23 books like Dangerous Places

By Susan Hunter,

Here are 23 books that Dangerous Places fans have personally recommended if you like Dangerous Places. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Twenty Years Later

Steve Rush Author Of Blood Red Deceit

From my list on crime thrillers I've read as a chief forensic investigator.

Why am I passionate about this?

My career path led through tenure as a police detective working multiple death investigations and into forensic medicine, where I worked with the late Dr. Joseph Burton (a person I sensed was the smartest I had ever met) and Dr. Jan Garavaglia of “Dr. G: Medical Examiner” fame. A case of a homeless person’s murder triggered my interest in writing crime thrillers. I was hooked. To date, I have three published novels, received a contract for one, due for release in early 2025, and other manuscripts ready for submission likened to the five novels on my list.

Steve's book list on crime thrillers I've read as a chief forensic investigator

Steve Rush Why did Steve love this book?

"Wow!" becomes an understatement in this story. I enjoyed the challenge this author issued to the investigators called to a murder scene where more than enough DNA evidence to convict the suspect shouts, “Collect me and solve the case.” Not so fast. Twenty years later, the case remains unsolved.

I liked this story’s multiple secrets, but how might Avery Mason, a TV show host in search of a ratings boost, find the killer when the person of interest died in one of the Twin Towers on 9/11? The answer: a twist of fate.

By Charlie Donlea,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Twenty Years Later as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Excellent…Donlea tells a propulsive tale.” – The New York Times

The New York Times Best Thrillers This Season | E! NewsRecommended Books | OverdriveBiggest Books of the Month

Fans of Verity by Colleen Hoover won’t want to miss this thrilling new suspense novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Girl Who Was Taken! Hiding her own dark past in plain sight, a TV reporter is determined to uncover the truth behind a gruesome murder decades after the investigation was abandoned. But TWENTY YEARS LATER, to understand the present, you need to listen to the past…

Avery Mason, host…


Book cover of Last One Alive

Steve Rush Author Of Blood Red Deceit

From my list on crime thrillers I've read as a chief forensic investigator.

Why am I passionate about this?

My career path led through tenure as a police detective working multiple death investigations and into forensic medicine, where I worked with the late Dr. Joseph Burton (a person I sensed was the smartest I had ever met) and Dr. Jan Garavaglia of “Dr. G: Medical Examiner” fame. A case of a homeless person’s murder triggered my interest in writing crime thrillers. I was hooked. To date, I have three published novels, received a contract for one, due for release in early 2025, and other manuscripts ready for submission likened to the five novels on my list.

Steve's book list on crime thrillers I've read as a chief forensic investigator

Steve Rush Why did Steve love this book?

The way Author Dornbush shares authenticity through her reflection-of-life characters and premise based on her background in the world of forensic science and medicine resonated with me.

I appreciated the way she portrayed Dr. Emily Hartford’s background (similar to the author’s), the character’s resolve for answers, and how life turned for the lone survivor of a murdered family. This one kept me involved and turning pages.

By Jennifer Graeser Dornbush,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Dr. Emily Hartford is back in Chicago, ready to move forward and leave the past behind, until an unexpected request for help sends her deep into an investigation—and into the path of a killer.

Seventeen months after the Parkman case, Dr. Hartford has returned to Chicago to finish her surgical residency. But when she is contacted out of the blue by Solange McClelland, the only survivor of a decade-old triple homicide, Emily is compelled to dig deeper. She doesn’t know the details of the event but remembers it as one of the few cases her deceased father never solved.

On…


Book cover of Broker of Lies

Steve Rush Author Of Blood Red Deceit

From my list on crime thrillers I've read as a chief forensic investigator.

Why am I passionate about this?

My career path led through tenure as a police detective working multiple death investigations and into forensic medicine, where I worked with the late Dr. Joseph Burton (a person I sensed was the smartest I had ever met) and Dr. Jan Garavaglia of “Dr. G: Medical Examiner” fame. A case of a homeless person’s murder triggered my interest in writing crime thrillers. I was hooked. To date, I have three published novels, received a contract for one, due for release in early 2025, and other manuscripts ready for submission likened to the five novels on my list.

Steve's book list on crime thrillers I've read as a chief forensic investigator

Steve Rush Why did Steve love this book?

