theodore Sturgeon,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked More Than Human as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this genre-bending novelā€”among the first to have launched sci-fi into the arena of literatureā€”one of the great imaginers of the twentieth century tells a story as mind-blowing as any controlled substance and as affecting as a glimpse into a stranger's soul. 

There's Lone, the simpleton who can hear other people's thoughts and make a man blow his brains out just by looking at him. There's Janie, who moves things without touching them, and there are the teleporting twins, who can travel ten feet or ten miles. There's Baby, who invented an antigravity engine while still in the cradle, andā€¦


Book cover of Carrots
Book cover of Grave Sight
Book cover of The Whispering Hollows

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