Steven James is one of my favorite authors, and this novel is one of his best works. I connected with the main character, Travis Brock, a person blessed with an eidetic memory. Travis remembers everything he sees, but like an eyewitness to a crime, some things seen prove haunting afterward.

Threats, trouble, and conflict kept me turning pages. This story's ending, with one of the best twists I have ever read or heard of, left me with a sense of urgency to read the sequel as soon as it is published.

By Steven James,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The man who knows all our secrets has a secret of his own.

When Travis Brock, a high-level Pentagon redactor with an eidetic memory, finds a clue to solving the tragic arson that took his wife from him, he risks everything to find the truth—and chances losing himself in the process.

With a terror attack looming on the horizon and a pair of assassins on his tail, Brock drops off the grid and joins forces with a disavowed Homeland Security operative. Together they race to stop the attack before Brock is neutralized by the people he trusts the most.

From…


Book cover of A Wicked Snow

Steve Rush Author Of Blood Red Deceit

From my list on crime thrillers I've read as a chief forensic investigator.

Why am I passionate about this?

My career path led through tenure as a police detective working multiple death investigations and into forensic medicine, where I worked with the late Dr. Joseph Burton (a person I sensed was the smartest I had ever met) and Dr. Jan Garavaglia of “Dr. G: Medical Examiner” fame. A case of a homeless person’s murder triggered my interest in writing crime thrillers. I was hooked. To date, I have three published novels, received a contract for one, due for release in early 2025, and other manuscripts ready for submission likened to the five novels on my list.

Steve's book list on crime thrillers I've read as a chief forensic investigator

Steve Rush Why did Steve love this book?

The characters and setting in this story deliver as much realism as if the family moved in next door and invited me to dinner. Once I learned the mother hides a deadly past, I imagined myself looking out a window (a safe distance) while I watched the way she treated her family and everyone who opposed her chapter after chapter.

I enjoy Olsen’s novels, and this one (his first following many of his true-crime books) displays his ability to write authentic page-turners.

By Gregg Olsen,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

“Olsen will scare you—and you’ll love it.”
—Lee Child
 
Hannah Griffin was a girl when tragedy struck. She still remembers the flames reflected against the newly fallen snow and the bodies the police dug up—one of them her mother’s. The killer was never found….
 
Twenty years later Hannah is a talented CSI investigating a case of child abuse when the past comes hurtling back. A killer with unfinished business is on the hunt. And an anonymous message turns Hannah’s blood cold:
 
Your Mom called . . .
 
“A TAUT THRILLER.”
—Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 
 “AN IRRESISTIBLE PAGE-TURNER.”
—Kevin O’Brien
 
“WILL KEEP FANS…


Book cover of His Amiable Bride: A Featherbottom Chronicles Novella

Rebecca Lange Author Of Healing the Orphaned Heart

From my list on swoon-worthy Christian historical romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since I can remember I had a special love for western romance books. My mom has written several books set in 1800s America and that probably stirred me in that direction as well since I love her books (they're in German, which is why I couldn’t recommend them). Regency has become my second historical fiction genre, which is probably why I write and read both time periods. I'm a German-born US-Indie author and total romance fanatic. I write Christian Romance set mostly in the above time periods. I'm a massive Harry Potter fan, have been married to my husband for nearly 18 years and we have two teenage sons. 

Rebecca's book list on swoon-worthy Christian historical romance

Rebecca Lange Why did Rebecca love this book?

This was a sweet regency novella. I enjoyed the characters and plot, even though it was a bit rushed at times and the ending a bit abrupt, but it was a delightful read and kept me hooked enough that I wanted to know what would happen next. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

By Kasey Stockton,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Can something beautiful grow from a marriage born of spite?

When Cori Featherbottom accepts her neighbor’s shocking marriage proposal, she has no idea that he still loves her sister—until after the wedding. Guarding her heart, she determines to make the most of her loveless relationship and find a friend in her husband.

Adam Arnett does the only thing he knows for certain will remove a title-hungry flirt—he marries her sister. It doesn’t take long before he finds himself attracted to his new bride, but when her sister tries to throw a wrench in their budding relationship he must fight to…


Book cover of Harnessing Peacocks

Leslie Morris Noyes Author Of Willing: A Contemporary Romance

From my list on for smart woman over forty.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a creative director in Vermont with a few favorite things: laughter, standard poodles, and happy endings—in life and in fiction. Romance fiction abounds with young heroines and happy endings. But I prefer reading about mature women like myself, women who have experienced their share of disappointments yet face life’s challenges with courage and humor. I like the elements of both genres in one juicy book. After much-frustrated searching, I gave up and wrote the story I wanted to read. My wise, middle-aged heroine still has lots to learn about grief and joy, and learns many of those lessons with men—in bed.

Leslie's book list on for smart woman over forty

Leslie Morris Noyes Why did Leslie love this book?

Ms. Wesley didn’t publish until she was seventy, which I find inspiring. She produced ten slim interconnected novels. Like the heroine of Delicious although a century later, this one cooks. She cooks for elderly ladies, visiting for a week or two to stock their freezers with fabulous meals. Her less innocent sideline is “visiting” with men. These occupations earn her enough to keep her fatherless son in an excellent private school. Then, the unthinkable happens: two men who were previously unknown to each other discover they may be sharing the same mistress. The problem is they thought their arrangements were exclusive. A comedy of manners ensues. Wesley’s prose cuts like a finely honed knife. And she does her cutting with very few words. I so admire that skill!  

By Mary Wesley,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Hebe sits in the darkness and listens to her hypocritical grandparents and her older siblings discuss how her unexpected pregnancy must be terminated to avoid the shame it will bring. Determined to raise her child, she flees into the night with only her mother's jewellery to support her.

Twelve years later she is living happily alone in Cornwall, whilst her son attends an expensive private school. Hebe has harnessed her two great talents - cooking and making love - to make a living for herself, but when the separate strands of her life become intangled the even tenor of her…


Book cover of The Windsor Knot

Jonathan Whitelaw Author Of The Bingo Hall Detectives

From my list on sleuths who aren't cops.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been besotted with crime fiction. As a journalist in Scotland, I got to experience real-life crime on a daily basis. And the world of cozy crime fiction became a very valuable, indispensable escape for me. So, when it came to coming up with my characters for The Bingo Hall Detectives, I knew that I had to create a cast, a setting, a mystery even, that would take me out of the relentlessness of the real world and into the confines of a bloody good read. And I’m so glad I did. The Bingo Hall Detectives series is very dear to me and I’m very lucky to be able to bring it to readers. 

Jonathan's book list on sleuths who aren't cops

Jonathan Whitelaw Why did Jonathan love this book?

I am a sucker for something a bit different.

And when I first learned of the wonderful SJ Bennett’s series where her lead detective is Queen Elizabeth II, I was completely sold.

What I love most about this novel, and the series as a whole, is that there’s a wonderful story, cast of supporting characters, and everything, really, that support that simply brilliant concept. Look beyond the fact that the Queen is your protagonist and it’s a completely brilliant novel.

The fantastic, unique, and utterly compelling twist on the sleuth, however, is the cherry on top of the icing on top of the cake. 

By SJ Bennett,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Windsor Knot as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For fans of The Crown and The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.
On a perfect Spring morning at Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth II will enjoy a cup of tea, carry out all her royal duties . . . and solve a murder.

'Like an episode of The Crown - but with a spicy dish of murder on the side' (DAILY MAIL)
______________________

The morning after a dinner party at Windsor Castle, eighty-nine-year-old Queen Elizabeth is shocked to discover that one of her guests has been found murdered in his room, with a rope around his neck.

When the police…


Book cover of My Queen and I

Robert Lacey Author Of Majesty: Elizabeth II and the House of Windsor

From my list on about the Queen.

Why am I passionate about this?

Robert Lacey is credited with changing the way that people read and write about the British monarchy. In 1977 his tell-it-how-it-is Majesty: Elizabeth II and the House of Windsor overturned the clichés of the traditional ‘royal book’, hitherto the preserve of ex-nannies and obsequious court correspondents. As a Cambridge-trained historian of the first Elizabethan age – his biographies Robert, Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Ralegh won critical acclaim – the young journalist added the investigative techniques of his work on the Sunday Times to portray the monarchy in a fresh and analytical fashion. Robert is today Historical Consultant to the Netflix TV series The Crown.

Robert's book list on about the Queen

Robert Lacey Why did Robert love this book?

Here is the finest and fiercest-ever fusillade of anti-royal protest – complete with weeping Queen on the cover. Just as Elizabeth II was settling to celebrate her first 25 years on the throne, the impertinent Scottish Member of Parliament for Fife, Willie Hamilton (1917-2000), rattled out this broadside of hard-hitting complaint against royal conceit and idleness. Hamilton combined compelling statistics on palace extravagance with his own radical sense of right and wrong. He grudgingly admired Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, as "a remarkable old lady." But he dismissed Princess Margaret as "a floozy" – and Prince Charles as "a twerp." The MP claimed that his busy postbag from the British public ran 7-3 daily against the Crown.   

By Willie Hamilton M.P.,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

My Queen and I


Book cover of Kings, Queens & Courtiers: Intimate Portraits of the Royal House of Windsor from its foundation to the present day

Robert Lacey Author Of Majesty: Elizabeth II and the House of Windsor

From my list on about the Queen.

Why am I passionate about this?

Robert Lacey is credited with changing the way that people read and write about the British monarchy. In 1977 his tell-it-how-it-is Majesty: Elizabeth II and the House of Windsor overturned the clichés of the traditional ‘royal book’, hitherto the preserve of ex-nannies and obsequious court correspondents. As a Cambridge-trained historian of the first Elizabethan age – his biographies Robert, Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Ralegh won critical acclaim – the young journalist added the investigative techniques of his work on the Sunday Times to portray the monarchy in a fresh and analytical fashion. Robert is today Historical Consultant to the Netflix TV series The Crown.

Robert's book list on about the Queen

Robert Lacey Why did Robert love this book?

This gazetteer for monarch-aholics is the work of the witty and waspish Kenneth Rose (1924-2014), the royal biographer whose insights have set the standard for the rest of us. Embedded in the heart of the Establishment, Rose had the ability to skewer its every weakness. Duchesses, Diana, Dimbleby (Richard) and Charlotte, George V’s pet parrot – all are here, bearing out the words of Queen Elizabeth II’s non-royal grandmother, Cecilia Bowes-Lyon: "As far as I can see, some people have to be fed royalty like sea-lions fish."

By Kenneth Rose,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kings, Queens & Courtiers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Super fast * (from TX) with tracking. 100% satisfaction *, top customer service! Hand wrapped, smoke free, pet free.


Book cover of The Queen's Executioner

Sally Altass Author Of The Witch Laws: Book One of The Moon Magic Chronicles

From my list on fantasy sweeping you into a beautiful, scary world.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I read, I’m not just seeing the words on a page; I’m escaping into the world crafted by the author. Since I was a child, I’ve always been a lover of fantasy – it was an escape for me to slip between the pages and be a part of the world inside them. Especially if they were beautiful and filled with hidden danger. I wanted to have my heart pound out of my chest, to have the thrill of magic, wonder, and fear. Now, I try to write those types of worlds; because of the books which inspired me. I only hope you love them as much as I do. 

Sally's book list on fantasy sweeping you into a beautiful, scary world

Sally Altass Why did Sally love this book?

The first book in an ever-growing world, The Queen’s Executioner introduces us to Daphne Holdfast. 

An immensely talented vision mage, Daphne is able to use her powers to speak to others, to manipulate others, and is unmatched when in combat. And she’s about to find out that her government and religion have been lying to her and the occupants of the Star Continent. Now, she’ll do whatever she can to save the people she loves. 

I fell in love with Daphne from the first introduction of her, and the Star Continent completely and utterly captivated me – from the tip of Kell to the deserts of the Holdings. Both beautiful and deadly in equal parts, depending on who you happened to bump into while roaming the lands. 

By Christopher Mitchell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Queen's Executioner as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rahain - a land where the mage-born rule and everyone else is expendable.

A slave, a politician and an assassin find themselves the unlikely heroes that could bring the republic to its knees.

Killop is a slave with a secret: his sister is a renegade Fire Mage. Hunted by the Rahain, her capture could lead to the death of thousands.

Laodoc is a politician who loves his country but has grown to hate many of its ancient traditions. He risks losing his family, his career and his liberty to fight for what he believes in.

Battle Mage Daphne Holdfast is…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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